the sketching blog

gaaaah!!

2012-02-20T00:13:00.003-05:00

Oh man I just spent the last 4 hours trying to fix my website. It is not working. This is incredibly frustrating. Sorry friends, no blog updates tonight.

a tree

2012-02-19T00:47:00.003-05:00

Foreground, middle ground, background.
something close to you, something in the middle and something far away. it's that easy to make something interesting. This something is a tree.

I just got back from my trip. 5 hour plane rides are not for me.

yeah

2012-02-18T00:02:00.000-05:00

.....

blog

2012-02-17T02:30:00.000-05:00

yeah, i know.

blog

2012-02-16T05:30:00.000-05:00

sausage inc at university place.
@#@$# you.

blog

2012-02-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

blog

2012-02-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'm in vegas right now, if you hear about the plane going down, come back on this blog in a year.

blog

2012-02-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a dreamer.

blog

2012-02-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

blog!

2012-02-11T23:54:00.003-05:00

The comp still down, sorry bout that, more blogs on here for the time being.

Lion king mask update

2012-02-11T18:53:00.001-05:00

Here is the mask with some shipping tape on it before putting on the foil. The tape is for support. This is an inexact science, well it's not a science at all, it's an art, like cooking.

drawing on train 2

2012-02-11T00:20:00.002-05:00

Hey friendos, got a new video of me drawing sleeping strangers on the train. One day it can be you i'm drawing on the train, please don't beat me up.

-ka-pow
j.

and how about that jeremy lin?! woohooo

gouache

2012-02-09T22:18:00.002-05:00

This is more color exercise than anything.

drawing video

2012-02-08T21:20:00.000-05:00

I do a lot of Life drawing during my commute. I've posted a bunch on here. Usually the person I'm drawing is asleep. I try not to be too far from the person I'm drawing. One of these days someone will give me the stink eye and probably kick my ass, but until then, I WILL DRAW ON!

blog.

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't get fat.

Silly exercise.

2012-02-06T21:23:00.001-05:00

A buddy from Cooper Union told me that one of his teachers had this exercise where they would take sheets of white paper and draw one line and then copy it hundreds of times on the same piece of paper. This is a way to train the mind to copy and repeat, well that's the idea. Now in theory this mechanical approach to drawing should work. "IN THEORY COMMUNISM WORKS, MARGE, IN THEORY" as Homer would say. This reminds me of Chuck Close saying in an interview that he has no love for painting, it is purely mechanical for him. So how do you learn to draw better if you don't love it? How does drawing a line (just a line), so minimal, help you draw better? Well, it doesn't. Me thinks this abstract exercise came from a person who doesn't really practice drawing but practices thinking about other people drawing and isn't really good at it. PONDER AWAY FRIEND! Maybe this is like some shaolin monk standing on one leg on the steps leading to the temple for 3 days. err it makes him really good at standing on one leg?

blog

2012-02-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

I don't want to talk about it.

lion king mask 2

2012-02-06T10:55:00.000-05:00

Here's a little update on the lion king base. This thing will be big! Next I'll have to put some foil over this and then start the paper mache.

blog

2012-02-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

seriously. let's go.

blog

2012-02-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

Lion King mask 1

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ok here's the start of the Mask. First I went online to find good reference, I couldn't find too many profiles views, so I'll have to use some artistic liberties when it gets to that point. I made a few prints.

I have a lot of cardboard from deliveries and finally they come in handy! Next to that is a permanent ink marker (which makes me dizzy as hell, I don't like using black sharpies). A box cutter and a compass.

I use the compass to enlarge the image and mark the cardboard. The problem with this is, it rounds out the edges a little too much, not a big deal, you can eyeball it and fix it later.

It helps to draw the shapes in to fix the outline. This is a quick doodle of what it'll look like. As you can see the lower half of the jaw is way too round and will be trimmed later (I will also trim my toe nails). The next step will be to estimate the profile and glue it in the middle. That will be a bit more difficult but should be fun as well.
So stay tuned for the next update!
jmr

blog!

