David Wilson Illustration

Sunday School Illustration

2011-02-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Aloha folks
Here is an illustration I did this morning. A little girl in church was bouncing more than popcorn popping, so this is naturally what came to mind and fell into my sketchbook. Cheers.

The Sound Secret: Painting 01

2011-02-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

This was a blast to paint the sketch from the last post. Nothing fancy but I think it does the job. I invited my 3yr old son in for a critique. "Amazing treasures!" he said. So I'm calling it a success.

After he read the letters on the gem he asked, "But what's on the other side?" I think kids these days expect interactivity when approaching anything on a display screen. Creating content that uses that expectation to direct and focus attention - that will be one of the signs of effective use of media.

What are your thoughts on media and attention?

Educational Game Concept

2011-02-15T02:08:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm trying to help two of my kids to read. Needless to say we both get frustrated sometimes. Here is a little concept I put together today showing some of the tips and exercises I do with my girls. I'm going to finish painting it up tomorrow. I can't wait to show ya' more.

Dino-mite

2010-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love cutie dinosaurs?! I sketched one and he just needed some friends.

Photoshop Landscape Sketch

2010-10-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to find more diverse working methods in Photoshop. Here is a sketch I painted this week.

I particularly like sketching landscapes while on the road- you get 10-60 secs to see the view and it's all memory and design organizing from there. Have a great day everybody.

A handful of bad bikers for Road Rage - character concepts

2010-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a page of character designs from my sketch book. I sketched these guys a couple months ago and finally got around to painting them this week. It's a television series concept that follows a biker gangs on their road escapades. Of course each gang is full of steroid pumped stereotypes. Any favorites or suggestions for improving the gang?

A quick sketch

2010-10-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

Aloha, here is a little shape experiment and quick digital paint, 1hr tops. Just having fun with the shape composition and some free brushes from Chris Oatley. Hope you all enjoy.

Life Happens.. breathe, then keep going

2010-08-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

My apologies to those of you who have been waiting for my next post on this blog, which should have been just under 6 months ago. My "Spectacle" project got sidelined by some major life events- we sold our house and have moved twice in the past 5 months, I had a hernia surgery which floored me, and I've been moving forward with more animation school through Animation Mentor for the past 10 months, and I'll be switching employers in the next few weeks/months. Whew! Major life changes all for the better.

Thanks for the continued support from my great friends near & far. In the coming weeks you will see this site take on renewed life and see some of the work that I've been doing.

See you soon.

Process Blitz-Story Goals

2010-02-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

May I introduce "Spectacle", the short story concept I'll be developing during the Process Blitz. Any comments or critiques are welcome.

Objectives
1-Theme in 3 words: Prejudice, Wonder, Friendship
2-Synopsis in 1 sentence: An eager boy, although blinded by others prejudices, finds an unexpected friend in a traveling circus.
Synopsis in 3 sentences: Curious boys await the arrival of circus oddities. A frenzy of fear and prejuduce leaves one boy blind to the dazzling show. A peculiar friend help the boy see clearer than ever.
Synopsis in 3 paragraphs: When a circus poster appears in a 1880's town, curiosity runs wild in the imagination of 4 young boys. Each conjures up a fearsome and fabulous spectacle. Fables and fabrications about the circus beasts feed the curiosity of one boy and plant seeds of prejudices in the other boys. Interest circles around Jumbo, a bizarre mammoth creature that Barnum & Bailey are debuting. A twisted curiosity draws the boys to the show.

At the show the boys both jeer and cheer extraordinary feats, modern technologies. As Jumbo is announced reactions ripple through the crowd, in the commotion one of the boy's glasses falls into the performing ring. The boy is left blind as Jumbo emerges to a mixed chorus of cheers, screams, jeers, and applause.

Straining to see and trying to gauge the crowd, the boy is frozen with fear when a trumpeting blast sounds next to him. Apprehension settles when the glasses are delivered in the trunk of an elephant. The boy sees past the odd exterior to the gentle giant's heart. He utters his amazement and embraces the trunk. End

3-Primary Characters: Boy, Jumbo, Friends (representing Fear, Ignorance, & Disgust). Secondary Character: Ringmaster
4-Character Map:

Process Blitz:Story

2010-02-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

Aloha & welcome to The Process Blitz where I'll be tackling a short story from concept to content in 30 days. I'll be sharing my own goals, process, resources, and insights for preparing material that is "pitch ready" for a animated short film/picture book.

