Tooninator ArtBlog

Vancouver Bound!

2012-01-12T00:17:00.003-05:00

So once again I'll be moving out to Vancouver. This time, with purpose. I'll be a designer at this fun studio. I'm leaving alot behind this time, but I hope it's all for the right reasons.

Oh, did I mention I'm pumped? I'll be looking for some good ol' Vancouver hospitality that I know and love, so if you're out there, hit me up. I will be out there in 3 weeks.

Try Harder

2012-01-05T16:50:00.003-05:00

So at my day job I'm asked to create all sorts of assets. Creatures, Animals, Objects....there's always something new to design. Things I've never even thought of drawing on my own. This means I have to learn to draw these things on the fly and also give them character. I will typically work from Google reference quickly to learn the shapes of the object/thing.

This is a life lesson though....don't give up after your first attempt, good or bad. If you're honestly thinking about what it is you're creating/doing and sincerely want to improve, then the more you do it, the more you will improve. So if you stopped after the first attempt, imagine what you missed.

New Facebook Game Art

2012-01-03T16:43:00.005-05:00

Here's another post associated with my day job. We've just realeased a new app for Facebook and this time, I designed every piece of it. It all smells of me. You can play it here

Below are some samples of stuff you'd find in the game. Perhaps later I'll put some loose stuff online for you to see.

Happy New Year by the way!

all artwork copyright iDream Interactive 2012

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T00:02:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!

Wedding Save-The-Date

2011-12-20T08:28:00.002-05:00

There's so much work I haven't shown. It's actually kind of fun to just go through and pick pieces at random that I forget about.
This wasn't even done long ago. Maybe a month or so? It was sent out as magnets.

Random Stuff

2011-12-16T12:51:00.003-05:00

Just some random stuff I haven't shown yet. The hippo and buddy from Walking Dead are both iPad sketches. The hippo was hopefully going to be an idea for the Art for Water charity, but I never had the time to revisit it.

More Green Dudes

2011-12-14T13:44:00.004-05:00

These guys were done at the same time as the two below(and with the iPad). I think I need to work on costumes. It's all in the details. Mind you, these are very rough.

Some Green Things

2011-12-13T10:10:00.001-05:00

Some random green villainous lookin' dudes drawn up with the iPad for fun.

Vikings

2011-12-02T12:19:00.003-05:00

Some more random viking designs done on the iPad. I have to say, it's pretty darn fun sketching in Sketchbook Pro for the iPad. I get to sit back on the couch and doodle away. I suppose I could do that with pen and paper too, but that's so 2010.

Viking Dude

2011-12-01T12:30:00.002-05:00

Ok...so here's a real post. An iPad viking drawn on one of my three plane rides home from CTN-X. Vikings are popular and fun right now.

Chippendale For Fun

2011-11-30T19:31:00.002-05:00

Went to CTN. Had an incredible experience. Am really inspired. Have created a ton of work since. So why am I posting a crappy little scribble of a foufou chippendale? Because I sketched it up quick at work to make my co-workers laugh and because although the number of followers I have on this blog keep going up, the comments are diminishing. Time to spruce things up a bit.

I'll post some character work over the next few days. But I leave you with this for now.

iPad Superheroes & CTN Expo

2011-11-17T01:09:00.003-05:00

I leave for the CTN animation expo tomorrow afternoon. (shoot me a line if you're going to be around Burbank, CA for the next few days, would love to meet up).

In the meantime, I've been doodling some superheroes on the iPad. I don't do superheroes typically. Pretty fun to switch it up.

Happy Belated Halloween

2011-11-03T16:34:00.003-04:00

Worked on this before Halloween but with only spending an hour here and there, it took a few days. Still not quite complete, but the blog has been lacking so I thought I'd throw it up here sooner than later. I'll repost if I spend anymore time on this.

Happy Birthday, Ron!

2011-10-03T16:55:00.003-04:00

Ron was my animation teacher in college as well as being a stand-up kinda guy. He turned 50 recently.

(stole some styling cues from the ever talented Bobby Pontillas)

I'm still LIVE'n

2011-09-13T21:29:00.003-04:00

Dixon Markette & Prismacolour Artstix

Just wanted to show that I do still do some live caricatures here and there. I mostly just busk around town when there is a festival. Real low-key setups. I do it to amuse myself.

