tree in a box

tessellation

2011-12-03T19:24:00.001-08:00

A mock TCAF poster illustration for class, focusing on the changes happening as traditional and digital print mediums continue to change and merge, something that is becoming more and more relevant for comic artists and image-makers right now. I like it with and without the text so I posted both. Done with acrylic and gouache on 300 lb Arches Hotpress Watercolour paper, with adjustments in Photoshop. Definitely want to do more work on this theme as well, I already have a few ideas.

More schoolwork to show soon as the semester wraps up!

cracked

2011-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

This was an assignment for my Illustration class, an op-ed illustration for this article about bullying, and how the only way we can stop it is by teaching kids how to take care of each other. The hairline cracks represent the subtle damage that bullying causes, and how if not handled with care they could easily shatter. I used graphite and scratch-board and combined the two surfaces in Photoshop with some minor touch-ups.

I'm updating progress work over on my sketch tumblr if anyone is interested. So many assignments, so little time.

wind-up birds

2011-08-20T06:12:00.001-07:00

These were a couple of paintings I made for the Edmonton Artwalk. I'd had the sketches sitting around for so long I finally decided to paint them. They're done with gouache with some small coloured pencil touch-ups, all on watercolour paper. There's still a couple more hanging around here half finished, so there may be more wind-up birds in the future.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Artwalk, I had an amazing time! There were even some people who knew me solely from this blog, which was pretty cool. It was great talking to everyone, and hopefully I'll be able to make it out again next year.

slips and tangles...

2011-07-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Slips and Tangles, Graphite on Stonehenge

A bit of schoolwork I touched up, finally finished! No particular concept, interpret as you will. I have a bunch of pieces on the go, I'll update again soon, trying to get as much finished as possible before the Art Walk. If anyone's around Whyte Ave in Edmonton from the 15th to the 17th, check it out, drop by my table and say hi!

Tumblr

2011-05-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

So I started a couple things on Tumblr, particularly a kind of sketchbook where I'll be posting a bunch of my sketches and progress work, in an effort to keep myself especially motivated to draw this summer. You can find it HERE. I also put together a somewhat professional website, you can find it HERE. Other than that, working on too many projects and keeping busy, more things to see soon!

2011-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

These were both projects from my media class using a gouache resistance technique. Basically you take some illustration board and paint the image out with white gouache. Once that dries you evenly brush india ink over it (I used black in the case, but you could use any colour). Once that dries, you run water over the whole piece in the sink and the white gouache washes away, leaving an almost woodblock-print-like image behind. It's so much fun to work with and you can get some really interesting spontaneous textures out of it.

illustration part 2

2011-05-02T18:26:00.001-07:00

For this assignment we were trying to create a kind of infograph to accompany an article, and I chose "How to Escape from a Giant Octopus" from The Absolute Worst-Case Scenario Handbook, which can be read here just a little ways down the page. It ended up being a very large piece (13"x18")and quite challenging trying to get each part to read as well as work together as a whole, but I think it came together in the end. I used brush ink and watered-down gouache on illustration board.

This was an in-class assignment where we had to start and finish a portrait of Muammar Gaddafi within a few hours. He has very intense facial features which were really great to work with.

Pencil, pen and brush ink on Stonehenge.

illustration part 1

2011-04-30T11:17:00.002-07:00

First: Editorial Illustration for this article, brush ink and Photoshop

Second: Inventor portrait featuring Nikolai Tesla, gouache on illustration board

Third: Absolut Vodka ad using the concepts of "fight" and "flight", graphite and Photoshop

Fourth: Wine bottle label for Rose Rosaline Sparkling Wine, gouache and Photoshop

These are most of the assignments from my Illustration class this past semester, taught by the incredible Jacqui Oakley. I say most because I'm still working on scanning a couple others and they'll be up soon as well. I learned so much over this past semester so I'm pretty interested to see what I can manage to make during the summer, and hopefully I won't slack off because there's too many things to do! Already have some pretty big projects in the works, and I'm trying to get back into the habit of sketching, which I stopped doing during school for lack of time and have sorely regretted it.

(Also, I'm not sure why the type is so large now, it might be this Mac or one of Blogger's many glitches. I'm experimenting with other options so hopefully it will look better soon.)

bird cards

2011-04-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Cards I made for my grandparents, graphite

School's finally done! I've been way too busy to update but I have a massive pile of work to post that I'll be putting up progressively in the next few weeks. I have a bunch of commissions to catch up on and a few of my own projects that I'm really excited about, so with any luck this summer will be a good one art-wise!

move pen move

2011-03-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

I have so much art going on right now, I swore I'd start updating this thing again this week because there's so much happening and so much I want to show!

