I Have A Real Job!

Big News! Way back in November, I applied for a Think Tank internship with Disney Interactive Studios, and to my surprise, they called me for an interview. Fast forward a week, and I have accepted their offer! That means moving to L.A., finding and apartment, getting a car, and starting work all before Jan. 14. Very exciting...and extremely scary!

Scarecrow

Just a little something I did on my day off. I want to do the rest, to start a children's portfolio. All cut paper, with some inspiration for Mary Blaire. What do you think?

Snow Day

Last night was the first day it has actually snowed and stayed. So this is what I woke up to this morning. 6.5 inches of snow. So lucky me, I got to shovel the walk before I left for work. But at least it's pretty.

The Chef

Howdy! So this is the first Illustration I've done in a while. But I have been feeling motivated since my trip to Minneapolis, so here we go. I was thinking about a children's cooking book, something in the realm on Richard Scarry, where everything is labeled. Enjoy.

Happy All Saints Day!

Well, I hope everyone had a good Halloween, that is if you weren't working on projects or anything. Haven't gotten around to doing anything finished, so here is more sketchbook stuff. I won't try to pass it off as character design, because Lizbeth is right, there is no experimenting and exageration, just sketches my pencil drew. Just some super heros, trick-or-treaters, scary houses, dragons, and thumbnails for my next project (hopefully). What do you think?

Compare And Contrast - Hephaestus

So one of the first things I did when I returned to Montana was work on building my portfolio. Sterling and I talked and agreed that some of my previous illustrations had potential, but needed work. So here is the first one, Hephaestus. I really like the drawing on this, and felt it was a good image, but the values were holding it back. So after working on it a little, what do you guys think of the new and improved(?) Hephaestus?

*UPDATE* So thanks to John, I figured out what was wrong with my file. Stupid CMYK/RGB settings. Now you can really see how bad and washed out the original was.

How Long Has It Been?

So yeah, it is now October 22, and my last post was in September, almost a month ago. It's not that I haven't been working, but it's difficult working full time, and then having the extra energy to post sketches and stuff. But here is some stuff I made to go on my website (which I am completely redesigning). Just some sketchbook stuff and random doodles.

Compare And Contrast - Brer Rabbit

So, I have no idea how/why my first Hephasteus image got all messed up? It somehow inversed the color, or something, and I tried many times and couldn't figure out how to fix it. But rest assured, the first image was worse than the original. Now he second illustration I worked on while I was home was Brer Rabbit. I started the image at the Illustration Academy '06, and liked the composition and design of the briar patch, but once again value was an issue. So I fixed it, what do you think?

"Can I help you find something?"

So, it has finally happened. I decided to get a part time job while I start my freelance illustration career, and today was my first day as an official employee at...Target. Needing money and getting a little stir crazy being stuck in my house all day, I decided to find a job. I applied to many stores, from the mall (Express; Barnes And Noble; etc) to Michaels to some local design studio. But Target was the first to offer, and it seems decent enough. So today, I had the pleasure of standing for six hours straight and learn how to be a Target cashier, EXCITING! It was unique to say the least. I handled everything from cash, check and credit card to condoms, bra and panties, and dog Halloween costumes. We had a homeless man trying to get a ride outside the store, and shoplifters who tried to steal a duffle bag filled with 6 or 7 game systems. So lets see if the next few weeks will be as entertaining. I do have Monday and Tuesday off, so hopefully I will be productive art wise and finish my most recent illustration.

Illustration Academy, Part 2, Side B

So here are the rest of the finished pieces from this year’s academy. The first is Bill Cosby, Anita Kunz's conceptual portrait assignment. I really think this is the best piece I did this summer, and is the general direction I want to take my work. The next is Doug Chayka and Jenny Kostecki's assignment, Pinocchio. It was formatted to be a two-page spread from Chapter 3. The final image is Mark English's assignment, where we had to go back and use only one value to describe things, and it had to be set in a restaurant/ cafe. I think this summer I really found out what work I really want to do, and in a round about way, how to do it. I just want to give a shout out to everyone that helped me this summer, especially Miller and all of CJ2, the instructors, and pretty much everyone else. Thanks for all the help.

Illustration Academy, Part 2, Side A

This summer, I went to the Illustration Academy for the second time, and it was amazing. It was completely different from last year, but still worth every second of it. Here are the first three assignments, each given by a different visiting artist. The first is "Slice of Life: Sarasota", given by the four instructors. The objective was to focus on shape, value and composition, so I used painted cut paper. The second is Chris Payne's assignment "Celebrity Portrait". The image had to be appropriate for the New York Times' Book Review, and had to focus on likeness, I chose Rudyard Kipling. The third piece is "Blue", given to us by Gary Kelley. I actually redid this assignment over lecture week because the first was horrific, if not a learning experience. It is based of "Devil in the Blue Dress", or in this case, "Devil not in her Blue Dress". 

Senior Thesis

So, from January to May, my life was consumed by my senior project. I decided to make a comic book, allowing me in illustrate, design, layout, and character design all at once. Here is the cover and the first four pages. If you want to see more, or order a copy (they are printed), just e-mail me.

In the beginning....

Welcome. This is an attempt to get back in touch with normal society. We'll see how well this goes, and if I can maintain the challenge of posting regularly.