Found more marker renderings

I've run across a few more marker renderings, having thought that I had exhausted my supply. These are probably the last I'll find, but you never know, I'll keep looking.


This first rendering was part of a series of magazine ad comprehensive layouts that I produced for one of my Chicago clients. It's a large 9 x 12" piece and is rendered a bit tighter than most of the storyboards that I did. It's possible that I've posted this one before, but I don't think so.


A group of storyboard frames in which the product was a soft drink. These frames were 5 x 7" in size.






This probably was another overnight assignment and I think that there were a couple more frames. I'll keep digging through my files for more storyboard work.

More ad comps

Here are three more magazine ad comps that probably were done for one of my Chicago clients. They are rendered using markers on layout paper. If I remember, this assignment had an overnight deadline as most of my jobs did during the last year that I worked in this field.

Sketches for a comic book cover parody

I recently ran across a couple of sketches that I had done for one of my comic book parody covers. I actually did the art, but my computer crashed suddenly and I lost everything and was unable to retrieve anything. These sketches show some of the stages that I go through when creating these covers.


I first created the logo and made a print to evaluate, using a rough pencil sketch combined with the logo.


This is a more advanced pencil sketch before I inked the final art. I decided to make a print of the sketch and give it to my friend in Sawyer, Richard Hellyer, who incidentally has 12 cats, YES 12 !!!!, He was pleased with the print and is actually the real CatMan.

My first "How to...." book

In 1974 I decided to write a book for young artists which I sold through ads in comic books. Usually I sold just enough of them to pay for the ads, so I gave up on the project. However it was the forerunner of all the books that I would eventually write for Watson Guptill.


Here is a cartoon of Dracula.


A more realistic version of Dracula. About the same time I was actually illustrating a book full of Dracula drawings.


Various stages of the Dr. Pimple drawing. First the rough sketch, then a tighter drawing done with a marker pen, then the finished art drawn in ink with a brush.


The same stages of the King Kung Fu drawing.

Jpeg is Fine

My cat Jpeg had an operation yesterday to remove a growth from her neck. Everything went fine and she's a happy cat again. It was a bit tense for me, however, just like I would feel if one of my kids had gone through it. It's always a problem trying to get a cat into the cat carrier, and when you get to the vet's, the cats won't come out of the carrier.

Spring

SNOW!!! Yes we had snow overnight here in Sawyer ! Spring has sprung in a bad way.


Outside my kitchen window.


View from my studio.


We had about an inch of snow.

Opening at Robert Northington Interiors

Last night was the opening of my painting and sculpture exhibition at Robert Northington Interiors in Valparaiso, Indiana. Craig Smith, my gallery owner, hung the show and it looks great. There was a pretty good crowd and I enjoyed chatting with them.


A nice variety of wines were available.


It is a very nice space full of interesting items.


My carved wooden masks.


Some of my sculptures were also on display.




Here's Craig Smith, waiting for the crowd to arrive.

Exhibition opening this evening

If you are anywhere near Valparaiso, Indiana stop by for the opening of my exhibition of paintings and sculpture at Robert Northington Interiors, from 5 to 9 pm.




VAMP


Carved wooden masks.


FOUR WINDS, a bronze casting.


Acrylic painting of abstract nudes.

More magazine ad comprehensive renderings

I found 6 more magazine ad comp illustrations. These were done for one of my Chicago clients, I don't recall the ad agency, or the product. They were 8 and 10 inches wide and rendered with markers on high quality layout paper and done quickly, probably an overnight deadline as most of these assignments were.






You will see the other 3 on the next post.

Writing art instruction books

When I was the head of the Advertising Department at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit (now the College for Creative Studies) I could not find contemporary instructional books to recommend to my students, so I thought about writing a few. I worked up a presentation and sent it to Watson Guptill Publications, the book was titled DRAWING IN INK. They bought the idea, but suggested that I first do a book on painting with markers. The editor knew that I worked with markers on advertising renderings and felt that it would make a fine book. I wasn't sure about how successful a book on painting with markers would be, but I dove right in and finished it so I could get started on the book that was my favorite subject, drawing in ink. The Editor in Chief gave me great advice before I began, he said "You don't have to know how to spell....and don't buy a yacht".
Long out of print, these books can be found on Amazon or other used book dealers at very low prices, in case you are interested. There is a new Dover reprint, PEN AND PENCIL DRAWING TECHNIQUES which is also available.


A few of the books that I have written, including DIGITAL DREAMS, which is about experimenting with digital art, it's available from Xlibris.


Here is the first instructional book that I wrote. I am going to post some examples from it on this blog.

Pencil drawings

I've posted many examples of various ink drawings and one of the keys of success is to do preliminary as well as tight pencil sketches, especially if you are new to the medium.


I often do several very rough pencil sketches to establish the composition.


When first starting to do ink drawings it's wise to also do a tight pencil drawing like the one above, to establish tonal values.


LISA
It's also a good idea to do a lot of pencil drawings from photographs before doing sketches outdoors or from live models. All this will help when attempting ink line art.

Various stages of an ink line drawing

Here are the stages that I go through when doing an ink line drawing.


I first do several compositional sketches, drawing from photographs taken of the subject.


Then I do a rough pencil drawing on tracing paper directly over the previous sketch to establish the final gray and black tones.


I trace the previous drawing onto a piece of illustration board.


Using a technical pen I draw the basic outline.


Gradually I add the various tones using the photographs as reference.

Ink line sketches

After taking a trip I often do drawings and sketches from photos. Some of these were done for a travel agent client that I produced brochures and ads for. Drawings seemed to work better than photographs in the brochures. These drawings were all done using a technical pen 0n illustration board. The black areas were added using a brush and India ink.

Ink line art

Working in a Detroit art studio in the 50's and 60's was an exciting time as things were booming. There was more than enough work for many artists. Commercial artists came from Chicago, Cleveland, St.Louis and even from New York to work in this lucrative market. For years I specialized in ink line art and the assignments could vary greatly as shown by the two examples below.


The art director specified that he wanted a thin line drawing with no variation or tones. This was drawn with a technical pen.


This thick line illustration was drawn using a bristle brush. I don't recall the ad agencies on these pieces but the one above was probably done for my travel agency client.

I did all types of line art, from detailed crosshatch drawings to bold brush renderings, mostly for the Detroit automotive companies, but there were many other clients at the Detroit ad agencies as well. I was also getting work from clients in Chicago and New York as well.