Fall Foliage

Self Portraits

Stevie Nicks

Santa and Friends Christmas Card

Inspiration can hit anywhere and anytime.  You never know what will inspire your creativity or where or when it will hit you.  The top image, the flattened Cottage Lane Butterscotch Hard Candies box, was the inspiration for my 2016 Christmas card.  Like most folks who work in an office, during the month of December there is usually a deluge of holiday goodies at work.  I don’t know about your workplace, but beginning December 1^st, my workplace is inundated with holiday goodies and towers of treats on a daily basis.  It’s kind of unreal, but certainly appreciated.  Several years ago, that adorable snowman graced a box of Cottage Lane Butterscotch Hard Candies that was nestled in a holiday gift basket.  I was immediately drawn to the brightly colored box and I was enamored with the simplicity of the design.  I also liked the combination of a simple pattern, the tone on tone green awning stripe, used as a bottom border to frame the graphic and simplistic style of the snowman. 

The second image, the Comcast envelope, is me brainstorming.  I love the process of trial and error problem solving.  Based upon the popularity of square images in social media, I knew I wanted the format for each character to be square.  As I began to scribble my list of Christmas characters on the Comcast envelope, I realized they were all friends of Santa.  I very much liked the idea of each of these Christmas characters having a relationship or connection with Santa.  I especially liked the nature connection with Santa.  I have always been fond of Christmas cards, stories and illustrations that depict Santa with wildlife and nature.  So to include a reindeer, polar bear, penguin and cardinal was not a stretch for me.  The direction of this card wound up being less about Santa’s wildlife friends, but perhaps that will be the theme of a Christmas card for another year.  The cardinal made the cut because I love the male northern cardinal (see my 1994 Christmas card).  I always have.  And the reindeer was included because, well, it’s a reindeer.  Santa has to have his reindeers.  Frosty was obligatory much in the same way as the reindeer was obligatory.  Over the years, my mother has given me numerous nutcrackers, so including him was a necessity, from my point of view (see my 1998 Christmas card).  And the blonde-haired-blue-eyed gingerbread man was an homage or tip-of-the-hat to a kitchen towel I designed many years ago while working for Fieldcrest Cannon in New York City. 

The third image is a look into my creative process.  After the brainstorming session, I collect photographic reference and begin sketching.  My initial sketches are quick and sloppy.  I then refine them by erasing the pencil lines that are not necessary or just don’t work.  The final images were created using Adobe Illustrator.  I chose not to outline the images with black line work in order to achieve a clean graphic look, driven by shapes and color.  I wanted to emulate my inspiration.  While I wasn’t completely successful adding a simple pattern to each background, I do feel the design and execution of each character was very successful.  I am quite happy with the final design.

The fourth image is the printed 8.5” x 11” mechanical.  I know, not the greatest photo, but it does give you a sense of the printed mechanical before being cut along the black crop marks.  I cover the back of each 8.5” x 11” color copy with Twin Tack or Double Tack mounting film.  Double Tack is an 8.5” x 11” two sided permanent adhesive film, protected by two sheets of heavy release paper.  Think a large piece of double stick tape.  Once the back of the color copy is covered with the adhesive film, I use an X-Acto knife and ruler to cut each image from the page using the crop marks as my guide.  I then peel the protective backing (release paper) from the adhesive film, which is attached to the back of each image.  I then align the image with the face of the blank greeting card.  Once the image is correctly in place, I press the image to the face of the blank greeting card.  It’s a lot of steps and making over 1,000 knife cuts in one day really takes its toll, but the results are worth it.    

The fifth image is the final design.  This is the image that graced the cover of the 5” x 7” 2016 Christmas card.  Originally, I wanted to create eight characters, with four on the face and four on the back.  However, I was running out of time.  You can’t delay Christmas, you know…it’s always the same day each and every year.  So, I had to come up with an alternate design.  When laying out the face, six images fit nicely on the 5” x 7” card.  The dilemma: I had already created seven characters.  So, even though the partridge had been the most labor intensive of the seven characters, it seemed like the right one to let go.  When I did the “one of these things is not like the others” test, the partridge was the one that didn’t fit.  Sesame Street taught me well…or at least I think I made the right decision.  In my mind, the partridge seemed to have the weakest bond to Santa.  That being said, I do love the partridge.  I think it’s beautiful.  I love the sketch and I love the finish, but unfortunately, he was the one to go.  But, you get to see him here!

