Tom's Art Adventures

There’s an inspiring group of organizers The Picture Book Project Foundation and The Hopkins Foundation that have launched this worthy effort to build a Children’s Home in Ghana. With contributions from the Animation and Illustration industries, there is no doubt that they will accomplish the goal. I urge you to visit the blog site to get info on how you can help and view all the fabulous art that’s being produced for the cause:

Art Blocks for Ghana

Because I’ve been a part of so many other worthy charity benefits at Maverix Studios, I know how good it feels when a successful event is achieved, and I couldn’t pass on the chance to be involved. I really appreciate being a part of it and I am excited to share an image of my contribution.

Acrylic on 8"x8" wood block

I wish the all best for this wonderful charity effort and thanks for peeking in on this post folks!

Tom

A month or so ago I had watched a film from the early 90s, “Single White Female” and got the urge to do a drawing of one of the actresses. I wasn’t inspired by the film itself (pretty formulaic as films of that particular genre can be), but more by the youthful beauty therein. I looked for images of both Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh online and came across a striking photo of Bridget and opted to draw her. I wanted an opportunity to use some custom Photoshop brushes offered on Chris Wahl’s blog. Here she is:

Sketchbook Pro & Photoshop CS3

Another young performer recently caught my attention on the TV show “Mad Men”. Caity Lotz is a singer, dancer, actress and…stunt woman! I was surprised to find that out about her as I sought out images of her online. The inspiration to draw her was when I found a particular photograph that I thought would interpret well in pencil. So, I got my pencils out and rendered this:

HB mechanical pencil on acid free sketch pad

And last, but not least is Laura Vandervoort,”Supergirl” on the SmallVille TV show and also star on the Sci-Fi show “V”. This was done in Photoshop, again using Chris Wahl brushes. I joined in on a Drawingboard.org thread where a variety of artists are contributing their versions of the blonde beauty. Here’s my contribution:

Photoshop CS3

And there you have it. Another set of female celebrities that frankly, offer decent challenges in practicing likeness in a portrait and feeds the craving for viewing more lovelies of the opposite sex.

I’d always had aspirations to do book cover art. What genre would I have chosen to concentrate on? Fantasy? Sci-fi? Pulp? How about Romance? I’d have fun either way, I think. Each bringing their own set of challenges. Well here’s a recent piece that tries to capture some of that sweeping romance and drama – of course this doesn’t include the man’s ripped shirt to reveal his manly chest, nor does it involve a young woman arched back so that we’re looking down her cleavage. No, as much fun as that sounds, I thought I’d be a little less revealing here. Maybe the next one will visit those more risque cliches.

Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop CS3

Darn it! I couldn’t make it to San Diego again this year. Most people I talked to including Maverix Studio mates say it was bigger than ever. Once I catch up with everybody I’m sure I’ll hear some fun stories. Now, if you haven’t already visited Jamie Baker’s blog, he’s got a run down of the event as well as some pictures. Look’s like I missed quite a lot by not making the trek. Not only did miss out on cheering on fellow artists and hanging out with good friends, but all the cosplay and booth babe action as well.

Oh well. Next time, I hope!

They have very little in common, right? Perhaps the fact that their names both end with “berg” or the controversies surrounding them. Well, for me they both represent good fortune – that I was involved, though to a small degree in the two recent films about them. The Allen Ginsberg film, “Howl” is based on the obscenity trial around the famous poem by the same title. I, along with other board artists were commissioned by Animation Director John Hays to help flesh out storyboard sequences for the animated portion of the film. While the actor James Franco as Ginsberg, recited the poem, the visuals were expressed through a CG/2D animated sequence.

Here are few sequences I worked out from notes by John Hayes:

Billboard animation

Billboard two

Subway

Subway to rooftops

motorbike and spectral figures

The documentary film, “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” used simple animation for it’s reenactment sequences. For this, Eli Noyes of Alligator Planet worked out these moments with the Directors of the film. Eli commissioned me to help with the layouts. Here are some scenes.

Xerox

Xerox

Xerox

Columns

Columns

Columns

Columns

So go catch the films when you get a chance. They are both really worth it!

-Tom

Memorial Day is the official start of summer, so I hear. It’s June and the weather is finally getting warmer – except for the typical summer fog pattern we in the Bay Area are all too familiar with. Here’s a Pin Up piece I did to commemorate the past holiday weekend, done in the spirit/style of classic Pin Up Art during war times past.

Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop

Thought I’d share my digital painting process here as well, for those interested. Starting off with a digital sketch, in photoshop I worked out the gray-scale values first and then added color layers with color modes set to ‘overlay’ and ‘color’ to achieve the final look.

So, here’s to glorious summer months ahead and to the service men and women whom have lost their lives in wars past and present.

All the best,

Tom

Well, because she’s in black tights, packs firearms and can handle herself in hand to hand battles, she gets a Character Jam thread on the Drawingboard.Org website. Here are my two entries so far. If time allows, I’ll try my hand at another. Fun stuff! Hope you agree.

For the Black Widow character Jam @ Drawingboard.Org

It’s been a couple of months since my last post – time flies when your busy. Not complaining mind you. It’s been a good busy – two projects going on simultaneously. But I’ve found a break to post a recent illustration and couple of character designs. Jungle Girl is basically a follow up to an earlier digital painting and the characters were for a proposed casual game gone dormant.

BTW, did you know I added a photography page earlier this year? Look up in the right corner next to ‘About me’. Just thought I’d mention it and ask you all to give me some feedback there. I’d much appreciate it.

Sketchbook Pro & PSCS3

Sketchbook Pro

The weather in SF Bay Area since the holidays has been pretty stormy and we had a bit of a cold snap with a rare snow occurrence down to about 500 feet in December. Lots of people bundled up for both cold and rainy weather, somewhat unpredictable. But Winter Girl is a constant, at least I hope she continues to be – making her appearance in a variety of places, only the past two years these Winter Girl sightings have been in grocery stores – not a complaint, just an observation.

I saw this lovely young lady in SF at the top of the stairs that leads into Whole Foods Market from the cafe/bistro below. She wore warm leggings, rough boots and had black flowing hair and gray-blue eyes. She reminded me of a cross between Megan Fox and Jennifer Connelly. I would have at least said “Hi” as I passed, but she was on her cell phone and deep in conversation. But her memory lives on in this year’s drawing.

I used AutoDesk Sketchbook Pro 4.1 for this one. I like the fact that you can rotate the canvas and now has some good ruler and ellipse tools in the new version. It also allows you to work with layered Photoshop files where before, you could only save out in that format.

It was a splendid day in Los Osos, CA., near San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010.

Made for a perfect atmosphere for celebrating the life of Art Clokey, Gumby creator who passed away on January 8, 2010. The ceremony was uplifting, with music and touching stories. Joe Clokey, Art’s son was positive and thankful. There was a handful of us 1980′s Gumby crew there to pay our respects, but it was a shame more weren’t able to make it. I thought I’d share a few photos from the reception.

Reception Entrance:

The crowd in the reception hall:

Joe Clokey and Family Friend:

Animator Steve Buckley:

Mold Technician Dan Morgan & Steve Buckley

Animator Stephen Wathen:

Animator Gene Hamm: