Pure Imagination

This piece was developed for a joint Gallery Show based on the works of children's author Roald Dahl, at Creature Features in Burbank California.  I was not too familiar with Dahl's works, with the exception of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', and only then have I seen the films.  I decided early on that I was going select imagery from the original film adaptation starring Gene Wilder since I remember it fondly from my childhood.  For this piece I also wanted to do something a bit less traditional, or out of my comfort zone, and combine imagery with typography.  I have a love for calligrams, so I decided to take the lyrics from the hauntingly beautiful song 'Pure Imagination' sang by Wilder in the film, and create the image of a Wonka Bar from them.  The image is entirely digital, done in Painter by hand, and I didn't use any preexisting typeset or fill.

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

Spirited Away

This piece was the second of two images I did for Yay! LA (Magazine), and their series Yay! LED (Legends Everyday), an online showcase of several very talented artists wrapped around the themes of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comic Books, and other Various Media (Movies/Video Games).
As my second selection I chose Hayao Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away', a coming of age story revolving around a young girl and her journey into a mysterious realm.  I have always been a fan of Anime since the early days of watching ‘Akira’ on the Sci-fi Channel, but it wasn’t until college that I was exposed to the masterful works of Hayao Miyazaki.  As a budding artist, Miyazaki’s films managed to resonate with me much more than the traditional workings of American animation, with original content and thought provoking stories of human nature. For this particular piece I wanted to capture the essence of Miyazaki’s beloved ‘Spirited Away’, by illustrating key elements, and characters that played an influential role in the story.  Early on I knew I wanted to frame the image in the shape of the paper shikigami, and attempt to visually retell the tale. My goal was to keep the viewers eye moving while retaining the whimsical innocence of the original art style, and manage to interject my own spin aesthetically.  
The image is entirely digital, developed in Painter, with adjustments made in Photoshop. 

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

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This piece was one of two images I did for Yay! LA (Magazine), and their series Yay! LED (Legends Everyday), an online showcase of several very talented artists wrapped around the themes of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comic Books, and other Various Media (Movies/Video Games).  My first selection was Alice in Wonderland, and it was a project I had started many years ago with a simple sketch that just never came to fruition.  The initial drawing consisted of the tree with the rabbit hole, and Alice descending down the hall into Wonderland.  I decided it was time to blow the dust off this project, and make it tangible, but first I needed to decide which direction I was going to take with it since it had been some time since it's inception.  I knew that I wanted to capture the main points of Alice's story, in best the way possible that related visually to her journey.  It had been some time since I had read Lewis Carroll's novel, and having seen so many adaptations of the story, I could no longer discern fact from fiction (ironically).  I reread Carroll's classic, and annotated it as I progressed through, giving me a clearer vision of what I wanted to portray.  My intention was to capture the 'essence' of Carroll's tale by creating an illustrated narrative, and connecting the images together, one preceding to the next, in order to mimic the flow of Alice's perils. The image itself is not large, but it is extremely detailed, which can only be revealed upon close inspection.  One of my favorite things to do with narrative illustration is to included small details that the viewer has to 'work' for in order to truly appreciate.  In closing I'd like to say that this piece challenged me in many ways I haven't been before as an artist, and I think I learned quite a bit about my process, and how to tackle a piece differently.  The image is entirely digital, developed (painstakingly) in Painter, and Photoshop.

Shortly after completely the original piece, I decided as a separate image, the Roses themselves were detailed enough to stand on their own, and have included them here for closer examination.


