Flying Saucers

IF (Illustration Friday) 11/28/14, the topic was Wobble.  The concept for this topic came to me pretty easily, but it's somewhat of a stretch in correlating to the term (at least I think so).  That being said, this piece is one that I have been toying with creating for some time, as it represents to me, a lot of what many people today (myself included), go through on a daily basis, multitasking.  This piece represents the struggle with multitasking, and for many, the difficulty with focusing ones attention where it needs to be, where it wants to be, where it has to be, where it should be; the many obligations of modern life, the desire to keep things in motion, and the exasperation of reality when it all comes crashing to the ground.  While technology has made some of the tasks of daily life easier, it has also made finding time to just simply sit, relax, unplug, and finish that morning cup of coffee before the next text/email or phone call arrive a luxury of the past.  This piece is entirely digital done in Painter with some manipulations done in Photoshop.

Slow Burn

IF (Illustration Friday) 11/21/14, the topic was Slow.  This topic wasn't an easy one to visualize, so I took a more literal approach.  I was originally going to spell out the word using snails, or 'slow' things/objects by fitting them within the letter shapes themselves.  I even completed one illustration, but was ultimately unhappy with it, so I scrapped it and decided to pursue the concept that you see here.  I'm not sure at how successful I was in capturing what is wood-burning (having never done it myself), but I think if anything there are some aspects that came across really well. I would have liked to pour more time into the last couple IF's but I have been busy with other projects and personal obligations as well (it's that time of year).  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.

Into the Woods

IF (Illustration Friday) 11/14/14, the topic was Theater.  This topic wasn't particularly challenging, but it also wasn't very inspiring. I decided for this one, to do a piece representing the only piece of theatrical work I have ever had the pleasure to have been involved in (I painted some background sets for a College production).  Ironically that happened to be 'Into the Woods', which next month is being released as a major motion picture.  I wanted to attempt capturing all the major players of the play, so each one is somewhat represented here in this piece.  I'm not entirely fond of this illustration, but there are parts of it that I do enjoy.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.

Smooth Sailing

IF (Illustration Friday) 10/31/14, the topic was Smooth.  This topic was difficult for me, as I had no clue what to illustrate.  I went through so many drafts I can't even recall everything I came up with for this one.  It was hard in terms of associating the topic with the illustration (I like to have at least a moderate recognition or link between both the topic and what I've decided to illustrate).  I came to this final incarnation when I decided I was going to illustrate a sailboat, but wanted to portray it in a manner that fit my style.  It was then I decided to illustrate Captain Hook's ship the Jolly Roger from Disney's Peter Pan sailing through the sky to Neverland.  I'm particularly fond of this illustration as I wanted to capture the boat, and all the children (Pan and the Lost Boys included), sailing off through the sky.  Originally I was going to include Big Ben in the illustrate but decided instead to simply portray the "Second Star to the right", that Pan tells the children Neverland is located.  It's a simple illustration but effective, and I think it captures the spirit of what I intended.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.

UPDATE 3/26/18:
To purchase this image, please visit my etsy store here:
Smooth Sailing

Ultron

IF (Illustration Friday) 10/24/14, the topic was Puppet.  For this topic I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do.  I had some ideas, but they were all rooted in the same area and I wanted to attempt something different, and less complex after last weeks topic.  I came upon the subject matter for this piece while I was watching the early release of the "Avengers: Age of Ultron", trailer in which the song from Disney's Pinocchio plays ("I've Got No Strings"), and in closing Ultron claims he's not their puppet.  It was hard to find good reference for Ultron considering the movie is yet unreleased and his likeness from the comic books has changed over the years (also considering he's had several reincarnations/versions of himself over the years, each with a redesign).  I decided to pick a design that was most easily recognizable to me, since I have some background knowledge in comics, but was not entirely aware of who Ultron was/is.  I also wanted to add an interesting design element to the piece itself, and decided I'd do Ultron's head, with it melting (or at least that was the goal).  Overall I'm satisfied with the piece, but considering the time constraints I have this week, and the detail I put in last weeks piece I'm okay with this weeks simplicity.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.

Tuesday

IF (Illustration Friday), 10/17/14 the topic was Trouble.  This was a tough subject to capture for me, because I was uncertain as to how I was to portray 'trouble'.  After some sketching and my usual procedure of researching the word itself, I finally came up with an idea.  The subject I decided to illustrate was that of Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I was a long fan of the show, and have already done some pieces inspired by the show.  This particular piece was inspired by one of the more prominently known episodes, 'Once More, with Feeling'.  In the episode the cast is enthralled by a demon who causes the whole town to sing, and dance out loud, divulging their insecurities and secrets aloud.  After hearing that her sister Dawn, has been captured by the demon in question, Buffy says aloud "So, Dawn's in trouble...must be a Tuesday".  This particular line was very poignant, as Dawn was always abducted by one villain or another in the show constantly, and the show itself was primarily aired on Tuesdays.  The piece itself also went through many overhauls.  Initially I was only going to paint Dawn, and some omnious shadow or hands behind her in attempt to illustrate her constant need for rescue, but the compositions were too boring.  After some more sketching I came upon a better layout, which illustrated my primary focus, but also told some of the story about who Dawn is/was.  The photo reference was tough to come by since the actress who played Dawn was quite young while on the show, and began to physically change over the few seasons she was on it, so I had to decide what age I was going to portray her as.  While I took much longer on this piece than normal, and there were several ups and downs, I have to say I am very pleased with how it came out.  The piece is entirely digital, done in Painter.

UPDATE 3/26/18:
To purchase this image, please visit my etsy store here:
The Key (Tuesday)

Cthulhu

IF (Illustration Friday), 10/10/14 the topic was Octopus.  This topic was difficult for me because I honestly lacked any inspiration for it.  After some brainstorming I eventually came up with an idea that was satisfactory enough for me to keep my interest.  I decided to illustration Lovecraft's 'Cthulhu' for this piece, since the description of the alien deity included his head being that of an octopus (hence why I only illustrated his head as well).  I wanted to make this piece more simplistic, and decided to utilize a different style that I believe created a more haunting visual.  I'm pleased with the final outcome of this piece, and may utilize this strategy with future illustrations.  The piece is entirely digital done in Painter.