50 Shades of Grayskull

IF (Illustration Friday), 8/22/14 the topic was Skull.  I had some issues with this topic, it was completely uninspiring and any idea I did have was either too grandiose or layouts just weren't striking a cord with me.  I spent some time trying to come with a new idea, when I finally decided that it was time to utilize a concept I had for a previous IF.  For this topic I decided to illustrate 'Castle Grayskull' from the animated series "He-Man" or "Master of the Universe", that I used to watch as a child after elementary school.  I also wanted to capture what I felt the show was mainly about, which was the titular character He-Man, who wielded the 'Sword of Power".  I was originally going to use a silhouette of He-Man raising his sword in the air (an infamous pose), but ultimately decided against it, as it lacked the symmetry I needed for how I wanted the piece to look.  Instead I chose the Sword he wielded in the original series to house the illustration I was going to showcase.  I also wanted to keep the illustration loose, and simple.  It seems the more I labor over a work the more stagnant it becomes.  I did this one quickly, and I believe it to be one of my more successful attempts, as it captures what I intended.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter with some manipulations done in Photoshop.

Cautionary Tale

IF (Illustration Friday) 8/15/14, the topic was Journey.  Many of the works here that I have produced, have been influenced by other artists, or some kind of media be it film, television, or literature.  For this piece I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite childhood films 'Labyrinth'.  In the movie the protagonist Sarah wishes away her younger brother, only to immediately regret her words when he disappears.  Sarah then journeys to a fantasy filled dimension, to retrieve her brother before her parents notice he is missing.  I decided to put my own spin on the piece, I had been toying with this particular idea for some time, and was glad I was finally able to work on it.  I would love to do a graphic novel based on the movie, or even create my own based on the ideas I have fleshed out while planning the piece.  The style in which I did this illustration was a bit looser than usual, I wanted to retain the quality of the original sketch without it appearing too rough.  It's a style I'd like to pursue more often with my work, and I'm glad I was able to pull it off with some success despite the challenges I face (I had particular trouble with deciding on colors for this one, and resisting the urge to clean up my line work).  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.

Freeze Frame

IF (Illustration Friday) 8/8/14, the topic was King.  This topic took a bit of time for me to decide on a subject, it seems the more literal the topic, the more difficulty I have deciding on what to do.  After some brainstorming, I came with the subject matter for this topic while watching cartoons with my nephew.  We were watching 'Adventure Time', and I realize that this would be a great opportunity for me to create something that pays homage to the epic series.  The series itself is unlike most cartoons on air, and actually has some complexity hidden under its many layers of quirkiness.  In the series there is a character named 'Ice King', he wasn't always in this role, so I decided I would depict (to the best of my ability), his past, along with his present incarnation.  Also in this piece is another character Marceline who's connection to the Ice King reveals much about his true nature.  The piece is entirely digital done in Illustrator, Photoshop, and Painter.

UPDATE 3/26/18:
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Freeze Frame

Scent or Peace

IF (Illustration Friday), 8/1/14 the topic was Peace.  For this project I can up with a subject pretty quickly while doing some sketches and playing with ideas.  I decided to portray a 'peace' symbol created out of a twisted vine of flowers.  I've always been fond of the swirling and twisting of floral vines, and found inspiration for work within Art Nouveau.  The design itself is simplistic, and in keeping with that theme I chose to utilize a lighter, more watercolor style as I feel it also portrays the fragile nature of both flowers/peace, and their temporal existences.  The illustration is entirely digital done in Painter.

kallistē

IF (Illustration Friday), 7/25/14 the topic was Golden.  This was a no-brainer topic for me, and while it done for the most part, it was a long time coming.  For 'Golden' I decided that is was time to dust off and finish a piece that I had been developing for several years off and on, primarily due to frustration, as any artist knows sometimes you have to shelf a project because it just isn't working. 
I have long had an affinity for mythology, and one of my favorite story elements was what I feel was the commonly overlooked reason behind the Trojan War that most media depictions never address.  I chose to illustrate Eris (Discord), holding the prized Golden Apple (of Discord).  In the famous retelling of the 'Judgement of Paris', Eris had be snubbed by the other Gods, and was not invited to a wedding held on Olympus (primarily due to her reputation for causing discourse).  In retaliation, Eris took a golden apple from Hera's sacred grove in the Garden of Hesperides, inscribed upon it the word kallistē ("For the most beautiful one" or "To the Fairest One"), and tossed it into the crowd at the banquet on Olympus.  Knowing full and well this would cause strife among the revelers, Eris watched as the three most well recognized Goddesses: Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera fought over the prize.  This is turn led to the 'Judgement of Paris', in which the apple was awarded to Aphrodite, and as a result, the Trojan War.   To me, this seems to be the origin in which the apple becomes the source of evil, which many modern tales draw inspiration from.  I'm satisfied with the final product for the most part, yet there is part of me that feels I could still work on it, but at some point you just have to call it done.  The piece is entirely digital, done in Painter, with some manipulations done in Photoshop. 

I've had my Phil

IF (Illustration Friday), the topic was Repeat.  This topic wasn't particularly inspiring, but I did manage to pull off a successful attempt at capturing the subject on several levels.  I continued with my theme of pop culture inspired illustrations, and a keen eye will make the connection almost immediately.  For this piece I decided I would pay homage to one of my favorite comedies, "Groundhog Day".  In the film (for those that have managed to never see it), the protagonist Phil (Bill Murray), experiences life on a loop, repeatedly experiencing the same day (February 2nd), over and over again no matter what different actions he takes (while still retaining the memory of all the days as if he himself is running in a linear time stream).  Phil's day begins every morning waking up to his alarm clock at 6am to the song "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher, and this particular moment defines his day, knowing that he hasn't succeeded in breaking the cycle if he wakes up to it in the morning.  For this illustration I decided to create the record the song is from itself, and broke it into pieces to represent the 'broken record' phenomenon Phil experienced in the film.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter, Illustrator, and manipulated in Photoshop. 

You Are Here

IF (Illustration Friday) 7/14/14, the topic was Invisible.  The idea I had for this topic came pretty easily, and quickly, which is good because I had very little time to work on it.  I decided on depicting the Cheshire Cat form Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' primarily due to his ability to become invisible, or partially visible, at will.  For this piece I wanted to capture his mischievous nature, while keeping with the theme and keeping him "invisible".  The main concept of the piece was inspired by a movie poster I saw once for the movie "Premonition", which the leading protagonist played by Sandra Bullock is recreated out of tree branches.  It's quite a masterful work of art, and it inspired the final piece seen here.  I added my own flare, and utilized the background (mainly the moon), to represent Cheshire's smile trademark smile.  I was having some trouble with this piece because of the amount of negative space I had on the bottom of illustration, and as I was adding foliage, and mushrooms, I decided that I could utilize the area to produce stronger story telling elements than just creating a static illustration.  It was at this point that I added the silhouette of Alice in the foreground atop a mushroom to capture her interaction with Cheshire.  I imagined that at this point in the story Alice would probably be in disarray, and severely frustrated with the lack of 'logic' Wonderland had to offer.  I thought about what if the Cheshire Cat appeared before her, and she asked him: "Where am I?"  Only to respond "You are Here."  It seemed fitting, and so did the title.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter, with some manipulations done in Photoshop.