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<title>JW Illustration Blog</title><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/index.html</link><description>New Stuff</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2008 John Walker</dc:rights><dc:date>2011-07-09T09:19:09-05:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:15:10 -0500</lastBuildDate><item><title>Website Revamp (Updated)</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-07-01T12:32:50-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/f79b02f72752439a9752b4fbf50d3b30-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/f79b02f72752439a9752b4fbf50d3b30-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Visitors to my website will see a new, revamped version up and running.   Hopefully without any glitches.   I&rsquo;ve tried to give it a pretty good shakedown.   The new design follows a similar reworking of my Blog page, and incorporates comments and suggestions from art directors and buyers. 


While retaining the same Homepage design, the interior has been simplified to enable faster load times for images and takes advantage of a richer Mediabox presentation.   I&rsquo;ve also added a Client List page, with a subpage for downloads of pre-selected image portfolios.   There is now a page devoted to Sketches, comps and experimental pieces, which will be fully stocked with images over the next several days. 


In addition to illustration projects, I&rsquo;ve been creating a lot of non commercial work.   I maintain a separate website for that work, although I have included entries about several pieces here on this blog from time to time.   Although not painted for a specific usage as illustrations are, I believe these paintings show another aspect of my artistic approach and thought, and are a valid compliment to the illustration portfolio.   Some images may even have direct application as commercially related images.   So I have included a Personal Work page with a few examples that will be updated from time to time and a link to my fine art site, www.  WalkerBrushWorks.com.


As always, comments are welcome.   I consider myself fortunate to have heard from so many people with so many positive things to say, thanks.   That&rsquo;s why, to make it easy to connect with me, every page of my site has at least one direct link to send email.   In addition you can go to the Contact Info page to fill out a contact form.   And finally, you can follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/johnwalkerillustration.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>From iPad to Easel</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-06-23T11:10:48-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/9538d21f20f48a4268e1776ab9cdc943-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/9538d21f20f48a4268e1776ab9cdc943-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is a new blog post over on my personal work website showing how I&rsquo;ve taken an iPad sketch, previously posted here, and used it to generate the finished painting shown below.   You can read all about it here: http://www.walkerbrushworks.com/page4/page4.html
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Creating a Basic Brush Set</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-06-21T10:33:55-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/656b0fdc715d527889331520b3b74c6d-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/656b0fdc715d527889331520b3b74c6d-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes I am asked, especially given all the options at our disposal these days, how I manage to decide what tools to use to create a particular image.   It&rsquo;s an understandable question given the dizzying  array of devices, media and methods we are surrounded by as artists.   The simplest answer is that over time, through trial, error and the creation of hundreds of images,  illustrators develop not only an art style but a working style as well. 


Obviously, if you paint using watercolor on paper, you naturally have a much different set of tools than if you are a scratchboard artist. ...  The more we create, the more we refine a style, the more we find out what works best for us to achieve the look we&rsquo;re after. ...  Part of this is personal preference, part is driven by the clients we work for and their demands, usage, etc.   Today&rsquo;s tight deadlines and even tighter budgets have forced demands that may very well preclude the usage of formerly preferred methods. 


This doesn&rsquo;t mean we don&rsquo;t step outside the predetermined, and I am in no way suggesting that we shouldn&rsquo;t be constantly exploring the multitude of options we have. ...  What I am saying is that as working professionals we develop, out of necessity if nothing else, a &ldquo;system&rdquo; for lack of a better term, of creating an image. 

...With nearly all of my illustration work currently being created with digital media, my working method has meant creating a simple set of &ldquo;go to&rdquo; brushes for digital painting.   Again, this doesn&rsquo;t mean they are the only brushes I use, but they are the mainstays, the ones that traditionally would sit front and center on my taboret were I working traditionally.   Everyone who has followed my blog for any length of time, knows that I use Photoshop and Painter for virtually all of my digital work, so those are the two programs we&rsquo;ll be dealing with.


In PS I use five basic brushes; two modified Spatter brushes, a modified Hard Round, and the Hard Round and Airbrush Soft brushes just as God, er, Adobe, made them. ...  Toss in the textural version of the Hard Round and you have a nice set of brushes to create a naturalistic looking piece.   The unmodified Hard Round is mostly used to tighten up edges, the Airbrush for broad color lay in or overglazing using a Multiply layer.


...Again, the broad strokes of painter&rsquo;s Digital Airbrush variant are great for speedy lay in.   The only modification of sorts that I make regularly, is the paper used as a basis for the stroke&rsquo;s texture.   I typically keep the Papers pallet open and have a selection of about 30 chosen textures selected, although I have three or four go-to&rsquo;s here as well.


The number of preset brushes in either program, multiplied by their respective settings, means that there is seemingly endless supply to choose from. ...  But by playing around with the various choices and settings and then paring down that number to a group that you gravitate to most, you can create an easily navigated bunch for regular use.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Book Illustrations pt2</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-06-10T08:51:09-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/55e83d510168847a7416ad4b880e2bcb-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/55e83d510168847a7416ad4b880e2bcb-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A few more of the illustrations from the just completed three part, book, pop up and character design project, What God Wants For Christmas, a package for young children.   Like the last post&rsquo;s entries, these images too are taken from the included book and include the initial roughs, client approved pencils and final art.


These were done in a relatively simple vignette style in Painter.   Painter works so well here because it allows me to capture a nice handcrafted and warm look.   The background I worked over was treated with a layer of color set to multiply.   By doing this I was able to get the look of an oil wash on illustration board.   The completed art looks so much like the traditionally painted acrylic over oil wash technique that in many cases it becomes nearly impossible to tell the difference.


Rough of Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem. 


Final pencil. 


Final painting.   This is a cropped version, this is actually a two page spread format.


Rough of the three wisemen observing the new star in the sky.


Approved pencil.   The door to the right will be changed in the final art.


Final art. 


Creation of the solar system rough.   This piece was a late addition to the book.   As such we went straight to finish.


Final Art.   The landmasses on the earth were intentionally kept amorphous.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Book Illustrations pt1</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-06-07T09:46:34-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/6dc73269bbfc767ba2ff3173fb38d8a1-86.html#unique-entry-id-86</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/6dc73269bbfc767ba2ff3173fb38d8a1-86.html#unique-entry-id-86</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Over the past several weeks I have been working on an assignment for FamilyLife Publishing that required both product design and illustration.   Geared for young children, the finished package titled, &ldquo;What God Wants For Christmas,&rdquo;  contains a storybook, a pop up stable scene/backdrop and six figurines along with package art. 


The product&rsquo;s pieces are designed to interact together, so that as  the reader progresses through the book, they are introduced to various characters and are prompted to open a numerically corresponding gift box containing that characters figurine.   For example, when the child reads the spread about Mary, they open the proper gift box and find a figure of Mary. 

...The product will hit the shelves in late fall and I will post more information about the figure design then.   In the meantime FamilyLife has graciously allowed me to show some of the book&rsquo;s illustrations.   I&rsquo;ve included the original roughs, the approved pencils and the final art to show a little of the process involved. ...  In reality all of the final art was painted in a vignette format, and nearly all were spread pieces with a rough brush edged design element.   It was decided that the style should be kept simpler and a bit loose, with the color pallet picking up on an existing product.   My illustration work was then incorporated into the client&rsquo;s final design and some graphic elements, like a heart shape, color areas, etc. were added.


Final artwork was created almost exclusively in Painter with the exception of some early setup work and final adjustments in Photoshop.   In all cases I used the technique of painting over a sepia toned line drawing, a technique I&rsquo;ve described before.


...Rough for the illustration of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary.   The client requested that we not see Mary&rsquo;s face at this point.


...Those were added in the final art and kept light for possible over printing of design elements.


Mary and a friend chat in the market final art.


Rough of the angel Gabriel appearing to a shepherd boy.   The emphasis was to be on the boy with the angel having a strong, solid presence.


...The bottom of Gabriel&rsquo;s robe was shortened to match the look we had already established on the figurines, designed earlier.   I also added a surprised sheep peeking out from behind the safety of the 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>IPad Paint App Roundup</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-06-02T15:14:16-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fc1ee51f0a6bf7ca4ef9367a420c85b4-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fc1ee51f0a6bf7ca4ef9367a420c85b4-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;ve posted a few blog entries with results of my forays into iPad sketching using different apps and there will be more to come.   One walk through the App Store and you can find a pretty decent array of painting apps for the iPad.   That can make choosing the right one difficult.   Here is a link to a Macworld article, done in a slide show format, that has a nice overview of the most popular:


http://www.macworld.com/article/159672/2011/06/ipadart.html


As usual, the important thing is finding the right tool for the job for you.   That may mean the software that has a UI you find friendliest or it may mean an app with the &ldquo;killer feature&rdquo; you can&rsquo;t live without.   This app rundown may be just what you need to help declare a winner.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Artist Reception</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-05-23T11:31:25-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/4df5931e87a3960a8d92c37e6d1e6a6f-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/4df5931e87a3960a8d92c37e6d1e6a6f-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So good to see everyone who stopped by on Sunday afternoon at the Downers Grove Library&rsquo;s artist reception.   I appreciated hearing all the comments about my work and the chance to speak with all of you. 


Yours truly with the model who inspired, &ldquo;The Rabbit Fur Cap&rdquo;.


There has been some confusion about the identity of the guy used in all of the marketing materials connected with the show.   When the library&rsquo;s exhibit coordinator Melody Danley asked me for a photo to use for promotional purposes I provided her with a detail shot from the painting &ldquo;A Change of Season.&rdquo;   Many people, seeing the head shot next to my name, assumed the art to be a self portrait.   Nope.   Luckily, the model lives out of state so he won&rsquo;t have to suffer the repercussions of the mis-identity!   To clarify things a bit Melody cleverly set up a table with an actual self portrait that was not originally included in the show, to help set things straight. 


Most of the work I showed at this exhibit was personal work but I did include a few illustration pieces including this painting of Robin Hood and Maid Marian. 


This show has been a blast and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the feedback I&rsquo;ve received and people I&rsquo;ve had a chance to meet.   A big thank you to Melody for the invitation to display my work and for her talented presentation.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>iPad Portrait Sketch</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-05-22T08:47:34-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/513758b20e123fb68937fabd0ca9e5f7-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/513758b20e123fb68937fabd0ca9e5f7-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With some free time between finishing up one illustration job and waiting for pencil approval on another, I had an opportunity to grab my iPad and do some sketching.   I&rsquo;ve used Autodesk&rsquo;s Sketchbook Pro iPad app a few times in the past but never did anything more than some quick and very rough, idea sketches.   This time I wanted to attempt a slightly more finished representational drawing.   While there is no doubt in my mind that some truly incredible, highly polished paintings are achievable with the iPad, I don&rsquo;t have much interest in taking my iPad artwork to that level.   If I want to create a polished piece of finished art, I&rsquo;ll use the tools I have that are better suited for the task, traditional or digital. 


Having said that, I do enjoy using the iPad for color sketching and color note taking.   Pretty tough to find a simpler, portable, easy to hold, color sketching set up than this, and there&rsquo;s no reason not to use it to create some paintings that fall between a 10 minute drawing and a fully rendered piece.   Even better, if a sketch does deserve to be taken to a higher degree of finish there is no reason it can&rsquo;t be imported into a pro level image editor like Photoshop or Painter.


So with the latest version up and running I grabbed my stylus and worked up the portrait above.   This represents roughly an hour or so of painting time including a few minutes refreshing my memory about how Sketchbook Pro works, the tool options and the like. 


The more I use the Sketchbook Pro app the more I have come to like it, although I still think they badly need to add an autosave feature.    On the downside, let&rsquo;s face it, sketching on a tablet computer is somewhat sterile.   I mean how much fun can it be if your hands are still clean when your done?   Some of the UI stills seems slightly clunky and my wish list would include a record/playback feature like the Brushes iPhone app has, but overall it&rsquo;s a well thought out and implemented piece of software that I have a feeling I will be sketching with more and more. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Meet the Artist Reception</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-05-05T09:13:55-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/f6b17bb4e4d95f0e2c76bd47f26aac73-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/f6b17bb4e4d95f0e2c76bd47f26aac73-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In conjunction with my currently running exhibit at the Downers Grove Public Library, I&rsquo;ll be doing a &ldquo;Meet the Artist&rdquo; reception on Sunday May 22 at 2 pm.   I'll be available to discuss my work, painting with acrylics, or even the merits of working as an artist and illustrator.   Hope to see you there.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gallery Presentation</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-05-01T15:59:49-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/0e1eea9a531e3a2da77de0c49c80d425-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/0e1eea9a531e3a2da77de0c49c80d425-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A series of my paintings, mostly personal work, but a few illustration pieces as well, went on display today in the Downers Grove Public Library gallery space.   They&rsquo;ll be up for the entire month of May.   Thanks to Melody Danley, the library&rsquo;s Graphics and Display Coordinator, for doing a great job arranging and hanging the work.   The library&rsquo;s gallery space is terrific and I&rsquo;m thrilled to be able to show my work there.   If you&rsquo;re in the area please stop by.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Google Art Project</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-04-25T08:56:48-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/540a03b542b1f5760039655857ee7d16-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/540a03b542b1f5760039655857ee7d16-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If you have not had a chance to browse around Google&rsquo;s Art Project yet, do yourself a favor and take a look.   You&rsquo;ll find links to virtual tours of some of the world&rsquo;s most prominent art museums along with extreme close up shots of featured artwork.


