inked to death

Unholy, short story

2011-10-26T12:29:00.001-04:00

First page of a short story I'm working on. Sorcery, fire, swords... I love it. More to come as more time creeps my way.

Inks

Pencil

As soon as I layout the rest of the pages, I'll start the colors etc. Coming soon!

Talisman: Two

2011-10-21T11:51:00.003-04:00

Talisman: Two, for Survival.

Talisman: One

2011-10-20T01:36:00.004-04:00

An idea. You care about those right? Ideas.... Part of a series.

Class prep work

2011-10-18T21:11:00.003-04:00

Some class sketch work for demonstrative purposes. Kids love that stuff, right? Anyway, working on a story along with my class to add emphasis to the lessons in character development I'm teaching. Tired Swordsman's leg is kinda stumpy, but I'll get to that pre-inks.

Siren 2

2011-10-13T21:30:00.002-04:00

Been awhile since I worked on anything like this, it was fun. Sumi ink on some less expensive than "khadi" cotton rag + some subtle colors in photoshop. Onward.

Sometimes, I draw in pencil.

2011-10-12T16:17:00.002-04:00

Damn Mr. White, you cold as ice.

Carrier Pigeon: Volume 1/ Issue 3 Release Exhibition!

2011-07-05T14:45:00.004-04:00

This thursday at the 20/20 Gallery (Manhattan, NY)!

Stephen Fredericks

Chunwoo Nam

Details:

Carrier Pigeon: Illustrated Fiction and Fine Art is excited to invite you to the release of our third issue at the Blackburn 20I20 Gallery on July 7.

The accompanying exhibition will showcase artwork done for the first five issues of Carrier Pigeon by artists Frances Jetter, Bruce Waldman, Stephen Fredericks, Ellen Peckham, Avraham Eilat, Jahee yu, Ray Jones, Josh Bayer, Sarah Sears, Rie Hasegawa, Justin Sanz, Max Kahan, Kristy Caldwell, Richie Lasansky, Denise Kasof and many others.

Refreshments will be provided by Voss, GuS Grown-up Soda and the Chelsea Wine Vault.

We are excited and grateful that this publication has provided us the means to curate opportunities for our contributing artists and to host events based on our shared goals and mission. We hope that you can come and help us celebrate the creative process of Carrier Pigeon, the release of our third issue and the many publications and artwork still to come.

Reception: July 7 from 6–9pm
Blackburn 20I20 Gallery is located at:
323 W. 39th Street, 5th floor
NYC, NY 10018

For more information about issue no. 3, take a look at the press release through the link below:

http://tiny.cc/rd1xt

View the issue no. 3 flipbook at :
www.carrierpigeonmag.com.

Hope to see you there!

Ghost town

2011-06-09T10:30:00.007-04:00

I promise better blog upkeep in the coming weeks. Been crazy busy juggling band, Carrier Pigeon events and job hunting. NYC is a beast(--- and ridiculously hot over the summer! Aghh!).

Here are a few unused illustrations from the Shark Engine Enigma story featured in Issue 4 of Carrier Pigeon: Illustrated Fiction & Fine Art. I decided to color these initially but a few of the images felt severely disconnected so I opted to keep them B&W. I prefer simplicity.

Still love these as individual images though! I definitely plan to color more of my own work in the future. (Color tends to be on commission. )

This illustration is for another CP story due out sometime in Volume 2. The loose idea of this story is that people of the world start coming back from the dead as an acceptable form of zombie.. even the fish have a hard time dying. An interesting story by Victor Giannini whom I collaborated with on the above illustrations.

Dead Sea (ha)

Face melt!

Buck. He has a hat.

And finally here's an image I illustrated for Esquire Russia. I completed 5 illustrations back in March, here's 2 out of 5. It was a lot of fun working on these paintings. Art director Natasha Vasilieva passed along many ingenius steampunk inspired creative descriptions for these pieces which were composed as the following.

Finding the right balance of black and white was an interesting challenge.

The Office. (Steve! Noooo!)

Thanks for checking out the work! Hope you enjoy.

--Ray

The Forest is Red

2011-04-13T15:40:00.008-04:00

I recently worked with film maker David Jakubovic on a poster for his upcoming feature "The Forest is Red". After several emails, a brief description of the design ("Maybe a dog barking?" "Don't forget the red rainbow!" etc,) and a viewing of several minutes of the movie the project was on its way.

