Explaining Dutch Products

I am very excited that I can finally post images and video from three explainer videos I created for Sitecom, a client based out of Rotterdam, Netherlands. We worked really hard to give Sitecom an exclusive and distinctive style to help Sitecom set itself apart from its competitors. I embedded the videos below. You can also view them over at Nutintuit Studio, where they are much larger in size.

A great year! Now a new one.

2009 was a great year for me, and one of the busiest. I created a book, picked up steady freelance work on the side of the full time job at Soup2Nuts, got engaged and then got married four months later. A month before the wedding I was presented with an opportunity to go full time freelance, primarily working for Nutintuit Studio, for whom I had been freelancing. It was an offer I couldn't refuse so I left Soup2Nuts the same week of my wedding. When it rains it pours I guess. And appropriately symbolic it rained on my wedding day as well, but it stopped raining just in time for photos.

That is my brief update on life. I hope to post more often in the new year. Maybe that will be my resolution. I will definitely have some posts soon showing all of the art I have been doing for the last six months or so. Cheers and Happy New Years!

above: Still image from our latest video at Nutintuit Studios for Sitecom

Shoefiti

Score this design: "Shoefiti," to help it get printed on Threadless!

I couldn't resist creating this illustration for the latest Threadless.com "loves" design challenge. This challenges theme is "Pre-Love". My piece is an homage to my childhood fascination with other peoples pre-loved sneakers dangling from power cables. This challenge is sponsored by Volkswagon and they are giving away a car to the winner, plus the cash. I came up with the idea while taking a shower in the morning and I had till midnight that day to submit it.

If you want to rate it you have to sign up to the threadless community. Click the image below if you want to score it and read peoples comments.

I Made A Book!

Back in October/November 2008, I was singing/rapping in the shower and came up with a cheesy love line about my boo(girlfriend). So I wrote it down and then thought, hey, since my rap career is going nowhere why not try to create a full length illustrated poem. I came up with a bunch of lines and then narrowed them down when conceptualizing the images to go along with them. Then in my free time after work I spent most of the winter months drawing, painting, scanning, digital painting, etc. The style of the book is split in two, just like the story of the poem. This allowed me to work in the style I usually work in as well as try out a style I had been longing to imitate. The later of which would be from the works of illustrator Lou Peters, specifically his work from "The New England Cookbook". Enjoy!

Oh, I also had to work in secrecy from my girlfriend, because I wanted it to be a surprise. My goal was to give her the book, have her read it, and then after she read the last line I would get on one knee and ask her to marry me. Well my plan went perfect and she said yes. Woo hoo!

For anyone interested in printing professional quality books, of all shapes and sizes, I highly recommend printing through BLURB. The print quality of my book(11" x 13", image wrap hardcover) came out awesome. It looks like I bought it at a bookstore.

More Practice

More Construction Exercising

Construction: copy and learn

The Original Cover

Drawing the line of action and constructing the forms around the line of action. Keeping an eye out for proportion, positive and negative shapes, and perspective.

After scanning it I decided to draw in photoshop on different layers. I added the hat. Then...
I added the next level of detail and refined the shapes a little.

Lastly I added the final level of detail. Then i put the original on a layer to see how close I came.
My proportions are a bit off but I am satisfied. This is my first attempt at this.

For the past couple years or so I have been reading John K's Blog. His blog is mainly used to try and teach the drawing principles behind cartooning. He emphasizes a lot on construction. He has had a lot of posts lately on copying from master cartoonists to learn how to draw well constructed and appealing characters. The best way to get better as an artist is to copy, learn, and then apply (to your personal art). I should have been doing this back in art school. I now have to keep up with this exercise because I think it will really help my drawings. The only way to stay on top of your game is practice, practice and more practice.