The Red Bull

IF (Illustration Friday) 3/21/14, the topic was Red.  This was an incredibly broad topic which in contrast to the previous week seemed a bit difficult at first, but then ideas began to pour in...too many in fact.  I draw a lot of my inspiration from film, and animation which are what initially brought me to pursue art as a career in the first place.  This piece takes me back to my childhood, and is inspired by the original 'Red Bull', from the classic animated film "The Last Unicorn" (which itself is based upon the book by Peter S. Beagle).  The piece is entirely digital, done in Painter.

When the Bat is away....

IF (Illustration Friday) 3/14/14, the topic was Gone Fishing.  This topic was hard, in part I believe because it was more than a single word making the work itself more...specified and less open to interpretation.  I had very few ideas, and most of them revolved around an old man sitting in a boat in the middle of a lake.  It didn't set in motion very many ideas, but one did finally come.  I decided to get as creative as I could, and used the backdrop of Gotham with the Batsignal in the air spelling out "Gone Fishing" in the shape of Batman's insignia.  I thought it was clever enough for me to enjoy, and it was simple and graphic.  The piece is entirely digital done mostly in Painter, with the exception of some fine tuning in Photoshop, and the actual bat emblem I did in pen by hand before scanning it in and overlaying onto the piece.

The Flame Alchemist

IF (Illustration Friday) 3/7/14, the topic was Spark.  The idea I had for this topic came pretty quickly, but the illustration itself took some time.  I would have liked to have dedicated more time to this one, but I'm pretty pleased with the results.  The subject for this one is based off the an anime series, and the character in question can create fire by snapping his fingers.  I wanted to try and capture the look and style of the series, but as usually my style seems to have melded into it which is nice.  The entire piece is digital and it was done in Painter.

Hush

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/28/14, the topic was Voice.  I had a hard time with this one, and I'm not entirely sure I'm satisfied with the outcome either.  As usually at the 11th hour, I came up with so many good ideas for this topic (curse you brain)!!  The subject I decided to do was one of The Gentlemen from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Hush.  In the episode all the residents of Sunnydale lost their ability to speak, having their voices taken from them by The Gentlemen which were trapped in a small wooden box.  The climax of the episode takes place in a clocktower (hence the clockface in the background).  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.

Black Hole

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/25/14, the topic was Space.  I had a lot of ideas for this one, but not a lot of time, and the only concept I could come up with was the one I ended up doing!!!  I did enjoy this one, it's just too bad I was so pressed for time on it, I would have liked to have cleaned it up a bit more, added more contrast, etc.  It's entirely digital done in Painter.

A Modern Inconvenience

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/14/14, the topic was Twisted.  This was another topic I had a hard time with, and due to time constraints I had to make a decision quickly.  The subject I believe is something most people can relate to, the twisted mess that your earbuds become when you attempt to unravel them ( and for some reason no matter how nicely I wind them up they somehow get tangled)!!!  This piece is similar in style to the Beginning topic, I wanted it simple, and thought it would be nice if they spelled out the topic.  It's entirely digital done in Painter.

Sineya the First Slayer

IF (Illustration Friday) 2/7/14 the topic was Prehistoric.  This one was a struggle, and I wasn't thrilled with the topic, but eventually I was able to find "myself" in it, and it easily became my favorite so far.  The piece is of Sineya, the First Slayer in the series of 'Slayers' (which began during the Prehistoric era), based on mythos from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I was a huge fan of the show, and it was great to be able to celebrate that through this work.  It is done entirely in Painter.