I have quite a bit of traveling planned this Summer...from NYC to Copenhagen to Venice to Berlin and a few more spots. Very much looking forward to all the different colors, cities, and cultures in the coming weeks.
Gouache on Arches watercolor paper. I have been living overseas for 6 years now with my wife. (Originally from the states) We have lived in Seoul, South Korea, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tel Aviv, Israel, and in the Summer we will move once again to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. So this is a painting is a sort of self-portrait.
Playing around with digital stained-glass effects, and thought it would be fun to portray tropical summer vibes in a medium where you don't usually find them. Shout out to Lisa Bardot at bardotbrush.com for the basic digital technique.
What's more comforting than a summer day with butterflies flitting and bumblebees tumbling amonst the flowers in the meadow? My husband felt that blue was most comforting for him. Me, I liked the salmon. The mandala is drawn in Spirality...which takes the designated "wedge" and repeats it around the circle. Colored in Photoshop (given there is a 20 min. time given for this challenge---otherwise, I would have colored it by hand).
To many I know a hibiscus flower might represent endless tropical summers. Up north where I live, hibiscus is the often the last flower to bloom while fall is setting in. While vibrant, I wanted it to feel lonely as seasonal changes are very introspective times in my life.
This is the book I made which contains the educational paper I wrote and illustrated about my trip to China in the summer of 2017. I gave a lecture entitled, The Sketchbook: Let's Connect at ICON10, The Illustration Conference in Detroit, MI this past July. I gave a few of these books out along with pocket sketchbooks to the audience. Below are a few spreads from the 40-page book.
The second set of pages from my trip to China last summer. Spent time in Beijing and Hong Kong and hiking/camping out on a portion the Great Wall. Truly amazing.
I am amazed summer after summer seeing this tree and garden grow. I started this with a blue background and a black layer that I punched through, and from there, I painted layer by layer from the back to the front. I like the realism I got, but I kept to a painterly feel using oil brushes.
I wanted to capture an introspective feeling and show the Detroit River's expansiveness. I went with a late summer sunset vibe with lots of warm pinks and cool blues.
To draw is to notice.
To notice is to pause.
And sometimes, all it takes is a barefoot boy in a camping chair, chasing the drips of a popsicle, to remind us what it means to be here.
This is Popsiclence—a sacred kind of focus.
It’s where observational drawing leads us: out of the swirl, into the now.
And in that now, we heal.
I helped create the Island in the Sun can for Conshohocken Brewing Company a couple years back. They release it every year in the summer and I drew this up to celebrate the re-release this year!
Weirdly enough, I never used to feel bothered by winter. A sign I’m “getting on a bit” as they say? I’m 32 come April, not 102 for feck’s sake! Whatever the case, roll on spring and general warmth, long overdue I have to say…
Malacophily is pollination by slugs and snails. This is my Nye Beach banner for 2024. They hang for the summer and then get auctioned off with proceeds going toward children’s art programs.
I am excited to announce my world of character is coming to the Sandbox games. I am working on a game called Imaginarium! with Tempest Studios and the game is officially backed and supported by the Sandbox as part of their creators fund. Set for release this Summer! Follow us on twitter and discord. You can find all links at PlayImaginarium.com Visit Mochi and Doodle dog soon in my RPG game!
