Passion for Life by Stephen Silver

I'm reading this book for the 2nd time now and I had to stop and post about it. It's called "Passion for Life" by super talent and fellow Imaginist: Stephen Silver.

Full of amazing art, wise words of wisdom and encouragement! Motivating and honest... I love it.

Highly recommended.

You can purchase it off of Silver's site HERE

Cardboard and Co-Workers

A little something different for today...

If you work in an office anything like mine, there are two realities that you will understand. Co-workers and impromptu crafts.

Any office will experience occasional lulls, and it's during these times that you look at whatever materials are lying around the office and find a way to craft them into artifacts of boredom reduction. In the case of my office, we often receive and send things, which means boxes, which means cardboard. Sometimes I simply put a cardboard tube on my arm and pretend I'm a cyborg, but other times I draw Skeletor's torso on a cardboard poncho, and pretend I am the Lord of Destruction. There have been paper moustaches, dioramas of Peeps murdering each other, styrofoam capes and boas, dog snouts made of paper cups, and more. For years, two cardboard box lids with happy faces hung on the wall in front of my desk. I only recently took them down because I want to preserve them somehow (perhaps by having them mounted on wood blocks).

Accompanying you on these lulls and cardboard larks, are your co-workers--the people who are in the trenches with you everyday, the people who you see more than almost anyone else, and the people who understand your countless in-jokes. In my case, these are the people who understand that when I walk up to their desk, and they ask me how I am doing, I will punch myself in the stomach, make a fake barf noise, and they will reply, "I hear ya."

Yesterday was the last day of a co-worker and good friend of mine, who's moving on to bigger and better. Erroneously, she had decided that she was sad about leaving--so I realized quickly that I am by far the awesomest thing in the office, and manufactured this cardboard android as a substitute co-worker to accompany her in her new endeavors:

click above for larger view

I had always intended to make an occasional foray into three-dimensional art on this blog, but here I am finally doing it. This crude standee stands about a foot tall, was sketched on a dismantled Fed-Ex box, detailed with magic markers, cut with ordinary old scissors, and assembled with packing tape and a single conspicuous brass brad.

Alvin Lee's Comic Book Portfolio Workshop starts July 31.

My friend and super talent ALVIN LEE has his Comic Book Portfolio workshop on SCHOOLISM.com starting July 31st. Register today and learn from an awesome professional and teacher.

Check out some of the TESTIMONIALS.

And check out Alvin Lee's new site: ALVINLEEART.com

This is what Comic-Con does to you...

I guess if I'm trying to use the back end of a spoon as a straw, it must mean I'm pretty tired?

Time to sleep!

computer cats

This is what usually happens when I try and spend some time in front of the computer. God I love these two!

Kei's Assassin Vinyl is available at Comicon and Alice in Wonderland Trailer!

Hi all,

It was a lovely surprise yesterday to see Kei's vinyl toy has come in as well! Come to our booth at G6 & G7 in the 800 area to get your hands on an Assassin Vinyl Toy! I only have 9 more of these so first come first serve. $80 each.


Bobby

Also just released: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland Trailer! In this trailer you can see a bunch more cool characters we helped designed!

Comicon exclusive Big Foot Vinyl!

Hi all,

My vinyl toy has come in! Come to our booth at G6 & G7 in the 800 area to get your hands on a very limited (100 in total) Comicon exclusive grey version of my Big Foot vinyl toy! I only have 18 of these lovely little buddies so first come first serve. $70 each.



Unfortunately the life drawing book didn't make it to the con. It's stuck in customs.

Bobby

DARKSEID IS.

Here's Darkseid, pretty much as seen in the final Justice League Unlimited episode, "Destroyer." The Omega insignia on his chin is a tip of the hat to JLA storyline Rock of Ages.

This one had been lying around half-colored on my computer for a long time (about 2.5 years), and I finally got around to finishing it up. Pretty basic, but I think it more or less works.

I'm away at Comic-Con, so this post was written in the distant past of earlier this week, and visits you, dear reader, thanks to the amazing macro-advancements in hyper-blogtronics provided by the super-intelligent mega-androids of the ever-flowing info-webs. We can only dream what I will come up with as a blog subject when I finally return from my epic Comic-Con odyssey in the far-flung future of just a few days from now.

