PUMML

Monstroville Graveyard BG

2012-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

This was my final BG for the Monstroville pitch. I had fun pushing it in the direction of "feature", but still hopefully retain the cartoon sensibilities. Designed by the great Josh Gay and painted by myself.

Hope you like!

Graveyard BG - Photoshop

Staying Dry

2011-12-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

A very nice couple recently commissioned this painting.

Staying Dry - 8.5" x 14" gouache on illustration board

Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

A Big Move... and Kung Fu Panda

2011-12-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!

Quick update. I landed a job as BG designer at Bento Box on an upcoming production, so I'm enjoying living in LA now, and very happy to be an official part of the animation business. A big thank you to everyone for being really helpful and welcoming during the (very fast) transition.

I didn't want to post just words, so here, finally, is the painting I did for DreamWorks Fine Art awhile back. It was fun to work on this sucker. I'll post an update when the print and painting go up for sale on their site.

Peach of Wisdom - 24" x 15" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

Hope you all have a very happy holiday!

Prints and more prints

2011-11-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

Hope you guys had a nice Thanksgiving!

Now that Christmas is heading our way, I wanted to announce the release of 2 new limited edition prints in my Etsy shop, and another very limited edition that my friends at G1988 launched a few days ago.

The two new Etsy shop prints are these:

Rainforest

Little Cosmonaut

And this is the new print at G1988. It's not faded like their picture, btw.

Fortress of Solitude (Office Space)

To sweeten the deal for Cyber Monday (today), I'm offering free domestic shipping in my shop.

Cheers!

Monster Manners

2011-11-15T13:48:00.001-08:00

New thing for a thing that's happening next year. I'll talk about it some more then.

Monster Manners - 9" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

Monstroville - CandyLab BG Paint

2011-11-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hope you folks had a nice Halloween and are still in that spooky mood...

For those that remember it, the Welcome to Monstroville cartoon pitch has recently kicked up again, and I've been called upon once again to do a few BG paintings. Starting with this one I wanted to flex a little more painting muscle to give them more polish and mood.

Designed by Josh Gay and painted by me. I also incorporated some visual cues from an early color rough by the awesome Ryan Wood.

Photoshop

Pop! The Art of Pop Culture

2011-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Seattle-ites rejoice! A great new gallery called Ltd Gallery is having its grand opening this Friday evening. Here are the particulars.

Here are some less than great photos of my painting for it

"Ape Sh!t" - 12" x 24" cel vinyl acrylic on panel

Mickey

2011-10-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

We recently got back from a vacation trip to Disneyland and "Mee Mouf" as he calls him is one of my son's favorite characters, so I thought this little painting would be an appropriate gift for Tyrus on his second birthday last weekend.

5" x 7" - gouache on bristol paper

Old School Video Game Show - The Bros

2011-09-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my contribution to the Old School Video Game tribute show, opening tonight at G1988 Venice. So excited to be part of this one! I know the Mario Bros are always well represented in these shows, but I couldn't help but pay homage to some of my favorite and two of the most beloved game characters ever.

Work To Do - 24" x 24" cel vinyl acrylic on gessobord panel

It's A Small World - Rainforest

2011-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm truly honored to be part of the upcoming It's A Small World tribute show which opens this Saturday at Nucleus. The artist line-up is stellar to say the least and the amazing Joey Chou is celebrating the launch of his beautiful new book, which everyone should own.

This show is particularly exciting for me because of my love for Mary Blair's work, which I've been lucky enough to see in person recently at the Walt Disney Family Museum in SF, and a big show devoted to her prints at the Disneyland gallery in Anaheim. Her ability with color, design and visual rhythm, combined with a wonderful naive quality has endeared her work to generations.

"Rainforest" - 8.5" x 14" - gouache on illustration board

I chose to pay homage to one of the great vignettes in the ride that caught my attention during my latest visit.

Also to note. I did a couple experiments before starting this piece and opted to do it in gouache. Appropriate, considering Blair's work. Unlike my previous experience with gouache, I thoroughly enjoyed working with it and plan to do more in the future.

Croc Card

2011-08-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

3.5" x 2" - cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Something Old, Something New

2011-08-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I started long ago and was put on the back burner, only to revisit and finish very recently. It's my own take on the great children's book story, Tikki Tikki Tembo, which was written by Arlene Mosel and superbly illustrated by Blair Lent.

I apologize that the colors look overexposed a bit due to my scanner... the real piece does look much better.

6" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on aquabord panel

Cosmonaut Boy

2011-07-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a new painting. Super fun working on this. One of the few pieces I've done just for myself over the past couple years and I am happy to have had an excuse to get it done.

12" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

Up next, I'm heading to LA next week to check out the annual SCBWI summer conference. Drop a line if you'll be attending and maybe we can exchange pleasantries in person.

More news on the way soonish!

Yuki 7

2011-07-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here's my entry for the Yuki 7 book release party and gallery show at Q Pop Gallery in Little Tokyo this Saturday, July 16th. I thought it'd be fun to team Yuki up with a spy known only as "The Dart". Kevin has created what will surely be another amazing book and show! If you're in the LA area, I'd bet you're already planning to attend!

Cheers!

Surrounded - 16" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on gessobord panel

Crazy 4 Cult 5: Office Space

2011-07-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi guys and gals!

Here's my latest painting for the Crazy 4 Cult 5 show which opens tomorrow. It goes without saying, but Office Space is a movie that speaks to anyone who's ever worked at a miserable job... yes my hand is raised, too. To this day I still find myself quoting it every so often.

