Reference Informs and Inspires: I Love Cemeteries, Part I

October is my favorite month out of the year, not only because it's my birthday month, but more importantly for Halloween. I've always loved Halloween and loved the autumn season. Living in the Bay Area means there really isn't the fall seasonal weather I'm used to, but there are still plenty of great places to adventure.

Last year I took these reference photos at the Oakland Mountain View Cemetery on Piedmont. I've always loved cemeteries and graveyards and have been immensely happy having this splendid cemetery so nearby.

This chapel/church is at the front of the cemetery. I love walking by it each and every time.

These magical, mysterious pillars ensnared in vines and leaves has been a constant inspiration. I have at least 20-30 photos just of this structure from a bajillion angles.

close up on the pillars and their vines

wonderful cracks in the walkway create a beautiful texture

follow the path ever deeper into the beyond...

There will be a part two of Mountain View Cemetery just because I have so many wonderful references from my visits there. If you're in the Bay Area, I wildly recommend checking out this cemetery, ideally with some lunch or snack break to appreciate the gorgeous views.

Reference Informs and Inspires: Jellyfish are Awesome

Another post in the series "Reference Informs and Inspires!" I have quite the collection of reference photos I've shot over the years in various places and I thought it would be fun to share these. Reference is so important to artists and illustrators, both for specifics and inspiration.

Today's reference comes from my trip last summer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is a pretty sweet aquarium. If you're anywhere near Monterey, it's totally worth the drive (although I'm not sure if I personally would travel a very long distance JUST for the aquarium). If you're in Northern California or plan on visiting anytime soon, make sure you take this place into consideration!

beautiful sea anemones... 

There are plenty of exhibits and displays in the aquarium, but I was really there for the jellies. They did not disappoint.

their color and movement was beautiful to watch...

I hadn't realized how many different variations of jellyfish there are...

I loved the squashiness of this one, especially how it changed in appearance when it moved.

These were super transparent and gorgeous. I'm pretty sure they were called ghost jellyfish or something.

It was a great experience and I took a ton of reference photos--although I still feel like I could have taken more. I was visiting with family so I felt a little bad dragging behind taking my 90th picture... but there's just so much to see!

If these photos inspire you I'd love to see what you create!

Reference Informs and Inspires: Roses Are Perty

I had an idea to start a series of posts dedicated to sharing some of my reference photos. Reference is so important for illustrators, and most artists in general. Not only is reference great to inform on details, but I've found it to be mighty inspiring too. Oftentimes I'll refer back to reference photo shoots when I get bored or need a visual stimulus. Sometimes I already have the composition in mind when I go to shoot reference, but when locations and nature are involved I often like to just have a theme or looser idea and allow my photo shoot adventures to be more open and exciting.

This post is from my shoot at Oakland's The Morcom Amphitheater of Roses. It's located between Oakland Ave. and Grand Ave. It's a brisk walk from my apartment and I went May of last year with some friends to enjoy the roses. 

The view from atop one of the many hills in the neighborhood.

I was really drawn to the texture of the color on this kind. I was so amazed to see so many variations of roses all in one beautiful place.

If you're near Oakland, I highly recommend checking out The Morcom Amphitheater of Roses. It's very peaceful and free and open to the public. I'm sure the roses are in pretty bloom now, so if you can check it out. I hope these photos help to inspire you as much as they do me.

Inspiration

For today's post I thought I would share five of my top influential/artists I dig/these guys are the shit.

I think it's great to have influences and each of the artists below always inspire me with their work. Also, I don't have any drawings to post today so I thought this would be a good idea. Although I did just hit the 300 heads mark! Clean-ups will be posted Friday.

Meanwhile,

Top 5 Artists/Illustrators/Animators Who Influence Me Now

(in no particular order)

1. Tara McPherson

Tara McPherson is one of the first artists I really got into (outside of Art History) and I've loved her work ever since. In fact, I think I've fallen even deeper. I love her use of color and the feelings each of her paintings or drawings evoke. Her work is very playful but there's also that twinge of darkness or oddity which just tugs at my heartstrings so.

Just lookit that little guy!

2. Joao Ruas

Joao Ruas came to my attention via a Spectrum issue, I believe. I enjoy his use of color, especially as an accent to a more subdued monochromatic feeling. I also dig how he uses texture and flat color while also rendering the forms mostly realistically.

Such nice, thin transparencies.

3. Audrey Kawasaki

Audrey Kawasaki's work feels so ethereal. Her girls are magical and imploring. I really enjoy her lost and found edges and shapes, greatly paired with the wood textures and line quality.

And look! She does boys too. Dey so perty...

3. Lauren Montgomery

I only recently was introduced to Lauren Montgomery's work, but I ate it up with vigor! I absolutely love her anatomical shorthand, how she simplifies and stylizes the human form while also referencing realism. Mmmm, so good! Her line quality is full of motion and she's got a strong grasp of anatomy.

Check out those sweet lines...

5. Dan Dos Santos

I'm really drawn towards Dan Dos Santos' work for several reasons. I really enjoy his use of color and appreciate his realistic rendering, while not going full-blown realism. His compositions are always great and his illustrations grab then trap my eye, which is a damn good use for book covers. I like the way he brings characters to life, making them interesting and communicating something about them even in one image alone.

This one's pretty damn funny. Funny and badass.

I hope you enjoyed my sharing! Hopefully you were exposed to a new artist or remembered an old love. There are plenty more I enjoy than just these five, but at the moment these guys are who I look to for inspiration the most. If you have any artists you're busting to share, please do!