All By Hand

My friend Juli Lose is now co-owning an artists consignment shop in liberty place - it's called All By Hand and its at the shops at Liberty Place. The entrance is the one on 17 & Market. They open this Sunday and they're gonna be selling a LOTS of cool stuff by a ton of artists. You should come by and check it out. I've got some prints that I'll be selling. The are all matted and nice, as you can see here-


So check it out, babies.

New

New image! First one since graduating! This will be my next promotional postcard too- which I'm excited for.

Distressed type on the back side of the postcard.

Yeahh, I don't like to brag but i'm probly gonna mail about a billion.

Objex

Excuse me,

For taking such a long break from drawing and painting. It's been all summer and I still haven't touched a paint brush, but that's gonna end real soon because of this:

I think I just finished my sketch of this sink. It's been on my mind for months and I finally just sat down to start drawing it. One of the obstacles I had while trying to get some drawing done was that I didn't have a drawing table, and I used that as an excuse to do nothing for the entire summer. I got really sick of that excuse and I just went out and bought one, and It motivated me to finish. I actually banged this out pretty fast. That's all.

New Website

Hi,

I just uploaded my updated website. It's written from the ground up with HTML and CSS. Yeah! It's not yet perfected. Keep in mind that right now you'll probably have to expand your window to see everything, which i'm working on. Also, today I dropped my first 55 post cards into a PO box to be mailed. I'll mail the other 45 when I find out if the first 55 reached their destinations. I'm trying, and failing, to keep making images. I just have way too much stuff in the air that I need to tie down first.

2 Editorials! M-M-MASSIVE.

Internet,

Attempting to catch up here. 2 of my most recent editorials from this year. Here's the gist of these guys- The first is an article on stalkers, the second is an article on Somolian sea piracy. Same as before, here they are chronologically in order of completion. The 'stalkers' piece has a super minimal drawing so it'd be pointless to post it. Check it.

painting above and then digital finish below

As you can see in the sea piracy painting, i completely reworked the composition. The files I post might seem a little confusing, because they are either an up to date version, (like the drawing,) or the original scan, (like the painting.) Both the drawing and the painting undergoe changes when i'm working digitally, but they start out the same. What I put up here depends of what I still have access to. I know it's confusing. Thats because my process is as well.

So there is only one image more recent than these, and I just finished it this morning. I'm not going to post it just yet. Actually, It just so happened to be my last assignment for the year, and that means i'm done college. Later college, it's been fun. What am I going to do now? Find a part time job, rebuild my website, continue to make images and promote myself until I can get this career thing going on.

New Editorial

Hey,

I'm backed up in terms of getting everything I make on this blog. My portfolio is almost complete and I have 2 more finished illustrations to post after this one that are still being tweaked. So for now, here's is this. It's an editorial piece on twins creating their own identity. Top to bottom is the sketch, the (uncropped) painting, and then the finish.

When my portfolio is done, I'll post those two images with the sketch and painting on here, and I'll have the whole portfolio on my website. I can't waaaaaiiiittt.

Ely Reception + New Finish and Corrections

Heres some pictures of me and my 'partner' Nasty Nate hanging my Elys. He's proud of me.

So the Ely Reception was this past Sunday. It was fun. Lots of awkward moments. Family everywhere. 1000 introductions. Here's some (awkward) pictures. My family is so bad at cameras. Haha. Every single picture is blurry.

above: my sister and I

My girlfriend Daphane

Aw it's my mommy and daddy!

So here's my latest finished image. Hot off the press from last night. But i'm proud of it now so im posting it. Top to bottom - sketch, painting, digital finish.


As for the sketches from the last post, that finish is now on my website so I am not putting it on here. I also have two old images to update on there. Im trying to get on the ball here. Speaking of getting on the ball, school is coming to a close. only three more images left to make for my portfolio. Maaan oh man. Better make em' good!

Goodbye Elys

I just finished my Elys. Forever. Wow. Now all that's left is printing, cutting, and mounting them to board and hanging them on Tuesday and attending the reception. Honestly, it was not bad at all. Especially considering how many said it was torturous. I'm not going to post the new images on here, but they will be on my website soon.

What will be on here soon is a brand new image for an article for the New Scientist titled 'How Your Face Betrays Your Personality.' I'm not going to post the finish yet because I still have more work to do- but here's the drawing and thumbnails for it. Don't know why you'd want to see thumbnails but you're going to anyway.



I found out today that my senior class, or some specific committee of seniors (I'm not sure which) , voted for me to be interviewed by a committee of seniors for the illustration portfolio day blog. I'm not sure why at the moment, but i'll let you know. I'm just as confused as you are. Other seniors selected were: Dan Hughes, Lawrence Burns, and Adrienne Langer. There are more but I don't know who they are. I'm excited. And flattered and confused. I've never done an interview before.

The next post should contain a finished and two revised images and maybe sketches.

Lots and Lots

Got a lot of stuff to tell about because it's spring break.

I just put the finishing finishing finishing touches on my Elys. If you are reading this and you don't know what the hell the "Ely" is, well, the "Ely" is the name of the illustration major's theses' (is that how you say it?) The reception is March 29th 3-5pm.

So If they are approved on Tuesday, then that is how they will hang on the following Tuesday. So excited! I also just finished up two other images I've been working on. One editorial piece and one album art image.

This is the editorial piece. It's titled "Born Believers: How Your Brain Creates God"

I think you can figure out the rest from there. Took me a long time to figure out how I was going to make the subtle deity figure look. I'm still not sure it works as good as it could. If I fix it i'll repost it. I wish I had saved screen shots of the progress, because he started off as a big featureless giant, then he slimmed down and got a face and a really ornate halo, and then I lost all that and went with this.

Above: Entire image. Six CD sized panels that fold out from the front cover and form a poster. Below: Detail of the front cover panel.

Below: Detail of the back cover panel with tentative titles tacken from the As Tall As Lions myspace. All titles belong to As Tall As Lions.

So it's designed as six cd sized panels that fold out from behind the back of the front cover. The type is subject to a little change.

I'll have these images up on my website soon enough and the new versions of the Elys will replace the old as well. I have a lot of sketching to do now, for the Uarts open house poster and from another editorial piece im starting titled "How your face betrays your personality" I'll have those sketches up soon.

P.S.
Go ahead and treat yourself to a mcdonalds shamrock shake. They're delicious.

Manning up

I guess it's time to man up and start blogging. I should have some images posted soon but for now this is just an introduction. In time there will be more informal images on here and not just the select few finishes that are on my website.

www.dansmithillustration.com.