New Year 2015

I hope everybody is enjoying their New Year's Eve celebration and being safe as well.  I wanted to share what are my very last doodles of 2014, since I have not had an update in a few weeks.  I have been busy, but nothing that I can actually share at this point.  Soon very Soon :) Looking back through my hard drive, I find it hard to believe how much art I produced this year.  Not only what I share online , but also all of my sketchbooks as well as client work that I am unable to share at times. I hope to double that productivity for 2015.  Below are some sketches I did in a program called Mischief today.  I find the brushes to be very responsive, but what attracted me the most is the program has an infinite canvas and infinite zoom in and out feature.  To understand that better and learn about the other features , you can check out the company's website here.   This first pic is a screen grab of my entire canvas so far.

Now here are some pics when I zoom in to the sketch, as you can see you are able to zoom in infinitely, you can literally draw a character inside the eyeball of another character, it's pretty wild. I think I will keep adding on to this canvas throughout the year for fun.  Thanks for stopping by, enjoy, and here is to a healthy and prosperous 2015.

Manga Studio 5 EX

I picked up copy of Manga Studio 5 EX , earlier this week. I gotta say, I love the way it handles digital Inking, especially for comic book or cartoon related styles. I'm still new to the program ,but I look forward to exploring all of it's comic book creation options and also the figures that can be posed and used to your liking. You can check out more of what this program has in store here. Below are a few of my first couple of experiments, inking over old sketches for practice and doing some quick coloring in Sketchbook Pro. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy !!!!

H.P. Lovecraft, Rodney Dollah's Little Book Of Monsters and Halloween 2014

So it's been awhile since my last post, as I have been busy juggling a lot of projects, but I can't pass up the opportunity to post some creepy stuff this time of year. First I have to mention that vol.2 of Rodney Dollah's Little Book Of Monsters is now available right in time for Halloween. I had some of my work featured in vol. 1 and this year's volume is even bigger than the last one. It features some seriously talent artist from all over the world (I'm in good company), So if you are a lover of monsters don't miss out, you can order your copy and learn more about the project here. This is a cool and unique project as it is released every year right on time for Halloween and features a very diverse group of artist. ...And that brings me to my H.P. Lovecraft piece. The publisher of Little Book Of Monsters asked if I would put together an H.P. Lovecraft painting to go along with my tribute to H.R. Giger for Vol. 3. You can check out the H.R. Giger here. Of course I said Hell Yes :) Below is my caricature / portrait of H.P. Lovecraft. If your not familiar with this writer you can read about him at this Wikipedia article here. I also included a little poster I put together of some of my other work depicting various things that go bump in the night. Thanks for stopping by, Sweet Dreams :)

I Love Lucy

I just wrapped up on this commission piece of actress / comedian Lucille Ball. done for fellow artist Henry LaMarr. You can check out his blog dedicated to Lucy here. Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American comedienne, model, film and television actress and studio executive. She was star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life with Lucy. Ball had one of Hollywood's longest careers. Below is my caricature portrait of the actress. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy!!!

Joan Rivers

Sad to hear we lost another gifted Funny person. From Wikipedia: Joan Alexandra Rosenberg (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known by her stage name Joan Rivers, was an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and television host, best known for her stand-up comedy, for co-hosting the E! celebrity fashion show Fashion Police, and for starring in the reality series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? alongside her daughter Melissa Rivers. Rivers first came to prominence in 1965 as a guest on The Tonight Show, a pioneering late-night program with interviews and comedy, hosted by Johnny Carson, whom she acknowledged as her mentor. The show established her particular comic style, poking fun at celebrities, but also at herself, often joking about her extensive plastic surgery. When she launched a rival program, The Late Show, Carson never spoke to her again. She went on to host a successful daytime slot, The Joan Rivers Show, which won her a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. Her satirical style of humor, however, by focusing on the personal lives of celebrities and public figures, was sometimes criticized. She also authored 12 best-selling memoir and humor books, and provided comic material for stage and television. As an actress, Rivers was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1994 for her performance in the title role in Sally Marr...and her escorts. Rivers died on September 4, 2014, following serious complications—including cardiac arrest—during a procedure on her vocal cords at a clinic on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. May she Rest In Peace, below is my caricature of Joan Rivers. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

