Hey! Getting behind with the updates again! Things have really been busy the past two months and doing actual work has taken precedence over updating this site unfortunately. At least I've got things to blog about though, right?
Here's something I did a little while ago but I haven't showed it until now because the guys have just updated their Myspace with some new songs and this new layout to match. The band asked me to come up with something that reflected the name The Human Electric, so I had the idea of these dark figures invading houses through electricity/power lines. Pretty simple, but they liked the idea so I knocked this drawing out and then went to town colouring in Photoshop.
I also drew some portraits of the guys. They've got a few shows coming up around Melbourne/Geelong too, check 'em out if you're in the area!
Some working images.. I wanted Dorothy to look like she'd just landed on the yellow brick road from dropping out of the hurricane, so I with that in mind the composition was pretty easy to work out. My first attempt at her design was to modernise her into a hardcore farm-grrl with a bit of a 'could-kick-your-ass' vibe. I put her in cut-off jeans, a blue plaid shirt, and gave her Oz-themed tattoos and some red Vans slip-ons instead of ruby slippers. You can barely see it in this sketch but she's also rocking a 'Dark Side of The Moon' belt buckle. ;)
They wanted to go with a more feminine looking Dorothy, so I changed her back into a dress, kept the robot/tinman, scarecrow and lion tattoos and then it was just a matter of tracing it all in Illustrator and laying down some colour. I was a little bit out of my comfort zone with this one, I think I'll always prefer a pen/pencil over a mouse/tablet but it's nice to change things up once in a while, force yourself to think and work in different ways.
I'll be posting more new work in the next few days, gonna get back on this updatin' thanggg. Thanks to everyone who continues to visit despite the sporadic updating!!
So this update is waaaay delayed, but THANK YOU to all who came out to the 'Jac, Jess & The Cat' Art Show not too long ago in Geelong! The opening night was a success and I sincerely hope everyone who came out on the night had as much fun as I did and were happy with the pieces they went home with! Unfortunately none of us putting on the show remembered to take photos on the night, so all I've got is some kind of blurry shots of my walls taken before/after the opening.
I originally printed 50, but then upped the edition to 100 which means I've got a few left over and I'm making them available here on my site for you. My last two mini's (Versus vol. 1 & 2) are now sold out, so be quick on this one - they're strictly a limited edition and I won't be printing any more once they're gone. If you'd like to get your hands on one, purchasing details are below...
'Lost Cause'
28 pages of comics/sketches. Black & white.
Limited edition of 100, individually numbered.
$8 AU
(Price includes shipping and handling)
PayPal now available!
Please make payments to Paypal ID: jacpoole AT gmail.com
Other payment methods also available, just email me and
we'll sort something out. :D
I've also got a few prints left over from the show which will be up for grabs on the site soon. The online store is finally underway - launching soon!
.
And because I can rarely afford to buy any comics or art books these days, movies are where I get a lot of my inspiration. I mean it's pretty damn easy to find a movie with awesome cinematography, lighting, characters, dialogue, pacing etc to take inspiration from. Anyway, to the point, here's some fanart I drew from one of my favourite 80's thrillers that I watch all the time, 'Flatliners'. The meanest little kid back from the dead to kick your ass; Billy Mahoney....
I'd like to do a whole series of drawings of my fav movie characters/scenes one day. I'll just add that to my already massive list of things to do.
Here are a couple of 10 minute sketches I did in February. I spend a lot of time on or waiting for public transport..
And finally, I've made a new mini-comic that I'll be launching at our art show at the end of this month (see the entry below for deets). It's a 28-page, black & white, self-published little book called 'Lost Cause', containing my 2010 Hourly Comic Day effort, the 'Daily Ride' comic I did this time last year, and some designs and sketches - some of which you haven't seen! I've printed an edition of 50, and if I have any left after the show I'll sell them here. Preview pics coming soon!
I actually drew both these guys a couple years ago in my sketchbook but never posted them before; The Cat and Richie Riches...
