101 THANK YOU'S and 373 posts later...

So, I just got back from a short trip back to my hometown near Detroit, MI and I've found myself with a hundred and ONE people FOLLOWING THIS BLOG....THATS AWESOME!...
I'd like to take a moment to thank all those who follow my artistic wanderings, and hope you'll continue to check back in the future...
I also got lots of Buzz about my recent involvement in the 3G show, for which I made these three original works based on three movies (ghostbusters, gremlins and, goonies respectively). I heard that the show went over very well and that my pen and marker drawings fit right in with some really fantastic work at gallery 1988 in L.A. I think I'm gonna force myself to do more show pieces in the coming months because the challenge of deadlines really seems to spur my activity and keep me productive..
If you'd like to see more amazing work from this show scope it out at...http://www.theautumnsociety.com/
AGAIN, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT!!! THANKS A BUNCH!!

Hope you dig, Comments always appreciated....
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KLIMT is a PIMP

Look at that sweet beard.... ITS NONE OTHER THAN, Austrian born Symbolist painter, GUSTAV KLIMT... I picked up a little book of his work a while back at Strand and read it over. Great Artist....So, with my recent kick for painting old artists I like I painted him...based off of this here Image... I actually saw "The Kiss" back when I was in Austria years back... Truly impressive work, and on a very large scale... I think I'm most keen on some of his color palettes...Like all the golds and yellows he plays with in his images seen here in ATHENA or images like THIS where the whites are implied (and describe forms real well) without being so harsh...

Please lemme know what you think...Comments always welcome, and a huge high five for anyone who will step up and be the 100th Beers and Bears follower...

More to come, and as always...I hope you dig...
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Rodin Study...

Hey all,

Since my most recent visit to Philadelphia at the beginning of last month I've kinda wanted to paint images of some of my artistic influences....Heck I'm even making one of those INFLUENCE MAPS for myself. But, in Philly I was treated to a visit to the RODIN museum. Its, a few modest rooms that boast the greatest volume of his work outside of France... VERY Beautiful stuff...I've always had a deep respect for Sculpting, and the craft and skill it calls for... So, I painted a few versions of Auguste, and didn't like any of them.... So, feeling like I needed to give it one more try...I found new reference... and took one more crack at it...which made....This....


I'm kinda happy with it, but would still call it a study rather then a caricature mainly because I feel that I fall short of the exaggerated features that most GOOD caricaturists seem to have... I focused more on my process and worked on a grey background. Building up the sketch and darks and then working on into highlights and details....CONSTANTLY NEED TO REMIND MYSELF TO FLOP that IMAGE....make sure its not looking too skewed or funky...


But, for now its a complete study and I have a few more on deck that I'll try to share with you all...Hopefully they're all making me a better artist, for the effort...
As always thanks for stopping in...I hope you dig...

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Salute the Flagg...

I was boucing around on the interwebs looking at american artists lately.... Lots of guys who worked in advertising, and who were in and around New York... I found a few images of James Montgomery Flagg in my wanderings and decided to try and sketch one out...since I haven't done much lately... But this weekend should be productive for me...

Hope you dig..
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FIddle-Dee-Dee

a Bear with a Beer or Three..Just like the blog says..
Hope you dig...
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GUNSMITHED

Hey all, I wanted to post up my full image from the recent "Turning Japanese" show I exhibited in with the AUTUMN SOCIETY...
I was a big fan of this show back in the day so I had lots of fun doing this wacky digital collage inspired by the show's extremely cool title sequence... Lots of graphic colors, Benday dots, and bright colors...a treat for the eyes...and the ears...
Perhaps one of the most striking things about this show for me was the fact that it was clearly Manga...but, it was set in the U.S. and it had a sorta 70's or 80's kinda crime, and cop drama thing going on with it... I personally liked a lot of the attention that the artists payed to they're sets and props for the show as well...
I remember going out of my way to purchase a special VHS cassette that only had the first Episode (of this three part 90 story) simply to get the special features content that it boasted... And, I was not disappointed with my purchase... It had an awesome interview with Kenichi Sonoda (the creator) and footage of the Japanese design team running around Chicago with camera's and sketchpads studying multiple facets of the show... They go to a gunshop and browse a massive array of firearms and then produce Frighteningly accurate and detailed drawings of them for the show, as well as the beautiful mechanical drawings 67 shelby cobra 500GT...
I also think they nailed a lot of the imagery of Chicago as a City, which goes a long way in overshadowing some of the plots more fanciful qualities.
It was all about Girls, Guns, Bombs, and Fast Cars...and it hooked me...

Hope you dig...

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Skribblets

Some Random sketches before heading out for the evening....
I got some awesome Chris Sanders artbooks in the mail today from some of my friends out at this years Comic Con....VERY VERY INSPIRATIONAL STUFF...

Makes me wanna bust out some pencils and pens and kick some butt..

