New "INTERSECTIONS": First Night

Just finished this for the Beacon. Here it is for you to review, with some last minute alterations. The subject this month was the FIRST NIGHT celebration held in St. Louis. I tried some new methods of mixing traditional and digital media for this one. Looking forward to trying this stuff some more later on.

Illustration Friday: Undone

Did triple duty today- Haven't done Illustration Friday in waaay too long- but didn't have time to do a whole image and also get my next animal done for Animals in Suits. So I figured let's do both in one image, and also produce a new political illo as well, why not? At any rate the theme is "undone" so I decided to show the Democratic Donkey being "undone" by one of the usual attack lines Republicans use- weakness on National Defense. Can't say I agree, but makes for a fun exercise none the less.

Joe Lentol for "The Capitol"

It's been a busy month! Animals in Suits turns 100 soon, I've been meeting with folks all over, and I just finished my first commission for a New York Paper!

Here is assemblyman Joe Lentol for "The Capitol". I've also included some thumbnails- you know, for the kids!

Speed Sketch- Dave Matthews

Working on a pic for my works holiday gift exchange. Produced this tonight and kinda like how it turned out-thoughts?

New "INTERSECTIONS": Florissant

Huzzah! Brand spanking new Intersections is up!

check it out here

Tried a different method for this one- experimenting with panels and a limited/structured color scheme. I drew a lot of inspiration from old UPA cartoons and how they used color. I also tried to push myself more with the caricatures in this one as well. Got some more exciting news coming soon- I'll keep you posted!

Sketch Drop!

More detailed blog post being worked on. But in the meantime, check out some sketchbook fun I've been having the last couple of months.

Quick Editorial Sketch- Mick Jagger

It was commented in the last week that I should work more on my likenesses. In the spirit of getting better  I have produced this speed sketch! I used the placement of his arms and body to show the projection of his voice. Hope y'all like it!

Bismarck finds Napoleon

Have been meaning to post this for awhile, and now that I have found a spare moment I wanted to share this image with you. This was done earlier in the summer as part of my ongoing series on Otto Von Bismarck. I've been doing alot of research on the "Iron Chancellor" lately, and am hoping to produce some more substantial narrative work about him and this time period in the future.

 

At any rate, here the old man is capturing Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War.

Keys and Pillows

Had the signing at Jive and Wail this week, and was humbled by the response from everybody! It was a really exciting event and the mayor of Maplewood gave me a key to the city! Definitely the biggest honor I have ever gotten for my work. Many thanks to everyone for their help on this project.

I also wanted to post some self-motivated work I did earlier this summer for an article in the New York Times about Pillow Love. Basically there is a small sub-culture of folks in Japan who use pillows as girlfriends. Perfect for editorial brainstorming. I did these black and white pieces for practice.

New "INTERSECTIONS": ALTON

Hey Everybody! Quick reminder- Tonight I will be in attendance at the Jive and Wail Piano bar in Maplewood MO, and will be signing copies of my "DOOWELPAM" poster! Hope to see you there!

In other news, the St. Louis Beacon has published my newest illustration in the "INTERSECTIONS" series: Alton, IL. Check out the link here.

This one was alot of fun to research, and anything involving giant bird monsters is a thumbs up in my book.

A New Medium for Sam?

I was fortunate enough to be on Great Day St. Louis today! It was my first time getting interviewed on tv, and it was a great experience! I've attached the link below- The purpose was to raise awareness fo rthe upcoming Jive and Wail Fundraiser. Hope to see you all there! Cheers!

link

Fantasy Figure Drawing at the Artists' Guild in St. Louis

Hey everybody-

Just back from fantasy figure drawing at the Artists' Guild- it's held every third Friday of the month! It's a great resource for illustrators here in St. Louis. Be sure to check it out! Figure drawing every week!

Also I will be adding some more sketches from the sketchbook here soon. Keep an eye out!

New Project: Animals in Suits

Starting today I am embarking on a new project designed to give me opportunity to experiment with alot of different media and one of my favorite themes: Animals in Suits.

I am going to produce a piece of art every day for one year. Every day, a new animal.

I also want to encourage community participation! Send me an animal you'd like to see and I'll produce it for the blog. The more obscure the animal the better!

Here is the link to the new blog:

http://animalsinsuits.blogspot.com/

Fundraiser Signing at the JIve and Wail in Maplewood!

