Recently I've been working on several pieces for a couple of art shows I'm going to be a part of in the next two months. The first takes place on January 22nd. This one I have a lot more input in because my friend is doing it at her salon in Claremont. I'm going to be working on a flier for it and will post it soon.
And the second I believe is for the Downtown Pomona Artwalk (I assume because the gallery is located on 2nd Street in downtown Pomona). The date for the second show is still tentative, but I will post it when I find out the exact date. Besides that I don't really know much about it besides the fact that they asked for graffiti artwork.
So anyways, I was out the other night in downtown Pomona and I was speaking with a tenant of one the galleries on 2nd Street and he suggested I do a bunch of small pieces all of hands, since he had seen my sketchbook. I offered to put up some work if he ever needed any new stuff for one of the artwalks. So hopefully than pans through, but if it doesn't either way he gave an idea.
These are the first two completed drawings of the set. I'm not exactly sure how many in total I'm going to be doing of these, but I'm thinking something close to 10. And I don't really know how I'm going to arrange them, of if they'll all have the same colored background or really any of the details besides the fact that these are two from the set.
In addition to the “hands” pieces, which are in fact just one whole piece of art, I'm also planning to do a couple of more separate pieces. And on top of that I also need to do 2-3 complete pieces for the art show in February. The theme for that one is graffiti. So that shouldn't be too hard. I think I might just work on those now and use the graffiti art for the first show as well.
This is a set of photos I took a few years ago when I was really into graffiti. I still like it nowadays, but sometimes it can get a little dangerous and borderline illegal. I meant to say the taking of the pictures, not the actual act of graffiti. All of the pictures are ones that I took and aren't anything I've done myself. But there are some pretty good pieces in here. And if you click on the pic below it takes you to my Picasa album where I have alot more. I still have alot more pictures I need to upload though.
A couple weeks ago I bought a pack of disposable Copic pens (most Copic pens or markers are refillable) and decided to finally use them last night. They're perfect when paired with Copic markers because they [usually] don't smear when coloring over the ink. Unlike the Rapidograph pens, which I really like, but tend to smear more often.
I just cant seem to get away from drawing hands. And for once I was able to draw my right hand while at the same time looking at it. Whereas before I would take a picture of it and then draw it from the computer. I put on a jacket because I like the way the red looks with the flesh tones. This is as close to maroon as I could get. I had to first put down a red and then color that in with a brown. It came pretty close to the color I was looking for.
Sometimes when I drink I tend to want to draw. Actually, alot of time when I drink I want to draw. But I never really carry around my sketchbook with me. For some reason I feel like an ass having my sketchbook with me at all times but I think I need to get over it and start bringing it out more often. Maybe then I can get better at drawing people and objects from life.
But Anyways, I drew this last weekend after being highly inebriated. It came out alright, some of the proportions are kind of off though. Need to practice some more. But people move too much... sit still damnit!
I started reading the first book of the Akira manga again a few days ago. It's a collection of the series compiled into 6 books. I only have one so far. This would have to be the epitome of the Japanese manga because the characters are drawn in the typical manga style. In the same way that the anime epitomizes what a great anime is supposed to be.
I had mentioned in an earlier post that Akira was one of my favorite, actually probably my favorite, animes ever. The reason being that the artwork is so crisp and the colors so vivid. Along with the post apocalyptic storyline and action sequences, I can't see how anyone wouldn't immediately like it. Every single aspect of it is excellent, even the music is good. I have two version of it, a Letterbox VHS tape from the late 80s, and the remastered DVD version from about 5 years ago. I didn't think it was possible for it to look and sound any better, but it does. And I can only watch it with the original Japanese audio. I hate any film that is dubbed. I rather hear the original language and read subtitles. It takes away so much from it.
A perfect example of this would be the Japanese anime Paprika. I just started watching it and I think if it was dubbed I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I did. There are alot of cultural references in Japanese films (and also other foreign films, obviously) that seem to get lost in the translation through dubbing. But anyways, about the movie... If you want to see a trippy movie, this is a good one to watch. It feels like the people making were either stoned or thinking about being stoned. The images change back and forth so rapidly and you really don't know what just happened sometimes. It's sort of like a cross between Inception and The Science of Sleep. It's hard to describe but I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of either anime or animation in general.
In terms of non-Japanese animation, I don't think I could pick a favorite. But up near the top would have to be Fantastic Planet, directed by Rene Laloux. The animation is really primitive, it kind of looks like cut outs at times, but the objects and aliens are really unique. The music is even better than the art. Some of the music was sampled by Madlib on the first Quasimoto album. You can hear the difference for yourself.
