Goat's Gruff

Work Sketch 2012

2012-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Final Jaguar

2011-02-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

Albino Jaguar

2011-02-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

I have been hired to do a few illustrations - one being a jaguar. I am liking how it looks.

Model

2011-02-11T16:14:00.001-08:00

I got tired of looking at that old post from almost a year ago. The other day, I drew from a model. It had been a long time and I was afraid that I wouldn't get anything out of the experience. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did a couple of drawings that I liked. One will become a painting, but the other was more of a comic sketch. Here it is:

The model was a nice guy and he seemed to like my drawings. That helped. I am excited to do more art and excited to do my series of paintings I have planned on portraits of men.

Notebook sketches

2010-04-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have to clean out my desk at work - because we are moving, not because I was fired... And I have a bunch of old notebooks I am pitching. But before I throw them away, I wanted to save the doodles and images I lovingly created during meetings and in times of boredom. These aren't great by and stretch, but at least I have stuff to post! Woohoo!

What is wrong with me?

2010-03-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

I say that with love - because this makes me laugh.

I'm still weird.

Cute Puppy Dawg

2010-03-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do something a little different today - Just some rough sketches, but I started drawing this dog that I really liked. I think he's cute and naughty and he knows it. I started with the horrid iPhone pic, then I brought it in photoshop where I decided to color him a little. Overall, it's a little lazy and dreamy, but I like him. His name is Paul.

Close-Up Aphid

2010-03-22T23:37:00.001-07:00

Close Up start

2010-03-21T04:05:00.001-07:00

It's late and I got just home from karaoke in Little Tokyo. While I am waiting for my pillow cases to dry in the drier (I hate forgetting to turn the drier on), I figured I should do some Aphid coloring. All done in Illustrator. Tomorrow, she will be refined more. Pillow cases are dry. Night.

Final Aphid Soccer Girl

2010-03-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

Another Aphid

2010-03-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Just trying out some different sketches of the famous Aphid. A profile will be next in the queue, as well as finishing the color version. Maybe if I am feeling ultra inspired and ambitious, I may try to model her face in Maya. Probably not. Apologies again for the terrible iPhone pic.

Aphid in color

2010-03-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

Loving this - though it took forever to set up my laptop with any image-creating software (since the hard drive failed and was re-built). I would have finished otherwise. I really am liking her in color. I decided she is a red-head at this age.

I still have the rest to complete, but I definitely will tomorrow night. Can't wait to remove the original drawing and give her a soccer field background! Fun!

Aphid the Teenage-girl

2010-03-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

Aphid, Aphid, the teenage girl
Does her pony-tail in a swirl
Keeps a diary of her secret joy
And dreams of capturing a certain boy.

She still likes hearts,
skirts,
and pony-tails -
And now likes bows,
lip gloss,
and writing in her diary about BOYS.
Her bunny slippers are way too small now.

Aphid the Soccer Girl

2010-03-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Aphid, Aphid, the soccer girl
kicks the ball and makes it whirl
Runs so fast, her heart's a joy
Scores more goals than any boy.

She likes hearts,
skirts,
short, sassy haircuts,
horses (not unicorns),
bunny slippers,
and she LOVES soccer.

Fox Boy Number 14

2010-03-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

This drawing was a gift for someone very special. I wasn't going to post it, but then the love was over. I hope he enjoys it as much as I do. He's a fox and he was my valentine (hence the 14). The stripey pants somehow, were perfect. Don't ask about the weird shoes.

Cute Demon Goat Boy

2010-03-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Just a doodle. Got goats on the brain. And ties. Apologies for the bad iPhone pic.

Updates soon...

2010-03-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let anyone who was interested know that there will be updates to this blog very soon. Sketches and the such and maybe I will break out the cintique again.

Linoleum Block Cut

2009-06-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here is something else I finished today. A Stag.

When Bad Art Happens to Good People

2009-06-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Wow - it's been almost a year since my last post. I have been in a very un-inspired place. But I am trying to turn it around. With all my might.

I have a potential commission, some time off, and art supplies just sitting around my house. I've decided that it is best to post even the bad (some may argue that is what I *have* been doing) along with the good (when it gets good).

I recently heard that a painter must do 1000 bad paintings before he finds consistency and quality. Here is my start!

Here is my most recent work. It's the first painting I have done since October of 2008. It's pretty terrible. I mean, I like aspects of it, and it's not the most terrible thing I have ever done, but *wow*. It's more of a sketch that I decided to paint. Yeah...

