HandSum Studios

Salty Dog

2011-12-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

Old Timer

2011-11-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

Still smilin'.

Battlin' Baddie

2011-11-17T07:50:00.006-05:00

A sketch done at ten minute intervals over the course of three lunch periods. I realize that his far leg is obscured, but I assure you it is just behind his arm. He is not a tripod.

Woodland Spryte

2011-11-15T13:00:00.003-05:00

Lil' bear meets the turtle

2011-11-06T22:32:00.004-05:00

Just a thought

2011-11-04T00:30:00.001-04:00

More than just a little mischievous, she just got an "idea".

Hagrid

2011-11-03T17:07:00.003-04:00

My take on the lovable Hagrid from JK Rowling's Harry Potter. Enjoy.

Lil' bear

2011-11-02T09:59:00.002-04:00

Practically a Monster

2011-10-27T23:41:00.004-04:00

Ok, so although not technically a Halloween monster, I'm pretty certain that this woman is actually a witch.

A Post IT Monster

2011-10-24T23:56:00.003-04:00

Getting this little guy in just before the end of the day. He's a bit harried.

Another Little Monster 2

2011-10-23T22:34:00.004-04:00

Possibly Dee-licious

2011-10-21T23:41:00.003-04:00

I think I'm starting to get a handle on the PITT artist pen that I picked up a few nights ago.

Frankenstein's Monster

2011-10-21T23:06:00.002-04:00

A little scribble with a PITT artist pen.

Another Little Monster

2011-10-20T01:02:00.003-04:00

Ok...so here's the first one for the day.
Fez' are cool.
Bow-ties are cool.

Halloween Monster

2011-10-19T19:20:00.003-04:00

Inspired by Jake Parker's Inktober series, where he sets out to do an ink drawing every day in October, I wanted to see if I could manage do one monster drawing a day for the rest of this month. Now, I realize that I have started a bit late in the game, but that gives me a fighting chance to actually make good on this. Yes, I also realize that these are not in ink. Ok. So it's only marginally inspired by Mr. Parker's Inktober. I like his work, so there it is.

Check back and see how I do!

Halloween Sketch

2011-10-18T09:21:00.002-04:00

Quick little sketch to help me get into the spirit of the season. Enjoy

On my way to my second hundred thousand...

2011-09-29T23:29:00.001-04:00

A little Cintiq doodle

2011-09-28T19:58:00.000-04:00

Hunchie

2011-09-27T09:08:00.001-04:00

A bit Mousy

2011-09-26T08:52:00.001-04:00

The Pizza Man

2011-09-09T08:45:00.003-04:00

A silly early morning scribble to help get me warmed up for the day. I do wish that I could find a pizza parlor that was open for breakfast. That place would be a gold mine!

My little Punkin'

2011-09-07T00:42:00.003-04:00

Here is a quick sketch of my daughter Mia. As you can see she has mastered the art of walking on her tippy-toes, waggling her little french fry finger while admonishing our beloved Pomeranian to "go! go! go!".

I love being a papa.

Conan the Barbarian

2011-09-06T08:53:00.003-04:00

I drew this entirely on a wacom tablet. There is still a great disconnect for me when drawing in one space while looking at another. In a way, drawing on a WACOM tablet (not a Cintiq) is a variation of the blind contour drawings we did in foundation classes.

I never liked those exercises very much!

Ole' Pirate Parrot

2011-09-02T08:11:00.002-04:00

Digging through the archives and found some post fodder. Here is a fun little sketch of a pirate parrot.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

2011-08-01T08:16:00.004-04:00

My first Ninja Turtle. I wanted to try a simple, clean render with this guy. Although unintentionally, it seems to be influenced by the classic "Golden Books" gouache style.

Sirius Black

2011-08-01T07:52:00.006-04:00

One of my favorites characters from the Harry Potter series, I was inspired to create a Sirius Black wrap for a collectible mug. Ideally, the wrap would have temperature sensitive ink so that the "ANIMAGUS" would appear only when the mug was filled with something hot or cold. Otherwise, it would just sit at your desk...looking sirius.

The Characters of Harry Potter are Copyright of J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2011-07-20T08:37:00.006-04:00

I am looking forward to seeing the final Harry Potter film. As a huge fan of the books, I have often said that the movies are meant to function as a companion to the written words. The way they are crafted, I believe that that film makers have a firm reliance on the audience's knowledge of the story to help bridge gaps in the onscreen story telling. That being said, the movies are terrifically enjoyable and a great pairing to the works of J.K. Rowling.

