Quick(ish) 2012 Recap & Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who has helped make 2012 a great and creative year!  

In the past 365 days I went from art show stagnancy to having been involved in more than 20 art shows (due in part to my first year of being involved in Dallas' Kettle Art gallery, thanks guys!!).  Thank you to everyone I've been fortunate to show with, and for your community and friendship!  

This year I had the great pleasure of designing my first three album covers (thank you to the families of Spector 45, Panic Volcanic, and The Black Moriah).  I've enjoyed active freelance work designing logos, apparel, product labels, and posters, found success opening and building my Etsy shop, and finally self-taught myself screen printing.  Thanks to everyone who wears or shared an Albright scarf!  

Thanks to Hartford Art School's low residency illustration MFA program, I've enjoyed the challenges and joys of working with some of the most talented and passionate artists and illustrators around the country, learning from from the absolute best.  I'm looking forward to spending the next quarter developing a killer thesis and bringing it all full circle for a July graduation.  I’ll miss it terribly when it’s over.

Dallas’ custom vinyl toy scene provided an invigorating creative outlet and a remarkable group of peers.  I’ve become great friends with some of Dallas’ finest designers and artists through the ‘Vinyl Thoughts’ and ‘Show Me The Munny’ art shows, thanks very much to the minds behind Vinyl Thoughts Nation and Shop Atama.

I also moved on from my full time position of 5 1/2 years to join an awesomely talented team at Bioworld Merchandising, developing licensed apparel and accessories for some of my all time favorites like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, Ren & Stimpy, and Coca-Cola.  

I’m ever thankful that I've had the great fortune and invaluable support of a fantastic group of parents who have entrusted me with tutoring their talented young ones in drawing, illustration, and general creativity.  You guys are a joy and an inspiration, and you continually impress me with your growth and enthusiasm!

Finally, a tremendous thank you to my family, friends, and coworkers who have supported me through the creative rollercoaster and various life changes.  Cheers to a new year of growth, productivity, and happiness.  Be safe!

Sketching Anatomical Reference

Today I made a spontaneous trip to Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum to collect reference and sketch some of the awesome sculptures and paintings by Remington and Russell. I recently discovered how much I love that place!  With free admission every day, it's quickly becoming my favorite destination in DFW to research illustrations.  It's proven invaluable as I'm starting to really dive into my thesis.

The Black Moriah 'Casket Prospects' Thrash Metal Album Cover Illustration

I recently had the pleasure of developing the cover art illustration for The Black Moriah's full length Casket Prospects album release.  

As a DFW metal band with serious black/thrash chops and a brutal western theme, they're arguably the perfect client.  They're talented, professional, and a pleasure to work with.  In fact, the process of discussing concept with them and working up dozens of thumbnails lead me to want to expand upon the idea for my graduate illustration thesis through Hartford Art School's low residency MFA Program (see my 'Spooked' post below for a glimpse at the new body of work).

For those with a taste for Slayer and dare to be thrashed, they'll be playing with Nile at Trees in Deep Ellum, TX / March 30th, 2013.  Snag a ticket while they're available here.

Follow The Black Moriah on Facebook, stream tracks, or purchase the album from TheBlackMoriah.com.  

Spooked 3D - Gothic Western Illustration / Album Cover

Here's a glimpse of things to come...  'Spooked' is the first in a series of Gothic Western heavy metal-esque album cover styled illustrations.... in 3D!  Get your red/blue glasses out, for the love of the desert!

Silkscreened Hitchcock Scarves

I finally got my act together and produced the long-planned Hitchcock Scarf design, building a brand new one-color press, testing a new style of silkscreen, and experimenting with printing a halftone gradient pattern.  

So far these are getting a tremendous response, and the pinstripes in particular are flying like crows!  Thanks to my friends at Dallas' Kettle Art gallery for their support and enthusiasm, modeling them with style!

The hand-printed scarves are available in limited quantity at the gallery and in my Etsy Store in black, pinstripe, and limited luck-of-the-draw distressed varieties.

George Wallace III, such sophistication!

Amber Campagna, classic Hitchcock Heroine!

Pinstriped edition

Solid edition

Burning my design into the emulsion coated screen

Home-made one color press, freshly lacquered!

(This time around, I found that the quality of print and reliability of the stencil was greatly improved by using a pre-stretched aluminum silkscreen frame as opposed to a hand-stretched wooden frame.  The improved tension across the screen prevented some issues I previously had with inconsistent print quality and ink smearing.  Self-teaching myself the process has been challenging, but also quite rewarding.  Getting better all the time!)

