Brad Allen

Sleeping Under All Red Sky

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:00:00 -0500

Why, hello there!

It has been awhile since I last uploaded something to the site. I haven't neglected to upload anything, I've simply been busy with projects/gifts that are all in progress.

This illustration is for my pal Graham. I'm going to be visiting him and a few other friends in Halifax this weekend. We're going to be seeing some shows at the Halifax Pop Explosion. I'm looking forward to seeing the Handsome Furs on Saturday. Guaranteed good times.

There is going to be a new section added to this site soon. Sarah and I are going traveling starting this November. I've started work on bradallen.ca/travel for the trip. It's a work in progress at the moment, but it should be ready to go in a week or two. We're going to be gone for 3 months as we travel through South East Asia and Oceania. I'm not sure how often we'll get to update the travel blog, but we'll do our best.

Dream Concert

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I drew this show poster for my friend Sean on his 22nd birthday. He's really into music so naturally he enjoyed it.

SappyFest 2010

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I went to SappyFest this year with Sarah.
We had a sappy time.

Sister

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:00:00 -0500

A drawing I did for my sister for her new place. This is the pattern in her room that it is based off of.

Tweedsmuir

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:00:00 -0500

Tweedsmuir is a true legend. A rally point for friends.

I painted this picture for my buck, Ben (Bun). He had ask me if I'd make him something a few months ago. I came up with an idea that could not be passed up and whipped this together.

We have to go back.

Nested

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:00:00 -0500

Nested is a series of watercolour and ink paintings I've been working on. I've finished three of them so far and I'm posting two of them today.

The first one, Carleton and Charlotte No.1, is the most basic one of the batch. Every once and awhile I go around Fredericton and take pictures of houses and buildings that I find interest in. These houses on Carleton and Charlotte street are neat because the way their roofs poke out of the trees and the way Carleton St squeezes through Needham and Charlotte St. There are a few more houses around this area that I took pictures of so it is likely I'll paint another.

706 Graham Ave actually has purpose. 706 was the first house I lived in when I made the big move from Rothesay to Fredericton. This painting shares themes with Chickadee-dee-dee-dee-dee. They both feature a pair of shoes, a bird, and a house. 706 also has a few extra things tucked away in there (like the garbage pile and the igloo in the backyard). The giant crow in the backyard is a memento to the murder of those black rats that lived on Graham. They made any leafless tree look like it was in full bloom in the middle of winter. They also loved the massive pile of garbage we had. The pile wouldn't have been so bad if that blizzard we had just before Christmas didn't blow away 2 of our 3 trash bins. That's just the way things go sometimes. Hachey's black chucks represent more than just a pair of shoes. They represent the countless hours Hachey and I put into gaming. It was always our top priority.

I'll be posting the 3rd piece of the series sometime this week. If I'm on the ball I might even be able to design, paint, and post a 4th. Ha!

DeLorean DMC-12

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I created a simple vector DeLorean DMC-12 over the weekend. I might play around with it some more (maybe try out some different car colours?). I've been thinking about making a Back to the Future version. If I get around to it, I'll turn it into a desktop wallpaper as well.

In Motion

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:00:00 -0500

It rained then it poured.
I have a few paintings that I should be posting within the next couple days.

Mother and Father

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:00:00 -0500

Here are the drawings/paintings I did for Mother's Day and Father's Day this year.

Momentum

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:00:00 -0500

This is a first person view of me riding my bike. I originally sketched it up after a bike ride on a windy day a couple of weeks ago. This version is just as large as my last painting - 255. It is drawn on white board (paper and maybe styrofoam) with DecoColor paint markets.

225

Tue, 25 May 2010 14:00:00 -0500

This painting took me around three months to complete. In that time it went through a number of name changes including; We Hate This City (Handsome Furs) and The Great Fire of 2010. This painting is of Saint John, New Brunswick, which happens to currently be celebrating its 225th year as city. The painting isn't really a painting. I used a number of different pens, paints, and pencil crayons to draw it, making it more of a hybrid.

