dBurkArt

Illustration Friday: Survival

david@dburkart.com — 2014-04-06T13:27:09-05:00

After a recent visit to my dentist, I came up with this sketch of a “zombie tooth.” The pain I was experiencing was from one of my teeth’s nerves dying - rendering it a “dead” or non-vital tooth. So I thought, “Wow, a zombie tooth was living in my mouth, and to ensure my survival, the dentist had to extract its dead ‘brains.’”
:-)

Illustration Friday: Spark

david@dburkart.com — 2014-03-14T17:17:34-05:00

There was never much of a spark between the two brothers.

Illustration Friday: Reflect

david@dburkart.com — 2013-12-30T19:11:18-06:00

In the bathroom mirror’s reflection, Dad could see that Alex did not want to brush his teeth. He let out a sigh.

Illustration Friday: Refrain

david@dburkart.com — 2013-11-30T22:13:45-06:00

As soon as Molly reached the refrain of the song, she had to refrain from playing too loudly or too quickly as it was her favorite part of the song.

Illustration Friday: Energy

david@dburkart.com — 2013-11-10T12:15:29-06:00

Energy to create. Energy to bring to life!

Truffle Dog!

david@dburkart.com — 2013-10-14T15:26:56-05:00

Coming soon, to an Amazon near you: my first illustrated children’s book, written by the talented C.D. Watson. It was a wonderful experience working with her and I learned a LOT about the Lagotto Romagnolo breed of truffle dogs. Check back and I will have details on how you can purchase the book!

Illustration Friday: Future

david@dburkart.com — 2013-05-13T22:27:59-05:00

Investing in our future. :-)

Illustration Friday: Tribute

david@dburkart.com — 2013-05-09T13:50:40-05:00

This is my tribute to Tenacious D singing...Tribute.

This is not The Greatest Song in the World, no.
This is just a tribute.
Couldn't remember The Greatest Song in the World, no, no.
This is a tribute, oh, to The Greatest Song in the World,
All right! It was The Greatest Song in the World...

This Is The Droid You're Looking For

david@dburkart.com — 2013-04-21T14:47:24-05:00

As you may recall, I was offered a very unique project a few weeks ago. A friend of my wife has a baby who will have to wear a DOC band to reshape his skull and she wondered if I would use my talents to decorate it. Her husband and I worked together briefly at the elementary school where I teach art, and where he was assistant principal. We hit it off immediately since we are both huge Star Wars fans. Naturally, their request for the DOC band was to give it a Star Wars theme. To say the least, I was more than happy to help them out. A brief brainstorming session went from decorating the helmet with small Jedi frogs to an idea that only seemed natural: R2-D2.

And as you may remember from my last post, part of the decoration included a special Jedi character. Since their baby's theme in his nursery is frogs, I came up with an amphibian Jedi at their request. He's located on the back. I shall name him Obi-Frog Kenobi.

Little. Green. Amphibian. Jedi?

david@dburkart.com — 2013-04-07T13:25:07-05:00

I was offered a very unique project this weekend. A friend of my wife has a baby who will have to wear a DOC band to reshape his skull and she wondered if I would use my talents to decorate it. Her husband and I worked together briefly at the elementary school where I teach art, and where he was assistant principal. We hit it off immediately since we are both huge Star Wars fans. Naturally, their request for the DOC band was to give it a Star Wars theme. To say the least, I was more than happy to help them out. In the next few days I will post pics of the final helmet. But part of the decoration included a special Jedi character. Since their baby's theme in his nursery is frogs, I came up with an amphibian Jedi at their request. Here are preliminary sketches I did in Paper. More to come later!

Hoppy Easter!

david@dburkart.com — 2013-03-31T21:32:47-05:00

Another iPhone Sketchbook sketch. Stay tuned as I turn some of these sketches into finished illustrations.

Preliminary Work.

david@dburkart.com — 2013-03-17T17:45:28-05:00

As I begin working on new projects, sometimes I have to get a feel for how characters will look. This new project involves a family. So I did a quick sketch in Paper of the family as if they were at a department store getting a family portrait done.

Sketching Around

david@dburkart.com — 2013-02-19T23:41:15-06:00

I would typically be working on a digital piece for Illustration Friday by right about now. But sometimes, Life takes over. However, I did manage to eek out a little sketch in Paper on my iPad. The IF topic is "wool."

Illustration Friday: Wings

david@dburkart.com — 2013-01-30T21:27:54-06:00

When you're raised a Catholic, you tend to be surrounded by art. And perhaps, Catholicism was another artistic influence for me. It worked for Michelangelo and DaVinci. Anyway, as I was planning a lesson on Leonardo DaVinci, I came across one of his angel paintings where he studied bird wings. And it inspired me to paint this angel. OK, granted, it's more along the lines of "Precious Moments" than "The Annunciation." But then again, I'm no DaVinci. :-)

Illustration Friday: Myth

david@dburkart.com — 2013-01-22T17:26:06-06:00

They come from Tolkein’s mind, but his characters are the stuff of myth and legend.

Illustration Friday: Glow

david@dburkart.com — 2012-12-26T17:53:10-06:00

Judging from the glow on his face, the race wasn’t about winning.

Illustration Friday: Snow

david@dburkart.com — 2012-12-19T20:15:35-06:00

Trippin’ the snow fantastic with a little white man’s overbite.

Illustration Friday: Explore

david@dburkart.com — 2012-12-09T22:03:18-06:00

He hadn’t set out to explore the grove of trees behind his house until today. That is where he met his first friend since moving.

Illustration Friday: Haunt

david@dburkart.com — 2012-10-30T22:58:05-05:00

All along, she thought he wanted to haunt her. But he just wanted a friend.

Illustration Friday: Teacher

david@dburkart.com — 2012-08-17T23:06:36-05:00

Not only am I an illustrator and designer, I am an elementary art teacher. I created these illustrations for my classroom to engage the kids in the works of these artists — some of whom were also teachers — and other artists and cultures.

