02.25.13 More Heroic Art!

Hello, again!
Well, it looks like February, 2013 is pretty much over.  Which is fine--being from MN, I have to say February is not my favorite month...April is!) BUT! I got a lot of work done this month on "Hero's Journey," as I'm sure you are aware if you read this blog--and that always makes me happy!  Howver, now I'm going to take a break and focus on "Phantom of the Opera"  for a little while--just a short while--till then, here is a glimpse of what I've been working on:

First, an image of Ondine: she is a demi-goddess who is trapped in that tree! She's not very happy about it. She acts as the "magical helper" and also calls Hero to his quest.  What a helpful magical friend!

Here is another Valentine image for Orehn, the "shadow-self".  I didn't intend for this to be another Valentine but he was making that heart-shape and it just seemed so right.  I think this image captures his overall grumpiness quite well.  He's a surly guy.

Now here's an image of Hero as a hero!  This is the special armor that Demeter gives him toward the end of the book.  He can fly with those shoes!

And here is a sketch for an image of Sayid, the "side-kick" playing his magic flute:

And speaking of Sayid, I've been working a lot on developing the look and feel of his kingdom.  It is a very rich and artful culture but a culture with a lot of class inequities which he would like to change when he becomes King.  He's such a forward-thinking guy.  Here are some sketches for his kingdom:

I can't wait to get to this part of the book because I'm going to going to have a lot of fun with all the architecture and patterns and fabrics, textures and colors--OMG, I can't wait!!. :-D

Well, thanks, again for visiting my studio!  you are always welcome. (:

But, I think I've been working a little too hard this month and now it's time for a nap.  But check back next week for more art from me, Beckaroo! 

(You love it!)

Till next time!

--Beckarooo

2.18.13 Another process post!

Hello out there!
This weekend I got a lot of work done on "Hero's Journey" which is wonderful!
  As you may already know, I started a Tumblr page for Hero:  http://herosjourneycomic.tumblr.com
I haven't posted much, yet, because I just started it-- but just watch as it grows!  I have a lot of little images in mind to throw up there to educate everyone about the book, Joseph Campbell and the hero's quest mono-myth!  So go ahead and check it out.

Now, on to the art...

I got so much work done this weekend and that always makes me happy.  I decided to make some solid illustrations of the characters to get their colors down and to be more comfortable all around because practice is always a good thing for artists.  Here is the image I designed for Sayid, the Side Kick.  He is a prince of a very powerful kingdom which is known for their fine fabrics and rich culture. I thought he should be showing that off in this image.
Here's the initial sketch:

This sketch is about 2" by 3"

Here is the final drawing that I used for the final line drawing.

Now, here are the final inked lines....

....AND the final image!  Actually this is about 98% done.  I have a few little clean-up things to do so don't look too close!

Sayid is not your average prince--he's had to make his own way in the world so he's more well-rounded than you would initially think.  He's also quite a talented musician, FYI....
Well, as stated earlier to see more "Hero's Journey" stuff go to http://herosjourneycomic.tumblr.com

As always, a week cannot go by without me drawing something in the Paris Opera House!  I'm working on the Grand Escalier for my next image from that world and these two drawings are the winners for the week--hope you like them!

I love how the curved lines interact with the straight lines behind them.   Don't you just want to walk up those stairs??

Here is one of the sculptural candelabrum.  These ladies have some serious arm muscles...I'm a little jealous. (:

Well, I'm on a roll and so I'm going right back to work!
But before you go here is some Sock Monkey Love for you:

Sock Monkey BFFs

Want more Sock Monkeys?  Check out http://sockmonkeycouture.tumblr.com
Thanks for visiting my studio!  Come back next week for another peek at all the work I'm doing.
Till next time, be well, my friends!
--Beckarooooo!

2.14.13 Happy Valen-Times!!!

Well, hello there!
It's Valentine's Day and in the spirit of heart shapes, chocolates and the colors red, pink and lavender, I bring you these "Hero's Journey" Valentines:

These ones didn't make the cut but I still think they are cute.

