Cartoon Portrait Commission

As I continue to focus on being known locally as an artist (so I have a nice home base.) various people have inquired about commissions. This one came from a teacher recently. I'm very happy with the result. 1/1 illustration created in Procreate.

 

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Featured Illustration: Thoughts Of Spring

I started this illustration when I was stuck on Sade. Winter was quickly approaching and I was already thinking of Spring. Then I just got to a point when I was uninterested in finishing it. Other projects and inspirations came. My Butterfly sat in my Sketchbook Pro portfolio. As Spring got closer and the weather got warmer I got inspired to finally go in on this one. Thankfully I did the groundwork months ago. Finishing it wasn't too bad. I can't wait until Spring.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

T-shirt Illustration: Bubblegum Kid

I got a vector drawing app for iPad called iDraw a while ago. I'm very curious about vector illustration and it's widely used too. Unfortunately I didn't understand the interface. I discovered InkPad yesterday. As soon as I learned that the makers of Brushes were behind I figured it was worth using.
I had PAC Man in mind when I came up with this. You could almost say it was a happy accident. The rendering was done in Sketchbook Pro.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Fury Self Portrait

I felt like doing another self portrait lately. I went with Ultimate Nick Fury from Marvel's Ultimate Imprint. You can also find him in the Marvel movies now too. My friends would joke that I looked like Sam Jackson. I was even Nick Fury two Halloweens ago. (Even though nobody got it.) The picture was based on a illustration by Bryan Hitch. (Ultimates 2 #2) Thankfully my girlfriend takes great pictures. The reference for me was no problem.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Dante (Devil May Cry 3)

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening for Playstation 2 was one of my favorite games. With his feature in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 I decided to try my hand at illustrating him. I had no idea what app to start this in. Sketchbook Pro was the logical choice for the tool that let's you make straight lines. Brushes would be more challenging and I would get the playback too. I went with Brushes because I want to continue filling out my gallery in that app.

The majority of my work is in Sketchbook too. This was another great opportunity to work in Brushes. Dante is a demon hunter that uses a lot of different weapons to get the job done. I went with Nevan because it's a guitar and a scythe. Dante was challenging because of the pose. The background was very difficult because I chose a stain glass background. It was last minute but it made for a stronger piece. The painting video can be seen here.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

The King of Pop

This is my last official Christmas illustration. It just got posted late. I painted this for the teacher I work with. She's a huge Michael fan and I love backing myself in a corner with my art. I really should've started something like this sooner but I had something else in mind. I was up until one in the morning but somehow I managed to paint this in one sitting. It was very surprising to say the least. At least I'm getting faster. This project was also important because I hadn't done any realistic looking portraits in Brushes.

This is my first attempt at that but I also have the experience I gained from Sketchbook Pro and ArtRage. It wasn't an easy painting but I did enjoy testing my limits. I mean I grew up on Mike too.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Speed Painting: Water

Element speed painting number two. I felt like rendering this one in ArtRage. I was going to use watercolor but it just renders too slow for my taste in the app.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Speed Paintings at Cafe 9

I hung out at Cafe 9 with Rose and my Dad tonight. I had such a great time. There was a live band and everything. I even got a chance to talk about my iPaintings with some musicians there. I always think it's funny that no one quite knows what to make of the iPad. I was showing my Dad new pieces and he showed me off a little. One thing led to another. By the end of the night I was discussing the different art apps I use. The highlight of the night was the speed paintings I did.


