allegoria: the art and blog of amory abbott

A Fictional Dogfight... Part 1

2011-07-10T18:44:00.003-04:00

My friends Bryland and Corey are co-writing a youth fiction novel that I've done some work for previously... Go HERE for the whole story. The short of it is this- at a certain point in the story, there is an aerial dogfight between the Flying Monkeys of Oz, and an opposing group of white-winged moles wearing helmets and goggles (so they can see). This is the scene I am depicting... here's the initial sketch for the finished piece:

My Best Friend's Wedding

2010-08-11T22:38:00.003-04:00

So my friends Nate and Evelyn just got married. Something struck me by their stationary and self-made return address stamp. It was a silhouette of two birds perched on a curling vine, facing each other. I loved the imagery so much I wanted to draw it with my own filter. Here's their completed wedding gift:

Blue colored pencil, graphite and white charcoal on Rives BFK mounted on fiberboard.

Black Market Scooter Club

2010-05-01T23:57:00.003-04:00

A simple design for the Black Market Scooter Club... an Indianapolis-based group founded by my friends Ben and Michelle. Peep their Facebook Group. Anyway, Ben said he likes good-lookin' girls and scooters, so there ya go...

MetroMix: Dining Issue

2010-04-22T20:42:00.009-04:00

Just finished a commission for the Indianapolis Star's weekly magazine Metromix, for their annual Dining issue. A parody of DaVinci's Last Supper, our main character is requesting his last meal from a group of Indy's finest Chefs. Final dimensions are 21.5 x 9.625. Here are photos of the whole process from start to finish:

Reference photos of the local chefs and DaVinci's original used to create the rough sketch in blue pencil:

The rough sketch gets more detailed at full size, blue pencil on gray Rives BFK.

The blue pencil is detailed out with graphite and white charcoal:

After adding another face, the drawing is scanned in to my computer, touched up, and colors shifted for the final:

The added face is changed (3rd from left), then the coloring is done digitally in Photoshop. The background, midground, and foreground layers are manipulated separately to boost the saturation of the food and the center character, making the final image for print... Voila!

New Website...

2010-04-10T15:49:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone! I've got a new website build and it's finally online and operational! Please visit AmoryAbbott.com to see what it's all about. My blogs are linked there, and you can browse my image gallery. Thanks for your support!

-Amory

Tattoo Blog....

2010-03-23T23:57:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, there is currently no online gallery of my tattoo work outside of social networking sites. I've decided not to create one for the time being, simply because I won't be in the country after the end of August. Therefore, until my journey to Scotland for Grad school this fall, I'll be tattooing at Coil 12, a custom studio owned by my good friend Logan Marconi in Noblesville. Please find us on Facebook to see individual galleries.

I've started a new (separate) blog to chronicle my artmaking process with tattoo, and create a catch-all site for current and future clients. I'll have pictures up very soon, and posting new ones often, so keep up with me! Peace to you all, and much love.
Wanna see it? Go to amorytattoos.blogspot.com

"Winged Cloud" - Initial Sketch

2010-03-16T16:45:00.005-04:00

Starting the first drawing of a series inspired by elements of my Monkey King series. I think I'll be accompanying the MK series with some more abstracted elemental drawings, smaller size than the big 40x32 MK drawings. So here we have the rainbow clouds from my most recent MK piece, with wing shapes forming in them. This is the sketch I worked up while sitting on the circle downtown on a most beautiful day today! More soon.

Sons of Metal series: Amory Abbott, part 1

2010-03-04T22:59:00.003-05:00

Here's the sketch I've worked up for myself. I've gone with a more Polynesian motif, me standing in the core of a volcano, metal claw in pose, holding a giant hammer/mace, screaming my metal falsetto cry that's causing two other volcanoes to erupt. The mohawk was the final touch. I've been having SO much fun drawing these. I've always enjoyed drawing funny little things, humorous, over-the-top stuff, but never to the final detail and execution that I'm putting into these. It's been a fun test to see just how professional I can get with the most ridiculous subject matter. I'll be back with progress pics of the paintings soon. Enjoy!

My close-up,... So metal!!! hahaha

Sons of Metal series: Logan Marconi, part 1

2010-03-02T14:07:00.003-05:00

Started sketching yesterday for some fun and epically metal posters to hang in the Coil 12 tattoo studio. I'm calling it the Sons of Metal series. Here's the sketch I've worked up for Logan. He's standing on a snowy mountain cliff formed out of a frozen dragon's head, calling to the sky, some kind of ridiculous falsetto battle cry. Today is the initial sketch phase before I start color. I think I'm going to go epic with paint in Corel Painter for these, give them a nice polished feel, in the style of Frank Frazetta, and Ken Kelly. Back with more color progress, and a design for myself as well!

A close-up: Logan's visage, new hairdo, and authentic tattoos!

ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-24T08:14:00.003-05:00

I'm IN!!!!!!! Edinburgh here I come!!!!!

Just got an email this morning from ECA offering me a conditional acceptance into the Illustration Masters Program in Edinburgh, Scotland!

On Rainbow Cloud; Completed / Days 3, 4 & 5

2010-02-10T00:18:00.003-05:00

On Rainbow Cloud, the third piece in my Monkey King series is complete! The clouds were a struggle at first, getting the colors to work together without getting muddy. I saved the value details until last, pushing the dark areas darker and pulling the light areas a little brighter (an invaluable approach to coloring I learned from my tattoo mentor, Conan Lea). So MK rides on a rainbow cloud, something he learned along with his "72 Mystical Transformations." Don't ask me why 72, I'm trying to figure that out. Anyway! Here's the final color-corrected (as best I could), and some fun detail shots... Enjoy!

The finished drawing:

Snackin' on a peach, MK's favorite fruit!

Close-up of MK's face. I softened up the hair on his head after liking the less-stylized fur I did on his arm. (see arm above) It's still has more value variation than the arm, because I want it to look more like hair than fur.

A fun close-up of the rainbow cloud.

More of the rainbow cloud, and a closer look at his tiger-skin kilt and the clouds/waves engraving on his cudgel.

Log:
Day 3: 2 hours, Day 4: 1 hour, Day 5: 7 hours

20 hours total

Soundtrack:
Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense, Resurrection
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides, The New Danger, The Ecstatic
BlakRoc - Blakroc
Felt - Felt 3 (A Tribute to Rosie Perez)
.

Sketching today...

2010-02-05T13:48:00.003-05:00

A sketch I worked up today for a friend...