The New York cityscape is an important part of the story. The main character hears voices and deals with a lot of internal conflict and this definitely affects how he views the world. I wanted to express that in subtle silhouettes and distortion. I imagined jigsaw pieces of buildings being forced together but in completely logical ways. Escher landscapes.

David mentioned the psychological aspects of the main character and the importance of the NY cityscape and I wanted to be faithful to that, considering NY is my home/ love/ curse. Tall skyscrapers, decrepit buildings, bright diners, corner stores... there was a lot that I wanted to fit in the NY scenery. I tried to incorporate buildings or places from my usual NY landscape, just enough to feel like I could have visited any of these locations.

The final image was a mix of the last two thumbnails.

This is the end result! I've yet to see the film, but I can't wait.

--Ray

Changing web hosting.

2011-01-30T13:49:00.001-05:00

email: yarjones (at) gmail (dot) com

Site should be back up tonight or tomorrow morning.

The Shark Engine Enigma

2011-01-25T01:24:00.007-05:00

A few more illustrations from The Shark Engine Enigma, due out in issue 4 of CARRIER PIGEON Magazine. The protagonist is a Surfer, which means I had the chance to ink some waves-- which is always a good time. Water is one of the most challenging elements to capture and it's always fun to create abstract representations of it. That said....

More to come when we announce the release date.

Harlem School of the Arts

2011-01-20T11:54:00.005-05:00

A quick post of student work from my Manga Mania (sequential art) class. I realize the zoo isn't very sequential, but I like it. DEAL. I mean... Enjoy!

A sweet Zoo scene by Jarrard, 6

"Meanwhile..." Theo, 9

Sasuke v. Naruto! Fabian, 8

An autobiographical hockey story in progress by Ariel, 15

Dead Corpse 12/15/2010 @ Trash Bar part 2

2011-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

DEAD CORPSE at the Trash Bar last month (year!). We have another show on the 27th. Hopefully we won't be as hammered.

CARRIER PIGEON: Issue 2: Day 6

2011-01-10T14:12:00.001-05:00

CARRIER PIGEON Day 1 - 5

2011-01-08T17:15:00.005-05:00

lilseamonster

2010-12-14T11:43:00.007-05:00

You cannot resist. BUY cute non-edible food by Shanon (littleseamonster.com!) All of this deliciousness can be ordered on Etsy.com via lilseamonster. They're all one of a kind and custom orders. Get it for the vege/pesca-tarian/sushi lover in your life.

--Ray

12/14 eh? How'd that happen?

2010-12-14T10:16:00.009-05:00

I have a lot of catching up to do..

Here's a little bit of what has been going on:

CARRIER PIGEON: Illustrated Fiction & Fine Art, Vol.1, Issue.1 has launched successfully! We are in 17 stores all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. The magazine looks and feels great! It has really excellent printing throughout and a design that was crafted with respect to the creatives. I'm really proud to be part of the crew involved in making this a reality... So far so good.

I've also been working on illustrations for a story to be featured in a later issue of CARRIER PIGEON. The story plays with the idea of death and the afterlife, with some interesting and at times comical twists.

Still teaching at Harlem School of the Arts.

Still drumming in Dead Corpse. (show tonight @ Trash Bar in Brooklyn, we go on at 10pm, if you're in the area/ like metal, drop by!)

--Ray

Sketchbook inks

2010-10-27T20:44:00.005-04:00

Carrier Pigeon.

Dead Corpse.

Sketchbook drawing, soon to be tshirt design.

--Ray

Carrier Pigeon Silent Auction, Print and Subscription Sale at the Chelsea Wine Vault!

2010-09-30T15:50:00.003-04:00

October 1st, 2010 - Carrier Pigeon will be running a print and subscription sale at the Chelsea Wine Vault! Free Wine Tasting! Art for Sale! Silent Auction! Celebrate the launch of our website!

Chelsea Wine Vault (Located inside Chelsea Market)
75 9th Ave # 11
New York, NY 10011-7042
http://www.chelseawinevault.com/

View Larger Map

Look at you over there, all neglected.

2010-09-08T19:17:00.004-04:00

4 days to go, CARRIER PIGEON

2010-08-02T08:15:00.003-04:00

4 days and a 2k gap to fill. Help us out! We really believe in this magazine, help us make it happen.

