“Ebb and Flow” is simply the result of a drawing exercise referred to as an “exquisite corpse.” Except in this case, I cheated. Rather than playing the game with other people as intended, I was the only participant. However, I made sure to wait at least a week before working on each successive panel, with the hope that I would forget what I had drawn on the previous panel. I’m now in the process of adding digital color and shading for extra pop. This is my progress so far.

View the full horizontal image

Ebb and Flow, ballpoint pen and digital, 3.25 x 5.25 in. each panel, 2012

Pride & Prejudice, 11 x 17 in., 2010

Caroline, Or Change, 11 x 17 in., 2011

My Fairytale, 11 x 17 in., 2011

39 Steps, 11 x 17 in., 2010

Hairspray, 11 x 17 in., 2011

Peter Pan, 11 x 17 in., 2010

Maria Centrella, art director
adMinds, agency
PCPA Theaterfest, client

Test the Timber of My Heart: Tattoo (Color), ink and digital, 7 x 10 in., 2011

I was asked to design a tattoo based on a Joe Pug lyric. The concept was too incorporate a tree, a heart with veins, and the text “The timber of my heart.” Sounded easy enough until I realized the homonymic pun – is it spelled “timber” or “timbre”? Since that’s the beauty of lyric, why ruin it? So I dropped the text. Onto the next problem – symmetry. Having tree branches rising up and veins flowing down looked too symmetrical for my liking. So I abandoned any depiction of a tree and decided to represent it as wood grain on the heart. The final tattoo references the song lyric without being all too obvious.

And I’ve come to roam the forest past the village
With a dozen lazy horses in my cart.
I’ve come here to get eyed
To do more than just get by
I’ve come to test the timber of my heart.
Oh I’ve come to test the timber of my heart.

Full song lyrics

Test the Timber of My Heart: Tattoo (Grayscale), ink and digital, 7 x 10 in., 2011

Studies, ink and digital, 7 x 10 in., 201

The University of Rock & Roll, digital, 10.5 x7 in. @ 300dpi, 2011

Founded by Stephen Stern and Mark Schulman (of Foreigner), The University of Rock & Roll is everything from corporate keynotes and private performances to recording workshops and rhythm classes. I was hired to create an illustration and logotype to help brand the website. The assignment required an image that expresses a direct, neurological connection between a musician and their instrument, in this case a guitar. I can’t imagine how you would do that with drums.

Detail 1

Detail 2

Dicker and Dicker, Postcard 1, 5.5 x 8.5 in., 2011

Dicker and Dicker, Postcard 2, 5.5 x 8.5 in., 2011

Dicker and Dicker, Process

Abused Nib

Caution! The smell from the use of cedar and mothballs will adhere to fur, creating lasting unpleasant odors. Since I’ve never owned, nor plan to own, a fur coat, I was unaware of the need for cold storage services. I thought that was reserved for slaughtered beef and frozen pizzas. Regardless, I enjoyed exploring color and texture with these designs, while further abusing my drawing tablet’s pen.

Pismo Beach: Play in the Past, digital, 7 x 10 in., 2010

Pismo Beach: Play in the Past, digital, 2.25 x 4 in., 2010

This is an update to last year’s print campaign for Pismo Beach. Many of the design elements remained the same, including the color palette. But I was asked to update the title treatment to reflect the city’s new identity, as well as some of the people and floral elements.

Kelly Hayes, art director
TJA Advertising, agency
Pismo Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau, client

Tiny Sketchbook, Ink, 1.75 x 3.25 in. each, 2010

This is a short series of incredibly small sketches. In fact, this was the smallest “sketchbook” I’ve ever owned. I bought a handful of them a while back at www.bokubooks.com. Many of these images have found their way onto birthday cards over the past several months. All drawings were done with my V5/V7/V10 Pilots and various PITT pens.

Wedding Invitation, cmyk on linen, 2010

Denny embraces the Irish in him. Lynette simply instigates. It’s no surprise they’ll be serving Jameson at the wedding. For the invite, I had originally envisioned a faux whiskey label – beautiful, bold, classic. As much as I wanted to reference alcohol, it seemed nearly impossible to pull off tastefully and within budget. So the concept was hidden in three words on the front of the invitation – “Product of Ireland.”

My favorite part of the invite.

Inspiration: Bacardi, Bats and Superheroes

Time to completion: 7 hours

After the huge success of the Embodiment 2010 Show back in February, I eagerly jumped on another opportunity to paint bodies. It kinda makes painting on canvas that much less exciting. This time, it was for a Bacardi launch party – to promote a horribly disgusting new rum called “Torched Cherry.” Fans of cough syrup unite! I chose to focus more on Bacardi’s bat logo, than the drink itself. Some quick history:

Moving from the experimental stage to a more commercial endeavor, Don Facundo and his brother José set up shop in a small distillery on February 4, 1862. Their first copper and cast iron still produced 35 barrels of fermented molasses a day. In the rafters of this building lived fruit bats. Hence, the Bacardi bat logo.

Paint brushes used: 2

Location: Native Lounge

Last time, some of us were lucky enough to paint up stairs at the bar in Native Lounge, which offered us more space than usual. We weren’t so lucky this time – they put us in the god damn basement (since they had customers). Gritty, slimy, dark, and strange pigeon noises everywhere. Fortunately, Chris loves taking control of a situation. So he ran home, grabbed his studio lights, and re-arranged the entire storage area to accomodate us. Seven hours later, he was ready for his liberty spikes and eye shadow. What a nut. Keep in mind that he hissed and howled at the audience multiple times. This was certainly not rehearsed.

Chris actually howled during the show

I didn't ask him to do any of this

By this time, Chris had already observed my painting process and actually began to predict my brushstrokes. He was also the only model who came up with the idea of slowly rotating as I painted him, so I could hit all sides equally. A few times, I had him hold a pose while I quitely ate french fries behind his back. Just wanted to test his stamina. He passed.

Date: July 2010

Theme: Bacardi Torched Cherry

Torched, as in torched aloe

BTC tastes like cough syrup

Super flowy acrylic ink

I usually pack too much.