Original music:
Quasimoto - Come on Feet (sampled)
I tend to enjoy alot more foreign films than I do American, but to me the quintessential American animatior/director would have to be Ralph Bakshi. I read that alot of times he would film live actors and animate them to create the fluid movement he's known for in his movies. Talk about gritty though, I love the way he would make very adult oriented cartoons. Kind of reminds me of Robert Crumb. Actually his first full length film was Fritz the Cat, based on a R. Crumb comic. And there's alot of drug use and nudity in most of his films.
Fritz the Cat
Speaking of R. Crumb, he is probably one the best comic illustrators ever. I've said many times how I like gritty art, well he shows you exactly how gritty a person can look. He draws people exactly the way you don't want to see them, with wrinkles and lines throughout and very detailed to say the least. I've been wanting to get his Illustrated Book of Genesis, not because of the literary content, but for the artwork. I've always wanted to buy one of his limited prints, but they tend to get pretty expensive. All of his work does actually. Even some of his books of anthology which are just compiled reprints of his previous works go for $100 or more.
I guess it could be confused for a graphic novel. But then again that title seems to be used very loosely nowadays. Which I think is good. In my opinion they don't all have to be gigantic book like those that Will Eisner wrote. Although most people do credit him with creating and/or refining the genre.
.One of the best early graphic novels written is a book by Dino Buzzati called Poem Strips. It takes place in a sort of purgatory that the main character ventures into to find his lost love. There's an erotic undertone to it as well. I first heard about it on the illustration blog A Journey Round My Skull. There are some good excerpts there, and all together it's a really excellent blog. They feature alot of artwork from book and magazine covers from as early as the 1920's and beyond.
One of the first graphic novels I bought was La Perdida by Jessica Abel. Once again, the themes are very similar to those that I enjoy reading. Alot of drugs, sex and all out debauchery. But it's mostly about an American born Mexican expatriate who moves to Mexico. It's a good read and gets pretty deep into her problems and why she does what she does. Reminds me of another book, Local.
Keeping with the theme of drunks... One year for my birthday a friend of mine got me a copy of The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames. Some might know him because of his HBO series Bored to Death. Actually that's probably the only reason why most people would even know his name. I like the way he writes the dialog in this novel. Even though it is rather short, it's definitely worth a look.
On the longer side is Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis. I probably might sound a little nerdy, (then again, all of my posts are borderline nerdy) but the reason I like this graphic novel is that the main character is Bertrand Russell. For those know don't know him, he was a philosopher/mathematician/logician. In a previous post I did a drawing of him. In the novel they go about explaining his philosophy and go back and forth showing different stages of his life and how he came about his theories and ideas.
I might have left out a couple more books I own, but these are the ones that have had more of an influence on me. For some reason I tend to be attracted to graphic novels much more than comics. But lately I've been interested in comics, so before long I'll start up with that obsession again.
I used to really be into comic books starting around the time I was 10 years old. Mostly because I was into art and it was easy to copy the artwork.
I liked comics that were a little on the gritty side. While I did like the traditional Marvel and DC comics, they just didn't do much for me. I liked what Vertigo and Image were doing, mainly because I was a big fan of Spawn. I'd have to say that Todd McFarlane was probably the reason why I got so interested in doing illustration art. His drawings of people were so detailed and had a realism to them that I hadn't seen before. I still have the first 30-40 issues of Spawn (up until Todd McFarlane stopped drawing them) and are probably still tucked away somewhere in my parent's garage each individually packed in their own sleeve.
It's a big difference coming from a world where Marvel and DC were dominating the comic industry. Most people's frame of reference when it comes to comics is either X-Men, Batman, Spiderman and so on... all comic staples. While I wont take anything from them, because I too was briefly into these, there is such a big world out there beyond them that is much more stunning intellectually and visually (an exception being Todd McFarlane's interpretation of Spiderman [pictured] and the various Batman one-off series).
I started getting into graphic novels a few years back. The randomness of the story lines and plots are what got me back into the comic medium. Some of the stories are just so out there, so to speak. A good example is something like Monsters by Ken Dahl. The whole story revolves around this guy who finds out he has herpes and his dealing with personal relationships because of it. Most of his fears are neurotic. Overall a really good read, and the artwork is amazingly graphic in nature.
