Tim W11(Finally Finished): Neo Classical

Disclaimer: It's now 3am, so I may vehemently disavow all text that follows at a later date.

Hey look I finished my "Re-imagined Masterpiece"! For this weeks topic I used Ingres: "La Grande Odalisque (1814)", but since this is the "Rust Belt Monster Collective" and not the "Stuffed Shirt Snooty Academic Collective" (i'm just kidding BFA peeps... chill) I drew a robot chick.

If I remember my Art History, Ingres was a pretty mainstream academic Neoclassicist in his day, a movement that looked to the past for its inspiration, so using one of his paintings to inspire a futuristic fantasy is pretty funny to me. But then again, the academic style of the time was to paint Nymphs and Satyrs fornicating (-my attempt at keeping my RBMC PG-13 ish...at least in the text), a theme that is pretty fantastical, so maybe i'm not that far off.

Hey If you want to see my process in making this masterpiece head on over to my blog

Week 12: The Simpsons!

It's Finally Here! The week I know all you lil'rustbelt-ers have been waiting for! It's "The Simpsons" week! So we get to draw some cool art inspired by THE BEST TV SHOW OF ALL TIME (trust me, it is, I've checked)! Now, enough blabbing,  on to the art!

Tim, W11: This is not a post

So I know what you're thinking..."Tim, this IS a post", and you would be right, but its not the post that I want to post, it's just a place holder until I finish my "Week 11: Re-imagine a masterpiece" piece. It's just taking longer that I thought (I procrastinated more then I usually do). So for now you get Magritte, and a digital image of his surrealist painting of a pipe (that's not a pipe, but a painting of a pipe).

Week 11: The Abduction Of Psyche Into Space

I've been looking forward to this week as an excuse to continue a theme of my own.  There's something about turning Cupid into an astronaut that sums up my style.  It just looks so cool! 

It's based on this piece here, and it certainly won't be the last time I visit this theme.

WEEK 11: The Artist's (severed) Left Hand

 A few months back I read an article in Artist's Magazine tucked way in the back. Theodore Gericault was truly an incredible artist. His depiction of survivors of shipwreck in The Raft of the Medusa, is both beautiful and disturbing. His series of portraits of the mentally insane captures that certain gleam in the eye, one I've seen on a few occasions, that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Gericault was described as both "manically creative and recklessly self-destructive" and suffered with deep bouts of depression. But his mastery over painting earned him the title of the progenitor of French Romanticism.
 However, on the disturbing side....While working in preparation for The Raft, it was reported that Gericault was prone to smuggling corpses and severed body parts into his studio. The man got into his work, an artistic amalgamation of Edgar Allen Poe and Victor Frankenstein. One of his last works..or maybe it was his last, was of his left hand. Illustrated in watercolor and while bedridden, Gericault worked until the bitter end passing away at the age of only 33.  His story was both inspirational and...well...at times, just downright creepy. Which left me with this. My version done in pencil, bic pen, ink washes, white paint marker and red ink at 8 1/2 x 11 bogus paper. That's right...bogus.

Week 11: Mash up

I am supposed to be at a certain vaudeville game show right now so I'll make this quick...

Madame Klimt?

What if Singer Sargent and Klimt collaborated? I love these artists and it was fun doing homage to both of them in the same little (5x5) painting. Also great to paint again, I didn't realize how much I missed it.

This painting uses the following mediums (in order): charcoal, watercolor, gauche, colored pencil, handmade paper, acrylic, and the kitchen sink... er, water from the kitchen sink. Enjoy!

Wk 11: Looking up to Van Gogh

I have the painting "Starry Night" on the wall, above my TV.  My girlfriend brought it when she moved in and I find myself having a deeper appreciation than I had before.  Also, its nice to be able to glance up at something classic between video game sessions and zombie movies.  For this piece, I wanted to pay homage to the original while changing the composition and doing it digitally.  Just focusing on the tree and a select number of stars helped me to keep within the time constraints I had this week.  Also, I hadn't done any real digital painting in about a month and I just wanted to play around with it again.

Personal Blog: Still-Reaching
Twitter: NeedYourDisease

Wk.11: Take that Emmit Kelly!

Little did I know that between hocking art supplies, painting masterpieces and inventing teeth whitening Rembrandt was the progenitor of the creepy clown painting! This is merely a quick reproduction in colored pencil and Photoshop but I think it retains some of the basic creepiness that all clown painting have. That soul crushing emptiness of the hobo clown with the madman gaze that haunt our nightmares. There you go, nighty night!

Week 11: Reimagine A Masterpiece

 

Think we're all robots, zombies, and comic books here at the RBMC?  Convinced we spend out free time in pajamas watching cartoons?  Well then, you are in for a surprise, dear viewer.  Not only are we meanest, leanest illustrators this side of the Cuyahoga, but we are also well read, fancy pants, art lovers!