Watercolor and pencil on wood.

Some sketches

2008-10-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

I broke out the Cintiq once again.

Here are some warm-ups I did. I'll post more as they are done.

Hey Nancy, Want This?

2008-10-10T13:39:00.001-07:00

I've gone back to wood and watercolor for this next painting I just finished. It's for the next WOW Art Show opening on Oct.17th. The show is titled, "Hollywood DC: Lights! Camera! Election!" and it explores politics and celebrity.

This is from a photo of Nancy Reagan with the Easter Bunny (or more precisely, a guy in a furry Easter Bunny costume). I have to say, politics aside, Mrs. Reagan had amazing style. Makes you realize when you see the first lady of the US now that STYLE is missing from the White House.

I loved the image and had fun painting it. Here's a link to the original photograph (taken in 1981), in case you want to compare.

Moose Bride

2008-09-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished piece - it's a sneak peek to seeing it in person tomorrow night, Friday, September 12th, at the World of Wonder Gallery show - DollyPop.

Here's a link I found on-line...HERE

Like I said, it's not done exactly the way I would have liked because I ran out of time.

But still, I do dig it.

Eye of the Storm

2008-09-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know why that is the title of the post, Eye of the Storm...

This is the eye of the Dolly painting - the one completed eye. I have a ways to go to finish this painting - and something tells me I will not finish it the way I would want to. But we all have to let go of unfinished business from time to time.

Poetry.

Here is that eye.

Sneak Peek

2008-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to be part of another celebrity art show at the World of Wonder Gallery, for which I am very thankful. And I usually wait for the piece to be complete before I show any works in progress. But today is a new day and I feel confident about the painting. It's acrylic on canvas and so far, it's still in the under-painting phase. Shading, to be precise. The celebrity is another iconic star - Dolly Parton. And of course, I have to add the odd animal to the piece.

Updates to come - hope you enjoy.

Drawing and Shading Kids

2008-08-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon drawing and doodling and I ended up with this sketch. It's fairly straight forward and simple, but I really liked the drawing in the corner. It seemed very Norman Rockwell, middle America to me. I tried to make the side view the same character, but I don't think I was as successful.

Shading the characters with white can be a good technique - I have been experimenting with it for a few sketches now. It's bringing out the areas that the light is hitting. For some reason, I didn't shade in the darks on this drawing. I think I was afraid that I would overwork the sketch.

I have also been working at my cross hatching. Looking again, I probably went too far with the lighting - it's a bit overpowering on these simple sketches and I definitely went too far on the last post! Less is more. I have to learn when to stop.

Is it me, or is it harder to stop sketching when you are doing it digitally? I feel like the eraser is so complete and you never damage the paper or are left with faint pencil lines. When I start a sketch on actual paper, I work faster and get through more sketches and more pages. I am more willing to accept the imperfections of my line because I am more willing to accept the low shelf-life of the drawing.

Enough of my rant. Here's the sketch. Comments are always welcome.

Warm-up Drawing

2008-08-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

It's funny that I am calling this a warm-up because I am not drawing anything after it. I spent a few hours on this (probably too long). I don't know who it is, though it looks like the comic book character Quicksilver. Though maybe too sympathetic of a portrayal.

More to come...

Guess Who?

2008-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

I did this post Africa, and it lives in my current sketchbook. I thought it was funny that later, she built her own school there. Coincidence? I think not. My sketchbook is magic.

Another Favorite

2008-07-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'll let the text on the page speak for itself.

My FAVORITE African Drawing

2008-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

I know it's a bit crude, but in the interest of sharing...

We were on a 10 day safari in Tanzania. I asked our Field Guide, Chris, what the strangest thing he had ever seen on safari.

"A baboon mating with an impala"

I had to draw it. I think it's one of the best drawings I have ever done.

My Current SKETCHBOOK

2008-07-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

I love peeks into people's sketchbooks. I have been working on this Moleskine book for a couple years now, but you wouldn't know it by looking at it. However, it has been with me to Africa, Europe, and India. I really cherish some of the drawings, especially those I did in Africa - Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. They are all pencil and some have some watercolor color additions. Here are a few from then, circa 2005.

