Duck Soup

Demon Child sketch

2010-08-19T12:52:00.001-07:00

Medusa...again.

2010-08-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

I try to do a quick sketch every morning to get going...
Of course, lots of times I opt instead to eat something.

Susie Q

2010-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Kickboxer.

Pallas Athena

2010-08-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Strong women = cool.

2009-04-29T15:04:00.001-07:00

yet another pass at this old idea...

2009-04-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

2009-04-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

2009-04-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

2009-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

2009-04-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

2009-04-08T15:34:00.001-07:00

Harpie

2009-04-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

Amazon

2009-04-06T15:08:00.001-07:00

2007-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas!!!

Santa Claus represents all that I love about people, and none of what I dislike.

He's a jolly old soul who does things for people because he cares about them, and about their happiness.

The holiday season is often filled with massive commercialism, and big oil, to be sure. But it's also filled with radio stations that play only Christmas music, hazelnut hot chocolate, building snowmen, and bundling up in blankets to watch "A Christmas Story"...and reading art books that have sat on my shelf for years.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODEEEEEE!!!"

2007-09-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

Sketch using Strathmore 2B pencil, and white charcoal pencil on gray paper.

2007-09-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

2007-09-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

2007-09-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Mermaid eating a fish head.

2007-09-12T07:43:00.002-07:00

Three minute gesture...

2007-09-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

2007-09-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

A little role reversal for fun...

Normally, I don't paint immodest women, but this was an exception...

It's crazy in Frazetta's paintings how the women can be so helpless they're reduced to leg-wear!

I'm not knocking Frazetta's talent here, folks. I'm simply saying that he fills a nitch very opposite the one I'm going for.

2007-09-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

This, I can't remember what this sketch is of...
Something or other "Granger" from a book about magical potter's.

Done for Toon Club...in 30 minutes...on my lunch break...in Photoshop.

Don't worry, I won't do anymore like this.

2007-09-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

Spot illustration for Leading Edge magazine.

This is the final illustration, from the final story I've done for them.

I've freelanced for them for over five years!!!

This was done in Painter...the first and last of my computer illustration for the magazine.

Thanks, it's been great!

2007-09-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Drawing for Toon Club.

Indigo Blue Prismacolor.

Low Tide

2007-04-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

Vanessa

2007-04-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Brunhilde

2007-03-27T17:31:00.002-07:00

Acrylic on Illustration board. 2006

Brunhilde is from Norwegian mythology. She is an Icelandic Princess and amazing warrior. While she is often depicted in art as a waif, I thought she should look as formidable as she is written.
I had no model for this painting. I painted her strictly from my head—which I’ve never done before and I’m reasonably certain will never do again.
This was the first illustration I did for my show. I worked it to a high level of detail, so much so that I felt discouraged about doing all the subsequent paintings. Then I remembered something my intern provider Daniel Horne told me: “you can do a painting and let it stand alone.”
Note: On March 13th I was notified that Brunhilde was selected for the Society of Illustrators show in New York. I am honored to be included with the Society’s show. The original painting was sent to New York on March 15th. On March 26th I was notified that I won a $1,500 award from the Society!!!

Technique:
Acrylic paint is made of polymer plastic, and it dries very quickly. This property makes it nice to work with on tight deadlines (your painting will be dry literally within ten minutes of finishing the final brushstroke). However, it also carries with it the huge disadvantage of drying before it can be blended which, for me, makes it much more time-consuming to work with than oils. This property also contributes to the tendency of “drawing” with the paint as opposed to pushing the paint medium around the surface.
I used a lot of browns in this painting as homage to Arthur Rackham, a genius illustrator who illustrated Wagner’s The Ring (a story in which Brunhilde is a main character).

Subversive Cult of the Vampire Squid

2007-03-27T17:31:00.001-07:00

Oil on masonite. 2005. Revised 2007.