More info here: http://kck.st/9lVXM2

--Ray

Carrier Pigeon Magazine! 8 days left

2010-07-29T02:13:00.005-04:00

Carrier Pigeon Magazine is at $5,221! We're a little more than halfway to our goal and we have 8 days left. IF WE DON'T MAKE IT, WE DON'T GET TO KEEP ANY OF THE MONEY (If we don't make it to our goal you are not charged!). So if you can stop by our page and simply donate a dollar or send some traffic our way, we can stay on the websites main page/ keep a good momentum. More info here:

CARRIER PIGEON MAGAZINE ON KICKSTARTER: http://kck.st/9lVXM2

Please! if you know an awesome blog or website to pass this on to, please PLEASE take a minute to do so. if you manage to get us some traffic/ posted somewhere interesting, send me an email! I'll make sure you get something out of it.

Here are some small bird drawings I made for an auction this Friday to raise money for Carrier Pigeon Magazine.

--Ray

Carrier Pigeon Magazine

2010-07-11T12:01:00.003-04:00

CARRIER PIGEON MAGAZINE

Hey everyone, this is one of those side projects I've had the pleasure of being a part of. We've finished the first few issues and now we're preparing to launch.

Now for the hard part. WE NEED TO RAISE MONEY. We've joined Kickstarter to start the fund raising process, but we have a long way to go. THERE ARE SOME AMAZING REWARDS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR GOAL.

Check out the site here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/929428847/carrier-pigeon-illustrated-fiction-and-fine-art

SPREAD THE WORD. Ill be ranting about this pretty often. We have an amazing lineup of creatives and we genuinely believe in this. We're fighting to make this happen. We have until August 6th to raise the funds.

Some more info:

Statement of Intent:
Carrier Pigeon is a magazine of illustrated fiction and fine art. By giving full creative control to the artists, illustrators, designers and writers, this magazine hopes to level the conventional perception of the singularity of each artistic discipline. Carrier Pigeon provides artists with a venue for telling stories in an undisturbed environment by offering the chance to show full bodies of work and unconditional artistic freedom in both direct subject matter and the interpretation of text. This publication will be printed quarterly.

About us,

In the last year we've put together three issues in our spare time and will soon start on the fourth. Our main goal is to allow artists complete freedom with their artwork, and to have it commercially distributed so the gallery wall would not have to be the only place left for sincerity in the art world. There are taboos put up between fine art, illustration and design that we would love to destroy with Carrier Pigeon by allowing everyone involved the chance to present a narrative in an undisturbed fashion. We also believe that most people are smart enough to understand art that is not packaged for the lowest common denominator but have nowhere to go for such an outlet in the commercial print world. We hope to be that outlet.

If you have any specific questions about donating to this project, send me an email at ray(at)jonesray.com

Winter: Priestess

2010-06-23T17:20:00.004-04:00

I lied.

This is the last one. About 40'' x 27'', Ink on Khadi (handmade cotton rag paper).

A few details:

Brainstorming...

2010-05-27T18:37:00.003-04:00

Brainstorming for a new series... "Winter" is more or less over. Here are some sketches in the meantime.

--Ray

ArtErotica NYC Group Show!

2010-05-04T01:47:00.005-04:00

Next Wednesday I'm going to be in the "ArtErotica" group show at Madame X Bar in NYC! I'll be showing work from the Winter Series and a few from Autumn.

Drinks, performances and erotic art all in a classy throwback bordello lounge! Really, what more could you ask for??! RSVP for 5 dollar admission.

The Place: Madame X
Time: May 12th 7pm - 12am

See you there!

MoCCA and sketchbook pages! Siren!

2010-04-15T16:31:00.007-04:00

Last weekend I made a last second appearance at MoCCA! My good friend Matt, wasn't able to make it so I took his place on Sunday. This was my very first time sharing a table at one of these events, so I was pretty excited! And the turn out was pretty great considering the last minute planning involved. I met a lot of great people and I'm definitely looking forward to next year! --Maybe by then I'll intentionally have a table and have more than prints for sale too.

Below are some sketches from the last few days. It's nice to make scribbles that turn into things! Even if they're just strange. Some of these were drawn minutes before sleep delirium kicked in, others at a Cafe.

