watercolour

Three Dyads

March 19, 2022

 

I’ve been practicing taking pose ref and building a fictional scene around it, and decided to focus in on people having quiet moments together; I’ve also been trying to use more soft gradients in watercolour, which is DEFINITELY one of the trickier parts of the medium, so it’s been a great challenge! It’s also taught me the value of good watercolour paper, but I suspect that’s a lesson I’ll keep re-learning. So far the Fluid 100 line, which is 100% cotton, has been holding up better than I expected for something so affordable! Not quite as cheap as the paul rubens 100% cotton paper, but available in much bigger sizes.

It’s maybe not evenly distributed yet throughout these drawings, but I am trying – for real, really really trying – to find a fun and charming and simple way to cartoon faces that feels repeatable for me.

What do you think?

   

G.L.O.S.S. Band Portrait Painting Commission

February 28, 2022

This winter I was approached to work on a commission based on the heavy metal portraits I did as studies last year, which, friends, that’s the dream, hey? Do a personal project, hear from someone who connected with it so much they want a private commission that seamlessly extends that body of work? Incredible!

 

Lowell reached out with a request for a commission of the trans-feminist hardcore punk band G.L.O.S.S., and sent along a few reference photos and a link to this youtube video of a live set, which certainly set the stage for what an earnest, and intense, and also loud! band they were!

So, without further ado, here’s the final painting:

I don’t think this scan quite covers it though, because this piece is also luminescent, and iridescent, and also quite sparkly:

 

It’s also quite large – 12 x 16″, it’s gonna be a great statement piece and I wanted the colours to not worry about realism but to focus on pulling viewers in – while also being as queer as the core politics of this band.

Finally, here are close-ups on the faces, and some other favourite moments of mine:

 

Also, would you like to see a couple in-progress shots from the drawing table? I really treasure these little reminders of how my paintings came into being:

 

By Crom! – Life Advice from Conan the Barbarian

July 17, 2021

By Crom! is a joke-a-panel autobio webcomic featuring life advice from the ever-practical, mighty-thewed Conan the Barbarian. It ran online from 2012-2014 and was collected into a book in 2016 thanks to Kickstarter! As it ran, the art style changed significantly; below is a whole range of samples from the archives, including covers of all the zines and smaller collections; it can all be read for free on WealdComics.com

Watercolour Maps

July 17, 2021

I’m a huge fan of the strangeness of satellite imagery of earth, and how it intersects with how we draw maps for navigational or other uses. I also love watching pigment flow around on a surface, and I’ve been thinking about how liquid dynamics of watercolour can mimic liquid dynamics of water tables, geologically. Which is to say, I’ve been painting watercolour maps. Click in to see them in closer detail: