After a few more processes.

Here is the finished image after 11 secret herbs and spices have been added. Thanks to Inkscape and Fotosketcher. Suitable for cards, posters and maybe even a kids book.

Illustrating with Blender3D

For the past year, I have been commuting to work in Wellington and using my morning train rides to draw. Recently, I had an idea to combine my hand-drawn textures with 3D software to create interchangeable objects that can be used to build a variety of illustrations. I frequently use Blender 3D for my commercial animation projects, so I thought why not apply it to build a collection of objects for my illustrations. While I draw, I have noticed that I have gained a small following of curious onlookers who are used to seeing me complete my drawings on the train. However, with this new approach to drawing, I have noticed that I have puzzled my regular train audience.

I have applied these texture maps, which are known as such, to a 3D model that I have roughly modeled based on the images. Additionally, I have hand-drawn trees, buckets, and grass tufts that I plan to incorporate into the 3D scene. After rendering, the final product is a charming scene that can be rearranged and stylized differently every time.

The final render is looking good so far. I'll add more images as I go.

Large Mural For a Pizza Shop

Last year I was pleased to get the opportunity to design a large mural of the Cowboys football team mucking about at Smiles Stadium. The client was very clear about what they wanted, which is always a good thing. I really enjoyed the caricature aspect of this mural having fun with details like the two mascots and the geckos placement. This all took about 6 weeks to get right and the customer says they are over the moon with joy.

Other Than Plastic 2017

Cartoons and caricatures have always been a passion of mine, even from a young age. I used to draw my father and his coworkers at the drafting office, as well as teachers at my school, which won me popularity with my classmates. Throughout the years, I've drawn friends, family pets, and even received commissions to create caricatures of sports figures and corporate teams. Recently, I completed a series of seven drawings for managers of a government organization in New Zealand. I hope I captured their likenesses

Other Little Projects For 2017

For a good while now I've been interested in the fetishization of robots by modern society. From an early age I was fascinated by famous robot characterizations like Gigantor, Astro boy, the robot from the Forbidden Planet and Invisible boy movies and of course Silent Running and Star Wars. These pre-real robots, I feel are an homages to a technology we don't quite know or understand as social phenomenon. I find myself asking what sort of waste and refuse will be left by them as they become obsolete like mobile phones from the 90's are now. Also I tend to think we have strange expectations of robots, will they bring with them happiness and new hope or be as co-modified as computers and their peripherals. In a way, I think that the modern artistic ideology of what a robot will be, is similar to that of the Cargo Cult natives of New Guinea and their building of effigies of airplanes with the belief that these likenesses would bring prosperity and plenty. The sculptures here, are a start to a theme I would like to pursue in my art. It is a mix of the cargo cult iconography, African fetish and that expectation of our modern culture that robots will bring solutions to many needs that we find it hard to address in society like pollution, war, elderly care, loneliness and the need for growth in economy.

I am calling this theme my robot fetish.

Some New Year New Zealand Works

Seeing in the Christmas / New Year period in New Zealand, I've have had time to finish off some colourful artworks. Though the last one is unfinished by a whisker but I still wanted to post it.These are not actually in frames but I believe that I should find frames as close to the ones I have mocked up here.

Kitten With Fish In A Bowl

I have several artworks that when I finished them I was not that impressed with how they turned out. One of those was this little black and white kitten staring at two fish in a bowl. The style I was aiming for was that of a kind of Japanese art style I have admired. Where narrative is described with limited detail - The fish - The bowl - The ledge - The kitten and that there was a moment at which the kitten could strike out at the bowl and the narrative would end. As I have arrived back in New Zealand to live and unpacked our huge storage container, I have been able to review a whole lot of work and see them with fresh eyes. This little image is now becoming a favorite of mine. It has already won the heart of my wife who won't let me sell it.

Papier Lasagne

The image of the robot head from the previous post didn't do it justice. So I am posting this again. I have made a few alterations adding the x mark in an area I thought needed a little something. Also the darker border adds a little depth. The size of the image is 60 x 58 cm . When framed and finished it will make a great statement piece.

Inspired By Bots In A Box

So I am still creating larger works using a paper lamination process called "papier lasagne" . It basically results in a large but terribly strong paper surface to paint on. These two works are directly inspired by the "Bots in a box" sculptures I make. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Bather In Number Ten

Inspired by my bots in a box and still happy to experiment with my reinforced paper. I have been working on a new series of acrylic paintings. This is the first of many. I have at least 4 more being assembled. The process requires reinforcement of the back of the paper and a layer of  coloured tissue paper to add a ground colouring for the impasto and acrylic paint.

Playing With A New Technique

This weekend I have been busy testing some new large artwork ideas. This image was made, or should I say is still being developed. From a very small image sketched from my imagination on a piece of scrap paper no bigger than a business card and then blown up at least 100 times. I have then transposed that image to a large composite paper and mixed media surface. So now I am slowly building up the image to create a colour work of an imaginary landscape.

What I want to achieve is the same simple style I am forced to create when making my images in recycled plastics. Like the two red silos image. I am also very much a fan of work by Shaun Tan and in this image attempting something similar. His haunting and moody use of light sets an almost wonderland existence in his artworks. Very much reminiscent of De Chirico's surrealist landscapes - another one of my favorite artists.

New Zealand Paintings

My trip to New Zealand took me to some very beautiful places. I wanted so much to paint everything I saw out the window of the car. Unfortunately wherever I saw a sight worth painting it was either inaccessible or we whizzed past it too quickly for me to say "stop the car". The places I did get to paint though were as wonderful as the ones I missed. We started our journey at New Plymouth were my wife and I lived some 3 years ago. I got in some time to paint the sugar loaf islands Motumahanga and Moturoa. Then I was lucky enough to find some time to paint Motuotau, one of Tauranga's beautiful islands. I have a couple more paintings of New Zealand on the go and I will post these as they are finished.

Whimsical Robot Artworks

My daughter and her partner have been fixing up their house and I went to visit them a few weeks back. I had given Ushie - my daughter, a designers guide to interior design and she had been saying how she'd like some larger artworks on her wall as recommended in the book. The kitchen was especially bare of art and she suggested I think of what she might do to brighten it up. I was planning to travel to New Zealand in the coming fortnight and was not in the frame of mind to do or find artworks for her straight away. But after returning refreshed from a wonderful time in the Taranaki in New Zealand. I felt like rejoicing my wonderful trip. I had also been playing with some ideas about how to create large works on paper that reflected the shapes and designs I am getting from my "Bots in a Box" found and recycled object artworks. So these two artworks were the labour of the following weekend.

The other image here is of my daughter and her partners hopes and dreams of a farmhouse set high above a river in the country. They already farm bees so it's a good start and their little family at the moment consist of a dog and a cat.

A cat for my daughter

I had finished this cat some time ago and gave it to my daughter as a house warming gift. But I had totally forgotten to blog about it. Oh well no time like the present.

Starting A Theme

I think I am starting to develop a new theme of recycled plastic artworks by the introduction of the boxed cat idea. A friend has asked me to create a homage portrait of her cat "21" yes its name was a number, a favorite age I seem to remember. This is the final artwork.