skateboard lincoln - final

and here is the finished skateboard lincoln. its hanging on the wall in my dining room. i used this waxy black pencil for the original sketch and then painted with guache (gouache?). i never use guache so it was interesting and different.














hopefully you can tell what this is. the concept is lincoln's decapitated head in a jar of preserving liquid (formaldahyde?). his hat is on top of the jar, and his tie is tied around the lower part of the jar. a guy at work suggested i go with a lincoln themed skateboard. i didnt want to be TOO direct with a straight portrait, so i thought this would be a decent twist. overall i like it.

the image on the right was put together in photoshop using photos taken in my dimly lit apartment. needless to say, the colors look better/more vibrant in person. maybe ill go back and try to correct some of the levels and colors. maybe

first post - skateboard lincoln

so this is my first post

my goal is to write this as though no one else would ever read it, to get some semblance of honesty and to achieve a quality of directness. i tend to over-edit most things i type, and it always ends up reading really lame to me and i get embarrassed...and delete it.

not this time.

so this is my 'art' blog. i want to show work from 3 or 4 months ago forward, so i dont end up recycling the same tired work from the past 6 - 10 years. my goal is to create a LOT of new work (and maybe drop in some old work and sketches during dry spells).

First is this piece i did for a skateboard design contest at work. the winner would get a gift card or something, as well as have their design put into production as a 96mm Tech Deck fingerboard. For those who dont know, i work at a company called Spinmaster, and we produce the Tech Deck collector/toy line. In fact, i used to be a designer on the brand.

I did NOT win the contest, but that really wasnt important to me anyway. i had always wanted to design some deck art, so this was my opportunity to force myself into doing it. thats how i work...i force myself.














funny, i just noticed the michelob ultra cans on the coffee table. some friends had brought over some ridiculously big case of michelob ultra and left it in my fridge. not something i would normally buy but as you can see i drank it anyway.

so - first - here are some work in progress images of the skateboard piece. for each piece i post, i plan to put up photos and scans as it develops, in case anyone wants to see my general work process. Also, i think it will help me to pay attention to the amount of time spent on each piece, as well as progress at each stage of development.















I decided to work straight onto the blank deck i got. i tend to procrastinate unless i just dive right in, so i figured the direct approach would work best. plus, i thought it would be cool to have the original ON the actual deck, as opposed to having the art printed onto a deck somewhere.














and here are a few shots of where i ended on the first (second? I forget) night