This piece was done for an editorial assignment last semester. We had to choose an article and represent as best we could. I chose this article in The Stranger that went into the whole idea of suicide pretty comprehensively . I tried to leave the impression of someone reflecting on life and death, and contemplating death without using other suicidal connotations. Drawn with pencil, coloured in Photoshop.

Also, this might be the saddest song ever, in a lovely way.

"Move pen move, write me a mountain, because headstones aren't big enough." - Tragic Turn of Events/Move Pen Move, Dan Mangan w/ Shane Koyczan

if you doubt that i'll be there...

2010-12-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

Cozy, Pencil on Stonehenge, small touch-ups in PS

This was a Christmas gift for my boyfriend, since he likes squirrels quite a bit and the ones around our place get exceptionally fuzzy and adorable in wintertime. More updates this week as I finish up other gifts and projects and generally try and keep myself busy before school starts again, I promise!

"If you doubt that I'll be there, don't despair, don't you dare." - In The Dirt, S. Carey

this is a story, some kind of a story

2010-11-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Andrew Bird, Useless Creatures, ink drawings and Photoshop

For my graphic design class we had to design a full set of album art for an existing album and I chose Andrew Bird's Useless Creatures. I remember being charmed that he'd named a side album of instrumental tracks "Useless Creatures" back when it came out with the limited edition version of Noble Beast and with this project I thought I could make good use of the concept of uselessness.

On the front is a creature made up of old, defunct, practically useless devices and on the back cover each item is laid out. I did my best to draw them almost encyclopedia-like and have certain items correspond with the song titles (ie.alarm clock with "You Woke Me Up!") The dotted lines on the front are Morse code and I had a track listing on the inside cover in Morse code as well. The old typewriter font (I believe it's Trixie Light) and the textures were added in Photoshop.

And if you haven't had the fortune of hearing anything by Andrew Bird, you really should listen. The only thing greater than his skill with words and a violin is his masterful whistling. The attached track is from Useless Creatures so it's purely instrumental but he has a host of albums worth listening to.

- Nyatiti, Andrew Bird

i get up in the morning to the beat of the drum

2010-10-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

How to project, Brush ink and Photoshop

I finally have some work that I can update with! School's been keeping me ridiculously busy, but I have a few pieces on the go and some old assignments I'll post soon. This piece was for a how-to project for my Illustration class, where we had to illustrate how to do something in 4-6 pieces without any text. I know the fall has definitely been affecting my colour schemes. I've also added some music that's perfect for Halloween, or whenever really.
Enjoy!

"I get up in the morning to the beat of the drum, I get up to this feeling, keeps me on the run." - Lose Your Soul, Dead Man's Bones

watching birds

2010-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Indigo Bunting tattoo commission, pen and ink

Thought I'd let everyone following this blog know I'm fully open for tattoo commissions and the like right now. I'll be trying to get as many done as possible before school starts, so now's the time to ask if you've ever been curious about getting one! Just email me at ashmackenzie@gmail.com
Other art in the works as well, hopefully some will be seen soon.

"But you don't find happiness, when you're searching for it." -Watching Birds, Stornoway

but i will fight this stranger

2010-08-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tiny cards, 9-12 out of 20

Another batch of tiny cards, past halfway done now! Have to focus on commissions for a bit, but I'm going to try and continue working on these on the side and try and get the whole set done before school starts. Enjoy!

"But I will fight this stranger that you should fear, so I won't be no burden of tomorrow dear." - Burden of Tomorrow, Tallest Man on Earth

go sing too loud

2010-07-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Tiny cards, 5-8 out of 20

Here's the next batch, more are on their way!

"Go sing, too loud, make your voice break, sing it out." - Go Do, Jonsi

laugh until we think we'll die

2010-07-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tiny sketch cards, 1-4 out of 20

I recieved a package of bristol artist trading cards for my birthday and finally decided to put them to good use. Each one is 2.5" by 3.5" and I plan to try and fill all 20 in time for the Art Walk. They've been surprisingly nice to work on and I'm really excited to see how the rest turn out. I'll be progressively uploading them in batches of four, to possibly be put together in one huge image at the end.

Songs for the duration of these sketch card updates will be of the contenders in a quest for the happiest song.

"Ah home, let me go home, home is wherever I'm with you." - Home, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

tunnels

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

Tunnels
Pen and Brush Ink

A birthday present for my favourite fellow. We've always mused about having a tunnel that connects both of our distanced houses, so we could travel through it to reach each other. But we'd have to use scooters. And not motorized scooters or anything like that. Just the regular old-school kind. And it would be the best! When I have some time I might try colouring it, but for now the lines stand on their own.