PIRATES!!

2011-01-24T01:25:00.010-05:00

I love pirates. Ever since I was a young boy, I have been fascinated by buccaneers, swashbucklers and rogues of all stripes. Inspired by various artists that I admire (primarily a certain fellow with robotic tendencies) I wanted to make a little pirate adventure of my own. Here is some of my preliminary process in creating an illustration. Against my instincts to dive right into a full fledged scene, I try to force myself to scribble a thumbnail. I almost always disregard this rule of thumb and take to drawing the entire scene without rhyme or reason. I guess that is a bad habit leftover from my days as a second grader. I really don't like to draw so tiny, but I always regret when I don't take this first step.

So now that the scene has been thumbed out, I start to develop some characters for my pirate crew.

I will usually draw these guys disjointed from the scene they will finally appear in. At this point, I am searching for their personality. I am waiting for them to tell me how they are supposed to fit into the picture.

Every sea-faring adventure needs a sea creature.

Some Damsels in distress...

...a hero.

I am thinking of adding some monkeys, a goat and even a robot or two. Check back and see where this goes!

Another Little Piggy

2010-08-18T00:30:00.002-04:00

What is he trying to explain about the empty can?

2010-08-16T09:44:00.002-04:00

A little Cowgirl

2010-08-11T23:50:00.002-04:00

All Outta Cookies

2010-08-06T14:48:00.001-04:00

The Lone Ranger

2010-07-30T00:40:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid, I used to love catching the reruns of the Lone Ranger on TV. The William Tell Overture never sounded so good as when set as the backdrop to the opening sequence.

I had forgotten how different it feels to draw with white. It reminds me of the days of drawing on the black board with chalk. How times have changed...they don't even have those old blackboards in school anymore.

Girls

2010-07-29T00:49:00.001-04:00

Hello...I'm back again. Here are a few sketches I made the other night while watching the tv.

One Little Piggy

2010-07-01T00:51:00.002-04:00

Just another bit of bacon.

The Last Little Piggy

2010-06-16T01:08:00.006-04:00

It was almost two years ago when I set out to redefine one of the classic adventure stories in Western literature, The Three Musketeers. First I gave you Porkos, the lovable porcine boob.

Next, I gave you the dashing Bacos, complete with his debonair hair on his chinny, chin-chin.

...and now, after much ado, I am proud to present the final installment to this most famous trio. Meet Frank.

2010-05-07T13:25:00.003-04:00

2010-05-05T01:22:00.000-04:00

Peanut

2010-04-29T02:18:00.000-04:00

The Return of the Gorillataurus

2010-04-28T01:46:00.002-04:00

A Funny Way to End the Conversation

2010-04-27T00:59:00.003-04:00

Not to put to fine of a point on it, Sargent Black articulates his disagreement with "Ole Reliable".

Hello, Birdie.

2010-04-26T13:08:00.001-04:00

Just a Misunderstanding

2010-04-23T00:19:00.001-04:00

Odd pair

2010-04-21T23:48:00.002-04:00

You don't often see a penguin and a pelican paling around. Seems to me like they might be the best of friends. Why not?

Happy Holidays

2009-12-12T01:32:00.002-05:00

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

Goldilocks and the Bear

2009-11-17T09:07:00.002-05:00

A quick drawing. This bear doesn't want to share with...anyone.

Another Goat

2009-11-13T00:44:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to draw the hair. I hope that everyone has a terrific weekend!

Goat thing

2009-11-06T08:55:00.002-05:00

Franken Creatures

2009-11-04T00:09:00.003-05:00

A couple of drawings I wanted to get out of my system before getting off to bed this evening. I guess, I still had a few October drawings left over in the ole' cranium.

Good enough to Teach

2009-10-27T23:02:00.001-04:00

A quick ink drawing of one of my favorite genres, pirates. Aye.

Friday Inks

2009-10-23T09:38:00.003-04:00

Moments in a Day

2009-10-22T09:36:00.002-04:00

YUMMY

2009-10-21T09:23:00.002-04:00

He's just thinking about how delicious whatever you have in your lunch bag must be.

Morning Sketches

2009-10-20T09:21:00.002-04:00

Anything more fun than a brand new duckie in your hands?

Sketchbook

2009-10-19T22:55:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple of ink skethes that I found while rummaging around in my art closet. I really like the nature of the ink pen.