Fortress of Solitude - 10" x 20" cel vinyl acrylic on gessobord

detail

sketch

Also to note, the big Crazy 4 Cult book signing will take place at G1988 in the next few days. I'm bummed that I won't be there to sign, but if you run into me on the street someplace (or at a convention) and happen to be lugging around the 300+ page tome, I'll be happy to scribble in it for you. :)

Cheers!

Sneak Peek

2011-06-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Little preview of a new piece. More info soon!

Happy Mommy's Day!

2011-05-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

4" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

A little painting for my amazing wife on Mother's Day... and for all the incredible moms out there. Wishing you a special Mother's Day!

Couponing Game

2011-04-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Want to see something I worked on recently? Yes?

My awesome pals over at Baker and Hill asked me to do some illustration for their coupon game for Discovery.com. I did most of the in-game artwork (bg, cashier, grocery items, etc) and it was up to me to come up with the ideas for the grocery items too, so there are a few wacky ones... you'll see.

If you think you're ready for the challenge, play away! Beware: The game is both fun and addictive.

Bit of the Bubbly

2011-04-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

Back from a terrific trip to LA for the Edward Scissorhands show at Nucleus. Thanks again to my buddy Seb for putting together such a great show! Got to see many art pals and meet a bunch of new ones... couldn't ask for more.

Here's a tiny new painting was partially inspired by my son's love of bubbles. I'd like this to be a bigger painting later.

2.5" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

Edward Scissorhands 20th

2011-04-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

"Obstacles" - 12" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on Claybord panel

Sebastien Mesnard is not only a talented artist, but is a swell person too. I was thrilled when he invited me to participate in the Edward Scissorhands 20th Anniversary group show at Nucleus gallery. The movie came out during my teens and like the character of Edward, it was an awkward time where I felt I didn't fit in. I'm sure everyone has gone through that at some point, but the story really spoke to me and for that reason, still has a special place in my heart.

The icing on the cake is that Sebastien has lined up an incredible group of artists for this thing, which you can see for yourself on the official blog HERE.

Since this is my first showing with Nucleus, I thought it'd be good to appear at the opening this coming Saturday (April 16th). The Adventure Time show will be opening at Nucleus then too, so it's gonna be a great night! See you there!

Bird Experiments

2011-04-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

I think I'll turn at least one of these digital experiments into real paintings soonish.

New Print - Rainy Day

2011-03-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Now that the ECCC is over (it was awesome, btw) and in honor of the weather we are enjoying(?) in the NW, I've decided to release my "Rainy Day" image as a new limited edition print on Etsy.

Right over here: Rainy Day Print

ECCC #9

2011-03-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

I'll be at the Emerald City Comic Con this weekend (4th-6th) at table #108 with my pals Andrew and Wade. Always a good time. Swing by and get an ECCC exclusive hi-five! I may or may not be debuting a new, limited edition print. Haven't decided yet... oh how I love a cliffhanger.

See you there!

Outhouse (Out-Home?) BG

2011-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Just for fun, I took another shot at the Hanna Barbera painting style. This time from my own layout.

Photoshop

Princess Bride Print @ G1988

2011-02-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

G1988 is now selling a very limited edition print of my Princess Bride inspired painting from Crazy 4 Cult 4 last year. There are only 25 available. Signed and numbered giclee on archival velvet fine art paper.

Purchase details here.

In case you forgot, it looks like this.

Cheers!

HB BG Style Applied

2011-01-31T10:25:00.000-08:00

With the studies mentioned in my previous post, I've also taken one of Gene Hazelton's terrific layouts from John K's blog and applied my version of the HB painting style to it.

Gene's original

Mine - Photoshop

Minus Yogi

P.S. The puddle of ice cream in the original story was supposed to be strawberry, but I changed it to mint. I'm allowed to do that, right?

BG Studies

2011-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'm doing more BG painting studies on a regular basis and have started posting them over on my secret practice blog. It'll be our little secret, okay?

Is This Thing On? G1988

2011-01-06T01:43:00.000-08:00

Welp, the cat is out of the bag now that this was posted over at funnyordie.com, so I can now show you my painting for the G1988 tribute to funny people that opens this Friday.

Gilbert Gottfried in all his glory, so to speak. Gilbert's ween is probably NSFW (depending on your place of employment) so enlarge at your own risk.

Truth Revealed - 10" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board. $650 Framed.

I'll be attending the show, which should be packed with comedians and artsy types alike. I hope Gilbert shows up. Come by and say, "hello" or perhaps something funnier.

Here are the details:

Seasons Greetings!

2010-12-27T03:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Crimbo and Happy New Year, everyone!

Hope this message finds you well and in good company. Thanks for a great 2010!

Holiday Treats

2010-12-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hope all is well with everyone in bloggerland! Things are crazy busy here...

If you are still looking for some artwork for that special someone, here are a few places to pick something up (by me). :)

My Etsy shop - New paintings and prints, with free holiday shipping.

Bear and Bird Gallery - My painting from the Small Stuff 4 show.

G1988 - A couple paintings are available at a nice discount.

Have a good one!

CTN-X Wrap

2010-11-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

CTN-X has come and gone and overall it was a great experience. I got to meet a ton of talented folks from bloggerland, various schools and some of my animation heroes. If you stopped by the table for a chat, THANK YOU!

On top of that the weather during the week prior was beautiful. If you get to go swimming in the middle of November, you've got it good.

Thanks for treating us right, L.A.!

