Life Drawings Again

I started in on this knowing that I wouldn't have the entire 2 hours to work on it. Alas, my boss came in sooner than I had antcipated so I had to abandon it after about 30 minutes.

Still exploring with charcoals. The upper left side is evidence of my inability to contain this particular charcoal. It doesn't take much to push it away. If I burp I'll lose a full value.

My good friend Casey. She looks drowsy because she hadn't self medicated with diet coke yet ;)

Still haven't found my groove with charcoal and canson paper. Right now I feel like a gimpy kindergartner who can't seem to finish the arts and crafts hour without mess covering himself from head to toe. I remember having this out of body experience with this drawing. I seemed to be yelling at my hand, "A constant stream of "pile" is flowing from your finger tips! What are you doing?" But my hand would not obey.

I'm happy with this one. I'm realizing that the more I draw the more screwed up my drawings get. I had a clear idea of what I wanted before I started and I think that is why this one worked for me. All the others feel eager and sloppy to me.

Trying some things and going more graphic here.

This one is a mess. Typically, with any drawing I do, I always hit the "crap" point. That is where I don't think I can make it look any crappier and then it's just work to bring it up and out of the funk. This one is still riding the tide in the quagmire-ish bog of stink.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! Especially to those four noble souls who actually view this blog.

Here is something I just finished and posted on my work blog. It took me forever to complete it because I've been so swamped. Today I got up at the butt crack of dawn and came in early just to get it done. I hope you like it.

I wish everyone a safe and fun Halloween and happy diabetes to us all.

Life Drawing

Another life drawing I did a week or so ago. I've been using a dark gray nupastel that's a bit too soft for my liking. I've only ever used nupastel with my life drawings and because of that I've never had the full value scale. Everything I've done feels high key so the next stuff I post should be charcoal. I'll put it up even if it sucks.

James Franco

This is a pencil sketch I did today. James was unlikely subject matter for me, not for any other reason than he's good looking. I try not to discriminate and give uglies, hotties, freaks, and frumpies all the same amount of screen time. However, good looking people can be a drag to draw because they all look alike; what with being pressed from the same Hasbro plastic mold. James, however, has some good characteristics so I had a good time and good challenge with it. I have a friend who has worked with James on some films and says he is a real good guy... and then I thought, "Well, I'm a good guy too. So what's stopping us from being friends". I mean, heck, it really isn't a stretch to think that James could see this, call me up, and then fly me out to LA to play some Nintendo Wii and to become his newest BFF.

The other reason I drew James is because he reminds me of my younger brother Mason. Yes, he's that good looking.

Life Drawing Unfinished

The lesson for this week is to never be late to a life drawing session, especially 2 hours late.

Sweet Annie Bell

Nacho Libre and Jack Black

Life Drawing and Gesture

We (Avalanche Software) had a great model on Friday. She wore her hair in this great throwback to the 50's style and was a lot of fun to draw. It was a breath of fresh air. It's been a long time since I've felt I'm anywhere near to what I should be doing with life drawing. I've gone so long without practise so this session gave me hope. Because I'm in the story department at work I sometimes feel like my abilities are draining out of me, through my seat and onto the floor. It feels so good draw and I need so much more of it.

Boba Fett Blues

The worst thing you could do to Boba Fett, the greatest, most mysterious character of the Star Wars legacy, was to take off his helmet. Good thing the new episodes skipped that and went straight to sharing his prepubecent years as a mopey terd. I still can't believe he did an evil laugh when chasing Obi Wan through the asteroids. Where is the justice in the world?

Bail Organa

Our work's blog topic was "Dumb Star Wars Characters". Yeah, thanks for narrowing that down for me. What is that, like all but two out of the million characters created for toy marketing campaign that instigated the creation of episodes I, II, and III.

I have a love hate relationship with Star Wars. Love episodes 4, 5, and 6 and loathe 1,2, and 3. However, with that being said you cannot dispute the talented peeps at ILM. The art, design, sound, and effects were solid. Everything else was limp.

As for the picture, there were so many characters I hated that I couldn't choose, so I went the other direction and tried to find a character I could stomach. I figure that Bail Organa probably had less screen time than any of the principle cast so I hate him the least.

This picture was an exercise in using one color and only varying the saturation and value. After looking at it for sometime I'm resigned to think that, sometime in the future, I'm might run into Jimmy Smits and if he's seen this picture he's going to round-house me right in the neck.

