Another busy week...most of my art time this week was spent making a Halloween costume. I'll post that sometime in the next week. But here's more of the sketch of the tiger. As I'm working along, I'm figuring out that you can't cheat on the tiger's stripes because they define the the curves of it's body (and subsequently it's underlying muscle structure). What does that mean you ask? Well if you want the tiger to appear 3-dimensionally rendered as we do here, you'd better have the stripes shaped correctly. Otherwise, no amount of "nice shading" is going to give it the appearance of being naturalistic. (By the way, I'm leaning towards the tiger in this tattoo being white).
I worked on the Farewell Society CD design a bit too, but more on that later.
I has originally planned to hold all of the galleries until they were all finished, but I was persuaded to launch the Tattoo Gallery. You can find that linked over there on the left in the sidebar.
This project is: Private Commission – G. Cesario – Tattoo design
Time this session: 1.00 hrs. | Total time on this project: 3.5 hours.
Posted at 5:43 PM on Friday, October 31, 2003
This week was a busy week so not much time to devote to artmaking. I wasn't able to work on the CD project at all, but I did do some tiger sketching for the tattoo design. I've never had reason to draw a tiger prior to this, so I decided to start with the head and work my way across the body towards the tail. The focus of the tattoo will be the tiger's head because of its positioning: he stares directly back out at the viewer. Tackle the tough part first, ya know?
Other than that...I had originally planned to hold all of the Tell.Tale.Heart galleries until all of them were finished, but I was persuaded to launch the Tattoo Gallery since it's done. You can find that linked over there on the left in the sidebar.
This project is: Private Commission – G. Cesario – Tattoo design
Time this session: 1.00 hrs. | Total time on this project: 2.5 hours.
This week was a busy week so not much time to devote to artmaking. I wasn't able to work on the CD project at all, but I did do some tiger sketching for the tattoo design. I've never had reason to draw a tiger prior to this, so I decided to start with the head and work my way across the body towards the tail. The focus of the tattoo will be the tiger's head because of its positioning: he stares directly back out at the viewer. Tackle the tough part first, ya know?
Other than that...I had originally planned to hold all of the Tell.Tale.Heart galleries until all of them were finished, but I was persuaded to launch the Tattoo Gallery since it's done. You can find that linked over there on the left in the sidebar.
This project is: Private Commission – G. Cesario – Tattoo design
Time this session: 1.00 hrs. | Total time on this project: 2.5 hours.
Posted at 9:26 PM on Thursday, October 23, 2003
I'm working on two projects at the moment: I'm working up a tattoo design and I'll also be designing and building the art for my bands CD (Farewell Society). Before I could start to rough out sketches for the tattoo design, I really needed to clean up the desk. Since I'd been working on the mosaic table, the desk started getting pretty messy. Ok, right...So after some collection of reference images, it was onto the sketching...
The person that I'm doing the sketch for asked if I could connect three seemingly disparate images into an amazing looking tattoo design, the three main components are: a tiger, an Italian flag and flames. Well I think I can work with that. Here's the direction that I'm taking with this: very stylized flames - sharp, to complement the 'aggressive' nature of the tiger: sharp claws, sharp teeth, sharp flames, etc...Rather than a flag itself, which in my opinion, would be rather uninteresting and blocky, I'm going to suggest incorporating the three colors of the flag as the fill within the flames. This would be done as if the flag were waving with varied values of the colors, rather than solid fills. So we'll see what direction it goes. The initial rough for placement is over on the right.
The CD project obviously involves a lot of Photoshop and to a lesser extent some Illustrator. Over the past few months, I've been immersed myself in the lingo and trivia of CD replication and packaging and now it's come time to put all of that gathered information to task.
The insert is going to be 4/1 paneled folder insert. Without getting into all of the mind boggling details of CD production, the gist of it is that it's an insert that folds once and its full color (CMYK) on the two outside squares, and black and white (grayscale) on the inside. The back (traycard) will also be in color. What you see here is the inside of the CD's insert, minus the text of course. This image was built from four digital photos: three differently constructed railway bridges shot from the Chicago landscape and a picture of cables lying on the floor at one of the studios we recorded at. The original photos are: the steel beams that comprise the underside of one bridge, the concrete arches of second bridge, and the steel X-supports of the third and the cables on the floor. (Note that the picture of the X-beams is a Photoshop'd version of the pic, I didn't have an original saved, but you get the idea.)
This project is: Private Commission - G. Cesario - Tattoo design
Time this session: 1.50 hrs. | Total time on this project: 1.5 hours.
and
This project is: a TTH Studio Project - Farewell Society- CD design and layout
Total time on this project: hours and hours and hours.