And here's a new piece:

Sumi Ink on Khadi Handmade Paper(Rough), 27.5 x 40in.

Thanks for checking out the work!

--Ray

Sketchbook pages

2010-03-13T23:36:00.003-05:00

Some sketchbook pages.. the last two feel like landscapes. This first thing-- I'm not really sure.

Old old old comic

2010-03-12T19:09:00.002-05:00

Eh, I guess it's kinda funny. It was definitely fun to make back in undergrad.

DOOMWICH!

Been awhile..

2010-03-04T20:10:00.009-05:00

Some new work and sketches.

Here are two images from a short story titled "Bugged". When it's published I'll post something here and the rest of the images for that project. I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out..

Some sketches for an album cover design. Some totem poles (alaskan primarily) used as reference.

The totem I started on, but never colored:

It felt kind of far removed what I normally do-- and probably not realistic enough. Maybe I'm just second guessing myself, having to be my own art director. Anyway... scrapping it for now and trying something else.

Domain...website...

2010-02-15T15:22:00.002-05:00

Sick. Not doing so well.. be back soon. If you're on deviantart you can view my portfolio there for the time being. http://liedto.deviantart.com.

Dead Corpse

2010-01-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

http://twiceasdead.blogspot.com/

Gore! Workspace! Spera!

2009-12-29T18:00:00.005-05:00

The dead guy that brings the end to all humanity... and my home work space. It's small, but I love it. At least it isn't a meat locker like my usual space at the moment (though I love my arctic chamber)..

There's a lot missing from this image, it's just the first layer of the drawing. I'm planning on adding another layer of bugs and disgust. It's an image from a series I'm working on for a short story.

Always on my desk whether I use them or not:

"It's not how good you are, It's how good you want to be" -- Paul Arden
Araki, photofile (gotta love mini photobooks) --Thames & Hudson
When You Are Engulfed In Flames" -- David Sedaris
ART/WORK: Everything you need to know and do...
One Hundred Demons... roughly translated, Yoshitoshi
Handjob: A Catalog Of Type -- Michael Perry
Fables Covers -- James Jean
Acme Novelty Library -- Chris Ware

And my latest sketchbook:

At the beginning or very end of every year I end up buying a sketchbook. Not on purpose, it just sort of happened. They haven't all made it through the full year, they usually are "full" (whenever I feel like stopping) after several months. It's tough picking out a good sketchbook, this may not apply to most people but I have to really personalize and at the same time make the book less precious to me. If I can't manage to do both with each new book, somewhere along the line I lose interest in working in the sketchbook. HEY, maybe it's strange? But that's how I relate to my books. This is why I own a million moleskine's that are precious and unfinished and stacks of black canson books with scribbles and mistakes. I'm looking forward to my new cotton rag paper sketchbook though--off white pages? heavy paper? I think this one will make it.

Yeah, I'm kind of a paper geek.

EDIT!!

I wanted to mention a project I took part in a few months ago that has been steadily and epically coming together. Spera! From the about page:

Written and created by Josh Tierney, Spera is a collaboration between artists from around the world, illustrated and told in consecutive sections that incorporate character designs by Sarah Ferrick. These sections form a tapestry of artistic styles and storytelling methods, turning the world of Spera into a poetic, surprising and wholly unique realm.

Above are two of the images from my section. Here's a link to the site! http://spera-comic.com/ Check it out! There's a lot of beautiful work to enjoy.

Happy New Year people!

--Ray

Nothing goes as planned.

2009-12-04T16:35:00.003-05:00

Personal work is still progressing, I had a few set backs on the pieces I was working on a few weeks ago-- when I said I was originally updating. Things are back on track though. Trust me, I want to post an update.

As far as life goes, the band is practicing pretty intensely (I play the drums. Aaand we play metal. Evil evil metal. Word.). As soon as we start having shows, I'll post something-- or at least a link to our site. I'm still sketching and drawing new ideas, and I'm still a teacher.

I've just about completed my first semester as a teacher at Harlem School of the Arts... and I have to say, I have an even greater appreciation for every single teacher/mentor I've had up to now. The kids I've had the honor of teaching are incredible! I'm constantly blown away by their creativity. I've even been introduced to new concepts just helping them develop their ideas, which has been really enlightening. This sort of thing happens to me just about everyday I teach, and has caused me to question and reevaluate all the lessons I've learned on my incredibly caffeinated path through art education.