On Rainbow Cloud; Day 2

2010-02-02T10:21:00.002-05:00

Day 2 was last Thursday, but I didn't have time to post a new blog entry before leaving town for the weekend. I really struggled with the face. Starting with the thumbnail sketch, I wasn't going show MK's eyes. For one, the perspective didn't really leave the right angle for it, and I thought it would be more interesting if we couldn't see a specific expression on his face. Anyway, I struggled not adding an eye the whole time, and finally gave in to what I think was the right move. The issue I ran into after adding the eye was that the perspective on the rest of the face was off. His nose stuck out too much making him look like a lion and not a monkey, then his brow-line was too pronounced, then his mouth was off. Blah blah blah, it took a little while to fix it. The values look a little flat at the moment, since I'm working towards just getting the specifics down, then adjusting colors to match light sources, and the overall harmony of the piece. So until it's done, the drawing might look a little over-saturated with colors, without much attention to atmosphere or lighting. The Yin-Yang design in the shoulder armor was a spur-of-the-moment addition, I didn't want a big flat shiny disc in the middle of the drawing. So a subtle design breaks op the space and removes the flat "visual black hole."

Close-up of the face. MK's expression is frustration, exhaustion, and a twinge of guilt, because he knows what he ultimately has to do.

Log: 4 hours - 10 hours total

Soundtrack:
Dream Evil - In the Night, The Book of Heavy Metal
Zion I - Street Legends, The Takeover
.

On Rainbow Cloud; Day 1

2010-01-27T00:44:00.004-05:00

Off to a great start. This is the 3rd piece in my Monkey King series. It's tentative title is On Rainbow Cloud, as MK in his search for immortality learns to fly on a rainbow-colored cloud. The composition came to me in a dream a few weeks ago, and the initial thumbnail drawing sat in my sketchbook for a little while before I really felt the time was right to start. Well today was the day! I wanted to show a moment in MK's journey to the west that was non-traditional. Usually we see illustrations of him fighting monsters, or sneaking around mischievously (those pieces will come!), and show him sort of taking a break. There are moments in the story when MK gets fed up with escorting the Monk on his pilgrimage to India in the story Journey to the West. In the book, it's told that MK flies away to a place of solitude to mull over his frustrations and decide whether or not to continue the journey. I wanted to capture a moment of reflection, after which MK sighs heavily, finishes eating his peach, smirks a half grin, and returns to his destiny. Here are progress pics for the first day...

the original thumbnail sketch:

The layout pencil drawing on BFK:

The end of Day 1. Worked the background to completion. I used helicopter photos of the Li River winding through Guilin, in southern China's Guang Xi Province. The pastel I purchased at Prizm last week that I thought was plain White at the time ended up being a very light pink. I was skeptical at first, but then realized what a great addition to the clouds and atmosphere it was, when used with the ivory paper. To spice up the perspective in the background, I "bent" the landscape a little. The horizon line in the far distance weighs right, but slowly bends back left as we get closer to the foreground. I think it helps with the movement of the piece, and leaves the composition a little less flat. MK's got pheasant feathers stuck in his crown, accessories often seen in Chinese Opera productions of Journey to the West. MK also holds a peach, his favorite snack.

Log: 6 hours, 10 minutes.

Soundtrack: open stream of Dubstep jams from dubterrain.net

Dexter in a Box

2010-01-26T13:49:00.005-05:00

My cat Dexter squeezes into a small shoe box just about every morning, and stays there for a good portion of the day. He only gets up to eat, litter box, or to recharge on the window perch. Here's a quick marker drawing of him in his standard position, head resting on the corner of the flaps.

Here's a photo of him in the act:

Valentine's Day Buttons

2010-01-21T14:49:00.005-05:00

Just finished making 4 Valentine's Day button designs for Dean Johnson Design. They're a local design firm and gallery downtown on Mass ave. Every year, they choose a few holidays/events to make fun promotional buttons for. For a view of past collections, go HERE. There will be 12 buttons total, the other 8 will be by 2 other local artists. Here's a preview of the buttons I designed:

Corey's Commission... the process, Part 3

2010-01-19T11:20:00.003-05:00

It's done! This was a really fun project. To think of where it started, and where it's gone, it's probably one of the longest projects I've ever worked on. There's a lot to consider when dealing with a new story, especially one that has 4 prominent characters and a dynamic between them. On to the next project- Monkey King #3. I promised myself that I wouldn't start on my next MK drawing until this piece was done, so now it's time to hit the big board again! Below is the final photo, and some details I liked. Fun fun! Can't wait to do another one!

Corey's Commission... the process, Part 2

2010-01-17T18:37:00.002-05:00

Color is coming along with Corey's commission. I've decided to take a new approach to working with this particular piece. I'm doing all the work on the characters first before working on the background. This is kind of the opposite of what I usually do, traditionally working back to front, but I was concerned with losing the pencil line sketches of the characters to the messy smearing about in the background. SO... the characters are done and 2 coats of fixative are drying over them. Once the paper is dry, I'll begin work on the background, and just push the charcoal up to the edges of the characters. I've left a dark outline around the characters, which will disappear as the background gets filled in. Here's a splash image of the four, and close-up photos of each:

Mannequin Tattoos

2010-01-04T02:14:00.003-05:00

For fun tonight, I started sketching a sleeve design on a mannequin arm I've got at my place... Ended up coloring it all in. I'm envisioning a gallery show of nothing but mannequins standing around with different marker tattoos. Some with full sleeves, full back pieces, chest pieces, collars, or just something small... Hmmmm....... Ok, here are the pics:

Corey's Commission... the process, Part 1

2010-01-02T14:47:00.010-05:00

My good friend Corey Dalton, author of middle-grade novel Tilly McGwinn, is working on a new youth fiction novel and I've begun the first of hopefully a few illustrations for the story. There's no title yet, but the plot is loosely this: The main character, Hap (short for Happy), accidentally winds up in another world, and teams up with other characters from famous fairy tales- Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Alice from Wonderland, and Peter Pan. They for a super-hero group to fight evil. That's all I'm going to give you right now, as the novel is still in production and it's a secret!I'll be posting more pictures as the drawing comes along, so for now I'll take you all through the design process.

First, we have my initial character concepts from Corey's descriptions. They end up a lot different from these, but this is where I started. A little too realistic looking for the fel of the story, and they originally were going to have matching costumes:

Next came revised head-shots of the characters, with a little more youthful style, and the change to their traditional outfits:

Once the head-shots were approved, I worked them into full poses. These I create to communicate the personality of the characters. Alice is prim, proper and a impatient, Hap is a little reserved but genuine, Peter an overconfident wild child, and Dorothy a young, sweet and darling:

I made an unsuccessful attempt at a final on Bristol Board. I got most of Alice worked on, but the soft pastels don't easily retain their opacity when smeared on bristol, and the drawing was just too small to really get good detail. Today I sketched out a new final drawing on Rives BFK printmaking paper at a larger scale, with a few changes to Dorothy and Peter's poses. This the right surface and size for the style I want to achieve.

