Here, at last, is the finished illustration, "Almost Anonymous." (9 x 12" , acrylics & collage on cardboard). The last time you saw this piece, it was simply a line drawing. But through several hours of meticulous acrylic glazing, I was able to whip it into the shape you see before you.
In the final work, we see that our masked She-Devil has betrayed her lover, and is slicing him open like a fresh fish. Despite his immense size advantage, her victim is caught unawares and easily dispatched. All the poor fool can manage is to unmask her and peer into the face of his own doom, as his kingdom burns around him and Death comes bloody and grim.
I knew I wanted this to be a darker piece, both in tone and actual look. And I ended up putting a lot of time into building up the subtleties in the shadows. When I'm painting (or even inking), I imagine myself physically carving out the deep, dark areas in a piece. It can be a slow process, but I find that it works for my creative mindset. Maybe it's based on my constant craving for process, rooted in my love of printmaking. Or it could be from when I was much younger and worked in clay as much (if not more) than I did in pencil, ink and paint.
Now that I'm back on track with Alphabet Attack!, I'll be kicking into then next piece in Series 3. Look for the raw beginnings of the "B" illustration tomorrow, August 24th.
"My man, where you going? You can't escape. When the Tribe is in the house, that means nobody is safe."
- Dave Crosland
Whew! Sorry for being M.I.A. on the blog posts. But I've had to put down Alphabet Attack! for a few days, in order to prepare for the SUPER IAM8BIT exhibition that opens this week!
photo by Jonathan Drake
As some of you may know, I illustrated the poster for the event. And I'll have an exciting piece of art hanging on the walls. But the fantastic crew at IAM8BIT also asked me to come in and art-bomb the bejeezus out of their lovely new space. So between Sunday and Tuesday, I got to rock on two immaculate Galaga arcade cabinets, two doors and an entire flight of steps. SO much fun!
If you're in the Los Angeles area, please join us for the SUPER IAM8BIT opening reception, tomorrow night from 7-11pm (info below). And if you don't live here, fret not. I'll be posting photos online for all to enjoy.
SUPER IAM8BIT
2147 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
*Opening Night Extravaganza: August 11, 7-11pm*
www.iam8bit.com
Attack! Series 3 will be back on track next week. In the meantime, thanks for your patience!
"I don't care, pretty baby. Just take me with you."
- Dave
Egads! Turns out I need to use today to jam on freelance work, so I'm postponing today's post.
But fear not! You can still enjoy the two in depth posts from earlier this week, detailing my creative process. And look forward to a completed "Almost Anonymous," plus the start of next week's illustration, on Monday.
Now, I'm off to paint some comic pages!
Have a swell weekend,
- Dave
Picking up where I left off on Monday -- I wasn't totally satisfied with the "Almost Anonymous" sketch that I posted, earlier this week. So as I worked toward the final illustration, I decided to do some more sketching. I kept things very gestural, trying to nail a composition using as few lines as possible. And I finally hit the mark I was aiming for, with the doodle in the upper left corner of the above image. The feel of that simple figure sketch set off a blaze in my imagination. And that's what I was looking for.
From there, I dove straight into a graphite drawing of what would be the final image. I whipped this out quickly, pouring as much raw power as I could pack into the lines. One of my visual mainstays is energy... motion. So I'm very conscious of maintaining that, through each step of a piece.
This gangsta-ass economy being what it is, there's no shame in recycling materials. Even a scrap piece of cardboard from an old sketchbook can make a worthy canvas. All you need is masking tape, gesso & some pixie dust!
Using scrap board can be a gambit. For instance, when I gessoed the front of this sheet of cardboard, it warped like a bad acid trip. So I flipped it over and gessoed that back, as well. This is a surefire trick for flattening out a warped board. Plus, having a coat of gesso on each side of the cardboard helps make it sturdier in the long run. Boosh!
Since I was so happy with the rough drawing I produced, I decided not to waste time redrawing the whole thing from scratch. Instead, I cut out the most important parts of the sketch (the figures) and collaged them right onto my gessoed board. Normally, I'd use an acrylic medium as a glue. But I'm fresh out of mediums, so I went with my trusty gesso. I applied an even coat where needed. Then I carefully affixed the drawing, making sure to eliminate any nasty air pockets beneath the paper.
