Josholland.com Sketch Blog

HIPSTER FABULOUS PT. 2

2011-10-11T10:29:00.002-06:00

I did another beer inspired piece for this round of PBR art festivities. I used salvaged junk wood for the surface, and built 3 small boxes from it. I then transferred my sketch and just tried to have fun with the faux vintage look, pushing and pulling with paint and sandpaper. Overall, it was a good exercise in simplicity for me, allowing my surface to provide. Now all I have to do is get PBR to give me some real work! I think I've got their demo down. How cool would a whole campaign of these characters be?

PBR put on 3 art shows in the area, but I was most excited to make something for the Sundown Saloon show in Boulder. That was my favorite spot back when I lived there. It's a basement bar, low light, full of old beat up wooden furniture and odd smells. The perfect place to duck into after being dragged to froufrou cocktail spots all evening. I think my piece captures the place affectionately known as "The Downer" splendidly.

PAPER DIAMOND SINGLE

2011-10-03T06:11:00.000-06:00

I recently did some artwork for Boulder-based recording artist Alex Botwin, AKA Paper Diamond. Alex is a really rad musician, and I now have the distinct pleasure of calling him and his Elm and Oak partner Berk Gibbs friends of mine. Look for more cover artwork in the near future, and some top secret collabs between myself and PD's micro army of arty allies, Lifter Baron and Nook. Exciting stuff! And according to Interview Magazine, I'm best known for my work on Gorillaz... Yep, that was totally me (we had nothing to do with that Jamie Hewlett, I swear).

You can download a high quality copy of the music on Soundcloud, where the track has been steadily kicking ass since it dropped in September. Or you can just click on the youtube clip below.

GAME GUZZLER AD

2011-10-03T05:11:00.000-06:00

Coming to a video game magazine near you, I just kicked out this print ad/promo shirt combo for Game Guzzler. It's a job website for people in the field of... you guessed it. Phil was super cool to work with, and I think we gave his beloved monkey mascot a much needed facelift with this piece. Check them out if you're job searching in the industry.

AIGA INK OFF!

2011-10-03T04:55:00.000-06:00

Just rattling off a few new posts on this fine Monday morning. I recently took part in AIGA's Ink Off event, where I took on local comic book artist Matthew Allison in a "battle to the illustrator death." Holy shit guys. I've never done live art before, let alone timed competitive live art. Normally I'm under the impression that an hour isn't enough time to do anything. But when your brain is whirring, and your opponent is flying through some familiar characters, there's nothing left to do but sling some ink, and fast! You can see the final product while I'm talking, got some good shading in just before the buzzer.

Ink Off! Ice Cream Social from AIGA Colorado on Vimeo.

KAIJU PROJECT UPDATE

2011-09-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

Here are a few recent commissions from my ongoing Kaiju Project. I've added a couple of new slots on my store page if you're interested in getting a custom kaiju of your own. They've been labeled "temporarily sold out" for a few months while I've been on hiatus, so snap them up while you can. Check it out, someone commissioned a Pubear kaiju! Hell yeah!

He Was Never The Same After That...

acrylic on wood panel (INQUIRE)

Illegal In Japan

acrylic on wood panel (SOLD)

Play Me Some Cactus Music

acrylic on wood panel (SOLD)

They Never Could Find Words

acrylic on wood panel (SOLD)

The Parasite

acrylic on wood panel (SOLD)

NARCO

2011-09-08T07:00:00.007-06:00

Let me just say upfront, I do not in any way endorse violence, racial stereotypes, or drug use. The following project is a series of commissioned apparel designs inspired by Mexican narco cinema. If you're offended or confused, just watch the previous link and you'll understand. They're B-movies that share a lot in common with American grindhouse, which means silly over the top with sex, drugs, and violence.

This was a very... difficult project to work on. I think at several points I even considered turning it down because I wasn't sure if it was ethical. "What the hell am I doing?! I'm drawing decapitated cartel victims..." was something that came out of my mouth at some point. And for the love of god, never google image search "drug cartel" with the safe search off. I've seen things I wish I could unsee while researching this project.

But for all the difficulty I faced getting started, I took it as a challenge. What started as morbid sketches that no sane person would ever want to buy or wear, slowly became fun comic book villain-esque character studies. So I put on my Tarantino hat, and just had fun with it. Best not to over think these things right? Bad guys kick ass!

WHAT IS IT YOU'D SAY YOU DO HERE?

2011-09-07T12:48:00.001-06:00

Since flying solo almost one year ago, I've been staying crazy busy doing this and that for startups, agencies, and big companies alike. While I'm very happy with the kind of work that has been coming my way, MOST of it will never end up on my blog because it's either (A) too far outside my wheel house, or (B) under a strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA). But thankfully I've got a grip of non-NDA work that's fit to post, so here are two good examples of the kind of thing I've been up to this year. More tomorrow!

CROCS™ Chameleons Ad

agency: Friends of Mine x Sleeping Giant

I've already done two projects with Friends of Mine, and they've quickly become some of my favorite people to work with. The following is a commercial that was put together on a very tight deadline, and still came out pretty great. The boys at Friends of Mine came to me to create a hefty library of elements that they could then animate. I cranked away for several days, handed over the elements, and a few days later Crocs had this magical little children's ad on their hands.

