We had a model recently who was a perfect fit for some Frozone poses (plus some Mr. Incredible's too)
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧
More Incredibles gestures
↧
Leeloo
A Gesture Class model recently turned up wearing the 'bandage' outfit from the Fifth Element! She even had an orange wig and really looked the part. She had been part of a stage version of the film and re-enacted the story in her mind as she posed. It really helped give authenticity to her poses and the 'bracelet' nature of the outfit turned out to be perfect short-hand to define volume. It was a really fun session. I don't usually add colour to gesture sketches but I felt the orange hair and white outfit needed highlighting.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
1. Thirty second warm ups
2. One minute poses
3. One minute poses
4. One minute poses
↧
↧
City Life
Characters and dialogue snatched while tramping the streets of North Beach and the Mission
![]()
![]()
↧
Legion
I painted a Stormtrooper helmet for Star Wars Day! Nowhere near as imaginative as a lot of the others you'll see but it was fun to create a Yoda camouflage. Thanks to Jeffrey Jon Pidgeon for the pix. More info here
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧
Keeping up With The Joneses
My parents came to visit back in March and I've been working on some paintings based on the highlights from our Northern California expeditions. We went on the Hitchcock trail; Muir Woods (Vertigo) and found the old schoolhouse at Bodega used in The Birds. The bleached cypress tree and sealions are from the 17 mile drive around Carmel.
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧
↧
Jack-Jack Manhattan
This weekend the Cartoon Art Museum San Francisco holds its annual fundraiser at Pixar.It will be a day of 'Incredibles' events inc. the original crew (Bird, Mandrews, Ted, Kev, Tony Fucile) talking about the film plus an auction of 'Incredibles' themed artwork. I did this Incredibles/Watchmen mash-up: 'Jack-Jack Manhattan' 6"x6" Gouache & acrylic on clayboard.
↧
Gesture Drawing Class
This is a test video made under ad-hoc conditions; i-phone balanced above my shoulder on a shelf, me drawing while trying to keep an eye on the phone and the paper in view. Not ideal but several people have asked me to video myself drawing in gesture class and I hope to make some better quality clips soon. These drawings aren't very good and I break all the rules you're supposed to use but this will give you an idea of my approach. 1 minute poses and I'm drawing slooooooow! It's weird to watch yourself draw.
↧
Time-lapse inking
A friend commissioned me to work up a version of the sketch I made of North Beach landmarks Vesuvio's and City lights Book store. I roughed it out in pencil, threw down a light wash then while inking it I thought I'd try and record it in a time-lapse video.
↧
Digital Gesture Drawing
Testing out a new stylus and sketching app from Adobe on the i-pad Air. The stylus is called Ink and the drawing app is Adobe Sketch. I-pad drawing still isn't as intuitive as Wacom but these tools gave me a kind of wire-sculpture feel which is perfect for Gesture Drawing.
↧
↧
San Francisco Noir
SF based illustrator Ben Walker and I went on a themed sketch-crawl over the July 4th holiday. Inspired by a recent article in the NY Times on Dashiel Hammett's connection to the city.
We trailed Hammett all over San Francisco. We started at 891 Post St where Sam Spade's detective agency was based in the Tenderloin. Then on to Burritt Alley to see the site where Spade's partner was killed. A plaque marks “On approximately this spot, Miles Archer, Sam Spade’s partner, was done in by Brigid O’Shaughnessy.”
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Pinkerton's were on to us so we high tailed it through the Stockton Tunnel and laid low in North Beach. We had a tip-off that Hammett liked to drink at Tosca cafe but we lost him in the crowd. We sat outside a cafe and observed the wild-life on Broadway.
![]()
We trailed Hammett all over San Francisco. We started at 891 Post St where Sam Spade's detective agency was based in the Tenderloin. Then on to Burritt Alley to see the site where Spade's partner was killed. A plaque marks “On approximately this spot, Miles Archer, Sam Spade’s partner, was done in by Brigid O’Shaughnessy.”
This is a view from Dashiel Emmett alley
With still no sign of Hammett we broke for lunch at Lori's Diner, on Powell to compare notes. We gum-shoed it down to the Flood Building on Market Street, where Hammett was employed as a private dick for the Pinkerton's.
Near Union Sq. we bribed the doorman of a downtown hotel where Hammett was known to stay. There's even a suite named after him. . .
Around the corner is Hammett's favorite hang-out, John's Bar & Grill. Still in business as a restaurant and now the HQ of the Hammett Society. The author is said to have written much of 'The Maltese Falcon' at a booth here.
We went inside and smooth-talked the dame on the front desk. She let us go upstairs and find the famous falcon itself.
Pinkerton's were on to us so we high tailed it through the Stockton Tunnel and laid low in North Beach. We had a tip-off that Hammett liked to drink at Tosca cafe but we lost him in the crowd. We sat outside a cafe and observed the wild-life on Broadway.
He was elusive, kept to the shadows but we're gumshoes and we'll find him. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon ...
↧
Dachshund paintings
↧
Incredibles Gesture Class
More Gesture Class sketches where the poses were inspired by 'The Incredibles' (digitally coloured later).
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
30 sec. warm-ups
1 min. poses
↧
Bay Area Sketchcrawl summer 2014
The 'Russian Mansion' on Alamo Square.
A trip to Berkeley Marina. The pier above stretches 3000 ft into the Bay!
Mojo Bicycle Cafe on Divisadero.
Japantown
↧
↧
Gesture Lab
Latest from Gesture Drawing class. . .
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧
Motherlode
In early october I embarked on a painting and camping weekend in Goldrush country with artist pals Mike Dutton and Matt Cruickshank.
Mike's trusty camper-van was our base of operations for 3 days on the road.
North San Juan
In North San Juan this hot-rod stretch limo pulled up to the saloon bar we were cooling off in.
'Gold Bug Stamp Mill, Auburn'
Back in 2012 I trekked out to 'arrested decay' ghost-town Bodie with my old Aardman Animation chum Ash Boddy. I finally cut together the footage from that trip. My original post with all the sketches is here.
↧
Article 0
↧
The Mother Hen project
↧
↧
Sketchcrawl-San Francisco Museums
Leaving San Francisco I'll miss its world-class museums. I saw some great exhibitions and there are countless artifacts to draw in their collections.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
The DeYoung Museum
![]()
The Legion of Honor
'Hamadryas Baboon' ca. 1910 Rembrandt Bugatti
Asian Art Museum
↧
Ensemble
Some friends and I have been getting together once a fortnight for an evening of improvised sketching and painting. With Manu Arenas, Stephane Kardos and Nicolas Weis. I cut together the footage I shot on my phone.
On the second occasion we worked with the themes of 'Greek Mythology' and 'Fairy Tales'. We covered 2 huge reams of paper in spontaneous character designs. Both pieces are for sale.
On the second occasion we worked with the themes of 'Greek Mythology' and 'Fairy Tales'. We covered 2 huge reams of paper in spontaneous character designs. Both pieces are for sale.
↧
Happy Holidays 2014!
Isn't it Christmas yeti?
↧