During the show I painted a few little card-size paintings and did a live demo. These are they:

Spider Card - 2" x 3.5" - cel vinyl on watercolor paper

A bad photo of the owl painting that went to Dice Tsutsumi

Bird Card 3 - 2" x 3.5" cel vinyl on watercolor paper

Night Owl 1 - 8" x 10" cel vinyl on Aquabord - SOLD

Sorry about the bad photo of the owl piece above, it looked a lot better in person. Glad it found a good home!

ALSO I've put up new prints and a few of these smaller originals on my Etsy shop just in time for the holidays. Free shipping to U.S. residents if you order by Dec 18th.

New Prints

2010-11-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

Quick head's up... I'll be debuting these new prints at the CTN-X this weekend and will be offering them at a discount through the weekend, along with some new paintings. For those not in attendance, they'll be made available for purchase at my Etsy shop next week.

I have my table assignment T-45, so please swing by and shoot the breeze while I make little paintings. Also, my live demo will take place on Sunday at 1pm, followed by the ever talented Brittney Lee's demo, so don't miss it!

Hope to see you folks there!

Small Stuff 4

2010-11-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Here's my piece for the Small Stuff 4 show opening at Bear and Bird Gallery in Florida on Nov 21st. The show will feature smaller, more affordable artwork, so I knocked a little off the price from my norm.

Rainy Day - 7" x 5" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

P.S. If you want this one, the show is cash-and-carry, so it might not stick around for long(?).

Happy Halloweeny

2010-10-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a quickie digital color sketch. Might turn it into a real painting.

Bad Dads - Wes Anderson Tribute Show

2010-10-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Ken from Hi Fructose magazine was gracious enough to invite me to participate in a Wes Anderson tribute show, opening in SF at the brand new LoPo Gallery on Oct 30th. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 artists involved in this show, so it'd be fair to expect great things.

My own piece came about mainly because I really wanted to paint the great Bill Murray riding a seahorse and I thought this might be my best opportunity. :)

Living Aquatic-ly - 12" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on Aquabord

I will admit that in my attempt to faithfully portray elements of the film (Life Aquatic) I may have gotten away from my usual style a bit (too far?). Sort of like an out-of-body-experience. Sorta. If you scroll down through the posts you'll notice I've been all over the board, though. Just experimenting and having fun!

Don't worry, I'll be back to my old hi-jinx soon enough!

Tyrus Birthday Painting

2010-10-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

My little booger had his first birthday over the weekend. It was exhausting, but lots of fun too!

One of my presents to him was this quick little elephant painting...

5" x 7" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

And this is what happens after much partying.

Samurai Jack Painting Demos

2010-10-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have requested videos of my painting process, here's something better!

Scott Wills demonstrating his technique for the painters at Rough Draft in Korea. These are loaded with great tips. Scott makes it all look very easy.

P.S. I've been told that BG painters would have at least 2 airbrushes, one for water and one for paint.

P.P.S. The badger blending brush that Scott is using is one that Grumbacher used to make, but was discontinued a few years ago.

P.P.P.S. Scott made the bridge he is using from a couple pieces of wood, some double-sided tape and a metal ruler. The advantage is that it doesn't bend like the acrylic bridges you can buy and it's also lower, making it more comfortable to use.

Long Arm of the Law

2010-10-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

I'll be in a little upcoming group book project with my art pals at Styl.us. Each artist was asked to make a piece that fit the circle theme, but beyond that it was wide open. It's gonna be chock full of goodness, trust me.

I was toying with the idea to do this piece as a horizontal, but turned out it worked even better as a circle!

Long Arm of the Law - 8" x 8.5" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol paper

I'll hit you with an update on the book when I get more info.

Scott Wills Blog

2010-09-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Rejoice!

The Jedi Master himself is now blogging. You might want to have a drool rag and a change of underwear handy.

http://animationbgs.blogspot.com

Birthday Butterfly

2010-09-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

My son's buddy, Emma just turned 1. I told him to play it cool, but he wanted to impress this older woman, so he asked his dear old dad to paint her something pretty. Birthday party theme was butterflies, so this is what I came up with spur-of-the-moment. I was going for that sun-drenched look, but didn't quite nail it like I wanted. Somewhat tricky with real paint, I found.

Good thing 1 year olds aren't too picky about that sort of thing. :)

Birthday Butterfly - 4" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

P.S. The subtle fade you see in the background is a wash and was intentional, not some scanner voodoo.

Titan Tomorrow

2010-09-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Don't forget, Friday evening is the premiere of Genndy Tartakovsky's Sym-Bionic Titan at 8pm on Cartoon Network. I have feeling it's gonna be a great time. So put down your boombox and tune in, or just set the old VCR to record so you don't miss out on all the glorious-ness.

Not psyched enough yet? Check out Kevin Dart's Titan posts and get yourself all fired up.

Post 1
Post 2

Bearturds @ Grass Hut this Thurs

2010-08-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I was very recently invited by my pals at Grass Hut in Portland to participate in their 'Bearturds' group show this Thursday. The show will be a celebration of one of Bwana's newer characters named Randall. He's a hillbilly bear.

Here's my interpretation of him. Felt great to get back to some simpler imagery... something I've had a hankering for lately.

"Hooch Time" - 8" x 10" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol paper

I'll be there with the family in tow. Hope to see you Thursday evening!

3G Ghostbusters

2010-08-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here's my 3rd entry for the 3G Show at G1988. What are giant marshmallow men good for? Making giant s'mores of course!

"S'more Friends" - 12" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on Claybord

The show opens on Sept 3rd at G1988 LA and is chock full of fantastic art from talented folks. It's gonna be a real good time, I reckon. I can't make it, so all attendees will be expected to email me a detailed and thorough report of the evening, of course. :)

Carry on.

