Art & Observations

Reading Opens Doors

2012-01-06T10:30:00.012-05:00

This is a recent project I have been working on in collaboration with my Literacyhead.com partner. We were contracted to create a 5.5inch x 3.25inch educational flip-book for Smart Start Education, a division of The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. The flip-book would be given to parents to help the parents encourage reading through games and activities described in the flip-book. The project is not finalized and we are still working on some client requested edits. Pictured above is the cover we presented to the Smart Start Panel.

The image above is the first draft of the cover. Initially, we decided to make the front cover be a door that opens into the content of the book. The challenge was to make a door interesting and inviting. We thought using a child would be engaging and also established that showing the child's thoughts, of what doors could be opened through reading, would work well conceptually.

After the initial draft was approved, I redrew the image to be used in the color draft (pictured above).

Next I added the color, texture, and the children's thought images. From here we came to the conclusion that the kid's face needed to be cuter and more family friendly. I was also asked to include a pot of flowers to add some visual interest. The draft with these changes is the final draft image at the top of this post.

While I was working on the cover, I was simultaneously working on the book layout. Each chapter was appropriate for a specific age group. We thought it would be cool to make each chapter be a different door that is being opened. Each chapter door has drawings, or elements, that relate the to the age group represented in the chapter. Pictured above is a chapter introduction spread for the 4-6 Years chapter.

Pictured above is a spread of how most of the pages look in the flip-book. Each chapter uses a different color scheme to let the reader know which section they are in. Everything that is red, in this example above, changes to a different solid color with each advancing chapter. The pages are 5.5inches x 3.25inches, the font size is 11 point, and it will be spiral bound.

This is the Back Cover. We wanted to have visual interest/friendliness and invite the readers to use the flip-book again.

Recent Art

2011-12-07T16:27:00.007-05:00

I have not posted for awhile and for that I apologize. I recently committed to remaking a design by an artist on Threadless. I respect the artist Isaboa (Joe) and I thought his design had some potential. Here is my version.

Below is Joe's original design. I took his concept, added my style, and subdued the color. I also kept the dynamic composition.

I was late submitting a design for an Indian Pale Ale design for Finch's Beer Company. It was an open competition and I drew this picture the day it was due. Needless to say it was not going to get finished for the competition.

I also had the opportunity to create a design for the band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Most of their merchandise was pretty strange looking hand drawn art and I tried to push the envelope in that direction. I was going for bazaar but drawn well; I really liked my final product. They ended up going with designs that were more solid graphically speaking.

Literacy Head: Comparison 2 (Somehing Different)

2011-11-07T15:33:00.007-05:00

Here is a couple samples from the most recent Literacyhead issue. They are in the "Tools-You- Can-Use" section and are a continuation of the Comparison tools (or Venns). This time around I used burlap and fabric as inspiration. Actually Mollie, my wife, has been making art in this style recently and I sampled her style for this series. Below are my favorite finished pieces.

Kids Tee

2011-10-25T13:51:00.008-04:00

Or Goat Tee. I had this odd idea of making a shirt that was a play on words or Double meaning. The Goat Tee is a shirt for a goat with a goat on it. And each successive goat would be wearing the shirt; so there would be a shirt within a shirt within a shirt, etc.

On my blog here I want to describe he process of the execution of this design. First I new I wanted a decent photo of a goat. When I was at a petting-zoo with my kids I took some photos of small goats from multiple angles. I found this front angle to work best in the end. I had to do some photo editing to contrast and make the lit-up area on the right-side of the next have lighting consistent with the rest of the goat.

Next I had my son pose in a couple different ways so I could use the best pose for the design. I stuck with this pose that looks like he is showing of the design of his shirt. The hardest part of using photo was erasing (or rubber-stamping) the actual shirt's design off of the shirt.

Once both photos were prepped I combined them and maticulously erased the background of the final result. Once this was compete, before I flattened the image, I made solid underlays of the shirt and the rest of the body so I could change the shirt color and the rest of the body color.

Then I flattened the color version, skewed it to look right on the odd shirt angle, and the duplicated and shrank the image over and over again to get the shirt within a shirt affect. See top version for final color test.

I also made single color versions and tested them on multiple shirt colors.

Placement:

IF: Fuel

2011-10-21T12:42:00.004-04:00

Fossil Fuel's Revenge: 16 x 10 (Click to see detail)

I am glad the prompt for Illustration Friday was "Fuel." I have been messing with this art for a while and the prompt got me off my duff to finish it. I had to shrink it to make it look good online, hence the more obvious bitmapping. It is great to do something for IF again; it had been too long.

College Designs (Threadless)

2011-10-17T11:38:00.004-04:00

I am posting some designs I did for a Threadless Challenge to redesign 12 college mascots. I only got around to 2 but I like how they turned out.

I have always been bothered by the commonly seen Georgia Bulldog mascot I see around town in Athens, GA. I wanted to make a cool and aggressive bulldog to contrast the poorly drawn goblin-looking mascot. I used actual bulldog images, the idea of a full-bodied mascot (which many other colleges embrace), a ready to pounce football player, and the Rancor creature (from Star Wars) as inspiration for my design.

Georgia Design Link

For Auburn I strove to use the concept of their established logo/mascot and take it to the next level. Their logo is circular and I used angles to create more aggression. I also used more of the tigers face to further intensify that aggression. For this design I used actual Tiger images, super hero emblems, an almost symmetrical triangle (and the space it creates), and the current Auburn logo/mascot for my inspiration.

Auburn Design Link

Literacy Head: Comparison

2011-09-20T10:26:00.006-04:00

The newest addition to Literacyhead.com is a lesson on comparing. We decided to make Venn Diagrams so kids could find similarities and difference between objects; mostly animals. Pictured below are pages where kids could compare a T-Rex and a Dragon, a Frog and a Toad, a Dolphin and a Shark, & a Pizza and a Pie. I had to abstract the figures a little, in most cases, to make the Venn's more usable (see example of Shark and Dolphin for most obvious stretch. Overall I am pretty happy with the way they turned out.

I have an exciting illustration project that is coming up that I will show you soon. The entire project is due by October 1st, so wish me luck in it's timely, stress free, completion.

Fun in the Sun

2011-08-30T22:05:00.009-04:00

This is an illustration that shows that Humans have a place among color changing animals. Everyone knows that chameleons can change color with mood or environmental influences, but not everyone knows that frogs, cephalopods, and sea horses also change color; most usually have a brown phase and a bright phase. I also wanted to show a group that enjoys the beach in different ways. I have the process listed below.

First is a rough sketch. I wanted to figure out the order of the animals and how they would fit together in a composition. I also started some loose character design.

Next I drew the line work with pencil. Then I redrew each character, on separate layers in PhotoShop, with my Wacom tablet. I did this so I could easily alter or switch each characters position.

