The Surrealist, J Karl Bogartte

A portrait of a good friend of mine.

Twin Suns

It's been a while, but I have been busy. This is a landscape I did when i got a call from someone asking if I'd be interested in doing matte paintings. This isn't for anything in particular, just learning the ropes.

Gesture Drawing Practice Tool

I should add that my last two posted studies were from photos in the Gesture Drawing Practice Tool, an excellent website that shows images from which you can get your doodle on. Definitely check it out!

Warrior study

Now I want to apply stuff that I've learned doing these studies to things that are more from my imagination, rather than photos. I hope to be creating some striking images in the months following the holidays.

Female nude study

I apologize for the time it's taken for me to post anything new. I have been keeping busy. I just haven't done anything that I cared to post because it was a lot of going down new avenues. I used the gridding process to get the proportions correct in this one. This is my first time using a grid. The reason I used it this time was because after doing painting from studies I would always tell myself "this would've turned out better if I spent more time in getting the initial sketch right.". So, with that said...

Political heads

Studies in grayscale utilizing the domes of various political figures.

UCAV

Trying out a new technique, for me anyway. I had no original idea when I started this. I ended up with a futuristic UCAV design.

Attack!

In the spirit of Chris Foss.

God of the forest

I've been thinking a lot about trees lately and, messing around in photoshop last night, this sprouted from my imagnation.

Graphgear 1000 VS. SKB-1000 "James Jean Pen"

First let me say that comparing these two pens is like comparing a Mercedes to a...Volga. The only reason I'm comparing the two is because they are both .5 mm ballpoints, which aren't easy to come by and the fact that the SKB-1000 has been riding the coattails of James Jean's popularity.

The SKB-1000 is basically a cheap Chinese made stationary pen. When you order a box from their, rather innocuous, website, what you get is a nondescript box of plastic pens. For some odd reason the barrel on the SKB-1000 can be unscrewed. My only reasoning for this is simply ease of assembly, since they are not refillable, technically. The SKB-1000's body is flimsy, lightweight and the pocket clip breaks off easily.

But, the true test of a pen is in the writing. This is where everything breaks down. I don't know how James Jean does it, or perhaps I got a bad batch of pens, but pen after pen had follow through problems. If I was sketching in my moleskine, eventually the pen found some random point on the page to simply just stop working. I tried multiple pens from the pack and experienced the exact same quirk with all of them. The line is rather nice, when it works, but the unreliability forced me to stop using them entirely. I do not recommend the SKB-1000's unless you want to give them away...

The Pentel Graphgear 1000 is a completely different story. I love my stainless steel Parker Jotter pen, I've always thought it looked like a prop James Bond would have in his breast pocket, like it doubled as a laser maybe. The Graphgear is even better, it's like something out of 'Ghost In The Shell' or 'Gundam'.

The first thing that you notice when you get this pen in your hand is the weight. This pen is SOLID. It has a brushed metal body and an etched metal grip. There are little ovals on the grip made of translucent rubber which makes it very pleasurable to hold. This is truly a pen geek's pen. After engaging the "clicker" on the back end of the pen, in order to write, you must push the pocket clip in order to retract the tip. So wicked! It's a dummy safety so you can't put the pen in your pocket with the tip out! Basically, I LOVE this pen.

The line, which is the most important thing, is smooth. The ink is dark. I have so far had no chokes like the SKB-1000's. Sure, there are ink bombs, but this is kind of typical for ballpoints, in general, and I haven't experienced any really bad ones. This pen is a dream to draw with.

The SKB-1000's were $14 for a pack of 12. The Graphgear 1000 is $15 for one with $2 refills. The Graphgear is worth every penny, whereas I felt totally gouged by the SKB's.

If you like drawing with ballpoints or simply want a pen that will make other people go "Holy Shit!", do yourself a favor and get a Graphgear. Better yet, if you want to give someone a totally unexpected gift get them the Graphgear, it is just that cool. Period.

The Graphgear 1000 can be purchased at JetPens, an awesome site specializing in Japanese made writing/drawing tools.

Thirty Days 2010...is over. Time to animate.

Well, the 'Thirty Days Project' is over It was a lot of fun and the kick in the pants I needed to sweep out the cobwebs (horrible mixed metaphors). I've decided I'm going to start focusing on animation again. I was messing around in TVPaint yesterday and did some straight ahead stuff. I was really trying to get used to the interface again, have fun, work loose and be nonjudgmental. Funky results.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Thirty

First cicada sighting of the season.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Nine

My attic window as seen from lying on my back.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Eight

Flowers.

SKB SB-1000's

This is the pen made famous by James Jean. I just ordered me a pack of 12. I love drawing with ballpoint and after going through Parker Jotters and Bic Cristals, hopefully my journey will end with these. The Parker Jotter is a beauty to hold and behold, I have the brushed stainless steel, but the ink is a bit dim and unreliable. The Bic Cristal is great to draw with, very cheap and can be found everywhere, but unfortunately it creates ink bombs every now and then. I've been trying to find Bic Orange Fines everywhere but they aren't sold in the states, at least I haven't found them anywhere. It'll be interesting to see how these SKB pens behave with their .5mm tip, which is the same diameter as my Pentel Quicker Clicker Original. I will definitely post my reaction.

One other thing. Who the hell is S.K.B.? Where are these things even made? You'll quickly notice how spartan that website is.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Seven

Billboard blind contour.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Six

Nurse.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Five

Professor Boots.

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Four

Puppet?

Thirty Days 2010: Day Twenty-Three

Trampled under foot.