Words/lyrics(c)Arcade Fire

"You change all the lead sleeping in my head to gold..." - Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels), Arcade Fire

bird girl

2010-06-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Girl cloaked in wings.

Pencil on Canson Mi-Tientes paper.

Life's been a little ridiculous lately, this absence had been far too long. But I finally have some pieces coming to a close, and I'm really quite excited about it. This piece itself is kind of a revisitation of an old idea I had, I might do a few more if the opportunity presents itself. It'll be a part of the Drawgasmic art project/collective, which seems to be developing to be a pretty interesting endeavor.

In other news, I'm getting ready for school, getting ready to move, getting ready for commissions and the Art Walk, and generally just getting ready to make the best of the coming times.

"I've been searching for my wings some time, I'm going to be born into soon the sky, 'cause I'm a bird girl..." - Bird Girl, Antony & the Johnsons

they say we can throw far...

2010-03-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Finished elephant tattoo.

Two pieces from my drawing test for Sheridan; a still life and then the same still life with something strange having happened to it, to exemplify creativity. Naturally, I decided to give them bodies, and was then suggested to turn them into a totem pole of sorts. So this happened.

Still waiting to hear back from the schools, though it seemed like everything went well, the professors who interviewed me at OCAD practically raved about my portfolio, which I barely knew how to handle and it blew my mind a little. Many 'thank-you's were said. So with any luck it'll go well. Lately I've been focusing on commissions I've been putting off, tattoos and the like, but I have some ideas for new things that I'm aching to put to paper, so hopefully that will happen soon!
Till then!

"They say we can throw far, but they don't know how far we throw." - 10 Mile Stereo, Beach House

i think you're crazy...

2010-02-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

The Conundrum.

Work in progress shot from the beginning.

This piece took far too long. In a sense it is an exploration of the chaos of thought when faced with seemingly unsolvable problems and unreachable aspirations. The crown represents the elusive idea or solution, hidden just out of reach amidst the tangle of thoughts and emotions,

or

"Bestowment of kingship with INCREDIBLE FORCE and INCREDIBLE CONFUSION," as Alban would say.

"I think you're crazy, maybe." - Motion Picture Soundtrack, The Luyas

when you hold somebody tight...

2010-02-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

For my favourite fellow. I love you so.
.

"When you hold somebody tight, and breath along with their heartbeat." - Collar Bones, North Highlands

that still twitching bird was so decieved by a window...

2010-02-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

Not dead, just unwound.

Studies from photographs of dead birds.

Another portfolio piece, this time a diptych done with pencil and gouache, continuing the theme of wind-up birds. I've always been troubled by the idea of death and tend to be wary of ideas relating to it, but I was intrigued by the thought of those sad dead birds you sometimes find fallen next to windows being able to just be rewound and fly off again. I hope the idea doesn't come off as being too morbid, it wasn't meant that way.

"I'll drown the urge for permanence and certainty; crouch down and scrawl my name next to yours in wet cement." - Sounds Familiar, The Weakerthans

i believe in everyone

2010-02-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

This is Bird.

This is the uncoloured sketch of Bird.

Back to portfolio work. Enjoy!

"I believe, regardless, I believe in everyone." - '81, Joanna Newsom

wind-up bird...

2010-01-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

A small wind-up bird.

Pencil, colours added in Photoshop.

The sketch for the above wind-up bird.

Birds have always been amazing to me. It might be something about the way they move and their capacity for flight, but I can't help but find them ridiculously captivating. Especially the smaller ones as they seem so delicate yet are filled with such nervous animation that the idea of them being wound-up seems almost too logical. I've been mulling this idea over in my head for awhile now, and it's more than likely that I'm not entirely finished with the concept yet. We'll see.

"I wasn't looking for gold, I was looking for you." - Looking for Gold, Solander

roses in her eyes

2010-01-13T22:08:00.001-08:00

The girl with roses in her eyes.

Portfolio piece, inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel. Done with graphite and charcoal. Apologies for the bad scan.

"The only girl I've ever loved, was born with roses in her eyes..." - Holland 1945, Neutral Milk Hotel

in the face of danger...

2009-11-24T10:52:00.001-08:00

The boy with wings for arms.

Currently I'm in a state of terrified exhilaration, as I realize that real art schools aren't messing around, and demand a portfolio of the highest quality. It's almost refreshing. This piece was a quick break before I fully indulge in portfolio work. Wish me luck!

"In the face of danger, I'm unafraid." - Old Canes - Little Bird Courage

i woke up today...

