Sketchbook Fury - EP 1 - Mojo Your Dojo

Sketchbook Fury - Mojo Your Dojo (episode 1) from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Art & film Graham Smith

Strathmore Sketchbooks 300 Series Sketch

400 Series Toned Tan

400 Series Mixed Media

& many more

camera & edit Graham Smith

camera 2 Andrei Booriakin

Music

         Logjam - Podington Bear

         Interlude - Tickle

         Big Mojo - Kevin Macleod

         Part VI -  Jazzer

         Pink Fish Signs - GeeNerve

         Early Riser - Kevin Macleod

 Music: Creative Commons CCx4 2016   

Video: Copyright © Graham Smith 2016 

Confessions of a Paper Junkie

Confessions of a Paper Junkie

The good folks at Strathmore Artist Papers™ were curious to see inside my actual art studio, and wanted me to draw something in their sketchbook. I told them, I draw on hundreds of sheets of Strathmore® paper a year, plus anything else I can get my hands on. But by all means, please send more. I'll be happy to draw on it, give a tour, and nerd out about paper anytime!

So, last month we filmed this video.  :)

Here's the transcript and some random screen shots:

Art Directors used to call it taking an idea out for a walk. That…it's, it's the best part of the project… it's when…you can just grab ideas from anything, and anything goes… and you're always on a deadline, so you are drawing as fast as you can.
You grab your sketchbook and you just start…drawing. 

 So, you explore every graphic permutation of an idea with little sketches - to develop the idea into it's best possible form. You make lots of little sketches, and follow wherever they lead.

If I'm drawing figures for an art book, I'll prep a sheet of Strathmore® Drawing Paper with a light acrylic wash… (to) give it a textural feel, and a tone to work from. Then I'll go to town with colored pencils, or ink, or anything else.

I use the same technique on this creature series. This is acrylic wash over Strathmore drawing paper. I imagine the creature, and render it with, uh, graphite and chalk. I'm combining imagery from classic(al) antiquity, (and) Victorian Flower Language to create deities from an imagined past.

Basically, I craft an image to suit a story. I'm an illustrator, and at the most basic level I take ideas and turn them into things we can see… and drawing is the very first step.

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For my art nerds that read all the way down here, here are the process details. The type of sketchbook "the girl with black hair "is drawn in is Strathmore Toned Tan (5.5x8.5"). It's nice! She's an imagined character, drawn with colored pencils, with acrylic paint washed over it, then black china marker, and more colored pencil.

I filmed this in my studio, with help from art school assistant, Britney Sharp. She climbed up the ladder to hang the art, and worked the camera. A big shout out to Alberto Ruiz for the video's name. Yes, Strathmore send me a big box of sketchbooks. No, you can't have one. Go get your own.

Photo Gear: Canon 650D (t4i), Canon 50mm f 2.8 lens, Canon 18-135mm STM lens, 2 softboxes 5000k, Rode VideoMicPro, Davis and Sanford Tripod, Cowboy Studio slider, edited in iMovie.

Credits:

Strathmore: strathmoreartistpapers.com
illustrator website: grahamsmithillustration.com
video: vimeo.com/inkdrawing
music: freemusicarchive.org

Music: There It Is by Kevin MacLeod (cc) by 4.0
Music: Astronauts On Earth by Cosmic Analog Ensemble (cc) by 4.0
Video: Copyright (c) 2015 Graham Smith/art/camera 1/edit
Camera 2 /Assistant: Britney Sharp
Models: so many models! thank you all.

Sketchbook 37 - Index of Time

Sketchbook 37 - Index of Time from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Sketchbook 37 - Index of Time: strange creature's imagined from earth's primordial past were drawn with a brush pen over the course of a week, one right after another, stream of consciousness style. Each drawing riffing off the one before, until an evolution appeared, little collections of botanicals, fauna, cultural elements and inventions.... the Index of Time.

Often, I advise aspiring artists to try new things and experiment in their sketchbooks, like in this video for Sketchbook 38 - try new things. But this time, I decided to follow a theme through the entire book, which is kind of a "new thing" for me! Whichever direction you try next - keep drawing!

