Cocker Spaniel

Besides trying to get as much freelance as possible and developing my portfolio, I work part-time as an instructor.  I tutor privately and I work at a step-by-step painting studio.  One of my favorite classes that I teach at the studio is a pet painting class.  This is the one time I get to discuss concepts, color theory, and painting technique (our other classes are very linear.)  Every class I get to paint a different breed of dog.  The challenge I have is my time limit:  I can only paint my dog in about 30-40 minutes cumulative, the rest of the time I must walk around and help students.  The time limit forces me to think quickly and use a lot of broken brushwork.  I've been inspired recently to make better grays in my paintings.  I'm also always evolving my black mixture; my current is phthalo green, alizarin, and raw umber. 

Even though these studies are quick, I feel like they have helped me see what's worth including and what needs to be omitted.

Something different

I needed a break from my current Dallas Comic Con projects, so I decided to make a quick sketch.  The umbrella of clean, graphic, comic style was still hanging over my head!  I'll need to sketch something more painterly later on to compensate.

The Joker

This print actually went VERY fast from concept to final, I finished it within a day (not bad considering my speed, something I've been working on.)  I wanted to incorporate some graphic touches to the clothing and the overall shapes.  My model was Joker from "Batman:  The Animated Series."  Me being me, I still wanted to make sure there was a good amount of rendering in the face.  I'm hoping the hybrid of the two works well for everyone.  It's very hard for me to walk away from pieces like this, one of the many reasons I'm glad I have my girlfriend Jessica (my partner in crime with Studio TinLock) looking over my shoulder at my work station.  I'm learning it's important to maintain a good energy with pieces like this; it feels fast, and that's what I like most about it.  Even though it's hard to take a break from original work, I'm enjoying the challenge of working with characters I like in styles I'm interested in.

X-Men Babies final print

Here is the completed print for the X-Men Babies.  This is the first time I've worked with so many characters on one page, I really like seeing how colorful the final print turned out.  I tend to paint with a little more mark making, so it was fun to color in more of a "comic" style.  In preparation for the con, I have tried to read more comics and observe the different styles of rendering.  More prints to come later!

X-Men Babies

My girlfriend and I will be manning a table at the Dallas Comic Con next month (May 17-19.)  It will be our very first con, so we're both excited.  We have been working on a number of new prints that are purely comic-related under the umbrella of our new team name, "Studio TinLock."  The first print we collaborated on was an X-Men Babies piece.  Here are some of the characters alone, the final piece will be coming soon!