Holiday Show Poster & Illustrated Frame

In the spirit of supporting small businesses and local art this holiday season, Kettle Art is kicking off its 8th annual Holiday Presence show!  It's a great place to buy some affordable gifts from your favorite Dallas artists.

When I was asked to put together a show poster for the event, I wanted to experiment with designing a custom frame while also applying a softer, seasonal palette to my typically stark black linework.  I had a good time plotting which artistic media to embed in the frame itself, and how to create a quick read that the Kettle Art gallery provides a framework for local artists to play and exhibit.  Oh, and I also wanted to cleverly hide the #8 in the shape of a snowman.  See what I did there? wah wah.

Holiday Presence #8 opens at Kettle Art, Thursday, December 6th at 7pm, hope to see you there! Feel free to RSVP @ the Facebook Event Page

Sterling Archer - Custom Vinyl Munny

I recently finished this pair of custom 'Archer' mini Munny vinyl toys, based on the title character from the FX comedy.  One was a direct commission, and I figured why not make two options and have the second to keep, show, or sell down the line.  The 4.5" size is a lot of fun, but small enough to be a good challenge to paint and draw on.  Sculpting and painting the accessories is another challenge entirely!



I also made a 12"x12" painting for Vinyl Thoughts 3 in Dallas, which now accompanies the commissioned toy.

"Would you say that we'd be venturing into a zone... of danger?!"

Alien & Jonesy - iPad Sketch with Jaja Stylus

Starring my favorite movie monster, here's a quick time-lapse video of my first real attempt on the iPad with my new Jaja pressure sensitive stylus.  I've been fumbling around getting the hang of the Jaja and identifying the quirks in both Procreate and Sketch Club apps.  I'll always love my Wacom Cintiq for serious work, but this seems to be pointing in the right direction for a portable option.  I'll post again with more in-depth thoughts on it.

28 Days Lehrer

So...  Who was your favorite character in tonight's Presidential Debate?

Extinguishing The Museum Tower / Nasher Debacle

'Extinguishing The Nasher Debacle'

Digital, 2012, Semigloss. Mag 

https://www.facebook.com/semigloss.mag

Hot enough to kill the gardens, damage original artwork, and close whole exhibitions, Museum Tower casts its destructive glare onto the Nasher Sculpture Center.  Can Dallas save the day?

I'm excited to say that this piece will grace the pages of the inaugural issue of Semigloss. Magazine, addressing current issues in the Dallas art scene.  I'm also excited because while this illustration isn't exactly the first completed, this is the first public display from my new body of work.

I've started developing what I'm calling 'Pulp Editorials,' which is just my fancy way of saying I'm illustrating topical subjects in my dark and exaggerated comic style.  It's more in line with my natural mode of expression than what I had originally proposed for my graduate thesis, and it's allowing me to be more spontaneous and also more thoroughly entertain myself through the process.  Rather than digging into the deep dark personal hole for subject matter, I'm enjoying being more outwardly focused, scanning the news and current events for ideas worth exploiting.

This is also one of my first works using the new Wacom Cintiq 22HD drawing tablet that is helping to improve my ergonomics and push some new boundaries.  My wrist is much happier now, and I'm loving the process!

'Tentaskull' Socialaundry Shirts in Print

Look what came in the mail today!!  The guys at Socialaundry did a fantastic job printing my design on these new shirts.  Ultra soft, great fit, and a portion of every sale goes to both the original artist and to charity.  These guys are fair to their artists, socially conscious, and bringing jobs back to the USA... excellent company all around.  Check them out here.

Happy 60, Pee Wee!

I spent my childhood watching Pee Wee's Big Adventure a few thousand times.  
And it's true... there is no basement in the Alamo.  I had to double check.

Today the Cintiq fairy visited my studio, so I thought I'd inaugurate the extravagant, beautiful new tool with a tribute to Mr. Herman.

Happy 60th, old friend!

Tentaskull Shirt Design for Socialaundry

Check it out... my "Tentaskull" shirt design is now available at Socialaundry.com!! They're a very cool and socially conscious American brand, with portions of every sale going to both charity and the original artist. Definite thumbs up!!

Happy Hot-As-Blazes!

Here's something a little different in honor of the damned blazing Texas heat! Hope everyone is staying cool, wherever you are.

I know a lot of illustrators hate working in Adobe Illustrator (funnily enough given the name), but I actually quite love using it when I can!

If Only Bane Could've Tasted Snowflakes

Poor Bane.  All he wanted was to enjoy a white Gotham christmas.