SS22

 I can't believe I'm working on illustrations for Spring Summer 2022 already. I mean, I can, but I feel like I'm stuck in time with this pandemic! Also a catch-up drawing.

Flowy

 Doing a new project and loving the flow of the pants here. Of course, knowing me, I'll draw the spontanaity right out of it before I'm done! This is a catch-up drawing done later, because I'd been preoccupied with my OCD and dealing with that.

Joseph, Part Next 3

I like this client's eyes as they have a great set of arched eyebrows to highlight his eyes' lidless hoods.

Joseph, Part Next 2

 I've been excited to tackle this portrait as I still have a clear vision in my head of what it should look like. Getting the eyes done...

Redhead Redux

 I had a conversation with a friend about iPad sketching, and changed some of the coloring on this drawing from its original, to demonstrate/

Joseph, Part Next

 

Starting the next part of my commission...

Merry Christmas—Put A Bow On It

My gift wrap this year is gonna be virtual, and while this isn't much drawing, it's apropos for today, as it's a Christmas bow (well, okay, a silhouette).

Brush Test Play 2

 Rediscovered the Nupastel Brush, but not really finding a groove with it.

Brush Test Play

 Rediscovered a few brushes in Photoshop, but not feeling them just yet.

Like Berenson

 I was playing around with my Deliciously Dry Brush, and I thought this gal I drew reminded me of 70s model Marisa Berenson.

Santa Baby

 Someone posted a red and white Rene Gruau illustration of a woman in a Santa stylegetup, and I commented I might need to do a naked male one.

Model Friends 10

 Well I made it. The client seems happy with it, especially after I tinkered with his eyes after she saw an earlier draft. So next is to go into it for details but for now she can present this to him as a preview of his coming portrait.

Model Friends 9

 The struggle is real, and I can't seem to figure out what's wrong, and my deadline is tomorrow.

Model Friends 7

 Now it's the boy's turn. You know, I was all sorts of confident that I could draw my friend Max easily enough, because I know him well. BOY WAS I WRONG. Here's me struggling.

Model Friends 6

 What artists know but maybe non artists don't, is that portraits are seldom just about one part—sometimes another part of the face will throw the rest of it off, but they need to be adjusted together. It's really hard trying to do right by a client so that they're happy, but that you're also happy as an artist. But thankfully it seems to be going in the right direction.

Model Friends 5

 After showing Daphne the progress, she offered feedback that the chin was too long. Thank goodness, as I had become blind to a lot of the issues, which is why rushed drawings are always a pain—especially for likenesses—because you can't spend enough time away from them. So am adjusting...

Crouch and Reach, Done?

 I finalized it to put it on on Instagram. I might still add more elements to it, it feels like it has a story.

Model Friends 4

 Getting more of a likeness for the lady D, now I need to start on my buddy Max!

Model Friends 3

 Starting to work the likeness in earnest...

Hudson Headboard

 Yay, new commission!  And it's a fun one too. My former boss is having a headboard hand embroidered, and wanted me to come up with a drawing with a whale and mermaid theme. I immediately thought, what kind of fun things can we do, and what would seem quirky and enjoyable as a headboard? So, a game of cards on top of a whale?

Teoh 6.5

 This was a request and not really part of the commission, but my client wanted me to put flowers in the background of one of my drawings, which was sort of puzzling. I did a quick mock-up of what that might look like and he seemed satisfied with the rough.

Model Friends 2

 It's always hard to start a new sketch, but I decided I was just going to lay down marks in order to have something to correct. It's always easier to edit than to start off, so start off with anything if you don't have the wherewithal to really start.

Whales

 I was thinking of doing a sorta easy/naive illustration of different kinds of whales, for the Hudson series.

Zara Gender Swap 3

 I fixed his legs and feet a bit, as they were Hobbit huge! And with that I uploaded it to Instagram...

Model Friends

 I was commissioned to do a portrait of a couple I know well, one of whom is a fashion model while the other is a model actress. This should be interesting...

Teoh 6

 Since I got enough done on the other pose, I went back to the original, and had a benchmark to work against. I tinkered a bit more with the eyes and jawline and hair, and I think I'm happier with this version. And the client was too! So that's good.

Teoh 5

 Profiles are always easier to do since you only have to do one side and one of each feature. Plus it helped that I found a shot of my client on his IG feed, which helped fill in the blanks that my own reference shot of him didn't have enough clarity on (i.e. his lips and chin line). I felt confident enough in this version to go ahead and give him a body.

