the general specific

Who was this guy?

2010-05-09T22:43:00.000-04:00

Playing with drawings from some old photographs of my family over maps for an upcoming show - trying to get a sense of how I got here....

grandpa Clarence Shininger

Easter Paintings

2010-04-12T13:17:00.005-04:00

Oil and gold leaf on board - 4' x 2'

A series of four 'movements' of the story of Easter, illustrates a series of stories and songs by Bill Wolf.

Class Notes / Context

2010-03-12T23:01:00.001-05:00

I teach a class on thursday nights in downtown Knoxville on "How to Draw Caricatures." It's going OK. I've got 10 highschoolers of varying abilities and interest levels, but on Thursdays we come together to study the human face and figure out how to exaggerate it. I've learned a ton; hopefully it's not a complete loss to the kids. More pictures from class artwork to come! (Tips appreciated - like the wisdom kind of tips this time.)

What I've Been Staring At

2010-03-08T17:22:00.002-05:00

SO for the past three days I've been designing a logo for one of my favorite companies - here is the process I went through for one of my designs:

PART 1: thumbnail drawing

PART 2: acrylic painting

PART 3: Finished in photoshop

Play Architect

2010-02-26T16:08:00.004-05:00

Rendering in watercolor for a contractor friend who needed to communicate an idea for a bid. I took the entryway below and modified it so that it wouldn't look like death (with emphasis on the canopy), then completed the rendering. Never done a rendering like this before in watercolor. Perspective is a little whack on the upper lefthand corner but yougettheidea.

Feelin Palmy

2010-02-06T19:27:00.003-05:00

Drew some caricatures in West Palm Beach for a week. I had a wacky itinerary that put me in Chicago for five hours, so I took advantage of public transport and hopped the L to the Art Institute to check out the new modern art wing. After West Palm I stayed with some dear friends in Tampa to hold their new baby boy Asher and change his diaper a couple times. I also shot some pictures of my friend Rob's family in a fun makeshift home studio we made in an hour. Then I flew home.

MCO MMX

2010-01-21T12:07:00.004-05:00

So it's that time of year again. What time?

The time when all the celebrations of the old year are done, and a new one begins cold with expectation. The time when we've put on a few pounds to insulate us from the chill, or we sleep in to conserve our bodies' fuel to keep moving during dreary days. This is the time of year when ponds freeze over, bears go into hiding, and the land itself becomes as hard as stone.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's right, it's time for MANCAMP VI. See you Monday, have a good weekend.....

I'm back...where?

2010-01-19T02:28:00.012-05:00

So more than sixteen months after my last post, I begin by saying I'm slightly adjusting the purpose of this site to include whatever i'm working on at the time, be it art, travel, phtogoraphy, or whathaveyou. By "whatever" I really do mean a potpourri of images ranging from what I'm renovating around the house, sketches from recent drawings or paintings from my studio, pseudo-photography from around the farm where I live (above), or photostories from my travels across the country and beyond. Who knows which of YOU may show up in these stories....

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ANYTHING SO FAR OR DON'T PLAN ON READING ANYTHING AFTER, HERE'S THE GIST: i recommend you visit this blog as often and as soon as you have this question: "What the heck is Tony up to these days?" Your questions may not be fully resolved, but you will get the general idea. (If you're looking for my artwork, it's best from here on out to go straight to www.tonysobota.com.)

To commemorate this event, here's a silly haiku (Basho parody) to explain the photo above, a little something that comments on, as we are oft to think this time of year--the experience of "launching into the unknown" (hopefully with a better ending....)

Ice pond,
Log toss
Thud.

Bloomsburg

2008-09-30T16:32:00.006-04:00

We had a great time in Bloomsburg. Good short show, good people, great little town (the only town in PA to be precise).

Rich & Amy in Rich's Jeep. Yaaay!

Yes, I draw from photos. Yes, I draw dogs.

I also draw men in tutus.

Sometimes I draw kids who don't smile playing rock band.

I draw people drinking beer after a 4-wheeler ride through coal fields.
I draw kids on go-carts.
I even draw key ninjas. Yes, this kid really really loved locks and keys. So this is what I came up with.

Last but not least, I draw this guy too. This guy reenacts civil war battles and was interesting to talk to, even if we was just listening to Rush on his headphones at a fair. This sketch makes good evidence for the argument that I draw portraits.
I DRAW!

2008-09-02T18:35:00.004-04:00

Some more photos, this time from THE GREAT NEW YORK STATE FAIR....
This kid liked to cook. I asked him what he liked to cook and he said: "I dunno." Note the mouse.

Our first sketch of the day was usually a mentally/physically challenged person with a helper wheeling them around. It just became routine - the people were always nice.
This girl really really really loved pigs. Her and her mom really really really loved the sketch.
When asked what body they would like their kids in their parents said: "They like to go swimming." The multiple swimming sketch can be a baffler to caricaturists. I was proud of how well this one came out - and quick!
Even though it's blurry this was one of my favorite body/situations, they wanted tennis and basketball. They loved it and bought a mat, their friends were rolling because it looked just like them.
These guys own a farm and so naturally I drew them tractor racing each other. The woman always wins.
This kid wanted to be drawn "in baseball" as a pitcher, specifically. When prodded, he neither played, watched, or cared anything about baseball and it's a mystery why he wanted it, but he and his parents loved it, bought a mat and gave a tip.
This was a demo drawing of a kid I couldnm't resist drawing when he walked by.
I colored the sketch when he left and later in the day his parents came back and bought it.
I like this likeness.