Backpocket Brewery Woodcut Illustrations

client: Backpocket Brewing Company x Can of Creative

If you know anything about me, you know that I frequently lust for a good microbrew (the hoppier the better). Needless to say, I had a lot of fun drawing in a completely different style for Backpocket. They approached me about illustrating some common objects that would eventually brand their various beer styles. This was to be done in a rustic, woodcut style that would gel with their existing design work. To be clear, I did not design the labels, only the first image layout and all of the elements within.

CREATION, DESTRUCTION, RESURRECTION

2011-09-06T11:20:00.000-06:00

Remember the STS9 poster I did a little while back that never saw the light of day? Well fortunately they're back on tour, and I was able to elaborate on that illustration by making it into a triptych for the good people at Conscious Alliance. Locals can get them for FREE by donating food at the shows, and I believe they will be available on the CA website afterward for cash moneys.

The concept behind these pieces was to create a sequential series involving imaginary astrological mythology. I had a lot of fun figuring out which parts of my made-up myth to tell visually, and I'm pleased with the results.

Creation (1/3)

Destruction (2/3)

Resurrection (3/3)

I'M NOT DEAD, I PROMISE!!!

2011-09-06T10:52:00.000-06:00

Guys, I'm terribly sorry for the lack of posts as of late. I just married my art school sweetheart Shannon Bonatakis a few weeks back, and things have been hellaciously busy. BUT I have a bunch of posts piled up now, so expect a post every day this week, and some more cool stuff I'll be able to talk about very soon! Eyes peeled!

2010 SKETCHBOOK

2011-03-23T14:43:00.003-06:00

I finally got around to scanning and putting together the 2010 Sketchbook section of my website this week! Almost forgot to do it, I've been so slammed between working and planning my wedding. Only four months until I never think of napkin patterns again people!!! You have no idea what that means to me.

Maybe I'm not posting enough sketches on this "sketch blog," because most of this stuff never ended up here until now. I'm posting little snippets and thumbnails like these more frequently on my twitter account if you'd like to keep up with that.

Enjoy all 18 pages of my 2010 Sketchbook at josholland.com

STS9 POSTER / TECHNIQUE PROCESS POST

2011-01-25T08:43:00.001-07:00

I was asked to create another Conscious Alliance poster for STS9's upcoming winter tour, but unfortunately one of the band's members became ill and the tour was cancelled. This poster will be completed and sold at a later date, but I wanted to document my technique in the meantime for those who have been asking.

STS9 poster (without tour info)

pencil/digital

1. The rough sketch for this piece was done digitally to save time. I begin by pushing and pulling shapes until I've achieved an idea that's polished enough to move forward with. Normally I do a color study at this stage as well. This omission of my process came back to bite me in the ass, as you'll soon see.

2. This is what my final pencils looked like scanned, cleaned up, and isolated on their own layer in photoshop. The drawing is not 100% complete, but will suffice as the base layer of the piece. Time to make with the color.

3. My original idea was to make the space eel radiating rainbow colors, and keep a neutral color palette for the rest of the piece. I begin by isolating sections into shapes below the drawing layer, and painting onto those shape layers. This is tedious work with the pen tool, but necessary for easy changes later.

4. The piece begins to take shape as color is applied to the line layer and additional background shapes. I begin to second guess my rainbow palette at this stage, when the colors aren't allowing bright enough values. I then bang my head into my desk repeatedly, as additional punishment for not doing my color study upfront.

5. Being a winter themed tour, I decided to change the rainbow colors to minty greens and an all cool palette. The omission of rainbow colors is allowing the eel to pop and glow against dark space in the way I originally intended. I plop the STS9 logo into place indiscriminately. That needs to change already...

6. I find a better place for the logo, add lighting effects, and sketch in what will be the final drawing elements digitally. Time to go back into drawing mode.

7. This is the final drawing layer with the included stars, lightning, fire, and transparent figure details. These were not done in the original drawing stage because they overlap the underdrawing, and I wanted them to be transparent.

8. The final image takes shape with subtle halftones and color applied to the remaining elements. My desired level of polish is achieved, and the client calls to say nevermind. Just another day in the life of a professional illustrator.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

2011-01-07T17:29:00.003-07:00

When I was asked to participate in "The American Dream" group show at D-Structure (opening tonight), I was happy to take on this challenging theme. Most people see the American dream as the promise of potential economic prosperity; a rags-to-riches success story in the making. But as my vocation might suggest, I'm not particularly interested in wealth. So what about "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" I think this iconic declaration comes much closer to capturing the true American dream, the simple freedom to pursue our own personal beliefs, kinks, indulgences, and obsessions. This important freedom to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, religious opinion, and social restraint is what I think America is all about, so that's how I chose to depict it.

The Pursuit of Happiness

acrylic and coffee on wood panel

ART THAT FEEDS

2010-11-18T12:51:00.006-07:00

Just finished this poster design for Conscious Alliance, a non-profit organization that collaborates with musicians and artists to help impoverished communities through food donations. I was very happy to be able to do a few charity pieces this year, and would like to encourage everyone else out there to donate a bit of your time, money, or expertise this holiday season. Our current recession has left charitable donations largely down, and many more people in need than ever before. Think about it.