Snowmen Behaving Badly Christmas Card

Snowmen Behaving Badly was the card I created and mailed to family and friends, celebrating Christmas 2004. However not everyone celebrated the design.  I do recall my mother not being terribly pleased with this creation, but I wanted to have some fun with this card.  And who doesn’t love a bad boy, even if he is a snowman?  Am I right?

The original was created the same as all my art back then.  The black line work was painted on illustration board using fine sable hair paint brushes and India ink.  The original art was painted twice the size of the reproduction.  Once completed, it was photographed and reduced 50% using a stat camera.  I then had two black and clear acetate images at half the size of the original art work.  I created an 8-1/2” x 11” mechanical placing the two reduced acetate pieces side-by-side.  The color (Prismacolor pencils) was applied to an additional piece of paper as an overlay.  Once the coloring was complete, the hand colored overlay was inserted under the acetate layers.  This technique is similar to an animated cell, black line work on acetate on the top with the color applied as the second or bottom layer.  This effect created the image you see above.  The cards were reproduced using a color copier, printing the two images on one 8-1/2” x 11” paper.  Each color copy was backed with an adhesive paper (think of it as a large piece of double stick tape) that also measured 8-1/2” x 11”.  The images were then carefully cut and placed on a blank card.  It’s a multi-step process that is both time consuming and tedious, but the outcome is well worth the investment.

Stroke: From Under The Mattress To The Museum Walls

Yesterday I spent an incredible day in Manhattan.  I went to see the exhibit "Stroke: From Under The Mattress To The Museum Walls" at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art.  It was such an incredibly inspiring exhibit, displayed in their wonderful exhibition space.  
I can't begin to describe how exhilarating it was (for me) to see original art by some of my creative heroes such as: Quaintance, Etienne, Tom of Finland, Rip Colt, Harry Bush, Mel Odom, Kent, Robert W. Richards, Rex and Michael Breyette.  I have been inspired by so many of the artists featured in this exhibit, it was spectacular to see such a comprehensive collection.  

Additional information on the exhibit, the artists and the selected works can be found on the museum's website: http://leslielohman.org/exhibitions/2014/stroke/stroke-1.html

HELLO LADY!

I took some time recently to create a T-shirt graphic for Elvis Duran and the Morning Show's annual T-shirt contest to support breast cancer awareness month.  I wanted to create something last year for the annual contest, but before I knew it the entry period had come and gone.  But not THIS year!

Along with some basic common sense no-nos, according to the radio station’s website, the only requirement was:
"We are looking for an original and creative T-Shirt design that embodies the playful nature of our show’s signature saying “HELLO LADY” in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
The winner will have his or her design printed on an Elvis Duran and the Morning Show t-shirt, be featured on ElvisDuran.com and awarded $500."

The show’s signature saying, “Hello Lady”, comes from Elvis Duran’s dear friend “Uncle Johnny” who is an older gentleman and still works as a bartender during the Summer months at Cherry’s bar on New York’s Fire Island.  So, can you imagine just how campy that saying gets when flamboyant Uncle Johnny says: “Hello Lady!!”

Happy Gay Pride Month!

Since I haven't shared anything creative in a long while (or anything for that matter), I thought I would share some Photoshopping with you.  I took this picture on the way home from having lunch with my mom yesterday.  Well, in the photo is pictured an American flag.  In honor of Gay Pride Month, and thanks to the magic of Photoshop, I made a few modifications.  

It was such a gorgeous "blue-sky" day, with very few clouds!

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Snowflakes Christmas Card

I have always loved designs where the negative space actually becomes a significant part of the design.  It becomes confusing which image should be the primary focus.  For example this fantastic figure-ground reversal graphic "Batman vs. Penguin" by Simon C. Page.   What do you see first, Batman or the Penguin?  In my opinion, this is flawlessly designed and executed, as both images fight for your attention. 

The year 2012 was certainly busier than recent years, so time was pretty limited.  I did my best to create a figure-ground reversal / positive-negative holiday design.  Some folks thought I was successful, while others thought “my heart just wasn’t in it this year”. 

I am pleased with this design, even though it was created rather quickly.  Because of the positive-negative nature of the design, it had to be very clean and simple.  I didn’t want the design to be elaborate and complicated.  Simplicity was key.

