him

Watercolor This was drastically different from my usual stuff and lots of fun. I’m thinking of painting a few more cards to match in the same style but featuring different scenes. We shall see what pops out of my brush

preety much drawing of nine tails lol~

These Marshmallows are hiking out of the camp when these fire dudes come parachuting down on them trying to ruin their camping experience. What will happen to these Marshmallows? Acrylic on wood board about 22 x 28 inches.

Pencil with digital color. This is character development for a book + coloring book I'm working on. Reed is also my mascot for the time being. Patreon link to the project is in my profile.

Did you ever have a page in your sketchbook that was so bad and so embarrassing that you tore it out and chucked it? This was one of those pages that made me cringed every time I came to it. So today I said to myself, "ENOUGH!" and ripped it out of my moleskine. But something wouldn't let me throw it in the can. Now, I'm not one of those artists that can't bring himself to throw away any of his stuff because each and every piece, good or bad holds some kind of sentimentality or sense of importance. This particular page was a result of a crappy angst filled day and stuff poured out of me. For some reason, it felt like I was throwing away some piece of my soul. There were parts that were overworked and others that were painfully too personal. So I decided to cut it up and put it back together in no particular order, however it seemed best. As I was pasting the pieces down it occurred to me that this had a comic book feel so I scanned the final and added the black borders in photoshop which I really dug. I like that it is cryptic and jumbled up like my brain can so often be. This reminded me of the awesome @johnhendrix who said something in his book, Drawing Is Magic that stuck with me. He said, "Don't worry about doing anything wrong. If you're hoping your sketchbook turns into a glossy display of only your best drawings, you are not carrying a sketchbook, you are carrying a portfolio." In other words, explore, take chances, loosen up and have fun. Try your best to go at it like an uninhibited child. In so doing, you will stretch as an artist by avoiding repetition and predictability. We all know how to do what we already know. To sum up, I created a bad page, and whether or not I was able to fix it, it expanded me. So, follow your pencil, pen, or whatever and let them take you to places you never imagined when you started. Then, maybe you will end up staring happily at the final and with childlike wonder, say, "man, where did that come from?"

The Owl & the pussycat black & white line illustration fro the poem by Edward Leah.

A vibrant snail with a spiral shell is depicted in bright, contrasting colors, highlighting the snail’s lively hues.

Riding into the summer

Completed this commission for a couple in Bristol, inspired by their favourite park Arnos Vale

BEING GREEDY CHOKES ANANSI From Favorite Folktales around the world by Jane Yolen. One time, Anansi lived in a country that had a queen who was also a witch. And she decreed that whoever used the word five would fall down dead, because that was her secret name, and she didn’t want anyone using it. Now, Buh Anansi was a clever fellow, and a hungry one too. Things were especially bad because there was a famine, so Anansi made a little house for himself by the side of the river near where everyone came to get water. And when anybody came to get water, he would call out to them, “I beg you to tell me how many yam hills I have here. I can’t count very well.” So, one by one he thought they would come up and say, “One, two, three, four, five,” and they would fall down dead. Then Anansi would take them and corn them in his barrel and eat them, and that way he would have lots of food in hungry times and in times of plenty.

I was looking at what Pixabay might offer as inspiration, and found this fish. Perfect for a ballpoint pen drawing. The incompleted drawing in the second photo was taken before the final "glaze" of little scribbles of turquoise pen across almost the whole surface. It was a happy accident that made for a shimmery, iridescent fishy quality.

DAY OF THE DEAD SKI MASK #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #skimask #nails #longnails #drawing #sketch #sketching #blackandwhite #grey #shading #art #artist # smoke #smoking #eyes #makeup #lips #biglips #pencil #piercings #cross #freckles #beauty #face #profile #look #aesthetic #sketchbook

Couple drawings of marshmallows and the S'more bunch for Inktober. Hopefully some will become paintings.

Where do I begin with this one? This is a drawing of my dad and I; the picture was taken back in 2006, a happier time, I suppose. I don't commonly think about my dad, I don't necessarily think about how much I miss him or how I wish I could see him again, so it was odd for me to sit and look through old photos. I don't really know my dad; I do, but I don't. My dad was physically part of my life for 10 years, the second half of those were not the best. Mental illness, self medicating for years, debt, heroin, arguments, threats, uncertainty. I feel like I remember the negative more because I was older, my parents couldn't hide it from me like they used to. At the same time, when he was sober and stable, life was good. Life was great, things felt complete. So here I am, 6 years since he died. I don't want to say his image is fading, but I know less of who he was than I did before. I see the good from some (the ones who praise him, who act like he was a saint), and I see the bad from others (the one who felt the pain). I suppose I no longer see my view, my memories aren't there anymore. I don't necessarily feel sad, the anger has faded, and I can't say I'm happy. Maybe I'll figure it out one day, but, for now, it is what it is.

Digital illustration

Day 4 submission for Inktober2018

Here's my Coffee & Quotes Challenge... with the sleeve removed ;) I thought it would be fun to continue the doodle underneath the sleeve! To see submitted version, check out my 'Drawing Challenges'... this contest has been awesome, it combined 2 of my faves: DOODLES & COFFEE!

Part of the book I'm working on. Certain elements will carry throughout the chapter. In this case, it will be oak leaves and mushrooms.

Ink, charcoal and carbon pencil on paper

I saw this guy in a dream, with his stripey pants. I had to draw him.

New Matchbox painting. Available on my Etsy shop

Have a great 4th of July and stay cool out there! Painting on matchbox with prismacolor doodles on black paper background.

Little 4x4 inch marshmallow painting on Masonite board. Check out the time lapse on my Instagram page.

This week has been dedicated mainly to creating a birthday gift for my other coach (Happy 31st B-day!!). I won't ramble on for too long, but I'm so extremely lucky to have him as a coach and in my life. I can't thank him enough for all the times he's caught me/saved me from wiping out, and for being someone I can genuinely trust. Thank you to him for making the gym a safe space for me, and for letting me open up. Anyway, I really enjoyed making this, though I can't deny I got stuck (idea wise) at one point.

The second painting in the Egg-istential Crises series. This one took some crazy turns as I was painting including the Air Jordans he's wearing. Small 8 x 8 acrylic painting.

This 'mallow stares back at the fire, its enemy that burns but also brings light and warmth. About 8x8 inches acrylic on wood.

Watercolor illustration of a budgie bird.