myillustrationblog by Digital Scott

Hibernate

2011-10-02T10:06:00.001-07:00

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My entry for Illustration Friday's "Hibernate". This is a stonefly imitation, of the larval stage of the insect, sort of a hibernation. The stonefly larva lives underwater in a stream before climbing out and sprouting it's wings. Flyfishermen try flies to imitate insects that trout like to eat in hopes of catching fish.

Ferocious

2011-09-25T12:10:00.001-07:00

My entry for Illustration Friday's "Ferocious". More later!

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Illustration Friday-Racing

2010-10-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

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Nothing like a cup of espresso to get the heart racing!

My usual...draw the lines and shapes in Freehand, paint some textures, merge in Photoshop.

Hope you like it.

Illustration Friday-Transportation

2010-10-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

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My entry for IF's "transportation" topic.

Illustration Friday-Beneath

2010-10-02T15:58:00.001-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Beneath" topic.

Caged

2010-08-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Click image for a larger view. My entry for Illustration Friday's "caged".

Illustration Friday-Propogate

2010-02-20T17:17:00.000-08:00

Click image for a bigger view. This is my entry for illustration Friday's "propogate" topic. The dictionary listed "dispel" as a synonym. Light dispels darkness. There you go.

Your thoughts?

Apologies lately, I haven't had the time to get around to too many other blogs.

Illustration Friday - Focused

2010-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

Click image for a larger view. This is my entry for IF's "focused" topic. Drew the lines in Freehand, painted a real background, merged in Photoshop.

These are my father's eye glasses, something I've saved to remember him by.

Illustration Friday - Wilderness

2010-01-17T21:51:00.001-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Wilderness" topic. Drew the lines and shapes in Freehand, painted a real background, assimilated in Photoshop.

Illustration Friday-Renewal

2010-01-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Renewal" topic. Why a starfish? Actually is a "sea star". Sea stars renew themselves if they lose a leg, or are torn into pieces. They can regenerate. Fisherman used to hate sea stars and would tear them into two pieces to try and kill them...when really they were doubling the number of sea stars.

Have been doing IF topics for a while...and hope to get back into it.

Per my usual, I drew the lines and shapes in Freehand, painted a background and combined in Photoshop.

Love to hear your thoughts!

Illustration Friday-Crave 2

2009-06-09T14:09:00.001-07:00

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Here is my avocado to go along with the eggplant. I changed the green bits in the eggplant to tie in with the greens of the avocado to make them more of a matched set. Still may try more with the background.

Illustration Friday-Crave

2009-06-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

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Lately I've been craving eggplant a lot! I think the background needs a bit more something, but wanted to get this done tonight. A matching avocado illustration is coming soon.

Have a wafflemaker? Try my patented recipe...

Slice raw eggplant into half inch rounds. Dip in beaten egg. Roll in parmesean cheese. Place into a well-oiled wafflemaker and close. No need to press down on the lid, it will settle down as the eggplant cooks. Remove when cheese is crispy and eggplant is tender. Even if you think you don't like eggplant...this is wickedly delicious and looks super cool. Feel free to add seasonings like herbs to the parm. Or sprinkle the eggplant with garlic powder first.

Illustration Friday-Cracked

2009-05-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "cracked" topic. Perhaps a little dark, but it ain't all sunshine, flowers and butterflys all the time now is it?

What do you do when your hopes and dreams don't seem to have worked out?

Per my usual M.O. created the lines in Freehand, painted a real background with paint and paper, and brought them together in Photoshop!

Any regular IFer's...feel free to find me on Facebook too. Link on the sidebar.

Illustration Friday-Flawed

2009-01-30T13:55:00.001-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "flawed" topic. Created today. Took two images of an artichoke, printed on vellum, painted the front and back of vellum, layering paint. Then tore one into vertical strips and one into horizontal strips and wove them together, for a very imperfect, flawed result, which I like. This is about 9 x 12 inches.

What do you think?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Pale

2009-01-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "pale" topic. Inside the box was a large pale seed...

See last week's late entry "contained". Pretty soon the box and hand illustrations will get woven into a bigger story...I hope.

Kind regards to all who stop by.

Illustration Friday-Contained

2009-01-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

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My entry for IF's "contained" topic. Perhaps next time we'll see what's contained in the box!

Illustration Friday-Opinion

2008-11-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "opinion" topic. I've done few illustrations with this little box. I think I'll rework them into some sort of cohesive story.

So what's your opinion on what's in the box?

Illustration Friday-Pretend

2008-11-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "pretend" topic. Done today.

Illustration Friday-Wise

2008-11-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "wise" topic. All done today, Saturday, about 5 or 6 hours of steady work. Drew my lines in Freehand, collaged and painted the background and assembled and colored in Photoshop. The collage includes text about wisdom and the value of being wise. And books often contain great wisdom!

I've missed participating in IF the last few months and hope will try to be more regular.

Thanks to those of you who "followed up with me"!

Illustration Friday-Enough

2008-07-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's "enough" topic. Pretty vague term. Most people can not get enough of dolphin sightings. I'm one. Smart, social, amazing creatures. I am fortunate to get to see them all the time. This is meant to be a companion piece to last weeks illustration.

Illustration Friday-Foggy

2008-07-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

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A little something different. I'd like to know what you think. A few hours work. Drew about 12 different bird poses in Freehand. Painted a background. Used a tree photo to extract my tree image and combined in Photoshop.