Establishing appropriate material for short story formats where brevity and clarity are vital is real work. Each word & second is valuable; every moment should further the theme and progress the narrative. The primary rule is K.I.S.S. or Keep it simple stupid! Some ideas are not suited to become short stories; Lord of the Rings for example, with its weaving multi-character plots and world spanning travels could never be crammed into a 32pg picture book or a 5 minute movie.

A good short story must have 1 or 2 central characters that the audience relates to, a problem, and a solution that tells us more about the central character(s). The problem and it's solution help make up the story's theme or central message. All other characters, settings, and events should support the theme and enhance the telling of the story.

Eliminating other issues helps clarify the theme and focus a viewer's attention to the important. This means that many great ideas will end-up on the chopping block; it's OK. Those unused ideas may be seeds for other wonderful projects.

The following goals will help refine the direction of a story and create a solid framework for the rest of the development.

Goals:
Timeline (3 days)
1-Establish the theme in 3 words (adjectives, emotions)
2-Synopsis of plot in 1 sentence, 3 sentences, 3 paragraphs (subject, problem, soution. Consider visually based actions that support theme)
3-Establish principle characters (If more than 5, consider simplifying)
4-Develop character map (motives & relationships, obstacles & solutions)

Resources for writing short films or picture books (please send me your favorites as well):
www.johnaugust.com
(Index card method) (Writing a scene) (How I Write Series: Jessica Bendinger)

www.bethanyroberts.com
(Picture Book Writing Tips)

www.write101.com
(Writing for Children's Books) (plotting for children's books)

johnkstuff.blogspot.com
Writing for Cartoons Series (Dialogue 1& 2)

The Purple Crayon (picture book writing resources)

Process Blitz starting Feb 15th

2010-01-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

How do I take the great idea that's been sitting in my brain and get it out onto the paper/screen?

How can I balance personal projects I'd love to do with the insanity of everyday life (I have 3 kids, work full time, and I am in the middle of moving while learning Maya with Animation Mentor)?

The Process Blitz which begins Feb 15th will outline and present the process of developing a story & characters in 30 days to make it "pitch ready". I'll chronicle the process of developing one of my own ideas with pics, resources, links and words of wisdom from others who have made it happen.

What are your ideas that are aching to get out? Bring your own ideas to the table and together we'll develop them in 30 days starting on the 15th.

Feed Me!

2009-12-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, here's a sketch I had some fun with today. I wanted to bring in more gesture and pose emphasis than my usual stuff.

Here are a few folks I admire for their ability to capture in gesture story, character emotion, & intent right as the pen hits the paper.
http://drawger.com/stevebrodner/
http://pascalcampion.blogspot.com/
http://haraldsiepermann.blogspot.com/
http://www.peterdeseve.com/

Gorgeous isn't it! Miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.

I'll post some more finished work soon.

Sketchbook-Hatching new ideas daily

2009-12-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

I have a bunch of resolutions that respond to some great feedback from friends, and piers at CTN animation Expo. I feel like I'm setting New Year resolutions too early, but I've got no time to waste. I'm hatching a few goals here for the record.
1) Quality weekly posting on the blog
2) Daily purposeful sketching
3) Two new portfolio pieces per month (some may be client work, but I'll post what I can
4) Finish the color script for my Jumbo production my February
5) Finalize charater designs for Jumbo and share the process.

What are you working on?

Here's a sketch from my book: I love the patterns and rhythms in nature.

Here comes CTN-X!

2009-11-18T22:16:00.001-08:00

I'm marching off to California this weekend for the first Creative Talent Network Expo in Burbank. It hosts some intense talent and amazing opportunities for all skill levels and interests in the animation industry.

What makes me go? I'll be introducing myself to the industry center, I want to find out where I can strengthen my skills and respond to portfolio criticisms and challenges from piers. I'm also going to meet my idols as people not bloggers.

There's a lot to be said about developing specialized skills to make the pipeline as productive as possible. I'm not sure where my skills are pointing me so I'm exploring options at CTN-X too.