Parents, please, please, please do not ask your caricature artist to put names on the sketch. I hate doing this but this parent was insistent so I caved. (And got paid.)

Caricature Circuit

2008-08-20T07:30:00.006-04:00

So, pictures from the road. I'm posting for two purposes: to begin charting my progress in caricatures and to let you know what I'm doing. This will also be a test of how many pictures I'm able to upload in one post.....along these lines, feel free to post feedback, especially if you think your criticism might be helpful. Click on any image to make it larger. I'm working on the file size so it might be awkward the first time...

I hate the golf sketch......

Ain't Lion

2008-06-17T15:50:00.004-04:00

here's a photo of a painting (and a closeup of the painting) I did for my nephew - back when he had his first birthday last September (he's almost 2 now!). You may be asking: nice painting, but why in the world did you paint a painting for your nephew's first birthday - not your typical gift. You're right. The backstory goes something like this...
In 2005 I had the chance to go to Kenya with my brother and his wife, her parents (medical missionaries) and about 15 other people I hadn't met before. Most were nurses or missionaries, etc, and then there was me, this random guy with a camera and a keen interest in helping people. I don't have time to tell the whole story, but I got to go on safari and around sunset we happened to crawl up on this young male lion resting in the middle of a savanna. I clicked several sweaty-fingered pictures on my Nikon FM-10, capturing some decent slides.
FF to September of 2006, when this little miracle boy known as Christopher Didyk comes bursting out of the womb in Lexington, KY.
This story is getting too long.
Ok, my sister-in-law, then--my brother's wife Rachel (Christopher's mom) wanted me to do a mural of an African scene for the baby's room. And, well, in the middle of a kajillion other projects I just didn't get it done on time, and Christopher was early--like scary early. Also, once this little kid was healthy the parents decide to up and move to Johnson City! Hey it was a good move, and means they're all a lot closer for me to visit, but then I didn't know how big of a wall I would be dealing with/what size canvas I needed to prepare, etc. So by the time his first birthday rolled around, I spent an evening, about four hours, creating this acrylic painting from my photograph. I really liked the process of doing a painting of my own slide--would be fun to do more of these--and I think it will be a cool thing for Christopher to dig up when he's a little older.

Some Recent Play

2008-06-04T23:52:00.009-04:00

So....it's been a while.
I thought I'd make at least a stab at updating my sketchblog, in hopes that that I might do this more regularly and be encouraged to continue to play and practice at making artwork. Also, a really good friend is about to head back to China with his wife and newborn daughter, and he was wondering if I still posted things. Chad, this one's for you....
OK so about the work itself I will make no apologies! I will however say that I'm very sloppy with the camera I have. It is a point-and-shoot digital graciously given to me by friends. I really hope to get a Nikon D40 to add to me lonely 24x120 Nikkor lens, but for now, this is.....enough. And I am thankful. At least taking these photos is a gentle step in the right direction, away from one of the real regrets of the past few years: not taking enough photos of stuff I've done/been involved in doing.
So I've been playing...the first two pieces done only with leftover paint from around-the-house type color matching jobs. Thus the odd palette.

Here's a sort of ode to the American flag (with a really unintentional biker face). I had, well...red, white, and two shades of blue for a tile repair touch-up. This was fun, complete with toothbrush-spatterings, abstract ripped flag-like effects and faux gunshot wound. I completed it in less than an hour so let's really play up the fact that I'm an amateur with some nice comments......

COOL blood-spatter EFFECTS!

SWEET bloody drip effect. YES.
AWESOME gunshot wound. Isn't this ironic? A GUNSHOT wound on the FLAG? ARTISTIC CHAOS!!!
Hey at least I didn't waste any paint....

Self-portrait done with leftover paint from a colormatch on a damaged wooden frame in our bathroom. I had 30 minutes to do this sketch in-between patching said frame and suiting up and heading out to Starbucks for a shift. I'd like to do more of these, it's good practice.
Last but not least, a shot of my addition to a sibling project for my mom last Christmas. She wanted an image depicting the sun from each of us - no other direction was given. This is what I came up with. (pardon the annoying flashbulb). The size is about 3x5 inches.
There you have it, an update. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Hope you enjoy, leave a comment if you feel so led. Thanks!

Lady Lizerdy

2007-09-17T11:16:00.001-04:00

Here's a ceiling tile I spray-painted for I love NY Pizza, a great little place in town. In the words of a friend it's a little 'melodramatic,' but I love that face and wanted to finish this thing and get it out of the house. The original surface was too shabby to paint on so I just cut a piece of sheet rock to size and used vellum to mask the different areas of the painting. It was fun, overall I really liked masking and painting and hope to do more of this kind of stuff.
Close up of tattoo. Of course I had a better idea after I finished it. Oh well.