TTV-Dolphin

2008-07-06T16:53:00.001-07:00

Inspired by this blog entry. TTV is short for "through the viewfinder".

A recent dolphin photo I took.

Illustration Friday-Sour

2008-07-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

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Created this a.m. for Illustration Friday's "Sour" topic. I draw my lines in Freehand, bring them into Photoshop, add color, then paint and scan a background, which gets blended in. I try hard to create effective color schemes, using a special technique in Photoshop.

Have a great 4th of July to Americans.

I'm going looking for whales today, tomorrow too. Can't wait for the blue whales to show up for the summer!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Fierce

2008-06-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's "fierce" topic. Dolphins, cute as they are, can actually be quite fierce! Sharks are afraid of dolphins!

Haven't done an illustration for a while. Been busy.

Created this for IF today. I think I could have chosen a better angle perhaps, but it's done, and I'm posting it.

Was on the ocean yesterday and saw three different kinds of dolphin: common dolphin, Pacific white-sided dolphin, and Risso's dolphins. Plus I saw four humpback whales, and scads of sea lions.

Illustration Friday-Save

2008-04-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's "save" topic. Save the whales!!!

Some of you saw a few whale photos on a different blog last week. Well, the FULL SET of Baja pictures are here:

scottcuzzo.com/baja

I think you will be amazed.

Whales were nearly brought to extinction. By the 1970s, many whale populations were severely diminished due to whaling. Blues had been decimated to about 1% of their original population! They are making a good comeback, but are still endangered.

In my hand I'm holding a little baby gray whale. Actually, they are about 15 feet long when they are born in the lagoons in Mexico! If you haven't seen my pictures, go there NOW! Gray whales have made an excellent comeback. And were, in fact, removed from the endangered species list! Yea! Gray whales were once killed in great numbers too. Gray whales were called "devilfish" as they would fight back and try to attack the fishing boats that were trying to kill them. NOW gray whales may come up to a boat and seek interaction from humans in the boats in the Baja. Many of these whales are old enough to remember times when they were attacked by humans, and now they REACH OUT. I hope you see my photos of this, as it was an amazing experience.

While things are rarely black and white, there are still cultures that place a high value on killing whales, like Japan.

If you have the chance to go whale watching, let me encourage you to follow through! Let me know if you have questions about whales!

Illustration Friday-Homage

2008-03-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's "homage" topic. Will probably do another variation, but wanted to get this done and up on Friday!

Edit: Added the second image with the Campbell's soup can label...

Had the most amazing trip to the Baja in Mexico. You WON'T BELIEVE my photos! You must look. Whale hugs. I've only got time to post a few photos there for now. Much more to come soon.

Just getting over being sick, got lots more ideas for homage... Fortunately, got sick after my trip!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Garden

2008-03-08T12:18:00.000-08:00

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My entry for IF's garden topic.

If anyone's interested, I think I will submit one illustration to a juried contest. I'm thinking about, "Soar", "Tales and Legends", "Choose", or "Open". I would welcome and value your opinions on these matters.

Being seeing lots of whales lately, and recently humpback whales, which I think are my favorite. They are the most likely to be demonstrative, and most likely to interact with whale watchers. Also seeing Dall's Porpoise, which look like little killer whales.

Have a great week!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Leap

2008-03-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "leap". As a naturalist on whale watching boats, I often carry around plastic models of whales and dolphins to help educate passengers on the boat. Just yesterday we saw a huge pod of 1500 dolphins that rushed over to the boat. Many of them leap out of the water as if they are playing. Really amazing to see, and now I get to see it often. We also found two spectacular Humpback whales who bonded with our boat and repeatedly surfaced right next to the boat. Humpbacks are more likely to do this than many other sorts of whales. Sometimes Humpbacks leap out of the water, called breaching, but it's not seen as frequently. As we left the whales, they poked their heads out of the water to watch us leave, that's called "spyhopping". It was a great day of whale watching.

Feedback welcome! I appreciate all who stop by and make the effort to comment.

Scott

Illustration Friday-Multiple

2008-02-22T14:54:00.001-08:00

The above image IS NOT MY ENTRY. Click on the image to see my animated entry for IF's "multiple" topic. Multiple views... It cycles over at the end, after about 5 seconds.

This is an animated GIF. Want to try something grander later, like something coming out of the box, but due to limited time, I wanted to get this done, and posted!!! I know the last frame is a bit anti-climatic, which I hope to rectify, but that's all I had time for. This piece took me about 4-5 hours of totally cranking! The line work that I do takes time.

Been super busy lately! Which is great. Seeing a lot whales and dolphins too in my free time as a new volunteer naturalist for Channel Island National Park and Marine Sanctuary. Someday soon whales and dolphins may be creeping into my work. Hmm...

*****Edit: Posted a new, more exciting version in place of the boring first one*****

Scott

Illustration Friday-Theory

2008-02-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "theory" topic. But I NEED YOUR HELP. What labels should I put on the graph??? Send me your ideas. Things like eating veggies vs. misery, cell phone use vs. car accidents, etc. I'll revise the drawing a few days based on YOUR input!

Also, I want to apologize for not making "the rounds" last week. It was amazingly busy. Thanks for all the great feedback!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Choose

2008-02-08T23:56:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "choose" topic. More hands! Imagine that.