Next I finished some line work and added texture. I framed everything with a oval vignette to give it an old time feel. I also made the texture and line one color so it could be screen-printed. My intention, if this went onto a t-shirt, is that the color would be UV ink that would be invisible indoors but bright and vibrant outdoors. Hence the title, Fun in the Sun. This image (above) is how it would look indoors and the top image is how it would look outside.

On a side note, the chameleon has the Hemingway book The Sun Also Rises. Also I submitted this design as part of a Threadless challenge called "Threadwars," and I was not aloud to promote it on my blog until the round was over. I am happy to report this was my highest scoring submission on Threadless to date.

All Is Not Lost! More 8tracks

2011-06-15T16:20:00.004-04:00

It has been a while and I have neglected this piece of the inter-web's grid. Here is a couple new mixes to occupy ears:

I will post some new art soon, I swear.

Flight of the Concords

2011-04-21T14:12:00.004-04:00

Not to be confused with The Flight of the Conchords.

Yet another design with intentions of becoming a shirt. I tried a little different technique on this one; I drew each screen, except the green, in pencil. So even the white screen was drawn in black. It was a little confusing at first but I liked the results. I found it gave everything a cool texture that would be hard to reproduce using any other technique.

Here is a link, pending approval:

Recent Literacyhead Piece

2011-04-06T15:40:00.005-04:00

This is my favorite tool, out of six, I created for the current issue of Literacyhead. The issue is about testing but this Tool could be used for any topic. I wanted to put a twist on the idea of feelings by showing animals that have unusual ways of feeling their way around.

This is another tool for the Test issue that I could relate to. I experienced all these feelings at different times and for different tests throughout my time as a student. I tried to channel my experience of the feelings into the facial expressions.

On another note here is a really cool musical tool/toy I found on the web today. It is a web-page that is interesting to fool around with. Have fun.

Bonnaroo

2011-03-14T23:07:00.003-04:00

This year, for my 10 year anniversary of marriage, we are going to Bonnoroo. Here is a mix of songs from 22 of the bands playing this year.

So many great bands it will be hard to see everyone.

Fearless: Final

2011-03-07T20:58:00.002-05:00

I created the lamb and the wolf in conflict a few months back and I really liked the way they turned out. I went ahead and created a background to finish this illustration. It was a lot of work but I am satisfied with the results. I hope you all enjoy it too.

Tea/Tee Serpents (Process)

2011-02-16T15:45:00.009-05:00

I recently completed some art for a challenge on Threadless called the Thermos Loves Design Challenge. I have always been intrigued by designs that wrap around cylinders, so I decided to take a stab it with the Tea/Tee Serpents design. I decided to make a design with no end. It does this fusing at a seem and wrapping around the cylinder.

I was inspired by pottery designs of ancient civilizations. The scale motifs were inspired by North-African art and the water swirls where inspired by Ancient Greek art. The idea of using a snake was influenced by the importance of snakes in the Ancient Mayan culture. I wanted to use the circle, of the Thermos, to represent infinity. As you may have guessed, each character represents the four-senses: Visual, Auditory, Smell, and Taste. The sense of touch is activated by touching the Thermos.

The design process is demonstrated below:

The red box shows the first sketch of the concept. The little faces represented possible faces for the serpents.

This a sketch demonstrated how the Thermos would look. This also shows the idea of using swirls for the liquid in the art.

I downloaded the measurements for the Thermos and created a template to follow to make sure the serpents fused seamlessly.

I drew each serpent and the swirls on separate sheets of paper. I used the previously mentioned template to place the serpents and swirls in the composition. I was also extremely careful to cut and place the fuse making serpent, and swirls, in the perfect position. I printed a copy and taped the paper together at the fuse location to be sure the serpent and the swirls lined up correctly.

Then I experimented with color and came up with a cool palette. I also inserted a water droplet texture behind the serpents; I had to use the rubber-stamp tool in Photoshop to make the droplets repeat exactly along the seem.

I put the placed the design in a t-shirt and Thermos template for the world to see.

It is a three-color print on a light blue shirt or a three-color blueish gray brushed steel Thermos.

Here is a link to it on Threadless, pending approval of course:

APPsolutely inGENIOUS!

2011-02-16T14:57:00.019-05:00

Anyone who follows this blog probably remembers that I do work for an online magazine called Literacyhead. Last week I was contacted and asked to create 6 logos/identities in 24 hours; and yes, my jaw dropped with a deadline like that. It turned I actually had a weekend to complete the project for an education competition but that is still not a lot of time.

The identities were for a Suite of APPs called APPsolutely inGENIOUS! Each App uses art in different ways to teach story comprehension. The mix of Literacyhead being good about letting me be creative and clear communication, about the project, made these identities a success.

Art Starts uses art that relates to a particular story to help kids understand the story.

The Build App asks the readers to build a building, house, or room based on their level of comprehension of the story.

This one uses art to make analogies to help with reading comprehension.

Picture Problems uses Math to help with the comprehension of stories. Don't ask me how this works, I am terrible at math.

This App uses the different substance of cooked egg textures to demonstrate levels comprehension: Hard-boiled (understand clearly), Fried (kind of understand), and Scrambled (don't understand).

The Cave or IF: Deja Vu

2010-12-29T16:16:00.007-05:00

Here is a vector illustration I did for fun. The idea of a lazy man taking a load-off being represented by a bear is a concept I have been thinking about for a long time. Working on this was kind of a Deja Vu experience because it brought back feelings I had back when I conceptualized the art. I never actually illustrated it until now. I put a little twist to the original idea by making the bear take back the cave from a man.

I went ahead and posted it to Threadless even the though the composition did not lend itself to a shirt as well as a taller composition might have. Here is a Threadless link if you feel so inclined:

War Games

2010-12-16T11:43:00.003-05:00

It has been awhile since I have posted. Here is some new art posted in the Holiday Season's theme of Peace. This was drawn in pen and colored digitally.

Here is a link to it on Threadless:

Tidings of Peace and Joy to all.

IF: Burning

2010-11-12T16:17:00.005-05:00

This is for a web magazine I am working for called "Literacyhead." This worksheet was created as elude to the game "Hot and Cold" that kids play. The farther your guess is, from being the correct, the colder you are, and as you get close, with your guess, you start burning up. At least that is how I used to play the game.

New Music Mixes to Check Out

2010-10-21T16:53:00.005-04:00

A few posts back I mentioned that I have started creating music mixes on 8tracks. Here are some themed mixes, that I created, that I really like. Check them out if you get a chance.

And here is a Mix that won a Challenge on Threadless. In a blog we were all encouraged to create a Mix for the print warehouse. The theme was to make a Mix using "dead stars." I went the route of having songs about dead stars rather than songs performed by dead stars:

Rodeo at the Dude Ranch & IF: Racing

2010-10-21T16:31:00.009-04:00

Here is another design and illustration that I have created for Threadless. I am very excited about because I know so many people who would wear it. It is an homage to one of the greatest movies of all time, The Big Lebowski. Please enjoy responsibly.

Here is a link to Threadless where you can vote if you feel so inlined:

IF: He looks like he could be racing, but it is actually a bucking bronco.

Some Dudical music to listen to:

Another Threadless Submission

2010-10-14T15:20:00.003-04:00

Jack Sparrow.

2 ink colors on a sand colored shirt. Please go vote if you get a chance:

According to Charlie: "Less is More."

2010-10-01T09:49:00.003-04:00

Here is the latest installment of my comic strip for Litteracyhead.com . The issue with this comic should be live next week. I also did two tools for this same issue. Let me know what you think.

Two Can Dance (or) Toucan Tango

2010-09-10T16:30:00.007-04:00

Here is some art I made to submit to Threadless. If it does not print there, I intend to make over-sized prints of this image in the future. I know the phrase is Two to Tango but I could not resist making Toucans dancing; as opposed to having people dancing in Too-toos. Click on the image and make sure to check out nocturnal jungle animals in the background.

If you get a chance, please vote here:

According To Charlie

2010-09-03T13:34:00.004-04:00

Recently was asked to create a comic strip for a children's literacy website called Literacyhead.com. I have been doing some graphic design work for them for a couple months and I am happy to be working on this by weekly strip. Please stop by literacyhead and see what they are doing over there.

The Comic Strip is about the adventures of Charlie the Chameleon who always seems be misunderstanding his friends. The first installation introduces his best friend Henrietta the Hedgehog. Let me know what you think.

Music

2010-08-26T14:06:00.004-04:00

I have not done many posts that talk about music here on my blog but here is one. I found, through the Treadless community, a cool website called 8tracks. As a participant, you basically make short music mixes that you share via your profile. Since I have always been a bit of a mix-tape junkie this was my opportunity to let that fanaticism flow. If you feel so inclined, check out my profile here.

Here are some mixes that I created:

I may start posting more mixes in the future. For the time being, I hope you enjoy one or two of these mixes. If you feel so inclined, let me know what you think about a mix or two.

Die Zombie, Die!

2010-08-10T11:04:00.008-04:00

Above: Higher Resolution, just click on the image.
Below: Placement.

T-shirt would be printed with 4-color process or however the good folks at Threadless would like to separate it.

So here is a zombie submission for Threadless. It is for the "Comic Loves" competition. It was influenced by the cover of a graphic novel called "Hard Boiled." This a t-shirt version of the a fore mentioned cover done to a zombie theme; I could not find a good link or else I would have included it.

I chose a zombie theme because when I was on a family retreat, called The Lighthouse, I met a man named Larry who was an extra on "The Walking Dead." Larry is the father of an amazing boy named Jared who befriended my son at the retreat. A zombified Larry picture is featured on the walk-on add section on the official website. "The Walking Dead" is based on a long running comic that goes by the same name. This one is for Larry, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Frank Miller and Geof Darrow.

If you get a chance please check out and/or support The Lighthouse; see link above. It is an amazing organization that provides refuge and light for families of Cancer Survivors.

Link to vote on Threadless:

Row Bot

2010-07-16T09:12:00.005-04:00

Here is a pun design that I have working on very slowly. I have had some other projects that have been consuming my extra time that I will detail later.

This Row Bot is idly enjoying a sunrise, or a sunset, on a lake. I have included some process images below.

Row Bot (8 x10) vector graphics.

The first vector version had a smaller sun with tighter line width, submerged boat and row elements, and a slightly different tree line. When I showed this art to some people they mentioned an adversity to the purple so I went with maroon in the final version.

Here is the original sketch and inked drawing. Initially, I had a swirly water affect which I really liked. When I imported it into the computer I decided I wanted to play with the lighting to add dimension. The light direction did not lend itself well to the swirls because the shadow cut across most of it. Instead I played with the random, yet mathematically repetitive, nature of water and shadow play; as seen in the previous two vector versions.

If you feel so inclined please visit and vote Threadless:

ChaDes: Guilty Insomniac

2010-06-18T15:10:00.002-04:00

Ballpoint and Sharpie Pen, 4 x6 inches.

A last minute entry for the challenge. I toyed around with idea of a crazed insomniac roaming the streets with a knife. But then I decided to make it more psychological by entering the lunatic's mind and asking "what have I done." There must be a blend between reality and imagination when the mind never rests, an uncertainty of all things; I was trying to play off of that.

No pencil or erasing here. Sometimes it can be liberating to draw a drawing for drawings sake, to be loose and not so intentional.

Brain Bath

2010-06-16T10:49:00.004-04:00

Brain Bath 10 x 11, Pen & Ink and Digital Color. 2010.

A request was made, at my work, to create a brain taking bath. It was done to illustrate how our brains take a chemical bath when they get stressed, which is a good survival mechanism in the short-term.

The Triumphant Return (Star Gazing)

2010-06-02T08:54:00.011-04:00

Imagine star gazing and seeing these guys. When their Galactic conquest for tasty resources came to it's conclusion, the royalty of Earth's food chain returned to reclaim there title.

16x24 Pen & Ink, digital texture, and vector graphics.

Voting has ended

The Bounty Hunters that did not make the cut.

2010-05-21T16:21:00.002-04:00

Rejected Bounty Hunters: 11 x 8 inches, Graphite, Pen, and Digital texture.

Finally and triumphantly, I complete another ChaDes Challenge. It has been along time but I think I made up for it in effort.

The Challenge was to design characters that were rejected by the Galactic Empire to be hired as Bounty Hunters. See the challenge here.

I found these characters to be some of these least threatening and goofy characters in the entire Star Wars Universe.

Thanks for stopping and, if you get a chance, please tell me what you think.

IF: Fearless

2010-05-07T15:21:00.004-04:00

Updated image 5/13/2010: Now I need a background. I may mess with the wolf's tail to make the tail between the legs more obvious. Click on the image to see more armor and hair detail.

This is a drawing I was working on about a year ago that I never finished (please click on the image to see details). It is a supposed to be a metaphor, or symbolic, for wearing the armor of God and the attitude we should have facing our enemy. When my son got sick, last May, my attitude was adjusted and it took me a longtime to feel anywhere near this strong; maybe that is why I have taken so long to return to this drawing. I always liked it and hopefully I will be able to finish it soon.

14 x 9 inches, graphite and pen on watercolor paper.

