Technicolor Man/Remus Redux

Here's just a sampling of new work from this past week. You can see more goodies on my blog.

The Old Man and The Sea

Last week I was able to pull a half dozen prints of Remus (left) and Sea Jellies (right) before school closed for spring break. After all the unexpected enthusiasm for the Sea Jellies print, I've decided to start selling them! They go for $40 each, printed on Archies white paper and are around 6x9 inches (paper size 11x15 inches). Email me at alex@bisforbeguez.com if you're interesting in purchasing one!

Cornelius

Finished him tonight, you can see more of him on my website.

Artist Spotlight: Yuko Shimizu

Originally working in PR for a big corporation in Tokyo, Yuko Shimizu decided she was not happy working in the advertising/marketing industry and ran away to New York to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts. I was made aware of her work a few years ago, but I recently ran into her website again and decided to bookmark it to death so I am never without it. I love the fluidity in her work, the way your eye moves around her composition. Her subject matter is quite bizzare yet makes a strong point and keeps your hooked. It's the kinda thing I aspire to create in my own work. Here is a small sample of her work:

No Cowboy

Check out the video. Its pretty damn fun. Via Design You Trust

*Edit* Another great animated video by the same people.
Just as fun, and an entertaining song.

Bart

Check out old man Bart on my site.

Water in the Desert

Moebius' 40 Days Dan Le Désert (40 Days In The Desert for the non-French) has been a tremendous inspiraton to me while working on my comic Alien Raver, as well as my work in general. I became aware of Moebius (real name Jean Giraud) when my cousin got me his compilation book Fusion back in high school. Most of his comics are within the realm of fantastical and delirious science fiction, with a graphic style ranging from extreme realism to a more dream-like nature. Désert is a series of drawings that focuses on a priest/archer figure residing in the desert who witnesses magical occurrences while approached by other desert dwellers whose cities seemingly rise and fall around him (in a nutshell).

In Désert he draws all 70 pages in ink (either with a micron or dip pen, not entirely sure) and supposedly without preparatory pencil drawings. His line work is so clean (very steady hands) and the amount of detail really gives each drawing an amazing sense of depth. The characters that populate his world are distinctive and go about their daily routines even while observed; yet they live under a deep shroud of mystery.

Artist Spotlight: Leandro Castelao

Check out fun illustrations by Argentinian illustrator Leandro Castelao, whose pieces look like colorful circuit board designs (his David Bowie one really caught my eye).

Via Drawn

Self Portrait Mania

You might think it's vanity, but I'm the easiest model to acquire at a moment's notice. And it's good practice. I see an improvement in my inking skills already! I'll try to scan these in at a later time (my scanner is out on loan at the moment).

Piña Colored Walls

Another unused option at work. These are fun to work on though. 

Pineapple Upside Cake

Made it for something at work, but the idea fell through. 

Mustang Monoprints

Yesterday in my printmaking class, I made my first batch of monoprints. Basically, you work ink on plexiglass, and once you are done manipulating it, you transfer your result onto paper. It's a much more dynamic way of creating prints (compared to etching), and I find the process relaxing yet energizing. Although I still have to get used to moving the ink around with rollers and q-tips. Shalimar made an interesting comment about monoprints: she said she deeply respects artists that make art that will eventually be destroyed. It takes a strong individual to be able to keep making art, even with the knowledge that their art is at best temporary and at worst a faded memory. This printing technique surely tests those limits for me, and hopefully it will make me a better artist in the the long run.

Frog Etchings

Here are my series of three frog etchings, Las Ranas Venenosas. I am selling them for $50 each, numbering and signing each one. I plan on printing a limited edition for these, but since it takes me a while to make one, I am not sure how many I will produce. Contact me if you are interested in procuring one! 

Artist Spotlight: Ariel Olivetti

As usual, I've decided to spotlight in a genre of art that I understand best: Comic Books. My next artist feature is on Ariel Olivetti. Olivetti is an Argentine artist and penciller best known for his work on American comic book titles such as Daredevil, X-Man, Space Ghost and Punisher War Journal.

Olivetti studied Graphic Design in college and first had his work published in the Argentine magazine Fierro. He created El Cazador de Aventuras, a popular adult comic in 1992.

His first American work was 1995's The Last Avengers Story, which was written by Peter David and published by Marvel Comics. He went on to have a brief stint as regular penciller on Marvel's Daredevil between 1997 and 1998, where he worked with writer Joe Kelly. His next major work was in 1998 when he worked with writer Steven Grant on the Warren Ellis devised "Counter X" revamp of Marvel's X-Man title. In 2005 he again collaborated with Joe Kelly on DC Comics Space Ghost limited series which revealed the character's origins for the first time.

Other titles he has worked on include Mystique and Sabretooth (1996), Alpha Flight (1997) and What If? (1997) at Marvel and JLA: Paradise Lost (1998), Haven: The Broken City (2002), Green Lantern (2003) and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (2006) at DC.

In 2006 he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics and launched the second volume of Punisher War Journal with writer Matt Fraction.

Ariel is scheduled to illustrate a new Cable ongoing series that debuts in March 2008.

Step Two

Slowly, but surely… here's step one.

Green Tree Frog