Eden Bachelder: sketches and miscellany

Etsy shop

2011-11-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks, I've been working hard, and steadily, at getting my online presence up to date with all of my new work. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it's also fun and exciting to be putting more time into the promotional angle.

As part of this effort, I've re-stocked my Etsy shop with new artwork and prints. I still have a number of things to add to it, but for now, I feel it's in a ready-enough state to share! I'm also currently offering free shipping, and will continue to do so from now until Christmas. This means, if you're interested in sending something elsewhere as a gift, I will happily do so on your behalf at no charge. I'll even gift-wrap it inside the packaging, upon request!

The link to the shop is here:

http://edenbee.etsy.com

Hope you enjoy! If you have an suggestions or recommendations, those are appreciated as well. Thanks for checking it out!

Also, my sale for charity is still on, with many pieces available at reduced prices. Scroll down to the next blog post to read all the details.

Art Sale for Charity: feeding the hungry through Second Harvest

2011-11-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

Back in May, I put together a sale of some of my artwork at reduced prices, with partial proceeds to charity. The sale was a success, and through people's purchases, over $300 was donated to the international Red Cross.

I've decided, as we head into the winter weather, to put together another sale. This time, 30% of sales will be donated to Second Harvest, an organization that works in Toronto to divert perfectly good surplus fresh food from restaurants, stores, and markets -- food that would otherwise go to landfill -- to feed those in need. (Learn more here.)

Each of the paintings below is included in this sale, with 30% of their price going to this charity. I will also, between now and the end of November, donate 15% of any regularly-priced purchase from my website, including prints, to this cause. It's a great opportunity to pick up a piece as an early holiday gift, and to do some good for those in need at the same time.

The sale will run from now until the end of November.

Black Bird XVIII

Mixed media on canvas, 30" x 20"

Regular price: $480

Charity sale price: $340

Mister Fox

Acrylic on canvas, 36" x 18"

Regular price: $680

Charity sale price: $450 SOLD

(A note on this piece: inspired by the English folk tale "Mister Fox," which is a variation on the story of Bluebeard... there is a tiny murder scene taking place in window of the manor house.)

One of the Crowd

Acrylic and modelling paste on 1.5" deep gallery canvas, 10" x 48"

Regular price: $800

Charity sale price: $450

Circus Monkey

Mixed media (with gold metallic leaf) on canvas, 24" x 30"

Regular price: $550

Charity sale price: $300

Hand-embossed metal, 8" x 10" x 1.5" deep

Regular price: $120

Charity sale price: $70

Hand-embossed metal, 8" x 10" x 1.5" deep

Regular price: $120

Charity sale price: $70

Hand-embossed metal, 8" x 10" x 1.5" deep

Regular price: $120

Charity sale price: $70

Contact me here or at eden(at)edenbachelder.com for inquiries or to make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

Masks

2011-10-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

A full sampling of all the masks so far! Some have sold, some are on hold, but all of them are available, as I am happy to recreate any of them as a commission, and can have them ready within a few days.

Bird Mask

Metallic blue-black finish

$65

(Original sold)

Bird Mask

Matte black finish

$65

(Original sold)

Bird Mask

Two-toned red finish

$65

(Original sold)

Cthulhu mask

Green and silver semi-gloss finish

$80

Cthulhu mask

Matte black and greenish silver finish

$80

Cthulhu mask

Blue and silver semi-gloss finish

$80

(Original sold)

Cthulhu mask

Matte maroon and purple semi-metallic finish

$80

(Original sold)

Cthulhu mask

Unpainted, natural leather finish

$65

(Original sold)

Blogged!

2011-10-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, neato! I found out yesterday that I got featured on a Lovecraft-related blog, Propnomicon. It features all manner of Old-One-related objects, art, and curiosities. One of my Cthulhu masks appeared there! Swell!

Link is here: http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2011/10/leather-cthulhu-mask.html

Upcoming event: The Bazaar of the Bizarre

2011-10-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

It's back, and I'm back there too! The Bazaar of the Bizarre returns this upcoming Sunday, October 23rd. Click on the image below for all the main details:

You can also add yourself to the Facebook event, to keep it on your radar.

I have a LOT of new work, and news, for this particular bazaar. I will be offering a selection of the work on canvas that many of you now know me for, as well as some work in completely new media. The short list:

-New original paintings on paper, almost all under $100 each
-NEW! Original handmade, completely wearable masks! Each on

e is one-of-a-kind, and has been designed, hand-molded from high quality leather, and hand-painted. See below for my Cthulhu-inspired design!
-Original works on canvas at special prices. At this event only, select canvases will be offered at 20-30% off of their original prices as listed on my website.
-Signed, matted, ready-to-frame prints of many of my original pieces.

I won't spoil all the surprises by posting everything here, but here some examples of new paintings, and one of the new (completely wearable!) masks:

...And much more to come on show day! Hope to see you there.

-Eden

Gentleminotaurs Prefer Blondes

2011-06-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, I suppose? Here, nearly a year later... I bring you...

The post with the actual, final, finished, lettered version. (Posted with permission of the author, the lovely and talented Alison Kooistra! With lettering by the also lovely and also talented KT Smith!)

Art by me, from last spring/summer/fall thereabouts. Please enjoy, and if you did (or didn't), please leave us some feedback! Many thanks!

-Eden

Figure Drawing

2011-05-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Last week, I attended the first figure drawing class I'd been to in... okay, I'll fess up. It had been years.

I had figure drawing as a regular, several-times-a-week thing all through my fine art program at university, but have since been focusing more on drawing from my head than from reference. Lately I've felt like I've been maxing out on that, though. I really can't progress without turning back to live reference, and so... back I go!

I have a couple of dozens of sketches from the evening, in varying styles, and done to varying degrees of completion. This one, however, stands out as my favourite drawing of the evening. The accuracy isn't all there, by any means, but... there's a moodiness and line quality in it that's lacking in a lot of my more literal and accurate pieces. I think the bizarre angle of the model lent itself to a more abstracted approach, and often when that happens, good things can come about. Not overthinking what I'm doing, either, tends to have lovelier results... much of the time.

