Merry Christmas!

This is not an NRA endorsement

Merry Christmas All. The top image is an AK assault rifle I made for Halloween out of cardboard. It some how got in the hands of Garfield. I think Odie may have been getting on his nerves. I , however, do not endorse violent problem solving :D Bottom image is a penguin friend I created for my wife, for Christmas. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday break. I will hopefully update the blog a little more often.

It's Alive!

Hi guys I recently found out about this street art collective known as BLU and thought I would share. The video repeats twice so its only about 5 mins. Check it out:

Below is their main site and this really cool video called "COMBO" in collaboration with David Ellis.
http://blublu.org/sito/video/video.htm

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

Happy Halloween

Our Carved pumpkins-->(left to right) Me, Robert, Margaret

Kronos attack on Gary!

I'm Batman!

This is amazing. Watch it!

Hello Jack

closeup

I have finally managed another update. I have been busy with school, but it was nice to do a personal piece. I wanted to practice an underwater painting with some reflections. Hope you guys like it. The original was created in Corel Painter X and is much larger and higher-res, but this is the best I can get out of Blogger.

WheRe the WiLD ThinGs ARe!

Where the Wild Things Are is a touching movie based on the Maurice Sendak beloved classic. The movie is directed by Spike Jonze with great visual effects by the Jim Henson people. The movie is not for kids, but for adults who read the book when they where children and loved it. It is kind of scary and dark for kids and will be above their heads. The book was kind of dark and so the movie does well to keep this. The movie strikes a strong emotional chord and is more emotionally realistic then most movies. I cannot express how great it is too see a movie set aside CG in favor of real puppets. It lends the characters much more believability and connection. Great movie about family and growing up as a kid. Must see. Great soundtrack too! Follow the link below for a great Fan site.


Here is a Great Link: http://www.terribleyelloweyes.com/

Idee Labs

image courtesy of Topher76 from flicker

Hi Guys, sorry for the lack of updates, I have been busy with school and so here are a couple of updates. I found this cool site from another artists blog. Its Called Multicolor search lab and if you pick colors it brings back images containing the colors you choose. It also has a some other interesting searches.

http://labs.ideeinc.com/

Anatomy Sketches

Here are some sketches I have been working on. Trying to practice the more traditional fundamentals recently. I am focusing on arms and hands right now.

Movie STill Sketch

This is just a practice sketch from Gosford Park. I used Painter X.

Forest Bunny

Hi, here is a night sketch I recently finished. I have been making a lot of custom brushes and papers in Painter X recently and so this is mostly an experiment in brushes. I didn't quite know where I was going with it and it ended up completely different then I started, but I like how it turned out. C&C welcome.

America's Greatest Threat?

Hi Guys, Margaret and I just watched this movie over the weekend. If you have seen "Supersize Me" it is similar to that movie but makes some different points. It really should be watched and shared. Here is the website if you want to watch the trailer and find out some more about it.
http://www.killeratlarge.com/main.html

Intensity

Here is a new sketch. Just something that I was thinking about and wanted to get down. I was Kind of just messing around too. Have a good night everyone.

Body Snake !!

Laugh out loud hilarious. Enjoy

Swamp?Castle

Just Some doodling from imagination . Done in Painter X with some custom brushes.

Capt. Quint!!

Jaws was recently on TV, and I saw Capt. Quint, which I hadn't seen in awhile. So I thought I would do a painting of the awesomeness that is Capt. Quint (Robert Shaw). Done in Painter X with some custom brushes.

Football skills!

I love football (soccer) and I recently saw this video done for a promo. Features Christiano Ronaldo (one of the best players in the world) and Billy Wingrove, one of the best freestylers. Enjoy the Joga Benito (Beautiful Game)

Otter

Hi Guys, its been awhile since posting. Hope everyone is doing well. I've been a little busy working on some things. This is a night sketch of mine that rolled over unto this morning. Wanted to practice some water and wet fur. I will hopefully be posting more frequently. As always feel free to leave a comment or suggestion.

Stan bush and the 80's

Hi guys we went to a mixed tape showing of "Transformers: the movie" last night and it was awesome. I had forgotten how awesomely bad 80's stuff was. Guys from the movie show on WUAG 103.1Fm radio UNCG were there and gave out some prizes for Transformers trivia. The first two videos highlight Stan Bush and his contribution to the 80's and I believe that last one is not one of his songs but still an awesome part of the 80's. (p.s. I have a friend named Robert who has just gotten his own radio spot on WUAG on thursday 11am-1pm, check it out)

Num Num...

This is kind of a silly painting. My wife really likes Asian babies (never mind the cliche') and I was thinking that I don't have much practice drawing children so this was the result. Work done in Painter X. Let me know what you think.

Cameron's Day off with Seurat

Hi Guys, this was done after recently watching the 80's classic, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". I was inspired by the character of Cameron Frye and wanted to make a painting based off of him. Done in Painter X. I hope you like, let me know what you think. Have a good day everyone.