Made with: Kuratake Brush Pen, glossy paper, iMovie. Music by Cranston. Illustrations and Video by Graham Smith 2015 ©

Thanks for stopping by - G.

Pass the Journal - the drawing process

A really nice sketchbook mysteriously appeared at my studio with a note that invited me to "create art" for the Wyeth Sketchbook in the Pass the Journal project by Strathmore. I decide to dive in, and film the process of drawing a creature called, "The Bird Feeder".

Here's the note, some photos of the drawing, and behind the scenes videos of the whole thing.

"Strathmore is sending artists from around the globe on a mission to fill the pages of our art journals! We have sent 12 of our 500 Series Mixed Media Hardbound Art Journals to different artists to kick off Pass the Journal. Each artist who receives a book is to fill a page with their artwork, upload their artwork and artist profile to this site, and pass it on to another artist to continue the cycle." - Strathmore

This piece is called The Bird Feeder. It's a graphite pencil drawing by illustrator Graham Smith, drawn on Strathmore 500, mixed media paper, created for the Pass the Journal project by Strathmore. 11"x17".

Once the drawing was finished, sprayed with fixative and dried,  it was time for me to Pass the Journal along to the next artist. I know a zillion artists, so it was hard to choose. But I wanted the book to go to a real sketchbook lover. So, I sent it to illustrator, and creative sketchbook master, Daniel Baxter. You are going to love his work.

The last question remains... is this grotesquely elegant god more likely to feed the birds, or eat them himself? Is he good or bad, or is he like us.... full of both beauty and terror?

Thoughts on Symbols: The Hopi Indians believed hummingbirds intervened with the gods on behalf of humans, asking the gods for rain. The indigenous peoples of Trinidad believed hummingbirds were the spirits of their ancestors, and should never be harmed. The tiger lily flower represents the feminine principle, reflecting the qualities of mercy, compassion, kindness and unconditional love. The brown freckles on the flower's petals allude to the concept of always being in touch with one's creativity.

Pencils: Uni, Staedtler, Dixon Ticonderoga, Derwent, 4h, 2h, h, hb, f, 2b, 6b Erasers: Mars Plastic, kneaded, and Tuff Stick. Paper: Strathmore 500, Mixed Media, 90 lb. Vellum finish.

Making Monsters (day 2) trailer

Making Monsters day 2 from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

2 super talented sculptors from San Diego are making a full body, special fx, horror creature suit in their garage studio, and asked me to film the process. I cut this 34 second trailer from one of the episodes, so you can see what artists do when they're let out their cages.

These guys started with 150 pounds of clay, in 12 boxes, and worked very, very quickly. The sculptors, Jason Hite and Jonathan Fuller are about 9 hours into their work in this trailer, and are already beginning to define details.

Day 1 was the "rough in" phase. Day 2 began the refinement, and next time, I think they're going to sculpt the head! Looking forwards to showing you all the steps in this epic project. Better go charge my camera battery.  :)

Old Man's Story - Drawn from Life

Crazy Nekkid Grandpa from Graham Smith on Vimeo.


Art model, Van worked himself into character, building up, then channeling all his energy into each pose, creating visceral emotion through physicality. And he named each pose as they progressed, "Nekkid Grandpa, Alone in the Dark, Tortured, Feral Man, Cabaret..." 

He tied a strap around the stage and pulled against it with all his strength, that same strap was tied around his hands for his "Tortured" pose, and he cantilevered his balance against a stick, which became a prop in other poses.

Later, looking over the drawings, I began to make sense of the story from the names of his poses, and made this short video.

Crazy Nekkid Grandpa sure can tell a good story! And as for judging books with old covers: look closely or you might miss classics like Ernest Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea", or Herman Melville's, "Moby Dick".

Pen and ink portrait time lapse video

Pen & Ink portrait - timelapse from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

A 2 minute time lapse video of the creation of a pen and ink portrait form start to finish.

I'm lucky to illustrate the 20 Questions interview feature in Worth Magazine each issue. Sometimes I film myself drawing. Over time, I've streamlined the inking process, see if you can see how I "cheat" when inking portraits on a deadline.