Sir Percy and Chauvelin: finished artwork

2011-05-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

And, la, it's done!

The proper title, and explanation, are on deviantart, here: http://shmeeden.deviantart.com/art/Sir-Percy-and-Chauvelin-209033885

(Damask pattern available here: http://kittenbella.deviantart.com/art/Damask-Brites-Patterns-101555681)

Percy and Chauvelin: more progress!

2011-05-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I've done a lot more work since yesterday's post, and here it is!

First, the inks, which I did by hand, then tweaked and cleaned up in my clunky old version (but still totally practical) of Paint Shop Pro (where I can use a hard edge on the paintbrush tool -- something which is bafflingly impossible in Photoshop).

And then, flat colour!

Next up, I add shading and highlights, which is the best stage of all, as it gives the work some life and some polish. And then I decide whether or not I feel up to adding any kind of background. We shall seeeeeee...

Sir Percy and Citizen Chauvelin

2011-05-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today's project: pencils for a soon-to-be more polished Scarlet Pimpernel illustration.

First, the little sketchbook scribbles, each only about 2.5" high.

These I scanned, tweaked and re-sized to the proper scale for one another in photoshop, then printed very lightly, for penciling over-top.

Which, after an hour or so, resulted in the adjusted and completed (enough for me to ink, at any rate) pencils:

(Please forgive the filthy, smudgy paper... My penciling isn't always the, ah, cleanest...)

As my next step, I'll adjust the levels in Photoshop so that the piece can be printed out very lightly, but with all its detail, on a new sheet for inking. This method suits my purposes much more than attempting to ink over my pencils, as I've often penciled on pretty rough paper, and have usually dented and pulverized it by the time I'm done my tweaks.

Artwork on sale for the month of May, and for a good cause!

2011-05-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have decided, for the month of May, to offer some artwork at reduced prices, and will donate 30% of sales towards the Red Cross.

If you've ever been interested in picking up some of my artwork, but haven't had it in your budget, now is the time! You'll also be making a significant and much-needed donation to a good cause!

The available pieces are shown and listed below:

Running Horse
Acrylic on canvas
24" x 36"
Originally $550
Now $280
SOLD

Circus Monkey
24" x 30"
Mixed media with gold leaf on canvas
Originally $600
Now $300

Bird Portrait III
12" x 12"
Mixed media on canvas
Originally $180
Now $120
SOLD

Black Bird XXIII
20" x 16"
Mixed media on canvas
Originally $330
Now $220
SOLD

Fish
8" x 10"
Hand-embossed and painted metal on 1 3/4" wooden panel
Originally $120
Now $70

Flying fish
8" x 10"
Hand-embossed and painted metal on 1 3/4" wooden panel
Originally $120
Now $70
SOLD

Reef fish
8" x 10"
Hand-embossed and painted metal on 1 3/4" wooden panel
Originally $120
Now $70
SOLD

Rabbit
8" x 10"
Hand-embossed and painted metal on 1 3/4" wooden panel
Originally $120
Now $70
SOLD

I will also be donating 30% of any purchases of signed and matted prints, which sell for $40 each. (Prints are matted, with acid free materials, to fit standard 11" x 14" frames.) To view which pieces are available as prints, please take a look at my paintings site, below:

http://www.edenbachelder.com/paintings.html

Prices include delivery within reach of the TTC. For out of town purchases, I will ship at cost.

If interested, or if you have any questions, please contact me at eden(at)edenbachelder.com.

Sea monsters and cephalopods, oh my!

2011-04-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday and Friday of this week, I participated in the group show This Just In, in the Inner Garden space at 401 Richmond.

The theme of the show was new, never-before-shown work -- which presented quite a challenge, with all of my work having been displayed in another show less than one month before!

With the theme of new work, I decided to try something entirely different from my previous series. For the first piece, I made things up as I went along, and the end result was... a sea monster! And from there, the rest followed.

There are currently three pieces available in the series. And here they are!

Left to right:

Murky Depths
36" x 6"
Acrylic on canvas

Of the Deep
24" x 8"
Acrylic on canvas

Murky Depths II
36" x 6"
Acrylic on canvas

All three are available for purchase! Please send a message my way for pricing. I also have images showing more detail of each, but will try not to clutter up the blog with a gazillion pictures. So if you'd like to see them, do ask!

Hope you enjoy them! I had a blast making these.

"This Just In" -- A group show of new work!

2011-04-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy news! I've been invited to participate in a group show at 401 Richmond, in the beautiful Inner Garden space on the third floor.

The show, "This Just In", features all-new, never-before-seen work by a range of artists working with all different media and subject matter.

I will debuting an entirely new series. I won't say too much about it just yet, but know this: there will be narwhals.

The public Facebook event is here. Add yourself, and come on out, if you can!

Demmed Elusive

2011-03-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Attempting to expand my repertoire a little, to avoid eliciting the reaction of "Oh not another... (you know what goes here)," I've been sketching a few different characters from classic lit. I'm still working out my Watson, but have some Sir Percy Blakeney, bart., the Scarlet Pimpernel, in the meantime.

I need to do more research on fashion from the era before I can confidently draw the clothing, but it was the expression I was after here, more than anything else.

Sketch is... small. Pencil on paper, slight clean-up and a touch of colour in Photoshop.

This Sunday: The Bazaar of the Bizarre

2011-03-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'll be there! Will you?

11am to 7pm, at the Pia Bouman School of Dance, 6 Noble Street (near Queen and Dufferin). Free admission, and family friendly!

Facebook event page here:
http://www.facebook.com/the.Bazaar.of.the.Bizarre#!/event.php?eid=193349210683736

This is my favourite art and craft fair of the whole year, hands down. I am never so tempted by so many wonderful, weird, totally-to-my-taste things as I am at this event.

I'll be there, in my usual spot from the last two times I've shown there, with plenty of new work -- and this time, with signed, matted, ready-to-frame colour prints of about a dozen of my original paintings!

A little Holmes

2011-03-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

And I do mean little. This sketch is only about 2" tall.

I'm in the early stages of working out my cartooned versions of Holmes and Watson for a silly little comic I have scripted out.

