SRQ Daily Interview

Hot off the presses: new article in SRQ's Daily "Weekend" Edition, by Jake Coleman, who interviewed me recently.

http://www.srqmagazine.com/JMailer/showMassMail.cfm?masID=3069

"9527" Mural 2012 Sarasota Chalk Festival

A new mural in Sarasota, FL, created by artist Erin Johnson as part of the 2012 Sarasota Chalk Festival’s “Going Vertical” art. During the Sarasota Chalk Festival from Oct. through Nov. , Erin painted the mural on the back of the Chalk Fest headquarters on Orange Ave in Sarasota, by historic Burns Square.

“I was happy to have been approached in Spring 2012 by leadership of the Chalk Fest, who loved the 'Corexit' digital piece I created (in Zbrush and Photoshop) in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster,” Erin said. “I was asked to create a mural based on the piece, which I reasoned would be an excellent way to cultivate greater public awareness regarding the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill/dispersant issues.”

During the Chalk Fest, which highlights the art of numerous famed artists from around the globe, Erin was constantly asked by artists, fans and festival-goers, “What does the mural mean?”

“It somehow slips people’s minds that circa 2005-6, the Sarasota area’s gulf waters were affected by severe red tide. With the Gulf of Mexico marine ecosystem already being damaged by decades of chemical runoff from needless fertilizers, phosphates, etc, and other types of man-made pollution, with massive sea-bottom “dead zones” being researched by scientists, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 only worsened the situation. The dispersant effectively blindfolds the public to the extent of the disaster by diluting the oil into the water column, thus reducing direct observer visibility, but the public is also in the dark regarding the toxicity of the dispersant itself. It is known that the chemicals in the dispersants, such as Corexit, contain cancer causing agents, endocrine disruptors, respiratory, skin, eye and kidney toxins. The effects of millions of gallons of toxic dispersant chemicals on gulf marine life, on all levels of the marine food chain, and particularly on the smaller creatures, which build the support system for our larger underwater friends, is largely ignored, the effects unknown (pending further research by scientists).

“Siesta Beach in Sarasota became the #1 beach in the USA after the gulf spill, but tourists and locals alike appear to oblivious to the disaster. It’s business as usual. We need to take a much closer look at what is really in the water. We also need to take a look at the sources of these contaminants, particularly the manufacturers and how they make billions peddling toxic chemical variants which are disruptive to Mother Earth’s life-forms.”

9527

I thought the original version of this piece seemed a bit sparse, so I added some elements to enhance the piece. Zbrush, Photoshop.

Rainbow Goddess 2012

 

Photoshop.

Portrait of a Lady

This is a digital painting I have been working on in Photoshop. I began with a black & white piece of photo reference, painted in grayscale and moved on to colorize the piece. These are some cropped versions of the whole image. I love playing with cropping, as well as color and saturation experiments! In the topmost images, I imagine painting in the edge of an ancient Macedonian or Egyptian column, which this woman is peering around.

Rosemary Rising Bodypaint Show

Some photos from the vault. In Spring 2010 I tried my skills at bodypainting for the first time with my Peak C-50 airbrush. The theme for the evening was "Movie Monsters", at "Rosemary Rising" event in Sarasota, FL. An ode to HR Giger, I painted a xenomorph on my model, an acrobat, who was very enthusiastic about the theme.

Zbrush Creature Design - Upland Basilisk - One Session

One night session, about 2 hours maximum. Minimal Polypainting (underpaint), default Zbrush lights. Three Dynamesh spheres (including eyes). Body to be added...coming soon!

Zbrush Character Design

 

A reptilian swordsman. This character was created in one session (excluding the sword

which was created in another quick session previously), using primarily the standard and

move, move elastic brushes, transpose and extract. The character is fleshed out, and can use more details, such as weathering of garments, embroidery, and further transposition of the limbs. 

This example shows a basic material applied (oxide), with zero poly-painting/texture mapping. 

I started with the head of the character, and continued to make the entire body in one session.

Quick Zbrush 3-D work (Click to zoom for higher res)

Zbrush Work

A few variations on models I have created from polysphere primitives in Zbrush, showing some design possibilities. In 2011 I produced a 3-D toy design on commission.

Queen of Atlantis

Acrylic on Canvas.

Spaceship Donuts! New Album Release, January 1st 2012

It's official! To kick off 2012, Spaceship Donuts has released our first album! The album is now live on iTunes, and available as the full EP or as individual songs! Check it out:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spaceship-donuts/id492992235

The Lady in Green

"Lady in green". Digital painting, Photoshop. Concept art for a femme fatale character. Spaceships of strange origin fly though the night sky, as she warily brandishes a technologically enhanced flintlock.

Citadel

A concept sketch in progress. This is a digital painting in the underpainting stage, before finer details are added. A female minstrel stands near a stone staircase in a forest hillside. In the background looms an enchanted medieval fortress. At this stage of the painting, there is a lot that can happen as it evolves, but there is an essence within the formlessness already taking shape.

Galandra: Mermaid Queen

Character concept. This is an example of a drawing using no photo reference or models, and is straight from the imagination. Here, a mermaid queen holds her enchanted trident at the ready, in her ocean dwelling place. Graphite and Photoshop.

Guitar Pick Inferno

The patterns in this guitar pick were a good jumping off point for some fantasy imagery. Photoshop.

Illumina 1

Concept drawing for an original concept I have been working on. Graphite and Photoshop.

Free Ride

This past week, I was an extra in the motion picture "Free Ride"(2012), starring Anna Paquin. I played a waiter. It was a tremendous time, and I ended up having one of the most active onscreen roles among the extras there. Everyone on set knew my name by the end of the shoot. 

Anna Paquin (X-Men, True Blood, etc.) and several other stars were on set, and I spoke with a few of them, but kept on task during the filming, keeping things professional. 

I am looking forward to seeing which takes they used, and how I appear in the final edit. Playing a waiter, I provided a great deal of the background movement in a fine dining situation within the shots. I also had a hand in prop continuity, as I had to freshen up the platter of appetizers each time we did another take of the scene. It was interesting, as working with the wardrobe dept., they had me try on many "party-goer" outfits, then decided they wanted me to play a bus boy. Later, on the set, the people in charge decided I should be the main waiter in the scene. No stunts, wires or green screen this time. I am definitely looking forward to my next role... 

Here is a link to the IMDB listing for the film: Free Ride

New Glory

Lighter Version

A digital painting created in one night, completed at dawn. I created this after seeing Danny Glover's impassioned speech at Occupy Oakland, CA, in mid October 2011. The American bald eagle boldly flies into a new horizon clutching an olive branch, which symbolizes peace. Flags are art, from Betsy Ross to Jasper Johns. This is meant to inspire those in the "99%" movement, in acknowledgement that they are true American patriots. Power to the people! Photoshop, Wacom Intuos 4. All rights reserved.