I was decently happy with this one at the time. Now I see that I really didn't do them justice. But that's the beauty of working live. It always sucks.

Sister and Bro-In-Law

2011-09-10T19:34:00.004-04:00

9"x12" Acrylic on Canvas panel

I've been diggin' through the archives a bunch lately. Tryin' to find stuff I haven't posted(that's worth posting). Realized that I had posted this on Deviant and Facebook, but not here. My sis got married last summer and I did this as a gift for them. It's really my only portrait/caricature done in acrylics.

See some of the progression here.

and here's the sketch.

8"x10" Ballpoint Pen on paper

Gypsy Lady

2011-09-05T21:52:00.004-04:00

mechanical pencil on paper

photoshop

Just diggin' through the throw away stuff I've done at work. Found this lady. Probably done about 9 months ago.

Happy Birthday

2011-09-02T13:23:00.002-04:00

3"x5" Watercolour

Not exactly a brilliant piece, but just a happy birthday card for the girlfriend.

Some Work Work

2011-08-30T22:44:00.002-04:00

characters property of iDream Interactive Inc.

These were done some time ago for one of the facebook games I work on. Did a bunch of variations of Vegas girls. Came across them and thought I'd share.

Dirt on yo Feet

2011-08-16T15:37:00.003-04:00

photoshop+Cintiq

Did this for a group blog I'm part of. The topic was stereotypes. I better get to drawin' before I lose all my followers. Holla if ya still visit here.

Uncle Toon

2011-08-12T21:56:00.004-04:00

9x12" Brush Pen and Watercolour

I am now an uncle. It's very exciting. I did a bunch of owl designs for the nursery and different cards throughout the whole ordeal. I even painted the nursery. This is all I'll show though. (Sorry 'bout the shoddy iPhone photo. I've been so hooked on having fun this summer that I can't even bother to properly scan anything these days. I'm looking forward to things slowing down socially at the end of the summer and I can get myself back in my studio for some dedicated arting)

Random Stuff

2011-07-13T00:00:00.006-04:00

I'm busy over here...you know, it's summer and such. So here's some stuff I never cared to show before.

This is some cover art for a local band that got stopped mid-production. Not sure why it stopped, but needless, this was their concept and it came together really quick. Would have been cool to see it through.

digital

Did this back at Christmas as a gift

brush pen & watercolour wash 9"x12"

This was done even earlier than Christmas. Not sure when. It's for t-shirts as branding for a company making BBQ seasonings. Good seasoning too.
digital

Maybe I'll post new work soon. If I ever stop enjoying the sunshine.

Burnt

2011-07-08T08:30:00.003-04:00

photoshop

A quick doodle I did at lunch. Don't forget to wear your sunblock this summer.

Horoscope App

2011-06-29T08:26:00.007-04:00

I'm gonna share some work from my day job. Something I haven't done yet. We just released a new facebook app and I thought this would be as good a time as ever. It's a fairly simple app at the moment, but I did most of the design work- from the logo, to layout to the cute little characters to go along with the Zodiac signs. We're a small team of 7 at the studio, but we're having some pretty good success in making facebook apps.

If I can, I'll try to show some process in the future. For now, here are some of the characters. All done in flash.

You can add the app here.

Kick-Ass

2011-06-15T22:52:00.004-04:00

Was watching Kick-Ass tonight while cleaning until I felt like I needed to scribble something. Real quick Hit Girl for the blog. I really enjoy this movie.

On a side note. For all you smart phone users who like to check out blogs, I've updated my layout to be more smart phone friendly. Not sure if I'm big on it yet. Maybe it'll grow on me.

Thank You

2011-06-12T23:09:00.003-04:00

I just noticed that I've climbed over 200 followers on this blog. Thank you everyone who comes my little place here. I've been blogging since late 2006 and I owe a big thank you to all my fellow bloggers who help inspire me day after day.

I took a moment to do a something fresh for the blog. Just an old guy I saw walkin' down the street the other day.

