Red

Graphite on Rives BFK, 7 1/2 x 8". Personal Commission.

Sketches from The Kickback's mini-tour this past weekend. Thanks to the fine folks in Vermillion & Minneapolis for having us!

Go see Nicolas Winding Refn's film, Drive, if you have'nt.
Go listen to St. Vincent's latest offering, Strange Mercy, if you haven't.

HANNA

Sketched while reviewing Joe Wright's excellent film, HANNA.
Part fairy tale / coming of age story / action triller, with a sweet soundtrack.

'RUN LITTLE PIGGY!'

Gustavo Fring

Breaking Bad's fast-food chain owner / drug lord, Gustavo Fring.
A mysterious and intriguing character; always two steps ahead of his enemies, and can hold a grudge for decades.

Starting today, you'll be seeing sketches like this once a week.

EM EYE AY

graphite, charcoal, acrylic, BFK, copy paper, vellum bristol, scotch & masking tape, 10 x 7"

Here's a little something to bring in the new year.

For those of you know me well, I am a big admirer of M.I.A. I remember taking one listen to Arular and finding myself hooked instantly, for reasons I couldn't explain. There was something fun about her electronically-stitched music and boastful, politically charged lyrics.

Kala was a good stepping stone, and got her a hit single. But her third album, /\/\ /\ Y /\, was what I was waiting for from her along.

Finally, I felt like the music matched her voice. It's choppy, it's brash, but damn if it doesn't get stuck in your head and make you dance (great beats!). It also gave her a chance to show off more of her vocal abilities, which aren't terribly impressive, but she chose her moments and range well. One of my favorite albums from the latter half of 2010.

So here is my small tribute to her. I have drawn her a few times in my sketchbook, but they never quite captured her or her music, and I figured out that one image alone wasn't enough sum up this artist or her music.

I just kind of dove into a piece, having a vague idea of what I was going to do. A collage of drawings, with all the rough edges of paper & tape holding them together, seemed like a fitting way to capture her. It was a messy process, but incredibly fun and refreshing - I'm really going to have to explore this method in greater depth.

After a few days I had a real frankenstein on my hands (two heads, 5 arms, 2 1/2 legs), so I decided to call it quits and do some editing/coloring. Overall, a good experiment to shake things up, have some fun to begin 2011.

Oh Lord, Wherever You Are

I've been focusing on music these past months (listening, writing, recording), hopping from one project to next until I found one that stuck. I really couldn't let this go to waste any longer, it was made to be played!

The project that stuck has developed into a formidable power trio, playing a mix of pop, rock, and blues. We still do not have a name, so if anyone feels like throwing one out there for consideration, we would appreciate it.

We just finished recording a demo at Mystery Street, and will be able to show you once the songs have been mixed and mastered by this guy.

Below is a neat little video which will give you an introduction to the band:

I didn't completely drop art though, I've been sketching all the while. Soon enough I'll be able to show you an illo that I'm working on for the Urbanite mag in Baltimore, and some charcoal drawings after that. Consider this blog resurrected.

EDIT: I uploaded the Israel sketches to the sketch section of my website, now you can see them in greater detail.

Israel Sketches

I thought I was pretty stealthy in drawing this guy sitting next to me on the plane, but I think I creeped him out and he changed seats later during the flight.

Despite being barely 70 years old, Israel has developed quickly with an interesting mix of modern architecture among ancient ruins.

On the left is a Rabbi who would wrap tourists in Tefillin whilst on their way throughout the old city of Jerusalem, reminding them of God.

On the right is a religious man who I made several attempts to draw whilst praying at the Western Wall. It was a particularly hot day and despite being dressed in heavy black clothing, he never paused or rested from his prayer.

Israel's small borders were at times paid for in blood. (top) Liron, in deep thought at a memorial for soldiers that fell in the defense of a northern border. (bottom) The Israel / Syria border.

The first one on the left is a drawing of a Holocaust survivor by the name of Mascha, who shared some of her experiences before we entered the memorial.

On the right is a drawing from a photograph of an unknown child who died in the Warsaw ghetto. Read the quote that sums up the collective feeling of those who who had to live in the ghetto.

The soldiers who traveled with us were really incredible people, I am so glad to have gotten to know and draw them. In uniform, its easy to forget that these soldiers are barely adults. (L Natan, a Navy Intelligence Officer who cannot swim, and (R) is Sivan, another officer who can swim.

Camels are freaky looking creatures.

(top) Bedouin tent where we camped for a night out in the desert. (bottom) The final resting place of David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister and devout Zionist.

Drawing of our Israeli tour guide, Boaz, during Shabbat morning service. The original is now in his hands, given as a gift, so this shoddy photo is the only record I have. It was tough to part with it, but Boaz certainly deserved it.