3G Gremlins

2010-08-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

"Gizmo Racer" - 12" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on Claybord

Painting #2 for the Autumn Society's 3G show at G1988. Old Gizmo is getting the Speed Racer treatment. Inspired by the climactic chase scene from Gremlins where he rocked the pink Barbie Corvette.

3G Show at G1988 LA

2010-08-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my pieces for the upcoming Autumn Society 3G show at G1988. Inspired by the deleted scene on the DVD... funny that they didn't edit out Data's line about said Octopus, which was what got me curious enough to check the deleted scenes in the first place. I then thought, "If this octopus has been living in the cave all along, surely he'd be a pirate." Makes perfect sense, right?

A big thank you to Joe for the invitation. Stay tuned for the Gremlins and Ghostbusters paintings.

"The Giant Octopus Was Very Scary" - 12" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on Claybord

P.S. I posted a couple process shots over on the Autumn Society blog, if you care to check them out.

CTN Animation Expo 2010

2010-07-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

It's not till November, but I'll have a table at this year's CTN Animation Expo and am really looking forward to it. I've heard nothing but good things about last year's debut and can't wait to check it out in person this time around. Rumor also has it I'll be doing a live painting demo there, which will be my first one in public... should be fun!

For anyone who has yet to purchases passes, I have a discount code for a 10% off 1-day or 3-day pass for you below. Limited to the first 10 folks. Have at 'em, and hope to see you there!

BRODRAX10

a Twittering we will go

2010-07-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

I have finally folded to peer pressure bestowed upon me by my pal Don Clark and will be doing the Twitter thing.

If you'd like to keep up with my comings and goings, please feel free to follow along. I promise to keep them as art related as possible.

Beetle Card

2010-07-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

An idea I scratched down awhile back and finally decided to finish... just because. The nice thing about painting so small is that you can get them done quickly and still feel like you accomplished something!

Beetle Card 1 - 2" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol paper.

Kevin Dart and Scott Wills Titan BGs

2010-07-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you anxiously awaiting Genndy Tartakovsky's upcoming cartoon Sym-bionic Titan, hustle on over to Kevin Dart's blog where he's posted some of the superb background paintings for the show. They're taking TV to another level.

Crazy 4 Cult 4

2010-07-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

My painting for this year's Crazy 4 Cult 4 at G1988 LA. I attempted something a little different with the lighting.

"There Was a Mighty Duel" - 14" x 11" cel vinyl acrylic on cradled panel

EDIT: Went back and fixed the color on my image to match the original better.

Watercolor

2010-06-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

Peter Moehrle and I hit up an industrial area near downtown Seattle to do a little plein air watercolor painting. Most of the places we wanted to go were off limits to civilians, but we finally found a nice little spot tucked away.

7" x 10" - watercolor and gouache

Hopefully we can do this more regularly. I could use the practice.

Goonies 25th

2010-06-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here's my little painting for the 25th Anniversary Goonies show that opens at Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria this weekend. Based on my favorite character from the movie, Mama Fratelli, played by the late, great Anne Ramsey.

"Mama" - 5" x 7" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

Sorry I don't have a picture, but I stuck it in a little photo frame to complete the faux portrait look.

Another Dimension

2010-05-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here's my painting for the Twilight Zone themed show at G1988 LA which opens in 10 days.

I had several different ideas for this show and had a hard time narrowing them down... ultimately I went with The Invaders episode because I love the design of the "little" spacemen so much. I also love the reveal at the end.

"Making an Entrance" - 8" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on cradled panel.

Don't forget to hit up the show next Thurs! I'll be there in spirit only, I'm afraid, so the part of "me" will be played by this painting.

Glade Game BG

2010-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

I recently got hired to paint this (digital) bg pan for an online game. I was also asked to design the bathroom, kitchen and transitional spaces between rooms, including the statue. You can probably tell I had a blast doing it.

Think you got the cleaning skills?
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/clean-your-home-game.htm

Bird Card

2010-04-12T23:59:00.001-07:00

New one. Been buried under a ton of digital freelance work lately, so it was high time I busted out the paint brushes again.

2" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Monstroville BG

2010-03-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

A few things going on behind the scenes that I should be able to post soon. Starting now, with this new bg I just finished painting for the Monstroville short. It was painted in Photoshop, but with the aim of making it look traditional (or at least real close).

Art direction by Miah Alcorn. Josh Gay did the layout and Jesse the clean-up.

Thanks for being patient with me during the brief blogging drought!

Emerald City Comic Con

2010-03-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

This was unexpected, but I'll be selling a few things tomorrow (Sunday) at the con. If you're around, come by the Brandstudio Press booth #207 and say how do.

Today was great... got to walk around and chat up plenty of talented and nice folks, see some cool art and even saw Lou Ferrigno. Yep, his muscles are still big.

Birthday Mouse

2010-02-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

My pal's little boy turned 1 recently, so I did this spontaneous little painting for him. It was a quick and slightly painful exercise in gouache, which I'm not quite as familiar with as cel vinyl acrylic. Maybe I'm spoiled. Or just a big sissy.

A BIG tip of the hat to Don Shank (who does these little birthday paintings SO MUCH BETTER) for the inspiration.

4" x 6" gouache on watercolor paper.

Saw These...

2010-02-07T15:09:00.001-08:00

... beauties for sale on the Bay. Original Golden Book paintings by Hawley Pratt and Al White for the 1962 Flintstones Big GB by Carl Memling. Wish I could afford them!

BTW, the listing doesn't mention Al White, but he was the painter. I'm also pretty sure they weren't done in pastel as it states—more likely gouache.