Drew my vector lines, painted my background, blah, blah, blah. Want to know more, just ask!

Created this today, Friday, just minutes before midnight.

Thanks to all for the encouraging comments. Encouragement is so important. And in case you have polite, contructive feedback, I do indeed want that too.

And if you're reading this, I'd encourage ANYONE stopping by to leave a comment of some sort, even anonymously.l I often wonder who really stops by... Don't be a stranger.

Illustration Friday-Blanket

2008-02-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "blanket" topic. These beautiful hands were submitted by "Forever Young", and the pic she sent I thought was great for this week's topic. Hope you can read the text. I may need to rework things a bit, but I like the idea a lot of taking "trials and troubles" and knitting them into "wisdom and grace, etc...". And I know it's crocheting, not knitting. Sue me. I like the word knitting better. Let me know what you think!

Illustration Friday-Tales and Legends

2008-01-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "Tales and Legends" topic. Created today. Drew the lines in Freehand, collaged a background using pages from an old Catholic missal from a used bookstore, cut a stencil of my book shape and painted over my collaged pages. Combined everything in Photoshop. Might do two more in this series, this being the final one in a simple story.

I'm currently taking a silkscreen class and hope in the future I can take my vector lines and then screen print them onto collaged or painted background. We'll see if that works!

What do you think?

*****Still looking for hand photos of YOU for me to draw. Would love to draw some hands other than my own for a change. Take a photo of your hands doing something interesting, or not and send to me at (scott at scottcuzzo.com ). Thanks for your help! Would love a bunch of pics of a hand or hands holding your favorite coffee cup!!!*****

Scott

Illustration Friday-"Plain"

2008-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "plain". I guess I'd call it "How To Have Fun With A Plain Piece Of Paper". Hope the instructions are plain and clear too. Was directly inspired by Red Dog And Jude's great instructional entry last week!

Per my usual modus operandi, did vector lines, painted an actual "skyish" background with acrylics and combined in Photoshop. A fresher color palette too!

*****Any one want to send me photos of their hands??? I am looking for fun hand images to draw from others. Why don't you consider taking a photo of your hand or hands doing something interesting and I'll draw and post. Hope some of you take me up on this!!! Send photos to "scott (at) scottcuzzo.com, replace the "at" with the at symbol and use no spaces...*****

Also, does anyone know a good way to take acrylic paint and make it "sprayable"?

Illustration Friday-"Stitch"

2008-01-11T14:33:00.001-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's "stitch" topic.

I relish your feedback! Who says "relish" anymore???

I might try another variation where the left hand is getting stitched. Or maybe plaid. We'll see...

OK, I posted a second variation, the quilt idea...

And a third idea, which I think is good, but needs some other treatment...

Christmas Illustrations

2008-01-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

Illustration Friday-"100%"

2008-01-07T01:11:00.000-08:00

Click image for a larger view, or you'll miss a lot of texture detail.

This is my entry for IF's "100%" topic. One includes the quote I had in mind, and one does not. Do you think the text adds or detracts??? Discuss. And yes, I know Wayne Gretzky is a hockey player and not a basketball player.

I actually spent a long time capturing the dots of an actual basketball texture and then decided not to use it for this version. I may do another version in a different style. I thought the dot pattern didn't work with the paper texture. Edit: I did add a purely vector version.

***Also, if you click on my profile, then go to my photo blog, you can see some new pics I took of Elephant Seals by Hearst Castle.***

Illustration Friday-"Soar"

2008-01-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Soar" topic.

“Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average or to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment." Arthur Helps

Illustration Friday-Scale Two

2007-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Click image for a larger view. Did a companion piece to go along with my first entry for "scale".

Let me know what you think.

Illustration Friday-Scale

2007-11-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

Click image for a larger view. This is my entry for IF's "scale" topic. This is the Garibaldi. I think it's the official fish of California. It's a vibrant yellowy gold color. They get up to 30 cm. in length. I've seen them while snorkeling out at the Channel Islands. They are so bright, I've sometimes seen them from great heights while looking over cliffs.

Learn more about the Garibaldi here.

Created the illustration today, Friday for this challenge. It pretty much took the entire day. Tedious line work in Freehand, painting a couple of textures, and combining in Photoshop.

***** Also, I completely redesigned my web site, to be very illustration focused. Every page has a new illustration created for that page. Please check it out and let me know what you think! Likes, dislikes and especially anything that doesn't seem to work right. Go to scottcuzzo.com...

scottcuzzo.com

Also see pics from the Open Gallery opening. I took pics of some of the art on the walls. Maybe you'll see your piece.

Thanks for your votes and your kind comments on being chosen!!!

Illustration Friday-Hats

2007-11-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

Click image for a larger view. This is my entry...created specifically for the challenge. These portobello mushrooms look like big hats! And sage is perfect with mushrooms. I want to add more food illustration to my portfolio.

I drew the lines, painstakingly in Freehand, painted textures, and combined in Photoshop.

***** Also, I completely redesigned my web site, to be very illustration focused. Every page has a new illustration created for that page. Please check it out and let me know what you think! Likes, dislikes and especially anything that doesn't seem to work right. Go to scottcuzzo.com...

scottcuzzo.com

Also see pics from the Open Gallery opening. I took pics of some of the art on the walls. Maybe you'll see your piece.

Thanks for your votes and your kind comments on being chosen!!!

KInd regards to all!

