A Strange Boat

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-25T13:09:00.004-04:00

I applied a palette from a design project to some Halloween goodies. Costumes are in the works!

Something a little different...

2011-08-25T08:47:00.003-04:00

These are backgrounds for a upcoming catalog/planner for a company that does pre-school curriculum. A little different than my normal fare but still a lot of fun. It's kind of nice working on non-representational images.

Place-mats

2011-04-25T10:15:00.005-04:00

These images were for a company that produces place-mats for the restaurant industry. It wasn't a high paying or high profile gig, but it was a heck of a lot of fun for a couple of reasons.

First off, all I was given was a title for each mat and a few guidelines the rest was up to me, total creative freedom!

Secondly, I was responsible for all of the content, the art, the games, the clues... all of it! I've always wanted to create dot-to-dots, mazes and coloring pages. I'd done a few for my kids but nothing like these. It was a total blast from start to finish!

I should add, each mat has a black and white coloring page on the reverse side. You can see those here.

I hope you enjoy!

Keep on Truckin!

2011-04-10T19:39:00.004-04:00

Here's a few concepts I did for a t-shirt for a 5k walk/run. It was a fundraiser for LAMP for Haiti. They provide medical care for the people of Haiti and the race was to help fund their mobile out reach clinic/truck, hence the name "Truckin' for Haiti". They ended up picking a very different image. One that was a more literal take on Crumb's "Keep on Truckin" character. These however were my favorites. You can check out the image they chose on their website. While you are at it donate a few dollars. Every little bit helps and it's a great cause!

Keep on Truckin!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T10:09:00.004-05:00

QPB cover Concept to Final

2010-12-07T22:50:00.003-05:00

That's Quality Paperback Books to you. I could use a little sun as the snow settles in on Traverse City, so here's a cover I did for them this summer for a catalog of "great summer reads".

From concept to final excluding a few other ideas I tossed as them.

Happy Halloween... a bit late

2010-11-10T13:20:00.003-05:00

Last year for Halloween my son and I made this great robot costume. I stumbled across this picture a day ago and decided to give it some zip.

Fall Leaves

2010-11-10T13:16:00.003-05:00

Just for fun... I'm tired of raking leaves, but they are so amazing to look at.

Better late than never?

2010-09-24T11:09:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am a terrible blogger. I admit it, but it was summer time. When you live in a northern climate summer is not something to take lightly or let slip by. We had an amazing summer full of good company and good weather. Now back to work...

Here are a few dinosaurs and birds for a preschool curriculum company I do work for on a regular basis. More to come.

2010-04-28T19:45:00.004-04:00

No no dear readers... or reader as the case may be, I'm not going to let April go by without an update. This is the last in the 5x7 series. I'm also including a new tutorial. This time I put together a quickie website to take you through the steps.

I use matte medium a lot. Why? Well for one it adds a layer of protection to your painting. This is particularly useful if you use cut paper like I do.

Also, if you get to the point where you really like a painting a quick coat will protect what's underneath. If you let is set up over night it's even better. You can apply the next coat of paint and if you don't like it you can immediately scrub it off with a damp clothe. This technique great for creating subtle layers of color.

More 5"x7"s

2010-03-31T09:01:00.005-04:00

Phew... I almost went all of March without a post. That is something I vowed not to do this year. Here are the latest for the 5"x7" show at the Dennos Museum. These were fun to do. To get the look I wanted I used a lot of techniques I've not used in a long time. I'll post a quick tutorial on some of those techniques in the near future.

Praying Mantis

2010-02-15T14:08:00.003-05:00

I am all about moving forward. If a piece doesn't work it gets reworked or painted over. I did this piece early this summer using the same process I did for Hobo Kitty. It never felt quite finished, so last month I decided to revisit it. I added the wings, and reworked the eyes and legs. All in all I think it works much better now. I'm thinking more bugs are on the way. Stay tuned!

