WINTER

I find winter very inspiring and I thought it might be fun to do some winter themed pictures. This is a quick character study for one that I'm working on.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday and a happy new year!

INSPIRATION

Here are some pictures that I find inspiring. There's a lot of great art out there, but some pieces seem to have something else to them, some living element that sticks with you long after you saw them. For me, these pictures possess that element and I can always count on them to keep me motivated.

Thanks for stopping by.

Gustave Caillebotte

Pierre Bonnard

Paul Cornoyer

Pierre Bonnard

Edouard Vuillard

Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt

Hashiguchi Goyo

STUDIO

my studio. my cave.

EXPERIMENT

A little media experiment. I'm hoping to incorporate a bit more looseness into my final art so I've been doing studies to figure it out.

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A late night portrait. I used Doug Chayka's pen of choice on this one. I think I'm gonna need more practice.

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I drew these yesterday while helping John English and Brent Watkinson promote the Visual Literacy Program at an art education conference. It was great to meet the super cool and super talented Jason Chan, who was there to help promote the future program.

KANSAS CITY

Hanging with some of the most talented people I know.

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Listening to Mum's "Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is Ok" Why was I not aware of this awesomeness before? I'm glad I finally picked it up.

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A weird one for sure.

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Happy Halloween!

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An Orange self-portrait.

POSTER SKETCH

I've been wanting to try my hand at posters lately. I'm gonna do a few for fun and if they turn out I'll post em on here.

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I just got back from a road trip to Kansas city to visit some friends from college. We did some figure drawing and hung out in Mark English's studio....which was kick ace. These are a few sketches from my trip.

EXPERIMENT

Just a little study I did tonight.

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Almost done with this sketchbook. Its fun doing these kind-of-daily self portraits, but I think I need to get out there and draw some landscapes.

PASTEL

A pastel from a few weeks ago based on a piece of pottery I sketched in The Field Museum.

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I guess this is becoming a daily thing now.

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For whatever reason I've been doing a lot of self-portraits lately. It's been fun to draw with straight pen and see what distortions result.

Thanks for looking.

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I moved to Chicago a few weeks ago and I'm finally settled and getting back to my work. Here are some recent pages from my sketchbook. A couple of these are drawn from Rodin sculptures. It seems like that guy found the most interesting looking models.

Thanks for stopping by.

THE ILLUSTRATION ACADEMY

A couple of weeks ago I taught with fellow former classmates Robin Eley and Andrea Wicklund at the alumni week of the Illustration Academy . It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life as an artist. I feel so honored to have been a part of such a great program. Thank you to John, Brent, George, Doug, Jon, Robin, Andrea, and the all of the students. I had a great time.

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PAINTING FROM LIFE

I feel most like an artist when I can paint or draw from life. For me its the best way to feel like I was there and experienced a place, a time. I'm hoping to get out there and do it again this week. I'll post whatever I end up with.

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ISRAEL SKETCHBOOK (2)

I just returned from a trip to Israel. It felt good to unplug from my daily routine and be reminded of why I make art. I feel most like an artist when I can wander and find things that inspire me and try to capture them in the moment they exist.

Thanks for looking.

CELEBRITY SKETCHES

Heres some recent quick pen sketches.

PARIS SKETCHBOOK (1)

I got back yesterday from my trip to Paris. Its a place I've been dreaming about since I was a kid and it honestly lived up to every naive fantasy I had. I saw some amazing things, ate some amazing food, and felt myself change as an artist. Thanks for looking.