New Series - Candid Animals

"Mountain Sheep - Mid-chew" - also affectionately known as "Derp Sheep". 
I'm sure I have a few photos of me with this same expression...

I've started a new series of pen & ink drawings, so far known as "Candid Animals". I'm trying to capture the moments in between the majesty- funny expressions, less-than-ideal poses- the wildlife equivalent of sneezing for your driver's license photo.

To keep things interesting (and to save me from myself) I have a few simple rules I need to follow:

1. These drawings must be based on photos I have taken- no Googling for better images!
2. Only the simplest pencil sketch is allowed: just the proportions & placement- no getting bogged down in details at this early stage.
3. No quitting! If (and when) I mess something up, I have to keep going. 
4. No starting a new picture until the current one is finished.

"Pacific Chorus Frog" - the least 'derpy' subject so far.

The rules are working well so far- it turns out that I've actually felt more driven & inspired while working within these constraints. So much for having a rebellious artistic nature! ;)

"Dream Big" - this guy may have bitten off more than he can chew. 
I think we all have days like that.

The Fantastic Simon Fox

This was a surprise birthday present poster for my good buddy Simon Fox, commemorating a truly fantastic performance as part of the 13th annual West Coast Guitar Night.
This was drawn in the style of my dad, who created posters for local bands and venues all over Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island in the l960s and 1970s. I had a lot of fun with it, and it was a great way to honour & acknowledge how much dad's art has inspired me.

Here's a few pics to show the development of the poster. It appears I forgot to take any photos or scans at the preliminary design stages- oh well. Just picture a lot of sketching & erasing. ;)

Stage 1 of inking. The letters need something extra to make them pop.

In retrospect, it would have been a lot easier if I'd used a ruler for all of that crosshatching... I do like the rustic, hand-drawn look, though. But the rest of the text is still missing something...

That's better! Much more eye-catching. Now to add a simple border and the rest of the details.

So many ripples- they are really fun to draw! I saved the sketch of Simon for last, as it was the part I was most worried about messing up. Fortunately, it turned out alright and he asked for a painted version to use as a new logo. Happy to oblige!

Check out Simon's music here: SimonFoxGuitar.com

Unfinished

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, hasn't it?

I'm a bit particular when it comes to posting things in chronological order. It's easy to fall behind when you hit a roadblock- be it a challenging project that you can't quite finish, a piece that you aren't sure how to write about, or simply a secret gift that's just waiting for a birthday to arrive before it can be revealed. Sometimes you can fall weeks behind, and not even notice. Sometimes you can fall months behind. And sometimes over a year can pass without a word.

"Tournée du Chat Ombre" - detail

This is from a painting that I started in November of 2011. An homage to Steinlen's famous "Chat Noir" poster, it was to be a Christmas gift for my dad, as his beloved cat Shadow had passed away earlier that year. I was pretty happy with how it was turning out, and couldn't wait for him to see the finished painting.

I never got the chance.

In early December, I got the phone call. My brother told me our dad had died.

"Tournée du Chat Ombre" - detail

I packed the painting away, and I got swept up in grief and life and work and distractions, and yes- even art sometimes. Even with everything else that was broken, the urge to be creative remained- my dad and I always had that in common.

But I couldn't post anything here, because I'd have to talk about What Happened. And I wasn't ready. Don't think I ever will be, really, but that's okay.

I missed this silly little blog and my small but wonderful crew of followers. I missed creating and sharing new art. That I am ready for.


I haven't been able to finish the painting yet. But I will. In my studio, surrounded by his artwork and his art supplies, I will finish it. And I will use this year to make beautiful things.

♥

"Tournée du Chat Ombre" - unfinished
For Ron Sayer ~ 1948-2011

Weekend W.I.P. - Robots!

I've been working on a couple of robot designs to keep this guy company. 

'Robo-Claus'

Hopefully I'll have this first one finished in time for Christmas! I'm working on the colours now (so.. much.. cell-shading.. O_o)

'Robots Need Love Too'

This one is still a rough sketch, but he's been scanned and is waiting for his turn to be inked. Hang in there, little guy!

Weekend WIP - West Coast Corvid

"West Coast Corvid"

Acrylic on wood panel, 2011

It's the return of the Weekend Work-In-Progress!

This weekend I'll be showing you how 'West Coast Corvid' came together. There's not much to describe (since the steps are basically 1- sketch. 2- paint. 3- paint some more. 4- keep painting...), so I'll just let the pictures tell the story (such as it is).

Primed wood panel with gesso. Sketched the scene

Painted the sky. Played with some texture for the clouds.

Toned down the cloud texture. Painted the hills.
Played around with the paint on the closest hill to give it a bit of 'forest' texture.

Added some more detail to the hills. Painted the bird. 

And that's it! Everything went as smoothly as described, yes indeed... ;)

Here's a question for all you artists out there- what is your painting process like? Since I first learned to paint with watercolours, I tend to keep a lot of the same habits when I use acrylics (working from light to dark colours, for example). Do you have a system that you like to stick to, or do you tend towards slightly-controlled-chaos?

"Three Bandits"

"Three Bandits"

Materials: Pitt grayscale brush pens on smooth Bristol

A gift for my sister, from a picture taken in Stanley Park by her son.
I've been waiting to post this one for a while, and now that her gift has arrived safely I no longer have to keep it secret!

Weekend W.I.P. - 'Saw-Whet Stinkeye' & 'Ghost Walk'

"That's right- you keep drawing me, and I'll keep judging you."

Made some more progress on the Saw-Whet Stinkeye drawing this weekend- at this rate I may actually finish it!

Here's another project to keep an eye on:

Based on the 'Ghost Walk" photo from this post

I started this one some time ago, and it's been stuck at this stage for far too long. Hopefully now that you're watching me, I'll feel pressured to make some decent progress on it as well!

Weekend W.I.P. - 'Saw-Whet Stinkeye'

Okay folks, it's confession time. I'm one of those artists who loves starting new projects, but tends to fail at finishing them. So, in an effort to finish some of the many long-forgotten (or soon-to-be-forgotten) works in progress, I'll be posting them here for this small corner of the world to see.
So, if you notice that something I've posted here hasn't been spoken of again, please call me on it! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message & ask what's up. I'll be grateful if you help keep me honest & on-track. :)

This week's work-in-progress is a pen & ink drawing of a tiny owl with a big attitude. I'm rather fond of him, so hopefully I'll finish this one... Wish me luck!

"Yarrr... finish me drawing, or I'll peck yer eyes out!"

I draw on bananas now. Bananas are cool.

Sometime last year I decided it would be fun to try making some banana art. Generally, folks have accepted this new fascination without question. My friends are very understanding. ;)

"I carry a banana now. Bananas are cool."

Simpsonized-Eleven design by Dean Fraser of Springfield Punx

Okay, there are a couple of commonly asked questions: 

1. How do you make these? 

You simply bruise the skin of the banana by scratching it with a pin, toothpick, or other sharp implement of choice. After a few minutes, the image will gradually start to appear as the lines darken. 

"Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Banana"

aka The TARBIS (Time And Relative Banana In Space)

2. Why Doctor Who? 

Well, the Doctor is known to be a fan of bananas. That seemed a good enough reason at the time. 

"Bananas Are Good"

4. No, wait a minute... 

3. Are you going to keep making these crazy things?

Oh, probably! Any requests? :)

"Ood-nana"

We must feed... we must feed... we must feed you a banana.

Hello World!

.. well, all two of you, anyway.

So here it is.. my attempt at an art blog. Hopefully this will encourage me to keep up with all of the random artsy projects I have on the go (I'll finish them one day, really I will)!

- Riss