I have always loved the Winter months compared to the Summer months.  I prefer to be cool over being warm.  I love snow.  I always have.  To me, snow is very magical and definitely romantic.  It blankets everything, forcing us to view snow covered objects in a different way.  In a magical way, perhaps through the eyes of a child.  So, it was only a matter of time until snow became the main theme of one of my Christmas cards…or has it?  Do you see the snowflake first or do you see the Christmas trees?  Some people have seen doves first, and I wasn’t even going for that.  Talk about a happy accident. 

This design is 100% digital.  Even the roughs and sketches were created digitally.  This entire image was created using Adobe Illustrator.   

Christmas Ornaments Christmas Card

“This card is dedicated to my mother.
Filled with the Spirit of Christmas,
She always made sure the holidays were all about the special
details.
Whether it was a hand-made Christmas tree ornament
Or a beautifully wrapped package,
Christmas always had her signature style.
All the ornaments illustrated on this card have hung from
My mom’s Christmas tree.
Some of them are hand-made and decades old,
While other ornaments are more recent.”

This is the written dedication that appears on the back of the 2011 wrap-around Christmas card.

This card was a long time in-the-making.  The last time I had created a Christmas card was 1998.  And since 13 years had passed, I wanted this design to be very special.  It doesn’t get any more special (for me) than Christmas and my mom. 

Having worked from older photographs, the pencil sketches for this card had been drawn years ago.  I always knew I wanted to create a card like this, so much of the necessary ground work had already been started.  Comparing the existing pencil drawings to the photos, I did make some minor revisions to some of the sketches.  I then scanned them and created the black line work using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.  For example: the stocking, candle, Christmas tree, reindeer cup cake, pine tree candles and star were easier to create using Illustrator.  The balance of the card: the twink elf and the bearded elf were created using Photoshop.  The starburst and snowflakes are Photoshop brushes that I downloaded from online.  This is the first art work posted to this blog that was predominantly created digitally.  Yes, the sketches were created traditionally using pencil and paper, but going forward, most of my work will begin with pencil sketches.  That is what I know.  That is comfortable for me.  And I would like to keep some of the creative process grounded in tradition.  But, the bulk of this design was created using CAD programs, which was pretty much a milestone for me. 

The ornaments on the face of the card are very special to me and hold treasured sentimental significance.  Both the candle and stocking were made by my mother from felt.  They were created from a felt ornament kit purchased at a local craft store.  They were cut, sewn and stuffed in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s.  These ornaments are embellished with beads and decorative cording.  There were multiple felt creations that not only hung from the Christmas tree, but decorated our house every year at Christmas time.  These hand-made treasures have been divided up by my mother and gifted to my brother, my sister and myself throughout the years at Christmas. 

When I was younger, my parents would purchase a Christmas ornament each year, for each child.  Eventually, these ornaments would be gifted or “passed down” (by our mom) to my brother, my sister or myself throughout our adult years as our “special Christmas present” that year.  Of course, we loved this because most of those ornaments were made by her.  But some were not.  The twink elf, the bearded elf and the cup cake reindeer were all purchased when I was a child.  I do remember the first year the cup cake reindeer was placed on the tree, but I don’t remember where it came from.  The two elves are ornaments that I remember always being on our tree, so I don’t know when they were introduced.  But I’ve always loved these three ornaments, especially the cup cake reindeer.  It’s so unique and colorful.  The Christmas tree ornament is dimensional and made of wood.  It was made in Germany and purchased at Disney’s Epcot Center in one of the German gift shops.  It was purchased in the early 1990’s when my mom, my (then) partner, his son and I vacationed at Disney in Orlando.    

On the back of the card are pine tree candles and a star.  These adorn one of my mom’s smaller Christmas trees, as these are mini-ornaments.  My mom is a big fan of all things colonial.  She loves anything relating to Williamsburg, VA.  So when she came across these common-wick “hand dipped” candles in the shape of Christmas trees I’m certain she felt the need to have them.  The star is ivory bisque porcelain with painted trees in each of the star’s five points.  Because my mom is a star (in my book) of course, I had to include it.  

Nutcrackers Christmas Card

Also known as “A Very German Christmas”, this design was created in 1998.  All of my nutcrackers and smokers (rauchermann) are wood, hand painted and were made in Germany.  They are either very traditional (like the two kings; one wearing the red coat while the other decked in blue) or very beautifully unique (like the snowman nutcracker).  Many of these beautiful nutcrackers were given to me over the years by my mother, usually as a very special Christmas gift.

