Zombie Doodle

Been a while since I've seen 'the walking dead' so kept myself amused with a walker sketch, trying to draw more sketches each week, quick and quantity is the main aim here so more to come.

If your on Instagram you can find me and more sketches and pics there, look for @MCCANNOID

2014 Art Recap and Xmas Art Gifts

Happy new year all and Welcome to 2015!! Hope last year was good to you. Before I start posting artwork from the new year and all things related, I wanted to do a quick recap of last year on what art direction I went, did I achieve what I set out to do and was it productive in terms of creative Output. I also want to share four traditional paintings I completed as gifts/commissions over the festive holiday period.

2014 was definitely the year I returned to my more traditional roots, using watercolour, acrylic, charcoal, pencil and pastel to paint portraits, studies or other things just for fun but I was also fortunate enough to have some commissioned worked last year that further raised my confidence in my own ability to grow and improve my rusty skills. Although there was some digital and graphic design work I had completed there was also a string of irreparable faults with my technology hardware but somehow I managed or looked beyond this. It was a big set back for my digital ambitions with unmanageable costs at the time but it gave me time to step back, look at what I was doing, where I wanted to go and why, it also gave me a glimpse into what made art, painting and just creating for the sake of it so enjoyable and meaningful to me. To be critical of myself, I didn't produce enough, to be optimistic, I did produce some unique pieces of real value to those who received them as gifts or as commissioned pieces of art, this was especially felt during the holidays with the following four paintings.

I don't really have resolutions for 2015, I would rather carry the lessons I've Learnt from 2014 and grow past that, taking with me what I've done right and what I need to do. So here's a summary:

1. Return to Digital, Get the Tech Logistics Sorted, take what you've learnt and use it.
2. Produce Way more Art, paintings,drawings, design, sketches, stay accountable to quantity.
3. Keep Producing Art of value and content meaningful to yourself and others.
4. Monetise more efficiently, Think in business terms of how you will fund and fuel your creativity.

I've already given myself a list for this month so I'll be busy, currently working on some traditional portraits, a children's book and drafting a web comic, here's to 2015!! its time I got on with it.

Harry Potter Studios and GOT Exhibhition (2014)

Two of 2014's highlights were my visits to the Harry Potter Studios outside London and a special Game of Thrones Exhibition in Belfast. I highly recommend them both as they feature set pieces, props, creatures, costumes, concept art and designs, although the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour is based near Watford outside London, The GOT exhibition I believe is something that pops up annually in various locations, the time I went, it was situated in the Waterfront building, Belfast, so keep an eye out for it.

The Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio tour was a real surprise and treat for myself especially as I'm not even a big Harry Potter fan but I was truly captivated by the sheer scale of the sets from  Hogwart's Main Hall and Chambers to the cobbled way up Diagon Alley. The Creatures, masks, costumes and prosthectics were really something to behold, the animatronics were both amazing and creepy as some features came to life.There was so much for Harry Potter fans to take in surrounding the family details, its world and culture, the forces of good and evil, I was fascinated but struggled at times to keep up, but I managed to take a break and refresh myself with some butter beer! The concept art was amazing along with the detailed set designs and models, and by the end of the tour was probably the best bit.... a breathtaking vision of Hogwarts in big-ature form.

Though smaller in scale and features the HBO Game of Throne Exhibition held its own as an impressive spectacle and display of Westeros' finest and feared. Most of it featured well known character costumes from the show, beautifully designed and detailed, along with the more rugged and grim wears of fugitive wanders or dwellers beyond the wall. The props were a delight, from weapons, jewellery and set pieces, all build up the stories, lore and history of it's world along with the memorable and shocking scenes from the TV series. The creature features were also present with hanging model dragons, a very cool dragon head and painfully bloody Dire Wolf's head, all too chilling with dreaded thoughts of the Red Wedding. Despite this, I was cheered up immensely with my chance to sit on the Iron Throne and Experience the Joyride of Looking beyond the wall from dizzying heights using the occulus rift set up.