transparency.

This drawing was done about 8 years ago. One of the things I love most about working with oil paints, water colors and to some degree acrylics, is the ability to use transparency. It makes the image more appealing and draws the eyes of the viewer in.

This is a look that can be replicated in the digital world. by letting some of the background "bleed" through. Basically by lowering the opacity, every color can potentially be a transparent color, no need to look at the label! (I'm looking at you brown pink)  

demons

Here are some sketches for an activity for an art forum I'm a member of.

photoshop.

the silliest dream.

a link

no one did  it better than Chuck Jones.
http://gizmodo.com/5893520/chuck-jones-teaches-you-how-to-draw-bugs-bunny-and-daffy-duck

moebius tribute

I was at a long meeting so i started a doodle that became a tribute to a hero of mine. 

Life drawing

Drawing and posting on the train.
 The trick to doing these drawings is going with the bumps. (good words to live by I always say) When your hand slips or the train makes a sudden jerk, go with it. Don't fight it. If you're constantly fighting it your lines will be stiff, jagged and just plain old  ugly.  Make the drawing feel like you meant to do it, look confident. Its like tripping in public, act like you meant to do it and if people laugh, good! you meant to do that! YOU SIR/MADAM ARE A PHYSICAL COMIC GENIUS! you can go home and cry about it later. Also art isn't like baseball, you can cry all you want. In fact Im crying right now. On the  train, over this post.  yep that's what Im doing.
No. Im lying. But all that other stuff about drawing is all true.
still standing,
jiaxing.

Don't let the angry bird fool you, that is a super fine line on that pen. It was a quick ride and luckily the three people closes to me had interesting faces and all fell asleep within minutes of getting on to the train. About 4 train stops. The best models are always asleep.

a new graphic.

This is a new graphic for my website. Just playing around with after effects.  I did this during some down time from mocca prep. I have a few more that is scheduled to be posted. oh I can't stay mad at you interwebs.

Vince Vaughn

If you looked a few entries ago you'll reconize this as the "inking" video. I used one of those fancy brush pens to do this. and I was going more for an ink portrait than a caricature. I've exaggerated his features but not too much. I think if I actually colored this or painted this  it's pretty close to a straight portrait. I love working with brushes because you can do so much with such an economy of strokes. Think Al Hirschfeld. Not that I don't like me some David Levine either. Levine was not about economy, he used enough lines to get his point accross. Both mindsets work when executed consistently it really is just about perference.   

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Ok, here's part two. I won't be posting for a while. I have to focus on making work for mocca fest. I have to make some new button designs and issue two of my zine. I can't be distracted. Hopefully I'll have some time to work on the lion king mask. the next step is clay on top.
Until then,
goodnite
j.

Lion king mask update

Hey friends here are some pictures from the latest update. Its going slowly but coming along. The first two layers of paper are dry and now i am putting some hemp string over the top layer for support. I will then put more layers of paper  over that. When that is dry i will then coat the back side of the mask in acrylic for more strength . The front side (with the string) should be strong enough for the clay. 
A more detailed  post will be made when i am done. Its pretty difficult  to type on my fone for this update.

mad!

man!

at tang's

 Love the cheekbones.