Sloppy with Paint

I love thickly textured paintings. I painted this pig with pallette knives and acrylic. I do like the sloppy look of it. (It is a pig after all!)

I used this painting to create this cd cover

I have plenty of clothes covered in paint and my basement floor is turning into a pretty cool abstract piece.

Here's a picture of my basement floor where I paint.

My kids have had a huge effect on my artwork. Seeing some awesome creativity in picture books and animation has shifted my work towards a more character oriented and illustrative style. Sometimes I wish I had focused on this earlier, but I've found great use for all of those old abstracts as texture and background. (See previous post.) And there's still nothing more relaxing than a beer, headphones, and being sloppy with paint.

Speaking of pigs, music, and the influence of children's media:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l33g5jn7p18

Texture and Color with Alan and Gary

"This is a bumpy wall," said Gary.

"It sure is," said Alan. "Let's touch it."

"Hey Alan, Did you ever notice that we look exactly the same?"

"Nope."
"Sure is a bumpy wall though, huh?"

Over the past year or so I've been experimenting with some art programs. They are alot of fun but frustrating as well. I'm sure that I end up doing way more work than I need to to get the effect I'm looking for. I wish there was a way to just tell the computer what I want to do, and it be able to show me the steps. Through books, podcasts, and the internet, I'm slowly getting more of an understanding on how these programs work. I'm sure the best thing to do is just spend as much time as possible playing around with them.

I have been digitally combining some acrylic abstract paintings with some of my sketches. It's a common technique to bury subtle textures in Photoshop and Painter. I'm not subtle. I finally found a place to show off my abstracts! Here's what was used to make Alan and Gary.

Reptoid Just Ate A Turtle

Why does this guy look so happy? He just ate a turtle...caramel, chocolate, pecans...delicious. He also eats people. Putting your head in his mouth is just asking for trouble.

I was bitten last night. I thought The Boy (aka Super Shrimp) was coming in for a kiss, but he went for my nose. His one tooth got me on the spot right between my nostrils. Laughing in pain. Miss O went on a bike ride. She needs a bigger bike. Her little legs were whirling like a Hanna Barbara cartoon.

I finally joined Conceptart.org after years of admiring the work up there. I've never been on any forums before so it's a learning process. The talent there is awesome and I'm hoping to make some connections and learn a thing or two. I also posted some work at deviantART.com. I've had some really nice comments over there already and I plan on responding some time today. If you want to check out some of my work, I post under the name Crustibian.

The Call of Toothhead

Toothhead roars from the highest ridge he can find. He wakes up the wildlife of The Forgotten Forest. They have to stay alert. Toothhead is hungry.


Our very own Gumhead is becoming a Toothhead. One so far, several on the verge of breaking through. He was not a very happy chomper around 3:30 last night. Let's see how much coffee I can drink today.


I've been researching some ways artists are using the internet to display their artwork and promote themselves. I think I will use this blog as a record of the successes and failures in beginning freelance illustration. I'm starting with NO experience, NO connections, and little time (full time job, full time dad). Maybe down the road, someone with similar circumstances can learn from what does and doesn't work for me. Will I live the dream? Stay tuned for all the excitement you can stand.

Why blog?

These have been piling up in my basement over the last few years. I hope that by posting regularly I will stay motivated to keep creating and eventually make some kind of living doing what I love. Also, monsters rule!