I am going to be having a signing at The Jive and Wail in Maplewood, MO on Sept. 30th at 5:30 pm! I am very excited about this- and want to thank the City of Maplewood and the Beacon for this opportunity. I will be at the event signing posters we've produced based on the Maplewood edition of "INTERSECTIONS".

The proceeds from the poster sales are going to a great cause too: The Ryan Hummert Memorial Fund, which has been set up to produce a memorial for Mr. Hummert, a firefighter in Clayton who was mortally wounded in the line of duty. I'm very humbled and honored to help contribute to this cause.

So, if your in St. Louis around the 30th, stop by and enjoy some food, fun and a good cause. All pertinent info is on the flier posted below.

Check that out

Once again, Duncan Barton has changed my life.

Illustration Friday: Magnify

I offer up this observaiton of how the media tends to magnify folks beyond their true selves. I know, deep isn't it? Also wanted to try something in grayscale.

NEW "INTERSECTIONS": SOUTH GRAND

Newest installment of Intersections is up: This month I covered South Grand. Experimented with a variety of pairings for this- lemme know what you think!

A Yak Handyman

At least I think he's a yak.

Illustration Friday: Caution

retro post

Hey all. Felt like posting one of my older pieces to see what folks thought. I've been taking a look back at some older work of mine and using my progression as a way to figure where I'm going style wise. Sometimes I miss this painterly pastel stuff. Something to consider going forward I guess.

Loopy day in Transit

Been getting progressively busier lately- good stuff! Should have some big news to share soon- in the meantime, here is a happy fellow with wings.

Another day, Another Animal

Here is today's entree: a Platypus Knight.

A REALLY Late Night

yaaaay lobsters!

Saw a Bulldog at Work. INSPIRATION!

ok, so this is a bit late, but i figure better late than never. He's a salty sea dog.

Swedish Fish

well, I guess whales are actually mammals aren't they? I'm really starting to enjoy this exercise.

SAY WHAT? ANIMALS IN SUITS? INDEED.

Decided to combine three loves for this sketch: Bush Babies, Animals in suits, and ye olde european costumes. let me know what y'all think!

Yay for Moms

Thank God for moms.

Two Shows of Note:John Hendrix and Sterling Hundley

Have meant to bring this up before now, but just so you all are aware. Two of my former teachers are each having or are about to have shows. I highly encourage anyone who can to check them out. These guys helped change my life, and I can't praise them enough.

John Hendrix: John Brown Show

A showing of process work and final pieces of art for John's new book on John Brown. The show is up now and will culminate in a book signing in September at Subterranean Books, here in St. Louis.

http://johnhendrix.blogspot.com/2009/07/john-brown-show.html

Sterling Hundley:

"Emergent", The debut solo show of painter Sterling Clinton Hundley opens september 4th at Ghostprint Gallery in Richmond, VA. from 7pm- 10pm. The artist will be in attendance.
220 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23220
(804)344.1557
http://sterlingclintonhundley.blogspot.com/

A Not so Late Night

Thank God for Lions and Gelato.

Another Late Night

Thank God for Elephants and aquatint.

A Late Night.

Thank God for marker paper and funny monkeys.

Befores and Afters

Also wanted to post this. Updated this image earlier this summer. Utilizing new skills rocks!

old one first, new version second.

Sketch/Experiment Dump

While I tend to shy away from posting sketches two times in a row, I've wanted to post some of this stuff for awhile. As you can see, I'm still obsessed with apes. I have also recently bought an old Dover book FILLED with tons of historical costumes. Great for artist's block!

Since graduation I have been trying to produce as much work as possible, and I am loving every minute of it.

Figure Studies!

I've tried to make a habit of doing figure drawing at least once a week over at the St. Louis Artists' Guild. Here are some examples!

Jupiter v. Saturn

Hello everybody!

Sorry for the delay on this one!

I was inspired by my visit to the Illustration Academy to create this piece based on Gary Kelley's assignment. He tried a new one this year- an project based on one of the seven deadly sins. Sounded good to me!

I phoned a friend and had her give me one randomly. She chose "RAGE".

After thinking of a bunch of different situations, I remembered the mythological story of Jupiter slaying Saturn and taking over the realm of the Gods. This let me do some fun visual research! I got to look at tons of ancient and neoclassical works of art. I also decided to depict Jupiter as a bull(he definitely turned into one at various times), to create a better composition and what I think is just an image that's more fun.

Enjoy!