Illustration Friday: Bounce

david@dburkart.com — 2012-08-08T01:31:32-05:00

As the boys loomed over him — dodge balls in hand — Neville thought it ironic that it was HE who aired them up to bounce not 2 minutes ago.

Illustration Friday: Carry

david@dburkart.com — 2012-07-26T00:06:53-05:00

It was much easier when I could carry Spot around. Now that he’s grown, things are a little more difficult…

(click to embiggen)

Illustration Friday: Lost

david@dburkart.com — 2012-07-19T10:54:47-05:00

This is a somewhat personal piece for me. And I thought, how tragic a feeling it is when a child is physically lost. However, this is a child who thought he knew who he was, until some event stripped away all of his “masks” and left him really lost.

Illustration Friday: Suspend

david@dburkart.com — 2012-07-10T13:07:32-05:00

Commend, Suspend, Upend.

Illustration Friday: Refresh

david@dburkart.com — 2012-07-04T23:12:27-05:00

There’s more than one way to refresh yourself on a hot summer day.

Illustration Friday: Secret

david@dburkart.com — 2012-06-21T00:54:58-05:00

He thought he was the only one to know the secret. But little did he know, someone was watching.

Illustration Friday: Vocal

david@dburkart.com — 2012-04-07T22:00:48-05:00

No one was more vocal about how happy he was to be riding a bronco!

Illustration Friday: Yield

david@dburkart.com — 2012-03-15T11:30:18-05:00

As he was walking outside, he had to yield to something quite unexpected traveling toward the woods.

A new look.

david@dburkart.com — 2012-01-31T19:41:19-06:00

Sure, as part of my New Year’s resolutions, I’ve committed to losing weight. That’s nothing new. But, I’ve also committed to stepping outside my comfort zone: I’m trying out a new style. So far, I’m fairly pleased. So stay tuned for more new art this year!

Been A Long Time...

david@dburkart.com — 2011-11-07T21:32:54-06:00

….but busy as ever! Here are a few B/W illos I did for an old buddy who hosts a podcast centered on Mafia Wars. Each personality is represented in “mob” fashion.

Illustration Friday: Obsession

david@dburkart.com — 2011-08-03T01:37:51-05:00

Apparently, Grandad had an obsession with his youth that day. He must have ridden that horsey ride for hours!

Illustration Friday: Gesture

david@dburkart.com — 2011-07-20T10:52:31-05:00

Offering to clean the house was a kind gesture. However, his “follow-through” needed work.

Illustration Friday: Stay

david@dburkart.com — 2011-07-13T22:13:15-05:00

It’s unfortunate she didn’t stay in bed the night before her party. She couldn’t stay awake to blow out her candles!

Illustration Friday: Launch

david@dburkart.com — 2011-06-22T14:08:22-05:00

Setting up the stunt, she assured her fluffy friends that no harm would come to them. At that, she launched herself in a spectacular feat of fearlessness.

Illustration Friday: Shadows

david@dburkart.com — 2011-06-07T23:02:35-05:00

I painted this on a card for my dad last year, for Father’s Day. I thought it appropriate for this week’s topic, not only that the father and son are casting shadows, but that the shadows can be their history as they forge a future together.

A Departure to Fantasy

david@dburkart.com — 2011-04-26T19:17:04-05:00

I was called upon to help a friend who is earning his masters degree. His final assignment entailed artwork from a spectrum of artists ranging in degrees of age and expertise. We were to illustrate a character based only on a short description. I decided to use a different method and style for this illo, because of the subject matter and the short timing.

Here is the character description:

NAME: Arizemli
Age: 23
Height: 6 ft 1in
Hair color: Copper - semi long often in a partial pony tail style
Eye color: Green

Dragon tattoo on his back; claw-mark scars on his left arm
Very ferocious and fearless warrior; arrogant, volatile and wild
Originates from an ancient far east civilization
superb swordsman - beyond mastery
Weapon of choice: his very large sword - hilt is forged to the blade as is the handle. Decorative wrapping encases the handle. Red symbols on the hilt and red markings on the blade
Also carries with him a smaller sword for emergencies - on his right side
Wears a powerful armor - a battle was won between a dragon named Shadow and Arizemli. The dragon embedded his soul within Arizemli's armor and transformed it into a very powerful accessory. The armor has taken on the appearance of the dragon as well as providing it with immeasurable powers.
Long samurai like pants and boots cast from a very sturdy yet comfortable metal also adorn Arizemli.
He is sometimes known to wear black gloves that look like they were fashioned the same way his armor was.

And here is Arizemli as I see him:

Illustration Friday: Bottled

david@dburkart.com — 2011-04-11T20:56:37-05:00

There was no reason to leave his feelings bottled up inside. He raised his arms and took in a deep breath to let out a mighty roar!

Illustration Friday: Reverse

david@dburkart.com — 2011-02-09T11:39:18-06:00

The only way to reverse the effects of the body swap was to get the magic doll. Only problem, only one of us wanted to go back!

Illustration Friday: Surrender

david@dburkart.com — 2011-02-03T17:36:30-06:00

Chicken Little. A story about a chick that surrenders to fear and spreads it to others - ultimately leading them to their demise: a sly fox. Disney’s version, however... :-)

Illustration Friday: Resolutions

david@dburkart.com — 2011-01-02T11:31:33-06:00

They each made resolutions to enter the room, not knowing what they would find.

Christmas Portraiture

david@dburkart.com — 2010-12-26T14:00:32-06:00

I was commissioned a family portrait weeks before Christmas. Be it illustration or portraiture, I still love to paint and draw! Pictured first is the initial sketch. The client wanted to utilize a photo taken years ago, but incorporate current hairstyles and the children at their current age.

And here is the final painting:

Happy Halloween!

david@dburkart.com — 2010-10-24T00:19:40-05:00

It's been too long. Sorry I'm recycling old art here, but you do what you gotta do. I think I posted this last year: a simple illustration of youthful role play. Of course, when I was a child, it was a bedsheet for a cape. But the Charmin mummy works too!