What on earth are these comics all for, you ask? Well! Stay tuned for some big news! In the meantime, I'll be posting some of my efforts towards... whatever it is.

Punny bunny

2011-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

After not trying this medium with any real intent for... oooooh, ten years, I decided to give lino prints another shot.

I had forgotten the crazy amount of time this stuff takes, or how easy it is to cut oneself while working on it, but between stabs I did manage the following piece:

8" x 6", approximately. And the title? "Hare, Standing on End". I promised a bad pun, and I delivered.

This print is available! I'll be doing a set of numbered originals, available with or without matting. You can purchase one by contacting me online, or... at next month's Bazaar of the Bizarre! But more on that later!

A long-overdue update with... ahhh, nerdy comics!

2011-02-17T06:04:00.001-08:00

Oh dear! Poor, neglected sketch blog! I'm so sorry. I've treated you so badly. Um, have some chocolates. Also flowers. Oh dear, yes, these ARE from post-Valentine's Day clearance. I had hoped you wouldn't notice. I mean mind... Hoped you wouldn't mind...

If you think can stand another Phantom of the Opera piece, then please take a look at the following comic. If only for the art and nothing else? I spent about a month picking away (okay, slaving away) at this during my spare time, and am quite happy with how it all turned out. I think... it's actually my only multiple-panel full-colour comic so far. I've done greyscale a lot, yes, but... colour!

Anyhow, click to view properly:

Comic is here!

And let me know what you think. Oh, nerdery... But it seems to have blown up on deviantArt, where it has nearly 200 favourites, and about 1900 page views so far (and counting). Miiiiles more than anything else I've posted there.

More paintings to come soon as well -- and a couple of show announcements! Woooo!

New bird paintings in time for Christmas!

2010-12-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

Still looking for Christmas gifts? I have just completed three new bird paintings, all of which are ready and can be delivered in time for the big day.

Here they are!

Mixed media on canvas, 20" x 10"
$220

Mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"
$180

Mixed media, on two individual canvases. 8" x 10" each. These can be hung as a pair or individually. Face-to-face if they're feeling friendly, back-to-back if they're feeling contrary, or in separate rooms if they're really not getting along!
$200 for the pair.

Pre-Christmas delivery withing Toronto is available up until, and including, December 22nd!

Please contact me at eden(at)edenbachelder.com for more info, or to purchase.

Leroux's Erik

2010-12-05T21:40:00.001-08:00

"You must know that I am made entirely of death, from head to foot, and that it's a corpse that loves you, and will never leave you! Never!"
-- The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

My apologies for the Phantom of the Opera inundation lately... unless you're enjoying it, in which case, you're welcome! :D

(I swear, there WILL be more birds and koi and bunnies and owls, and all of my usual things, coming soon! Some are on my easel right now, nearly ready. Meanwhile...)

There are so many lousy adaptations of the Phantom story, in film and other forms, that the original novel's phantom, Erik, gets lost in translation. We wind up with mopey emo Gerard Butler, instead of the terrifying mad genius we're SUPPOSED to get. The terrifying mad genius... who is supposed to look like the walking dead. Which, c'mon, is far more fun to draw!

Here's the character as he is ACTUALLY described in the original novel by Gaston Leroux. Corpse-like face, hole where a nose should be, sunken yellow eyes that glow, sparse, lank, black hair, "lipless mouth". Not some unforgivably hot, weepy Scottish guy.

(Click to enlarge.)

Image: 11" x 13", pencil on Canson watercolour paper (which was an incredibly fun and forgiving surface, which I will be using again). A hint of yellow added to the eyes in Photoshop, but otherwise, fully traditional media.

And last but not least: the cover!

2010-12-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

Just had a look at my blog, and how I've been neglecting the poor thing! Foolish me. I completely forgot to add the cover.

Art by me, story by Alison Kooistra, and gorgeous lettering by KT Smith!

"Happy birthday, dear."

2010-11-07T19:43:00.001-08:00

A little drawing from my lovely new, slightly less claustrophobic (but still purse-sized) sketchbook!

I'll spare people too much context here. It's a humour piece from my series of Phantom cartoons. Yes, I'm a nerd. And yeah, I'm good with that.

There's a bit more of an explanation to this on its deviantart page, but hey: drawing!

Gentleminotaurs Prefer Blondes: the final page!

2010-10-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

The third and final page of the comic art I've been posting in parts.

Penciled and inked by hand. Tones in Photoshop.

But wait. There's still a cover coming!

(Story by Alison Kooistra. Lettering (on the final version) by KT Smith.)

In the news!

2010-10-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hey, neat! Just saw this link via Ty Templeton's Facebook page. It's a review of the comic I worked on throughout the summer, "Holmes Inc.". And my name even gets a mention! Almost makes a girl blush.

Borderland Speakeasy #16: Sherlock Holmes and the Public Domain

(The art featured in the story is drawn by Gibson Quarter and inked by Ty Templeton. Story by Rob Pincombe.)

Art opening this Thursday, October 7th at Cafe Taste

2010-10-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

I have another event to announce, and would love to see you there! This Thursday, Cafe Taste, near Queen and Dufferin, is hosting an opening party for a solo exhibit of my work, which will remain on display for the month of October. A wide variety of pieces from all of my series, including new koi fish and black bird paintings, are being exhibited, and are available.

I have created a public Facebook event for the opening, to which you can add yourself to keep track of it:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121360744584667&ref=mf

The party will take place this Thursday, October 7th, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Cafe Taste is located at 1330 Queen Street West, at Brock Street.

GalleryWest, next door to Cafe Taste, will be hosting an opening party the same evening, so you can get double the fine art fix with one visit. Info on that event is here: http://1332queenwest.com/programming.html

More info on Cafe Taste is here: http://www.cafetaste.ca

Thank you again, and hope to see you this Thursday!

More new comics pages! Gentleminotaurs Prefer Blondes

2010-10-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

The second page of "Gentleminotaurs Prefer Blondes". Story by Alison Kooistra, lettering (to come, on the final version!) by KT Smith. Art by me.

New comics pages! Gentleminotaurs Prefer Blondes

2010-10-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've just finished working on a comic that I've made in collaboration with author Alison Kooistra, with lettering by KT Smith. I'll be posting the pages one at a time here for your perusal!

