(May 27, 2009)
some big news: First Second will be publishing Americus! MK and i signed out contracts last week. i still have a lot of drawing ahead of me, but it’s nice to know it has a home. the book won’t be out untl 2012, so don’t hold your breaths.
oh, and here’s some more illustrations that have popped up in the willamette week. one was for an anime festival in town and another was for an article about a program that teaches people in english, including slang:
(May 12, 2009)
ah, the life as an illustrator… you get to draw legislation beating up smokeless tobacco products while other smokeless tobacco products watch…
this will appear in this week’s willamette week. thanks again to them for the semi-steady flow of work the last couple of months.
(May 07, 2009)
so i decided to dedicate some time yesterday to just some free drawing for myself. sad as it is, i haven’t done it in a really long time. i was happy with some of the random things that popped in my head and decided to turn one of them into a more finalized drawing. i tried coloring it, but it looked like crap everytime i did, despite it being a super simple drawing.
(May 03, 2009)
I was recently asked to design a tattoo. It feels odd… creating an image that will be on somebody’s skin for life. However, the person asking wanted a tat of Theodore Roosevelt going pugalistic on a group of classic monsters. Hang-ups be damned! How could I refuse such a project?
I’m still working on the final image, but I thought I’d show some of my thumbnail sketches in the meantime. Not only to show my process, but this project’s gotten me thinking about some issues I’m trying to work out with my drawing style. Chiefly, I’m trying to loosen up… I’ve always liked putting detail into my work, but it often seems to lead to stiffness in my finished drawings. I feel I’ve improved in this area recently, but it’s still something I have to pay attention to when I work.
Anyway, here are three of my sketches. I’ve done more, but these best exemplify the progress of the piece:
So, sketch #1… My concern here was trying to figure out the composition of all the characters. I like these poses, and I’m happy with the likenesses, but that stiffness problem is in full swing. The biggest culprit is Teddy, who lacks a dynamic line of action. Since I have my details figured out, I’ll focus on getting more energy in the next drawings.
Sketch #2 is a huge improvement to me. Giving Teddy’s figure an arc makes him look much bolder than the first drawing, plus gives his victim more room to struggle. Not so many details this time around. I’ll concentrate on those again in my next sketches, but still try to focus on pushing the looseness of the figures.
In sketch #3, Teddy’s pose, and proportions, are even more exaggerated. As a drawing, I like this best, though I don’t think it’s working for the tattoo. Again, the big problem is Teddy… instead of looking like the former president, I feel he’s looking like an anonymous (though tough) mustachioed character. The happy medium probably lies somewhere between this sketch and the last.
Still, pushing the pose this far still helped me to get more energy in the drawing and has helped loosen me up for the final piece. Also, I feel the monster pile-up in the back is getting more visually interesting. Practice! Practice! Stretch those art legs and win the race!
As for the final design, I’ll post it later this week.
(Apr 26, 2009)
the last couple of months the willamette week has been nice enough to send work my way semi-frequently. here’s the illustrations that i didn’t put up on my website when i did an update today.
bragdon family circus article illustration
goal rush article illustration
coliseum nostaglia illustration
sorry i never got around to posting the rest of the process for those hollywood video illustrations. i found that it’s hard to dedicate the time to having an internet presence. we’ll see if brownpaperbag can do better about it. no promises…
(Feb 01, 2009)
Yes, yes I’m late… let’s just jump right into it then shall we?
Jason’s birthday was on Weds (happy birthday Jason!) and this is a little drawing I did for him.
a wizard drawing for my boyfriend…
and last but not lamest, a simple thank you card. Back next week with new stuff, promise.
~Ty
(Jan 30, 2009)
Once again, we’re making a last-moment announcement about an upcoming event. Sorry folks… we’re going to start training our blogging muscles so we’ll be better at this in the future!
If you happen to be in/near Portland, Guapo Comics and Coffee is having an opening for their new art show tomorrow night. It will feature drawings and paintings of U.S. Presidents created by several local artists. Jonathan and I each have a piece in the show, which will run until the end of March.
(Jan 26, 2009)
wishing everyone good fortune and happiness in the year of the ox!