Art in a Park

2011-06-06T08:33:00.002-04:00

3x5" Pentel Brush Pen on paper

Quick sketch to keep the crowds at bay. Happy Monday.

Owl Card

2011-05-29T19:09:00.003-04:00

4x6" Pentel Brush Pen on illustration board

Hey guys. Just a quick owl I drew for my sister's baby shower. I'll be painting a bunch of cartoon owls for the nursery in the next little while.

ARGH!

2011-05-15T11:59:00.002-04:00

Just a new profile to take a break from trying to finish this kid's book.

Random Heads

2011-05-08T14:14:00.003-04:00

Taking a moment to myself between pages of the book.

Lady in Purple

2011-04-25T23:24:00.001-04:00

This is part of a larger concept. I'll post more soon. Back to work I go.

keep it comin'

2011-04-16T13:04:00.003-04:00

Just to keep you happy until I have time to put together a good post. This is just some test colouring. I have to show the author all the linework for the book by the end of tomorrow, so I better get back to work.

New Kid's Book

2011-04-06T19:48:00.005-04:00

Hey guys. Hope you're all happy and drawin'.

Here's a bit of what's keeping me busy. I'm working on my third kid's book at the moment and the artwork is slated to be complete by May 15th.

The book is following the same format as the first two, with the same characters, so they only require a little bit of an update. However, this book is going to have a bunch of animals and some fairies in it and I'm excited.

It's also my first time using the Cintiq for the books and I'm doin' it all digital from beginning to end. I'm hoping it speeds everything up exponentially. So far, so good. It's important because I'm starting to feel the strain of working full-time plus running business as usual. Things are good :)

This is all just some rough developmental stuff. I'll post some more work in a few days.

Two Circular Designs

2011-03-28T18:20:00.002-04:00

This month I oddly had to create a few stickers for different reasons.

One is a variation on my previous work I had done for my sister's branding. I had to add in her new partner in business and make the design appropriate to be a label on the top of a mason jar.

The next sticker is part of a series I did for some photographers who will be leading photography tours in the Eastern part of the world.

Country Characters

2011-03-26T17:30:00.004-04:00

Did these designs way back when it used to be 2010. They're for a country duo in Canada here.

This top couple here is the final design. I personally like the more fluid design in the second image. Much more fun.

Happy Camper!

2011-03-16T00:14:00.004-04:00

So. I GOT A CINTIQ!!!

Still gettin' it all setup how I might like it. But here are a few sketches.

Name that character, anyone?
EDIT: Hint....she's from a popular HBO show

And a quick sketch of my bro since he was over when I had set it up.

Scholastic Canada Spot Illustration

2011-03-07T09:21:00.004-05:00

Hey guys. Just got word I can show this.

Back in September I got contacted to do a spot illustration for a Scholastic Canada article about RFID scanner awareness. The article is going out to grade 8 students if I recall correctly.

This is the actual piece that will be going to print.

Pentel Brush Pen and Watercolour 9"x12"

I really over-thunk this one. Obviously, being for Scholastic Canada, I wanted to do my best piece yet. This of course, means losing all energy in a piece, because you end up working so tight. Considering they wanted a style similar to a political cartoon, I could've gotten away with WAY more. But you live and learn, right?

Here are a bunch of prelims for this piece. Enjoy.

Digital

Art Directed

2011-03-04T14:26:00.003-05:00

Hey guys. Just a quick post. Did the drawing on the left at the beginning of 2010 for a client's website. And just the other day I whipped up a new drawing (on the right).

Just thought I'd share.

I've been keeping quite busy at my day job doing character designer and visual development. I've been very happy with my progress and am doing some of my best work I think. I hope to show some development work soon.

Happy Valentine's Day, Valentine

2011-02-14T18:18:00.002-05:00

That time of year again. I can't let it go by without doing a hand-made card for my Valentine. Happy 2011.

Meat Head

2011-02-11T21:33:00.004-05:00

The turmoils of being 'jacked'.

If you've never been to Megan Nicole Dong's blog, you should check it out. It makes me laugh constantly and it inspired me to do something different.

Disclaimer: Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Award Winning Design

2011-02-08T20:57:00.003-05:00

I did some character work back in 2009 for Digital Kick Media. They make flash websites. They also win awards for those flash websites.

