Bjork for CS3000

I didn't have much time this week for the Caricaturama Showdown on FB, but the subject was Bjork, so I had to try something.  I tried to break her down to simple lines using PS, which suit her sharp features.

Lemmy for CS3000

This weeks Caricaturama 3000 subject on FB is Lemmy from Motorhead.  Who could resist?!

Jerry Seinfeld Portrait

I had an inkling to do a portrait of someone...that someone ended up being Jerry Seinfeld.

Why not huh?  I pushed pretty hard in the detail and it's come up pretty well.

Portrait Update

Just an update of a self portrait I started last year.  My wife said I looked like a serial killer...

WIP

Here's a portrait WIP, got a great reference so pushing pretty hard on the detail.

Michael Jordan for Caricaturama 3000

I started with a very rough sketch to save time - which I didn't have much of..

 

Next I started blocking in. I wanted this to be a caricature using shadow to form the features, and because Jordan is so recognisable it was my goal to use as little detail as possible.

Here I'm refining the features in the face.

 Starting to block in the jersey, not being too precious about it and keeping it loose.

 The level of detail is where I want it, but it needs to look a bit looser still.

 So I add some retrospective arty-fartyness.

Shark!

Here's a shark (grey nurse to be precise).  Just a portfolio piece, process below.

Social Icon Illos

One of my great clients ARB ( a 4x4 accessory company) asked me to do them some bespoke social icons for their new website. Results below.

If anyone reading this wants to personalise their business website with some unique icons or images just let me know.

cheers,

Old Faces

Here a couple of faces from a few years ago that I stumbled across.

Different Caricature Style

Late last year I had a couple of clients ask for a different style of caricature.  It was fun to do and hopefully I'll get the chance to do a full piece like this soon.

45 min Sketch: Ryan Gosling

A few areas of my art improved last year, but sketching definitely wasn't one of them...I seem to be getting looser and looser with the sketches I do for paintings because I know how it'll end up once I finish it.  This is fine for me, but bad for clients who can't see directly into my mind.

So here's a sketch of actor Ryan Gosling to start the improvingness...

Echonet Cover

Here's a cover I did for the independent newspaper Echonet (see it here) as they launched their new digital tablet version of the paper just before christmas

Fox Hunt: step by step

Here's a step by step guide of how I put together my Fox hunt illustration.  All up it took about 15 hours, done on Photoshop.

Okay, so here is the final artwork...

 Step 1: Here I've laid out my idea using some rough reference photos to get an idea of scale etc, the initial idea is a bit different than the final artwork, but a little way in I realised that the fox wasn't working.

 Step 2: On a new layer I've refined the sketch to get an idea of facial expression and detail using some more reference photos (I've coloured matched the photos to one another to make sure they'll all have the same look).

 Step 3: A mid tone is laid down (mid to the horses and backround) and I start blocking in the first details on two layers (horses and fox).

 Step 4: I've separated the front guy and finished the painting to a pretty high level of detail, focusing on expression and lighting.  As he's the main guy, his colour and level of contrast will be the base for the other elements as I progress.

Step 5:  The fox is gone and I'm painting the secondary figures while trying to figure out what to do in its place...

 Step 6: I've blocked in the background figures on two new layers, to allow me to adjust the depth of field later on.  I've also started to rough in the background colours to match them in.

 Step 7: I managed to come up with a new idea to pop in the foreground (two dogs) which I painted to final level striaght away, before I changed my mind again...

Step 8: I cropped the artwork for better balance and have started adding the little details, extra dogs, more background detail, and contrast on the ground to match the lighting of the figures.

 Step 9: Background details are finished and then depth of field is added to draw the focus to the bits I want people to look at.  This also means that the background woodland can be a lot looser ans the blur will tie it all together.

Step 10: Final flourishes are added, some splashing and light reflections behind the different elements to soften the look. Done.

Cartoonists Exhibition

Happy New Year All!