The virtual tours work like an interior version of Google&rsquo;s Street View.   A few clicks of the mouse and you travel virtually through galleries where you can then select various pieces of artwork to learn about.   You can also build a collection of favorite work to come back to later.   There are info panels for gathering more information about an image and links to other pieces by the same artist.   That stuff alone would be very cool, but the most intriguing aspect for me, is the ability to view the featured works under extreme magnification.   All of the pieces featured in the different museums are presented in high resolution.    Spin the wheel on your mouse or push a slider, and you can dive into a painting the way you might dive into a location using Google Earth.   The super close up magnification can give you a great indication of how an artist worked with his media of choice.


Zero in on Van Gogh&rsquo;s, Caf&eacute; Table with Absinthe, (click the link for the Art Project view), for example, and you can see the combination of thick and thin directional brushstrokes, optical color mixing and even places where it appears he may have dragged a brush handle through the wet paint. 


It&rsquo;s a great way to get a deeper look at the working methods of some of the world&rsquo;s most famous artists.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Acrylic Pallet Tips</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-04-18T08:32:41-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/6ada8315d2ccd93f357d86a1251a43f1-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/6ada8315d2ccd93f357d86a1251a43f1-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Even though most of my illustration work is done digitally, I still paint often with traditional media, almost always acrylics. ...  Specifically, how to keep the fast drying acrylic paint viable on the pallet during longer painting sessions.   I&rsquo;ve read about artists using a paper pallet and keeping a misting bottle, the type you might use to spray a light mist on plants handy.   You occasionally spray the laid out colors with the mister which keeps the paints usable for a much longer time, even if they may skin over slightly.   But since my days as an art student I&rsquo;ve used a different method that I think is much more effective.


...Painting with a fast drying water based media means a porous pallet will speed the drying time as the moisture is drawn away from the paint, the opposite of what we want.   I&rsquo;ve tried a few different pallets over the years but for painting in the studio I like using a butcher&rsquo;s tray. ...  The enameled surface is non porous, works well with all water based media and has the added advantage of being easily cleaned of paint.   A few sprays with a water bottle and a scrape with a clean razor blade and you are good to go again. ...  I&rsquo;m fortunate enough to have a couple of heavy duty, old trays that sit nice and flat.   I&rsquo;ve noticed one drawback of the new ones is they often are bowed up in the middle so your paint wants to run off into the corners. 

...Now that you have a nice pallet you&rsquo;re ready to lay out your paint and here is where the tip comes in.   Take a paper towel and fold it over multiple times until it reaches a width of about 1/2&rdquo; or so. ...  I&rsquo;m laying out my paint for the day and so my rinse bowl is filled with fresh water, I simply dunk it in there before it is used to wash any brushes.   As you lift the paper towel out of the water pull it between two fingers to wring out the excess.   Lay the towel out along one edge of the pallet and squeeze your colors onto it. 

...I&rsquo;ve used these in situations when jumping back and forth around a large area, like mural painting.


...Depending on the amount of pre-mixed paint I need and the length of time I need it to hang around, I&rsquo;ll use anything from small wax paper cups to glass jars to mix color in. ...  The key to the paint&rsquo;s longevity is to keep air away from it when it is stored.   In the case of small cups, you can insert them into a plastic zip seal bag. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Classical Life Drawing</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-04-09T09:21:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/668fee46be33eab91784049cc526bd65-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/668fee46be33eab91784049cc526bd65-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My first exposure to serious academic art training came in my life drawing class at the American Academy of Art. ...  Although he delighted in making the students groan over his corny, and oft repeated jokes, when it was time to put charcoal to paper, he was all business.   He would patrol the silent room as we worked, desperately struggling to get on paper something that remotely appeared like the figure model posed on the stage, occasionally pausing to look over a student&rsquo;s attempt. ...  as I pulled a contour line, did more to make me re-evaluate what I had considered a glorious achievement, than a cold slap would have. 


Mr Parks expected his students to show up on time, charcoal sharpened, paper in hand, ready to work.   This was not art instruction meant to be a pleasant diversion between breakfast and lunch.   When you were in his class he expected your respect and your best effort. 

...His class taught me so much more than how to draw the figure.


These thoughts came rushing back to me as I flipped through the book, Classical Life Drawing Studio- Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing, by James Lancel McElhinney and the Instructors of the Art Students League of New York.   I say flipped through because this is not an art instruction book.   It&rsquo;s not meant to show you how to draw the figure with more accuracy or ease.   Instead the purpose is to make a case for the high value of teaching academic drawing from life.   Will Barnet leads off in the book&rsquo;s foreword, &ldquo;Academic training does not destroy creativity, but can reinforce it...&rdquo;    In other words, a solid foundation allows greater freedom by giving you the practical ability to express yourself.


After some brief history lessons the book goes on to make its case- not so much through text as by example. ...  Instead the book is mostly a portfolio of life drawings, both old and new, that display not only high academic accomplishment, but also incredible beauty and depth.   It&rsquo;s also interesting to see how drawing styles have changed over time along with the influence certain instructors had over their pupils. 


Toward the end of the book we are introduced to present day teachers at the Art Students League and shown examples of their work.   We see how basic academic drawing has inspired creativity and depth in these artists and the book comes full circle.


This book is a wonderful, inspirational example of the value of a solid academic foundation. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Digital Sepia Toned Line Art</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-04-01T15:11:45-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/739905304108d146ab1eb21a2b472df6-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/739905304108d146ab1eb21a2b472df6-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[First, let me say thanks to all the people who took the time to send comments about the Hookah Smoking Caterpillar demo.   I appreciate all the positive input.   I hope to do more demos in the coming months including some using traditional media.


One question I received related to the conversion of the imported line drawing to a sepia toned look.   This is a really simple thing to do and works great for creating digital line and wash illustrations where the line art is drawn traditionally, scanned in, and the color is added in your digital art program of choice.


This is a cropped version of my original sketchbook drawing.   Scanned and imported into Photoshop.   I make a duplicate of the background layer.


Next I hit the Command+L keys to open up the Levels dialogue box.   Move the sliders to clean up the line art and minimize the time spent in &ldquo;manually&rdquo; taking out all the extra crud you don&rsquo;t want showing up in the final piece. 


Now comes the color conversion.   Hit Command+B and the Color Balance panel pops open.   Now you can move the sliders to adjust the color of the line art to whatever you like.   In this case, where I am looking to create a sepia ink look, I have taken the Cyan/Red slider to a +62 setting and the Yellow/Blue slider to a minus 18.   You could just as easily change the line art to any other color in the same way.


At this point I make a duplicate of the line art layer (you can see I haven&rsquo;t taken the time to name the layer with the art so in this case the art layer is labeled &ldquo;Background copy&rdquo;).   Always make a backup layer of your line art.   You never know when you may need it.


Now change the layer style to &ldquo;Multiply,&rdquo;  add another layer beneath that to paint on, (this one I did label as &ldquo;Color&rdquo;), and you&rsquo;re good to go.   Here I painted a quick color indication with the Watercolor brush in Photoshop although I typically would move the file over to Painter if I wanted to paint with natural media effects.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hookah Smoking Caterpillar demo pt 2</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-03-28T18:34:22-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d1048e6430c6c71d334ce745475dcebb-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d1048e6430c6c71d334ce745475dcebb-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When we left off the last time I had blocked in the basic colors of the caterpillar illustration in Painter.   Now I open the saved file in Photoshop to begin developing some detail.


I&rsquo;ll begin with the background area and loosely draw in some leaf shapes on a new layer. ...  I &ldquo;trim&rdquo; around the edges of the illustration by drawing a rough oval shape with the Lasso tool, refine the edge to make it very soft, and then inverse the selection and delete artwork on every layer but the one with my imported ground art.   The selection is saved, I&rsquo;ll use it again in a minute.


...Now I&rsquo;ll create a great vegetation look by bringing in some texture. ...  I can open iPhoto and browse for a suitable picture and then simply drag it into my open caterpillar file.   Now I&rsquo;ll play around with the imported photo&rsquo;s layer style. ...  The overlaid photo combined with the draw in shapes underneath, form the basis for a dense forest.   I&rsquo;ll add another layer and then re-establish some of the larger leaf shapes and paint a few new ones.


...I paint in some color on the mushroom and spots on the caterpillar.   From this point on I will jump back and forth from foreground to background and refine the painting. 

...I open a new file in Photoshop, draw a rectangular shape and fill it with a nice warm red.   I create a new layer, clip it to the red layer and use the Fill command to fill with one of Photoshop&rsquo;s pre-installed textures.   The inner section is created the same way. the whole stack of layers is combined and I add some Noise to imitate carpet pile.


...I use the Transform command and drag the handles to make the carpet fit my pencil and the Warp command to bend the carpet over the edge of the &lsquo;shroom. 


I could paint in/over the pencil to make the hookah&rsquo;s hose, but it&rsquo;s far easier to draw the hose with the Pen tool and then stroke it with an appropriate sized brush in a deep brown color. ...  I was never sure what I was going to have those hands doing, but I knew they should have a purpose. 

...What&rsquo;s a Hookah Smoking Caterpillar without a few smoke rings wafting over the forest? 


A new layer is added and the smoke rings painted in with a soft airbrush and a creamy white color. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hookah Smoking Caterpillar demo pt 1</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-03-23T13:58:08-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/0ca3fa14ea9e378a306df547aa4f9bf5-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/0ca3fa14ea9e378a306df547aa4f9bf5-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This demo post originated as a sketchbook drawing, a pencil of the hookah smoking caterpillar from Alice&rsquo;s Adventures in Wonderland.   I drew him as kind of a mash-up of Sidney Greenstreet from The Maltese Falcon and Laurence Fishburne, (post Pee-Wee&rsquo;s Playhouse), while some Grateful Dead played in the background. ...  I  added a quick indication of a forest behind him, mostly to create a mental note about the overall design.   I want the color version to be an oval vignette within a textured backdrop and the lines of leaves and grass help me establish that sense. 


...The imported drawing is pasted into its own layer and the Layer Style is set to Multiply.   That allows me to see through the drawing down to my next imported layer, the textured backdrop that will serve as the painting&rsquo;s base.   I love to work on a ground layer and this particular piece, a scan of the back of a tracing paper tablet, is one of my favorites.   I&rsquo;ve done a Perspective Transform on the drawing to make the mushroom taper down toward the ground a bit and emphasize the caterpillar more. 


...In this way I can make the line work blend into the finished illustration much better than if I left the scanned drawing as a black line.   (This is a great way to create some nice sepia toned, traditional &ldquo;ink on paper&rdquo; style pieces.)


If you look at the screenshot below you can see my layers pallet over on the right. ...  One is the unadulterated, imported scan, one is a copy of the color corrected drawing.   I can&rsquo;t stress enough the importance of making a copy of the drawing layer.   Once that drawing is gone, trying to reimport, fit to the layout, etc. can be more than frustrating.   This way you always have a backup, in place, ready to go.


...I add a new layer above the Canvas layer and begin to paint some color in the background. 

...I add another layer that I paint the caterpillar on. ...  This gives me a nice transparent look as if I had painted traditional acrylic or watercolor washes.   This is also a much faster way to lay in the color without being bogged down by using the much slower to render Watercolor layer in Painter.   I use the Paper Mover to change the texture I am painting on from time to time, to add some rougher areas. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>My Studio Space</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-03-16T14:46:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/c1d111fdcc0e88193a7bcfd7ffabab89-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/c1d111fdcc0e88193a7bcfd7ffabab89-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Im asked from time to time what my studio space is like, how it&rsquo;s set up, etc.   Since I&rsquo;m rebooting my Blog, this seems the perfect time to post some shots.   So here are a couple of pics of my studio - with a few call outs added for good measure. 


As you can see, my main drawing/painting surface is a large adjustable drawing board with a foot-rail lock.   The tabletop tilts easily which allows me to work in either a standing or sitting position and swings from horizontal to an almost 90&ordm; vertical position.   No easel, as I prefer to do my traditional work on gessoed hardboard panels and this way I can lay them flat when I&rsquo;m  pouring and manipulating glazes, and then move the board straight up and down for &ldquo;regular&rdquo; painting.   The taboret provides storage for art supplies and the top surface holds my pallet and brushes.   Off to the left, out of view, is a monitor that I view reference on when painting.   For lighting I use ceiling mounted,  color corrected, fluorescent bulbs.   Painting under natural light would be great, but this is consistent.


Across from the drawing table is all of my computer equipment.   Thanks to the incredible leaps in tech, I now run everything with a space saving and portable 15&rdquo; Macbook Pro, instead of a desktop computer.   Next to that is my scanner, used mostly for importing drawings.   On the other side is the single best piece of digital equipment for the buck, a Wacom Cintiq 21&rdquo; tablet.   Working on a pressure sensitive screen directly, as opposed to the pad type input device I used before, makes a huge difference.   I can&rsquo;t say enough about how great these tablets are.   Being able to paint digitally, in a natural, direct manner, is fantastic, not to mention the incredible time savings over using a typical tablet device.   I&rsquo;ll never go back.


Last, but not least of course, is the studio dog, Riley.   A good companion and gentle critic.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sketch of Oliver Twist&#x27;s Fagin</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-03-08T16:01:10-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/51f0e684a607d7465ba6ee8a59c687cf-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/51f0e684a607d7465ba6ee8a59c687cf-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Outside of A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist is probably one of the most often produced Dickens works.   Rarely is there a better place to mine colorful characters than a Dickens novel and this story has about every type character one could ask for.   One of the most memorable is Fagin, the nasty, ragged leader of a pack of young boys, to whom he teaches the fine art of picking pockets.   Interestingly the crooked Fagin becomes a very sympathetic character by the book&rsquo;s end. 


