Till The End - thumbnails

Some thumbnail studies of a new painting in the works called 'Till The End' drawn on my animation disc. I pretty much know the composition I want now. The next step is to scale it up and start refining it. 

YES Montreal Art Expo starts tonight!

The YES Montreal Art Expo starts TONIGHT (at 4:30 - 8:00pm)! Come say 'hello'. I'll be at booth 30. http://bit.ly/1ENwYbL

YES Montreal Art Expo - THIS WEEK!

Another reason to attend the YES Art Expo this Friday and Satuday: I will bring along with me some folders containing my development drawings that I will flip through with you and show you my process. (I will have many drawings for sale as well.) I look forward to seeing you there! You can find more info here. 

LAST YEAR'S FEARS - video of the opening

Thank you videographer, Claudel Désir , Galerie Abyss and all artists involved! If you were unable to make it to the opening of LAST YEAR'S FEARS - here is what you missed:

Show runs until Saturday Feb.28th! https://www.facebook.com/events/1540896099516718/1552117668394561/?comment_id=1552124938393834&notif_t=event_mall_comment

Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney

I've been learning so much from this book since I bought it 2 months ago. 'Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter' by James Gurney. Excellent comprehensive resource for any painter (regardless of medium) wanting to understand and incorporate more of those two devices into their work. 

(Available online and in most book stores. If you buy it directly from James Gurney, he'll even sign it for you: http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter )
 

Cereal Siege painting video

 

Here's a quick video I made about the making of the painting 'Cereal Siege' and the Thoughts & Progress booklets I sell.  I still have some booklets left... for now.

Also, if you never read the article I wrote about what influenced the painting, here it is again: http://www.jonodoiron.blogspot.ca/2014/07/cereal-siege-essay.html

Syn Studio - Foundations of Painting course

I've been simultaneously taking a course at Syn Studio ('Foundations of Painting' taught by Illustrator and fine artist, Charles Vinh) that just ended last night. What a great experience! Charles taught me new techniques to block in my paintings that I plan to use on future works. Here are the 3 paintings from the 10 week course (including my first painting from a live model).

                                           Live model study painted in four 3 hour sessions.

  

Study of reflective lighting and glass.

Tonal study (determining different values).

Also, this Thursday is their end of semester Vernissage party! (Among the best art parties in Montreal!) All are welcome! Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1466582983612253/
Check out the video below from thier most recent vernissage (June 2014)

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. 

Thoughts & Progress promo booklet bundle!

Work continues to offer you my best quality and highest insight in the Thoughts & Progress booklets of the 2 new paintings. But if you're all antsy and can't wait until they're official ready, you can pre-order here at a special rate and receive a FREE convention booklet! You can see some of the concept art included in the books below:

Cereal Siege - color studies

I've started work on the 'Thoughts & Progress' booklets for the 2 new paintings ('Cereal Siege' and 'Sunny Side Corrupt'). What stage of the process would you most like to see? What questions about the paintings would you like answered? Please let me know and I'll make sure they're included. (You can see booklet examples here: http://jonodoironstudio.storenvy.com/collections/117461-books )

 

Above: professional Illustrator, Charles Vinh, whom I learned from during the making of 'Cereal Siege', added on a stage in my process called 'color studies' (or, color thumbnails). Small studies to come up with a color scheme  for the image that will then be expanded upon in a larger format. Bottom left is the final line drawing and next to it is the final tonal.

NEW - Thoughts & Progress concept art booklets

NEW to my online store: ever wonder about the process I go through to make my paintings? Starting with one of my most popular images 'The Boastful Ghost' - I assembled the first in a new series of booklets called Thoughts & Progress. Inside I disclose where the idea came from, all the planning involved and show all the drawings during the process - no steps have been withheld!
(Think of it like the audio commentary or 'making of' featurette on your favorite DVD's!)

You can order your copy here: http://jonodoironstudio.storenvy.com/products/1993695-thoughts-progress-booklet-the-boastful-ghost

Don't have the print yet either? Pick them both up in a bundle and save!: http://jonodoironstudio.storenvy.com/products/1999042-the-boastful-ghost-giclee-print-thoughts-and-progress-the-boastful-ghos

  NEXT NEWSLETTER will be sent out TOMORROW (Wed. July 31st) to sign up and be among the first to find out about a special offer, click here: http://jonodoiron.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=68cf3129b702e7e5b997ad486&id=b0e873f938