But I guess I would have to admit that most of the appeal to comics back then was the artwork. Unlike today, where I can get into a graphic novel without it having to neccessarily be excellent artwork. Case in point, something like Asterios Poly doesn't really have the most refined art, but the story is excellent. It deals with alot of meta physical themes. That's not to say that the art is bad by any means. I actually like the artistic style used. Maybe that's a bad example.
Black Hole by Charles Burns is another one of my favorites. It's about a group of teens in the 70's who are spreading around an STD. But in this case, the STD sometimes leaves disfiguring superficial marks on their bodies, marking them as outcasts. There's alot of social commentary beneath the surface and I high recommend it.
Currently though, my favorite graphic novel is 100 Bullets. It's really just a comic book series condensed from 100 comic issues into 13 books. The storyline is long and complicated, slow and tedious at one point, and fast and confusing at others. I haven't finished reading them all yet though, only the first 8 books so I guess I'll have to reserve my judgment til the end. It's sort of like a cross between noir and pulp. Very violent and unforgiving. A little hard to get into at first, but once you've read the first two books, it gets interesting.
Another collection of comics, although just a short series, is Local by Brian Wood. Here the artwork is much more traditional comic book style art. It's divided into 12 chapters, well, technically it would be the 12 issues of the comic. Each one takes place in a different location during a different year and you watch the main character grow up and progress as she struggles to find herself, so to speak.
There are few more I left out but can't seem to remember right now since I don't have them in front of me. That, and this post would be at least twice as long. Those are just a few of my favorite graphic novels/comics.
I guess it's been alot longer than I thought since I posted. It's not that I haven't been drawing lately but it's been harder to draw since I've been working alot more and don't have too much time to draw. Well, I guess that's not entirely true... I just haven't been too motivated when I do find the time, until recently. I did complete a couple more pieces but unfortunately was not satisfied with them. I think I'm trying too hard or something. Alot of times my friends tell me I'm a little too critical of my art and yet don't like criticism from others. That might be a little true.
Lately I've been really into Japanese culture ever since I stumbled upon NHK World. Since not having anything to watch on TV, I started flipping through the digital channels (the .2s .3s and so on) and for some reason or another started watching channel 18.2 because of their news. They also run mini documentaries throughout the day (in English) and other Japanese television shows (some with subtitles and some without). But what has really caught my eye was the fashion and art programs.
In particular, a program called Imagine-Nation which features and interviews Japanese artists of all genres; like manga, anime and other media. What I really liked about last night's episodes was that most, if not all, of the artists do hand-drawn or painted art that is then animated. So this got me to thinking about those artists and I decided to post videos up of their work
Anyways, on to the artists...
Atsushi Wada
Hana no hi (Day of Nose)
I really like how you can see all the lines in the areas that are filled in and how primitive it looks. It really gives it a hand drawn feel, more so than other anime that is refined.
Yuichiro Natori
Although none of his films are available online, his website (in Japanese, translated through Google) features alot of the work he's done.
Yusaku Hanakuma
His manga is simply drawn, but has an endearing quality to it. Makes you realize that you don't have to draw every single page perfectly. His art can be found on his website (in Japanese, translated through Google). He is mostly known for creating and drawing the Tokyo Zombie manga series.
Alot of the other artist were either hard to find online, or really had no presence. So I also posted a trailer which is comprised of several Japanese short films.
And I just had to post a clip from my favorite animes of all time, Akira by Katsuhiro Otomot. I also collect the manga, which is just as good as the anime. He's also done other anime like the excellent Ghost in the Shell and written various manga. The clip is a little grainy, which doesn't do the movie justice, but is from the best scene in the whole movie.
This next drawing took me a couple of days because of all the space in between that had to be filled in with black ink. I really need to get some more pens, like a brush tip and some with wider tips. Because as you can see, there are some lines seen throughout the darkness. But I kind of like the look that it gives it. The only problem is that since the tip is so thin sometimes the paper sort of peels off and a black mess of pulp gathers on it and can potentially ruin a drawing.
But anyways, this is sort of a test run for something else I'm going to be doing. Maybe not as solid and fine as this drawing though. It's a little too stiff more my taste, but I wanted to try something else.
I recently found an old sketch book I had throughout all of high school. I think I got it sometime around the 9th grade. I never filled it up completely, I think because I used it so much that the pages started to get worn and a little water damaged. And on top of that it was twice as big when I first got it, I guess I ripped too many pages out. I still used it occasionally a few years later. Now I tend to not purchase sketch books with spiral binding anymore. The rest of the drawings I'm not posting because they were mostly rough drafts for other bigger pieces. That, and a lot of them were in pencil and faded really badly over time.
