Welcome Back Capt. Chamberlain Part 2

I used my less-than-stellar Tracer projector to project my sketch onto a piece of 4' x 4' canvas. After tracing the image onto the canvas, I started blocking in the color. Luckily, the acrylic didn't completely obscure the pencil and I could still see my drawing. I started painting in highlights then details. Painting on non-stretched canvas was more difficult than I remembered, but overall I'm happy with the results! The banner next gets hung in the window of a local business to greet the returning Captain Chamberlain.

Welcome Back Capt. Chamberlain

Back in the day, I painted humorous advertisements in the window of a local computer repair shop. I was surprised (and happy) to get a call from the shop owner's daughter requesting that I come back (after all these years) and paint another window. This window would be a little different – she wanted a welcome back painting for her boyfriend who was returning from Afghanistan.  I'm honored to have a small part in welcoming home Captain Chamberlain.

I offered to paint a banner that could then be kept as a souvenir rather than paint a window that would eventually have to cleaned. Above is a sketch of the painting. Below, Jessica is helping out by hemming the canvas. More to come...

That Just-Printed Smell!

Here's my most recent postcard, fresh off the UPS truck. Love that just-printed smell! I used online printer Modern Postcard and was really impressed with their nearly foolproof - yet thorough - ordering system. Want a card? Send me your address!

And here's what's on the back of the card:

Frankenstein's Monster

I decided recently that my portfolio needs more monsters.  Here's one you might recognize. I originally named this post Frankenstein, but my sister-in-law set me straight. In the original Mary Shelley novel, the big guy is referred to as "monster," "fiend" and my favorite, "wretched devil," but NOT Frankenstein--that's the name of his creator. I won't make that mistake again!

100th Post, New Website & New Look

You're reading my 100th post! This milestone coincides with the launch of my new and improved website - check it out here. The blog has also been given a modest makeover to compliment the new site.

This blog started March 2, 2007 with an awkward post entitled "My First Blog Entry". Early on, I half expected I might loose interest in blogging. But as the months and years passed, the posts began to accumulate and the blog took on a life of its own. These 100 posts chronicle my evolution as an artist.

Example: when the blog started, I worked almost exclusively in acrylic. Today, I mostly work digitally; the blog documents my shift from traditional to digital illustration.

Looking through these 100 posts was fun. A couple stood out as particularly amusing...

Here's a photo of a window I painted for Halloween when I was a kid.

Here I revisit a drawing from grade school. This post was inspired by the Illustration Friday topic "Then and Now"

Here I explore the theory that birds are really dinosaurs.

Here are a couple photos of my wife and me with a T. Rex. The photos were taken approximately 20 years apart!

Space Monkey vs Angry Octopus

I'm creating illustrations for my new website that should be going live this week. A menagerie of critters will take turns appearing in the header, depending on which image is randomly plucked from the database.

I often work on assignment. When I do have time to draw for myself, I sometimes feel overwhelmed. What do I draw when I'm free to draw anything?!

I knew I wanted fun, quirky creatures. I found inspiration by watching Animal Planet and looking through my handy book: Copyright-Free Illustrations of Mammals, Birds, Insects, etc. Mostly I chose animals I haven't drawn recently or creatures I loved as a kid. Here are two of the critters I've done so far - stay tuned...

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I wish I knew when this goofy card was made. I'd guess I was either in first, second or third grade. Unfortunately, I can't take all the credit for the card - apparently this was a collaborative effort with Robert A. That would explain the dissimilar themes; I had been wondering what a burning snake, a truck and the ocean had in common. And why is there a stack of quarters under the fire snake?

The truck is clearly my drawing; my dad was driving a tractor trailer at the time. I probably drew the ocean, because fishing with my dad was one of my favorite things in the world. Robert A. must have been responsible for the snake - maybe his dad was a snake charmer? I don't recall...

This year, in lieu of a Father's Day card I offer this blog post to my dad. Happy Father's Day, Dad! And that's with a big 10-4, whatever that means. Love, Robert