b²rianLS

heart.

2012-02-14T21:12:00.001-08:00

ballpoint.

Marceline the Vampire Queen

2012-02-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

the first episode of "Adventure Time" that i ever watched was one entitled "It Came From The Nightosphere" starring Finn, Marceline, and her evil father. i thought it was hilarious, and it instantly turned me into a fan. since then, i've drawn little Adventure Time doodles, but none that were really much different from the original designs. today, while scrolling through Tumblr, i saw a neat picture of Marceline, and decided to try her out. it's all pen/pencil, finished with digital colors.

here are some of my Finn and Jake drawings previously published on my Tumblr

Charmaine Olivia + nymph sketch

2012-02-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

i wanted to take an ordinary photograph- in this case, the ubiquitous cell-phone self-shot, and incorporate fantasy elements into it, in order to transform it into something more surreal.

thought it's a failure in the likeness department, it was based on a photo of the lovely, talented, and inspiring Charmaine Olivia. whose artwork influenced the theme of this sketch.

giving her head

2012-02-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

last night's sketch, with some morning color practice.
i thought about adding some cheesy caption like "i love a man with brains," but refrained.

it wasn't 'til i was done that i realized they looked like She-Hulk and the Red Skull. despite the Marvel Zombies resemblance, i was inspired by classic horror on Netflix.

pencil and digital.

black dahlia

2012-01-16T00:27:00.000-08:00

65 years ago today...

in honor of Miss Elizabeth Short

hamadryad 2

2012-01-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

i had some free time and felt like drawing another nymph.

even though it took under two hours to complete, i was more careful with this piece than i was with the last. in the other, i just let the pen roam, here, i drew each line individually, so that everything helped compose the final piece. i also made it a point to draw the roots in curves as opposed to angles, like the branches. they're also thicker, appearing healthier.

i don't know if i meant anything by that.

hamadryad

2012-01-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

some of it is ballpoint, some of it digital.
if i did a good job, you won't know which is which.

ghetto bird

2012-01-08T00:48:00.000-08:00

ballpoint.

chicken head

2012-01-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

sois jeune et tais toi

2012-01-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

there are really a number of people who deserve credit for this piece.

one is my longtime friend, Isaac Cabrera, who suggested the idea.

the second would be the creators of the French protest poster (from which i stole the title).

third, i thank Drake and other mainstream rappers who promote mindlessness and materialism, rather than consciousness in their lyrics.

and lastly, i thank those blind followers that nod their heads to the music without listening for talent or message. those easily influenced help the cycle of ignorance going, preventing a positive change from occurring.

all digital.

Santa Carla Twilight

2011-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

inspired by the Tiger Army song

i've been playing with this idea for years, but recently, it's gotten a lot easier thanks to my tablet. these are my most recent attempts. i won't consider them final, because i want to keep trying ideas.

if anyone's got suggestions, i'd love to read 'em!

beeterfly

2011-12-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

i have a fondness of furry bees and like any one else, an admiration of butterfly wings.
i drew this because i think butterflies would look a lot cuter this way.
(though i'd still run in the other direction if i encountered one like this)

dark angel

2011-12-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

acrylic on wood

21 x 15 1/2

tablet sketches

2011-12-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

der Golem of Prague

"Less Banks More US"

my Occupy LA poster design

all these are done with a Bamboo tablet on ArcSoft PhotoStudio 5.5

Muppets / Sesame Street sketches

2011-12-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

i've never been much of a Muppets fan, but an episode of the "Stuff You Should Know" podcast helped me appreciate Jim Henson characters, and inspired me to draw them.

this series began as a single, quick sketch in ballpoint, but i couldn't help but follow that one up with more characters.

of course, drawing them as just muppets wouldn't have been very fun, so i changed them up a bit. they are presented here from last to first.

Kermit the Frog

Miss Piggy

The Count

Big Bird

Cookie Monster

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T15:17:00.001-08:00

i decided on a more satirical piece for this year. i wanted to pay homage to the natives, while acknowledging the perversion of the celebration, and the underlying greed that comes with this and all "holidays."

first i drew the picture that would be in the center:

then i added the actual brand names and prices to the garments she's wearing:

i don't mean to condemn or denounce the celebration, but i feel we should pause to understand what the origins and intentions of Thanksgiving were, rather than just following "traditions" established long after the fact.
with that said, my thanks to all those who have checked out, enjoyed, and shared my artwork. My thanks for the kind words and hard criticism. i'm very appreciative of all those who have influenced me, and all those who have allowed my artwork to put a smile on their faces or a thought on their minds.

bee

2011-11-22T14:59:00.001-08:00

started this one a while ago, and finished it today.
what it means is up to you.