Night Paddle

Hi Guys, I recently went on a night kayak paddle with my wife and Father-in law. It was the first time the park had tried it. There was about 22 or so people at the event. It was a perfect evening and although we could not see much, it was perfect weather and peaceful. The water was as smooth as glass and if you stopped and listened you could just hear the paddle dip into the water or the flock of geese wings flapping above you. The sky was magical that night with some beautiful colors in the sky. I wanted to sketch my impression of the evening. I can't decide if I like the one with the paddler(me?) or without. I hope everyone has a good day and if you want info on the night paddle contact me.

Freya

closeup/reversed

Hello everyone, this is a portrait of our dog Freya. Done in Painter X. I have now painted all the animals in our house :D

Posterized!

Hi guys, here is something I was messing around with for the Armadillo Brigade. Just throwing things out, not sure if I like it. I am working on a few collage type pieces to try a different style. I will post them soon.

Men of the Sea

Hi, this is a practice sketch. Done in a couple of hours in Photoshop. I began it last night but forgot to save while I was working and then the dreaded Photoshop freeze happened. I lost it all when I was almost complete. I have got to learn to save :D
So I did another version. Have a good day everyone.

The Day it Happened

This was done mostly in Photoshop with a little work in Painter. This is one of our cats and it is what I imagine would be one of his childhood moments.

Logos Galore!

A.A.F Tank Museum

I visited the A.A.F. Tank Museum in Danville, Virginia again over the weekend. They had a special event this weekend, where you could watch a demonstration of a real military flamethrower (one of the very few in the world) . The Flamethrower as you can see from this video is intense.They had a manikin setup named Flammable Fred, which promptly became engulfed in flames. It really shows what kind of a nightmare war is to imagine that hitting your friend. The heat coming off the flamethrower was incredible and you could feel it from a pretty far distance. The video shows him starting to purge the fuel, and after that I didn't realize the camera was still rolling. They also had a tank crushing a car and sub machine gun demos. It is a really interesting historical museum and is worth the visit.

More Concepts...

Hi Guys here are a few more concepts working off the brigade/military badge idea. These are rough concepts just like the previous posts, meant merely to brainstorm. The top image on the right contains some softer type concepts possibly for the women in the group. Let me know if you would like any of the ideas tweaked. Thanks for looking and I hope everyone has a good upcoming weekend.

More Armadillo...

Hi Guys, here is some more work done on the Armadillo Brigade project. I know the first one is maybe not the most eco-friendly but I still liked how it came out. I will be churning out more concepts next week. Feel free to critique and comment. I hope everyone has a good day.

Armadillo Brigade!

I am currently working on designs concepts for one of my good friends. He is currently helping to form a photographic alumni group of his alma mater. He asked for my help in designing stickers/logos/t-shirts. Here are some of the things I have been working up. Let me know which designs are working and I will continue to post some more designs. They have also just started a blog, their isn't much yet but stay tuned. http://armadillobrigade.blogspot.com/

The STaRE!

Photoshop &Painter X

Hi Guys, I have finally painted all the cats in the house. His name is snowball and if you ever happen to cross paths with him don't stare. You will lose everytime. He is a sweet cat, but he really does not blink and it is funny yet creepy at the same time. I tried to capture that in this painting and below are some reference shots. Let me know what you think and have a good day.

Rorschach!

Rorschach is one of the most interesting characters in the Watchmen and so I thought I would do some fun sketches of him. He is an interesting symbol of justice, and you have to love the mask. Done in Painter X and Photoshop, about half and half.

Watchmen Movie Review

Hi Guys, here is my late review of the Watchmen movie. For anyone who has read the graphic novel you will definitely know that the novel lives up to the hype. So how does director Zack Snyder's interpretation work on the big screen? Well, the short answer is not very well. Visually the movie brings the illustrations of Dave Gibbons to stunning realization. This along with the fantastic opening credit sequence are the two high points. From there on it becomes a noble failure. Casting was great in that they used less known actors, but their were some weakspots, like Mathew Goode, and Malin Akerman. Malin Akerman looks like Laurie but, fails to capture Laurie's character. Mathew Goode is a good actor just not right for the role of Ozymandias. The music is one of the most dissappointing parts of the movie and is probably the worst in a movie I have seen. It is jarring and missed placed and pulls you out of any emotional scene. It also adds to the dairy farm sized amount of cheese in the movie, that is not in the novel. The story is pretty much untouched except for the ending which was not well done. There were also a few parts that were changed to up the gore factor. Also there is a graphic sex scene which comes off like comic geek porn and is pretty much an insult. The main gripe I have with the movie is that the movie strips any emotional connection with the characters and ruins the detective story. The end of the world is imminent and as viewers you don't really care. In the end, the movie becomes a shallow visual companion to the great graphic novel. Watch it to satisfied your curiousity and at best it should be a rental.

New Cameras like to Travel...

Hi guys, we recently got a new Nikon D40 camera and we have been having a great time learning to master its power. Here is a sample of some of my wife, Margaret's, lovely skills with the camera. The first is a still life she set up, and the second is a preview from our recent weekend trip to Asheville where we got to do some nice relaxing in a great bed and breakfast.

Asheville Trip

Margaret Photo*

Margaret Photo*

Margaret Photo*