Stay tuned for my next post as I work in the colors! Happy New Year everyone!

Sun Wu Kong, finished

2009-12-01T03:14:00.004-05:00

By far the best work of art I've ever created.

Details below:

Herron's Illusutration Dept. Coloring Book Fundraiser

2009-11-29T18:32:00.009-05:00

My old professor of Illustration at Herron Kathy O'Connell asked me to participate in their annual fundraiser for the Illustration Department. Kathy, her students, and Illustration Alumni are all each creating a black and white line drawing to be included in an annually printed "coloring book" to support scholarship funding for illustration students. This year's theme for the coloring book is "Through the Looking Glass." It could be based on Alice Through the Looking Glass, or loosely based around the phrase. I've gone with an independent concept of a mirror in an old Chinese antique shop. The mirror reflects the viewer's Chinese Zodiac, and their reflection appears as their birth year's animal. FUN! Below is my final illustration that will be critiqued in class tomorrow along with all the students! It's going to be a blast! Feel free to download the drawing from my blog and color it yourself!

Back soon with finished pictures of my new Monkey King drawing. I'm almost done!!!

More progress...

2009-11-24T00:23:00.007-05:00

Stopping for today. In love with it.

Detail shots below...

Cape clasp on Dragon's Armor... to help communicate the overall size of this drawing, the small clasp itself is about 6" in diameter. Oh daaaang!

Log: 5 hours today - 9 total

Soundtrack:
Zion I - Street Legends, Takeover
Sneaker Pimps - Splinter, Bloodsport
Brother Ali - Us
Pete Philly & Perquisite - Mystery Repeats
BK-One - Radio Do Canibal

MK close-up - First Day Progress

2009-11-22T18:59:00.002-05:00

The new piece is coming along nicely... VERY happy with first day progress. The eyes are so intense! haha. Back with more soon.

On the big board again...

2009-11-20T12:32:00.002-05:00

The second in a series of large drawings begins today. A big close-up of Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King. I think I'm going to pursue a series on MK... I've been wanting to for so long, I think it's time. I'll post updates as it comes along! Enjoy!

"Monkey King - The Southern Gate" completed!

2009-11-17T17:03:00.003-05:00

Big drawing is done... Monkey King greets the South Gate of Heaven. Detail shots below... Colors so soft and rich! It was really fun!

On the big board today...

2009-11-09T22:22:00.002-05:00

Started with color today on my new Monkey King piece. Here's where I'm leaving it tonight. I've been practicing not working so long each session with my art. My standard practice was to marathon with a piece until it was done, but I'm slowing down now, taking my time. I've found I'm not so anxious towards the end to finish, and so I don't short the work on the finishing touches. I get to look at it a couple times with fresh eyes too, take a few days to really make it right. With that said, here's the progress for day one... having SO much fun with the clouds!

A Quick Commission...

2009-11-04T17:23:00.002-05:00

I was contacted late last night by Amanda, the head of INDIEana Handicraft Exchange about doing a technical drawing of a store they are trying to get going. There's a presentation tomorrow in front of a grant committee to fund the store, so It was a VERY short-notice project. It was fun and challenging to draw like an interior designer... I ended up coloring it pretty simply in Photoshop, so it looks a little like Rogue Robot, but a little more realistic. Here's an inked version, and the final color image. Back soon with initial progress on the Monkey King final drawing, on a big piece of paper.

More Monkey King-ing

2009-10-30T10:04:00.004-04:00

Been on a Monkey King kick again, as well as returning to my graphic novel, but I really want to use this winter as a time to make some big, portfolio-bulking artwork. Here's a sketch I started with, and a rough color mock-up of Monkey King defending his island, at the entrance to the South Gate of Heaven. In the story of the Monkey King, Heaven is depicted as the capital city of gods and immortals, not a paradise for the dead. There is a government there that controls all creatures on earth, and Monkey King is on their shit list for being blasphemous, and generally disobedient. So Heaven is kind of "The Man" in the story, and Monkey King just wants his independence. I've included this backstory to explain my visual interpretation of the clouds, how they need to look sinister, but still have a Holy/golden feel. Anyway... Here is a scene where the South Gates of Heaven are opening up over Monkey King's island to cast their judgment, but MK is resolute. I'll be posting progress on the final piece, once I get the clouds figured out. I'm not completely happy with them yet.

Monkey King / Self Portrait

2009-10-25T20:34:00.003-04:00

Forgot to post this marker drawing I did about a month ago. Lots of fun. I double-matted it in a fun skinny frame. Good keepsake.

Amory goes to the Emergency Room.

2009-10-20T17:11:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd tell the tale of my first valid visit to the emergency room, mostly just to have it for my own records, but also for your reading enjoyment.

The backstory (pun intended):

Around the time I started tattooing full-time (this may have no actual relevance and be mere timely coincidence), in September of 2008, I'd started having incidents of serious back aches, that seem to come out of nowhere. They would last for a couple hours, coming on slowly, and growing in intensity until I was literally unable to stand. They would slowly pass with the apparent help of ibuprofen. The pain is sharp, like a knife, in my upper/middle back, just below my shoulder blades, and always just to the left of my spine. Those back aches happened a handful of times over the fall and winter, lasting a little longer each time, maybe by an hour, until I had a worse one in February of this year. I traveled to Chicago for a meeting with some fellow camp counselors of Marwood. During the meeting the back pain started. It tapered off with the help of some stretches and a bit of back massage from Morgan, another counselor. That night after the meeting, I stayed at my aunt's house in Oak Park, and took a nap early to try and sleep off the residual pain. It came back, and in much more potency. The pain gradually spread from my back almost directly forward to my abdomen, and a what I can only describe as a "bubble" grew in my solar plexus. it was painful to touch, and kept me lying down only on my back, and not my sides. The pain in my abdomen turned into nausea, and I spent the following 6 hours puking my guts out every 20 minutes. I couldn't even keep a sip of water down, so no pain-killers I took had enough time to break down and get into my system. I took a hot shower around 4am to get my mind off the pain, and finally fell asleep after out of mere exhaustion. The last thing I remember was thinking I wish that I would just die, so it wouldn't hurt any more. I woke up the next day tired, and with a sore stomach, but otherwise feeling like nothing had happened. I didn't have health insurance at the time, so I couldn't realistically seek medical attention.

That incident caused me to rethink the way I position my body when tattooing. From then on, I sat my clients higher and myself lower, to straighten my back, and hopefully give my stomach a rest. I started going to the YMCA regularly and doing stomach and back-strengthening exercises to hopefully reduce the risk even more. With the exception of a small hour-long episode at Kristen's back in May, I've not had any more incidents.

The Incident:

This weekend I traveled to St. Louis on Saturday morning to visit Kristen. I hadn't seen her in over a month and with us both having been through very difficult times lately- the loss of her mentor to cancer and I losing my job at Voluta, we finally had a chance to reconnect and see each other again. Saturday was great. We caught up, spent time with her friends, watched SNL. As SNL was ending, I felt a familiar strain starting in my back. I immediately did some stretches, and repositioned myself to take any and all pressure off my back and stomach. It didn't go away. I figured it would be another small episode like last time, coming and going quickly. I'd been taking good care of myself, so I wasn't worried about another "Chicago." We went to bed around 12:30, and I knew I wasn't going to sleep any time soon. I got up, did more stretches, and tried to stay calm. Panic was welling up inside, and I got really scared. I took a hot shower around 1am to try and relax my muscles, hoping I could just fall asleep after that. I got out of the shower feeling nauseous. From after my shower until 4:30am I was throwing up and having diarrhea every 15 minutes. I tried to sleep on the floor of the bathroom in between, but I couldn't. I finally woke up Kristen and had her take me to the ER at a nearby hospital. I shivered and shook uncontrollably the whole way there and threw up more outside the ER. I was admitted, and had to tell 3 different people at 3 different stations the same information, before my 1/2 hour long wait to see a doctor. No pain relief, no help. Finally they called my name after several trips to the bathroom, and I got to my room. They put a tube in me, gave me fluids, a high dose of morphine, and other drugs to help with the pain. I found that as the pain lessened a little, it didn't go away. I only cared less about it than before, which seems unfair in a way. I wanted the pain gone. Over the following 9 hours they drew blood, ran tests, gave a rectal exam, found blood in my stool, took x-rays, and mostly left me waiting, doped up and half-conscious for hours at a time, Kristen sitting in a small chair at my bedside for the entire thing. She slept, in strange positions across 2 chairs, on and off between doctors coming in to ask me the same questions the ones had asked previously. Out of the whole thing, I remember most clearly being asked my birth date at least 10 times. The final verdict- Gastritis. Gastritis is an inflammation, irritation, or erosion of the lining of the stomach. It's basically an extreme case of Acid Reflux. It can be caused by a variety of things: Stress, a boost in acidic drinks like coffee or alcohol, spicy food, and H. pylori- a bacteria that lives in the stomach and causes ulcers, and sometimes leads to stomach cancer.

The Doctors did however say that blood tests showed that aside from the gastritis, I am in "perfect health." So..... With that I'm on my way. I've got some painkillers that I won't need for the pain I don't have right now, and some other stuff that will help to regulate the acid level in my stomach. I feel like someone whisked up my stomach with a hand blender and I've got a bunch of knots on my back that need some deep tissue work. Other than that, I feel fine.

As of today I'm no longer drinking coffee, my hot sauce obsession is now kaput, and I am officially past my "gin and tonic" phase. Time to get in more "perfect health," whatever that means.

I'll be here Friday and Saturday, so come out! It's free!

2009-10-02T02:39:00.001-04:00

	Friday, October 2, 2009 6 - 10pm
	Saturday, October 3, 2009 10am - 6pm
	Harrison Center for the Arts
	1505 North Delaware Street
	Indianapolis, IN

The INDIEana Handicraft Exchange is a contemporary craft fair that consciously celebrates modern handmade goods, the relationship between creator and consumer, and local, alternative economies. The IHE is quickly becoming a notable stop on the indie craft fair circuit, which includes events such as the Renegade Craft Fairs in Chicago, Brooklyn, San Francisco and Los Angeles, Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta, Stitch Rock in Delray Beach, Florida, Art vs. Craft in Milwaukee, Detroit Urban Craft Fair in Michigan and Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia, among others. The IHE began in 2007 as a way to highlight local crafters and artisans as well as to expose Indianapolis to some of the best vendors on the national indie craft fair map.

Most of the products sold by IHE artists serve the dual purpose of art and function and range from the beautiful to the irreverent, from the adorable to the slightly sinister, from the hysterical to the just plain bizarre. Vendors may use traditional crafting techniques but they express contemporary themes and design. Vendors offer a range of unique handmade goods from wooden jewelry to fanciful undergarments, from custom vintage-inspired western wear to stationery, from plush animals to natural bath and body goodies, from hand-screened rock ‘n' roll poster art to pop culture icon finger puppets and much, much more.

The INDIEana Handicraft Exchange fall show will be held on Friday, October 2, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in conjunction with IDADA's wildly popular First Friday gallery openings, as well as on Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Harrison Center for the Arts, located at 1505 North Delaware Street, just north of downtown Indy. This fall the IHE will feature 70+ vendors, live roller girls, live music by the Shirtless Biddles, Mandy Marie Luke & Mo Foster, The Jack Davies, Julia Schafer & D. Mark Conway, Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun and A Squared DJs, as well as giveaways of many fantastic raffle prizes donated by our vendors and sponsors.

Admission into the fair is FREE to the public. Raffle tickets are sold for $2 each, three for $5 or 7 for $10. Patrons may obtain additional raffle tickets by bringing children's arts and craft supplies, or children's art books, for donation at the door the day of the event. Money made from raffle ticket sales is used to purchase arts and craft supplies for select Indianapolis area public school art programs. Prizes for the raffle are donated by our vendors and local, independent business sponsors.

The event is kid-friendly, but some artists’ work features the occasional dirty word or sexual image, so parents might want to take a gander before their little ones get an eye full.

The INDIEana Handicraft Exchange is the first and only of its kind in Indianapolis and is currently held biannually.

Concerning Tattoo: A Step Out of Familiar Territory

2009-09-21T01:15:00.005-04:00

Today's a good day, and I'll tell you why:
Thought I'd share a new design for a client at Voluta. I felt like sharing it here because I've had a lot of freedom with this design. Most of the time, clients have something pretty specific in mind whether they know it or not, but I was basically given an open project on this one. The only structure was the starting point being a Fibonacci Spiral (geometric spiral that appears in nature i.e.- sea shells, hurricanes, galaxies). Here's the rough sketch of what I came up with. Needs a few tweaks, but the client and I are both very pleased.

