Work in Progress(NSFW?) - Pencils

I laid out a couple of rough pencils (okay, so I cleaned a few up), while watching the "Assassination of Jesse James". Not a bad movie, nice muted tones and blacks and pretty good storytelling. Definitely a mellow kind of slow build up film though, but not bad. Anyway, on to the drawings. I suppose I had a crotch fixation on this one, but I guess thats where some of these are headed. No reference, so there's probably some issues here or there but I think I'll fix those problems during the ink stage. Did I mention I love owning a light table? I love it.

2009 incoming

This post is more for me then anything else, but with 2009 coming up I feel like I need to make some changes. I've got a list of things I want to get done.

One of which is that book I've been talking about forever. The truth is I made two versions of a book already... It was available for viewing at SVA's MFA Illustration Book Show that took place about a month ago. I was satisfied with the book that came out, but it doesn't contain any of my current Thesis work from this semester--which I feel is much more polished then the older work. So I opted to not make it public and kept that as a class assignment. The book I would love to make will have no less then 100 pages, and include sketchbook work as well as work that may go as far back as Undergrad. I want people to get a full view of where I'm coming from as an artist and understand what I'm trying to convey. Long story short, I'm going to bust my ass over the coming months and just finish this thing. It needs to be done content wise way before the end of the semester for me to properly promote it and get my career to pick up.

Second, I'm available for freelance jobs. Repeat. I AM AVAILABLE FOR WORK. If you have the slightest inclination, go ahead and drop me an email or a call if you prefer and we can set something up. Starting Jan 8th I'll be back home from the holidays and can take on just about any job. At the moment I can take on a few, but mostly black and white work until I get back to my studio space.

Third, I'm planning to show works in galleries this year. I've been working on some bigger pieces in black and white and I may be transitioning to large scale black and white paintings soon, but I have to see where this creative drive takes me. WHEN I have an opening, I'll be sure to post it here.

Fourth, last thing, which will probably begin to come together near the end of this year. I want to teach. But the catch is, I'd like to teach abroad.. I'm interested in teaching illustration at an Art College in say, Japan or Korea, but I'm going to wait until I get things going in my freelance career first. I'm going to be looking for something that can provide me with a place to stay and income while giving me flexibility to create and showcase work, while helping students that are serious about Illustration improve. I'd love to give back... and hell, I'd love to visit one of those two countries. I've been dying to go for awhile now.

Sooo, thats it for now. On a side note: I'm pretty excited about the new light table I received from my good friend Bryant (I've known him since highschool and we were in a band together for awhile, he's a super talented designer and Bass player). I completed an illustration for his band Claw Like Things and their EP is out now. Check it! And their site is here. I'm away from my files otherwise I'd upload an image myself, but you can see snippets of it at the links posted-- and also if you DL their CD you can see the art in the booklet. Hope you all have a Happy New Year!

I needed to disappear

...for a bit. Here's a few things I've drawn in the last two weeks. There's a lot more work drawings and things to put up but it'll have to wait til' I'm back in JOISEY. The end of last semester was rough.




The last two were drawn on the plane. I think I was nervous which would might explain the extra mark making. I kind of hate flying... I like how these came out though. The "creepy-floating-vine-baby" may become a new character in one of my pieces, but I need to figure that out. Enjoy the sketch! (complete with sample self-loathing!)

Drawing from class

A 20 min drawing in my sketchbook from class today. Ink and color pastels, and a little gel pen. I'm working on some new things for thesis, should have something to post in the next few days.

to bury future lovers

Kept myself busy with thesis work this week. Life is significantly better then it was when I last posted. Here's what I've been up to...


These three images complete a "love" themed set of images within my year long thesis. A lot of detail is lost in reducing them for web, especially the center image (the original is close to 26 x 26 in). I may upload some better images or just save them for my thesis self published book later on. (Incentive to pick one up when it comes out? cough cough.) Enjoy!

Brush pen drawings

I've been drawing straight with my brush pen lately to loosen up and for fun.

Quick laundry day sketch


And some drawings made while I wasn't paying attention to my history of comics class tonight. My mind needed a break I suppose.