Legs O'Brien

2010-01-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

I did this doodle for fun awhile back and wasn't gonna post it, but in light of current events it has become quite appropriate. It was done while watching him at his newly former post, but the subject was a clip I saw of him while he was doing the Conan show where he was filmed playing tennis in short shorts. In case you were wondering "Do those legs go all the way up?". Yes. They really do.

P.S. I recently had my 100,000th hit to this little blog. Thanks very much to all you folks for frequenting here and leaving encouraging comments. You definitely help fuel the fires that keep me posting and doing what I love to do.

Samurai Jack Tribute

2010-01-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me, know that I love some Samurai Jack. I've been planning to do this epic-movie-poster-type painting for some time but never had an excuse to work it into the rotation. So when the chance to swing by CN last week arose, I decided to paint it up and give it to the show's creator as a thank you for the inspiration. It was a big thrill to meet the man behind it all. In hindsight I wish I had executed the painting a little differently to illustrate another take on the subject, but what's done is done.

18" x 24" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

More He-Man

2010-01-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

Back from LA and had a fantastic time. Got to visit/meet so many cool people and see great art. A big thank you to all! Perfect 74 degree sunny weather to boot. What more can you ask for? We packed so much into a short period but instead of feeling worn down, I'm both energized and inspired.

Enough babbling, here are the other two He-Man show pieces.

Trapjaw's Revenge - 11" x 14" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board.

Naughty Neck - 11" x 14" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board.

Detail

For the Trapjaw / Sorceress piece I did a little lighting study to get the shadows right... simply a shoe box and a couple pieces of cardboard taped down, then lit from the front.

Lately I've been doing all my color studies digitally. Quick and dirty, like this.
Photoshop

The opening at G1988 did not disappoint. Several hundred people came through the gallery, including media and even a few celebs and from what I could tell, a good time was had by all. Jensen and his team did a terrific job.

A few hastily taken shots.

He-Man Teaser

2009-12-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

I can now share one of the three pieces I did recently for the upcoming He-Man show at G1988 LA in January (opens the 8th... I'll be attending with family in-tow). I was so excited to get the invite to this show that as soon as I stopped jumping up and down I sketched out all my pieces (and then some) in about 30 seconds. Granted, they've improved a little since, but the ideas are still the same.

Mer Swamp - 11" x 14" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board.

For the other two, well, you'll just have to wait! I promise it'll be worth it or your money back.

Oh, and G1988 is working with Mattel to transform the gallery into Castle Greyskull. As if you needed another reason to go. It's gonna be epic I tell ya.

Sunrise Earth Study

2009-12-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

I'm working on some exciting things I can't yet share, so here's a morsel to tide you over.

Since I'm often up during the wee hours, I frequently like to tune in to Discovery HD Theater. A show called Sunrise Earth is really inspiring to watch for the colors, compositions and high quality cinematography that captures far away scenery that we're not likely to ever see in person. It's a very peaceful and relaxing way to start/end the day. This really quick study was done from memory awhile ago from an episode in a beautiful Japanese park... the name escapes me now.

5.5" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper.

If you're up at 4:00am or 7:00am and get the Discovery HD Theater channel, you might check it out.

P.S. I'm offering free holiday shipping for a limited time (until Monday, Dec 14th) in my Etsy shop. A big thank you to everyone who has ordered prints so far!

Shop Open!

2009-11-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Guess who has his Etsy store open finally? Yes, and in time for the holidays even. Thanks to everyone for encouraging (aka demanding) it. :)

Please STOP ON BY.

I've got a few prints and one original there now and will do my best to keep adding stuff, so keep your ears peeled.

Also, if any of you other sellers want to be Etsy friends, please let me know.

I Like Robots

2009-11-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hope you've all gotten over your candy comas. If you have any leftovers, please feel free to share since I didn't get any treats this year.

Here's a tiny painting I did yesterday to keep my brushes from getting rusty.

2" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

New Sheriff in Town

2009-10-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in awhile, blog friends... here's one of the reasons.

Tyrus Jin Brodahl
Born Oct 8th
8 lbs 4 oz

Making a person is a relatively simple affair... keeping up with them and their needs, a different story entirely.

Show Recap

2009-09-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

The opening last week was a blast! A big thank you to everyone who came out. I had a great time chatting and chatting and chatting and forgetting to take pictures. Here are a few shots from the upstairs part of the gallery. I forgot to take one of the crowd area downstairs... oops! I'll try to get one and post it.

Here are the pieces I didn't previously post to the blog.

Ocean Spray - 16" x 20" cel vinyl acrylic on aquabord

Follow MY Nose - 11" x 4" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol

The Ancient - 8" x 12" cel vinyl acrylic on illustration board

Main Mane - 10" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on aquabord

Just For You - 10" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on aquabord

Ren & Stimpy BG Caps for John

2009-09-10T09:46:00.001-07:00

Here are some DVD screencaps from Ren & Stimpy. The handy work of Bill Wray, Scott Wills and others.

Copyright Spumco and Nickelodeon.

EDIT:
Color corrected and added a few more.

Final 3

2009-09-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

Three little cards that squeaked into the show. Available at the purchase site HERE. If last year's solo show was any indicator, these may go quickly.

Whooo's There? - 2" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Very Quick Chat - 2" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Visitors - 2" x 3.5" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Perhaps I'll see some of you this Thursday!

Unnatural Selection Preview

2009-09-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hi folks!

The preview is now live... so if you want to have a crack at any of the art or just want to peek, please proceed.

Unnatural Selection PREVIEW

Legally Blind - 6" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on cradled panel

Eyvind Earle Book

2009-08-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

After nearly a year of waiting for it to be in stock, I just received a copy of the most amazing book I've ever owned. It's the monolithic The Complete Christmas Card Art of Eyvind Earle. This book is nearly 20lbs of absolutely magnificent artwork, beautifully reproduced... 833 images of Earle's Christmas cards. I actually started getting chills about 3/4 of the way through it.

I got it for a steal on Amazon.ca. The conversion rate is decent right now for us Yanks and at $167 CDN it's a bargain compared to it's $250 USD original price. So if you don't mind waiting, it's definitely worth your while.

UPDATE: Looks like it's no longer available, folks. Congrats to the people who were able to order the last few at this price. If you're still interested in purchasing the book, you can get it here at full price.

Still not convinced? Check these photos I snapped.

Quail Run

2009-08-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Another one for the solo show next month. Paying homage to the great Charley Harper. Can you guess what tool I used to paint the clouds?

Falling Behind - 12" x 5" cel vinyl on illustration board.

The title not only describes the image, but also my current status!

Mysterious Swamp

2009-07-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

It was around 4am and I couldn't sleep when this image popped into my mind. So of course, I ran downstairs and splashed it onto paper. Not sure exactly what's going on here, but apparently there's something eerie happening in the water on the left.

6" x 4" gouache on watercolor paper.

Ribbit?

2009-07-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

For the record, I'm jealous of all you lucky folks who got to attend San Diego Comic Con. Hope you had fun! One of these years I'll make it back.

New one for my solo show opening September 10th at Bluebottle in Seattle. You'd come if you knew what was good for ya.

"Slip of the Tongue" - 9" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper.

Long Gator

2009-07-07T00:55:00.000-07:00

A new one for my upcoming solo show in September. Keep your ears peeled and your eye to the ground for more tidbits.

What's On My Mind? - 16" x 3" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Lunar Boy Show and Shipwreck

2009-06-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Had a great time at the Creature Feature opening on Saturday. Astoria is a fun little place. The gallery was warm, welcoming and modern and there was lots of foot traffic. Here are a few photos.

Andrea and Matthew Porter relaxing.

With the missus and friends.

I also got to do a watercolor and gouache plein air sketch of the Peter Iredale shipwreck off the Oregon coast at Fort Stevens. Something I'd like to do more often.

Creature Feature

2009-06-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Creature Feature online preview is now up at Lunar Boy!

Click to see Matthew Porter's work and pricing

Click to see my work and pricing

Here are my pieces:

Real Chicken of the Sea - 9" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol

Longest Horn - 5" x 11" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Slight Disadvantage - 12" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Three Heads Are Better - 6" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol

Unihorn at Choco Mountain - 5" x 7" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Raging Mountaintop - 6" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on deep cradle Aquabord

Cycloptical Exam - 8" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on deep cradle Aquabord

Fiery Escape - 8" x 6" cel vinyl acrylic on deep cradle Aquabord

Mermaid Service - 6" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on deep cradle Aquabord

If you like free drinks and art and happen to be near Astoria this Saturday, please stop in and say how-do. Matthew and I will be there with our ladies.

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13th from 5 - 9pm
Lunar Boy Gallery
1133 Commercial Street
Astoria OR 97103
866.395.1566
info@lunarboygallery.com

Ape on the Moon

2009-06-09T07:30:00.001-07:00

Alex over at Ape on the Moon did a nice little feature on me. If you check it out, I'm sure all your wildest dreams will come true.*

*Wildest dreams not guaranteed to come true.

Upcoming 2-Man Show

2009-05-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the pieces I did for my upcoming 2-man show with Matt Porter at Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria, OR. Show opens Saturday evening, June 13th. More details to come.

A more finished version of the little card I painted awhile back.

Three-Headed Mutant Bird - 6" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on heavyweight bristol paper.

Blogs of Note

2009-05-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple blogs you should be aware of:

DigiPen instructor and former Disney background painter (Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, etc) Peter Moehrle is blogging.

Art Director and background painter (Foster's and more) Carol Wyatt is posting her beautiful paintings.

Same stuff, new package

2009-04-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Finally, I've finished overhauling my website. Time was of the essence, so there may be a few kinks to iron out, but at least it's up!

drakebrodahl.com

P.S. My Etsy store will be launching after I get some packing supplies... I'll let you know when.

Magilla Gorilla

2009-04-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

Here's my other piece for the upcoming G1988 SF show, that opens one week from today. A tribute to the great Mel Crawford and his masterpiece HB book. It's big so you can see the details. Magilla Gorilla character is copyright Hanna Barbera, of course.

12" x 18" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper.

P.S. Special thanks to the talented Mr. Steve Lambe for his helpful layout advice!

G1988 Group Show - Beyond the Page

2009-04-12T03:10:00.000-07:00

Guess what? My painting made it onto the flyer for the upcoming G1988 SF group show "Beyond the Page: re-illustrating our favorite children's books".

Since the cat's out of the bag, here's the whole painting. I'll have another in the show, but you'll have to wait...

On The Way To Grandmother's House - 10" x 10" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol.

The show runs May 1st - 23rd.
Opening reception is Friday, May 1st from 7 - 10pm. I'll be there with a slew of talented folks, so come by and say howdy!

Latest from Scott Wills

2009-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been wondering what Scott's been up to lately, wonder no more!

Besides wrapping up art direction on Monsters vs Aliens, Scott teamed up with Genndy recently to produce a short for CN called 'Maruined'. Scott painted all the final backgrounds himself over an incredibly short span of time... around 50 in about 2 months (on top of his full-time job)! It's uncertain if Maruined will ever air on TV, but Scott sent over a few of his BGs and as you can see, they are absolutely spectacular. Looking at them again, I'm still having difficulty comprehending the brilliant artistry. To say the least, they are like nothing I've seen before. How often can that be said these days?