I do have a small collection of smokers (rauchermann).  Essentially these are incense burners in the form of pipe smoking everyday figures.  The Santa Claus was one of the first smokers given to me by my mother.  While the three nutcrackers are colored accurately, the Santa Claus is not.  The original is lightly stained in muted Earth tones.  The red of Santa’s coat is more like a brick red “barely-there” wood stain.  The white is more like a white-wash, hit-or-miss in its opacity and coverage.  I used artistic license to re-color the Santa smoker so he was visually similarly to the three nutcrackers, keeping consistent color harmony. 

These sentimental items are not only beautiful works of art rich in history and tradition, but they also hold treasured memories for me.

I really loved the previous Christmas cards, but I wanted more color.  As a result, this card was printed two up on 8.5 x 11 inch paper using a color copier.  The printed paper was then mounted to 8.5 x 11 inch twin-tack (double stick adhesive paper, similar to double stick tape, but paper…not tape) and each illustration was cut from the paper and applied (peel and stick) to a blank card. 

The original artwork was created using the same technique as my erotic pieces.  Black India ink line work painted then photographed using a stat camera.  The black and clear acetate of the painted line work was then used as a guide for “painting-between-the –lines” to produce the multi-colored Nutcracker Christmas card.  

Christmas Cardinals Christmas Card

Christmas Cardinals has a bit of a story behind the design, ever so slightly auto-biographical.  It was 1994 and my (then) partner and I were planning a pretty significant move the following month, in January of 1995.  We were moving from Jersey City to a lovely home in the picturesque Northern New Jersey town of Maplewood.  In addition to this being our Christmas card in 1994, it also functioned as a change of address notification.  So, having two male cardinals gathered around a festively decorated birdhouse seemed like a fitting design. 

I’ve always loved (male) cardinals.  They are stunningly beautiful, as their red feathers are usually in stark contrast to their surroundings.  They are also most impressive song birds.  But probably my favorite reason for loving them so much are some precious childhood memories.  I can remember being in my grandmother’s dining room, where she had a windowsill bird feeder.  Now, from what I can recall, the bird feeder was pretty rigged up, possibly even home-made.  I remember it being some sort of aluminum foil covered metal pan measuring about 8 inches wide and the length of the window ledge.  She would scatter bird seed in the pan, close the window and then the magic would begin.  Within minutes, all sorts of birds would descend on her home-made feeder as we quietly watched on the other side of the glass.  Of course, the brilliant cardinals were my favorite of her daily visitors.

Becoming more comfortable conceptualizing, designing and executing camera ready Christmas card mechanicals allowed me to invest more of myself into each design.  I also added more bells and whistles to this design.  This is a three color offset printed card with the black color raised using thermographic printing.  I also incorporated a Letraset half-tone screen pattern off the black screen to create the gray color of the roof’s shingles as well as the home’s interior.  

Santa Moon Christmas Card

In 1993 I designed the “Santa Moon” Christmas card.  This card was different from the previous two cards for several reasons.  This was my first two-color offset printed card.  I used a Letraset half-tone screen pattern off the red color to create the flesh tone of Santa’s face.  The five-pointed star areas were left blank so I could fill them with metallic gold stars.  The gold stars were created using a rubber stamp and metallic gold stamping ink.  This card differed from the previous two also because it was printed on bright white card stock. 

Because I love rubber stamps, I also had a stamp created with just the Santa Moon.  To this day, it is one of my favorite rubber stamps.  

Prancing Reindeer Christmas Card

The second Christmas card I had printed was created in 1992.  It is a one color reindeer design, executed in a flat graphic style and printed on ivory card stock.  The dark green reindeer is in profile, soaring through the air (as reindeer do); with a festive double ribbon trailing in the breeze behind him.  I wanted the look of a second color, so I created a half-tone using the same dark green and some dashed lines, forming a background scroll pattern.  The design is framed nicely with a double rule border (the exterior rule thick, the interior rule thin) in which the antler and back hooves of the reindeer break the frame, creating a limited feeling of depth.  A sense of depth is also implied by placing one of the two streaming ribbons in front of the scroll background and the other ribbon appearing to unfurl in the breeze behind the background. 

In addition to the card, I also had a rubber stamp created using the exact design.    

