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.