Banksi

2007-09-05T14:48:00.001-04:00

Banksi--what a brilliant artist! Thanks for the intro Ruben.

Robb

2007-08-08T20:53:00.001-04:00

Here's a doodle that turned into a sketch of fellow artist Robb Prisk. Was amused enough to post. You like?

Done

2007-07-27T20:33:00.000-04:00

Here's the finished fat-ruvian man for a cover illustration. I redrew the sketch entirely and added a bunch of background effects for the parchment, as well as created a funnier expression on the guy's face. Enjoy.
*click on the image to enlarge*

Fat-ruvian Man

2007-07-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

A first sketch of a variation from Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, for a cover illustration.

Jesus

2007-07-03T22:46:00.001-04:00

A friend wanted me to do a tattoo of a homeless-looking Jesus, and this was the last concept I came up with. The ridges on his knit hat are going the wrong way and its freehanded pen so I'm not too thrilled with it, but I'm headed down the right track and it's what I'm working on anyway.

"The hope of the whole world rests on the shoulders of a homeless man."-Rich Mullins

Another me

2007-06-28T00:28:00.000-04:00

Yeah, more exaggerated, Ball point pen.

More Blips

2007-06-27T23:47:00.001-04:00

Owen Wilson as Eli Cash, pencil. (Here ya go Bopp.)

Conan, pencil and paint bucket in photoshop. Again, sorry for the dirt. Just thought it was a fun idea.

I feel like I'm on the verge of exaggerating a lot more. Still very mild when it comes to that, but I feel like really warping things. I did caricatures for a youth group event in the area tonight and it went really well. Had a lot of fun and felt real free to draw the snapshots in my mind. Kids were pretty shy at first but had a lot of laughs later. Like the good book says, "It is profitable to laugh at oneself whilst in the days of thy youth."

Weekend at the Zoo

2007-06-24T21:41:00.001-04:00

Ok, when I'm REAL bored I do things like this memory sketch. Stephen Silver introduced me to the concept of "memory sketching"--drawing an quick 'afterthought' image of someone you saw on the bus or walking by the stand or whatever. This guy walked by as I was getting a sketch and when business slowed down I hatched out a version of his forehead and long stringy hair. It would be awesome to take Stephen's Character Design class--may do that!

there's a little photo booth next to the tiki hut where i draw caricatures--this image was drawn from one of the sample photos of a girl and her presumed boyfriend. i couldn't resist exaggerating the teeth, dimples, and eyes--especially when business was slow.
average park sketch--boring! (sorry for the dirty edge lines--I have to get up early tomorrow and don't feel like cleaning them up now). This one happened to be a demo I didn't sell, though the family loved it and thought it looked just like him.

Where before I could now launch into the whole "artist hating his own sketch" rant, I'm currently trying to be content where I am in the process of "becoming." Furthermore, I realize that in the small world of caricatures it's only my little corner that I'm annoyed with. Big deal!

Time to Get Down to Business

2007-06-21T10:20:00.000-04:00

A little somethin' from New Zealand's fourth-most popular folk parody duo

All Are Accepted Here

2007-06-20T17:29:00.001-04:00

I've now allowed anyone to post comments--which includes those of you who do not happen to have an "invasive" gmail account and wanted to post. So feel free, do not keep your storied pomp from me!

Me

2007-06-18T12:57:00.002-04:00

I started a drawing on a doodle page that turned out to be a self-portrait caricature. Anyone have tips on how to eliminate single-color marks/lines from an image? I had some marker doodles over part of this one that took me a couple of minutes to erase on Photoshop Elements (you may be able to see some of the "dirt" of my eraser in the hair).

Doyle Doodle

2007-06-14T16:20:00.000-04:00

My family and I (the megafam, to be specific) just got back from a week's vacation in Orlando, FL. While we were there, we went to the ocean, fished for (and caught!) shark, played semi-alcohol influenced board games, and spent a lot of time laying around the pool and everywhere else. It was great to be together.
While I was waiting on something I saw an article on the Texas Hold 'Em tournaments abounding this time of year and picked up a pen and sketched from a photo of poker samurai Doyle Brunson. Well, he's actually more of a cowboy than a samurai...

GO

2007-06-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

I've decided to stop procrastinating on a caricature/art blog of my own and so I'm starting here, 'perfection' aside. And with no further ado...
Ended up being a slow day at the zoo today and so I had some time to draw the guy who drives the trolley who happened to be walking by. Ronnie's a character--Santa specifically--and a talented man, always quoting Bogart and making kids laugh (not necessarily at the same time).

My scanner was too small to catch the edge of his chin whiskers and in the interest of time I just went with the given cropped image. I was happy with it (after my second try); ended up being an attempt to capture the mouth with his characteristic "See, shweetheart" action. Really it just made my day to hang out with Ron and draw him when business was down. He has one of those faces I feel like I could sketch differently every day, and enjoy.

Well, that's it. My first post. Off to a good start?