More than Meets the Eye!

Here's one of the many projects that's been tying up my time.... but in a Good Way! Been working on illustrations for the Official TRANSFORMERS sketchcard set.

It was a blast to work on something that I grew up watching as a kid.... Wait, before I get ahead of myself..... gotta wait until I get the green light to share. So check back in early 2013..... unless, the Mayans are right (knocking on wood)!

St. Vincent's Church - San Rafael, Ca - Winter 2012

(12" x 16" Watercolors on Watercolor Board)

Now that the season is officially Winter.... it's very difficult to find a dry location to do any Plein Air Painting. Lucky for me... the rain decided to take a break Sunday and I was able to drive over to St. Vincent's Church in San Rafael, Ca. I should really compile all my paintings from this location... it's become one of my favorites to paint and explore. This time around I spotted a school bus parked in front of some run-downed buildings. Even though the facility looks shut down... they seem to be used for storage. I don't usually do urban style paintings but it sure was a FUN subject to paint!!!

Freestone Barn

(Freestone, CA)

Found a great old white barn to paint. The look of the abandoned barn melting into the ground really caught my attention! Here's my watercolor painting on a 12" x 16" watercolor block.

Wonderful small town with a popular bakery across the street! Parking lot is small but plenty of additional parking along the side of the roads. I met a handful of friendly visitors :D One local resident advised me to come back but try painting at other times of the day. I just may do that! The kids were great!!! They asked their mom if they paint with me? Hahaha.There's definitely more to explore along this small Sonoma County town.... I can't wait to take another drive here....maybe when the weather gets warmer.

Freestone, CA - setup

Here's a snap shot from my  September drive to Freestone, CA .... Drove around town for an hour to find a place to set-up. Usually on a hot day like this (97 degree) I try to find some shade. No luck... so I packed up my materials and set-up in the blazing sun. When doing this, gotta remember to pack enough water to drink! You can get dehydrated quite quickly. I'll upload a photo of my finished painting in the next post :D

Plein Air Painting - Miwok Trail, Mill Valley CA

I hiked about an hour up & down the Miwok Trail before finding a good spot to set-up and paint.

(16" x 12" watercolors on waterboard)

It was a nice, clear, warm day... with a slight breeze towards the late afternoon. I was greeted by other hikers, joggers, mountain bikers... and even a horse stopped by to see what I was doing! LOL. If you've never been to this part of Mill Valley, Ca... there are numerous trails to choose from but this particular one is shared for horse back riding.

Setting up was a little tricky.... with horse land-mines... if you catch my drift... So I made sure to stay off to the side of the trail. Too bad I chose an inclined composition! But I really liked the depth of field I got from the large boulder sticking out the hills and large trees hiding the sky.

By the evening... the wind really picked up!!!  I had to hold my Guerrilla Pochade Box steady so my waterboard wouldn't fall....Too Late! It flew forward and onto a brush filled with green! Lucky for me.... it fell onto the area I was painting the trees.... "Happy Mistake".

So that was my recent plein air adventrure....A great spot to visit and I look forward to visiting again :D

The Circle is Now Complete! Star Wars Celebration!

 
That's Right..... The Circle is now Complete!

Here are the 8 completed cards I worked on for the Star Wars 501st Legion :D

So how can you get your hands on one of my cards?

First, you've already purchased tickets to attend Star Wars Celebration VI on August 23 - 26 (Orlando, FL)

Second, you've already purchased tickets to attend the 501st Bash "Party at the Palace", Friday - August 24th. SOLD OUT!

Last Chance, if you didn't get tickets for the 501st Bash Tickets..... some cards might be handed out during the 501st costuming panels.....

.....So follow the 501st Legion closely on Twitter and Facebook for hints on where to get the cards!

Row #1: Sandtrooper, Scout Trooper

Row #2: StormTrooper #1, Storm Trooper #2

Row #3: ARF Trooper, Snow Trooper

Row #4: Shock Trooper, Darth Sidious

Tiger-Uppercut!

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger-Uppercut!

Quick tribute to one of my favorite characters in the old school video game, "Street Fighter II".

Name: Sagat
Origin: Thailand
Style: Muay Thai

This marker sketch was powered by Philz Coffee!

Cup-O-Bane

I give to you BANE.... on a coffee cup!

Had a chance to watch opening night....midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises". Had to caffeine up if I was gonna stay up for this 2 hour and 44 minute film!

So was it worth it? YES! The perfect bookend to a trilogy. Don't worry no spoilers... but I will say I will surely watch it again.... and again :D

This marker sketch was powered by Blue Bottle Coffee!

Gretta the Boxer

Four years ago, Olivia & I attended a dog & cat photo shoot for work out in Contra Costa. We were fortunate to make a new friend.... her name was Gretta.

I just got word that Gretta passed away due to Cancer :(

Above was a 1-hour recorded digital speed painting I did of Gretta. The original video recording is no longer available because the Graffiti application went down.

Gretta will be deeply missed as the friendliest Boxer in the world!

501st comes First

Isn't the 501st Legion a bunch of Bad Guys in the Star Wars Universe? Yes.... but don't be fooled by their Bad Guy costumes.... this 501st Legion does GOOD things! They actually do a lot of good volunteer work with charities, hospitals, conventions, and events :)

So when the opportunity to help the 501st came along, I was thrilled! I'll be working on a handful of sketchcards for the 501st 15th Anniversary project that will later be distributed during this Summer's Star Wars Celebration VI.


More info on the 501st Charity Appearances:

While the 501st was initially founded to unite costumers with a penchant for Star Wars villainy, one of their real-world missions is to bring good to local communities through volunteer charity work. The 501st is always looking for opportunities to brighten the lives of the less fortunate and to bring awareness to positive causes on both a local and global scale.

(Photo belongs to © www.501st.com)

Spidey vs. Green Goblin puzzle cards

To see my latest puzzle cards

Clike HERE

ACEO Magazine Feature

As much as I enjoy creating sketch cards I really enjoy sharing my progress shots. It's what I love when visiting other artist websites/blogs. It's like a tiny window into their world....errr, studio. One of my favorite sites to visit is the ACEO Magazine Blog! Little did I know my works were featured in this months blog post along with another talented artist, Marlo Lodrigueza. The ACEO Magazine started 3 years ago by founder/owner/writer, Angela Taylor. The Magazine used to be in print but has recently gone the digital route and has a wonderful blog! Such a great group of inspirational artists always sharing :D

Golden Retriver - Final Touches

Golden Retriever Sneak Peek

Taking a break from the Digital works.... and going Analog

Working on some new sketch cards and ACEO's.

Dusted off the Watercolors and busted out the brushes again.

Here's a Quick Sneak Peek...

4 designs, 8-bit pixels, Vote, Vote, Vote :D

These are my Four entries for
the 8-bit pixel design challenge!

Thanks so much for the continued support!

Jiggly Jello Time!!!

Many thanks!

So where'd the inspiration come from for this particular design? My mom, of course! She's a Jello Master and makes a yummy cathedral jello. Kinda like this one :)

 Photo belongs to Con nie Ven er acion

My mom would make this delicious dessert for special occasions: Easter, Christmas, potlucks, etc. But I'm sure if you ask nicely..... she can whip up one on the spot....Mmmmmm.

There's always room for Jello.... but not when it's a Jello Prank! Thought I'd take the popular office prank to a whole new level... a gaming level
 

After numerous sketches and planning a particular angle of the video game controller..... it's time to.... PIXELATE!