The designs were done back in 2009 when I was too cool for Flash, and unfortunately I did the final designs in Illustrator. Since then I've learned alot. Mostly that Flash can be your friend. Flash plays much nicer than that Illustrator bully.

Check out the links I posted in the text for the actual website (be sure to grab the shotgun and shoot some stuff). Here are some sketches from early on though.

Volleyball Girls

2011-02-01T23:30:00.004-05:00

Photoshop

Some quick characters I may or may not have seen at volleyball.

Mug and Apple

2011-01-24T21:03:00.002-05:00

Here's a speed paint I did last night. One hour, while watching a movie. Considering how quickly it came about, I can be happy with it. There are definitely some weak spots, but I think I achieved a decent outcome.

Speed paints are definitely my excuse for making mistakes, but at the same time, they're the only way I can get myself to learn how to paint. I have to take the pressure off it. So I go into it with no expectations and try not to noodle too much. In turn, I really enjoy painting them.

5"x7" Acrylic on Canvas Board

Kiwi

2011-01-17T22:10:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick paint I did the other day. Just around 2 hours I think. I need to get better, fast. But I'm trying to stay loose and not noodle too much. I don't want to feel that I have to make a masterpiece, just try to learn something each time.

5x7 acrylic on canvas board

Christmas Family Portrait

2011-01-07T08:27:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone.

I don't have a special New Year post, but I thought I'd throw up something I did before the holidays just so I don't lose all my followers due to lack of posts.

Just a family portrait painted up in photoshop.

[Sorry about the watermarks...I'll replace the images with non-watermarked versions when I get to a computer that has the other files]

Merry Holidays

2010-12-21T22:01:00.005-05:00

9x12" Brush Pen & Watercolour

It's that time of year folks. Hope you're all staying warm and enjoying your families and friends.

This was supposed to be the Christmas card I send out to all those lucky people in my life. After putting much work into this, I decided not to send it. It didn't meet my expectation. So I'll hand out a few to my family, but all others will just have to see the digital version.

Here's one of the roughs for this piece.
Happy Holidays to everyone. Hope it's filled with joy and happiness.

That Time of Season

2010-12-06T22:57:00.005-05:00

Hey guys.

Here's some more work to keep you in the loop. This was done for the same client as the dancing couple a few posts down. This one gets sent out to their clients so it has to be somewhat neutral.

Digital

Here's the initial sketch. Both sketch and final product were done pretty quickly.

Mechanical Pencil 4"x3"

just to post

2010-11-30T22:46:00.002-05:00

Did these just for you after slaving away all night.

Things are beyond packed for me right now, and I promise to share some goodies soon. But for now, you get these quick sketches done for no reason at all.

Another Me

2010-11-16T21:00:00.002-05:00

Digital

My gf REALLY hated my last profile picture on facebook, so I had to create another one so that I don't have to hear her nag any more.

This was done quick after working all night on a different project.

Get Festive

2010-11-11T17:33:00.005-05:00

Digital

Here's something I think I can show you. Just wrapped it up last night. It's the artwork for a work Christmas party invite. I had fun doin' this one.

--------Edit-------
Thought I'd add the roughs for this piece. The entire piece came together real quick, but I did manage to whip up a whole bunch of thumbnails. I do these sitting watching season's of my favourite show at the moment. Once I explore some options without thinking too much, I take it over to the digital realm to finish it up.

That's all for now. Have a good one.

Cutie

2010-11-08T07:49:00.002-05:00

Mechanical Pencil 4x5"

Hey guys. This is from a few weeks ago. Nothing too fancy, just a quick sketch, but I'm digging through the archives so that I can show you something at least. It's real frustrating not being able to show you some of the cool stuff I'm working on.

Country Girl

2010-10-24T21:19:00.002-04:00

6x9" Mechanical Pencil on Paper

My apologies for the lack of posts.

I'm working full time these days at a studio and haven't been producing much for myself. This wasn't for myself, but it's a throw-away design for a client, so I figure I'll post it for all to see. It was sketched while drinkin' some beer and waiting to get on the v-ball court at my league. Over rendering for the sake of moving my hand is my favourite thing to do.

Gym Clowns

2010-10-15T21:10:00.001-04:00

I go to the gym. I see weird things. I draw these things.

Express Paint

2010-10-05T21:58:00.002-04:00

Digital

Driving home today, the sun was behind me and in front of me was very dark blue sky. I wanted to try to recreate it in a memory paint, but it ended up looking more like night time. I'm proud that I actually attempted though.

Sibling Blog

2010-09-28T21:50:00.002-04:00

So my sister started to blog. About what, you say? About all things healthy. Even chocolate smoothies.

This is the artwork for her header. Just a quickie to give her blog some snappy looks.

Feel free to stop by her blog and learn a thing or two.

photoshop+wacom

Tea Cup and Lime

2010-09-22T15:03:00.004-04:00

9x12" Acrylic on canvas board. About 2 hours

I'm on a quest to learn the traditional tricks of the trade. Only problem is that I have only my fellow bloggers to teach me. I've been going out Saturday mornings to meet up with the local plein-air painters, but it's sort of to-each-their-own. I figure it might take me a while to get to where I want to be traditionally, but I suppose I have time.

I mentioned I've recently moved into a new apartment with my gf. We've got tons of space, but my gf keeps finding Walmart 'prints' that she wants to put up as artwork. So, I've promised her I'd do a bunch of paintings to fill the spaces. I'm also going to try and get my hands on some original work from all you bloggers that inspire me, but I've gotta prove to Nicole that I've got the chops to outfit our place. So let the painting begin.

Here's my palette for this painting.

Nap Time

2010-09-21T18:22:00.003-04:00

6x9" mechanical pencil and photoshop

Why is it that the little cards I make for my girlfriend tend to be my most inspired work? This was given to her while we were visiting Chicago about a month ago celebrating our 3 years together as well as both of our birthdays.

Grandpa Ninja

2010-09-15T16:31:00.001-04:00

6x8" watercolour

they get pooped real easy.

V-Ball Nerd

2010-09-14T23:15:00.003-04:00

Attended a pickup game of indoor v-ball last night. It was tons of fun and the people there were so diverse. I even saw this character.

I think I'm finally back up and producing. I'm all moved into my new place and have a great studio space. Now to fill the walls with inspiration.

Barney Frank

2010-09-12T22:48:00.002-04:00

6x6" mechanical pencil on paper

Back to the grind. Some prelim sketching for a client. Barney Frank. His expressions are just ripe for caricature. Maybe I'll step away from the realism to have some fun with this subject.

More Thumbnails

2010-09-08T22:14:00.007-04:00

Please forgive me. My blog is dying a bit. But I've got the defibrillator in hand and am about to jump start it again.

The end of this summer has been exceptionally busy. I took a fun little trip to Chicago with my gf a few weeks ago, and since then have been making trips to and from Niagara Falls to pick up my gf and all her stuff. We now officially live in the same city again. (yes, that means I've moved once more) This time though, I've got studio space! I'm very excited, but a little overwhelmed trying to furnish the space to be exactly what I've always wanted. I think I'm going to have to settle for a mediocre space since it's only a two bedroom apartment we've moved into and it could be short lived. However, who doesn't want a great workspace.

I've got sketches in all sorts of spots right now that could probably be posted, but until I unpack them, I'll share these. More from my pocket sketchbook. I'm trying to sketch any scenery I find in front of me and make it pleasing. Sorry for the poor scans.

3x5" mechanical pencil on paper

Promotional Characters

2010-08-24T09:23:00.004-04:00

Hey all. Things have been busy here and I haven't gotten around to scanning all the artwork I've created.

Figured I'd post this from a few weeks ago since I haven't posted much this month. Two caricatures/characters for a motivational speaker in the US. I believe this image will be in one of her books.

Below were some designs that didn't make the cut. Some I was just trying to get a look that wasn't so mine. Not easy to do.

Enjoy.

I'll try to get some new, fun content up soon.