This is the first page of the book. I still utilize some of the techniques and if you had seen any of my work from then you could immediately tell it was my style. It was originally just in ink, but then a few years later I added color to it. But I don't know... I think I liked it more without color. But either way, I still like it.
This is around the time I started using more ballpoint pens. This is probably my favorite drawing from this sketch book. I've tried many times to recreate this, but have been unsuccessful in the past. I think it's because I didn't sketch it in pencil beforehand. The only problem though sometimes is that the pen can fade a little over the years. But this has held up pretty well.
So I went through this faze where all I drew were fish... though, not necessarily accurate fish. And this was my signature fish. Looking at it now after not having seen it in so long, I really like it. I forget how much I was into drawing them. Usually though they weren't in pencil
I recreated this evolve piece later in a bigger sketch book. At the time it was probably my best (graffiti) piece. This took me a while to finish since there are so many layers involved and hidden arrows throughout.
Another evolve piece. Nothing special about it. Though I did use a lot of arrows. A lot of it has faded.
And the last page is of a few sketches of monkeys. I used a lot of these in graffiti pieces as characters. This was mostly just sketches for future drawings. But looking at these drawings makes me want to explore some old themes again.
I've been going back and forth lately in terms of my drawing styles. By that I mean that I'll draw something/someone realistic and then switch it up and drawing something very cartoon-like. I've been experimenting more and more with different styles (crosshatching versus thick bold lines or lines that fade away). I haven't done anything in a long time with ballpoint pen, which I really like. They work almost like a pencil except your bound to your mistakes. I guess I started using them to draw when I was in high school. Since it was really easy to place another sheet of paper underneath my notes or classwork (usually I'd put 2-3 more sheets in between just in case the teacher, or a nosy classmate came by and tried to see what I was doing). And they're cheap. Actually, the cheaper the pen the better it is to draw with. That's because you need to apply more pressure for the ink to come out darker. But anyways, that has nothing to do with the next two drawing I'm posting because none of these next drawings are in ballpoint pen but I think my next one will be.
This first drawing is of a tree in my backyard as
seen from my window. It's a change for me since I usually draw trees from memory. And also it has more realism than most that I draw. My only regret is that I drew this tree on the other side of my drawing of Bertrand Russell (see post below), and some of the brown bled through the page. Although it isn't really a big deal, but now I probably wont do anything else to it like I had planned since the tree would be ruined.
I've gotten so accustomed to drawing my own hands that I can start a drawing and finish it in a few minutes. But I still have trouble drawing other people's. I don't know why. I think it's mostly because I have my hand right in front of me to reference. A lot of times when I'm drawing someone from a pictures, the proportions can get be off a little. That's why I practice so much drawing my own hands. Here's another drawing of my left hand. This time using two different colors instead of one.
One of my favorite graphic novels is Logicomix. It's actually really unconventional, as far as graphic novels are concerned. It deals with the life of mathematician and logician Betrand Russell. I will admit though that I don't know much about either subject but they both deal with philosophy, which was one of my favorite subjects in college. It's a really well written book and was my inspiration for my latest drawing.
I was a little hesitant at first to use this specific picture that I found on the internet because it is such a well known image of him. Usually if I'm going to pick pick someone to draw that is famous, or at least well known, I try to get a random or obscure picture of them. It makes it easier for me because then the audience can't associate that popular image of them and see any flaws. But then I thought, not many people have seen this image let alone know who he is.
I reverted back to my old style of ink drawing, using a lot crosshatching which I was trying to get away from. But I kind of like it. And I know I can obviously still do it since this picture looks really similar to the original. I think I might use the same style in the next couple of portraits.
The drawing of him is finished, but the whole drawing is incomplete. I still need to add something around him in the open space to complete it since I did take up two pages of my sketch book.
All of the new artwork that I've been working on in the past 2 months is from my Moleskine sketch book. I started using it after I notice a lot of other artist had success with one. And there's just something about the size and feel of it that makes it so easy to draw in. I don't know though, it's probably all in my head.
The only problem I've been having is finding something, or someone, to draw. I think I just take it so seriously that I don't want to mess it up. But I guess it really isn't a “sketch” book because the drawing aren't exactly sketches. They're complete pieces of art. They're small pieces, but still, they are complete.
The first three drawings are of my hands, since I didn't have any other hands at my disposal. Though they do look a little grimy, which I like.