As for the art, I'm super happy with the results. I've been meaning to incorporate more type into my artwork, and I think concert posters is a good avenue for me to explore in the future. But for now, back to the grindstone!

VIVA LA ART! KAIJUS + COMMISSION INFO

2010-11-15T13:00:00.010-07:00

Been keeping super busy since flying solo. It feels so freaking great to not wake up and have to commute anymore. I'm getting more sleep than I've had in a decade, and the bills are getting paid too. So far, so good! One thing I'm trying to do in my free time is figure out a way to make promotional projects that can benefit non profit organizations and charities for the giving season.

I created these 2 new Kaiju paintings for Viva LA Art, as part of my ongoing Kaiju Project. The pieces will be auctioned at their Art Drinks & Music event, Saturday November 20th. All proceeds and donations will benefit CoachArt, a non-profit organization giving personal art lessons to children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

I'll be kicking out a few more of these for an IndyInk show in December, and have a few more commissions in the works too. I have slots open to do just a few more custom Kaijus guaranteed in time for Christmas, so if you're looking for an affordable framed piece of custom artwork order yours soon. ALSO, I'll be doing a big sale on Black Friday if there's anything you've had your eye on. At 50% off, I imagine some things will sell out. I'll keep you posted!

Everything I Touch, I Destroy

acrylic on wood panel

A Turning Point

acrylic on wood panel

REQUEST & WIN FREE ART

2010-10-01T15:08:00.002-06:00

Rats! I knew this was a bad week to start sketch-a-day up again. My place looks like a bomb went off from moving, and I'm neck deep in a huge project working with Live Nation that is taking up all of my energy. I'd like to take this opportunity to take requests for sketch-a-day weekly themes for when I get back to it. I'll send someone a sketch of their choosing for the best suggestion. Place suggestions in the comments section of this post. Thanks!

SKETCH-A-DAY: ARTHUR MITCHELL

2010-09-28T14:41:00.003-06:00

Another Dexter sketch. If you haven't seen the show, you should. You'll never look at John Lithgow the same after seeing his role as the "Trinity Killer."

SKETCH-A-DAY: DEXTER MORGAN

2010-09-27T21:45:00.002-06:00

I may be crazy for trying to do sketch-a-day this week, but here goes. I'm limiting my time on these, so we might see a frantic scribble post by Friday. This first installment is an homage to someone I'm extremely happy to have back in my life.

NEW LIFE, NEW WEBSITE

2010-09-21T01:36:00.004-06:00

Big news! For the first time since the day I turned 15, I don't have a job! I've decided the time is finally right to go full time freelance illustration, and I'm chomping at the bit to make the best work of my career. My fiancee Shannon and I will also be packing up and moving to Denver for a little change of pace. And you can look forward to some sketch-a-day action and lots of new art coming right up.

Coinciding with my newfound employment status, I just relaunched my entire online presence including my shiny new WEBSITE, a facelift for my BLOG and STORE, new ways to FOLLOW, and tons of never before seen content. Go! Look! Wish me luck!

DENVER DOES DENVER

2010-08-25T17:19:00.009-06:00

I was invited to participate in the second Denver Does Denver show opening this Saturday night. I chose local art ally John Fellows as my subject, and created this Vegito-esque merging of our two styles in the cooperative spirit of the show. It was a lot of fun dissecting John's linoleum cuts, and experimenting with his palette. Overall I'm happy with the result, and from what I've seen the show should be a lot of fun. See you there.

"We're Connected, You And I"

ink, paint, transfer on wood panel

MONSTER ENGINE COLLAB

2010-04-02T13:57:00.010-06:00

Just finished up a piece for Indyink's Monter Engine show. If you're not familiar with The Monster Engine, here’s the big idea. David Devrie takes children’s drawings and works them into fully rendered paintings, maintaining the wildly imaginative and ininhibited essence of the original drawings. David will have some work in the show, as well as Denver’s finest and their equally brilliant pint-sized partners.

Upon being invited to participate in the show, I realized that I no longer know any young kids. Scrambling to come up with something, I posted to my Twitter and Facebook accounts looking for an imaginative youngster to collab with. My buddy Markham "Shitty Kitten" Maes (One of my favorite local artists) came to my aid.

Meet my new drawing partner Lilly Maes, age 5. With a father like Shitty Kitten, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She's got an amazing imagination, and made me a handful of awesome drawings to choose from. This was so much fun.

This one was my favorite out of the bunch. As Lilly describes the scene, the girl is happy because she wants to eat the ice cream monster. I'm sold. According to Markham, this was one of her first attempts at using Photoshop. I think we've got a future illustrator on our hands.

I toyed with David Devrie's technique of using the child's exact shaping to render a ralistic image, and decided that it wasn't working for me. With just a week to get the piece out, and a full schedule to work around, I decided to take Lilly's scene and reimagine it in my own style. This was the chosen thumbnail.

Fleshing out the thumbnail design, I added a few elements of my own to continue the vintage manga look I've been working with as of late (speedlines-a-go-go!). The Japanese writing dictated the title of the piece "Frozen Fruit Giant Man." This was an intentionally shoddy translation, as Japanese translated into English often makes me laugh. I like to wink back at the Japanese with my work sometimes, all out of love of course.

The final digital file was then transferred onto wood, and the corners roughed up to resemble a tattered manga book cover. I'm happy with the final result.

