During the last holidays, my friend Nik Thomassin was generous enough to offer the surface of one of is legs to the permanent experimentations of my untrained hand. This was the first time I’d ever held a tattoo gun, and I really enjoyed the experience. It felt much like the grip of a large marker, one that doesn’t forgive, rather than the often compared air brush.

Nik is an extremely talented tattoo artist from Québec City currently working at D-Markation. Take a look at his amazing portfolio.

He not only surrendered some of his skin but also gave me total freedom on the subject. I sketched all afternoon, but ended up selecting an older painting of mine which I was familiar with and that presented just the right degree of challenge. It wont make history, but I’m quite satisfied with the outcome, for a first…

Sketchbook. Pencil and watercolor.

Female enjoying a delicious meal. I really wonder what it feels like to hunt animals bare handed for the sake of surviving. The closest thing I ever experienced is fishing, but it is not nearly as crude as anticipating your move for days prior to your meal or running after a fleeing pray to later pierce its skin with your canines. I just can imagine the satisfaction, under the sun, using nothing but your eyes to delimit your territory, and devour your well deserved treat.

Mixed media, mainly pencil on paper then finalized digitally. Completed in really high definition for the launch of the online store. Check it out, it’s live now! 16 x 20″ signed prints on 100% cotton rag archival paper available.

Pencil on paper.

Owl - Oil on canvas

I went for a walk outside this morning and found myself totally captivated by the heavy atmosphere that was forming on the horizon. A storm was coming and it felt privileging to observe the energizing phenomenon. It was not a simple rainy day, but the transition from a typical sunny sky to something completely surreal. We’ve all witnessed this kind of weather at some point, but I paid extra attention to its details as I recognized that being outside in these specific conditions isn’t something most of us experience too frequently.

Even though it is often the premise to natural disasters, there is definitely something charming about storms and their development. It feels like you are trapped in the zone between which two magnetic poles apply their forces against each others or as if you were walking through a thick wall of ghosts fleeing in the opposite direction.

I was so inspired after it occurred that I dug through my archive of artwork looking for this oil painting I made in 2006 or 2007. If I was asked to describe what I see in this image, it would probably sound a lot like what I experienced this morning.

After a photo shoot involving this ravishing lady, who would later become my wife, I gathered everything I could find at her house that had the capability of generating colour. Being an amazing artist herself, she actually owned more art supplies than I did. Despite trying several compositions, outfits and contexts, I was not entirely satisfied with the quality of the digital photographs. At the time, we were not equipped with any professional photography gear other than the camera itself. In order to accomplish the rich in texture, grainy and tangible look I was after, a multimedia illustration seemed to be the best vehicle.

November 2005 - Ink, water color, color pencil, dry pastel, gouache, acrylic on bond.

The image in progress, surrounded by all its pigments.

This is a concept that was longing to hatch because of the nature of it’s exposed anatomy (referring to the arms, not the nudity). While it could have opened many doors to the theme, I tried to avoid making a gore image. I could also have opted for a more abstract and graphical approach, but my priority was to give a personality to this improbable case of crossed radius and ulna. And now that the bones have found a face, I might explore the aforementioned ideas for future illustrations.

Pencil on paper.

She appeared on the surface of the paper as if she was waiting for someone to free her from the frosted whiteness of the sheet, allowing her some opacity. No sketches, references, not even thoughts were necessary. It simply shaped up naturally through the span of a few hours. I was then facing the challenging coloring process, which was going nowhere, when finally, a familiar feminine voice suggested that it should be called The Diamond Sea. Subsequently, the song could be heard from the speaker surrounding my work area and gave it its final touch.

Pencil on paper.

“Look into his eyes and you will see
That men are not alone on the diamond sea
Sail into the heart of a lonely storm
And tell her that you’ll love her eternally

Look into his eyes and you shall see
Why everything is quiet and nothing’s free
I wonder how he’s gonna make her smile
When love is running wild on the diamond sea”

Thurston Moore
The Diamond Sea (1995)

Poison Ivy as in Rhus toxicodendron the plant, not as in the villain created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff for Batman. Though it would be interesting to see this kind of approach for a future Batman movie, I’m not familiar enough with the original comic to determine if she would be suitable. Her name justifies her dangerous crimson stare and the botanical nature of her garment. Finished in Photoshop.

Pencil on paper, fully improvised on a day off Monday evening.