Last but not least is a caricature of Boaz for our group t shirt. An excellent and enthusiastic tour guide, but with one flaw. He could not pronounce our group number (443), always making the three sound like 'free'. I had two hours to do this. I ended up having to pay for the shirt too. I'm never working for free again. Below the image is a cheesy inspirational quote that just looks way better in Hebrew.

Sleeper

Woody Allen

11 x 14"

Portrait commission for a friend. Most of what I've been doing lately has been design oriented, so it was great to get my hands black with charcoal again.

I've also updated the sketch section on my website! It has some of my more recent doodles up there. I'll also be doing my second annual self portrait (you can see last years here) soon as my birthday is right around the corner!

I completed my application for a birthright trip this summer to Israel, and I must say I am incredibly anxious to find out whether I get to go or not.

Tools of the trade: medium charcoal, graphite pencil 0.9 mm, eraser pen, electric eraser, acrylic paint.

7 x 5"
Charcoal, graphite, acrylic.

Trying to draw more often, for better or worse. My love affair with orange continues...

Madame & Cat

Colored pencil, graphite, acrlyic, scotch tape
11 x 14

Full Metal Pencil Day 1

Sorry for the gap in updates.
Above is a progress shot from what must be one of my coolest gigs thus far. A European publisher asked me to contribute a piece to a Stanley Kubrick anthology (along with this guy, how cool is that?) they are putting together. I have free reign to do whatever I choose, which has its pros and cons. A director like Kubrick, and his body of work, are subjects with multiple interpretations and approaches. I had some difficulty deciding how to do so. After doing a ton of research, sketching and watching 2001, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut numerous times, I came up with a solid idea.
I found many quotes of his to be inspiring. Here's the one that provided fertile ground for the developing piece above:

“A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.”

Describes his films well, I think.

The conductor metaphor I'm going with certainly comes from the quote, but it also references the way he directed. He would control every single aspect of his pictures to the most minute detail, and the way his films slowly build to their crescendos and climaxes posses musical qualities. This piece is gonna be pretty intense, but I am excited! I must have drawn his head a hundred times already, and those eyebrows of his require attention.

In other news: I have a new piece debuting in a group show! The opening is Feb. 6th at the Morpho gallery. Hope to see you there! Plenty of things on the horizon...

Chair: Day X+

Rives BFK Tan
7.5" x 12"

We'll keep watching...

MR.ED

While working on the piece you see above, I realized that I would need some finely detailed patterns/designs. My first thought was, 'Why, who better than Megan?'
I must give respect where it is due: she worked by candlelight while a short power outage rendered all things useless. Keep an eye for its publication in February!
For article on India's latest space exploration and the program's development. Will post the final when we feel the piece is done or the deadline hits us (we just can't decide!)
Graphite, ink on bristol, 5" x 8 1/2", credited MR.ED

Home

This piece for Cicada magazine finally gave me an excuse to get my new studio space organized.
I was asked to create a simple, yet powerful image to convey the idea or feeling of 'home'.
Sketched out lots of ideas (above are just a few examples), and since I had a generous amount of time to complete the work, it also gave me a good chance to really collaborate with the art director and arrive at a final image which we both felt very good about. I'm excited to see it on the cover!
At the very bottom is a sketch that could turn into something...

Stay tuned because I'm working on a new piece that will be super. Promise.

ICON Sketches

Thank you Frank for the drink.

Crazy Days

The days just seem to pass by in a blur. So many things going on its hard to keep track of it all, so hopefully this post will help me organize my head.
MAGIC FLUTE: As mentioned earlier, ended up doing some more screen designs, which I am very pleased with. Their looser and probably fit into the overall look of the play a bit better. Opens on March 12th!
THESIS: Have begun working on a new creation myth piece. This time its the Japanese story. Its fairly long and complex, so I chose to illustrate a more specific part, in which life/death are put into motion. All in all, it's a fantastic story, and I'm really excited as to where the piece is going so far, even if its still in the drawing phase. I've been looking alot of Japanese art for research, and its definitely having some affect on my line and general aesthetics, but for the better.
SOCIETY OF ILL: I am very pleased to have a piece in this year's student competition. A total of 5 students from MICA got work in (nice job guys), including myself. The show will be in New York, opening on April 30 (my birthday!), with the reception/presentation on May 2nd. To see my entry as well as other winners:
HERE

Moleskine©

Gotta love a new sketchbook. Nothing quite like it. Instead of opting for the usual Cachet 6x9", I chose a Moleskine© 5x81/2" watercolor book. Good choice! I'm trying to fill a full spread a day, and off to a good start.