Howdy, all! Welcome to another post in which I regale you with tales from illustation's underbelly. Just kidding! Illustration's fun!
First, I would like to plug a few fellow artists doing their thing. I'll start with those crazy folks over at The Autumn Society. If you want to see some artwork by Philly's finest, I would suggest checking out their blog. New folks are joining, and its growing like mad! Also, a few Autumn Society members will be attanding the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend. It would be a mistake to miss that table of goodies!
Next up regarding Philadelphia, my good buddy Josh Robeson will be having a show of woodcut prints tonight at 712 S. 4th St. Please stop by and check it out. Sadly, Josh's website is under construction, but hopefully he'll have images on Flickr or Myspace.
And finally, Jinxed on 5th St, off South St, is hosting "Homegrown," a show of artwork by Philadelphia artists including the talented Alicia Neal, Danielle Rizzolo, and Leanne Biank. I think alot of Autumn Society memebers are in there, too!
Speaking of shows, the coffee shop show at Zuzu's is definitely happening. I sent Nate, the manager, some links to other illustrators, and he liked some so the show will take place this winter. Also, upon skipping out of the studio early a while back, I ran into Dan, owner of OpenSpace Gallery. We chatted a bit, a little shop talk. Then Dan mentioned a print show thay are having in December, and he asked me to be in it. Sweet!
Ok, now down to brass tacks. What has happened illustration-wise since my last post? Well, the Houston Press Best of 2008 issue has been published. So now I can show the "Best of Sports" spot illustrations I did at the start of September. I'll write show each blurb, the sketch, then its finish. I only did one sketch per illo as we discussed th econcepts by email beforehand. That was great; basically I said "I'm thinking this..." and she said to hop to it. Also, all of these spots were printed in black and white, but I have since colored them for my portfolio:
Best Basketball Court: The courts at the Downtown YMCA are a solid place to find a pickup game. Or, if you don't have the stamina to physically run the length of a basketball court, there's usually enough space to find an open hoop where you can just shoot around. There's a group of older guys that play Monday nights, but the 50-somethings can hoop. And you know the old guys play dirty. Learn the times for league games, though, because those usually dominate the courts later in the evening and can get intense, especially when the local Pro/Am league swings through. If you're interested in watching the oil industry's finest live out their hoop dreams, check out the Corporate A and B leagues. (my concept was to show businessmen playing basketball to show anyone can use these courts)
The sketch:
The final:
Best Dynamo: Pat Onstad is the best goalie in Major League Soccer. Period. That's why we're glad he plays for us. Nobody tops the keeper's ability at dashing a shooter's hopes of getting a goooooaaaaal! Sure, scoring helps in the winning department, but those points would mean jack if the other team were able to turn around and match them. Onstad also knows his defenders and is able to organize and work around them in order to create one killer first line of defense. If you have any doubts about his skill, just take a look at some recent 2008 season games where he's been MIA. He was actually playing for the Canadian National Team. Oh, Canada, is there anything you can't do? (my concept was Onstad blocking the goal)
The sketch:
The final:
Best Astro: Hunter Pence hit the big leagues like a man on fire last season. Any ball that came close to him, he hit. And any ball that came close to him in center field, he fielded. Not even an injury slowed him down. This season, Pence has become Mr. Indispensible to manager Cecil Cooper. He bats first, second, third, fifth, sixth or seventh, and he hits from any spot in the order. More importantly, Pence moved from center to right field this season without complaint, and already his glove and arm have saved several games. But Pence is also the Best Astro because of his attitude. He always hustles, always runs. He never complains. He just does his job the best he can. Every at bat, every game. (my concept was to show how hot Pence is, game-wise, not attraction-wise. tsk tsk. )
The sketch:
The final:
Best Place to See Fake Wrestling: We wouldn't be surprised if Doomsday sent one of its "wrestlers" to our door to fake beat us up for this award. We tested fate last year by naming the athletic-comedy-acting troupe as Best Comedy Show. But we'll take our chances once again in order to tip our hat to antics that would either piss off the wrestlers of WWF or make them laugh so hard they pee their pants. Forget the fights — the competitors alone will have you in stitches before the bell for round one. Doomsday's roster includes Bill "The Thrill" Korczynski, a geriatric has-been who's been defeated in the ring by more heart attacks than opponents. Kosher Killer, Russian Bear and The Stormin' Mormons make up the ever-increasing variety of beefed-up stereotypes and other fighters we're not so sure about, including Precious Jewels, a gender-bending oppressor who dons a head-to-toe, sparkly pink S&M suit and defeats his opponents by dry-humping them. These guys and more are matched up for bouts that result in both headlocks and hilarity. Ding! (the art director and I agreed this illustrated itself and a more documentary approach was appropriate)The sketch:
The final:
So there you go. These were alot of fun, and I also enjoyed experimenting while coloring them. I think these sports images really add some diversity to the website. Now i just need some more recognizable celebrities.On a side note, I changed up the website, removing the "linear style" all together. I have decided: 1)no one was interested in it 2)I need the space for new work and sowing additional graphic works make that portfolio stronger for 3) next month's promotion and my possibly seeking out a rep. In addition to this strategic move, I also set up a portfolio of graphic work on the ispot. Although no work has come of it yet, I am confident it will produce something as the folks there have highlighted my newest additions on both the ispot blog and the "Whats New" section. Iwas told by Dave, my ispot contact, that these areas are frequented by art directors on a regular basis. A fellow UARTS alum, Jeanine Henderson, just told me that after being featured in the "Whats New" section, she received two job offers within minutes of each other! Cool!
And next up, I'll guess I'll show my newest work, the piece featured on ispot's blog. It is a calendar commission from SF Weekly. It was a pretty straighforward job. I'm sure you can guess the event :)
The sketch:
The final:
I switched up the rider's position, and I think it made the piece much stronger. A bonus is th art director like the piece as well as my being generous and submitting two versions (one with a blue background). He said he will look for a cover for as I have helped him out in a pinch. Nice!And thats about all I got right now. Really close to finishing a piece mentioned a while back ;) So I'll be posting again soon!
Enjoy the Day,
Chris
2 Comments on New Work, Old work, and Promotions!, last added: 9/25/2008
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good GOD these are AWESOME!!! you're getting insanely better with every post/piece
ahhhh! too much! too much! These are incredible Chris. I love all of them!...each one distinctive to their own design, but I have to say the wrestling one is top notch!
P.S. Thanks for the T.A.S.O.P mention too!