More Ninja Turtles Stuff

Some more TMNT sketches. I was trying to figure out how the hell to draw Shredder.

Ninja turtles sketch

Hey everyone. So I don't know why but I went on a ninja turtles kick this weekend in my sketchbook.
They're fun as hell to draw! I'm convinced that drawing that comic had to be the greatest job ever,
especially the way Eastman and Laird drew them! I changed the design just because I've found over
time that in order for me to draw an established character well I have to do my own spin on it.
Anywho hope you guys enjoy it.
Thanks!

Band flyer

So not to be one of those "Come see my Band" people...but
come see my band. This is a flyer I did for an upcoming gig. I
drew the image on the train and then scanned it in and spent 5 hours in photoshop
coloring it and redoing parts. The gig is at Best Buy, next Wednesday at 6:30
(I know....weird, right?)

Puppet Sketches

Here are the pencil sketches of the 2-D puppets.

Dezi's Puppets

Hey guys. So I got a freelance gig helping out with this theater company. The theater company is called The Subjective Theater and they're awesome. They put on a free show every year. They're very professional and the plays are always creative,interesting and entertaining. If you every get a chance and you're in NYC, you should check them out.

Anyways during some key scenes in the play they had a video segment that featured puppets, and they needed some 2 Dimensional background figures for some small scenes. It was a blast to do (except for cutting out the foam core, that was a pain). I sketched out the figures, got approval, and then photo copied the sketches. From there they were pasted onto some foam core and cut out. Then I painted the figures using acrylic paint. I then went back in and did the line work with ink. The last step was I added some gloss medium to protect to protect the paint a little make make it look a little more finished.
Anyways this is how they came out.

5 page story

So I had this debate with a friend awhile ago. Not to get into the specifics but the jist of it is that I believe that everyone has some creativity in them. I think creativity is something that needs to be fostered and nurtured. To prove this I did a five page story based on something my friend wrote. This was kind of the next big project I did after the portrait I did of my grandfather. It was a challenge, but it was a lot of fun. I didn't really use a lot of referenct and wanted it to have a bit of a loose, rough, handmade feel. I used Arch's watercolor paper, drew directly on the board with a 4h pencil, then went in with Paynes Gray water color. After that I did the borders with black acrylic paint, went back in with a Presto white-out pen, and did some more highlights using watered down white acrylic paint. Hope everyone likes it.
Special thanks to Cassandra Thomas for the story. It really was one of the most fun things I've done in awhile and I attribute that to the writing itself.

First Post

Hey everyone-welcome to my blog. So my goal for the blog is for it to be about whatever artwork I'm working on currently. A lot of my friends have blogs and I check them regularly so I figure I should probably get in the game too.
This first post is a 20 minute painting I did of my grandfather. It was really important to me that this was the first post because I feel like this piece is the beginning of a change in my thought process. I painted it the night before my grandfather died. He was a HUGE influence on me, not only on my artwork but just all around, he was an amazing man. My brother sent me a portrait he did on his cell phone and it inspired me to do one of him in watercolor. It was cathartic. From a pure process standpoint it was almost instant. There wasn't any planning. I grabbed his cast photo online and painted it free hand using some watercolors. It is the first time in a long time where I didn't second guess any decisions. I didn't really redraw anything. I wasn't hyper-critical about the piece. It just came out as it was supposed to. That's a feeling I want to hold on to and remember when I draw from now on. To be critical but also to not second guess yourself and go with your instinct. Anyways, it's a really important piece for me and a tribute to someone who I wish every day was still here with me. Also for anyone who's interested, we was an opera singer for the metropolitan opera house. His name was Ezio Flagello if anyone wants to wiki him.
Thanks!