Character Design with Chris Oatley

2009-09-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Aloha, this week I had a blast recording a podcast episode with DTS artist Chris Oatley of Chris Oatley's Artcast. If you haven't checked out his show... shame on you, . We talked shop about continuing artistic development, networking strategies for the entertainment industry, and character development technique. I'm constantly learning from the great talents everywhere, here are some things I picked up recently. Feel free to leave your own criticisms and suggestions.

I started developing some sketches for a Sci-Fi concept. Chris took one look and sent me to a great resource The Skillfull Huntsman, the book that takes a Grimm Bros Fairytale through early concept development as if it were a real production. Here's my first sketch (1.25hrs) and some areas that instantly stood out for improvement after picking up the book.

I wanted to try some of the exercises mentioned in the book. Here are a couple of the principles The Skillfull Huntsman put forward:

Compare Apples to Apples-Using the same basic pose and create various designs varing scale, pattern, positive and negative space, etc. Here are a two of mine using one pose.
A good silhouette holds endless possibilities-After I was satisfied with the outline of a character, I try to see the different possibilities within the one form. By imagining a different place, time, gender, technology, etc. I came up with these two drastically different characters, each one has a different story & personality. What character do you see?

Did you know Luke Skywalker started out as a girl in Ralph McQuarrie's drawings and evolved into the character we know today. The initial design process is to mine the creative depths of an concept; establish a strong appropriate silhouette and build from there. Avoid jumping to the details like I did in my first drawing.

Check out these great character designers- Awesome forms. Joe Olson, Nicolas Marlet (Kungfu Panda), and Peter de Seve

More to come as I explore this world and other projects.

Feelin' Peachy - Tutorial

2009-07-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my first blog tutorial. I'll cover a little bit of my thoughts and my process for creating an ad I did with an "color editable spattering" technique for a regular client of mine. The technique is great for quickly creating variations for color keys and comps.The challenge was to create a dynamic Welcome to Atlanta Top Ten list, while using the assigned cliche of a Peach.

I'd been fascinated by late nouveau / bauhaus posters and also the Ratatouille posters uber talent Eric Tan-borrow from the best. I wanted to create a technique that would give me the textural style of the prints but have crisp vector edge treatment as well.

After settling on a sketch, I build from basic shapes to make sure the design still communicates properly.

Here are the basic non-type shapes.

A little frisket was made from a vector path that represented the inner color and leaf. Next I created the overlaying textures by spattering BLACK ink with a toothbrush onto illustration board, the frisket masking off the desired area.

A couple spatter variations were made of each shape to let me add color variation later and give me more options to choose from.

I scanned the dried ink and coverted the color mode to GRAYSCALE. (JPG, PNG, or TIFF file fortmats work fine)

In Illustrator I've placed all the pieces and can reassign and manipulate the coloring at will with the color sliders even pantone colors- (evil power hungry laugh).
Here I liked to use multiply( in the transparency window) so the colors to ineract and mix a little.

I wrote/designed the text, modifying the company's font, Geometric 315, to take on the Bauhaus style for the titles. A broad texturew as added in the background. I'm always taking pictures of random textures and scanning odd things to create an endless reference library to work with for both illustration and design.

To add the finishing touches, I used the text paths to masked some additional spatterings. The repeated textures help make sure that the texture and and crisp edged text are unified. Violla! See the completed image at the top of this post.

Please leave feedback, and I'll see what other traditional /digital tutorials I can put together. For some great tutorials on digital painting check out videos by Chris Oatley and Sam Neilson. They are both generous artists and amazing people.

Sketches: Factory and Feast

2009-06-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help posting these sketches and offer some sage advice from today. No mind-blowing drawings, but it's part of what I did today.
My mother-in-law took the family to a buffet tonight, where I met the gentleman in the sketch.

He had an entire plate full of steak and then several other plates as well. A "Wide Mouthed Bass" shirt he wore suited him I thought; he made a great character to sketch

Advice #1
Now, I'm not Mr. Universe but I need to say, if this drawing resembles you...Put down the FORK!

The second sketch is a nearby factory I did during lunch. I did it mostly to hone my marks; there is no forgiveness with a pen and line mistakes are obvious in architecture.

Advice #2
If you want to get better, use every minute available to improve- the commute, meal time, after hours, while your file is saving,etc. No one has enough time to do everything, so make the things you do accomplish meaningful- whether that's family, work, talents, or even relaxing.

See ya' soon.

