Saturday 19 March 2011

19th March 2011


So its been a while any of the Dead pheasant crew have posted any thing and i guess thats because either we're all busy at work or blogger has decided to delete us as users so just to bring this post I had to reassign up to blogger. I don't know why this has happened but for a wild guess I could say we're not on it 24/7 so Google decided to start deleting users.


Work on White Western Eagle (solo project) Is still going on. I'm trying to master a art at the moment to give it a unique look. Its got many names but i picked it up with the name "Grey Toning." Its when you draw on a white surface but use different warmths and tones of grey to high light and shadow to bring out in the drawing.

I picked this technique up from a concept artist "Doug Chiang." He's worked on some big movies including Star Wars prequels, The polar express, Beowolf. He also wrote and illustrated the book "Robota." To me this technique is a brilliant way to bring your drawings to life but it does take time and work to get use to.

As you can see I have started using the style in sketches in my sketch books. I found it useful to use white paint to highlight areas that light would be.



What else have a I been up to? I guess I will start with my art swap with a art collector/ artist "Acrylic Pixie " Inga from Latvia.

We agreed that instead just sending one piece we will swap a package full of paintings and illustrations. I was pretty stuck on what to give her but as Inga has followed my work for a number of years now I had an idea of the things she liked and wanted.

I started with work I already had and I knew she wanted. I gave her my Scott Pilgrim paintings. Tho these were originals and I could of given her prints but to be honest I thought it was nicer to give her the originals as they were going to good home.

I then painted up a House of Lei vinyl toy for her. Only a basic design, didn't have time to think up a new design for the custom.

I then had a few prints of work that i did a couple of years ago on glossy premium paper. These were from my uni days. I gave her a selection of them.

Final pieces is in a style that I'm currently trying to master. The art of using Grey tones on white pieces with colour layed inks. These were my first pieces that i had tried using this technique but I think they had turned out well.



A couple days later of me sending my package off to Latvia I received this package in the post. It was my package from Inga. She has a lovely style for her drawings. My favorite piece that she sent me was a valentines card with a skull (picture above).

If any one else would like to do a art swap any time I'm always open to one. Just ask and I will see what i can do.

This was a flyer for the Winters Blue 5 Show that i was in December. I didn't sell my pieces but a lot of people said they liked my style and what I had to show. So its all good.

On other news I left the community art website Deviant Art. I actually decided this a long time. Tho i have a lot of watchers and followers I wasn't feeling it no more. If you don't draw manga or whore yourself out just to get views on your profile or anything like that you won't get the views on your art work that is needed to stay at the top. So I left, no regrets or anything.

But I did set up a Tumblr page. www.zephyrbaby.tumblr.com

I went with the minimal look, so no bright lights or any thing like that. Just plain and simple. My art work and my life style. What I do day to day. I'm updating it regularly on what I do during days and my art work. At the moment its going to be work on White Western Eagle but as well the trips I take. But please go check it out, as there are alot more images of my work that I have done lately. Blogger has a limit on what I can post.

On things to come? Well I have a trip next week to Nottingham. Going to see some art around the city but also going to party with some friends. A long deserved break I can tell you. As well I'm thinking of going to Switzerland in June for a art festival " Art Basel" 2011. It looks very interesting and with one just in Miami just gone you can't go wrong.


Anyway thats it more or less in a nut shell. More details on what i have done since December can be found on www.zephyrbaby.tumblr.com

JR aka Zephyrbaby