Graveyard Queen (cartoon)

2011-11-18T20:34:00.001-08:00

downtime at work allows me to create quick, fun, though less-realistic pieces. did this one all in ballpoint over the span of two hours.
while drawing it, it began resembling my Graveyard Queen piece, so i finished it off as a cartoon version of that, while trying not to have it look too much like a ripoff of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.

Miss Fit 11-14-11

2011-11-14T10:45:00.001-08:00

another one of these.
pencil, pen, tablet

Crimson Ghost

2011-11-10T06:58:00.001-08:00

Rosie Jones in Misfits makeup.
pencil/ink/digital

Dia de los Muertos 2011

2011-11-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

i worked on this piece for several nights. it's the second in my annual Day of the Dead tradition, which includes elements of the traditional altar :cempasúchil, feathers, and of course- a skeleton. Although the surface on which i painted this is rather large (16x36), i ran out of space for a candle. it was upon realizing this that i also noticed the dripping paint and colorless tones of the image make the figure herself look very candle-like. i decided to include these accidental drips and also pour some actual candle wax onto the picture- giving it texture, rather than just the illusion of it.

Sweet Toof

2011-11-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

colors and cupcakes. not my usual style, but that's what makes it fun.
mixed media on Canvas

Sugar Daddy

2011-11-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

The text reads : azucar
the plant on his head : a sugar cane
he's decorated with donuts, cupcakes, and candy, and yet the only part of this piece that's truly white are his teeth.
mixed media on canvas

money is the root of all

2011-10-31T00:53:00.000-07:00

i don't know what the original artist meant to say in this design, but i believe it illustrates the cycle of greed in humans.

this is the first piece i draw entirely on a tablet.

Uncle Walt

2011-10-22T22:46:00.001-07:00

the face is freehand pen/pencil. the rest is digital

Unalienable Rights

2011-09-17T21:50:00.001-07:00

earlier this year, when artist Jason “Revok” Williams was arrested, and slapped with a ridiculous $350,000 bail, i participated in a show held at 323 East in Michigan, which raised money for Revok’s legal expenses. Because i was in such a hurry to get my painting done and shipped on time, i didn’t take/post photos of it.
Fortunately, Jersey Joe posted a shot of it in his blog, and later, it was in an entry on Revok’s blog. It’s been a privilege and an honor not only having my work seen by some of my favorite artists, but also having it photographed by the admirable KC Ortiz.

what happened to Revok is a reminder that although art is meant to be seen, many out there still don’t appreciate it in its public forms. A lot of us will break rules and even laws, just to have our work seen, and we should all push for a society that supports artists, rather than punishing them.

my thanks to the aforementioned artists, and to MECA_Art for making it all possible.

2011-09-13T23:54:00.001-07:00

as suggested by my old friend, Michelle; this piece is a reminder of the way we layer beauty.

acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20

early progress shot:

incorporeal 2011

2011-09-12T14:15:00.001-07:00

the painted version of my incorporeal piece.
some changes, same meaning.

Sep Se7en Twenty Eleven

2011-09-07T18:27:00.001-07:00

my annual birthday tribute to Sean “Slug” Dailey

Though i very much enjoy Slug's early, angry songs, his current push for positivity has inspired me deeply. Not using profanity, not bad-mouthing peers, not drinking nor taking pills- not the example you'd expect from a rapper, and therefore, very admirable
While others prefer songs about reckless sex, mindless partying, self-destructive habits, all written in adolescent language, followers of Atmosphere prefer GOOD music. let "good" serve as the most minimal adjective for what their music is.

