IF: separated

Separated from some parts.

IF: round

Lumpy round...

This was painted with several Studio Artist drawing Presets I created - while looking for digital fun. SA Presets are available here: Presets

IF: fuel

Not sure what fuel it would run on.

Some experimentation with Photoshop brushes.

IF: scattered

Appleseeds - scattered

Influence Map

I wanted to highlight and discuss some of the artists that have inspired and influenced my from the very beginning to the present. I wanted to draw a map of the flow of influences I have encountered thru time. The map may or may not be the best way to present things - but it makes a good metaphor.

Along with the map I wanted to point out some of the reasons why these artists have been standouts and or the converse - why other artists have not stood out in comparison.

In my career and pre-career there have been certain points where I became very aware of some artists and very interested in doing what they did. Before that, I had a nonspecific art vocabulary that was not meant to look like any particular artists - but was meant to live in the same world as the art I knew around me. Comic book and comic strip art mostly.

There was a time when I was more a consumer and imitator of art than I am now. The same art that I desperately wanted more of when I was starting out has become - while still interesting in an abstract way - less interesting! I am now driven by a different craving. Harder to define... I want something and at this point I know what it isn't. It isn't more of the things I knew and loved. As I find it - I will try to link to it (if on the web) and shine the same light on it that I will try to shine on the influences I will be showing here. I want to live whatever it is I am craving. Make art that speaks to the craving. Says what I want to see (said)...

 

 

IF: ferocious

The Beast - in enchanted form.

IF: mesmerizing

The green is already turning. Looking up thru the leaves could eat up hours... The way the light comes thru the leaves and the way they move if a little breeze blows them...

IF: boundaries

Experimenting within the boundaries of the tool.

An old experiment with Artrage.

Artrage is a natural media emulator. Simple and focused.

Artrage is a lot of fun, but I don't use it often. I am not sure why.

Digital illustration can be tricky. Studio Artist (my favorite digital art toy) is a wonderful tool with powerful features... But it is very hard to maintain a "look", style or process in SA - the tools being very organic. Artrage, very clean and focused and predictable - isn't what I reach for when I am looking to create an image.

Digital art tools have come a long way since the early 90's when I started to work with them. Each has had amazing strengths and each has some serious limitation that makes using the tool for certain jobs difficult to impossible. The boundaries of the tool become the greatest challenge: Either work within the limits - or look to break the boundary and make the tool do what I would wish it could do... Usually I find myself folding to the limitations... and in frustration - continue to look for my dream tool.

IF: Mysterious

It's mysterious why nerdy dinosaurs were what came of "mysterious".

IF: disguise

Undisguised pride - my daughter turned eleven a short while ago.

Healthy, happy, bright and beautiful!

We do have bunnies in our back and front yard. They are not so well fed looking. They don't get cake. We call them children of "Skinny", a rabbit that was eating my grass a year or so back - but never looked well fed. They are all "skinnys"!

IF: swell

Really riding the swell

From a book created by my very good friend Lance Hutto and myself - seems a very long time ago...

Samples of the book!

The art was created entirely with the then Mac only application Studio Artist.

IF: Obsession

A great literary obsession

IF: stay

Sad retro/future computer dog told to "Stay!"

IF: Midsummer Night

A fun subject to play with form and color with.

IF: asleep again

Hardly a shadow at all.

This is more like what I wanted to create with the previous IF (asleep) post. A very long thin wrapping image with a more organic feeling. Done with Studio Artist (line) and Photoshop (color)

IF: asleep

Like Sleeping Beauty.

The image here is closer to my original intent.

Both these images were created with Studio Artist (line) and Photoshop (color)

IF: beginner

Got to start somewhere.

Erin Vaganos

This last year I had the opportunity to work with a some great seasoned artists and total newcomers developing a new collection of read aloud childrens books for Starfall.

Erin Vaganos, a fantastic painter has created two really beautiful books for us. The Frog Prince and The Ant and the Chysalis. Erin is new to the print world. Have a look at her rich, colorful illustrations:

Web site: www.goldenquincestudios.com

Blog: Goldenquince

FB: Goldenquince

IF: bicycle

It is almost impossible to draw a good bicycle... At least I can't.

This is an oldie from a collection of books written by Margaret Hillert created by Starfall.

The art was created using Creaturehouse Expression3 - a really great application that still exists - sort of... bought and gutted by Microsoft.

IF: bottled

Can't keep it bottled.

IF: duet

It would be fun to hear these two sing together.

Toy?

Created with Photoshop - looking to emulate a large ragged brush appearance. A style reminiscent of two color (black line and a wash overlay) magazine illustration from the "old" days.

IF: stir

Stirring up trouble - terribly late for the prompt "stir" on Illustration Friday.

This image was created with TabletDraw(rough) and the final line and color in Photoshop.

IF: warning

Without warning, they pounced!

Playing with some interesting Presets in Studio Artist

IF: layer

The sun going down for a bunny

Layers of rabbit chow!

Impressionistic Presets I made with Studio Artist

IF: sweater

Its been so cold in the office that a sweater is mandatory.

The cover and an unused spread of a book to be published by Starfall Education

A reversal of the traditional Three Billy Goats Gruff story. In this case the goats are naughty opportunists and the troll is grumpy - of course, but also compassionate and accommodating - just hoping to start a nice garden in a nice green pasture...

All art work Copyright: Starfall

I created the illustrations digitally on the Mac with TabletDraw as a sketch tool. Studio Artist for the line work and Photoshop for the color painting.

more.starfall.com

IF: dusty

The road might be a little hot and dusty.

Preproduction sketch done in odosketch.

IF: chicken

Some fun with a variant of the Harmony HTML5 tool and Photoshop... An odd chicken.

Sketchy (Harmony) example

IF: resolutions

Make resolutions to share more and be more thankful.