Decorative patterned whale - illustration process

Blue Smoke whale - illustration process from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Peek behind the scenes, in this illustration process video, while illustrator Graham Smith draws a whale full of decorative patterns, using a Lamy fountain pen and a Micron marker.

This whale illustration is part of the visual assets for a Blue Smoke Sushi Restaurant branding campaign, art directed by Hollis Brand Culture.

I'll post some photos next month, when the restaurant opens, and we can see the final product!

That Red Head from the Weekend

That Read Head from the Weekend - drawing by Graham Smith

That Girl with Spiky Hair - process video

Colored pencils, ink, and china marker on brown kraft paper. 18 x 24. by Graham Smith

Detail

Drawing Caruso - pen and ink tips

Caruso for Worth Magazine by Graham Smith

Drawing Caruso from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

I'm super lucky to illustrate the 20 Questions interview portrait for Worth Magazine, Art Directed by Valerie Sebring. 

Always trying to improve the illustration process, I've tried many different ways to ink these portraits.

I've inked directly over the blue pencil sketch in Drawing Petra Nemcova - a totally traditional approach, used a light box to draw the ink over a blue pencil sketch in Inking Duncan Quinn- adding a common studio technique, and inked on vellum in Beer for Data, trying to switch up the medium. 

This time, I try a new trick-of-the-trade, printing the pencil sketch on watercolor paper, and inking over that. It works really well, so I thought I'd share the technique with my inky friends on the interwebs. You can see a quick example in the video Drawing Caruso.

The funny thing is, all these techniques result in the same look, an inked portrait over a blue line sketch. There are so many ways to achieve the same effect.

Do you have any tricks-of-the-trade you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments below.

Ink detail - 140lb cold pressed watercolor paper

Pencil sketch on Strathmore paper

Pencil sketch detail

G.

Draw something everyday!

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

Music: Roxy Music - India

Video: Graham Smith - Vimeo

Summer Greeting from Earth

Summer Greetings from Earth from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

It was such a gorgeous day, that I had to go outside and play with my camera between illustration assignments.

Shooting video with my low end, Canon DSLR is my new hobby, and I wanted to learn how to better use it. So, I walked up and down the street in front of my studio, trying to get things in focus, along with a decent exposure. My goals are usually that simple when I go out to shoot.

I needed a peg to hang all this wide open, hand held, flowers and trees footage on; that's when I thought all this might be from the POV of a spaceman, with all the curious close ups, shallow depth of field, and the tranquil pace. With that minor concept in place, here is 4:41 seconds of pure veg-out.  :)

Canon 650d (t4i). 50mm f1.8.

Undersea Chalk Mural

Release the Kraken - Chalk Drawings from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Watch artist, Peter Han transform a black wall into an undersea world of sharks, jellyfish and octopus, by drawing with chalk, and paint markers, for BLVD63 Apartments.

The mural is on 5193 College Ave, on SDSU campus. If you are in San Diego, California, have a look!

Peter completed this mural in 5 hours, without referring to a sketch. He simply penciled the black tip sharks, yellowfin tuna, Humboldt squid, oar fish, angler fish and octopus with a quick outline, using a white colored pencil, then he went straight in with chalk. A friend from Cottonwood Arts, dropped off a brand new box of acrylic paint markers, so Peter used them, too, having never picked one up.

Understanding your subject is the key to drawing them well. Peter spends many days at the Birch Aquarium, and the San Diego Zoo, drawing these sea creatures from life, creating study after study, to learn exactly what they look like. All that extensive study informs his drawing, making it look "so easy".

When asked by an onlooker how he draws so well, Peter answered, "Practice, man. Practice." You can see him mouth those words at 1:03 in the video.

The chalk was spray fixed with matte fixative, in light layers, once the drawing was completed. Little flakes of chalk fell off from the force of the spray fix, so the drawing was secured, little by little. After a few good coats, the entire mural was sprayed with a clear coat of varnish, to preserve it as long as possible.

Film Process: I filmed the mural's creation process using my low end, Canon DSLR (T4i), the Canon 18-135mm STM, and the 55-200mm zoom lenses, the least expensive lenses Canon makes. iMovie was used to edit the footage together. I like to use the simplest set ups possible, carrying the 2 lenses, and tripod only, then filming by the seat of my pants.