 

That's right! We get just as geeked out about Caravaggio as we do about Crumb!     

So put on some classical music, pour a glass of wine, and get ready to see the monsters reimagine their favorite masterpieces.

No promises there won't be robots, and zombies.

Week 10: Take To The Stars

The death of Moebius is the first time I've ever been moved by the passing of someone who I've never met.  

When I was 14, I had no idea that the magazine that I got grounded for would move my art into such a dramatically different direction.  Heavy Metal (and Robert Crumb) was the first time I ever thought of comics as anything but guys in tights, and shaped the way I approached everything.  It was the visual equivalent of an acid trip.  Stuff looks weird, and when it's through your mind has been expanded. 

It took until I was 30 to get into art school, and an uncle shipped me a giant box of his old Heavy Metal magazines. That was when I saw Moebius with the eyes of someone with some foundation at his back.  Moebius wasn't just comics with naked ladies and spaceships (can't front on that), it was art.  From that point, I've kept those magazines on my nightstand.  I look at them at least once a week.  It keeps me going, and inspires almost every drawing I've ever made.

Thank you so much sir.

My post this week is a layout that got out of hand in my sketchbook.  I drew the woman on the rocket planning to watercolor her on a piece of bristol later.  As the week went on, I kept adding things to my sketchbook page until I was left with 6 characters sad as their friend blasts off to space.  I thought that was more appropriate than something finished.

Week 10: Moebius Blueberry

My love for westerns is pretty well known in most cricles...so it was a given that I would tackle Blueberry..(Although the film Heavy Metal came a close 2nd.) So I'll throw my placeholder up until I'm finished. But with Tims piece so breathtakingly illustrated I will try and do Moebius and Tim, justice.

Update 3/21/12-
The passing of Moebius I predict will have just as a long, heartfelt affect as his art did for all of us who read Heavy Metal magazine. In all honesty it wasn't until the film Heavy Metal came out that I began to revisit the magazine and Moebius' art. However I hate to admit that I've never read Blueberry. I've seen the flik Renegade, based on the character...but other than images of his exquisite work on the series, I've yet to read it. I hope to rectify that very...very soon. That being said of the images I've seen, more so than anything else, personally it was his attention to details and his backgrounds in that series that just blew me away. So I wanted to do a piece that was a tribute to not only him as an artist, but a send off to one of those few human beings that have the gift to influence...entertain...and motivate people.

Tim W10: Lt. Blueberry

It was difficult to decide what I wanted to draw for this week, Moebius has such huge catalogue of awesome comics, but I went with "Blueberry". One, because it's an excellent comic, and two, because Blueberry is one of the few Moebius comics that I have a copy of (unfortunately they are hard to come by here*).

Anyway, this drawing is ink on paper, and is 18"x 24", colored in photoshop. If you want to see the original un-colored drawing you check it out at my personal blog here: timswitalski.blogspot.com


*weird fun fact*, earlier this week my friend gave me a trunk filled a bunch of old comics from the 70's and 80's, and I was ecstatic to find a copy of one of the "Silver Surfer" comic Moebius did for Marvel, as expected it's beyond awesome! I was also delighted to find out that Marvel is re-releasing this story in a hardcover later this spring so, I can read the whole thing.

Week 10: Moebius Week

I finished this sketch a few days ago, but a hectic week kept me from finishing it.  I may complete it, I may not. Starting this piece, I realized that I don't know much about Moebius.  I think I first heard of him when watching some extra features referencing him on Blade Runner.  So I started to go through his work and saw a lot of expansive wastelands bathed in purple and yellow and devices with a lot of intricate detail.  Everything had a very nice "lived in" feel and you could tell that everything he drew on a character or building, had a function.  So I think I was trying to go more for that "feel" than any specific character.

Wk 10: Sark

When I think of Moebius I always think of this character design, this or the Cop costume design from Fifth Element. Something about the bull neck and heavy forearms my eye has always picked up on in his work. Yeah I know, of the multitude of awesomeness that could be gleaned from his work why this? Tron was my introduction to Moebius and if this week has taught me anything about his work is I have a painfully small collection of his stuff around my house.

The final piece is a ink drawing on velum colored in Photoshop. You can find my preliminary sketch here if you are so inclined.

Week 10: Moebius

Its Sunday night and I think we are all realizing that honoring Moebius is a much more important job than 1 week will allow. I want to do SO much, but I don't have the time or energy right now to give the drawing the attention it deserves.

