Charlie Valor #4

Trailer for the next issue of Charlie Valor I did the art for. Music courtesy of Grave Robber:

Read it at charlievalor.com

Sketchbook Video

Here's a short film of a sketchbook drawing I made a while ago.


Website/blog

New painting: "OctoPete"

A brand new painting that I finished this week... let me know what you think. OctoPete.

-MC

Night Beauty

“She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes…”

~Lord Byron

My “Portrait of Night-time” design is up for voting at Shirt.Woot!  Allons-y!

Thanks! :-)   ~Anne Kelley

Website/Blog/Tumblr

E-Book - Story Map Cover

This is the story map cover image for my first e-book.

   The Art of Illustrating for Children.  Bernhard Oberdieck  Storyteller with paint and pen

In the Wednesday SFG Spotlight- Dane Ault!

© Dane Ault

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work. 

I'm a graphic designer by training and Illustrator by inclination from Portland, OR. I'm not sure how I'd describe my work, honestly. Cartoony vector-based illustration? I dunno. I make kid's books, greeting cards and nerdy art prints that I self-publish under my company Monkey Minion Press. :)

2. What drew you to illustration as a career choice?  

I've always loved to draw, and when I was in college for my degree in design, I learned that you could get paid to draw! What a novel concept! It took a few years of toiling in the mines until I got my work up to a level where I felt ok putting myself out there, but now, here I am! :D

3.  What creative ways do you use to come up with ideas and concepts? 

A lot of my better ideas are accidental, believe it or not. They just come to me out of the blue sometimes. LOL! Other times, I have to fight for the concept and I just draw and draw until i get it to come out. (I hope that's the kind of answer you're looking for!)

4. What do you do to keep your work fresh? Do you adapt what you do for certain markets or trends or does it just progress naturally as you go along? 

I like to work in a few different styles and media to keep myself from stagnating. I think being able to use these different styles and approaches helps make me better able to come at a project from different angles.  

© Dane Ault

5. Do you get to create much personal work and promotions? 

At this time, most of my work is personal! LOL I don't get to do as much promotion as I'd like because I'm always working on another project, but I suppose that's a good problem to have. :D

6. Is there any successes that stand out that has helped you progress as an illustrator? 

I'm not sure. I think putting together my first book might qualify? Before I put "Captain Dan Takes a Day Off" together, the whole idea of being an author/illustrator was a terrifying prospect. Now, that I've done it, I find that it's much easier than I thought it would be! LOL!

7. What is your favourite part about being in illustration? The process? Ideas/concepts? The final artwork? 

Whether it's illustration or design, I think that coming up with ideas and concepts is my favorite part. I love working through a project, and as much as I try not to be a fan of my own work, I do love finishing projects, but coming up with ideas is my favorite.

8. Describe your dream project or client. 

Dream project? I dunno maybe a Star Wars kids book? LOL! Seriously, I love the direction my career has taken over the past year or so and making kid's books and geeky greeting cards and projects with my wife is a dream come true. (Tho, if anyone at Lucasfilm needs a kid's book done, give me a call- Seriously! LOL!)

© Dane Ault

Contact information:
http://portfolio.dane-ault.com/
daneault.deviantart.com

Sketch Challenge - Sin City

Marv - done for the stimulateCREATE sketch challenge, Sin City. Hope ya digs; more comin'! 

More here: http://slatermark.blogspot.com

SUPERMARIO

SUPERMARIO, a photo by nerosunero on Flickr.

by
nerosunero

The Flu

What is flu and where does it come from? (ESS newspaper)

www.radekart.com

Scribbles from the iPad

More at my blog- http://leglessmermaid.blogspot.com/

Elephant

This is a elephant I made almost a year ago. It's one of the twenty illustrations that are being published by Zwijsen Belgium. Hope this happy elephant can make your monday happy as well. :) 

The Art of Kung Fu Gallery Show Invitation

Dear all,

I would love to invite you to my up-coming group show - The Art of Kung Fu: Myths & Legends Gallery Show at Meltdown Comic, Los Angeles.

Address:

7522 West Sunset Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90046

Opening Reception:7:30-9:00 p.m. on January 20th, 2012

Cheers,

Alina

VS. A Show of Opposites Invitation

Dear all,

I would love to invite you all to my up-coming art show at Mission Comic.