I painted the stage and one of the guitarists. I wanted to use Sketchbook Pro for these. As much as I use the app there are still brushes I hardly use. Experimentation was the goal here. I didn't even use my stylus. I was very pleased with the results. It was very surprising that I was able to get so much done so quickly. Gestures are so fun because I can just let go.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Taz

This one is another illustration for the kids and my third Brushes piece. It's Taz from Looney Tunes. Illustrating him was harder than I anticipated. I think for me drawing cartoony characters is really hard because of the exaggerated anatomy. I ran into the same problem with Princess Sally. I was taught to do things anatomically. I guess these drawings are good practice for me. I want to be able to tackle all sorts of projects. I mean why pigeon hole myself. I want to be able to do whatever inspires me or is asked of me. As always the making of video can be seen here.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Back to Cartooning

After months of illustration I've finally returned to my first love, Cartooning. Currently the prologue of my comic book (Savior: Fangs of The Reaper) is being colored. It's been a long time in the making. This is older work but it's never been published online. As I color in Sketchbook I will be making changes to the inking and making the story more dynamic. The first five pages of the prologue will be available on Flickr and my blog. The rest will be on Drunk Duck to read for free. The picture featured in this post is the unlettered cover to the Prologue.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Aladdin and Jasmine

I'm still adding kid friendly work to my portfolio when I get the chance. This Sketchbook Pro illustration of Aladdin and Jasmine has been sitting in my gallery. I figured it was time to add some color to it. Being faithful to the movie was paramount. I managed to find great reference from the first movie and I just knocked it out in about an hour. The real pain was getting the hues and stars right.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Kid Charlie

After finishing Waka Flocka Fozzie, Lola Minaj and Bugs-B I wanted to come up with another mash up. Kid Cudi's album cover for Man on the Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager came to mind. While I don't adore his music I did like the symbolism in the album cover. I liked how he portrayed himself as a tragic figure, alone in a dark room and sitting in front of a window to the stars. I wanted to put in place a tortured cartoon character that would mesh with this image.

After a lot of thought I came up with Charlie Brown from Charles Shultz's Peanuts. He definitely fit the bill. Charlie Brown is always getting kicked around by everyone from Lucy to his sister. I knew he would work for this. ArtRage was used to paint him and the background. Sketchbook Pro was used to put in the starry background.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Sonic The Hedgehog

The illustration was pure nostalgia for me. Sonic The Hedgehog is by far my favorite video game character. Despite have a string of terrible games being released after the Adventure series I stuck with him. Thankfully Sonic 4 is a return to true form. Sonic The Hedgehog by Archie Comics also happens to be one of the first comics I've ever read. I've been a loyal fan since I was a kid. This character actually got me into writing and drawing my own comic books. I go way back with Sonic.

I figured I had to pay homage to my childhood hero on the iPad. This time I wanted to use Sketchbook and ArtRage in conjunction. I illustrated Sonic in Sketchbook and the background in ArtRage. The reference I used was from an issue of Sonic and a screenshot from Sonic 4. Pat Spaziante was was the illustrator of the cover. He was always my favorite cover artist for Sonic. All in all I had a great time putting this together.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Sade

I am becoming a big fan of Sade's music. My Mom of all people put me on her Soldier Of Love album.(her latest album.) I fell for it from the jump. It's just one album I listen to however I'm feeling. That's saying a lot because I am very moody when it comes to my music. Anyway this painting was a challenge for me on many different levels. The proportions were a nightmare. I spent hours making sure things look just right.

In my earlier paintings I made the mistake of not triple checking and had to fix various proportions mid painting. My logic is that if the checks are done during the sketch I will have less difficulty later. I basically took the rendering techniques I learned from illustrating my girlfriend, Rose and combined them with the texturing techniques I learned from painting her cat, Reina. I blocked out all of the various colors on her face and blended them later. Now I just need to take a minute and take in everything I just did. Still can't believe it's done.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Featured Illustration: Human Torch from The Invaders

This is my first real ArtRage painting. I went with The Human Torch from The Marvels series by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. Doing this helped me warm up (no pun intended.) to how the app works. I just love that I can keep my reference in the corner. Blending all the reds and yellows wasn't as difficult. I've always loved painting with oils so that's what I used to tackle this one. Alex Ross has always been an inspiration to me. Perhaps I'll do a series to pay homage to his work.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Apps I use daily: ArtRage for iPad

I've been using Sketchbook Pro to produce all of my art but I felt like getting another art application to experiment with. I almost went with Brushes. That is until I found out about ArtRage for iPad. I checked out some of the Flickr work for that particular app and I was impressed. It allows you to create art that feels like a natural painting. The digital paint even behaves how you'd expect. Wet paint can be spread and blended with a palette knife. You can even use paint rollers, pencils, pens oil, and watercolor paint.