2009-11-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Oh my, I really seem to have fallen behind. But at the moment I'm doing my best to make up for it, keep ahead of everything. Portfolio season is fast approaching and I have some ideas I'm aching to put to paper, so with any luck they'll make it there!

"Oh dear." - a self portrait of sorts

Max of Where the Wild Things Are

Alban, who is fantastic.

A random doodle.

The pencils for a tattoo I'm working on.
"I woke up today, in a very simple way..." - Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today

all this talking...

2009-08-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

Still in the beginning stages of a few projects, so I can't show them yet, but I'm pretty excited about them so hopefully they'll turn out well...here's some sketches for now!

The sketch that was the basis for that new header...

Some quick hand studies from my own hand...

And I've started adding little mp3's to these posts, since I do tend to listen to a lot of music and end most of my posts with lyrical quotes anyhow, so I hope they're enjoyed!

"All this talking...you'd think that I'd have something to say..." - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

some older things...

2009-07-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Seems I've left this hanging again, with not much to show for it...but I've had a few people wondering about pieces I did before I started this blog, and while I like the leave a lot of the old behind, I went through and found some of my favourite sketches and pieces that I'm still pretty fond of...

I have some other things in the works as well, so with any luck there will be some new things here soon! Also, the Art Walk went amazingly well, the response to my work was seriously unbelievable, so thanks to everyone who came by, I really appreciated it!
Golden Holy - Sons of Dreams

we used to dream...

2009-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a rather large load of sketches, hopefully to make up for my long absence. I fell into a bit of a slump after school was over but it looks like I'm (hopefully) starting to recover. But I finally figured out how to make image shortcuts work, since I'm inept at this game, so clicking on them should lead you to the full versions. All these sketches were done straight from reference photos, with the exception of the head on the last one, which was my own addition. I have a ton of ideas knocking around in my head at this point, I can only hope to be able to get them down on paper, and with the Art Walk coming up, I'd better get some paintings going as well.

I'm trying my hardest to sketch more, since it really helps keep my head in order, so with any luck I'm going to try and at least keep weekly updates of this thing going.

Other than that, hope everyone's enjoying the lovely summer as much as I am!

"We used to dream, now we worry about dying." Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire

it's a long way down...

2009-05-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

School's finally done!!!

Here's the final lines for my final painting...

Here are the two colour roughs, I almost did the first one since everyone liked it more, but then my teacher came around and said she liked the bottom one more, so....

Here's my final piece, done with watered down gouache and many tired hours...

It's odd to think the first year is already done, I need to take full advantage of this summer, to build myself up a bit more and also take some time to just relax now and then...I'd like to get a better idea of the human figure and lose my intense reliance on line by working on form and such...maybe fool around with brush ink too...but all in good time...

"It's a long way down, from here to the sound, watch the faces go round, to the stars then the ground." - Carousels, Beirut

and all the stars were crashing around...

2009-05-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update...

Found this sketch while rummaging through my sketchbooks looking for my perspective pieces, and remembered how much I liked it...so I cleaned it up and fooled with it a bit in Photoshop...
Finals are almost done...in the homestretch...no more until then...

"And all the stars were crashing around, as I laid eyes on what I'd found..." - The Crane Wife Part I, The Decemberists

looking for the great escape...

2009-05-04T13:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delays again, finals are upon me and it's not the best thing at all, but I'm making my way through them somehow...can't wait till school is over, but until then...

Here's the final painting for my mandala project for colour & design, done completely in gouache...it looks like it worked out pretty well...

And here's the sketches for my final color & design project, which I'm quite excited about, but still have no idea how I'm going to make it happen...somehow, I'll get there...

No more posts till school is over, but hopefully I'll have something good to show for it...till then!

"Hey child, things are looking down, that's okay you don't need to win anyways, don't be afraid just eat up all the gray and it will fade all away, don't let yourself fall down...Bad day, looking for the great escape..." - The Great Escape, Patrick Watson

drop what you're doing...

2009-04-10T09:05:00.001-07:00

As the end of the year draws closer, the projects are getting harder, and though this is my second last project for Colour & Design it's taken so much work already to get it to this point...and I'm not sure if I'm even ready to start pencilling the final design yet...but anyways...

Essentially for this project we need to make a mandala, which, loosely termed, is a symmetrical, equally balanced design with all elements in harmony and a central focal point...this is the little thumbnail that I chose to keep working with...

And then I drew out a more finalized sketch of the bird itself and a couple additional wings and mirrored and played with them in Photoshop, to create these four designs...and now I have to pick one for the final, but I'm still not sure...who knows...

