PAINT-TARTS

Pink Hell Monkey

2012-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

Back by popular demand, an oldie-but-goody, Pink Hell Monkey. Details on Etsy.

Angel

2012-01-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

A commission of a friend and former coworker. This is 5 x 7 inches, oil on panel.

Narwhal Sky Print

2012-01-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a new print of a painting from last year. "Narwhal Sky" is printed on 8.5 x 11 inch cotton rag art paper and comes signed below the image. More details on Etsy.

Up and Away

2012-01-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy painting the head from difficult angles. In this case, the tip of the nose is almost level with one of the eyes. It helps to draw imaginary lines through all those normally horizontal features. I tried to keep the eyebrows, eyes, bottom of the nose, and mouth all parallel or at least receding to a common point.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from PirateLotus-Stock on deviantART.

Water Nymphs Print

2012-01-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start offering prints again. Today's print is of my painting "Water Nymphs." It's printed on cotton rag fine art paper and comes signed below the image. The price is $25. More details on Etsy.

Halo

2012-01-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

Another hair painting. I like how she kinda looks like a Waterhouse nymph.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from deviant-caroline on deviantART.

Dawning

2012-01-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

I think this one got the full spectrum of colors, almost all of them muted. I tried to punch the color in only a few shadows and edges.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from CorneredRing-Stock on deviantART.

That Black Feeling

2012-01-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

I loved painting this, but HATED the drying process. I used pure Ivory Black for the dark areas, and it took forever to dry. In a house with 4 cats, that's inviting disaster. The scratches, however, are intentional and my own.

Close up of the yummy brush strokes of the face on Etsy.
Reference from slipknot1987 on deviantART.

Candied

2012-01-13T15:55:00.000-08:00

I started this painting from reference, but didn't like how it was going. After wiping it out, I started again from memory the next day.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Black Dress

2012-01-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

Here's something from 2012! This was a quickie painted on an 8 x 10 inch canvas board.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Star Wars Commission

2012-01-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

This was a fun commission in which I took a couple and put them into a Star Wars scene. Han and Leia were the people. Jabba doesn't represent anyone. This is 11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas.

Even More Commissions

2012-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy boy.

More Commissions

2012-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Continuing in order of completion. The first is 8 x 10 inches and the second is 5 x 7.

Kids

2011-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

Here's some more holiday commissions. These are all 11" x 14".

Reggie

2011-12-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'm so thankful for all the holiday work I received this year. This is Reggie the bull mastiff, one of the first commissions I finished for Christmas.

Eve

2011-12-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

This was drawn/painted with watercolor pencils. It's my first watercolor thing in many years, and I hope to do more. I painted this one on Christmas Eve.

Available on Etsy.

JP Show Prints

2011-12-08T08:18:00.001-08:00

Prints from the JP Show are now available via Brandon Bird. Get 'em while they last.

Ian Malcolm for the JP Show

2011-11-30T14:37:00.001-08:00

Here's my piece for this weekend's JP Show curated by Brandon Bird and Julia Vickerman. This is a framed 12 x 9 inch oil painting on masonite, titled "Ian Malcolm: From Chaos." If you're in the L.A. area, come out this Saturday or Sunday, the 3rd and 4th of December, to Gallery Nucleus.

Blue Band Brunette

2011-11-29T14:49:00.001-08:00

Here's an ACEO I managed to do between Holiday commissions. I didn't use a pencil, it's just there for scale.

Available on Etsy.

The JP Show

2011-11-16T17:30:00.001-08:00

I will have a painting in the upcoming JP Show. Curated by Brandon Bird and Julia Vickerman, this show features the miracle workers of Jurassic Park.