And this is another drawing of a friend of mine, Miss Brigitte Stone, who stepped up to be the new editor recently for the magazines I work for. You can see it in print in Forte (VIC) & Tsunami (QLD) street presses as of this week.
It's always a little nerve-racking drawing friends, there's always the chance you'll unintentionally offend them with the slight exaggeration of something they may not like, but it's also great to see their reactions to them too.
Updates on the art show/new works soon!
Mock-ups on shirts - I'm not sure what colours they're actually printing.
I was playing around with that Pirate Ship drawing in photoshop yesterday and made myself a wallpaper and thought I'd share the love. I think they're big enough, but everyone's got crazy monitor sizes these days, so who knows:
1024 x 768 - 1280 x 800 - 1280 x 1024 - 1400 x 1050
(Click to open in a new tab/window)
Also, sometime around March/April I'll be having an art show which I'm getting ready for now. I'll post details or maybe a flyer for it as soon as all the details are worked out, probably in the next week. You'll be able to pick up originals (new and older pieces), a selection of colour prints and I guess whatever else I can come up with in time for the show!
Oh, I added a few things to the Gallery page that I'd somehow forgotten to add when I was putting it all together last year. And I still need to get that online store up and running soon too.
Jack Kerouac is one of my all-time favourite authors and a big inspiration to me in many ways. Late last year I came across a DVD/CD called 'One Fast Move Or I'm Gone' based around his book 'Big Sur' which was amazing... If you've read the book, or you're even just a fan of his work I highly recommend tracking it down! In true Jack style, I busted this out in one sitting while digging on good music and some fine tea. <3
Another train sketch. Hayfever's been giving me a hard time lately, I've never had it so bad. Unfortunately, rent and food comes before medication so I've just been dealing with it; wake up and start sneezing.
More to come soon! Also, I bit the bullet and signed up to Facebook recently, so look me up if you're on there!
Check them out at their myspace!
Inspired by the 1978 Joe Dante horror, Piranha. Which I found out while researching this drawing is surprise, surprise... being remade!
Luckily I was half-way through designing this new site anyway, so after brushing up on the html side of things... here we are! Spring cleaned. Actually it's been a bit overwhelming trying to get things in order around here, it seems like the closer I think I am to finishing this thing, the more I find that I need to add/make room for. It's only about 95% complete, so apologies if you find any broken links in the new site.. I'll try to fix them asap, or feel free to shoot me an email to let me know what's not up to speed.
I'm also working on a webstore for the site that i'll add a bit later. I'll have original art, Versus sketchbooks (only 4 left!) and prints, including these two below available to buy...
Limited Edition of 50 // signed & numbered
digital print // 570mm wide x 240mm high // 170gsm paper
$30AUS (free postage within AUS)
'Turfwars' 2009
Limited Edition of 50 // signed & numbered
digital print // 250gsm matte paper
paper: 450mm x 320mm high // images: 125mm x 205mm high (x2)
$30AUS (free postage within AUS)
In the meantime tho, i'm taking orders by email, or for anyone in or around the Geelong area, you can buy these two (pictured) from the guys down at Gifts For The Geek at 166 Ryrie Street, Geelong (next to KFC).
I'll be updating again shortly with some new art, but for now I thought I'd show you the original colour scheme of the Turfwars drawings:
The basic idea for these two drawings came about when I was writing notes for a new short story that references a lot of things I remember from my childhood. We didn't get a Sega MasterSystem until 1990 or something, so until then me and my sister would do what a lot of kids who grew up in the suburbs in the 80's probably also did... spend entire weekends outdoors from dawn til dusk making cubby houses, then making homemade weapons to protect said cubby houses, collecting ammunition (berries etc.), riding bmx's around and teaming up with friends to wage war against neighbourhood kids whose only crime was going to different primary schools to us. (Newtown P.S represent!)
Things could get pretty intricate - we had secret headquarters, lookouts, top secret maps, couriers, spies, the occasional double-crosser... you really had to watch yourself. Ah, it was all in good fun of course. We gave as good as we got - I don't recall anyone ever getting really hurt.
So this was kind of an homage to that era of innocence/violence.
Check back soon for new artwork!