Shadowarp

Hello 2011!

2011-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm making a lot of progress...one entry a year! Sorry about that. This year I hope will be different. Back at Western Ct. State University, I have completed my first semester of my masters in art. I am also involved with the small animation class as well. I have quite a few up and coming projects and there should be a great deal more activity this year.

Also I just ordered M.C. Barrett's "Cars and Rockets, Mostly" sketchbook off of Lulu. This guy has great imagination coupled with an exquisite sense of design. His drawing approach reminds me a bit of Scott Robertson, but it's probably just the layout.

Also, Jeff Dunham and his puppet "Peanut" continue to make me laugh during a very difficult time in our family. Check out his video's.

Picked up a Hot Wheels Hyper Mite, a very funny little car.

As I have said, more will be coming in the way of art posts, which is where this blog will develop. Stay 'Tooned'!

Today is my birthday....

2010-02-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

So here we are more than a year later....Wow Chris you really keep up with the blogging thing....lol.

Yep, today I am 45.

The past year had many interesting events. I spent a lot of time working on my approach to illustration. Stick figures, the fleshing out process, I continued to work in pen and filled or finished several sketchbooks. As well, I continued to move down the path of creative resistance in search of my own idea...

This past year, I contributed a piece to Rob Balders "Erfworld" summer update series, two illustrations went to "Fight On!", an online old school AD&D mag. I completed a couple of logos for a local engineering business and involved myself with some concept work for Blackheart Games and their project Universe Alliance.

I gave a lecture to the animation class at Western Ct. State University which was received well. From this, I got the much needed kick in the ass to follow my dream. Soon after this event, I quit my day job and embarked on my own freelance path.

Here I am, some six months later, still alive and well. I have gone back to look at the works of Humberto Ramos, Francisco Herrera, and Skottie Young, but there are many, many more.

I came to the conclusion, that while we enjoy and even wish to emulate our favorite artists, art should remain true to the illustrator. Hence, I have found that I hold the pencil tighter when I am trying to duplicate the line of someone else, than when I am engaged in the pure creative pursuit of my own. I have also found that while it yields the best results, it also takes an understanding that not all days will be successful at the drawing board.

As for the tools I use, I had started with the standard 4b, but after 8 years of post college life, I have found that I have gone harder and harder on my drawing tool choices. I use to use the Prismacolor pc919 non-photo blue, but changed up for the Prismacolor Col-Erase 20060 Indigo Blue. After enjoying Chris Sanders tutorial "Three girls on a Broom", (I am creating a title here), I ordered a box of Faber-Castell Polychromos 9201-199 Black pencils. They are a bit soft and chalky feeling, but very interesting to work with.

As for paper, I began buying the cheap 9x12 pads at Walmart and Target. These are only a couple of bucks for 50 pages and lend really well to roughing out ideas. It is a smart move to purchasing the Strathmore or Canson stuff, which is what you want for final work, but wastefull for just generic drawing. Another set of pads I invested in were the Borden & Riley 100s smooth comp and the Bienfang 360. These are marker pads and take pencil and alcohol rubs very nicely.
They are a little expensive, but well worth the price for the right project.

I decided to return this year to school to get my masters. Unfortunately, I missed the dates for RISD, Yale, and CMU, so I will be applying to the state college. My thesis will take the form of a graphic novel and so I will be using this blog in the coming months to show images from that work. My estimation is 150 pages. It is not a large number, as I know it to be an enormous undertaking.

I guess that is about it for now. Check out the Deviant Art site and enjoy the fantastic creative output of many fine artists...Be well.

http://katana2665.deviantart.com/

Thayer

Let's start with Shadowarp...

2009-01-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

In an effort to reinvent myself and my career direction, I have decided to actually spend some time with this blog thing. I mean imagine if you still were from the cassette age and you never got into the CD music thing...well that's me in a nutshell. I like the antique, but in the interest of time management and productivity, I decided to make myself known to someone...anyone who might have the same drive and career interest. Specifically I'm gearing my art style towards the comic book / graphic novel industry...Whoa! you say! "Are you any good at drawing?" My answer to that is who knows. I did the traditional art thing and have spent the past seven years attempting to perfect my craft..."Then you must be very good.", you might respond. Well again, who will judge me? Should I be the oh so critical critic and say that my work sucks? It would save me the pain of going after success...Perhaps I should just give the viewers something, anything to look at and deal with the response as it comes. Of course, I have to have pages to show. Since I'm not a name brand and I don't know anyone in the industry, I'm thinking of going the self-publishing route. At 44 (in a few weeks), I'm an old guy by industry standards, so I have that to consider as well. I don't expect miracles, but I figure if I put an honest effort into it, I'll either succeed or I'll hang up the idea of being a professional artist and move in another direction with the remainder of my life.
So I'll give it the year. A grand adventure into the world of 20-09......I'm certainly open to suggestions...I've got to go now...my drawing table is screaming for affection...