I am working on a little bit of animation for this month's 11 Second Club competition. It has been great fun to break out the old animation paper and start the mad dash of scribbles. I cannot believe how rusty my animation bones have become. Still, this practice affords me the opportunity to draw, draw, draw.

2009-10-08T08:55:00.002-04:00

I noticed that this blog just passed the 100 post mark! Considering the frequency of posts, I dare say that I didn't think this time would ever come. So join me and my friend above in celebrating the blog's first milestone!

Character Development for 11 Second Club

2009-10-07T00:08:00.005-04:00

I was talking to my coworker, friend and veteran animator, Eugenio Mediavilla, about this month's animation competition for the 11 Second Club. I told him I wanted to do a toddler in his playpen. He immediately began to ideate a thousand and one ideas for the character and the scene. So I asked him to rough up a concept for me to build on. He came in with this sketch which I really liked. In my initial sketches, I had the toddler wearing nothing but diapers. Genio asked me, "are you really going to animate ten fingers and ten toes?" I saw his point.

I merged his concept with the work I had already been doing to create this little guy. I did concede the point about letting the folds in the Onesie help create expressive drawings. However, I needed the little guy to have fingers for the acting I have planned so I did away with the mittens.

How do you like it?

Two for the Price

2009-10-06T00:53:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking about entering this months 11 Second Club Animation competition as a way to get back into doing some animation. I really do not have the time to spare, but I am a terrible glutton for punishment.

I decided that my character for the competition is going to be a tyrannical toddler.

Who says I can't Dance

2009-09-21T01:04:00.000-04:00

"these are some of my best moves yet around the camp fire.."

Fish Fish

2009-09-18T02:39:00.005-04:00

I wanted to make a fun creature drawing to help me to get back into the swing of things. What do you think?

September 11, 2009

2009-09-11T09:38:00.000-04:00

This is a suicide mission

2009-09-04T02:04:00.003-04:00

"You haven't even heard what the mission is YET! Put your hand DOWN!"

Unrequited Love

2009-08-11T12:26:00.002-04:00

She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me....

Pirates

2009-08-05T01:59:00.003-04:00

I have always loved pirates! Here are some fun doodles.

ESPN ART

2009-08-03T09:46:00.004-04:00

Hello All! I have been terribly busy and terribly awful about keeping the blog current. It seems like I go through spurts of dedication where I post three or more times per week and then trail off. So, for any of you that are actually checking in to the blog today, here is a piece of rejected art done for ESPN.

I don't know why it was rejected, but I like the vintage feel of the design just the same. So there.

Boeing F4B4

2009-07-16T01:35:00.003-04:00

I am really lucky to be able to work on such a wide variety of topics and subject matter at my job. On any given day, I might be working on a rendering a very famous parrot. Or I might be designing a candy dish or character coffee mug. I have worked on a hula girl with a grassy skirt and a flirtatious grin. I even got the chance to stretch my graphic design skills by working on various concepts for Indian Motorcycles. That was very cool.

Here, I had the chance to render the F4B4 fighter that was used in the climatic ending to the original King Kong movie. You would never think that this might come up in an M&M illustration. Yet, there it is...plane as day.

Elvgren Study

2009-07-15T12:22:00.006-04:00

This is a study after the great pin up artist Gil Elvgren. I wanted to try an emulate his painting style using nothing but Photoshop. Getting a computer to approximate the richness of oil paint is a great exercise! Copying a master stretches the skill set. I didn't really do the original justice, but I did learn alot.

Underwater Fishie

2009-07-14T00:55:00.002-04:00

A happy little doodle to get the 'ole pencil warmed up and ready!

Sarge

2009-07-09T11:04:00.002-04:00

Just a quick doodle of the Sarge character... he's gonna need another 50 Cent cigar.

Not Tippy

2009-07-02T13:24:00.002-04:00

Just another Black Beret concept for Chaotic Fiasco.

She is...

2009-07-01T01:56:00.002-04:00

Finished.

Cougar color

2009-06-30T01:17:00.003-04:00

I always like to see other people's works in progress, so I am not shy about posting my own. Here I'm experimenting with technique and style. With any luck, I'll learn something as I go! I still need to figure out the leather boots and how I'm going to handle the hair! Should be fun.

Cougars Revisited

2009-06-29T09:37:00.003-04:00

Here is another go at the cougar sketch from last week. This time I waned to get a bit more life into the drawing. I think it is moving into the right direction; and it proves that there is great value in doing some warm up drawings!