Featuring Dyna Moe (who also made the logo), Nate Stapley, Jamie O’Keefe, Alexa Rose, Carlos Ramos, Julia Vickerman, Erin Pearce, Julia Prescott, Kevin Sukho Lee, Paul Clay, John Larriva, Russell Walks, Carly Monardo,John Olsen, Jeff Ramirez, Lisa Hanawalt, Robyn Von Swank, Mitch Loidolt, Ming Doyle, J.R. Goldberg, Dave Kloc,Parker Jacobs, Tyler Jacobs, Deanna Rooney, Kelsy Abbott, Christine Nockels, Christopher Hastings, Kirk Demarais, Box Brown, plus surprise guest stars.
— Brandon Bird

Self Portrait 2011

2011-11-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

For the past few years I've been participating in International Self Portrait Day hosted at ConceptArt.org. This is the smallest self portrait I've painted at only 6 x 6 inches. You can see some more of my self portraits in this post.

Available on Etsy.

Zombie

2011-10-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

My wife says this looks like a female zombie. I really wasn't thinking of gender when painting it, so who knows? No reference for this one either, but if I had the chance I'd have painted a zombie from life.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Jeweled

2011-10-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

This painting was completely unplanned. No drawing, no reference, just fun. I'll probably do more in this method.

Detail picture on Etsy.

More ACEOs

2011-10-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another batch of artist trading cards. I'm working on a few commissions and a group show piece at the moment, so these little things may be all that I post for a while.

More pictures on Etsy.

ACEO Mini Paintings

2011-10-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

To help fill my time when there's not enough to do a proper sized painting, I've started doing little trading card portraits. Working this small(2.5" x 3.5") really helps me economize my technique. It's also helpful to use up the leftover paint from my palette at the end of the day.

Theses cards are available in my Esty store.

Sioux

2011-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Suffice it to say that this is "inspired" by Siouxsie Sioux. I was trying to be free and raw with this one, so the likeness may not be quite there.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Worf son of Mogh

2011-10-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

A common practice of artists on the Klingon homeworld is brow portraiture. Like a thumbprint, the Klingon brow is unique to the individual, and Klingon artists strive to capture the distinct resemblance of prominent figures. Depicted is the Brow of Worf son of Mogh.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Shouldering

2011-10-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here's another 8 x 10 portrait on canvas board. This was done from greyscale reference, so the colors are all invented. There's a little too much canvas texture for my liking, but I'll survive, I guess.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Photo reference from Ivykat.

Data

2011-09-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

I think I may have to have another go with Mr. Data. This one's an 8 x 10.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Hill with Piñons

2011-09-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

I get a little bit of vertigo looking at this painting, but I was still pretty happy with the results. I painted this en plein air and really enjoyed it this time.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Chakotay

2011-09-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Chakotay, First Officer of Voyager.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Kira Nerys

2011-09-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sensing a theme here?

Detail picture on Etsy.

Barred Rock

2011-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

While I wait for my chickens to get to egg laying, I decided I can at least use them for painting subjects. This is either Bucky or Henrietta. I can't tell them apart.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Commander Riker

2011-09-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Skeptical Riker is skeptical.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Torso

2011-09-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Torso study from the front this time. The paints weren't spreading very well for some reason, so there's some dry-brush looking strokes.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from LadyStarDustxx.

First Officer Spock

2011-09-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Alla prima painting of everyone's favorite Vulcan.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Pearl Back

2011-09-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

A figure study from photo reference. The skin tones came out sort of pearlescent, which I liked.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference picture from LadyStarDustxx.

Spokane Girl

2011-09-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

My first experience with gouache. So extremely different than the oils I'm used to. I get the feeling you need to plan even more carefully when working with gouache.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Polar

2011-09-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

The weather outside is a good reminder of the bitter cold winter quickly approaching. And this painting is a fair representation of my expectations.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Petals

2011-09-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Trying out some brighter colors. Again, I was working from black and white reference.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Violet Bow

2011-09-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

I like this one a lot. Click it for a bigger picture.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Roman Girl

2011-09-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Like the previous post, this was painted from an old, vintage black and white photo. In this case I departed from the reference to get that famous Greco-Roman profile.

Detail picture on Etsy.

White Rose

2011-08-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

This was painted from an old black and white photograph. I knew I wanted warm shadows and cool light, but before I put the background color in, I found her to be too cool. To liven up her tones I dropped in a cool background.

Detail picture on Etsy.

The Vacuum

2011-08-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from tarya-stock on deviantART.

Nymph Detail

2011-08-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Nymph detail. Click to enlarge.

Water Nymphs

2011-08-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

This commission took the better part of 3 months, but was worth the time. The imagery is inspired by Waterhouse's "Hylas and the Nymphs." Be sure to click the image to enlarge.

Parallel

2011-08-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

I painted this from two successive photos I shot of Ginger. I like the idea of parallel universes, or moments in time smashed together. We think we live in a 3D world, but we're definitely 4-dimensional beings at the very least.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Leyendecker Study

2011-08-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

I did this study of J.C. Leyendecker's "Vacation" about a year ago. I feel like I'd do a lot of things differently if I were to paint it today. That's a good thing, right?

RGB

2011-08-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Laser beam effects are surprisingly difficult to paint alla prima. Would have been much easier to paint them in after the rest of the painting dried.

Detail and process shots on Etsy.
Reference from miss-lubnA on deviantART.

Glasses

2011-08-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

I made some process shots of this one, and made the little animation below.

Click to view animation

Bigger process shots and detail picture on Etsy.

Reference from stocknesss on deviantART.

Another Commission

2011-08-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

For my friend Blaze. Click the image to enlarge.

The Details

2011-08-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to capitalize on the details here. The little things, like the zipper teeth, pocket flaps, snaps and ear jewelry, really made this special for me. I scratched the snaps in with the back of the brush to get finer marks than I could achieve with the hairy end.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Photo reference from DaVisionary on deviantART.

Legend

2011-08-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

I triangled. Triangle is a verb now.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from szuzi on deviantART.

Elevation

2011-08-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

The title of this one reminds me of that ridiculous U2 song, but ignoring that, I thought it was fitting because of the low view point. This one was painted over a semi-dry ground of burnt sienna oil paint, instead of my usual acrylic.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Photo reference from ReignOfRedRain on deviantART.

Recent Commissions

2011-07-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of paintings I was commissioned to do as an engagement present. I liked how difficult it was in the reference to tell where one face ended and the other began. I tried to keep this illusion in the paintings.

Bluster

2011-07-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Another painting for the heap.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Undertow

2011-07-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

I let the acrylic ground show through intentionally(and unintentionally) in this painting. The acrylic part is the big grey-brown brush strokes in the background.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from Chloe-Stock on deviantART.

Ivy

2011-07-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

The combination of red hair with the skin tones made me think of certain Batman villain.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from selma17 on deviantART.

Suspicion

2011-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

It's interesting how tuned toward expressions our brains can be. Her face isn't contorted, and her body language isn't terribly obvious, but I still found myself reading an expression of suspicion from her. Just a slight tilt of the head paired with a sideways glance is enough to make this expression. A minute change and it could become an arrogant expression.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Photo reference from paka-stock on deviantART.

Cold Snap

2011-07-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Trying to loosen up a little.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Gloss

2011-07-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

My ode to Malcolm Liepke. I love the shiny look to his people, and the vibrant color combinations.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Small Flowers

2011-07-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from daydreamers-stock on deviantART.

Blossoms

2011-07-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Oooh, glowing edges. I loved the transmitted light passing through the flowers.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from La-Esmeralda-Stock on deviantART.

Drill Truck

2011-07-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a well drilling truck as it appeared in the driveway last weekend. Currently, it's jacked up and drill-ready, standing nearly 3 stories high. This was painted in the early afternoon, and the sun was beating down from directly overhead. I used a palette knife to apply the strips of white that reflected off the top planes of the truck.

Steadfast

2011-07-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here's another slightly too close portrait. I usually don't like the distortion that close up photos show, but I took the challenge anyway.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from QuixoticOctopus on deviantART.

Gazelle

2011-07-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Did you miss me?

I've been deep in commissioned work for the past couple of weeks, but I've managed to squeeze in a few little paintings in between waiting for paint to dry. So here's a new one.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from brandsroed on deviantART.