This app captures everything I love about painting without the hassle. It's also possible to select different canvases to paint on. I absolutely love the attention to detail. Unfortunately the app does have it's faults. For one it's not quite as fluid as Sketchbook. The program will lag on frequently and won't always register with my finger or stylus. This can be frustrated when I'm really into what I'm doing. That said it is a spectacular app. I can't wait to learn it inside and out like I did with Sketchbook.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Sketchbook Hero Contest

I was on Pulse yesterday and I discovered that Autodesk is having a contest to decide who their next splash page artist will be. I'm very excited because Sketchbook Pro is the one art program I use for my work. (until I get ArtRage and possibly Brushes.) Unfortunately I had no idea what to submit. I had to talk to the teacher I work with and my girlfriend to help me decide. It's one thing to pick your own piece but it's another to get an outside opinion. I just submitted the illustration I did of Rose's cat, Reina.

It seems that she has the best chance for me to win the competition. I love all my work but I know every piece may not work for the contest. I even came up with mockups for the splash pages to help me make a choice. I think I knew Reina was the one to go with. We'll see how everything pans out.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Wexler Grant Kid

My Mom works at Wexler Grant school in New Haven, Ct. So she asked me on Saturday how long it would take me to illustrate something for her on the iPad. Thankfully I've been practicing. I was able to finish this in one sitting. The illustration was done in Sketchbook and the fonts are from Photogene. It's funny that I realized while doing this that Photogene is great for comic dialogue. Who knew?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Location:Blake St,New Haven,United States

Featured Illustration: Young Jeezy

I had this project planned for a while now. Young Jeezy's Recession album art is just powerful. I love the imagery. I wouldn't characterize him as a conscious rapper or anything. Quite the opposite. He's definitely a gangsta rapper from the ATL. For the most part he just raps about cars, clothes and blow. Lots and lots of blow. What I can respect about him is his consistency. No one can accuse him of not being himself.

I'm not reviewing the album or anything. That's just some background on the piece. I remember the album came out right before the Recession officially hit. The album cover actually makes me think of a black Captain America or something. The message I get from him is that people are struggling in an impossible situation. What's the common person supposed to do. That's why I choose to illustrate this album art.

Each new piece I've tackled has been an experiment. Just what can I do with Sketchbook Pro. That's what I've been asking myself. The Recession cover has a rough, gritty and grimy feel. I wanted that to translate through my art. I used a brush that would help me do that. The program simulated the rough brush strokes I was looking for. Absolute realism wasn't something I was going for.

This piece was about trying different techniques. You can see the strokes because I wanted them to show. I felt it was appropriate for this one. Now does that mean I'm going to do this for Sade? (which is my next big project.) Nope, because it won't fit. Every time I start something new I think what is the appropriate style and where do I go from here?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Location:Blake St,New Haven,United States

Creative Expression and Trademarks

As an artist sometimes I have to tread carefully. I'm free to draw whatever I want. Does that mean I would draw something offensive and then post to this blog? Of course not. There are limits for creative expression. My aim is to attract people to my art for various reasons. Sometimes that involves creating works that use trademarked characters, symbols or logos.

My intention is not to sell this work. Copyright infringement is a serious issue. If I were to go around selling work based on other people's designs what kind of artist would I be? My point is that it's my right as an artist to post my work. That said if the owners of any copyrights requests me to remove the art I'll do that. Who really wants a lawsuit anyway?

Other than that pieces like Bayonetta, and the Skippy painting will be featured on my blog from time to time.I am aware of what I can and cannot do as a cartoonist. It's an important part of the work that I do.


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Location:Sherman Pkwy,New Haven,United States