Because I used the original sketch for the collage, the loose graphite combined with the gesso to create a pale gray tone. As sloppy as it may look, I could clearly see the important elements of my sketch. And with some colored pencils I stole from a kindergartner, I went in and started enhancing said elements -- solidifying some lines, adjusting others -- until it came out just the way I wanted it.
Next thing I knew, I had a completed drawing, just waiting for me to get all painty with it!
I know this may seem like a lot of extra steps, but I'm a sucker for process. A lot of the classical painters & illustrators whose work I enjoy would create meticulous "rough" drawings and paintings, before finally tackling their finished works. And while it contrasts the impatient pace of modern life, I still feel like those early steps leading up to a finished illustration are essential. That is, when the vast chasm of a deadline isn't two steps in front of me.
Stay tuned for the competed painting, this Friday!
"You can crush us. You can bruise us. But you'll have to answer to, ooo-oh, The Guns of Brixton."
- Dave
The title for this one came to me over a month ago, back when I first started tinkering with ideas for this, the third series of Alphabet Attack! That phrase -- "Almost Anonymous" -- just sorta popped into my head. And being the perv that I am, it immediately lead to thoughts of anonymous lovers... bodies jumbled like a word puzzle in some Caligula tribute, with everyone wearing creepy masks a la Eyes Wide Shut.
Then, it dawned on me to spice things up with a bit of murder. So I landed on the idea of a masked woman, about to make a clean getaway after slicing up her man of the evening like some wild lady-mantis. Only, in his passionate death throes, the unfortunate stud has managed to uncover the gorgeous visage of his sated femme fatale.
The above sketch is watercolor & graphite on mixed media paper, 9 x 12". While it's a rough approximation of what I have in mind for the final piece, I think this is only hitting half of the marks I'm aiming for. Before I take this to canvas or board or whatever, I'll pour over the subject matter a bit more, play with shapes and angles and, finally, attack a composition that I think really pushes what I'm going for here. Glad to have you all along to watch the process unfold!
Stay tuned for Wednesday's post, which will feature the next exciting steps of this week's illustration!
"I'm not a player. I just crush a lot."
- Dave
This coming Monday marks the long-awaited start of Alphabet Attack! Series 3. So I thought I'd let you know what's in store....
No More Fan Art
Series 1 & 2 consisted entirely of "fan art" -- illustrations based on science fiction and comic books that are well known in the realm of Pop Culture. But for Series 3, I'll be dealing entirely with creator-owned subject matter. I had a blast and learned a lot with the first two runs of Alphabet Attack!, drawing some of my favorite characters from Star Wars & Battlestar Galactica to G.I. Joe & Transformers. But getting to work with people & worlds of my own make & design is a big part of this next phase of the blog.
A New Format
Rather than the Monday through Friday, daily rush to bring you fresh drawings, Series 3 will be presented in a weekly format. Basically, Alphabet Attack! is about to become an in depth process blog, with updates three days a week --
Monday - I'll post the alphabet alliteration phrase for the week, along with sketches of the illustration I plan on making to go with the words.
Wednesday - You'll get to see the work-in-progress, and read notes on my creative process as I forge ahead.
Friday - The finished illustration will hit the blog and shine for all to see!
So instead of 26 days of art, you'll be getting 26 weeks. To quote Kool Aid Man, "Oh yeah!"
The Future
Alphabet Attack! has been a huge success, mostly because of fan/collector support & enthusiasm. With that in mind, I've decided to add an interactive aspect to Series 3.
Every four illustrations I create for the blog, I'll ask viewers to vote on their favorite one. Whichever of the four pieces wins will go on to be released as a limited edition print. This is the chance for fans to play a pivotal role in deciding which of my works goes on to a second collectible life!
So that's how it's all going to shake out, more or less. I'm so glad you've decided to stick with me and my artwork for this long. And I'm ecstatic to begin bringing you even more delicious eye candy and creative insight through this blog, in the weeks to come.
"Feel good to relax it, shake it on like me! Loose booty!!!"
- Dave