This design is a milestone for me. I've been cruising along, sticking to the mainstream "boundaries" of tattoo. The client wants a lion, they get a lion. They want a floral arrangement with names, they get just that. They are beautifully drawn, perfectly executed in tattoo, and the client is completely satisfied. However, starting primarily with this design, I'm venturing into a more open project where I have a lot of artistic license. This brings me to an unfamiliar and very enticing place. A place I feel stylistically terrified, without boundaries or guidelines, and completely free. Rarely do I travel into the realms of the not-easily-recognizable, and NEVER into the abstract... It's just not my thing... at least not until I dreamed of a design last night, woke up, and this poured out. So now I have this adrenaline-like rush in my chest, fueling my brain to push, push, push the envelope, to break the boundaries of mainstream tattoo, and offer clients something a little crazy, but truly original, in it's most raw form. If it catches on, I'll be sharing it all here. I'll post the final product soon too, one the client approves!

Blue Fish

2009-09-21T01:12:00.003-04:00

Another new piece. Actual size is 3" x 3.5". really tiny. Graphite and marker.

WhopperCroc™

2009-09-16T19:41:00.004-04:00

Sometimes only one thing can satisfy you...

On display in the Benjamin Franklin Gallery
Friday, September 18th, 6-10pm
During the Wheeler Open House

A Last-Minute Return to Art vs. Art

2009-09-13T21:43:00.009-04:00

Hello everyone. Thanks to a serendipitous run-in with Shannon from Primary Colours, I've decided to take part in Art vs. Art. For those of you not in the know, it's a local painting competition that happens every year, that I've managed to win twice already, in 2005 and 2007. I didn't compete last year, and was convinced to come out of hiatus. So I'm back, and I need your votes! Visit this site: http://www.artvsart.com/ All the rules and regulations of the competition are there for you to peruse. Click around on the Primary Colours logos till you find the "Vote Now" page and check out the 113 paintings that were made between the hours of 10am and 4pm this past Friday. If you like Canvas #94 (my painting, see image below) vote for it! All you gotta do is type in your email and confirm the auto-reply! Thanks, people!

Here's the website image:

Here's my own photos of the finished piece, and the supplies I was given to paint it. Red, Yellow, Blue, White, Black (didn't use any), and 4 hours. I finished in 3:45.

The Dharma Wheel

2009-09-03T21:19:00.003-04:00

Finished... 14" x 17" Graphite on bristol vellum.

The Late Night Creep-Out.....

2009-09-02T23:22:00.004-04:00

OK.... so I'm wiggin' out.

I've been working on the drawing below for the last 3 hours... I got up to get more tea and stretch, and as I stood I looked directly down at the drawing. Suddenly, a flood of memories came rushing into my head, like a flashing montage on visual images, and I remembered seeing a pattern, THIS pattern, broken by an insect... Then I remembered it from a recurring dream I had a couple times when I first moved into the studio I live in now... I've dreamt about this piece! This exact friggin piece, over a year ago... A Dharma Wheel and a Bee. I've never had this happen before, and it's eerie, and exciting all at the same time! I want to keep working but I want to jump up and run around all chills and gyeeaaaahhh!

Ok, so here it is in progress...

On another note, I've noticed that the last 2 weeks straight, I've been waking up at exactly 9:20 am, every day, like clockwork (pun intended). This morning the first thing I did was open my eyes, turn my head a look at the clock... Yep. 9:20 as usual. Ten minutes before my alarm. I think the cosmos is lining up in my head or something. I hope an alien doesn't pop out. I like my head.

More soon, friends.

New Art....

2009-09-02T23:20:00.001-04:00

Here's a peek at the new piece I just finished... i think the monocle is my favorite part.

Pencil Test

2009-08-30T17:04:00.002-04:00

Test: Peonies. Rules: From memory, no erasing allowed.

I'd like to have a block made out of this for printing...

Spindlebot Press, anyone?

The Unveiling...

2009-08-06T16:47:00.003-04:00

Spindlebot Press.

Years in the making, Josh and I started tossing ideas around about collaborative work back at our first show at Corner Coffee in 2005. It wasn't until recently that we discovered a new avenue for our works in the budding independent arts and crafts movement. So here we're trying something a little old, and a little new, collaborating on letterpress artworks and design/illustration. The image above is the first design we've come up with as part of a series of 12 promotional letterpress prints. Stop by the BLOG and peep the Etsy store later on for artwork (coming soon). Here's the big leap!

Big Plans and the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange

2009-08-05T20:57:00.004-04:00

So..... Josh and I are collaborating on something.... We'll have an unveiling online, maybe tonight. All I can tell you now is that we will have a booth at the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, October 2nd and 3rd at the Harrison Center in Downtown Indy. Stay tuned for the big hullabaloo.... In the meantime, here's the flyer for the Handicraft Exchange:

Robot/Rapture

2009-08-05T19:10:00.003-04:00

My latest charcoal work, took me a while to finish it. Had the day off and she was calling me from the wall... Feels great to get my hands dirty again! This is a tribute to Lempicka, Edward Kwong, and overcome robots everywhere.

Jascha Cover - Update

2009-07-13T12:47:00.003-04:00

Ok, rework of the typophone to look a little more organic, and "watermarky," not so boxy like the old style. Realized I'd been spelling the band's name with a capital J and that's NOT cool. The illustrated stuff in the middle was getting a little busy, so I opted for an old newspaper article regarding a dramatic house fire instead. Made these changes last night...

Jascha Cover - Update

2009-07-08T20:47:00.002-04:00

Here it comes along.... first rough draft of the album cover (front and back)

Album Cover Work...

2009-07-07T19:09:00.003-04:00

I've been commissioned by the local indie/folk band Jascha to illustrate their upcoming album cover... Here's phase one of the "Typeograph/Phonowriter." More to come as the cover progresses....

New Work and Ramblings...

2009-06-28T11:13:00.004-04:00

A new piece.
I'm finally getting back to drawing. I was inspired last night, so I penciled out a new piece I plan on doing in grayscale charcoal. Progress updates to come.

On the subject of Muses, and new directions.
For the past few months, I've had my "inspiration eye" on an illustrator named Edward Kwong... the linear shape building in his compositions are just phenomenal. I'm still a little unsure of his approach to coloring his work. I can't tell if it's partially or completely digital. Following blogs of other practicing artists makes me ache to work on canvas, or at least fancier paper. I think I'll be getting back to that. I'm busy enough with tattoo work, I can afford to give myself a weekly "Art Day" off from the shop. Discipline is a much more frustrating obstacle to overcome.