From "Gentleminotaurs Prefer Blondes", I give you page the first. (Pencil and inking by hand, toning in Photoshop.)

New artwork available: koi and black birds

2010-09-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I just participated in two shows in under two weeks! While the experience was admittedly exhausting, it was also very rewarding -- not to mention productive. As a result, I now have a number of new paintings available for sale.

In the koi series (currently showing at Insomnia Restaurant at Bloor and Bathurst until the end of September):

(Please note: the colours in these paintings are much more vibrant in person. I will be rephotographing these pieces once they are back in my possession in order to better represent them!)

Acrylic on canvas
36" x 48"
$2800

Acrylic on canvas
24" x 36"
$1250

Acrylic on canvas
24" x 20"
$850

And in the Black Bird series:

Mixed media on canvas
30" x 20"
$480

Mixed media on canvas
24" x 12"
$320
SOLD

Poor Raoul

2010-09-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

I'll spare you all the long-winded explanation for this, but... here's a drawing!

Pencil and ink by hand, colour and lettering in photoshop.

Queen West Art Crawl: Outdoor Art Show -- This weekend!

2010-09-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'll be exhibiting and selling art in Trinity Bellwoods Park, as part of the Queen West Art Crawl. This will be my first time participating in this show, and I'm very excited for it.

The hours for the outdoor art show are 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday. You'll find me at this location in the park, quite close to Queen West:

(See orange arrow!)

I have also set up a Facebook event, so feel free to add yourself here to keep track of it:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=148641375176324

Hope to see you there! The weather is supposed to be lovely this weekend, so make it part of a day trip through the park and along Queen West while you still can!

Shape in the Shadows

2010-09-11T08:34:00.001-07:00

Pencil on paper, approximately 5" x 4". Some clean-up, and colour, in Photoshop.

Sketch: New Black Bird Painting

2010-08-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

A sketch for a new painting, already underway!

I first scribbled this on a piece of scrap newspaper, when I realized that I had forgotten my sketchbook. I then scanned it, and tightened up the drawing in Photoshop, using my Wacom tablet.

I use these little thumbnails as roughs to plan out the major elements of my paintings, and they rarely see the light of day themselves. This one, however, appealed to me on its own, so I'm posting it here as a preview for the painting to come!

Upcoming events

2010-08-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've been so hard at work that the blog here has been on hold for a bit. Now, however, I can tell you what all the work's been about! I've been creating pieces for the following events:

Fan Expo and The Launch of Holmes Inc.
I will signing at Fan Expo on Friday, August 27th, from 6pm to 8pm. Find me at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop/Holmes Inc booth, and pick up a copy of the new book! Each story in the book is written by a different author, and illustrated by a different artist. Come buy one! Or five! I'll sign them all.
The Fan Expo site, with tickets, times, etc., is here: http://www.fanexpocanada.com

Art Opening at Insomnia Cafe
I'm showing new original artwork -- all from or related to my Koi Fish series -- at Insomnia (near the corner of Bloor and Bathurst) throughout most of September. The art will be going up on September 7th, and there will be a party there that evening. Come join us! The Facebook event page is here; add yourself!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=126385524074456

The Queen West Art Crawl
From Friday, September 17 through until Sunday, September 19, I will be selling original artwork and signed prints in Trinity Bellwoods Park. My booth will be located near the southeast end of the park. I'll have original artwork available from all of my various series, in a wide range of price points. Please come by and say hi, and check out the vast multitide of amazing artists showing and selling their work! This show is on par with the Outdoor Art Exhibition for number and variety, and is one not to miss! Information is here:
http://www.parkdaleliberty.com/show_info.php?page_id=99

Cafe Taste
My artwork will be up for display and sale during the month of October at this lovely wine and cheese bar and restaurant near Queen and Dufferin. The opening night is TBA, so stay tuned for updates! Meanwhile, check out their site here:
http://www.cafetaste.ca

That's it for the moment, but there will be even MORE announced soon, so stay tuned! (To those of you wondering where I've been hiding all summer, it should now be self-explanatory!)

Fit to Print -- comics page!

2010-08-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight I completed the seventh and final page for the Fit to Print project with Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. This page was easily the most challenging piece of comics art I've had to draw, but I'm pretty happy over all with the end result!

The whole piece was drawn in pencil from start to finish. No inking, no digital colour. Just me getting messy with traditional media.

Edward Rochester -- sketch

2010-07-25T14:16:00.001-07:00

Jane Eyre is one of those stories which, every once in a while, I pick back up in one form or another. I've never drawn any of the characters before, however. But Rochester's such an entertaining sourpuss that I thought he might be fun to try my hand at.

Bloop.

2010-07-08T09:49:00.001-07:00

More comics work in progress!

2010-06-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Who's been busy? That would be me! Check out a (mostly) finished page I've been working on for a comic script by the lovely Alison Kooistra. The first panel is still in the works, and a few more details may happen on the existing ones, but for the most part it's inked and done!

I should add: this is actually the first time I've attempted a full inked page. I've drawn and shaded full pages in pencil before, and I've inked individual panels (usually on separate pieces of paper, and assembled and coloured as layers after, digitally), but I've never before attempted to ink over pencils all on one page. So... slow... but in the words of Calvin's father, "It builds character."

Rough stuff!

2010-06-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's funny: every time I let this blog go a while without posting anything, you'd think it was because I haven't been working on anything. Au contraire. It's when I get busiest with projects that I forget to update! But not this time! This time: I update.

I often get asked about my process for working on things. I've always been someone who prefers to keep my rough ideas hidden, and who waits for the finished product before I'll let people take a look. I'm the person doodling stuff in the coffee shop or on the bus who will snap the sketchbook shut if you get too close. But I'm trying not to be!

So, for the moment, I'm going to post some of what I've been working away at over the weekend. These are for a comics project that just got underway a couple of weeks ago. I'll stay mum on the details for the moment, but it's shaping up to be something really exciting, and is so far a pretty amazing collaborative effort by a large number of contributors.

