it has been a while

I haven't been drawing or painting that much since our summer tour with the band. I have next to nothing to share. Just may be this.
My 8 years old infant militant nephew asked me to paint an aircraft carrier as a birthday present for him. Here it is -

some updates

More than 5 hours a day I spend traveling to and from the work and I almost fall asleep each time I come home. A couple of weeks ago I was forces to get back to painting, I just had to finish that Ricochet LP artwork and layouts. Square meters of paper ruined, hours and hours without any sleep spent masking, mixing, glazing and blending and when I almost ran out of my "original green" I did it. I had to study many new technics that I have never used before. I used masking fluid for the tree trunks to keep them highlighted while working out the background in light-to-dark technics. Another totally new thing was using the sponge for the foliage. A Hell of a lot of fun after all...

Back to black and white, ink and feathers. New rico t-shirt design. I nearly died trying to fit in at least any font that would look ok with the picture.

This one goes to Yvonne (Jakov's logopedist and audiologist)

30x40. watercolor

There were next to no flights on our helipad the whole Friday. It was 18 mps windspeed and was snowing heavily. Internet was cut of so I had plenty of time with a book about Norway. My life impressions are poor all I see on a daily basis are 140 km of highway the walls of my flat. That is why I always use some reference photos to build my pictures upon, nice pics in zines and tourist guides, pictures made by my fellows travelers. There is a sketch I made from one of those nice pictures from the book about Norway, that I hope will later become a painting.

and there is a quick pastel work made out of one of Olga Lovtsyus nice pictures of Ireland -

artist soft pastel

Yesterday I went consuming. Stopped by at some art-supply shop near the place where we rehears with the band and bought another piece of art materials that is totally new to me. soft pastels not the kind like oil pastels, more like tiny chalk pieces. 36 colours Sonnet set. The dust of purple color has covered my keyboard and I am making grainy stains all over my white keys as I type these words, there is a colored sand under my arms that makes kind of scratchy sound as I move my mouse. It was fun making this quick work that I'll call rocky path. Pastel is still keeping its secrets away from me. I am still not sure how to draw with it.

21x29cm.

some early stuff

Kuhmo skyline. 2009.

Peony. 04.2009. Some negative shaping and then light-to-dark painting.

BBW/OBSTACLES MOSCOW SHOW POSTER

new toy

Just finished this my second ever oil pastels work. Made with my new toy - Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 50 sticks, 49 colours.  It is the easiest media in matter of materials that far, you have spare minute, open your pad, open the box of pastels and go on. No need of water, no stains on the table, no need to clean your brushes afterwards - just plain fun. I am in my very beginning and not sure what to expect from it. So I have just tried to do something and based my drawing on one of Duane Wakeham wonderful works. Here it is:

colors

This one we started with my 1 year and 7 month old son earlier today, he did a few broad strokes with 2 inch flat brush and then we had a long break, I've finished it a few minutes ago, when he has been already sleeping. It is a brief color study with scratching, mixing colors on paper, glazing and blending, wet in wet, wet on dry, painting wood and stone walls technics - just a quick refresher made with good old Saint Petersburg watercolors and 3 brushes: half inch flat/ 2 inch flat and a rigger.

sketchbook #0, 2009

I've just found my old sketchbook. it seems like it was when I bought that Faber-Castell "shades of grey" artist pen set for the first time.

the birth of the cowboy

this one was initially made as a gig poster but ended up as an illustration to the thanks list. made using my third best friend - faber castell mechanical penil - a way more eco friendly than any other pencil since you can use it forever with just replacing the lead. Later is was fully outlined with my Pilot pen and blackened with TOMBO acid free art markers.

the sound of one hand clapping

This is one out of 12 illustrations that I've made for Ricochet's new record "in the shadows of giants". This particular one - the last one 12/12 was made using my old friend Faber-Castell CASTELL 9000 2B pencil and my presently favorite gel pen Pilot V Ball Grip 0,5mm - nothing beats this one in my eyes.