More Sharks

2010-08-05T00:29:00.003-04:00

mechanical pencil on paper

I've drawn sharks everyday. I've had a few unsuccessful days though. I got a bit too caught up with reference photos and literal translations. Tonight, I took my sketchbook away from the computer and just sketched while watching people get eaten by sharks. It let me wander into the world of endless possibilities. I hope that by the end of shark week I'll have some unique designs to be proud of.

Thumbnails and Studies

2010-08-04T15:55:00.006-04:00

3x5" mechanical pencil on paper(each)

Here are some thumbnails from the last week.

The tractor thumbnails are for a possible painting I've had in mind for some time. I got rained out though, so the painting will have to hold off for another nice afternoon.

The waterfront studies and couple by the pond were done last Saturday during the sketch crawl. I actually enjoyed drawing really small with a mechanical pencil (my nemesis) so I figured I'd try it out again. Gave me a chance to draw real quick and focus on composing from real life - something I struggle with.

Shark Week

2010-08-02T20:47:00.004-04:00

Ballpoint and Marker

Since everyone's doin' it, figured I would as well.

Check out Megan's awesome blog for more sharks.

Crack Puppy

2010-07-30T13:25:00.002-04:00

6x9" Ballpoint pen on paper (digital bg added)

Another sketch I was doodling while bustin' my chops on some project. Someone had posted a few pictures of this super cute puppy. I decided it was worthy of sketching. I've accentuated the 'on crack' look just a bit.

Jack Johnson

2010-07-28T09:21:00.003-04:00

4x6" ballpoint pen on paper

My warm up drawing yesterday. It sat next to me all day as I was working on other projects, so every few hours I would turn and just add a layer of cross-hatching for fun.

Pocket Size Fun

2010-07-21T23:58:00.003-04:00

3x5" Ink on Paper

For a few months now, I haven't left the house without my trusty 3x5" Woodbridge Sketch Pad (50 sheets/80lbs) and my Pentel Brush Pen. It's the best combination I've ever found. It's perfect for my back pocket, is spiral bound so it's easy to draw in, and is just the right size to get a good quick sneaky caricature of an unsuspecting subject down.

I used to drool over the Moleskin sketchbooks. I wanted to be artsy, ya know? I thought I wasn't an artist if I didn't have one. Well, truth is, this little combo is what keeps me drawing everywhere I go, so who am I to argue. Best part? The sketchpad is $1.10 CAN. (the brush pen and refill is a bit pricey, but worth every penny)

I don't show much of what I doodle in my little sketchpad (unless you're around me when I bust it out) but I had a fun time drawing these guys at a Bluesfest and thought I'd share. Don't think I spent more than 4 minutes on any of them.

It's Summer!!!

2010-07-15T01:13:00.002-04:00

Just in case some of you forgot :)

Coloured Thinking

2010-07-12T22:22:00.004-04:00

Hi all.

I teach private art lessons to a grade 10 student once a week. It's been quite the learning experience for myself as well as the student. I thought I'd share a page from my teaching sketchbook. I don't typically prepare notes ahead of time. We sit together and do everything at the same time. This happened to be a fun day as I was teaching the colour wheel with a huge box of coloured pencils. The student had some good fun with it. Especially learning that having 100 different coloured pencils is redundant as we created our art with about 5.

We drew an apple that was sitting in front of us with just the primary colours, and then I had her try to match the values in black and white. That principle might have been a bit early to try to teach, but I think it might have sunk in just a bit. I then switched to having the student try to match coloured pencils on value rather than colour by just holding them side by side. That helped a bit.

There was a bit of discussion about how shadows land too, so I tried to illustrate my explanation.

I'm by no means a professional. I really only stay one step ahead at all times. What I've learned most is that teaching probably isn't so much for me since I'd rather be learning myself. They do say you learn what you teach though, so I shall continue doing this for a while.

Babe Lab

2010-07-04T17:52:00.003-04:00

I don't often promote other blogs here, but I should point out one if you love all things women.

Babe Lab as far as I know is being headed by Paul Richards of Darksiders fame. There are no comments on the blog, so I'm not sure how many people follow. I have been loving the blog ever since I stumbled on it though, so I thought I'd point people in that direction.

So if you love drawing women, check out Babe Lab and be amazed.

I'll post some art soon.