Katy Perry

2011-08-31T00:17:00.001-07:00

i finally gave in and drew Katy Perry. the outline was quick and simple, but her features are so unmistakable, not much else was required. after drawing the above image, i decided to experiment with colors, and it lead to me accidentally paying homage to Patrick Nagel

pencil/ink for the original. digital on the colors

Tinkerbell sketch for 8/18

2011-08-18T23:30:00.001-07:00

quickie for today. it was personally important for me to include the grumpy attitude that the current kid-friendly Tinkerbell lacks.
pencil – ink - color pencil

unforeseen horrors

2011-08-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

re-painted the murse with a design i stole from a Horrorpops poster. i don’t like how asymmetrical it is, nor do i like the texture of the surface, bumpy in some places, cracking in others, but it’ll be wearing off in a few months, which gives me an excuse to paint it again

Archbishop Oscar Romero

2011-07-30T23:03:00.001-07:00

acrylic on canvas (16 x 20)

nymph

2011-07-26T22:23:00.001-07:00

i had the pleasure of photographing the lovely Kristyn Jones for this piece. she provided all the reference, suggested a few fantasy elements, and i just translated it all with pencil.

Rainbow Brite

2011-07-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

my entry for Upper Playground’s “80s TV Character” Contest.
didn’t win, but i made the deadline, and learned to appreciate Rainbow Brite’s influence on today’s candy raver style. Pencil with digital colors.

America

2011-07-05T01:51:00.001-07:00

my annual independence day piece. hope everybody had an explosive 4th of July. in a good way.

#swag

2011-06-18T20:08:00.001-07:00

i got such a positive response for my Young Money piece, (thank you to all those who reposted the image on the various social networking sites) i decided to do one for Soulja Boy.
Soulja Boy not only makes the most disgraceful music to ever be considered hip hop, but he has pioneered a reckless trend among teenagers: covered head to toe in tattoos before they’re even old enough to legally obtain one.
don’t get me wrong, i absolutely love tattoo art, but when you’re young, and you change your wardrobe according to whatever’s in style, you’re probably not ready for something permanent. that’s part of what bothers me. the other part is just my distaste for bad tattoos. if you’re Soulja Boy, you can probably afford a good artist. even if you’re not, don’t settle for childish scribbles and meaningless lettering to forever be ON you. then again, fans of Soulja Boy MUST turn a deaf ear to talent. i’m sure they don’t care for skill visually either.

Young Money

2011-06-14T22:07:00.001-07:00

as a fan of true,meaningful, intelligent Hip Hop, there’s nothing more insulting than seeing skill-lacking, effortless, poor-valued fools being praised as rappers.
this goes out to Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Soulja Boy, and all the other promoters of stupidity that have somehow become rich in famous in today’s standard-less society.

kids, stop going to school. artists, writers, stop developing your craft, observe these 21st century role models!

Beauty and the Beast

2011-06-13T00:53:00.001-07:00

i’ve been unhappy with the way movie studios are taking classic stories, poorly casting them, and spitting them back out to the Twilight audience. it’s unfair to the source from which they’re adapting it, and not creative enough to be memorable on its own. not saying i can do any better, but i thought I’d give it a shot

this isn’t too radical of a change, just grey tones and slight enhancements in details. it’s overall based on the Disney designs, with some Todd McFarlane elements. the face is modeled after Alison Brie.

fairy sketch

2011-06-11T15:58:00.001-07:00

sketched this out late last year. it was my first time in a while drawing fairies, first time drawing one with long socks, and i believe my first time ever drawing mushrooms.

beautiful tragedy

2011-06-03T16:11:00.001-07:00

started this freehand sketch of miss Marilyn Monroe on the day that would’ve been her 85th birthday. there’s no way to measure, the beauty, importance, and admirable qualities this woman possessed.

love is in the details

2011-06-02T08:58:00.001-07:00

Ariana Grande

2011-05-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

realized i hadn’t posted this one. portrait practice from November.

the skate b2oard

2011-05-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

i repainted my skateboard yet again. i also added a few random images i liked.
doesn’t really mean anything, i don’t think it has to (MBW style)

batty boyz

2011-05-22T18:18:00.001-07:00

batman and robin. and batgitrl.
should’ve included Alfred too.

bat guys

2011-05-21T16:32:00.001-07:00

Killer Croc. The Joker. Bane.
Two Face. Penguin. Riddler. Scarecrow.
Catwoman. Mr Freeze. Poison Ivy.
and if you flip it over, it’s a nice little Christmas tree.