VS. A Show of Opposites

Show from Feb 4 - March 3, 2012

Opening Reception

Feb 4, 2012

7 - 10pm

Mission Comics  

3520 20th. Suite B

San Francisco, CA 94110

Hope to see you there!

Cheers

Alina

Atlantis has arrived!

Well... ain't this something? Got home from work yesterday and saw a box waiting for me at my front door.
From Capstone Press... the Atlantis book I illustrated last summer!


http://mikecressy.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-new-book-in-mail.html

Sketch Challenge - Batwoman

Finished drawing for the Ten Ton Studios sketch challenge, Batwoman. Hope ya digs; more comin'!
More here: http://slatermark.blogspot.com

Brandon Reese Is In The SFG Spotlight!

Illustrator Brandon Reese 1. Tell us a little about yourself and your work.  I live in NC with my 7-year-old boy and wife. My clients tend to be from the children's/youth market. I design a small children's magazine as a mainstay income. Lately, it's been difficult to juggle that along with my illustration jobs. That's a good thing! I work almost 100% Adobe Illustrator… but I strive for my work to not look like it was created in Adobe Illustrator. I try to interject a lot of texture and layers to my work. To combat the inevitable flabby body due to my sedentary profession, I've been cross-fitting for about two years now, and love it! Not only do I stay in shape, I have a place I can go to interact with other humans (that aren't my family). 2. What drew you to illustration as a career choice?   Well, I think I've always drawn or doodled. When I was little my mom read an article about fostering creativity in your children. It said that you shouldn't give your children coloring books but rather give them blank pieces of paper. So, that's what she did with my older brother and me. Plus, I was always trying to catch up to my brother's abilities… I think that was a huge factor. He was really into Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and would draw all the characters obsessively and I would copy him. We'd spend entire days watching cartoons and drawing. I believe I always knew I'd be drawing or do something creative as a living. There were no other options in my mind. 3.  What creative ways do you use to come up with ideas and concepts?  I always have a sketchbook with me. I may not use it wherever I take it, but I make sure to always have it with me. Nothing is worse than having an idea and not being able to jot or doodle it down. I try to draw something every day (that's not work related). I like to just start sketching and see what comes out. Typically, it's a character or animal. Once I have the character or whatever down on paper, I like to see how many themes or variations on an idea I can create.  4. What do you do to keep your work fresh? Do you adapt what you do for certain markets or trends or does it just progress naturally as you go along?  I love going to bookstores, the comics shop, the movies… any visual stimuli gets my creative juices going. I can't count the times I've been at the movies and an idea completely separate and original to what I'm watching pops in my head. It must be creativity though osmosis.  No, I don't find that I have to adapt or change my style for a certain market. For the most part, a client who is hiring you knows your work and knows what to expect. I don't chase trends either. Trends come and go but a good idea will always be a good idea. I just try to be clever and let my style evolve organically.   5. Do you get to create much personal work and promotions?  Sometimes I get asked to contribute a painting to a group show. If I'm not too busy, I'll do it. It's a nice respite from all the digital work I do. I create postcards and send them out, maybe once a year. I need to do that more. I think that helps you push the boundaries of your style. 6. Is there any successes that stand out that has helped you progress as an illustrator?  Probably the best thing to happen for my career was the start of my relationship with eeBoo 5 or 6 years ago. They were the first client to really trust me and give me good, solid projects that were well-suited for my style. 7. What is your favourite part about being in illustration? The process? Ideas/concepts? The final artwork?  My favorite part of being in illustration is that point where you are battling with a concept and POW!... inspiration strikes and all the pieces fit together. A close second would be, seeing something you've created, flipping it over and reading- "Illustrated by Brandon Reese". 8. Describe your dream project or client.  A Target Halloween campaign would be awesome. web- http://www.brandonreese.com blog- http://www.illobook.com/brandonreese portfolio- http://www.illoz.com/brandonreese flickr- http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandonreese dribbble- http://dribbble.com/brandonreese

Author Portraits

Been working on a series of author portraits:


Jules Verne



Emily Dickinson



H. P. Lovecraft



Also in the series so far: Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe

SILA Silver Award Winner for this year!!

WHOA!!! Look what I got in my email today!!!