The top drawing is from Rwanda. I was fascinated by the clothing - mostly the combinations of western clothing and the traditional prints. I think you can read what I wrote in this journal styled entry. Oh, and that was a white flower I pressed in the book. It turned purple in a matter of weeks!

Next is from the second part of the African journey - Tanzania. There we met many of the tribs that still exist (to an extent) in Eastern Africa. This is my rendering of a Maasai warrior.

Third is from the last leg of our African tour - Zanzibar. It's an amazing island where I got the best buys. I found one shop that had the best selection of antiques, both African and Islamic, I have ever seen. I would go back just to shop. However, we got to spend a bit of time on the beach where I did this drawing of the Muslim woman, a starfish, and the tower in the background. It's unfinished.

Lastly, this was an unfortunate site we passed by on the way back from seeing the gorillas. (Another story). But this poor boy was biking and had been hit by a car on these gravelly, curving roads. I can never let this image leave my mind. This drawing was an attempt.

Wolverine Sketch

2008-06-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

In the interest of adding posts and keeping this blog interesting... Really early version, here.

Silly Sketch, Part 2

2008-06-22T00:01:00.001-07:00

A Silly Sketch

2008-06-21T12:35:00.001-07:00

Quite possibly the dumbest sketch in the universe. I just started and soon it became the poster for Standardized Testing in the 70's. At least it's goofy and tells some semblance of a story. That's a step in the right direction, I guess.

More from 2002

2008-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

New Post, Old Drawings

2008-06-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Whaaaaat?!?! I came across my old sketch book and lo-and-behold, I was a better artist then!! It's from 2002 and I think I cared more then to get the lines right, to complete the anatomy, and to get facial expressions down. I was in a drawing class with an amazing teacher, Glenn Vilppu. I worked less. How many other excuses can I come up with?

Now I look at my old drawings, and I don't see the flaws as I did when I was drawing them. I am the king of self-criticism! What I do see is the imagination I tell myself I lack.

Glad it was there in 2002! Now I need it for 2008!!

Here are some examples. More to come in the next post.

Getting Back

2008-06-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

I took a break to relax and get my head straight after the last show. So I am back and I am starting slowly, trying to play around again with Painter. Sometimes it's my friend, and other times, not so much. As a result, I am not posting my coloring tests as of yet. But I thought I would post an updated Velma. I just wanted to make her a bit less abstract.

Leda Progress

2008-06-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the progress movie I promised. Thanks to Quicktime - I just had to export it for the web. Again, this is currently featured in the World of Wonder art show, Dial M for Madonna.

Oh, and the image that starts the movie is actually my really rough sketch on the back of my Iron Man ticket stub. I did it while I was driving home. Some people text while driving, others doodle.

Art Show

2008-05-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

It was a fun night - I was enjoying watching people take their pictures posing with my painting. Thanks to World of Wonder for putting on these types of shows and for asking for my submissions.

As promised, here is a movie of the progress - I thought I documented it fairly well, but when it comes down to a small flash movie, you don't see too much.

A fun fact, I started this painting while driving to an appointment. I scribbled down the idea on the back of my Iron Man ticket stub. That's the first image you see.

Enjoy the movie.

Oh, and here are a couple pics of the soiree, Friday night at the WOW Art Gallery.

Dial M for Madonna art show

2008-05-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here is my final piece - I will post a little movie on the progress over the last two days.

The show is tonight - in 2 hours!

By the way, the painting is Acrylic on Canvas - and is titled Leda.

The Dancer

2008-05-12T15:20:00.001-07:00

Early Daytime Velma

2008-04-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Thought I would take advantage of every minute before I had to return to my life of work. I still am interested in the Scooby Doo gang, so here is an early Velma. I kept her iconic turtleneck and skirt, but I am giving her a bit of a 20's goth edge. I plan on some tattoos and maybe some lace. I'm not sure what she is doing with her hands at this point. Oh, and I lost her glasses - I figured she would have contacts in this day and age.

Updates

2008-04-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sketches and updates to

my Scooby line. I think the square-jaw may be Fred. Work has been really busy so I got the time last night around 3am to work on these. More to come, especially now that I got the internet back up at home. Comments always welcome.

The Mystery Machine

2008-03-31T12:59:00.001-07:00

I have no idea of how this idea came to me - and these sketches are extremely preliminary. I wouldn't publish them except I haven't published ANYTHING in a long while. So here are two...

I wanted to do updated modern versions (less stylized) of the Scooby Doo gang. Maybe I will add Don Knotts at the end for the celebrity guest star!