This is the first fantasy-themed painting I ever completed.
When my wife and I lived in California I occasionally heard of Latter-day Saints referred to as a “cult.” I wondered what people had in their heads when they said this, and this image is what popped into my mind…a magic-user who has enchanted a bunch of fish that could fly through the air.
The model for this was our cashier at Macey’s grocery store in Provo. So, the logical deduction is: if you need a model for a painting then go to Macey’s.
The fish, well, I’ll probably just have to blame James Christensen for those…
The first version of this painting was published as the cover to the BYU fantasy/science fiction magazine Leading Edge in October of 2005. At the time I painted it I didn’t yet know technically how to accomplish the appearance I was going for. I was using brushes that were way too big for this kind of detail, and the magic-user looked all wrong. So I did what any artist would do—I faked it, and finished it anyway.
Working for the Leading Edge has been a great experience. If you’re a BYU student and like sci-fi fantasy writing and/or art I highly recommend working for them. You won’t get rich, but the experience is like gold in your hands.
Oh, and last year I learned in one of my religion classes that the L.D.S. religion does in fact match the definition of a “cult.” Go figure.

Technique:
During my internship with fantasy artist Daniel R. Horne in New Jersey I learned to use watercolor brushes when working with oil paints. The internship was a wonderful experience, and was in part funded by the Oscarson Discovery Grant.
The painting is mostly design driven. I was lucky enough to run into Gregory Manchess in San Diego when I had done the preliminary study, and he advised me on how to approach the final. Mostly, I really had to watch the relationships of my values. Rather than looking to nature I decided to try “emotional” coloring, where I painted the way I felt about the design rather than try to ground it in reality.

The Porcelain Samurai

2007-03-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas panel. 2007

This character was created using a fellow student in visual arts (animation) as a model. She came to school dressed up like this. I can’t remember if it was Thanksgiving or Halloween… Anyway, I liked the graphic nature of the elements of value and limited color. I think her mask gives a creepy element to her character—not being able to see any emotion except the painted tear running down her mask.
After I finished this painting I realized how heavily inspired it was by the cartoon “Samurai Jack.” I seriously love that cartoon. There was this one episode that was so intense and action-packed, and Samurai Jack’s friend gets killed! I can scarcely believe they showed it on Cartoon Network, but it was so amazingly storyboarded and animated.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I know the costume is not 100% accurate, and that the katana is “upside-down.”

Technique:
I worked very quickly on this painting. It’s a direct approach where the desired effect is achieved with the first application of paint, as opposed to layering the canvas with paint and the final painting being achieved at the end. I did the entire painting in two sittings over the course of fourteen hours.
After I hung my show my wife, Christy, commented on how all of my models were Caucasian. So, in the future I'll have more diversity.

Detail of "Summoning Kaia"

2007-03-27T17:29:00.001-07:00

Summoning Kaia

2007-03-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Oil on masonite. 2007

With the topic of my show featuring “lack of restraint in depiction of strength,” I decided to create a monumental female figure (at 22"x30" this is the largest painting I've ever done). In the process this painting emerged, and became the thesis for my show.
In Brad Holland’s class I chose to repaint the cover for the novel Destroyer Goddess by Laura Resnick. In the book a sorceress had the ability to open the earth and summon forth lava. There was also an evil white dragon that was killed, chopped up into six pieces and thrown into the ocean. Later six dragons emerged out of the ocean. Great ideas, but in the end I just wanted to paint a priestess summoning a dragon. Since I like green dragons best and am my own Art Director, I made a departure from the original idea in order to have some fun!
The model was a fellow patron at Provo Art & Frame. She’s a professional model and is great to work with. She has since modeled for an upcoming painting of an Egyptian queen. Also, two of her daughters appear in the mermaid painting "Low Tide."

Technique:
I didn’t do a preliminary study or even an under drawing…I wanted to convey energy in this painting, so I applied the paint thickly (impasto) and decisively, building the image as I painted. It’s kind of scary to work this way because it feels like at any moment the painting may spiral out of control and plummet into oblivion, and unfortunately that happens a lot.

Joan of Arc, 1434

2007-03-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas panel. 2007

A justice figure, this is Joan a couple years after entering the Pearly White Gates. She’s no longer Saint Joan, but instead a dark-robed angel. She holds a book of law and knows it well. She treasures the permanency of it. Her sword represents justice and the fate awaiting those who falsely tried and burned her at the stake.
Joan of Arc is a character I’ve painted three times now, and I’m sure I’m not done yet. This is the first time I have painted her without armor.
The model who posed for this is a very talented portrait artist, Molly Williams. I must say it is somewhat intimidating to paint a portrait of a portrait artist!

