GDG Vol. 4

The rumors are true! The 4th Girls Drawing Girls book is available for pre-order!


My Ocotillo piece is in there, along with over 80 other illustrations from some super talented ladies. This classy number is all wrapped up in a quality HARD COVER volume. Impress your friends and make your enemies seethe with jealousy over your impressive library. Order before July 10th and get a special edition bookplate! Several of us (including yours truly) have created some really rad ones... LIKE THE ONES BELOW!



Will one of these be yours???
Only one way to find out! :)

For Science.

Only about four years late to the party, i've finally started playing the first Portal. I've seen it played through and i just watched my boyfriend play through all of the second one. They're puzzle games, and the writing is so clever, so they're fun to watch, but apparently even more fun to play!
I've got the first one on Steam but i think i might have to go ahead and get Portal 2 on PS3 for myself.

Hunger Games

I finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy recently. They're classified as "young adult" but basically everyone i know kept talking about them and i figured i should see what the fuss was about before the movie came out.
It's a fast read, but that's partly because the action is so captivating. Katniss is a really strong female protagonist and through the books you get to witness her very human reactions to some truly horrifying circumstances. In my opinion (and i guess everyone else's) the first book is totally awesome, and then the others less so, but i was compelled to keep reading because i had to know how it all ended!
Anyway, one day i found myself trying to doodle the characters. Mostly i was trying to get Foxface Girl, who's not even featured all that much in the book, i just had an image in my head i was trying to get down. That's Katniss on the right. Each drawing is me trying to find the right face; like, that first Katniss wasn't quite right, but i like the look of the second one.


(note: nothing here depicts actual story points, so this post is certified spoiler-free!)
It wasn't until i'd scribbled out this page that i remembered that Foxface doesn't actually have knives (or even a pack, i think). I just thought they worked well for her. I also thought it would be neat if she wrapped her jacket sleeves in bandages or something, since she's all sneaky like a ninja :)

Paige of Swords

Man, over... a year ago now i this piece in a Tarot themed show at The Hive gallery here in LA. The owner is a friend of Girls Drawin' Girls and invited us to participate in one of their non-pinup themed shows. Each one of us chose a card out of a standard Tarot deck. It was a nice opportunity to do something different.
This was my take on the Paige of Swords. Every now and again i'm afforded an opportunity to justify my gratuitous purchase of reference material. Finally, my book of samurai outfits and armor had it's time to shine!



The thin pencil border is where the painting would be framed, but i liked the raw edges of the watercolor.
Once again, i tried my best to properly research the kanji i used. I believe it may actually say "knife" instead of "sword", but he's not really holding a full sword anyway, sooo....

This is one of those pieces that I hated at the time i made it. It wasn't what i had in my head at all, but i put it in the show anyway. Fortunately, it sold and i didn't have to look at it anymore! But while recently browsing through old art scans on my hard drive i came upon it again and, looking at it with fresh eyes, i decided i liked it afterall! And now here it is!

This is my job. This is what i DO.

Further reflections on my apparent illiteracy (FACT???).



Hey, this shit's hard, you guys!

sexy, sexy ocotillo.

It is no secret that i am a fan of the noble ocotillo. Ever since i drove out into the desert about a year ago with three friends and observed them in the wild, i have been a fan. Like most desert plants, much of the year they're not much to look at, a mere bundle of brown twigs sticking up out of the ground, but when they're in bloom they're something to see.
So when Girls Drawing Girls announced that the theme for our upcoming 4th volume would be plants, i was quick to claim this one for my own.


Originally i'd had an idea to use the ocotillo motif as a tattoo, which was something i'd sketched out just for funsies before the theme was announced. I tried to incorporate this idea into a layout that would look something like an add for some kind of edgy tattoo parlor, maybe a little Jamie Hewlett inspired, perhaps? But it never looked right and i wasn't feeling it so i abandoned the idea for the one above.

I also figured that the piece should incorporate the actual plant it's themed after, and ocotillo's such a tall plant, i think the final version gives you more context.

Story meetings can be very frustrating. One day i chose to vent my frustrations through drawings of interpretive dance.

Kindle for Grandma

Mother's Day approaches! My grandma has always been very good to us grandkids, and now that most of us are earning a living wage my cousins and i have made it a habit to try and give as good as we've gotten on Mother's Day.
My Grandma certainly isn't lacking in worldly comforts, but her eyesight is going and she was always a reader. While technology isn't her forte, this year it was clear that the Kindle would be an invaluable asset to her.
As the artist in the family, the burden of card-making always falls to me. Word to the wise, artist-children: once you hand-make that first thank you note or birthday card, a precedent is set FOR LIFE. You will never, EVER be able to present a store bought card again.

