Conducting Chorus
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & Ends
The above illustration appeared on Thursday’s cover of Spotlight, the arts and entertainment insert for The Portsmouth Herald. I was going for something a little different here and was relatively pleased with the outcome.
Back up
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsApologies to anyone who tried to stop by last week and was greeted by an error page. Had some minor server problems, which appear to be taken care of. This week will be all about catching up — posting stuff that I meant to post last week.
What a long strange trip its been…
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsThis site has been dark for a long time now for a variety of reasons. Server problems. A dead scanner. Some minor health annoyances. A move. A prolonged period of creative burnout. I’ve been looking to get this puppy back up and running for some time now, but I didn’t want to come back until I was 100% committed (to the site, not institutionally). That time is now.
Enough with the excuses. I am kicking this site back in gear. I can’t promise daily updates, but I should be able to update this sucker on a regular basis. I have been scanning a bunch of stuff that I worked up during the time that this site went dark, and I will posting some of that stuff along with more current stuff.
Enjoy.
Cartoon Retro is coming
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsStill having intermittant server problems that have kept me from making updates. You can view the site fine, but the Blog system I use to update the site has been down more often than not. I am looking into it and hope to have it fixed soon.
In the meantime, another plug. Check out the preview for Shane Glines’ Cartoon Retro website. Mr. Glines is an cartoonist/illustrator/animator who has done work for shows like Superman, Batman, Batman Beyond, and Justice League among others. His personal website is the home for Cartoon and Illustration Paradise (CIP), a collection of artwork of under-appreciated illustrators and cartoonists. CIP has given me tons of inspiration and is well worth a look.
Cartoon Retro is Mr. Glines’ new project and it’s an interesting concept. Part of it is an extension of CIP, offering even more artwork from even more illustrators. The other part of the site will serve as a breeding ground for independent animation projects that Mr. Glines is developing. Its looks pretty cool, and (if it works) may serve as a model for other independent animators.
Cartoon Retro will be launched in March. In the meantime, check out the preview and lend it your support. I know I will.
Random thoughts
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsAh, the best laid plans….
January has been a frustrating month. Work has been hectic and I have not been able to draw anything of note. Also, I have had server troubles so updating the site was impossible there for a couple of days.
Whenever the design thing gets really busy, I tend to get very scatterbrained when it comes to drawing. It’s something I really need to overcome because its really holding me back and the development my drawing skills grinds to a halt. There will be some more sketchbook entries soon. I will doing another cover for a local newspaper’s entertainment section in the next couple of weeks and I have some personal projects I am excited to really sink my teeth into. In the meantime, I will be posting some text entries plugging some stuff I think needs plugging.
Today’s plug is for the Boston area (Cambridge to be exact) photographer Mark Ostow . I just finished working on a design project that featured photography from Mark, and I couldn’t have been happier with the results. The shots turned out awesome and Mark and his crew were a blast to work with. I threw some pretty chaotic setups at him and Mark just plowed right them. Check out his site and keep him in mind the next time you need to hire a photographer.
One last thing. Today is Primary tuesday in New Hampshire. This is my first experience with the state’s famous primary season (I had moved up here the summer after the previous one four years ago). I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed. I expected to see candidates out and about whenever I left my apartment, but I saw neither hide nor hair. Apparently, I am not the only one who was disappointed. Many locals have complained that the candidates did not put in as much face-time as they have done in previous years. Perhaps the early date of the Iowa caucus stole some of our thunder? To make up for the lack of personal time, the candidates really ramped up their telephone efforts. We receieved nearly a dozen calls from the Kerry campaign alone. Very annoying. Still, I look forward to voting later this afternoon.
Wrong Hand of Doom
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsI was looking over the site yesterday and I saw an embarassing error. The Wacom doodle that I did of Hellboy the other day contained an unforgiveable error. I had drawn him holding his gun in his right hand. If you are familiar with the character then you know that his right hand is supposed to “the Right Hand of Doom”, an oversized stone contraption. I beg forgiveness.
Anyhoo, I merely flipped the image so that it “reads” right (or in this case, left).
Last Call
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsAs kind of a followup to my post last week about the passing of Elliott Smith, I found this article that chronicles the singer’s songwriters troubled life and promising career. It’s from MTV.com of all places, but it appears well-written:
If you are unfamilar with Smith’s work, I would strongly recommend any of his CDs, particularly Either/Or and XO.
Elliott Smith
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsWhat I used to be will pass away
And then you’ll see
That all I want now is happiness
For you and me
– from Happiness by Elliott Smith
The news of the death of Elliott Smith hit me pretty hard yesterday. He was one of my favorite singer/songwriters — a guy who could craft songs that beautifully taped into true and honest emotions. He will be missed.
I never met the man, and know little of the man behind the music, but I just can’t comprehend what would drive him to take his own life. Professionally, he seemed to have it all. He managed to crave out a successful career doing exactly the kind of music that he wanted to. There seemed like there were no compromises in his music. I know numerous creative professionals that long for a career like that.
As was the case with the death of Kurt Cobain, I was first filled with sadness, and then as the shock wore off, anger. Perhaps that is a somewhat selfish response, but the impulse to take one’s own life just doesn’t sit well with me.
Geek Test
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsJust got back from a three day roadtrip — new updates soon. This post is basically a test of posting from my Tungston C handheld. I’m a tech geek I freely admit it.
Loosening Up
Posted by trev | Filed under Odds & EndsUpdates to this blog have been somewhat slow due to fact that I’ve become increasingly fussy about what I want to upload. The whole thing is somewhat ironic because the whole idea of doing a sketchbook blog in the first place was that it could be a repository for doodles, sketches, works in progress, etc. Basically, its not designed to be a gallery of finished work. However, since stuff is getting broadcast out over the internet, I’ve found myself being really picky about what I want to upload. And that’s beside the point of even doing this thing.
In an effort to loosen up a bit, here’s a page of doodles I did at work today. Nothing special, but they were quite fun to do. I really like the way the girl in the bottom right corner turned out.