Colored Expressions

2009-06-07T00:56:00.000-07:00

What do you do to exercise your lighting muscles? Here's my weak attempt as promised. I am pleased to have flexed a few muscles but feel I could have tried to stretch more in regards to dynamic lighting. I used no reference for the lights.

Please let me know of any skill refining exercises you know of; continual growth, that's what life's all about.

Expression Sketches

2009-06-03T02:06:00.000-07:00

I have been up late tonight working on color keys and needed something to relax. SILLY FACES! I like the hyper-extension of the features, but know I need to work on economy. I started to do color variations but started nodding, I'll try to post them before the end of the week.

Personal Project- Rough JUMBO development

2009-05-04T21:10:00.001-07:00

Aloha friends-
For those who have wondered what's been cooking in my studio, I'll let you in a couple projects since they're not for any client. I'm posting a couple of animation backgrounds-still very rough- to keep myself motivated and to fish for feedback from my superiors PLEASE.

I'm developing a collection of backgrounds for my entertainment design portfolio with some much appreciated guidance from Lou Romano, and Glen Harmon- Thanks again guys. I hope to have 4 more backgrounds completed shortly.

These are from a story I'm developing based on the famous JUMBO elephant. I have childhood memories of the Jumbo monument in my dad's Canadian home town where Jumbo died. The historical and period research is there and I am getting into the paint.

I'm a only a few hours into these, and hoped that my fellows might steer me away from pending disasters.

I hope the backgrounds reflects the way a circus infuses a slow dusty town with life through color saturation and shape dynamics. I am also designing signage pieces for the story; here is circus paste-up banner where I tried to incorporate the shape of the elephant's trunk in the design. I've also tried to cluster the other circus characters into depending on how they relate to Jumbo-fear vs. fascination, trickery vs. apparent craft, etc.

IF Impossibility

2009-04-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

If you could split your personality into various separate characters what would they look like? This impossible gathering is a triple self portrait- no not the monkey. Sometimes I take myself too seriously ( the guy in the middle) and fail enjoy life to it's fullest.

I sure wish I would have planned more for the background.

IF - Fleeting

2009-04-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

Life is fleeting- from the nest to a final rest. This is a quick still life I'm working on to refine my digital painting techniques. I'm trying out some amazing Photoshop brushes from Chris Oatley, a generous and thorough illustrator. I'm learning as I go and there is always so much to learn! If any of you have pointers/suggestions I'd appreciate any feedback.

Enjoy

Plein Air & Plain Feet

2009-03-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who thought I was dead, your almost right. I'm working like a dog these days on development for a film project, it feels great. Here are a couple images to keep my 3 three rabid fans happy.

The first is a plein air sketch (1.5 hrs) of some clouds that couldn't hold pose for very long but were great to work with. I'm trying to really flex the ole' draw-quickly-from-life muscle lately and find that my reliance on reference has left me slightly atrophied. I'll post a few of those sketches soon.

The other is one of my favorite paintings, it's part of my How Beautiful Upon the Mount series based on Isaiah's theme. I'll post up the other pieces as soon as I can shoot them.

Here our first parents have made the decision to taste the forbidden fruit and be cast out of the Garden of Eden. An uphill climb for sure after leaving his presence, but a journey possible through Christ's mediation (the light area beyond the mountains).

Hope to put some more experiments up soon.

Sampling for Kelly

2009-03-02T04:51:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a former storyboard teacher, Kelly Loosli, who asked to see a sampling of my regular work.
I did these backgrounds for a short that Kelly was putting together a number of years back, they were created following the direction of Peter Sakievich.

Here is a random gathering of some unedited sketchbook images. As a man sketcheth so is he! I've been working on bringing in more shape based caricature to my work, so every day I fill a page with something-right now there are a lot of elephants for a story I'm working on.

The collage is a style sampler, I work in a ton of styles for various projects. Yes, that means my style has never really settled into one place, but it means I've been able to be a part of a lot of fun projects.

Most of you may not be aware, but I moonlight as designer (mostly packaging)-gasp* shock* disbelief-. Some projects I've done. I take all of my own photography.

Well that's it for this episode folks, stay tuned for more next week

Spring Time is coming!

2009-02-12T05:36:00.001-08:00

Spring time should be just around the corner, but today it snowed again. I can't wait for winter to give way as buds bloom and new life is everywhere.