it’s in color too, if that’s what you fancy

Upper Playground

2011-05-17T15:47:00.001-07:00

last week, the guys at Upper Playground reached a milestone 10,000th tweet and they asked artists to submit art to help celebrate that. i knew i’d be late, so i instead drew one for tweet 10,001.
nothing too special, just a girl wearing a walrus… and nothing else.

my thanks to them, @CitrusReport , and @FIFTY24SF for RTing the image

L.A Rising

2011-05-14T10:51:00.001-07:00

i liked the idea from the original flyer, i just felt the artists on the roster were incredibly important, and very influential, so i felt the need to represent them with more than text.
the logo and the visuals were done by myself, pencil, ink, and digital.. the rest was copy/pasted from the original flyer.

here’s the super high-res version:

putty tat

2011-05-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

pretty sure this is my first time painting a kitty.
Cheshire Cat, from Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice In Wonderland

i tried making it look good next to the Mad Hatter i painted earlier, but they’re a bit off in scale.

Liberty and Justice FOR ALL

2011-05-01T01:13:00.001-07:00

she stands atop a pedestal that resembles the pyramids of Central/South-American natives
she herself is a French immigrant; born in France, but then coming to the United States, where she has remained for
for 115 years, representing our nation, our ideals, our people… kinda.

for my annual May Day piece, i decided to recreate my Lady Liberty as a painting.
while painting it, i thought it might look good if it weren’t just a piece on a board. i asked my father, the craftsman if it was possible, and he made it happen.
acrylic on wood

are you MAD?!

2011-04-29T00:56:00.001-07:00

acrylic on canvas panel

…the number of breaths you take

2011-04-20T20:31:00.001-07:00

definitely a fitting quote. acrylic on a backpack
i really need to work on my lettering

cold war-drobe

2011-04-19T16:15:00.001-07:00

what if our fears dictated our attire? skinny ties and gas masks might’ve been the “look” if the 1960s had been a worst-case scenario.
i don’t know who came up with the original design, but i was asked to paint it, and i was happy to oblige.
black and white acrylic

San Andreas woman

2011-04-12T17:39:00.001-07:00

i’ve been wanting to do this since 2004. i took the already existing image from the videogame and altered it to look more like the kind of girl you’d see in Los Santos, rather than Vinewood.
Grand Theft Auto needs to return to the West Coast.

hasta la Victoria, siempre!

2011-04-11T01:14:00.001-07:00

the quote: Ernesto Guevara the face: Victoria Justice

easy inspiration, i just had to.

Billie Holiday

2011-04-07T22:41:00.001-07:00

God Bless The Sophisticated Lady
my little tribute to one of the greatest singers that ever lived-
on the anniversary of her birth.

ace widow

2011-04-06T17:17:00.001-07:00

a friend of mine from middle school had a pretty interesting tattoo concept, with very small but interesting changes to the traditional playing cards. when he asked me to design it, i was more than happy to.

the aviator

2011-04-05T21:37:00.001-07:00

on this day 35 years ago, the world lost the most fascinating man that ever lived
genius, charismatic, daring, and immeasurably influential; ladies and gentlemen,
Mister Howard Hughes

(still incomplete, will post updates)

dub

2011-04-02T17:59:00.001-07:00

just about everything that could be done with this hand gesture, HAS been accomplished by OG Abel.
but when a friend of mine tweeted “west side ‘til i die”- i was inspired to sketch this

backpiece

2011-04-01T02:44:00.001-07:00

since the page was blank behind last night’s piece, i wanted to take up the back part of it, to prevent anything from bleeding through and ruining my contribution on the black book.
quite selfish, yes, but i drew it in pencil and left the rest of the page free. hopefully someone adds to it

Los Angelust 3

2011-03-31T01:22:00.000-07:00

by request, on a blackbook

Solid Snake

2011-03-26T23:46:00.001-07:00

Theee most badass character from one of my all-time favorite games. i used an action figure for reference on this one.