Hobo Kitty 3-D

2010-02-15T13:18:00.005-05:00

I did this piece some time ago to experiment with materials. I started with Super Sculpey, but given the characters thin wrists and ankles I could tell it was not going to work. Luckily my friend and 3-d artist extraordinaire Kevin Buntin turned me on to Apoxie Sculpt. It's not the easiest material to work with, but it is remarkably versatile stuff once you get a handle on it.

The armature is made of tin foil and wire. A thin coat of Apoxie Sculpt covers that which in turn is carved, sanded or dremeled as needed.

Three New Paintings

2010-02-03T22:16:00.005-05:00

These are for a show at our local museum. It's a yearly event. All paintings entered must be 5"x7" and no more than $50. I've prepared 12 panels... lets see how many I get finished by May 1st.

First Sign of Fall ll

2010-01-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

Number two in the series.

First Sign of Fall l

2010-01-03T14:06:00.010-05:00

Considering there's a 18 inches of snow on the ground this isn't exactly seasonal, but... This will be available soon on Etsy as a print.

Madeline Island Sketchbook 1

2009-07-30T11:02:00.004-04:00

Robots!

2009-07-13T00:11:00.003-04:00

I just put the finishing touches on these. There were five, but one has found a home. They are all around 3.5"x2.5"x8.5". They are for sale. If you are interested send me an email.

-C

2008-11-27T01:00:00.006-05:00

Lately I've received countless emails (one actually...) asking me how I work, so I thought I'd post a quick step by step on my completely backwards process.

Prep
I almost always work on birch panels. I like the way they feel (no give) more than canvas and since I often glue down old paper it's a much easier process. I apply a light coat of water to the board, then glue, then paper. I'll wet the paper lightly too before rolling it out flat and setting it aside under a few heavy books to dry. Once it is, I'll lay down a few coats of clear gesso, sanding lightly between each coat. Lately I've been sealing each panel with Matte Medium in place of gesso.

Step 2- The sketch
The title says it all.

Step 2- Color study.
I like to plan my colors carefully before I paint, so often I'll do a very quick color study in Illustrator.

Step 3-Vidal
Meet Vidal. This ain't no mamby pamby hair drier like the ones they make now a days. This sucker will burn your scalp off if you hold it too close. Besides letting me feather my bangs like a Partridge, it speeds things up for me. I can lay down a coat of paint or matte medium, blast it, and move on.

Step 4 and 5-Background
In this case I started with tissue paper. A light coat of matte medium, tissue, and more medium. This time I coat the panel with it. Why? Well, once the matte medium is dry (the longer the better) it creates a very nice barrier for the next layer. If I mess up on the next layer, and I work fast I can often rub it off with a very wet paper towel. Next the pink clouds, the white lines, and you guessed it, another coat of matte medium.

Step 6-Everything else
Once the background is complete I usually layout the rest of the image with a colored pencil (I use Mongels) that will wash off with water. Anytime I'm happy with what's going on I'll hit the whole panel with matte medium, let it dry, and move on. It's the closet thing I've found to an "undo" button.

Honestly I got so into painting I forgot to take more pictures, but there's not much else to it. I did the head with another piece of cut paper and the eyes with a circle template I dry-brushed through. The hat is tissue paper.

The end.

That's it.

Go paint.

2008-11-10T08:39:00.002-05:00

Look! The rest of the images for my November show. I've even included prices if you're having a hard time finding that perfect Christmas gift. Nothing says love like Deathbot 3130!

New Works!

2008-10-19T19:19:00.005-04:00

These are for a show in November.

I really like the transparent layering I can do in Photoshop and Illustrator. It is a very difficult look to replicate with paint. I've used matte medium with small amounts of pigment before, but I've never been quite happy with the overall effect. I used cut tissue paper on these, one to several layers thick. I think it comes close to what I've been looking for.

2008-07-21T14:17:00.002-04:00

Sketchbook

2008-05-07T14:28:00.002-04:00

Some pages from the sketchbook... new work to come.