2012-02-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

-------
I'll be working on a lion king paper mache' /paper clay Mask from the lion king Broadway musical. I don't really have it planned out yet. I have a few ideas. It will definitely the biggest mask I've ever done. Look for the updates later today.

blogs!

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Drawing > Talking

2012-02-01T14:07:00.000-05:00

an earlier sketch from a sketchbook I'm about to finish. Had I finished the sketch, I would have put in these colors, but I'll leave it unfinished because, well, because it no longer appeals to me.

blog!

2012-01-31T22:15:00.002-05:00

I'll scan this for real when I'm less lazy.

blog!

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

...but

Pens.

2012-01-30T22:59:00.001-05:00

I've always drawn with ball point pens. It never bothered me that I couldn't erase. When I was little it was the bic clear handles. Everyone had them and they draw on anything. The line is medium size and slightly smooth. It was permanent but almost felt like a pencil, just don't put your line in too dark too early. They're cheap and I usually keep one with me at all times.
In college, a teacher of mine used Parker fine point refills to draw. I gave it a try and immediately loved it. Parkers can be super light and sensitive and they can get VERY black. I think they're about 3 dollars per refill but they'll last you many drawings. I love them for life drawing.
I've tried waterman fine points too. The line is alittle too dark for me. Very good for fantasy artwork. I don't like them for life drawings.
With ballpoint pens it's always a good idea to have your shading lines going the same direction then cross hatching. As long as you keep it consistent. If you're going for sloppy keep it consistently sloppy. and your picture will look good. consistency and continuity makes for nice work. With some ball point pens, you can take a napkin and actually smudge the ink. Give it a try!

blog

2012-01-30T05:30:00.000-05:00

I got this,

This is the doodle I did in the videos.

blog!

2012-01-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm now awake in my dreams.

2012-01-28T11:31:00.001-05:00

Hey friends,
This is more of a blog related post than art related post. I almost never get any comments on my posts but I get emails from readers. Isn't it easier to just post your comments on here than by going all the way to my website and finding my email address? Anyhoo, this is not to say I don't' appreciate the nice emails I receive (keep them coming). It's good to know someone is looking at my work.

Ah, ok, one mention of art related thing. http://metmuseum.org/ has a few very exciting exhibitions up right now and I'm going to try experience them a few more times before they're down. I haven't seen the renovated American wing yet, I haven't seen the Sargents in way too long.

j.

blog!

2012-01-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

Like an angry Arnold Drummond.

blogs!

2012-01-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends, as I mentioned in previous posts my computer/scanner is out of commission so I'll try to use my old laptop to update my illustrated blog. Unfortunately I don't have dreamweaver on this laptop. I'll post what I have on here in the meantime. After everything is fixed I'll put these where they belong. I'll space them one each day so come back often! new entry every day for the next few days.

sketchbook pages

2012-01-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

I don't Like doing things one way. Doing things one way is boring. Sketchbooks for me are for experimenting and finding. My scanner is down and i'm a little too lazy to use my good camera so take pictures, but you get the idea. This first page was started in a park. Horse faces and angry pigeons. or the bastards of the skies as I call them.

This next page was done 2 days ago in a subway train. I get them when they sleep. A little more realistic but still a quick sketch.

This final sketch is complete fantasy and made up.

If I get a good response I'll post more of these.

Testing the new layout.

2012-01-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

I'm going vegas in February. I'll bring my camera and a sketchbook. So look forward to those sketches and photos. So yeah, I'll be spending the week of Valentines day (with my camera, geez that sounds sad) and a few days after then (hbj) in sin city. And since I don't gamble or anything I'll have more money to spend on shows and time to spend on photography.

sketch process 2 of 2

2012-01-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

part 2, I'm using a brush pen. It's a great tool for the lazy clean up artist.

I enjoy watching these demo videos if you enjoy them too I'll make more with better production value.

sketch process 1 of 2

2012-01-22T14:20:00.000-05:00

doodling while watching tv. This is part 1 of 2. My computer is still buggy so I wasn't able to fix the color and remove the sound.