And due to that project, I sadly did not get much sketching time in this week, but I did work on this little sketchbook piece, which is slowly growing...if anything it's an excuse to fool around with brush pens, which is always fun...

So I'll keep updating on the progress of the mandala, since it's the biggest process, and maybe you folks who follow this thing might be able to offer some feedback, we'll see...otherwise enjoy the long weekend!

"Drop what you're doing and worry about what you're doing while you're stressing out about what you've done." - No More Long Years, Matt&Kim

let them think what they may...

2009-04-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

An assignment for Colour & Design, where we had to print out a provided image and paint over it, creating atmospheric perspective purely through colour...done in gouache, pretty pleased with the results, as much as I'm still dying to make something of my own...

We got to watch some clips of the Sex Pistols documentary in Urban Sociology, to show the state of Britain that nurtured the punk movement of that time, and I was wondering, where's our punk movement? The world's in a pretty terrible state now, but nothing's happening, no one's moving against it...it seems like we have all the elements except the people putting it into motion...I have no ideas...

What does it take to start a revolution?

"Our parents rue the day, they find us kneeling, let them think what they may, for they've good reason, left for the lights always in season..." - The Penalty, Beirut

oh my, give me the words again...

2009-04-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

It seems I've been much more greatly influenced by James Jean, with the overlapping, and Nimit Malavia, with the swirled patterns, than I previously thought...

Finally, after three months of a complete deluge of schoolwork as I continue to figure out the workings of colour, I managed to snag some time just to sketch for the hell of it...and it just felt so amazingly good, i'd almost forgotten...so I'm going to try my very best to sketch even just a little bit each week to keep me sane, and post at least once a week for those few people who still keep track of me...the piece above it still in progress, and I have a few other ideas itching to get out as well, so it looks promising...

I really can't think of much else to write tonight...I went to see Wintersleep the past Tuesday, and they were amazing, a phenomenal live band...this charming little Australian duo, An Horse, opened for them, and they had some pretty charming stage banter, like this:

"I've only ever worn a jumper on stage twice, and this would be the second time...it's kind of like wearing your pajamas on stage...I guess you guys call them sweaters, we call them 'jumpers' in Australia, but here you might just think of someone getting mugged...I'm wearing a mugger..."

Best ever...

Till next week!

"Oh my, give me the words again, paint it aluminum, make it white, make it white." - Drunk on Aluminium, Wintersleep

start of something...

2009-03-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's been so so long, and it's terribly sad that I don't have much to show for it...school is somehow even more demanding this semester, while less creatively appealing...since I'm taking a course on colour, projects usually involve painting endless amounts of swatches for various different purposes...but so good things did happen...

Here's the two roughs for my final portrait piece, in gouache...the idea was to take a photo (I chose this lovely one here) and posterize it in Photoshop, then transfer it and paint it using a proper value scale between two complimentary colours...and in the end I chose the right one, and the final piece looks pretty good, so I think it worked out..

And this is a little preview of a sketchbook project I'm working on with some friends, of which there will be more info and images later...

I'll come and post again as soon as I make something worthwhile...I've been aching to sketch again, so something might just happen...

"Is this the end, or just the start of something really, really beautiful..." - Voxtrot, The Start of Something

i know that it's true...

2009-01-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Looks like it's the new year...now it's time to start something new...

"I know that it's true, it's gonna be a good year...out of the darkness, and into the fire, I tell you I love you...and my heart's in the strangest place, that's how it started, and that's how it ends." -In The New Year, The Walkmen

and if they ever find me...

2008-12-24T20:26:00.000-08:00

Another long month, full of panic, stress and sleep-deprivation, but the semester is over, school is done (for now) and I can finally working on some of my own ideas...however, for now, here's some stuff that I finished not too long ago...

Album covers I did for The Autumn Transition, a Swedish metal band...

The first of my two final projects for figure drawing...

The second of my two final projects for figure drawing...

I'm finishing up the little comic I had to make for perspective, should post that up here sometime soon as well...thinking of starting up my daily drawing again, and maybe a weekly posting of the interesting things I find wandering about, such as this amazing piece of work: STREET ART ANIMATION!!!

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Seriously mad skills...

"And if they ever find me, tell the papers, cold wind, cold wind, cold, cold wind blowing." - Cold Wind, Arcade Fire

dear, we better get a drink in you...

2008-11-22T21:57:00.000-08:00

Since i have been making a huge amount of artwork for school, i thought i might as well put up some more of my favourites so far, since it's probably the only art you'll see from me until term's over...at which point i will hopefully break out into a mad frenzy of personal art newly enabled with better skills?...who knows...