Technique:
I shot reference using a diffused North (cool) light to eliminate any strong form and cast shadows. I also obtained as many props as pertinent, and was therefore able to see the effects of the same light source on all the objects simultaneously.

Noodle, Noodle, Noodle...

2006-12-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

Sketch done during Brad Holland's class last night (Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006, 6:23pm, Mountain Standard Time).
I didn't have time to finish it, but I thought it conveyed a certain feeling of slyness.
It was inspired by a trip to a video game company (Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006, 2:57pm, Mountain Standard Time).
I hope to work there in the future. It's kind of funny though, I don't really know anything about video games. I just know that what I saw at this company was what I've been searching for.
I want to be part of something bigger than myself. I believe many of the best answers come from collaboration. I also think it's better to part of an artistic community than to freelance in a vacuum.

Blast from the Past (Hippolyta Rising)

2006-12-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

I found this in my closet the other day. There are some funny things going on with the composition and anatomy, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.

I might actually repaint this one in oil.

I usually paint between midnight and 4am. Why the odd hours? Well, it's primarily because the kitchen table makes a studio for me, so I set up, paint, and clean up in the wee hours of the morning.
This is also why I paint in acrylic so often - it's dries at the speed of light...that's 186,000 miles a second. Who says I didn't learn anything in my science class? just don't ask me anything else.

An interesting aside, I sent a copy of this to Robert McGinnis, and he actually likes it.

Ode to N.C. Wyeth - work in progress

2006-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

My friend and mentor Daniel Horne was taught in the tradition of Howard Pyle.
Last summer my family drove to Cherry Hill, NJ in our old Honda Accord (much to my relief we didn't break down). It was in Cherry Hill that I interned with Daniel Horne. It was a fantastic experience, and having my family with me was the best.

My family has traveled back east for the past two summers. I love going to Chadds Ford to visit the Brandywine River Museum. The top floor is filled with the incredible paintings of N.C. Wyeth.
Wyeth was very prolific, but I noticed something on the last visit that I haven't had time to look into...in 1911 N.C. painted the 17 masterpieces for Treasure Island. It was his breakthrough, but that was also the year Howard Pyle (his mentor) died. I just wondered how that affected N.C. ...if it drove him.

Pirates (detail) work in progress

2006-12-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

One of several paintings I've begun for my senior show.
I block in values first, so I can focus on the hue and intensity of the colors. I invariably find issues with the design that are more easily corrected before moving to color.
It's kind of like a math problem, you solve the basic issues before moving on to more complicated ones.

Hold on there, I don't know anything about math! Ok, I guess you could liken it to cooking Ramen noodles - you have to boil the water before the noodles will cook.

Subversive Cult of the Vampire Squid

2006-12-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

I painted this with a massive brush. Unfortunately, the painting is small. There's a secret rule in oil painting; I'll tell you as long as you don't tell anybody else...paint with WATERCOLOR brushes!!! Daniel Horne taught me this. I was worried the Art Police would show up and haul me away, and they did, but after they released me I went right back to it. They still show up from time to time to rough me up, but I feel the exchange is worth it.

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

2006-12-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

An older Toon Club drawing.
This is one of my favorites I've done so far for Toon Club. It really has been an honor to post with the artists on that site. They are talented and kind...ok, well at least they're talented.

Soul Reaper

2006-12-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty terrible apparition. He obviously has some wardrobe problems - starting with his cast iron shoes. I think anyone would be grouchy if they had to wear those.

I also think he needs to reconsider the design of his scythe/shovel. I think it would be difficult to dig without cutting oneself with the scythe end...which might be very painful if one had an eye in one's hand. Just a hypothetical.

Missy Elliot

2006-12-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

Caricatures often present their own special problems...a psychological likeness can be very evasive. The job of a caricature artist is to make people look more like themselves than they actually do...not that I would know.

I search out unique facial characteristics on any subject before I begin to try to depict them as a caricature. I haven't yet figured out how to yield consistent results with caricatures, but I love the genre.

That Sebastian Kruger guy is amazing.

Shadow of the Wolf

2006-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Summer of the Brides

2006-11-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Stereotypical Villain

2006-11-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

An original title for an original concept.