Scott

Open Gallery Pics-Part Two

2007-11-07T23:42:00.001-08:00

More pics of the Open Gallery, starting off with Mike R. Baker by his illustration.

Thanks to those who voted for me! It was fun to be a part of this.

I got to meet Brianna. Great to meet her, really sweet!

Open Gallery Pics-Part One

2007-11-07T23:39:00.000-08:00

These are some pics from the Open Gallery. Click for a bigger view.

Illustration Friday-Grow

2007-10-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's "grow" topic. This guy must eat to keep growing, you know. OK, I did it for the Monster Mash contest too. Just finished it early this a.m. I'll probably do another one too, but probably not today.

Shot personal photos for reference. Drew my lines lovingly and carefully in Freehand with the pen tool. (Some of you know that takes a long time....true.) Then painted a background with acrylics, a new orange colored pencil I bought and some graphite. Pulled everything together in Photoshop where I colored my shapes and blended them into my background to let the texture show through.

I appreciate your feedback a lot!

Scott

Monster

2007-10-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

This sort of illustration is out of my comfort zone. But, still it was fun. Your thoughts on it?

Illustration Friday-Extremes

2007-10-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Click image for a larger view.

This is my entry for IF's "extremes" topic. I wanted to create a powerful image that would make a strong impact, fitting for the word.

Like I frequently do, I drew the vector lines in Freehand, painted some real textures and combined everything in Photoshop. Created this today, Friday, specifically for the challenge!

Let me know what you think! Honestly!!!

Also, my "open" entry did not get posted until very late on Thursday. I hope you check that out, and I hope you saved a vote for me? Trust me, "open" is not nearly so gruesome.

Illustration Friday-Open

2007-10-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Click image for a larger view.

This is my entry for IF's "open" topic. Created specifically for this challenge.

There is a contest, and the winner's get their work hung in a new gallery. I'd love your vote! Here's how to do it...

Log into the IF Forums (http://illustrationfriday.com/forum) or create a new account if you don't have one already (http://illustrationfriday.com/forum/register.php), then go to the Link Viewer (http://illustrationfriday.com/linkviewer.html) and scroll through the entries to find your favorites and click the grey star! I go by Digital Scott.

Illustration Friday-Blues Two

2007-10-03T00:20:00.000-07:00

Click image for a larger view.

Here's a bonus image for IF's "The Blues" topic. Based on a photo that Susan took, of which I loved the composition. Relatively quick work.

Illustration Friday-The Blues

2007-09-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's "The Blues" topic. And this is my favorite...blue cheese, and a fine assortment at that. Drew everything in Freehand, combined with a real painted background in Photoshop.

Please see the previous entry "Juggle", as these are sort of a matching set.

What do you think?

I just read on Wikipedia that Stilon cheese is linked with causing bizarre dreams! How fun is that?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Juggle

2007-09-27T23:11:00.001-07:00

This is my entry for IF's "juggle" topic. I call it "tossed salad".

Drew the shapes in Freehand, painted a real background, combined everything in Photoshop.

Hope you like it! Let me know what you think.

Went back and added text. Which do you prefer?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Visitors 3

2007-08-28T22:57:00.001-07:00

This is my third installment in this series, trying to finish telling a story. I'm posting all three, but the bottom one is the new, third entry, but it's the last one in the story. So from top to bottom I'm trying to tell a little visual story. Please let me know what you think!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Visitors 2

2007-08-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Click images for larger views.

The top image is my second entry. The bottom image I posted already, but put it again here for your convenience. Making your life easier is what my life is all about.

For both images I photographed by chubby mitts and then drew the hand lines in Freehand. I painted a cracked paint texture (many thanks to Claudine Helmuth!) with real paint, and then I pulled everything together in Photoshop.

Compliments make my day! Constructive criticism makes me a better illustrator. Both are welcome!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Visitors

2007-08-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

Click image for a larger view.

This is my entry for IF's "visitors" topic. Photographed my hand, painted a cracked paint texture, drew all the shapes in Freehand, and combined everything in Photoshop! Voila! I will be doing a companion piece to go along with it, in a day or two.

Here's to many happy visitors!

Simpson's Avatar

2007-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just made my own Simpson's avatar. It's free, easy and fun. If you want to make your own, go to the Simpsons Movie site and click on the Make Avatar button.

Illustration Friday-Captain

2007-08-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

Click image for a larger view.

This is my entry for IF's "captain" topic. I was less than inspired by the word, but wanted to make a companion piece to "might' which was posted long ago, and reposted again here for your convenience. (I live to make your life easier.) I certainly like the idea of this piece, but it's been a weird week, and I just wanted to get this done. What do you think? Did I completely waste my time?

And for Pete's sake, if you haven't clicked on my profile and then on "mynewphotoblog" and seen my photos of humpback whales doing "bubble net feeding", do it now!!! I mean it.

Illustration Friday-Emergency 2

2007-08-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Click images for larger views.

I slightly revised my first "emergency" illustration and made a second one to go with it.

The object in my hand is roll of duct tape, by the way.

What do you think???

Also, click on my profile, and then find my photoblog for some pictures of Orcas and Humpbacks from my Alaskan cruise. There are some photos of Humpbacks doing "bubble net feeding", which was incredible to see firsthand.

Scott

Illustration Friday-Emergency

2007-08-13T11:44:00.001-07:00

Click image for a larger view.

