Tickling the keys

Again, another piece that I wanted to rework...
This is one I tackled originally in watercolors with colored pencils. It was a poster for a piano competition that happens every year in Savannah. These were my color comps and final sketches:

Finished inks:

Original and Redo:
In the redo I wanted a new color scheme. So I played around with color and overlays.

 

Slayne... The Book Cover!

I did this bookcover when I was a wee commercial arts student way back in 1995. Here it is and what I did to update it. We learned basic paste up, rubylith, color separations etc.

I just wanted to keep it real. And in keeping it real, meant I would attempt to jam as many characters as possible into one scene. I love busy compositions and getting the viewers eyes to run all over the piece. This was my adorable attempt:

So, I wanted to resurrect it. I made a handful of thumbnails to get down some initial ideas.

My professor made the suggestion to change the angle to make the scene more dramatic, (as seen in ink thumbnail on the lower right. He was right on. so I made the scene in the upper left angled:

and after colors, which I think still needs tweaking....

with distress:

Mega Man!

One thing I love to do is recreating box art of my favorite toys growing up. Mega Man is one of my favorite series’ that started on the NES (old skool). So I imagined a redesign. I’m in the process of doing some other retro style box art. (Think the old Capcom NES art with the lasergrid backgrounds)?

This was done awhile ago and I just wanted to show it. I redid the entire box design in illustrator and used it as an overlay, i.e. logos, type. The image of Mega Man on the back in the Battle Network costume is NOT mine. I used him as a filler. Also the screenshots were grabbed online. Everything else was illustrated by me. Stay tuned fo' mo.

Pretty Bird...

So, I was going through my old thumbnails and comps and found this unused work...
It's from a Bukowski poem called "Coupons."

I've been wanting to experiment more with scratchboard and brushwork.
This is what I got:

Coupons
cigarettes wetted with beer from
the night before
you light one
gag
open the door for air
and on your doorstep
is a dead sparrow
his head and breast
chewed away.
hanging from the doorknob
is an ad from the All American
Burger
consisting of several coupons
which
say
that with the purchase
of a burger
from Feb. 12 thru Feb. 15
you can get a free
regular size bag of french
fries and one
10 oz. cup of coca cola.
I take the ad
wrap the sparrow
carry him to the trash bin
and dump him
in.
look:
forsaking fries and coke
to help keep
my city
clean.

CHINESE MUSTARD 3.0!

HEY GUYS!
New site up!
Feedback is welcome and encouraged! Thanks everyone!
ChineseMustard 3.0 is a GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you brother Jae Manuel Soto for your help!
http://chinesemustard.net/