Bats and Icecream

Greetings RZ'eaders!

Inktober Day 4 and I am now caught up! Going to try to keep up with the one a day from now on!
Still working on my mark-making and shading, I had honestly forgotten how long it had been since I had inked any of my sketches. Anyway here they are!

INK-tober

Hello RZ'eaders!

Well it's that time of year again. Fall is in the air... crisp mornings, gentle rains, the colors changing, pumpkin spice lattes everywhere....
It is also Inktober! That special time of year when a group of artists celebrate the medium of ink and creative drawing - working to produce one ink piece a day for the whole month! (Or as close to as possible.)
I have decided to do my darn'dest to participate this year, I never seem to have time for projects like NaNoWriMo but I think I can pull off a ink sketch pretty often. I also think this will drastically help my sketch ethic and posting habits, a bit of a pick-me-up if you will.

Without further adieu my first two sketches! Two tomorrow and I will be on-track!

I plan to experiment with different Inking methods (The dragon is brush-pen and the skeleton is microns) to test for time, line-weight and consistency of mark-making. Also practicing my black/white tones and shadow shapes. Happy Inktober everyone!

Cephalopod

One of my classes is working on Drop Cap designs, I couldn't help but sketch out one of my own!

Velocipede

Hello readers!

Having recently moved and started a new job - I am now a full time Illustration professor at the Columbus College of Art and Design! Life has been settling down and I have finally started drawing again, (apart from getting commercial work finished). So hopefully my poor blog will start seeing some more action as we progress into fall!

For now a quick Eliza sketch. The weather is finally cooling down and the leaves are just starting to turn here, making me think of outdoor activities, and what better than a nice bike-ride?

Illumination

My latest piece! This is one of those rare occasions where I had the idea for this painting several years ago. It sat as a sketch and color study, just waiting for the right moment, and now after being rediscovered has finally been brought to life!

Fairest

My latest painting, my interpretation of the classic Snow White.

First in a series of fantasy pieces. I always learn a lot while making a new painting and this one was no exception. Eager to continue!

Holiday Cheer

Happy Holidays and a Joyous New Year to everyone this year! Here is the holiday card I shared with friends and family this season.

Portraiture

I was commissioned this past December to work on a fantastic project, a family portrait for one of my talented professors from the illustration graduate program at SVA that he and his family would use for their annual holiday card.

The cards were a hit! I'm proud to say everyone was extremely pleased with the outcome, it was great to work on such a personal project, the little details in this piece were the best part!
For more information about the card check out the Richmond's bog post about the project here: Two Plus Us.

Hand Lettering - Workshop

One of my favorite artistic hobbies is working on my hand-lettering skills. I think hand-lettering is a beautiful, historically significant and fantastically diverse art form. I've been working lettering into my designs more and more lately and here are a few of my more recent samples.

I was also invited recently to teach a hand-lettering workshop for the talented design students at Miami University. I worked with 2 classes creating a Halloween themed assignment (as the workshop was held in late October.) I had a wonderful time and was very impressed with the work that came out of the classes. The students did a great job!
More information about the workshop can be found here: Graphic Design Miami University along with sample of student work!

The Great Pumpkin!

Happy Halloween everyone! Obviously Halloween is Eliza's favorite holiday... Enjoy and best wishes to everyone effected by Sandy.

Eliza - Developing a look

While working on larger projects I try to always take time to develop my personal projects and I'm still working on "Eliza" and her story whenever I get the chance.
Lately I've been working on developing Eliza's look. I'm very happy with the work I've done with her so far, but I think I've gotten to a point where I'm limited by her original design. (Also, I think the pig-tails were a bit too cliche...)

So here are some new ideas I've been playing with, for both a new hair style and a new more expressive face structure. Not sold on anything yet but I think I'm headed in the right direction!

Chinese Cookbook

Recently I was able to take part in an exciting project with a talented local chef who is looking to produce his first cookbook. Chef Cy Young is an extremely talented personal chef who has lived in and traveled throughout Southeast Asia. He has brought back and translated his favorite recipes, making them health conscious while maintaining fantastic flavors. (And I can tell you from experience his recipes are wonderful!) 
Here's a preview for everyone of the cover I helped design for him. The first image is some of the runner-up sketches (which I'm still very fond of):

The second image is the final design we decided upon. Behold the marvelous bok choy! Chef Cy wanted something clean and traditional and this is his favorite layout. The book "Chinese Cooking for Americans" should be available soon and I highly recommend it if you're a fan of great healthy Chinese cuisine. Visit his website for information and future news!

I must go down to the seas again...

A new portfolio piece, I learned a lot about boats for this painting which was fun and enlightening. I didn't grow up anywhere near the ocean so it has always been a foreign and beautiful thing to me.

Both the full piece and a close-up. - Photoshop

More Spots

Alright everyone Potter Project is winding down! New spots on the webpage!

Check out the previous post for info about my show and where to see these in NYC.