Anyhow, back to my process. My process is itself a work in process. These layouts were figured out, first, as individual panels sketched out and repeatedly drawn and redrawn in pencil before I decided I was happy enough with them to sketch them into a layout template. I then scanned them and did some resizing and redrawing using photoshop and my wacom tablet. Many many... many... hours later, and they still look mostly like an indecipherable sloppy mess, but from this indecipherable mess will come finished pencils, inks, toning, lettering... and a comic is born.

Here are just a couple of the seven pages I roughed out this weekend:

Death and the Maiden

2010-06-02T20:47:00.001-07:00

Sketched in pencil, without photo reference, so it may have some... idiosyncrasies? I'm happy with the mood though, which is the main thing for me.

Based on Gaston Leroux's original novel's description of the Erik and Christine characters. No Gerard Butler in the house here. Though I think this could potentially be a standalone piece, without the context of it being an illustration for a book.

New Black Bird paintings available!

2010-05-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

I've produced a couple of new paintings in the last few weeks. And here they are!

Black Bird XXIII
20" x 16", mixed media on canvas
$330
Available.

and

Black Bird XXIV:
24" x 12", mixed media on canvas
$330
Available.

Coming soon: more koi, in a medium-sized format!

Upcoming event! Speakeasy Drawing and Painting Show at the Gladstone

2010-05-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

For one evening, the second floor of the Gladstone will be filled with the artwork of 29 local artists. And I'll be one of them!

Wander through multiple rooms and hallways, each hung with a huge variety of original works, and meet the artists.

Wine and beer will be served. Admissions is pay-what-you-can.

The official site is here, with all the info:

http://www.blttogo.com/index.php

"The atmosphere at SpeakEasy is casual...
conducive to innovation and inspiration. Each month a selected group of artists from a different creative discipline displays work for the crowd. Some of our most popular shows have featured Photography (part of the city wide Contact Festival), Illustration, Industrial Design, Multimedia, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, and the SpeakEasy Craft Shows."

I've also made a facebook page for the event, here, so you can add it!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=129571927055432

The finished article: "Christine, Please..."

2010-05-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I finally finished my fan art experiment, and probably my fan art kick, for the moment, too.

Here's the final, fully coloured and shaded version of the Phantom of the Opera unmasking scene that I had been posting at different stages:

(I also have it posted, with a description of the scene and what I was going for, on deviantArt: here.)

In other news, on a much sillier fan art front (oh God help me), I made another piece of Love Never Dies mockery, which will mean absolutely NOTHING to anyone who hasn't listened to the cast recording or seen the play, but it DID get used in a video piece by The Phantom Reviewer, so it's going to be seen by thousands on Youtube, at least! (Makes me wish I'd bothered with shading.)

And I think that's it for the glut of Phantom fan art, for the moment. (But no promises!) More fine art posts to come, in the VERY near future...

Unless I go off on a different fan art kick. Like Sherlock Holmes, or Les Miserables, or The Wicker Man (the ORIGINAL)... I don't even know. That's why this is the Sketches and Miscellany blog! Stay tuned for more random insanity.

Work in progress update: the nerdery progresses!

2010-05-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on the piece of Phantom of the Opera art that I posted recently, showing the piece in progress. I've since spent many more hours inking it and cleaning it up, which resulted in the following line art:

...to which I have now started adding some colour:

I've barely started shading it at this point, but I'm certainly looking forward to getting to the finished product.

These types of exercises are good for my art in pretty much every way: I get to practice anatomy, perspective, expression, drapery, inking, colour, shading... and why not work on these things using characters I enjoy?

More to come soon!

New painting: Black Bird XXIII

2010-05-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

After the big push for the Bazaar of the Bizarre, I gave myself a bit of a breather. However, I'm back in productive mode, and have some new things to post in the next few days!

For starters:

This piece was just completed on Monday, and is available!

Black Bird XXIII
Mixed media on canvas
20" x 16"
$330

Coming soon: an update on a couple of illustration pieces, and... some more koi!

Play 'em off...

2010-04-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

...keyboard rabbit.

Sometimes I can't help myself.

New work and new prints!

2010-04-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Now that the Bazaar of the Bizarre has happened, I can finally unleash a bunch of my new work upon the rest of the waiting world... or... something.

Thank you to all who attended!

Check out the Paintings section of my site to view all of the new work that I prepared for, and showed for the first time at, the Bazaar. A couple of pieces sold, but the majority of the new paintings are still available!

Prints that I wasn't able to have ready in time for the show are also now available for order!

These include:

Brown Hare II:

Original painting: $300
Signed print: $20

Angry Circus Monkey:

Original painting: $600
Signed print: $20

Barn Owl II:

Original painting: $850
Signed print: $20

And a couple of smaller pieces, which are available only as originals:

Brown Hare I:

Original: $200

Black Bird XX:

Original: $220

Also, my show at Trap Door Boutique remains on display! Larger black bird paintings, and a VERY large koi painting, remain available there, as well as a wide variety of other, smaller pieces. Check it out if you're planning to be out near the Junction, or even if you're not! :D

The Bazaar of the Bizarre -- Spring edition!

2010-04-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's happening again!

On April 25th, 11am-7pm, at the Pia Boumann School of Dance, a collection of vendors including yours truly will be displaying all kinds of wicked, dark, spooky and eccentric wares.

Come out and see!

The official site is here:

http://thebazaarofthebizarre.org/

And the Facebook event page is here. Add it so you don't forget!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/event.php?eid=442238325004

The fall bazaar was FUN, with a ton of great items and some really wonderful people. If you can make it, come by and say hello!

The theme of the event is CIRCUS AND SIDESHOW. My contribution to the theme? An ANGRY CIRCUS MONKEY. Stay tuned!

Confessions of a NERD: Eden makes fan art...

2010-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

I used to be internet famous. No fooling.

But only among a very particular set...

When I was 14, I started writing Les Miserables fan fiction, and for a couple of years I had one of the biggest websites devoted to hosting it, for myself and for others. This was before fanfiction.net showed up and relieved me of my burdens. But for several years, I wrote stories and parodies and inflicted them upon the (largely uninterested) world.

