War In The Ring

So it has been awhile since my last post, but I have been busy as ever with art.  Here are a few paintings I created recently.  A war in the boxing ring followed by some natural born predators :)  You can purchase a print of the Snow kitty HERE.  Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy !!!!!

Bruce Lee

Here is another Bruce Lee caricature I did.  A good excuse to try out some new textured brushes I am messing with.  I really like the Impasto effect that they are achieving.  I decided to keep this loose and not over render.  I like the loose painterly style.  Below is a work in progress shot with a bit of a close up to show off some of the brush strokes.   Prints available Here. Thank for stopping by, Enjoy !!!!

Balboa

Here is a caricature of actor Sylvester Stallone this time as a trainer in the movie CREED.  Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy !!!!

Lady in Red

An experiment in a new look with a risky pallet.  Red is not the easiest color to control, and I wanted to get brave with the light without blowing it out to much.  I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for stopping by !!!!!!

The Sweet Science

Here is a painting I have been working on, on and off  throughout the year.  A boxer sneaking in a counter punch from an unorthodox angle can cause a variety of damage :) I am a huge boxing fan and I even had a successful amateur career as a young man, so as an artist it's a great subject matter for me to return to, and one I know all too well.  This one was finished right on time for the release of Creed starring Sylvester Stallone  and Michael B. Jordan.  I can't wait to see the film, being such a huge Rocky fan.  Some of the Photoshop brushes used here were purchased on artist Aaron Blaise's website.  I have several of his brush sets, these were his canvas textured brush set which can be purchased here.  There are several great tutorials and texture sets available there as well.
Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Happy Veterans Day 2015

A combination Painting and Photobashing to honor all those who serve in our Military Past and Present.  Thank you, May GOD BLESS you and keep you safe. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Stan Lee and Spidey

It's been awhile since my last post.  Been busy with client work and not much time for personal pieces.  I finally had a minute to finish up this painting (or at least, this is as far as I am going to take it).  Stan "the man" Lee taking a selfie with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.  I can go on for ever about how inspirational this man has been to myself and so many, so rather than ramble on, I will simply say "Nuff' Said" .  Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Pin Up Art

This one took me a good part of the year to complete, on and off between client work.  At one point I almost gave up on it all together.  Glad I kept messing with it though.  I don't usually work things to this level of realism, but I felt this piece looked better this way than my usual loose painterly look.  I used Painter 2015 and Photoshop cs6, With Artist Mike Thompson's Corel painter Workspace and brushes. Thanks for checking it out, Enjoy !!!!

Jules Winnfield from Pup Fiction

Here is a caricature of Actor Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield from the motion picture Pulp Fiction. This was done for T.C.B. Irons a Tattoo Machine making company from Alabama. "Say Tat Gun, One Mo' Time"  :)   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!!!

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!!!!!

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!!!!

Marilyn Monroe

From Wikipedia: Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, model, and singer, who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s and early 1960s. After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946 with Twentieth Century-Fox. Her early film appearances were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950), drew attention. By 1952 she had her first leading role in Don't Bother to Knock and 1953 brought a lead in Niagara, a melodramatic film noir that dwelt on her seductiveness. Her "dumb blonde" persona was used to comic effect in subsequent films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Limited by typecasting, Monroe studied at the Actors Studio to broaden her range. Her dramatic performance in Bus Stop (1956) was hailed by critics and garnered a Golden Globe nomination. Her production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, released The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination and won a David di Donatello award. She received a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like It Hot (1959). Monroe's last completed film was The Misfits (1961), co-starring Clark Gable, with a screenplay written by her then-husband, Arthur Miller. The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for unreliability and being difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide", the possibilities of an accidental overdose or a homicide have not been ruled out. In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth-greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. In the decades following her death, she has often been cited as both a pop and a cultural icon as well as the quintessential American sex symbol. In 2009, TV Guide Network named her No. 1 in Film's Sexiest Women of All Time.

