Punk Racer

I have been studying a few different aspects of manga technique to try and build upon my style and understanding. One thing I love is their ability to balance a black and white image with good line, tone and contrast. I decided to use my new understanding of theses principals and apply it to my own style. What better way to put principal into practice than drawing a punk kid with a bike!

Tea Time

I visited chinatown last week and for some reason it felt really nostalgic. I downed some dumplings and wondered through an asian grocer, picking up some special gunpowder tea (my new favourite). I even tested my skills on some chinese instruments and ended up signing up for classes. It was a really good night and when I came home I channeled my new love into this illustration.  

Dude Design

I was flicking through some of my animation art books the other day and just soaked up their character designs. I love the diversity of artists that work on each animated movie, bringing their own interpretations of the same characters. Each artist seems to have their own way of treating lines, colour and texture. I took that inspiration and condensed it into my own character that you see above.

Winter Surf

I watched a documentary a while ago that had a few really brave surfers catching waves in some of the coldest waters in the world. My respect levels for those surfers is through the roof. When I swim in the ocean I generally go purple!  

Mountaineer

I've spent the last few weeks listening to the audiobook Into Thin Air, which recounts the disaster on Mt Everest in 1996. Since I was listening to the book it freed up my eyes and hands to do some drawing. As I was drawing and listening, my mind began to drift back to Nepal where my wife and I attempted Everest Basecamp. It was all really inspiring and topped off by seeing the Everest movie the day it came out in cinemas. Everything culminated into this ink illustration that I call Mountaineer.  

Everything is cool!

I love seeing happy people walking around, they are always the ones who make my day. This guy shouldn't be happy! It's minus 5 out and he looks like he's on his way to some sort of school. Maybe it's the tunes he's listening to or maybe he's in love. Whatever it is, his cheerful face is contagious and I just want to say hi.  

Nickelode-billy

Like many other kids, I grew up watching all sorts of cartoons. In amongst all these cartoons one company seemed to tell better stories with more memorable characters. For as long as I can remember, Nickelodeon has been inspiring creativity in me. Whether it's a cat and dog joined at the stomach, a pair of angry beavers or a football headed kid, Nickelodeon has always created amazingly odd and lovable characters in wonderful worlds. One element that I have always loved is the zoom shot that shows a static picture of a character in full painted detail. After years of being inspired by these shots I decided to create on of my own Nickelodeon inspired characters, a hillbilly crossed Nickelodeon I like to call Nickelode-billy.

Pen Ink Paper

On the weekend I went to Inkers & Thinkers, a comic symposium and workshop. On Saturday, Australian comic artist Pat Grant led a workshop with a live demonstration of his process. During his workshop he spoke about the qualities of different papers, brushes and inks, encouraging us all to experiment with our tools. I often focus on experimenting with styles but I never really realised how much the right tools make a difference. So I went out and bought some different papers, inks and brushes and gave it a go. 

Piccadilly Bazaar

I went to the Piccadilly Kitchen on Saturday where they were holding their quarterly Bazaar. I had my sketchbook and some free time, so I decided to capture some of the market vibe. There was a big, folk jam session happening right next to me which helped the groove of my pen and kept my creativity flowing.  

(The Strumming Cowboy)

(The Bearded Food Merchant)

(Folk Jam Band)

(The Cactus Lady)

(Plant Scientist)

Biker 30

My brother recently turned 30, so to celebrate I created an illustration for him that would capture his love for motorbikes and skeletons, while also incorporating the number 30 somehow. The above illustration is the result. Rather than my usual half digital process of colouring, I created the picture all by hand and transferred it to a piece of wood and put a simple frame around it which was the icing on this birthday cake.  

CFS Breakfast

I recently illustrated a poster for The Piccadilly Kitchen to advertise a fundraiser for the CFS (Country Fire Service). A group of cafes around the Adelaide hills hosted free breakfasts for all CFS volunteers in recognition of the days they spent fighting the fires that swept through last month. Thanks to all members of the CFS for all your hard work.

Ted

I found a Scrubs DVD the other day...4 hours later I realized I had'nt moved from the couch! Although it wasn't a productive night, I coupled it with a few ink drawings of the character with the most interesting face and personality...Ted.

Pop Asia

It seems that most Saturdays I find myself watching SBS Pop Asia, an hour long program dedicated to the best pop music videos from around Asia. I don't know why I enjoy it so much but I have a feeling it's to do with the incredible amount of effort each artist puts into making their hair look so perfect. Maybe it's also the cheesy, sometimes nonsensical storylines that follow the music. Anyway, this is my tribute.

Skate Bird!

I rented a book from the library titled The Fundamentals of Illustration. It had a few exercises at the end of each chapter that intended to grow your skills as an illustrator. One of the exercises was to create an image without drawing, which meant no pens, pencils, paints or any other hand-directed media. Instead they encouraged you to "draw" with paper, found objects and photos. This was a big leap out of my comfort zone which relies heavily on drawing; but I'm happy that I tried something different, otherwise this super cool lentil faced skater bird may have never been created.    

New Year Adventure!

It's the 4th day of 2014 today and I've decided this is going to be a year of ADVENTURE! I've kicked of the year watching adventure documentaries and it's got me inspired to set out. I'm not sure where or what I'm going to do, but if I end up looking as happy as this guy, I think my new years resolution will be fulfilled.

Oceans End

The idea of a lonesome adventurous sailor spending his life exploring the sea is to me, the definition of what it is to be a man. A man with the wisdom of the ocean reflected in his eyes. A man who knows every map like the back of his hand and can read the weather days before it arrives. As for me, I get seasick pretty easy.

The Cold One

I've started reading a few books that show the process of making comics in the hope of one day making my own. Creating a memorable character that connects with the reader is a big part of the process and one that I have been attempting over the past few days. One book put an exercise forward to create a character for one of the four seasons. It went deeper, explaining that the picture should say a whole lot more...like where they come from, what type of person they are and what sort of background they have. Hopefully you can conjure up a small story just by looking at this man.  

You're Punk Rock Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang are my heroes. These characters and their daily dilemmas have managed to remain as relevant in the 1950's as they are today. But since the 1950's, these Peanuts characters haven't grown an inch, which led me to ask the question..."what would these kids look like grown up?" By grown up I mean adolescent punk rockers! So after hours of contemplation I inked Charlie Brown as the punk kid he would probably be today.

Gatsby Sketches

I decided to post a few more Gatsby inspired studies up for everyone to check out. I couldn't just stop at one. The amazing elegance in the eyes and hair of the 1920's would not leave me alone until I put them down on paper.

Gatsby

Baz Lurman's recent rendition of The Great Gatsby completely captivated me when I watched it on the big screen. Having never read the book, I found myself on the edge of my seat trying to unravel this series of mysterious characters. The amazing costumes and colours sent my imagination spinning with excitement and I just couldn't wait to get home an draw what I had seen. This is the first of a few Gatsby inspired illustrations I have been working on.