Thumbnail

2010-07-01T12:01:00.003-04:00

Tiny little thumbnail for a painting I'm just starting.

Girl in Pen

2010-06-30T10:44:00.003-04:00

Just a sketch I had laying around my desk. Figured I'd post it so that there was something new to look at here.

In the next few weeks I'll be able to show a few projects I have been working on.

Wedding Caricature

2010-06-22T10:48:00.007-04:00

Did this some time ago for a wedding I had to work this weekend. It was fun to be around when everyone started to arrive and caught a glimpse of this picture. No one could deny whose smile that was.
This was a risky one for me. I took a chance on going goofy even though it was for a wedding. Luckily they loved it and so did everyone else.

Below are some of the sketches I did leading up to the final. None of these (including the final) took very long to whip up.
Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the caricatures I drew live at the wedding, but I ended up drawing about 80 faces.

Lovely

2010-06-17T00:40:00.001-04:00

I'm in the dumps about not producing much for myself. Decided to sketch something. Suppose it's not the greatest of sketches. I'll try and redeem myself later on.

Pitch

2010-06-08T00:18:00.003-04:00

Recently I've been working on some designs for a television pitch [not my pitch]. I was given permission to show the work I've done this far.

The Daily Show

2010-06-04T11:08:00.003-04:00

A quick digital painting of Jon Stewart done last night before hittin' the pillow.

Brick Thumbnails

2010-06-03T00:18:00.002-04:00

These thumbnails serve 2 purposes. One was to explore some poses for a character (Brick from a few posts earlier) and secondly to get the ink flowing again through my Pentel brush pen after I had rejuvenated the point with a good wash in water.

I'm trying to stay true to posting less refined work.

Obama in Pen

2010-05-27T23:14:00.003-04:00

Ballpoint pen on paper 6"x8"

Believe I've mentioned before how calming hatching with a ballpoint pen is. I just turn off and keep the hand moving.

Sweet Digs

2010-05-25T10:51:00.005-04:00

I don't usually show alot of my rough work on my blog. Not sure why. Probably because it shows how much I struggle through designs or poses.

These are some of the sketches I did for my beach volleyball team shirts. I didn't take it too far since if was just for personal use. Turned out great on the shirts though.

[If I'm not updating this blog as much as you'd like to see, shoot me a message telling me to get off the beach and get to making some art. I get real distracted in the summer]

Moose on the Loose

2010-05-20T21:58:00.003-04:00

Did this a month or so ago. This illustration will be part of a bigger design to be printed on shirts for a motorcycle apparel company. Ever try to draw a moose on a motorcycle? It brings some challenges.

Creepy Toonin'

2010-05-13T22:36:00.003-04:00

This is how I look when I'm working. And when I'm out. And when I sleep.

If anyone is unaware (everyone since I don't usually talk about anything too personal), my gf and I have been doing the long-distance thing for almost a year now. It really leaves me no reason to look any better than this.

Pelosi/Reid

2010-05-12T19:49:00.006-04:00

Ballpoint Pen on copy paper

Sketches for a project I've got on my plate.

Family Portrait

2010-05-10T11:02:00.003-04:00

Here's a commission I rocked out the other day. Family portrait I pieced together from separate photos. The client wanted it in this style, so I thought it was important to not get too caught up with the reference photos. I studied them shortly and then just went with it. Tried to have a certain amount of interaction between everyone. It's not perfect by any means, but I think it'll be an approach I might take more often.

Brick

2010-05-06T23:17:00.003-04:00

Firstly, I want to thank all of my followers. (that sounds incredibly egotistical) But seriously. I now have 101 blog followers. I feel like I'm finally one of the popular kids ;) I've been posting regularly on blogspot since 2006 and it's because of all the support I've had here that I've grown immensely as an artist.

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This is a quick piece I rewarded myself with doing after I finished my latest project. It's a throwback to my college group short film. My very kind group decided they would design the character after me, since the character was supposed to be an idiot :/ I thought it'd be weird to come face to face with one another.

Cheers.
Matt

Beautiful Weather, Decent Caricatures

2010-05-02T13:47:00.004-04:00

Looks like caricature season is on and everyone's getting word that I add some excitement to the average party. These are a few from a beautiful afternoon.