Thoughts on tattoo, and creativity.
Something has become clear in my work at Voluta. Tattooing has taken over my main source of creative outlet. I guess from the job perspective, that's a blessing, considering I'm paid very well to be creative. The conflict lies in my own guilty feelings about what gets set aside in the meantime. My novel. My personal art. When I started tattooing, I promised myself that my job would never take priority over my art/illustration. I believe now that it was not a skillful promise to make to myself. What more could I ask for in a job, than for it to be creative and inspiring? I guess my only answer would be to still feel creative and inspired when I get home at night, or on my days off. I've always believed that one's creative energy was in endless supply, especially with a healthy diet and plenty of good sleep, which I get. I guess where I'm going with all this is to recognize a growing feeling that I'm not spending enough time on my own work. I'm sure you will all respond with a resounding "DUH!" haha

An Evening Battle with Pastels

2009-05-18T23:06:00.004-04:00

Started a pastel piece of some lonely Spanish Conquistador that turned out looking like absolute rubbish. I smeared black chalk over the whole thing, and busted out the Lightning Bug in retaliation. I was victorious.

Monkey on my Mind

2009-05-06T08:32:00.003-04:00

I've been making little marker drawings of Monkey King before I go to sleep the last couple nights. It's making me have dreams about Monkey King and some wild adventures which is pretty friggin awesome. So in honor of my early morning post, and the Bull-demon hordes that I conquered in my sleep last night, here are 2 more drawings of Sun Wu Kong...

Long Time No Post

2009-05-05T11:24:00.003-04:00

It's been over a month since my last post, sorry for that. If you're thinking "Gosh, Amory hasn't done any art in a while!" Think again! Feel free to visit Voluta Tattoo and check out my portfolio of all the tattoos I've been working on. Every single design is an Amory original, custom hand-drawn for the client. To hold you over, here's a fun little marker/charcoal drawing I drew up the other night of Monkey King. Enjoy, and I'll be back much more frequent with new art posts!

T-Shirt, anyone?

2009-02-23T12:24:00.002-05:00

SO FRESH.
My art on a t-shirt. Go to TEN BILLS to get yours.

The Raven

2009-02-06T12:19:00.005-05:00

Here's a marker & charcoal drawing I worked out the other night. Fun fact: I watched a pretty horrible/awesome kung fu movie right after i drew this- "The Magic Blade" it had nothing to do with magic, or blades, but it was pretty amazing. Shaw Brothers, 1976.

The Evolution of a Novel Page

2009-02-05T11:46:00.004-05:00

Thought I would share the steps I take to create a novel page... First is the small paginated sketch; that lives in my binder which has the whole basic sketch of each page and usually any dialogue. This helps me work out the flow of the story before I spend too much time drawing.

Next, I draw the whole thing up in pencil on a page of bristol plate. This is the committed composition.

Finally, once all the kinks are ironed out with the pencil sketch, I go to town with charcoals.

When the chapter is finished, I'll scan each page into my mac, drop them into layout pages in InDesign, add borders, dialogue, etc. Done!

Back at it.

2009-02-02T23:04:00.001-05:00

A few shots of new frames from The Message:

A Long Hard Look in the Mirror

2009-01-23T00:40:00.001-05:00

Chinese Opera Mask - Monkey King.

Getting back to charcoal, and facing fears

2009-01-17T14:48:00.004-05:00

I don't usually pour out my thoughts into a blog entry, but I feel like I've reached a comfortable place, or found peace with the novel's true needs, so this merits it...

I've been avoiding, resenting, and mostly just ignoring my novel, and what I need to do to get it done on time. Struggling with feeling that I've moved on artistically, stylistically, and conceptually from the intended outcome of this project. After the success of a couple marker/brush drawings, I felt a renewed energy to work on the novel, and my creativity was sparking again. I then turned my attention to the new quest of finding a cheaper, faster way to complete the novel, in a style that I was excited about. Through this exploration, I found myself feeling guilty about flying economy class with my skill, regardless of the excitement I felt toward the brush and marker effect (as well as my wish to get this whole thing done much faster). I've been struggling with the response I've gotten from my peers, friends and family- a resounding "We like the charcoal better!" My struggle has not been with thinking they're wrong for not liking the marker better, but that I want them to like the marker better, as an excuse to do so, and because it's easier and less demanding. In my gut I know that the charcoal is better, and I guess I've been afraid to face that.

So with enough sleep, several cups of tea, and a tasty breakfast, I sat down and faced this issue today and feel I was rewarded for my efforts. A (very slightly) more gritty style, charcoal drawn on bristol plate, as opposed to watercolor paper. Faster sketching, less blending. Continuing on with my year-old style, but with new eyes and deeper insight. It feels like the old look, takes me half the time, and is actually still cheaper (watercolor paper= $7 for 3 pages, bristol plate= $7 for 12 pages).

The second fear I have to face is the fact that I haven't drawn a single novel page since the middle of June... I have a LOT of ground to cover before the first 5 chapters are due at the end of May (the grant proposal/agreement). So now it's time to forgive myself, put my feel on the ground, and make some art. Here's the first of a few drawings in the new treatment, it's also a new study for an upcoming character that has yet to be introduced... "Abi."

More Revamp Tests...

2009-01-04T23:52:00.003-05:00

More revamp tests. Trying to get a real enough feel, but with stylistic application.

Original street scene:

Brush revamp...

Original of Eliza marching along:

Brush revamp...

Graphic Novel Revamp Tests

2009-01-04T22:42:00.006-05:00

With the graphic novel being underway for over a year now, I thought it would be a great time to think about re-doing all of drawings so far in a new style. Haha! Most of the work that's been going on has been story-writing, dialogue, and chapter planning. So with all that in mind, I'm interested in seeing what other stylistic options I've got right now before I really hit the boards and produce. So here are a couple different approaches. I'm leaning heavily towards the brush image. it's efficient, inexpensive, dynamic, and takes about a tenth of the time as charcoal. Any feedback from you guys would really help...I'll be posting more tests over the next couple days. So on with it:

This is the original finished charcoal image I worked off of:

This is just a re-drawn sketch from the charcoal:

Here is the marker study, using grey-wash markers, and micron pens:

This is the brush study. No preliminary sketch, marker study used as visual reference:

And last, a fun treatment to the brush study using halftone for background/shading:

First Art of the Year... a digital portrait

2009-01-04T20:18:00.003-05:00

My boss Conan, en route with Ginger.

It's out! The Roller Girls Poster

2009-01-04T18:06:00.004-05:00

A few changes by the art director, mainly the titles and an unfortunate desaturation of color, but it still looks great! Word up, go to the bout!