I didn't draw my hometown burning on a foggy day for any real reason other than I thought it would look cool. I didn't know it was celebrating its 225th, and I more or less drew it because it was easier than drawing skyscrapers. It also seems like a plausible situation seeing how the oil refinery is pretty much jammed into the east side of the city.

Details: 30" wide by 24" tall with 4" frame.
Materials used: Various pens and pencils, spray paint, sharpie, ink, acrylic, water colour pencils and paints, and pencil crayons.

True North, Strong and Tea

Mon, 03 May 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I've been playing around with DecoColor paint markers over the past two days. They're super fun to use. I've already used up two of the four I purchased over the weekend. 'True North' is the tag I plan on using if I'm ever presented with the opportunity to do some legal street art. The recent boom of tagging in Fredericton sparked my interest in the subject.

Mixed Tape

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:00:00 -0500

This was a quick project I did last week. I glued some old cassettes together and spray painted white. I tried drawing a pattern on it, but the pen I was using didn't play nice with spray paint. I decided to switch up to a sharpie and I'm happy with the results. Take a look.

1994 Cutlass Ciera S

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:00:00 -0500

My parents used to own a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera S. It was, clearly, one hundred percent badass.

L'avantage

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I'm having a lot of fun playing around with Illustrator. I had some free time over the weekend so I decided to draw my bicycle. This drawing was much easier than the Aspes one I did earlier this month. I'll probably do another motorcycle or maybe a car next.

Graffiti Project II

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

It's a good thing I went out last weekend to take these pictures. It has been below zero all day. Part II of this series appears to be much brighter. I found most of the graffiti on the north side under a bridge.

Aspes

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I played around with Illustrator over the weekend. I spent a few hours drawing an Aspes motorcycle. I plan on doing variations of it over the next few days. Right now I have the standard orange and a star ship trooper version. I also added Graphic Illustrations to content section (on the left hand side of the site). I think I'll try a few more vehicles once I'm done with this motorcycle.

Wolf Parade Contest

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I was asked do to a drawing for a contest ad in The Brunswickan. The contest is for 1 of 2 pairs of tickets to the Wolf Parade show on April 4th. See the image for details.

Graffiti Project

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

I took advantage of a nice morning and biked around Fredericton. I decided to take pictures of any graffiti I found in a frame. The graffiti I came across was poor for the most part. The majority of it was tagging and messages written on walls. There was some stencil work that I came across a few times, and "OSK" was the most common tag around Fredericton (Although, I did see "T.N." and "-WC-" here and there). My main focus was finding graffiti under bridges so I checked out the walking bridge and the Westmorland bridge. I plan on continuing this project in the future. I'd like to check out the north side and explore the downtown a bit more.

MotoHead No.2

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0600

It is my birthday - here's another painting!

MotoHead No.1

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0600

My birthday is tomorrow - here's a painting!

Chickadee On My House

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0600

Fact: The black-capped chickadee is the provincial bird of New Brunswick. It sings a unique and pleasent song and is surprisingly badass.

This is a painting of my house in Fredericton, my white old man shoes, and a chickadee. I used a combination of ink, watercolour and acrylic paints on watercolour paper (and used a Bachman Turner Overdrive record as my painting surface). As soon as I get this framed I'll post more pictures. I plan on doing a number of similar paintings so get pumped.

Hermit Crab and Happy Birthday

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0600

It's Sarah's 22nd birthday so I painted her this.

Inverted Flowers No.2 and No.3

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0600

These two paintings are the first cousins of my other painting Inverted Flowers or Colour Blind. They were all part of a series I did for Sarah so she could decorate her place in Fredericton. I used a combination of ink and arcylic on two canvas boards.

ZZ (Double Zed)

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0600

I sold a painted a few years ago that was probably my favorite painting I have done to date. It was a watercolour of many made up flowers all squished together. I've never really cared about colour placement, so many of the flowers seemed to melt into each other. This painting here is a section of that painting done in acrylic and sharpie. It is a completely different painting, but at the same time a direct copy.

Inverted Flowers or Colour Blind

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0600

I would have painted this sometime in 2008. It was a gift to my girlfriend. I used a combination of ink and acrylic paints on canvas. I also used a leaf as my paint brush for the background. I've got 2 more paintings that I did back in '08 that I plan on posting in the next couple of days.

