Book Cover Rendition

Progress for a digital book cover illustration. Initially the idea was to do a realistic cover, but the client canceled this version for a more cartooned approach, which I illustrated after creating this. The book is forthcoming. Photoshop, Wacom Intuos stylus. I like the white hair version as it gives me even more ideas!

Yes on Prop 522 (Zbrush and Photoshop) (C)

Yes on Prop 522 (Zbrush and Photoshop) (B)

Yes on Prop 522! (Zbrush and Photoshop) (A)

TEDMED 2013 Live Art

I was recently in Orlando, via Ringling College of Art & Design creating visual facilitation (aka live art) for the 2013 TEDMED simulcasts. The TEDMED presentations were simulcast from Washington D.C. to many locations. Working over the course if three days, I created around 50 original compositions on sheets of large Bristol Board onstage at Neumars Children's Hospital in Orlando, to artistically facilitate the TEDMED talks for Orlando participants. While there, I visited the rooms of a few young women with illnesses, and drew some personalized pictures with autographs for them and their families, in order to hopefully boost their healing, and lighten spirits.

The TEDMED sessions were very enjoyable and an opportunity to create some "fast (but thoughful) artworks", which are a bit different from some of my more highly rendered art. Creating art at this velocity creates a situation where I am constantly challenging myself to innovate in push myself to new levels in visual communication. It all boils down to fast cognating, and mostly speedy cartooning.

It is always interesting to witness the variety of responses folks attending the sessions have to the art, all of which has been overwhelmingly positive, and sometimes hilarious. More often than not, attendees of the sessions call "dibs" on art they like, so they can take the originals home, or to put in their respective offices or workplaces. I take pride in facilitating greater understanding and helping people to learn, think and creatively process new concepts they may not be familiar with, or providing new perspective on familiar topics! Special Thanks to Ringling College of Art & Design for making this year's TEDMED Florida live art elements possible. Art featured here is a bit orange due to low lighting and poor camera quality. The art is based on concepts and topics in the TEDMED simulcast presentations. Art via Ringling College, created by your truly. 

Update: Corexit

The corexit oil spill mural was officially painted over recently on Orange Ave. The building it was painted on apparently changed hands. It lasted quite a while on the wall (around  months), far longer than many of the participating artists murals painted during Going Vertical - Part of the Sarasota Chalk Fest. Some of the other murals only lasted a week or so, being immediately painted over inside the Burns Court district right after the Chalk Fest ended. Alas! Why be attached to such things! More works are yet to manifest! Yet still it is important to note the resistance to murals in Sarasota, as a thriving art-community, in comparison to other places. If we limit ourselves to Flamingos and Palm Tree Art, aren't we missing valuable perspectives, the diversity of which is a noted hallmark of arts cities in general?

SRQ Herald Tribune

Eric DeBarros, Van Jazmin and I appeared in the March 18th, 2013 edition Business Weekly in Sarasota. Our respective art was featured on the front cover of the print edition, as well as photos of Van and myself inside the article. The article, by Justine Griffin, discussed many of the aspects of Florida's Creativity Conversations, for which Van, Eric and I have been the primary artists - aka visual facilitators.

The print edition local to SRQ featured excellent photos of Van and I creating artwork at the Westfield Mall session, and also featured my art on the cover. At the link below, Eric and Van's art are featured for the web version. It is an interesting article.

SRQ Herald Tribune > Business Weekly Article

Red Falcon

Here is a bit of fan art from the "vault". Photoshop. Red Falcon rears some of its ugly heads! Hopefully the commando has the Spreader. Contra is property of Konami, one of my all-time favorite game developers.

I have often reflected on the obvious influence H.R. Giger's artwork had on the game artists who developed Contra back in the 80's. Obvious examples are chubby babies with gas masks lodged in walls and platforms in certain levels, and the close resemblance to xenomorphs and face-hugger egg sacs.

It is interesting to look at what artists and mediums influenced my own influences (who our influences were influenced by). This is not an Abbott and Costello skit. Those artists styles which influenced my influences often align very much with my own taste, and discovering them leads to further inspiration and realizations.

Spock

One recent evening, I decided to unwind and attempt replicating Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Zbrush. This a 3-D mesh created in Zbrush. Around 700,000 vertexes. I created this from a sphere primitive using mostly the Move, Standard, Damien Standard and Clay Buildup brushes. One session, a work in progress, the focus of the working session was to portray a decent likeness as the basis for further fine tuning. Therefore I focused on the face mostly, and the ear, hair and neck are quickly "roughed in" to delineate basic dimensions with very fast preliminary texture. "Fascinating!" 

Hawk Sketch

 

Another Sketch from the archives. 

Solarnaut

Another sketch from "The Vault", a female 'Solarnaut'.

Sai - Zbrush

A sai in Zbrush. Perfect accessory for a character. This began as a sword, modified in a matter of moments. No textures added in this image, simple material.

Florida’s Imagination Conversation - Ringling College

I have recently been creatively collaborating with Ringling College of Art & Design's Center for Innovation and Creativity. The "Imagination Conversation" is a concept 'spearheaded' by Ringling President Larry Thompson and Gina Ribeiro, Ringling College Manager of Creative Projects, which involves local Suncoast regional leader's conferences in many categories and vocations.

I am pleased to be a part of this creative collaboration as a visual facilitator, creating live art based on conference and also retreat topics, with central themes of innovation, collaboration, creativity and leadership!

The feedback has been amazing regarding the collective artworks Van Jazmin, Eric DeBarros and I have been bringing forth during each creative session! Jazmin and DeBarros were featured at the recent TEDx talk at the historic Asolo Theatre in Sarasota. The work-group conversations, and creative collaborative/artistic feedback have harbored phenomenal results within the greater creative discussions! It is a rewarding opportunity to help the many Creative Conversation participants to think, imagine, visualize, and "think outside the box" in myriad creative ways!

More to come!