The Chad Frye - Illustration Guy…is worth a bird in the belly! Of course I’m kidding. I’m sure this bear and bird are the best of pals.
I recently did a little drawing of a bear for a friend, and was pleased with the result. Thought I’d do one for myself this past weekend.
For those of you curious about the method of execution, I used a black brush pen on bumpy watercolor paper with some watercolor paint thrown on for good measure. Keeping it all loose makes it feel a bit energetic and whimsical, don’t you think?
Ten years ago my good friend and composer Nicholas Lawrence asked me to design a CD for him that was to feature his original compositions inspired by his love for sea life. Titled Aquarium, the concept lent itself to fun graphic possibilities, so I accepted!
I first met Nick when he was just a student in the film music program at the University of Southern California (USC) where some of his professors were Elmer Bernstein, Leonard Rosenman, David Raksin, Jerry Goldsmith and Christopher Young. He and I both attended the same church, and with his interest in composition and my love for film music, we had an instant common ground. Friendship had to ensue.
While I am an illustrator first, it seemed that Nick’s new concept album should be given a stripped-down minimal graphic treatment to the art. He performed his music for the album on electronic instruments in what could be considered a New Age instrumental style. So, using my illustration abilities, the cover art was created completely as a gouache painting just hinting at the variety of sea life the music evoked.
For the rest of the album design, I dusted off my old college graphic design training and played around with hand drawn art and digital type composited with Photoshop. Here is a sampling of what the CD itself looked like.
If you’d like to see the rest of the album art, and would like to hear Nick’s music, CD Baby is offering the CD for the low price of $4.99 right now. CLICK HERE to listen to free samples and to order your very own copy. This is the only CD art I’ve done for a commercially available item – unique in my artography!
So, today is the unveiling of my latest illustration for the article Parasites – Unwelcome Guests featured in the latest issue of Answers Magazine (Vol. 8, No. 1, Jan-Mar 2013). If you have followed the past two posts about the process this week, you are ready to see some final artwork!
After the final drawing (shared here yesterday) is approved, I print it out and then trace it onto my watercolor paper with regular pencil. I use the VERY nice and very expensive Arches watercolor paper onto which I apply my Winsor & Newton paint. The edges of the painting are taped with white artists tape (it usually doesn’t rip up the surface of the paper when you pull it up later) because when I do a full bleed painting, I like nice clean edges.
So, now for the grand unveiling. Drumroll please…..
Hope you enjoyed the little behind-the-scenes of creating this piece. Painting is a lot of fun. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned artist, grab a brush and paint something on paper! There is nothing like it. At the end of the day you can sit back and hold your creation in your hands – hopefully with some satisfaction. Then go do another one!
Yesterday I shared with you three concept sketches for an illustration about parasites for the 2013 Jan-Mar issue of Answers Magazine, the quarterly publication of Answers In Genesis. If you guessed that the sketch of the sports fanatic was chosen you would have been correct.
Murphy’s Law dictated that the red sketch had to be chosen because it was the one that had the most detail in it. I love detail because it is fun to look at, but at the same time, I loathe it because it is pretty time consuming to pull off. The art director also loved the detail, but wanted some of that detail changed. Below you can see the first version of the scene again (it is the same as in yesterday’s post), and then the altered version so you can see what changes were made. I drew these in Photoshop on the computer, so breaking parts off and changing them is a little easier to do than if it had been drawn on paper.
Now, the above is still just a concept drawing. While most of the detail is present, this is in no way ready for final art. The next step is to do a final “pencil” drawing to tie down everything as it will look in the final. The art director needs to see the final tight drawing before he can give the approval for the illustrator to move forward into final color. The drawing below is the final drawing, again created on the computer for ease in making any edits to the design. This time they liked it as is.
You can see how the final drawing really hasn’t changed much, but all the details are made clearer – some are even new additions. Once approved, then the toughest part begins – creating the final painting. Many of my illustration colleagues create their final art completely on the computer these days. I have done that now and then, but for the most part I prefer to make a real watercolor painting with colored pencil accents. There is something about the real painting that computers cannot completely replicate – kind of a handmade feel to them. I almost always can tell when a “painting” was done on the computer as opposed to paper or canvas.
That being said, I will create my own personal color composite of the piece on the computer, especially for something as complicated as this. It helps to make those color choices where you can erase and redo. Watercolor on paper is not easily undone.
I don’t usually show the color comp to anyone because it is sloppy. It is just something to aid in my process, and won’t necessarily be precisely followed in the painting. So, here is the rare peek…
Tomorrow I’ll share with you the final painting along with a couple of “in progress” moments!
Back in early winter, Answers Magazine contacted me to create a custom illustration for them. They are a science magazine written from a biblical point of view. You may recall that about two years ago I did a five-page spread for them about white blood cells (CLICK HERE to see post). This time the assignment dealt with PARASITES!
Dan Stelzer, Answers‘ Magazine Designer, sent me the article which was a straight-up scientific view of the role parasites play in life. THANKFULLY, he wanted me to use my humorous approach to the illustration which I was more than happy to do.
Out of curiosity, I actually did a quick scan of the web to see what was out there in the real world of parasites. It was very inspiring in developing completely fake ones.
So, Dan suggested a large parasite invading a family’s dinner table. I roughed out a quick sketch of one for him, and then came up with two more ideas for him and his team to consider…
So, which one do you think they picked for the magazine? Check back tomorrow where I will reveal the chosen one (sounds ethereal, doesn’t it?), and will show more steps in the process towards the final painting.
Here’s part two of some of my real life sketches drawn in the airports where I spent some quality time over the holidays. These specimens were captured in Baltimore and Atlanta one week ago where I spent a combined twelve hours sitting around. I people watched, sent some e-mails, played on Facebook, watched a movie on my iPod, ate a few meals and sketched. What else can you do when at the mercy of the airlines?
So there you have it – a few sketches from my travels. I don’t know how I’d pass the time without pencil and pen in hand. Sure glad the TSAs haven’t outlawed those. Yet.
Welcome to the New Year! What occupied YOUR time on New Year’s Eve? Was it spent traversing this expansive nation of ours over twenty-two of those last twenty-four hours of 2012? No? Mine was.
Yes, twenty-two hours. I left my parents’ home on the east coast of the United States to travel an hour and a half to the Baltimore airport just to wait about seven hours before my flight took off for Atlanta where I spent another five hours before flying to Los Angeles where I waited for a bus to take me to my car which I used to travel the last thirty minutes home. It was on said bus where I rang in the new year with about thirty other weary travelers, one of whom somehow managed to already be drunk. Good times.
With all that time spent in airports, the trusty ol’ sketchbook was utilized. There’s nothing like a good airport to bring out the most interesting of humanity. Thought I’d share with you a few highlights…
Just to spread the love, next week I’ll post a few more gems from my time served in the Baltimore and Atlanta airports on New Year’s Eve.
Christmas is upon us once again. Many thoughts and prayers have been with the families of Newtown, Connecticut following their unspeakable sorrow this season. When news of that tragedy crackled over the airwaves, I was putting the finishing touches on the painting for my annual Christmas card – a card with the theme of coming to Christ the Savior with a childlike faith.
I pray this Christmas that you will hug your kids a little harder, open a Bible to Luke chapter two, and read to them the reminder of how God the Father sent his only Son as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Whether or not you are religious, let your children hear the reason for why the name of Christ is a part of the name of this holiday we hold dear.
Merry Christmas.