More bed heads...

Also, I've noticed my blog's image resizing looks shit on Internet Explorer but mega-awesome on Google Chrome. Go, Google Chrome!

simplified demo

I left out a few steps (most crucially low-pass contrast -- you'll notice my range is limited here), but someone just asked how I was getting the strokes to look brushy in P-shop.  Easy!  You blur (in this case filter>noise>median) and smudge!

I owe the smudge technique to Kieran Yanner who, of course, is leagues ahead of me with color.  But once I find a way to compartmentalize that, I'm comin' for ya!!!

bald dudes 'n' lizard things

brain on autopilot

Mo' quotes...

Pinned a few new girl-centric quotes on Babe Lab.

Some are from "Dames, Dolls & Gun Molls : The Art of Robert A. Maguire" and "Bettie Page : Queen of Hearts", both by Jim Silke.

....loooove me some quotes!

lifedrawing log - 04.24.10

It's a poor artist who blames his tools. In lifedrawing, the model is, in effect, a tool in creating a pleasing image. I'll abide many things, but when people start making lame, outside excuses for their own ineptitude, as Crabby Pants Pastel does by blaming the model for her artistic misfires, someone eventually needs to call them on it. So today I went off on a tear that will pretty much assure I won't be going to that session anymore. Congrats if you're reading this, Crabby! You finally made me lose all composure! I don't think it was worth it, seeing as I'll be missing out on some great models and a great moderator, but I won't miss you one fucking bit, I guarantee. Crabby Pants Pastel -- shirker of gesture, paper defiler -- your artistic development died a long time ago. I hope the rest of you isn't far behind.

applicable Simpsons .wav

AM session (cut short)


PM session


Total reversal of mood. This model got it. Has it. Whatever you want to call it. Totally fun session with no bullshit. And yes, at one point she wore a dinosaur mask.


...and a gasmask.

portrait 13

Source : cover art for Noisia's "Split The Atom"
I realized a lot of my heads/portraits/caricatures/whatever have closed mouths. Gonna focus on drawing more teeth 'n' gums!



Recent autodestruct playlist :

Noisia "Split The Atom" [Vision]
Hybrid "Disappear Here" [Distinctive Breaks]
Trifonic "Emergence"
Ent "Welcome Stranger" [n5MD]
Balmoreah "Constellations" [Western Vinyl]
Red Sparowes "The Fear Is Excruciating But Therein Lies The Answer" [Sargent House]
Blockhead "The Music Scene" [Ninja Tune]
Vex'd "Cloud Seed" [Planet Mu]
Starkey "Ear Drums And Black Holes" [Planet Mu]
Breakage "Foundation" [Digital Sound Boy]
Scuba "Triangulation" [Hot Flush]
Tribal Tul "Triple" [Tribal]
Sentient "The Space Between" [Zenon]
V/A "New Blood 010" [Med School/Hospital]
V/A "Are You Jiviin' Yet?" [Adapted]
V/A "Breakfast of Champions" [Morning Monster]
V/A "Haiti Appeal Project" [Organic]

Missed albums :
Tipper "Wobble Factor"
Way Out West "We Love Machine" [Hope]

sketches - 04.21.10

These were done after sketch night, where I spent more time yammering and complaining than actually drawing. Inspector Kemp showed up (just couldn't leave him alone!), and so did a couple characters in the episode of Ugly Americans I had on in the background. Painfully unfunny show, btw. Thought it'd be remotely on par with Superjail since Augenblick Studios had a hand in it, which I guess was an unreasonable expectation to begin with. Few things are better than Superjail.

portrait 12

Many thanks to Virginia Critchfield for showing me civilwarphotos.net.



He reminds me a lot of Inspector Kemp from Young Frankenstein, minus the monocle and screw-on hand.

Another astute officemate pointed out that I'm making these guys less weird than they actually are. I'm subconsciously trying to "fix" them when I should be going in the exact opposite direction. For example, I could have played up his ridiculously high collar, deeply inset raccoon eyes and bushy, bushy chops-- formed more of an opinion about him before I plunged in. I think opinion is what separates lively portraiture/caricature from dead reproductions. Only so much is actually important about people, and the rest can just go away or be downplayed.

portrait 11

Some curly haired girl. Blending cheek lines and the area where it meets the muzzle and chin is stupid-hard.

420 doodles

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudeeeee....



A few things from the portraits have started to bleed into my head-sketches, I'm happy to say. The more I can think in planes vs. nebulous shapes, the better.

recent Babe Lab post edit :

portrait 10

Cop from Mark Laita's photos. Thanks to Grace Liu for cluing me in.

portrait 09

Keeley Hazell
This one's for you, Billy.