Classic Poinsettia Christmas Card

I’m working on several erotic pieces, but unfortunately, they are not finished.  So, in the Spirit of the Season, I’d like to share some of my other work. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always created greeting cards for my parents.  I used to draw birthday cards, Anniversary cards and Christmas cards for them.  I’ve always loved creating Christmas cards.  They were my favorite. 

At several points in my career, I applied to Hallmark Cards.  Each application got me closer to obtaining an interview, but since the third time was not a charm, it became Hallmark’s loss, not mine.  Yeah, I was upset and very disappointed, but that was several lives ago, so to speak.

In an effort to turn lemons into lemonade, I worked through my disappointment from Hallmark’s repeated rejections and did my best not to become too discouraged.  After all, there will always be folks who love your work and those who don’t.  So, I’ve learned to surround myself with people who support and encourage me.  I try to be my best advocate by believing in myself and my work.

In 1991, I had my first Christmas card printed.  I designed and painted the card, created the mechanical and delivered it to the printer.  It was a simple one color poinsettia design which was offset printed in a bright garnet red on ivory card stock.  The design of the poinsettia was based on square Victorian panel decorations.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Early October, 2012

Creative Inspiration: The Cowboys at the Rodeo

On Saturday I headed up to Shawnee Mountain in the Poconos with my friend Mark.  We had such a great time checking out all the handsome men. 

It was very inspirational, to say the least. 

Pigskins and Foreskins

While “Pigskins & Foreskins” is not my best work, it is the piece with the most emotions attached to it, both happy and sad.

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, I had been shopping my artwork around to some of the gay publications in New York City.  It was early summer 1996 and one of those appointments was with the art director at Maverty Media Group, Ltd., which published numerous gay magazines such as: Playguy, Torso, Honcho, Inches and Mandate.  I didn’t leave that appointment with any freelance work, but I did receive a phone call a few weeks later regarding an assignment for Torso magazine.  The art director told me about a manuscript (aka erotic story) that needed an illustration.  I jumped at the opportunity to have my work published and went into Manhattan to meet with him.  The name of the story was “Pigskins & Foreskins” and dealt with a coach and his football team.  I was thrilled!  Not only was I given an erotic story to illustrate, but it was a full page / full color assignment.  WOW!  I had landed my first homoerotic illustration job and it was fully loaded…literally!  I was so excited to have this opportunity…I couldn’t believe what was happening. 

At that time, having spent nearly a decade employed as a full time designer, I was working from my home studio in Northern New Jersey as a freelance artist/illustrator/designer. I shared that beautiful home with my then partner of nearly 8 years.  While I was so excited to create the work you see above, I had no idea my world was about to be turned completely upside down.  As we approached the end of the summer, the illustration deadline was drawing near, and unbeknownst to me, so was the end of my relationship.  With the money earned from the Torso illustration, I took us out for a wonderful dinner overlooking the Manhattan skyline to celebrate this milestone in my career.  The illustration had been handed in and I was ecstatic, however, it seemed like I was the only one at our table who was celebrating.  I noticed my partner was miles away from the conversation and even further from celebrating this incredible moment with me.

As much as I wanted to pursue a career as a homoerotic illustrator, sadly I needed to find a full time job, pack up my belongings, pack up my studio and find a new place to live.  The joy I had for landing my first homoerotic illustration quickly turned into sadness beyond description.  My relationship was broken beyond repair, as I began to discover my partner preferred countless anonymous encounters in the woods of the South Mountain Reservation over what we had worked so hard to build together.  As the weeks went on, I was repeatedly stunned at the scope of his transgressions and infidelity.  Heartbroken was an understatement.  You see, years before we had made a monogamous commitment to each other…but I was unaware of the change in status he had brought upon our relationship.

Needless to say, this was a very difficult time in my life.  I had to pack my belongings, move from our beautiful home, leave my relationship of 8 years and find a job all at the same time.  I started working as a full time designer on Friday, November 1^st and moved out on Saturday, November 2^nd. 

As they say, that was a lifetime ago.  Yesterday, September 15, 2012, was the one year anniversary of this blog!  Woo-Hoo!  I’ve posted much of what I created, getting me to the point of having my work published in Torso magazine.  I have tried to give you an idea of my creative process and my peaks and valleys that I have traveled to get me to this point.  “Pigskins & Foreskins” was printed in the December issue of Torso magazine in 1996.  I was beyond thrilled to see my artwork published along with my name next to that work.  I had great joy and was very proud.  All the painted pieces (Princess, Nagel Boy, Tex, International Male) motivated me to hire a model which inspired me to create all those hybrid pieces (The Sweat Shop, Vested, Treasure Trail, Gay Pride, Scruff and Blue Collar).  And it was those early works that prompted the art director to offer me the magazine illustration.