I'm working on two projects at the moment: I'm working up a tattoo design and I'll also be designing and building the art for my bands CD (Farewell Society). Before I could start to rough out sketches for the tattoo design, I really needed to clean up the desk. Since I'd been working on the mosaic table, the desk started getting pretty messy. Ok, right...So after some collection of reference images, it was onto the sketching...
The person that I'm doing the sketch for asked if I could connect three seemingly disparate images into an amazing looking tattoo design, the three main components are: a tiger, an Italian flag and flames. Well I think I can work with that. Here's the direction that I'm taking with this: very stylized flames - sharp, to complement the 'aggressive' nature of the tiger: sharp claws, sharp teeth, sharp flames, etc...Rather than a flag itself, which in my opinion, would be rather uninteresting and blocky, I'm going to suggest incorporating the three colors of the flag as the fill within the flames. This would be done as if the flag were waving with varied values of the colors, rather than solid fills. So we'll see what direction it goes. The initial rough for placement is over on the right.
The CD project obviously involves a lot of Photoshop and to a lesser extent some Illustrator. Over the past few months, I've been immersed myself in the lingo and trivia of CD replication and packaging and now it's come time to put all of that gathered information to task.
The insert is going to be 4/1 paneled folder insert. Without getting into all of the mind boggling details of CD production, the gist of it is that it's an insert that folds once and its full color (CMYK) on the two outside squares, and black and white (grayscale) on the inside. The back (traycard) will also be in color. What you see here is the inside of the CD's insert, minus the text of course. This image was built from four digital photos: three differently constructed railway bridges shot from the Chicago landscape and a picture of cables lying on the floor at one of the studios we recorded at. The original photos are: the steel beams that comprise the underside of one bridge, the concrete arches of second bridge, and the steel X-supports of the third and the cables on the floor. (Note that the picture of the X-beams is a Photoshop'd version of the pic, I didn't have an original saved, but you get the idea.)
This project is: Private Commission - G. Cesario - Tattoo design
Time this session: 1.50 hrs. | Total time on this project: 1.5 hours.
and
This project is: a TTH Studio Project - Farewell Society- CD design and layout
Total time on this project: hours and hours and hours.
Posted at 9:55 PM on Wednesday, October 15, 2003
So onto the grouting. I use standard pre-mixed white grout that is readily available at any hardware store. Mosaic product companies make grout too, but again as I usually say, it's no different, just more expensive. To apply grout, on small projects (like this one) I prefer a plastic putty knife over a grout float. Grout is slathered (great word, isnt' it?) over the entire mosaic and pushed into all of the spaces in between the tiles. So all of the tiles are going to disappear beneath the grout- which can a bit scary the first time that you have to do it.
Once that's done, you've got to wait a few minutes for the grout to setttle and cure a bit. Next, using a damp sponge wipe the surface of the mosaic to begin removing the excess grout. Two points of importance here: one, the sponge shouldn't be too wet, otherwise you're going to weaken the grout binders and it won't cure to the strength that it would've had it not been watered down. So make sure the sponge itsn't too wet, got it? Two, also be sure to keep the sponge level as you move it across the surface of the mosaic, use the entire surface of the sponge, not the edges. This is to be sure that you do not pull up grout from in bewteen the tiles. Here are the tools that I used.
After this initial removal of grout, I let it cure for awhile longer. Then I again use the damp sponge to take more grout off of the surface of the tile. After this 2nd pass, there will still be spots of grout on the tile surface that didn't come off with the damp sponge treatments. So I again make a pass over the surface of the mosaic to keep those spots of grout that remain on the tiles a bit damp- I want to prevent those areas from totally curing which would make them harder to remove.
Using a popsicle stick, I work across the mosaic surface, carefully scraping any pockets of excess grout off of the surface of the tiles. Time consuming, but the most effective way to go about it. Once the grout dries, it's done! And it's of to San Francisco for the Mosaic Table project... new stuff next!
This project is: Private Commission- K. Leja- Mosaic table top
Time this session: 1.50 hrs. | Total time on this project: ~ 15.0hrs.
So onto the grouting. I use standard pre-mixed white grout that is readily available at any hardware store. Mosaic product companies make grout too, but again as I usually say, it's no different, just more expensive. To apply grout, on small projects (like this one) I prefer a plastic putty knife over a grout float. Grout is slathered (great word, isnt' it?) over the entire mosaic and pushed into all of the spaces in between the tiles. So all of the tiles are going to disappear beneath the grout- which can a bit scary the first time that you have to do it.
