Wednesday, July 22, 2009

'Henry O'Sullivan's' - In Progress

Just wanted to give a quick update on the progress of the painting commission I'm working on. A couple months back, I posted pics of the drawing, and I've been hard at work on the final version. Yesterday, I think I turned a corner when I added a wet-on-wet layer to the background and ceiling, and I think it really helps to create a look and atmosphere for the painting. Below are a few pics of the painting at this stage.

Yep, due to my living situation for the summer, I'm painting this on the floor. It's not as bad as it might look, but I definitely need to give my legs a break every now and then.

I'm just now starting to tackle the people in the background, who will have a little less detail than the foreground characters. At first, I was reluctant to add the ink outlines, but I think it helps to tie everything together, and is just an aspect of my style that I can't let go of.
A detail. The picture is a bit brighter than the actual painting, but this gives you an idea of the texture on the walls and ceiling.

There's still a ways to go, but I'm confident that this can be completed by mid-August. Just gotta keep chipping away...

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Brothers Bloom

So, I've been racking my brains trying to come up with a personal illustration for the movie 'The Brothers Bloom.' I really enjoyed the movie, and thought that it got written off too soon as a Wes Anderson knock off. While director Rian Johnson may have used some similar stylistic choices, I thought it aimed for something different than Anderson's movies, especially in regards to storytelling and how certain personalities try to control their own lives through story.

But back to the illustration...I did this drawing in my sketchbook, and while I don't see this as being the final illustration, I do think this gives me something to work around. I may include some close ups of the two female leads, Penelope and Bang Bang, as well as a playing card motif. We'll see...

Little Funny, & the return of 'Dear Friends'

As part of the 'Big Funny' gallery show opening on August 7, the Cartoonist Conspiracy is also debuting 'Little Funny,' small accordion comics that you can buy for....well, cheap. You can find my two contributions below, which feature the return of 'Dear Friends,' and a celebrity guest. Don't ask why, I just do...

Since the nature of these is so small (each panel is 1.5" x 2"), I kept it pretty lo-fi, and there wasn't much room for corrections, so I hope the 'humor' makes up for the questionable drawing. To find the inspiration for these comics, you can go to none other than the New York Times.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Mike Sgier Prints and Art Etsy Store

I finally got around to starting an Etsy store, which you can find at this address:
msgier.etsy.com
So far I have 9 items for sale, a mix of older relief prints from my pre-grad school days, and some recent digital prints from my 'Supernova Lullaby' webcomic. Here's a sneak peek at some of the art for sale:
Browse around, and enjoy! Thanks!

Club Batman Spain Drawing

A few months back, I was contacted by a group called Club Batman Spain, and was invited to submit a drawing for their blog. It took a while to finish, but a couple weeks back they posted it, and I thought I would post it here for my other national and international viewers.

To see the original post on their blog, follow this link: Club Batman Spain

And please check out the rest of their blog, there's some great art posted!