As you may have noticed from the web address on the bottom of the image I started a Tumblr page for "Hero's  Journey".  It's going to be full of images and descriptions of the characters--all kinds of info about the book.  I will be updating it every Thursday.  This way you can learn more about Hero's world and it's a pretty awesome place.  Lots of crazy stuff can happen there.

Moving on ... last week I showed you sketches for 2 illustrations I'm working on for Hero's Journey.  Here they are now fully inked. ....I'm pretty happy with them.  Check it out:

Sigh....so sad.  So pretty.

Sayid, the Side Kick and Prince of the Kingdom by the Sea.

Here is something I'm really proud of!  Check out that chandelier--and everything else.  Honestly, a drawing or painting or whatever of the Paris Opera House can't help but be amazing.

Sublime.  Now I need to come up with the perfect title.

When I've completed this image I will post a lot of the sketches I did to lead up to it...so, so many.  My next Paris Opera House Illustration will be of the Grand Escalier. I haven't decided what's going to go on there yet so I have some thinking to do.

Now I'm changing the subject entirely!  I love to make Sock Monkeys and for proof of this if you scroll WAY back to the beginning of this blog you will see some of my older sock monkey comics.  Long story short--I started a Tumblr full of Sock Monkey photos--because they are so fun to take pictures of!
For example:

Thoughtful Monkey

Sock Monkeys.  Lots of Sock Monkeys.

What can I say?  Sock Monkeys make everyone smile.  (:   Here's a link to the Tumblr:  

sockmonkeycouture.tumblr.com

People seem to like it--and who doesn't like a sock monkey??  Is that possible?  

Well!  This has been a fantastic and wonderful Valentine's Day post!  But now I'm afraid I must depart.  I'm about to go ski until they kick me out. Don't worry, I'll be polite when it happens. (:

Have a loverly day, friends and thanks for the visit!

More next week!

--Beckarooo

02.04.13 A New Post for the New Year...Finally!

Hello!
Welcome back to my blog!  I skipped the month of January because I got that really bad flu and it was really bad. For real. So I took some time off--like coma time, I was mostly unconscious for the month of January--but now I'm back and healthy and I will start this year with some sketches because this is the time of year for planning.  Pretty soon I'm going to get bogged down with coloring books and posters and actual final pieces that must be produced.  ...which I love :-D
  I will start with some "Phantom of the Opera" sketches because wow!  you guys out there really like it--thanks!!  Here's the finally final sketch for the image of Christine on stage:

It's finally reached "I'm happy with it" status!  Soon it will  be inked and colored  and sooooo pretty.  (:

  The next image I'm working on for "Phantom of the Opera" is a scene of Erik and Christine in the cellars.  I'm just trying to get a feel for the lighting  at this point so these sketches are pretty sloppy but I think the image idea comes across strongly...

I love the Phantom but he's really such a creep sometimes.

   I like working on "Phantom of the Opera" as a side project to "Hero's Journey" because it's darker and it calls for a more detailed style that challenges me, artistically.  I love Hero but it's like eating too much ice cream sometimes.  I hope that makes sense to you because it's the best way I can think to describe it. Speaking of Hero...
  I've also been making a lot of progress on "Hero's Journey."  I have the script mostly completed now so I've started to work on the pages.  I just finished sketching out a montage/back-story sequence and even though I find those scenes annoying to draw people tell me I'm good at it ... I'll let you be the judge.  (:

Since Ondine is a water nymph I tried to make the composition very wave-like.  Also water is representative of emotion and look at Ondine--she's so sad.  ):

I actually really love that last image--so much so that I decided to make a conceptual image of it for Ondine.  I'm working on a few conceptual images for "Hero's Journey."  Here's a peek at some of them:

SIGH!!  poor Ondine!  She's been through a really rough time.

I'm really liking this image of Sayid, the Giraffe!  It's going to be super pretty when it's done. 

Last, but not least, I thought I'd share this final image of my little friends Helen and Adam.  I made this for their parents for X-Mas.  I think it turned out great!  I love it and their parents did, too. And so did Helen--and she's who I was really trying to please. (:

  So, as you can see, even though I sometimes forget to post or maybe I lose interest in the blog for a while (Sorry!)  I am always working on something and I will always eventually post something!  So rest assured if you don't hear from me, it's because I'm working too much.  And speaking of that I have to get going--there's only so much time in a day and I have a mountain of work ahead of me.  