This drawing is typical of those that I do sitting in front of the tv or listening to music in the evening.   Very gestural with a sort of rambling line, I like to let the pen bounce around inside what I imagine the internal space of the figure to be, never staying long in one place, building up tone more than running along edges.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Runaway Lab</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-02-11T15:32:19-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e1de2df0b29440a47e4e3fa486275930-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e1de2df0b29440a47e4e3fa486275930-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Our Labrador Retriever just turned a year old.   If you have ever lived with a Lab puppy you&rsquo;ll understand where the germ of this one came from.


Sketched in Painter.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Inspirational Doctor Who</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2011-02-04T10:32:26-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d0a1d570a2361f678e226e0e162098e1-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d0a1d570a2361f678e226e0e162098e1-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The genesis of the painting is unusual because it actually began life as a black and white study done in carbon pencil on Stonehenge paper. ...  It felt like there was more to be said, only now I wanted to do it in color, not black and white.  


To be honest, the change of heart was brought on in large part after watching an episode of Doctor Who, the long running/recently rebooted, English sci-fi staple.   In this particular episode, the Time Lord and his companion travel back in time to question Vincent Van Gogh about the alien he has rendered in one of his paintings.   Now I love the show in general, but having a plot line involving one of my favorite painters, and then constructing a story around his depiction of an alien within a piece, well what could be better?


Van Gogh of course is considered one of the art world&rsquo;s greats and the appeal of his work is widespread and varied. ...  I hadn&rsquo;t looked at any of his painting for some time but seeing  them again on the screen, with their wild brush strokes and direct color, lit a spark.   I had been working with limited color pallets for some time, and lots of earth tones.   But now I wanted to go in the opposite direction, use some brighter, rawer colors, blazing sunflower yellows and warm reds. 


To work on this piece in color in my usual style, would mean mounting the drawing on a stable support. ...  I could of course use the existing pencil drawing as the basis for a new work, redraw the figure on a gessoed board and paint over that as usual. ...  I&rsquo;ve mounted paper on hardboard in the past, but always before drawing on the surface, not after, and yes, the odds of smearing the existing work are pretty good, so you have to use some extra care. 


Armed with a cup of matte medium, to adhere paper to board, and a large brush, I began by covering a primed hardboard&rsquo;s surface with the medium, then gently laid the paper in place. ...  Then a larger sheet of plywood was gingerly set on top and large weights placed on top of the plywood. ...  The next day the surface was coated with two passes of clear gesso and as per the manufacturer&rsquo;s directions, left to dry for a 24 hour period.   This topcoat of clear gesso sealed the paper, preserved the carbon pencil drawing and prepared the surface, adding a nice soft tooth.


...Those hot yellows, warm reds and acid greens that I had in mind since being reminded of Van Gogh&rsquo;s work. 

...Where inspiration comes from and what we do with it is a subject broad enough to fill books.   For my part, if nothing else, I now have a great excuse not to miss a single episode of a favorite tv series. ...  I can see it now; The centuries old mystery of the Venus di Milo&rsquo;s missing arms is revealed when Doctor Who travels to ancient Greece, meets the sculptor behind the iconic statue, and accidentally breaks it&rsquo;s arms off while saving the earth from a Dalek invasion. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-12-20T15:17:49-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d372b86095d43a8c2c4f1fce7445d305-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d372b86095d43a8c2c4f1fce7445d305-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I just finished reading the excellent book Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.   Thoroughly enjoyed it.   (Yes, I know it&rsquo;s been out for a while now.   I&rsquo;m behind on my reading.   And a big thanks to my nephew Justin for tossing it my way.)    The book tells an alternate reality  tale of the return of magic to England.   It&rsquo;s written as part social commentary, part re-imagining of history and part fantasy/adventure all done with a victorian sensibility.   While vague references to the Harry Potter series seem unavoidable, this is a much more cerebral yarn - percolated through a Dickensian filter. 


Typically I create a portrait of the characters and settings in my mind as I read, and like one of those old Dicken&rsquo;s novels this story has a lot of great characters to imagine.   Usually I&rsquo;m visualizing the scenes as the story progresses, kind of like watching a movie.   This quick sketch, done with charcoal on Strathmore,  was a first attempt at committing a couple of those character visualizations to paper.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Santa Sketches</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-12-15T09:21:12-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/2be6c3b228085e2f9c5ec28847906222-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/2be6c3b228085e2f9c5ec28847906222-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Here&rsquo;s a seasonal page from my sketchbook, some drawings of Santa Claus, our beloved seasonal, seasoned citizen.   These were done with my favorite sketching tool, a Bic Ultra Round Stic pen.   I love the lines I can create with this pen.   I can go from faint, thin strokes to very dark lines and almost have the feel of a pencil.   That&rsquo;s probably not a great thing from a heavy writer&rsquo;s standpoint, a ballpoint pen with &ldquo;drag&rdquo; but for this artist it&rsquo;s a feature, not a bug.   I&rsquo;m asked very often throughout the year to draw and paint Santa images and I always enjoy creating variations on the character.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Wheatland Illustrations</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-27T12:48:20-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/cd6f755cfc6de374a7daa84191da3a5e-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/cd6f755cfc6de374a7daa84191da3a5e-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These illustrations were done for use in various B to B collateral pieces for Wheatland Tube via their agency Strategic Images.   The agency&rsquo;s objective was to show the wide range of products that Wheatland makes and how they are in use all around us.   The idea was to keep the art style realistic overall but not so much so that the violation of perspective and disparity in sizes became distracting.   The art was primarily destined to be a spread image in brochures but it had to be designed in such a way as to allow single sections to be lifted and reused as stand alone spot art on insert sheets.   Therefore each area had to stand on its own and yet work together in harmony with the assembled final art.


The first illustration, though well liked, was ultimately thought to be too consumer oriented and wound up being rejected.   The execution was correct, but the client decided against showing a playground or residential areas.   They wanted something slightly less warm and fuzzy.   No kids on swings. ...  So readjustments to the layout were made and a second piece was created.   This one incorporated elements of the initial version, such as the oil wells, but had less emphasis on &ldquo;civilian&rdquo; use of Wheatland&rsquo;s tubing products and used an industrial setting as a more obvious center of interest.


The background areas of the illustrations were created with Painter.   You can&rsquo;t beat Painter when it comes to rendering a naturalistic look.   The mechanical elements were built as separate Photoshop files.   They were then imported into the final piece for placement in the landscape.   This was done for two reasons.   First, the elements needed to be moveable, so that final tweaking could be done and all the various components could be resized as necessary in order to work well together.   Second, the finished size of the art was a fairly large format with a higher than usual dpi density.   This was a client request so that they would have complete flexibility when it came to plucking out individual pieces for future use.   By restricting each element of the final illustration to as few layers as possible the total file size did not become so bloated as to slow computer performance to a crawl.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Steadfast</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-09T12:49:07-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/16a4adc919a72e84858e26066d55d1ef-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/16a4adc919a72e84858e26066d55d1ef-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Steadfast  18&rdquo;x24&rdquo; acrylic on gessoed hardbord.


The painting above, Steadfast, originated with an idea I&rsquo;ve been kicking around about depicting determination and pride in the face of overwhelming odds.   The concept seems especially appropriate at the moment given the number of individuals marginalized by the world&rsquo;s economic downturn.   Originally, I played around with some ideas and wound up sketching what I imagined a Dust Bowl era farmer might look like, posted here.   While that subject fit the ideals I wanted to show, I decided against any type of period feel.   Instead I  thought it better to use a subject more contemporary in nature with an almost universal, or timeless look.   While the overalls and seed company cap indicate that he might very well be a farmer, I think he has a look that any hard working person could identify with. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Jack and the Beanstalk - Stealing the Goose</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-26T12:27:41-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fad467173c723449622ccd02e0516da3-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fad467173c723449622ccd02e0516da3-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is a new digital painting based on the old story, &ldquo;Jack and the Beanstalk.&rdquo;   In this version, Jack is making off with one of the giant&rsquo;s geese, who in turn is doing her best to summon her dim witted master, hot on Jack&rsquo;s trail. 


The fairy tale story behind the image is obviously geared for a young audience.   However, I strive to create work that has a lasting appeal to viewers across a broad age spectrum,  illustrations that are loved by children and appreciated by parents.   For me this means work that tells a story in a way that is easy to understand, yet has a solid, classic feel.


 


The painting process started by scanning a fairly large and well fleshed-out pencil drawing and importing it into Painter.   As usual, the pencil was duplicated and then the original floated into its own layer, the style set to a see-through &ldquo;multiply&rdquo; allowing me to add color below without destroying the drawing.


Color with added with several broad brushes, (airbrush, acrylic, square chalk), over a textured and toned Canvas layer.   From the start I had a finish piece in mind that would have a gold/green color scheme, inspired by recent viewing of some of Grant Wood&rsquo;s midwestern landscapes.   By using a base layer with a reddish hue I was able to create some interesting color vibration quickly. 


Most of the color application at this point would be described as &ldquo;thin&rdquo; if I were using a traditional medium like acrylic or oil paint.   I work on Gel or Multiply style layers or use low opacity brush settings and build tone as I go collapsing layers to the canvas from time to time and adding new as required.   When the base color lay in is complete, I will then either drop the pencil layer to the canvas, or paint on a layer above the pencil layer if I feel I need to preserve it.    From here most of the work was done using the acrylic, square chalk and pastel brushes with higher opacity settings. 


It&rsquo;s not uncommon to switch off between Painter and Photoshop several times in the course of a piece, taking advantage of each programs strengths, but in this case painting was completed almost exclusively using Painter, with the final details and adjustments handled in Photoshop. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Victorian Christmas Shoppers</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-27T09:29:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d09d82b054f9eb18023c8e8cbb9e0c28-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d09d82b054f9eb18023c8e8cbb9e0c28-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My Christmas illustration season continues with this piece for Metro Creative. 


The assignment&rsquo;s original direction was very loose.   I was simply instructed to create some type of Victorian era street scene with a few shoppers that could be used as a decorative holiday image.   So I started off by drawing a few quick thumbnails.   They looked fine, and any one of the approaches would have fit the bill.   But as I worked, I thought that we could take the piece a step further and use this as an opportunity to tell a story.   The creative director agreed and this painting of the little boy starring into the toy shop&rsquo;s window was the result.


I began by sketching various scenes in which a child would be looking with desire into a toy store&rsquo;s window.   A, &ldquo;Look at all that incredible stuff,&rdquo; kind of a thing.   That was ok, but kind of flat, and it certainly had been done many times before.   As I tried various angles and approaches, this story began to emerge and the drawings went in another direction.   Now the little boy stares into the shop&rsquo;s window, but instead of just oogling the various toys, he&rsquo;s anxiously looking at the place where the toy, the one he has been hoping against hope to receive for Christmas, used to sit.   But what&rsquo;s this?   Its spot on the shelf is empty!    He can&rsquo;t believe his eyes.   What a let down!   Not to worry though, because what he doesn&rsquo;t see, (and we get to), is the satisfied look on his parent&rsquo;s faces.   It&rsquo;s a sure bet that on Christmas morning our boy will have a fantastic surprise.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dust Bowl Farmer </title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-14T15:04:07-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7298b5c16e6ec4ef76ab5346363dfa5c-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7298b5c16e6ec4ef76ab5346363dfa5c-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This drawing, a preliminary for an upcoming painting, depicts a  Dust Bowl era farmer, an iconic figure of fierce determination.   He&rsquo;s the type who looks like he&rsquo;s been through it all, and though he may not have won, has taken pride in the struggle nevertheless. 


The drawing was executed with 4B graphite, (held in my favorite antique mechanical pencil - it&rsquo;s nice and heavy), on #80 Strathmore paper.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x22;Rose&#x22; Takes &#x22;Best of the Best&#x22; First</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-08T09:33:19-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fba953a103795881b7a4ea8d221d2b0b-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fba953a103795881b7a4ea8d221d2b0b-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Rose   20&rdquo;x16&rdquo; Acrylic on gessoed hardboard


Friday night May 7, The Alliance of Fine Art  concluded their annual Best of the Best show at the Peabody Mansion in Oak Brook IL, by announcing that my painting &ldquo;Rose&rdquo; was their pick for first place honors. 


Being selected by judge Gordon France for first place in this show, made up exclusively of previous award wining entries, from fifteen art leagues in Illinois, is truly an honor.   As one would expect with a show titled, &ldquo;Best of the Best,&rdquo; the artwork was first rate, and the Peabody Mansion&rsquo;s gothic backdrop made for a great display space.   Many thanks to judge France and the Alliance of Fine Art.


More of my personal work can be seen here: www.  WalkerBrushWorks.com.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Old Man Willow Sketch</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-07T10:05:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/802fd72a793aa3e5ab0a7e6bd8bf3ff7-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/802fd72a793aa3e5ab0a7e6bd8bf3ff7-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A recent sketch executed mostly in Painter.   This was inspired in part by J.R.R.Tolkien&rsquo;s Old Man Willow character.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Video Production Paintings</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-28T08:50:30-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d792f4f0e6162f2f7ea397ef59780589-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d792f4f0e6162f2f7ea397ef59780589-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In February I was asked by The Image Group to create a series of paintings to be used in conjunction with a video presentation titled, &ldquo;That the World May Know,&rdquo; the latest installment in historian Ray Vander Laan&rsquo;s DVD series.   Traveling to locations throughout present day Israel, the film examines sites of Biblical significance, some rarely seen, as Vander Laan discusses the events that took place there. 


