Process Recess

New York Sketches

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 00:37:00 +0000

> Photo of me drawing at Cafe 71, Irving Place, NYC, taken by Kenichi Hoshine

> I flew back to the east coast last week: visited my parents for a couple of days and spent the rest of the week fulfilling professional obligations and meeting with friends. I judged the sequential category at the Society of Illustrators, spoke at a couple of classes at my alma mater, and attended the AI-AP party.

> Passengers on NJ Transit. I caught the Walton Ford and Ron Mueck show at the Brooklyn Museum with Esao, Tomer, Kenichi, Mu and Tomomi. "Make it big," was the mantra of the day.

> My mom and K in the kitchen. So lovely the comfort of home cooking.

> Drawings of K at Cafe Sabarsky and sleeping on the plane back to LAX.

** Lastly, Erik J. Olsen will be interviewing me for an upcoming Iconic Podcast. If you have any questions you'd like for me to answer during the interview, please email them to Erik at iconicpodcast@yahoo.com

UPDATE 6.5.06 Thank you for submitting your questions to the Iconic Podcast! Erik will no longer be accepting questions, and we'll be conducting the interview very soon.

Politewinter - Sink

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 02:48:00 +0000

> "Sink," 12.5 x 13.5", acrylic on Rives BFK. NFS.

My new entry on www.politewinter.com, just painted last night. A gentle bath of milk tea.

Overload - Panic!

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 07:50:00 +0000

> The Black Parade Special Edition Box

> Giro 2007 Bike Catalog

I posted a large cache of new illustrations on www.jamesjean.com yesterday. The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance) album just came out in the US, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the special edition box was put together. The final art was a bit more desaturated than my original version, but it should complement the photography in the overall package. Gerard Way had a very specific vision for the entire suite of images and characters, but my original contributions included the deer nursing the giant-headed baby and the massive heart pulsating in the background. The Giro catalog was also fun to work on: ballpoint pen drawings + loose photoshop painting . . . sort of a flashy digital version of my sketchbooks.

PANIC! AT THE DISCO

Last month, I got a call on a Thursday from Atlantic records, saying they needed an album cover illustration for Monday. Yes, I panicked, but they wanted the deluxe package to emulate a vintage cigar box and circus posters, so I was stoked. My adrenaline spiked for the next 48 hours.

I love the type and colors in these posters. "Dude!"

This was the art director's original idea/sketch for the packaging. We talked a bit on the phone -- a sketch by Friday, approval the same day, 2 days to execute, and final on Monday. Perfect.

A thumbnail sketch I did in photoshop over the AD's original sketch for the box. Working out the composition and typography in a mad rush.

My final sketch, with type treatment. The AD seemed excited by the sketch, and sent it to the band. No answer. Saturday . . . no answer. Sunday . . . no answer. Finally, Monday: turns out P!ATD just wants their name on the box. Feeling sorely disappointed, I decline to finish the box due to lack of interest and time.

However, I will be finishing up this illustration for an upcoming project with Adhouse books . . .

Panelists 2 at Giant Robot SF

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:54:00 +0000

> Grammar 1, mixed media on rice paper mounted on Rives BFK, 10 x 14", SOLD.

> Grammar 2, mixed media on rice paper mounted on Rives BFK, 10 x 14", SOLD.

I have a couple of pieces in a show opening this Oct. 21st, 6:30-10pm, at the Giant Robot gallery in San Francisco.

GRSF
618 Shrader St.
San Francisco CA 94117
Mon-Fri 11:30-8, Sat. 11-8, Sun 12-7
415.876.4773

Please contact the gallery to purchase. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the opening, but it looks like it will be a good show!

Commerce

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 05:03:00 +0000

At long last, Kenichi Hoshine if offering prints for sale. Also, you can find some "Paul Pope goodness" at the new Adhouse online store.

Workshop and News

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:55:00 +0000

> One of the pictures of my studio that I shared at the workshop. I'm using a newer computer/monitor/scanner configuration now, but that's the system that I've used since 2002 in the corner of the room.

* Thanks to everyone who attended my workshop at EAA! If anyone has feedback or questions from Sunday, I look forward to addressing them in the comments link below. Also, I'll definitely keep in mind all the requests for a DVD tutorial in the future.

** I went to compress my emails the other day, and wound up losing a year's worth of emails. Unfortunately, my last backup was 3 months ago, so I was only able to recover up emails up to July. If I haven't responded to your email within the past couple of weeks, please resend.

*** Also, I will be unable to make any prints until Nov., when I will have new equipment shipped in.

Fables 57 Ebay Auction

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:21:00 +0000

> 11 x 17", graphite on bristol.

Here is the original drawing for the cover to Fables 57, available on Ebay. The auction will end Saturday evening. Happy bidding!

Fables 57

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:14:00 +0000

> 7 x 10.5" 500 dpi, Photoshop CS2.

I'll be "teaching" this piece from start to finish at my workhop on Oct. 15th. A good variety of artifice and digital trickery I've developed over the years was used to bring this one to life, so plenty of techniques will be divulged. For instance, the wind was created using a small fan brush dipped in india ink and scanned into photoshop. (As for the original art, the sketch has sold, but the final drawing is currently on hold until I decide whether or not to post it on ebay).

* Things to bring to the workshop: a drawing pad or sketchbook and something you are comfortable drawing with. I'll be demonstrating and talking about photoshop techniques, so be prepared to take notes. Also, we will take a look at a variety of original artwork and discuss methods and materials used in their creation. For the latter half of the workshop, I'll be drawing from model, and everyone can either watch or draw along with me.

Secrets

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 19:09:00 +0000

A former drawing teacher of mine from SVA, Mike Mattesi, moved to LA and started his own school in Pasadena. He gave me a call not long ago . . . Thus, in a couple of weeks I will be conducting a workshop, during which sketchbooks will be revealed, photoshop will be discussed, and people will be drawn! I will present the process of a digital illustration from start to finish in the first hour and draw from the model for the last 2 hours. Many closely gaurded secrets will be revealed.

When: Oct. 15, 2006
11am - 2 pm

Where: Entertainment Art Academy
145 North Altadena Drive
Pasadena, CA 91107

Cost: $50

For more information and to enroll, click on this link: http://www.enterartacad.com/events.htm

*** Update 9.27.06 *** Enrollment for the class has completely filled up. Thanks so much for your interest and support! See you in Pasadena.

Nike - Space Race 2020

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 06:55:00 +0000

Edit: Please check out Tomer's version of the project at tropicaltoxic.blogspot.com. Nike commissioned a range of artists to create a suite of posters. FYI, Tomer and I both went to SVA (he was a year ahead of me) and we lived across the hall from each other in Brooklyn after we graduated. The walls were thin. He smoked then. I was 10 lbs lighter. We shared many meals.

> Nike asked me to illustrate a race day poster. The theme: Space Race 2020. I was free to do whatever I wanted. I love jobs like this. The first sketch I did was a weird one . . . it was more 'interpretive dance' than what I had intended. I wanted to express the idea of competition as well, and since I was working on Fables at the same time, I wondered what a sci-fi rivalry between Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf would look like.

> Blue pencil on Bristol, 18 x 24." After the linework was finished, I coated the paper with acrylic gloss, which gave it a milky soft complexion.

> Photoshop CS, 18 x 24," 350 dpi. That's my chop on the left, carved in Taiwan, and I added some fun icons and robotic humming birds (we need super agile cameras to cover the event) to finish it off.

Terrorismo Grafiko - Tecno

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 18:24:00 +0000

> Postcard for Terrorismo Grafiko, 4.75 x 7". This is how I interpreted the theme, "technology."

On the Easel - Fables TPB 8 "Wolves" Part II

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 02:52:00 +0000

> I've coated the surface with some washes of color ( layers of trans. blues and browns work well ), and used some liquitex acrylic white gesso to bring out the forms. The gesso works well since it provides a little bit of tooth for subsequent layers of paint and other mediums, like pastel or colored pencil.

> And then, a little more than a day later, I arrive at the conclusion to the painting. This composition, which was so busy to begin with, is now further embellished by form, color, and texture. It will take some work in photoshop to bring clarity back to the picture.

> I outline the beanstalk and render Cinderella in vector to "pull" it from the surface. More pushing and pulling ensues.

> After some color dodging and color adjustments, I've arrived at the finish! Click the image above for an closer view. Now it's time to send it in for approval . . .

On the Easel - Fables TPB 8 "Wolves"

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 07:19:00 +0000

> I'm currently working the next Fables trade paperback wraparound cover. This is the sketch blown up and printed out, the sections taped together. I transferred the image onto a sheet of grey Rives BFK with blue transfer paper.

> My "drafting table" consists of a piece of MDF board propped on a paint box. A french easel holds up another piece of MDF board with the sketch taped onto it so I can refer to it while working on the final drawing.

> I inked the drawing and gave it 3 or 4 coats of acrylic gloss medium. I left the faces in blue pencil since I anticipate the edges there being softer than the rest of the composition. Now it's ready for paint this weekend . . . more updates after Labor Day!

Figure Drawing

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 06:14:00 +0000

> Ballpoint pen, 2 minutes.

> Ballpoint pen, drawn while the model was resting.

> Ballpoint pen, 10 minutes.

> Ballpoint pen, 10 minutes.

> Ballpoint pen, 20 minutes.

Finally went figure drawing tonight after a long break. It was good to get back to basics again.

Extreme Running

mail@jamesjean.com (Process Recess) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 19:54:00 +0000

I was asked by Kory Kennedy of Runner's World to create an opening illustration for a suite of articles about "extreme running." The subjects ranged from extremes in weather, cheapness, and even social instability (one article was about running in Baghdad). Each specific situation would be illustrated by different artists, and I was given the daunting task of creating an opener image to introduce the feature. In usual form, I submitted the one sketch I felt strongly about, but it was rejected due to it's evocation of contact sports. So Kory and I embarked on a long journey towards creating an exciting image that somehow represented the concept of 'extreme running' in the abstract.

Most of these thumbs are throwaways, but we almost went with no. 3. At this point, I wished I could switch brains with Christoph Niemann.

Then Kory mentioned that he liked a Green Arrow cover I had done, and suggested that I separate the image into different scenarios. But rather than depict specific situations, I decided to evoke 4 extremes: dark, light, fire and ice. Yes, the "X" was still there . . . somehow I couldn't get away from it. Also, a photo of someone tying their shoelaces was going to be opening another article, so we went with a tighter shot, which made it more intimate and also heightened the psychological aspect of "extreme running," that is, to use the cliche, "mind over matter."

> graphite on bristol, 9 x 12", SOLD.

> Photoshop CS, 8.25 x 11", 500 dpi.

This assignment was extreme in the amount of sketches I had done. The process reminded me of how illustration is an interesting mix of problem-solving and gut instinct/inspiration. I had struggled with the thumbnails once my first sketch, the 'gut' sketch, was rejected, and went towards the more analytical end of problem-solving, which yielded some weak thumbnails. There's a delicate balance of both hemisphere's of the mind, which can be deflated by rejection and lit up by that elusive thing called inspiration. The illustration will be printed in the next issue of Runner's World -- I'm looking forward to seeing the other pieces in the feature!