Illustration Friday: Artificial

david@dburkart.com — 2010-08-05T06:05:51-05:00

It's a classic story that is familiar to most of us: Carved from a piece of pine by a woodcarver, he was created as a wooden puppet, but dreamt of abandoning his artificial state and becoming a real boy.

Illustration Friday: Double

david@dburkart.com — 2010-07-26T03:26:36-05:00

Wow. So many connotations with this week's topic since I spent SO much time on it and found it challenging in a wonderful way: Double the effort. Double trouble.

My newest piece is truly a labor of love - mixing elements of fantasy and dealing with somewhat macabre themes. The idea comes from my neighbor and friend who is an aspiring children's book author. She wrote a story about a spoiled princess, called "The Princess Who Ate Dragons." The princess treated everyone badly, so, as punishment, her parents exile her to spend time with dangerous dragons. But, fearing nothing, the princess merely jests "I'll eat 'em, You'll see."

I included images of my photo references and the sketches. I spent a lot of time with the dragons as I wanted them to look a specific way.

As I was working on the sketches, I must have reworked the main dragon a dozen times. He kept taking on the look of the dragon from Shrek! After my initial sketches were done, I shot them with my digital camera and started composing them together in Photoshop. The last image is that composition.

This is the final sketch that I transferred to use for the painting. I printed the Photoshop-ed comp out and drew more on it: the stone wall and the ground. Notice that I changed the butcher knife to a spoon in the painting. My 10 year old son casually glanced at my sketch and remarked, "Don't you think that knife is a bit violent?" This is a story of a spoiled princess who eats dragons! But he was right, she had almost a murderous tone with that knife!

From the Sketchbook

david@dburkart.com — 2010-07-13T17:36:51-05:00

Here are some sketches I just finished to prepare for an illustration. I wanted to focus on certain expressions for this character, who is not the nicest little girl in town. :-)

Illustration Friday: Giant

david@dburkart.com — 2010-07-05T23:44:01-05:00

An unlikely friendship blossoms as the boy looks after the giant chihuahua. One of their favorite games is "hide and seek."

Illustration Friday: Satellite

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-30T00:07:31-05:00

This cow has set high ambitions after being inspired by her favorite rhyme. Our familiar satellite looks on with concern. :-)

I think the picture says it all.

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-20T02:15:28-05:00

Following in my footsteps.

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-16T21:36:40-05:00

Inspired by all that was being done by artists on the Ripple blog, my son wanted to do something as well. He had come up with a large composition on 8.5 x 11 paper but I told him that the art needed to be on ATC sized cards: 2.5" x 3.5". So he came up with this. I'm digging his style!

"Save The Animals!"
Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill
-Jacob

Illustration Friday: Ripple (Alt)

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-14T22:30:00-05:00

Yeah. I redid it. I think I have the creative license to give an idea another go. :-) The first one, I tried to be a little cartoony, but I think this one fits my style best. Again, visit ripplesketches.blogspot.com/ to donate and help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill.

Illustration Friday: Ripple

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-13T22:48:26-05:00

This week's topic is "Ripple", suggested by Kelly Light. Kelly is making an effort to help with the Gulf oil spill. Each sketchcard on her blog is $10.00. The $10.00 is a donation to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Go there now and buy some great art and help a great cause. ripplesketches.blogspot.com/

Illustration Friday: Trail

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-10T23:52:00-05:00

A man came to Hamelin claiming to be a rat-catcher. The people of Hamelin promised him payment for killing the rats. So the man played a pipe, and led a trail of rats to the Weser river, where they all drowned. Despite this success the people reneged on their promise and did not pay the rat-catcher. And while the inhabitants were in the church, he played his pipe again, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. The children followed him out of the town, where they were lured into a cave and sealed inside.

Illustration Friday: Slither

david@dburkart.com — 2010-06-02T23:36:12-05:00

The snaked slithered closer to his prey. The frog could sense danger and as the snake leapt, the frog jumped away to safety.

Goonies never say die!

david@dburkart.com — 2010-05-30T22:03:00-05:00

I've been going back in time all weekend. And wouldn't you know it, "Goonies" was on TV. So, I couldn't help doing a quick sketch to commemorate my youth and the youth of my peers as well as honor the characters who sought a fortune to save their town.

Shifting gears

david@dburkart.com — 2010-05-09T16:34:02-05:00

Every now and then I am called upon to create art in different styles or media. Sometimes I'll work on more graphic projects like logo designs or t-shirt designs. Other times, I'll be asked to do stage designs for elementary school. Not too long ago, I was asked if I could do caricatures. I don't come across work like that too often, but I enjoy it when I do, so I jumped at the opportunity. This particular person was fond of her coffee mug and her iPhone, hence their presence in the picture. Here is the result:

Illustration Friday: Ahead

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-29T21:46:50-05:00

I did this illustration as part of a series for a children's science magazine. The article posed the question: "What if we could live forever?" In this instance, we explored what it would be like if Albert Einstein lived forever and the possibilities that lay ahead for the future.

Illustration Friday: Detective

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-22T01:11:01-05:00

Shelley was playing detective. She roamed the edge of the forest to search for clues in the grass. Little did she know that in a few moments she was about to make an amazing discovery.

Manga

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-17T12:25:56-05:00

My son approached me the other day and asked, "Dad, do you know how to draw in manga style?" (referring to japanese comic books) He discovered this style of cartooning from his friends recently and is really interested in it. I told him "No, I don't think I've ever drawn that style of cartoon." Funny thing about that: As I was diggin through some of my old artwork, i found these two drawings I had done in the 8th grade. Well, imagine the amount of crow I had to eat when I told him that I lied.

Illustration Friday: Linked

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-14T20:05:51-05:00

Molly found the magic dinosaur bone. Could this be how her backyard is linked to the dinosaur's past? Could this be how she could visit him in his own time?

