APE 2011!

The Alternative Press Expo was such a cool experience. 

I'm sure it's pretty standard when you stack it against other conventions... but this was my first ever, so I got a kick out of it! 

It was really cool to meet other artists, check out portfolios, and walk away with a pocket full of business cards.

I also got to meet some of my idols like the amazing Brittney Lee, Kris Pearn, Louie del Carmen, and Daniela Strijleva (who I now have an autograph from, in my copy of the Art of Toy Story 3)!

Ideation Club

This week's "assignment" includes the following:
Hero: Elvis Presley impersonator

Sidekick: Chimp in a business suit

Villain: Mutated banana

Setting: Futuristic/Sci-Fi

Here's my first pass at the mutated banana character.

Figure Drawing

5 min

5 min

Week 1 of a 2 week pose. Next week we add color with Nu Pastels.

Clothed Workshop

Figure Studies

charcoal, 18"x24"

Sun Chips WIP

digital

Bovine

charcoal, 18"x24"
approx. 5 hours

Ball and Cone

value study
charcoal, 18"x24"

Granny

digital

Sketchbook

Painting Value Pattern

pencil, digital

original sketch

First Cintiq painting

I finally got a chance to use a Cintiq! Woohoo! SO cool!!!

This is a REALLY rough color study from a photo.

Tone Paper Figures

First try at using toned paper, and then using white conte for the highlights.

It was REALLY hard.

detail

Hands

Behold! Hands!

Sun Chips WIP

Life and Still

charcoal

Sketchbook

pencil

Sketchbook

red pencil

Rough Sketches

digital

Advertisement WIP

3

2 

1

digital

Rendering

So we worked on rendering today in Sustained Figure. We were learning the different stages to accomplish a finished look. And for two whole hours, I drew nothing but crap.

Okay, not crap, but not good either.

These were the best.

Then, luckily, he had us only work on the shoulder, because, the way the lighting was set up, it had the only true highlight --- that way, we could work with ALL five of our values.

And for some reason, I had a breakthrough --- the rest of the figure looks all wonky and disproportional --- but look at that shoulder!

 detail:

charcoal (vine and pencil), 18"x24"