Exorcism

Makes sense as a title for this one-- at least as a stand in. This is a bit more James Jean-ish to me then I'm comfortable with (something about the soft painterly looking texturing... but it could just be me). This piece was the result of a couple accidents and re-scannings, but I'm pretty happy about it.

Strange and Busy couple of weeks...

A few highlights of strangeness:

Hit on by a cougar-ish lady. I earned twenty bucks for drawing a terrible portrait of her.

Almost mauled by two cat sized rats (--I'm barely exaggerating.). This is the first time I looked at two rats and thought-- these things could take me in a fight.

Partying at a Bar where Japanese girls dressed as Vampires scream old school rock style music.

All this mixed in with trying to get financial aid situated and art work created over the last 5 days. I almost missed out on being enrolled for this semester because of some loan issues. Agh. But enough about not art-things. Here are a few sketches and some work in progress.


My friend Rachel sitting in class...

Some quick location ink drawings.


Work in progress. Not sure about the color solution yet. I'm really interested in keeping it monochromatic right now, so some blue-ish tones may be incoming. Feels too familiar to things I've seen though, so I need to explore a bit more. Either way here it is for now, whatever it is.

Work in Progress update - lineart

I may need to rescan and stitch this thing together... awkward 8'' x 11'' scans of a 16 x 20'' drawing make me very, very sad. Here it is for now though.


The colors should come soonishly.

The Stranger

An illustration recently completed for The Stranger . Check out the article! It's a great story.

More WiP and a quick ink sketch

I'm working on a another 16x20''(ish) ink piece. It's been fun loosening up for this one, it's sort of meditative. The best part is this piece has been sitting penciled and in my corner since I moved out of the MFA studios a month or so ago, so it's nice to finally toss some inks on it. The other smaller sketch is just my time killer while I was sitting in Red Mango drinking a fruit shake. Enjoy!

some inks

Work in progress, work for fun... tigers to be added later. May go for lions though just to be "different". Too many damn tigers in illustration these days.... no offense to tiger lovers out there.

Ehhr...

So I didn't quite make it to that page a day goal. I have a good excuse, really.

No... no really. it's a good one.
...
...

...Look over here.

It's a clown on a unicycle juggling hula hoops of fire! --Soon there will be tigers jumping through these hula hoops. This is an inside joke...so, no one is going to understand it, but this might turn out to be the cover art for my bands ep when we get around to recording a crap one. I drum and I love it. I swear if I wasn't making art, that'd be a full time profession and life for me. Wait, I said I had a good excuse right? Maybe next time.

Day - "18"

Ha! Last one. I promise. It's like a disease.

Be back 7/23?

May be unable to post for a few days. I'm about done exorcising these beasts thankfully. I'm a little tired of them, so that's a good sign. I need to push my personal visual metaphors a bit.

Day 16 - Part 2

I couldn't sleep until I tossed this up. I guess that means I'm disciplined? Thanks for checking this out day to day whoever you amazing people are. I appreciate it. I haven't exactly been creating the most glorious and conceptually deep work in that past weeks, but eh I guess that's what sketchbooks are for.

Originals for Sale - Reduced Prices

Reduced the price on Peaceoffering and The Meat Market.

The following god awful photos are to prove that these pieces exist. All sales will be through paypal only. Send me an email (ray@jonesray.com) with the title of the piece in the subject line and include a mailing address and your name in the email. I'll get back to you with a payment request from Paypal. When I recieve your payment I'll send you an email confirming it, and I'll mail the piece out to you within 2 days if not the same day. If the piece is already in the process of being sold I'll let you know when you've emailed me asking about it or it'll be posted up here as SOLD.

If for some reason the payment request isn't paid within 48 hours I'll assume you're not interested/ changed your mind, and I'll cancel the request and it will become available for purchase again. Serious inquiries only pleeease. I need to eat. Thanks!



The Meat Market (16'' x 20'') + Inkjet Print of Illustration (13'' x 19''): $150.00 (includes S&H)


Peaceoffering (20'' x 16'') + Inkjet Print of Illustration (19'' x 13''): $150.00 (includes S&H)


The following are in the 8.5'' x 11'' price range and more then likely do not include a print, unless for some reason I find one, then you'll get the print free of charge.


Trees become the Wolves (12'' x 11.5''): $60.00

"Tree Skull/ Drown in the Woods/ Quiet Breeze": $60.00

Day - "14"

Sketchbook work in progress.... sure why not. I don't think I'll ever get tired of drawing these pseudo-wolf-bear-drooly-beasts.

Day - ... ?

I've lost count. I think I'm behind by eh, 1 -2 now? Playing sketchbook catch up... it's sad really, haha. Here they are.

Day 10 - ish

The PATH train during the AM hours has some very interesting people. On a side note Hellboy II is pretty good, worth seeing if only for Del Toro's creatures alone.

Day 8 -ish

Double Page... I tend to beat myself up, even in my sketchbook. Which isnt great considering its the only place I shouldn't be beating myself up ha. Another set of pages I'm not to sure about, just noticing some habits.

Originals for Sale

The following god awful photos are to prove that these pieces exist. All sales will be through paypal only. Send me an email (ray@jonesray.com) with the title of the piece in the subject line and include a mailing address and your name in the email. I'll get back to you with a payment request from Paypal. When I recieve your payment I'll send you an email confirming it, and I'll mail the piece out to you within 2 days if not the same day. If the piece is already in the process of being sold I'll let you know when you've emailed me asking about it or it'll be posted up here as SOLD.

If for some reason the payment request isn't paid within 48 hours I'll assume you're not interested/ changed your mind, and I'll cancel the request and it will become available for purchase again. Serious inquiries only pleeease. I need to eat. Thanks!



The Meat Market (16'' x 20'') + Inkjet Print of Illustration: $200.00 (includes S&H)


Peaceoffering (20'' x 16'') + Inkjet Print of Illustration: $200.00 (includes S&H)


The following are in the 8.5'' x 11'' price range and more then likely do not include a print, unless for some reason I find one, then you'll get the print free of charge.


Trees become the Wolves (12'' x 11.5''): $60.00

"Tree Skull/ Drown in the Woods/ Quiet Breeze": $60.00


Trial of the Jena Six + Print of Illustration: SOLD

Day 7 - 1

Drawn while waiting for my Laundry to dry today.

Day...six?

Six? It's the 8th now isn't it? I guess I'm making 2 tomorrow...today. Can't say I like this, but it's nice to get it out of my system before the Fall semester.

Day 5

Sometimes I worry about my interest/ease at drawing meaty animal doom without reference. Luckily I don't have nightmares that often.

Day 4

There's something I can't stand about this, but here it is.

Day 3 -sketchblargh

"I think ... you bring the rain with you." - Yuriko

Maybe.

Ouch

Almost a month since my last post! No good. Here are some sketchbook-ish works I've made in the last two days. Basically I'm just tossing ink on a page and then making something out of it, just to keep a habit of working. It's also nice to take a break from digital coloring.

There's too much free time over the summer, and free time is bad(sometimes good). I'm hoping for about a piece a day this month, if I can upload a new piece at the end of the day I will, but expect to see them pop up in groups of 2-3. By the end of July I'll have enough material to finish... something, or at least a pile of crap I can look at and admire for it's sheer quantity.

Day 1 (which may evolve into the cover of my book, whenever it creates itself.)

Day 2 (Nothing special to say about this. Just fun to draw.)

Thanks for checking out the work!

Peaceoffering_Renewal

Work in progress I think. Or at least the "start" of the finish of this book idea I haven't completely solidified.. the first in a series of potentially monochromatic pieces. I may have went overboard with the inks in this one, but a part of me enjoys the confusion. Thanks for checking it out!

I'm alive!

I've been moving over the last couple weeks and working through some hard times, I'll be back into a regular posting routine starting next month. In other news, I got into Grafuck 4! Which is pretty exciting! As soon as I'm done hauling boxes up and down flights of stairs I'll celebrate.

Some more trial and error..

A new piece, here's the bw version.


and color:

I'm sort of happy with the turn out, there's definitely a lot I enjoy about the piece but there's this ambiguity that I'm not sure if I'm okay with. I feel that it works in defining a figure but doesn't? Anyway, I learned from this.