Congratulations! You have been accepted into our 50th Illustration West Competition. And you're the Silver Award winner in the Children's Book category.

Silver Award

Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles http://si-la.org/

This is the one that won the silver award.

MC

Into the blue

www.baggelboy.com

Trend

New illustration for ESS newspaper.

According to the trend analysts, the tendency of moving from big cities to the countryside is going to grow in the next few years.

www.radekart.com

Floating in the Deep

Check it out -- my "Octoballoon" design is up for voting at Shirt.Woot!

Thanks for your votes!  ~Anne Kelley

Website/Blog/Tumblr

Tom & Kaat

This is a testdrawing I made for a publisher, possibly to get an assignment. It's for a story about a boy and a girl who like each other and are going to have a lot of fun on a sunny day in the forrest. Tomorrow they will take a look at it, so thumbs up.

B for barbarian

B for barbarian is the next of my weekly illos. These are done in a short space of time which will hopefully benefit me in the future.

nerosunero on Polkadot Magazine

nerosunero on Polkadot Magazine, a photo by nerosunero on Flickr.

Polkadot Magazine has just released an interview with me in their Art, Featured, Interviewes section of the online magazine (GREAT!!!)
In December 2011 interview excerpts were published on the paper edition.
The interview, in Italian, has been curated by Sabrina Maffei can be read following the link here below.

Polkadot: Mario Sughi - Nerosunero
Polkadot Magazine, Mario Sughi - Nerosunero (Barletta, Milan, Rome, Italy, 10 I 2012)

www.nerosunero.org

Like Us On Facebook!

If you're on Facebook please give Sugar Frosted Goodness a big like! 

Sugar Frosted Goodness Wants To Spotlight You!

Sugar Frosted Goodness Wants You! If you are a member of SFG 

& interested in being in the spotlight with an interview then drop me a note:

hollycreates@gmail.com

FINE ART PRINTS

I want tell you, that I have a new Fine Art Print on my site Art & Illustration.

Sir Seth Thistlethwaite Seeks the Truth of Betty the Yeti

It's been hectic. I hope everyone had a wonderful new year and Holidays. I've just completed another Sir Seth book. This is the third book I've worked on. It's scheduled to be released in May http://www.amazon.ca/Seth-Thistlethwaite-Seeks-Truth-Betty/dp/1926973267

Here is what I gave this Holidays. My girlfriend prepared delicious cookies for Christmas and I made paper bag with hand draw patterns.  Thanks !

stephanelauzonillustration.com

Sketch Challenge - Brains

My finished piece for the Ten Ton Studios sketch challenge, Gremlins. I drew "Brains", the one that speaks. Hope ya digs; more to come! More here: http://slatermark.blogspot.com

Sketch Challenge - Big Trouble in Little China

Finished drawing for the Ten Ton Studios sketch challenge, "Big Trouble in Little China". Hope ya digs; more to come! More here: http://slatermark.blogspot.com.

New year...2012

I did this sketch for my 15 minute sketch challenge on New Year's eve.... Have a great year everyone!

-MC

Happy New Year 2012!

www.michaelhacker.at

Welcome 2012...

ipad sketch

Cake Cat

 

A highlight of the year for me is creating my kids' birthday invitations. Her current obsession is with our new black cat Cricket - so naturally a black cat themed party!

eacheancandraw.blogspot.com

Deki - Change a life with a loan

I've made an animation for a charity called Deki.

Deki empower people living in poverty to create sustainable livelihoods by providing access to microloans and training.

The animation aims to explain this process and encourage people to invest a small amount of money. Just £10 could go a long way to helping a lot of different people and you can always claim it back at the end. Quite frankly it’s a brilliant idea!

Vashti Seth, Deki CEO, said “We are really pleased with the animation that Ian created for us. Ian came up with the concept and kept us informed with his progress at all times. The animation explains what Deki does in a simple and informative, yet witty manner. We have had many positive comments and use it in all our presentations, as well as on our website – thank you Ian”.

The animation was shown at a re-launch event in October. The audience that night included the new Deki patron and animation Ultra-Don; Nick Park, which is the equivalent of having Lord Vader inspect your self-made lightsaber. :-/

Alien

On top of my usual work load I want to produce a character illustration a week. Hopefully in a years time you'll see a vast improvement from this piece!