Bad Sketches

2008-03-17T23:31:00.001-07:00

Well, you have to start somewhere!

Just added the Batgirl prelim sketch. I think I will pursue this one. Ok, off to work!

Pink Monster

2008-03-16T21:26:00.001-07:00

Monster

2008-03-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have these recurring nightmares that always star this horrid beast. Hopefully this sketch will purge my subconscious obsession. Here's to hoping.

Actually, I enjoyed doing this sketch. I am practicing more anatomy and exaggerated

foreshortening. I dig the hand in the foreground. I enjoyed doing his nails. No jokes, please.

Geez, how did his waist get so little? But in general, practice makes perfect. And I have a lot of practicing to do!

But the Hulk is still a favorite of mine, even though I am inundated daily with his face. I find myself sketching his deep set eyes and sloped brow often while I am in various meetings at work. I also like how his little nose is set really close to his eyes. I should probably pay more attention during those meetings.

I decided to update this post with a version in color. I couldn't stand any more green, especially since St. Patrick's day is tomorrow. Actually, I was thinking about this sketch on Mad TV which wasn't very funny, but it's good for a chuckle.

Maybe I should give this Hulk a clutch or something.

Storm!

2008-03-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

Sketch with some finishing work. Here, Ororo is the Wind Rider - the goddess of weather.

Just added the beginning of Storm in color. Painter makes me feel like I don't know how to paint anymore.

Panda-Man at the BBQ

2008-03-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but I have pandas on the brain. I started drawing a panda but then started thinking about that SNL skit where Will Ferrell is barbecuing screams at his kids to get off the shed. He starts nice and quiet, but then explodes. Maybe I just like my panda-man - or 'manda bear' in his polo shirt. I should give him the embroidered logo.

Actually, I recently got a Cintiq tablet and I have started playing with Painter. There are lots of fantastic things you can do, but I think the key is to not overdo it. I think it's really easy to over-work the paintings digitally. So I am trying to keep it simple.

I'm not sure how the comb-over is 'keeping it simple', but hey. It's funny.

Progress Movie

2008-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

Maybe I am taking too much time with the Superman illustration, but I dig it. So here's the movie!

Hope this works. I used Flash 7 so maybe more people will find it compatible.

Don't forget to leave comments!

Final Superman

2008-02-27T04:11:00.000-08:00

I may add legs - and I would like to figure out how to not get the white border around the image on this blog...

But overall, I dig it! I'm glad to see all the progress - some very tiny changes, and others really large. Hope you enjoy him. And I know, it's late.

The Doll

2008-02-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

I'm back - it has taken me a while to add another entry because I've been busy at work and at home. I've also been wanting to start an illustration for a book contest, but I have been waiting for my Cintiq tablet from Wacom to arrive in the mail. I had a false alarm yesterday in the mail room, but instead received a horse t-shirt. I'll take a picture of that soon for all to enjoy.

So here is another fun woman - I call her the Doll because she whispered it in my ear. (Does anyone read the actual texts?) She may get updated if she asks me to. But until I hear her sweet beautiful voice again, Lunesta is done. Oh yeah, that's her first name.

Last Superman post of the day.

2008-02-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

Whew, I am getting detailed here. I added more shading, did more face work, tightened up some lines, and overall, spent waaaay too much time on this for one day. I promise a more condensed post with the progress when this is all done. Hopefully tomorrow, but I may need a break from the hero genre for a bit. Oh yeah, damn that hand!

Superman in progress

2008-02-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Another quick peek before he's all done. I have hand work to do, lighting on his suit and cape, underoos, and legs!

Superman III

2008-02-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

Ok - now I am getting to the nitty gritty of Supes. It's taken me a while to get inspiration to come back to this piece, but now I am really enjoying it. The dynamics of the cape, the lighting I'm rendering, and the color have all been really exciting. So I have to keep working on his anatomy (my sticking point) and all will be well. I am aiming for a flying pose - with at least one hand coming forward breaking frame. Very typical pose. Hope you all enjoy it and hope you are clicking to see all the fine details I am adding.

Red Head

2008-02-17T02:04:00.001-08:00

From Meathead to Red Head.