Before you ask, they were painted mostly by hand (except for the characters and a few digital elements for animation purposes, I believe). Images are Copyright © Cartoon Network.

Doodle Me

2009-03-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

A few seconds after watching Kali drawing over at Sketch Theatre I was inspired to do a quick, sloppy caricature of myself.

Looney Tunes exhibit at MOHAI

2009-03-04T09:16:00.001-08:00

For those of you living in (or visiting) the Pacific NW, the Seattle Museum of History and Industry is hosting a fantastic exhibit of original Warner Bros Looney Tunes artwork. I can't show you, because the museum unfortunately doesn't allow photography, but believe me, there is some incredible work on display. In addition to beautiful original storyboards from old Porky Pig episodes and others, there are a slew of original layouts, cels and to top it all off, several lovely original background paintings by the likes of Warner greats Phil DeGuard, Dick Thomas and Paul Julian. Paul Julian's were especially amazing. The highlight of the show for me, are some breathtaking concept paintings by Maurice Noble from the #1 ranked cartoon of all time, "What's Opera, Doc?" The man was a super-talent amongst the super-talented.

The weekend before last, my wife and I attended the exhibit and corresponding events... animation workshops, demos, tours, and even facepainting for the kiddies. Most notable were the animation demos by talented former Looney Tunes background artist, Bob Abrams who lives in the area. He showed how to animate some simple Daffy Duck head turns and even better, produced his portfolio for us to look at, all while telling stories from his career and answering questions. In his portfolio were several lovely examples of his background paintings, a storyboard and some of his fine art paintings. He also produced from the portfolio case, an original Maurice Noble final background layout. A stunning triple-pan from a well-known Wlle E. Coyote episode. He said they used to just give them away because they were considered mere byproducts of the trade at the time. Little did they realize the value these original pieces of production art would hold. Bob said if he had known, he'd have grabbed a lot more!

Bob was kind enough to chat with me one-on-one for a bit and allow a photo. It was a pleasure to meet him and get to watch the considerable skill honed (and still sharp) through his time at Disney and Warner Bros studios.

My nieces also showed up for some of the fun.

The exhibit is up through May 17th, so do yourself a favor and go see it.

On a related note, some of the talented artists from Portland's Grass Hut gallery were recently commissioned to do some Looney Tunes art for Warner Bros. One such artist was the talented Martin Ontiveros, who knocked out some fabulous paintings of classic Looney Tunes characters in his inimitable style and with his usual unmatched precision. They're up on his Flickr page, so check them out! Like the rest of his paintings, you won't believe the quality of these suckers.

Three of Martin's paintings.

Color Roughs

2009-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

Can't leave you guys hangin' anymore. Here are some rough color studies for an upcoming piece. Going with something close to the first.

Both are about 4" x 4" cel vinyl acrylic on bristol paper.

It's February

2009-02-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't given up blogging, though from my lack of activity you may have assumed so. I've been pretty busy with freelance design work and other things. Lots of planning and behind the scenes sketching going on though. I'll try to be better at bringing the posts.

So here's some stuff that's happening:

I'll be in a group show on May 1st at Gallery 1988 SF. The theme... a secret, but happens to be well-suited to my tastes.

In June I'll be in a two-man show at Lunar Boy Gallery in Astoria with the amazing Matthew Porter.

October will be my solo show at Bluebottle Art Gallery here in Seattle.

Vacationing in Thailand with the missus very soon. Can't wait to shed my winter clothing for some fun in the sun (and 90 degree weather).

Upon my return, I'll jump into production on Welcome to Monstroville, where I'll be doing some digital backgrounds with a slew of mighty talented folks.

Also, Chinese New Year has come and gone. Lots of quality family time spent with the in-laws and delicious food digested. Hope those of you who celebrate it had a good one!

Doodles

Happy 09!

2009-01-07T00:33:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone is having a good start to 2009! Sorry for the lack of posts, but it's been a busy couple weeks.

I've finally got a few photos from the show opening last month, which comes down in a couple days. Sadly, I forgot to take many pictures of the event as I was usually in the middle of talking to someone.

Some of the crowd. Lots of former colleagues and pals.

Me bredder.

Niece.

Niece.

For my first art project of the year, I was asked by my sister in law to paint a castle mural on cloud wallpaper for my niece's 5th birthday party. Used a couple tiny stickers for the castle reference, but altered the design and colors. I ran out of time to do some of the nice detailing I wanted to do, but the kids seemed to like it nonetheless.

Mixing colors.

Action shot.

Final product.

A gaggle of princesses.

Lastly, I have a bunch of goals for the New Year and beyond:

1. Get better at painting
2. Start working on my next solo art show for Sept.
3. Finish my website
4. Start selling stuff on Etsy
5. Do studies of artwork I admire (goes with #1)
6. Take a painting class (goes with #1)
7. Clean and organize the garage
8. Get into some group art shows
9. Finish watching the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs
10. Finish watching My Life As A Teenage Robot episodes
11. Play more soccer
12. Be a better husband and more patient person in general
I have more, but that's enough for now...

Transfer Process

2008-12-24T11:46:00.001-08:00

I've had some people ask about my process of transferring the final image to my painting surface recently, so I'll share. It's pretty straightforward. Btw, this is just the way I do it... there may be other, better ways.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Final image.

Traced and cleaned-up (same step).