Walk to Work: 2010

2010-05-04T14:27:00.035-04:00

A couple years ago I created a post about my commute to work, here. This is my new updated version for 2010. You will notice some differences from the previous version. I recently created a new trail through some bamboo to make my walk even shorter. The previous version was also created during Fall and this version is set in Spring. I hope this version makes sense and that you enjoy it.

This is where I walk out my garage and walk to my neighbors fence.

I cut across a little bit of my neighbors yard to get to the drive-way of the next house over.

This is one of the houses at the end of my cul-de-sac. My neighbors graciously let me go through their yard to cut across to public land.

This is where I cut from the neighbor's yard to an easement.

Starting down the "deer trail" down to the stream bed.

Recently a storm knocked down a rotten tree that cut across my path. I had to start stepping or jumping over this tree. Being He-man I attempted to lift the tree a bit to make my movement easier; actually the huge rotten stump was relatively lite considering it's size. It is now even easier to get to the stream bed below.

This is where I have to cross the stream bed. Sometimes it's easy to cross but other times, such as after a big rain storm, it can be difficult to cross.

I also want to point out "The Monkey tree." It is a Magnolia tree that is more than 100 feet tall and looks to be one of the greatest climbing trees of all time. Note to self: climb The Monkey Tree soon.

"The Monkey Tree."

Here is the way out of the stream bed.

This is a 200 yard stretch behind the local 4-H building.

At the end of this path I veer a bit to the left.

Here is another stretch, about 150 yards, across a nice lawn. I got permission from the property owner to cross this business's' property.

Here I veer to the right to embark on my new trail.

I must walk between these two bamboo shoots to avoid some Poison Ivy.

Here I must cross a rotten, felled, tree across a 5 foot deep stream bed. I step on one end of the log, hold a bamboo shoot for balance, and jump to the other end of the log. I do not want to find out how rotten the log is by stepping in the middle. After this I enter a thick bamboo forest.

This a little turn in the forest.

This is where I have to jump or straddle over a log.

Most of this trail is fairly natural. It was caused by falling trees and, probably, animal trails. This is the section I really had to hack through to make this trail work.

This is where I exit the bamboo forest and enter a new property. I have asked and gotten permission to cross this yard too.

When I come across this corner I can see my place of employment about a 100 yards away.

This is where I enter to start my work day.

I appreciate all the people along the way who have let me cross their yards in order to give me such a wonderful commute to work. This has to be one of the most pleasant commutes in the country. Let me know what you think.

Slowest Train or IF: Ahead

2010-04-26T14:35:00.009-04:00

Ahead of the snail was a sloth. Ahead of the sloth was a tortoise. Ahead of the tortoise was a sea horse steering the slowest train. With nowhere to go, without care in the world, they sang there song to the slow tempo of the clickity-clack.

The Slowest Train Coming. I put together the slowest animals in the world playing musical instruments in a nod to train inspired Blues songs. I have a Three-toed Sloth (the slowest mammal: .15 mph), a Giant Tortoise (the slowest reptile: .17), a Garden Snail (The slowest insect: .03 mph) and Sea Horse (the slowest fish: .001 mph). I did not include any birds because there is no bird slow enough for this list.

Five color screen-print design. The t-shirt print wraps around the shirt. Prints up to 25 inches across as a print.

If you get a chance, vote on all of my current designs at Threadless.
including:

More Threadless designs

2010-04-24T13:16:00.005-04:00

I am going to post two more soon and try do a promotional blitz. Follow the links to see more details and t-shirt placement. Please let me know what you think and vote at Threadless if you get a chance.

Based on comments and interest, I decided to go with "Armpit Hare" rather than the "Ear Hare" from the previous post.

T-shirt Designs Beginning With The Letter E

2010-04-13T16:47:00.004-04:00

Eye-Ball Machine- Five Screen-Printed Colors on a Medium Blue shirt.

Ear Hare- 3 Screen-Printed Colors on Sand or Gold shirt.

These are the designs for the letter E; go figure.

The are also recent T-shirt designs that I will soon post with two other designs on Threadless.

Threadless

2010-03-24T09:54:00.003-04:00

I have just started my attempt at designing shirts for Threadless.com. If you read this post, and you like the designs, please go to Threadless and vote for design and mark that you would buy it. There should links embedded above. If I get printed, not only will it boost my ego but I could receive substantial monetary compensation.

I will probably start posting more t-shirt designs intended for Threadless in the near future.

The Process

2010-03-09T15:29:00.015-05:00

The Squid and The Whale. 12 x 12 inches Pen & Ink and Digital color/texture.

Here is a picture I created recently. The battle between a Giant Squid and a Sperm Whale is an intriguing concept. Here are two modern monsters, that actually exist, battling for supremacy in the shroud of our mysterious oceans. Besides just making an interesting image it begs many questions since it has never been documented. Who attacked who? Are there squids large enough to kill whales? Do they hunt each other?

I have been working on a lot of t-shirt designs lately and I was recently told I should do a design with "Nautical Stars." I wont pretend to be a Nautical buff but I do like monsters. I thought I could do a design I liked and incorporate the stars too. I went ahead and drew the squid and whale in mortal combat; pictured below.

I used multiple photo references for each creature to figure out their anatomy. I then used a circular composition by using the creatures poses, placement and foreshortening. I then inked the pencil drawing; pictured below.

Afterwords, I made a high-resolution scan. I cleaned up the drawing a little in Adobe PhotoShop CS4. I placed the image into Adobe Illustrator CS4 and used the Live trace tool to turn the art into vectors. I arranged some vector stars and paint spatters, I had on file, to create the background. I used "Nautical Stars" around the whale because whales seem to be a big part of nautical history. I used the spatters around the squid because squids ink. The result is the following picture; shown below.

Finally I took the image and tried it in black and reversed, as white, on different colored t-shirt templates. I was happiest with the white ink on a light blue t-shirt combination; pictured below.

I hope people like the final product and I also hope that all the hard work pays-off. I liked the concept so much that I went back and did a more artistic treatment of the original art; See the top picture.

Sherlock Whale

2010-02-26T11:42:00.004-05:00

I did this a few months back...I don't remember why. I suppose there does not always have to be a reason.

IF: Propagate

2010-02-25T15:14:00.003-05:00

"Pushing Daisies"
10 x 5.5 Pen and digital Texture.

IF: Muddy

2010-02-12T09:26:00.003-05:00

Here is my idea for "Muddy." I have recently come across an opportunity to design some funny "play-on-words" t-shirts. Look for more in the coming weeks.

For those that are interested, I will also be posting some of Griffin's stories and blogger illustrations in the next couple weeks. Follow link below for the original post.

IF: Focused

2010-02-03T16:54:00.006-05:00

"Scavengers" 9.5 x 5.5 inches, Pencil with Digital Color/texture.