French Military Defeats

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0600

The Calamar Wars of 1813-1820.

Blue Berries

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:00:00 -0600

This is an idea I had for awhile. I used acrylic and marker.

Three Kings

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0600

A series of watercolour paintings I did a few years ago. These currently hang out above my TV in the living room.

Framed Sketches

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I framed the Fredericton Sketches. I plan on giving them away as Christmas gifts.

Fredericton Trails

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0600

A series of photos taken during the summer of 2009. The Fredericton trails run throughout many key areas in the city. Some trails cut across the downtown making it easy for bikers to get from one side to the other. Other trails run along the banks of the St. John and Nashwaak river.

New Brunswick

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0600

Here are a few photos I took on road trips around southern New Brunswick a little while back. Most of which are taken near some some lakes named First Lake, Second Lake, and Third Lake. Easy enough to remember.

From The Graveyard

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0600

Look at these gems! I found a collection of artwork I scanned back in highschool. Most of it would be from grade 12, but there is a drawing of Natalie Portman I remember doing in the seventh grade. I'm going to see what else I can dig up and add them to this series.

Fredericton Sketches

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I've been sketching houses and various buildings from around Fredericton recently. I figured it was good practice for watercolour work and if I frame some of them properly they could double as a christmas present. I'm hoping to do another 4 or 6 sketches. I've already picked out a few buildings.

We're Not At Home Series

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I completed this series of paintings last year over the course of the summer. The name of the series comes from the combination of a Wolf Parade song and the trips I took to Fredericton every weekend while I still lived in Rothesay. I used ink, watercolour, and acrylic on recycled paper.

Space Junk

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I painted this sometime last year (or maybe even in 2007). I did not mark the date on it so I have no real way of knowing. I used ink and watercolour on recycled paper. I plan on doing more projects like this because they're fun to draw. The style is clearly "text book doodles," which I obviously have a fair amount of practice with (seeing how school can be is boring).

Neil Young's Pick

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I saw Neil Young play in Saint John back in April. It was a fantastic show and I managed to snag a pick he used during the set. Obviously a set list would have been the best possible pick up, but I'm still happy with the outcome. I used ink and watercolour for this painting. The telephone pole is located in Rothesay, NB (That fact is rather insignificant).

Bombs Away!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I painted this during the summer because I had an extra canvas floating around. It's simply some acrylic paint and some doodles I did glued onto the canvas. Check out the rest of the photos in the traditional art section.

Spitfire

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I'm reading a book titled First Light. It's about a 17 year old British boy who joins the RAF during the outbreak of WWII. I've been reading it twice a day, every day on the bus. It's been hard to put down, but then again, I'm a sucker for military history. This painting is inspired by a chapter in the book where the author, Geoffrey Wellum, takes down an enemy plane over the English Channel.

30 Days of Photos: Day 30

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

Final day of 30 days of photos. This photo is of an old AHL pin that I sometimes put on my laptop bag. I didn't exactly take a photo once a day every 30 days, but at least I completed the set. It's time to start my next project. I'm thinking about uploading all of my artwork that I have floating around my house. Hopefully I can get a few done this week.

30 Days of Photos: Day 29

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600

I bought a new candle for my living room last night while picking up a few things at the grocery store with Sarah. Only $1.00! What a deal, the last one I bought that size was $8.00.

30 Days of Photos: Day 27

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I managed to slack off with only four more photos to take. I promised myself I would finish this project. It may be late, but here is photo #27. This is a picture of my The Go! Team LP titled Thunder, Lightning, Strike.

30 Days of Photos: Day 28

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Today is Halloween and the ground is painted in yellow, brown and red. Soon all the leaves will be gone.

30 Days of Photos: Day 26

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

The NB Legislative Building in downtown Fredericton.

30 Days of Photos: Day 22

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

My house in Fredericton - left door.

30 Days of Photos: Day 23

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Christian brought up a new Foosball table after the long weekend.

30 Days of Photos: Day 24

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

This is a picture of leaves in a fountain just outside downtown Fredericton.

30 Days of Photos: Day 25

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

The The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is celebrating it's 50th.

