(I) The Inside Series

Illustration for a series of studio tours, commissioned by the Savviest curator in NYC.

(I) Depression

My most recent contribution to the goo blog.

(I) Red Riding - Process

My friend Matt and I have a blog where we challenge each other to create art in response to each other's posts. Last week I created a piece based on the Red Riding Hood story, and I think it's one of the nicest things I've done in a while. Check out our blog by clicking here.
I'm a huge fan of artists posting articles on how they made their stuff - I don't have a lot of formal training, and I always learn something new. So, here's how I made this thing.
I usually start with an idea floating around in my head. Sometimes it takes weeks or months or even years to actually sit down and force it onto a page - it's like being pregnant and finally giving birth, except I can choose when to give birth, so I usually put it off 'cause it can be kind of painful.
Sometimes I'll make an initial sketch, just to make the composition clear, but this time I knew exactly what I wanted, so I started by gathering imagery. I knew I wanted to make an image of a kind of devilish Red Riding Hood surrounded by wolves, her cape swirling all around her. Somewhere along the line I saw the cape as a big watercolor swirl, so I could draw the girl and the wolves and layer the red paint in underneath.

The images come from a variety of places. The wolf I found online (a while ago, actually - I used this photo as a reference for the Midsummer poster I did a few months ago), that's me posing for the girl's expression, the swirl of paint I made (one of three), and an image by James Jean. I actually found the Jean picture after I had completed my own piece, but I include it because he uses techniques that I was consciously trying to put into practice.
James Jean starts his pieces with blue pencil sketches. I've been doing this more and more recently, and I find that though it adds another step (and thus extra time) it provides a kind of softer, less committed beginning - I can make mistakes and fix them more easily. Here's the blue pencil sketch:

I was originally going to make at least three wolves, but as I was drawing the second (the wolf at the top), I remembered there's only one wolf in the actual story, and having just the one makes the interaction between victim and hunter much more intimate. Also, the wolf at the lower corner came out looking kind of sad and submissive, and I liked that. My process is half purposeful skill and half discovery, being willing to flow with whatever comes out of my pencil.

I then use a graphite pencil to clarify the decisions I've made with the blue. You can see the second wolf has been voted off the island. This process is my least favorite part - the closer I get to permanence, the more uncomfortable I become. Using pen is a process I've almost completely dismissed lately. But pencil's a bit more forgiving. I'm also using this great paper that was given to me for Christmas - I have no idea what it is, but you can erase the HELL out of it, and it doesn't get worn out.

I listen to music or watch movies I don't need to pay a lot of attention to when I'm working, and when I'm looking at the piece later on, I get an echo of what was going on in the background. This piece reminds me of the movie Poltergeist, for no other reason than when I was coloring it in Photoshop, I was also watching that movie.
An interesting side-effect of modeling the girl on a picture of myself is that her general appearance is slightly more mannish than it should be, which adds to her predatory feel in an almost subconscious way.
Another technique that I got from Mr. Jean is masking the original black pencil lines with different colors, which is most evident in the pink lines around the ribbon; I also used it in some of the lines that make the cloak. It's a small detail, but I think it makes things look slightly more professional, though it was surprisingly hard to commit to; I usually leave the lines black.
The forest background was added at the last minute and I think it looks pretty sweet - now I know what that leaf-shaped paintbrush is for!
This design is available for purchase! (All your dreams are real!) T-shirt available or you could even get a poster! Go for it!!

(I) Owl Cards

There are times in a man's life when he needs to send a card, and I am no exception. But when I'm standing at that card section and I'm trying to work up the courage to drop five bucks on a piece of paper with a bird on it, the little illustrator in my head is always in agony, because I should be making cards of my own! And now I have! They're for sale in the owlhenrystore, and I've slapped 'em on t-shirts, too, just to keep you in fashion-forward mode.

(GD) Dual/REI

Savannah Spirit is a creative force I've known since we started elementary school together. Savannah sauntered out of the womb reeking of This Kid's Gonna Be Famous, and she's currently adventuring as a curator in New York City. She agreed to test my skills by occasionally sending me real projects (like her Dual postcard, below) and made up assignments (the REI ad, below that), and offering her critiques. It gives us both some good practice, and makes me feel more hip by association.

Get your Savannah on at savannahspirit.com.

(OPP) Dan Hipp

There's some fun stuff coming up here at the ol' blog - soon! I promise! Until then, check out the work of a recent find of mine, Dan Hip.

(I) LGP!

A friend of mine is leaving on a round-the-world trip. So, since it's also her birthday, I painted this LGP on the cover a very small, non-threatening journal to document her trip. My brother actually coined the term 'LGP', and if you don't know what I'm talking about, just think about it. It'll hit you. 3am: "Oh, that's AWESOME!"

(I) Santi

Earlier this year my wonderful cousin Sallie moved from San Francisco to Denver, CO. Shortly after, her cat Santi passed away. He wasn't the easiest cat to get along with, but she loved him fiercely and feels his absence keenly. As a special tribute I made a watercolor painting for her of Santi as a Christmas gift. I don't actually have a picture of the finished product, but here's one of an initial sketch:

I painted the final version at a makeshift studio I set up on my parents' pool table. I'm including a photo of that just because it was such an amazing experience to have all that ROOM to spread out in! Usually I'm working in my room at my art desk. Having three times as much space is paradise!!