I have had this idea for a long time but it took IFs' "Focused" prompt to leech it out of me. With the award season in full swing this piece seemed appropriate. I like movies, music, and being entertained, but I think there are a lot more important things to be focused on right now.

IF: Crunch

2009-12-11T13:40:00.003-05:00

This is immediately what I thought of for "Crunch." It seems I am late, as usual, but I hope is illustration is worth wait. Thanks for stopping and, as always, comment are always welcome.

"Crunchy" 8.5 x 12 Pencil & Pen with digital texture and color.

If: Entangled

2009-12-02T16:24:00.005-05:00

This is what came to mind when I thought of "Entangled." I couldn't help but think of the "entangle" spell from D & D. On another level, Subconsciously, I think I may have been channeling my feelings about having a child in remission from Leukemia; the uncertainty, the dread and the hope reaching out into the future. I only thought about this in hindsight of the images completion.

"Entangled" Pencil, Digital Collage and Color. 6 x 6 inches.

IF: Music II or Entangled

2009-11-30T12:22:00.007-05:00

This is the new picture I wanted to do for IF. This is what came to mind for the prompt of "music." I could work for "Entangle" or "Envelope" too. I love to be entangled in the feeling and energy of live music.

"One good thing about music,
when it hits you,
you feel no pain."

Bob-

Pencil Illustration, Photo Montage texture (Photoshop), 6 x 10 inches.

IF: Music

2009-11-24T10:47:00.016-05:00

This is a piece I did in 2007 when I was posterizing some of my favorite musicians. This Miles Davis was plotted (cut) in vinyl and applied in 5 individually applied layers. The substrate (or backing) is wood panel sandwiched between two aluminum sheets. It is capped (framed) by black plastic siding. It weighs close to 10 pounds and is 10 x 24.

I appreciate the help of AJ Hancock of Apex Signs for his help in making this piece happen.

(Detail)

I made a whole series of musicians in this vain but It cost to much to produce them versus how much people would pay to buy them. I always wonder how starving artist afford art supplies.

Chades: Choose Your Own Drawing Adventure

2009-09-14T16:32:00.004-04:00

The caption is as follows:

"Once there was a pink kitten who made a deal with the devil so he could avenge the death of his parents."

I was thinking of an anti-super hero in the vein of Spawn.

Visit Austin's site to see more Pink Kittens.

I was going to draw a background and a grand battle ensuing but low and behold times was again a factor to consider.

Book Writing

2009-08-18T09:19:00.024-04:00

So I have a new adventure I have been pursuing. I recently started writing books with my 3 year-old son Griffin. My mother was a school teacher and it was her idea. We usually find a picture, ask Griffin questions about the picture and he fills in the blanks, which make the story. It is very fun and I highly recommend trying it sometime.

Yesterday I asked him if he would prefer writing a story based on drawings I made, or write a story and have me draw pictures based on what he wrote. He wanted me to draw pictures based on what he wrote. We both like robots so I asked him if he would like to write a story about robots. He agreed and this is how it went:

Me: What is the robots name?

Griffin: The robots name is Rent-Bob.

Me: What does the robot do?

Griffin: He is a fisherman.

Me: How does he catch the fish?

Griffin: He uses a fishing pole.

Me: What kind of fish does he catch?

Griffin: He catches pink fish.

Me: Where does he fish?

Griffin: He fishes in a book.

Here is a picture of the Author to go along with the back cover of the book.

To be honest, since I heard about Griffin's diagnoses, I have been less than inspired to draw. Maybe this will be the spark to get me back on the drawing wagon, so to speak. If any of you, out there in the blogging world, would be inspired to illustrate a short Griffin story, let me know and I will send you a story that you can illustrate too. It can be loose, it can be sloppy, and it can be awesome in it's simplicity.

I will admit, I have been playing with this character design for a few weeks now. There is a story I have been writing with my sister that will have a robot character in it. This was a good excuse to practice using the robot in scenes and different poses.

I used drawing paper, pencil (with no eraser), and crayon. Crayon is an interesting media but can be frustrating when working at a small scale; this book is about 4.5 inches x 4.5 inches. Next time I try my hand using crayons I will do so at a larger scale.

T-shirt ACC Stormwater

2009-07-13T12:00:00.005-04:00

Stop standing there idle, help those animals express their frustration.

7/20/09 Update of original art to make all parties happy.

Here is a job I recently finished. It is for the Athens/Clarke County Stormwater department. They needed a t-shirt for their new hot-line. It was requested to illustrate the design to look like a graphic novel. This is my attempt. Tell me what you think.

This is a 5 color screen-print on a light blue t-shirt. I added an updated version July 17th so you can take a look at the half-tones.

Griffin Day 5k: T-shirt

2009-06-10T14:16:00.006-04:00

I have not posted in a long time and for a good reason. My 3 year-old son was diagnosed with Leukemia ALL on May 20th. We are blessed to see our son, Griffin, responding well to the treatments on a medical level. This type of Leukemia has 80-90% cure which is great. That said, he has not been himself and he is currently in a lot of pain.

We were in the hospital for over a week and I have been transitioning back into work. The only free time I have is when I sit with Griffin to comfort him. I cannot draw while I do this but I can read, and I have read four books since this whole thing started: The Shack, The Wizard of Oz, The Sun Also Rises and Dune. I will probably not get into posting often for awhile: this also means I will not be visiting my favorite bloggers very ofter either. I have not forgotten all of you.

The t-shirt designs, above, are for a benefit for my son. A friend of ours had the bright idea of putting on a 5k run to benefit Griffin and our family. We are making a day out it with a raffle, potluck, and music in the evening. These shirts will be given to the runners and will be available for purchase by the general public. If you are able to be in the Athens, GA. area July 18th please come by: Let me know in your comments and I will get you more information. If you like the shirt and you want to get one/support us please let me know.

About the design: Griffin's favorite color is purple, hence the purple shirt. I wanted to graphically show cancer cells (red crabs) intermingled with white blood cells (yellow rounded stars) and have the cancer cells disappear across the design. It's all very symbolic and hopeful. To top it off, who does not like looking at a picture of my son Griffin.

Update: To purchase t-shirts and/or register for the 5k go to

http://griffin5k.blogspot.com

Eric Clapton

2009-04-07T11:44:00.008-04:00

Recently I was humbled to be to have the opportunity to designs a concert t-shirt for Eric Clapton. This kind of opportunity does not come up very often and frankly, I honored just be able to take part. Clapton is a music legend, and in my opinion, he is be admired for staying relevant and rocking for so many years.

I have been doing some freelance design for a screen-printing company for which I used to work full-time. Pretty much all the t-shirt designs seen on my blog are from work I have done for this company. When I got the call that we would be submitting designs to Clapton's management I was ecstatic. The only direction they gave was not use Clapton's face or an image of a guitar. So here is the best of what I came up with in a two day dead-line.

