Yoda Portrait

What with the new Star Wars trailer, I was in the mood to draw something related to that galaxy far far away.

Hello Boils and Ghouls

A bit of Tales from the Crypt/Crypt Keeper appreciation in preparation for Halloween!

"Now, that's interrortainment!"

Witchy Wahine

Happy Halloween!

Horse Scarecrow

It's scarecrow season!

Since I don't have the time or equipment to build one of these this year, I had to settle for a drawing.

It's Showtime!

Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice from the film by Tim Burton.

This was assembled from four pieces of thick cardstock that were each painted using acrylics. It is an update of an earlier Beetlejuice drawing I did a few years ago, but redone to fit into a cool shadowbox frame that my wife found.

I am sending this to the Zapow Gallery in Asheville, NC for their Spooky Art Show.

Scumbug - TMNT Redesign

My own version of Scumbug from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

For my version of Scumbug I tried to make him look quite distinct from the cartoon design, but also directly copied some design elements. I also had to throw in a couple of 80s and 90s references as well (of course).

Keen eyed viewers will probably notice that I've done this character in a different style than the rest of the TMNT redesign series. I can't bring myself to do these designs in vector anymore (it is way too OCD), so I tried to do a close approximation in raster.

Is Something Wrong?

This is my tribute to the original Stephen Gammell illustrations from the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series. This is my recreation of the illustration from "Is Something Wrong?" in "Scary Stories: More Tales to Chill Your Bones" in my own style. I couldn't help adding a bit of color in there.

Gravity Falls - Big Bad Grunkle Stan

I am super excited that the second season of Gravity Falls just started this month, so I drew this up in celebration.

Nightcrawler

Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler of the X-Men.

I made this from paper, basswood, foam adhesive, and acrylic paints. It's approximately 20 pieces that were cut out, painted, and then glued together. 

Steller's Jay and White-Headed Woodpecker

Here are some more bird cut-outs that I did for my ongoing series. This time it's the Steller's Jay (on the left) and the White-headed Woodpecker (on the right).

I actually did a lot of work with white-headed woodpeckers this spring, doing surveys for presence. They are one of my favorite little birds, but quite aggravating to survey. I swear that they sometimes called back to me, then hid behind a tree so I couldn't see them. We played quite a few games of hide-and-seek.

There are a few of these available at our Etsy store if anyone is interested. We also post updates about our store regularly on our Facebook page (much more regularly than I update this blog). 

Scary Tree Sketch

Whenever I really feel like drawing, but don't know what to draw, haunted trees are my go-to subject. So here it is - another haunted tree.

Even though I set out on this project with the intention of doing some painterly colors, I really like how this one turned out with the flat grey.

Non-expressive-post-abstract Expressionism

... ho hum ...

Non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism is typically characterized by the use of a limited palette, commonly restricted to shades of white and black, in simple quadrilateral geometric shapes.

To the lay-person non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism is often confused with minimalism or abstract expressionism. Although the non-expressive-post-abstract expressionists drew heavily from both schools of art, including the minimalist aesthetic, there is a clear difference in intention. Whilst minimalism seeks to strip down art to its most fundamental forms, and abstract expressionism is defined by intense emotion and spontaneity, non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism seeks to create designs without purpose or emotive imagery.

With the advent of production line art sold in retail stores internationally, it became clear that the public cared little for quality or artistic integrity, opting instead for mass-produced "wall filler". There still existed a demand for pieces that appeared artistic, but consumers were uninterested in meaning or technique. This created the perfect niche for non-expressive-post-abstract expressionistic works . According to the creator's artist's statement, "The purpose of non-expressive-post-abstract expressionism is to create background art that elicits no emotional response whatsoever. In order to prevent compelling analysis and conversation, we endeavor to create unobtrusive images that are ultimately meaningless."

Chimera

The mythical Chimera, a creature with lion and goat heads, and a snake for a tail.

For my version of the chimera I thought it would be funny to give each of the animals their own personality (rather than just making all of them look menacing). With a stupid screaming goat, an angry lion, and an aloof snake it seems like the makings of an Odd Couple style buddy comedy.

Violet-green Swallow and American Goldfinch

A couple more bird designs for sale at our ChuckleTree Etsy Store.

This time it's the Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) and American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). I decided to mix it up a bit and have the goldfinch perched on a Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare). I know the Bull Thistles are an invasive species, but I liked the bit of complimentary pink, and I have read that American Goldfinches eat their seeds.

The Vault: Ankylosaurus in an Antique Store

This is an oldie from way back in 2009. I have always enjoyed this concept, but there were a few little things about the coloring and design that bothered me, so I revisited the illustration yesterday and did a few minor changes (color changes, smaller border, etc).

I like birds!

For the last couple of years I have been keeping a life list of bird species that I have seen around the world. It currently stands at 250 species from four continents. This has really gotten me into birds, so I have been doing a number of bird cut outs.

It all started with a personal project (above) where I turned the designs into some push pins that I have scattered across my cork board. From the top left corner clockwise, the species are: Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens), Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata), and Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana). Now I am working on some designs for sale in our ChuckleTree store. Currently we have three species available (below), but I plan on adding quite a lot more in the near future.

Chestnut-Backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena)

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Prehistoric Paper Inlay Bookmarks

I recently created these bookmarks of a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex and Trilobite using a new paper inlaying technique. The fossil pieces are cut to fit into the "ground", so the surface of the bookmark is flush (except for the cracked rock texture at the base).

I really like the idea of hiding one of these in a book, only to find it years later - like some kind of archaeological dig.

We still have a few of these available at our ChuckleTree Etsy store if anyone is interested.

Exotic: Cabinet of Curiosities - Fiji Mermaid

A wunderkammer style Fiji Mermaid papercraft. I created this by cutting rigid bristol board which I covered with a light watercolor wash, and then I shaded each of the individual pieces using black pastels. I am quite pleased with the outcome!

This piece is currently available (framed) at our Etsy store.

And here are a couple of extra pictures of the piece: