With Comic-Con just around the corner, I thought it would be fitting for TheIllustrationBoard.com to host a Zoo Sketch group and welcome all visiting artists in the area.  If you’re in San Diego for the ‘con and want to do a bit of drawing this Saturday, July 24th, meet up with our group in front of the zoo at 5pm.  All are welcome of course, so come on out and have a great time!

Aaand if you haven’t already, make sure to check out the other blog I manage for theillustrationboard and take a look at the sketches everyone else did for Big Cat Day.

     My last post was a bit of an announcement for a special bird/dinosaur drawing zoo sketch group.  Here’s a bit of the oucome from that day; Flamingos, pigeons, and a Therizinosaur (loosely based around beipiaosaurus).  The Therizinosaurs were a *very* strange group of dinosaurs…  Feathered herbivores descended from carnivorous theropods, they looked (As Ryan Shutter put it..) like “Turkey Monsters.”  It’s with species like these, species that blur the line between birds and dinosaurs,  that you can really have fun and merge wildlife drawing and concepting.

    On a side-note, I prepared a handout for the Dinosaur drawing day.  While it was designed to be paired with the talk I gave, the breakdown I made of the theropod form and shapes still is helpful on it’s own.  If you’re interested in a printable version of the handout for your own personal use, click the thumbnail below.

The face of a Frankenstien’s Monster redesign I’m working on, and the acompanying thumbnails.  The above-head will be going on something that looks akin to #14.  Further sketches on their way…

A quick drawing done last night for the announcement of a talk and demo I’ll be doing for TheIllustrationBoard.com.  Swing on over to the boards for more info, and be sure to come to the talk if you have time.

Here’s another page from the ol’ sketchbook, which accidentally ended up being North-American Mammal-themed.  The skulls were done at home (Pronghorn skull, grizzly skull, and two polar bear skulls) and the animals were done from life at the zoo… Speaking of which, there’s another zoo trip coming up this Saturday, April 3rd at 9:30am.  Show up and do some drawing.  It’ll be grand.

Nothing much to show today, outside of a bit of studying for the upcomming demo and lecture at the San Deigo Zoo.  If you’re in the area and free Saturday morning, swing on by and say hello.

Anyways, you’re probobly wondering what’s been going on in my sketchbook.  Well, here you go…

Well,  it’s been far to long since the last update.  I’ve been busy working, trying to get ideas for the website in order, and studying.  Speaking of studies, here’s a few, done at both the Atelier and in-studio at home.  The figure painting is from photo reference, the portrait from life, and the pinup portrait is a quick study after Elvgren (to get me warmed up for an in-depth Elvgren study I have planned.)  While I’m talking about illustration studies, I want to go ahead and point everyone in the direction of TheIllustrationBoard.com, a fledgling online community dedicated to illustrators, visual storytellers, and representational art.  Swing by, register, and take a look at what the forum has to offer….Everything from critiques by working professionals, to contests, to tutorials.  Make sure to take a look at the events section on the boards as well, as I’ll be leading weekly sketch trips to the zoo on behalf of the forum.  You can look forward to some fun lectures and drawing demonstrations on specific animals with each trip, and get to know the illustration community here in southern California.

Hope to see you on the boards, and at the zoo.

-tb