fairytale friday installment 6: pied piper

Last week I hinted that it would be another music related fairy tale and here it is, the pied piper. The crowd quickly changes from rats to children to display the progression of the story and how the pied piper turns quickly onto the townspeople when they neglect to pay him. I carried the purple from the design elements representing the music through to the children to reflect the control it has over them. I am pretty happy with how the colors turned out in print so make sure to pick up a copy of FFWD to see it in person. As always you can take a look at the other fairy tale illustrations I have posted on my blog here.

Below are some process shots as well as the finished piece.

I got some questions about my process last week. I think I mentioned I use a brush in one of my posts and a couple people asked if I was referring to a Photoshop brush, I was referring to an actual brush for when I do my ink and brush work (likewise I was asked if when I say inking I mean digital inking, but it's old fashioned wet, analog ink in this case haha).

Your song of the day is The Platinum Pied Pipers' "On a Cloud"

raptor roller derby of death

My newest piece for the comic expo, RAPTOR ROLLER DERBY OF DEATH!
I decided to make a roller derby inspired piece last week while hanging out with a friend who is on a roller derby team (who goes by the pseudonym Bar Brawl Walters).
I wanted to give it a comic book feel as well as make it a bit campy after being really inspired by various comics last year, especially the book King City which you should read. I also wanted it to be sort of a gladiator scenario.

Prints of this one coming soon!

Here's your post related song of the day:

crystal elephant

Here is a look at one of the first pieces I have made for the upcoming Comic and Entertainment Expo.

I came up with the idea of giving an elephant crystal tusks, which I thought was pretty cool, and then it just evolved from there.

Here is your song of the day, not post related but my favorite of the year so far, James Blake's "Retrograde":

fairytale friday installment #5: little boy blue

Here is installment #5 of my ongoing series for FFWD Weekly, it's little boy blue. More of a Nursery Rhyme than a Fairy Tale perhaps, but I read the comic book Fables a couple years ago and Boy Blue was one of my favorite characters. It made me interested in what other things these fictional characters may get up to when the whole world wasn't reciting the story that has entered the general consciousness. When creating this piece I was thinking about what Little Boy Blue might be dreaming of while asleep on the job, so it has taken abit more of a surreal twist than the narrative of the nursery rhyme we are all used to hearing.

I also always like drawing music related subject matter, so this was a good excuse to do just that. Next week may be music related as well...

This one was a bit simpiler than past weeks (you can see them all here; just scroll through), so the process was pretty quick. Here are some process shots.

Here is your post related song of the day!

John Lesbian Seagull x Seven Story Redhead gig poster

John Lesbian Seagull, Seven Story Redhead, and Seventeen will be playing at Costello's on March 13th! That's the day after my birthday so I'll probably be listening from the bar reevaluating my life! Above is the gig poster I made for the show.

Listen to John Lesbian Seagull below.

the weir gig poster

Gig poster I did for The Weir, they will be performing at Costello's on March 6th, I saw them play during last Sled Island when they opened for Boris, and they killed. Chieftain will be opening. For more info you can take a look at the Facebook event page here.

You can listen to some of The Weir's songs below.

another bad

I painted my friend Mandy's friend "Jenny Trash" from a photo of hers...I don't know her.. is that weird?

This is a bad Bad it doesn't really look like a Bad Portrait to me...still dig it though.