Jake Parker kickstarter

A friend of mine is launching a collection of his stories on kickstarter.  He's had great success so far with it!  Not only do I think it's a brilliant idea but I recommend anyone to back him.  He's an amazing artist and story teller.  Check it out.  kickstarter/antlerBoy

Valentine Art

So apparently I only do artwork for holidays;) This was for my wife. I took her on a tandem bike ride on one of our first dates.

Merry Christmas!

Final

A bit of insider info on this one: The bike in the painting is one I had as a kid. It was called an "Open Road" (at least that was what it said on the pads). Even though it was yellow and blue and has a really lame name it was the coolest thing on the block. It had two speeds. (That's right two speeds.) I would race other kids on the block and shift to the second speed like I was hitting a "Turbo Boost" button. I loved that bike.

A bit of insider info on me: Until I was about 13-14 years old, I believed I would be visited by an alien. NEWS FLASH: I was a nerd. Yes - I was brainwashed by E.T. and The Greatest American Hero. (I know I'm dating myself here.) Something inside me said, "One day they're going to choose you!" I think somewhere deep inside that kid still exists and relives those dreams through my art. Ok...I'm still a nerd.

learning experience

This was the color version of my first composition. It's a lesson for me in trusting my instincts. I never felt right about this painting no matter how good I thought the colors worked. Even though I brought this one to a "final" painting stage I knew I had to start over. I'm much happier with the new version and I'm surprised at how different it feels given that it's the same concept. Maybe I'll use this palette for an upcoming painting but for now this one goes into the painting graveyard.

First of all...sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I did a full color painting of the image below and never felt like it was finished. I got caught up with a side project and this is the first opportunity I've had to revisit it. With fresh eyes on it, I realized that I'd been trying to turn a mediocre image into a good painting. So I'm going to try this one instead. It's closer to the idea I had in my head and tells more of the story. Maybe too much, I don't know, but I'm going to start painting it and see what emerges.

The Passenger

Possible illustration entry for a gallery show here at work. The basic idea and composition is here. I'm not sure how much evolution is going to happen in the color phase. Here's a sneak peak.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's a few days late for Christmas but I figured I'd post it for the holiday season.

Sorry, it's been so long. After moving twice, changing jobs, and doing a ton of freelance I haven't had much time to do my own stuff. This one didn't come as easy as the last and I didn't enjoy it as much. But hey, it's something.

This one came together relatively quick compared to my usual illos. I enjoy the freedom of digital painting because of the ability to experiment without fear. Any critiques are welcome.

A little work in progress. After seeing "How to Train Your Pet Dragon", I couldn't wait to draw again. Besides being a wonderful story it was artistically inspiring. I'm planning on taking this one to final color.

Stream

Last night I did a "stream of consciousness" drawing. That's where I don't think about it and just draw whatever flows off the pencil. When I'm completely blocked this is a good way to loosen up. It's also much easier to draw after a day of storyboarding. I like it when my day job serves as a warm up session:)

Threw this one together for valentine's day. Artistic ability always comes through in a pinch. (Especially with us procrastinators) I wanted to mess with it some more but my wife said, if I posted it, I had to leave it alone:)

Monsters, Girls, Superheroes

My favorite things to draw in no particular order are: monsters, girls, and superheroes. Look at most of the animated industry artists and you'll find I'm not alone. I do not enjoy drawing backgrounds. I have to force myself to care about the environment. In my experience I've found that most artists like one or the other and usually specialize. There are some though, that excel at both - I hate those people:)

Inspiration

Okay, this needs to be shared. I just came across a blog that I completely "geeked out" over. Rad Sechrist is a board artist at Dreamworks and gives a mountain of information and trade secrets on how he draws and storyboards. I couldn't stop reading it. It was like crack cocaine for artists. I think it's a true gift to be able to draw but to be able to break it down so that others can learn is priceless. Check it out: Rad How To

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