How many hours of figure drawing? Making god awful paintings? How many gallons of ink did I go through to this day? Is that enough? How many different medium's did I try before I decided I loved ink? How many different sizes felt comfortable to work at what stages of my development? Who did I look up to in the comic world when I started? .... it goes on. I've heard it a million times, but as cliche as it sounds, it's the truth when people who work with kids/teens say they draw inspiration from their students. Also, overcoming the terror of all the eyes and ears paying attention to you is damn good for us creative introvert types. There are scarier things out there than having people listen to you. I promise.

It really makes you think when a 10 year old looks at one of your pieces and in two sentences gives you an idea that helps you take it to a finish. Don't underestimate the youngin's!

--Ray

In the meantime..

2009-11-15T18:48:00.004-05:00

Here's a better shot of a piece I posted here a few months ago. It's definitely an improvement-- pro' photographers are life savers. I'll be making a decent post in the following week, promise. Sketchbook, pieces, life update...

Kinda sick and disturbing.

2009-11-04T14:08:00.005-05:00

A detail of a piece I'm working on. Blood, bugs, guts. More to come.

Skull Dog, thing.

2009-10-12T17:44:00.003-04:00

The last two weeks:

Drawing. Drumming. Teaching. Drumming. Drawing. Teaching. --HORRIBLE ALLERGIC REACTION--... drawing.

"EY ...ey youngblood!"

2009-09-16T16:57:00.003-04:00

I've landed a teaching job, so a lot of my time has been driven towards getting ready for the upcoming semester (in about 10 days). I've never taught before, but I'm loving the challenge already. Should be a good time! I'm also juggling a few other projects, expect updates to come in bursts over the next few weeks. Look! Sketchbook zombie.

Contracts

2009-09-06T20:04:00.006-04:00

No matter how friendly someone seems on the approach, always sign a contract.

A designer from a reputable book publisher contacted me sometime last year(July?) to work on a big project. It was a book cover for a new young adult fiction novel; about a girl who is essentially stranded on an island. The designer claimed to be a fan of my work, so even though I knew the schedule would be intense(2 weeks, give or take), I was determined to make it happen. This publisher was also overseas at the time, so working around the 6hours ahead/6hours behind schedule was a valuable lesson in time management.

I was told to redraw the boat near the deadline and ended up submitting both of the above for approval.

UNFORTUNATELY, I was not paid. I worked solely on this project during that time and ended up working for free. When I sent the high res files, the publisher and designer became elusive. When I finally got in contact with the billing department, they gave me the run around, eventually told me I would be paid. Months passed, follow-up emails unanswered I painfully accepted I was screwed.

A few months later I found they didn't use the image for their bookcover, but I could argue that they stole the color scheme and the general feel of the piece for the final image they used. Unfortunately, it's an "idea" and those are generally up for grabs before execution or incredibly debatable. My time spent was severely undervalued.

In the end...

NO MATTER HOW NICE SOMEONE APPEARS TO BE-- SIGN A CONTRACT.
Even if it's your Mom. I'm serious.

That said, I'm avoiding mentioning the publisher in this post because honestly, burning bridges isn't my thing. I'll leave the rest to Karmic retribution.

--Ray

There are few things worse....

2009-09-06T17:16:00.004-04:00

There are few things worse....than being an illustrator and finding out you're not getting your email. If you sent me anything in the past two weeks, feel free to resend.

15min ink 2

2009-09-04T14:21:00.002-04:00

Fun between projects... September is a busy month.

15min ink drawing

2009-09-01T18:34:00.001-04:00

Everyone loves Zombies

2009-09-01T17:26:00.002-04:00

Am I right? Drawn during an episode or two of Lost and colored during 1/3 of a Hendrix album.

No Supervision

2009-09-01T02:42:00.001-04:00

Part of something big.

Phew.

2009-08-02T02:18:00.003-04:00

New work! Image update as soon as I get access to a better camera. This piece was all about rhythm for me, rather then symmetry. It was a lot of fun to make, and taught me a lot in terms of control and patience. ANYWAY, thanks for checking it out!

Work in progress vid part 2, final piece

2009-06-19T15:14:00.003-04:00

12+ hours of thinking and drawing (and re-redrawing) later...

here's the url in case theres problems with the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaR5bEB-TW8

And the final image:

Thanks for checking it out!