I did this illustration based on a poem The Magic Piper by F.L. Marsh.

There piped a piper in the wood
Strange music-soft and sweet-
And all the little wild things
Came hurrying to his feet.

They sat around him on the grass,
Enchanted, unafraid,
And listened, as with shining eyes
Sweet melodies he made.

The wood grew green, and flowers sprang up,
The birds began to sing;
For the music it was magic,
And the piper’s name was - Spring!

Spring is just around the corner, wait just a bit longer and you'll see the sun for longer than the a blink of the eye.

IF: MLK others pale in comparison

2009-01-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help but post this drawing today as the U.S.A. celebrates the life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a brave peace fighter for human rights. He was murdered for teaching that people of all backgrounds, colors, beliefs, etc should live in equality with freedom from fear and the right to pursue greatness without limits. It's hard for me to teach my kids just how wonderful Rev King's life and teachings really are.

Every year we watch his "I have a dream speech", if you have a moment please watch it.

The drawing was done years ago and is full of errors I would like to correct, but I felt it was important to post it.

God bless us all to be more loving and accepting our differences.

IF: Resolve to Draw Better

2009-01-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

There is no skill more valuable than the ability to draw well (personal definition: effectively render what you see); my subjects may change & my style may evolve, but my ability to draw well can only be enhanced as I practice, critique and refine my work.

I started the new year by deciding to draw this portrait for some dear friends of mine. It's of the family's son who's in Brasil for two years. Doing "Thank you" drawings is a way that I'm forcing myself to do observational drawings more. No matter what your resolution, back it up with some immediate action plan...and just do it.

Thanks and Tchao

PS I just love using the chipboard, that is supposed to be junked, as a halftone drawing surface. The little black and white charcoal get a lot of help from the chipboard.

Political Voices

2008-12-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here is an illustration that I really enjoyed doing. It's very tongue in cheek-only it's someone else's tongue in their cheek! There are too often cases where the message of government is that's of the group which paid the most to be heard- for better or worse. This piece illustrates that problem.

Any one else have an opinion or criticism... slide over 5 bucks and I'll allow you're voice to be heard. J/K

I'll try to get in another post before Christmas more in the spirit of the Christ child, but just in case, Merry Christmas to all.

IF- Identity as a matter opinion

2008-11-24T23:20:00.000-08:00

Who we are is really a matter of opinion, whether our own opinion or someone else's. As an example here are three sketches of the same person done to quickly explore shape dynamics. There are so many ways of seeing the world.

Since my painting style is largely realistic traditional, I sketch most of the time in caricatures and shape explorations like these. It helps me remember that the movement and shape of the figure add depth to emotions communicated much more than good rendering...well, for that reason and I like cartoons!

What's your opinion?

IF - Some pretend and some really believe

2008-11-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

How long did you believe? Is there still a part of you that believes...if not in Santa than in Believing itself. The holiday season is wonderful for its ability to rejuvenate and enrich our ability to hope and believe in that which is good in ourselves and others.

This is not merely pretending-to presume without a foundation for the hope- but placing faith in true and guiding principles. Even though I can't always put my finger on it at times; just because as I can't show you that Santa exists, I can believe.

Repair: Holiday Camera

2008-10-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm a camera nut. I have around a dozen cameras around my studios. I think of each them as offering a unique new vantage point on the same set of objects/events. This is one of my favorites, an old Holiday II home movie camera, yup just like in the Wonder Years.

I did this illlo completely in Illustrator a little while back and thought it was amply suited for this weeks topic. I'll post a more detailed version a bit later for those interested.

Cheers!

If Late... bring a gift!

2008-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself falling behind schedule for some ghoulish party this Halloween bring a gift...eyeball stew is a real crowd pleaser and is sure to leave your host speechless. This is a fun little sketch I did and just wanted to give it better treatment then scribbly (yes that's a word) pencil.

Happy Halloween just in case I don't see before that frightful night.

String- A cat can never resist

2008-10-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

A promotional cover that fit well with the subject. I tried to reveal the narrative subtly, using the string from the "mousetrap" winding u[to the window to add some intrigue and give the viewer a second or two before realizing that the mice in the window are baiting the cat.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions of comments, Enjoy.

