Monsters & Villains

With school winding down I can finally show some of the final projects that I've recently completed. This is a series of posters I created for Information Illustration class with Clair Ironside. The idea of the project was to make a poster insert for the free magazines that you receive at the movie theatres. The theme of the poster was the greatest fifty monsters and villains in the last fifty years, having one representative per year. I was really pumped to throw down some ink washes to do some portraits. I love ink so much, it's a great medium to scan into the computer . . . which I eventually did and made the entire series into photoshop brushes. I'm happy how the project turned out. The only thing I need to know is what poster is the best because I would like to screen some prints to possibly sell on my website. So please tell me what you think! I need your help!

Guess Who!?!

It's the weekend and I got bored . . . as you can see. Not much to update on. I had an interview at OCAD on Thursday for advanced placement in their Graphic Design program. It went well. My portfolio is starting to come together. I'm almost prepared to start editting the footage together for my documentary, or should I say "draw-cumentary". Haha . . . I'm sorry, I had to say it.

The Annual Observations

Whenever I finish a sketchbook, I find it interesting to go through my sketches and notes to track my process and find where my mind was at. This last sketchbook took me a little over a year to fill up. I found that a lot of my work was very meticulous and planned out. There wasn't a great deal of experimentation. Most of my sketches and observations were based on the obvious, like the sketches above. I was using a lot of ballpoint pen and limited my exposure to alternate media. It's apparent to see right now because lately I've been inspired by a wide range arts and media. Everything seems to be catching my eye. Was I in a creative slump? Because right now I feel an energy to create, to study, to discover and just basically experience everything.

Don't Feed the Animals

Sometimes during my lunch hours while working for the City, I sit down amongst the rough and tumble characters of Victoriaville Mall to sketch them in their natural habitat. There is never a lack of interesting characters wandering about. I remember reading that Da Vinci loved to sketch the grotesque inhabitants of his village. Well this is my modern day interpretation of Da Vinci's studies. I had done the same studies last Summer and have noticed a great deal of progression in regards to my rendering skills. I tried to capture as much as I could with a run of the mill ball point pen. I found this time very helpful to maintain consistency with my drawing skills. Ink is less forgiving than graphite; therefore, I find myself moving more into the direction of inks and papers as of late. Since I have completed my co-op and Summer contract for the City of Thunder Bay, I have been greatly looking forward to my return to Hogwarts . . . I mean Sheridan. It's going to be a very important year in many regards. I cannot wait to begin.

GO Faces

When talking about time and dates, February didn't really exist for me. It was a whole big jumble of places to be and faces to see. I'm not dissatisfied, it's a good change of pace once in a while. Just saying that things have moved pretty fast for me in the last month. Now I am done with the Post, back from reading break and I guess ready to kick some ass? I'm on the fence right now whether I should be really excited for illustration, or really unenthusiastic. It's a strange thing to say, it's true though. So, while I was working at the Post I had to commute there everyday for about three to four hours. It was frustrating at times; however, I have come to really respect the everyday commuter. I tried to sketch whenever I could, whether it be on the Go Train, subway or the bus. I limited myself to a ballpoint pen. Sounds boring, I know, the paper was toned with acrylic, so I found it to be a good mix. I have been promising myself some quality sketchbook time. I guess this fits the bill until I need my next pen to paper fix.

Connect the Dots

Sometimes it's really easy for me to get stuck. I get myself into these situation where I tend to let my ambition overtake practicality. It's good to push yourself and learn through reps, but I sometimes feel that my efforts are misguided. I tend to dedicate myself to the wrong areas of projects. I remember in first year illustration when I felt troubled because my thought process and ideas were more mature than my process work and actual draftsmanship. My confidence has shifted dramatically since then. Right now media and process work are the last of my worries. Finding an exciting idea to work with is the difficult part. It should be so much easier than it is. I watched Cloverfield this last weekend and it triggered something in my brain. Something so simple as a monster movie, but filmed first person with a camcorder. It's a great idea and such a simple concept. This is kind of what I'm getting at. I'm going to try and start to let things go and not over-work ideas. In life drawing this week I didn't feel up to making my decisions with paint or ink, so me and Nimit stuck to ballpoint pen and our sketchbooks. Simple.

Finito!

I finished my sketchbook the other day. For some that may not seem like anything special; however, for me it is a big accomplishment. I've had it for over a year and it had documented all my progress in pretty much all areas of my life. It is a giant unorganized mess of life drawings, concept art, school work roughs, writing, poetry and doodles. It was also somewhat of a journal and scrapbook too. It actually started to feel really heavy to carry around. Well, considering it was 280 pages covered in ink, gesso, paint and assorted papers, yeah it was gettin' a little fat. It had the most nice, thick and absorbant paper. My new one is about half the size. I'm looking forward to diving into it during Christmas break. The pictures up top are some of my pages from my sketchbook. They are my favourite because I had the most fun doing them.

On a side note, I am finished my largest gallery piece for my show coming up at Sheridan. Today is also Dave's Birthday celebrations, so obviously he proclaims it "International Dave Murray Day". Happy Birthday Dave!

Summer Sketchbookery

This summer I worked in the Community Services Centre in Victoriaville Mall. There is never a shortage of interesting people when you work in a public place like this. Especially since Victoriaville mall is like the bad mall from "Mallrats". During my lunch hour I would sit in the food court, eat and draw some of the locals. Ball point pen was my media of choice, but I also used a little graphite, marker, and watercolour. I miss summer, but I'm sure school will pick up and hold my interest.