Roller Coaster

2008-02-05T19:16:00.000-05:00

This was for an educational publisher. I haven't been able to post it until now. Never take on a job that says "roller coaster" in the art spec...

Monsters!

2008-02-05T19:04:00.000-05:00

These are for Peaceable Kingdom Press. They will be part of a matching game.

New Works

2008-01-12T00:41:00.000-05:00

Some paintings for my new show "Unnatural Selection" over at Bluebottle Art Gallery in Seattle.

Fun animals!

2007-09-24T09:53:00.000-04:00

For an educational publisher.

Random Images (Editorial)

2007-09-24T09:47:00.000-04:00

A small sample of recent and not so recent projects. The black and whites are pencils for Bank Director magazine. The color image was for Voir Dire magazine.

2007-02-28T18:59:00.000-05:00

Here they are! All of the painting for my show at Bluebottle Art Gallery. A few are older works, but most are new. It's quite a mixed bag of images. I hope you enjoy them.

The Books Are Out!

2007-02-20T18:59:00.000-05:00

The project that almost did me in! I was surprised to see these on Amazon. They look quite nice I think. They have a heavy library binding and are printed on nice thick stock.

Buy a set and you too can have kids with perfect manners!

2006-10-21T23:37:00.000-04:00

If you see this guy riding toward you run! Or better yet stop. Maybe you are about to do something really dumb.

Finally a little free time... just a little. I have weeks of yard work to catch up on and the leaves just keep piling higher. Next year I am going to cut the trees down. It will be a lot less work. : )

I just finished off 60 illustrations (most of them double page spreads) and it nearly killed me. It was one of the few times in my career that I actually blew a lot of the deadlines set by the art director. I did manage to finish up the entire project within the set date, but I blew just about every other deadline in between. Luckily they were very understanding and in the end we were all happy. I just hope it never happens again. Feeling like you are constantly behind is too stressful!

I have been sitting on some good news. This coming March I am have a one man show at the Bluebottle Art Gallery in Seatle. If you are in the area please come by and say hello. My wife and I are both planning on attending. I plan on eating a lot of seafood and soaking in the cool factor.

Oh, and if you have any ideas for paintings send them along!

Busy, busy, busy

2006-08-17T19:19:00.000-04:00

Here are a few images I cooked up for next years Workbook. This is not the ad I went with, but they have a lot of the same elements.

IF-Capture

2006-08-08T00:40:00.000-04:00

A quickie!

Vacation....

2006-08-03T08:58:00.000-04:00

It's kinda nice when you can take a vacation a half hour from home and feel like you are a world away...

Out on a limb

2006-06-11T19:30:00.000-04:00

I love to paint, but I am not really all that confident yet as a painter. A lot of it has to do with the medium. Paints are so darn finicky, and they seldom do what I want them to. The computer however does everything I want it to, and since I can "undo" anything there are only happy accidents in the digital world, not so in the world of paints. It's a transition that I can sometimes find difficult to make.

Sculpture is another beast all together. I am comfortable as a sculptor. It is really my natural medium. I spent more time as a child building things than drawing them.

All that to get to this. I did this little painting (4" x 5 1/4"), and I liked it okay. Then I had the idea to build it. I used a shadow box I have had lying around for years. I really like how it turned out... More are on the way I think.

New Paintings

2006-06-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

Here are a few new pieces. They are very small 3"x4 1/2". They are titled "Love me not" and "Cemeteries give me the creeps".

I've got worms

2006-05-19T23:52:00.000-04:00

I did these a few year ago and just stumbled across them. I liked them, my client... not so much.

Visual Thesaurus

2006-05-19T23:41:00.000-04:00

This is pretty cool--->Visual Thesaurus You can only look-up a few words, so choose them carefully.

One more robot!

2006-05-14T09:18:00.000-04:00

I think this poor little guy just lost something important...