Gardeners Only...Most of the Time

2008-09-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Gardens are a miracle box. This year I watched yellow gourds, red tomatoes, orange carrots, purple onions, green zucchinis explode out of the ground. Anyone over the age of 2 was allowed into the Wilson Garden Clique, needless to say some of the less privileged were jealous. From time to time a few duds were caused by curious fingers, but that's what a garden is for. It is a microcosm classroom for life's best secrets- A little tenderness and patience with some persistent hard work brings fulfilling rewards. Enjoy and see you back soon.

Traditional Charcoal Drawing

2008-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

I've posted a few digital pictures and oil sketches lately and wanted to do something a little different. I got an itching to feel the grit of charcoal on board and this is the night's result. It blows me away how nice it is to feel bumps, chunks of charcoal, etc. Sometimes a wacom tablet is just sinfully smooth, taking out all the unexpected and even giving you the "Control Z." It's almost too much, almost.

This is not to say that I don't love working digitally; I do. Just different strokes for different projects. I think the broader your abilities are the more choices/options you have to to play with. This time it was charcoal; what's your flavor today?

Memory-Sketch it or it's lost

2008-09-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

Memory is sharpened in the recording processes while sketching. I sit in about 2 hrs of council meetings on Sundays and often find myself filling my notes of people in the room. Details of the meetings come by looking at the sketches and caricatures. These sketches are little pen doodles from one day when I was fascinated with a certain mustachioed sage. I was sitting to his left, but for some reason I mirrored his face for two of the sketches. Maybe things got mixed up going back-and-forth between right and left brain functions.

My memory records angles of people's slouching and jowls from months ago but can't recall what I had for lunch two days ago. Maybe I should start drawing my meals.

Sailing...er, really "canned" late

2008-08-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

"Stuck" is another spot illustration from the book I'm working on; it worked perfectly for last week's Illustration Friday theme "Canned." This is also the follow image from the previous entry so it gets added even if it is by devious means. I hope you all enjoy the images and thanks for the great feedback.

Poof -Genie Magic

2008-08-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is a spot illustration for a book I'm working on for Sara Gifford. I love breaking expectations that cause a little double take, like a genie who floats her head like the Wizard of Oz as she grants your hearts desire. I'll post the results of the first wish in a couple days.

Mindful of Each Sparrow

2008-07-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is another little painting I've done recently, "Mindful of Each Sparrow". It's was a Mother's Day present to my spectacular wife Leslie. She is so sensitive to others needs and emotions, especially our little ones (this painting is of Kylee).

It's based on the scriptures Matt 6:26-32 & Matt 10:29-31.

What's been bugging me? Actual Size

2008-07-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

Publish Post
Hello folks- I am not dead, stop calling. Here is a little painting (3.5"x2") that I did just because I've had an empty black frame sitting around. It's not a groundbreaking piece by any means but it cleared away the dust off of my acrylics. Over the past few months I've done mostly digital painting and photography and felt the sting of guilt. Ha,--Sting...wasp-- oh I'm too much. See ya soon.

New Sketchbook, New Goals--Primative

2008-04-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

A new sketchbook's in town and I've made some definitive goals to let my sketch explorations stretch me technically and creatively. The permanence of inking has always scared me even though I like to sketch with a ball-point pen. Although it may sound funny, I love how forgiving oils and acrylics are; thus all of my professional work has been in those two mediums. This is one of my first attempts at inking; the reference image is not original (Tom Stone's amazing homeless portraits) but gave me an opportunity to explore a bit.I love combining traditional and digital mediums. A quick drawing, a beautifully aged piece of paper, and some digital painting (another goal). I'm fairly pleased with the result and look forward to the next 1,000 pics to help me really nail down this whole inking thing.

Please leave me some of your pointers, experiences inking, or sketch book goals. Tchao.

Children's Literature Conference

2008-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

This last week I attended a great SCBWI Conference at UVSC (UVU) for authors & illustrators of children's publications. It was a fabulous experience I'll repeated for years to come I assure you. The conference had been geared to provide industry specific lectures, forums, and guests for illustrators this year. David Small -if you don't know him you still have time to repent- was the key note speakers for illustrators. He and his author wife gave fantastic lectures and gave generously of themselves to attendees-I must say I was given far more time than I deserved.