Baby Herman

2011-03-25T20:59:00.001-07:00

i was sketching faces from a catalog, i just had to do this when i finished the baby face

Romero

2011-03-24T22:19:00.001-07:00

as suggested by my boy, Franchize. on the anniversary of his death

liberty

2011-03-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

inspired by the people of Libya
and oppressed revolutionaries all over the world

Tinkerbell

2011-03-18T02:47:00.001-07:00

i used to draw this character so much when i was younger. she’s so much fun, expect to see more of her from me soon

The Rocketeer

2011-03-16T19:15:00.001-07:00

here’s what my board looks like, for now.
it was never finished, as you can see from his missing mouth and the incomplete skyline to the right.
i’ll be painting over it soon… any suggestions?

irony

2011-03-15T16:20:00.001-07:00

first time in a while doing a page on a blackbook. didn’t know what to draw, so i took the other pages in the book as inspiration.

it was too big for one scan so i had to stitch it together.
pencil and ink.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

2011-03-10T18:44:00.001-08:00

any 8 year old that likes Banksy is cool in my book.

any 8 year old with a Banksy-inspired piece on her backpack is just awesome.

about 30 minutes- white acrylic on my little sibling’s backpack

vampire pinup

2011-03-09T21:23:00.001-08:00

i’ve been wanting to do this for a while. finally found a good reference picture, by an artist named Al Buell. i shall do this again soon.

Dragon Boll Zeta

2011-03-07T20:53:00.001-08:00

we couldn’t afford cable when i was a kid, so i grew up watching Dragon Ball Z in Spanish on Telemundo –__-
around third grade, i remember using one of those ‘How To Draw’ books for my first time sketching Goku (it came out terrible) . since then i switched my style various times, and eventually it became difficult to draw things like this; with so many fine lines and minimal detail.
pen and color pencil.

Vanessa Hudgens

2011-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

freehand sketch

took about an hour, based on a photo that was on USA Today

i can not wait for Sucker Punch

the Crow

2011-02-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

inspired by a quote from "The Crow"

buildings burn...

...people die...

...but real love is forever.

the piece was commissioned by an old friend who also suggested the images.
done with acrylic on wood.

it's hanging in my room for now

die die my darling

2011-02-22T03:23:00.000-08:00

based on the album art from The Misfits
face reference : Elisha Cuthbert

none shall pass

2011-02-21T21:56:00.000-08:00

based on the artwork by Jeremy Fish from the album by Aesop Rock

Los AngeLust

2011-02-04T02:48:00.001-08:00

barrio beauty

(first draft)

right back atcha

2011-01-30T00:07:00.001-08:00

i know what iii thought as i drew it. but what does it mean to YOU?

my city is toxic

2011-01-27T23:09:00.001-08:00

it’s been forever since i started this piece.
i mean, i literally began right when i finished the third eye piece. i won’t get into WHY it took me so long, but let’s just say there are layers and layers of trial and error on this canvas

my friend Marty and i conceived the concept way back, with so many alternative perspectives so you’d interpret it however you want.

the only thing i will guide your eyes to is this neat trick i added during the painting process. notice how when lit from behind, the light shines through certain parts, hiding some things. revealing others

dactylopatagium

2011-01-13T22:20:00.001-08:00

snow, man

2011-01-03T14:57:00.001-08:00

so it snowed last night, and naturally, all that empty space just looked like a blank canvas to me. (yeah, cheesy)

i thought it might be cool to put down some stencils i had lying around

and then i saw that my sister was building a snowman- whose head reminded me of IronMan, so i used the can to add the details

it was basic coloring, then i went in with a butterknife and shaved the lines to make them finer

after a while, i couldn’t feel my hands, but it looked pretty IronMan-esque so it was worth it.

a big thanks to my sister for building the snowman and taking the photos. i don’t know if this counts as my first art project of the year, but it kept me busy. happy winter?

Los AngeLust 2

2010-12-21T15:05:00.001-08:00

just like the last one, except this is the more Silver Lake ‘hipster’ sort of Angelena. a lot of the elements were suggested by friends, so a big thanks to them! and the rest are just more ubiquitous characteristics of the LA woman.

nothing new

2010-12-20T22:18:00.001-08:00

just some more Slug of Atmosphere. this time in Sharpie

don’t even try reading it.
and just in case red isn’t your color:

kiss the skull

2010-12-08T19:03:00.001-08:00

another acrylic painting commission on wooden board.
i tried to make the shading on this one distinctive, so i made the brush strokes and highlights more solid, adding the tones little by little over several sessions. the purpose of this was to let the previous values dry up and have each layer sort of pile up, like in oil paintings. the dripping paint was unintentional at first, but i felt it gave it a rough/gritty feel, which goes with the source of this piece: the logo for a football supporter's group.