This is my entry for IF's "emergency" topic. Photographed my hand with duct tape, then drew the lines and shapes in Freehand. I then painted a background on the inside of a grocery bag. I combined everything in Photoshop! Duct tape is wonderful stuff for many of life's emergencies.

I should be able to post regularly now I'm done feeding hundreds of hungry boyscouts for the summer. More on that later, if you're interested.

Also, click on my profile, and then find my photoblog for some pictures of Orcas and Humpbacks from my Alaskan cruise. There are some photos of Humpbacks doing "bubble net feeding", which was incredible to see firsthand.

I look forward to visiting your IF entries this next week, as I now have more time...

Book quiz nails me...

2007-07-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

In six easy questions, this book quiz pretty much got it right.

You're Waiting for Godot!

by Samuel Beckett

Many people think you're extremely dull, but you're just trying to be patient. Really patient. Patient to the point of absurdity, quite frankly. Whatever you're waiting for isn't going to just come along, so you can stop waiting. I promise.
Move on with your life. Change of scenery might do you good. Heck, any scenery might do you good. In the meantime, you do make for very interesting conversation.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Illustration Friday-Twist

2007-07-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for IF's "twist" topic. And you get two for the price of one! Click on the images for a bigger view, and appreciate the textural detail! And maybe smell the cinnamon.

I've been very busy lately. For a bit of the summer I'm feeding 200 boyscouts three meals a day for 6 days a week. It's both back breaking and very rewarding. So far I've managed to make homemade cinnamon rolls and other baked goods for each group. So for the topic of twist, I easily saw the cinnamon twisted into the hundreds and hundreds of rolls that I've made so far. Is there anything better than the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls?

I even have a blue ribbon for cinnamon rolls from the Minnesota State Fair, the second largest State Fair. A proud accomplishment. How many little old ladies did I beat out, I wonder! I was about 35 when I did that I suppose.

Because of July 4th I've had a few days off. It's been fun to do some illustration.

Thanks to all who stop by. I won't have time to visit many blogs until after August.

Oh, just posted "camoflage" too. So check that out if you like.

Scott

Illustration Friday-Camoflage

2007-07-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for IF's "camoflage".

I've been super busy, and I've really missed creating my weekly IF entries. My opportunity to post will be very "hit and miss" until after August. Then I hope to be regular again. (Yea, fiber!) Pardon my junvenile humor.

For this illustration, I wanted to try something different. I drew the lines in Freehand and then pulled a wallpaper pattern into Photoshop where I combined everything.

What do you think?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Citrus

2007-05-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

Click images for larger view.

This is my entry for IF's "citrus" topic. And you get four for the price of one! Created today, Friday, specifically for the challenge. I might totally rework these tomorrow, just for fun.

I see now I should have made my lemons a bit smaller. I thought I had them all in the right proportion.

Illustration Friday-Neighbor

2007-05-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "neighbor" topic. Still trying to do sets. Good practice. These are a bit of a departure for me, style wise, especially the one with the bridge. Both started as pencil sketches. Then drew my vector lines trying to keep the casual nature of a pencil sketch. Painted some textures, and compiled everything in Photoshop. Both were created today, Sunday, specifically for IF.

What do you think?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Remember

2007-04-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Remember" topic. These are Forget-Me-Nots! I will be doing two more flower illustrations within a few days to make a set of three, so check back! (OK, I added the other two illustrations, though only the Forget-Me Nots are really for "Remember")

I drew my lines in Freehand, painted different textures with acrylics, including some of cracked paint, (thanks for Claudine Hellmuth's book with some GREAT ideas and techniques!), then combined everything in Photoshop. All illustrations created specifically for this challenge. I was toying with adding drop shadows behind the flowers, but opted for these simpler presentations.

I seem to always do these late Friday night now, and somewhat lose my sense of judgement...

What do you think???

Thanks to all for the many great comments recently! It's very appreciated. Constructive feedback is encouraged!

Illustration Friday-Polar

2007-04-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Polar" topic. Created specifically for the challenge. Created some real media textures, including a cracked paint texture, drew some vector shapes, and compiled in Photoshop. Decided to focus on the "opposing forces" aspect of the definition.

What do you think?

Bonus content...
Listenting to: Over The Rhine "Ohio" (excellent!)
Watching: Planet Earth on The Discovery Channel (incredible)

Scott

Illustration Friday-Fortune

2007-04-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry of IF's "fortune" topic. Drew the shapes in Freehand, painted a background that I'd textured with paper triangles. Painted the pig texture. Combined in Photoshop. Created Friday, specifically for the challenge.

The second image is a variation I decided to try on Saturday... I think I like the simplicity of the first one.

Your feed back is welcome!

Now for your free BONUS content...
Listening to: Serena Ryder (cool stuff)
Recent movie watched: Confetti (hilarious)

Scott

Monkey Vomit Green

2007-04-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new Mac commercial where the Mac guy says, "Let me show you my drawings" and the PC guy whips out his calculator and says, "Let me figure out how much time you wasted"??? It's both funny and sad. If you're going to stop by my blog and make "monkey vomit green" comments, you're not welcome here. Take your calculator and go play some place else.

Everyone else, you're welcome to be here.

Illustration Friday-Green 2

2007-04-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

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Here's a second entry for IF's "Green" topic. I still have much grander plans for this one and "Green 1", but it hasn't fully come together in my mind yet. But at least the basic components are ready to use!

