2015 in review

2015: what a year! THANK YOU so much everyone, for all your support over this past year! Here is 2015 in review via paintings completed. Looking forward to an exciting and productive 2016!

THAT LAUGH! - reference sculptures

Meant to share this with you all and then (I admit) I totally forgot about it, even after customizing a box for it and everything. While I was making the painting 'THAT LAUGH!', I had made small head sculptures of Daffy and Porky to draw them from tricky angles. With Daffy, I was trying to figure out what his bill would look like in an oblique angle (not often seen in cartoons). With Porky, I cheated a little bit - Porky doesn't actually have much of a neck, but in the painting he does, even though you don't see it.

THAT LAUGH! - last laugh

This is an excerpt from my latest painting called 'THAT LAUGH!'. It is a visual feast of terror, laughter and anxiety and I can't wait to show it to you all! Come chat with me at the YES Montreal Art Expo, March 20-21st and to see the painting in person. (I'll post the final painting in it's entirety after the event.) I will have many other works on display and for sale too. http://www.yesmontreal.ca/en/artists/library/1345

THAT LAUGH! - almost done!

So, I'm just adding the finishing touches to the painting 'THAT LAUGH!'. Find out what's so funny when you see the painting at the YES Art Expo March 19-21! Info here: http://www.yesmontreal.ca/en/artists/library/1345

And the laughter continues...

Hope you all had a great weekend! Here is more development from the 'THAT LAUGH!' painting still in progress...

THAT LAUGH! - more progress

Sorry for the lack of posts, my friends. Here is some more progress from the 'THAT LAUGH!' painting.

Still blocking in the base colors here. The lightning will be painted over. It is painted here so I know where to blend the highlights in the sky. Since the lightning has to fit around the text (the laughter that will be painted last), I can't arbitrarily paint it anywhere. If you look close you can see the pencil outlines of where I retraced the characters.

THAT LAUGH! - transfering the painting

I took the final drawing, scanned it, enlarged it in a digital file and got it printed at the exact size of the surface I would be painting it on. 

Next, I added graphite to the back to transfer the image on the panel once I added the neutral base tone. I recommend buying a 4B or 6B graphite stick - if you use a pencil, it's going to take you forever. Also, be generous with coverage so you can see your lines easier.  (Which is the reason why I recommend darker lead.)

Doing it this way LITERATELY saves me hours of time by not having to calculate the drawing at a larger scale. AND - you can just retrace the drawing if the guidelines get lost while you're painting!

THAT LAUGH! - color study

Here is the rough color version completed with acrylic on illustration board. Some things will still change in the final, but this basically sets the palette.
This study will be available on my online store once the final painting is complete: 
http://jonodoironstudio.storenvy.com/

THAT LAUGH! - color thumbnails

Here is more progress on the #painting 'THAT LAUGH!'. These are some color study thumbnails. Which one do you like best? Just like the tonal study, I decided to make a color study with traditional media too. (Unlike what I usually do, which is make a digital mockup and then just print it out for reference. Doing it that way saves more time, but after doing the tonal in pencil, doing the color solely digital felt like a cop-out to me.)

THAT LAUGH! - completed tonal study

Tonal study is all done! Here is a much better image of the top half of the drawing for the #painting 'THAT LAUGH!'. 

This drawing will be for sale once the painting is completed for anyone interested. To be contacted once it's available, please send me an E-mail with your request.