Keratin

2011-06-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

One of the few paintings in which I tried for a good likeness. Beginning with a pencil sketch really helps in this department.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo by mare-wrath-stock on deviantART.

Close

2011-06-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I remember the colors being better and brighter on this one while I was painting it. Oh well. The reference picture seems to have disappeared from the web, but stock credit belongs to Jieva-s on deviantART.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Doll Face

2011-06-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed painting this one. Something about the satin and the white makeup made this a fun exercise.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from Qrinta-Stock on deviantART.

Freckled

2011-06-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've painted anyone with visible freckles before. It's tricky to avoid evenly spacing the freckles. Random placement and varied sizes are key. I'm pretty happy with the palette on this one.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from artsaves1228-stock on deviantART.

White Swan

2011-06-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

The model in this painting's reference has a modern, high fashion look to her features. I attempted to soften some of these features as an experiment, and suddenly I had a Natalie Portman look-alike. This was totally unintentional despite the white swan feathers already in the reference.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from Reine-Haru on deviantART.
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As a side note, I'd like to mention the current auction of "Wut" on ebay.

Lotus

2011-06-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

It took me three tries to make this a half-way decent painting. Occasionally, I'll start painting and totally forget everything I know. After wiping out two false starts, I went back to basics and sketched it out with a pencil, measuring everything as I went. It made all the difference, and the painting went easily from there.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from PirateLotus-Stock on deviantART.

Northern Exposure

2011-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ear flap hat, check. Flannel, check. Vest, check.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from DinoCruton-Stock on deviantART.

Secret

2011-06-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

One "trick" that I like to employ is the underemphasis of the lower eyelid. I try to blur the line between the white of the eye and the edge of the lower lid. It somehow makes eyes more expressive, which is funny considering the overemphasis of the both the lower and upper eyelids in modern makeupology.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from superheroestock on deviantART.

Twin Rivers

2011-06-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Detail picture on Etsy.

Reference photo from stock-on-kym on deviantART.

Melancholy Grey

2011-06-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

This one was so cold and grey that I felt the need to pop in a few hot spots. I did this in the shadow areas since the light was a very cool source.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from stock-on-kym on deviantART.

Dioji

2011-05-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is a recent commission for a friend of mine. Her wee dog's rather meta name is Dioji. I chose this reference because it showed off the wrinkly muzzle and neck folds. His chestnut colored fur is very short, and his dark skin shows through where it's thin.

Brahms Bust

2011-05-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

I found this little bust at consignment store a couple of months ago. For just 99cents, I figured it would make a good still life study someday. This took a couple of hours, painted from life.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Sangre Sunset

2011-05-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Click picture to enlarge.

This was the view East from my home as the sun set. The sun was only illuminating the tops of the clouds with a pink filtered light. I had to work mostly from a photo, because of the fleeting light.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Turning Light

2011-05-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

I was trying to pay attention to the three light sources in this one. In order of brightness, there is the direct sunlight from the left, the cool sky light from above, and the warm reflected light from below. These are the common sources to look for in outdoor subjects.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from BelleDameSansMerci on deviantART.

Gardener

2011-05-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

I did this painting from a photo I shot of Ginger(my wife) after she spent the day in the garden. The sun was setting behind her and gave this amazing warm glow. The picture was dim and not how I remembered the view, so I adjusted as I painted to make it look more natural.

Viewfinder

2011-05-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is my newly hobbled together viewfinder that I made from materials I had on hand. I used a 5 x 7 inch masonite panel, a couple of paint mixing sticks, and paper clampy-clips. I drilled a hole in the middle of the meaty area to use as a color isolator. It's painted a medium grey, and I used a little candle wax to help it slide.

On the back I've marked out the stops for my common panel sizes. The clamps hold the desired setting. If I were to make a better viewfinder I would start with a square piece of masonite to allow squarier proportions.

Forest Fire

2011-05-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Redhead of the week. I want to draw your attention to the "sky holes" in the foliage. As the holes get smaller, they get darker and more saturated with the sky color. Also, out of focus sky holes are pretty much always round. Who knew?

