Joe who?

From the crazy mind of the great Joe Olsen comes my newest illustration. Joe's always got insane drawings that lend themselves to painting so well. So Ryan Wood did an beautiful version that you can see here, and inspired me to have a go at it. Initially I was satisfied with my first color pass, then I took another look at Ryan's and after the deep depression wore off, I had to go back for another couple hours to produce this version that is much better(though still far short of Ryan's).

Also: Check out Sam Nielson's awesome version here. He's done a killer job of creating a 3D feel that I am very envious of. Very original take too, mine may have been too heavily influenced by Ryan's.

Natalie

An unfinished painting I have been back and forth with. Completion becomes uncertain at about the point that I finish the face. I am always trying to keep things loose but my natural tendency is to highly finish, I guess I am a perfectionist. My wife modeled for it, she is a great artist herself, you can see some work at her blog.

sketchbook Pacino

A new sketchbook drawing. Another Al Pacino, It is a lot more detailed then an earlier version that you can see here. I came across Sebastian Kruger's brilliant work on his blog and was blown away by this beautiful drawing. He does a fantastic job of creating interesting line work, for example notice the interest added by the line width changes on his arm. He is also great at creating form and shading.