My assignment was to bring those historical accounts to life by illustrating the people and places of those stories, to show how they may have looked at the time the events took place.   The subjects ranged from the authors of the Dead Sea scrolls, the Essenes, and their daily life, to a  depiction of the Last Supper, (in a very un-daVinci like, but historically accurate manner).   This is a selection of some of those pieces, all created digitally using Photoshop and Painter.


Elijah standing against the Israelites on Mt Carmel.


An Essene scriptorium where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were written. 


Essene workers building an aqueduct to bring running water to their community.


An Essene family argues over the true meaning of a scroll&rsquo;s passage.


A typical Essene hut.


The Last Supper.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x27;Tis the Season</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-16T09:18:22-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fee2eea0040d8576a388d7e58930a731-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fee2eea0040d8576a388d7e58930a731-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I wanted to become an atheist but I gave it up.   They have no holidays.


Henny Youngman


Spring has become my Christmas season, at least as far as illustration goes.   Publishers production schedules have me creating a lot of Christmas themed images this time of year.   One example, is this scene of Mrs Claus saying goodbye as Santa heads off on his big trip, painted for Metro Creative. 


The image called for a warm, painterly kind of style that has a &ldquo;hand-crafted&rdquo; appearance befitting the subject.   Typically, I would head off to Painter to capture that look.   After all, Painter&rsquo;s marquee feature is its out of the box tool selections that accurately mimic traditional, real world, media.   But instead, I stayed with Photoshop exclusively, manning a set of brushes that I&rsquo;ve created by simply modifying some PS supplied versions.   The reason?   I find it can be frustrating to try and create a nice thin to thick stroke using many of my favorite brushes in Painter, even though I&rsquo;m using a pressure sensitive Wacom Cintiq.   So when it comes to physically smaller assignments, especially those that don&rsquo;t necessarily call for showing a lot of strong texture, (which Painter excels at), PS gets the nod.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sleeve Tattoo Painting</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-12T09:22:14-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/dd6b7ce0a1d03c4bb29ab51c654290dd-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/dd6b7ce0a1d03c4bb29ab51c654290dd-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The shoe that fits one person pinches another.   There is no recipe for living that suits all cases.


Carl Jung


Working digitally as an illustrator has become my &ldquo;Default Setting.&rdquo;   I&rsquo;m sure the same is true for the vast majority of illustrators working today.   The advantages of digital art creation have been discussed ad nauseam, (one word - UNDO!), and won&rsquo;t be rehashed here.   But for all of digital art&rsquo;s advantages, I do feel that there is something in the creation of digital artwork that comes up short in the process.   Make no mistake, I&rsquo;m not arguing the artistic validity of the finished work.   Readers of my blog know I have argued the exact opposite.


I&rsquo;m referring to the experience, the steps involved in bringing an artistic idea to reality.   While I&rsquo;m certainly not a strict traditionalist, I personally find there is a joy to the process of what is now referred to as &ldquo;traditional&rdquo; painting that is unmatched in the digital equivalent.   Having to prepare a painting&rsquo;s ground, mixing color instead of pulling samples with the Eyedropper Tool, having only a single layer to work on, and the lack of that glorious Undo button, make for an experience is extremely satisfying.   It keeps me reaching for the brushes and tubes of paint as often as possible.


The subject of this painting is a local guy who was good enough to act as a model.   He does have a full tattoo sleeve, but I&rsquo;ve also used a bit of artistic license with the design, so this isn&rsquo;t a strictly accurate portrait - unless the painting is cropped at the neckline.   He was also the subject of a previous portrait study that you can see here.   The painting is acrylic on gessoed board, my traditional media of choice. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Happy Groundhog Day</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-02T07:50:39-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/bce603b9bdf28c68d90bc16b6fa07c95-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/bce603b9bdf28c68d90bc16b6fa07c95-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Rodent has spoken.   Six more weeks of winter.


Ugh.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>January Sketchbook</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-22T14:02:49-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/13ad46ee2489e3cebb910343c17e4ad2-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/13ad46ee2489e3cebb910343c17e4ad2-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing. 


Vincent Van Gogh 


Here are a few recent pieces from a couple of my sketchbooks.   I like to sketch in a fast, loose and rambling style.   It&rsquo;s  an exercise in searching out the volume and edges of a subject by bouncing your way around the page.   Most of these are drawn with a Bic Ultra ball point pen, which I find is the perfect tool to use with this approach.   The line can smoothly transition from barely there to a nice dark grey while maintaing a thin line weight.  


Inspired by the classic book, Lord of the Flies, which my son will be reading this year in his English lit class.   Though there is no passage in the book that actually describes a scene like this, (although if you&rsquo;ve read the book you know a decapitated pig&rsquo;s head plays a prominent role).   Instead, the drawing began to emerge with thoughts of the tribal nature and savagery the island bound kids fall in to. 


Don Quixote, drawn after his name came up in a tv show that was playing in the background.


An exploratory sketch for the character of Uncle Zachary from the Time Scavengers side project I&rsquo;ve been playing around with from time to time.   (See the sidebar)


Sketch from a live model during an Artist Guild meeting.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Happy Holidays&#x21;</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-23T14:20:38-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/a213cae5ab759bcf50c9fca051fac0cd-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/a213cae5ab759bcf50c9fca051fac0cd-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.


Charles Dickens


Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to all of you who have been kind enough to spend some time here over the past year.   Here&rsquo;s hoping Santa finds your name on the right side of his ledger! 


Sketchbook drawing.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>National Geographic Dinosaurs</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-10T09:47:31-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7444d376392116f437f4816963229c5b-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7444d376392116f437f4816963229c5b-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.


...I recently completed this illustration for National Geographic&rsquo;s children&rsquo;s division.   The Illustration is for a story about footprints being left behind to fossilize and become archeological evidence of the dinosaurs who used to roam the countryside.   The idea was to show a &ldquo;slice of life&rdquo; type of scene, in a way that was both realistic and time period correct, but also colorful and eye catching.   That meant I was free to amp up the dinos colors and patterns beyond what might typically be considered natural.


Of course, that&rsquo;s the great thing about painting dinosaurs; the freedom an artist has to push the color/pattern barrier.   No matter how high the mountain of fossilized remains may be, no matter how accurately the internal structure may be reconstructed, no one has any proof as to what the dinos exterior actually looked like.   Besides who&rsquo;s to say, maybe I got lucky and my renderings are as accurate as an Audubon bird painting?


My initial pencil was approved with only minor changes, mainly to accomodate type placement.   From there it was straight to Photoshop, where the pencil was imported and placed on its own layer, the style set to multiply.   The background was painted first, with a few deviations from the pencil overlay here and there to accomodate the revisions or to improve composition.   The dinosaurs were roughed in on separate layer groups, that is, one group for each dino.   I wanted to get a feel for the overall color of each individual dino, but to reduce the file size and increase PS performance, I didn&rsquo;t want to paint all the finished dinos in place.   At 18&rdquo;x23&rdquo; 300 ppi, you have an awful lot of pixels to deal with.   Start piling on the layers and the response time suffers like crazy.   So each dino was painted individually, using a duplicated and then cropped version of what became the &ldquo;master&rdquo; file.   This also allowed me to move back and forth between PS and Painter, where I could take advantage of Painter&rsquo;s texture rendering qualities.   As anyone who has tried it knows, attempting to work with a file this size in Painter, would be a miserably frustrating experience.   The finished dinos were then placed into the master version, where they were tweaked a bit where necessary.   The piece was completed by painting in some transparent shadows on a layer set to Multiply. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Painting Against (Stereo)Type</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-30T09:45:39-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/ec20d417726af0af7ee506afedd9acd3-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/ec20d417726af0af7ee506afedd9acd3-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps.


Emo Phillips


Red the True Believer     20x16 Acrylic on gessoed hardboard.


Things have been fairly busy lately and time has been at a premium.   That&rsquo;s part of the reason, (yeah I know, the old no time excuse), that I have not had any recent updates to the blog.   The other part of the equation, is that most of the work I&rsquo;ve been so busy with is not yet approved to post.   (Then again there are the projects that require non-disclosure agreements meaning I may never have the ability to show them - very frustrating.)    Hopefully I will have some new work from a recent National Geographic assignment and the black and white interior art from a new version of Gulliver&rsquo;s Travels ready to post soon. 


I have managed to find some time to do a little personal painting/drawing, and the portrait posted here is one of those pieces.   My interest was in portraying one of those people whose physical makeup doesn&rsquo;t seem to fit with the persona they inhabit.   Juxtaposition usually provides good fodder for art, but in this case it&rsquo;s not a juxtaposition of form or color but of archetype.   The subject, a skinny guy, with glasses askew, is the type of person we might expect to be pursuing a computer science degree by day, while competing in an online, sci-fi trivia challenge, &ldquo;TARDIS-Time And Relative Dimension In Space!&rdquo;   in Mom and Dad&rsquo;s basement at night,  but who instead wears the biker leather, sports multiple piercings and drags on an ever present, unfiltered cigarette, all to the mental soundtrack of white noise punk.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>One Drawing&#x2c; Two Paintings</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-07T10:12:02-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/031ca77155a70c4a0000ef9ec6edddf1-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/031ca77155a70c4a0000ef9ec6edddf1-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The two digital pieces below are the result of an exercise in which I used the same sketchbook generated idea as a basis for two different illustrations.   The idea was to show how variations in approach, even when coming from the same stating point, can result in a different feel when finished.


The subject of the paintings, came from a sketchbook entry, which was itself based on a story fragment.   The tale revolves around a young girl accidentally discovering a dragon&rsquo;s egg, lost by a group of forest dwelling creatures who have been charged with its care.   In the scene, the egg is found at woods edge by the creatures.   They haven&rsquo;t seen a dragon&rsquo;s egg in generations, and have very little belief that such things even exist in the modern age. 

...Both paintings began with the same basic elements; a tight pencil drawing over/underlay, a toned ground, a separately rendered dragon&rsquo;s egg set in place, and both would use the line drawing as a main design element.   If you look closely at the egg by the way, you can see the light shining through it, outlining the dragon embryo inside, and a swirling pattern on the shell, something I designed to be used as a recurring element if this were ever to become a series. 


In the first painting, I limited myself to rendering with one color, over a rice paper canvas.   I applied the tone as you typically would when using traditional watercolor, washing in broad areas of transparent color.   The background tree was kept very muted and light so that the texture on the canvas below could show through.   I splashed and spattered paint in the foliage areas to add more texture.   To indicate a magical quality, I surrounded the egg with an aura of the same swirl pattern found on the eggshell.   I finished up by containing the art with a roughly drawn, red band around the outer edge.   The finished piece has a light, airy quality and the rice paper background imparts an Asian touch. 


The second painting is full color, with a richer paint application.   Color was initially laid in transparently, and built up with successive applications, until the desired values were reached. ...  The full color pallet lets me create a nice contrast between the warm light and the cool darks of the forest.   Paint bleeds off in a roughly designated manner around the edges, except where restrained by the outline of leaves toward the bottom.   The background tree is much darker, and becomes a foil for the sun&rsquo;s rays falling across the egg, and the clouds in the sky shine through the open branches. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Edgar Allan Poe-The Raven</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-22T12:26:22-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7f1d5850220d1b97dc9ccf4c96b71f73-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7f1d5850220d1b97dc9ccf4c96b71f73-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An orphaned, court-martialed soldier, widower, heavy drinker and brilliantly inventive writer, Edgar Allan Poe&rsquo;s biography reads like something taken straight from one of the gothic stories he&rsquo;s most remembered for writing.   His life was rocky to say the least, and although he had success from time to time, failure, disaster and personal loss were always waiting in the wings. 


...Nevertheless, the poem endures as a classic piece of gothic literature, the story of a broken hearted lover&rsquo;s mental torment and breakdown.   I wanted to use The Raven to represent Poe&rsquo;s work as part of a montage portrait painting.   With the exception of the line art below, the painting was completed digitally, using both Photoshop and Painter.


...The artwork begins with a scanned piece of line art, which was executed using a black ball point pen on Strathmore paper, imported into a new Photoshop document.   The line work serves not only as an underlying framework for the paint application to come, but will be a prominent element of the finished piece.   This represents a stylistic approach that I have been working with lately that makes use of the line&rsquo;s graphic strength.   Besides the raven, some of the other elements of the montage include a reference to a bust of Pallas, (representing rational thought),  in the upper left, a skull and a wreath of roses arranged to form a very loose heart shape. 

...The base layer for the artwork, a modified scan of a tablet cardboard back, is imported from my texture library and the line work is duplicated, and then floated above, its layer style changed to Multiply. ...  This allows me to have a &ldquo;working version&rdquo; of the line art and the freedom to alter things without the worry of permanent loss.   A couple of photos are imported from the same texture library and placed on their own separate layers using blend modes of Soft Light and Overlay. 

...I now move the painting into Painter to take advantage of some brushes that that I&rsquo;ve pre-built to add texture as I paint. 

...Here I&rsquo;ve added Poe&rsquo;s shoulders to the painting, something that was planned but not indicated in the line art.   The entire piece has a flow and rhythm that starts with the line style and is reinforced with a subtle circular motif.   Some of these extra elements are now added in separate layers using different blend modes and others, like the lunar indication on the upper left, are painted in place.