Hybrid

You’ve all read about my “hybrid” pieces.  Those are the works that were created traditionally (with pencils, paints, brushes and on actual paper) back in the 1990’s and either completed or modified recently using Photoshop.  Some of the original works were taken to completion with full color, while others just remained black and white line paintings (India ink on bristol paper) waiting nearly two decades for color to be applied. 

Probably the most modified painting from the 1990’s is “Blue Collar”.  I thought I would show you the (untouched) before (1994) and the after (2012).  You can see just how much the piece has been changed.  The most obvious modification is color.  Then perhaps comes the details such as facial hair, body hair and tattoos.  Almost 20 years later, I went back into the piece to correct the original painting, making the drawing more accurate.  I made his hand larger, lowered the placement of his ear, put more detail in his ear, tweaked his nipples making them larger and made the profile of his face more accurate to the model’s facial structure.   

There are many benefits to using Photoshop during the creative process, but one of my favorite uses is applying color.  As you can see from the 1994 painting, sometimes the color does not always dry even.  This was always a big concern for me.  Being a perfectionist, I wanted the color to be flat, even, consistent and flawless.  You could mix the paint to the perfect consistency, you could make sure your best brushes were cleaned and ready to go, but that didn’t guarantee a flat and even finish to the color.  With Photoshop, the color application is flawlessly flawless each and every time. 

Blue Collar

It’s been a while since I posted anything, not to mention the last time I posted some artwork.  So, I thought I would show the most recent hybrid piece.  Everyone remembers what I mean when I say hybrid, right?  The artwork was created traditionally in the mid 1990’s, but updated recently using Photoshop.  “Blue Collar” is a piece that was conceptualized for the December 1993 photography session with the model.  When I say it was conceptualized for the photography session, I meant I actually put thought into the poses, clothing and props I wanted the model to wear and use.  While he supplied the baseball cap and shirt, I supplied the chain.  I really wanted to use chain in some of the poses.  To me it’s a very industrial and masculine element and I thought it would be a great prop to use.  The fact that it additionally symbolizes bondage didn’t hurt either. 

The photos that inspired this illustration are probably my favorites from the session.  As part of my contract with the model, I cannot publish any of his photos.  Sorry, that was part of our agreement.  But trust me, when he put on that baseball cap and barely-there shirt, he was adorable beyond description.  He was very handsome, possessing (what I like to call), all American good looks.  I guess the best way to describe that look is the male models from Abercrombie and Fitch.  There is a boyish charm to them, but there is also a sense of collegiate sophistication.  They are not only text-book handsome but they also look intelligent, collegiate and prep-school-like.  I really lucked out when he posed for me.  He got a few hundred bucks for a few hours work and I got some amazing photos to inspire my creativity. 

He was in his mid thirties when these photos were taken and he still looks just as good today.  Almost 20 years have passed since December of 1993, but I checked out his facebook page, and he is still just as handsome.  Time has been very kind to him.    

As I mentioned, this is another hybrid piece.  The black line work was painted with a fine sable hair brush and India ink.  I would paint the ink onto hot press bristol paper or illustration board.  The design would be drawn and painted double the size of the final presentation (in my portfolio).  If the finished work was shown in my portfolio at 8.5” x 11”, I would paint the original at 17” x 22”.  It was easier for me to paint larger than actual size.  I also loved how “tight” the finished work looked when it was reduced.  The imperfections were less noticeable and the line work became thinner and more delicate.  I would then take the original black and white painting to a graphics photographer where he would use a stat camera to photograph the art at half scale onto a sheet of clear acetate.  I would head back to my studio and mix the colors needed to finish the piece.  Once the paints were mixed, I would lay a sheet of semi-transparent waxed rice paper (artist’s paper called waxed masa) on top of the black and clear acetate and carefully paint in-between-the-lines to add the color.  The type of paint I used was gouache.  When finished carefully painting between the black lines onto the waxed paper, I would then switch the positions of the paper and acetate, placing the acetate on top of the painted waxed paper.  After lining up the black line work with the under lying painting, I would then securely tape the sides of the two together creating the finished piece.  The hybrid part comes in with Photoshop.  How I use Photoshop varies from one work to another.  But at the very least, Photoshop is used to smooth out the paint, making the colors flat and even.  During this process, I usually re-color the piece, changing the colors some.  I may also go in and rework some of the black line work.  On “Blue Collar” I reworked his facial structure as well as giving his ear more detail.  I added the tattoos on his arm as well as the facial and body hair.  I also reworked his nipples from the original artwork. 