A work-in-progress shot from the following drawing, worked heavily with form and shadow shapes, and kneaded eraser...

The final finished piece, a charcoal drawing of a statue by Bernini, for figure drawing...

My hands, with a hand of cards, drawn in charcoal for figure drawing again...

Vertical two-point perspective assignment for perspective...my prof doesn't really give us guidelines towards subject matter, so these are the things i come up with...

"Dear, we better get a drink in you before you start to bore us." - Slipping Husband, The National

arms and hearts and alcohol and faith...

2008-11-12T09:19:00.001-08:00

Damn it's been a long time, i can't even believe how busy it's been...and nothing even all that awesome or post-worthy has been created, just random school junk...ah well, one day i'll get back to it...
however, for now, i have photos! i was lucky enough to get a little bit of an article in vol. 7 of Notebook Magazine, and it's a killer art magazine well worth tracking down...i know on the site they have all the distribution places nationwide, but i'm pretty sure anyone outside of Canada might be out of luck...anyways, thanks to Steve Teeuwsen for tracking me down and putting me in the issue, and doing an awesome job of it at that...it was really amazing to be part of something like this...
so here's the photos from the release party/gallery at the Artery last Saturday, featuring the art of Tim Rechner, Alexis Labarda, Rhianne Ireland, Paula Sommers, Amy Sallenbach, Kevin Law, Kurt Gallop, Jess Hogan, Santino Pasutto, and myself...

the back area of the artery, some of my pieces can be seen on the far right

the leviathan, definitely the piece that got the most attention, probably because it's the only sizeable piece in my portfolio...and two other pieces at the front there as well

the front area of the space, and more awesome art

front area again, as the night wore on, and it got more crowded, with some sweet live music as well

It got quite crowded, more than i thought it would anyways, and was generally an awesome time...thanks to the few friends of mine who showed up, it's very much appreciated! hopefully i'll have more art to post next time around, but for now it's back to my mound of homework...

"Arms and hearts and alcohol and faith, we pull each other in and then we push it all away." - Arms and Hearts, The Hold Steady

a sad country ballad for a tired superhero...

2008-10-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

It's been ages, but i finally have something to post on here that i like a good amount...this was an assignment for my perspective class involving atmospheric perspective, which essentially entails the use of gradation of value and overlapping to create depth...we had to choose a final image from the prior 24 thumbnails created (aka my death) and i really liked this composition so ended up working with it...however we had to work with 6B pencil, which might possibly be the most difficult degree of graphite to work with, since it never really is smooth unless you go straight black...i think i managed to save it, but the beginning stages of this piece were a frightening thing indeed...the first image was at the very very beginning, when things still looked good and i wanted to know if the silhouette and the shading was working well, so i filled it in with my mechanical pencil, and the lines in the shading just worked so well i had to take a photo...however i have the sad feeling it just went downhill from there...the premise is that he's some sort of superhero...i mean, he needed some reason to be sit up there...

to finish off this schoolwork-filled post, here's my favourite figure drawing so far...the pose was just so nice, and we were working with curved lines, which was perfect...every once in a while things just work out so nicely, and it's amazing...

"I come when I'm wanted, I run when you call, how long will you need me, to catch you when you fall? I'm tired of being a hero, and now I'm taking a rest, I want you all to leave me, I've always done my best..." - A Sad Country Ballad For A Tired Superhero, Woodpigeon

hold your breath...

2008-09-03T22:13:00.001-07:00

The last two new portfolio pieces, so just more dull observational art, but i thought they turned out well, so i might as well have them here...the first one was a continuation of a brief series of self-portraits i started drawing in reflective objects, so that's the back of my ipod...and it unbelievably difficult, i never recommend it, since i had to draw it with one eye covered to make it work, but that screwed with all my perspective and made everything take ten times more effort...so yeah, whole lot of work...
and the second piece is an old watercolour of some pigeons from a photo i took awhile back that i decided to finish up...scan was a four part, so it might look a bit odd, but i tried my best...
still waiting to hear if anything i've done will prove to be good enough to let me waive some of the horrors of foundation art classes...we'll see...

"A flood for every footprint, for every mile we forgot, though your hands were little, they always held alot...hold...your breath..." - Hold Your Breath, The Acorn

but let me tell you...

