"Raphael is Cool but Rude"

So THIS is happening tonight and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I think I did this once before (about 8 years ago) and it was a smash hit, so we're doing it again. THE TIME HAS COME! I even looked up a recipe for vegetarian "toytle" soup but decided we should probably just stick with pizza. Special thanks goes to Ben and Amber for loaning us their projector to project the shit out of this movie. Man, I love being a turtle.

Ilan Schraer Illustration

For the last 7 weeks I've been taking an Illustration Fundamentals coarse at PNCA, as part of their continuing education program. The class turned out to be much more focused on the business side of illustration than I anticipated, but I've still been learning some good tips about the illustration world and how to better present myself as a professional. One project we've been working on is developing a "brand logo" for our illustration business.; an iconic image that we can put on business cards, letters, merchendise, etc.. I've already created something like this for my etsy store, but I thought it would be good to have another one for freelance work. Here's an idea that I've been tinkering around with:


I've used the walrus several times in my work so I thought it was a fitting icon, but I'm curious to see what it would look like in watercolor or an ink wash. I'll probably mess around with that a bit later, when I'm not swamped with work. Keep the faith dear readers. Summer WILL come!

Mercury is in the Toilet

I got to do another illustration for The Portland Mercury this week! The article is about new bathroom construction in public parks so a toilet in the park seemed the best way to go. Black and white for the printed version and color for the internet.



I was asked to revise my original design because it didn't look enough like a toilet, but I miss the charming eyes and smile of the toilet in the design below. Oh well, that's the illustration business I guess.



Hope everyone enjoyed the splash of nice weather we've been enjoying the past two days, because it looks like it's going to rain again tonight. When is summer coming??

Last Roundup

Here's the final flier for the show. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, though if I had more time I would have liked to throw some more details in there and really fine tune some things. Maybe mess around with some water color on the original drawing. Check out the band on their myspace page (which is apparently Myspace's only function now) and then check out the show on May 21st!

If you notice the lettering is reminiscent of the Muppet Show Logo. This was completely unintentional. Please do not expect Muppets to be performing at this show.

Last Concept

This is the rough drawing that we eventually went with for the final version. I'll post that up tomorrow. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

The Old West : NOW IN 3D!

Here's concept sketch #2 for the show flier I'm working on. I started working on the final one yesterday and will hopefully be putting the finishing touches on it today. Keep your eyes peeled, dear readers.

Hipster Cowboy: Part 1

I'm working on a show flier for James Dean Kindle and the Eastern Oregon Playboys and before I settled on a final concept I drew up a few different ones to have the band pick from. Here's the first one I did, using a portrait of Wyatt Earp as inspiration. This is what he would have looked like in 1986 if he was a Daytona Beach police officer on a sitcom. Can't you just picture him in a jet-ski chase wearing blindingly white short shorts?

Thievery!

This wasn't the face that I made when I found out my backpack had been stolen out of my car last Thursday, but it sure could have been. As some of you know I've been in a bit of a funk the last week due to this theft which included both of my primary sketchbooks, art materials, one of a kind reference photos, post cards, my ipod and headphones, and a library book of the adventures of Baron Munchausen. I'm feeling a bit better than I did and making a real effort to stay on the positive side of things. Here's a list of positive things to come out of this situation:

1. While my stuff was being stolen I was seeing an awesome concert. The thief did not get to see this concert, therefore is eternally bummed.
2. Since I post everything on this blog there's only a handful of drawings I hadn't scanned yet, so at least I still have a record of the images lost. (though I am sad I won't get to share the ones I was working on with you folks)
3. I'll have to get a new ipod which will most likely be infinitely superior to my old one. Joke's on you thief!
4. Maybe the thief will be turned on to some awesome music from my ipod which will change him forever.
5. It's always nice to be reminded the uncertainty of life and to not put too much importance on possessions, even artwork. There will be many more drawings in my lifetime no doubt, even better than the ones I lost.

The worst part is just that feeling of violation. The feeling you get in the pit of your stomach, and all those lingering questions. When exactly did he take it? Where is my stuff now? If I had parked on a different street would it still have happened?



Well, enough dwelling on it. Time to move on to BIGGER and BETTER things!

Chicken's Don't Clap!

I had the honor of designing another header for music blog "Chickens Don't Clap!" this year. Derek just got around to posting his year end list so head over there and check it out.

This is a painting in our house that we got at a thrift store, and the tiles I found at SCRAP.

Oh dear, what a colorful mustache!

Here's a first pass with color. For this one I just set some values down in a burnt sienna to "set the stage" for what's to come in the future. I'm having fun with this one so far and it's nice working with a new medium. Especially one that's so hard to control. I'd still like to get looser and more spontaneous with my work. Maybe I'll do another version of this once I'm done with this one without the pen marks.