i’ll be here a while

2010-12-01T20:05:00.001-08:00

same picture as yesterday’s sketch. only freehanded with acrylic on a board

Los AngeLust .0

2010-11-30T16:42:00.001-08:00

during the Renaissance, artists used modern models and subjects to illustrate divine beings. living in a city where so many girls are nothing short of ethereal, it felt right to continue that tradition.

i’m depicting the ‘average’ girl as she appears to many of us, an urban angel.

i painted a new backpack

2010-11-22T13:12:00.001-08:00

for a friend named….

who believes…

brought to you by…

the lettering is based on ATLAS’ style, it’s obviously not as good. the girl in the bottom was freehanded (notice the lack of symmetry in the eye area )

and the whole thing’s done with black and white acrylic

everyone else has done it…

2010-11-16T00:25:00.001-08:00

what the hell right?

quick sketch for the night

Graveyard Queen

2010-11-04T03:14:00.001-07:00

lost my baby on a moonless night….

finally finished this one. i’ve been thinking about it for months, and drawing up draft after draft, and i decided it was fitting to finish it up around this time (Halloween/Day of the Dead).

the concept comes from a song by the same title, from the band Zombie Ghost Train. like many other psychobilly songs, this one’s about love, death, and possibly necrophilia. there wasn’t a music video for this song, but whenever i heard it, i’d play visuals in my head. naturally i took that inspiration and decided to draw it up. then i thought of that non-existent music video in my head, and decided to turn it into yet another fake movie poster.

it’s obviously very altered, digitally, but the original’s done in all pencil, and sharpie.

The face is modeled after Melissa Clarke, whose photo i took from FrontArmy.co.uk

take a look at my d*ck

2010-11-03T12:39:00.001-07:00

my deck.
i re-painted my skateboard deck

i freestyled the whole thing, using a photo of Lisa Marie Stelly (again) for reference. unfortunately, it looks nothing like her, which made the rest of the painting not feel ‘right’. darn.
it took a day, all acrylic.

Dia de los Muertos painting

2010-11-01T13:33:00.001-07:00

apparently the ol’ “witch on a broomstick” Halloween drawing is getting old, so i’m starting a new tradition by having a piece devoted to a holiday with more culture and story behind it.

it’s nothing new, as far as the style goes, but i added the cempasuchil as a head dress of sorts, and some candles to make her more reminiscent of a traditional altar. i feel like the face came out very long and narrow, and i’m not sure if the flowers look good enough, but it was fun playing with the colors

Halloween 2010 piece

2010-10-28T01:54:00.001-07:00

came somewhat early this year

nothing new, but i wanted to go for a more pin-up look this year, as opposed to the usual cartoonie ones i usually do. while coloring, i felt the clothes could be stylized, so i made them solid, in contrast to the valued skin tones. as far as the colors and the face, there was a lot of trial/error:

and then even when i finished, i changed it into the ‘comment’ version:

and to further play with it, i digitally rendered it to get the skin the way i wish it would’ve come out. i call it the ‘airbrushed’ version:

and that’s about it. =]
i enjoyed drawing this one (twice) and the coloring was really fun. i do wish the pencil would’ve blended better- and i should’ve made the hat smaller. also the broom didn’t come out the way i wanted it to; i didn’t plot it out well, and ran out of space on the paper, so i had to make the edge flat, i don’t know if it stands out. but yeah, now to start planning the Thanksgiving piece!

Sheydi Leydi

2010-10-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

this was one of the first portraits i ever drew (from 2007) and i thought it needed an update, so i re-drew it

here’s another two in this style. using the same gal for reference

done again in color pencils, hair’s in Sharpie, in an attempt to further understand this style- and build confidence /understanding with color

Day of the Dead / Sylvi Ji sketch

2010-10-10T18:17:00.001-07:00

i draw things like this whenever i feel like killing time. it used to be just the women, until i learned of the whole Sylvia Ji style of ‘day of the day’ makeup, and i realized that any “regular” face can be easily transformed into a work of art with a couple extra lines and some added color. this realization also lead me to appreciate the art that is makeup, the relationship between colors, the application process, and the overall composition that ultimately comes to life is something many people don’t get enough credit for.

this one was also done in color pencils, mostly while waiting to be served or while sitting in the car on the way home.