The Editor/illustrator's Best Illustrator Award was given to me-a genuine suprise. There were quite a few strong illustrators there. Of additonal signifigance I was invited to be a co-author in a The Children's Book Blog for Illustrators, a source of info for illustrators. If your looking for substantive comments and resources it's a wonderful place to bookmark.

I'll be adding a lot more images here and on my website soon. Look for more pics from my sketchbook too. See you soon.

Genie

2008-03-15T22:23:00.001-07:00

Here is the other character sketch for the children's book I'm working on. Much thanks to Shawn Boyles for helping me get back to basic shapes. In this painting I had been making the forms look too life-like and had to simplify the form for the right audience.

I'm having a lot of fun on these illustrations in that they're largely digital with very graphic flat areas. Form and color tend to make or break the effectiveness of each picture.

Good Morning Sunshine

2008-02-05T01:16:00.001-08:00

Here is a fun digital piece for Illustration Friday. I'm combining the Blanket topic with Horizon from a few weeks ago. You could call it illustrative repentance. Anyway enjoy!

It's so cold I can see my breath.

2008-02-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

The snow here in Utah has been relentless, so here's a quick digital sketch to let you know just how I feel about it. I am enchanted by snow; the way it shoots color and value into extreme mode and lets you know how colorful "white" is. There are seemingly supernatural normalities-hoer frost in the morning, icicles,snow drifts, and of coarse seeing your breath. BUT there is always a subtle sadness that lingers...and in a way that's beautiful too.

I hope this little sketch can warm your day a little. Toodles.

Best Two Years x 6

2007-12-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

This is a family missionary portrait that continues the Isaiah theme of "How Beautiful Upon the Mount." This one carries the scripture to a modern application, "And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!" Mosiah 15:16. It's important to recognize that the scriptural patterns continue to ripple into the present.

You can check out the earlier three paintings from this ongoing series on my website www.davidwilsonillustration.com

Displayed in the picture are artifacts and mementos that represent missionary service from my family. My father served as a missionary in Japan-a letter of his, his hand stitched hymnal (Shoto Wilson), my own mission to Brazil-Portuguese Bible,worn shoes, letter, & missionary papers in the shoe, my brother & brother-in-law's missions to Italy- name tag, letter, another brother's mission to England-His tie & Book of Mormon, and a younger brother who has yet to serve-his journal. All missionary service is focused on the Savior Jesus Christ.

I wanted to show the growth that occurs laboring, studying the scriptures, & serving as well as a family bond that grows even stronger through serving the LORD.

Hope the explanation of the painting hopes you enjoy it a little more. Toodles.

Oil Sketch

2007-12-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a small oil painting I did the other day. I really love doing these quick paintings, there is a lot that stays fresh in the shapes and color. However, they generally lack substantive depth.

This one has a lot of personal meaning since I'm giving to my mom for Christmas. I did this painting in celebration that I am not the artist I was before. When I was about 12 my mother asked me to paint a nice picture for the house. I was twelve and very angst, so I painted an abstract interpretation of a suicide that had taken place in my middle school. Skeleton's, black and gray, very sparse color-yeah, like I said, I was 12.

I scoffed at being asked to paint a "nice picture." I didn't do "nice."

This painting is bright, playful, uplifting and hopeful. There has been a lot of maturing and self-evaluation happening. While there are real dark emotions and negative things that need to be addressed in life, I know that don't need to wallow there to be "artistic." Life generally is bright and hopeful; I hope you enjoy the post and will excuse me for sharing something personal.
Merry Christmas, a season of glad tidings of great joy!

Backwards

2007-12-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

These little acrylic paintings I did of my brother's struggle with ADD; I thought it worked out perfectly with the Illustration Friday theme. Sometimes we all end up a little backwards, even after the simplest of tasks.

Tooth Time

2007-11-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

Here's one character I made up for a series of tooth adventures. There will be a cowboy(floss), rocket ranger(toothpaste), and celebrity (toothbrush). I'd like to incorporate a female tooth as well to make the set be more gender neutral, let me know if you have any ideas.

When an elf gets an idea...

2007-11-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

A little known fact: When an Elf gets a good idea a bright incandescent bulb doesn't appear, but a whole strand of colorful Christmas lights. This Elf is looking for the burnt-out bulb in his string of good ideas. The Elf joins the Snowman & Santa that you've already seen. Thanks to Mark R. for pointing me toward increased saturation.

