September and October

Its amazing quite how quickly time slips through your fingers when you are feeling neck deep in projects and the turmoil of your final year of education has begun.

So far this semester I've particularly enjoyed the "Painting for Illustrators" course that has been offered. The more I paint the more I realize that I can paint quickly enough for majors projects to be done in a more traditional media than just purely digital, although that love affair will never end.

This semester appears to be dedicated to my depictions of monsters and deities  I cannot escape their grip for some odd reason. Here is a smattering of what I've been up to:

These two are from my Character Design course, I had to drop it due to an already heavy work load from the 5 other courses I needed to pass, it was fun while it lasted. We had to design a pixel sprite and extrapolate outward into other things.

 These gems come from illustrating a Monster definition of "Krampus", The vignette could be dropped into any old format and the full image could be a full page illustration. This semesters emphasis is on "context".

We even got to do an assignment based around the Hobbit Movie competition. In hindsight there is a lot more I could have done with dear 'ole Smaug, here.

The image on the left was done in conjunction with defining Horror Illustration, while the illustration on the right was done for this months Coast City Comics gallery theme "Eye of the Beholder; A dungeons and Dragons Art Show". It is an illustration of the current character I am playing a campaign through with, she is called Gull, a Tiefling Warlock, pretty enjoyable. 

Currently I am working on my business cards as well, alongside a poster illustration for Stephen King's "The Stand". I enjoyed the use of flat textures and colors in "The Hookman" so I wanted to try again (below).

Halloween came and passed recently, and it was impossible to pass up an opportunity for costumery, here is what I managed to make

Just after completion

Test Drive

All complete!

Its an Oni Costume, hopefully for the future I can add some ears, clawed hands and perhaps more appropriate clothing, I was dressed basically as pirate or gypsy of some sort but with an odd mask.

Too bad its hard to see and breathe in that mask!

Unfortunately I couldn't wear my glasses with it and Halloween was far warmer than I thought it would be,  take off the mask, add a crown of flowers and boom! Instant Gypsy Ghoul or Sugar Skull. The painting you see to my right is a preview of the next update; Paintings etc!

Spring Finals

Sorry for the hiatus, the Spring semester swept me up and into its arms without so much as a moments notice. Several projects happening. Luckily since it is the end of the semester we are given more self directed projects. Here are a few process photos, taken quickly with my webcam. Hey, they are just process photos ;)

First of my cut paper monsters, more of a "what I learned" kind of piece.

Second try! I figured I should just make my own Collage pieces rather than hope that everything will fall into place. Paper craft, meet illustration.

Getting closer to final, needs some clouds and a final texture over lay. So much for a Matte Medium being matte...jeeze.

A quick piece I'm working on for Pinecone & Chickadees Monster Show. Starting on May 4th at Portland's monthly First Friday Art-walk.

And a sketch for a "secret" project in my illustration course. This one probably won't be used, I have two other directions to explore this week before I come back to this Dapper..thing.

I've also completed all of my forms and applications for either a semester abroad in Ballyvaughan Ireland at Burren School of Art or for the one month summer intensive offered there. Perhaps with a little post-intensive wandering. I do hope I get in, but lets keep a leveled head and not dreams, difficult! The Burren is beautiful, fields, agriculture and art in a historical setting and with the chance to get to some of the most famous museums.