Lilly putting the finishing touch on "Frozen Fruit Giant Man." Thanks so much to the Maes family for all your help!

IT PAYS TO READ MY BLOG

2010-03-16T23:20:00.008-06:00

Ask Chris Marciano who won the #1 Conan print and a drawing of his choice for guessing 100% correctly in the contest. He chose Mickey Mouse, and I chose to portray Ub Iwerks's noodle armed protagonist Steamboat Willie. Definitely my favorite incarnation of one of the world's most recognizable icons. Iwerks made Walt Disney.

Thanks to everyone who preordered Conan prints! They're shipping tomorrow. I've got about half of them left so snap one up while they last. The Conan contest was a lot of fun, I'll be sure to do some more contests in the future.

Look for a new post this week, and enjoy the UNCENSORED version of Steamboat Willie you may have never seen. Complete with animal cruelty! Yay!

COCO CONTEST WINNER

2010-02-21T21:33:00.007-07:00

First off, thanks to everyone who entered the contest, the response was quite literally overwhelming! I was glad to not need the tie breaking descriptions on the characters, as the winner with the only perfect scorecard was Chris Marciano. He'll receive the #1 print of the finished illustration, and a custom drawing of his choosing. Congrats! Also receiving prints are Joe Donnelly, Chris Taber, and Andy Pickens who each got just one wrong.

I'll be doing more contests like this in the future, so subscribe to my blog, snag the RSS, or follow me on Twitter to keep up on such things. If you did not win, and would still like a print of this piece, you can buy them HERE for just $20 (edition of 50).

This was a lot of fun guys, thanks so much for participating! I'll need help spreading this image out there and sharing with even more fans. Shoot me a comment and let me know how you liked the contest or just share some Conan links or something. I don't think I've ever had so much fun looking for photo reference before. I highly recommend googling some of these characters' videos just for fun.

Scoring this was really tough, but I was looking for exact character names first and foremost. Here are the correct answers:

1- Carl "Oldy" Olson

2- Shoeverine (lame X-men characters skit)

3- Cloppy the Late Night horse

4- Abe Lincoln

5- Joel Goddard, Late Night Announcer

6- In the Year 2000

7- La Bamba, of the Max Weinberg 7

8- Wolfboy

9- Cody Devereaux

10- Clive Clemmons' Inappropriate Response Network (NBC satellite)

11- Frankenstein (Wastes a Minute of Our Time)

12- Fedex Pope

13- The Coked-up Werewolf

14- Preparation H Raymond

15- Santa Claus

16- Pimp Bot 5000

17- The Horny Manatee

18- Stacy, Andy's little sister

19- Andy Richter

20- Toshi, Joel Goddard's male escort

21- Max Weinberg

22- The Recliner of Rage

23- Pierre Bernard, Late Night Graphic Designer

24- The Interrupter

25- The Masturbating Bear

26- Vomiting Kermit

27- Desk Driving (Bessie Lou)

28- Triumph the insult comic dog

29- Jar Barf

30- The Walker Texas Ranger Lever

31- Guy Who is Protected From Three-Inch Bees

32- Wax Tom Cruise and Fonzie

CONAN CONTEST IS CLOSED

2010-02-14T17:30:00.004-07:00

The I Heart Conan Contest is now closed to further entries, thanks a ton to everyone who participated and helped to promote the contest! Special thanks to friends on Facebook & Twitter, New York Magazine, The Daily What, and The Denver Egotist for helping get this thing out there.

I've yet to tally up all of the final scores, but I can tell you everyone did quite well. I was glad to find I'm not the only person who remembers Jar Barf as well (look it up). Please come back in the next couple of days to see the final illustration and find out if you've won a prize.

(final illustration in progress)

"I HEART CONAN" CONTEST IS LIVE

2010-02-08T21:30:00.010-07:00

RULES:

EDIT: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR PLAYING!

-To win you must name as many of the Conan O'Brien sketch characters in the illustration as possible, and be among the first to do so. Keep in mind, some of the items can be named by a reference or sketch name, in addition to the character's name. The more specific you are the better chance you have of getting it 100% correct (or MORE correct than another person). For example, #15 is just a common character (Santa Claus), but #10 is a character with a part inside of a common sketch. Confused? Great.

-SIMPLIFY YOUR ANSWERS PLEASE, no running sentences.

-Email your 32 numbered answers to: josh@josholland.com

-SUBJECT LINE MUST READ "I HEART CONAN" or it will be disregarded

-ONE ENTRY per person. No changing answers later.

That's it! I don't know what to expect just yet, maybe a lot of people will get them all right, maybe nobody will. I'm playing it by ear, but the grand prize will a large print of the Conan piece, and a custom sketch of your choosing. The winner and some runner up prizes will be announced when the finished illustration goes up this weekend. Good luck!

I HEART CONAN CONTEST

2010-01-31T23:17:00.005-07:00

Watching Conan's last night on The Tonight Show admittedly left me a bit misty eyed. It's funny how seeing something come to an end can teach you just how important it really is to you. I realized I've been watching Conan since I was 13-years-old; that's over half of my life! Feeling inspired by the massive outpouring of love for Conan, I set out to make an epic homage featuring all of my favorite Late Night characters. After countless sketches and a lot of wasted paper, I realized this is a job for a wacom tablet and the forgiveness of photoshop. So here it is, my super sloppy final sketch. Check back in a few days for the finished pencil drawing, and a contest to name as many characters as you can for a prize! Hold your guesses.