Channeling Froud When I Was A Kid

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-11T10:01:37-05:00

When I was younger, I knew what I liked in terms of art, but rarely did I know who produced them. When The Dark Crystal came out, I was fascinated with the character designs and production art that pervaded the film. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I learned Brian Froud was the genius behind those designs. Here is my homage to Froud when I was eleven years old. Interesting note: I remember getting this new set of markers and was eager to produce something with them that I was proud of. So, I labored with this drawing for quite some time.

Illustration Friday: Dip

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-07T22:15:17-05:00

I did this illustration for my school's first grade - the theme being "Dive Into Learning." I find that education and reading is very important and could actually be as fun as taking a dip into the swimming pool!

Out of the Attic

david@dburkart.com — 2010-04-06T18:24:31-05:00

I was doing some digging again and found some old artwork. This one I did back in the early nineties. I was into the whole Wayne's World thing and did a color sketch of .... Garth! Why I didn't render Mike Myer's iconic character, I'll never know. Probably liked the fact that Garth was a drummer and a geek like me. Party on, Garth!

Illustration Friday: Rescue

david@dburkart.com — 2010-03-28T14:31:36-05:00

In the midst of battle, the rescue mission changed. Colonel Panic was frozen in fear of a new enemy.

Is smaller better?

david@dburkart.com — 2010-03-27T00:04:44-05:00

By day, I am an elementary school art teacher. And from time to time, I may offer artwork by my own creation as incentives. This time, I wanted to get a feel for working in the format of artist trading cards. For this batch, the students received ATCs of their favorite sports figure. This is my first foray into the sports genre. I kept it in BW and reduced the amount of detail. I gotta say, I'm not too thrown off by working in such a small format. I'm working on more, but here are three so far: Dwyane Wade, Colt McCoy and Kobe Bryant.

Illustration Friday: Expired

david@dburkart.com — 2010-03-21T10:13:01-05:00

It looks as if the boy mummy's supply of toilet paper has expired.

Illustration Friday: Subterranean

david@dburkart.com — 2010-03-16T23:36:47-05:00

Woken from his slumber, the lone prairie dog, Pete, poked his head from his subterranean home to see what was all the ruckus.

A Long Time Coming!

david@dburkart.com — 2010-03-13T14:50:01-06:00

Hello my friends. It has been a long time. And I must say, that I haven't been a very good blogger for the last three months. But it sure has been busy. So, let's try to bring this back to momentum with a new sketch I have been working on. I have gone back to illustrating animals and have decided to channel my inner Beatrix Potter for this one. It's always good to challenge yourself as an artist and anthropomorphizing animals is a good challenge for me.

So We Meet Again, For The Last Time.

david@dburkart.com — 2010-02-07T15:40:51-06:00

Here's Obi Wan as depicted by Sir Alec Guiness in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Before the Dark Times...

david@dburkart.com — 2010-01-09T20:43:01-06:00

Here's another sketch I did for the Obi Wan project. This time it is of young Obi Wan as a Jedi Padawan. I figure I will include young Obi Wan, middle-aged Obi Wan, then elder Obi Wan as portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness.

Help Me, Obi Wan...

david@dburkart.com — 2009-12-31T15:54:38-06:00

Here's a new sketch I did in an effort to capture some Star Wars work in the future. I'm thinking of doing a montage of Obi Wan through the years, so I figured I'd do some study drawings of both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness. I find that it is always good to make the hand familiar with the subject by drawing it a few times. So cheers to what the future may hold. And Happy New Year, my friends!

Holiday portrait work

david@dburkart.com — 2009-12-26T11:00:37-06:00

This year, I was fortunate enough to have a few portrait commissions come my way. I love doing portrait work as it is a nice change of pace artistically and helps me hone my skill even more. This is one that I had recently completed. It was commissioned as gift for my client's spouse.

Illustration Friday: Hatch

david@dburkart.com — 2009-12-13T13:36:51-06:00

Hidden behind the couch, the brother and sister duo could finally hatch their scheme to see Santa Claus.

Just in Time for the Holidays

david@dburkart.com — 2009-11-27T14:31:24-06:00

I haven't done a holiday-themed illustration before. I had so many avenues to explore - some of which I made note for use later. But the idea I decided on was the excitement of seeing Santa in one's home.

Illustration Friday: Unbalanced

david@dburkart.com — 2009-11-15T00:03:47-06:00

The Hatter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is often considered a bit unbalanced - perhaps even mad. But what I like about him is his seemingly random stream of consciousness. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Random thoughts, for me, break the monotony and stimulate creativity. Call me mad!

Illustration Friday: Flying

david@dburkart.com — 2009-10-12T23:34:21-05:00

Free as a bird,
it's the next best thing to be.
Free as a bird.

Home, home and dry,
like a homing bird I'll fly
as a bird on wings.

Whatever happened to
the life that we once knew?
Can we really live without each other?

Where did we lose the touch
that seemed to mean so much?
It always made me feel so...

Free as a bird,
like the next best thing to be.
Free as a bird.

Home, home and dry,
like a homing bird I'll fly
as a bird on wings.

Whatever happened to
the life that we once knew?
Always made me feel so free.

Free as a bird.
It's the next best thing to be.
Free as a bird.
Free as a bird.
Free as a bird.

– the Beatles

Me and My Munny

david@dburkart.com — 2009-10-11T18:51:00-05:00

I decided to take this Munny toy that I've had for years and paint it. But my dilemma was WHAT to paint it. Was it to be one of my favorite comic book characters? Perhaps a movie character? Or something conceptual? Well, after days of thought and deliberation, I decided to make it a self-portrait. Considering the amount of self portraits many artists have done, I figure I have a lot of catching up to do. BTW, I am guessing that the conspicuous bulge on my backside is supposed to be a tail.

I Sense a Vergence in the Force

david@dburkart.com — 2009-10-05T00:08:51-05:00

Yeah, I know. I have an obsession with Star Wars. Here's another sketch I did working on the likenesses of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Jake Lloyd.

Lost Sketchbook Found

david@dburkart.com — 2009-09-26T21:06:46-05:00

Digging for more art supplies, I found another sketchbook. It's a little 5" x 7" book that I used for thumbnails (some of them were layout and logo designs) and small quick sketches. Sometimes it's fun trying to figure out when and why I had done certain sketches. This thumbnail was the basis for the Darth Maul painting I had done in '99 (check it out in my portfolio).

