Remembering Robin Williams

Remembering Robin

When it comes to celebrities I’m the last one to care about all the gossip and mess that surrounds Hollywood. However, every now and again there comes a time when a truly gifted actors life is ended and the world is at a loss.

Last year on August 11, 2014 we lost an amazing actor… Robin Williams. Williams had a long fruitful career. He was respected, admired and loved by millions of people through out the world. He was so diverse in all that he did. He could make you laugh. He could make you cry. Head could take you to places you never imagined and inspire you to be more than just mediocre.

Despite his tragic death his legacy lives on. I love to experience his movies with my kids. It’s fun to watch them develop the same love and admiration for his films that I have. One of our personal favorites is Steven Spielberg’s Hook. In that movie at the end Peter says to the notorious Captain Hook, “To live… to live would be an awfully big adventure!” 

It’s sad to think of the sever depression that he was experiencing behind closed doors. And evermore heartbreaking that he felt that taking his own life was the answer to escape his metal battles. I wish that he could have taken Peter Pans words to heart. Last year we truly lost a great artist. I hope that he has found the peace that he so desperately sought.

Robin Williams July 21^st 1951- August 11^th 2014

The Blog is Not Dead!!!

Yes I am still alive! I'm sorry that I haven't been as active as I should be on the blog. I have been focusing a lot of attention on social media websites such as Facebook and Instagram. I post almost daily to those platforms so if you want to keep up on what I'm doing on a daily basis come and follow me!

To make up for the lack of posting on the blog I thought I'd share a few paintings from my recently completed BFA project at UVU.

I will be posting weekly on the blog again so stay tuned and have a great week!

Cap'n Merica!

What's up everyone!!! Just incase you are wondering  this is not a halluciantion I am in fact posting to the blog! I apologize for not being consistent I've have been working non stop on my BFA show and I want the new paintings, 14 in all, to be a surprise for all the guests that attend my show on May 9th.

That being the case I couldn't resist the urge to post my latest painting in honor of the new Captain America movie. I've seen it and it's fantastic!!! If you haven't get out there and see it! This was painted 100% in Adobe Photoshop CS6!

Ron Swanson

He everyone I wanted to share another painting for my BFA show coming up this spring. This weeks subject is Mr. Ron Swanson himself!

First off I want say that I'm a huge fan of the hit tv show Parks and Rec. I think that I entire cast is absolutely hilarious. Ron Swanson, played by the talented Nick Offerman, is by far my favorite character on the show. He's a mans man with a  love for whiskey, breakfast foods and has a sweet spot for  celebrity miniature horses. If you haven't seen the show check it out!

That's it for this week's post.  I have several more paintings in the works that can't wait to share with all of you. See you next week!

-Adam

Frank

Today, I was sitting in front my computer with the best intentions to write a paper for an ethic's class that I'm taking right now.  While I was desperately trying to find the motivation to get this paper written, my mind drifted off to the month of October and the upcoming Gallery of Terror exhibit at UVU. Seeing as I hand't started my painting for the show I thought that now would be as good as time as ever to start. The paper would have to wait!

As most of you know I'm a huge fan of old monster movies! I love the drama and the set designs I especially love how everything was shot in black an white. The entire film had to read strictly in value. Light on dark and dark on light and so on. Boris Karloff was by far my favorite actor from that genre. So I thought it would be fun to paint a caricature of him for the gallery.

This painting took about an hour and a half to complete. It was painted in Photoshop CS6.
I've included a link to youtube which has a time lapse of the whole process.

No no no...I'm Batman!

The Salt Lake Comic Con is this week and I am super pumped for it! As with most conventions, there are going to be so many incredible guests! One of those guests is Adam West! Love him or hate him, he was my first real introduction to Batman. When I was a little kid I would go to my grandma's house and watch the caped crusader run down the streets of gotham city, scale buildings, and fight off sharks with his shark repellent bat-spray! He was awesome! It wasn't until I got older that I realized how campy the 60's TV show really was.