I add another layer with the hand reaching up into the air, and continue to bring up the light areas. ...  (After final review, as they say in the NFL, it&rsquo;s decided that they appear too violent, and look like dripping and spattered blood and are played down in the final version).


The artwork is nearly finished with the addition of the Raven&rsquo;s signature, &ldquo;Nevermore&rdquo; type, done in Photoshop. ...  The final, print version of the art had the title type added using a Modified version of The Wall typeface.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Jade Monkey</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-09T07:45:17-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/9a35921f4e498e9a11cefcd531a363dd-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/9a35921f4e498e9a11cefcd531a363dd-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The object of art is to give life a shape. 


William Shakespeare


The Mystery of the Jade Monkey - Digital


The Jade Monkey represents a variation in style that I have been working with lately.   The stylistic technique, overall, is much more graphic than some of the &ldquo;traditional style&rdquo; painterly images I have posted on my portfolio pages.   For example, much of the under drawing of the initial pencil is very visible.   The pencil therefore becomes more a design element and less a foundational component.   For me, this allows a freedom to render the subjects with a spontaneous approach that feels very fresh.   I&rsquo;ve also been working to incorporate more and more texture into my work and I find that I can naturally push further in that direction as well, using both overlays and painted elements. 


The initial pencil.   Changes were made after the art was nearly complete, mainly to the pirate&rsquo;s face and the beak area of the parrot.   I also wound up adding the girl&rsquo;s left hand behind the monkey.   This is when I really appreciate the flexibility of working digitally. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Time Scavenger Painting</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-19T15:25:30-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e58d300d1285bfd74c3176e6701aa014-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e58d300d1285bfd74c3176e6701aa014-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Though he may understand a thousand things that a child could not understand, he is always a beginner, close to the original meaning of life.

...This is a new painting from the Time Scavenger project that I&rsquo;ve been working on, unfortunately in an all too occasional manner.   It&rsquo;s an illustration of the curiosity shop owned by the strange and mysterious Mr Cruft.   The hero of the story, Artemis, has just gathered up enough courage to enter through the doorway, when...


He stumbled over his own feet and fell back against the door shutting it tight. ...  He slid down the wall to the floor his eyes glued on the figure of a man who loomed over him his hand reaching out to grab hold.   It was an embalmed corpse, wrapped in natron scented linen. ...  Standing over Artemis, ready to pounce, was a six foot tall Egyptian mummy.


Links to text from the first two installments of the story are posted in the sidebar.   Reader&rsquo;s will notice that there are some minor differences in the details of the painting.   Obviously,  this is not an accurate rendition of an Egyptian mummy, for example.   The reason is, that as a collaborative work in progress, some minor details are changing even although those changes have not been updated in the posted version of the text. 


I started the piece, by combining some rough sketch ideas, with notations done in the small sketchbook I keep to log ideas in.   Those sketches were scanned in, but instead of working up a tight pencil, as I usually do, it was straight to full color, quarter size, concept roughs.   I wanted to keep a spontaneity that can sometimes be lost in a tight pencil stage. besides, I had a good idea of where I wanted to take this painting.   The best of the painted concepts was then res&rsquo;ed up, and used as a base for development of the final image.  


Nearly all of the work was done using Corel Painter, with only minor tweaks handled in Photoshop, like the type on the window and the ceiling detail.   The time traveler&rsquo;s map applied to Cruft&rsquo;s ceiling, was made up as a separate piece of art.   That was then collapsed to a single layer and dropped into the main image.   With the layer mode set to Soft Light, I then adjusted the opacity appropriately, to blend it into the scene. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Sketch Using Painter</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-17T13:13:22-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d9fedd306b850dac11dad709a5ea07ef-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d9fedd306b850dac11dad709a5ea07ef-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You have to go after it with a club.


...The piece above was created in Corel&rsquo;s Painter from the sketch I used in my previous blog post.   I&rsquo;ve also posted a scan of the original sketchbook page that I worked from.   As you can see I ran out of room on the first page and had to tape another sheet of paper on the side. 


When it came to painting the sketch, I decided that I wanted this to be a &ldquo;light&rdquo; piece.   Rather than a fully rendered background, I wanted lots of white space, the type of painting that might be designed for text to wrap around.   The characters would be supported by an indication of the background rather than a fully realized setting.   I wanted the floor to be an indication with just enough weight to ground the figures and provide an area for the shadows to play up the light source.   I think it wound up working pretty well.


...I&rsquo;ve been asked recently, by other illustrators, what it&rsquo;s like to work with Painter, a program that specializes in simulating a natural, or traditional, media experience.   The answer, I have to confess, is that I found it a slightly intimidating program at first.   It&rsquo;s a media application that comes preloaded with a mind bending array of features and material.   Photoshop, is of course the default graphics program, but Painter delivers a rich media experience that Photoshop doesn&rsquo;t easily provide.   It creates a virtual art studio in your computer, and a very well equipped one at that.   The depth of the program is impressive, to the point where it can be overwhelming at times, something that can put off a casual user.   In fact, if you want to go behind the curtain, and explore all the options Corel provides, you better pack a lunch.   Then again, the quality and presentation, of the natural media the program is based on, is so well done, and has such a realistic feel, that most artists, even those with a traditional media background, should be fairly comfortable right out of the gate by just sticking to the &ldquo;off the rack&rdquo; supplies and not fooling with all the optional settings. ...  No problem, here&rsquo;s one ready to hit the canvas.   The array of prebuilt media sets is great, even if you never do decide to tinker much with settings.   My opinion, if you&rsquo;re looking for a graphics app that conjures up a traditional media look and feel, I think it&rsquo;s hard to beat, for both the Sunday painter and the serious pro user.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>When Smaller is Better</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-12T11:40:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/8f2189f75350e06ba462a9194233e918-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/8f2189f75350e06ba462a9194233e918-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I took a speed reading course and finished War and Peace in twenty minutes.   It involves Russia.


Woody Allen


Sketchbook piece


It&rsquo;s no news flash that the number of smartphones, and other small screened mobile devices, is skyrocketing.   For the most part, the experience of watching video, or web browsing on the iphone or its ilk, is a good one.   It&rsquo;s no mystery why, the ability to access all of the web from nearly anywhere you go is fantastic.   One bit of sand in the vaseline, however, is when a website fails to deliver the goods asap.   Overstuffed websites with long load times can be extremely frustrating.   What&rsquo;s even worse though, are those times when clicking on a link leaves you in what seems a perpetual wait for content, only to have something show up cut-off or otherwise unusable. 


It&rsquo;s unfair to blame a, poorly functioning via mobile device browser&rsquo;s site owner, though.   And I say that mainly because I am one.   This very site, I must admit, could be a better experience when using a mobile browser.


With that in mind, I have created a version of my website that&rsquo;s optimized for mobile devices, http://web.me.com/walkerbrushworks/JohnWalkerIllustrationMobile.   The site is designed to load fast and present a portfolio of my work that is easy and simple to access using a mobile web browser.   There are trade offs naturally, and in this case, not all the content and features found on this site are available on the mobile version.   My new work will still be posted to this page, for example, although some blog pieces may find their way over to the News page.   Demos and side projects will still be hosted on the main site, as well as the new downloadable portfolio samplers. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Downloadable Portfolio Samplers</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-05T17:08:23-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d6a474a5749c1153f93474a301a3769f-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d6a474a5749c1153f93474a301a3769f-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.


Steven Wright


Ah, &ldquo;If you have the time.&rdquo;   That&rsquo;s just it, who does?    Whatever happened to that vision of a 21st century where all our time was spare time, where legions of robots toiled away, humming gently in chrome plated servitude, as we laid back in jet powered lounge chairs, under pre-scheduled, sunny skies, and signaled for, just one more, umbrella topped drink?   Hey, I&rsquo;ve seen the Popular Scientifics magazine covers, I know what the future was supposed to look like, and this ain&rsquo;t it.   In fact, I&rsquo;d argue the opposite has come to pass.   Spare time has become the Holy Grail of the digital age.   Like government intelligence and aerosol lunchmeat, computer derived spare time exists only as theory, blue sky breeze shooting, a promise unfulfilled. 


Well, while unlimited free time may never be more than a glorious dream, the whizz-bang geniuses at JohnWalkerIllustration.com are doing their part to bring a little slice of the care free world of tomorrow, to your desktop today.   Available now for download or online viewing on the Downloads/Links page, are a series of pre-selected, image themed, pdf files.   There are three sample categories posted as of today, characters, religious and pre-historic.   Others will be added soon.   You can simply view the page in your favorite browser or, with a George Jetson-ish right click your mouse, download a print ready page of samples for your next client presentation.   Time saved.


Will we ever reach the android piloted, while fez wearing passengers play mahjong in the back seat, flying-car world of tomorrow?   Who can say?   But rest assured that our team of jim-crack engineers are working non-stop to wrangle every last time saving innovation, from today&rsquo;s digital meringue of zeros and ones, so that we can all keep heading toward a more leisurely tomorrow.


As for me, with all this time on my hands, I&rsquo;m off to grab one of those umbrella topped drinks.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ready at the Trigger</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-24T10:33:08-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/628f3c25b9d5f98594aa22678bbcf30a-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/628f3c25b9d5f98594aa22678bbcf30a-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ready at the Trigger, is the latest in a continuing series of figurative, personal paintings I&rsquo;ve been working on in between illustration projects.   It was painted with acrylics on a 36&rdquo;x20&rdquo; piece of hardboard that I had prepped with three coats of toned gesso. 


On viewing this painting, and other recent personal works, I was asked if I find it confusing to move back and forth from digital to traditional media. ...  In fact, I it very easy moving from what is now commonly referred to as traditional media, to the electronic side of things. ...  Maybe this is due to the fact that I learned how to sling paint before pixels.   Of course the foundations of good painting are the same no matter what media is used; solid drawing, composition, design, value, color.   These elements will all make or break a piece of art no matter what materials are used to create it. 


We all know the obvious differences, like no &ldquo;Undo&rdquo; command when working with traditional media. ...  Lay down the stroke with a loaded brush and you either live with the result, (or wipe it off quickly, wet rag- hurry!), or work much harder to make any needed correction to your misguided attempts later on. ...  Hey, that&rsquo;s one of the main reasons to work digitally as an illustrator since we are constantly subject to, &ldquo;the whims of change.&rdquo;


One difference that I rarely hear mentioned though, is the knowledge required when working traditionally, to mix various hues, in order to achieve a desired new color. ...  Color theory itself is media independent, and not what I refer to.   What I&rsquo;m talking about is the selecting and blending of paint on the pallet.   Knowing which combination of hues mixed together, (or overlaid to some extent), will create a desired new shade.   Most digital artists seem to select their colors &ldquo;pre-mixed&rdquo; from either an unlimited range via a color wheel, or from within a color set.   Painter (and there may be other programs as well), has tried to fill the gap, by including the ability to color blend with its &ldquo;Mixer&rdquo; feature.   It&rsquo;s a good attempt at replicating the real world experience of mixing your own color, but still can&rsquo;t compare with the idiosyncrasies of physical media.


Overall, however, digital painting for me is very similar to the real thing.   My approach is much the same in terms of the steps involved and even the way I apply color.   You can compare the creation of a digital work with a traditionally painted one, by viewing the demo movie below and the demo of this digitally painted piece, Nativity. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beating the Boss</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-29T09:18:11-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/3b4aaee1739495945047743e84b49737-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/3b4aaee1739495945047743e84b49737-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I casually entered the room only to be assaulted by an overpowering stench.   Immediately, I recognized its origin, for it was the unmistakeable, signature scent of the nerd, cheese curls blended with Mountain Dew, laid over a heavy base of overripe teen. 


This piece was painted with acrylics on a gessoed hardboard surface, my favorite materials of late.   It was partially inspired by the children&rsquo;s book, The Wretched Stone, Chris Van Allsburg&rsquo;s thinly disguised warning about the evils of video gluttony.   The idea though wasn&rsquo;t to create my own cautionary tale about video addiction.   Instead, what I attempted, was to capture the expression of the devoted gamer, that interesting combination of mind numbed detachment and complete focus, and to hold it up to the viewer so that they may draw their own conclusions.   The title is a reference to the tried and true video game formula in which you must defeat ever more difficult or numerous enemies until you ultimately reach an endpoint battle with The Boss, typically an uber version of what came before. 


In order to see the effect of a single video screen light source, I posed my model in front of a big screen t.v. although the expression on the subject&rsquo;s face was more my creation than his.   The background was also an imaginary creation.   I wanted a setting that was simple and would not compete with the main figure.   The old green couch came from memories of a small antique sofa we used to own many years ago.   The pattern adds some nice movement within the wrinkles on its surface, imparting a feeling of age to counter the youth of the subject.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gulliver&#x27;s Travels Cover Art</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-14T11:32:45-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/89c5c096f498dce3661f101b5170c503-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/89c5c096f498dce3661f101b5170c503-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[How is it possible to find meaning in a finite world given my waist and shirt size?


Woody Allen


Lately, I&rsquo;ve been busy working on a fantastic job, illustrating a new, young reader&rsquo;s edition, of Gulliver&rsquo;s Travels.   The first part of the project involved painting the cover art, posted here.