Illustration Friday: Welcome

david@dburkart.com — 2009-09-17T23:27:36-05:00

As he wandered into the trees, Jacob was welcomed by the local night life.

A Sketch, A Pencil and a Baby.

david@dburkart.com — 2009-09-13T23:55:24-05:00

Cleaning up my studio area, I found a few forgotten items from the past. It vexes me when I don't remember drawing or why I drew certain things (the pencil). But I do remember drawing the baby. That was me as an infant. I used it in the first iteration of my website. And the gesture drawings were from a day in 2002, when I was watching my son play. He was about 3 back then and I was challenging myself with the proportions of a toddler. What fun it was to just sit, observe and sketch. And how challenging it was to draw my kid as he was moving around at light speed!

Illustration Friday: Strong

david@dburkart.com — 2009-09-05T10:03:47-05:00

Sometimes strength doesn't come in the form of muscles. Many times it can come to us in the form of friendship and endurance. When we feel defeated or weak, it may take the love of our family and friends to help make us strong.

Illustration Friday: Magnify

david@dburkart.com — 2009-09-02T18:46:16-05:00

There are moments in our childhood that we will never forget: Christmas morning, your first bike, an event at school. But for this child, it's looking at the full moon with his best friend. It's when we are adults, that we see the little things that remind us and even magnify those moments in time. As an adult, a full moon will hold so much meaning for him.

Comfort in Fairies

david@dburkart.com — 2009-08-28T01:13:25-05:00

This is the last sketch I did before school started. It's already transfered to board and ready to paint. Just hadn't gotten there just yet. It was supposed to be for last week's IF topic: Wrapped. But I think I will save the painting for another topic.

Illustration Friday: Caution

david@dburkart.com — 2009-08-22T13:54:57-05:00

For this topic, I am using an illustration I did for a kids science magazine called "Odyssey." The article discussed the outcomes of living forever: the good and the bad. This image reflects the possible bad effects: Would we prolong our wars and hatred throughout the centuries? What are the consequences to society? The article gives us cautionary descriptions to think about when considering immortality.

Illustration Friday: Impatience

david@dburkart.com — 2009-08-13T08:20:35-05:00

Have you ever been that student who just knew the answer but felt like it was taking an eternity for the teacher to call on you? This student may be a little impatient, but he is sure his endurance will pay off!

Illustration Friday: Modify

david@dburkart.com — 2009-08-04T00:55:02-05:00

Ah, the imagination. Where all you need to modify yourself into a superhero are a sheet and some goggles.

Illustration Friday: Idle

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-30T01:38:36-05:00

These two have had quite a time setting up camp. So they decide to use their idle time near a pond and sit for a moment. Brother decides to make the best of it and sketch.

Illustration Friday: Tango

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-24T01:21:20-05:00

The twins are ready to pummel each other. Lucky for them, Mom is around to keep the peace. As the old saying goes, "It takes two to tango!"

This piece took a while to do. I tried using virtual models to pose for me using a program called Poser. However, I didn't anticipate how long it would take for me to "move" and "pose" the models to get the right shot. I think, in a pinch, this may come in handy (if I learn how to use it better) but in the meantime, I prefer the live models!

Warm Up Between Projects

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-17T23:37:14-05:00

I don't always use the sketchbook to concept new ideas, draw character designs, or do rough/tight pencil drawings. I also use it to "exercise" my skills in a way. The other day we were out at the Aquatic Center with the family. And if you know me, I'm not particularly fond of the sun or pools. So, I had my sketchbook and pencils handy and just set up shop in the shade. (And at this time of the year in DFW - shade temps were probably around 100º or so!) What I like to do every now and then to loosen up is to do gesture drawings - where you draw from life quickly. Most times it is of the human figure in motion, which at a public pool, there were plenty of figures in motion. These exercises help me to draw more loosely and to learn to capture form with simple strokes. Of course, the designer in me can't resist tightening a few things up (like the pipes and structures) and add a little whimsy here and there. Just to portray the searing heat!

A New Sketch

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-14T12:07:22-05:00

Well, for some time now, I wanted to do a new self portrait. I constantly depict myself as a child, but this time, I wanted to do something a little different. I tried to imagine if I were a children's literary character, who would I be? Some of you who know me well may have a variety of answers, but I always likened myself to the Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. As I worked on the sketch, I did not want to be influenced by any of Tim Burton's images that had been recently released from his upcoming feature based on the book. Besides, as much as I like the look and the design, I did not want to portray myself as "scary." And as I was drawing, I became aware that I looked very ... well, "up to no good." So I added my hands holding the teacup and saucer. So here's my sketch. I have begun painting and will post it soon - I hope. :-)

Illustration Friday: Hollow

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-13T00:22:54-05:00

In this illustration for Red RIver Kids magazine, our main character is looking at a picture of her dad filling a kid pool for her and her sister last summer. This year, he is not home. She has a hollow feeling, like something is missing and she doesn't know how she will handle this summer without him.

There's a Dinosaur in My Backyard!

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-08T23:10:59-05:00

Finally. Complete. Not the book. But my personal assignment of illustrating three scenes. I had a lot of fun doing these pieces and hope to work on more dinosaurs in the future. Maybe even some dragons!

Illustration Friday: Shaky

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-07T16:43:02-05:00

Molly finds herself in a shaky situation. Having found the dinosaur bone in her backyard, and making a wish upon it, she has apparently conjured up a large intimidating new friend.

Workspace

david@dburkart.com — 2009-07-01T17:02:46-05:00

I've been reading a lot of articles lately on artists' workspaces. I find it very interesting the difference from one artist to another. I seem to be more like the one whose work space is fairly utilitarian and worn. I also like clutter and trinkets looking over me. However, I have seen artists' who keep workspaces immaculate and totally presentable as a formal room of their homes. One artist has labeled and categorized his materials, papers, paints and even water! So, here's my drawing table as I was painting the 3 illustrations for Red River Kids. Since it was just 3, I worked on them simultaneously - to keep a consistent palette. The iPod kept me company as the room I'm in is isolated from the rest of the house. For a closer look, click on the image to embiggen!

