Everything's Coming Up Guns and Roses!

So, today i just finished a pretty long terms job. It was one of my bread-n-butter jobs for the past few months. The freelance lifestyle can be pretty crazy sometimes, and I don't think I'll ever get used to the amount of freedom it offers. So now that I'm finishing up with one client, I can't help but feel a little.... freaked out. In order to commemorate today's news, I was going to post a David Bowie video for Changes. But right when I was about to search for it, I burst into song, "Everything's coming up Roses". I guess that better represents my mood today. Yay! Future

Illustration Friday: Spent

Spent! As in, I am spent. As in, after working on so many designs this month that i had to resort to Redbull in order to get them done, I am spent. As in, now that I've had two days of aimless rest, I still feel like hibernating.

Isn't it peculiar that your body can continue to run on all four cylinders until the point when all your duties have been met, and then it just collapses into a pile of weariness.

This weeks Illustration Friday word might've hit a little too close to home.

Illustration Friday: Racing

I haven't done an Illustration Friday drawing in months.... It's been a busy busy life. I guess I still am burning the candle at both ends.

I needed a break from the apparel designs for a few minutes, so i made this doodle on my computer. Right now I'm really intrigued by line screen half tones. I think they are sooooo cool. They are making it into all of my designs lately. Can't wait to feel like i have a handle on it.

Looks like airlines are continuing there search for cost cutting ways of creating a more enjoyable flying experience. In this case, they are mixing an inflight employee workout with mandatory air flight safety instructions, inflight entertainment, and extra ad revenue from music publishers. Brilliant.

Math Magic

"For the life of me, I will always find that the Golden Section remains illusive. I used to try to be more deliberate about using it in my compositions, but never quite got the hang of it. During one of my first seasons at Zoo York, I used it as the basis for a Blue Print inspired pattern. This design was never made. It was supposed to be on a double layered windbreaker, the black was to be printed on a transparent top layer, with the blue printed under it. In the end, the production cost was astronomical, so it was canceled. :( I was also in the middle of sketching out the Hooper Heroes comic book, so there are a few subi symbols hiding in the drawing..... they're really, really hard to find though.

Birds.

"You're in our talons now, and we're never letting go." -this is the refrain that was stuck in my head while I was making this design. I've been doing a quite a few bird drawings lately for different brands. It's a little mini trend, i guess. This one that just came out. It's the famous birds of brooklyn. A while ago, a crate of Monk Parrots broke apart and the parrots escaped into the wilds of Kings County. They've been thriving here ever since. I often see them chirping in the trees while walking through Park Slope.

Illustration Friday: Giant

This weeks Illustration Friday is another quick one. It's been crazy at the studio this week, so I don't have very much time for experiments, which stinks cause I got real excited to do something about GIANTS.

I tried to recall all of the giants that I could remember. The one that caught my interest was Orion. His story is so old and convoluted that there are quite a few versions of his life and death. From what i could deduce, Orion is a throw back to old PreAgricultural days; a wild hunter and protector of the wilderness. In most of the stories, he becomes blind and has to be led to Helios by a servant named Cedalion. That's the part that stood out to me, A huge Giant that became so helpless and lame that he needs to rely on a puny human in order to get healed. It reminds me of the fable of the lion and the mouse.... another classic.

Well, here's my attempt. I hope to finish this illustration soon.... unfortunately, right now it's more of a glorified color study.

Illustration Friday: Paisley

"Paisley" turns out to be a fairly difficult word to illustrate. Especially if you want to add a narrative to the drawing. And if you add on another challenge – using a Greek Myth theme– it becomes are even more tough. A few things came to mind, but the one that seemed to fit the best was the Apple of the Hesperides. I hope that the paisley helps to make it look a bit more... magical. but i'm not quite sure i pulled this one off as well as i would've liked. But heck, the reason for doing Illustration Friday is really more about experimentation than beautiful drawings, right?

Illustration Friday: Ripple

Keeping with the theme, here's another Illustration Friday submission referencing a Greek Myth from Ovid.  This one is the story of Narcissus.  He stared into his reflection, captivated by his own visage. Lacking any other desire than to gaze at his own beauty, he refused to leave the side of the pond for days and weeks. Poor guy, withered away to nothing.

  Kind of reminds you of a modern day VideoGame Player who dies at their desk while playing Marathon stints of WOW, doesn't it.

The Word for this week's Challenge is: RIPPLE

Dr. Octagon!

Continuing in my talent for drawing Octopi, here's the latest addition to the Portfolio.
This graphic was surprisingly fast to make. I was really impressed with how it turned out. It's always nice when the client likes your first sketch. They only wanted me to add some stuff to the bottom, which turned out to be an excellent suggestion. Thanks a lot, People of Exact Science.

i just got a box of these shirts in the mail the other day. The Printing was amazing. Really awesome work.

Illustration Friday:Slither

I can't say that it's the best work I've ever done.... but It's something. I've been thinking a lot about coloring and mood lately. So this time I chose to do some intentionally ugly colors. (I never get the chance on paying gigs) My idea for SLITHER was to try to capture that gross feeling of something wiggling around next to you, sort of like that Fear factor show.
Anyways. Here's my little Illustration Friday Experiment. I can't wait for next week.