Teoh 4

 I decided I was too frustrated with the front facing portrait that I decided to switch gears abd work on a profile. These are some starting points.

Rocker Type 4a

 I did a variation of yesterday's drawing that I ultimately decided against, but versions are always good. I did some minor adjustments to the temple and added additional shading, but it wasn't as clean as I had before, which I went with on IG.

Rocker Type 4

 I basically needed to get him ready for Instagram publication, which is my main publication destination of late.

Teoh 3

 I'm at the stage in the commissions drawing where I basically just keep drawing and check to see what sticks, at the very least establishing something I can use to edit. It's a frustrating stage because it's the part of the process where you are unhappy with what's on the page and you work from a point of trying to correct it out of dissatisfaction, hoping to get to a stage where you're adding to perfection.

Ruffles A Go Go

Found out SO LATE how to organize my brushes according to Favorites in Photoshop, and rediscovered the Gouache A GoGo brush, which I started playing with and this was a sample doodle.

Pants Folds

 Whenever I shop online (which I've been doing a lot of lately, since it was Black Friday weekend, a typical time for lots of sales), I shop both for stuff to buy, but also for images to draw. I can't get enough references for how various items of clothing drape and fold.

Teoh 2

 My process is to create a portrait based on the original photos, then to stylize it a bit and simplify the lines once I'm satisfied I've gotten a likenesss, which I haven't yet...

Teoh

 Been working on and off on my new client's commission, and finally got a sense of how I want to render it based on his requests. This is the base sketch of perhaps the most pivotal of the 4 I'm doing.

Ancient Robes 2

 

Tweaking the face a bit from the other day.

Rocker Type 3

 Minor but to me, pivotal—adjustments to his nose and chin, as well as refinements to the ear , earring and hair. It's about the details right now, hopefully before I pout it up on Instagram soon.

Ancient Robes

 I was looking at a lot of 'gothic' styled work online, and inspired me to make something that felt like it might be part of some classic book of poetry.

Stamp of Approval

 I added an illustrated stamp to the postcard layout for my friend Greg's Hudson commission. And it's Greg himself, who is sometimes mistaken for a woman.

Pantsless Pedestrian, Done

I got my friend Ernesto to pose for me so I could get the lighting and musculature correct and I think it worked out.

Pantsless Pedestrian 3

 Painting in the hoodie, but also thinking of how to do the anatomy. Got a friend to ppose for me on video so will refer to that.

Pantsless Pedestrian 2

 Yesterday's rough sketch demanded a bit more detail to, uh, flesh it out.

Pantsless Pedestrian

 I was looking out my kitchen window at the Avenue below and noticed a guy walk past wearing an olive hooded jacket. I thought he'd be uninteresting to draw as is, but without pants? Perfect.

Hudson Highlights, Done

 I finally finished it today and got the approval of my friend/client Greg. I'm quite happy with it, I didn't have to devise a new drawing style, I realized I just sketched away so it's actually my style, although I did develop a slightly newer version of drawing animals. Anyhow, it's off to the printers now!

Crouch and Reach

I was watching dance videos I think, and imagining awkward body poses and gestures, so I tried to bring that to the canvas. There's actually a lot more drawn outside of the crop, as I had to flesh out the entire pose just to make sure it sat right. I even got in front of the mirror naked to try and suss out the proper movement and anatomy. Now I need to draw a falcon.

Hairy Hat Man 2

 I love the base inks of this sketch but have been debating how to finish it and decide whether or not it's part of a larger series that I can then turn into an editorial story. The hairy hat is an Acne Studios hat so I wanted to find actual items of clothing on sale now for FW 20, to make up the rest of the outfit. When I first drew it I thought he might be wearing a mock neck and a straight collar coat, but I have since altered tyhe sketch to reflect that the shirt is now a turtleneck by Haider Ackerman and he's wearing a blue bonded leather jacket by Dunhill over it all.

Hairy Hat Man

 I was inspired by a pose I saw on Zara again, but this time instead of channeling the outfit like yesterday's psot, I went for the pose. I didn't copy it directly, but I did study it then draw it without looking, then I added the hat, which is an Acne Studios hat from this season. I think it turned out well.

Zara Gender Swap 2

 

I fleshed him out a bit more, but he's looking like a model from the aughts, so I need to figure out how to young-him-up a bit. And also slim down those legs a bit—they're massive!

Zara Gender Swap

 I saw an outfit on a model in Zara's women's collections, that I wanted for myself.I thought it might be cool to gender swap it and it becomes an edgier look for a guy.

Facing 3

 I decided to give her some scene-mates.