The characters developed by veteran concept artist and character designer Mike May are anything but ordinary – each inhabits a unique world, suggested not so much by the environment they’re rendered in but by the dress, demeanor, and look of the characters themselves. Mike is a also a superb caricaturist. There’re a ton of drawings and illustrations on his portfolio site and additional, more recent, work on his blog, so if you need some inspiration, go check it out.
Although Illustrator Mathis Rekowski has some wonderfully trippy drawings like the one featured here, he’s got even more illustrations seem to me at once retro and cutting edge. Certainly someone to watch out for. You can purchase the image above at Mathis’ new store, or follow him on his blog
Finding illustrations like those of Matthew Woodson is why I (admittedly intermittenly) do this website. His work seems fresh and relevant – small moments of beauty in a dreary world. Definitely bookmark this one, and check out his blog if you get a chance.
Self Portrait (No. 12 / B5 Series) by Matt W Moore
Although it would seem that Matt W. Moore is currently better known for his color work – he just had a feature article about him in Computer Arts Magazine in which he discusses his Vectorfunk style – I love this guy’s black and white art. He explores different shapes and uses clear and crisp lines. I am particularly impressed with his mandalas (drawing these myself) and how well they are executed for the fact that they are hand-drawn (as opposed to using Illustrator as his the case for many of his color works).
Matt just released B5 (from which these images are taken), a collection of black and white prints available for purchase, to complement Alphafont 3.0, a font type exploration done in color. This guy kicks ass so check out his website MWM Graphics, his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
3 more below the jump.
"Ms. February" Line Art by Brian Ewing
Man am I glad that I checked out Brian Ewing’s Flickr page. While there are plenty of sick drawings on his website and blog, the real action is on Flickr. Ewing is an illustrator who pumps out amazing illustrations for band T-Shirts, posters, magazines, skateboards, etc. For those of you who like the skull and, more broadly, tattoo aesthetic, you’ll get your fill here.
The real treasure trove, beyond the pictures themselves, are the tutorials and how-to’s that Ewing has put together on his Flickr account. Detailing every step of the way (minus colors) of how he’s arrived at some of his most memorable work, including, for example, the cover of I Want Your Skull #5, you get a really intimate look at the whole end-to-end creative process. There are lots of little tips that simple invaluable to the new artist – for example, don’t tape down your drawing but move it to preserve the motion of your hand and wrist. If you want to know how a professional does what he does, you simple must check these out.
Of course you’d also be doing Ewing a favor by buying some of his stuff. Really, you should.
3 more images below the jump.
Organic Abstract No 1 by Michael Herring
Michael Herring is an artist both from Des Moines, Iowa, and Joliet, Illinois—home of the Blues Brothers if I’m not mistaken. Looking through Mike’s work I had a hard time picking anything out, there are just so many good drawings. Besides the fluid, organic abstractings that are thus aptly named, I quite enjoy the meeting, as it were, of the modern day cubicle desk jockey and the grim skulls that seem to be eating the poor lads alive. Unfortunately, I can relate. Many of the many drawings are done in black, blue, and red, making me wish I had a pair of 3D glasses.
Although Mr. Herring has a “Drawing & Painting” section on his website, you want to check out his blog. You can either just browse the “Drawing” category for his many drawings, but you must also check out his sweet paintings. If you happen to live in Boulder, Colorado, check out his show.
4 more images below the jump.
Hare’s by Andrea Joseph
You can tell by her drawings that Andrea is a keen observer of the world around her. On her many “collages” and moleskin sketches she somehow brings to life the little objects that fill our lives. Once you really take a moment to study these drawings (she provides large versions of her drawings on her website) you realize just how time-consuming these must be. I imagine creating these works must be a sort of meditation, but that’s just speculation on my part. Certainly worth a closer look, especially if you’re a fan of moleskin sketches. You can check her out over at Andrea Joseph’s Sketchblog, which she regulary updates.
3 images more after the jump.
Ah, the skull. Universal and visceral, fascinating and beautiful. Symbolic of those most basic themes: life and death. We find it in pop culture, occult ritual, on shoulders worldwide; most importantly, we find it in ourselves. No wonder we see it over and over in the world of art. It is mystical… perhaps we look for answers about the life after death in the bony visage of the skull.
Whatever the case, at the end of day, skulls are pretty cool! Which is exactly why I set out to put together of a haphazard list of drawings, photos, tutorials & how-tos, videos, and illustrations dealing with the human skull.
I hope it proves useful to you and inspires you as it has me. So without further ado, categorized by what seemed to make sense, skulls:
Enjoy!
Anatomical Studies of Skulls
Skull Left Lateral Index from Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body
Nurse Hypo by Phillip Jackson
Phillip Jackson, aka Jolly Jack, creator of the memorable “Sequential Art” and other online comic strips, has a great little sketchbook section to find a little inspiration. His drawings are fresh, sexy, and humerous – not a bad combination.
More below the jump.
Although his site seems to not have been updated recently (I could be wrong), you definitely need to check out the work of Chris Legaspi. Rarely do you find someone so diverse in talents: from fine art to cartoon, this guy has all styles on the lockdown. Definitely sick.
More below the fold.