Enjoy, I'll try to post all three together to show the Christmas character set.

I said SKAT, not cat.

2007-07-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a painting I did as a self-promotional piece. The primary reason, I've never painted animal characters before! I know, I know, but it's the ugly truth. I had a blast with the cat's facial expressions & humanizing the anatomy.
I've also discovered that I unconsciously try to break a story down to it's minimalist components, a good AND bad thing.
It's now open to criticism, how can I improve? Thanks to you all!

Dave

By the way, my wife and I added a baby boy, Caleb Wilson, to our family on Sunday. You may see a surprisingly good looking young model appear in upcoming paintings.

Vector Sketching...what a blast!

2007-05-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago I took a small sketch of my youngest and decided to turn it into a digital sketch. Usually I'll work in Photoshop or Painter, but I had a ball for a couple minutes putting this quickie together. What a pain-free process! I'll have to experiment a little more later.

It's always nice to take a breather from some of the more intensive work projects-I've got three paintings on my easel right now that are begging for more and more time. I'll be sure to post those as they wrap up.

See ya' next posting.

Divine Potential

2007-05-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here is one piece I really had fun doing, Divine Potential. The Laurel and the Flower are each symbols of glory & grace. The Flower, still blooming represents the process of growth and refinement that we go through. This flower in particular is a symbolizes feminine beauty and womanhood. And of course being crowned with laurel and hallowed by a mature bloom tells of the divine nature of woman.

It's a painting that I could really enjoy packing some meaning into.

Congrats to Brandon Dorman

2007-04-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Brandon Dorman for his new book WIZARD out this summer from Greenwillow. Greenwillow is a Harper Collins imprints. They are the only imprint I know of that treats their bookmaking friends like family. (Brandon, let me know if your experience was otherwise.)Jack Prelutsky authored the book so it only goes to show how much confidence Paul Z has in Brandon.

Santa's Comin' to Town

2007-04-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Since the weather's not warming up as summer approaches, I thought I'd continue the x-mas icons. Ole Saint Nick for you comments and suggestions.

I'm going to try to post one serious image as well as this playful during the week. I'm so often torn between the two. Some of the serious themes are so rich in content that painting becomes like meditation. The playful ones are my way of laughing out loud...quietly.

Anyway, let me know what you think. Either here or on my website www.davidwilsonillustration.com

Classic Boy Toys

2007-04-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here are four drawings I did for a packaging company called Temkin International. I had so much fun drawing these that I fear I may have gone a little overboard on the details. This is about the size of the drawing that I took into Photoshop to color digitally. Enjoy.

I should have these up on my website, www.davidwilsonillustration.com, in a couple days.

On a more serious note

2007-03-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Here a painting I did a while ago called Come Ye to the Waters. It's based upon the scriptural themes of Christ as the Living Waters as well as the ole' "he leadeth me beside still waters."
I've isolated her in the wilderness (Idaho near my in-laws) much the way we're placed in a harsh and demanding world, but a place where we can also find beauty and enjoyment.

Anyway, a painting I loved putting real meaning into, and downplaying it's meaning into a simple subject. There's a lot to be said for subtlety, especially in religious work.

Sorry about the camera distortion.

Frosty

2007-03-29T03:14:00.000-07:00

Oh for heaven's sake! A blog should be blogged, so here's another image. I've been trying to expand my style into the cute and cuddly, so naturally snowmen and Santa came to mind. Here's the Snowman to be followed by Santa soon.

This started as a 30 sec sketch, went to a 15 minute acrylic study, and then to a 30-40 min piece. I'll include as much as I've scanned in.

Some strong improvements in character, modeling, & design, but it also lost something in being worked over. Se' la vi (you guessed it, I don't speak French).

Self Portrait

2007-03-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent portrait of mine. Oil on panel .

Let the games begin!

2007-03-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome one and all to the inaugural post of David Wilson's Illustrator Haven. This blog follows the misadventures of an illustrator on the loose, namely me. Feel free to visit my website at www.davidwilsonillustration.com

To friends old and new, thanks for stopping by; I'd love hear about what's going on in your lives and about the windmills that we're always chasing.

I'll be posting images and discussions from my professional work as well as personal projects. All postings on this blog welcome your criticism and comments.

Let the games begin!