It's been too long...

so I'm gonna throw a bunch of stuff at'cha. First up is a finished work, a study for which I posted earlier.

This is based on a short story I read in Harper's a while back and was struck with the quiet simplicity of the writing.

Next up is a sketch for an editorial work. It was inspired by an article I read about the dangers of including bankruptcy in one's financial planning strategies.

And here is the final in process.

Finally, here is a sketch for my next endeavor. I've never been a big sci-fi guy, but a friend recently turned me on to Philip K. Dick and I must say, "Great stuff!"

As much as I'd like to tell you all about the story, it's so bizarre I think everyone should go into it with no preconceived notions. It's called, "Out in the Garden" and, if you can get your hands on it, definitely worth a go.

In the next few days I should have the above bankruptcy work finished and a solid start on the garden piece. Fingers crossed, eh?

Study

Here's a head study for a piece I'm revamping. Will have the finished work up soon...

Some Sketches...

Well, it's been... oh, wow... four months since my last post, so I thought I'd throw up some sketches I did yesterday. Occasionally I take jobs as a production assistant on small film and television shoots. Yesterday I flew down to D.C. to hand off some DVD's and flew back the same day. Luckily I had some time to kill at both Laguardia and Reagan. Enjoy!

Also, I've been working on some personal and self promotion pieces. I'll have those up soon.

Logos...

This past year I'd been asked to design two logos for separate clients and, in one case, also lay out a business card. I'd had limited experience in this area, but looked at each job as an opportunity to expand my skill set.

The first request was from a fella I used to work with at a liquor store in Massachusetts. During the past couple of years he's spent a lot of time creating and expanding a top notch craft beer selection at the store. As part of his endeavor he's branded himself "The Bearded Beer Guy" and wanted a logo to go on  cards, mailers, websites, etc. He had a pretty clear concept, but still afforded me a lot of freedom in interpreting his ideas. Here are the final front and back of the business card:

The second design I completed earlier this year. The client is a friend who's begun his own law practice in Fishtown, a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Like the first client "The Fishtown Lawyer" had given the design quite a bit of thought. The PCC train is an important and recognizable part of the neighborhood so that was to be incorporated into the final design. Here's a color version and a reversed out version of the final logo:

I had a great time on these projects and have been completely spoiled working with such good people. Can't wait to do more work like this in the future.

It Begins...

So, here we go.  In the three weeks since graduation I've been doing my best to stay busy and be productive. One of my first priorities was to clear my work space in the aftermath of the tornado that was portfolio review preparation and return it to a usable state.


Said work space:

The last semester I'd been focused on completing my portfolio pieces in oil, the medium I'm most comfortable working in. My schedule left little room for personal work, so I decided to take a chunk of time to play with some gouache that I'd bought. Lately I've been blown away by the illustrations of Austin Briggs, Robert Fawcett, John Gannam and John Whitcomb. Here's a little self-portrait; my first attempt with the new medium:

Lastly, this past month I was recommended as a storyboard artist to some people at an online comedy outfit. After sending over some samples of previous work I landed the job; a five page sketch to be shot for their website. Not a long script, but it involved a lot of quick edits and extreme camera angles. A fun challenge. Later on I'll post a few pages from the job and link to the video if it's ever completed.

Thanks for checking in. I'll be posting more on my navigation through the choppy waters of freelance commercial art in the future.

Be good.