Tutorial: Perfectly Selecting Blackline Artwork

This is a quick little tutorial I made for my illustration class. First time I've had a go with iMovie -- and it was a pretty pleasant experience. Always weird to hear your own voice though. This is a technique I've been using for years in my illustrations.

Characters: People Who Sat Still

A collection of sketches made while waiting. These people were kind enough to sit still long enough for me to grab a likeness. (Bless 'em!)

Portrait: Charlie Sheen

This is a new project for my illustration class.
The idea is to choose a celebrity and after researching him or her assign keywords that will determine how the viewer responds to the finished art. Not one to ask my students to do something I wouldn't, here is my interpretation of Charlie Sheen (circa spring 2011). My keywords were: "Manaical, Self Involved, Dangerous"

Here is the process I used to arrive at the finished piece:

I researched a bunch of photos of Charlie Sheen and chose one that had a single light source and strong cast shadows.
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Adjusted the photo so that it was more contrasty and the shapes that made up the features were clearer.
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The original photo did not have the feel/keywords I wanted so I modified his face to look more like the photos of Charlie Sheen when he was at his most volatile.
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Redrew the light and dark shapes so they could be transferred to watercolor paper
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Created and ink wash of painting of the photo, being conscious to use the brush to create quick angular strokes that would reinforce my keywords.
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I wanted to add a second element that would further reinforce my keywords and decided on the "catchphrases" Charlie would endlessly spout during this period. Again, actively using a mark making style that would suggest a person coming unhinged.
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The two pieces were composited digitally and this is the end result.
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What's really fun about this process is that you can easily substitute other equally compelling images to achieve a similar effect.

Ice Rink Sketches

Went to the local ice rink with a bunch of other illustrators this morning to do some sketchin'.
Very different from figure drawing in the studio -- mostly in that these little ones didn't sit still for more than a couple seconds. Gotta' grab that pose quickly!

Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

I've been playing around with new ways to use my images (They're not just for books 'ya know!)
And spent the last couple weeks trying them out as wooden jigsaw puzzles. The cool kind, that were popular in the 1920's. This is one of the early efforts. Pretty happy with how it turned out. This is a 48 piece puzzle. Going to go for a 100 piece one next!!

Portraits: Visitors

With the holidays we had a number of house guests over. These are a couple of the younger ones who were good enough to sit still while I sketched 'em.