Banshee

The banshee has the appearance of a young woman. It is sickly thin creature and it’s pale skin is nearly translucent. The banshee has a long skinny neck and long, boney arms and legs. It wears a raggedy, tattered dress. The long reddish-brown hair blows constantly even in the calmest air. The banshee fades in and out of sight as it roams the countryside, it's head down and stricken with grief.

One may feel pity for this poor, pathetic creature. Until they hear it scream. The banshee’s scream can be heard, usually following a death, from over ten miles away. Imagine a crow’s call, a bagpipe, and a screaming woman combined at ear-splitting decibels and you'll have an idea of how terrifying the banshee's call sounds .


To actually see a banshee in mid-scream is horrifying. It’s hair stands straight out from the head. It’s skeleton seems to almost glow through the pale skin. The sunken eyes flash an eerie yellow and it’s jaw drops allowing the gaping mouth to open incredibly wide. The banshee’s whole body locks into a rigor mortis curl through-out the scream.

Hang In There, Tarzan

Cthulhu (When You Love Something, Use It Over & Over Again)

One great thing about digital technology and easy access to great art programs, is the ability to reuse an image for multiple projects. So far, I've used Cthulhu (above)for a poster, blog posts, and a T-shirt.

All these were created from the ink sketch to the left below. I used Microns on a slick brochure paper. I like using this paper because the ink glides smoothly on it, but it also will smear if I'm not careful! Then I scanned it into my computer and experimented with a couple color fills.

I added a background and text for a gig poster. The above picture is the poster without copy.

I also separated his head to make the "Crafty" t-shirt (below)which is a reference to HP Lovecraft, who (I'm sure you know) is the man behind the Cthulhu mythos.

I don't feel like I'm "cheating" by reusing the same work in different projects. Technology has given artists more options and a speedy way to copy their work, but some initial skill is still required. A sketch of a stick person scanned into photoshop, won't print out a t-shirt with a caricature of Mick Jagger. So, I say if you like something, use it wherever you can. Where will Cthulhu pop up next? Maybe on an oven mitt or a shower curtain, or maybe on something at a time you'll least expect it. Bwaahh Ha Ha Haaa!

Sketch Book 4

Thanking the Computer

I still love to get out real paints, pencils, inks, etc., but I've found computers to be incredibly helpful with my artwork. These are three of the greatest benefits of working digitally:

#1 Time Saver! When I sketched the little guy above, I didn't know what color he would be. I scanned the sketch into a vector program (FlexiExpert in this case) and started experimenting with color fills. Sketching, scanning, coloring, and uploading to this blog took less than 15 minutes. This is a quick way to see what direction I want to take.

#2 Ultimate Eraser Some artists argue that computers steal all the "happy accidents" that happen while working with traditional media. I can agree with that, but I've had plenty of "happy accidents" using the computer as well. I have had "Unhappy accidents" using traditional paints, inks, etc. that have completely ruined a piece (sometimes 3 or 4 hours into a project!). I am a fan of the undo button.

#3 Easy Access to multiple projects. I have a fairly large library of original sketches and paintings in my computer. They are at all different levels of completion. Having most of my work digitized allows me to access it for things like online portfolios, this blog, and hundreds of other digital applications. I can pull them into various programs as reference or as an actual part of a project. I often use my original abstract paintings to give my digital work a more organic/handmade look. For example, I think the little guy above looks good in red. I looked through my digital library of abstracts for some red areas and then combine them with the sketch using the mask tool. From this point, I could open one or more of these little guys into Photoshop or Painter and add some shadows and highlights or play around with some of the other great tools and tricks in those programs. Sometimes it's the subtlest variation that makes a piece work. Computers allow me to experiment without destroying the piece in the process.

Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs rank pretty high on my list of cool things. No, I'm not 8.

I was flipping through some old sketchbooks from high school that my mom found at her house. There were dozens of dinosaur scenes that were pretty bad. I like these five, though. I think they represent a transitional time in my artwork. I was beginning to understand composition, lighting and shading, and narrative. I was starting to create things just because I wanted to see them.

I miss being able to sketch and doodle all day, which is how I spent my high school and college days. I think it's easier for some people to absorb information with the left side of their brain while their right side is engaged. Thankfully, some educators understand that. I still try to sketch when I can, but it was much easier when I was able to sit at a desk for 6 or 7 hours every day.

Sketch Book III

Okapi Craving M&Ms

Give me M&M's or I'll blow up your planet!

My wife has been calling our kids "Bumper" and "Bruiser" lately. Great names! Anyways, Bruiser is home sick today so Ma and Pa are each working half a day. I'm taking Bruiser into the doctor this afternoon. And then hopefully he'll take a long nap and I'll get an extra hour or so to work on the Forgotten Wildlife poster.

I think I'll start with the Crowned Quib.

Here are some old sketches. I'll need some good photo references as well. I'm thinking okapi.

The Big Creature Feature

I am starting a project that I've wanted to do for a long time. It's a Forgotten Wildlife character poster. I am going to create each creature separately so they can be used in various other projects. A simplified cartoon style will transfer easily between different programs, projects, and media. I will post my progress intermittently and show some techniques and processes along the way. This will take a while, but I hope you enjoy watching the poster fill in over the next few months. This is a work in progress, so any advice, observations, or comments along the way can help make this a stronger piece.