Product Placement Fun

You see it all the time in film and television, even in video games. It's called product placement. One of the most blatant examples in film that I can recall was in Moonraker, when the cable car crashes through the station wall, revealing a giant 7UP billboard overhead. More subtle approaches are when a film shoots a car chase sequence and every car is a Plymouth or Chevy. Ever notice how one year Bond is driving an Aston Martin, then in his next film it's a Toyota, and another a Mustang? You can see it in Madden NFL and other games - cross promotions with Snickers, Pontiac and Reebok. Manufacturers will pay to have their brands advertised in your product, one way or another.
For this small film pitch, the client showed Chrysler, HTC, American Airlines, and other brands how they would be "promoted" as part of the story.

Scrooge Floor Drawings

Here is another floor drawing that I started in order to get the kids away from the TV. They love drawing alongside me on their own creations as I split up the paper and spread out the supplies. It also serves to get me off my keister and start planning my next studio session.

Long John Silver Returns at Last!!

I recently watched "Treasure Island" with Charlton Heston and a young Christian Bale. If you haven't seen this yet, it is probably because it was broadcast on HBO about twenty something years ago, and only now is released on DVD (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100813/). Artists will instantly notice the color palette is heavily influenced by NC Wyeth's "Treasure Island" illustrations. Striking is the resemblance between his Old Pew painting and the portrayal by Christopher Lee. With a cast including Olvier Reed as Billy Bones, Julian Glover as Dr. Livesey, and Heston himself, this one is my favorite interpretation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. Heston is not to be missed here. His son Fraser Heston directed, and did a bang-up job. Music by the Chieftans.
I did a few fountain pen drawings of my own pirates while watching the film. Always a pleasure.
My all time favorite audio book reading is by Kier Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey). You can get it off iTunes to replace your old cassette copy like I did. Unfortunately it is an abridged version. No one captivates me with voices as much as Dullea reading this tale. Every time I listen to this audio book I am inspired to start drawing. I have a fat folder somewhere in my closet loaded with studies I did years ago when I first played it. One of these days I will post them.

More Scrooge Studies

A few more Scrooge studies, made on vellum for some reason. One was with Koh-i-nor brown drawing ink, the other with Dr. Martin's Bombay.

More of the Tree House

Part of my visual development for one of my personal projects. Made with a Prismacolor Col-Erase Scarlet Red pencil. I picked up the red pencils again last year to help speed along some of my storyboard roughs. I switch supplies frequently so I can keep moving when I get stuck. Unlike many illustrators, I do not have a "technique" for all my jobs. I approach each assignment with the media that might best serve the idea at the time.

"A Christmas Carol" Studies in Ink

I had some good experiences working up more" Christmas Carol" ideas. Since I have no one to please for this assignment but myself, I am enjoying working straightforward, no thumbnails. Instead, I put down the line and create the design stroke by stroke. This method helps me develop a body of ideas that I may expand upon later, almost like a giant thumbnail. Of course, listening again to my audio book gets me in the groove. These were all done with Koh-i-Noor Special Brown Drawing Ink on 16 field animation paper, of which I keep a stack handy at all times.

Woodless Pencils

I recently received a beautiful box brimming with art supplies from Chartpak after I was featured as cover artist on their new "Thalo Magazine." While I was designing my new web site, my kids quickly put me to shame as they busted out one of the amazing "Koh-I-Nor" pencil sets. I decided to get in on some of the action, and took a break from my computer to spread out some paper and continue illustrating Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol." I am glad I did.

"Koh-I-Nor Woodless Color Pencils" quickly surpassed my expectations. Smoother than your typical wax or graphite pencil, these weighty little pencils actually entice me to draw. Similar in feel to an all surface pencil, I love the ease with which the pencil glides over the surface. I drew Scrooge on 89" x 30" rolled sign paper, using one of the blue pencils in a set of 24 mixed colors. I then introduced two colors from the "Grumbacher Finest Series I Watercolor" tubes, Thalo Blue and Burnt Umber, mixed together for a wash effect. My approach is not exactly a traditional use of the medium, but one that I am comfortable with for a quick block-in of color and value. The quality of the paint is as satisfying as the Acrylic paint my students used in last years "Grumbacher Educational Workshop Series." Grumbacher seems to have come a long way since the quality I experienced while in art school in the mid 80's.

Working big brings me back to my old school training. I found it refreshing and liberating when designing this Scrooge entry to draw straight ahead, in large format with no studies or thumbnails. The idea is not to create something finished, but to generate enough excitement that I will be conditioned to return again tomorrow to continue my exploration of this theme. I think it worked.

I listened to "A Christmas Carol" on audiobook, from an iTunes purchase. This version, narrated by John William Hawthorne and published by "Roberson Audio Publication" is the best of the several I have listened to. Listening to source material while I work is one of my favorite methods of illustration, one which I use whenever possible.

If you are experiencing frustration and fatigue counting pixels like me at times, get on the floor with your favorite supplies and start drawing. Not only will you make a breakthrough, but you will feel a smile return to your insides.