My craft is my love

2012-01-21T00:07:00.000-05:00

I LOVE to paint. Oil painting from life.
The paintings are never easy and almost never go "as planned". The most intimidating part is looking at the blank canvas after looking at the model.
The most exciting part is moments later when you attack the canvas with the slightly thinned paint, a couple of guild lines. Blue circles, red triangles, sienna lines. A little dripping but not too much, too much dripping would mean you've put too much turp on your brush. I measure the features, I make notes in my head. The direction of the surfaces, which way will I direct my brush stroke. Fat over lean, thin then thick.
This is more than just drawing, you are feeling the figure with your eyes, this is sculpting with paint. As much as you have built up your figure, your portrait, this is when you have to lose it to find it again. Never be afraid of not being able to find the figure again. Lose the detail, lose the edges, then bring them back, but accurately.
As the painting continues, the brushes get smaller from a flat and a filbert to a bright and a round.
The paint gets tacky and drags more the longer you paint, usually an hour or two into the painting. Now you can build up the paint. It is not as buttery as it was before. You can stack for an impasto look if that's what you're going for. The highlights are thick, the shadows transparent. This is when you add your color. I like letting the viewer's eyes mix the colors. Doing as little mixing as I can on the wooden palette and most of the actual mixing on the painting itself. The colors are relative so as long as the tones are correct you're golden. Constantly adjusting the proportions, your eye is having a conversation with the model.
The most interesting works of art reveals artist and involves the viwer. The great designer milton glazer says it should "Inform and Delight". I could go with that too.

stop sopa and pipa

2012-01-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

sketchbook page

2012-01-11T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a page from last week. One of my favorite things to do is to sketch sleeping people on the subway, it usually takes me 2 stops to do one face. Fine point pen.

life drawing.

2012-01-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

life drawing from college. These arn't great drawings at all. I had just started taking a class called high focus drawing. The man who taught it was Jim McMullen It really helped me with seeing the movement in the figure and direction of the poses. I enjoyed the class a lot.

here's some drawings from a little while after.

did i ever

2012-01-07T23:47:00.000-05:00

Here's two things from my college days. I wish I could do this one over again, I like parts of it, but it's so disjointed. eh.

This one is from my sketchbook. Hand made sketchbook. ballpoint pen. I love making sketchbooks. I've made a bunch with only one unaccounted for.

4 horsemen part 2

2012-01-07T00:31:00.000-05:00

Part 2.

Here comes some adjustment curves and color layers. And some more rendering. Usually this is when I start playing the Beatles songs. Most of the brushes and shapes I used in photoshop are default brushes with maybe 2 or 3 custom ones.

At this point I wanted to make that cape really be a focus to the viewer so I went to town on it.

And here's the Final image, I wanted to add a few more 2d design elements just to bring the image together a little better. I was going for creepy and but don't look away creepy.

I hope that was helpful!

4 horsemen part 1

2012-01-07T00:15:00.000-05:00

While cleaning up my hard drive I found these. This was done for an art forum. The topic was the Four horsemen.

Here are the sketches from the book. I keep things loose and usually these sketches are just a starting point, I will almost certainly change things.

This is is a color sketch. After scanning the figures and just doing quick color. Seeing what might work and what might look interesting.

Still working on the characters, but now in much higher resolution.

Let the rendering begin! Well not rendering, just adding some depth.

Just more coloring and painting. Still trying to find the painting. I like to lose the painting and then find it back as I paint.
You can see how I've changed some elements and designs from the beginning to this point.
Stay tuned to part 2!

8 years ago

2012-01-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

This painting is a portrait of my cousin's daughter, done 8 years ago
This is a simple illustration for a story I wrote.

I did this drawing 8 years ago.

Rejected.

2012-01-03T21:08:00.000-05:00

This image was rejected for a magazine. But I did enjoyed creating it. One of the things about being a freelance illustrator is getting use to rejection, it's never fun (I'm still bummed that it didn't get picked) but at least it still means you still care about your work? It just makes me try harder next time.
This is part acrylic, part digital and even a little gouache if I remember correctly.

Process.