I've been ridiculously busy and have a lot of stuff to post, but I'll try and resist chucking it all up at once.

Here's a little cartoon exhibition I organised to show off the work of some colleagues.  It's at a great venue near my house (Jinks Creek Winery) and it showed the work of some great Australian cartoonists, and friends, Jason Chatfield, Mark Knight, Alex Hallatt, Nik Scott, Paul Harvey, Bev Aisbett, George Haddon, and myself...naturally.

Below is a piece I did for the exhibition called "The Fox Hunt", I've got a step by step of how it came together to post in the next couple of days.

Quick Commission

I'm in the middle of the Christmas rush, hence the lack of posting.  But the end is in sight and to fill the gap here's a commissioned caricature for Mark Butler the Federal Minister for Health & Aging (unless he's lost his portfolio in the reshuffle, but I haven't checked...)

Super Baby

Today I received, hot of the presses, a series of children's books I illustrated earlier in the year.

It was an interesting job, as 3 of the 6 books were to be redrawn and updated from their original version in the 80s and I needed to match the original illustrator's style - then use that style to illustrate 3 new books.

The style was definitely something I hadn't done before and it was that challenge that interested me.

Visit the Super baby website to check out some more illos and some cute stories with good morals!

The Roger Project

One of the special moments of the Stanley Awards night was when Roger Fletcher, the man behind stalwart Australian cartoons Torkan and Staria, was presented with the "Roger Project".

The project was a book that contained 35 artists showing their appreciation for Roger's work and I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute.

Roger is a top bloke and has done an enormous amount for the industry in Australia and below is my contribution to the book and a small token of my appreciation. 

It's digital mixed with india ink.

Staney Awards 2011

I've just gotten back from the 2011 Australian Cartoonists Assoc Stanley Awards and Conference in Sydney.

As always it was full of learning, laughing and drinking and was something I was really looking forward to (especially as I was taking my dad with me for his forst foray into the dark world of cartooning).  The conference was over two days and was the most full on one I'd ever been to.  It started with Anton Emdin showing us his inking style and finished offf on Saturday with Glen Lelievre talking us through how to get a cartoon into the New Yorker.

I've made it as abridged as I can, because the amount of amazing work I saw from the likes of Ronn Cobb, Reg Mombassa, Leigh Hobbs, Cathy Wilcox, Stephen Axelsen, Roger Fletcher, Dave Follett, etc would take me all day to explain and I have work to catch up on...

The Saturday night awards were great as always and congrats to the big Winner on the night Anton Emdin!  He's terribly talented fellow and all round nice guy.  Congrats to Anton for his Gold Stanley and all of the other winners. 

I was lucky enough to be nominated for Caricaturist of the Year, but was beaten out by David Rowe, who's had a great year and is never off his game.

Just testing mobile upload...

Just testing

Promo Piece

Here's a promo piece I just finished for my agency to potentially go in Contact 2012 an illustration directory in Europe.

Movember Prints

Movember (prostate cancer charity) has sprung upon us once more.  Now I can't grow a moustache to save myself, let alone save a bunch of other dudes, so I've devised a plan to raise some cash for the charity.

Click on "The Many Faces of the Moustache: A guide to Pronunciation" below and it'll take you to my profile at Redbubble where you can buy it as prints, posters, postcards, and iphone cases.  I've whacked a 40% mark up on the production costs which I'll donate to the cause.

If you haven't heard of Movember head here to check it out.

PIG

it's a public holiday here so I have a legimate excuse for avoiding work - and I've done so by doing a 45 min sketch of a pig.

Vincent Price for Caricaturama 3000

Here's a "quick" (2.5 hours) painting of Vincent Price for Caricaturama 3000.  I recorded the painting process, like I did the Kobe Bryant, caricature but the program packed it in and I only captured the last bits, but have a look if you want to.

Promo Postcards

I got a stack of my promotional postcards from my agenct Lemonade today.  They look great and hopefully they'll get the attention of some people who need pretty pictures painted...