Miley Cyrus as Rogue?

2010-10-10T16:00:00.001-07:00

i’ve been “What If”ing the Marvel Universe a lot lately.
i thought of this one some time ago, but nobody really believed in it.my idea was, if they were to make an X-Men movie in which the characters resembled the 90s animation, or the Jim Lee designs, that Miley Cyrus would be fitting for the part of Rogue. i thought the ‘southern’ aspect was already there, and she has that full, brown hair, and the lively youth of the character, so why not?
well i doubt my ‘dream cast’ would really appeal to all audiences, but that’s part of what’s so cool about drawing. that i can take any one of my ideas and make them a reality, at least on paper.

done with good ol’ color pencils.

another portrait

2010-10-06T00:57:00.001-07:00

of my good friend Karen Robles
this is actually the second draft, since it wasn’t quite right the first time around.
sometimes you just need to keep on trying

What if…

2010-10-04T11:43:00.001-07:00

…superheroes were tatted?

i mean, it wouldn’t happen right?
if someone saw that Peter Parker had tattoos that matched the ones on Spider-Man, his cover would be blown. logically speaking, it’s not a good idea.
but while looking at the art of Greg “Craola” Simkins, i came across a piece that depicted familiar super heroes with very personal tats on them. i was immediately inspired by the idea. and decided to give it a shot.
so i took the tats on Simkins’ vision of the character…

…and i re-did it in my style

i tried to make it look like something you’d find on a tattoo magazine, accompanied by an article that summarizes the stories behind the artwork, but any Spidey fan should already know what they all mean. for the most part, they’re just translated from reference piece, but i added a few that represented a little more of who he is, or where he comes from.

the room is on fire…

2010-10-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

by request, mister Julian Casablancas of The Strokes. i wanted to go with a shot that didn’t look like it came out of a magazine. and i also wanted to somehow pay tribute to my favorite song from them (Reptilia) so i took a frame from the video and based the drawing on that. the mic? i don’t even know how that happened. i’ll be more careful next time

come fly with me…

2010-09-13T17:11:00.001-07:00

i thought of it in the car… who knows why. Google’d it, saw it hadn’t been done… and so i spent a few hours drawing up weed wings. actually, about two hours, 50+ leaves into it, i realized why it hadn’t been done before. i finally found something harder to draw than actual feathers =/ for some reason, the left side looks lighter than the other, and the smoke coming out of its mouth kind of disappeared in the scanning. oh well.
don’t know how much of the people that visit this site are stoners, i’d like to go on record and say i only like the smell… but do support Prop 19, legal, medicinal marijuana use, cannabis taxation, all that good stuff. with that said, 420 magazine sponsorships would be awesome =]

Sep Seven

2010-09-06T22:39:00.001-07:00

it’s September se7enth, so that means a new tribute piece to Sean Daley, AKA Slug of Atmosphere:

not much to say here. reference is Google’d… the whole piece was not traced. i blackened the darks a little, for a more Estevan Oriol-esque photo feel. in going with that look, i also felt i should make Slug look a little more badass (not that he wasn’t already) so i added the tat and took off his shirt. after that, it still didn’t feel gritty enough, so i decided to give him a setting. i don’t know of any Minneapolis landmarks, so i thought something dark and universal would work, and the chain-link fence came to mind (this is my first time attempting to draw one so it’s wayy off) the whole thing took only a couple hours. i think after drawing him so much, i knew what to expect. and yeah. happy birthday to slug.

POP

2010-08-31T16:22:00.001-07:00

i had the day off from work, so i decided to start it off by doing something i’ve been meaning to try…

my friend Liset takes a lot of high-contrast photos that are really easy for me to draw, one in particular had very solid blacks and greys and i was instantly inspired to turn it into a stencil.
the image sat around in my computer for over a month, up until this morning when i needed a ‘warm-up’ sketch. this was it:

and from there, i took a pair of transparent sheets and traced the two layers which were to be cut out. one was the black layer, the second was the colored layer (indicated by the brown pencil). cutting the sheets out took about an hour, and then i spray-painted ‘em onto copy paper:

then i scanned ‘em, stitched ‘em, and uploaded ‘em.
again, thanks to my friend for the reference shot. i still have to learn to line up my stencils properly, but other than that, it was fun, for my first (non-celebrity) portrait stencil