2008-09-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

I've been scrambling to pull together some last pieces for my portfolio, in hopes of waiving some classes, and so i decided to finish this sketch i started in San Francisco...it's of the fountain in the lovely little park across from Grace Cathedral, and i spent alot of time there, so i thought i might as well up my quotient of observational drawing...i did the majority of it on site, and finished the shading once i got home from a photo i took...

i always forget, despite how tedious it can be, how basic observational drawing can be...i mean, it can get more difficult as you throw in elements of foreshortening and perspective, but whatever you're trying to draw is right in front of you, whereas with freehand drawing from the mind, you have nothing to rely on other than your idea and your base set of skills...they do go hand in hand very nicely though...i was terrible and started drawing by aiming more towards style, without realizing that it's necessary to learn the basics before you can abstract from them...that being said, it's also incredibly difficult to break from the reliance of photographs and reference and trust yourself to know how to make things look like they're supposed to...
i have a few more pieces to finish up, if i like them enough i'll post them...till then...

"But let me tell you I never planned to let go of the hand that has been clinging by its thick country skin to my yellow country teeth..." -The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth, Clap You Hands Say Yeah

headed i fear, towards a most useless place...

2008-08-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Life's been busy, i'm back from a week long trip to San Francisco to see the school and OutsideLands, but still haven't done any finished art to show...should have something to show soon though, since i'm back and won't have anything else much to do outside the normal troubles until i start my correspondence work...and speaking of amazing art...

Look at the fantastic art Will Scobie , who does such spectacular continuous line drawings, sent me as the other half of an art trade, i was ecstatic to see the package on my desk when i got home, along with my signed James Jean postcard book...it was a good time for me, as far as getting other people's art, which i always love...
but anyhow, i will not allow myself to do anything else, i will not post until i have finally made something! it will be good...

"NO! That's not for you! Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying! You'll find the bright places where boom bands are playing!" -Oh The Places You'll Go, Dr. Suess

dad, there are demons around...

2008-08-11T21:45:00.001-07:00

A bit of album art, this will be for the booklet for a local Edmonton rapper who goes by Lazarush, and though rap is not really my taste in music, it turned out to be a pretty cool image. i especially like how the hands turned out, perfectly creepy, and so rarely can i draw hands well that it was one of those marvelous flukes where everything works out. i'll be working on commissions for the rest of the week and then i'll get back to those moleskine drawings while i'm in san francisco, though whether or not i'll be staying there remains to be seen...we'll see...
until then!

"Mom, there are hurdles here, that I cannot seem to clear...Dad, there are demons around, and though I said that I said I'd be alright, I lied..." - Hurdles Even Here, The Decemberists

i'm sorry to say so but sadly it's true...

2008-08-01T21:48:00.001-07:00

The plague doctor, most likely diagnosing an already clearly stricken patient...i've always been terribly fond of the plague doctor's design, but i don't draw him nearly enough...he's missing his usual broad-rimmed hat here, but it turned out better that way...words quoted from seuss, oh the places you'll go, and all too apt, since i've just been slaughtered by blown up print prices, and let me tell you it hurts...it hurts quite badly...

probably won't be able to draw during the weekend, since i'm working, so these sketches should resume monday...

"I'm sorry to say so, but sadly, it's true, that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you." - Oh The Places You'll Go, Dr. Seuss

adventures in solitude...

2008-07-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

This piece is much less completed than it should be, but time-frames needed to be considered, as i did manage to get it done in around forty-five minutes...just imagine that there's a whole little army ahead of him...i was feeling a bit lonely when the idea hit me, of shy boy dueling with boxes though it ended up being a less lonely picture than it was in my head...though he's looking really asian for some reason...lack of skills i'd say...
ah well, so it goes...onwards!

"Buy me a shiny new machine, that runs on lies and gasoline, and all those batteries we stole from smoke alarms, that dissasembles my despair, it never took me anywhere, it never once bought me a drink." - Reconstruction Site, The Weakerthans

malignant ideas...

2008-07-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Awhile back, i came across the concept of trees as ideas and it seems to have stuck with me since...when i lived in BC, there was (and still are) forests all over the place with the most dense greenery i've yet to encounter, and the oldest trees i've ever seen...we spent alot of time in the woods and every so often we'd come across two trees growing off each other...in some cases they seemed to benefiting from the exchange, but in others one was clearly the victor, parasitically feeding and growing while the other fell into decay...i thought alot about that while i was working on this piece, how once certain concepts and thoughts are planted, there's now way to get rid of them, and how certain ideas, ones that you may not benefit from quite so much, can get so deeply rooted in your mind and start to somewhat take over...whereas with others there's usually a rather happy relationship...i really think too much... My Moleskine got somewhat wrinkled when we got caught in New York's torrential downpours, so i almost killed my hand trying to get this to scan evenly, but it turned out alright...Jean Fhillipe had this idea to do a two-page spread a day, just spending half an hour on each, to see what would happen...though i have no clue how long i'll stick with it, this one did turn out quite nice, a simple rough sketch of the boy with wings for arms...i believe Mitch Malloy will be attempting it as well, so we'll see how it goes...