So... Here is a doodle. I promise it will turn into much more very soon:

Week 9: Porcupine Concubine

The only redeeming factor of the film Night Breed..(that is until they release the new directors cut...if that ever happens) were the sets of this film. The upper level gated graveyard...and the underground dwelling of the city of monsters, Midia. Nightmarish, dark and incredible. Kind of a more grown up version of Monsters Inc...And the creatures of the film. From the serial killing therapist, played by Croenenburg, to the monsters themselves.  
 I've been trying to stretch and grow with my painting skills...So I chose the female form. For me personally, a much harder canvas to paint. No hard edges..no bulking muscle masses. Soft, supple...and in this case..full of poisonous quills. I chose Shuna Sassi. The concubine of the Night Breed...hiding in the city of Midia. This is pen and ink, acrylics. I've been studying a lot of an artist work, Gabe Leonard...and want to try a few of the techniques he uses. Mainly inking with paint instead of ink...if that makes sense. Next go around for sure.

Week 10: A tribute to Jean 'Moebius' Giraud

This week legendary illustrator Jean"Moebius" Giraud passed away, leaving the world with decades worth of his beautiful illustrations, and influencing countless artists across every spectrum imaginable. From the fine arts to comics, to video games and movies, Moebius's imagination influenced us all. Here at the RBMC we pay tribute to the life and art of arguably one of the greatest artistic minds of the 20th century, by dedicating this weeks topic to a true legend. Moebius you will be missed, but you will live forever in your art.

Thank you,
 RBMC

Here in the states, Moebius's comics can be hard to come by (hopefully this changes at some point soon), but I cannot recommend more highly reading any comic of his at any chance you get, they are simply amazing. I have included a few links to some nice tributes to Moebius and a few galleries of his work, I hope you enjoy them as immensely as I have.

 comicsalliance.com 

theairtightgarage.tumblr (awesome Moebius archive)

bleedingcool.com (nice Moebius comic work gallery)

www.bleedingcool.com (Some film concept work)

io9.com/moebius (more art)

io9.com (cool slideshow at the top of the page)
capnscomics.blogspot.com (awesome Moebius collection) 

Tim, W9: Ralph McQuarrie Tribute Concept Vader!

awesome finished update post:

Hey Look! I got my act together and actually finished this tribute piece! It has been a really long time since I drew Darth Vader, I used to draw him a lot when I was a kid, he is probably my favorite film villain. In all of those many adolescent drawings I always tried to draw him on model from the movie, with this drawing I wanted to give him more of his pre-film Ralph McQuarrie concept look (there are many), I went with the longer mouth that almost resembles a wolf snout, and a wider samurai influenced helmet. 

For all of you sadists out there (you know who you are) I posted a few process images of this piece on my personal sketch blog: timswitalski.blogspot.com 

and a larger version of this image can be found here: timswit.deviantart.com

original lazy unfinished post:

Well... in the never ending battle of Tim vs. Art, Art has won...for now mu-hu-hahahah (evil laugh). This one just got the better of me, and I'm tired and I'm gonna go to bed. This image is just a place holder until I'm finished and post the final in all of its Sith-y goodness (yes, I know "Sith-y goodness" is quite a contradiction (remember I'm tired))!

Week 9: Roots

I spent a few days looking through Mr. McQuarrie's work, and as much I tried I couldn't get away from that elongated Vader helmet.  The Dagobah paintings were a close second, so I did what I could to combine the two.

Thank you for the inspiration.

Rancor Babies, they make your dreams come true!

I wasn't sure which Ralph McQuarrie design or movie I would choose until I saw this painting he did for Jedi:

And then - it came to me in a flash. I would draw one of the most powerful love stories ever... told...

This is just a quick Adobe Illustrator sketch. Maybe 2 hours? Ta da!
Rest in peace Ralph...

McQuarrie Tribute: IG-88

It was difficult finding what of Ralph McQuarrie's to draw that wasn't Darth or Boba. Those 2 character designs are so strong it's hard to escape their gravity, but then so many of his designs are instantly iconic. Sure his Darth wasn't exactly like the final one we know but the cannon he set for the character was unmistakeable, he set the beats you had to hit to get that character right. Same goes for Boba, Stormtroopers, all of them. Even with the side characters.
I've seen a lot of drawings of IG-88, they are all different but all IG-88. Tall, thin, conic head and too many red eyes to count and it's ol' Iggy. The reason that works speaks to McQuarrie's understanding that when you design a character, keep it simple stupid. Make 'em so you could pick them out from a distance. That's what makes his stuff fun to draw for the rest of us, hit the beats he set and you got it.

This piece I confess was pretty quick, ballpoint pen drawing and colored in Photoshop. I've been playing a lot with the halftone screen lately thanks to Tim's influence and a more lively line thanks to Jim. That's one of the things I've enjoyed a lot doing this weekly blog, playing with things I see in the work of the other Monsters. It's like getting to play with someone's action figures.

