The Hedge Wizard

Hey all!
This is a little something I made for a friend's house-warming gift. This was really just a clever excuse for me to oil paint on a sheet of Terraskin paper! I've been meaning to use this stuff for a while, and now that I've finally had a chance to try it out, I'm pleasantly surprised. To anyone who wants to use it; it's cheap, it's eco-friendly to the max, and oil paint just loves it. It also feels like really thin leather, but I can't decide if that's a plus or a minus.
I made a very detailed tonal pencil sketch in HB graphite. This paper really loved graphite (but not erasing it). Afterwards, I did a fast oil embauche (thank you James Gurney) and let that set overnight. The rest of the painting was done in one day in about a single layer with a fair amount of blending but keeping things very transparent to keep as much of my pencil drawing as I could.
This work was done on a short time limit. If I'd had more time, I could have played with it longer. As it was, this was a good practice, and made for a nice gift.
As for the theme, I just started drawing someone with a crazy ass costume in that position. I thought of adding an animal to the mix, to make it all that much more random, and I immediately thought of hedgehogs. So whatever, it works on some level.

Moloch: The Return

Hey all!
I've been really starving for a new idea lately, and, as it usually happens, I've gone to an old idea. This being in fact the first piece of art I ever put on deviantart. Here, we have an old character for whom I feel a great dear of fondness: Moloch, the black fire of Tophet, besmeared in blood and parent's tears. I wrote a short story years ago with Moloch as my main character. I turned him into a tragic figure, lost in today's age, barely surviving off of sacrifices made to himself. My original Moloch concept was a little more gothic than this new incarnation. In many old images, Moloch is a giant brass bull, serving as an oven in which children as cooked in sacrifice. I've incorporated the bull imagery into his shoulder pads, but the main image I went with was children and fire. Moloch's head is made from an enlarged child's skull, it's mouth stitched shut to compensate for a lack of teeth, and to add to the terror of his appearance. The bulls on his shoulders are slick with cooked blood and burnt grease. His body is that of the purely childhood bogey-man; his long limbs, embalmed in human hair and the feathers of carrion crows, are a terror to behold. His nails, sharper than flint knives, pluck at the dreams of innocents as they sleep and invite them to make grim sacrifices in his name. Held within his wicked clawed ribs is his fire, used to burn away the life of sacrifices so that their fear might flow through his dry veins like cancerous blood.
Moloch haunts the dark and desperate parts of the world, where hunger and poverty give way to madness and desperation. There, his clutching ribs find easy pray that may be consumed in the wretched fire of Moloch's heart. Moloch feeds on the tears of desperation and he, in turn, weeps for his victims with dessicated eyes that have not shut since the age of man began. He must survive, but he has no love or hate for his victims. He feels only pity for the frail bodies know nourish his corrupt spirit. Moloch desires to continue existing, and knows not why only the burnt flesh of children nourish him, and he has no desire to learn. He simply feeds, and weeps.
Anyhow, hope you like it :)

Gutshovel

Hey all! Sorry it's taken so long to update. I've been feeling a little uninspired lately. Office work is most likely the cause. Anyhow, here's a little something to tide you all over.
I really love avant-garde metal. I got into it back when LastFM didn't suck, and I've been trying to find what I can since. One of my favorites is Made Out of Babies. Is fun to hear such aggression coming from a girl. One day I was walking to work and the song Gutshovel from Made out of Babies came onto my mp3 player. I suddenly felt inspired to make this picture based on the song.
If anyone wants to check this song out and can't find it, I wouldn't be too surprised. Still, I applaud your effort if you do.

Drink and Draw!

Hey all!
Here are some of the precious artifacts of the 2nd monthly Montreal Drink & Draw (totally unofficial). These were the slightly less-terrible pages. It's all pretty random, so I don't even know if I really want to get into what all these images mean. And rest assured, they all exist for a reason. Suffice to say, this pages has inside jokes from school, stuff I thought of at work, local stray cats, The Monster of Glamis (who I plan to explore more thoroughly soon enough) taxidermied beer bottles, The Residents (look them up, seriously), and a little bit of Art Deco inspired madness.
There's something really nice about going to a pub and just drawing. I've desperately missed hanging out with artists, and doing this on a regular basis has been really nice. And, y'know, a couple of pints once a week don't hurt.

The Crow

I've been chatting with a guy who works at the coffee shop I frequent, and he's been preaching the merits of The Crow. Despite everything, I've never read it. Seen the first movie, though, and I did like it, but that's about it. And I know enough about shitty movies to know not to watch anything beyond the first one. Anyhow, I feel like I've been starving for inspiration, so I figured I'd draw The Crow. I think it turned out okay. I really feel enjoy working in ink sometimes. It makes me think of those good-old days when finger painting was an acceptable medium. At least, the way I do it does.
Anyhow, this was done in HB graphite, Pilot G-Tech pen and brush pen, with a little assist from photoshop to punch it up a bat. I don't necessarily believe in the value of digital painting, but I do appreciate how it can help sketches and comps.

A Long-Awaited Secret

Hey all!
So I know I haven't made as many updates lately. Not as many as I would like. I want you to know that this is the primary reason for it. Behold, a rare glimpse into my workspace. Here we have my precious drawing table, and the seven horrors who are currently holding my interest. These paintings are for a two-fold purpose. First of all, each one of them was done in a slightly different style. I've tried different combinations of mediums in each one, varying between acrylic and oil for different steps. I feel like I'm still trying to figure out what I like to paint with best, and this has been very illuminating indeed. I don't want to get into the particulars of each one just yet, as there may be more that I do to each one before too long, but so far this has been a very interesting and rewarding experience. Suffice to say, I've spent a long time looking into the techniques of various artists whom I respect and admire, and have been trying to emulate their methods to some extent in each of these pieces. Besides the names of the creatures depicted in each (and they all have names), I think of these in terms of the artist who's style is inspiring me.
The second purpose I hinted at is that there's an upcoming event in Montreal, called Expozine. I'm aiming to be there with a couple of friends to sell my wares and make a few connections. These paintings are, in part, an effort to expand my wares. But really, money aside, these pieces are meant to be a learning experience.
For the time being, each piece is on double-thick Illustration board which has been coated in about three coats of watered-down gesso. Also, in some cases, there's a few layers of acrylic wash over-top of that. The lot of them are pretty diverse. I'll get into specifics when each piece is finished, which, god-willing, will be in short-order.
Also, see that big, blank board up in the corner? I have big plans for that.