The novel by Jonathan Swift was written as a piece of satire and political commentary, but since its publication in 1726, the story has been adapted numerous times and has morphed into a classic of children&rsquo;s literature.   This is mainly due to the most remembered first section of the book, which details Gulliver&rsquo;s trip to Lilliput, the land where everything is one twelfth normal size.   It&rsquo;s not hard to see why kids would be attracted to the idea of a parallel, miniature world.


The cover assignment was to depict a scene in which Gulliver steps over the protective front gate into the city of Lilliput.   I needed to show enough of the town and its people to establish the setting and show the size disparity between Gulliver and the Lilliputian people.   I first submitted a series of roughs, using a template that described the cover&rsquo;s live area along with the proposed title and credit, type placement.   In these thumbnail sketches I had a chance to explore various points of view, from high and distant, to the worm&rsquo;s eye vantage point of one of the townspeople. 


Eventually, a scenario was imagined, in which we see Gulliver stepping over the inconsequential city wall, only to be confronted by the brave King of Lilliput.   This seemed to me a great way to reveal something of the character&rsquo;s personalities.   Gulliver, a potentially lethal giant, respectfully tips his hat as he bounds into the city, amused by the sight of the tiny King who stands in ramrod straight defiance.   The people of Lilliput are gathered around, watching with a mix of tentative curiosity and awe.   The composition was designed so that I could wrap the village around and frame the confrontation, while employing a quick perspective from foreground to background.   In this way, I could suggest a large space in a very limited amount of workable area. 


Although it doesn&rsquo;t show up in my pencil roughs, from the very beginning, I always imagined the scene taking place under an early day Lilliputian sun.   This gave me the chance to further highlight the center of interest by creating a dramatic, raking light with a resulting shadow pattern that would draw the viewer&rsquo;s eye into the scene.


Final art was blocked in using Painter and finished in Photoshop.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Summer Recharge/Hawkmoths</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-13T09:41:31-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/cf1ea38fe5dc3cdbe2460b22dbfba7d0-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/cf1ea38fe5dc3cdbe2460b22dbfba7d0-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Every poem can be considered in two ways; as what the poet has to say, and as a thing that he makes.


C.S.Lewis


Summers can be a strange time in the illustration business.   I&rsquo;ve gone through summers that kept me in the studio way too much, so much in fact, that I never had a fair chance to bake off the winter white, other years way too little, leaving me dangerously vulnerable to a staggering list of household chores long avoided.   This year has been a combination of both.   While the beginning of the season was crazy, the past couple of weeks have left gaps in the schedule as I wait for final manuscript approval on a book project. 


It&rsquo;s great to be able to get away from the day to day, to get out, enjoy the high summer sun and recharge the creative batteries.   Then again, downtime has also given me more time to spend in the studio working on some personal projects like the painting posted here.   With virtually all of my illustration work being produced digitally, time spent working with traditional art materials, has become very important to me.   As much as I love the pluses digital media painting brings to my work, (and I have long argued that the use of digital media alone does not discount a piece&rsquo;s legitimacy as Art), traditional media has a quality, feel and process that I personally find hard to replace by pushing pixels.   By it&rsquo;s very nature, having to mix the color you want instead of selecting or sampling it, having to &ldquo;draw the line&rdquo; and live with the consequences, no Undo keystroke combo, or adjustment layer revisions after all, painting with traditional materials is much more a high stakes, dare-devil ride than a computer driven creation can ever be.   That&rsquo;s part of the reason spending time &ldquo;at the easel&rdquo; instead of at the Wacom can be as valuable and re-energizing as those long rides on my bike under the summer sky.   It&rsquo;s not doing a thing for that chore list though.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>But What Does it Mean?</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-17T13:06:26-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d94170c38a78dc4f25708c529cf70f78-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d94170c38a78dc4f25708c529cf70f78-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.


...I remember being asked one time very early in my career about a painting I had just completed.   The person I was speaking with wanted to know exactly why I had painted things the way I did.   I believe my bristled response was something along the lines of, &ldquo;Does every painting have to have some deeper meaning?   Can&rsquo;t a painting just be a painting?&rdquo;   Well, sometimes a painting is, &ldquo;just a painting,&rdquo; and at this neophytic stage a lot of my work was, &ldquo;just a painting,&rdquo; as I struggled to learn the craft behind the art.


Looking back, I realize part of the reason for the terse response was due to my difficulty in verbalizing why I&rsquo;ve painted certain subjects, or to be more precise, why I&rsquo;ve painted subjects in a particular manner.   After all, painting by it&rsquo;s very nature can be an intensely personal endeavor, arguably the more personal the more successful, and so it follows that discussions of an artist about his work can be very personal as well.   It&rsquo;s not always easy to peel back the layers and expose your thought process.   Often times I prefer to leave interpretation up to the viewer anyway, rather than toss out my thinking, (although that sounds like a cop out- and can be at times).   That way when someone does &ldquo;get it&rdquo; you realize a connection that otherwise wouldn&rsquo;t come to exist.   It also forces the viewer to become more invested in the work as they reach in and think about the possibilities of what you as an artist are trying to get across.


Having said all that, here are a few comments about the painting above, a recently completed portrait of a subject I&rsquo;ve painted in the past. 

...Though there are many similarities between the two works: the subject, the clothing and props, even the pose, the two paintings communicate very different moods.   The first, was an attempt to capture a feeling of innocence underlying a tough exterior.   The subject is quiet and contemplative although with a feeling of inner conflict. 

...The rendering, though still representational, is looser, with a more tactile sensibility.   The woman now sits up ram rod straight, almost defiantly, against an aged looking background that is weathered and stained but altogether softer than the cold tile wall in the previous work.   The single flower has now grown into a loosely held bouquet, but the flowers don&rsquo;t have the soft delicate look from before, and there are small, prickly, tendrils corkscrewing their way outward.   The woman has a knowing look with just the slightest hint of a smile.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Harvard Magazine Illustrations</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-29T09:04:47-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fae99c072f62fc200e73399f8ee51034-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/fae99c072f62fc200e73399f8ee51034-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was recently given a terrific assignment illustrating an upcoming article in Harvard Magazine.   The article discussed how cross pollination of scientific disciplines was resulting in new historical discoveries.   The job involved creating three pieces of art, two smaller explanatory illustrations, along with a larger painting that would run across the lower half of a two page spread.   That painting, a snapshot of a Saxon dominated village, in post Roman Britain, is the one I&rsquo;m posting here.


After doing some basic research and reviewing the materials provided by the client, I did a series of quick thumbnails.   With a basic idea of where I wanted to go, I began sketching the village scene in Painter.   I knew we would be suggesting a coastal location for the village, with a typically overcast sky.   This gave me a great opportunity to highlight the characters with a nice cool rim light.   I built up the sketch by first placing the main features that I knew needed to be shown, the thatched roof homes for example, and then added some villagers knowing that a beefy Saxon warrior type would become the main focus.   This gave me ideas as to how I could play off light against dark and create a feeling of depth that made the viewer feel as if they could walk into the scene.


I&rsquo;ve been told that doing a color sketch before working out a pencil is backward, but for the life of me I don&rsquo;t know why.   Exploring broad areas of value with an eye toward the overall color scheme makes perfect sense to me.   Once I had a general idea of the feel I was after, I began to work out some details using the color sketch&rsquo;s value suggestions.


This rough pencil was presented to the art director to clarify the direction I intended to take the art.   Once given the green light, I worked up a tight version.   That pencil was sent on for review by an expert who suggested changes to better reflect historical fact and a second tight pencil (below) was drawn up.


With the second pencil&rsquo;s approval, I  began to work in Painter, laying in color on the Canvas layer, the pencil floating on a &ldquo;Multiply&rdquo; layer above.   When I had the basics in place the piece was imported into Photoshop where I dropped the pencil layer down and continued to refine and tighten the painting, occasionally rearranging or correcting as I went until finished.   You can see I veered off from the initial color sketch&rsquo;s dreary darkness.   Although I really liked the sketch&rsquo;s atmospheric feel, I felt it was just too dreary and dark and worked more color into the final painting.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Three Self Portraits and Brushes</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-27T14:05:46-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/143e1c269c018eebaadd98cd48be2c73-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/143e1c269c018eebaadd98cd48be2c73-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[  


  


I paint self portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.


Frida Kahlo


Long time gone from the blog page, but my schedule has been so busy lately that it&rsquo;s been tough to grab the time.   I&rsquo;ve been busy working on a new version of Gulliver&rsquo;s Travels and illustrations for a Harvard Magazine article along with some design work, (I&rsquo;ll be posting a sample of the Harvard Magazine art soon).   But I did have a chance today to try out a new app for the ipod touch called Brushes.   It&rsquo;s one of a number of painting programs designed to be used with Apple&rsquo;s ipod touch/iphone line up.   The Brushes name may ring a bell since the tech news has been showcasing artist Jorge Colombo&rsquo;s use of the program to create the cover art for The New Yorker.   You can read more about it in a blog post on TUAW.  


A big part of Brushes appeal to me was its ability to export the paintings you create to your computer in either of two flavors: a higher res version, that can be further manipulated in a program like Painter or Photoshop, or as a Quicktime format file that plays back the entire painting process.   Very cool feature that you can see in action by clicking on the painting above.   I hope to write up a full review of the program in a future post but in the few minutes I&rsquo;ve had to play with the program I can see its value as a super mobile color sketchbook.


The color self portrait sketch here was my first attempt at using Brushes, although setting for the sketch was just the same as the first two drawings, sitting at my studio drawing table and staring into a small round shaving mirror that I keep around to reverse check my work.   The mirror&rsquo;s frame can be glimpsed in the first two drawings, (done with a Bic Ultra ballpoint pen- a favorite tool), in a couple of different sketchbooks.   There&rsquo;s a long history of artists painting their own portraits.   I always figured it&rsquo;s because we&rsquo;re cheap and available and for the most part don&rsquo;t complain about the time spent posing. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Paintings as Rorshach Tests</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-29T08:53:21-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e8749fc9a0c591512eb72c5d816ed3f4-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e8749fc9a0c591512eb72c5d816ed3f4-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.


John le Carre


As a result of the cold, wet, lousy, rainy, crummy, rotten, (did I mention cold?), spring we&rsquo;ve had, I&rsquo;ve been able to spend a lot more guilt-free hours in the studio, side stepping that gigantic list of outdoor chores waiting to devour my time.   I&rsquo;ve been working on some different types of paintings, the latest work, &ldquo;The Red Sailboat,&rdquo; is posted above. 


This painting began life as a landscape study, something I typically don&rsquo;t do a lot of.   I&rsquo;m always fascinated by the various textures colors and reflections of a location like this: a small creek flowing through the woods on a hot summer afternoon, but usually trying to convey scenic beauty is not something that I do a lot of.   It&rsquo;s not that landscape paintings don&rsquo;t interest me or that I don&rsquo;t appreciate them, but trying to capture the beauty of a scene for its own sake just isn&rsquo;t something I care to spend much time with.   So even though I began the painting with a landscape painter&rsquo;s mindset, at some point the illustrator in me commandeered the process, a story began to reveal itself in my mind, and the red sailboat appeared in the picture. 


Why the boat is there and exactly what narrative the painting conveys is not the point of the exercise.   After all this is not designed as a piece created to illuminate a particular passage as one of my book illustrations might be.   Instead the idea is to provide a framework, an impetus for the viewer to create a story of their own, a Rorshach test of sorts, wide open to interpretation.   We assume when we see a particular work that the artist has a reason for its creation, and as interesting as it may be to think we are catching a glimpse of the heart, mind or soul of the creator, how much more revealing is it to hear the interpretation of a work by the viewer, who comes to the party with no such preconceived notions?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Unearthed Rough</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-13T10:57:18-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/f7eaca6989a8a0d9b07476f566acc759-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/f7eaca6989a8a0d9b07476f566acc759-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have come to the conclusion that my subjective account of my motivation is largely mythical on almost all occasions. 

...I didn&rsquo;t realize it at first, I was a victim of gradual acceptance.   But there was no denying it anymore, even with all the lights on and the lengthening spring days providing more light through the windows, it was definitely hard to see in here. 


Although it had escaped me at first, the cause of the gloom would have been obvious to even the most casual onlooker.   Huge piles of stuff, files, books, clippings, reference articles, empty cereal boxes, used cd cases, dried tubes of paint, markers, (does anyone still use markers?), animal bones, illustration board, broken drawing templates, paint hardened brushes, bird nests, cardboard saved for shipping things in, bits of broken pastels, and on and on, rose up all around me, masses of &ldquo;too good to toss,&rdquo; junk.   The looming stacks of stuff, all considered invaluable to me for some reason, at one time or another, had accumulated in such numbers and had become piled so high,that they blocked out the sunlight from my windows and began to eclipse the light trying to fight its way down from the fixtures above. 


It must have happened slowly, over time, but I guess I just become conditioned to walk the maze of pack-ratted debris and not notice the long, roundabout path it took to reach my easel, although I did notice that from the time I left the kitchen, until the time I sat down at the computer, my coffee would get cold.   Every once and awhile I would hear a slight, faraway groan, sometimes followed by a puff of dust, as a pile  collapsed under its own weight, the way an unsupported ceiling might give way in a coal mine. 


...Boy Scouts in need of a Mountaineering Badge were beginning to line up in the driveway, the scoutmaster confiding, &ldquo;It isn&rsquo;t often an opportunity to scale peaks like those comes along, especially here in the Midwest.   &ldquo; He peered up the full height of one of the stacks, paled, and checked a knot on one of the boy&rsquo;s safety harness.


