Posters

SILVER & LEAD, FIN.

12 x 12", Pen & ink on vellum bristol.

SILVER & LEAD, PART QUATRE.

SILVER & LEAD, PART TROIS.

SILVER & LEAD, PART DEUX.

Here's the next art installment for the new, epic EP from Villains Like You.
As mentioned before, all songs are available for download, for the price of $0.00.
Yes, you read that correctly! Now go download some free, fresh music!

Silver & Lead, Part 1 : 'Book' & 'Slugs' can be retrieved here - http://villainslikeyou.com/silver-lead/

I really don't know what I've gotten myself into here. Words of encouragement much appreciated. But I do have a theme, all will be revealed at the end.

SILVER & LEAD, PART UN.

Here we go, folks.

The Delaware based blues-rock trio, Villains Like You, asked me to create some album artwork for their upcoming EP, Silver & Lead. Over the course of several emails, the project ballooned into something far more ambitious. Instead of making hard copies of the EP, the band decided to release the songs in four parts over the internet (first wave to hit soon). I thought it was a neat idea; listeners could piece together the EP over time, building some anticipation for the next batch of songs. It changes the listeners relationship to the songs as well, instead of digesting everything all at once.

Now one piece of art wouldn't cut it. Who wants to see the same image four times? So four new works will be popping up on the blog here, and will eventually connect into one epically strange piece that represents Silver & Lead.
If I did not convey how excited I am for this, I'll try again when the Part Deux arrives in the next few weeks. 'Til then!

And Now For Something Completely Different

Graphite, Ink on vellum bristol, 9 x 12"

Decided to let my line work run free, as its been relegated to sketchbooks and post-it notes recently.
I simply wanted to surprise myself here, and I think it worked. I had a lot of fun.

Text to come soon, please go see The Kickback at Schubas Tavern on 9/22.

Vend Send Mend & The Kickback

Capsule Toys, 9 x 12", Colored pencil, graphite, acrylic, tape on bristol.

Above is my contribution for the Vend, Send, Mend show, with all proceeds going to Japan relief. A ton of talented artists, both established and upcoming, also created pieces. You can see some examples of the work at the VSM Tumblr blog. I wish I could be in Baltimore when the show opens!

In music news, the awesomely friendly crew at Love Drunk Studio shot a new live video of The Kickback last weekend in Lincoln, NE. It looks and sounds amazing - a true feast for the senses. Please view and enjoy! Share it! Pass it around!

The Kickback @ Schubas

Charcoal, graphite, acrylic, scotch tape on BFK, 11 x 15".

Poster for an awesome upcoming show at one of Chicago's best music venues, Schubas Tavern! Best part is I'll be hitting the stage with a new band, The Kickback. 

I've spent the past few months learning material from previous EPs, practicing and trying to fit in, as opposed to updating this blog (you should know by now, I jump back and forth between art/music, and I still haven't figured out how to balance them properly). 

We're in the process of recording a full length album, below are some sketches from the sessions. A typical session holds a whirlwind of emotional activity; exploring everything from guarded hope to the depths of discouragement. That should let you know that we're putting everything, and more, into the record. 

To experience a day in the life of The Kickback, try following our twitter, or listening to the weekly podcasts. If we can't entertain you with music, this is the next best thing.

(L) Tyler lays down some guitar tracks. (R) Billy despairs. 

 (L) Danny monitors our performance and wears a scowl. (R) Billy meditates. 

Come on out to the show! It'll be one to remember.

How to Survive a Fairy Tale

Graphite on Vellum bristol, Photoshop, 11 x 17"

The awesome AD at the Lifeline Theatre was kind enough to ask me to do another poster for their upcoming performances. He knew exactly what he wanted so that made things easier, it was just a matter of making all the elements work well together.
The drawing went by quickly, and I was extremely satisfied with it. Coloring this piece proved to be more difficult. As inspiration, I flipped through my copy of James Jean's Fables Covers, so I originally wanted to do something that would just jump of the page, with lots of eye catching color and a balance of rendered/graphic elements.
But as I finished the drawing, I understood that treatment just wouldn't be right. I thought it would be suitable to go with a muted, rustic color palette - to make it seem as if you came across this illo in the midst of a musty, yellowed fairy tale book. It is still a poster though, so it has catch the eye.
The palette was just all over the place until I checked out some of Arthur Rackham's beautiful work, which relied more on tones with subtle washes of color. It definitely helped me wrestle the colors into something more uniform and appealing.
I wouldn't say that I am happy with the color, since there seemed to be endless possibilities. A slight change of hue or saturation in one area would drastically alter the rest of the piece. But at some point you have to make a decision and stick to it, there are deadlines to consider!

Final drawing

You can take a look at my previous effort for the Lifeline Theatre here.

I'll be finishing another music portrait soon!

Brothers

Graphite, Charcoal, Scotch tape on Vellum Bristol, colored in Photoshop

7 x 10"

It's no secret that The Black Keys latest album, Brothers, was one of the best listening experiences of 2010.

