New plaques and new website!

Fresh plaques in the shop.

At long last I have a website! And boy, if it ain't a beauty. My eternal gratitude to the fabulous Michael Hildebrand and CustomSIMPLE!

Plaquin' it up

Another lonely little plaque looking for a home. You can adopt it at my shop.
Oh and what's this? Why its a second feature on AJRMS! (Thanks again, Will!)

Also, perhaps you will notice I finally made a header for the blog. Only took me about three years to get around to that.

Fresh new plaques and a fresh new store

(click for larger image)









































More plaques!
Due to popular demand (aka a handful of people saying "yeah, you should do that") I have opened an Etsy store! I just have the plaques available at the moment, but prints are in the works. So check it out and stay tuned for more!

Happy (late) Halloween

Ink drawing colored in Photoshop.

I did this for a contest on A Journey Round My Skull (a really great blog you should visit frequently if you don't already). To my surprise and delight, Will very kindly offered to feature my work. Thanks to Will and all the new faces who have been visiting and leaving comments!

And then...

... there appeared another experiment in Photoshop coloring.

Plaques

(click for a much larger view)

















Little wooden plaque things I painted on, the large ones are about 6.5" across at the widest point, smaller ones about 4".
I'm planning to make a bunch of these to sell at the Memphis College of Art Holiday Bazaar. I have also been contemplating opening an Esty store with things like this and prints. Though until then, if anyone is interested they can contact me via email at flyingduckworth@yahoo.com.
Why, just look how cute they are haphazardly arranged on a wall.

*EDIT* The Etsy store is up and running!

New book!

Santa Delivers Presents in the Big City now available on Amazon!

and so...

...more Photoshop coloring experimentation

24-hour comic (sort of)

Did this as part of the 24-hour comic challenge earlier in the month. I say "sort of" because I only hung in there for about 16 hours and drew 12 pages. Also did most of the inking later at home. So, yeah, doesn't really count. I enjoyed doing it, though, especially since I haven't done anything with comics since college.
As for the comic, I was mostly just having fun introducing the characters.
(click to make bigger!)

Sketchbook

stuff and things

Playing around with a slightly different approach using ink and watercolor. This one is about 8" x 8". I've been drawing so much cute stuff lately I thought this little group of senseless grotesqueries would be good for cleansing the palette.

Also, the scrap paper kitchen wall colony continues to grow...

Another musical forest

Decided to give one of the characters from the last drawing her own little picture to star in. How do we feel about the colors, folks? I can't make up my mind whether they are working quite right or not.

Monster jam and houses

I want to join this band...














These guys were kicking up a ruckus in my little sketchbook and wouldn't let me sleep until I colored them.












Just playing around with it and I thought this looked kinda neat.















Recent painting in acrylic and ink on masonite. Around 16" x 11". Based on this sketchbook page.

Texturized

So here's the image from the previous post after trying my hand at adding some texture. I wonder if it looks better? Or worse? What say you, good people of Blogland?

Trying something different...

I've been playing around with coloring in photoshop. I don't really know what I'm doing and I've been staring at this image too long to tell what to do next, so any input would be appreciated.
As for the text, I have a habit of making up stupid songs to sing to myself and here is one of them! I imagine this chipper little number 20's style with wah-wah trumpets and ukulele.

The end of the island

"Could've Been Anything"

The very last painting for the Horn Island show! Dropped my work off today, the opening reception is going to be Sept. 12, 6-9 pm.
For anyone out there who may not know what I am talking about when I say "Horn Island", well every year there is a group from the Memphis College of Art that goes to this place, and camps for eight days, wallowing in the majesty of nature and mosquitoes. Then we come back and make art about it for a show at the school. This year was the 25th.
Review in the Commercial Appeal

I was trying something a little different in this one, threw in some hatching and whatnot. So how do we feel about this as opposed to the usual flat outlines?

Odessa show and workshop

The show at Odessa last week was fun, the show looked great and the response to my work was very positive, which is always nice. So here's a bunch of pictures. (click to make bigger!)