30 Days of Photos: Day 19

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I didn't take any pictures for the past three days so as soon as I got home from work I took this picture of my living room. The living room is also known as the Canada room.

30 Days of Photos: Day 20

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

The leaves are starting to change colour rapidly now. I took this picture outside my place in Fredericton.

30 Days of Photos: Day 21

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

These signs are very common in Fredericton. Every building downtown seems to have one. They are a source of humour in the summer.

The Belle Comedians

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I took some pictures for The Belle Comedians in the summer at The Capital.

30 Days of Photos: Day 18

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

In a desperate attempt to stay on track, I took this photo of some of the lanterns we have in the kitchen.

30 Days of Photos: Day 17

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

It was pouring rain and one of the drains must have clogged up. We had some of the guys over and we were watching the Dallas Cowboys game. It was so boring that we ended up watching cars fly through the massive puddle that touched both curbs on the road instead.

30 Days of Photos: Day 16

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Close up shot of my cursor on my Macbook. Using the default Snow Leopard background.

30 Days of Photos: Day 15

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I baked two amazing apple pies as soon as October hit. Turns out baking is much easier than cooking. I almost don't like it because it's too easy!

30 Days of Photos: Day 14

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0500

A close up picture of Christian's umbrellas he has set up in our studio. Our studio and dinning room are one room. We also have a workshop in the very creepy creepy basement.

30 Days of Photos: Day 13

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

This is a close up shot of some winter lights wrapped around sticks that I have set up in the living room. Sarah and I went through my neighbour's yard, collected the sticks, and put then in two vases.

30 Days of Photos: Day 12

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

This is a photo of my first art project at my new place. It's a painting of the Canadian Red Ensign (1921 to 1957 version). I took an old motel painting that I found at a thrift store and spray painted over it and the frame. I then used more spray paint and tape to create the Union Jack and the base for the coat of arms. I finished up the coat of arms with some paint brushes and glossy acrylic paint.

30 Days of Photos: Day 11

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

This is the door to Sarah's apartment. She lives in an old house on St. John Street that was built in 1887.

30 Days of Photos: Day 10

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I don't even know if I took this picture on the 27th. It was taken on my sun porch. We kept some of the decorations the last people who lived here put up.

30 Days of Photos: Day 9

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Took this picture of Sarah's deck just before I went to bed. I'm going to start forgetting to take pictures very soon.

30 Days of Photos: Day 8

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I'm not sure if this is cheating, but Sarah took this photo of me while we were playing with lighting in the living room. I decided to use it because it turned out the best out of a couple of photos we took.

30 Days of Photos: Day 7

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

My apartment has a window in the living room that lets the sun come in for most of the day. I decided to take a picture of the blinding light that comes through on a sunny day. In the background is a painting of the Canadian Red Ensign that I did recently.

30 Days of Photos: Day 6

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

We have a very creepy creepy basement at our place. Snapped this photo of some wires attached to the furnace.

30 Days of Photos: Day 5

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Christian was showing me a picture of Sarah he took for the Bruns. That picture will most likely be one of his photos of the day.

30 Days of Photos: Day 4

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

My bike, Old Red, suffered a flat tire one morning. I refuse to take it into a bike shop because I want to replace the inner tube myself. Unfortunately it was the bike tire that popped, so I'm going to have to get my hands a little dirty when I do get around to fixing it.

30 Days of Photos: Day 3

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

I'm starting to forget about the photo of the day already. I took this about an hour before going to bed at Sarah's. You can see in the background the clock says it is 10:30.

30 Days of Photos: Day 2

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival rolled into town. I snapped this picture of Ben Ross and Babette Hayward in the Wilser's Room downtown.

30 Days of Photos: Day 1

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0500

Christian and I started a photo project together. We're supposed to take a picture every day for thirty days. I'm not sure how many times I'll miss a day, but I can guarantee there will be a handful. My first photo is of our tea cups in our kitchen. We have a theme for each room in our apartment. As you can tell from the photo the theme for the kitchen is Asian culture. Our living room is the Canada room, and our dining room is modern art. We haven't done much with the dining room yet, but the Canada room is coming along nicely.

29 Days to go.