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MPG: MODIFICATIONS PRESENTED GRAPHICALLY

So, I just stuck a new showpiece in the mail today....and its on its way out to Philly where it will hang in the "Japanese Pop Culture show" Held at Brave New World comic shop during the month of august. This is not the whole image...I'll share that in a few days... Instead I wanted to share a part of the image I though was extremely successful, in my eyes....
I don't usually use photoshop purely for photomanipulation. But, I tried to step out of my comfort zone and use these tools to make something that was Graphically appealing... This also gave me the chance to flex some of my newly acquired halftone and benday dot techniques, in an image...
I was a big fan of the Manga which this Car played a role in... (can you guess what it is?) and remember this being my dream car during my middle school and early high school year.. It was nice to reconnect with that when I was making this image...I don't draw car too often, for a guy who was born in Detroit....But sometimes you just gotta...

1967 Shelby Mustang Cobra GT500 FTW!!
Hope you dig it..Finished image in a few days!!!! WHOOOT!

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Colorful Claude....

he might be some kinda European action film star, least that's the vibe I had when I painted him out...But, I wanted it to be a little colorful too on this bright sunny Friday afternoon...

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3 short of 100....

So, in looking over my sadly neglected blog this evening I realized that roughly 97 people follow the posts, sketches, and other going on's that I put up here from time to time. I'm pretty honored, that people have been enjoying my work...leaving me comments and feedback...it keeps me connected to the art community in a way (both geographically and socially speaking) that I simply couldn't manage by myself in any other way...
I'm posting up a sketch I had laying about and then Polished up this afternoon with some halftone technique that I'm practicing for a showpiece I'm working on right now...


Thanks for all the awesome support...AND by all means, give me a shout...I'm always happy to hear from yah...
Hope you dig...

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Halftone Hester

BIG WEEKEND...
I hope all my friends out west are having a great time in San Diego, and that all my other friends across the US, and the world are looking forward to some great weekend activities... Sadly, I'm a little under the weather right now and will probably spend my weekend around the Apartment, working on some projects, forcing fluids, and sleeping a great deal... I've been lame with the posts lately but here is some pay I've been doing with digital halftoning on another project.... I found this demo that does really nice Benday Dots and such and I've been fiddling with it for days now...

Here's a girlie face with some halftone worked into it...
I'll share more work soon..
Hope you dig..

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All Hands On Deck Submission.

Hey all,
Well, UPS had a Severe blunder with my art delivery for ALL HANDS ON DECK (an ocean themed show I was participating in over in Philly).... It arrived a little late I think and I'm not completely sure if you be able to see it now, but I figured I'd take a minute to share it with you here..
Though its not entirely accurate to how a Norse burial would work...it is a romanticized concept mixing some Norse burial customs and a very flashy burial at sea....If I were to be cremated I'd opt for this.
Feedback is most appreciated and as always, Hope you dig...
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8o's TOY TRIBUTE SHOW!

Here is my artwork from the 80's Toy show, held by THE AUTUMN SOCIETY of Philadelphia... It's my tribute to CONSTRUX, a toy I personally love a great deal.. I formatted it within a Mandala, to kinda signify how zen-like it was to build with these when I was a young boy. Beyond a few printing snafu's I really like where this image was going and am entertaining the idea of doing a few more and making a series of them....so that I might design other parts from this toy line and arrange them in wonderful ring-like patterns...

If your off to the show snap some photos for little ol' me and let me know what you think of the work, or just shout out if you love CONSTRUX too.

Bearded Breatheren.....

No real rhyme or reason to it....he has a beard, and beards are great...Fiddled out this little cartoon whilst riding the NYC subway system through Upper Manhattan around Yeshiva University...

Hope you dig..
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31 and COUNTING....

Yep, its the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month. My 31st year on this big ol' planet earth. I certainly hasn't been easy, but it sure has been interesting.. Big thanks, to my folks for making it all possible and to every person I've met along the way. Here's hoping that then next thirty one years are extra productive, full of happiness, and continue to be an adventure...
In commemoration of this day I've drawn....a bear....with a beer.....Big surprise eh?...

Hope you dig...
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AU FEMME

Here's another study that I had on the back burner for a long long time....I figured I'd share it with you all.... Originally it was color, but I found myself displeased with how that looked when I cracked open the file today on a whim.....I figured I'd go back to monochromes and see if that improved the read, messed with the levels a bit and threw in the odd brush stroke here and there. Voila, I'm satisfied with it again...

So Check her out...Give me your 2 cents...
and as always, I hope you dig..

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Face from the late night A Train...

here's a sketch with some photopaints on it.. it was a woman I spotted on some late night subway ride, she had a really unique looking face and something about her make up application just jumped out at me and said...."DRAW!"

hope you dig..

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Random doodle scan...

Here's some more random skizzens....

Hope you dig...
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VisualVOMIT!

So I haven't posted much lately. Works been busy, I've been out enjoying the world and the company of good people, while all the while shooting out fiddly lil' drawings, on odd scraps o' paper....I committed some of these throw away drawings to my first installment of VISUAL VOMIT! basically a post where I chuck down some crud..... and in this case add a bit o' color... I've also been thinking a lot about some art stuff that I'll probably post up here in the near future but for now...I will assault your eyeballs..

Hope you dig...

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One of my favorite 90's shows...

I made some art for a show that is 90's themed, This show stands out as something I really love and miss from the nineties..
Hope you dig..
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