"We thought we lost you...we thought we lost you...we thought we lost you...welcome back." - Adventures In Solitude, The New Pornographers

can't i get a minute of not being nervous...

2008-07-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

a really old painting that i still really like, of people walking in the rain with umbrellas...

fall is fast approaching and i need certain events to fall perfectly in place...school would be marvelous, but just seems so unattainable at times and makes me terribly nervous...but the best i can do is hope, things could still possibly work out, who knows...

"It's one thing to start it with a positive jam, it's another thing to see it all through." - Stay Positive, The Hold Steady

excuses and half-truths...

2008-07-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

i'm sorry for so much time going by, but other things like to take over...but things are rolling again, stuff is being done, and i finally feel like i'm doing enough to start updating this thing again...this piece is actually a bit older by now, but it turned out nicely, just a fox in ballpoint pen...
i've got a whole bunch of stuff in the works that i'm pretty excited about as well, so there should be more posts soon...hopefully...

other than that, if you haven't seen the trailer for watchmen yet, GO NOW! i can't even describe how good this looks, and if they even get close to half the level the book has reached, it will be amazing...so psyched!

"We are our only saviors, we're gonna build something this summer." - Constructive Summer, the Hold Steady

wings for arms...

2008-04-09T21:13:00.001-07:00

I realized that this blog was created to help me get more effectively through my art, but just as in choosing titles, choosing the first piece to put up can get terribly difficult...especially since I've been having many difficulties lately trying to figure out where to take my art, since it just doesn't seem like me yet...the ideas are there but the style is constantly grasping at the nuances of other people's styles and it's also so desperately clean...I want to loosen up and find something I can happily call my own...
So I ended up settling on this little sketch of the boy with wings for arms, since it was my first attempt at using a brush pen and there was something extremely soothing about working with it, while at the same time so spontaneous since it relies to heavily on single strokes, not the feathered lines I usually work with...and though the feet are not good at all, I think it's a good beginning...

Also, today in my usual wanderings around the internet, I stumbled across Barron Storey's blog of his journals...and it's mindblowing...if you don't go see it right now, you're seriously going to missing out...hell it makes me want to try to make one...maybe I will...

"Do you wonder where the self resides? Is it in your head or between your sides? And who will be the one who will decide its true location?" - Dark Matter, Andrew Bird

the title...

2008-04-07T20:46:00.001-07:00

For awhile now I've been considering putting together some sort of blog to help map out my artistic progress and generally just figure a whole lot of things out, since I often see things better when laid out in front of me...so since I've recently just embarked on a pursuit of artistic progression, I figure there's no time better than now to start...

But first off, the title...

I always have a terrible time coming up with titles, because I find them very important and incredibly key to whatever it might be that they're entitling...and also there are few things better than a seriously solid title and few things more satisying than finding one...so I thought for a good while of what to name this thing that would suit it well, ran through at least three that were already taken and was effectively stumped...and then it hit me...

Now admittedly, tree in a box doesn't seem like the ideal title for anything, but as most of my ideas are sifted into my head by others, this one was a result of a very different story...

I remember finding Brian Despain's art awhile back, and enjoying it so much...but then I've always been a sucker for robots, and when combined with his mad oil painting skills, it's just so excellent...what I always enjoy the most is reading what artists themselves think of their pieces and what they had to go through to finish them, and his site had some excellent little stories and explanations in it...for some reason I really remembered the story that went along with this piece, "The Discovery", which can be found in full here...but in short, Despain was having trouble coming up with an icon to put on the side of the robot, as usually he puts on a number but a number was already involved in the piece...so he went in pursuit of some ideal chinese kanji to fit on the side, but again had difficulties finding something that would fit...so he went and asked a friend with some knowledge on the subject and after some attempts he drew out the character for tree and drew a box around it, which essentially means 'problem'...tree in a box...

For me, it was perfect...trees have always been a sort of relative allegory for ideas for me, and perhaps the box could be my rather thick head...but that might just be too pretentious of me, honestly I just thought it worked nicely...

Thus, ideally, this blog should help me assist my attempts at figuring out and tackling my artistic fallbacks and multiple ideas, and give those who care enough to stick around something decent to look at...I'll also probably post a bunch of random stuff about things I find completely worthwhile, artists and music and books and the like, but generally I just hope to fill this place with good things...

wish me luck...

"How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement -- no matter how temporary." -Blankets, Craig Thompson