  Thanks again for visiting--more next week!  

Beckaroooooo!!

12.24.12 A very Phantom post!

Hey, guys (and ladies!!)!
 Well, what do you know?  Here I am posting on my blog for you even though I'm on vacation.  You know what that is? Love.
  Speaking of Love.....I've been reviewing all the traffic stats on my blog and I've found that the work you all seem to love by far the most is the concept art for my adaptaion of Gaston Leroux's "Le Fantome de L'Opera" ("Phantom of the Opera," you non-French speakers!)  I can't blame you because I Love it, too. This is why I've compiled all the Phantom concept art I'm willing to show you right now into this one very Phantom post!  MERRY Christmas!!!
   I'm not sure if I've professed my deep and undying Love for "The Phantom of the Opera" very clearly on this blog. I've read that novel more times than I can count, I've seen the play on Broadway 3 times (making that 5 times total) and seriously, I never get tired of it. I can't explain it! It's a really well-crafted story and the main reason I want to adapt it is because that beautiful story is almost always butured beyond recognition in adaptations. This is something I want to correct for Phantom Lovers everywhere--and for those of you who only know that there is a masked freak living under the Opera House I can't wait to introduce you to Erik, the Phantom, who I think is one of the most creative, innovative and amazing characters ever created. NOW on to the art....

  Let's get started right off the bat with what I know you all really want:  Erik and Christine!

Okay, I'm not interested in making Erik a sex-object because he's actually pretty frightening and icky--he's like a walking corpse--like one that's been dead for a while, too--think of an unwrapped mummy.  I want him to have the feel of a spider, luring his prey and then attacking it at its most vulnerable moment.

  I've decided it's time to created a fully fleshed out, colored conceptual illustration. These next drawings are for an image of Christine Daae singing on stage--but it's more about the breathtaking auditorium.  Oh so beautful!  The image on the left is a sketch I did over a year ago--so this image has been in my head for awhile--honestly, probably years and years and years....

The image on the right is, at least, compositionally, how I want it.  A few minor tweaks and it's ready to go on to be finished.  Also, I want her dress--she's got a bouquet of roses on her butt!

These are additional sketches for the same scene....I see things very cinematically so when I look at this image I see her moving and I hear her singing.  Imagination is the best thing, ever!  Plus, Christine is so pretty--and a blonde, people, she's Swedish!!

  Ultimately, I want my adaptation to really capture what Leroux was trying to get across.  One of those things was the magesty of Garnier's Opera House in Paris. The Opera House, itself, is a very important character in the book--much the way Notre Dame Cathedral is in Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." And the way the island was a character in "Lost."  Because of this it is very important, in my mind, to get to know and be comfortable drawing this space with or without a reference.  So I've been drawing it, studying  floor plans and cross-sections and watching documentaries and consuming about anything that I can on the subject.  Someday when I'm actually at the Paris Opera House I don't think will need a tour guide because I'm pretty sure I know where everything is and it will be really interesting to see how reality matches up with my mind's construction. Here are some of the sketches I've done of the Grand Escalier:

I know it's not perfect but I'm happy with how it seems to draw you in and up--just like Garnier wanted. (:

There are so many things I love about this space, one of them being how very few straight lines there are and how absolutely everything has been embelished in some way.  Ahhh, Neo-Classicism, how I love you, so. 

Here are examples of how I want the finished art to look.  Though I'm still tweaking things, stylistically, these are very close:

Though I really love all the detail, this is going to be in color so I will be toning down the line-work a bit in the final pieaces.  however, none of the magesty or feeling will be lost.  I've got a story for everyone in that crowd, that's why it looks so convincing, FYI.

The left panel is how the color will be:  washed out ochre with red as the only prominent color. 
 

