New website coming!!

Yes, that's right, a new portfolio website. I'm in the very beginning stages right now, and I plan on taking my time to make sure the concept is fully discovered and development is top notch. So, currently I'm only working with pencil on paper (and occasionally the scanner and Photoshop to resize/place images). I found some great website sketch comps at www.960.gs.

Below are initial sketches in my discovery process. I haven't nailed down a look quite yet, but the one I'm developing here looks quite promising. There's going to be much greater emphasis on call to action, and highlighting/showcasing my capabilities. I hope to have progress updates here in the near future. This is going to be fun!

Happy Chef sketch

Here's a quick sketch. I like the style that's progressing here, but the line quality isn't good enough to spend more time on. I'll probably tighten up the sketch and continue some other time. I really like the character.

Teacher's pet

Lately I've been working on doing quick vectors and building my stock illustration library. So far I have 7 pieces available. Here is one I uploaded today, and will hopefully be available next monday or tuesday (takes about a week to be approved, especially for us newbies).

I like doing these illustrations because it's really expanding my vector illustration skills, as well as helping me to define my style. I'll be publishing more of these in the coming weeks.

Shampoo for Lush Hair

Just a quick sketch. Taking a break from serious work. I'll probably vector this one up when I get a chance.

Lady night life

This probably turned out a little more sexy than I intended, but that's alright. I liked how it turned out. Mostly playing with purple and lighting here. I'm going to start contributing to iStockphoto, so this is a piece I'm using for submission.

UPDATE: This week's Illustration Friday topic is "Poise". I looked up "poise" in the dictionary and this is what it read: "Graceful and elegant bearing in a person". I guess that sorta' fits, so I'm submitting it.

Sketches and such (and I'm on Twitter)

I haven't posted anything in a little while, so I've decided to throw up some random sketches from my sketchbook to let you know I'm still alive and drawing. My wife was using the computer with the scanner, so I decided to take a bunch of pictures of my sketchbook. I kinda' like the look.

I recently signed up for Twitter. You can follow me @CIllustration. I'm working on a birdie drawing for a Twitter badge, and some of the sketches are below.

I've also been doing some client work recently, and I hope to post some of that soon. Until then, feast your eyes on these awesome drawings.

Parting of the Red Sea

Here's a sketch I did yesterday depicting the famous Bible story from Exodus: The Parting of the Red Sea. I'd like to continue with this one so stay tuned.

Well, off to church to learn more Bible stories.

Promo workings and New Year

Hello, all. With this new year I am making the move to full-time freelance. It's a pretty scary move, but the right one. I am taking this opportunity to focus my marketing on gaining more professional illustration accounts (most of my clients are design-related). Below is a sketch of a promo-postcard that I will be sending out in February. It's going to be fun.

Hungry Bear

Now that the crazy holidays are over I can get back into drawing. It's been a couple weeks since I've picked up a pencil. Because of that I thought I'd post a sketch I did last month. I'll probably work it up in the next couple of weeks. In case you can't tell the boy is eating a nice, big sandwich.

Bear

Just an exercise in Photoshop painting. I was playing around with lighting, color depth, and layering. I really wasn't concerned about the final outcome, and I wouldn't consider this finished (the paw is barely touched). I may finish it later. Or, I may not. You're just going to have to wait to find out. I know, I know, you may be saying to yourself, "But Josh, does that mean I have to keep checking back to your blog to see if and when you finish it?!" No. Just subscribe to my blog through RSS, or by filling out the email form on the right, and you will be notified whenever I post. Isn't that great? No more trying to remember to check my blog. How freeing is that? If you don't know what RSS is just Google "What is RSS" and you will be enlightened.

Blessing in disguise?

I drew this quick sketch the other day while watching the news and hearing about all the hardships people across the country are facing this Christmas season. For many people it's going to be a hard one. People are forced to scale back their holiday buying and gift giving. The ironic thing is, for me, the economic collapse is really causing me to focus more on why I celebrate this holiday. It's not about buying, or getting the best, most expensive gifts. I remember hearing my grandma tell me how joyful it was to receive an orange in her stocking on Christmas morning, and I hear the same types of stories from my wife's grandpa. Just something to think about.

If you want to know why I celebrate this season just ask (or watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas". It's on tomorrow night at 8pm!! Yay!!)

Illustration Friday "Opinion"

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I'd throw up a sketch of Bigfoot from my sketchbook and submit it to this week's "Illustration Friday" topic "Opinion". I've been watching shows recently talking about monster topics like "Bigfoot" or "aliens" or "abominable snowman" and my opinion of these have gone back and forth. But, you know what, it really doesn't matter what my opinion is… either Bigfoot is real or he isn't, and my opinion doesn't change that. But I know what is real, this drawing. It's real.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. I'm thankful for pencils which allow me to make drawings like these. And I'm thankful for erasers so I can fix my mistakes. And I'm thankful for my scanner and Photoshop so I get my drawing onto the computer. And I'm thankful for Blogger and the internet which allows me to share my beautiful drawings with the whole world!

And I'm thankful for those who don't take my comments about Bigfoot seriously.

Holiday Card time

It's that time of year: time to seriously consider your holiday card choices. This is an extremely important decision, probably a decision much more monumental than the one you just made a few days ago regarding who you want to be your new president. This is HUGE! Just think of all your friends and family scrutinizing you when they receive your card in the mail. It has to be perfect. And, in order to assist you, I have assembled my Christmas selection for you to browse. I just opened an online card shop at Cafe Press. Click here. I'll be working on the aesthetics of the site in the coming weeks, but for now feel free to buy as much as you like.








Above is a preview of my newest Christmas illustration. It's gonna be good!

Burger!!

I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought I'd post the guy getting ready for pure bliss. If I find time this weekend I'll vector him up. I better do it on a full stomach, though, because even though that burger is only pencil lines, it's looking mighty tasty. Imagine how good it'll look in color!

On a related matter, I get to have a delicious caramel apple covered in peanuts tomorrow at the pumpkin patch. I can't wait.

Y2K Revisited

I was going through some old sketchbooks yesterday and found this sketch for a Y2K cartoon I was to do when I was a cartoonist for the Oregon State U.'s student paper The Barometer. The cartoon is circled in red.

I drew this sketch in November of 1999. The funny thing about this sketch is the note I made to myself underneath the cartoon. In case you can't read what it says, I wrote:

"Note to self: Print after 1/1/00 ONLY if the end of civilization doesn't come."

Detail below:

I darkened up the pencil yesterday before scanning because the sketch had faded.


Well, since we all know that the end of civilization did not come the cartoon did run.

The Dark Knight

Rayna and I went to see "The Dark Knight" last night and it was awesome!! …Probably one of the best movies I have ever seen. Go see it!

Randomness

Well, it's been over a month since I've posted anything here so I thought I'd post some sketches did today. I really like the big goof looking at the flower. I think I'll polish up the sketch and work on coloring it as soon as I find time. I roughly sketched a battle going on in the background, but I don't think it came across in the scan. I like the little guy, too. Reminds me a little of Marvin the Martian.

Look!! Colored!

Here he is colored! This isn't completely done yet. I'll probably work on him some more. I want to do something cool with the background. We'll see if I get there.

He is Risen! Happy Easter!

Look!! He is alive!! Happy Easter everyone.

Maybe I'll have time to color this guy.

Happy (un)Valentine's Day

Here is a little drawing I did for my Sweetie for Valentine's Day. She liked it. (NO, IT'S NOT A REPRESENTATION OF ME!!!). Happy Late Valentine's Day, and have a great weekend!