In anticipation of the Salt Lake Comic Con, a friend of mine asked if I would be willing to do a painting the Adam West Batman so he could get it signed by him. This is nice in a way because it completes the run on my favorite Batman actors (Bale, Keaton and West). Well at lest until Batfleck comes out!

I'm still...Batman!

A few weeks ago I painted caricature of the Michael Keaton Batman (my favorite batman). As I was getting all my ducks in a row for the Salt Lake Comic Con that particular painting was bothering me big time. So I decided to "fix" some of the things that were bothering me and make it into the painting that I wanted it to be. So here it is. The top one is the new version and the bottom is the old one.

Prints will be available at the con or if you are unable to attend you can purchase them through me and I can can ship them pretty much anywhere in the world. All you have to do is email me at: amunoa@mac.com

He's no good to me dead!

As most of you know I've been super busy painting and getting prints ready for the Salt Lake Comic Con. Here is my latest piece... Mr. Boba or "Bobble" Fett!

Having been a huge Star Wars nerd all my life, Mr. Fett was an easy choice while trying to come up with subjects to paint. I could have easily painted Vader or any number of Jedi but, I thought it would be more fun to tackle ole' bucket head. He is arguably one of the coolest villains ever created! To bad he went out like a buster!

If you are in the Salt Lake area September 5-7 drop on by the Salt Lake Comic Con and stop at my table (A-5) in the artist alley!

Till next time!

I am Iron Man!

Hey everyone out there in cyber space! I'm really excited to share another painting with all of you! For my latest project I'm continuing with the superhero caricature theme for my table at the Salt Lake Comic Con. This week's subject is...The Invincible Iron Man!

I've been a big Iron Man fan for a long time now. I love the movies and the comics, especially Adi Granov's work on the graphic novel Iron Man: Extremis.

Like last week's Thor painting, I had  a lot fun working on ole' Shell Head's armor. In particular the scratches and the arc reactor on his chest. It takes forever but, I really enjoy zooming in and painting some of these little details!

Also, for your viewing pleasure, I've included step by step process shots for each stage of this painting. Hope you enjoy it!

Now it's time to get back to work!

The Almighty Thor!

The epic quest continues to create more art work for my booth at the Salt Lake Comic Con! This weeks subject is the Almighty Thor! 

One thing that I really enjoy about painting digitally is the ability to work on really small details. Details that most of you won't even see. It's these little details that can make or break a painting.  They usually take the longest to render. But, these little details are the things can make a painting great. You have to be careful though, not to over work an area that will draw to much attention away from the focal point of your painting. So it's probably no surprise that my y favorite part of this project was working on the armor and the lightning. 

Hope you enjoy this painting! Now it's time to get back to work!

Couldn't this with out posting a scene from one of my favorite movies... Adventures in Babysitting!

General Fury!

The infamous San Diego Comic Con was last week. I have alway wanted to attend but scheduling and acquiring tickets hasn't worked out in the past. Lucky for me this september Salt Lake City is going to have its first ever Comic Con! Even better, is the news that I was able to secure a booth in the artist alley. This will be  my first time going and participating in a convention. I'm pretty stoked and hope that The Salt Lake Comic Con is a success! At my booth I will be selling sketches, prints, and if all works out an art book featuring my paintings and drawings.

General Nick Fury is the first in a new batch of superhero caricature paintings. I'm hoping to have a lest 10 more painted by september. If you have any suggestions on heros or villains that you would like to see a caricature of sound off below and just maybe you see a version of that character at the Salt Lake Comic Con!

I'm Batman!!!

I'm Batman!!! I was 10years old when my dad took me to see Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie. I was so excited to see this film! I remember first seeing the trailer for it while watching TV at my grandparents house. I was awe struck, I had never seen Batman look like he did in the trailer. You see the only incarnations of the Caped Crusader that I had seen up to that point was the Super Friends and Adam West's campy TV show. All together, this was a different Batman, a new Batman draped head to toe in black and looking freaking awesome! When I came out of the theater that night I was hooked! As the result of watching that movie, I have probably drawn/painted more pictures of the Dark Knight than any other subject. I'm Batman!!!

