Magnify

Here's my submission for Illustration Friday's topic of "magnify". I did it as a promotional piece, and ended up creating a story around it as you can gleam from the concept sketches I've included.

The sketches are done with Col-Erase pencils. I got this from my animation friends who seem to always use the blue ones (I think if they use anything else they get kicked out of the club). I like them because I can start the sketch with a lighter colour and refine it with subsequently darker colours. This is good for me because my first attempts almost always suck so I save both paper, and the time it would take to start from zero. Hooray!

A Cautionary Tale

A caution-ary tale: if a group of sword wielding nihilists are demanding the scant amount of money you have in your wallet, it might be best to give it to them (regardless of the fact that you watched your buddies die face down in the muck).

So as you can see my Lebowski triptych is now complete, and I aim to have them printed this week! I think Donny was the hardest one due to his lack of affectations such as any kind of glasses or facial hair. Plus Buscemi a pretty weird looking dude.

Sometimes, there's a man...

Here's piece #2 in my Big Lebowski series, and is also doubling as my response to this weeks Illustration Friday topic as The Dude is wrapped in his signature robe. I don't know what next weeks topic will be, but I'll stretch it any way I have to in order to make it fit Donny, my third piece in the series. You can see my first piece featuring Walter in the post below. All of these will be turned into prints so fire me off an email if you're interested and I'll contact you once they're available for purchase.

Also, anyone who's thinking of drawing a Persian rug might want to reconsider - it's a pain in the tuchus, you know, in the parlance of our times.

Shut the F up Donnie!

I've been meaning to do a Big Lebowski series for a while now and was actual going to do a Dude portrait for Illustration Friday's topic of "Idle" a couple weeks back but I didn't have the time. But then this weeks topic of "Impatience" called to mind Walter's constant impatience with Donnie.

This is one of my favourite things that I've ever done. It took forever, but I'm pretty passionate about The Big Lebowski and so wanted to do it service. I'll continue the series into a triptich that I'll turn into prints for an art show that I might be a part of this October so watch for The Dude and Donnie coming soon!

Here's my submission for the Illustration Friday topic this week of "hollow". Poor kid has a hollow tummy. Time for a Mac attack!

I'd also like to announce that I've begun a newsletter. It's to keep folks updated with fresh new samples of work. It also has links to helpful websites and resources for creative types, and other fun and cool things that I find. I intend to send it monthly, but that may vary depending on how much time I have.

I'm also on Twitter now too, so if you'd like to follow me there, please do! I think it's a great way for us in the illustration and design community to keep in touch despite the distances between us. Also it's another way to shamelessly promote myself, something now that I'm a full time freelancer I can't do enough of.

Once Upon A Time...

I'm finally done my small business course and decided to celebrate by catching up on some drawings.This piece was supposed to be in response to the IF topic of "Unfold" a couple weeks back.

There's another version of this that can be seen here. The difference is a blue background, and a different font for the type. I think I prefer this version but feel free to let me know your thoughts! The character was in part inspired by Groucho Marx as when I started this my wife and I had just watched Duck Soup (which I highly reccomend).

Craving to show my gratitude!

I've been neglecting my blog for quite a while now. The reason is that I'm in school again - an 8 week course on writing a business plan -- my business being freelance illustration, natch.

Part of this course has us doing market research by calling those in the industry. I won't name names as I think this stuff is supposed to stay confidential, but a shout out to those who were so friendly as to help me out. I feel so lucky to be in such a supportive and fraternal (is "fraternal" inclusive of females? I'll have to look that up...) industry.

As of this posting I'm halfway through the course so hopefully I can start posting more regularly soon!

ps. For those Illustration Friday-ers stopping by I offer my sincere apologies on the cop out on this weeks theme. I hate it when people do that!