Beware of the Cougars

2009-06-24T09:37:00.001-04:00

While out on the town this past weekend, we spotted some unusual nightlife....apparently, our Metro area has a very robust cougar population.

Mer Mer

2009-06-22T23:38:00.005-04:00

I made some changes to this little mermaid. Once I began to throw down some color I noticed some weighty issues with her starboard side that hadn't bothered me before. So I took off a bit here and added some details there. In any event, I would consider this color sketch finito.

More MER

2009-06-19T00:50:00.004-04:00

I decided to get myself a little deeper into trouble by sketching in a background. Let's see where this takes us...

Mer-ladie

2009-06-18T03:11:00.004-04:00

Here is a bit of process. First a quick sketch of a mermaid just floating around in the water.

A bit of digital inking to get the ball rolling. Still getting used to freehand inking on the computer. Still, well enough for this little exercise.

Now I have begun to lay in some shadows. I am trying to work out a simple value system to help give form. I could not resist throwing in color for the hair. I just knew she would have to be a red head.

Change of Pace

2009-06-17T00:03:00.005-04:00

Here is something that I am excited to be working on. As you may have guessed it is a parrot. This is not just any parrot, however, but the one and only Margaritaville Parrot. Since I cannot show the entire piece, I thought I could show a detail of the head.

Here, too, is a detail of the feet. Photoshop can be loads more satisfying when you find the "magic" button. As you can see, I am still looking for that key.

A Son of Berlin

2009-05-28T00:54:00.005-04:00

A little character concept of a German infantryman. The Turtle is gonna have his hands full with both the Nazis and the Communists. Not to worry, the Turtle is gonna be serving up a double helping of Pain Cake and there will be plenty of left-overs.

Although by no means a final design, I thought I would add some color to this sketch...just for fun.

Henri Grenouille

2009-05-27T00:58:00.004-04:00

Here's a glimpse of Henri Grenouille, the local Marquis contact for Operation Chaotic Fiasco. I like to keep my first sketch of a character rough and untethered to the need to make a good drawing. Otherwise, I get hung up on the mechanics and cannot connect with the "character" I am trying to draw.

Please let me know what you think of all these character doodles so far!

Take a Gander at this...

2009-05-26T10:39:00.002-04:00

Lt. Robert Downs of Her Majesty's Special Air Service on loan to the American Rangers detachment, the Black Berets, for Operation Chaotic Fiasco in occupied Europe...

Green is my Favorite Color

2009-05-22T02:35:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe how fast the week has gone by. I am working on some more concept sketches for the Crazy Turtle idea that was spawned last week. I am having a great time researching old photos and World War II era uniforms and weapons for these yet unseen sketches. Check back for progress on those. In the meanwhile, here is my go for this week's DrawerGeeks, the Orion Slave Girl from Star Trek. Also, see the new movie. It's pretty entertaining.

Bearly a Sketch

2009-05-15T09:14:00.002-04:00

If that turtle is going to fight the Commies, he's going to need an adversary.

Vanhoozer Special

2009-05-14T10:09:00.003-04:00

Man, I am pretty psyched that my friend, Jeremy, added color to the Crazed Turtle sketch. He has an uncanny ability to splash tone, shade and awesome on just about anything in just about no time! He has the Talent. If you have not had the pleasure, visit his blog at Vanhoozer Studios .

Die Commie, Die!

2009-05-14T01:21:00.004-04:00

After returning from lunch with a coworker this afternoon, I spotted a green box turtle sunning itself on the bank of the canal by work. Having a few moments left in my lunch break, I quickly doodled a "likeness" of a coworker as a brooding and bellicose turtle. It was great fun to do, because I scratched it on a scrap of lined notebook paper that I had on my desk. I still like to draw on lined paper, it reminds me of a time when I didn't know that there was blank paper made specifically to draw on.

So, then I went home and decided to "draw" this character a little more. I made a few changes to him. Although the second drawing is more fundamentally sound (three dimensional and volumetric) I'm not sure that I retained enough of the vitality and whimsy of the first sketch. In this second attempt, it no longer "resembles" the coworker but rather has begun to take on a life of its own. What do you think?

And yes, he is wearing a turtle neck sweater.

Walt Stanchfield's New Book

2009-05-11T23:02:00.005-04:00

A good friend from work just got the new Walt Stanchfield's book on Gesture Drawing, Drawn to Life from Amazon today. It looks amazing. I plan on ordering both volumes (human and animal gesture drawing) in the next few weeks. I have learned a great deal about gesture drawing simply from reading some of Stanchfield's notes on animation. I really would have loved to sit in on one of his classes. Here are a few of my own gestures drawings!

A Bit of Disney Animation...sorta

2009-04-27T00:49:00.006-04:00

Back in 2002, a friend of mine offered me a fantastic opportunity to get involved with a bit of animation. He and some of his colleagues were working on a film and they wanted to to get the pitch in front of the eyes of management, so they recruited me to help with some rough inbetween work.

A had a great time inbetweening this scene. Although I only spent a handful of hours working on it, it was terrifically rewarding. These 75 drawings represent the realization of a dream. My friend had invited me to help animate a scene for a proposed featurette for the Walt Disney Studios in Florida. Unfortunately, the project was tabled and I was not asked to make any further contributions. As far as I know, the project never made it out of the early exploratory stages. I am pretty sure that it was my scene that killed the project.

The scene synopsis : A young Samurai finds that he must defend the honor of a woman in a duel to the death. He has challenged a great Samurai warrior, a man that is respected and revered by the other Samurai, including the young man. The young Samurai knows that he cannot win the battle. He is outmatched and outclassed. It is hopeless. Still, honor must be satisfied and so he will fight. In the moments before the battle, we see the young man resigning himself to his fate, undeterred. He takes a steady breath and looks down...where he sees a lotus floating in the stream at his feet.

Even though this is a small bit of business from a film that never saw the light of day, I can with great pride that I worked on a Disney animated film. Sorta.

Pen Sketches

2009-04-26T18:36:00.004-04:00

Just in case there wasn't enough awesome in your day today, I give you these scribbles. You can now breathe easy.

Troll

2009-04-23T01:29:00.004-04:00

"You're not going to give me any trouble, right?"

Sketchbook doodles

2009-04-21T22:55:00.007-04:00

The most frustrating thing in the entire universe is drawing. Every little line has to go into the exact spot. A scribble here and there until the jumbled little mess begins to take on some sort of shape. It is an excruciating exercise that has engaged me ever since I was a little boy. I cannot possibly numerate the hours spent at this. The most frustrating thing in the entire universe is drawing.

It is also the most wonderful.

My Neighbor

2009-04-07T23:22:00.002-04:00

Last week my neighbors dropped by to show me their pet. They we very proud to show off their well behaved 8 year old.

Working on it

2009-03-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

Dragons

2009-03-26T22:55:00.004-04:00

At this point I have blocked in the main body color and have begun experimenting with the surface textures. I tend to jump around experimenting as I go. I am going to call it an early evening as I can barely stay awake. More to come on this one!

A hint of color

2009-03-26T20:27:00.004-04:00

It just so happens that this weeks Drawer Geeks topic is Dragons! Luckily, I have something prepared that I have been looking forward to painting. I hope to blast through this tonight and have it ready for tomorrow! Wish me luck...considering it took me almost a month to paint the background!

Sweet Solitude

2009-02-25T00:47:00.000-05:00

Save the Trees

2009-02-11T01:57:00.002-05:00

After sitting in peace and tranquility for more than 300 years, Willie finally snapped a twig and set off to teach the humans that he did not like to hug on the first date.

A Couple of Sketches

2009-02-10T00:47:00.005-05:00

I found these sketches in the corner of one of my hard drives. They are a bit dusty. Hopefully they still retain a bit of nutritional value. Hmmm....tasty.

Cleaning those Pearly Whites

2009-02-06T02:29:00.003-05:00

I have always been a night owl. One of those rare creatures that preferred to stir well past past the Witching hour. Sleep always seemed to encroach against my will. Eyes heavy, I would, at last, give in and fall to sleep.

The morning's terrible revenge on my insolence was always brutal and unyielding. No matter. I found that I could rob sleep from the most mundane tasks and eek out a few more minutes of shut eye.

Tomorrow will be the same.

Night Watch

2009-02-05T01:14:00.001-05:00

Did you hear something?

The Guardian

2009-01-16T00:54:00.004-05:00

Here's a rough concept sketch for the Guardian. As I was working with it this evening, I began to realize that I wanted something a bit more stylized for this story. I want to keep working the character until I get the right feel.

Still I wanted to follow up the previous entry and start the momentum on this blog with a post tonight of tonight's sketch. So here we are.