Two Years, Time for a Logo Update

I'm working on a new website, promo card, and business card.  I figured the first place to start on updating should be my logo.  I wanted to actually make this guy a character and have flow, contrast, and personality to him.  

I haven't decided if he should just be a head or a full figure.  With the head alone, the logo occupies the space of a square, which is more common with logos.  On the other hand, the full figure makes a nice silhouette.  Bah!  Anyway, do me a favor and zoom out on the logos to about the size of a stamp (that's what I've been doing tonight, haha).

Finished Just in Time for Summer Vacation

So at the last minute I ditched the girl's face and redrew it, giving more emphasis to expression than making a perfect face.  I like the result, and I think she turned out looking like Lea Michele from Glee!  

I went heavy on the textures this time since I liked the result in the windmill illustration I did a month or so back.  The illustration looks good next to the editorial illustrations I've been doing recently.  My next project, and then I'll move on to working on my character design portfolio, is an illustrated magazine cover.  I'll use the technique that I used to paint David Bowie (previous post). 

The Joy of Painting (a Happy Little Bowie)

I actually finished this last week for my girlfriend Jen on the occasion of our two year anniversary.  This is a pretty amazing milestone for me as I previously hadn't been with someone for more than a few months let alone two years.  She's great, and she's a fan of the Labyrinth (as am I).  

Painting is just a cake walk once you establish the values and colors.  Finishing this just took time, but I was satisfied with the cleanup as I went.  I hope to add a few more paintings to my portfolio as an alternate side of my work.

  My girlfriend Jen is doing a fantastic job in her senior year at the Savannah College of Art and Design.  You can see some very fine illustrations at her blog:

http://jenniferhochman.blogspot.com/

Yay for Input! Also, Cartoony Darwin is looking awesome.

So, this one went through a lot of ideas before coming to this drawing.  After suggestions from Andrea and Jen, I finally decided that this drawing isn't about Christianity being forced into schools; it's about conservatism.  Jen reminded me that you have to be obvious with editorials.  I made the teacher into more of a Texas politician (someone who doesn't belong in the classroom) and added an elephant trunk as a bookmark.  Andrea suggested I make it more apparent that we're in a classroom so the chalkboard, linoleum floor, and bookbag were added.  

Color has always been difficult for me, but in this case it helped me understand where the focus needs to be in the illustration.  That is for sure the girl, as she is the one that these changes will invariably impact.  Once again, thanks for the input.  Sometimes illustrations flow out, sometimes they take some hardcore refining (more refining to come).

Barack Obama

Our President Obama looks like such a hard hitter next to all the other heads of state around the globe.  He means business!  I drew him with really wide shoulders because his suits always seem to make him a bigger man than he is.  He's got that Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" cut going on.  

There's something about drawing such a ubiquitous man like Obama, you won't stop until you get it right, haha.  I'll be honest, this took me most of the day and that frustrates me.  Hopefully the next one will be faster.

Under the Sea

I've been looking at flying fish, dragonfish, eels, and all sorts of marine life today.  Just like Sebastian said, under the sea is better than anything they got up here.  So many cool looking animals (and we haven't even found them all yet).  

This monster fish might be used for an illustration I'm thinking of.  Those are whistles and fish blowing them underneath his belly.  He's kind of a motivational monster, the kind that will run you down to eat you, so you run faster.  Great for people needing to jumpstart their exercise program.

For British Eyes Only

Actually, you can all look at this.  David Cameron is the leader of the Conservative Party in Britain and is poised to win this week's election. Here's David Cameron, the doughy faced, swooped hairdo that has a concise message for all British voters.  Families that are strapped for cash make cuts, businesses do too.  Why shouldn't the government?  That's right, snip snip.  I hope he doesn't become the next Prime Minister, because in reality you have to spend your way out of a recession.  Keynesian economics has the right of it.

So, he was a tough one to draw.  I don't see him every day on the telly (oops, television) and it's hard to know what to push and what his attitude is.  I ended up watching the live prime minister debates and BBC interviews.  So much more useful to actually watch a person move and talk than to look at photographs.