Episodes From Liberty City

Rockstar Games announced that they will be releasing Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. The pack includes both The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony together on disc exclusively for Xbox 360. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be available worldwide October 29th 2009 for $39.99 and will not require a copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.

Rockstar Games is proud to announce the fall release of both the second episode of Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony - exclusively for download on Xbox LIVE online entertainment network, and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, which will include both episode one The Lost and Damned, and episode two The Ballad of Gay Tony together on a single disc exclusively for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Grand Theft Auto IV's second downloadable episode, The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka "Gay Tony"), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City delivers two games on one disc - the all-new episode The Ballad of Gay Tony and the first episode, The Lost and Damned - together on disc for the first time - for Xbox 360 for $39.99 and will not require a copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.

Source: rockstargames.com/episodesfromlibertycity

The wedding party

The wedding party last Saturday was fab. Really nice, really intense, with lots of impressions and fun loving memories.

My father and I got on really well and enjoyed each others company, which was nice.

Jannas family is just as lovely as she is, and below is her and our family gathered.

Let Us Pray...

This week, Comic-Con will descend upon us once more. Let us pray that last year's... incident... will not be repeated.

If you're heading down to Comic-Con, please be sure to visit:

• Josh and Vinny signing daily @ Image Comics. Booth 2729.
• Dustin and Derek, who both have tables in Artist's Alley. Table FF-04 and Table KK-08, respectively.
• Karen, Sherri, and Jodi @ the Tired Girl Collective in small press. As mentioned in my previous post, they are also hosting Nathan and his new toy Boris the Raccoon. Even though neither Nathan nor Boris are tired girls. Or are they? Table M07.

silence, please!

The past few days have been filled with fun loving people, dinners and drinks and lots of impressions.

My brother, as mentioned previously, got married a few weeks ago. This weekend the bride and groom hosted a wedding party up north, on our dad’s farm. There has been loads of preparation and pottering mixed with plain old hard work.

I haven’t minded one little bit which - quite frankly - is a bit surprising even to myself.

However, the one thing that has been bothering me is the lack of privacy I’ve had to put up with for the past week or so. I’m used to my own space and I like it that way. I’m used to be able to switch my phone off for a few days, decide to see or speak to nobody and spend time with me, myself and I.

I can’t remember who used to call me a social recluse, but someone did once upon a time (quite worried that person was about my “anti social behaviour”). And fair enough, I love the fact that I have the choice of being so. Just as much as the choice of not being so.

During the last few days I’ve met a lot of new people. A lovely bunch of people they were. As in really, genuinely, lovely. But no matter how lovely they all are I am now more than ready to go back to my tranquil flat down south and listen to a bit of silence. And see the boys again, of course. They are missed!

San Diego Comicon We'll be at G6 & 7 with our Life Drawing Book

Hi all,
Who's going to COMICON this year?
Kei and I (Bobby) will be at tables G6 & 7 (same as last year).
I just learned that we'll also have our newest book "Life Drawing"! Come get them quick because we could only manage to get 100 copies there.

We wanted to make this life drawing book is different. It concentrates on COSTUMED figure drawing with only a few nude poses. Chalk full of tips and words of wisdom from Kei and I.

Unfortunately, we won't be selling the book online until a week or more after Comicon. The books will only be available at Comicon until the full shipment of books arrives at our studio. When the book is ready to be purchased online, people that make a purchase within the first week will get an autographed copy. After that, the books go to our distributor and will not be signed. I'll post more info after the Comicon.

We'll also have a very very limited supply of Water Worlds and Ancient Japan Sketches at the con. These books are currently sold out but I found a few extra copies in a box when we moved to our new studio a couple of weeks ago. I apologize but these will not be available online as well... only at the Con.

BONUS POST: Boris the Raccoon! Now Available!

I only mentioned it in passing, but Nathan's new designer toy, Boris the Raccoon, has been getting a decent amount of coverage:

• Vinyl Pulse
• Plastic and Plush
• Toy Cyte

Yesterday, in a rare excursion into the outside world, I attended the official launch party for Boris at Meltdown Comics. Vinyl Pulse has posted coverage here. Err... I mean coverage of the launch party, not of my attendence thereof.