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference photo from Imquelle-stock on deviantART.

Horned Lizard

2011-05-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

This little guy was found in the soon to be garden. He was a one of the larger specimens I had seen, measuring 4 inches long. In this painting, I've embiggened him by setting him against the sky, implying that we are looking up at him.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Red Bow

2011-05-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

I usually don't bend this realistically, and the results surprised me. I managed to keep some looser strokes in the hair and jacket, though. All the grey was a little uncharacteristic for me, too.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference picture from freestockswirls on deviantART.

Effel

2011-05-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is a quick portrait of my friend. The reference photo was a monochromatic, sepia-tone. I invented a few color shifts in the high lights and the flame to add some interest.

Tied

2011-05-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Me likey this one. That is all.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference by Angel--Stocks on deviantART.

Interview at Something We Like

2011-05-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

Check out this interview with me at SomethingWeLike.com. I've been answering a lot of questions lately.

Ivy Touch

2011-05-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

You know, getting hands right is just as hard(and as important) as getting a face right. I guess our brains are especially wired to recognize facial and hand gestures, and can easily tell if something is off. In making this point, I've completely drawn your attention to see the flaws in this hand.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from dheks on deviantART.

Good Evening

2011-05-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

Playing with crispness and softness, warm and cool, Statler and Waldorf, and other pairings.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Reference by Katie Bird on deviantART.

Shadow Hues

2011-05-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

A new experiment from me. I attempted to invent some dramatic light in this one, similar lighting to a couple of recent paints. The lighting in the reference was perfectly even, actually. I also loved the model's expression, and couldn't pass it up.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from LluleyStock on deviantART.

Audio

2011-05-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about this one, but I like how it materialized.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from xSunnyCloudx on deviantART.

Lightness

2011-05-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

I was surprised at how thick I had to lay on the white to get it as light as I needed. In the end, I liked the impasto look to it. In the reference, I loved how the shadow edge was very soft toward the bottom and hard across the forehead.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from smurlin on deviantArt.

Blue-black

2011-05-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

While painting this, I was reminded of all those adolescent hours I spent drawing Wolverine with his blue highlighted hair. The same comic rule applied to all black highlights. In nature, of course, this isn't necessarily true, but in this case it applied.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from meri-stock on deviantART.

Trespass

2011-05-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Coyotes are notoriously difficult to make sit for their portraits. Forgive me for working from a photo I snapped. This guy(or girl) was scrounging around the farm where my mom lives. I wanted to re-create the effect of heat waves seen in the telephone poles in the background. Interestingly, the foreground was painted with broader strokes than the squiggly background.

Detail picture on Etsy.

Frost

2011-05-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm running out of titles here. I decided on this one's title after seeing the stock provider's name, Evelyn Frost. As I've painted it, she has a tomato colored dress and the background is icy blue. After my greenhouse blew away last week, I felt "Frost" was a most appropriate title.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from MoonBirth on deviantART.

Spring's Crown

2011-04-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

I like going all the way to bright-white when rendering a strongly lit form. It's fun to describe a subject's color by it's glowing edges, and leave the actual form's lit face white.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from A68Stock on deviantART.

Low Light

2011-04-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

8 x 10 inch this time. It was challenging working this large again in head portrait mode.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from Dazed0Stock on deviantART.

Twinkle

2011-04-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

This was a little experiment in quasi complementary colors. I used mostly yellow ochre set against violet and magenta. I really liked how I could barely tell where the edges of her lips were.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from Cait-Shoxxi-Stock on deviantART.

Green Tie

2011-04-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

Light often shifts through a portion of the spectrum on it's way from shadow to highlight. In the case of the skin-tones here, there were very warm shadows and cooler lights. The shadows and hair edges are a dark alizarin crimson. I then stepped up the half-tones with an orangey-sienna. The light areas are a mixture of yellow ochre, and the lightest areas are a cool green.

Detail picture on Etsy.
Reference from waterontherocks on deviantART.