Make Day of the Dead masks

the recycle of life from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Learn how to make Day of the Dead tributes, by recycling cardboard with a bit of paint, a touch of ink, and a bunch of imagination in this short video, the recycle of life.

You'll need: cardboard, white paint, india ink, a wide brush, a smaller round brush, and something to cut cardboard with.

Discarded cardboard is reborn and given a new life through your imagination. The decorative tributes are enjoyed for a day, then burned, because life is short and precious, and sometimes we need to be reminded to appreciate things, then let them go. The recycle of life.


the recycle of life (teaser) from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

I'll be at the Oceanside Museum of Art helping Art After Dark party goers make recycled Day of the Dead masks, this Friday, November 1st. I'll be assisted by The Art Elephant, Miss Chantelle Lamoreaux. Stop by to say hi, have a drink, and let's make art together! See you on Friday!

Make a Day of the Dead Mask

Make a Calaca Costume

Read about the Event.

Drawing a Haunted House

Haunted House for Boston Globe from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

Houses that are hundreds of years old must have at least a few ghost roaming around, thought the owner of this 350 year old shaker, so she called a number of psychics to discover the otherworldly forces floating about.

Art Director Ryan Huddle called me to illustrate this fun topic for the Boston Globe. It was fun to draw, and to bring this illustration to life using fall colors. So, I made a little video while I was working.

Haunted House for Boston Globe: Graham Smith

Haunted House (detail): Graham Smith

How to Illustrate a War Story

Beer for Data - Illustration Process from Graham Smith on Vimeo.

"It was a dark time in a long, drawn-out war. Afghanistan was festering with resentment. The Pentagon brass were desperate. It was the kind of last-ditch moment when authorities start throwing an era’s weirdest ideas at its most hopeless bureaucratic mistakes."

Pacific Standard hired me to illustrate an article about the war in Afghanistan, and a bunch of "Burners" lead by Dr. David Warner, the called the Synergy Strike Force. They succeeded in trying to "hack the war", only miles from the treacherous Tora Bora Mountains, from the only bar in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

This story begins in Wartime Afghanistan, with a few smart guys building schools and installing solar generators. It ends with the burning of Koran's at Bagram Airforce base by US soldiers, and the riots that erupted afterwards.

Once stateside, the story is returns to another burning, a bittersweet ceremony where the Burning Man's Temple was razed, deep in Nevada's Black Rock desert. Goodbyes were said to those lost in the war.

Their story, by Brian Calvert is heroic and amazing. Read the Article.

Illustrating a reality based series about the war is a great responsibility, and a super fun project!

But where to start? How do you know what to draw? What is the illustration process?

Research: Illustrations are based on written descriptions from the article, and reference photos culled from the interwebs. It is helpful to research the objects in a reality based illustration. I read the manuscript and highlight the descriptive passages, then list all the objects to be illustrated, and Google them.

Ideas: Draw thumbnails: The goal is to put your thoughts on paper, and to generate ideas by letting facts, graphic themes, and subconscious ideas link from one little drawing to the next - evolving as they go. This is a really fun part of the process, where any idea, no matter what, gets drawn in a little box.

Edit: The best thumbnails are enlarged, and refined into bigger pencil sketches. They are reviewed by the art and editorial staff, and placed into temporary layouts to get a sense of how the illustrations will live inside the design.

Refine: Sketches are usually developed with anything handy, and fast. In this case, graphite. The rough pencil sketches are used as a guide for the more carefully done ink drawing.

Draw: On approval, the chosen sketch is redrawn with ink on a separate piece of translucent vellum or paper. A quill pen, and india ink are used to draw each illustration.

Finish: Color, and mono-printed textures are are added digitally in Photoshop, as is the final  resizing, and preparation for printing. The final print ready, Photoshop files are delivered via internet.

While I'm drawing, I'm also filming.

An iPhone camera captures time-lapse footage while attached to a overhead desk lamp. Between each drawing, I reposition my low end DSLR, (Canon T4i /650D) to film a different angle, setting the exposure, and depth of field, before resuming to draw. The footage is knocked together in iMovie.