Painter 2015

Messing around with Corel Painter's new upgrade, Painter 2015. I must say, I am loving it so far. They added a new Fractal brush category, that's a lot of fun to mess with, and it seems to have a faster response than previous versions. Here are a couple of my first experiments, getting myself familiar with the program and it's new features, and setting up the preferences to my liking. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

Final Frontier

Having fun messing around with Photoshops shapes tool. I'll be doing a series of these Sci-Fi environments soon. This one was inspired by one of my favorite Science Fiction artist John Berkey. Berkey was probably best known for his on the Original Star Wars posters. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

Robin Williams

I was sad to hear the news Monday night of the passing of one of my favorite actors, Robin Williams. He had been battling Depression for many years and apparently committed suicide by hanging. There is an official police report about the incident here. The news about his passing prompted me to work on this caricature in his honor. In my opinion he was a genius of comedy, and as you can see from all the buzz about his death, I am not alone. He will be greatly missed by millions the world over. I have also wrestled with depression and suicidal tendencies throughout the years, I hope that if anything else this tragedy will bring more awareness to this horrible condition. The piece below was included in The Book titled "Robin", published by Mad Artist Publishing. You can pick up a copy here. Sales from the book will be donated to Robin's favorite charity: St. Jude's Children Research Hospital and Depression Alliance. Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy (1978–82), Williams went on to establish a successful career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. His film career included such acclaimed films as Popeye , The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006). He also appeared in the video "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. Williams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards. My condolences to his Family , friends , and fans.

Soul Interface Studios new site

Soul Interface Studios , a company I do work for just got a makeover on their site,  You can check it out here.  If you are interested in commissioning us for work make sure you use the contact info on the site, so we can get a quote back to you asap.  Below are some new stuff and studies I been working on.  The top piece was just a study and two on the bottom were inspired by the films, Mama and Pacific Rim.  Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy !!!!

Female Study

Here is another study from the other day.  I hope you all like it.  Done in Corel Painter X3. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

H.R. Giger

Hans Rudolf "Ruedi" Giger (/ˈɡiːɡər/; February 5, 1940 – May 12, 2014) was a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer. He was part of the special effects team that won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for their design work on the film Alien. He was named to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2013. I was sad to hear about Giger's passing a few weeks ago and decided to put an homage piece together for him the minute I heard of the bad news. Like many artist, his work was a great influence and source of inspiration for me. It is not an easy feat to be original in this day and age, but Giger was able to transcend the norm and be a real pioneer in his art form. He inspired outside of his genre, everything from film makers to graffiti and tattoo artist, to architects, and the list goes on. On 12 May 2014, Giger died in a hospital in Zürich after having suffered injuries in a fall. In a New York Times obituary, Timothy Leary, a friend of Giger's, was quoted as having praised the artist by saying, "Giger's work disturbs us, spooks us, because of its enormous evolutionary time span. It shows us, all too clearly, where we come from and where we are going." Giger started with small ink drawings before progressing to oil paintings. For most of his career, Giger had worked predominantly in airbrush, creating monochromatic canvasses depicting surreal, nightmarish dreamscapes. Giger's most distinctive stylistic innovation was that of a representation of human bodies and machines in a cold, interconnected relationship, he described as "biomechanical". His main influences were painters Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dalí. Giger suffered from night terrors and his paintings are all to some extent inspired by his experiences with that particular sleep disorder. He studied interior and industrial design at the School of Commercial Art in Zurich (from 1962 to 1965) and made his first paintings as a means of art therapy. Apparently he must have thought curing his night terrors would include giving them to someone else, mainly his audience :) He is most known for his work on the movies Aliens and Species, and being the father of the "biomechanical style of art and tattoo style. Below is my homage to this amazing talent followed by a picture of the artist, and some of his incredible timeless work. My condolences to his family and friends. May he Rest in Peace. His work will live on forever. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!!