I began with a Nagel wannabe and then changed her to this glam-puss. I like her vintage feel and her fire red hair. Kind of makes me think of a more detailed Shag illustration. I had fun with the glasses, but I think they may be a bit much overall. Her hair is cool - I like the distorted, obscene head underneath that hair. From start to finish, Red took me about 3 hours. Time for bed and maybe I can do another one tomorrow or work on one of the others in progress. Don't forget to click on these illustrations to get the large view. The details make the piece.

MeatHead

2008-02-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't had a lot of time to create new posts (and since I had my first official complaint at the lack of new posts XD), I decided to show some older work. These are my MeatPeople. I went through a marker phase and did three portraits of people with meat for heads. Here are two of the three.

Enough Superman for tonight.

2008-02-12T03:29:00.000-08:00

I think this is heading in a good direction. It has enough detail to make it more interesting - I just threw in some color for the blue suit. The big S was fun to make. The hair was a pain to get the right shape. More to come tomorrow or soon. Time to sleep now!

Superman

2008-02-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a bunch of comic book characters. Here is my start to Superman.

More to come!

Batman

2008-02-09T17:33:00.001-08:00

My Saturday - I watched my morning cartoons and was inspired. Here is one of my favorites - I Tivo The Batman cartoon and really enjoy the animation and style. It's angled and sharp with a 60's vintage feel. My version has a rounded helmet for the cowl. The eyes are sort of Spiderman inspired.

I'll probably get to sketching on paper soon. My thumb gets particularly tired rubbing on the track pad of my laptop. I should run up and get a mouse at least, but I'm feeling lazy. The sun's going down and I want to turn my computer off.

Sketch

2008-02-09T09:31:00.001-08:00

Here's the sketch I started with.

I Like Big Mouths

2008-02-08T20:52:00.001-08:00

I did this one at work directly from the sketch I started with before the last post. This is what she should have looked like. My Mom always would complain when I was drawing as a kid that the women I made always had huge, shiny mouths. They're weird, she'd say. Now, I can make the mouths as big as I please!

Maybe this weekend I will do more traditional art - I will update as always. And I'll post that sketch I started with.

Another late night.

2008-02-07T03:44:00.000-08:00

But I think there are better results. I sketched during the day (during some extra-long meetings).

Maybe the early planning just helped. At first, I realized that my sketch was inspired by a woman I had a conversation with, earlier in the day. She had a great bridge on her nose - that, and her eyes may be the only parts that went from my sketch to this piece. I worked on this while watching my Tivo - Oprah, 2 minutes of American Idol (I hate it when Tivo acts up!), and a recap of America's Next Top Model. I am really fond of that show. By the way, I get to sleep in tomorrow morning. I am so happy!

I wanted to also share my painting I did for the Britney Gallery show I was a part of. It had 3d glasses next to the painting because you can see the lines 'dance'. It is acrylic on wood panel. I think it was a pretty successful piece overall. I like it more even without the glasses on. I think the old-school red and blue 3d look is becoming popular. I just saw Missy Elliot's latest video and it has that similar aesthetic.

It's so late.

2008-02-06T03:44:00.001-08:00

I can't believe how late I stayed up to finish this next woman. I don't even think I like it too much. But what can I do? I can't turn back time - and it's funny because I am listening to Dr. Oz on Oprah tell us that lack of sleep is the thing that ages people fastest. *sigh*

So here is the final image with Big Head Lady #2. Enjoy.

Quick Start

2008-02-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

I promised a daily update, so here it is. It's just a start, but I think it has promise.

First Post

2008-02-04T12:07:00.001-08:00

I figured it was time to move to the blogosphere and share my artwork. It's also going to serve as a way o keep me motivated to create every day. Sketches, quicktimes, paintings, photos. All are valid! So for the first post, I figure I should upload something new, something old, and something in progress.

Something New

Yesterday I was fiddling around with Illustrator and I started

with a face. It progressed into this big-headed, scary woman/drag queen. I'm not sure about the outfit nor the gesture. I may go in and fix it, or maybe I will turn to a new freak.

Something Old

I had my first solo gallery show last year. I have been painting on wood panel with watercolor. The paint seeps into the wood and it bleeds into the grain. But I like how it looks.

After that show, I had been invited to submit paintings to two themed group art shows. The first was for a Britney Spears art show. The second was based on Warhol. Here is that painting.

Something In Progress

I don't know why, but I decided to do a painting of Speed Racer. I don't know if I'll

continue on this path. I don't really have any twists or turns on the theme in mind. Maybe that's because the movie comes out this summer.