Happy Black and Blue Year

2008-12-18T02:13:00.004-05:00

Ok! Here it is! The completed bout poster for the Tornado Sirens, our Naptown Roller Girls. (Accompanied are some process pics)

The Finished Piece:

The Life of a Painting:

Work in progress:

The approved sketch:

The initial thumbnail sketch:

Tornado Sirens call me back to the Watercolors

2008-12-17T00:09:00.005-05:00

Some of you know, some don't: I'm working on an official poster for the Tornado Sirens. Commissioned piece for the Naptown Roller Girls' January bout, the first of the 3rd season. The style of the piece is Art Nouvea meets Pin-up girl. No joke. Rocking it out in watercolors on frankensteined Rives BFK... Josh and I are experimenting with turning printmaking paper into watercolor paper... wetting down the raggy printmaking BFK taped down to board, drying, then coating it with a PVA sizing agent. It then dries stiff, almost like rough plastic. Sanded down, it makes a wicked watercolor board. No bleeding, good saturation, hardly any warp when really wet, takes pencil, takes eraser... Altogether a pleasure to work on. Now I've got a cream color base without a messy wash. I know you wanna see the piece, but I'm keeping any images secret till it's done, which should be late tomorrow. Here's a pic of me working on it:

A Marker Self Portrait

2008-12-08T18:42:00.004-05:00

Haven't drawn a realistic self portrait in a long time. Here it is, in Micron brush pen, a warm gray Copic chisel marker, and white charcoal pencil. Got a little dark with the eye on the left, so i reduced it out with some workable fix and white charcoal. It's still a little dark. Meh. Ain't nothin' but a thang.

Winter Open House

2008-12-07T18:26:00.003-05:00

Well, the Wheeler was PACKED on Friday night. More people than I've seen here ever before. Saw a lot of friends, met a lot of awesome people, and my new work was a great success. Everyone really liked it, which was a big thing for me, because this is a whole new direction for my work. Below are some snaps of my set-up. Also, for you blog followers and Xmas gifters- check out my Online Art Store for new works for sale, at elegant holiday prices!

Open Ocean in Mixed Media

2008-12-02T19:57:00.003-05:00

Firing out some new work in time for the Open House this weekend. I'm having fun with these reproductions from the Moleskine series. I'm going to try to get 2 more done in time. Here's the latest:

"Open Ocean"
Mixed media: Acrylic, India Ink, Soft Pastel. On board, 16" x 24"

Another Painting...

2008-12-01T23:51:00.002-05:00

"First Rain"
Mixed media: Acrylic, Marker, Soft Pastel. Another reproduction of a Moleskine cover. 8" x 12"

Wheeler Arts Community: Winter Open House

2008-12-01T18:50:00.006-05:00

Here we go again with the Open House! This one is set to be a BIG opening, running 2 nights this weekend. There's a dozen or so resident studios open (including mine and Josh), live music, the Herron School of Art and Design's Senior Photography Show, a student Architecture Exhibit, an exhibition of work from the Indianapolis Art Center's Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, guest artists, and much more. The highlight of the evenings will be a table in my apartment with extraordinary special wooden writing pens, hand-crafted by none other than the internationally acclaimed woodworker sculptor Greg Abbott (my dad). These uniquely carved writing utensils will make you or your spouse very attractive. They will be for sale as well, for a very attractive price. Need more convincing? Check it:

Still need more convincing? No you don't! Get you and your family's asses to this show! :)

A Few More Moleskines...

2008-12-01T18:44:00.003-05:00

Still having fun with these! Here are a few with toothbrush spatter:

"First Rain"

"First Snow"

"Mammoth"

An Acrylic Painting...

2008-12-01T01:33:00.004-05:00

I broke out my old acrylics tonight and recreated one of my Moleskine covers on a plywood board. It's 8" x 12" Acrylic and marker. Fun to get back into painting. More posts soon!

Available at the Open House: Moleskine Notebooks

2008-11-30T18:11:00.003-05:00

A broad selection of Moleskine notebooks (with hand-drawn covers) will be available at the open house coming up this weekend. Here are scans of a few of them. I'll post more about the open house soon. Enjoy!

Cat on the Bed! The first 2 Weeks

2008-11-25T12:25:00.008-05:00

I've been keeping a journal on my nightstand titled "Cat on the Bed!" Every night when I get in bed, I get this book out and sketch whatever cats are on my bed. Then I go to sleep. A more fitting description is below on page 2.

UPDATE- Plywood Series

2008-11-20T19:03:00.002-05:00

Added a sky. Now it doesn't feel so sparse. I like it much better this way.

Moleskine Cover.... The Smug Zombie

2008-11-20T19:01:00.002-05:00

He's so smug it makes me sick... Or maybe it's all the blood. I don't know.

Zombie!

2008-11-18T03:13:00.003-05:00

'Nuff said.

Plywood Series: Folds :: Elephant

2008-11-17T00:44:00.003-05:00

Here's the second piece in the "Folds" series. An elephant at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Dreaming of paper clouds, grazing in paper plains. This one is really soft compared to the first panel of the boat. A little more ethereal. I'm going to sit with the state of the sky for a few days, see if I want to make any changes, add color. Wee shall see.... But for the meantime:

The [most likely] completed panel...

Original sketch...

Color mock-up... not even close to the final colors

Stutz Holiday Show Art: The Process

2008-11-14T01:07:00.004-05:00

Here's some process imagery of my piece for the Stutz Holiday Show (see next post for exhibition info). It started with a sketch in my new book, contour line study. Then a small marker study on watercolor paper. Then the final piece on bristol board.
Bragging rights: On the marker study and the final, the heavy black brushwork was done first, with no pencil sketch, then the micron line-work and color added. It seems counter-intuitive, sketching with a brush, but that's what makes it so badass. haha.
Line-work first? Psshh... Don't worry, daddy's got you.

P.S.- yes, that's a bandaid on my thumb. I survived. :)

Sketch:

Marker Study:

Final piece:

Stutz Holiday Show

2008-11-14T01:04:00.004-05:00

I have work in this show! If you're in town, you should come check it out! Word. If you want more info, CLICK HERE.

A Robot Finds Peace

2008-11-03T21:07:00.004-05:00

A cleaned-up final sketch for the t-shirt company. The composition changed slightly from last time, per their request, so we'll see if they like it!

Pastel Close-ups...

2008-10-20T21:56:00.002-04:00

The Boat...

Paper Waves...

Plywood Series: Folds

2008-10-20T21:35:00.005-04:00

BIG NEW THINGS.....

Found my wings and took off in a new direction...Here's the scoop: Last weekend I went to Menards an bought a sheet of Baltic Birch-faced Plywood. Top-o-the-line stuff. Ripped it up into 2' x 4' panels, and rounded off the corners. Sanded them all down nice and smooth and finally got to the first one today. I've been working on the sketch for a little bit, getting the colors right, and working out details. I want to have a show in December of January for the series. We'll see how that pans out.

Here's the goods: (currently untitled), 24" x 48", Soft Pastel on Wood...

The Finished Piece...