My interests weren't limited to Les Mis, though. I was a big musical theatre fan, and an avid reader of 19th century French literature (oh the things kids get up to) and The Phantom of the Opera was always very much on my radar as well. As a more visually compelling story and stage play, it was always the more fun one to illustrate via notebook doodles and other methods of time wasting.

Sometimes... I still go through phases.

I made this particular item in mockery of one of the main songs from Webber's Phantom "sequel", which has recently opened in London and uses some serious ret-con to describe a steamy night between the main characters:

Getting back to the Webber's FIRST Phantom stage play, I've always liked the moment that Phantom and Christine have post-unmasking, in which he tries to get her to look at him, but all she can do is avert her eyes and hand him back his mask. That is COLD, woman! I did a little thumbnail sketch of this scene in my book while stalled on the subway the other day, and just this evening, did a rough "pre-ink" clean-up to get my lines sorted. Still needs some work, but here it is so far:

...The Phantom still looks too pretty here, but on stage, only one side of his face is deformed. The finished version of this drawing will have a bit of that peeking out from under his hand. (Bit of trivia: the reason they opted for the half-mask on stage was to allow the actor to still express emotions in his face. Makes for a good compromise, and the Two-Face style deformity has always been pretty compelling.)

...

Okay, now you've seen a little of my true face. My NERDY FAN-ART MAKING FACE. Back to business as usual now... Nothing to see here...

Full-colour house portrait

2010-04-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was hired last year to paint a house portrait for some friends of the family. This was my first crack at painting a home from photo reference.

I went to their home on a sunny day and took a few pictures. We settled on this as the final reference shot:

They made a few requests for alterations, which included showing the hedge in its full fall colours. They also wanted the satellite dish and a few minor distrations left out. I also opted to increase the lighting on the side of the house, as it was in heavy shadow in the original shot. I used a slightly looser brush stroke on the surrounding foliage, and put a lot of detail into bringing out the texture of the stones. Here's the finished product:

20" x 30", acrylic on canvas.

Molly: kitten portrait

2010-04-08T12:18:00.001-07:00

A slightly looser portrait, this one proved challenging because of the vagueness of the source photo. Still, it was definitely workable, the lack of sharpness and looser pencil strokes give it softness.

Original photo:

Finished drawing:

5" x 7" image on 7.5" x 11" Stonehenge warm white paper.

Me, in the news!

2010-04-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

The coverage by Snap Bloor West of my art opening at Trap Door Boutique is now online! It's also in the physical newsletter itself, available for free in many fine stores in the west end. (Inside the very back of the paper.)

Check out the article and photos here.

If you weren't there, you can see all the fun times you missed out on! If you were there, relive the magic. And stuff.

From the archives: BILLY

2010-03-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is OLD OLD OLD. And yet... it's still one of my favourite things I've ever drawn. So I'm wiping the dust away and posting this here for your, and my, amusement.

Dog portrait: Becky, the Boston Terrier

2010-03-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

A new piece in my dog portrait series. This is Becky, my family's 11-year-old Boston Terrier. Though now senior, she's surprisingly active, and while she can no longer jump 6 feet straight into the air from a standstill (usually to lick your face), she's still got a lot of personality in her.

This piece is on 11" x 8" Stonehenge warm white paper. Image area is about 6" x 5". Drawn entirely with pencil. (Pardon the watermark on the image -- I'm trying to protect my portfolio pieces drawn in this style!)

I'm always up for doing custom portraits. Though most of my samples are animals, I've also done drawings of people, houses, and even cars. As long as I have decent photo reference, I'll draw pretty well anything!

Prints now available!

2010-03-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

I have good news for anyone who has expressed interest in my artwork but can't afford the price of the originals.

I am now offering signed, colour prints, on 8" x 10" satin-finish photo paper, for $20 each.

Prints are currently available for:
-the koi
-the great-horned owl
-zombie-ish people ("Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Consumer")
-a wide selection of pieces from the Black Bird series
-potentially anything else that appeals to you on the paintings page -- just ask!

Email me at eden(at)edenbachelder.com if you're interested or if you have any questions.

Great Horned Owl -- Complete!

2010-03-08T07:22:00.001-08:00

Here it is, finally! The finished article.

I rarely do photorealism, as it's typically unbelievably time consuming -- especially in full colour. However, I really couldn't resist the beauty of this subject. So, after working on it off and on over a couple of months, the piece is now complete!

If you're interested in seeing it in person, it's currently up at my show at Trap Door Boutique, 2993 Dundas West, Toronto. The painting itself is available, and I also have prints of it for sale there.

The painting itself is:
18" x 14"
Acrylic and modeling paste on canvas
$550

Phoenix: colouring exercise

2010-03-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Something new today!

Line art drawn and inked by hand, then cleaned up and coloured in Photoshop.

Did this as a colouring exercise to, well, improve my colouring, and also to get used to colouring with my new Wacom Bamboo.

It's a pretty silly Phoenix. I'd bet money that it tastes like chicken. Um. Not that you can eat a Phoenix. They always burn when you try to roast 'em.

Art show follow-up

2010-03-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

So, we just had the opening for my solo show, Bird & Beasts, at Trap Door Boutique this past Thursday. It was a really fun night, with a great turn-out. Thanks to all who made it out for your support and friendship. It was so great to see all the hard work pay off and for the artwork be appreciated by so many!

A photographer from Snap! Magazine came out, so keep an eye out for a write-up on the show in the upcoming Bloor West edition.

If you missed the opening but still want to see the art, it will be on display for at least one month -- possibly longer. There are also signed PRINTS available there! (Finally!!)

For info on the store's location and hours, check out their website:

http://www.shoptrapdoor.com

It's a very cool place with some really great clothes and accessories, so you can get some great spring shopping done while you're there, if you'd like!

As for what I have on display: if it's on my site and listed as available, it's most likely there! This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who has been wanting to see my pieces in person but hasn't had the chance.

Thanks again to all who made it the other night, and to anyone still planning to go!

Show opening: event page

2010-02-18T08:17:00.001-08:00

For those interested in attending the opening (see post below), below is the link to the Facebook event page. If you would like to attend, you can add yourself! I know I would be lost, socially, without my event list to refer to. :S

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=313039684654&ref=mf

(If you have an problems accessing the event or adding it, please let me know!)