Gina Lollobrigida

Luigina "Gina" Lollobrigida; born 4 July 1927) is an Italian actress, photojournalist and sculptor. She was one of the highest profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was considered to be a sex symbol. As her film career slowed, she established second careers as a photojournalist and sculptor. In the 1970s, she scooped the press by gaining an exclusive interview with Fidel Castro, the revolutionary Communist dictator of Cuba. She has continued as an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2008, she received the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala. In 2013, she sold her jewelry collection, and donated the nearly $5 million from the sale to benefit stem cell therapy research. Below is my caricature of the actress as The Queen Sheba in the movie Solomon and Sheba (1959)which also starred actor Yul Brynner (The Ten Commandments, The King And I). Also a picture of the actress from the same film and an animated gif showing some of the process. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Jab Jab Whammo, now available at Amazon.com

So before I get into some shameless self promotion, I wanna take the time out to share some awesome tutorials by the very talented Anthony Jones. If your not familiar with his work, do yourself a favor and check it out here. I first heard of Anthony Jones through a 9-week Creature Design course that I signed up for over at the Schoolism site a few years ago. The course was awesome, I learned tons and have been following Anthony's work ever since. Anthony has put together a series of very affordable tutorials , and from the sounds of it he intends on adding a bunch more. I picked up Designing with confidence, Painting with confidence, Zbrush to Photoshop workflow, And Kitbashing your own Paintings. They are all awesome, so head on over there and pick them up. You won't be disappointed. You can check out the Videos Here. I forgot to mention he includes all the files, tools etc. that he uses. Now for some self love :) My art book Jab, Jab, Whammo is now available through the Amazon marketplace. You can check that out here. Good father's Day gift I must say, perfect for toilet reading :) So feel free to help spread the word about Anthony's tutorials and my book of course. Sharing is caring you know. You can preview a sample of the book below, and I also added a nifty little animated Gif of some progress shots of a painting of Italian Actress Gina Lollobrigida that I am working on. I'll be posting the finished piece soon, so be sure and check back. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

jab, jab, WHAMMO!!! by Rafael Rivera | Make Your Own Book

Some more studies

The art journey continues.  Here a few more painterly studies from photo references.  These were done in Corel Painter X3 using the oil brushes and Photoshop cs6 using various custom brushes that have canvas textures applied to them.  Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Birmingham Police Department

So this was sort of a unique commission. I got to design some patches and logos for a special unit at The Birmingham Police Dept here in Alabama. I had a good time working on the job, and I hope they approve the designs. It would be cool to know the men in blue are sporting my design while bustin' the bad guys. As with many art jobs, not everything you work on gets the green light, so fingers crossed. Special thanks to my good friend Officer Joshua Phillips for hooking me up with the gig. It's been awhile since I did a more graphic art, logo design type job. art, logo design type job.

Painterly Studies

My good friend and art Mentor, Carlos Huante has been working with me on a few art techniques to get my animal and human anatomy up to par. Mostly going back to basics and working traditionally as often as possible. He also put me on to a bunch of artist I had never heard of before and some that I knew of, but I am studying a lot closer lately. Carlos referred me to The New Masters Academy and in particular one of their instructors, an artist by the name of Steve Huston. Steve's work is just beautiful. He quickly became a favorite of mine. I love watching his painting and figure drawing lectures on The New Masters Academy site. Below are a couple of Paint studies based on some of Steve's work. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

The Wizard Of Oz

Actress Judy Garland as Dorothy, with her faithful companion Toto, In The Wizard Of Oz. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

The Walking Dead

Some super quick sketches from screen grabs of The Walking Dead. Warming up the hands before painting and why not, The walking Dead is Awesome. Lol Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!