The Original Sketch...

The final Color Mock-up...

Sketch Transferred to the Panel...

My Workspace, finished....

A Sketch: The Crane Maker

2008-10-19T19:09:00.003-04:00

I was recently commissioned by an online T-shirt company to make a design to be printed on a new shirt series. The evolving plan is to have a robot folding a paper crane. This is all in the design stage right now, but I thought I'd share a glimpse of the process. Enjoy!

A Sketch: The Epic Battle...

2008-10-16T16:14:00.002-04:00

A sketch from a tattoo design I'm working on for a client's forearms. It's SO far from my typical subject matter that it's been really fun developing. It's pretty successful so I thought I'd share it.

Voluta by Night

2008-10-09T22:35:00.003-04:00

Just some fun pictures of Voluta, my tattoo studio, I shot tonight on my way out.

Above: our corner of the Stutz Building
Below: a close-up of our fancy sign

The Message: continuing with still images

2008-10-09T22:30:00.002-04:00

Eliza's route home. Across the canal, up the hill, down the stairs, right turn, down the road, through the alley, out the arch... It's not as far as it sounds. :) Enjoy!

Shipping Details

2008-10-01T23:41:00.004-04:00

Yes it's official. I'm a Mac owner. I've made the switch to the dark/light side of the force. My new iMac will arrive within 5 business days. If you check out the apple online store, there's a deal now through October that all shipping on orders over $50 is free, and they are personally delivered by Red the Fraggle, atop a majestic unicorn. can you believe it? I didn't either, at first... but then I get this shit:

Here's my Mac specs:
24" widescreen display
2.4 GHz core duo
1GB memory
320GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

Callin' Out

2008-10-01T01:52:00.003-04:00

This new sketch is a little something for all the ladies out there rocking the vintage banana-seat bikes. Especially the ones with cat skulls mounted to the stems. Keep it all city, you marauding maidens of mischief!

A Phoenix for Ahreum

2008-09-29T18:34:00.003-04:00

My good friend Ahreum is going back home to South Korea tomorrow, possibly for good. I was asked to draw a phoenix for her, and so here it is. Microns, Sharpies, and Watercolor Markers. Farewell, Ahreum, we will miss you dearly.

Last Minute Efforts

2008-09-25T19:50:00.002-04:00

Holey Moley! I totally forgot to tell everyone about this weekend. It's the Fall Open House at Wheeler Arts Community, and that means I'll have my place open, along with a dozen other residents. THIS SATURDAY, 4pm to 10pm. Live music, pizza downstairs, and lots of artsy business. Here's the card:

Welcome Home

2008-09-25T18:26:00.002-04:00

A new door blaze for my apartment. I've had the old digital self from my old cards up there for quite a while. I figured if I'm not really doing digital work, I shouldn't advertise myself primarily as a digital artist. So here's a fun charcoal blaze for some shameless self promotion.

Product of Art Night®

2008-09-25T15:12:00.002-04:00

A new piece that's been developing in my head for a few months now. Continuing the Peace Crane series. So great to be working with pastels again.

Artist Trading Card

2008-09-16T01:51:00.002-04:00

Here's another trading card I made tonight for my stepmom Gina. She's a seasoned watercolor and color pencil artist. This is my piece to trade with her, titled "Like Feathers."

Moleskine Work

2008-09-16T00:09:00.002-04:00

A peacock lost at sea! Oh no!

The Message: Back in Production

2008-09-09T11:00:00.002-04:00

A view of the canal Eliza's tank brigade crossed this morning.

Tribe Emblems

2008-09-09T01:34:00.004-04:00

Two good tribes, the Eagle Wolves, and the Wild Tigers. In allegiance together, fighting against the wickedness of the evil Destructosaurus Clan. Where does your loyalty lie?

Are you a protector of the Forests and Sky?

Do you defend the jungles and oceans?

Or do you just want to leave the world a desolate wasteland?

Furthering the Peace Crane Studies

2008-09-03T02:03:00.003-04:00

More peace crane drawings falling out of my brain. The moleskine cover got the juices flowing a little, and I worked this out on bristol board. I'm thinking this might make it's way to a new business card design. We'll see. I've got the whole day off tomorrow so I'll finally be scribbling out a new page for the graphic novel. Big ups. I'll post something from it soon. laters.

New Moleskine Cover

2008-09-03T01:53:00.003-04:00

Sat down with some markers tonight after having no luck with a plan for something big in Pastels. Worked out a moleskine cover, getting back to my peace crane roots. The image of the origami crane keeps returning to me. It's hard to explain, but I feel like I can't draw enough of them, as though scribbling them over and over has some sacred purpose.

Anyway, this month is set to be a more productive time for me. I'm finally free of a part-time job, now living completely off freelance work and tattoo. It's becoming crunch time for my novel, I've been putting it off for a couple months. Not to say I haven't been working on it in my head, plot specs the whole time, I just haven't put a pencil to board since June. I'm feeling the pull to get my hands back into it. I've got a couple ideas for new pieces for the Fall Open House coming up on the 27th. I was bummed that I didn't have anything new to show, but the prospect of showing work always finds a way to inspire new work at the last minute. I guess the gears kind of get forced into action.

Collaboration with Sarah Frary, phase 2

2008-08-28T02:31:00.002-04:00

Above: Sarah's addition

Below: my original sketch

Sarah's artistic enhancement to the Red Riding Hood piece. LOVE IT!!! I'll have my additions to her piece up asap. This is phase 2 of the works, so more is still to come!

Artist Trading Cards (ATC's)

2008-08-28T02:10:00.004-04:00

I Just came across a fun new concept, which apparently everyone else already knows about, but isn't doing... Artist Trading Cards, or "ATC's." draw 'em, trade 'em, sounds fun! Any medium, any material, any what-which-way about it. The only rule: it has to be 2.5 by 3.5 inch in size (same as baseball cards). I found the cards at Prism on the northside and worked one up tonight at Josh and I's co-hosted every-other-wednesday "Art Night." Here it is:

Here's a scan of the piece next to the packaging, and a quarter for scale:

Wikipedia's entry about ATC's.

Scenes From a Sketchbook

2008-08-14T23:52:00.002-04:00

A giant squid toss, and a dead raccoon. Both executed with a Micron Brush Pen.

A Quick Ink Drawing

2008-07-23T01:20:00.002-04:00

Jessie called last night and through a series of strange conversations, reached the subject of Cheesy Sausage Jambalaya being shot out of my Didgeridoo, in the stylings of Kenny G. Jessie naturally assumed the recipient's role, and included the gas mask for eyes and face protection from the searing hot rice. SO..... here is an illustrated interpretation of that epic event: