Family Tree Final and Happy Father's Day

The final piece for my Father-in-law in ink and acrylic. He gave me a sketch and I came up with this design from it. I wanted to keep it more graphic and simple, staying away from realism. The drawing and inking portion actually took more time than the painting. It's usually the other way around for me. There was a lot of spontaneity involved which is the best thing that happens during the creative process. Thanks to openimagestudio for photographing.
After the fixative, some inking and a couple acrylic layers.
Frame close up shot. I decided to do the framing myself as a gift for my Father-in-law. I found a frame that fit the piece perfectly.

The framed piece with my Father-in-law. I'm satisfied with the outcome and I'm glad he enjoys it. Happy Father's Day!

Side Projects & Typography

One of my side projects I'm currently working on is a Family Tree for my Father-in-law. This has actually been a nice break from my paintings. I decided to break out some very old reference sheets for the lettering. Back in College I had a Typography class where we did everything by hand, yes....by hand. I don't even know if they still teach classes like that anymore or if it's all computerized. Whatever the case may be, I found that it's a good exercise. You develop an appreciation and respect for the art. I wasn't trying to be extremely precise like the college days. It's good to loosen up. After triple checking my spelling with my wife on over 100 names, I'll be inking this in before using acrylic paint to finish.

I have this piece and a tattoo design as far as side projects go. After that, I'll be using most of the time I have towards my science fiction fantasy portfolio so I can acquire freelance jobs. A family portrait here, a tattoo there, a logo here, etc. It all adds up so I'll be finished with side projects for friends and family for a very long time unless of course it fits in my current portfolio project and the budget works :-) Stay tuned for a post of the final piece in the near future.

"Trance" Framed

A couple photos of the frame work I completed last week for one of my portfolio pieces. I cut the matte and bought the frame without glass and backing. It will remain without glass. I decided to use black foam core for the back, using a staple gun at an angle to secure it all in place. The $70.00 frame was on sale and I also had a coupon. Framing can easily get very expensive depending on what you're looking for. Preparing it myself saved me money. I'm satisfied with the look.

"Eowyn and the Nazgul" 15" x 20" Acrylic/Oil

The Final drawing before some changes during the painting process.
The final painting for The ArtOrder Challenge depicting a scene from the Lord of the Rings. Acrylic/Oil on gessoed illustration board. This is my personal vision although it would be a lie to say I wasn't influenced by the movie and past paintings of this scene by other artists. It was definitely an intense challenge with the time frame, adjustment issues during the painting process and everyday life but I'm happy with the results. I photographed reference for the Nazgul and Eowyn. I adjusted the weird tangent between Eowyn's hand and the frame(which I noticed deep into the process) with a spontaneous angled tree. Unfortunately I only had time to use my kneaded eraser for the beast reference (head wings and neck). It gave me enough information to work from. I had the most fun with the spontaneous marble frame, the sparks from the slashing sword, the dirt flying off the mace and a few other areas.

There are so many talented artist submitting to this challenge and I wish them all the best. Thanks to Tolkien, all the artists involved, judges, Jon Schindehette for creating this challenge and Openimagestudio for photographing my piece. Hope you all enjoy it!

Eowyn and the Nazgul challenge

I'll keep this short and sweet. After reading Jon Schindehette's blog post I felt I had no choice but to join in. I've been up past 2 am for the last 10 days sketching, drawing, painting and letting my other piece sit on the side for a bit until I complete this new painting. It will be my first ArtOrder Blog challenge. Since I've been working on building up my portfolio it'll be a nice addition and certainly a challenge! I'll post the final drawing and painting in May. Please read the details on Jon's blog here.

Character Sketch part 2 (Before & After)

Yesterday I posted info about the left photo. Today I made some minor adjustments to the sketch. There's leather padding under the armor wrapping around and extending to the upper arm. Some of it will be showing through the metal. He now has a bigger jewel on his helmet, bottom tooth showing, 3 piercings in his ear, 1 behind his eye and a few leather straps in his hair. Every little detail helps to make a character really stand out. I never do separate character studies before the final piece but I think it'll pay off in the end. As I mentioned in my last post, he'll be accompanied by a warrior elf on the final.

Both beings of light are fleeing from a suffocating structure that they magically set ablaze in some far off land. They're attempting to drown a corrupt system overflowing with riches, a darkness where love is sleeping and evil has no bounds. Shadow lords threaten to control every inch of their lives, their world. With shielded hearts the ones of light unfold and begin the ultimate domino effect, setting in motion a breath as light as a moth that pervades their Universe and our very own. Evil is in repose for evermore and Love reawakens, forgetting nightmares and burying heavy eyes.

Character Sketch 8" x 10"

Working out this character sketch for my next painting/portfolio piece. Spent a couple hours trying to figure it out and I'm still working at it. He'll be running alongside a blade wielding warrior elf chick on the final. I'll probably make the armor more intricate and do some minor adjustments either on this sketch or right on the final. The hair's beginning to bug me a bit. Thought I'd share the progress.