It Came From Space.

I've been having some fun inventing this bizarre chimera alien creature from between dimensions for the past few days now. All of the linework and tone was scratched out with the Wacom in Sketchbook Pro, and I'll soon be handling the colors with  Photoshop. This is part of a series of creatures I've been working on, so there's more weirdness to come!

I'm also participating in this year's Sketchbook Project Tour, which is an international collaborative art project started by the Art House Co-op of Brooklyn, NY. I just received my moleskine by mail a few days ago, and so far I've just covered the book and prepped it for paint. My theme is "Secret Codes", and the ideas are flowing!

I may have also bought a t-shirt to advertise my art love...

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Illustration Friday - Dessert.

This week's Illustration Friday topic, Dessert, reminded me of this wild little doodle I did in my sketchbook a while back, so I decided to take it into Photoshop and give it some quick color.

Coincidentally, I painted this rather rotund woman right next to the ice-cream mountain about a week later, and I just love how the two play off of each other. I think it somehow adds to the humor of it all that she stood up before I could capture the chair she was sitting on. Hope everyone's enjoying their dessert right about now!

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Recommended Reading.

Recently I've noted the marked increase in sales of electronic books like the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iPad, or any number of Sony e-readers. It's not that I dislike these products, or their features, (the Kindle in particular is bundled with an excellent service for acquiring new masses of words to digest on a fantastic display) and it's not even that intrinsic "pining-for-the-tactile-feeling-of-paper-between-your-hands" that's got me bothered. Rather, it's the fear that as electronic books slowly come to replace bound paper in classrooms, businesses, and homes around the world, we will lose those wonderful gleaming towers of intellectualism that have been a fixture of modern civilization, the bookshelf.

I for one love entering into the home or office of a friend or family member and perusing their bookshelves for rare gems, unexpected interests and, perhaps most importantly, common philosophical ground. And so, in the spirit of sharing, I present to you a snapshot of the top shelf of my humble library, which houses some of the books that have interested me most over the years. Please share your own favorites as well!

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Illustration Friday - Star Gazing.

This is my last-minute submission for this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Star Gazing". I thought it would be interesting to have a miniature star close enough to really inspect, but without all that nasty heat and radiation they tend to give off. Feedback welcome!

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New Site Is Coming Together.

Long hours spent wrestling with design tweaks and table formatting have finally started to yield some results, and it's starting to look like I've got a real website on my hands! (Hint: follow that link to view it!) I've come to realize that I'm definitely pixel obsessed when it comes to web design, but twenty-four hours  of mad programming later and I'm off to a good start. All of the foreseeable pages to be included in this latest iteration of my site have been laid out and are ready for content.

Speaking of latest iterations, if you're a long time follower, you may have noticed that I've finally breathed new life into this blog, which has been unfortunately laying dormant for almost three years as life carried on. I decided to import most of the posts from the previous version, which are largely made up of student work and a few personal pieces. It's fun to look back and reminisce, at least for me, anyway!

While looking at assignments from the past is always entertaining, I'm really excited about the direction my new work is heading, and I can't wait to put it all on display! Luckily for you, this blog is supposed to function as a place to display process sketches and roughs, so without further adieu, here's a peek at what's been occupying the pages of my sketchbook lately.

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Not Aztec-- Maya.

My final assignment for Digital Illustration IV.

This is a rendered still of a corporate office's reception area that I designed, modeled, lit, and textured using Autodesk Maya. It took the better part of the semester to make, with limited computer lab time and the steep learning curve that Maya presents. 

It's not quite Pixar quality, but I'm happy with it as a first attempt.

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Mixtli- Dark Cloud.

My final assignment for Illustration Studio IV.

Inspired by Gary Jenning's classic novel Aztec. I think I'll play around with the colors a bit more, and add stronger lighting/contrast to some areas. Rapidograph on mylar, colored with Adobe Illustrator.

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