Friday, April 29, 2011

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.

Opera
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.

Cola1A
A group of storyboard frames in which the product was a soft drink. These frames were 5 x 7" in size.

Cola1

Cola3

Cola2
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.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

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.

Comp4

Comp5

Comp6

Monday, April 25, 2011

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.

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

CatManCOV Sktch
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.

Friday, April 22, 2011

My first "How to...." book

MonsterBK 1

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.

MonsterBK6 2
Here is a cartoon of Dracula.

MonsterBK6 3
A more realistic version of Dracula. About the same time I was actually illustrating a book full of Dracula drawings.

MonsterBK 5
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.

MonsterBK 6
The same stages of the King Kung Fu drawing.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Jpeg is Fine

CP
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.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Spring

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

Snow3
Outside my kitchen window.

Snow2
View from my studio.

Snow1
We had about an inch of snow.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

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.

RN Opening1
A nice variety of wines were available.

RNO2
It is a very nice space full of interesting items.

RNO3
My carved wooden masks.

RNO4
Some of my sculptures were also on display.

RNO5

RNO6
Here's Craig Smith, waiting for the crowd to arrive.

Friday, April 15, 2011

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.

NorthingtonPoster 2

RN1
VAMP

RN2
Carved wooden masks.

RN3
FOUR WINDS, a bronze casting.

RN4
Acrylic painting of abstract nudes.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

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.

Comp1

Comp2

Comp3
You will see the other 3 on the next post.

Monday, April 11, 2011

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.

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

!!BOOK632
Here is the first instructional book that I wrote. I am going to post some examples from it on this blog.

Friday, April 8, 2011

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.

FriBLOG1
I often do several very rough pencil sketches to establish the composition.

FriBLOG2
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.

FriBLOG3
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.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Various stages of an ink line drawing

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

1
I first do several compositional sketches, drawing from photographs taken of the subject.

2
Then I do a rough pencil drawing on tracing paper directly over the previous sketch to establish the final gray and black tones.

3
I trace the previous drawing onto a piece of illustration board.

4
Using a technical pen I draw the basic outline.

5
Gradually I add the various tones using the photographs as reference.

Monday, April 4, 2011

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.

INK5

INK1

INK2

INK3

INK4

Friday, April 1, 2011

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.

INK1
The art director specified that he wanted a thin line drawing with no variation or tones. This was drawn with a technical pen.

INK2
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.