The Man Of Steel!!!

For pretty much my entire life I have been a Superman fan! My mom would tell you that when I was little I aways had a red Superman cape secured around my neck and that I would be constantly trying to defy gravity by leaping off the arm of the couch. I clearly remember when I was a little kid going with my parents to see Superman II at the drive-in. One scene that I vividly recall seeing was the one where Superman saves the little boy at Niagara Falls! Awesome!

Fast forward to 2006 and the disappointing, Bryan Singer Directed, Superman Returns. I really wanted to like this movie but come on, Superman lifting a kryptonite laced continent into space!!! That was just plain STUPID! The film did have a few redeeming qualities like the airplane save at the beginning, but ultimately the film fell flat on it's face.

Over the last few years we have seen the bar dramatically raised in terms of Superhero action movies. The Dark Knight Trilogy, directed by the ever talented Christopher Nolan, was fantastic!  l loved Joss Whedon's take on the Avengers and really enjoyed Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man.

This summer we have already been treated to some incredible movies. Iron Man 3 was a lot of fun. I know that some of you are still angrily disappointed in the Mandarin plot twist but hey, it was a good ride! Star Trek was visually stunning and it's always good to see the crew of the enterprise boldly go where no one has gone before. There is, however,  one film that the little kid in me has been eagerly awaiting since it was announced!

This friday Zach Snyder's highly anticipated Man of Steel hits theaters! I'm so excited for this movie! I desperately want it to be good! The trailers and the footage that I've seen so far look incredible! I really like the new suit and Henry Cavill looks every bit like Superman! General Zod looks intimidating and menacing. The rabid fanboy in me can't wait to see superman actually punch something full force! Did I mention that I'm excited for this movie!?

Well, in honor of the film's release I painted this caricature of the Man of Steel. It was painted mostly in Photoshop CS6 with a little Painter 12 thrown in for good measure. Hope you enjoy it!

See you at the movies!

Cosmo Kramer

I think most of us that have lived in an apartment at one time or another can relate to having a weird neighbor. Recently, I was asked  to paint a caricature of everyone's favorite strange neighbor... Cosmo Kramer! Seinfeld was one of my favorite TV shows and still is. The actors were superb and the writing was absolutely hilarious.  For a show about nothing, it is so stinking funny! I'm sure many of us have our favorite Seinfeld Kramer moments here's a few of mine...

Blonde Bombshell Marilyn Monroe...

I realized the other day that I don't paint a lot of caricatures of women. I don't know why... maybe I'm scared that they will beat me up or that I won't do their beauty any justice. As I was sitting at my desk yesterday I was thinking of something to paint and searched on google for iconic movie stars. You'll never guess who was at the top of the list... that's right Marilyn Monroe!

I'm a big fan of Illustrator Coles Phillips and have been wanting to  paint a one of his famous fade away girls for a long time now. So when I found the reference for Marilyn I was super excited to get to work.

As with all of my artwork I learned a ton with this painting. One of the big things that I learned was how to soften the features a little more than I normally do. You see, Men usually have harder more chiseled facial features and women's are softer more rounded. As preveiously stated I don't paint a lot of women so I had to figure out how to paint a little softer without losing brush work. I did this by treating it more like I would an oil painting. I did a lot of blending to help define the form transitions of her face. Also, I painted the cast shadows a lot softer as well. I think this helped to created a more delicate skin texture.

Overall I really enjoyed painting this! I'm always open to suggestions for my next painting so if you have any post 'em up in the comments section. Take care!

Eastwood

 This is one of my all time favorite movie scenes! I know this clip has nothing to do with Clint Eastwood himself,  but hey it's hilarious!

This painting originally started out as a a quick warm up sketch yesterday morning. I was liking where it was going so I decided to take it a little further. I've included some progress steps so you can see a little of how I work.