UPDATE 3/26/18:
To purchase either image, please visit my etsy store here:
Alice in Wonderland
Painting the Roses Red

 

Genesis

This piece was created as a tribute to one of my favorite franchises 'Alien', was originally created in April 2016, and posted on my social media on 4/26/16 as part of the LV-426 movement.  This particular artwork was one of the quicker creations I have made, and came together rather suddenly.  Initially the plan was to create a completely different illustration, but I ditched that plan and instead decided on an inkblot-like 'face hugger' creature from the franchise, but over it's development, it took on much more.  As I worked on it, I notice, rather unintentionally, there was a gap at the top middle of the piece where the appendages were overlapping that was reminiscent of the xenomorphs facial structure.  I decided I would take advantage of this, and filled in the area with details to create an 'implied' xenomorph face.  At that point I decided that I wanted to imply different 'story' elements of the series, and included the eyes, nose, and mouth.  I did my best to capture the likeness of Sigourney Weavers features, but in order to retain the face hugger shape, I had to leave it less specific.  Overall, the image to me, portrays the 'Genesis' of the xenomorphs by representing each stage of their development (face-hugger, host, and xenomorph).  It is entirely digital, made in Painter, and Photoshop.

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

Food Pyramid

This image isn't so much a pun, as it is a literal interpretation of the term 'Food Pyramid'.  While the concept itself is antiquated, since the pyramid has been retired for some lame(r), version that is now a plate (food plate...serious?!!! WEAK), it is still an iconic image that is recognizable.  This particular piece was influenced due to a more personal journey I was on, in which I overhauled my personal nutrition.  The goal with this piece was to capture the essence of the 'Food Pyramid', by representing all the necessary food groups, but twisting it into a more comically expression of the pyramids you see formed by cheerleaders (afterall these foods are cheering you on to a balanced diet, right).  In order to complete the effect I even added marshmallow pom-poms onto the chocolate bar at the top of the pyramid (who's expressions are priceless).  In this piece, and many of my works, I attempted to add small bits of details that a true observer would be able to appreciate.  In the case of this work, I did my best to capture the personality of each food, or how I felt they would react in this situation. The illustration was made in March 2016, and available as a print at Wondercon 2016 in Los Angeles.  It is entirely digital, made in Illustrator, Painter, and Photoshop.

UPDATE 3/26/18:
To purchase this image, please visit my etsy store here:
Food Pyramid
Or to purchase a Canvas Bag with this image on it here:
Food Pyramid (Canvas Bag)

Han Solo Cup

This image was perhaps the most successful of all my pun related illustrations as the reception for it was tremendous.  I even had buttons made of it to sell during Wondercon.  In an effort to tap more into pop culture for my pun related designs, I attempted to brainstorm ideas for whatever current trend was favorable at the time, that being Star Wars.  The idea came to me at work, when I came across an iconic red solo cup, and BOOM, the rest was history...sort of.  This image did require a bit more research than most, because I wanted to make sure I captured Han Solo's clothing, demeanor, and accessories accurately.  There's nothing worse than creating art based on an extremely popular icon, and executing it poorly!  I think I capture his essence pretty well.  I had plans to continue with a whole line of Star Wars pun related images, but had to put it on hold for now.  The image itself was created in February 2016, and was sold as a print, and a button at Wondercon 2016 in Los Angeles.  It is entirely digital, made in Illustrator, Painter, and Photoshop.


UPDATE 3/26/18:
To purchase this image, please visit my etsy store here:
Han Solo Cup
Or to purchase a bottle opener magnet with this image on it here:
Han Solo Cup (Bottle Opener/Magnet)

Sausage Link

This is another self-explanatory image, of basically Link from the Zelda franchise.  The (obvious) pun here is that 'Link' is another term for a meat product, specifically sausage.  I create a connection between the two (meat and beloved video game character), by dressing the 'sausage', in 'Link's' iconic green garb and accessories.  I also took it a step further and gave him a companion 'Chairy', or a cherry with fairy wings.  The biggest challenge I had with this image was capturing the pose I wanted.  The image itself was created in March 2016, and available as a print at Wondercon 2016 in Los Angeles. It is entirely digital, made in Illustrator, Painter, and Photoshop.

UPDATE 3/26/18:
To purchase this image, please visit my etsy store here:
Sausage Link
Or to purchase a pin-back button with this image on it here:
Sausage Link (Button)