Tape traced image to watercolor paper. In this case, 300lb Fabriano cold press watercolor paper. Small piece of Saral graphite transfer paper (use for multiple tracings).

Carefully slide transfer paper under the tracing, while trying not to smudge the surface.

Press fairly hard (without denting your final surface too much).

Transferred image.

I darkened the transferred lines, but I used a fairly light wash, so this step was unnecessary.

Initial wash, some drybrush texture and starting in with the solid shapes. I'm careful to cover over my pencil lines.

More of the same.

Finished painting with tape removed.

Hope this is useful!

Show Paintings

2008-12-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here are the ones I didn't post yet. It was a great night for me... thank you to everybody who made it out and to all the bloggers who've been so supportive! I'll post more photos here when I get them.

Show wall at Schmancy.

Bird Condo - 7" x 14".

Tree's A Crowd - 12" x 12". SOLD.

Surprise Guest - 8" x 6". SOLD.

Bit Of A Stretch - 4" x 10".

L'Elephant - 7" x 5".

Sparrow's Call - 3.5" x 2". SOLD.

Chatter - 2" x 3.5". SOLD.

Bird Garden - 3.5" x 2". SOLD

Curious Critters Online Preview

2008-12-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry to beat a dead horse... but, *KICK*

The online preview for my little show will be up at noon today here. Here's a taste of what you might find there:

Also, I'd like to point out that my work will not likely be this inexpensive again, and that any purchase will very likely turn this economy right around. Permanently, I bet. No pressure! I'm just sayin'.

Interview

2008-12-11T03:16:00.000-08:00

Want to know what makes me tick? Sorry, the interview doesn't cover that, but does cover some other topics of interest (I hope).

Head over to Schmancy Gallery to check it out!

For Me Mum

2008-11-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

My Mommy's Birthday is coming up, so I painted both of these yesterday. I'm giving her the warmer colored one. This was actually supposed to be a Christmas present last year, but I ran out of time doing all the niece's paintings. On the bright side, I'm a little better at painting now, so the final product is probably better than it would have been.

6" x 4" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

6" x 4" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper

Also, I finally have my postcards in hand and will be sending them out in the next few days. Thanks to everyone who emailed... sorry I didn't have time to reply. Be forewarned, the colors are a bit off from what they were supposed to be.. but I guess I have to live with them.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Freebie

2008-11-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

I'd like to extend this offer to my loyal blog readers... I'll mail a promo postcard to whoever wants one (while supplies last, of course). If you're interested, just email me your name and address and I'll send one your way as soon as I get them from the printer a few days from now. My email: dbrodahl (at) gmail (dot) com. I respect your privacy, so your information will be strictly confidential and not sold to any third, fourth or fifth parties. :)

Nathan Fowkes Class

2008-11-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

Back from my recent L.A. trip. Nathan Fowkes is an amazing painter and put on such a great workshop. It was fantastic to learn from him and chat with some very talented classmates.

First half of the 7 hour class was lectures about color theory, including many stunning examples of said theories. Second half was Nathan giving a painting demo from a costumed model where he applied some of the theories we discussed and then our turn to do the same. Here are some shots from the class, sorry for the grainy ones... had to go without flash. The colors will obviously be a bit off.

Enjoy!

Examples of creating color harmony.

Nathan setting up.

Nathan's materials. Winsor Newton watercolors and white gouache, plus various brushes, rags, tape, water reservoirs, etc.

First abstract color study from the model.

Second abstract. Purposely very different from the first.

In progress.

Thumbnail rough from model, using the first color scheme.

Final studies.

My attempts with Liquitex soft body acrylics (first time using these).

It was a really fun and challenging exercise! The big challenge was in editing the colors from what we saw in reality... tons of garish colors side by side. The model was dressed in purple on a blue chair, with a lime green and vivid red scarf draped across each shoulder. Various colored scarves were draped around her against a black velvet backdrop that picked up both red and white raked lighting. And she had orange hair to boot! It was a cornucopia of color.

The goal was to pair the colors down and establish a harmony, focus and use unexpected accents.

For more of Nathan's work, visit:
http://nathanfowkes.blogspot.com/
http://nathanfowkes-sketch.blogspot.com/

LA Part Deux

2008-11-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

Off to L.A. again for a few days. Should be a lot of fun and a lot warmer than Seattle (dryer too).

I leave you with a very small, quick, Eyvind Earle inspired gouache study I did a few days after watching the new DVD release of Sleeping Beauty. The backgrounds in the movie are mind blowing... some of the most extensive and detailed in history. Extremely scarce, but if you find one of Eyvind's Sleeping Beauty bgs for sale, it could be yours for a mere $50,000.

Halloween-ish

2008-10-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I'm trying to sleep at 4am and a vision pops into my head. I run downstairs and paint it down as quickly as possible. This occurs fairly frequently.

I'll do a cleaned up version of this one later, but I thought it was appropriate to share today.

Happy Halloween!

About the size of a business card.

Finally, an Update!

2008-10-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Sorry I've been absent lately. Been working on my show paintings and have become a temporary hermit. A couple more to finish up this week. I'm striving to explore something new visually for me, even if it's something small, in each of the paintings.

It's been hard for me to hold out on you... so here's one of the new ones to whet your appetite. I've added my show details at the right, btw >>>

5" x 8" cel vinyl acrylic on watercolor paper.

Also, I'll be heading down to LA again for a few days in early November. In the interest of continuing to grow and improve as a painter, I'll be attending a one-day color theory and painting workshop taught by Nathan Fowkes. He's an amazing artist who does concept art for Dreamworks, so I'm really excited to go and get me some more learnin'.