Maybe next week I won't draw my hands! Maybe.

Thanks for your feedback!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Green

2007-04-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's topic, "Green". I created this specifically for the challenge. I thought of my idea, took a photograph of my hands holding a jar, drew the shapes in Freehand, and compiled with some textures in Photoshop. I think this is pretty good, but I think I want to rework this and push it even further. Do you have any ideas?

Kind regards to all!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Snap

2007-04-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

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The top image is my entry for IF's "snap" topic. The other two are just to create a series of three.

This week my goal was to try to create something a bit more commercial, perhaps. I took my own photos, then created vector drawings, then created textures with watercolors and graphite, and compiled everything in Photoshop. Created specifically for the challenge.

I love asparagus, and I think it's sort of a symbol of Spring.

Hope you like it.

On a side note, I'd love to hear feedback on color printers! It seems like the whole inkjet thing is such a complete racket! Tell me if you've found a good printer that doesn't cost a fortune to keep making prints from...

Illustration Friday-I Spy

2007-03-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for IF's topic "I Spy". Created today, Tuesday, specifically for the challenge. This one, plus the last two entries are becoming a series.

Thanks so much for the many great comments last week! It's awesome to receive them, and much appreciated!

This is one is done is the same style, which is new for me. After I conceive my idea, I create a quickish vector drawing in Freehand, then I print it out and I draw over it onto vellum...drawing quickly and on a somewhat rough desk. This is very unlike me usually. I then paint a background with acrylics and scan the two pieces into Photoshop where I tweak a bit, but actually not much.

These last three drawings I've tried to create a story. More specifically a story designed where you can help fill in the lines, by not telling too much. I think it's working. What about you, do you think it's working?

As always feedback of all sorts is welcome!

Scott

Illustration Friday-Total

2007-03-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's topic "total". Created today, specifically for this challenge. Drew the shapes with pen and paper, painted a background, and compiled them in Photoshop.

What do you think? Feedback is encouraged!

Also, posted last week's entry for "wired" really late, and it goes along with this one, so check that one out too.

And lastly, I went whale watching a couple weeks ago and saw humpbacks breaching. Got one photo of that, plus some other good shots, so if you're interested to see those, go here...

Whale pics

Illustration Friday-Wired

2007-03-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "wired" entry. Created specifically for this challenge. Thought of my concept, drew the shapes with a pen, painted a background and other textures, scanned it all in and combined for this illustration. Getting this posted just under wire on Thursday.

Let me know what you think?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Hide

2007-03-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

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This is my late entry for Illustration Friday's topic, "hide". Couldn't get it done before Friday, but still wanted to share it. Hope that's cool. Created shapes with natural media and compiled them in Photoshop.

What do you think?

Hope to get "wired" done in a day or two.

Illustration Friday-Communication

2007-02-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "communication" entry. The actual title of this piece is "Anna Nicole Smith Sacrificed On The Altar Of Media". I created this piece specifically for the IF challenge. Did nearly everything in Freehand, and brought elements in Photoshop for a little tweaking. I could spend a lot more time on this, but had to move on to other things...

What are your thoughts about the illustration, or the topic?

Scott

Illustration Friday-Gravity

2007-02-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

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Created specifically for this IF challenge, this is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Gravity" topic. This week's pop culture moment....Britney Spears shaves her head! Reaction: someone chucks their TV out the window! Had to do something sort of quick this week.

Love to know your thoughts.

Scott

Illustration Friday-Crash

2007-02-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Crash" topic.

I created this specifically for the IF challenge. I drew the shapes in Freehand and brought them into Photoshop, blurring them and coloring them to achieve an airbrushed sort of look. I hope anyway. Portraits are not my strong suit, so I want to keep working on them!

I chose to draw Anna Nicole Smith, because she was the recent crash that was heard around the world. Pop culture is fascinating to me, and sadly it was easy to see that this was a veritable train wreck waiting to happen.

What are you thoughts on Anna Nicole? What about the whole celebrity machine??? Come on, spill it.

And is my illustration flashy? Or trashy?

Just for kicks, here are the vector shapes I drew in Freehand. FYI, I drew NO shapes in Photoshop, only imported these shapes, in stages, blurred, colored and added some texture, as in her dress, where I found a sequin swatch on the web, and dropped that in. No brushes were used either. But, this is is not a finshed drawing, only the shapes I drew for Photoshop, so it looks garish perhaps.

The next day or two I'll post a different, more finished all vector version.

OK, here's a finished vector version... I did want to keep some of the harshness, from the original vector version.

Illustration Friday-Sprout

2007-02-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Sprout" topic. I created this specifically for the challenge. I did nearly all the work in Photoshop, with a bit in Freehand, which is the opposite of what I've mostly been doing lately.

I actually was going to use natural media for this one, but I just got going and this sort of had a life of it's own. I hope you like it. The last few weeks have been filled with extreme frustration, and I find it very difficult to be creative when frustrated. Anyway, the frustration is over and I feel more creative each day. And that's a good thing. And this is my first creative effort post-major frustration. Here's to more peaceful times ahead!

I just posted my "Red" illustration as well, so check that out too!

All feedback is welcome, please.

Illustration Friday-Red

2007-02-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

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This is my late entry for Illustration Friday's "Red" topic.

Illustration Friday-Super Hero

2007-01-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's topic "Super Hero"!