*EDIT* Check out this Commercial Appeal article about the show!

My stuff along the wall, Shane's in the corner









The circular ones are some embroideries I did a while back









Medallions, also from a while back. I like the way they look in this arrangement.











Paintings by Jon Hart on the left, installation by Emma Self in the middle, my medallions to the right









Me n' ma stuffs











Jon and Emma setting up their workshop stations on Saturday









Michael gettin' his sew on at my demo









Here is the bag I was teaching folks how to make, complete with an in-process embroidery and cat hair












And here is a little instruction sheet I made to pass out. Any one who wants to make an easy tote bag, just print out this image and follow the directions! Hopefully they are easy to understand, leave a comment if you have any questions!

Art show this Friday

I have some paintings in a show at Odessa (2613 Broad Ave, Memphis).
"Because We Can will open with a reception on Friday, August 7 from 6 – 9pm, and will continue with events throughout the month, including an afternoon of DIY workshops with the artists on Saturday, August 8 from 1 – 3pm." read all about it

I'll also be participating in the FREE workshops on Saturday and showing people how to sew a simple tote bag. Don't know the first thing about sewing? Come on down! I will attempt to demonstrate not only the first thing, but also the second, and (dare I say it?) perhaps even the third thing about sewing. Did I mention it's FREE?
So don't be bored this weekend! Come see some pretty things Friday night and come back Saturday afternoon to learn you some stuff!

Horn Island #7

"Driftwood Settlers"

This one is about 24" x 12", the others have all been 12" x 12".

Now showing

A few of my older paintings are currently hanging at Cafe Beignet, which is downtown at 124 E GE Patterson Ave. near South Main. Swing by and take a look!

Sketchbook

Playing with watercolor and ballpoint pen

Horn Island paintings #5 and #6

"Dragon of the Southern Isle"



















"Seafood Buffet"

Horn Island

"Mishap of a Careless Bird"
"Daybreak on the Dunes"
"Island Plague"
"Tangle"

These are what I've done for the Horn Island show so far. I'm putting frames around them now, you can see that more clearly in the picture below.











Also, off the topic, I cut these guys out of some scrap paper and put them on my kitchen wall.

sketchbook

(Click to make bigger!)

























My original plan was to watercolor over these, but I discovered that the ink I used bleeds horribly in that scenario. So they will remain as is until I rethink how I want to add color.

Indie Book Awards

The Most Beautiful Color of All which I did with Kelly Fischer was a finalist in the Indie Book Awards for 2009. (Look under "Children's Picture Book")

Sketchbook

Some more various sketchbook doings.







































And here is a carrying case I made for my brushes. I needed it because I am going to Horn Island again in a couple of days! Yay! Sand!!!! I am excited.

Book stuffs

The most recent book I illustrated Memphis: A Children's History will be serialized in the Commercial Appeal, with a chapter every tuesday and thursday in April. I'm also participating in a book signing event at the Central Library April 14 at 7:00 pm.

Sketchbook

What free time I've had lately has been monopolized by sleeping and/or staring blankly at walls, so here is some recent sketchbook stuff rather than a finished piece.

"Solemn princess Isadora carried aloft by the amorous dragon". Acrylic on masonite, 11"x10"

I haven't done any personal work in color in so long, I kinda missed it. So there you go. Perhaps I'll set the wood aside for a bit. You can't tell in the scan, but the gold border is done in a metallic paint. We all like shiny things don't we?

Partridge in a persimmon tree

house painter

Imaginary house!
Just did this for fun, it's based on a childhood drawing of mine. Acrylic and a little gouache on masonite, 16.5" x 12".

Tonight!

For the past few months I have had some of my work displayed at Harvest on Cooper, here's what it has looked like...














You can see a glimpse of one of Marvelous Mr. Mike's paintings on the back wall.
























There will be an opening tonight (thursday,Nov. 6) as part of the Cooper Young night out and the works of the incredible Mr. Hildebrand will also be on display.
Thanks again to all the talented guys at Harvest!