Here's a picture of the Boris that I purchased, now integrated into my menagerie of desktop toys!

click above for larger view

Also pictured: Shia Lebouf, Optimus Prime, G2 Sideswipe, Wreck-Gar, Mer-Man, Slash, and my Wacom tablet.

Boris is created by Nathan Hamill, sculpted by David Kawano, and produced by U1 Toy Arts. He's available for purchase at the U1 Toy Arts website, and will be sold at Comic-Con at the Tired Girl Collective table in small press (Table M07). More Comic-Con plugs in my next post.

Painting People with Jason Seiler!

Schoolism Online Classes:
The Art of Caricature with Jason Seiler - starts July 24, 2009
By the end of this course, master caricaturist, Jason Seiler, will have you looking at people in a whole new way! For illustrators seeking to add high-end caricaturing to their repertoire, this course is a must!

Jason is a personal friend of mine and an incredible artist. I always say the best thing I could teach my students is how to learn not just my way to do things but as many different people as possible. Different ways to draw, paint and think.

9 lesson workshop with personal video feedback from Seiler on your paintings.

Register at SCHOOLISM.COM

Here's a quote from an amazing artist and former student of Jason's: Patrick LaMontagne.

Having drawn caricatures for editorial cartoons for a few years, I was
pleased with the progress I was making, but was looking for some
instruction to bring my work to the next level. Having long been a fan
of Jason's work, I was hoping that taking some training from him could
help me breathe more life into my caricatures, give me more of a dynamic
style and more confidence in my abilities. I wasn't disappointed.

This course requires a solid commitment, and if cost seems high,
consider this...you get what you pay for, and for the amount of
knowledge and skills I gained, plus the individual instruction and
attention, it was a bargain.

Jason's teaching style makes him a pleasure to learn from. He speaks in
a casual, easygoing manner with a great sense of humor, while still
being organized and professional. The lessons are well thought out and
proceed at a manageable pace, each lesson building very well upon the
one before. I never felt as if I hadn't been prepared for what was
required of me in the assignments, and his 'one on one' critiques were
very valuable to help me figure out where I went right and what I could
improve on. Jason was also generous with his time by answering email
questions and regularly offering suggestions and advice. What I was
most impressed with is his positive attitude and optimism.. He has a
passion for his work and obviously wants to foster that in his students.

This course was the best part of my work week from start to finish, and
I was disappointed to see it end. In what seems like a very short time,
my work changed dramatically and I got more out of this course than I
could have hoped for. If Jason ever teaches an advanced course on
caricature or any other course for that matter, I'll be in the first class.

If you're serious about becoming a better caricature artist, do yourself
a favor and take this class. You won't regret it.

Patrick LaMontagne
Canmore, Alberta, Canada

Register at SCHOOLISM.COM

Super Boring

More watercolor practice, inked over with a Sakura Micron 05, and a Faber Castell brush pen (much better than the Sakura brush pen):

click above for larger view

Um... yeah, this pose is a little very boring. And I messed up the eyes--so those were re-done in Photoshop. However, I am having fun figuring out how to mix the colors I want. Nothing further, your honor!

New Jason Seiler Book!!!

The books have arrived! This book is "The Best of Jason's Art" created during the 2008- to present day. This is an oversize volume which includes a fantastic and thorough 4 page painting tutorial and some never before seen pieces.














There are a lot of nice surprises in this book one being highly detailed close ups of selected paintings. Jason enjoys painting and brush work and loves to share the detail of his brush work.

Hard cover, 9x12 inches, 48 pages, full-color, full bleed, sewn pages.
Click here to ORDER my New Book.

SEILER 2008-2009 $25.00 + Shipping.

Predictable Subject Matter

Practicing with actual watercolors this week (not watercolor crayons):

Pelikan brand watercolors; black lines inked with Sakura brush pen. Displayed at roughly actual size.

this is it

The settee. The cats.

not the luckiest of weeks

Good luck is not something I take for granted - simply because I very rarely get a glimpse of it.

Last week was no exeption.

