Magazine cover

So I got to do my first magazine cover, which ironically comes out on my Birthday, Jan 17, 2007.
There it is, all small on the GD website.
(just replaced it with a bigger one)

They changed the sizes of some elements, flipped the composition, painted in a trophy base, and I'm still pretty excited about it. We tried to give them just flattened art, but eventually they asked for all the layers seperated... and so that was that. Always healthy to let go of your work.

12_01_06

More lunch hour plein air.

11_30_06

Here's that green cow field just north of the Lucas valley Road exit.
5x7 Oil on masonite

11_27_06 lunch break

Deer Creek? Novato.
Better painting conditions now that its winter...atleast during lunch time...

Castle gap

really early THDJ interface with a background. mind the gap.

Hong Kong Shortcut

The nose-grab-to-cop-car-grind shortcut. ...more Tony Hawk stuff...

Leyendecker in Stockton

Here ye here ye- I havent gone yet but theres still a month left to see the JC Leyendecker show in Stockton California. This guys got some great shapes and no one does a fold like he does. Be sure to check it out!
http://www.hagginmuseum.org/

Forest Color test

Been super busy at the office- heres a color test that I was working on the other day- yah know- just tryin to figure out those forest colors...

Minions

We had a pumpkin carving at the office yesterday with the prize of a reserved parking place right in front for the year.

Tues 10 11 06

Im guilty of cropping this lunch sketch rather aggressively.
5x6 oil on masonite

Wednesday Lunch

Been a while, but finally back to it.
5x7 oil on masonite

When does a pattern become a trend?

Just returned from my "Luna-Miele" and I didnt paint as much as I wanted to- infact, I painted one time before I determined it was just too dang hot to do anything but sit in the shade, drink beer, read books and nap.
Ive read a bunches of William Gibson since the late 80's and would definitely consider myself a fan- but, I wasnt prepared to how good this last book he wrote would be- so if youre looking for a good one- here yah go.
It's definitely a hard science fiction story if youre familiar with the term- Takes place during our present day and addresses some fascinating issues with the world of advertising and marketing. William Gibson has coined some of todays more notorious "cyber" terms and hes one of those Arthur C Clarke types who make rather accurate and enlightened predictions on the technologies and trends of the near future. A really good read. Four stars.

The Dahesh

Was in New York City last weekend with a friend and we went and checked out the Dahesh museum on Madison and 57th. First time I had ever been there, and as of now, its a spot I certainly recommend going to...especially if you like that Orientalist/Pre-Raphaelite painting style...Alma-Tadema...Gerome...etc. These guys paint so tight and with such vivid color...it just blows me away. The show they currently had was Napoleon in Egypt. Apparently, along with his army, Napoleon brought along a group of artist (The French Army spitefully nick named them "the Savants")- they recorded all that they saw and came across on that Ill fated campaign into the desert. Probably some of the first illustrations of the sphinx and all those juicy monuments from antiquity. So quite a few etchings and a handful of exceptional paintings. Good show.
Here are a couple more Geromes, just for good measure...the first one being the title piece for the show at The Dahesh.


Heres a really good one...think this was at the Bostom Museum of Fine Arts...YOW!

Lunch Hour Speedpainting

Quick one...I need to try this spot one more time...
5x7 Oil on masonite

Buck Institute Bust

A friend of mine and I were lunch hour speed painting at a good spot near the driveway to the Buck Institute- I just had layed in the darks and this lady pulled up and kicked us out. Lady kicked us out with fury- and said shed call the police if she saw us again. If I was within the secured gate Id understand...hell- Id understand if she wasnt so mean. I was polite and apologized, packed up and was out- she waited the whole time in her AC PT Cruiser. We set back up on the road and tried to finish. Once again- the thickness of my paint makes for poor reproductions.
5x7 oil and spite on oak panel

Afterwork Landscape

So earlier I said I was going to post all my recent landscapes, no matter how bad I thought they were- and I'll admit Ive been reluctant to do so. I painted this spot that I call "the boneyard" twice and I think Ill try a third time. Usually I paint on my lunch hour- the light is flat and doesnt change much- which works great for what Im trying to achieve...flat, almost abstract colored shapes. Recently though Ive been going afterwork, and its been pretty fun. Its givin me a chance to pay attention to a few different things that I never have to think about at lunch. Patience and Budgeting time to name a few. You really have to plan ahead- as the sun goes down things change really really fast and its been fun trying to anticipate shadows and such. You have to jump around to different spots on the painting as the light changes- and for some reason- being forced to plan- has made it easier for me to keep things simple...and ultimately get those flat shapes Ive been shooting for- but with the rich colors of the setting sun. Golden hour. The evenings in Novato continue to be warm and gorgeous. Lookin forward to painting tonight.

