Category: Animals

The Hanna-Barbera Art Show

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date April 8, 2013

This past Saturday night, April 6, Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California hosted a group art show where over 100 artists created a piece of art within the theme of cartoons from the Hanna-Barbera Studio. This was the first group show of which I have ever been a part, and WHAT A SHOW!

The opening night reception was attended by a staggering amount of people. When I first inched my way into the gallery, the first person I said “hello” to was Janet Waldo, the original voice of Judy Jetson. Even Rose Marie from “The Dick Van Dyke Show” was in attendance. You couldn’t see the art because of the sea of people! You almost needed to take some Dramamine as you waded through.

Below are some highlights of the show:

This was the scene on the sidewalk outside of Van Eaton Galleries where folks were trying to get some air while the inside was shoulder to shoulder with art enthusiasts.

The crowd continued indoors! On the extreme left is the great character actor Ed Lauter (“The Artist”, “The Rocketeer”) whose mother-in-law was Bill Hanna’s secretary.

Yours truly posing under my Yogi Bear painting with friends James Lopez (Disney animator) and Chris Bailey (former Disney animator/director who now supervises animation for live action films and recently the “Despicable Me” ride in Universal Studios FL).

The “Pull My Finger Fred” – naw, I’m kidding. It’s “The Viewmaster Fred” by Lance Smith that was one of the pieces sold on opening night.

Here is my friend David Derks standing by his piece that wins for most obscure Hanna-Barbera show reference based on “Wait Till Your Father Gets Home” that aired in the early 1970s.

Here’s a shot of contributing artists all posing with Gerald Mendez at his terrific Droopy Dog piece. From L to R: Psycho James, Javier Soto, Enrique Pita, Gerald Mendez, A.R. and yours truly.

The crowd was whipped into a frenzy.

The gallery had this gentleman (on the left) building some of the most elaborate balloon sculptures I have ever seen. This one is of Shaggy and Scooby Doo being frightened by a monster.

This woman acquired a Huckleberry Hound from the balloon artist.

Dave Nimitz with a balloon version of “The Flintstones” Dino. Dave loaned a selection of his H&B toy collection for display at the show.

Orful Octopus from Hanna-Barbera’s “Laff-A-Lympics” made by Matthew Dutton topped by Alan Bodner’s charming Yakky Doodle painting.

The delightful Margaret Kerry (Walt Disney’s live-action Tinkerbell model for the original “Peter Pan” film) was also on hand to take in some of the evening’s fine art.

So, if you are in the Los Angeles area, please come see the show! You actually will have an easier time viewing the art without the opening night crowd blocking your view. This unique show will be hanging at the Van Eaton Galleries until April 20, and ALL ART IS FOR SALE!

CLICK HERE to see all the art and its availability.

Artwork is on display until April 20, 2013

Van Eaton Galleries

13613 Ventura Boulevard

Sherman Oaks, CA

Please come back tomorrow when I will begin to show a step-by-step progression of my Yogi Bear painting!

Lounge Lizard

It has been awhile since my last post. Things have been swamped at the office with the imminent debut of an animated television show I have been working on for the past fourteen months, and the schedule has not lightened up one bit. Spending all day every day drawing in someone else’s style can wear on you a tad, so every now and then you need to let a little of yourself out on the page.

Last night I wanted to do something fun to break in a brand new sketchbook. As any follower of my blog knows, I enjoy drawing monsters, and if I have to draw a real life monster, reptiles are what come to mind first. This skeevy looking alligator fell out of my pen ready to prey on his next unsuspecting victim. Right now he has his eye on Ms. Animation Deadline.

Yeah, he thinks he looks suave, but he’s really all gut and no glory.

Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Character Designs Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

A Bird In the Hand…

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date January 30, 2013

…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?

It’s as if two buddies are catching up on old times. So long as the bigger of the buddies doesn’t end the conversation by eating his pal.

Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Character Designs Illustrations

…From the Flat File: 2003 – Aquarium

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date January 23, 2013

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.

This is the front cover of Nick’s CD called “Aquarium” (in case you couldn’t tell).

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.

This is the design of Nicholas Lawrence’s actual CD.

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!

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Parasite Illustration for Answers Magazine ………. (part 3)

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date January 17, 2013

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.

This is the first I thought to take a photo of the work in progress. Quite a bit is covered at this point. In the unpainted areas, you can see some purple underpainting where shadows will be. Never use black. There are no black shadows in real life – just darker colors.

This is just a close-up of the previous image. You can see how the paint job is pretty sloppy. Sometimes in this moment you can lose focus, but you have to keep that final image in your mind so that you can get it where you want it to be.

The painting part of the illustration is almost done here. Once the color is all laid in, I will go in and continue with colored pencil. The paper is textured which gives the paint and pencil a nice look together.

So, now for the grand unveiling. Drumroll please…..

And here is the final parasitical illustration after the colored pencil was applied. While it was printed at roughly 7.5″x10″, the original painting is 14.5″x18″.

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!

Animals Art: Colored Pencil Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Character Designs Illustrations Monsters

Parasite Illustration for Answers Magazine ………. (part 2)

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date January 16, 2013

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.

This was the first version of the sketch. Notice the food on the table are cookies and chips and soda.

Some of the bagged junk food has now changed to more elaborate junk food like pizza, hot dogs, and fried chicken. Apparently parasites don’t care about cholesterol.

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.

This is the final drawing created for the magazine’s approval before moving into the color stage.

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…

My personal color comp. This was where I decided to make the floor wooden. You can see crop lines in there to indicate the printed area of the illustration, but one must ALWAYS paint in a generous “bleed” area around the image in case the client needs to shift it or change the dimensions they originally planned for.

Tomorrow I’ll share with you the final painting along with a couple of “in progress” moments!

Animals Art: Drawings Art: Photoshop Art: Preliminary Sketches Character Designs Illustrations Monsters

Parasite Illustration for Answers Magazine ………. (part 1)

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date January 15, 2013

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…

Look who’s coming to dinner! Yikes! No table manners AT ALL!

The sports fanatic dominating a family’s personal space seemed like a good way to show how parasites can be invasive.

And now for something COMPLETELY different, who was the biggest parasite in children’s literature? Goldilocks of course! I got this idea after looking at the teddy bear in the boy’s hand in the first concept drawing.

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.

Animals Art: Preliminary Sketches Character Designs Illustrations Monsters

Merry Christmas 2012

Post author By Chad Frye
Post date December 21, 2012

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.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

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.

Animals Art: Colored Pencil Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Art: Watercolor Character Designs Illustrations