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.
I’m often asked about my Bic pen drawings and how I do them. It starts with a good foundational drawing, the ballpoint pen part is just trying to colour within the lines. I try to do my best to explain the process, but the best way to show my progress is by posting my efforts to master pen drawings over the span of 3 or so years. I have been doodling/drawing with ballpoint pens as far back as I can remember - they were cheap, readily available and always lying around the house. It wasn’t until I was bored during a particularly long team meeting-conference call (around 2016-17) that I started to think about the possibilities of ballpoint pens as serious portrait illustration tools. My first experiments with full colour ink portrait drawings were rather crude, but that’s the point of learning new techniques—as long as the curiosity and the love of drawing is there, you can transfer that skill and passion into any medium. Remember, the most exquisite drawings and paintings you see didn’t materialise fully formed, they started out as failed experiments. Failure after failure after failure. It’s important to remember this when you get discouraged (I've failed spectacularly over the years). The only difference between the accomplished artist and the beginner is hundreds of hours of practice. Talent can only get you so far. It’s the hard work that you do behind the scenes that makes your work look effortless. Keep doodling. Keep learning. Stay curious.
Pastels...I've never been a huge fan of working with them, mainly because I can never seem to get them to blend or move the way I want. I think this turned out okay; it's not the worst it could've been...not the best. It was fun to try, considering the fact that I rarely try new mediums, and it got my mind off everything I've been worrying about. Anyway, enjoy.
It's National Toasted Marshmallow Day so this painting seems fitting. What do you think will happen to this guy? About 14 x 14 inches, acrylic on wood board. Sorry not the best photograph.
Watercolor and India Ink on Yupo paper. If there is any single way to let go of detail and think simply, it is by using watercolor on Yupo paper. You basically have to surrender control and just see what happens.
I have a little Moleskine (3.5 x 5.5) notebook that I only draw skulls in. I started in November of 2013 and I do one whenever the urge strikes me. It's not like a skull-a-day thing but sometimes I do get into a period where I will draw one every day for a while then I won't draw any for months. I even lost it for a while and was very sad. I think the longest gap between pages has been a year. This is the most recent skull, drawn on 05.28.2018. Most of them are posted on my Instagram but you have to scroll back a ways to get at the bulk of them.
He sits up in his teacup with his hands wrapped 'round a porg,
Thinking up new ways to join forces with the Borg.
To eradicate the Rebels by infecting them with spores,
And assimilate the hive mind to become one with the Force.
This comic came out of a conversation I’m having with a friend. We both found it fascinating that so many comedians and creatives come from broken and dark places. Robin Williams said, “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.”
Recent commission: How do women move forward when doors are continually closing in front of them? Doors that were open in the past are now being closed by those who think that you should live your life the way they do even though your life situation is vastly different from theirs. 2022, 13” x 19” Ballpoint Pen on Paper, Digital. Model: AmyM
A little sketch, 3” by 5”, made better with a bit of cheap watercolour paint. I don’t know why, but I like this little scene. It isn’t a terribly brilliant sketch and I didnt paint it with great care, but still, i like it. And in the end, it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. If you finish a little piece of art snd can say you like it even weeks and months later, then it is a winner for you.
Gourd-face started out as a tiny doodle in my sketchbook but I couldn't stop thinking about him. So I drew several gourd-faces. This one has the unfortunate circumstance of growing on his face. Poor Gourdy. I drew him with pencil and then colored on the computer. Cheers!
I made myself some motivational stickers to (hopefully) help with the CONSTANT negative self-talk that seems to be an innate part of my creative practice
Ink and Watercolor sketch of octopus. Normally I start with a pencil outline, then go over it with micron pens. But I'm learning to skip the pencil step and just sketch with ink. I helps you not to overthink things. Once you lay the ink line down on the paper it's there to stay. You can't erase and there isn't an undo like you have when working digitally. You just have to work around any "mistakes" you make. I'm also working on sketching faster because I just don't have that much free time these days. Trying to produce a new sketch every day is a real challenge.
ink on paper; I learned a lot from this and think I can make the next one will be better! I actually considered coloring this but a family member said don't do it! : )
heelo:) i drew this along time ago, this was the first drawing i coloured in on my ipad. i started this drawing on the train, when i was travelling to france with people i really love. everytime i look at this drawing it makes me so happy, because i think of all the beautiful memories. on my waterbottle, cleo (yes, my waterbottle has a name), is a giraffe wich inspired this drawing. have a wonderful day :)
Hi Friends,
We are the developers of Inked, an indie game that's schedule to launch on mobile phones in 2021. We put our hearts and souls into the game, especially in its graphics, so we want to hear about your thoughts on them. Please feel free to look around and let us know what you think! Thank you! If you are interested, please help us by following us on Facebook and Twitter! Thank you so much for your support! Facebook: www.facebook.com/inkedgame/ Twitter: twitter.com/inkedgame
I think It's none other than my heart that covers one's eyes.
To see, hear, think, and speak as the mind pleases. Mistakes can happen, and some people focus only on themselves and say things they shouldn't say to someone.
When someone doesn't live blind anymore and one day can see the real world with one's own eyes, will feel deceived and feel anger and futility etc.
I wanted to say that if look at the world with the eyes of heart, Can't see the reality.
Ballpoint pen and Stabilos; this took longer than it should've. I think it turned out pretty nicely, but the coloring isn't the best (my pens started running out of ink). "I reject your reality and substitute my own"- Adam Savage
All Done! I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, but a few of the proportions are way off... but oh well. And I absolutely suck at manes(hair) soooo ya. Also I was curious, I’m thinking about getting some prints made of my artwork to sell, do any of you think you or someone you know would be interested in prints? Just curious, thanks! Hope you all are healthy and well! Photo by: Photography by Kelly and Kelly
I feel like my landscapes have very traditional colors so i tried to make these look bright and exaggerated but still hold the same base color. Let me know what you think.
I like to take my iPad out and experiment with no clear aim sometimes. Tonight's doodles led me to this glowing alien catlike creature. Used jingsketch's round render for most of it. If you think this is weird you should have seen the hippo. Enjoy!