Happy New Year, all!

(I) Merry Christmas

(I) Pooch's Hooch beer label

Jefferson's brother- nicknamed "Pooch"- makes his own beer, so for Christmas I designed a label for him. Stay tuned for results on how that goes over...

(I) Christmas card (baby time!)

Oh my crap my little brother's gonna be a father! There, I said it, it's out there. I'm fully stoked. I made this card for them to celebrate, and to wish them a non-ravenous-tiger Christmas.

There's more stuff to come - I've been working on presents for a few people, so those need to get unwrapped before I post 'em here.

Happy holidays, all!

(V) Morty: "The Favor"

 It's got nuthin' to do with Christmas, but Morty's back! Check it by clicking HERE.

(OPP) Don Kenn

Hey all - I've been working on a few things, but I can't post 'em quite yet as they may ruin some holiday surprises. Look for a few posts toward the end of the month. In the meantime, enjoy this find I recently made, artist Don Kenn who has a blog of art drawn on post-its!

(GD) 2010 Trackstand Competition and new t-shirt

Mission Bicycle Company is holding their 2nd annual Trackstand Competition this Saturday at the SF Bike Expo. I redesigned the flier from last year with a new cyclist, which means there's a new t-shirt design in the shop! GET SOME!!

(I) Nevermore Update

I updated the design for the Nevermore t-shirts so the word balloon looks a little better on dark backgrounds. Get your shop on by visiting my Spreadshirt store. And as always this design can be put on any kind of item, just send me an email.

(I) New Halloween Design(s)!

Happy Halloween, all! In celebration of my favorite holiday, I've created a new t-shirt design with a variant for the kids- there's plenty of time to get your order on before the Big Day. The two designs are at my Spreadshirt store, and please keep in mind that any design can be put on any product, just email me: owl_henry@yahoo.com.

(I) Zombie Lex!

The latest addition to my zombie army: Zombie Alexis and her boyfriend Ben! This is the fifth installment in the series, and the first couple. Lex is also the first lady zombie I've done. Happy birthday, Dr. Lexy!!
Here's the rest of my army, beginning with my first - Zombie Rick!

Zombie...me!!

 

Zombie JD!

And Zombie Matt!

Wanna get your zombie on? Let's DO this thing. Email me.

(I) Mission Bicycle Festival T-Shirt Design

Another project I've been busy with lately, a t-shirt design for the upcoming bike celebration and street party hosted by Mission Bikes. One of the owners of MBC knows one of the founders of Threadless, who was quoted as saying he'd "wear the hell out of" this t-shirt. High praise. SF residents, please join us for the Mission Bicycle Festival on Sunday, September 26. Should be a blast, and you can pick up your very own t-shirt!

(I) Midsummer Night's Dream Poster

For those of you wondering where I've been for the past month, here it is. A good friend- who, last year, commissioned a design for the play All in the Timing- asked me to design a poster for her upcoming production of Midsummer Night's Dream. I created two images for her auditions, one featuring the Puck and the other a fairy- the file's marked as Cobweb. She's imagining a steam punk slant on the costumes, so Puck's got goggles and industrial gloves, and Cobweb has smoked glasses and an engineer's jacket:

I also created an image for the final poster, depicting the king and queen of Faerie with their animal companions as mirror images of each other. I actually drew each element separately, including flowers and petals, scanned the pencil drawings, colored them each in Photoshop, and assembled them into a file so huge that the computer actually slowed down- saving took a few minutes, and there were about 150 or so layers. It was dramatic:

I'm crazy about the finished product, though. I think it's some of the best illustration I've done to this point, and I'm thankful for the opportunity.

(I) Beekeeper Angels

I stopped in to a local beekeeping and honey store here in SF, just to check it out, and got to chatting with the owner about a beautiful mural on the back wall, a kind of Mucha-inspired piece with San Francisco symbols interspersed throughout. She was telling me that it's hard to find illustrators that aren't flakes, and mentioned a project that involved the Charlie's Angels logo but with beekeepers, an image she'd wanted to commission for some time. I got this done within the week and emailed her. We have yet to connect, and I hear the store is in financial trouble so this may be simply a creative exercise for me. Another. Creative. Exercise. For me. :)

(I) Zombie Matt!

This week my friend and co-blogger Matt joins Rick, JD and me in Zombie Town. Check out the GooBlog for more information, or to check out all the other cool stuff we've been doing.

(GD) Summer Song

A logo for a summer house in Maine.

(I) S is for Seahorse!

Careful observers will note- perhaps with outrage- that there's already an "S" design in the B is for Baby canon. This one was a commission for some friends and their new baby, which apparently looked like a tiny seahorse in her first sonogram. This design, along with all the others- now there are 15!- is available at the B is for Baby Cafepress store as well as the Spreadshirt T-Shirt site.

(OPP) Travis Louie

Some beautiful creatures from my latest discovery, Travis Louie. Check out his site by clicking HERE.

S.O.F.A. 3 - Now on YouTube!

"S.O.F.A. 3: The Test" is the latest video from the Non-Permanent Parliament, the comedy short film side of my artistic endeavors. The S.O.F.A. series follows a woman who has entered a kind of witness protection program to live without the gays she so loves being with. In this installment, our heroine must undergo a test in her new group therapy. Check out the video by clicking HERE, and please rate, comment and pass it along- you can even subscribe to my videos!