This is an unfinished drawing that I'm not really confident is going to come out as I had originally planned. I don't like the color, actually you can't see what I did to it after because I didn't scan the changes I made. I just don't like it to tell you the truth.
Another backpack picture. I don't know why I like drawing it so much. Well, I got a new bag, so I can try drawing that one for a change. I drew and colored some random clothing because I like the way the colors looked against the gray and dull bag.
This last one I just finished last night. It's drawing of some guy, don't remember who exactly, from an old issue of Wired I had lying around. I liked the way the lines around his mouth looked. It came out alright though. But I think I'm too critical of my drawings sometimes, so it's hard to tell.
I haven't had enough experience using Copic Markers and have actually been trying to attend one of the Copic certification classes that are held throughout the country regularly. But whenever I've seen any classes happening in Southern California, they always seem to be somewhere too far north like Valencia or Santa Barbara. Or too far south like San Diego. And then from what I've read in the criteria for even having your application accepted, you have to be an art professional. But honestly, I have yet to even contact anyone when there has been a class nearby. I guess I should get on it sometime, since I have started to amass a decent collection.
However, recently I had to part with my collection of markers and was just recently reunited with them. I'll spare you the circumstances, but most of the people actually reading this blog might know what I'm talking about. I was fortunate enough to get them back, along with my Moleskine sketch book that has quickly become my favorite and have been using exclusively. There really isn't one drawing that I don't like in it. But I'm sure there's room for improvement.
The drawing below is the first self portrait that I've done since taking art class in high school, or rather when I was taking after school classes at the dA art gallery in downtown Pomona. Which actually, I was never able to get back. Along with other artwork that I did while attending the program (my fault completely, not theirs). I guess it kind of looks like me, though the hair is a little off. And the second one is just something I did trying to experiment with Copic Marker. I could take it or leave it.
So sometime in high school I really got into graffiti art and murals. I started copying styles that I would see around and in graffiti videos and through black books that would sometimes be passed around every now and then in art class. Also, from guys who were going out there and actually doing things in the street. Though I was never really one to go and write myself, at least not in the conventional manner. The influence is seen a lot in my art from high school, and can still be seen in some of the characters and colors I use.
Anyways, I got really into it in high school and somehow started writing evolve, which later became evolvemikl (the mikl short for Michael). I never really got into, and wasn't really out there putting stuff up, it was more of a hobby and a way to hone my drawing skills. I just liked the way the letters looked and it really didn't have much to do with any political or religious implications (evolution versus creationism). Although now that I really think about it, I was going through a faze of drawing gorilla faces, monkey faces and hybrids of the two. And other tribal-like figures.
The first 4 of the following drawing were done probably about 5-10 years ago. And I think I've managed to retain the same style more or less. The first evolve piece below is an older one and you can see evidence of some of the primate figures that are recurring in some of my older sketches.
The next one is alot cleaner and I think I used a ruler, which I actually don't use much anymore because I like the way a natural line looks in that it feel more organic than when using a ruler. Also, without the ruler there's a lot more room for mistakes.
This one I like a lot because I'm not really that good at block lettering but I think I was able to pull it off pretty good on this piece. Mostly though because it's all filled in black. Plus, the stereo I also used for a while drawing and pieces and did different interpretations of it (the painting in the last post).
And this one is one of my favorite, if not my favorite evolve piece that I've done to date. This I would have to say is my signature style. It even has an early example of the arrows I used for a while. Everything more or less connects and it has a looseness to it and is probably why I think it is my favorite. I'm actually thinking about redoing it on better quality paper and making it bigger than the 5-6 inches that this is. It was cropped from a bigger piece from an old sketch book that contained the three previous drawing above.
And the final evolve piece is a more recent one, maybe 6 months old. Around that time I really started working with copic markers, so it isn't really that good, but I still kind of like it. It was cut out using an exacto knife. Although, I really don't know why I even cut it out, I think I just didn't like the shape the rest of the paper was in.
Since this is my first post, I've decided to post a bunch of old sketchbook pictures before I started posted more current ones that I'm working on.
More stuff to come since these are old pictures before I got a scanner. I'm going to have to rescan some of them at a later time. There's also more pictures to look at in my picasa web album if anyone is interested. Most of which I will be posting.
So anyways, I was out the other night in downtown Pomona and I was speaking with a tenant of one the galleries on 2nd Street and he suggested I do a bunch of small pieces all of hands, since he had seen my sketchbook. I offered to put up some work if he ever needed any new stuff for one of the artwalks. So hopefully than pans through, but if it doesn't either way he gave an idea.