2012-01-02T17:24:00.000-05:00

Ok, get ready to read, no seriously.
Two years ago I did a little comic called Team Kat-O. It was a fun little learning experience. Here is how I usually approach drawing characters for a book. First I try to do as many sketches as I can in pencil (some of these drawings are on newspapers, tracing paper backs of pizza boxes). Mixing and matching which features look best for the characters. Depending on how much time I have, I would then sculpt the character. If I had a lot of time I would use clay, either Super Sculpy or Paper clay ( I like paper clay because I don't have to bake it, I hate baking when i can't eat it at the end)

These are typical paper clay sculpts, not much detail, but enough for reference. The middle one is just acrylic gesso with a grey tone, the one on the left is partially colored and the monarch is fully colored.

Now if I don't have much time to work on a project, I would skip the clay all together. This is the main villian, 100 percent zbrush. I love using zbrush for these quick character sketches, where as clay can take 3 or 4 hours for something usable, this zbrush model probably took me about 30 minutes. The cat model took about 1 hour tops, maybe less.
Using these models I would refer back to the sketches and pose them accordingly. Photograph the clay, screen cap the zbrush model. And that's pretty much all I need to maintain the continuity of a character.

Noodles!

2 in a day?

2011-12-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

two updates in 1 day? wow, sound the alarms! I must be feeling it.

new totoro

2011-12-30T19:20:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, I took an old model and adjusted it a bit to look more like the original totoro, less sinister looking. this was done in zbrush. If I dont' lose my mind, I might even color this.

2011, I spit on you. jerk.

sorry for lack of updates

2011-12-29T23:54:00.000-05:00

i had to completely wipe out my hard drive to get the computer working again, so I have to reinstall everything. luckily i have almost everything backed up. the problem with sorting through old work and old photos is you get nostalgic. nostalgia is terrible for someone like me.
Speaking of imagination, here's an oldie but goodie from bohemigrant issue 1, The DEAL.

some sketches

2011-12-28T00:52:00.000-05:00

Hey folks, I had a few hours to kill so I took out the ole india ink and did some sketches. I'll develope them further at some point. On the top left is a vampire zombie ninja, top right is a fairy, bottom is an office monkey. the vampire zombie ninja might be a new teeshirt design. Tell me what you think.
the fairy will eventually be painted with wings. ps, she's not naked and I'm going to paint her with chinese opera makeup. She'll also have believable female features and not horney comicker portions.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T14:29:00.000-05:00

My niece and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

computer still broken.

2011-12-21T22:16:00.000-05:00

Since this is my sketching blog, I should talking about my method for sketches.
I'm a big user of ball point pens and super thin lines. I love the fine point, hence the title for this blog. I don't erase much when I'm sketching, so the pens work fine.

back to the stone age

2011-12-18T20:17:00.000-05:00

r
So here's the bad news, my computer died again, this time maybe for good. Well, I guess it was meant to be. I hate having to rely on that blasted machine. I'm still drawing, ofcourse. But most of my updates will be done in photo form on my tumblr. If you can take my goofball comments and general sense of humor. Ok, funny story time.
During comic con, I noticed this guy dressed as Fred Flinstone. My favorite part of his costume is the over-sized feet shaped shoes. I saw him 3 times while walking the convention floor and one time in the bathroom. As I walked into the bathroom, I noticed big giant feet sticking from under the stall. Fred was making a giant YABAADABBAAA doodoo.

elfs with beasts

2011-12-13T22:19:00.001-05:00

Hey friendos,
This is a work in progress doodle. Done in photoshop. The final may not look anything like this.

what is that thing? It's a pigpoh

some words.

