Pro tip: It’s easier when you don’t think it either.

Happy anniversary, Benjamin and Sara! I did this set in August 2007 for my friends’ wedding. The bride and groom framed them and gave them to the wedding party.

This was one of my earliest ventures in doing the actual art for Moonlings digitally. There’s something great about the raw ones, but the benefits of the digital execution can’t be denied either. At this point, I’m looking for approaches for doing hybrids, seeking the best of both worlds. We’ll see!

When it is not apparent to me that logic is on my side, I preface my vehemence with this disclaimer.

This is a photo of a print from a limited run I did based on a previous Moonling. It is entitled “I saw it poop!”

This piece was created using woodcut (three blocks). The mutliblock woodcut process goes something like this:

Carve the surface of a block of wood leaving only the area that you want to print. Do the same thing for as many other blocks of wood as you want in order to make up a complete picture, one block for each color. Then you ink the block that needs to be printed first and press it into the paper. You have to let it dry before you do the next color. The last block to print on this piece was the black.

I thought I would share some photos from the process of creating this last piece. Above, the canvas has been coated with flat latex. The linework is already on the piece at this point. I apologize that I don’t have images from before this stage. I work from much smaller sketches that give me an initial idea of how I want to work the composition.

I don’t draw under-drawings directly on the canvas; I use a simple graphite transfer from a sheet of large paper where I have drawn a large version of my sketch. With the impression of the linework now on top of the latex, I then ink the lines in various weights.

Above, I’ve secured a sheet of paper on the canvas with the lettering written out on it.

The reverse of the sheet is covered with graphite.

As I write over the lettering, the loose graphite is transferred onto the canvas.

I then ink over the impression.

More inking.

It’s not an exact process, but I’m always trying to get the final piece to be faithful to the sketch.

After the initial ink, I add acrylics. The red is mixed, but the white is straight from the tube. Afterward, much of the linework needs redone before the piece is complete.

Also – happy birthday, Dad!

Happy valentines day!

I’m excited to share this new piece I just completed last week on commission! If you didn’t catch the reference, I must advise that you watch The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou! I hadn’t seen it when I was asked to do the painting, and to tell you the truth I’m still trying to figure it out. I don’t usually prefer to reference other works overtly, but in this case, I made an exception; If the reference isn’t cryptic enough, the movie certainly was.

I’m making a color palette change. I hope you like it!

Incidentally, this is a remake of a previous post.

The bunny outfit increases your agility, both in ground speed and vertical hop.

The downside is that you’re “pwecious”.