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The blog of Steve Morrison, illustrator
Number of Readers that added this blog to their MyJacketFlap: 12
Crayon on IHOP silverware envelopes, 3" x 10"
(The green shape behind the last elephant is a zebra added by Eliza)
I made thirty-some Viking illustrations for The Core Knowledge Foundation a little while ago. Completed within one very long month. Here they be.
Another cloudscape.
Acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10"
The latest cloudscape.
Acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10"
I've had five little 5" x 7" canvases sitting in my studio for a while, waiting for me to do something with them. So Sunday afternoon, we played together.
Painting clouds is a fun way to experiment with near-abstraction. It's nice to play with color, composition, and form on their own. Each piece has it's own mood and it's own aims, but I like the way the five of these work together as a group.
Because I had five canvases, I began thinking of (and listening to) one of my favorite five-movement symphonies--Mahler's 7th. I tried to capture some of enigmatic qualities of the music; the strange leaps between absurdity and mystery.
I love seeing other artists' processes, so I like to share my own now and then. I've been using these Don Quixote pieces as a way to explore/experiment with my working methods, which have become more and more a mix of digital and traditional approaches.
After rereading the chapter I intend to illustrate and making some notes, character sketches, and thumbnail composition sketches, I drew this sketch. Just pencil in my sketchbook. I scanned it at a high resolution and began to play with it in Photoshop.
The undead knight who is reclining with the cards is based on a sepulchral effigy from 1500s Spain.
Next, I added a paper texture I scanned years ago. This gives the image an old-fashioned, natural feel. I used a multiply layer.
Now that I have my sketch and a basic texture, I'm ready to start with the background. I tried a few different colors for the sky (one of the luxuries of digital work!), and settled on this green because I felt it gave the picture an eerie, off-kilter feel. The architecture of the castle is based on medieval/Renaissance buildings from Spain (the setting of the novel). Throughout Don Quixote, the Moorish culture is referenced, so I thought an allusion to that in the architecture would be fitting here. At the time the book was written, the Moors (Muslims) and Jews had recently been expelled from Spain.
With the background more or less in place, I painted a block of shade to create my basic value structure. I wanted the figures to be in shadow, almost silhouettes when you squint, and the background to be brightly lit.
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Part of my ongoing Don Quixote series (my favorite book). This is the Cave of Montesinos episode (Book Two, Chapter 23), one of the more surreal scenes in the novel.
In this chapter, Quixote bravely descends alone into a magical cave in which he finds a crystal palace housing an undead knight and a Moorish lady who safeguards his mummified heart. Among other bizarre things. Is it all a dream? Maybe.
The undead knight utters only one sentence as he turns over on his side: "Patience, and shuffle the cards." I've always loved that uncanny line.
Sketch for my latest Don Quixote piece. I'll post the final and process tomorrow!
A quick color study of the sketch I posted yesterday. Colored in Photoshop during an episode of Colbert.
Also, as you can see, the color sketch looks like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. I really don't know how that happened.
Maurice Sendak's passing this morning leaves me sorrowing for the loss and grateful for the incredible power and beauty of his accomplishment. I can't think of an artist who has affected me more deeply throughout my life. I'll write more when I have time to process my thoughts.
I made this for my daughter's birthday invitations this year. Try to figure out how old she turned by looking for hidden clues.
I also like to draw on the inside cover of my sketchbooks!
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The blog of Steve Morrison, illustrator
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/25/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/22/2012
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Crayon on IHOP silverware envelopes, 3" x 10"
(The green shape behind the last elephant is a zebra added by Eliza)
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/20/2012
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I made thirty-some Viking illustrations for The Core Knowledge Foundation a little while ago. Completed within one very long month. Here they be.
1 Comments on Vikings, last added: 6/21/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/19/2012
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Another cloudscape.
Acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10"
1 Comments on Cloudscape No. 7, last added: 6/19/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/18/2012
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The latest cloudscape.
Acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10"
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/12/2012
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I've had five little 5" x 7" canvases sitting in my studio for a while, waiting for me to do something with them. So Sunday afternoon, we played together.
Painting clouds is a fun way to experiment with near-abstraction. It's nice to play with color, composition, and form on their own. Each piece has it's own mood and it's own aims, but I like the way the five of these work together as a group.
Because I had five canvases, I began thinking of (and listening to) one of my favorite five-movement symphonies--Mahler's 7th. I tried to capture some of enigmatic qualities of the music; the strange leaps between absurdity and mystery.
0 Comments on Cloudscapes as of 1/1/1900
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/7/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/6/2012
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I love seeing other artists' processes, so I like to share my own now and then. I've been using these Don Quixote pieces as a way to explore/experiment with my working methods, which have become more and more a mix of digital and traditional approaches.
The undead knight who is reclining with the cards is based on a sepulchral effigy from 1500s Spain.
Next, I added a paper texture I scanned years ago. This gives the image an old-fashioned, natural feel. I used a multiply layer.
Now that I have my sketch and a basic texture, I'm ready to start with the background. I tried a few different colors for the sky (one of the luxuries of digital work!), and settled on this green because I felt it gave the picture an eerie, off-kilter feel. The architecture of the castle is based on medieval/Renaissance buildings from Spain (the setting of the novel). Throughout Don Quixote, the Moorish culture is referenced, so I thought an allusion to that in the architecture would be fitting here. At the time the book was written, the Moors (Muslims) and Jews had recently been expelled from Spain.
With the background more or less in place, I painted a block of shade to create my basic value structure. I wanted the figures to be in shadow, almost silhouettes when you squint, and the background to be brightly lit.
Add a Comment
0 Comments on "Cave of Montesinos" Process as of 1/1/1900
By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/6/2012
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Part of my ongoing Don Quixote series (my favorite book). This is the Cave of Montesinos episode (Book Two, Chapter 23), one of the more surreal scenes in the novel.
In this chapter, Quixote bravely descends alone into a magical cave in which he finds a crystal palace housing an undead knight and a Moorish lady who safeguards his mummified heart. Among other bizarre things. Is it all a dream? Maybe.
The undead knight utters only one sentence as he turns over on his side: "Patience, and shuffle the cards." I've always loved that uncanny line.
0 Comments on The Cave of Montesinos as of 1/1/1900
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/5/2012
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Sketch for my latest Don Quixote piece. I'll post the final and process tomorrow!
0 Comments on Don Quixote sketch as of 1/1/1900
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/5/2012
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Also, as you can see, the color sketch looks like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. I really don't know how that happened.
2 Comments on Color Sketch, last added: 6/5/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/4/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 6/1/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/30/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/29/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/25/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/24/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/23/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/16/2012
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Self-Portrait, Interior
Acrylic, ink, on wood panel 16" x 20"
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/15/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/8/2012
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Maurice Sendak's passing this morning leaves me sorrowing for the loss and grateful for the incredible power and beauty of his accomplishment. I can't think of an artist who has affected me more deeply throughout my life. I'll write more when I have time to process my thoughts.
0 Comments on Sendak as of 1/1/1900
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/7/2012
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I made this for my daughter's birthday invitations this year. Try to figure out how old she turned by looking for hidden clues.
0 Comments on Mad Tea Party as of 1/1/1900
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/4/2012
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"Mother Of All Living: A Feminine Trinity"
Three explorations of the presence/absence of the Divine Mother in the contemporary religious landscape.
Collage, ink, acrylic, and gold leaf on paper, 8" x 8"
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/3/2012
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By: Steve Morrison,
on 5/1/2012
Blog: Plentiful as Blackberries (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I also like to draw on the inside cover of my sketchbooks!
1 Comments on Sketchbook, last added: 5/1/2012
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Nice one!