Artbook and Artist of the Decade

Its actually an older book- I picked it up over a year ago- and I first became aware of Steve Mumford a couple years ago through his ArtNet.com diary. He went over to Iraq during the 2003 invasion seemingly with one plan. To draw, paint, and to witness. He arrived there early enough that perhaps you could still walk the streets of Baghdad alone in relative safety. Sketchbook and paints in hand, he wrote and drew who he met and what he saw. Its a fantastic glimpse into a world my American ass will never ever see (thanks alot Dubyah). Its EXTREMELY RARE to find an artist who is doing something no one else is doing, or will likely ever be able to do. Most of his journal postings can be found here; http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/features/baghdadjournal.asp
or under the Mr. Steve Mumford link to the left.
But I really recommend you go out and buy this book in support of his work... not to mention just to have a well drawn and well written sketchbook of an occupied Middle East that will never ever be the same.
I tried to pull out some of my favorite sketches and paintings, very difficult cause there are so many that impact me. But here are a few.
Buy this book.

Novato Quick Study Tuesdays

I just remembered how hard it is to get a good scan with thick paint. All those hot highlights arent doing me a bit of justice. How do you get a good shot of a painting with thick paint?
Any advice?
Nice evening in Novato...It's still summer time up here.
Oil on oak panel
4.5 x 7

Nice Book: The Skillful Huntsman

Alright, so don't let his picture on the back cover fool you- this Scott Robertson guy really has something good going. I bought his first Concept Design book and I could tell there was something there. Peers at LEC were slightly unimpressed, but to me, a nicely printed hard cover book of Concept Design just seemed to be a good idea. I knew that he had put out a few more books since but I wasn't feeling pressed to buy them. So at J-Town last weekend I saw one and was pleasantly surprised when I opened it up.

So- I feel like the art in the book isn't for everyone- but the consistent process and pace these 3 young lads go at under S Robertson's direction is remarkable. If anyone is interested in the creative process of visual design and concept art- I highly recommend this book- they use the same thumbnail to finish procedure across characters, props, vehicles and environments...cool stuff....definitely a great text book on the creative process with plenty of colorful examples...

Friday China Camp

Made it out with a buddy before the sun went down for a Friday landscape. It was a good challenge to paint really fast before the light completely changed- very different from painting at lunch time...although- even after sunset, the colors of Marin were amazing- add to that the warm sweet country air, some wildlife venturing out into the cooling evening, and it was a great start to the weekend. I need to find a way so that my paintings stop falling off my easle onto the ground while hiking back to the car- it always happens to me...bits of grass and dirt in that thick oil...grrr...anyways...always a next time...
4x7 oil, dirt, grass and a bug on oak panel

Tablet Details

I jumped on this Tablet PC bandwagon. You should too- it's a sketchbook sized laptop-but its just a screen- they licensed the technology from Wacom so its pressure sensitive- you can draw, paint, and write directly to the screen. Its got the usual wireless internet/bluetooth, a couple usb's, runs on windows xp, 2 gigs of RAM- so you can do whatever else people use computers for... Its about an inch thick and the battery I have lasts about 9 hours. Im using the Alias Sketchbook Pro2 software which works well on the tablets...not enough room for Photochop...and I havent tried Painter yet. Be sure to shell out the extra hundred+ bucks for the screen protection plan- who really knows with those things- but youre supposed to be able to get it replaced twice within one year. A fun little machine...The future is here...

Tablet PC First Sketches

Just started workin with the Tablet- here are a couple prop sketches I made to test out the software... I really like working on it..cool to be able to use a light marker over a dark underdrawing and still have it be opaque or semi opaque- lots of control- very simple interface. I hope alias comes out with a similiar paint program-because the brush editor leaves a lot to be desired. Still really great for sketching.

Lunch Hour Plein Air

It's been a long time, but I started up the lunch hour plein air painting habit again. Not necessarily thrilled with the results yet- but you gotta post the bad stuff even more often than the good- hopefully that will add to keeping me motivated to get out there as much as possible.
5x7 Oil on oak panel

Stupidest tag ever

Someone tagged my house in 2 places. Normally, I can appreciate a decent tag. In fact- see that little black square on the top picture? That used to be a tag- and it was alright- Good letters, nice tip control. I left it until Snaggletooth Ray, the creepy critter that lives in a shack down the alley got to it. Ray, is on a crusade you see- a crusade against taggers- he fills petitions, goes to cityhall meetings and probably heads the taskforce against tagging in SF. Guy doesnt even have a bathroom in his shack, but he's out in cityhall battling vandalism. Anyways- Raymond got to that tag- thats why its covered in black paint. He says once a tag goes up- the only way to stop further tagging is to cover it over immediately. I wasnt bothering with covering it up, so he took the liberty to do it himself.
This psychedelic duck or whatever the hell it is, is poorly executed BKF. Piss-poor. Stop tagging. Go home to where you belong. Play that Marc Ecko game. Buy a sketchbook and practice. Stop sniffin glue.

Out of Picture

Went to NYC a few weeks ago to catch my good friend Dice's book release party at The New York Society of Illustrators.
He and a handful of talented artists at Blue Sky wanted to stretch out of the confines of their feature animation work and produce something more personal in story and style. The book party was choice- Great group of people- and nothing better than than turning your head mid conversation to realize youre standing next to a Dean Cornwell. Nice old dark wood paneled interior and bar, with random artifacts and notes from the times of the Great Illustrators.
Thanks for the very memorable evening fellas.
I think maybe Budplant is carrying the book- and those lads will be at the Stuart Ng table during the san diego show- so check em out- and pick up a book!

Two of my favorite images from the OOP.

NYC Sketches

No better time spent than sketching the streets of New York.

Zaha Hadid at The Guggenheim

While in NYC I went and saw the Pritzker Award winning Zaha Hadid's show at the Guggenheim. 10 stars. I Highly recommend this show. A lot of sketches and paintings, and some of the finest architectural models I have ever seen. To put it simply; I want these models on my coffee table. Her and her staff are extremely good at taking graphic shapes and applying them to large architectural projects. The BMW plant in Leipzig, The Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati, and the standout of all- The new "Dancing Towers" for Dubai's Business Bay (how is Dubai and all its building plans lately?- whoa!). These photos just dont do the design an ounce of justice- an amazing pair of buildings. Please go see this show. Its not as huge as the very similiar Frank Gehry show of a few years back, but still not one to miss.

Superman Premier

My friend Melissa scored us some passes to the new Superman movie. Im not a huge fan of the license, but I thought it was a pretty good flick. If nothing else- the effects were smart and overall, the film looked great. Still curious of the shots my main man Emanuel at the Orphanage and his staff worked on. I have my suspicions. Regardless- great job you guys. Anyhow- go check it out in 3D on an IMAX screen if you have a chance- not as impressive as Batman Returns- but still, pretty good for a Summer blockbuster.

Hateful green lines

Someone turn the wind off already.
Argh.

A duel not to be missed

If you have not ever seen The Hidden Fortress- its time you did.

Especially for the Makabe vs. Tadokoro spear duel. Do not miss this part. Toshiro Mifune (and Akira Kurowsawa for that matter) are at their finest. One of my favorite movie scenes ever. It's not neccesarily a scene with lightning fast choreography or anything like that- but the tension Kurosawa achieves with these two actors- along with the crowd of lower Samurai is something rarely accomplished. Also as with all Kurosawa films it has a fantastic score.

Need a new surf video?

Maybe youre in the market for a new surf vid. Its rough out there- nothings worse than coming home anticipating the surf movie you just dropped 30 bones on, and upon viewing said vid you realize its absolute crap. Well this Shades of Bali film makes me realize what crap really is, and its the surf here on the Eastern Pacific Rim. Rizal, Bol, and Betet killing it "from 6am to 6pm, offshore everyday".

Gueules De Zings

Perhaps you really like airplanes, or just need a new artbook- this one has been one of my favorites for the past few weeks. Great caricatures of planes, jets, and helicopters by Jean Barbaud. Nice hardcover book packed with drawings, nearly all in color (a few choice black pen sketches)- with high quality printing and book design.

Paris

In Paris at Mr. Jean "The Architect" Saupique's-

SF Sketch

Treviso Sketches

Was in Treviso Italy staying with this great guy- Mike. He has an amazing place in the middle of the city near the fish market- Tight winding streets, canals- original water wheels and lock system- Nicest place I have ever been- Good memories sitting with Sandro and Frank, having an afternoon spritz-