--Ray

6/17/09 ...Work in progress vid

2009-06-17T12:02:00.006-04:00

You'll want to play your own music in the background for this one. Youtube has a terrible rights-free music selection...

Work in Progress

2009-06-15T15:05:00.001-04:00

A new piece I've been working on.

posters? book covers?

2009-06-01T16:28:00.002-04:00

Some quick posters I inked to keep myself warmed up for the bigger projects. The one on the left is a poster for my band or at least some EP art whenever we finish recording. The one on the right is work in progress-- but it could go in a few directions now content-wise, so I left it alone.

Accepting commissions!

2009-05-08T20:55:00.002-04:00

Accepting commissions! $75.00 each, including shipping.

You get: 11.5 in x 17 in original inked artwork on handmade khadi watercolor paper, the ink I use is Yasutomo brand ink, the blacks will be rich and sexy, I promise.

Payments through paypal, shipment through fedex. Expect it to take 2-3 days to create depending on the complexity of the image. I'm also open to the idea of getting say-- a single word and making a response to it. Contact me at ray@jonesray.com , serious inquiries only please.

p.s. As far as reproduction of the work goes, I own the rights to the image, this is solely personal use/ collecting.

Autumn Release -- Now slightly more recession friendly!

2009-05-05T00:23:00.003-04:00

Autumn - the collected works of Ray Jones 2007-2009, 8x10 and 42 pages. --The book contains work from my "book project" -Peaceoffering, as well as the TBFL (to bury future lovers) series now simply known as Autumn.

I decided to publish my book through Blurb.com. The paperback is $22.95 not including shipping.

Order here.

I may come out with a small supplementary sketchbook-book with all my sketchbook work all the way back to undergrad soon, but I'm planning that right now.

Work for Sale

2009-04-30T01:29:00.003-04:00

I'm selling the last 3 large pieces I created at the show, but I thought I'd give the interweb a chance to buy them too. If anyones interested that is.

Each piece is priced at $850.00 USD, not including S&H which I would handle through FedEx.
Payment will be through Paypal.

Each piece is 60'' x 36'', Sumi Ink on Khadi Handmade Watercolor paper. It's really really thick/ heavy paper.

At War with Deceit

Sink

Like the Abyss

Work will be shipped after the MFA Illustration thesis show comes down. Contact me via email at ray@jonesray.com.

MFA Illustration Thesis Show/ AI-AP TRIBUTE Web Gallery/ Book Release

2009-04-27T19:00:00.004-04:00

MFA Illustration Thesis Show - excerpts taken from Illustrationmundo.com:

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Selected Works From MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Thesis Projects,” an exhibition that brings together books, figurative paintings, graphic novels and narrative series by 20 students graduating from the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department at SVA. Curated by faculty member David Sandlin, the exhibition will be on view at the Visual Arts Gallery, 601 W 26 St. 15th floor, New York City, from May 1 – 16, 2009.

The Visual Arts Gallery, located at 601 West 26th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, 15th floor, is open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm; closed on Sundays and public holidays. Admission is free. The gallery is accessible by wheelchair. For further information call 212.592.2145.

More info here: http://www.illustrationmundo.com/wp/1358

ALSO

I found out I was chosen to be in the upcoming TRIBUTE ai-ap web gallery for 2009. Hotness!

AND

News on my book:

Autumn - the collected works of Ray Jones 2007-2009, 8x10 and 42 pages. --The book contains work from my "book project" -Peaceoffering, as well as the TBFL (to bury future lovers) series now simply known as Autumn.

I decided to publish my book through Blurb.com. The paperback is $29.95 not including shipping. I'm making a $5 profit from each book-- so if you buy one when its released, you're essentially buying me a meal haha. I'm waiting for my first proof to come to me on May 4th, I'll post details on ordering here if I'm happy with the turn out.

Like the Abyss

2009-04-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

Kinda.

Just finished.... I made more of this up along the way then usual. A really stressful piece. A lot of the (ink)painting is black on black, so I'm not sure how effective this photo is.

Quick Sketchbook post

2009-04-19T13:26:00.002-04:00

I figured between pieces I'd post a few sketchbook drawings. They're mostly mindless mark-making that evolves into something. I usually do these just to keep my brush technique warmed up for the bigger pieces..