Illustration Friday: Worn

david@dburkart.com — 2009-06-27T23:36:26-05:00

This is a departure from my other work. It was a personal piece I did many years ago. It depicts moments in my life where my thoughts and emotions have left me feeling worn and sometimes desperate.

Latest Work

david@dburkart.com — 2009-06-25T23:19:53-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I was contacted by Red River Kids Magazine to produce a few illustrations for a story in their summer issue. The story centers on a girl who is beginning her first summer without her father. He is in the military and was stationed overseas. The day leads to a small adventure with her sister. As soon as the issue is published, I will post a link to the site.

Here are the final sketches. A few tweaks were made as I painted, but it pretty much stayed true to my sketches. The important thing was to portray the emotions experienced by the characters. I felt pretty sensitive to this story, so I knew what i wanted to see in expressions. Thanks to my children for posing for me. I hate to embarrass my son like this, but he posed as the older girl. The fun part was to get him to look panicked. I had to act out the scene with him to help him understand and we just went back and forth. I am very happy with the work and I will post the final paintings soon.

Illustration Friday: Drifting

david@dburkart.com — 2009-06-21T11:52:00-05:00

This is part of a series of illustrations I did recently for Red River Kids Magazine. The story centers on a young girl as she begins her first summer without her dad. He is in the military and has been stationed overseas. This illustration takes place at the end of her adventure as she is drifting to sleep thinking about her father. Stay tuned as I will premier these illustrations in the coming days.

Illustration Friday: Unfold

david@dburkart.com — 2009-06-17T19:19:10-05:00

As soon as he heard the noise, he immediately donned his "SpaceBoy" astro helmet and grabbed his "SpaceBoy ray gun. What adventure is ready to unfold?

Illustration Friday: Craving

david@dburkart.com — 2009-06-08T17:04:20-05:00

I'm digging back to my Photoshop experiments for this one. I think one day I'll probably go back and play in Photoshop, but illustrating in the computer just doesn't compare to actual paints and brushes – even though I used pencils to do the base drawing. I'll let the illustration tell the story, but I think we can get a sense of what each character is craving.

Illustration Friday: Adapt

david@dburkart.com — 2009-05-30T09:54:44-05:00

SCBWI had an illustration contest last year at around Thanksgiving. The theme was "Thanks but No, Thanks!" And for me, instead of showing a family serving up some hefty helpings of things children would definitely not like on Thanksgiving (for instance, liver, brussel sprouts or even canned cranberries) I wanted to show what it may be like to serve up something we consider delectable to a pair of out-of-towners - specifically two aliens from space. In this particular "story in my head," these aliens are stranded here and have to adapt to stay undetected. In this scene, the family that is hiding them serves up turkey for Thanksgiving. Little did the family know but what some beings consider delicious may be disgusting to another.

Calligraphy

david@dburkart.com — 2009-05-25T23:16:20-05:00

Recently, I took on a job doing calligraphy for wedding invitations - just the addressing of the outside envelopes and the inside envelopes.

I jumped at the opportunity since it is rare that I get to use my calligraphy pens. I learned to write in italic when I was in junior high and high school. And as an illustrator, I think I neglect the wonderful possibilities a calligraphy pen has to offer - the lyrical thick and thin scrollwork and filigrees. But I decided to keep this job fairly simple as I had to address 130 invitations (which translated to 260 envelopes total). For each envelope, I measured guide lines to use. I set my "x-height," ascender and descender with these guides.

I may feel confident to do this with only a baseline one day, but not today. Without going into specifics on what each term means, I had basically set the guides to show me how tall my capital and my lowercase letters could be. Next, I began the process of inking.

I spent many hours inking. I had to take frequent breaks as my eyes would tire and when that happened, mistakes would too. Then the last step was to erase all the guide lines.

Real simple. As I am not a full-time calligrapher, I think I will leave that work to the pros. And for more info on the technique itself, just give Google a visit. There is a world of information on the techniques and the many styles of calligraphy.

Illustration Friday: Cracked

david@dburkart.com — 2009-05-23T22:17:08-05:00

I realize that the protagonist in this illustration is not yet cracked, but we all know his demise. When I did this, I had seen what it looked like before the fall and after, but I imagined something in between. I don't know, I guess I enjoy a little tension in some of my illustrations. This I call, "Humpty's Predicament."

Illustration Friday: Contagious

david@dburkart.com — 2009-05-17T18:22:30-05:00

There are times when laughter can be contagious. These two tiger cubs considered each other enemies at one time, until they survived a life-altering adventure. Upon returning from their journey, they wondered, "Do we resume the ridiculous hatred we had for each other before?" Then the laughter of friendship broke the silence and caught on quickly throughout the pack.

Mother's Day Portrait

david@dburkart.com — 2009-05-10T12:09:29-05:00

I was contacted by a friend of mine earlier in the week. He wanted me to do a portrait of their son for his wife to give her on Mother's Day. Of course, I obliged! It was a nice change of pace from the week I had previously. And it was to be done in pencil, which I rarely get to do these days. The great thing is that he had a wonderful photo for me to use as reference. It captured the joy and energy of this child. I just hope the mother likes it as much as I did. I almost didn't want to part with it!

Illustration Friday: Hierarchy

david@dburkart.com — 2009-05-02T20:03:30-05:00

I've posted this image before on my blog. It's one of my first serious Star Wars illustrations. It depicts the Skywalker family tree: Darth Vader (Anakin), Luke and Leia. I plan to revisit this idea to include many of the new characters introduced in various Star Wars fiction, including Han and Leia's children, and Luke and Mara's children.

Illustration Friday: Theater

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-29T23:18:38-05:00

When pondering the theater, I immediately thought of the "butterflies in your stomach" - the moment of trepidation before walking onto the stage. I saw this pic I took of my daughter and was immediately inspired. I thought about defining the thoughts in the character's head, but decided to leave it up to the viewer.