Cute-icatures

2010-04-28T11:25:00.010-04:00

Spent a weekend drawing caricatures at a Gymnastics competition. Turned out to be fun. It's been about a year since I've done coloured caricatures. Really slows me down, but I can certainly construct a face better with colour.

Sittin' Pretty

2010-04-19T12:06:00.005-04:00

Photoshop and Wacom

I painted this for the Attractive Art Community. I figured it was time I contributed a decent piece for that blog.

This is highly inspired by my hero, Gil Elvgren. Last year I ordered a book of all his collected pinups. It's huge, and it's AMAZING. It's published by Taschen. If you love pinups, check out Amazon for this book.

I really do intend to start painting some pinups traditionally, so my work is more 'sell-able' I suppose. It's just always uncomfortable working in a medium you know you're not that good with. But I guess that's what this game is all about. It's what makes it a life-long journey.

Here's a closeup detail image so you can see that I left it loose with brushstrokes showing. The image started off with a quick photoshop sketch, and then the rest was painted on one layer.

Converse

2010-04-14T18:52:00.004-04:00

9x12" Watercolour on 90lb paper

Finally found a break in projects to pull out the watercolours again. Feels good. Just setup my favourite pair of shoes on a white piece of foam-core, placed that on the coffee table and painted. Still some ambiguous areas that I wished I took care of, but for a rather quick study, I'll let it be. I did just finally pick up a tiny little brush today, so maybe the next piece I can wrangle some of them details.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T11:33:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter bloggers! This is another submission for the Attractive Art Community Blog.

Attractive Art

2010-03-30T14:47:00.003-04:00

This is a submission for The Attractive Art Community. I was very pleased to be asked to participate over at that blog. I haven't really been drawing sexy girls since I finished my 100 girls for the last blog, so I'll have to fight through it. This was my experiment.

Bikers

2010-03-25T18:20:00.003-04:00

Haven't posted a painting in a while. Just whipped this one out yesterday. I couldn't spend too much time on it, but I think I got it to a point where I'm happy with it. I always love the harsh sunlit shots. Always fun to try to recreate.

I still haven't figured out if I'm lazy or if I lack the ability to take my paintings to that next level of detail. Or maybe I just like the strokes to take precedent over anything else. Oh well. On to the next piece.

Un-used

2010-03-22T11:09:00.002-04:00

Here's a design that never got used for a project I'm just wrapping up. That's it for today.

Warmup Sketch

2010-03-18T19:06:00.003-04:00

Just a warm up to keep this blog happy.

Nicole and I

2010-03-15T11:55:00.002-04:00

Been sittin' on this one for a while. Had to wait til I gave it as a gift to my gf, Nicole.

Mall Sketching

2010-03-07T21:40:00.003-05:00

Spent some time sketching in the mall. Not the best things ever, but it's good to get it out.

Be Mine

2010-03-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

Realized I never posted this. I'll try to find stuff to post while I'm swamped with work over here (work that I can't show yet :( Shame, cause I'm really liking most of it)

Tiny Sketchbook Sketches

2010-03-04T10:02:00.006-05:00

Here are some of my final posts for the girls blog. I have one more to post. These are drawn with one of those Pentel Japanese brush pens. So far I'm really liking it. These are all 3x5".

Cowgirl

2010-02-26T14:38:00.001-05:00

Post 94 for the 1000 girls blog. Just finishing up the last of my portion. 6 more to go.

New Look for 2010

2010-02-26T02:13:00.002-05:00

Hey guys and gals. Thanks for stopping in once in a while to see what I've been up to. 2010 is bringing alot of new things for many of us. (For those Canadian bloggers out there, it's going to be a Gold Medal in men's Olympic Hockey :)

For my blog though, 2010 meant an overhaul. Still not sure how much I like it, but I don't think the darkness of my last arrangement suited me. So here's to a new look, and hopefully frequent new posts.

Unfortunately, I'm busy with things I can't show, so you get this, a 2 minute sketch with the new brush pen I finally bought myself. I also picked up a pocket-size drawing pad that I've begun drawing only faces in. See where it gets me. It was only $1.50, so no harm done there.

Cheers.