HIPSTER FABULOUS

2010-01-21T16:51:00.010-07:00

Hey all, it's been a few. Well, life's been crazy on my end, mostly because I finally proposed to my girlfr- er fiance Shannon Bonatakis after 7 plus years. We've come a long way since that fateful day in illustrative drawing class, when I wooed her with my sardonic charm and underwear model good looks. So we're neck deep in wedding planning and it's eating up most of my free time at the moment. BUT I'm making a new year's resolution to blog more frequently so please hit subscribe, snag my RSS feed, bookmark me, follow me on Twitter, do whatever you do and expect some fresh graphite when you come back.

So this new piece is for a PBR show in Denver this Saturday at Illiterate and Indyink. I'm honestly not a huge fan of Pabst, but you can't deny the hipster loyalty PBR has earned over the last decade. I'm much more fond of a hoppy microbrew when I lust for ale, so I guess I'll have to kick out my homage to Stone Brewing Co. soon.

Final illustration

Some sketches and WIP drawing

Transferred on wood and varnished

TERRIBLE YELLOW EYES FEATURE

2009-12-07T15:18:00.006-07:00

Got my WTWTA piece featured on Terrible Yellow Eyes on Friday. If you haven't seen this amazing collection of super pro fan art, I'm on my way to come slap you personally. Better head over now to avoid the humiliation.

INDYINK XMAS SHOW FRIDAY

2009-12-02T13:48:00.004-07:00

I was recently invited to participate in IndyInk's Xmas Show, opening December 4th. The show touts a great lineup of local artists, contains nothing over $100, and promotes the noble concept of giving local art as Christmas gifts. So if you're in the greater Denver area, get there early and get first pick! You can even take your newly purchased treasures with you.

My contribution is a handful of quick little framed paintings on wood panels, all going for $100. I rarely work this small, and I never have originals this cheap so go snatch them up! I've also included the remaining "I Can Change" paper prints from my Adaptation show (1/50). There are only 5 left, and they're going for $100 as well. Fits a standard 24" x 36" poster frame.

"I'll Make My Own Fucking Friends, They'll Be Sorry"

"Only When I'm Nervous"

"Gushing Over You"

"I Can Change"

24x36 serigraph on archival paper 1/50

(detail)

WTWTA FINISH

2009-11-19T08:50:00.003-07:00

Finally finished! Can't believe how long this took, but I've been ridiculously busy lately. Promo work always takes a back seat to deadlines and more pressing stuff. Overall, I'm happy with my end result. I think the most amazing part of seeing all these Sendak homages is the sheer variety of interpretations out there. You can feel the deep affinity for the subject matter from everyone involved. Hope the movie didn't ruin this spirit, I know a lot of people didn't like it. What did you think?

WTWTA FINAL PENCILS

2009-11-09T01:33:00.006-07:00

Whew, finally finished this thing! I started this piece well before the movie came out, and am just now finishing the pencil drawing. I feel like I'm late for the party, seeing all the great Where The Wild Things Are art that's popped up over the last month or two. October was crazy busy for me, but I'm hoping to get a lot more posts done in November. I've got some promo ideas in the hopper, and a website to finish.

Went a little crazy with the crosshatching on this piece in an effort to really study the lines of Mr. Sendak. Doing him justice is no simple task. ON TO COLOR! Nails in coffins and what not.

WTWTA FINAL SKETCH

2009-10-05T23:37:00.005-06:00

Close enough. Moving straight into the final pencil drawing from here. I still have a few decisions to make, but my foreground is worked out well enough to move forward.

TERRIBLE YELLOW THUMBNAILS

2009-10-04T17:47:00.010-06:00

Surely there should be some sketches on this sketch blog right? Well I've been working on a piece for the Terrible Yellow Eyes blog, perfect opportunity to get some progress pics up. Here's my initial batch of concepts. Working out a final sketch now.

FINISHED PRINTS

2009-08-21T01:52:00.006-06:00

Just got everything printed for the Illiterate show tonight. Prints are going for $50, more info here.

(final artist's proof)

(detail)

(3 color variants: "MYK" 1/20, "YK" 1/5, "MK" 1/5)

GO SPACE DINO!

2009-08-10T23:17:00.007-06:00

Taking on the theme of RGB VS CMYK, my thoughts immediately moved to comic books. Here is an entire industry that hinges on printed materials and a collector's market, one that could never make a complete translation to a digital format. The ability to hold something in your hands, to smell the fresh newsprint, to get ink on your fingers, to buy two and keep one pristine, to wear something out with repeated use and love, all of this is impossible with rights-managed digital files.

Future generations will not miss print as we will, having never grown up in our world of convenient disposability and waste. But there's something about holding some ancient thing in your hands, looking at it as nobody had before, the wear and patina of age transforming the ordinary into treasure. It's sad that this will surely be lost eventually.

(Space Dinosaur: Defend History Against Unknown Future)

RGB VS. CMYK

2009-08-10T02:29:00.006-06:00

Illiterate Magazine is hosting a print show titled "RGB VS. CMYK" on Friday, August 21st @ Space Gallery. All limited-edition prints will be under $50 so get them while they last.