Stage Fright?

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-25T22:52:46-05:00

You never know when inspiration's gonna hit you. It could be in the middle of a lecture at school or during a root canal. But when it does, you have to jump on it. Whether it's committing it to memory and writing it down as soon as you get a chance or breaking out the sketchbook immediately, you should never ignore your muse when she acts. My muse today was iPhoto. I was scrolling through hundreds of photos, organizing but mostly reminiscing, when I came across this pic of my daughter making faces to the camera in her Halloween costume. I thought of the Illustration Friday topic for this week and thought, "Hey, I bet I can make this work!" So I immediately began searching for supporting images and composed this sketch.

I won't talk about it just yet until I finish the painting and post it to IF. But i am very excited to be painting after a few weeks' hiatus.

Illustration Friday: Impossibility

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-18T17:43:43-05:00

A girl is playing in her backyard and discovers a dinosaur bone. Once she picks it up, she is met by an actual dinosaur. Before we know it, they become friends and go off on an adventure. After it is all said and done, the dinosaur leaves and she is left alone again with the dino bone. She recounts her tale to her mother and her brother. Her mother kindly humors her and praises her for finding the fossil. However, her brother mocks her and smugly explains the impossibility of the whole situation. Nevertheless, it was her adventure to be had.

Illustration Friday: Fleeting

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-13T21:43:24-05:00

When I did this self-portrait, I wanted to convey multiple ideas. One of them being a child lost in a grown up world. I had always considered myself childlike and often times childish. And I would find it difficult sometimes to function in a fast-paced, cynical world. Another idea I wanted to convey was the fleeting aspect of time – that time will escape us and before we know it, we're older and have not accomplished our goals.

Happy Easter!

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-11T23:25:48-05:00

I grew up boiling my eggs and then decorating them. That meant, if you happened to miss an egg during the hunt, you'd still be able to find it months later by smell alone. And how many of you remember those "shrinky dink"-type wraps that went around eggs? I think I may have tried every store bought kit I could find, from PAAS to Dudley. But nothing beats some acrylic paint and a small brush. I just may make this a tradition!

Illustration Friday: Talisman

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-05T22:25:39-05:00

"Talisman: an object that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck." I chose this piece I did last year to illustrate the story of the Little Red Hen. Somehow, I'm starting to see the seed as the object of good fortune or magical powers. But it only works for those who nurture it.

Character of Caricature: Part Two

david@dburkart.com — 2009-04-04T22:57:25-05:00

Doing the final art for Carl Jung was pretty tricky at times. I ink my work so infrequently, that I sometimes forget a few safeguards. One of them is wearing lint-free photography gloves. This prevents oil from the hand contaminating the surface to be inked. There were many a line I had to repair because of that. Another safeguard is a piece of cardboard or other sturdy material to keep my hands from smearing work I had already done. But when it was all said and done, I was very happy with the results. I spoil myself with smooth gradients of color and value that I forget the simple joys of line-work and crosshatching. Well, here it is:

Illustration Friday: Poise

david@dburkart.com — 2009-03-28T21:58:36-05:00

This is my first foray into Illustration Friday. The word this time s "poise" and it called to mind an illustration I did a while back. I was experimenting with the digital medium because at the time, my style as a graphic designer was very Photoshop heavy. So I did a lot of drawings that I scanned and then textured and colored in the computer. This one shows of Petunia's perfect poise as an up-and-coming ballet dancer.

Character of Caricature: Part One

david@dburkart.com — 2009-03-27T22:09:47-05:00

My newest project challenges me to do something I hadn't done in a while: caricature. The trick to caricature is capturing the essence of the character in the exaggeration of features. The other trick is to exaggerate the correct things as it relates to the material. When I first did caricature in a public setting, I was in high school. It was for Ethnic Week and I was featured as the caricature artist. Well, I had done caricatures of friends and teachers as doodles in my notebooks and such. So I had a good understanding of how to mock people. But doing this for people, I had to mentally prepare myself to not to exaggerate the unattractive features. I only wished I had learned that lesson before I drew our assistant principal.

This project comes from a friend of mine who hails from my high school days. Elissa works for the Jung Education Center in Houston www.junghouston.org. The center "offers over one hundred courses, programs, and conferences every year that address the critical social and spiritual issues of our time as well as the need for personal growth and development." She needed an artist to develop a caricature of Carl Jung – something light-hearted yet respectful. I paused... so no huge nose or funny teeth - no exaggerating the unattractive features! OK. I can do light-hearted and respectful.

So immediately I asked for examples and at the same time, I looked up images of Jung and briefed myself a little on Wiki. I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a feeling for what he was like as a person to do the drawing some justice. I mean, it would be odd to draw him laughing and smiling if he was known to be unhappy or vice versa.

Here are a few images I had found and a few Elissa had sent me:

From these images and based on a few things I read on the man, I was able to come up with a few rough sketches. And one was picked to move forward:

What I liked about it was that it captured a lighthearted attitude with his smile and the glasses placed on his head. Elissa had told me that some important physical aspects were his glasses, his mustache and the pipe. I thought it added to the friendly nature to have the pipe in his hand. And the great thing was these very objects also added to the respectable nature she also wanted captured.

From this point, I clean the drawing up and transfer it to board where I will begin inking. Stay tuned for part two!

The Competition

david@dburkart.com — 2009-03-22T00:05:25-05:00

I came up with this sketch because I was told I needed more females in my portfolio. I dug into my past and remembered a number of my friends who were girls were always so competitive with each other - whether it was academic, athletic or social. So I thought this would make a pretty decent subject for an illustration. So I gathered up what reference photos I could find and pieced this together. It's mostly about facial expressions - I wanted to show some sense of jealousy while the other one was not only oblivious but very proud. The writing you see at the bottom is something I sometimes do: I'll write a little paragraph or story to go with the drawing. I'm not a writer. It's just part of my creative process at times. I think it "grounds" the image more to have a story to go with it.