Coney island... the only sketch not out of my head. That had to be the most overcrowded and literally saddest aquarium I've ever seen in my life. I hope they get some funding or whatever it is they need to improve.

GRAFUCK 4 Exhibition

2009-04-10T00:06:00.004-04:00

Some info on a show I'm in. If you're in the area you should definitely check it out.

Gallery Nucleus presents the GRAFUCK art exhibition celebrating the release of the highly anticipated Grafuck 4 art book. The exhibit features an international roster of artists who have contributed to the fourth edition of this notoriously popular book series.

Illustration, photography, fine art, and graphic design come together in this intriguing and provocative collection of images and ideas. The new release boasts an impressive centerfold illustrated by the award-winning James Jean.

Several artists will in attendance to sign the new book release.

Live body painting by Jim Mahfood. Interactive displays. Exclusive artist merchandise. With music by DJ R-Rated.

Sponsored by Nerdcore

Opening Reception:
Saturday, April 11, 2009 (7pm to 11pm)
Free admission and refreshments, Ages 18 + with ID required
Exhibit runs through April 20

Venue:
Gallery Nucleus
210 E Main St
Alhambra, CA 91801
Just 15 mins outside of downtown LA
www.gallerynucleus.com
626-458-7477
Contact: Wade Buchanan

Book Pre-Order:
The new art book is now available for pre-order. All pre-orders will be signed by the artists attending the opening reception. They will be shipped the week of April 13. Pre-order link: http://gallerynucleus.com/detail/7331

The new art book features over 80 artists:
19BLOSSOM
2FRESH
Alexander Egger
AMAUTALAB
Audrey Kawasaki
Axel Galvan
Brent Bonacorso
Camilla d'Errico
Cesar Finamori
Christian Castañeda
Christina Vantzou
Colin Cassidy
Daan Habets
Danae Diaz
Davison Carvalho/Weeneeds
Diego Beyró / Fabrica
Dino Alberto / An Idle Robot
dolceQ
Eduardo Kerges
Edwin Ushiro
El Mato
Elena Dolgova
Ena
Eszter Toth
Eveline Tarunadjaja
Fabrice Lachant
Fernanda Guedes
Fleecircus
Gabriel Pulecio + Natalia Hoyos
Givan Lötz
GJ Lee
Ippei Gyoubu
Ina Kyung Lim
Jasphine Chew
Jeff Clement
Jessica Lopez
Jirayu Koo
Jonathan Bartlett
Josh Steinbauer
JPG
Juan Camilo Monroy Parra
Kevin Necessary
Kevin Romaniuk
Krzystof Leffav
Laura Tulaite
Leo Volland
Lesja Chernish
Luke Ramsey
Mamifero Familiar
Marguerite Sauvage
Mathias Reynoird
Matty Harper
Mike DeNicola
Mikel Marton
Mitch V
Naja Conrad-Hansen
Nathan Appel
Ned Rosen
NekoshowguN
Neri
Pyhai
PMurphy
Pomme Chan
Raymond Jones
Rebecca Tillett
Rosie Emerson
Saddington & Baynes
Sayaka
Silvio Porretta
Tessar Lo
The Little Friends of Printmaking
Trevor Paul / Firebrand
Trystan Bates
Wilfrid Wood
WOND3R/Aaron Ricchio
Yamabuki House

Cover Art by:
Peter Vattanatham + Fiel Valdez
Vladimir Jedlicka
Saddington & Baynes

New piece

2009-04-05T09:36:00.002-04:00

Just finished. Lost some detail in the photo but there's still some to enjoy. 4 weeks til graduation!

...

2009-03-26T15:45:00.002-04:00

Been awhile I know...

2009-03-20T04:28:00.003-04:00

I have 7 weeks of grad school left. Panic! Here's part of a new diptych I'm working on. This is on that 3.5 by 5ft tall paper I love using... so it will be about 7ft long by 5ft high when its done. This half is about 60% or so I think. All sumi ink on khadi paper.

420

2009-03-01T04:19:00.002-05:00

...on a sunday. 5-6 Red Bulls and 3 Espresso's later... I can rest.

The second image is what I was trying to show last post. Better camera, but i'm working on getting cleaner shots.

