Prints!
Now that I have a job and have recovered about 97% from the house burglary, I’m trying to get back on track with my art and photography. I decided to start with some prints, just to see how they would turn out. At Daunt‘s recommendation, I went with CatPrint.com and I’m so pleased with how pretty and professional they look. The next step is figuring out what to do with them. Perhaps it’s time to find out how Etsy.com works as a seller.
Carnival Paper Swatchbook
These are two sample spreads for a promotional swatchbook idea. Presented as a manual for monster hunting, the concept throughout the booklet is about the importance of finding the right tool for the job. So on each spread there is a description of the creature and the historical tool suggested to capture it. Following that, an aspect of the paper stock is highlighted (relating in some way back to the creature) and explains why this paper line is the best tool for your printing job, whatever the job may be.
Alaskan Dragon
This drawing is rather old and has seen a few different incarnations. The sketch on the left was originally done in 2003/04. I attempted to digitally color it in 2004, but was so timid with a graphics tablet as a tool that I never progressed far. Because I was more confident in traditional mediums at the time, the center image was done in ink and color pencil. Recently, my mom asked me to print that image to fit a 20×30 frame. But because I no longer had access to the original piece (and it was fairly small anyways), I set out to digitally remake it (painted in PaintTool SAI). The goal was to make it look like the original, just larger, so there are not many apparent changes. Despite that, I can see that my lines and color choices have more confidence now and I feel more consistency throughout each section.
Blue Magpie
I drew this for a friend as a thank you gift after returning from the UK and Ireland last year. It’s one of those few drawings that I haven’t nit-picked over constantly after finishing it. There’s something about his head that just strikes me as ‘outside my normal drawing style’ and I like trying to figure out why that is.
Promise of Redemption Concert Poster
This was used mostly online to promote a string of shows in 2010 for the band, Promise of Redemption. The tree was drawn out in ink and then completed digitally.
Symphony X Concert Poster
This is the first concert poster I ever did for the Trocadero Theatre back in 2008. Not a lot changed from the initial approved sketch idea to the final design, but this shows the sketch compared to the inked version (done by hand then scanned) and finally the colored version (done digitally).
Trocadero Theatre Website
A few years ago, I restructured and redesigned the Trocadero Theatre‘s website. Located in Philadelphia, PA, the Trocadero is a 19th century Victorian theatre that currently acts as a music and events venue. Their previous website was very tight and small, all the events listed in a single column about 300 pixels wide. I wanted to open up the space to better highlight their changing content.
All of the elements relate back to the theatre’s design and architecture, from the star symbols, the stained glass, to the color scheme. Because the Trocadero’s customers mainly use the site to check event listings, the main focus was stripping down the navigation to facilitate ease of use. Social networking sites and a blog are externally linked to in order to provide concert goers with additional content and interaction.
Filter Magazine Print Ad
This is a print ad I did years ago for Filter Magazine. It appeared in a few festival programs – If I remember correctly, the main one was the Pop Montreal Festival.
The Doctor meets a Dragon
I’m finding it a lot easier to keep a posting schedule on my Tumblr lately. I have some sorting to do, but I’m working on posting more content here that will not be available on my Tumblr.
I’ve been really inspired by Pickle‘s and Lettie lately. They’ve both done a few livestreams of their work and the process has helped me get inspired. There’s a few techniques they use too that have been interesting to see in action.
The sketch for this has been sitting in my sketchbook since September 2010. I dusted it off and cleaned it up a bit. The TARDIS was probably the most fun to draw. I think the Doctor needs to visit a planet with dragons.