Meanwhile, I began to trail string out behind me as I entered the studio each morning, insurance that I could find my way back at the end of the day, and considered slipping a few dog treats in my pocket everyday before heading in.   This way if there was a collapse, I reasoned, and I was buried, there was hope that my dog might be able to find me.   Besides, if I was forced to eat them while waiting to be rescued, I was guaranteed whiter teeth and fresher breath. 


Finally, as I sat by my easel in the barely-there light of noonday, teetering stockpiles of junk swaying menacingly overhead, I realized the time for easy solutions was past.   There was nothing to be done but relocate the mountain goats and undertake a massive clean up, but after being denied federal stimulus money for the project, it was obvious, I would have to go it alone.


...The skyscrapers of accumulation gradually were reduced to smaller more manageable mounds, which in turn were sorted through, their contents categorized put away or discarded. ...  I found some great watercolor board that I had been saving for just the right project, a pet cat named Chester that we assumed had run away, and a layout for a mural job that never came to pass. 

...My coffee is still hot now when I carry it in from the kitchen and sit down at the keyboard.   I do miss having the scouts drop by, but with the money I saved by canceling construction of the bobsled track I was able to replace a bunch of the ruined brushes and even buy some nicely textured paper that I&rsquo;m eager to try out.   I&rsquo;m too busy to use it at the moment but I have it stacked over in the corner, where I won&rsquo;t forget about it, right on top of the broken computer I&rsquo;ve been meaning to get fixed.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Witness</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-07T10:37:43-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/12898ec271e97143e727a79a8d679b8b-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/12898ec271e97143e727a79a8d679b8b-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which have been hidden by the answers.


James Baldwin


With a hectic schedule lately of illustration work, (not to mention the joys of tax season), it&rsquo;s been very tough to find the time for some easel painting, but I finally have had a chance to complete a piece that I&rsquo;ve had kicking around in my head for a while now.   The idea for this painting came from roughly the same area that inspired, &ldquo;The Visitor,&rdquo; a small waterway flowing through a local forest preserve. 


Surrounded by old industry and new subdivisions, the preserve is now a protected nature area, but if you look past the greenery there are all kinds of connections to a more mercenary past.   There are still piles of gravel here and there, reminders of the limestone quarry that decades ago supplied the growing cities around the country with large slabs of stone which were transported to their destinations via the nearby canal.   Tall old pine trees grow in neat rows, near a decaying limestone building, reminders of a former nursery.   An old rail spur borders the property, the abandoned tracks popping up through the underbrush from time to time, yet another reminder of a commercial past.   The entire locale has that distinctly Midwestern aura of sinewy, bare knuckles, no nonsense types, scrabbling hard to make a buck in a turn of the century industrial world and gives off a weird, almost gothic, vibe.   It&rsquo;s a beautiful, quiet place now, but it&rsquo;s not hard to imagine a thousand stories of a loud, grimy, checkered past, barely concealed beneath the placid surface. 


Walking along the creek, starring down into the muddy water, I thought about representing the idea that there were all kinds of stories waiting to be exhumed, the evidence of their existence hiding in plain sight.   I thought about painting an object that could be act as a repository of past experiences and that&rsquo;s when the idea of a long lost doll came to me. 


She&rsquo;s a stand in of sorts for the people who used to live and work here all those years ago.   The kind of object that had been handed down from generation to generation, a silent onlooker, an inanimate member of the family that had been embraced, loved, and confided in, a keeper of secrets and desires.   Outgrown and set aside, lost, or abandoned, the old doll is a receptacle for an accumulation of times both good and bad, a silent witness, a mute observer of the past.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sketchbook/ Mad Hatter</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-14T09:37:17-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/3212e486622b457aac00dfbf7b9bbb0a-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/3212e486622b457aac00dfbf7b9bbb0a-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting.


John Russell


A quick sketch of &ldquo;Alice in Wonderland&rsquo;s&rdquo; Mad Hatter stuffing a sleepy door mouse into the teapot.   A sprinkle of Heath Ledger/Joker combined with the original Tenniel depiction.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Economy Sketching/Phantom of the Opera</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-08T11:28:49-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e4f860b8b012470ff129f24cafbb72e3-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e4f860b8b012470ff129f24cafbb72e3-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera.   Oil and acrylic sketch on Cap&rsquo;n Crunch cereal box.


People want economy and they will pay any price to get it.


Lee Iacocca


There&rsquo;s a phrase that you won&rsquo;t see very often on art gallery title cards.   &ldquo;On Cap&rsquo;n Crunch box.&rdquo;   I&rsquo;m sure it is not the most &ldquo;archivally-friendly,&rdquo; material after all, and yes, it does impart a decidedly low rent air to the work.   But as a cheap-o base to sketch on it works pretty well, and given the current economic climate who isn&rsquo;t looking for a way to cut corners?   I like to keep a stack of odd cardboard/paper pieces like this around to play on.   The ginormous, &ldquo;value-pack,&rdquo; cereal box, type cardboard specifically.   Given the culinary preferences at Hacienda Walker I&rsquo;m assured a never ending supply, although I suppose if I&rsquo;m struck with a frenzy of prolificness I could hit the neighbor&rsquo;s recycling bin. 


While the biggest upside of working on found materials like this is the price of course, can&rsquo;t get much better than, &ldquo;buy the cereal, get the board free,&rdquo; (although in this case, I like to think of getting the cereal free with every painting support purchase-it&rsquo;s a better deal that way), you do get to claim green points as well.   I love the ground color of cardboard too, especially the cheaper stuff that has all kinds of extra little bits in it.   It&rsquo;s like someone in the cardboard factory figured they&rsquo;d add a warm, hand crafted look and clicked Photoshop&rsquo;s noise filter button.


There are downsides to this frugally rich material though.   It&rsquo;s very porous. ...  Not easily correctable.   And if you do happen to wander into a creative masterpiece you&rsquo;ll need to cover up the back side before showing the work.   After all, how embarrassing would it be to have an admirer of your artistic crowning achievement flip over the painting only to discover a cartoon rendering of King Vitamin?   Besides devaluing the work they&rsquo;d know you had lousy taste in cereal.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cain and Abel</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-05T11:10:07-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/75d09457e34f73eb325e089290dc2bfb-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/75d09457e34f73eb325e089290dc2bfb-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That is ever the way.   'Tis all jealousy to the bride and good wishes to the corpse.


James M.   Barrie


The painting posted here, loosely illustrating the story of Cain and Abel, represents the more painterly style I&rsquo;ve been working in lately.   I don&rsquo;t vouch for the Biblical accuracy of the story, that wasn&rsquo;t my concern with this particular piece.   Instead my aim was to show emotion, the moment when the slayer having committed murder while in the throes of a jealous frenzy comes to his senses and realizes what he has done. 


The art was created almost exclusively in Painter, (and after my recent ordeal with Adobe tech support, which may wind up as another post, I wish I could abandon Photoshop altogether), using a lot of the oil brush variants, starting from a blank page.   That is, I took this one directly from an idea rough, all the way to finish, on my computer as opposed to importing a drawing of some kind to use as a framework.   I used a very direct, gut level approach.   No constant mashing of pixels with the Blender brushes, no catalog of selections to contain the strokes.   Grab a brush, make a mark, move on. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ignorance and Want</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-12T10:11:37-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/1f19da08d80068a59fb3a4252ba255da-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/1f19da08d80068a59fb3a4252ba255da-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.&rdquo;


Charles Dickens, (The Ghost of Christmas Present from, &ldquo;A Christmnas Carol&rdquo;)


We&rsquo;ve all seen, heard or read Dicken&rsquo;s famous Christmas story, (you can read the original text on Google books here), probably many times.   It&rsquo;s omnipresent this time of year in almost any form you can imagine.   There have been several film versions, all playing in heavy rotation this time of year, (the best in my opinion being the 1951 version with Alistar Sim as Scrooge).   There are innumerable stage productions from grade school to pro, readings, radio plays, even a Mr. ...  In fact the story of Scrooge is such a staple that I believe there is a Screenwiter&rsquo;s Union rule stating that, &ldquo;Any tv sitcom running during the &ldquo;holiday season,&rdquo;must include, at minimum, one episode based on, &ldquo;A Christmas Carol.&rdquo;


Dickens was of course telling us a story of moral redemption, reminding the world that the true meaning of Christmas is one of love and forgiveness not the accumulation of material wealth.   But, as in so many of Dickens works, the story has much more depth to it than the obvious lesson, as Dickens includes elements of political and social commentary.   One part of the story that I&rsquo;ve always found interesting, is when the jovial party guy, The Ghost of Christmas Present, shows us the dark side of life, Ignorance and Want, by pulling back his fur trimmed cloak and revealing them to Scrooge. (if I remember correctly on a &ldquo;very special&rdquo; episode of Full House Ignorance and Want were played by the Olsen twins in an Emmy nominated performance).   It&rsquo;s a reality check, a counterpoint to all of the scenes of fun, frivolity and Fezziwigged halls, that Scrooge has been shown beforehand.   Dickens reminds us that need doesn&rsquo;t go away even if it does get covered over by the gloss of celebration, and that ignorance and stupidity are the ultimate dangers to humanity.   Amazing how a story written in 1843 still has such relevance today.


<div class=&ldquo;image-left&rdquo;></div>My painting grew out of a sketch done one evening and was completed entirely in Painter.   When I was working on the drawing I couldn&rsquo;t remember  if Ignorance and Want were girl and boy or boy and girl.   Proving Murphy&rsquo;s Law is still in effect during the Christmas season, I got it wrong, and had to reverse the sexes in the finished art.   The &ldquo;Want&rdquo; figure is painted as starving and gaunt, with deeply sunken cheeks and eyes.   To help show the character of &ldquo;Ignorance&rdquo; I&rsquo;ve shown him picking his nose and staring off in the wrong direction. 


Most of the painting was done using the Oils brushes on a toned ground, using the Bristle variants for lay-in and the Variable Round as I tightened things up.   For detail work, and to introduce some sharper edges, I used the Fine Round Gouache brush. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>But is it Art?</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-04T14:17:54-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/b903f0db6bd56828381181015d2391ed-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/b903f0db6bd56828381181015d2391ed-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.


Frank Zappa


I recently received the latest issue of the Corel Painter newsletter, (free to anyone who signs up on the Corel website), which contains an opinion piece by John Derry in which he discusses whether or not digitally created work should be considered real &ldquo;Art&rdquo;.   There is no doubt that a prejudice exists against digitally created artwork, the example he begins his article with, a local art show not allowing entry of a digitally created piece is pretty common.   Seeing as how Derry has worked with the Painter people since the get go, and even refers to himself as, &ldquo;one of the fathers of Painter,&rdquo; it&rsquo;s not exactly a shock to hear which side of the argument he comes down on. 


As for myself I can&rsquo;t believe that anyone is still holding on to the outdated opinion that digital work cannot qualify as &ldquo;real&rdquo; art simply because of the media choice used to create it.   As Derry points out the discussion is not one of defining what art is, but rather whether using digital media automatically disqualifies the work.   Certainly you could wrangle over the merits of a particular piece and its qualifications, but to discount the genre as a whole, simply because the media is new, or different from long established methods of expression, is ridiculous.   I know that part of the problem for some is that there are perceived shortcuts available to the digital artist that aren&rsquo;t available in say, traditional oil painting, at least as most people, (especially non-artists), picture it.   If this truly is cause for rejection however, then I would assume that we should change the status of all the paintings whose creation was aided by modern innovations like the camera lucida or acylic paint.   This doesn&rsquo;t mean of course that all digital work is necessarily &ldquo;Art&rdquo; any more than all traditionally crafted work is.   Trash is trash no matter the high brow lineage of the materials used in its creation.


I think, as Derry points out, the better way of approaching the discussion is to ask what qualifies any work to be considered &ldquo;Art.&rdquo;   What is the purpose of artistic expression?   While that discussion dances along the edge of the &ldquo;what is art,&rdquo; black hole, I think anyone who makes an honest attempt to understand why we are compelled to create and experience art could not possibly exclude a form of expression that can connect the creator with the viewer so successfully.


You can read John Derry&rsquo;s article here.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Story of Christmas Demo</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-09T08:42:25-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d3189c8b6de7ed4854ddb07a8d80a85d-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/d3189c8b6de7ed4854ddb07a8d80a85d-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To be an artist is to believe in life.


Henry Moore


The nativity scene above was painted for a pop up book titled, &ldquo;The Story of Christmas,&rdquo; which is in book stores now, (December 2008).   The artwork for the book was completed just about a year ago.   Interesting that the print schedule so often results in working on projects &ldquo;in season.&rdquo; 


I have posted a demo movie of the creation of the painting along with a small write up that can be viewed here.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Victorio Peak</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-15T10:08:51-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/52049222ba1d47727a1edd712eefb5fc-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/52049222ba1d47727a1edd712eefb5fc-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All we know is still infinitely less than all that remains unknown.


William Harvey 


The illustration above is the last of a twenty-five piece series I recently completed for the children&rsquo;s book, New Mexico: its History, Legends and Icons to be published by Impossible Dreams Publishing.


