Sketchbook Sharing: Talking Heads (Plus Party Progress!)

Something I've noticed in getting back into daily sketching is that I tend to get caught up in the little details very easily.

It was while watching an interview with Martin Scorsese on TV that I hit on the idea of digging up interviews with people I admire. When the focus is just on a face, moving just casually, I can create a more impressionistic portrait than I can from looking at a photo. It also means I have to pick out which details are important very quickly.

Curiously I noticed that when I draw a face the first thing I render is the eyebrows and nose. No idea why.

Martin Scorsese

Alfred Hitchcock

Orson Welles

Last week asked for feedback on ideas for a new illustration. The responses you provided nothing short of incredible. They were so articulate and encouraging that I was riding high on those replies for the rest of the week.

Based on your comments I've created a more refined scale drawing with more defined character placement, perspective and light-shadow contrast. 

In this upcoming week I plan to practice drawing the figures and experiment with various poses to decide what looks best.

Now I'd like to hear from you. Like I said, I love reading your comments.

Any fellow artists have some quick-drawing tips? Are there some particular people or characters you'd like to see me draw? 

LOEB: Something Blue

This past weekend, I stumbled across the sketches of artist Shane Glines, character designer for Batman Beyond and Beware the Batman. His drawings are influenced heavily by the style of illustrators from the '50s and 60s, and his sketchbooks contain plenty of doodles of leading actors from the era.

Sensing a common interest, I started to draw my own renditions of Old Hollywood and classic TV icons in portraits various hues of colored pencil to make my sketchbook look more vibrant. It just so happens that most of them were in blue. The plan was I could work freely in color so that I could trace over them and tighten up the detail with either ink or just a regular pencil later on, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Oddly enough I think knowing the I was free to be loose with my lines ended up making them look more precise. Go figure.

 

Boris Karloff (who I almost wish I had drawn in green) checking out Carolyn Jones

Veronica Lake, Simone Simone and Yvonne Craig as Batgirl. There is always room for Batgirl.

I keep many pictures in my Inspirations file, photos and illustrations, to help aid in the creative process.
Here are some in this week's particular hue.

  

Robert Fawcett

Roy Krenkel - Albert Drake

 Shelli Paroline - James Bingham

Robert McGinnis

Jon Whitcomb

Xavier Ramonede

James Bingham

Carter Goodrich

James Bingham (Again)

Stevan Dohanos

George Hughes

Lynne Naylor

Edmund Dulac

Chris Reccardi

Norman Rockwell

Will Eisner

Concept Art from "Kiki's Delivery Service"

Kelsey Shannon

Power Rangers!

While I work I'll often listen to instrumental music, particularly movie soundtracks. One of my favorite movies of all time in the 1965 drama film "A Patch of Blue" and it has a beautiful score to match its quality. Its a quiet, soothing melody, in contrast to Jerry Goldsmith's later action movie marches.




Also, I acquired the soundtrack to "Fantasia 2000" this weekend. The "Rhapsody in Blue" sequence is easily my favorite part of the film and adding the tune to my collection was long overdue.



Other Blue Leaguers:
* Nerd Rage starts out right with the Blues Brothers
* The Goodwill Geek spells it out nicely
* Cave of Cool gives us a Blue Blizzard

Introduction, Influences and Interests

Greetings follow denizens of the Internet! Last week we got class back in session, so no we have the chance to get to know each other a little better.

My name is Erik Allan Johnson, a freelance illustrator currently living in Michigan. I attended the Columbus College of Art and Design were I received my Bachelor's degree in Illustration with a minor in art history.

My exceptionally tidy studio space.

There has been long standing speculation to where my artistic talent originated. My family has a long history of people with a strong urge to understand how things work. My contribution to this legacy is my fascination with the unique and personal nature of telling stories. When I read a comic or watch a movie, I'm always trying to identify the mechanics of the narrative and recognize how we communicate ideas.

My favorite subjects to draw are human figures and faces. I find portraits fun because they can be so loose and expressive and yet at the same time be chiseled with distinct and often geometric features.

Comics were my initial introduction to the wide world of commercial art. While I have spent years gaining inspiration from dozens of other artists, illustrators, and even drawing directly from life, that kind of style is still a major influence on the look of my work. I tend to gravitate towards crisp lines and play with contrast between black and white forms likely in inspired by comics like Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes or Will Eisner's The Spirit.

 

That's not to say I don't work in color or with non human subjects on occasion.

More about me and my work can be seen on these other sites:

* To see my full portfolio, check out my official website
* To keep up with my latest work, either follow this blog, my Facebook Fan Page or my DeviantArt Gallery.
* To see the kind of stuff that inspires me, check out my Pinterest

Get to know some of the other League Members:
* Goodwill Geek is a kid at heart.
* Miss M reveals her real name!
* Geek Show Ink will have you know that Green is his favorite color.
* This Space For Rent shares a brief bio

Summer Studies 2013

A collection of portraits I drew over the past few months while at the church's summer Bible study for students.

Study Sketches

Once again its time to test my skills in quick gesture and observational drawing, courtesy of the lingering and mingling at the end of the Bible Study that I attend.

 The Note on the left says "Josiah kinda looks like Macaulay Culkin."

 

Notice how Jared's face gradually becomes more chiseled with each drawing.

 

Kyle appears more awake and attentive now that he knows he is being drawn.