And the wanting comes in waves

I thought I'd update with a WIP shot. The colors and vectors are getting closer to their final phases. This one has been alot of fun to make, and has actually gone alot faster than my previous illustrations in this style, meaning of course that the total time I've actually spent working on it is less. I've just spaced the hours out over weeks... and more weeks :P. Alas, the photoshop front will be really interesting and there are alot of special effects I plan to add in raster form, though I am dreading the conversion... exporting layered PSDs out of this kind of Illy file take forevorz! I might end up just working from a flattened PSD... that'll be fun. As always, if you happen to see this and have a thought or advice, don't hesitate to share! please! I always love crit! It helps me improve. :)
I recently purchased The Decemberists newest album: The Hazards of Love. And my god, the album has affected me. It is masterfully written and arranged... in such a way that makes you listen to it over and over again. As soon as I heard it, my mind flooded with imagery... and I decided to illustrate at least one of my many favorite songs: Annan Water. The song describes the story's hero braving the wild and living grey river to rescue his lover on the other shore... He pleads with the enchanted river to let him cross, and as payment it may take him upon his return. This is William making that plea as he attempts to ford the rapids. I worked out this sketch several times trying to get it just right, I thought I'd include some of those sketches below. I can't wait to get to work vectoring out the shapes, even so, I'm sure this one will take a while. I want this one to be good so if anyone has any crits I want to hear em! :)



This last piece is just a sketch, unrelated to the rest above. I love and miss the forests I grew up in and because I'm a nostalgia addict, I think I'm subconsiously doodling them. There were myriad gulleys there, and tree-bridges sometimes natrually formed in those woods. They had a magic to them, the forests that is. Maybe one day I'll get to go back.

EnRoute

A wee messenger boy asleep in a golden wood. Taking a brief respite from his journey to take life in. Perhaps something I want to do at the moment.

More Trees

More trees. I've been drawing them alot lately. Not sure what I'll do with the things though. I think I'll vector up the first one.

Corgipillars and Pugletts

In the midst of this veritable sketchgasm I've been having for the last couple of weeks or so, I present for your consideration, my interpretation of my roommates' two dogs: Harvington-Reginald "short-stuff" Wallbanger (Silly Party) and Pig-Pug (Sensible Party). I rather like how these guys turned out, I think I may just vector 'em up in illustrator. maybe even do a collection of dog breeds. but for now, I need to just keep sketchin'

Trees

I'm thinking this might be my next vectored piece with Eise and Ceile. I'm still trying to figure out what their story is. But I do know that they're sort of nomadic... bandits in a sort of steampunk/ancientpunk world setting. At the moment, I'm perfectly content with just sketching them out in random settings. Random scenarios. Sort of in the spirit of a conversation I had with a friend. Rather than making a story first as I usually do, I'm taking scenes and situations, that these characters might find themselves in. Then later I'll find some deus ex machina to bind it all together. and actually do something with the idea.

Eise Sketch

A sketch I probably spent way too much time on. This is one of the ladies from my scarved ladies piece. I'm thinking of naming her Eise. and the other: Ceile.

Self Portrait 2009

I decided it was time for a 2009 self-portrait... that and my buddy, Louie keeps bugging me about it. I also needed a Deviant Art ID. So: Vanity vanity vanity.

The Evolution of a Vear

Narcissistic much? Sorry. My art director, Mike Mattesi, drew each of these caricatures in sequence as we were working out some story boards. I found them so hilarious I had to share them with the wurld.

Scarved Ladies

This piece began as a simple sketch to illustrate and tribute simple things that I like, such as coffee and hookahs... and women in scarves. But over the very long course of this piece's rendition, I fell in love with the characters and latently realized: the style. I wanted to do new things with this piece that I haven't done before, which is part of what took me so long to make it. There are still things I don't like about it... like how they are percieved as looking "stoned" on account of their bland expressions (workin' on that) but for now it has to be done. So I can do other stuff!

Another Update ---Ooh! Pictures!

Well, it's been a while. I have been super busy with work and applying for jobs that don't really exist and such. but I'm making myself work on stuff again lately. and I figured I'd upload a few new progress shots on the scarf ladies I've been noodling with.