Studio Update

2009-02-24T00:42:00.002-05:00

Another new piece shot by my bad camera phone, the one that was meant to be paired with the other fear piece i created.

Together:

New Piece

2009-02-17T23:10:00.002-05:00

Finally got an okay shot of my latest piece. This one is about... 5ft-ish by 3.5ft-ish on Khadi (spl?) paper. Anyway, on to the next.

In the studio

2009-02-12T09:59:00.003-05:00

I've been working on a few new things, the most ambitious being a 5ft by 3.5ft or so ink drawing. Here's a bad camera phone shot of it... I'm hoping to finish it completely before AI-AP. Thats a 0 sumi ink brush, in case anyone was wondering.

New work

2009-02-06T02:09:00.004-05:00

I basically live in my studio now. I'm getting a lot done though, my work has made some progressions I'm pretty proud of. The following is one of the first serious "fear" pieces for my book. I'm exploring different ways of composing my blacks and developing textures these days. It's been worth the investment..

This is only half of the whole picture, the other image complements this piece but doesn't necessarily continue the image. I'm still playing with the concept but here's half my idea for now.

The Last Two

2009-01-17T20:26:00.002-05:00

The last two drawings from a week ago that I brought to an inked final. If they didn't make it to this round, its safe to say they won't. Ever.

One down

2009-01-07T20:57:00.003-05:00

I may rework this later, or just make a new piece from this as a starting point. Too many small anatomy issues for me to nitpick over. I'm happy with it though.

Pencils

2009-01-01T23:48:00.003-05:00

For those who like to see progress shots, this is usually about where I like to take my pencils. At this point, this leaves me enough flexibility for my mark making while giving me a chance to map out where or how I want to balance my blacks.

(Ha! She has a lazy eye. I'm at a point in my drawing stage where If I mess with the eye, I'll end up changing everything, and I like the face overall, so I'm going to leave it alone. When I get around to inking it, I'll take a few minutes to get the face where I want it.)

Still trying to figure out what to do with this. Even if it doesn't work, gotta toss some ink on it just to say I tried to salvage what is, without a doubt, simply an attempt at illustrating some crotch shots. Enjoy!

Work in Progress(NSFW?) - Pencils

2008-12-31T01:17:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-28T22:47:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-23T19:57:00.004-05:00

...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

2008-11-01T01:19:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-26T04:24:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-19T01:10:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-15T03:47:00.004-04:00

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...

2008-09-14T15:13:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-19T21:58:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-14T13:49:00.000-04:00

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

More WiP and a quick ink sketch

2008-08-13T00:37:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-03T20:34:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-08-02T02:53:00.006-04:00

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"

2008-07-21T02:24:00.002-04:00

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

Be back 7/23?

2008-07-19T19:22:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-17T02:19:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-16T13:21:00.002-04:00

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"

2008-07-15T01:05:00.002-04:00

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 - ... ?

2008-07-14T00:08:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-11T08:24:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-10T02:36:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-08T21:51:00.005-04:00

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

2008-07-08T21:28:00.002-04:00

Drawn while waiting for my Laundry to dry today.

Day...six?

2008-07-08T01:56:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-06T00:31:00.003-04:00

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

Day 4

2008-07-06T00:28:00.002-04:00

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

Day 3 -sketchblargh

2008-07-04T02:38:00.002-04:00

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

Maybe.

Ouch

2008-07-03T03:30:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-08T02:56:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-05-23T00:54:00.004-04:00

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..

2008-05-07T00:43:00.004-04:00

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.

NY Times Op-Ed

2008-04-26T13:35:00.004-04:00

Sketch approved:
Pencils:

Ink+PS:

Published! (+type treatment)

To say I'm excited would be a ridiculous understatement!

Gah

2008-04-18T17:53:00.003-04:00

I may be making a decent post in the next week or so but for now I have a slightly reworked piece-experiment. Real life/medical issues have slowed down my progress a bit, and the spring semester here at SVA is coming to a close so I'm trying to tie up loose ends, but the work is coming soon.

There's a lot of interesting and disturbing things going on as far as creatives and the copyright laws go on the internet lately. I just thought I should post this here. Book Publisher in China publishing copyright protected work without permission.

It'd be a good idea to read the article and check out the scanned pages of the images in the book to make sure your work wasn't taken as well. ESPECIALLY if you're a part of the LCS.