Sound Cloud: The concept was to combine psychedelic art with modern design.
Rasta Clapton: The idea here was to capitalize on one of Clapton's best known hits; his remake of the Bob Marley classic "I Shot the Sheriff."
Clapton Monument: He is so monumental in the history of rock that I thought it only fitting.

I am still waiting on what Clapton's people think. In the interim, please let me know your thoughts. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

IF Poise: T-shirt Submissions

2009-03-25T10:28:00.011-04:00

In these recently created designs, and the designs from the previous two post, I have been trying to create compositions with a great degree of poise.

Poise from Webster's- 1: a stably balanced state : equilibrium poise between widely divergent impulses — F. R. Leavis>2 a: easy self-possessed assurance of manner : gracious tact in coping or handling.

"Odd Bird"

"Type-Writer"

"Super 80's"

"Tape Vomit"

"The End" based on the real ending of The Watchmen.

I have not been posting lately because I have been fervently working on some t-shirt designs. These, along with the previous two posts, are some of the submissions I have made to a start-up company called "Transmission." I am very excited about the prospects of this company.

Please let me know what you think about the designs: Would you were them? Which is your favorite? Do any of them rub you the wrong way? Do they have poise?

IF: Intricate

2009-03-06T11:20:00.006-05:00

Here is an intricate way to hurt the environment.

Created for a new t-shirt line my friend is starting. More news later.

IF: Breezy

2009-03-05T12:32:00.003-05:00

ChaDes: Super Villain

2009-02-26T08:59:00.010-05:00

The Ice Raptor
Ice Raptor is part of the WOE, which is a group of super villains dedicated to destroying all Super Heroes. This group was created by Austin Maddison: Check his site for more WOE action.

Ice Raptor Origin:
Doug Vansant was a live in land lord of a San Francisco East Bay Slum were no one wanted to live. Unknown to him, there was an unscrupulous genetic engineer that was in hiding living in the apartment above his own. Adjacent to the genetic engineers apartment resided a low life that operated a Meth Lab. One day when loud noises where coming from the apartment above Doug's, he went to investigate the clanking. As he was reprimanding the engineer he happened to see some odd equipment: viles of liquid, large eggs, petrified bones, and computers. A minute later there was a giant explosion. The apartment was leveled but from the ashes rose Doug transformed into a hideous beast. Mysteriously during the explosion the chemicals of the methamphetamine meshed with the DNA of both Doug and a Velociraptor. What resulted was a half-Raptor-half-man creature with Amphetamines infused into it's DNA.

Powers:
Never sleeps, moves incredibly fast, super strength, works well with a team, poisonous saliva (equivalent to injecting 1000 cc. of uncut Meth), razor sharp claws and teeth, and ability to stay focused for extended periods of time.

Weakness:
Will do anything for a cigarette, prone to vacuuming at 3 A.M., twitchy (can't stay still, which is bad for hunting), tends to jump the gun, always paranoid, Kleptomaniac leanings and other bizarre phobias. Doug was an amoral Slum lord; I will leave these weaknesses to your imagination.

Apparently I was a bit late with this. Check out Everitt Downing's and Emma Coat's characters too.

More T-shirt Art

2009-02-19T22:45:00.007-05:00

Content Edited (9/17/09)

In other news, the first design from the previous post is going to be printed. It will be printed on a natural colored shirt with browns, red, and oranges(see below). I am overjoyed to have a shirt chosen by Dan for his solo tour.

T-shirt Art February

2009-02-17T21:28:00.014-05:00

Content Edited (9/17/09)

I was recently commissioned to do some t-shirt art for a couple of bands. I was really excited to do some art for Dan Auerbach, of "The Black Keys," who is putting out a solo album. The "Keys" are awesome, and from what I have heard, Dan's album "Keep It Hid"sounds like it will be great too. I did one creative 70's feeling design (top), another based on 60's Jazz Art and Ohioan pride (center), seen in previous "Keys" apparel, and a more Head Shot approach (bottom).

This design is for a Country rocker I had not heard of named "Jonathan Singleton." I was told to take inspiration from Bob Seger t-shirts/posters. I found a photo of "Singleton" live that worked well. "Singleton" is touring with Eric Church and I will have a design of his that I will show in my next post. IF and MAD will have to wait.

I hope the musicians dig my ideas. If you get a chance, please let me know what you think.

There will be much "celebration" and jubilation when designs go to print.

IF: Flawed

2009-02-04T11:03:00.003-05:00

Despite their many flaws, they were still the best of friends.

OK, I must admit this was under the influence of the "Frog and Toad" book series. I have been reading "Frog and Toad" books to my son lately.

IF: Pale

2009-01-23T13:24:00.004-05:00

Pale= Pail=Bucket; same thing.

I know, I know, a day late. Better late than never.

T-shirts design for January

2009-01-20T15:31:00.012-05:00

I have not posted for a while and I am glad to say that I finally have something to show for it. I was recently commissioned by a previous employer to create some t-shirt designs for the band Widespread Panic. I was told to be influenced by Grateful Dead art. I was also told that we were going to try and use a printing technique were the ink is thin and washed out; hence the slightly faded colors in the designs. The following illustrations and designs are the best ideas that I came up with.

People who have previously been to my blog may recognize the last design. It was a design I did for Iron and Wine that was rejected. I thought it was strong, so I updated it and put Widespread's name in there.

I would be delighted to know which one is your favorite.

Illustration Project: Start to Finish

2008-11-26T11:58:00.014-05:00

For this illustration imagine a line going down the middle where there would be a fold, where the spine would bisect the design.

Recently, I was commissioned to to illustrate and design a book cover for an independently published writer. I worked exclusively with her to create a feel that see liked. Here is the process we went through.

First, she gave me a number of photos to look through.
I decided this picture could make a good composition
and exuded the mood she wanted to have.

Second, I gave her sketches of what the cover
would look like as a composition with text. We
came to a conclusion we both agreed on and
proceeded to the illustration phase.

Next, I did a pen illustration of the author. Notice
that I had to draw the feet without a reference.

After the pen drawing was finished I scanned
it and added some texture and color on the
computer. This took a while.

Then I showed the author a proof.

She decided that she did not want her face
to look as cartoonish. We decided to use the
original photo and low-light areas with pen
to keep the illustration consistent. We also
decided to put her lower on the page to leave
more room for the Title text.

She liked this proof a lot.

Finally, I added some design elements. I
created a Title logo and designed other
elements in the same feel.

We were both very happy with the final
realized vision.

No Art This Time: Just the random facts.