IF-Robot ll

2006-04-25T22:46:00.000-04:00

I had to do one more... another robot with bad intentions. Hey, being a robot is not all fun and games.

On a side note: If you are in or around the Chicago area go to the Center of Science and Industry and check out the awesome collection of robot and space toys, very cool.

Check out Tom Torrey's robots for more inspiration.

IF-Robot

2006-04-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

One for Illustration Friday. I wish I could do a dozen more...

Voir Dire

2006-04-21T10:32:00.000-04:00

This is a recent cover (and spots) I did for Bryan Tyson at Voir Dire Magazine. The magazine is all about the jury system in America. Of course you know this because you subcribe to the magazine, right?

Brian always gives me a lot of creative freedom, and I have a lot of fun. I think it shows. We are both always pleased with the end result. Best of all he keeps coming back for more.

Sketchbook

2006-04-15T21:04:00.000-04:00

A few items from the sketchbook.

Work is killing me and the steelhead are starting to bite. Talk about a bad time to have priorities...

Summer is coming oh so slowly to northern MI. I find eating ice cream a lot helps.

Lion

2006-03-27T17:18:00.000-05:00

I really got stuck on this one, but I was happy with the final outcome. Somedays my felt tips just let me down.

Kristin

2006-03-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

This was done for the Drawing Board's jam.

As usual my first attempt was to stiff and in need of a push...yuck! It always happens to me, especially if I don't sketch first.

I did this quick sketch. I liked the way the neck flowed into the body and then into the dress. It seemed very organic which in turn influenced the colors and background.

A few variations...

Now didn't I say I have work to do? Leave me alone!

More Paintings

2006-03-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

Getting redundant isn't it? These will be the last for a while as I need to focus more on illustration, at least for a few weeks. I can not seem to get birds out of my head. Slightly larger at 11"x14" and on canvas.

Two new paintings

2006-03-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Here are two new painitngs a little different, a little looser. I had no idea the colors were so similar until I scanned them in. I was determinded not to add a horizon line to the boots and dog image. It's killing me!

Captain A

2006-02-22T09:02:00.000-05:00

I don't do superhero's very often. If I get a little more time I'd like to add his body and a little more action!

Ticket

2006-02-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

Another painting....

6x8 acrylic on birch panel

Batgirl

2006-02-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

Just for fun. Inspired by a thread over at the Drawing Board.

Umbrella

2006-02-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

Another new painting.

6x7 acrylic on birch panel

IF-Chair

2006-02-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

For some reason this post has been deleted three times now. Hopefully this one will stick. Sorry for any inconvenience.

2006-02-02T09:57:00.000-05:00

The new site is up and running... finally! Please check it out at your leisure. If you encounter any bugs let me know. It runs fine on my end but I know that means very little. There are animated gifs on a few of the pages that may take a few seconds to load. The pop-up books pop and there are multible views of most 3-d items.

I am still tweaking a few things. I do intend to make all of the portfolio items clickable so that a slightly larger images may be viewed.

IF-Glamour

2006-01-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

A new painting. It seemed to fit the new IF theme just right.

6x7 acrylic on birch panel

Red Bird

2006-01-29T21:15:00.001-05:00

6x7 acrylic on birch panel

2006-01-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

From the sketchbook...

2006-01-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

Some pencils for this weeks IF image.

2006-01-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well it started as E is for Eviscerate, but that seemed a bit much. How about E is for Empty.

New site preview

2006-01-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

My new site is close to launch. Here is a preview of the home page.

Rain

2006-01-09T19:33:00.000-05:00

Something from the sketchbook this fall... but indicative of our last few weeks of winter.

2005-12-25T11:56:00.000-05:00

No time for more Santas this year, but here is one from a few years back. Merry Christmas!

IF-Holiday

2005-12-24T00:20:00.000-05:00

I could draw Santa all day long...

Illustration Friday-Imagine

2005-12-23T13:13:00.000-05:00

What a great idea for a site. I wish it had been around when I was building my portfolio.