Sunday, December 8, 2013

Mixing It Up

I've been playing around with a more stylized look lately, using cleaner lines and simpler shapes. I think I'll keep at it for a while to see where it leads.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Paul Williams…At Your Service.

I've always been fascinated with Paul Williams…his acting, that distinct singing voice…and of course, his glorious head of hair. I feel I've missed the mark on getting a solid likeness, but I had a lot of fun with this illustration none-the-less.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

All Good Things

My poster exhibit may be over, but the artwork is now being used to promote the San Diego Derby Dolls' 2013 season. I've already reworked one poster into a new flyer design and limited edition prints of another are currently being sold at their bouts.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Roll Model

I can't think of better role models for today's youth than the athletes of competitive Woman's Roller Derby. Their emphasis on fitness, fair play, fun, teamwork and self expression are attributes kids of all ages can aspire to.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Change of Venue

The main reason I'm putting together an exhibit of Roller Derby Posters is to help the San Diego Derby Dolls achieve their goal to create a permanent professional venue in Central San Diego to host their home bouts. This YouTube Video will explain much better than I can why they need to find a new home.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Display of Power

I haven't posted much children's illustration lately. So I thought I'd share this image of Princess Xia. It's a promotional piece for a proposed series of fantasy adventure stories called 'Tales from the Land of Poot.'

Friday, August 16, 2013

Power Jam

Just a few more laps…or Jams, left to go before my September poster exhibit. I'm doing my best to finish strong. Here's the latest poster design. If you're familiar with the San Diego Derby Dolls you might recognize the Jammer. The tattoo is a dead giveaway.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Do Your Part

I'm still gearing up for my poster exhibit in September. Hopefully it will generate some local interest for the San Diego Derby Dolls. Making a few sales in the process wouldn't be so bad, either.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Sketch Mode

I haven't had much time to sketch lately. So I thought I'd share the drawing I created for the header of my blog. I recently used the same image for some promotional postcards as well.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Yay…Presents!

I just received this wonderful illustration from my friend, JK Harney, as a gift for my blog. She's an amazing artist who I'm lucky as a duck to work with on occasion. Please do yourself a favor and check out her work on Twitter and Instagram @jennharknee.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Bodies At Rest

Newton's first law of motion tells us that bodies at rest will stay at rest. But in Roller Derby bodies at rest have no intention of staying that way. They're eager to move and just itching for the next jam to start. Once in motion they will stay in motion until external forces act upon them. In my view it's best to just stay out of their way.

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Big Show

Here's what all these Roller Derby illustrations are leading up to…a series of promotional posters to be shown at the Pannikin Cafe in La Jolla during the month of September. Stay tuned as I continue to post about my progress.

Friday, June 28, 2013

R&D (Roller+Derby)

I've started working on layout and color ideas for my poster series based on Roller Derby. Like the illustrations, I want to keep the designs as simple and clean as possible, using a limited pallet and minimal text.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Too Much Information

Implementing the adage 'Less is More' into my work is trickier than it sounds. I love adding details…the more the merrier. But in the case of this series I'll be doing my best to streamline my approach. What's that other adage? Oh yeah…Keep it Simple Stupid.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Proof of Concept

After traveling down the wrong path on a new project and stumbling though some ill-conceived ideas, I think I finally found the direction I need to take. Remind me in the future not to fight my natural instincts. Always go with the grain.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Kids These Days

It's been my experience that most kids are up to no good.
I should know…I used to be one.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Derby Dolls

Not sure yet what will come from doing all these Roller Derby sketches, but drawing hasn't been this fun in a long time.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Stormy Weather

I always enjoy combining vector illustration with more rendered painterly backgrounds. Figures really pop and come to life as they do in animation. For this piece I incorporated a few ink washes for the trees and bushes. Nothing fancy, just focusing on overall mood and tone.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Me Again

I'm not sure if this counts as self reflection or self parody, but it never hurts to draw an occasional self portrait.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Silly Old Bear

Another collaboration with JK Harney. This time a quick sketch done by me combined with her inking. I tossed together some simple colors and used the original sketch to add texture to the study.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Wildfires vs. Orange County

Just finished my first collaboration with my favorite illustrator, JK Harney, who you can find on Twitter and Instagram @jennharknee. She provided the pencils and inks on these wonderful characters. I did the color work. The art will be used on an upcoming bout poster for the San Diego Derby Dolls, who I am thrilled to be working with.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Good Knight

This is a character design (loosely based on me) for an upcoming project that may or may not happen. But I'm forging ahead as if it will…Fingers Crossed!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Forest for the Trees

You can probably tell from my posts that I prefer figure drawing to creating backgrounds. But landscapes can be a lot of fun and are an essential part of storytelling. Just think of all the stories that begin with getting lost in the woods.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Space Cadet

I do random warm up sketches if I haven't been drawing in a while. They help get the kinks out, loosen up my hand and fire up the old imagination.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sugar & Spice…& Unicorns

Random character study. I particularly like the know-it-all expression on her face. Plus, who doesn't love unicorns?

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bedbug

This is an older piece from my collage days that I'm still very fond of. I thought I'd dust it off and share it with you guys. The illustration was painted with acrylics.