2008-11-25T11:42:00.013-05:00

So I have been tagged to offer seven random facts about myself. I was tagged by the friendly and talented Yoon See. This may be the first and last time I talk much about myself so listen closely if you have any interest what-so-ever:

1. My nick-name musarter comes from the idea that I create music and art:
I am a musician and art-er. I am a bit embarrassed to admit my infatuation with playing music came from the idea that musicians get all the ladies. I got this idea from this scene from Lost Boys. After seeing this scene I promptly begged my parents to let me lease a saxophone to play in the school band at the tender age of 11. As I grew older I started to write music and enjoy the mental exercise it provided; I loved and still love the vast possibilities in this creative environment. My musical tastes and influences include but are not limited to the following genres: Reggae, Rock (roots, progressive, classic, etc.), Independent, Alternative, Electronic, Classical, Funk, Flamenco, African, Latin, Folk (American and Gypsy), Jazz (in many forms), R&B/soul, Gospel, Hip Hop and the Blues. If I ever record anything I will link it to this blog.

2. I have broken thickest bone in my body:
I broke my heal bone when I was in the forth grade. It was Super Bowl Sunday and all the adults were at a party. A friend and I decided it would be fun to sneak into a neighborhood girl's house to scare her and her friends. To do this we had to climb onto their roof and sneak in through the balcony door. Let's just say there was not much thought put into this scheme of ours as there was no escape plan. Upon retreat from our scare I jumped rather than get caught. I landed squarely on the grass below with the exception of my heal which caught the cement walk-way below.

3. I have broke the largest bone in my body:
I broke my femur bone just like in the picture on the bottom left. I was riding a wave runner and crashed into another wave runner. I am a living testimony to life-preservers: without one I would have drown.

4. I am a Male human from the USA that does not care much for College or Professional Sports:
Maybe it has to do with the trauma mentioned in (2) above. I do think it is entertaining I just have better things to do with my time. One the fondest memories I have took place during a Super Bowl: I was surfing during a great swell, no one was out, just as I was paddling into a large, hallow, wave a dolphin jumped within 10 feet of me and we both caught the wave together. This memory makes me think of all the great things that can pass by unnoticed while we sit in front of monitors and television screens.

5. I am an American that walks to work:
See previous post. There is something to be said about a small commute and being able to see my wife and children at lunch.

6. I am a self-professed coffee snob:
Although I worked at Starbucks for a while, I hardly drank coffee there. Working with that coffee smell drew me in. I learned how to taste coffee working with many connoisseurs. These days I wont drink Starbucks drip coffee and I only use a french press at home. Here is a link to one of my favorite regional coffees.

7. I am only person that lives in Watkinsville, GA. that grew up in Encinitas, CA:
My wife grew up in Carlsbad, CA. which makes her the only person in Watkinsville from Carlsbad, CA. I grew-up in a hippie-town comprised of surfers and immigrants. I left a city that was nothing like the great place I grew-up. We were being called to move somewhere else but we did not know where. A Friend our ours was moving to Athens, GA. and offered to let me stay with them until I found a job, and that is what I did. Let this be a lesson to people that casually make bold offers: I am living proof that sometimes people take-up the most outlandish of offers.

I am tagging some people not so much to see them write a novel, as I did, but to, hopefully,
send some traffic to some terrific blogs:

Andre Gribble
Dani Torrent
Ester Garcia Cortez
Curious Art
Michael Villegas
Austin Madison
Piero Pierini

All these blogs are very inspirational to me.

Obama Nation

2008-11-11T12:40:00.003-05:00

So we have a new President. I don't really get why people love this man so much, really more than they should. Don't get me wrong he will probably be a good leader, and I know he has inspired a generation to think anyone can make it to the White House. I just think it is foolish to put so much hope in one person. After all, he is only human.

IF: Repair

2008-10-28T13:24:00.002-04:00

All the Kings Democrats and all the Kings Republicans wont be able to put him together again.

This is for all the retirees that have lost their nest eggs.

ChaDes: Hostile Troll

2008-10-24T08:45:00.003-04:00

The Judge, Jury, and Lawyers had no idea how hostile a witness could be until Morgouth took the stand.

IF: Strings

2008-10-10T15:40:00.007-04:00

These things can ruin a perfectly good day at the beach.

ChaDes: Loopy Gangsters

2008-10-10T10:11:00.004-04:00

This is my first post in a long while. I have been very busy but I managed to get a quick ChaDes sketch in. "Crazy-Eyes Patroza" always wore a white suit with a black tie and was known for using improvised billy-clubs such an occasional cannoli.

Beatrix Potter

2008-09-15T09:58:00.005-04:00

Here is an illustration I did for "Monday Artday." The prompt was to make an illustration inspired by Beatrix Potter. This is illustration is from "The Tale of Benjamin Bunny," which is kind of like the sequel to "The Tale of Peter Rabbit." In this scene Mr. Benjamin Bunny knocks a cat of a basket that Peter and Little Benjamin are trapped underneath.

I recently decided that if I read a Beatrix Potter book to my son, I must do so in the Queens English. If you are wondering what this means, it is a really bad English accent.

IF: Memories

2008-08-29T09:57:00.003-04:00

This is an illustration I did of my then girlfriend, now wife, when we took a trip to England the summer of '98. Oh the nostalgia of simpler times is very romantic.

I made this when I was in college. It is 8 x 10+ watercolor, colored pencil, and pastel on watercolor paper.

IF: Routine

2008-08-25T11:07:00.006-04:00

Living in Athens, GA., it has become very routine to draw bulldogs. I have drawn bulldogs countless times and the only way I think I will escape this request is to move somewhere outside of Georgia. This project was fun because I also got to draw Jared, the Subway spokesperson.
I finished this one today, for a freelance client. T-shirt design, hence the limited color.

IF: Poof

2008-08-06T10:56:00.005-04:00

I could not think of anything for "Poof" for the longest time. Not a thing came to mind, I drew a complete blank.

Definition of "Brain Fart."

IF: Canned

2008-07-28T10:19:00.006-04:00

"Canned Heat"

Wiki "Canned Heat" or Sterno
also a great song by Jamiroquai that was made famous by Napoleon Dynamite.

If you liked this drawing, you might enjoy these character sketches too.

IF: Enough

2008-07-22T16:20:00.004-04:00

East meets West: Good vs. Evil. How much anger and hatred is enough.

I did something in the theme of Yin and Yang at work. This was a variation on that theme that I thought might work for something. I also did another variation for Monday Artday for the theme "Opposites."

Monday Artday: July 14-21

2008-07-21T14:48:00.003-04:00

"Steam Optimus" or "What the heck happened to my wagon."

I try not to post Monday Artday submissions here but this piece was selected as the winner for this week's theme "Steam Punk." I am humbled and honored to have been selected from among some really exceptional artists.