There were a lot of steps to this traditional process, but I truly loved the end results.  I very much enjoyed painting the precise, even line work.  I know this might sound odd, but it was somehow relaxing.  I’m sure it would drive other artists insane to paint such precise and even line work, but I’m part German and very much an Aries, so that might be part of the answer.  Every artist has their own techniques used to create their distinctive style.  This is what makes art so interesting and different.  It would be very boring if all artists produced the same style of work.  

Chick-Fil-A...Hating in the Name of God

Well, I really tried not to get political on this blog.  My original goal was to keep the posts strictly creative, but these days, there seems to be a lot that is raising my ire.  I suppose much of this comes from the fact that it is a Presidential election year, which naturally brings out the divisiveness in this country.  Also, the recent admission from President and Mrs. Obama that they support gay marriage has sent the haters and hard-core religious extremists into holy seizures.

The fact that the Chick-Fil-A “buycott” was so successful this past Wednesday was, as one gay Chick-Fil-A employee put it, “very depressing”.  I felt the need to vent and create a new header for my facebook page and thought I would share it here on my blog. 

To me, this piece shows just how hurtful and cruel it is to deny anyone the simple right to marry the person they love.  It should not be a privilege that most of the population can take part in, it’s a right.  It was wrong when African Americans could not marry each other and it was wrong when African Americans could not marry outside of their race.  It is wrong to deny this right to gays and lesbians, and the President said so. 

The black and white images are shocking and certainly bring up many terrible memories of how minorities have been treated in this country.  The images of people lined up outside Chick-Fil-A restaurants the day of the buycott is just as painful as the other images.  In my opinion, they should have been wearing white hoods and burning crosses in the parking lots.  The obvious display of hate this week by these Christians is both sickening and disgusting.  I was actually ashamed to be American.  It was shocking to see just how many people in this country hate gays and lesbians.  To be willing to wait in line for hours, baking in the scorching Summer heat, really drove home the message that many Americans honestly, truly and sincerely hate gay people.   

The Wisdom of Aang

Time Cast A Spell On You, But You Won't Forget Me...

One of the best versions of my favorite Fleetwood Mac song, 

"Silver Springs".

Seems Fitting...

Surround yourself with positive and supportive people.

Life is so much sweeter when you share it with folks who nurture, affirm and support you.

Scruff

“Scruff” is definitely a favorite of mine.  It’s a favorite because I love faces, especially handsome ones.  Beautiful bodies are great, but there is something about a stunningly handsome face that can stop us in our tracks.  That iconic look, like Pete Kuzak’s look, takes your breath away.  Well, it takes my breath away.  Striking facial features, like those of Kellan Lutz, Jason Statham, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Worthington, Matthew Fox, Shemar Moore, Bradley Cooper, Cameron Mathison, Rock Hudson, Marlon Brando and John Gavin are the fantasies of wet dreams.

While “Scruff” does not look exactly like the model, it does resemble him.  Because my work is stylized and graphic, it makes portraiture less convincing, to some.  I hope to get better, with practice and time, at creating more accurate or convincing portraits.  That being said, I think capturing the likeness of someone’s face is one of the most difficult tasks an artist can take on. 

“Scruff” was drawn and inked back in the mid 1990s.  It has been updated for the blog, with the color applied using Photoshop.  Back then it was painted with gouache and the line work was, of course, India ink.  The updated Photoshop coloring is very similar to the color feeling from the mid 1990s.  The major design changes are: the dot pattern over the blue field was added as was the stripe pattern on the seafoam green field.  These patterns were added because I felt the piece was lacking.  It looked boring.  It definitely needed some activity in the background, but not too much to take away from the model’s face.  While the 1990s piece did have very dense facial hair, I added additional scruff creating a soon-to-be-completed goatee.  I also revised his lips some, making them fuller.  I think a man’s lips can be one of the sexiest features on his face.