Ralph McQuarrie Tribute: Jabba Watcher

I was looking through the various concept paintings that Ralph McQuarrie did for the Star Wars films when noticed a large, lumbering figure off to the side of the Jabba the Hut painting.  I was pretty sure the character was never represented in Return of the Jedi so I thought I'd give him a shot.

For this piece I decided to work on paper again and try drawing "bigger".  I was spending a lot of time on smaller drawings with a limited amount of line mileage.  Thought that this time I would try and change it up a bit.  If I had to change something, I would try to better represent the length of the characters head.  I'm not sure that it comes across as well as I would have liked.  Next week I'm going to try and finally crack into a couple of books on color theory as I feel like I may have hit a wall with my rendering.

Here is the Jabba painting and the character I referenced:

UPDATE: Thanks to a member of deviantart.com, I now know that the character's name is Hermi Odle.  Guess he was in the movie.  My Bad.

See the original sketch at my blog: Still-Reaching.blogspot.com

Twitter: NeedYourDisease

Week 9: A tribute to Ralph McQuarrie

This past weekend legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie passed away. Many of you may not know him by name but, you know his work.  Ralph McQuarrie created concept artwork for a huge number of beloved films including  E.T., Total Recall, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Back to the Future. Any of those films alone would place Mr. McQuarrie squarely in the upper echelon of designers, but he is perhaps best know as the artist who George Lucas first hired to conceptualize the "Star Wars" universe. Ralph McQuarrie is responsible for visualizing characters and concepts that have ignited the imaginations of generations of artists and undoubtedly will continue to do so long after all of us reading this are gone. For all of these reasons, we here at "Rust Belt" central have decided to pay tribute to the work of this amazing artist.

For a better understanding of Ralph McQuarrie's art and life PLEASE check out his website www.ralphmcquarrie.com, and to see excellent examples of his "Star Wars" work and read a touching tribute by George Lucas,  go here Ralph McQuarrie Remembered (this one is very much worth it)

Tim W8: Don Krang!

Just think about, ...somewhere, deep down in the pit of your stomach (pun #1), you've always had a "gut feeling"(and pun #2) that Donald Trump was secretly an android body being driven by Krang the gooey conqueror brain from Dimension X...and you were RIGHT!!

Week 8: Gen. Patton. War Machine.

Better late than never I'd wager...As a kid one of the films that made an impression on me was George C. Scotts portrayal of Gen. Patton....and since I spent last week working on a piece with robots..I stayed with that direction. Pen, ink...marker, acrylics. I trying to limit my time on these...force myself to work faster and more practical with what I have. 3 hours...2 on pencils and inks....a couple hours drying time to be sure the inks didn't bleed on me. And then colors, 1 hour.

Week 8: You Can Call Me Siggy

Sigmund Freud: Evil Genius.  Every Evil Genius has sexy ladies hanging around.  Or maybe that's what I told myself as I decided what to draw.

Week 8: Super Prez

Another quicky from me this week. Only 2 days until my second back-to-back show opens and I get my boring life back.. Woo-hoo!

This is just charcoal on paper with some oil pastel. Is he good or evil? You decide!

Week 8: AC vs. DC!!!

Thomas Alva Edison scientist and MADMAN, but it's not entirely his fault. Mad Scientist Disorder as we've seen with the immortal Ben Franklin comes with the profession. Any level of success in the super sciences plus a bend toward the prolific could only lead to nefarious work. Luckily there are warning signs: 1) Publishing an Almanac under a pseudonym. 2) Nap invention. 3) Creating instruments out of tableware. 4) Invention of a talking to the dead machine. If you see anyone exhibiting any of these behaviors contact local authorities and together we can rid the world of the scourge of Mad Science!
Nothing too fancy about this technique this week, just mechanical pencil and Photoshop. Hope you enjoy.

Week 8: Benjamin Franklin Takes His Revenge!

I'm sure we can all agree that if Benjamin Franklin lived an extra 300 years, that he would eventually use his abilities for evil.  That is why I present to you, what I feel, is a pretty accurate representation of The Franklin.  Hell bent on vengeance and armed with electric gauntlets and super electric fly boots (of Evil), he leaves no survivors.

Sketched on paper, inked in Sketchbook Pro, colored in Photoshop.  Found some success in worker at a much higher resolution and in Sketchbook Pro and discovering the "rotate canvas" feature while watching a tutorial from the Paper Wings Podcast.

See the original sketch (loosely scrawled on a legal pad) at my blog: Still-Reaching.
Twitter: NeedYourDisease

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