IF: Sour

2008-07-14T14:45:00.002-04:00

That was one sour Mojito.

A bit late I know.

Imagination/IF: Pretend

2008-07-08T08:55:00.003-04:00

I love the imagination kids have; they are such an insperation.

This is one I have been slowly working on. I have had very little time for drawing these days.

IF: Fierce

2008-06-26T10:03:00.009-04:00

Bahlorg uttered these words shortly before he was vaporized by the Beholder.

I have not played Dungeons and Dragons for 15 years but I recently came upon a buddies blog that is dedicated to the drawing of D & D mishaps. This is a sketch inspired by their shenanigans.

IF: Punch Line

2008-06-18T16:52:00.002-04:00

"I heard there is a gorilla at the end of this Punch Line."

Not much time for drawing much more that line drawings; alas I must try to stay fresh somehow.

ChaDes: Criminal Pygmies

2008-06-16T11:11:00.002-04:00

They started small time, robbing small villages and sacking missionary compounds. Once they crossed the line, there was no going back. They were called "The Pygmy Brothers From Different Mothers."

ChaDes: Mean Orcs

2008-06-12T10:23:00.001-04:00

IF: Worry and Baby

2008-05-30T12:04:00.008-04:00

I know, a day late again. I kept thinking about this idea all week but never got around to putting it together. Now here it is. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

In other news, my wife will be having our second child, a baby girl, next Friday. So, IF's "baby" topic is actually appropriate for my entry this week.

Cheers to all.

IF: Wide

2008-05-16T10:45:00.005-04:00

Yes, his arms and legs were in shape but there was something to be said about his girth.

I started this yesterday and finished it morning for my job. It was slightly modified to apply to "IF."

VOM: Encouragment to Prisoners

2008-05-14T10:58:00.005-04:00

This is a postcard that is going to be sent to a prisoner, or prisoners, that is/are incarcerated for their faith. I am heading a group that will make art and send some encouraging words by postcard to, hopefully, encourage these prisoners.

It is a bit late, but this image was inspired by IF's "Seed" topic.

ChaDes: Hairy Gods/IF:Rambunctious

2008-05-08T17:04:00.006-04:00

Ignorance is Bliss. He thought Venus was just being a bit Rambunctious.

When I heard about "hairy gods" I immediately thought of Vulcan as presented in "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." Vulcan is interesting because he is the only Greco-Roman god that was deformed, or eh, handicapped. To me this seems like a bit of a oxymoron.

Caricature

2008-04-23T14:19:00.004-04:00

This caricature artist asked someone to draw his mug for a change so I did. See the actual photo of his him; you may have to scroll a bit. I was actually rejected as a caricature artist once at Sea World of San Diego. Go figure.

IF: Primitive

2008-04-18T14:52:00.005-04:00

I hope some people stop by so I can get a vote. Before I ink this drawing I would like see if anyone has an opinion. Should he holding a pencil or a cell phone? Or you can offer something completely different.

Update 4/23/08
So, atomicvelvetsigh had the idea of the caveman holding a mouse and I went with that. It took me a long time to go digital; this image is a bit what I felt like once I took the jump.

ChaDes: Sweaty Biker

2008-04-17T11:12:00.002-04:00

"What was the name of that joker who normally sits here?
Crankshaft, what kind of name is Crankshaft?

IF: Save

2008-04-07T09:52:00.003-04:00

Saving the World.

IF: Homage

2008-03-28T11:11:00.002-04:00

Here is a "homage" to C.S. Lewis. Good ol' Screwtape trying to think of something good, or bad depending on your perspective, to write. Lewis is best known for his Fantasy and religious writings but little is said of his science fiction. I highly recommend the Space Trilogy he wrote, at least the first two books.

IF: Pet Peeves

2008-03-24T11:31:00.003-04:00

A pet peeve I have is when people overreact to comments or take business related comments personally. Conversely, sometimes I too want to bite people's heads off when they aggravate my pet peeves. So I am really not one to judge.

This is an old drawing from work relating to dealing with difficult people.

Wee People and Garden

2008-03-17T11:33:00.003-04:00

Here is an entry for Monday Artday's "Wee People" and IF's "Garden." I am a little late for both but I want to share them anyway. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

IF: Hierarchy & ChaDes: Unhappy Totem

2008-03-07T16:54:00.004-05:00

I think most people find it unpleasant to be at the bottom of the Totem Pole or Hierarchy, so to speak.

Chades: Armor Giraffe & IF: Multiple

2008-02-21T16:26:00.006-05:00

IF:
Here are multiple giraffes I drew for a character design challenge called "Chades." I finished it on Thursday and what luck, "Multiple" was the IF word.

Chades:
Here is a giraffe modeling some medieval and space armor. Giraffes are my new favorite animal: Hairy antennas, strange proportions, Huge ears and eyes, and awesome patterns. They are so cool, as Austin already stated. Probably wont get more armored giraffes in this week. See more armored giraffes at Austin's (Munchanka) link to the left.

Observation: with those long necks giraffes must get crazy head rushes.

IF: Theory

2008-02-18T17:53:00.004-05:00

A theory is something that is in flux; it is something that evidence is continually being built upon. It is kind of like an idea on trial. The one problem I have with theories is that they tend to have subjective detectives; the observers tend have an idea of what they want to find, so anything they find points towards their theory. Anything found contrary to their theory is omitted, or at least this is probably a temptation. So reality which is set forth by theories, scientifically speaking, can be based on opinions and the omission of facts. This hypothesis is a possibility or it is, at the very least, my observation.
Note: I originally had the idea of a sherlock homes character but the gesture drawing looked like a rabbit and I thought what the heck. This is an pen and collage experiment. I tried making a background but it turned out looking like junk.

IF: Choose

2008-02-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

This could be the greatest of news or a moral dilema.

I almost did something about the Presidencial "Elections" but there was no good candidates to choose between.

IF: Blanket

2008-02-01T14:58:00.001-05:00

Even the King of the Jungle gets insecure sometimes.

Added Yellow in March.

Work Meeting Sketch

2008-02-01T11:38:00.001-05:00

Last week was an extremely stressfull work week for me. This is a quick sketch I did during a meeting to express my frustration. I am the man in pain and a co-worker is the chest-popping-head.

IF: Tales and Legend

2008-01-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

This was part of a project I worked on called "Scripture Spoofs™." This would be about a legend I made up about a famous tale; a whale of tale. Sorry, I already smacked myself for that one.

IF: Stitch

2008-01-14T13:08:00.002-05:00

This is why comedians are not allowed in the ICU; brand new stitches cannot stand up to a belly laugh.

I'm sorry if you are easily nauseated.

IF: Backwords

2007-12-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

This guy will bend over backwords to get "The Job" done for you.