Covered Blog

Super Adventure Comic, originally uploaded by Stephen Halker.

A while ago, I became really fascinated with Octopi. I started drawing them after Matt Tapia at Fu Manchu asked me to do an Octopus and Carp design for him. Now I've done quite a few. They are really fun! Anyways.... I wanted to keep on with the trend, so i did this drawing for CoveredBlog. Its a more intense version of Super Adventure Comic #43. You can find the original cover here. I love Covered blog. it's one of my favorite blogs. Some of the entries are sooooo far removed from the original cover it BLOWS YOUR MIND! I can't wait to do another one. thanks a lot Covered.

Monkey Man

Dang, I wish i could do that. Ever since i was a kid I've wanted to swing from the trees. When I was a kid, I used to repel down from the high branches. It smarted something fierce when the branches broke (and the cradle did fall).

This guy has taken the art of climbing to a new level. He's bested the monkeys at their own games, like Tarzan or Kintarou.(Check out 0:30-0:40. WTF? Who taught him that trick??) Dang, I wish that Rousseau was right, that man is a noble savage. There's something magical about those Lost Boy stories. They always draw me in.

1-14-8, originally uploaded by Stephen Halker.

Andrew Rose Gregory

Andrew asked me to make him a poster for some upcoming shows. Tomorrow he's playing at the Living Room. Check it out! It should be an Awesome show.

Andrew Rose Gregory Poster, originally uploaded by Stephen Halker.

The Living Room 154 Ludlow st. New York, NY 10002 8:00 PM Andrew Rose Gregory & The Color Red Band presents "The Song of Songs!" With Kelley McRae at 9. just $7

Illustration Friday:Early

In an attempt to have more fun with my illustration, and do something other than t shirt designs all day, I thought, "You know, Stephe, you should start doing some of these online call for entries. Live a little."

So, here's the first attempt. It's for Illustration Friday. They pick a word every week, and everyone has to illustrate the word before the next Friday comes. This weeks word was:EARLY.

MMA

Since Kimbo Slice ended his UFC career, the MMA world is left with a giant Kimbo sized hole in its heart. Though Tapout has neither confirmed nor denied that they are looking to replace Mr. Slice, many new contenders are vying for the position. This promising contender is whispered to be on the short list:

Yep, that's right, MMA is getting pretty fierce.

Ok, so now you might be wondering, "Hey Stephe, WTF? You watch MMA? You don't seem like that kind of person." You're right. I'm not. But I've started working on some MMA inspired graphics.

piratecrest, originally uploaded by Stephen Halker.

So, in order to get the style right, I started reading about the players and watching the Youtube clips. I think the main thing that I learned is that MMA fighters are really tough. And their graphics for their shirts need to be really tough.... and sincere. Sincerely tough. This was one of the first ones I did, but certainly not the last. I think i did this about a year ago. I didn't quite get the "sincerely tough" thing down, but it's a good first attempt. It took forever to ink everything. And then it took just as long to clean it all up to print. Can't complain though. It was a lot of fun to do some this ornate. I got to zone out and listen to books on tape.

TboneSteak

Inspiration comes from all sorts of places. For this design, it comes from the Brooklyn Legend: Biggie Smalls. God bless a man who can sound tough while talking about welches Grape Juice.
Thanks also to Jeff Shoop for further inspiration.

TboneSteak, originally uploaded by Stephen Halker.

Notorious B.I.G. - Big-Poppa - Verse Two Straight up honey really I'm askin Most of these niggaz think they be mackin but they be actin Who they attractin with that line, "What's your name, what's your sign"? Soon as he buy that wine I just creep up from behind And ask what your interests are, "who you be with"? Things to make you smile, what numbers to dial You gon' be here for a while, I'm gon' go call my crew You go call your crew We can rendezvou at the bar around two Plans to leave, throw the keys to Lil Cease Pull the truck up, front, and roll up the next blunt So we can steam on the way to the telly go fill my belly A t-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch's grape Conversate for a few, cause in a few, we gon' do What we came to do, ain't that right boo (truuuueee) Forget the telly we just go to the crib and watch a movie in the jacuzzi smoke l's while you do me

The Ripper!

So people have been asking me, "Stephe, Whatcha been up to lately?". And I say, "Well, it takes about a year for my designs to be public. But here, this is something that I did a year ago."

This one just hit the floor, A good old fashioned Skull shirt. They just don't go out of style if you work with skateboarding companies. This one is a reinterpretation of the classic Powell graphic, The Ripper. Often imitated, never outdone.

Here's some more info about The Ripper and its imitations:
http://boingboing.net/2009/02/05/the-ripper-skateboar.html

ROARSHOCK!!!6

Sufjan Stevens
Head: great white shark
Tail: scorpion

ROARSHOCK!!!5

CRYPTACIZE's Nedelle Torrisi
Head: Elephant
Tail: Peacock