I've been pushing the old .05mm around all weekend, and just finished pencilling this manga inspired piece. My hand is killing me. I'll finish this up tomorrow.

TWITTERCRITE!

2009-08-02T15:30:00.005-06:00

Why the change of heart on Twitter? Well, despite my highly reposted loudmouthed rant on the media nuisance that is Twitter, I've decided to be on the right side of history. My hate for CNN's coverage of uneducated brainfarts and celebrity waste products is still intact, but what some people are doing to use Twitter is pretty great. People like my good friends at Cypher13 who developed TWEEEEET, a designer/artist Twitter aggregator site I've been following since it's inception. My decision is to not let my hate of the worst Twitter overshadow the good, and I'll still promise to shudder every time I hear the word "tweet".

"About to eat dinner! ROFLROFLROFLROFL!!!!!"

FOLLOW ME

FRESH MEAT

2009-07-23T00:03:00.008-06:00

Work in progress, cementing Maurice Sendak as one of my biggest influences since childhood. FYI, tattooing on your ribcage hurts like a motherfucker. Jenny Lee is killing the crosshatching. I'm a fan.

MIDFINGER MAG FEATURE

2009-07-22T23:45:00.006-06:00

I just got a feature in the July/August issue of Italian web mag, MIDFINGER MAG®

The magazine features photography, fashion, music, movies and art from around the world, and has featured illustrators such as Xiaobaosg, John Lee and McBess. Those guys have been great. Grazie Marco!

DENVER ZOO

2009-06-28T17:42:00.011-06:00

Went to the zoo today to get back in the habit of drawing from life. As you can see, I prefer the animals that don't move around too much. Only had 3 hours, I plan to give myself a whole day next time. Took a while to get warm, I haven't done this in like 6 years. Brutal.

UP

2009-06-03T08:30:00.007-06:00

Few can understand the love between a small mailman and a giant flightless tropical bird. What? You haven't seen 'Up' yet? What the hell are you waiting for?

HAIR STUDIES

2009-05-27T22:44:00.005-06:00

Just keeping my hand warm, drawing some hair from reference, catching up on MMA podcasts. Why, what do you do on a Wednesday night? ..... Oh. That is much cooler.

KUTA

2009-05-21T16:34:00.005-06:00

Trying to get back on the daily sketch bandwagon for a bit. I'm a big fan of Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, who is doing a contest on his site involving his new vinyl toy "Kuta". Seemed like a good excuse to study Sean's shaping a bit, and bang out a sketch in the process. Fun!

GIRLY PIECE

2009-05-03T02:07:00.008-06:00

Did you ever know that I'm really sensitive? Well it's true. I often read poetry while weeping uncontrollably, and I watch movies like Bride Wars by candle light. Yeah, I'm always doing stuff like that.

Really, I've just been looking at a lot of photography lately, and wanted to do a finished piece using some fashion inspired imagery. Damn you Shannon and your Top Model marathons.

GIRLY PROMO

2009-05-01T00:04:00.006-06:00

Just wrapped this drawing up, I'm pretty happy with it. Time for some polish...

PROMO TEASE

2009-04-30T01:25:00.004-06:00

I got sooo close to finishing a rather involved drawing tonight. Here's a super closeup. More tomorrow...

DAFT PUNK PROMO

2009-04-22T22:24:00.007-06:00

All finished for now. I might go back into this later. Billy is giving me problems at the moment. Better start something new...

DAFT DRAWLIN'

2009-04-21T01:36:00.007-06:00

Finished the line drawing on another promo piece while I'm back on the Billy Mitchell illustration again. Just the finished line drawing right now, I've got a good idea of where it'll end up.

PROMO FINITO!

2009-04-16T00:40:00.003-06:00

Just finished this one up. On to the next!

PROMO PROGRESS SHOT

2009-04-13T08:58:00.005-06:00

Got my pencil layers down crispy, time to bring it home.

WHAT'S GOOD

2009-04-09T11:19:00.004-06:00

I've added my favorite arty RSS finds to my blog page under 'what's good'. You can shortcut or subscribe to it HERE. Primarily, I'm marking the posts for myself (so that I can reference them in the distant future), but feel free to benefit from my obsessive daily hours of panning for gold.

By the way, what sites are you reading religiously these days? I'm always in need of some added inspiration. No more gay porn Jack... please.

IDIOT BOX

2009-04-08T09:26:00.005-06:00

Just posted on Shannon's contribution to Gallery 1988's Idiot Box show. Check it out HERE.

NEW PROMO WORK

2009-04-08T01:23:00.006-06:00

I'll be kicking out some new promo work in the next few weeks. Here's the first sketch.

WTWTA

2009-03-25T19:54:00.010-06:00

TRAILER just came out today. Seems like it does Sendak justice. I've read a lot of trash talk about the CG already, but those people are clearly retarded right? What do you think?

I mean when you inspect a picture like this one there are small indications that make it stand out as CG (the colors in the eyes for example). But when you watch the trailer it's clear that there's some fantastic art direction going on here.