Birds and Beasts. It's official!

2010-02-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

It's on! If you're in town and able to attend, please do! Opening reception is the first Thurdsay in March. If you can't make opening night, you can still come out to the shop to see the paintings for the following four weeks (possibly longer), as they'll be on display there until the next artist is ready to show.

The show flyer is here. If you have anywhere you're able to post it or share it around, that would be greatly appreciated.

I'll be posting a link to the Facebook event shortly, so you can add it there. I know I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing any given week without checking my event list there!

New bird painting, and exciting news!

2010-02-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

Just completed! This piece is 28" x 20", mixed media on canvas.

It's available... at my upcoming solo show at Trap Door Boutique!

All are welcome to attend. The opening reception will be Thursday, March 4, starting at 7pm.

Come out if you can! Store info is here: http://www.shoptrapdoor.com

I'll be posting more details, and a flyer, very soon!

New work in progress: Barn Owl 2

2010-02-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

I missed posting my Tuesday sketch this week. I had ever intention to post something, but then I woke up this morning, discovered that somehow my life had jumped from Monday to Thursday, and realized that I'd missed the boat on that completely.

The good news is that the concept of time has all but disappeared from my reality because I've been hard at work on new paintings. I have a few new black birds underway, but today I started something a little different.

Back in August, on a road trip back from Cedar Point (can I get a HELL YEAH for roller coasters?), I drew the following thumbnail in my sketchbook:

This was only about 2" wide by 1.5" high, so quite tiny. I love planning for pieces in this size because, in such a tiny area, it's easy to see what does and does not work from a compositional perspective, and it's very quick for me to make changes. It also prevents me from getting caught up in minor details at this stage.

I scanned the image into my computer and waited on it for a few months, planning to turn it into a painting when the time was right to proceed with it. Well, today was that day. Here's the new piece on Day 1:

(I could consider this to be day 2, as yesterday I painted out the canvas in black and applied the texture, but today was the beginning of actually committing the image to the surface, so Day 1 it is.)

I begin by blocking everything out in charcoal, and then, once I'm happy with that, I commit the lines to the canvas with acrylic paint. It's all VERY rough at this point, and needs a lot of refinement! There are qualities that I like in the original sketch that haven't made it to the painted image at this point, but that I'll be working in there as I tweak everything. From here on, it's give and take with the paint, applying it and wiping and sanding it back, probably over several weeks, off and on, until I'm happy with the piece.

The quality of the photo is pretty rough (indoors at night is not the best time to photograph artwork) but it shows where I'm starting, and hopefully the progression will be interesting to watch.

Edit: Gah, okay, I just put in more a ton more work on it and added the first washes of colour. I would take another picture and post it for the REAL Day 1 progress, but it's 9:30 and I've been painting since 10:oo am, so... Next time!

Forumwarz Episode 3, and the further illustrated adventures of the emoest of emos

2010-02-01T15:49:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited to announce the launch of Forumwarz Episode 3, which happened last week. (Okay yeah so I'm behind, geez.)

After a summer of very fun collaborative creative meetings, it's exciting to be in the game and seeing all the very best of our very worst ideas put to use.

With the launch of the episode, I can now also share these illustrations, which I have been sitting on for a few months in anticipation!

To view them all, as well as selected emo kid illustrations from previous episodes, click below for on the link to my illustration page, and scroll down to the Episode 3 portion of the Forumwarz section.

http://www.edenbachelder.com/illustration.html

To play this most excellent of games, where you will also see these illustrations in context with their associated stories, click the link below. Much as with crack, the first hit (episode) is free. After that, it's still pretty darn cheap to play.

http://www.forumwarz.com

New home studio

2010-01-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

Because it's always interesting to see someone's work space (or at least *I* think so), here's a photo of my new set-up:

(Lasercat edition is here.)

Some notes on what you're seeing here:

To the right: a gigantic closet that holds a bunch of my supplies, keeping me from having to toss them all over the room.

On the floor by the fireplace: weights -- for buffness!

To the left: huuuuge south-southwest-facing window, for amazing natural light.

In the immediate foreground: the comfiest chair in the world, which will probably be moved to the bedroom to re-open my floorspace for painting.

On the wall to either side of the fireplace: wall-mounted lamps, not god lights. Apparently my camera was too awed by them.

The other end of the room is set up as a seating area:

Yes, my coffee table has sexy firemen fabric under the glass.

New Bird Painting

2010-01-31T12:37:00.001-08:00

I am beyond thrilled to finally be able to announce... the first completed painting since I moved into the new space!

It is the latest installment in the bird series. 36" x 18", acrylic and modeling paste on canvas. Available now, with free delivery within reach of the TTC.

And I have more! Check out my website to see what other pieces are currently available.

(I should add that the blue at the bottom of this painting isn't as bright or as blue as it looks in the picture. Photos sometimes come out a little strangely!)

Mailing List Sign-up. The form compels you!

2010-01-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Sign up for updates on new artwork, upcoming events, and shows. It's safe and secure... and I promise to be gentle! No spamming, brownie's honour.

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Tuesday sketches

2010-01-26T20:51:00.001-08:00

Did a couple of loose doodles on some scrap paper, in ball point pen, while killing some time this afternoon. Pen is fun because it makes you commit to what you're putting down, for better or for worse.

The better:

The worse:

For title and punchline, view it on Deviantart: http://shmeeden.deviantart.com/art/I-m-the-Laaaast-151903359

The poor fellow. I may yet ink him up properly and make something of him. Stay tuned!

Great Horned Owl: Work in Progress -- update

2010-01-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

An update on the Great Horned Owl painting (seen earlier, here: http://edencbee.blogspot.com/2009/11/owl-work-in-progress.html). It's getting there! Another session or two of toning and tweaking things and tightening up a little detail, and this fellow will be complete.

18" x 14", acrylic and modeling paste on canvas.

For anyone who is interested, he IS available!

Tuesday sketch

2010-01-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

I call it "Finish my Tail, Woman".

Waving, not drowning!

2010-01-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit elusive of late, but I've had good reason! The holidays snuck up on me, and then with no break whatsoever from Christmassy/New Yearsish chaos, it was moving time.

On January 2nd, myself and a herd of amazing friends helped me haul all my junk up to a fourth floor apartment... in a building with no elevators. What could have been the move from hell went unbelievably smoothly. I'm now happily installed in an apartment twice the size of my previous one, and I have a fantastic, well-lit, spacious and beautiful home studio set up in my living room. Once it's a bit more organized, I will certainly be posting photos!

After taking nearly a month away from painting to have all these great adventures, I tentatively started back at it last week, and am steadily regaining momentum. I have some new things to post today, and will also be posting regularly, several times a week, from now until whenever the next insanely busy patch hits. So please check back!

Dog Portrait #1: Shiloh

2009-12-17T18:26:00.000-08:00

Since this drawing has been completed, delivered, and viewed by its recipients, I can now go ahead and post this piece!

This is the original photo:

And this is my drawing:

This piece was done on 11" x 15" Stonehenge warm white rag paper, with a variety of pencils (no charcoal).

I used to periodically do animal and people portraits (and on one occasion an Italian kit car) on a semi-regular basis, but it had been a while. However, I'm considering taking on more of these projects in the near future once I've rebuilt my portfolio, so if anyone is looking to have something done, drop me a line and we can discuss it.

On that note...

This photo was a very challenging one to work from. Although I can make do to a certain extent with what I'm given, the ideal photo is:

-digital
-a good resolution (nice and big!)
-sharply in focus
-taken outdoors, in natural lighting, at a flattering angle
-no obstructions
-no flash!!

No matter how much I try to compensate for it, there is always a lot of flattening of the image which occurs with flash photography. However, even though this photo broke most of the rules, I did my best to compensate in the drawing and I'm pretty happy with the end result.

When Worlds Collide

2009-12-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

Unbeknownst to me, when I painted this back in 2006, I was painting the prequel to the following Regretsy item:

http://www.regretsy.com/2009/12/04/i-want-to-believe/

Astonishing! Although I didn't think to give my aliens such a, ermm, lovely head of hair. Or, you know, incorporate walnuts somehow.

Where to find me

2009-11-28T10:59:00.001-08:00

For the curious, here are all the places to find me online (that I can think of off the top of my head):

My main site:
http://www.edenbachelder.com

This blog:
(You're here already.)

Deviantart:
http://shmeeden.deviantart.com

Boot Camp Comics:
http://www.bootcampcomics.com

Nerd Girl Pin-Ups, in the artist's alley section:
http://www.nerdgirlpinups.com

And if you play as an Emo (all the cool kids are doing it), you'll find my artwork in:
http://www.forumwarz.com

Contact info:
eden (at) edenbachelder (dot) com*

*(written out this way here to avoid the spam bots!)

New bird paintings available! Affordable minis, in time for Christmas.

2009-11-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

I've only just completed these, and am now unleashing them upon an unsuspecting world (or something). All of my birds have so far been solitary, but this time, I thought they deserved to have a friend. Or a staring contest partner. Or, as I'm showing them below, maybe an enemy to snub:

Though the paired birds share the same poses, they're not entirely identical, with variations in the texture of the canvas and application of the paint making each one unique. They're not attached together, so hang them as you like: back to back, face to face, one above the other, or hey, even in separate rooms. It's entirely up to you.

The pieces are 10" x 8" each. Buy a pair a pair for the sweet sweet price of $200. I will deliver for free within reach of the TTC, or else ship them out at cost.

Owl: Work in Progress

2009-11-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

I have to confess, I kind of hate sharing things that aren't done because all I can see, when I look at them, is what's off about the image. But I thought I'd share this one at this point, as I feel it's starting to come together.

It's 18" x 14", acrylic and modeling paste on canvas. I'm kind of picking away at it at this point when I get tired of working on the things I HAVE to do, but I could put some more focus into it and have it ready by Christmas if someone were keen to give it as a gift.

I may post some more images showing the progress on it as I go forward. Check back in to see how it's coming along! And if you have any questions about my process, leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

New bird painting!

2009-11-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this one over the last couple of weeks, and have finally declared it finished, and varnished and photographed it.

This is easily the most complex of the pieces in the series, to date, and is my personal favourite so far!

It's 36" x 18", ready to hang, and it's available! As always, delivery is free if you live within reach of the TTC.

Madly painting. MADLY!

2009-11-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

A few words about what's in the works:

-I've just completed a new 36" x 18" bird, which I will be posting on the site shortly. So totally for sale!

-A photo-realistic Great Horned Owl, 18" x 14", on the same textured surface as the more stylized black bird paintings, is underway.

-Three pairs of 8" x 10" black bird paintings are nearly ready. These will be available within the next week, at very reasonable prices, and will make great Christmas gifts for all your friends and loved ones (hint hint)!

-I've been painting a house portrait, which is a pretty big departure from what most people know me for. I'll be sure to post it when I get it done within the next two weeks.

And who knows what other things I'll come up with to stretch myself just that little bit thinner. It seems I'm most productive when I have a million things to work on, so I'm just going with that!

Slim and shady

2009-11-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

After one of my friends became fixated on the Slender Man, I had to play with the idea a bit myself.

The Slender Man is an invention of the Something Awful forums. Despite that dubious origin, it's a pretty seriously creepy and compelling subject.

You can read more about him here (which explains the idea better than my own attempt to boil it down to a sentence might):
http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Slender+Man

There's also a series of Blair Witch-style videos on youtube, under the name Marble Hornets. They didn't do much for me at first, but over an hour later, I found I'd watched them all anyhow, and was ready for more.

So inspired, I made this facebook graffiti for my fixated friend.

His face came out a little too human, and I think the potential for extra, tentacly limbs holding additional cupcakes may be worth exploring in future.

(This one is vanilla with butter cream icing, just so you know.)

Introduction

2009-11-05T06:56:00.001-08:00

This is a fresh and shiny new blog, devoted entirely to posting new sketches, experiments, and ideas.

I will be posting new artwork several times a week. Each of these sketches will be experiments to test out new ideas and techniques. Win or fail, they're going up here for your scrutiny and feedback!

Also check in for news about new work I have available, and for places I'll be showing and selling originals and prints.