Scapegoat

This creature design came about by choosing random words and then trying to make something out of it. The words that were generated were Ram, Bull, Buck, Banyan Tree, Ember, Hot Coals, and Fog / Vapor. kind of challenging, but a great way to come up with topics to draw and paint. Once I had my words , I thought up a quick story / subject matter to give me more to go on. I knew I wanted to do a creature design, so I went with the first thing that popped into my mind, which was an image of a Devil or Demon messing around with the burning bush of the Moses story from the book Of Exodus in The Bible. It looks like he may not be able to get free anytime soon. Below is the creature concept followed by the sketch and the initial value block in. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!!

Philip Seymour Hoffman

From Wikipedia: Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor and director. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2005 biographical film Capote, was nominated three times for Best Supporting Actor and also received three Tony Award nominations for his work in theater. Hoffman began his acting career in 1991, and the following year he began to appear in films. He gained recognition for his supporting work in a series of notable films, including Scent of a Woman (1992), Twister (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), Patch Adams (1998), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Almost Famous (2000), Red Dragon (2002), 25th Hour (2002), Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and Cold Mountain (2003). In 2005, Hoffman played the title role in Capote, for which he won multiple acting awards. His three other Academy Award nominations came for his supporting work in Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Doubt (2008) and The Master (2012). Other critically acclaimed films in his later years included Owning Mahowny (2003), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), The Savages (2007), Synecdoche, New York (2008), Moneyball (2011) and The Ides of March (2011). In 2010, Hoffman made his feature film directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating. Hoffman was an accomplished theater actor and director. He joined the LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995, and directed and performed in numerous stage productions. His performances in three Broadway plays led to three Tony Award nominations: two for Best Leading Actor, in True West (2000) and Death of a Salesman (2012), and one for Best Featured Actor in Long Day's Journey into Night (2003). In their front-page obituary following his sudden death at age 46, The New York Times referred to Hoffman as "perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation". May he rest in peace. Below is my caricature of the actor, followed by a screen grab of a work in progress shot next to the pic I used as reference. Thanks for stopping by, Enjoy!!!

Rocky And Adrian

Whoa, it has been a crazy couple of weeks, but it's time to start posting some new art and updating the blog again. I decided to revisit this old piece I did of Actor Sylvester Stallone and actress Talia Shire from the movie Rocky. Rocky is a 1976 American sports film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. It also stars Talia Shire as Adrian, Burt Young as Adrian's brother Paulie, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill, and Carl Weathers as the champion, Apollo Creed. The film is also the reason why many pro fighters, including myself wanted to become fighters in the first place :) Below is the revised painting followed by the original (which I thought was awesome at the time, heh) and the reference material. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy!!!

Sketchoholic Art Book Publishing

Hey everyone out there in cyber space, I have some shameless self promotion that I can use your help with :) I am trying to get my book published by the fine folks over at Sketchoholic.com. What I need from you fine folks is A. To head on over to my projects page and press the Push To Shelf  Button, to help push and vote for my book to get published. It's free, you can get over there and vote by clicking HERE. If and when I reach 200 pushes, they will work with me to publish and promote my book, And B.(this ones also free, free is good) Please help spread the word by sharing the link and info to all of your favorite social media sites. What's in it for you, you may ask, well for one it's good Karma, and also all the pushers will have their names and a URL (if you have a site to promote) printed in the book as a thanks for backing it. Plus I will be forever grateful and able to continue sharing my art with the world, AWWWWWWW. Isn't that sweet. So please head on over and help Push my project and help spread the word ( cuz, we all know sharing is caring). O.K. shameless self promotion is over for now, so here is some more art for you to enjoy:) Below is a painting that started out as a sketch done for a fan of my art and aspiring artist, in his sketchbook. I made sure I got a pic of the sketch so I can paint over it. I always love signing autographs and sketching for people. It forces you to work purely from imagination and only reference what you have in your mind. In this case it was artist H.R. Giger, Bernie Wrightson, Simon Bisley, Carlos Huante, and the movie Prometheus. Thanks for stopping by, and helping out with my book project. Enjoy!!!!!