Homage

2006-11-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is a sketch I did...the first ever "Fan Art" I've ever done! I gave the original to James Christensen. I really love the symbols and metaphors in his work, as well as the precision in his paint technique.

Minotaur

2006-11-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing I did for an "Anamorphic" assignment for Ryan Woodward's class. I'd like to redraw it paying better attention to line quality, but I really like the proportions and attitude.

Space Cadet

2006-11-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is acrylic on illustration board. I'm finally getting used to acrylic - mostly able to tolerate it because of the fast drying time.
The original is owned by Joe Chiodo.

Goalie

2006-11-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Futuristic Hockey Goalie. Inspired by my intern provider, Daniel Horne. No, it doesn't look anything like him, and no, he doesn't like guns, but hey, the body armor is somewhat reminiscent of hockey padding, so there you go!

Soldier

2006-11-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

I was using the silhouette approach from the book "The Skillful Huntsman." That is an incredible book.

Assassin

2006-11-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

I was trying to create a "villianess" with this drawing. I really need lessons on how to make someone look evil. I guess it's pretty bad that she might kill you with second-hand smoke.

Joan of Arc

2006-11-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

I've always liked the story of Joan of Arc. One of these days I'll do a contemporary Joan of Arc painting. She'll have a fully-automatic rifle. Sa-weet.

2006-11-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

She's number 41 (and no, I don't know where the previous 40 went). It's important to wear high heels in tactical situations, obviously.

The Picnic Spot

2006-08-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

The title says it all.

The Swampmaid

2006-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

She appears from the depths to drag her prey to a watery grave. My wife came up with the concept for this. Thanks, Honey!

Wealth Makes People Important and Good

2006-08-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here's good ol' Paris Hilton. I was feeling particularly witty when I drew this, so I made here wings out o' money, and put a crooked halo superficially attached to the back of her head.

Nestor Emerges

2006-08-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is a character from my friend, Dea Lund's book. This is merely one of the many awesome antagonists she created. He's a bloodthirsty porcupine (figuratively speaking). I hope to illustrate one of her books someday.
This painting was done with acrylics on illustration board. I hate acrylics. When I mix colors it always ends up looking like mud. One of these days I'll take it easy on myself and just paint a picture of mud -- the colors will be dead-on. Speaking of acrylics, I'd like to write a book about them someday; it will be called "Painting with Plastic."
Oils are beautiful and luminous, and have the consistency of warm butter. If they weren't toxic I'm sure they'd taste good, too. What more could anybody ask?

Valkyrie

2006-08-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

I think tough women are awesome! Joan of Arc, Hippolyta, Athena, Atalanta, the list goes on. Here's a nod to Norse mythology. Gregory Manchess owns the original.

Dragon

2006-07-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going for original sounding titles. This is a little dragon I drew for Shane's "Character Design" class. It was an awesome class, though 76% of the students never came.

Head Drawing

2006-07-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

I drew this in Casey Nelson's Life Drawing class. Casey is a really great teacher, but more importantly she's fun. When I entered her class I only wanted to draw WITH the form, but she threatened me until I agreed to draw ACROSS the form.

I love drawing facial expressions. This model had a particularly intense gaze, though most people think she looks angry. I don't know which it is, as I was too afraid to ask.

I'll put up more life drawings in the future sometime. They're all on 18x24" newsprint, so I'll try to do it before they crumble into dust.

Jimmy the Fish

2006-07-19T22:04:00.001-07:00

He has sharp teeth.

Mantis Alien

2006-07-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

I've always thought it would be much easier to brush my teeth if they were exposed like that.
This drawing is a good example of the kind of things I imagined as a child.

Life Drawing

2006-07-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is a life drawing I did with a ballpoint pen. I like drawing with ballpoint because of the halftones and modeling of form that are so much more difficult to achieve in india ink.

The Pretty Sister

2006-07-19T21:57:00.001-07:00

I've always loved Greek mythology. This is the one-millionth picture I've drawn of Medusa.
I hope you appreciate the danger I put myself in to draw this.
I was inspired by the incredible work of Ben Caldwell.

If you haven't yet purchased his books
"Fantasy! Cartooning" or "Action! Cartooning" I highly recommend that you do so immediately.

Extinction

2006-07-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm finally creating a blog. Thank you for inviting me to join Toon Club!