My settee - which has been delayed 6 weeks - finally turned up. Only to be full size and not dismantled as I asked for in the shop. The deliviery guys carried the beast of a settee up 5 floors. Only to find out it just wouldn't fit through my front door.

I was nearly in tears. Phoned the shop, who's owner is a gem. A real gem (and quite good looking too, as it later turned out). He was like "leave it to me. I'll dismantle it myself and deliver it on Wednesday and put it all together again for you". Which he did, bless him.

However, this week I've been working nights, and Wednesday morning I had a hair appointment at Toni & Guy. I was knackered, knew my settee was due in the afternoon, and really didn't want to travel into town. But fringe needed cutting, and it was the only available apt they had.

As I entered the salon and said who I was the receptionist looked baffled and said "but Juliette (my hairdresser) is sick". And they had "forgotten" to call me!! I was fuming. Went home, slept 3 hours before the settee arrived. Luckily all went well with the settee and the shopowner was - as I said - a good looking gem which made the whole episode rather pleasant.

To top this unlucky week off, my brother posted me his travel card a couple of weeks ago, as he himself went up north. These things cost a bomb, and I was pleased I could use his this month. But the post office has lost it!! Hence I've had to use single tickets, which are far more expensive.

Now I've started my holidays and I hope my (un-)luck has changed. Fingers crossed, everybody!

Guess what kind of suit that is. Go on.

If you guessed sharkskin suit, you are correct. Give yourself a cookie--you deserve it. Another practice piece in watercolor crayon:

click above for larger view

Now that's more like it. Not great by any means, but I feel like this piece has got a little more substance to it. Sketched lightly in pencil, colored with watercolor crayon, and inked over with a Sakura Micron (the signature was written with a Sakura brush pen). I wasn't crazy about how the thick line turned out on the previous piece, so I decided to use a thin line over the colors--a technique often utilized by someone who actually knows what he's doing. If I could change one thing on this one, I would have blended some blue into the suit to unify the whole color scheme.

These past two have been an interesting exercise... relaxing too, in their own way. Hopefully I'll be able to fit a few more of these in.

night work

I'm working night shifts this week. I love it in one sence, hate it in another.

It's quiet. I get loads of stuff done at work that I never get to do otherwise. I have time to read through important documents that I've forgotten about.

But I sleep all day. Literally. Not 8 hours. No no. I pass out when I get home and have to force myself up again when the next night shift starts. So my life stands on hold whilst I sort my working life out.

There's a reason why I only do this one week a year. It's enough time to sort out work cupboards and files, enough time not to mess my social life up too much.

Cats think I'm crazy. Don't understand when I'm coming or going, or if it's time to play or sleep. But they cuddle up to me for a while until they get too fed up, then run off to bring me toys. It's OK.

Now I'm off to work. Fruit, biscuits and music in my backpack. See ya!

Fish Out Of Watercolor

Hello there goldfish-rendered-by-me, what do you think of the quality at which you were rendered?

click above for larger view

Junk! Junk, you say? Yeah pretty much.

I felt the urge to experiment with watercolors this past weekend, but all I had were watercolor crayons, and this is what I came up with. First of all, watercolor crayons are, in my opinion, big time cheating. The reason watercolor is tough, is because you have to be able to control/predict the flow of it--but at the same time, you have to go with the flow (literally). At least, this is my understanding of the matter. With watercolor crayons, you just put the color where you want it, and blend it with a wet brush--it takes some control, but not like real watercolor.

This piece was very lightly sketched in pencil (basically I just indicated its silhouette), colored with watercolor crayon, and the black lines were laid down afterwards, with a Sakura brush pen. Clearly, it was rendered without looking at reference of any kind. I'm just practicing, so I did this piece on a scrap of Strathmore watercolor paper--and you can see a vertical crease that goes through the tail.

I enjoy these experimentations, even though the results are sometimes less than spectacular. I'll post watercolor crayon experiment #2 on Friday, which turned out a bit better, in my opinion.

jo, det gick ju från mobilen!

Drawing A Blank

Help!

My camera is broken.

I want to be able to add photos here on my blog from my mobile phone, but just don't know how to! Keeps telling me to send an sms as a log in, which I do, but nothing happens anyway.

Anyone? How do I upload pics straight from my mobile to this blog?