BILLY MITCHELL IS GOD

2009-03-23T00:14:00.006-06:00

I just watched The King of Kong on Netflix this weekend. It's a documentary about a group of world class gamers from back in the Pacman era, and the controversy surrounding a newcomer claiming a world record Donkey Kong score that hadn't been beaten in 20 years. Great stuff. But the best part to me was this guy named Billy Mitchell, who played a fantastic villain in this world of nerd prestige. I had no choice but to make an illustration of him. Here's the first progress shot, and the trailer for the flick. Go find it.

SHANNON'S SHOW RECAP

2009-03-19T09:46:00.005-06:00

Just posted a recap of my girl Shannon Bonatakis's latest gallery opening. I'm a proud papa. Check it out HERE.

FAIL!

2009-03-17T14:57:00.006-06:00

So between working full-time for an apparel company, steady freelance work, "normal human" responsibilities and sketch-a-day, I am freakin' beat kids. So you'll notice that my page conveniently no longer says "sketch-a-day", and that's because I reluctantly tap. I'll continue to post sketches, progress shots, thoughts, inspiration, etc. but I was really feeling bad about not posting daily and that's no good. Time to get my biz in order.

So now I'll be focusing on making the work I need to make, and not worrying about posting little things I'm not all that crazy about anyway. I just took on a big project co-creating an animated series (that I currently can't talk about), my shiny new website is about to get taken off the back burner, and I have new illustrations and merchandise in the works. Good stuff! I'll keep you all posted for sure. Sorry I'm a huge pussy and my truly quick sketches aren't worth posting. Let's get a sketch-battle going soon. I'm down.

-JH

GUESS THE MUSICIANS

2009-03-10T23:20:00.006-06:00

These were all requests by commenters (one is Shannon's). First one to guess them right gets something in the mail. If I didn't mess up the likenesses this should be easy right? I'm scared. Get it right.

OFF THE WALL

2009-03-06T00:45:00.006-07:00

Off The Wall MJ, as requested by Jack Gregory. I'm not sure if he knew it or not, but this is my favorite incarnation of Michael Jackson by far. Yes, better than Thriller. Did anyone see him make his big "comeback" today? I think a true comeback for the king of pop might require a time machine at this point. It's been a bad couple of decades for Michael Jackson fans, hopefully he can finally get some help soon.

Keep the requests coming!

KAREN O

2009-03-05T01:49:00.005-07:00

She told her "no no no".

SPANK ROCK

2009-03-04T00:34:00.007-07:00

No it's not Urkel. But if you must make the comparison he's more like Stephan Urkell. These music sketches are just going to be quick face studies of varied musicians I think. Likenesses are definitely not my strong suit, but I need to draw out of my head a bit less.

I'm beat. Just finished helping Shannon ship out the last pieces, and we got our first night off in a looong time. Sleep...

IGGY

2009-03-03T03:34:00.002-07:00

I'm going to do a music theme for S.A.D. this week. Starting with the living Godfather of Rock & Roll (according to Henry Rollins).

FASHION ILLUSTRATION

2009-03-02T22:08:00.007-07:00

Here's something I wrapped up recently, it's a logo/illustration for a startup clothing company. I'll link to them as soon as they get their new site up.

MAD ELEPHANT

2009-03-02T21:43:00.005-07:00

This is something I made for a political web ad campaign I was working on with Todd Berger of Cypher13. It never saw the light of day, so I'm sharing now. Pretty scary elephant right? Well, if you would have told me 4 years ago that we'd have a beloved black president, and that the RNC chair would be saying things like "off the hook" trying to trick someone into thinking he's cool, I would have told you you're batshit crazy.

RORSCHACH

2009-02-27T01:13:00.009-07:00

I read that there's no giant squid in the movie, but hopefully we'll get to see Rorschach eat Nightowl's beans and sugar cubes (honestly one of my favorite scenes in Watchmen). The only other person I know who eats out of cans is Jack. I remember him eating room temperature Beef-a-roni in a can on several occasions in college, but I was never able to convince him of how fucked up it is...

Sorry about the lack of posts this week kids. Gotta pay them bills.

SKETCH#024

2009-02-20T01:18:00.012-07:00

So I meant to add Lockheed to the Shadowcat sketch the other day. Started looking up some info on the most inexplicable X-men cast member ever and was blown away at the level of back story that exists. Turns out he's super intelligent but just can't speak English, he's a spy from another planet, he was exiled to Earth, and he's very selective of Kitty's relationships with men (he approved of Colossus apparently). What?! And here I thought he was just a little purple bit of kid's marketing magic in 'Pryde of the X-men'. I think he even had the voice of slimer making little cutesy dragon noises. That guy got a lot of work back then huh?

X-man 7.5/8

SKETCH#023

2009-02-19T23:49:00.003-07:00

Every time I go to Vegas. Stupid stupid squid.

SKETCH#022

2009-02-17T00:11:00.002-07:00

X-man 7/8

VEGAS

2009-02-17T00:07:00.006-07:00

Taking off for 2 days to do recon at MAGIC fashion and apparel trade show. By this time tomorrow I should be up 50k. By this time next week I should be retired. C'mon black!

SKETCH#021

2009-02-16T01:10:00.006-07:00

Variations on an idea.

SKETCH#020

2009-02-15T15:53:00.007-07:00

When I sit with paper and pencil, and no ideas, this is what comes out of me. Little shape driven character doodles. I could cover the world in this stuff. Easy.

SKETCH#019

2009-02-15T15:34:00.006-07:00

Little birdies lookin' hard.

SKETCH#018

2009-02-15T15:19:00.004-07:00

Gotta make some quick ones to catch up. Guess which part was drawn first... Nope. Bottom right cloud.

SKETCH#017

2009-02-12T22:32:00.004-07:00

OK, I have a super nerdy question, but I guarantee the purists among us have an opinion on this. The little metal pieces on Mr. Snikty Snikty Snarr's hands, do we like them? I always used to draw them as a kid, but I'm not sure I like them always. I assume they're intended to stay implanted in the skin so he doesn't cut himself every time the claws come out. But he doesn't wear them unless he's in uniform? Didn't he have them when he escaped from Weapon X? My comic book knowledge is rusty these days. Vote for implants, nothing or for a redesign of Wolvie's claw implants.

X-man 6/8

SKETCH#016

2009-02-11T21:25:00.011-07:00

Finished the Nightcrawler sketch! The group shot is coming together. 3 character drawings to go, 7 finishes.

SKETCH#015

2009-02-10T00:55:00.003-07:00

Another one from the sushi place.

SKETCH#014

2009-02-10T00:52:00.013-07:00

I found this really tucked away sushi joint in Brekenridge this weekend. Run by this chef that had covered the place in crafty cabin fishing paraphernalia. He was reading a flyfishing book when he wasn't cutting fish. I imagine he never stops thinking about fish.

His work... after I stuck my face in it.

SKETCH#013

2009-02-02T21:47:00.003-07:00

It's Groundhog Day, the most worthless American holiday of all time. Did anyone see the groundhog today? I think this was what was going through his mind.

SKETCH#012

2009-02-01T23:13:00.004-07:00

X-Man 5/8

SKETCH#011

2009-02-01T23:09:00.004-07:00

X-Man 4/8

SKETCH#010

2009-01-31T05:01:00.005-07:00

I missed a day this week, but I've been drawing my ass off I promise.

SKETCH#009

2009-01-30T00:11:00.006-07:00

I intended to redesign The Dazzler, but it started looking like someone else. Then I realized that Jubilee is just a rebranded Dazzler, playing the rebellious youth character that the demographic is supposed to relate to. Then I wondered how I've gone this long without realizing that, and then I realized I have better things to think about. This might require a redraw.

X-man 3/8

SKETCH#008

2009-01-28T22:34:00.004-07:00

A quick study of James Jean's "Fables" covers. Turns out I can draw better just sitting in the same room as a James Jean book. Damn his effortless awesomeness.

SKETCH#007

2009-01-27T23:56:00.004-07:00

X-man 2/8

SKETCH#006

2009-01-26T22:44:00.003-07:00

I'm starting on a logo tonight for a startup clothing company, so I'm drawing out of Shannon's magazines to get in the fashion mindset. Anyone have any recommendations for some horrible booty house music? That might help too.

SKETCH#005

2009-01-25T23:49:00.006-07:00

Art Spiegelman spoke at CU today, giving a lecture on the history of comic books. It was a great talk, and great fun listening to one of the names amongst names give his unique perspective on comics. He acknowledged that he's considered the father of the graphic novel, but modestly added that there's a DNA test pending. Hilarious. My sketch today is a quick study of Spiegelman's characters from the Pulitzer winning MAUS.

SKETCH#004

2009-01-24T00:03:00.006-07:00

BAMF!

SKETCH#003

2009-01-23T23:25:00.004-07:00

Guess what I'm watching.

I'm sorry, the correct answer is Ghoulies 2. See, these are the brainfarts I was talking about.

HOPE

2009-01-22T08:35:00.006-07:00

This has been a great week watching Obama's inauguration and first moves as President. It's been quite a journey watching him go from "Hey, why can't I vote for THAT guy?!" in 2004 to now President Barack Hussein Obama. My highlight of this odyssey was definitely the Democratic National Convention, where I had the good fortune of seeing Obama's big speech and participating in the Manifest Hope Show. This was Shannon and my contribution to a truly humbling event. We were pretty determined to not do another Obama portrait, but I think I smell an Obama flavored sketch coming on...

SKETCH#002

2009-01-22T01:07:00.003-07:00

Yoshihiro Takayama

2009-01-21T01:57:00.016-07:00

This is a promo illustration I just finished, working out a relatively new technique and commemorating the legendary slugfest between Don Frye and "The Hawtness" Yoshihiro Takayama in Pride. Just watch the first minute of this fight and tell me it's not awesome.

SKETCH#001

2009-01-21T01:43:00.015-07:00

Iron Man by request of Patrick Combs

Sketch-A-Day Challenge

2009-01-20T16:14:00.008-07:00

My buddy and illustrator extraordinaire Thom Glick has invited me to partake in his daunting Sketch-A-Day Challenge. So in 2009 I'll be doing my best to post daily with oven fresh sketches, technique studies, brainfarts, and random tidbits that might have never seen the light of day. I'm really hoping to sharpen my skills and learn through this process, and also to have a venue for all the half-ideas and progress shots I'd never normally post on Joyengine. This is solely a device for my experimentation and growth as an artist, so please don't be shy and give some feedback! Thanks!