Homeless Robots

The Avalanche Software blog topic for the past two weeks has been "Homeless Robots". Nothing like a little 10-30 weight to put you in a state of bliss.

When ever I see a homeless drunk sloshing about town I try to imagine what he or she was like as a small kid. My wife and I have two daughters and they are full of life, laughter, and wonderment. They couldn't have been much different. What decisions did they take (or tramatic events) that led them down their path? The spooky part is knowing that only one decision separates me from them.

But on a happier note, robots, Carl and Barry, are way beyond remembering their woes let alone their names and will go on to lead a fortune 500 company and get new joint replacements and live happily ever after.

Match Made In Heaven

This sketch started as I was flying to LA for work. In between popping peanuts and sitting with perfect posture, so my long freaking legs wouldn't dig into the seat infront of me, this scene came to mind. The thought of a really big lady in a swing and her width affecting her heighth in the swing cracked me up. I went with it and ended up with this. I tried pushing the "love" aspect by the lady's legs forming a heart.

Life Drawings

Here are a couple life drawings. I used nupastel on newsprint.

Bret "The Hitman" Hart

The Avalanche Blog topic for this week was "Hitman". The image came to mind of going home after a long day of work, you drop your keys in the bowl near the door and kick off your shoes all you hear is a whoosh of air. He silently strikes by doing a Flying Squirrel across your living room, slamming his elbow into the tender part of your upper spine and sending you to the ground. You lay motionless on your stain master carpet, wondering if the blood flowing from your ears will come out like the commercial says; hoping that by playing dead the monster might leave. You could only wish to be so lucky. His meaty grip picks your limp body off the ground, Suplexes it back down, and then folds you in half with the Sharpshooter finishing move. All you hear are tendons in your knees and back snapping as you pray that the heavens to "please, kill me now"; and then everything goes black.

I loved WWF. Hulk Hogan, Jake The Snake Roberts, The Bushwhackers, The Undertaker, Andre The Giant, Jesse The Body Venture, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Rick Flair, The Iron Scheik, Macho Man Randy Savage, on and on. It was nothing less than white trash soap opera...and I embraced every minute of it. It wasn't so much that I was obsessed with WWF as the fondness of sleep overs, staying up late with friends, eating lots of sugar, and daring not to go to bed for fear of someone farting on your head. Those were the days.

The aspects of wrestling that I loved was when your hero is getting the crap knocked out of him by fist and metal chair, ganged up on and totally out numbered. Then the crowd cheers, the camera pans, and a once enemy comes in and team up with your hero. They beat the living crap out of everyone and then clasp hands, walking around the ring for their victory lap. The crowd was so ecstatic they're almost in tears.

However, what I hated was when that same senario would happen and just as unexpected wrestler switches sides and is running full speed to the ropes the television announcer screams out at the rate of the micromachine man "That's all the time we have" and it was over. It felt like Santa just gave me the greatest gift in the world, then promptly pistol whipped me, and took it back.

Napoleon Dynamite

Look what I found under my bed! When Disney purchased Avalanche Software, where I currently work, they had nothing for us to do for a short time. A friend at work had a variety of sculptures at his desk that he had sculpted using super sculpey. I had nothing to do so I bought some from him and gave it a whirl. I worked on Napoleon Dynamite as the storyboard artist and script supervisor and also directed some commercials with Jon Heder so I had some good reference. I worked on it for a couple weeks and this was the final result. Work quickly ramped up so I had to take it home. I used a box padded it with plastic grocery sacks then hid it under my bed so my girls wouldn't poke it. I just re-discovered it. Joy! I had to scrape it free of dust bunnies and repair one eye that was mysteriously smashed, but it survived. I had this brilliant plan a while back to bronze the thing, right up until I found it would cost a honking thousand bucks. I think I'll just bake it, that way removing the dust will take merely a good hardy puff of air.

Dragon

My work's Blog topic this week was "Dragon." I loved Halloween when I was really little. A thrown together costume with whatever was lying around. There was a lot more imgination than all the prefab costumes today. My favorite costume was Superman. I think I was Superman for about 4 years in a row. It was this sweet little job with the emblem on the chest, yellow felt velcrow strap around the waste, and a small red cape...kind of like a bib for a first grader. I loved it. However, my trick or treating days ended quicker than I ever wanted them to. I started getting growth spurts in the third and fourth grade. They continued for some time which made me more than a head taller than most of my friends. One year I was singled out and asked over and over "Aren't you a little old for this?" even though I was with a bunch of shorties my own age. I remember faking it to my friends that I was cold. I went home and then I bawled my eyes out. Never went after that. But I made up for it when I was in high school. My friends and I would go dancing every weekend and dress up. The best was when we dressed up like hicks and went to a hardcore techno dance club. The bouncer at the front reminded us that it wasn't western night. "Yep, we know!"