I hope you've enjoyed this taste of my "Phantom of the Opera"!  For all you Phantom fans out there, rest assured more is coming.  I have 2 sketchbooks (TWO!)  full of this stuff.  I've actually storyboarded a lot of it out so I will put a fews scenes together as a teaser in the next couple of months.  I'm currently fleshing out the script--and for everyone out there who does knows this story I want you to know that I am NOT cutting the Persian--he stays!  You're welcome and Merry Christmas!!!

  Well, this has been fun but I'm sure I mentioned earlier that I'm on vacation.  It's time to take care of that relaxing thing I'm supposed to do now......I'm not entirely comfortable with it but I think I should try it out. I hear it does wonders.  :-)

Thanks for visiting this week and thanks for Loving my Phantom art so much!!
Keep coming back for more and, as always, email me with any questions/comments.
Love,
Beckaroooooo!

12.17.12 Oh, 2012, where did you go?

Hey there, friends, fancy meeting you here!
I feel old saying this but wow! this year has gone by fast.  I'm looking forward to 2013 because 2012 was really interesting for me. And of course, I gotta start thinking about the one New Year's resolution I make every year.  Only the very close to me know what it is.  Oooooooh!  a mystery.

This week I decided to show you some of the ideas I've been generating for new illustrations.  I've been working on more conceptual art for the two stories I'm actively developing as well as some for the projects I have on the back-burner.  Let's jump right in!

Here are some new sketches for Rabbit St. Cloud.  Now I think I've really got her !! I love her haircut and  I've got the evil eye, contemptuous look down.  See that zombie army behind her?  It's sloppy, I know, but still awesome.  Of all my characters I have to say SHE feels the most real to me.  ....And that scares me a bit......

Here is a nice solid shot of the Squirrel Trifecta:  Two-Tails, Two-Heads and Six-Legs.  Not very original names but Rabbit named them and she's a scientist--they are very linear thinkers.

So here are sketches for a conceptual  illustration for my adaptation of Gaston Leroux's "The Phantom of the Opera".  I can't stop loving this story--it's a sickness, really.  I LOVE the Paris Opera House and this is going to be not just a portrait of Christine Daae but also of the gorgeous auditorium and chandelier.  I can't wait!!

Here is a sketch for an image from Grimm's "The Frog Prince".  I never cared much for this story till I hear Joseph Campball's take on it.  Now it's one of my favorites.  

Last but not least this is a Christmas image for a lovely family I know.  These are two fabulous kids who are so fun to be around!  I wanted to capture the freedom of a child's imagination--how they can transform the mundane into an amazing adventure. This image is almost done and I'll post the final next week--so check back!!

  That is not nearly all I've been doing but it is all I'm posting this week!  I guess you'll just have to come back next week if you want more--and I have SO much more for you!
  Well, till then I'm off to sketch, sketch, draw, draw, process, process.  All for you.  :-)
Be well, my friends!  Here's some good advice:  Avoid the icy roads because OH MY GOD.  I thought I was going to die so many times last week!!!  But as it turns out, I'm a really good driver.  Must be all those spatial relational skills I've developed over the years.  See the power of Art?  it can save lives!! (:
  Thanks for visiting!!
--Beckarooooo!!

12.03.12 Landscapes ...

Well, friends, it's the time of year when I'm extra happy I'm an artist because I don't have to worry about what to get people for Christmas/Hanukkah.  So I'm busy at work making Christ-mukkah presents for the family.  And that's all I'll say because they are my family and they read this blog!
  This is all good timing because I need a break for a bit from "Hero's Journey."  I also wanted to get in some more practice with color. Also, I'm sure you've noticed that most of my work is human or animal in subject and I decided it was time to do something outside my comfort zone. I've been really into landscapes lately  so these last couple weeks I've been working on that.  Landscaping has been very fun and definitely not what I usually do but I will be doing more in the future, for certain.
 The inspiration for these next two illustrations began when I was reading into the Victorian flower language (which is one of my favorite ways to insert symbolism into my work) and I stumbled across a flower called Dartura--but WAY back in the day they called it "Moonflower"  and then I had a vision of these glowing, phosphorous flowers and so I decided I would make that happen as a sort of practice assignment for myself.      I documented the process a bit so, here you go:

This is a sketch I did of actual Dartura Flowers with a little embellishment, of course, artistic license and what-not . . .