2011-12-09T20:12:00.000-05:00

blogspot, I've neglected you too long my friend, companion, and secret lover. So much has happened since my last written post. Wait, have I ever done one of these? No? Sorry! As the above illustration shows, I've been running around.
Well on to the updates!
I've developed this amazing and uncanny ability to wake up at 3am every morning no matter how many hours I want to sleep. I do not want to wake up at 3am, but the sandman is a bit of a bastard and only sprinkles so much sleep dust on me every night. This is the conclusion I came to after many minutes of research and careful study.
I have also returned to writing fiction. What? I write fiction?! Yes! As it turns out I've been writing most of my life but stopped after some discouragement from a critic (she told me I was bad). ( I am well aware of how sensitive I can be so shush!) I have a few ideas to develop and you've already seen some of the sketches posted on here.
I started a tumblr. The link is on the right. I'm having fun with it even though no one reads it, prove me wrong friends! Prove me wrong! There sure are a lot of craziness in New York. Armed with nothing but my camera phone and my wit (and my pistol) I'm ready to document and comment.
So to wrap up, it's the holiday season so look for some holiday themed posts both on here and on my illustrated blog and my tumblr. Time really is flying and sometimes it's hard to keep up.

tumblr

2011-12-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

i just started a tumblr it's on the right, check it out!

coupon!

2011-11-30T23:19:00.001-05:00

everyone loves coupons, well here are some for you! (mostly inside jokes that people who know me would know)

blog!

2011-11-26T00:28:00.000-05:00

I was teaching my little cousin how to use the Dslr. She's getting good!

edit: that friggin hundai song is kinda addictive.

blog update!

2011-11-20T00:21:00.000-05:00

3 for 1 day.

3!

blog update!

2011-11-13T01:06:00.000-05:00

The 'story' of how I got my coat as told by S.

hallowen 2011!

2011-10-30T19:29:00.001-04:00

here's my mask, taken with the cell phone because my computer is broken.
it's from the "eye of the beholder" episode of twilight zone.

cool?

an update

2011-10-27T10:20:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. It's been difficult. As much as I try to keep real life troubles out of this blog, sometimes real life just manages to disrupt things. Also, my computer died so I've been drawing with the old sketchbook (look for a lot of scans when I get a new comp!).

In the meantime, I'll give you a sneak peak at what I'm working on.

It's a story about making the best out of a difficult situation.

Thanks for sticking with the blog while I've been afk! I promise to keep the updates regular.

In the meantime, keep going to my illustrated blog (link on the right)

a video.

2011-10-02T23:11:00.000-04:00

This was done as my 300th entry of my blog at jrtistic.com I'll be sharing more video blog entries. The problem is they take alittle longer than the 30 minutes I usually spend on my entries. Well, most of the illustrated entries take about 10 min.

new illustration

2011-09-06T21:40:00.000-04:00

This is for me.

oh yeah.

2011-08-14T22:19:00.000-04:00

Arya Stark

2011-08-07T13:26:00.000-04:00

I've been watching (and reading) Game of Thrones.
Here's the first of the Starks, Arya.
I'm going to try to draw all of them in this style because frankly I've seen enough realistic depictions of the characters.

bowery

2011-07-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

Here's 3 photos taken this week at the bowery.

new blog images

2011-06-11T12:41:00.000-04:00

Hey friends, here's two new images! Be sure to check out the blog with updates on the side bar!

masks plus!

2011-05-07T20:45:00.000-04:00

So here's a new mask i'm working on, if you've seen the twilight zone episode called "eye of the beholder" this is one of the pig face people.

here are the other masks I've made so far. they're built from cheap crayola clay, paper mache', modeling paste and acrylic paint. My next post will have a more detailed description of what i used and how I used it.

i'm a muppet

2011-04-12T00:28:00.001-04:00

i'm a muppet.

face hair shame

2011-04-02T22:10:00.001-04:00

seriously. this happened. mustache patch is this season's black. i am so ON.

the office

2011-02-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

i updated the office image. 2 new characters added, erin and Andy.

Keith Olbermann

2011-01-29T00:20:00.000-05:00

A new Portrait. He's a fellow yankees fan.

caricature portfolio

2011-01-12T23:14:00.000-05:00

Caricature Portfolio from jrtistic dot com on Vimeo.

happy holidays!

2010-12-25T00:37:00.000-05:00

just having fun here

new blog!

2010-12-22T21:46:00.001-05:00

One of the neat things about being able to draw is to know that the actual drawing is the final part of a process that starts in the head. And when I'm too old to actually hold a pencil to make the marks, my mind, hopefully will still be able to draw.

highschool job

2010-12-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

Kinetic text practice.
just click it if you can't see the entire video.