Once that's done, you've got to wait a few minutes for the grout to setttle and cure a bit. Next, using a damp sponge wipe the surface of the mosaic to begin removing the excess grout. Two points of importance here: one, the sponge shouldn't be too wet, otherwise you're going to weaken the grout binders and it won't cure to the strength that it would've had it not been watered down. So make sure the sponge itsn't too wet, got it? Two, also be sure to keep the sponge level as you move it across the surface of the mosaic, use the entire surface of the sponge, not the edges. This is to be sure that you do not pull up grout from in bewteen the tiles. Here are the tools that I used.
After this initial removal of grout, I let it cure for awhile longer. Then I again use the damp sponge to take more grout off of the surface of the tile. After this 2nd pass, there will still be spots of grout on the tile surface that didn't come off with the damp sponge treatments. So I again make a pass over the surface of the mosaic to keep those spots of grout that remain on the tiles a bit damp- I want to prevent those areas from totally curing which would make them harder to remove.
Using a popsicle stick, I work across the mosaic surface, carefully scraping any pockets of excess grout off of the surface of the tiles. Time consuming, but the most effective way to go about it. Once the grout dries, it's done! And it's of to San Francisco for the Mosaic Table project... new stuff next!
This project is: Private Commission- K. Leja- Mosaic table top
Time this session: 1.50 hrs. | Total time on this project: ~ 15.0hrs.
Posted at 8:41 PM on Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Now since I made the drawing to scale, the next step was to transfer it onto the nice white primed surface of the can. I opt for my trusty friend Graphite paper for the job. I tack the graphite paper to the can, then the sketch, re-trace the lines and you know the rest...sketch on can! (Drawing on the can itself would have be possible of course, but not efficient. I wanted to have the components of the drawing sized and spaced beforehand.)
And so the paiting went. I used a variety of white synthetic brushes (mainly flat and filberts) and a few 1" house painting brushes from the Home Depot. Because the can needed to be resistant to rust and is going to be moved about a lot (chipping might be an issue), I used enamel paint. Enamel is oil based and fume-y of course, so I was relieved to find that the meduim-sized room I was working in was equipped with one of those huge pedestal fans.
Once all of the main graphics were transferred and painted, I moved on to the text, which was transferred in the same way. (Remember that earlier I'd printed all of the text out via photoshop and my printer). The painting was done in two sessions and it ended up taking more hours than I initially thought it would, even though there are really two main sections of graphics. Isn't that the way it goes though? Remember that there wasn't any need for graphics down the center of the can because that section rests on the table and wouldn't ever be seen. Soooo here's the finished product! ...and a view from another angle.
I know some of you are probably still a little bit confused about how this thing works exactly, so here's a wonderfully illustrated concept sketch for ya'. The can made its debut last Sunday and I hear the owners are really diggin it- so all is well. I'll probably stop by Cans on a Sunday in the near future to get some pictures of the can/bar "in action". So next I'm going to finish up grouting the Mosaic Table that I'd been working on prior to the can project and then it's onto something new!
This project is: Commissioned- Cans Bar and Canteen- Beer Can Bar
Time this session: 10.5 hrs. | Total time on this project: 16.5hrs.
Now since I made the drawing to scale, the next step was to transfer it onto the nice white primed surface of the can. I opt for my trusty friend Graphite paper for the job. I tack the graphite paper to the can, then the sketch, re-trace the lines and you know the rest...sketch on can! (Drawing on the can itself would have be possible of course, but not efficient. I wanted to have the components of the drawing sized and spaced beforehand.)
And so the paiting went. I used a variety of white synthetic brushes (mainly flat and filberts) and a few 1" house painting brushes from the Home Depot. Because the can needed to be resistant to rust and is going to be moved about a lot (chipping might be an issue), I used enamel paint. Enamel is oil based and fume-y of course, so I was relieved to find that the meduim-sized room I was working in was equipped with one of those huge pedestal fans.
Once all of the main graphics were transferred and painted, I moved on to the text, which was transferred in the same way. (Remember that earlier I'd printed all of the text out via photoshop and my printer). The painting was done in two sessions and it ended up taking more hours than I initially thought it would, even though there are really two main sections of graphics. Isn't that the way it goes though? Remember that there wasn't any need for graphics down the center of the can because that section rests on the table and wouldn't ever be seen. Soooo here's the finished product! ...and a view from another angle.
I know some of you are probably still a little bit confused about how this thing works exactly, so here's a wonderfully illustrated concept sketch for ya'. The can made its debut last Sunday and I hear the owners are really diggin it- so all is well. I'll probably stop by Cans on a Sunday in the near future to get some pictures of the can/bar "in action". So next I'm going to finish up grouting the Mosaic Table that I'd been working on prior to the can project and then it's onto something new!
This project is: Commissioned- Cans Bar and Canteen- Beer Can Bar
Time this session: 10.5 hrs. | Total time on this project: 16.5hrs.