I was less than thrilled with the chosen topic. I don't do character stuff, but I really admire those who do. So, what the hell, why not try? Anyway, I thought of my idea, which I hope you think is funny. (I hope you get it, period. It refers to a relatively current series of tabloid episodes.) I drew the shapes in Freehand and colored and shaded in Photoshop. Created specifically for this challenge.

What do you think??? And let me know if you "got it".

***Addendum: In recents weeks and months, numerous young female celebrity females have been graphically photographed (and posted to the web...) getting out of limos while NOT wearing underwear. So I created Underpants Man ready to provide underpants to those who have forgotten theirs, thus making the world a safer place for the rest of us.

Illustration Friday-80s Part Two

2007-01-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to do a second illustration for Illustration Friday's topic "80s". There was an artist in the 80s called Patrick Nagel who created images that typified the 80s, at least for me. His stuff seemed to be everywhere for a while. Very stylized. So this is an homage to him. I also used the Olivia Newton John "Physical" cover as inspiration, so this is doubly 80s! Two for the price of one. I aim to please. This was created specifically for the IF challenge. I drew everything in Freehand, but colored it in Photoshop. It might look more like Olivia with lighter hair, but it seemed like Nagel nearly always had black on his models.

What do you think?

If you didn't see my original Mac illustration, check out the previous post. The IF thumb nail feature wasn't working when I posted it...

Illustration Friday-80s

2007-01-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for IF's topic "80s". And yes, I dropped the apostrophe to be grammatically correct. Only use the apostrophe here if 80s would be possessive. It's a common mistake, sort of like misspelling apostrophe, which I did...

Anyway, I was just at Macworld in San Francisco. It was very fun. My client, lynda.com, had a booth there so I worked at the booth. It was a great experience, but very exhausting to stand all day for a week talking to customers for the entire time. I talked more in one day than I usually do in an entire week. Lynda has really great training for things like Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator and much more. Check it out! You can have access to the entire online library for only $25 per month, with no contract! Even if you've been using Photoshop your whole life, you'll learn even more! See http://www.lynda.com

The first Mac was sold in 1984, so this was a likely choice for me. I created this illustration today, Sunday, specifically for the challenge. I drew everything in Freehand, including colors and shading, except for the drop shadows. I then brought it into Photoshop for just a little tweaking. The first one is my original drawing, then I posted a couple variations using filters.

Your feedback is welcome and encouraged.

Illustration Friday-Buzz

2007-01-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's topic "buzz". I created this today, specifically for the challenge. I want to continue to experiment with styles and take chances and learn and grow. That's what I'm here for.

I'm in San Francisco for the Macworld convention next week and have a few days here early to wander around this beautiful and interesting town. I found a great deal on a hotel on the web and it's in a great location. There are tons of art galleries within a few blocks of here. It was very fun to browse some of them today. There's a lot of great art in this town!

*****Update: I've posted some SF pics here: http://mynewphotoblog.blogspot.com/

So anyway, I wanted to do something with a more "natural media" feel to it. But not being at home, all I have is my trusty Mac and a mouse. No paper, paint, scanner, etc.

So this is my entry. As I often do, I drew the shapes and original composition in Freehand and then colored and textured in Photoshop. In upcoming weeks, I hope to incorporate more natural media.

I was not excited about last week's topic, but it was mostly due to being incredibly worn out from a very, very busy stretch of about 7 weeks, and it showed!

As for Macworld, I've never been to it, so it will be interesting to see what it's all about.

Please let me know what you think about my illustration! Help me grow!

Regards,

Scott

Illustration Friday-Phoenix

2007-01-03T00:35:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "phoenix" topic. Created specifically for the challenge, with limited time, as things have been busy.

Decided to go with something abstract, trying to suggest a rising out of the ashes, as the myth goes. Drew the shapes in Freehand and painted in Photoshop.

What do you think?

Illustration Friday-Peace

2007-01-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

This is a placeholder for "peace", when I can get caught up...

Illustration Friday-Help

2006-12-18T23:19:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Help" topic. My inspiration was Nicole Richie's recent turn of events, which is a clear cry for HELP. Portrait-type illustration is NOT my specialty, as I have done very little of it. So this was welcome practice. Your feedback is always appreciated!!! Compliments are nice, but anything truly constructive will make me a better illustrator, which is my goal! This was created FRESH for the IF challenge.

The first image is basically my Freehand drawing, but colored in Photoshop.

The second two are variations using Photoshop filters.

And the last one is the inspiration photo from The Smoking Gun web site.

Been totally swamped the last few weeks, so I'm behind on things!

Illustration Friday-Mask

2006-12-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

Placeholder for IF's "Mask" topic. Illustration to come...

Illustration Friday-Might

2006-12-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "might". He might make it, he might not. Or, it takes a lot of might to do that? An idea I've been thinking about for a while. Drew the shapes in Freehand, and colored and textured in Photoshop. I might try another variation, but it's gonna be a busy week. So this is the best I can do for now!

I'd love your feedback.

Kind regards for the many comments I've received on previous entries.

Illustration Friday-Invention

2006-11-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

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Just in time for the holiday baking season...the "Cookie Baker 9000".

This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "invention" topic. Created specifically for this challenge, on Monday.

Drew this in Freehand, colored it in Photoshop. I might try another version that is more painterly.

Feedback welcome.