The painting depicts Doc Noss exploring the hidden treasure he claims to have discovered within Victorio Peak in southern New Mexico.   While on a deer hunting trip with his wife, Noss reportedly stumbled upon a passageway leading to an underground cache filled with all kinds of treasure ranging from gold bricks, jeweled daggers, a Wells Fargo money box and even a huge statue of the Virgin Mary.   In addition to all the booty, he described skeletonized bodies he came across, their hands tied behind their backs, or tethered from the neck.   Much of the treasure was said to be of Spanish origin and there were theories that Noss had found a repository used to hide booty stolen from Mexico or a place where Spanish missionaries hid their wealth.   The story became complicated with business partnerships, backstabbing, divorce, and even murder.   The entire thing reads like the script from some 1940s film noir.   Whether or not the mystery will ever be revealed completely remains to be seen but it&rsquo;s a compelling chapter of New Mexico history.


This was another great illustration to paint, wrapping up what has been a truly enjoyable, year long, project.   Steve Richardson at Impossible Dreams Publishing has been terrific.   He&rsquo;s one of those people who stands back and lets the artist have at it, feeling that creative freedom results in work that exceeds expectations.   I thank him for the assignment, for all of his kind words about my work and look forward to working with him again in the future.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portrait of PoPay</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-07T09:21:07-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/ed60fc71fcddd58045707b60bb21ecc5-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/ed60fc71fcddd58045707b60bb21ecc5-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend.


John Singer Sargent


The past year I&rsquo;ve been working on a series of illustrations for Impossible Dreams Publishing&rsquo;s forthcoming book about the history of New Mexico.   Titled, New Mexico: its History, Legends and Icons, it&rsquo;s been a great opportunity to paint a variety of subjects and scenes including this portrait of Pueblo leader PoPay. 


PoPay was a Peublo medicine man and leader who after being imprisoned by the Spanish for practicing sorcery, led the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.   The goal was to drive the Spanish out of Pueblo land and preserve the traditions and way of life the Spanish sought to eradicate.   In order to coordinate the timing of the revolt among several settlements, PoPay sent out runners, each bearing a rope with a series of five knots to give to that particular settlements leader.   A knot on the rope would be untied every day until the morning the 5th knot was reached signaling the time was right for the revolt to begin.   Fearing the plans for the revolt had been compromised, the action began sooner than expected, however, the revolt succeeded and the Spanish were driven out of Pueblo territory for a period of time The Spanish did reassert their dominance over the Pueblo in the coming years but this time they allowed the culture of the native Americans to remain intact.


No one knows what PoPay actually looked like of course, which means that a likeness of PoPay is not the goal with a portrait like this.   Instead I was attempting to capture the nature of the man, an attitude of proud defiance and a refusal to allow a way of life to be take away.


The art was created primarily with Painter IX with several texture overlays added in Photoshop.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Concept Painting Demo</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-28T11:02:59-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/4369c0d192d8f103018aa2e4d4ea4b26-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/4369c0d192d8f103018aa2e4d4ea4b26-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They thought I was a surrealist, but I wasn&rsquo;t.   I never painted dreams.   I painted my own reality.


Frida Kahlo


I&rsquo;ve recently begun working with a close friend who is in the process of writing a book.   I&rsquo;m spring-boarding off the story line and doing some conceptual pieces,fleshing out parts of the story and its characters in a visual way, while the book&rsquo;s narrative continues to evolve.   It&rsquo;s a really interesting project and a different approach than most of the publishing work that I typically do.   My eventual hope is that I can post at minimum the book&rsquo;s first chapter, (most likely around Christmas), and show some accompanying illustration work ranging from sketches to finished pieces. 


The painting above is one result of the collaboration so far.   The boy being grabbed by the legendary and infamous Kraken and losing a key piece of hardware to boot.   The scene depicted is one that will not appear in the book, but the image it inspired in my mind got me sketching, which in turn led to my creating a color version of the sketch.   Painter IX was used almost exclusively because I wanted to show a &ldquo;painterly&rdquo; quality in the work,leave some things to the viewer&rsquo;s imagination and not render every last detail. 


You can see a quickie demo movie of the steps involved by clicking the image below. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hotter Than Hades</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-06T16:06:14-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/eea31908fa2f67a653b7af88c5ba92be-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/eea31908fa2f67a653b7af88c5ba92be-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It tastes like burning!


Ralph from an episode of &ldquo;The Simpsons&rdquo;


In this second in a series of exercises creating labels for craft beers, jalepe&ntilde;o pepper was the variety suggested by my brew master friend, (who by the way has never actually Frankensteined one of these to life, it&rsquo;s on his to-do list).   Although it sounds like the hideous offspring of two perfectly good ingredients maybe they would work together in the same sense &ldquo;fire&rdquo; and &ldquo;extinguisher&rdquo; do.   Anyway, whileI can only guess what the experience might be like, I imagine that this would be a creep up from behind and drop the anvil type of event.   Suds that lure the taste buds in with a smile- and then drop the torch. 

...Continuing the mythological characters theme, Hades, God of the underworld was suggested as the perfect spokesmodel so I did some sketching and came up with the drawing on the left.   I&rsquo;m keeping the compositional concept of having a defined space that the character breaks out of but changing things up a bit by tightening the focus to a portrait instead of a full figure.   This allows me to zero in on the facial features that define the duality I&rsquo;m creating with a theme of sneaky then hot and still keep the pepper front and center.


...  Here I&rsquo;ve tightened up the sketch and further developed the sneaky expression on the left side of the face.   He needs to be smiling that, &ldquo;Come&rsquo;re, I have something for you,&rdquo; kind of grin.   The right side on the other hand needs to be fiery.   Like he is literally ablaze but I still want to keep a humanoid look.   I don&rsquo;t want that side to be too ghost like, more solid that ephemeral.   I&rsquo;ve amplified the expression, twisting the smile and pulling the ear into a devil&rsquo;s point.


...And here is the end result.   The left side is rendered in cool colors, blues and greens.   His hair is all curls and waves in a kind of foreshadowing of flame.   The right side, all warm reds, has a yellow orange light reflected from below, a reference to The Underworld.   The hair has become flame and has even singed the flat graphic behind it, which certainly is not ancient Greek in design, but whose swirling movement reinforces the flame motif and works as a nice counterpoint to the three-dimensionality of the figure. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beer Label Brainstorming pt2</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-30T10:12:33-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7243cfe1938bbcb9adb2215fe120a2bb-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/7243cfe1938bbcb9adb2215fe120a2bb-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Life, the Universe and Everything... is forty-two.


... With the sketch of the Pan/fawn and bee characters from the previous post finalized, I&rsquo;ve scanned the drawing and opened it in Photoshop.   I&rsquo;ve rotated the pencil a few degrees to the right to exaggerate the characters motion. 


The drawing is bumped up to its own layer and the base layer is filled with the tan color because I like to work on a neutral ground.   I saved the file and opened it in Painter and began to add color on another layer between the two.   Painter&rsquo;s brushes are great for building texture on underlying layers.


...I now add a layer with a green fill and an oval cut out shape.   The oval area will contain the distant background elements which I begin to rough in.   The thatched roof cottage fits in to a fairy tale/medieval kind of setting, the flowers of course, spring.   My original intent was to create a cutout with more of an amorphous shape but I like the way the oval frames the two figures and emphasizes vertical movement.   With the lay in complete the rest of the painting process is one of refining, building form and value.   I then save the file and reopen it in Photoshop.   Most all of the work done from this point on is done with one brush, a Scatter Brush variant of my own making.   The brush is very simply a stock Scatter Brush with Shape Dynamics enabled in the Photoshop Brush Engine so that I can paint a relatively thin to thick line based on brush pressure.   While the brush doesn&rsquo;t have the same naturalistic qualities as the brushes in Painter I do find it easier to maintain fine control with.   (I often use another variation of the same brush but one with Texture enabled to break the stroke up and create more interest.)


...The painting is essentially finished in this shot, (the background scene layer is turned off here),but I decide that the horns on the fawn are not working as well as I had thought originally so I paint them out on a separate layer. ...  The solid green area looks too lifeless though so I decided to add a texture with a floral feel, something that would reinforce the flowers in the painting.   Textures were imported and then smeared with Photoshop&rsquo;s Smudge Tool using a rough edged brush.   I&rsquo;ve added a ring shape as well with a tortoise shell style finish to act as a border around the oval. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beer Label Brainstorming</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-26T09:25:06-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/17d7f2bb5aaec93d7b984ad1c3b70813-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/17d7f2bb5aaec93d7b984ad1c3b70813-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.


...Recently while checking out the micro-brew choices at the local grocery store I was thinking how great some of the label art is.   It really runs the gamut in style from classy to humorous with a lot of the art having a nice hand crafted, painterly look.   I would assume that&rsquo;s to reinforce the hand crafted image of the beers themselves,  a marketing strategy to help distinguish the small guys from the Buds and Millers of the world with their nondescript, corporate looks.  ...  I especially like the pieces that describe what the bottle contains with their landscape paintings or characters.   So much cool art with an adult beverage thrown in - kind of like a wine and cheese gallery opening for Joe Six-Pack. 


Anyway that got me thinking about creating some label art for a micro-micro-brewer friend of mine.   I started with the name, &ldquo;Honey Bock&rdquo;.   Sounds good, no idea what it would taste like.   Wikipedia tells us that Bock beers were historically brewed by monks to celebrate special occasions such as Easter.   Today Bock beer is most often associated with spring and the labels often depict a goat, a reference to the German translation of &ldquo;bock&rdquo;.


...So with &ldquo;spring&rdquo; and &ldquo;goat&rdquo; in mind I started to draw and wound up with the sketch on the left.   I wanted to break away from drawing a regular goat and played with some animal caricatures but decided a Pan character would work even better as a reference to both spring and a goat.   The bee is obviously a connection to the &ldquo;Honey&rdquo; component. ...  Pan now sports a springtime flower necklace in place of the strap across the chest and I lost the traditional Pan flute, giving him a medieval horn instead.   Figuring the bee reference was strong enough, I ditched his honey drip from sketch #1 and gave him some instruments as well. 

...As far as the background goes, my plan was to work within a shape which at this point I&rsquo;m thinking may be something slightly amorphous.   Maybe a smoke shape or a flowing design along the lines of a Mucha poster.   The art would then be usable on a variety of further background colors and textures.


Next: It&rsquo;s time to play with a little color.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Investment Banker&#x27;s New Job</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-14T16:57:23-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e7005139e44e458bdcd90b280a751287-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/e7005139e44e458bdcd90b280a751287-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.


Woody Allen


Ah the scarecrow, old suit of clothes stuffed with hay and tacked up on a post, Standing all alone in some farm field keeping the crows at bay and waiting for, I don&rsquo;t know, some girl dressed like a rural Paris Hilton in a gingham dress and ruby slippers like she&rsquo;s off to the hunt on a Saturday night.   But what if the scarecrow&rsquo;s clothes weren&rsquo;t stuffed with hay?   What if the scarecrow&rsquo;s clothes were filled with their original owner?   Someone who had met with foul play, and been hung up in  the middle of a large farm field, hard by the interstate.   The crime victim, exposed to the glare of a hundred passing windshields, undiscovered.   Hiding in plain sight.   And what if that lonely scarecrow was in fact- an investment banker? 


Then crop yields would probably drop 40%. 


This painting came from an oil wash exercise in which I applied loose washes to a board coated with gesso.   No preconceived ideas here, just throw some paint around and see what you come up with.   Kind of like a sideways, speed painted, Rorschach test except the artist creates both the inkblot and the interpretation.   The board was gessoed with enough texture that some shapes immediately began to suggest themselves when I began removing/adding and playing around.   Once I had determined that the scarecrow figure was where I was going to take this I continued shaping things until I had a  monochrome version of the painting above.   When the oil paint dried, these are thin washes so the paint dried quickly, I went over the top with acrylic glazes and built up color getting more opaque with the lights and glazing in the darks.   I finished up by scanning the painting into Photoshop and adding extra texture around the ground area and a glow to the moon and stars.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Website Redesign</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-25T10:24:14-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/791d6101d44c70af4e1d2730ef26f9e7-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/791d6101d44c70af4e1d2730ef26f9e7-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.


Andy Warhol


If you&rsquo;ve been here before then you know things look a little different.    I&rsquo;ve reworked the design of the site attempting to inject a bit more personality, a little bit of creative warmth and humor.   My intention is to devote this blog space to new work, maybe a demo or two, ideas, sketches, etc.   My intention is to update more often than in the past but to be honest time has a habit of getting in the way so we&rsquo;ll see how it goes.   I appreciate your input so if you do have any comments please feel free to send them along.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Berry Blast</title><dc:creator>jwillustration@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-20T09:06:41-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/895160ef187c74eacac9f9c7e3bac805-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnwalkerillustration.com/page2/files/895160ef187c74eacac9f9c7e3bac805-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Time flies like an arrow.   Fruit flies like a banana.


Groucho Marx 


The above is a group shot featuring the central image from each of five paintings recently completed for General Nutrition Center stores.   GNC&rsquo;s ad agency proposed some in store pop/shelf talkers to draw attention to the health benefits of the different berries used in GNC products.   The resulting assignment was to create a series of paintings each containing a central, oversize image of the featured berry surrounded by smaller sized berries in a curved group.   This would lead to an open area for copy extolling the health promoting attributes of each fruit, (left to right- acai, goji, mangosteen, cranberry and noni), as in the noni berry piece here.   I have to admit though I&rsquo;m familiar enough with cranberries I&rsquo;d never heard of noni or goji berries.   The approach was to produce pieces that were realistic but still had a warmer, hand crafted feel as opposed to slick or too scientific style renderings.    Even with the client's tight deadline requirements these were a lot of fun to paint and a nice change up from the narrative work I've been busy with lately. ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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