The Rebel... Mr. James Dean

On Facebook there is a group that I am a part of called Caricaturama Showdown 3000! Every week they have a challenge to paint or draw a caricature of a famous person. This week's theme was James Dean. Seeing as I have yet to fully participate in a challenge I decided to through my hat into the ring. This is good motivation for me because I've been wanting to paint a portrait of James Dean for sometime now. I almost painted one for my Advanced Illustration class last fall but choose another subject. As with every painting I learned some new things and am excited to move on to the next one! (This was painted in Photoshop with a little help from Painter)

Albert Einstein...One Creative Dude!

  I was at a lecture the other night at UVU. The speaker/ teacher Howard Fuller made some really interesting points. He talked about attending a PTA meeting years ago. At that meeting the school board was discussing the curriculum. They expressed the need to drop one of three classes. Naturally art was the big target. Comments such as "My kids are going to draw or paint" or Who needs art"  were made. Howard, being a artist, spoke up and explained that art was more than drawing and Painting. Art is more than sculpting or graphic design.  He said that art was about creativity! It allows people the opportunity use a different side of their brain. To think outside the box. He made a valiant effort to keep the art program going but ultimately it fell on deff ears and was dropped. It's sad really, I know tons of creative people who express them selves through art weather it be through drama, painting, music, sculpting or whatever. Art programs in schools and communities give us healthy ways to express ourselves. Let's remember that always! 

I myself, am super blessed to come from a creative family. My parent's were supportive and always encouraged me to draw. My dad is a fantastic artist/ musician and my Mom makes the most amazing quilts. My brothers and my sister are equally gifted in various forms of art. My brother Brad is a talented animator/ film maker, my sister Carly loves to sing and my youngest brother Dave is a very gifted photographer! It's been a real treat to see my own kids be creative. They are alway crafting or drawing something. Sometimes, I'll see one of their drawings and it will spark a great idea for a monster or some weird creature design. Sorry to brag, but it's important to foster creativity in everyone. I could go on forever about this...

Okay my latest painting...Albert Einstein. The idea to paint Mr. Einstein came form a conversation with my friend Rani. She wanted a print, of my Sherlock Holmes, for her husband. He is studying computer science. He told her that he wanted to surround himself with images of inspiring people. When she told me this I immediately wanted to paint Einstein! I really admire Albert Einstein for many reasons, but most of all for his creativity. Here are a few fun and interesting quotes from Einstein: 

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." 
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." 
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." 
"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." 
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." 
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." 
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." 
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible." 
"The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable receiving." 

Wow this was a long post! With that have a terrific day and lets keep the creative juices flowing!!!

The Bird Man (Tony Hawk Sketch)

Like most artists, I spend a lot of time sketching. Often, you can find me in a corner of a room somewhere drawing monsters, aliens or a cartoon of some form. I'm sure my wife gets sick of it from time to time. Really though, It's my most favorite part of creating art!

For this sketch, I drew the one of the most famous Skateboarders in history... Mr Tony Hawk! I have watched the bones brigade films since I was a little kid. When I was 12 or 13 I got a Tony Hawk pro model skateboard for Christmas! He has done a lot for the sport of skateboarding and continues to be an innovator and pioneer! Here's to you Mr. Hawk!

What do you guys think should I finish this one in a painting?

Officer Mike!

My latest commission... CHP Officer Mike Earl. Mike has been a good friend for sometime now. I have a deep respect for the men and women that serve and protect us. Every day these brave people risk their lives and face the ugly side of life so that we wont have too.

A while back I was visiting my brother in Southern California. During the visit I got a call from Mike asking if I wanted to go on a ride along. Tired from the long drive from Utah, I reluctantly declined. A few hours latter I get a text from Mike the read something like this..." You missed the wrong night for a ride along! I was involved in a high speed pursuit and got to use my beanbag gun!" Dang it! Next time brother... next time!

Oh and by the way Officer Earl and His son love Star Wars, hence the Rebel Alliance patches on his armor. Thanks for all you do for us civilians!