Here is the line drawing based on that sketch.  Hello, Little Spider Friend!

The almost completely finished piece.  I like it but it's a little "girly" looking to me.  I'm trying to be okay with that.  (:

This sketch/image I like much better.  This I drew after I learned that this flower used to be called "Moonflower" and I imagined looking up at them in the middle of the night.  I also imagined them to have a magical sort of glow so they would earn their name.  SIGH....So pretty and peaceful, I love it.

Here is the line drawing.  Not much without the color so let's just quickly move on ...

Oh how I love this!  It's like a snap shot of my imaginary world. This one is getting framed and put up on the wall--it's a winner! I Hope you like it as much as I do!  (and PS can you spot the spider?)

  These glowing flowers will appear in Hero's Journey so you could think of them as conceptual art, as well.
So .... I'm not doing a very good job of taking a break from Hero's Journey, am I?  Maybe someday I'll learn how to relax properly. :-)

  More stuff!!  Here are some fun motion drawings I made of the baby I spend the most time with.  She's the cutest baby I've ever seen--you may not believe me--or you may think I'm biased--even with these drawings as proof--but, trust me, she is ALL personality and, believe me, she knows how to work it.
  She's my little Boo!!  I've been doing motion drawings of her once a month since she was 7 months old.  This is her at 9 months, 9 days:

I wish I could do her cuteness justice!!

So that's been my work-packed week!
  I wish I could stick around and post some more stuff but it's been a strangely busy week for me and I've got to go!  I'm running late!!  Be well, all my internet friends!!
Thanks for visiting, again!
More next week--
Beckaroooooo!!!

11.26.12 Hero's Calling

Well, hello, friends!
Welcome back to my little blog.  Today I'm finally posting the first 9 pages of Hero's Journey completely finished for you--Happy Holidays!
  I actually finished these awhile ago but when I was working on them I was really sick and it took me a while to be able to look at them without feeling a rush of nausea.  Thank the gods (uh-oh, I've been scripting too long when I start talking like my characters!!)  that's over because I really like the way it looks.  ...speaking of writing ...
 When people say a picture says a thousand words, that is literal truth.  I find the written word to be a clunky and inefficient method of delivering information. What I could say with one picture is equal to paragraph after paragraph of information.  With a picture I can communicate what I need to tell you in milliseconds -with the written word it can take several minutes--dependent on the reader's cognitive abilities--and of course you have to phrase everything just right, too.  I don't have that kind of time, okay??  So this is ultimately my problem when it comes to writing.  When you know a better way, why revert to something less efficient? Unfortunately, it is necessary and don't get me wrong, the written word is the best invention of all time--Go words!!  But I'll be happy when I'm done with this script--and I'm almost done--then I can get back to what I do best.  ... and I won't complain about it anymore, I promise! That was it! I swear!!
 So here we go! the first 9 pages--

  Oh SNAP, Hero--you're about to get called!
 I love how this is looking and I'm so glad I don't feel insta-sick anymore when I look at these pages--that gives me hope for renewing my relationship with sweet potato fries! (food poisoning, you know how it is...)
  Anyway, this art is like ice cream for my eyes--I don't make art I don't like looking at, FYI, and I hope it is just as aesthetically pleasing for you!
  These are the only finished pages I'll be posting to this blog but worry not--there will be lots of concept art and other fun things coming all the time, I mean I don't even post half of what I'm actually doing.  All I'm trying to tell you is, savor and enjoy this little taste of Hero's Journey because it's all you're getting for a while.  I will let you know when it's printed and ready to be purchased--don't worry about that!
  Also guess what?  My new website will be up a short while and I'm soooooo excited!!
Be well and enjoy your last month before the Apocalypse!!!! (according to SOME folks, anyway ... )  I'm planning a party--an
 "End of Days/Big Disappointment Because Nothing Really Happened Just Like Y2K Party"!
  It's going to be a blast.  (:
As always, contact me via email for any info!
Peace and Love and Happy Holidays!
Beckarooooo!!