(EVER)

Anyway, this is what i made this year! I haven't added text yet. Maybe it doesn't need it (except perhaps "happy mother's day grandma", that might be helpful).

Microgallery: Japan!

We're having a new microgallery opening today! This is our second one back at the studio since our big public show at Nucleus.
The tragedy in Japan has touched all of us as in the artistic field as much as anybody. Even though the earthquake hit over a month ago, it's impact is still being felt. We decided Japan would be our theme this time around, and all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Japanese relief efforts. It will be a silent auction, and by donating through the studio Disney will match whatever we give. It's going to be a good one.
Here are my two pieces! I tried to research the japanese as accurately as i could. If i've made any grievous errors in translation, don't hesitate to point them out.


"Save Japan"


"Super Watermelon"
(EDIT: Thanks to an anonymous poster for the spelling correction. That should read スーパー instead of スーバー )

Because what is more Japanese than a square watermelon?

Horizon

My friend Emma is wrapping up work on her third short film, "Horizon". She asked a bunch of her artist friends to design posters for it, and i was thrilled to be asked to make one as well. Emma's seemingly boundless creative energy and self-motivation as a film maker is nothing short of inspiring.
Over a year later (shameful procrastination!) i finally got it done.


I'm really pleased with the way it came out. Of course the source material held no shortage of inspiration :)
PLEASE swing by the official 'Horizon' Facebook page and check out all the totally rad behind-the scenes stuff that they've been posting!

Lincolns

A couple weeks ago our Micro Gallery at work did a Presidents Day themed show (update on the Microgallery blog to follow... eventually...). All Lincolns! Each one went for five bucks!
I did three pieces for the show, this is one of them (the above image... is not):

Thought i'd throw some Mignola homages around, just for funsies!

Aah, updating my blog is fun.

Some goths

It's been a while since i've had anything to post! Been busy with life and work. Also i finally started playing Red Dead Redemption, so... there's that.
Anyway here's some non-production related story meeting doodles! I drew some goth chicks today. The first two probably shop at Hot Topic, but i'm thinking the third one gets by on thrift store finds.

Pitch

I pitched a sequence today. This wasn't it (but i wish it was).

I also don't pitch with a stick and paper. Most of us work digitally (or at least scan drawings and pitch digitally), but there're still a handful of board artists who pitch old-school. Sometimes it's simpler. I do have a pitch stick at my desk... you know, for emergencies*.



*zombie attacks

Tangled!

Over Thanksgiving "Tangled" had a really great opening weekend! I've been hearing a lot of positive responses to it. A huge thanks to everyone who's gone out to see it so far and helped make it a success. It was soooo exciting to have been able to be involved in this film.
Here's some of the work i did! Some of it stayed in the final film, some of it was cut, some of it was handed off to other board artists after i'd worked on it, but that's the way it goes! We had a great crew, and i had a lot of fun.
(spoilers!)



In theaters nooowwww!


And once again: MICROGALLERY SHOW!

Super Big Micro Show!

The Super Big Micro Show approaches!

This is going to be an amazing show. All real media, ALL THE TIME!
Super talented folks from Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar are contributing, i can't wait to see it all come together! One and all are welcome to join us on Dec. 11 for the gallery opening! Hope to see you there!

Here's one of the five pieces i'll have in the show.


Microgallery news and history can be followed on the "official" blog... provided i manage to update it.

Doodlies

Some (non-production) work doodles..

(Ocotillopus.)

Darths

Darth 1


Darth 2

Red Whine

I drew this comic a week or two ago, promptly scanned it, and then work got busy and i forgot i had a blog.

It is a true story, possibly about alcoholism? I can't remember if i actually said this out loud to myself, but i most definitely thought it distinctly.

Hellboid

Earlier this year designer Andrew Bell teamed up with Dyzplastic and put out a line of totally adorable vinyl toys modeled on the Android operating system mascot (production process and updates on their blog here.
Totally sweet!
Along with a blind box series they also put out a blank DIY droid. I've never done a vinyl mod, so when i saw them at Comic-Con this year i picked one up!

I figured i'd stick close to home on this one, so i chose to make a Hellboy droid :)

Toyed around with what to do about the antennae/horns, and wound up just combining them.

Big shoes to fill, little guy.

The horn-nubs, right hand, tail, and little hair bun were made out of Green Stuff (dries without baking, pretty easy to find)

The little dude likes Buffy, bless his heart :)

... and then painting time!

Several coats of paint and some mostly-dried out sharpies later...



There's a pancake. He found the pancake!

(i had just enough Green Stuff leftover...)

And that's the end :)

It's a comfy 80 degrees OUTside

It's always pretty cold in the studio. I'm glad i can huddle around my cintiq for warmth.