Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Ohio's Top 7 Influential Leaders portraits

Cover illustration detail
Inside Business Magazine just published their Top 100 Most Influential Leaders in the state of Ohio this month, and asked me to illustrate the cover and interior portraits for the feature story.

Combining bold graphic shapes that contrast the delicate penmanship creates a look that balances between traditional and modern. 

Art Director: Chris Valantasis Illustrator: Graham Smith





Cover design by: Art Director Chris Valantasis. Illustration: Graham Smith  








G.

Pen and ink on Strathmore drawing paper. Digital color.


Friday, January 10, 2014

Sketchbook 36 - Graham Smith


Sketchbook 36 from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Did you know that 36 sketchbooks makes a pile 4 feet tall?

I've been drawing in my sketchbooks everyday for the last few years, so I started numbering them, and just measured the book case where I keep them. The drawing streak was broken while filling Sketchbook 36, when I got distracted by something shiny, and skipped a few days here and there.

Anyways, listen to me mumble incoherently, while you take a peek inside number 36... I'll be finishing up Sketchbook 37 while you watch. It's 1:55 seconds long.

And don't forget to draw something everyday!

Transcript: 
Well...well, the important thing to remember about sketchbooking is that, uh, it's a personal thing, they all come out differently. 
You know, people ask me, "What do you put in your sketchbook?" I mean... what am I supposed to do? To me, the answer will be different for everybody. You do... you're an artist, you do what you want. There aren't any rules.
When I was in art school, they said... they said, if you want to be good, you want to be an artist, you want to be an illustrator, there is only one way to get good, and that's to practice. And where do you practice? You practice in your sketchbook. 
The sketchbooks I'm talking about are private affairs, where you work out your thoughts, write down your ideas, draw the world around you. You know, teach yourself how to draw. 
Everything you do in your sketchbook is planting the seeds of ideas, and your sketchbook is the garden in which they grow.    - Graham Smith


Notes about making the video:

Folks that follow my work know that I like to make everything I can, including my own sketchbooks. Sketchbook 36 contains a bunch of different types of paper. The fancy stuff is Neenah Environment paper. Plus, there is regular old xerox paper, graph paper, tracing paper, and anything I could get my hands on, really. The whole thing is stapled, and taped together with a cardboard cover.

I filmed this on my desk with the T4i, the low end Canon DSLR camera, a halogen desk light, and edited the shots together with iMovie, trying to keep the filming set up as simple as possible.

Credits:


Sketchbook 36: Graham Smith

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Sony Life Drawing Workshop - demo drawings


I love drawing the figure from life, so I'm super excited to announce that I'll be instructing an 8 week Life Drawing Workshop for the artists and animators at Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), in San Diego, beginning next week, January 14th.

Here are some of the drawings I do as demos in the workshop. I love to sit along side the artists and draw!

Christina - 2 minute gesture drawing - 6B graphite stick
Christina - 2 minute gesture drawing by Graham Smith
Bridget Rose - 20 minute demo drawing from the Sony Life Drawing Workshop by Graham Smith
Christina  - 20 minute demo drawing by Graham Smith. Colored Pencil
Christina  - 20 minute demo drawing by Graham Smith
Christina  - 10 minute demo drawing by Graham Smith
Christina  - 20 minute demo drawing by Graham Smith
Christina  - 2 minute demo drawing by Graham Smith
Bridget Rose - detail

2 minute warm up drawings
2 minute warm up drawings
Bridget Rose by Graham Smith

2 minute warm up drawings
Bridget Rose by Graham Smith

These drawing of the beautiful models, Bridget Rose and Christina, were drawn as a 2 to 20 minute demos. I like to work off a ground color, allowing me to push and pull the values, and to "draw the light", as they say. These drawings are on paper, 18 x 24inches, acrylic wash, colored pencil, with white chalk.


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