Wait... where'd that year go?

I'm not entirely sure, I think it was spent working a lot... or something. Here are a couple of paintings that came into existence somewhere in that span of time.
"Along the Way"
"And Never Again Shall It Be Mentioned"

Books

Two new books, the first I just completed a couple of weeks ago.












Memphis: a Children's History by Perre Magness, available locally at Davis-Kidd Booksellers and Burke's Bookstore, or send an email to pmagness@att.net . I also did the graphic design on this one (many thanks to Michael for all his indispensable help with that).













The Most Beautiful Color of All with Kelly Fischer. Amazon it!

A host of angels

Ink-topus

"En Route to the Promised Land"

Second book

I have another book out now, my second with the same author. You can find it on Amazon.

Charcoal gator man!

I decided to try something different and do the drawing with charcoal rather than ink on this one. I am undecided as to how I feel about that. So, friends... good, bad or indifferent?



















And another of these things (in ink). Kind of a furthering of the conflict depicted here.
That black border was perhaps a poor choice, now that I look at it. Should have been walnut. I guess I ought to pay attention when I make things.

There are no turkeys in this post

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so to commemorate the event, here is some art that has nothing to do with it.

Not sure how much I like this one yet..
"Never Entirely"

















A box I painted on.











It's a really crappy one from the craft store.













Michael has posted some pictures of a very brief, all-of-a-sudden art show that we and our talented friends had some stuff in a couple of weeks ago. (There aren't any turkeys in that post, either)

"Making Ends Meet"

the remainder of an island and a new thing

Firstly the new thing...

















...and then the other pieces from the Horn Island show



















"Against Their Very Natures (Or So They Said)"
"The Dangers of Bathing I"
"East Tip Dragonflies"
"The Dangers of Bathing II"

An island and a book

"Horn Island Harpy At Meal Time"

This is one of my pieces for the Horn Island show, and it has three siblings. If you happen to be in the neighborhood of the Memphis College of Art on September 8, between 6:00- 8:30, swing on by the opening reception and check em out.












Also, the children's book I illustrated is currently on sale over at Amazon.com.

Did this instead of a medallion this week.


















"Yet Another Sacrifice"

No. 12

This week's











And a couple of sketchbook harpies

No. 11

I just got back from Horn Island and it was a pretty amazing trip, I wasn't quite ready to come home. Sigh.
A couple of people found a Portuguese man-of-war washed up on the beach one day. I didn't see it, but I did see a teacher from MCA jump on the back of an alligator and a bull shark getting whacked on the head with a sledgehammer. And lots of sand.

9 & 10

My goal is to produce at least one of these every week. Next week, however, I will be busy idling about in the sand-strewn wilderness of Horn Island, so here's two.























I don't really like the alligator-baby one, especially that chicken. And the woman's hair. But I thought I'd post it anyway.

Can one be "busy idling"? Hm. I intend to prove it is possible, as I will be working hard at being my idlest next week.

Deer!

This piece was created to immortalize an epic confrontation which took place in my backyard this morning. A deer wandered into the backyard and one of the stray cats decided to stalk it. The deer showed a great deal of fortitude, however, and did not back down from the challenge.



















(Sorry about the blurriness, I had to take the picture through my filthy window.)

more medallions

The smaller ones are 4" in diameter, the larger ones are 5.5" at the widest point. (the dog is one of the larger ones)

Medallions

Discs of wood, each about 4" in diameter. I started doing these this weekend and they are a lot of fun to make. I'm not sure if they are quite "there" yet, though. Any suggestions?

Coloring!

There are many things I somehow managed to not learn during my four years of art school, one of them being coloring with Photoshop. Some of the others include anything to do with Illustrator, and most aspects of painting. Luckily for me, Sir Priddy of the Nimble Brush has so kindly posted a tutorial on computer coloring on his blog. (Thanks!) So here is my attempt at that.