Chasing Gage's Ghost
Merrell Gage (1891 — 1981) Born and raised Topeka, Kansas sculptor who headed the sculpture department at the University of Southern California for three decades has six pieces in Topeka I've sketched to better understand his process— master copies. Gage, the master and I the copier.
Mariachi Luna Flyer
Photos were stolen on an iPhone while the mariachi band waited on the steps of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the professional group shot taken by Richard Wiley. The off guard portraits were superimposed on cartoon bodies bursting out of a reluctant piñata. Muchas gracias para la commission.
Disney Animator -- Marc Davis
I stumbled upon an art book on Marc Davis while perusing Amazon and fell in love with his work. Marc is one of the fabled, "Nine Old Men" who were Walt DIsney's team of core animators during their Golden Age run from Snow White through 101 Dalmatians. Marc was a brilliant artisan as well as an animator who created striking character designs from Maleficent to Cruela de Vil. Davis is certainly an animator to study not only because of his sound mechanics, but he single-handedly helped define the burgeoning look of the early Disney full-length feature era.
Dragon's Lair Sketch
I recently read famed animator, "Don Bluth's Art of Animation Drawing" and absolutely love the book. This sketch is inspired by his 'turn-around' sketches, or character drawings from multiple angles. I copied his work to better understand the illustrated figure from multiple angles.
Field Sketches
Outdoor drawings to improve my ability to draw what I see.
I've been meaning to sketch outdoors more, in 'plein air' as the French say, because it is a tremendous way to increase awareness of one's surroundings while becoming more acclimated with the ability to draw what you see.
Animated TV Commercial – Smoke in the Spring BBQ
Here are three pages of storyboards for a TV commercial I am in the process of animating. They are intended to help direct the overall presentation of the cartoon – from the editing and composition to the characters' facial expressions and interaction with each other.
Ad Design Process: from Sketch to Finish
These images depict my process of creating an advertisement using hand-drawn penil & ink drawings that are then colored in Photoshop and arranged in an aesthetically pleasing layout for the finished design.
Pen and Ink Study
I've been practicing with pen and ink nibs to refine my finished comic drawings. I've always been intimidated with ink nibs, but after experimenting with them I've realized that they offer benefits that markers and technical drawing pens can't match. I'm excited to see how this hard to master, yet unrivaled inking medium will take my finished drawings to the next level.
Following the "King"
An ink drawing executed with a sable brush after Jack Kirby, the undisputed "King" of comic book artists, from 75 Years of Marvel: from the golden age to the silver screen. I love his deep blacks and directional hatching that give his drawings tremendous movement. Jonathan Lethem said, "Kirby was a figure like Bob Dylan, one where you couldn't be the same after you'd encountered him as you'd been before."
Here I used a non-photo blue Prismacolor pencil to copy a master drawing by Kirby to hone my skills in the ongoing pursuit of professional draftsmanship. The blues "contrast out" in Photoshop very easily and require no erasing. This makes it ideal compared to a regular graphite pencil.
International Doodles
Federal Court sketches to be aired on Al Jazeera America television.
Courtroom sketches for the Booker Federal case are to be aired on Al Jazeera America television. They have the potential to be viewed by 60 million homes across the globe. For the first time, my drawings are going international.
Batman Sketch
Last night I purchased The DC Guide to Creating Comics by Carl Potts. This is a sketch from the book. I am excited to delve into what it has to offer.
"Not a day without a line. By writing, reading, working and practicing daily, perseverance will lead me to a good end.” – Vincent Van Gogh