Draggin

I swear I'm not making fun of those less fortunate and confined to wheelchairs. However, I am mocking this lady because she wasn't actually cripple, just really lame.

This beauty was sit-walking her way down the side walk near the down town library. The concentration, fervor, and seriousness that was on her face as she was "suck-puffin" convinced me that if she were to stop smoking she would actually die. The craziest part was the speed at which she did it. I could liken it to the heart rate and metabolism of a shrew.

And as this little Casey Jr. passed and continued down her track I was compelled to turn and salute her caboose for fumigating the day. I watched her quietly scoot away with rapid puffs of yellow smoke pulling at her shoulders and hair... and then I listened. (Shhh) I swear I could hear the driving cadence of, "...tumor, tumor, tumor, tumor..." fading in the wind.

Rodeo Queen, Lehi Utah

There is nothing sweeter in this world than a Utah rodeo. Be it Kamas or Lehi, I lick my chops to go and people watch...wait a minute...I lied. There is something sweeter. A demolition derby! But they're in the same family.

Decker Customs

Here are two t-shirt designs I did for Jeff Decker. He is an amazing bronze sculptor and builds bikes. His lives in Springville, Utah and has a studio, Hippodrome Studios. One of these days when I'm all rich and famous and crap, I'm gonna buy one of his bronzes.

Bill Baucom

Bill Baucom is a great friend of mine. He is a veteran of the Korean war. He survived the Chosin Reservoir and was a sniper during that time. I came to know him after my mother, who teaches school, had her students write valentines to the veterans hospital. Bill called to thank her. She invited him over for dinner and it's been about 8 years of friendship since. He has taught me so much about life and sacrifice. A true hero as were his buddies that never came home.

Older Stuff I Can Still Stomach

Here is some artwork I did while I was in school at BYU.

I did this as a conceptual piece for a story I had written. It was a short on the adventures of two toothfairies. I used guash, watercolor, and color pencil.

"Emily's Individuality" I was at a thrift store, looking for I don't know what, when a girl walked by. She had bright orange hair with a crew-cut, a wife beater t-shirt, camouflage pants, and a tatoo on the back of her right shoulder. She stood out like a sore thumb especially in the cookie cutter image of most who live in Provo, Utah. However, as I watched her I was so impressed with how at ease she was in her own skin. She walked with her head up, confident, sure. So I took some of her and mooshed it into an angel who likewise wanted to stand out from the other angels. I used color pencil.

"Lighting The Scene" This was the first oil painting I did in school that I actually dug. My good friend Doug Chamberlain is holding the bounce board. He is a cinematographer in LA and very talented. He shot all of my short films while in college.

This life drawing was one that really gave me some confidence back in the day. I see all sorts of problems with it but I still like it because it was a break through. I think it was 1999. Nupastel.

Beth

This is an illustration I did of my Aunt Beth. It's been 25 years since she passed away from diabetes. She was very talented in all aspects of the arts. She painted, sculpted, sang, wrote poetry, stories and music. As a small boy she was a huge influence to me to continue drawing. She lost her sight, married, and was told never to have children, the effects of which could kill her. Her desire to have a baby was greater than the threat of death. Her daughter Alisha was born and Beth went down hill fast. Beth began having dreams of her father, who had passed before I was born, telling her that her work on earth was done. I was 6 years old and will never forget saying goodbye to her in Park City. She stopped her insulin and passed shortly after. Grandma, her brothers and sisters created a compilation of her writings, stories, music and paintings and this was a picture that was inside the cover.

Republi-crat

Every year our family gives gag gifts for Christmas. We figure we all have what we need, except for the occasional bag of socks and peanut M&M's, so we'll have fun with it rather than buying a bunch of crap. This was my dad's gift for my brother in law, a T-shirt with this on it. Bobby is big into politics and is teased that he's somewhere between both parties.

Bug n' A Rug

Love is in the air.

The Grinder and Burro

A set of characters I want to put into a film. I hope the time comes when I can breathe some life into these guys.