New Series

These are two digital illustrations from a series I recently did for a close friend of mine. I used the tree as a metaphor for life and the struggles we face and overcome within our lives.

The first one is entitled Heart and is meant to symbolize that although we might look the same on the surface what happens under the surface helps define who we are as a person.

The second piece is entitled Endurance and it is meant to symbolize that no matter what happens in the world around us we will remain strong.

Another Quick Oil

This is another oil painting that I recently did of Little Corona. I wanted to create a cool mood so I started the painting with a purple background and worked with a limited palette.

Sketching from Movie

I am always drawing and sometimes I draw while watching movies. This is a page from my sketchbook that I drew while watching the movie Flyboys.

Vespa for Italy Series

One more digital illustration for the Italy series I am working on. I am trying to deal more with texture and light within the pieces.

Sport Sketches

I have had a lot of requests to put up more of my sketches from my sketchbook on my blog, so I put these two pages together. I love sports and I wanted to capture the weight and motion of these sports through quick line gestures. I just finished another sketchbook and I am currently scanning images and look forward to posting more.

quick oil painting

I have been working more and more with oils and traditional media. This was a quick oil painting I did yesterday that took about and hour and a half. I was focusing on light and color relationships.

Smart Car for Italy series

This is another illustration for my Italy series. I always saw the smart car in magazines and I finally saw one in Rome. I had to do an illustration of it for my Italy series.

Fun Drive

I recently went to Yosemite for the first time with my family. Driving through the park in my brother in-law's Subaru was so much fun I had to return the favor and do this illustration for him.

Digital Illustration for Italy Series

This is another digital illustration for the Italy series I am working on. It was a challenge to try and attain the texture of the wall without it taking away from or overpowering the bicycle.

More Oils

These are some more quick figure studies in oil. The poses are short and quick allowing me to stay loose and gestural with the paint.

Italy Series

These are two digital illustrations from a series I just started recording my recent travels to Italy. I wanted to capture the essence of the italian culture. There are many more illustrations in the works for this series.

Quick Figure Studies in Oil

These are some quick figure studies I did recently using oils. The poses are quick usually between ten or fifteen minutes. I wanted to expand on my figure work and try a new medium besides charcoal and pen.

Portrait Commission

I have had a lot of interest in portraits recently. I feel honored that clients trust me to capture the look and personality of the subject. Many more to come.

Best Friends

I just finished this drawing for a belated birthday gift for one of my good friends. I am always honored to see how much these drawings mean to my friends and clients. It is such a pleasure to give something to someone that they can cherish for years to come.

Zamboni Transformer

Below are the first drafts for an illustration of a Zamboni Transformer. Since a kid I have always been amazed by the Zamboni, and growing up with the toys as well as the televison show I have always been a fan of Transformers. After watching the movie, I came up with this idea. I wanted the Zamboni to resemble a ice hockey goalie and have the parts of the zam appear like goalie equipment.



I still want to add some more detail and parts to this one. I will render and digitally paint it once I am happy with drawing.



This is the first attempt of the concept. With projects like this one I will do multiple drafts adding and subtracting aspects until I reach a drawing that I want to take to completion. I wanted to show a little of my process and how I like to work.

Sketch from Florence

This is one of the sketches I did while in Florence. This sculpture is right outside the Uffizi Gallery.

Ducks win the cup!

These are some quick gesture studies I did while watching the hockey playoffs. I missed the finals when I was out of the country, but the Ducks finally took home the cup! Go Ducks!

Back from Italy!

I just got back from the most amazing trip to Italy. I went with a great group of artists and friends. I am still in shock that I was there and saw such amazing art first hand. Many updates to come!

Commission

Just finished this commission. I love doing family portraits it enables me to give the client something they will cherish forever.

Wacky Wedding!

I recently did this piece for a competition. The theme was Wacky Wedding. I wanted to do something funny and put a twist on an old story.

My Work Space

I was sketching and I decided to draw my workspace. Within the drawing you will see some of my favorite things like my old hockey jersey and my new snowboard! I liked the drawing so I took it to the next level and painted it in painter.





This is the original drawing that inspired the painting above.

Hidden Tracks

In this background I wanted to establish a mood along with the illustration. I had the idea of tire tracks going through ruins of what was once a beautiful place.

Cemetary

I wanted to do a background that was a little scary. So I came up with this illustration of a crumbling cemetary with a haunted castle above it.

More Digital Paintings

Just finished these two pieces. I have always loved snowboarding and I finally got around to doing an illustration of my favorite hobby. I also have a love for cars and thought it would be interesting to put a couple of my favorite cars together.

wedding gifts

I finished these drawings awhile back, but i couldn't post till now because they are wedding gifts for friends that just got married today.

environment paintings

I had a lot of fun with these pieces. I started with the one on the left using the sketch in the previous post. Then I wanted to develop an underwater sea lab and have the two pieces work together as one and also individually. I choose for some lines and compositional elements to relate to each other while I also wanted variety in color. I wanted the rainforest to be warm and the sea lab to be cooler. Since the two are so different in relation of concept and overall appearance I wanted to find a way to bring them together.

I'm back!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, I have been ill. I have still been working on numerous projects. This is a sketch of a background that I am going to paint in painter. It is an environment study of a rainforest colony.

Apples!

I wanted to explore different mediums within the painter program. I painted these apple studies with different media to help train myself on the software.

Experimenting with watercolor

Lately I have wanted to branch out and learn new mediums that I haven't used before. These are some quick watercolor studies i did to help me understand and control the medium.



On these sky studies I wanted to focus on light and mood. These samples are my first attempt at watercolor.



I also wanted to play with textures within the watercolor media. Starting from the top, I investigated: wood, marble, and finally rust. These were just a few of the many studies I am doing to help teach myself a new medium.

Commission Thursday

I have received a lot of good feedback in regards to my blog. This has in turn led to more freelance work. This was a fun piece for me to do because I worked in reverse. I worked light to dark on toned paper instead of dark to light. I was really intrigued by the subject’s eyes and wanted to make them a focal point while she is gazing directly at the viewer.

Character Illustrations

A nerdy spy that is a cross between James Bond and Napolean Dynamite. I added the Bond girl and car for fun.



An old western law man that still commands respect.



A young boy that enjoys dressing up as a superhero using household items for his costume.

Sketches

I was scanning art from my sketchbooks today and I composed these two pages in photoshop. I love sketching and I try to finish a sketchbook every month.

Callie

One of my good friends brought a beautiful young girl into the world named Callie. I promised her a long time ago I would draw Callie for her and I am finally getting around to it.

Togo!

Just finished this commission. The client had recently lost her dog Togo and wanted a piece to remember him by. I really enjoyed this piece it was my first pet painting in painter. I'm glad I was able to give the client a lasting memory of her dear friend.

Swedish Folk Tales Continued

More folk tale illustrations from the Series.