Illustration Friday-Thanksgiving

2006-11-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Thanksgiving" topic. Done today, Friday, specifically for the challenge.

I decided on a style that I wanted to try. Thought of a simple composition, then I photographed my hands holding up a platter for reference. I then drew all the lines in Freehand. Brought the vector art into Photoshop where I added color. I painted a background and scanned that in. I also scanned a couple other organic textures and blended those in.

What do you think?

Illustration Friday-Clear

2006-11-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "clear".

Created this week, specificaly for this challenge. Though I did reuse the bottle from and earlier challenge.

Drew all the shapes in Freehand, brought into Photoshop to color and shade.

What do you think?

Feedback welcome.

Fig Plant

2006-11-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

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Illustration Friday-Smoke

2006-11-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

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This is the infamous "smoking gun". Drew the gun in Freehand with lots of detail. The top version is after a slight bit of Photoshop work. Created this specifically for the IF challenge.

I wanted some technical illustration practice...

Feedback welcome!

Pearls Before Swine...And More

2006-11-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Click images for a larger view.

This is my new collage. Just for fun. It's ok to have fun, isn't it?

I've added three more in this series. Still having fun...

These scans have a Photoshop filter applied, cause I don't like the "photo-graphy" quality when these are scanned, but the finished pieces are actual non-digital artwork. 8 x 10 inches.

Illustration Friday-Wind

2006-10-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Wind" topic. The topid was posted today, and I created this image, today, specifically for the IF challenge.

I planned out my composition in Photoshop, after brainstorming on ideas. I printed out various layers on paper, and collaged them with Gel Medium and Acrylics. Then I scanned back into Photoshop and applied a filter for a bit more graphic feel. This was a fun organic process. From concept to posting on the blog it took about 3 hours. And NO bugs this time! But I did find a HUGE Jerusalem Cricket (aka Potato Bug) a few nights ago and got a good photo, and want to draw it some time. It was a full 2" long, not counting antennae.

I had "toyed" with the idea of a wind-up toy, but I knew I could get this idea done today.

I decided to post the orignal scan, which is the bottom image...you can see better detail of the wind background pattern.

Illustration Friday-Ghost

2006-10-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "Ghost".

For last week's "Smitten" I drew a squashed mosquito. (I posted it late, after the week was over.) I already knew that "Ghost" was the topic for this week, so it made sense to be a bit economical, and get caught up too. So, I took the bug which I'd drawn in Freehand, and modified it so I had two bug shapes, a more squashed one and a more resurrected one. I painted a new background with acrylics, thinking about my dead bug rising again into the night. I scanned and then brought in the two bug shapes into Photoshop and played around until everything looked unified (hopefully).

In the second image I show a variation, trying to get a more upward sense of movement and more transparency.

What do you think? Let me know. Also, I've posted a bunch of other recent illustrations. Feel free to browse. If you break it you buy it!!! Be sure to look at "Smitten" to see the difference.

Illustration Friday-Smitten

2006-10-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Illustration Friday's "smitten". I first consulted the dictionary, "strike with a firm blow" was the first entry. Reading about the origin of the word, it seems to come from another word based on "smear". So a squashed mosquito seemed to fit the bill. Originally hailing from Minnesota, I have indeed squished many of the these buggers.

I created the background by printing out a texture (thinking about a flyswatter or a tent screen), distressing it, and painting a wash over it. I drew the mosquito in Freehand, printed the image, and transferred it using Contact Paper, which caused the distressed look. I then mixed up red paint and made squished marks with my finger onto white paper (doing my best to imagine real, juicy mosquitos...because I want my work to be AUTHENTIC!). I then compiled the three pieces via scanner and Photoshop, tweaking as necessary, plus a bit of magic.

This is posted late, after the week was over. Oh well. I think this will also be the inspiration for this week's entry of "ghost", so be prepared for another verision.

Feedback welcome.

Locust-For "Orange And Black" Contest

2006-10-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

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This is my entry for Penelope's "Orange And Black" contest. Collage, mixed media. I was thinking about the damage locust can make, plus rust and decay.

Your thoughts?

Plant Series

2006-10-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Click images for larger view. A couple of recent collages.

Bird Collage

2006-10-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

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So I bought Claudine Helmuth's Collage Discovery Workshop book, which is really a terrific book. I wanted to learn how to do image transfers. I have this collage idea that involves transferring images to layers of glass. This is my first try. I don't necessarily love the composition, but this one was mostly about figuring out the technique and process. I'm still not happy with my ability to get a good transfer to the glass. I try heat transfer, but the glass cracks. On this one, the bird was photocopied and then transferred via clear claulk. It works fine, but I don't like seeing the edge of the caulk around the image edge. I tried gel medium on the glass, but that didn't hold up.

Anyway, there are two layers of glass, separated by strips of board. The back is a hunk of plywood that I gessoed and textured and painted. I cemented the glass down with gel medium and then framed everything with paper coated in gel medium. The finished piece has a lot of texture and depth to it. And I like that the frame is integrated. I'm holding the piece while photographing it outside. You can see the shadow that the paper frame makes through the layers of glass. I'm excited to progess and perfect this technique. It's been fun to get my hands off the computer and get paint underneath my fingernails the last month or two.

Your thoughts are welcome!

Fabric Swatch

2006-10-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

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This is recent technical illustration for a client, showing microscopic fabric detail.