These Traditions Die Hard

Hello,

It sure has been a while! It was a long and hard period in my life, but recently life had made a 180 and it still hasn't quite sunk in yet. Things are definitely looking up, but I guess I'm not sure which direction it's heading. I shouldn't question it so much, but instead embrace the opportunities I've been given. I imagined my life differently, and I'm still hoping it'll be like I've dreamed. In the meantime I'll continue to create art.

Create art I did. My very first exhibition at Jerry's Artarama was nerve wracking! It is a collection of old and many new works in oil and other mediums. It was overwhelming in that I haven't painted traditionally in four years. I'm quite happy with the results, and my exhibition thus far. Images of my paintings will be up right after the end of my exhibition which is October 29th, 2013.

These Traditions for Honour, Oil and gold leaf on panel, 18in x 24in

On view at Jerry's Artarama in Wilmington, DE until October 29th, 2013.

Back Again

I had been working on this on and off, and decided to pick it up again to finish. I wasn't sure at first where this was headed, but slowly and surely I'm starting to see something there. Here's a work in progress.

A New Concentration P2

I have an update from the previous value drawing on canvas board. I've added a matte medium using a palette knife on top of the drawing. I want to give it some texture, and define certain areas of the drawing. I can't wait to work the next step. Stay tuned.

A New Concentration

It's been a while since I've last posted. I've been working on a couple different things, but haven't posted them yet. Nothing major or great. I'm sidetracking a bit to work on a project that consist of 7-9 oil and mixed media paintings. This project will be for the Barefoot Art Show that the martial arts school I'm attending is hosting. Hopefully, it will happen but if not at least I have a nice collection. Here is a value drawing on canvas board for the first painting. I'll delve more into what my concentration for the project is in a later post.

The Walking...Zombieees

I like zombies. Don't judge me. There's a little show called "The Walking Dead" that is inspiring and entertaining. I've been wanting to do a zombie piece for a while. Initially, it was supposed to be painterly but I decided to go for a 2D/comic style instead. It was enjoyable to work on and very different from my other works. Here it is, enjoy!

Zombieees

Water, Water, Everywhere...

This next piece is a speed painting I did based on a thumbnail I did a couple years ago. It was for a project that never took off. But I'm going back and looking at thumbnails that I like and fleshing them out. Here it is and enjoy.

Fountain City

Dirk's Comrade

I wanted the character, Dirk Bartos, to carry a weapon. I chose to design some battle axes, because I felt that it would be a type of weapon he would choose in a post apocalyptic setting. He's a bit of a brute, a hard edge and possibly a heavy drinker. A battle axe is strong and intimidating, a perfect weapon for Dirk. Here's some designs.

Battle Axe Designs

Something Red, Something Ram

The ram character design was something I did a while back. The character has a back story, but I'll delve into it in a later post. I'm adding color and seeing what works best, but I'm sure I want the character to be wearing a red scarf.

Dirk Bartos, Character Design, Graphite and Photoshop

Landing Complete

Here it is folks! Texture and lighting was really enjoyable to paint. After tweaking, making changes, and deciding on which cropped version I like best- this is by far a great learning experience. After some contemplating, I've decided to rename it Accession. Sounds cooler. Enjoy!

Accession

If you happened to see this the day it was posted, I've recently updated Accession with some changes. So it may look slightly different.

Landing 2

The latest work in progress for landing. I've brushed in texture ,and added lighting and shadow. I flipped the image to see if there was anything odd that sticks out. Overall I'm tightening the image now. Stay tuned!

Landing WIP 2

Landing

I wish it was my life that the title is referring to...hehehe...just a joke. Anyway I'm referring to my latest work in progress. I'm not sure stylistically which direction I'm aiming for quite yet but I'm really enjoying this piece. I'm experimenting and discovering new approaches. Stay tuned!

WIP Landing 1

Endless Possibilities

Hello all, it's been a while. I've been keeping busy or trying to anyway. I was burnt out for a while, and so I thought I'd try something a little different. Recently, I was the Art Assistant for a short film titled, "The Ticket Seller", directed by Laura Archer. It started out the same with me creating key props using Photoshop. I made some pamphlets, a postcard and an award certificate that had to look like they were from 1929 to the 1950s to use in the film. Ok, cool. On set, I had to take the printed props I made and treat them to look worn and aged. I also assisted the Art Director with set design and I learned a lot from him. Hands on experience- lots of fun. Here's where it gets overwhelmingly cool: watching the props I've made being used by the actors and filmed. It was such a gratifying experience to see my work in a different production. There was around 50 people, about 10 were crew and the rest were actors. Everyone was on top of their game and it ran smoothly. Overall, it was a great experience. I'm going to continue with jobs like this on the side and potentially full time. It made me realize that the possibilities are endless if I take the time to look and apply myself. Here's a couple stills from the film.

1939 pamphlet created in Photoshop. Once printed, I treated it to look worn.

1950s style post card created in Photoshop. Once printed, I hand wrote the message from the script onto the post card.

Whisper, whisper...Complete.

Here is the final piece. I enjoyed working on this especially the background. Enjoy!

Whisper

Concept

Whisper, whisper...

Instead of whispering, I'll show it to you. Here's the next piece I'm working on. A fairy, a maiden, and a...wounded knight?

PPF WIP1

Leo

This was a lot of fun to work on. Here's the completed piece. Now onto the next one!

Rawr!

Things have been interesting and hectic lately but I'm glad to be back on a normal schedule. I'm continuing to work on my portfolio because I'm hoping to get a portfolio review when I'm in Altoona for Illuxcon. Here's what I am working on:

Leo WIP1

Awake

I have not felt 'awake' as an artist for a long time. I hit a road block and it was hard to back out. It was my dark years, the years where I felt uninspired and quite frankly...empty. I tried so many methods to snap out of it, like surrounding myself with things that inspired me when I was younger and continuing to draw things just to draw- which only lead to more frustration. It's like crashing your car into a wall and continuing to drive through it, but to only end up exactly where you are. It wasn't completely hopeless, I had a few moments of creativity but not enough to get back on track. Eventually, I did find myself on track again and it's all thanks to the Illustration class I took. The laid back atmosphere, the subject matter and just being in tune with the class helped me regain consciousness of who I was as an artist. That's what helped me, and the idea that I wasn't going to lose to the artist block. Everyone has their own method or way to reconnect with their artistic side. I'm glad I found mine.

Here's my book cover illustration in a mock up design that I did for fun. Enjoy.

Book Cover Illustration Final

After many hours of painting, filled with hot flashes, nervousness and some frustration...I think it's done...

Book Cover Illustration WIP 1

Hello all. I've been adding color to my previous illustration. Here's what I have done so far. Stay tuned for the finale!

Book Cover Illustration 2

After numerous thumbnails and a few developed sketches, I have finally decided on my final illustration. Now all I have to do is decide how to color it. Here it is in the beginning stage.