Christmas Card

2010-11-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

where the wild things are mask

2010-10-30T23:37:00.000-04:00

Hi friends,
It's Halloween and I've got a new mask process post!
I did a "Where the wild things ar"e monster. Here are the steps. First I looked for ready available supplies. Then I had to determine how much time I was going to spend on it. I have lots of paints around and some junk air dry clay from my cousin. The junk clay is Crayola model magic. I've used it once and I know I won't be able to get good textures on it, so I'd have to fake it with paint and acrylic modeling paste.

1. The base modeling, took about 30 minutes. It's almost impossible for this clay to blend together, so I didn't fuss too much with it. I knew I could fill in those folds with modeling paste. The horns will be worn over my hoodie so I didn't want to attach it to the mask.
2. I used a cheap paint brush to load up on the modeling paste and fill in the folds and use it to fake fur. Did I mention I didn't have any fur to work with?

3. After the modeling paste, I mix a base color with the acrylic gesso and prime the mask for painting!

4. Next I mix up some paints, 4 colors because that's all i need for this and lay it down on the mask. Mostly watered down acrylic paint to get into the crevices.

5. I start off with a large brush and work down to a small one for the details like hairs. About an hour later I'm done.

Happy Halloween!

after effects animation!

2010-10-14T12:11:00.000-04:00

testing out some new stuff in after effects

Chinese Twilight

2010-09-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

Ok friends, I have a gift for you. A blank strip! now you can be the writer of Chinese twilight.

the Monster Whisperer

2010-09-13T17:24:00.001-04:00

A new illustration. photoshop!

cops!

2010-08-24T13:43:00.000-04:00

Here is Caveman cop and his partner Professor neatfreak. They are EVERY buddy cop movie ever made.

Mama grizzly

2010-08-23T18:57:00.000-04:00

Second caricature of the entertainer Sarah Palin.

angelina Jolie

2010-08-05T12:26:00.001-04:00

let's not forget billy bob.

it's always sunny there

2010-08-02T11:38:00.001-04:00

This show is REALLY funny .

Sir Mel of Gibson

2010-07-27T12:02:00.000-04:00

Yeah that guy!

SkullMee

2010-07-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

a new vinyl design for shallow pockets.

TWILIGHT slapfight

2010-07-18T21:09:00.001-04:00

SLAPFIGHT!

egg sculpt!

2010-07-02T13:41:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, this is part of the egg project on apedogs.com hopefully i can finish this in time and have something cool to show.

3d models

2010-06-15T18:45:00.000-04:00

These are zbrush renders. Sometimes I use maya to start the model.

New team Kat-0

2010-06-11T15:59:00.001-04:00

trying out a new style.

the stalking

2010-06-11T09:12:00.001-04:00

Here's the model from an earlier post, used in a scene.

2 caricatures

2010-06-08T12:43:00.000-04:00

It's almost election time here (in ny) so i figured i'll do a few illustrations of political figures.
Andrew Cuomo is running for governor of ny. He'll probably win. his father was the Gov a few years ago. who knew government was a family business.

This is Barney Frank. Look him up, interesting fellow.

Jumping totoro

2010-06-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

Hey! i had some fun doing this one. If you go on my zbrush tags, you'll see the original zbrush model of this image. the fur and all that was done in photoshop.

and for you purists out there, here it is with the chest arrows.

bp ceo Tony Hayward

2010-06-02T23:44:00.000-04:00

It's a butt plug.

Tracy Morgan Freeman

2010-06-02T18:48:00.001-04:00

Yan came up with the idea.

bikin it!

2010-06-01T22:59:00.000-04:00

I've been biking! with a folding bike and a big goofy helmet! rockin it!

an old head NEWED!

2010-06-01T18:40:00.000-04:00

This is an old zbrush head I fixed up and gave a new paint job in photoshop.

I'm ALIVE!

2010-05-26T00:20:00.000-04:00

how much it would suck to die and come back but still looking dead?
Frank's face is actually modeled from albert einstein and boris karloff.