My favorite tracks: Everlasting Light, Tighten Up, Unknown Brother and Never Gonna Give You Up. Adding some simple bass and keys did amazing things for their sound (fuller, richer) and the songwriting is more efficient than ever.

This piece, in almost every aspect, is the complete opposite of what I was doing in the previous post. With M.I.A. it was all about diving into some chaos and seeing what sense I could make of it, but here I meticulously planned, sketched, drew, and colored. I gave myself a very generous amount of time at each stage, and to be honest it was tough. I've become accustomed to working quickly and zipping through each stage with too little retrospection. It's far too easy (especially when you are working against a deadline with a paycheck in the balance) to forget to give yourself a little time away from the work, and come back with a fresh pair of eyes.

I tried a different color palette than I would normally choose, and I want it known that it was incredibly difficult to resist throwing some bright, saturated orange in there.

Doing work for myself/portfolio has been therapeutic, I'm feeling more inspired than I have in a good while. Expect more music pieces in the future!

Sketch of the composition. Beginning of final drawing.

Final drawing complete! Preliminary flatting in PS.

I'm considering getting some prints made of this piece to sell, any chance people would want to buy them? I've been toying with the idea of selling prints of other pieces as well. I'm open to suggestions.

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.

Crime & Punishment

Drawing done w/ charcoal, graphite, scotch tape and acrylic paint, colored in Photoshop.

Another post so soon? Incredible isn't it?

Above is an illo freshly completed for the upcoming January issue of the Urbanite,

with art direction by Kim Michalov. I just gave you a little preview, because I haven't been able to see how it works in the final page layout.

This was for an interesting story regarding old/new approaches to criminal justice. Some attorneys are adamant about being tough on crime, while others are convinced there are cheaper, alternative methods to prison sentencing that can be more beneficial to society.

There was alot to think about - Can alternative sentencing really be effective? Will it be applied to right offenders? What is the tipping point where jail time is the only option? Since these new methods to sentencing are relatively new, its hard to gauge what their outcome and success will be. I ended up doing a fair amount of research about the topic. While the research did generate thoughts and imagery, sometimes that early sketch and gut reaction is what you come back to. With the some tweaking and developing, the final emerged.

(detail)

(Alternative composition)

Up next: The demo for the still unnamed band is nearly finished, so I need to switch gears and do a bit of design work. We're very excited to show it to the world, and play some gigs.

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.

Blood In the Moonlight

10 x 13"
Charcoal, Graphite, Acrylic + Photoshop

Looks like our outlaw was gunned down...
Poster for Villains Like You.
I've been busy with some design work, which has its place but it feels to get my hands covered in charcoal again. Meg and I are planning on doing a pair of posters for this band as well as these guys, who are playing a show together in April. Expect greatness!
Currently redesigning my main website, should be back up any day now.

2xPost : The Valentine Bandit / The Progressive

9.5 x 13"
Charcoal, Graphite, Acrylic, Photoshop

Introducing the infamous outlaw, the Valentine Bandit! He roams the land stealing boxes of chocolate and prickly roses from the couples, and distributes them to the unfortunate singles, allowing them to endure Valentines Day.

I should have another poster for Shakedown before the month is up.

Below is an illustration done for The Progressive, for a short story.
The magazine has always had great illustration inside and out, I am very glad I got a chance to work for them.
AD : Nick Jehlen (Great guy to work for!)

4.5 x 5 5/8"
Charcoal, Graphite, Acrylic, Photoshop

I've Got the Blues

8.5 x 10"

Charcoal, graphite, acrylic

John Sandford, AD for Cicada magazine, was very generous in selecting me as the spot artist for the March/April issue. Its a pretty sweet deal; you get to do a series of spot drawings and one full page piece, all under one theme. Dear friends MR, Kali, and Sam have all been featured in past issues, and I certainly didn't want to disappoint!

I've been listening to old Delta Blues recordings lately, plus I paid a recent visit to Kingston Mines (one of the best blues clubs in Chicago), so the time was ripe to put some imagery to the music.

Robert Johnson

Blind Lemon Jefferson

Leadbelly

Son House

I will update this post with a 5th portrait of Memphis Minnie, one of the few true blues women.

I'll also post the full page with some type. Enjoy!

Murderland

Charcoal, Graphite, Acrylic Paint, Photoshop
9.5 x 11.5"
AD: Lisa Van Horn

Just completed this illo for the Baltimore mag, the Urbanite.
Always wanted to work for them since first seeing my teachers' (Cornel Rubino, Warren Linn) work being published during school.
The piece is for a book review about the rising rates of homicides in America. I did a ton of sketching and redrawing, but its always worth it in the end.
Should hit the stands in January!

I'll be posting the page layout soon.

3..2...1...

Charcoal, Acrylic, Photoshop. 11 x 14"

Imagery for an upcoming show performed by the Balty band, Light Trees. This band's music is just so different than what I am used to listening to, I felt it required a little something extra.

Speaking of bands, if you haven't listened to Them Crooked Vultures yet, I highly recommend doing so.

All Hallows Eve

Make Halloween a two day event by going to this show!

(sans photoshop)
Charcoal, Acrylic, Graphite
11 x 14''