The Dark Times

david@dburkart.com — 2009-03-13T21:29:55-05:00

When I was a young artist, I guess I thought my only source of inspiration was my emotions. Not just any emotions, but my negative ones: anger, depression, sadness, etc. This may have stemmed from something my high school art teacher told me once. She told me to stay in touch with my emotions, because they seem to drive my artwork. Which it did in high school. Art was very therapeutic. Of course, I would never show my own kids the sketches I did during those turbulent times. When I got into college, I still stayed in touch with those emotions. But many art teachers pointed me in many different directions. But as I reached my 30's and had kids, my emotions changed. I don't know how many moons ago it was when I let go of most of those emotions. But for a while, I was filled with joy and inspiration and positivity. Hardly a place for dark subject matter. My taste for the macabre diminished. I haven't seen a horror movie in ages!

Then there was a point in my career where I had to tap in to those dark images to produce art for a haunted house. I found many of the sketches I created for this project. And just recently, I resolved to use them to work on a Hulk illustration. For some reason, the Hulk has always intrigued me as a character - I suppose it was his duality. Much like Jekyll and Hyde. I also like how Bruce Banner had to maintain his cool to keep the monster at bay. I found this struggle interesting because I can actually understand it: we all have to maintain some civility to coexist. Otherwise, we risk chaos. Or you could look at it as society dictating how we should act - putting us in the position of repressing our true selves. Anyway, here are some of those sketches I did. Kinda has a Wolverine pain and anger to them. Hmmmm, Wolverine....

Drawing Blind

david@dburkart.com — 2009-03-07T22:09:19-06:00

Sometimes, I like to challenge myself and do some different things with my art. This summer, I did a lot of plein aire painting. Just recently, I wanted to challenge myself to come up with drawings that did not rely on models or photo reference. That really made my brain work. It's almost like drawing blind. At least, it felt like it. The drawings are more cartoonish compared to my actual style and I'm not sure what I think of that. Perhaps it's my way of taking baby steps to more complicated drawings. Or maybe, that's just how I visualize without reference. I had to use many "rules" of art to create some sense of realism in these drawings without reference: shadow, light source, overlapping, proportion, etc. I can only hope that practicing these techniques from memory further enhances my skills when I DO use reference. And perhaps there's a place for both these styles to coexist. We'll see.

I'm going to call this one, "Mortimer Watches Ant Dance."

This one, I'm calling "Fizzard."

Star Wars: Graveyard Moon

david@dburkart.com — 2009-02-21T14:45:33-06:00

As I build my portfolio, I create my own projects to do. One of the ways is to take a piece of narrative or fiction and illustrate it. For this one, there was a series of Star Wars comics set during the Clone Wars. I decided to do the cover of one chapter of one of the stories, "Graveyard Moon". The downside to doing this particular project was that there was already a cover illustration for it. Typically, it's a good idea to pick a narrative that is less familiar and not popularized already (like Wizard of Oz or Jungle Book). That way, you run less risk of creative obstacles those stories may pose, because they already have some ingrained cultural history. The beauty of Star Wars is that its characters aren't literary - they are based on the actor's likenesses in the film. My drawback was the actual cover composition. I decided to make this an exercise in likeness and just keep the main composition and add flourishes here and there. Here is the sketch I came up with. Along with the final color which I did in Photoshop.

And just for funsies, I did a mockup to see what it would look like as the actual cover. The real cover is first followed by my version.

Cupid's Aim

david@dburkart.com — 2009-02-14T20:28:53-06:00

As I catch up on some illustration ideas I've had brewing, as well as working on a new project, I thought I'd post this small sketch in the spirit of Valentine's Day. I must have done this about three years ago. I stopped because I couldn't find the right model to pose for Cupid. (My daughter was only one and my son wouldn't be caught dead in a diaper). Anyway, I put it off to the side (like many sketches) to approach again at a later date. Perhaps my son would reconsider wearing a diaper...

To Date or Not to Date

david@dburkart.com — 2009-02-08T11:35:22-06:00

I'm not sure how many artists find value in dating their artwork. As for me, I haven't given it much thought in the last 10 or so years. I just sign my initials and that's it. But last night, I was going through some old portfolios, and I found a multitude of paintings I did with my watercolor instructor as a kid. Hardly any of them were dated except for one in 1981. I guessed that that put the rest of them at around the same time period. But then I started turning them over. And I found more work I did, but I knew I was older. The subject matter was more personal and the drawing skill was different. I could only guess that I did those in junior high or high school. But I will never know for sure! Now the OCD in me wants to rifle through all of my artwork and date the ones I can remember. But then the artist in me doesn't really care – it was done by me, it doesn't matter when. Oh well. Perhaps I should look at it this way: it's important to me right now because I'm just curious as to when in my life I created a particular piece of art. More than likely, it's not important to anyone else. In the meantime, here is one of those mystery pieces. I don't remember painting half the stuff I found, but I really don't remember EVER drawing anything from "E.T." but here's an "E.T." watercolor I did. That's the other thing that troubles me - why don't I remember doing this? Anyway, since most of the work I found was probably done around '81-'82, I would guess this one was done later. "E.T." came out in '82, so I would venture to guess this was done in that year or '83. But since there were other pieces in the portfolio that looked like they were from my early teens, it's a possibility that I did this in junior high or high school. I'll leave that up to you.

My First Season of "Lost"

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-22T22:03:31-06:00

This sketch really wasn't done because I was excited about the new season of "Lost". I was actually wanting to practice drawing more entertainment based artwork again. And when I used to do that, it was very "Star Wars" heavy. (Speaking of which, I will have some new Star Wars stuff coming also!) But I had watched this show and never thought to draw any of that characters. Funny enough, this was originally supposed to be some random character sketch strewn about the page. Then I finished it as a single composition. We'll see if it ends up as a painting...

My Process: Part Eight

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-18T10:04:21-06:00

To finish the painting, I added a dark mix of Winsor blue and Burnt Sienna to render Jacob's hair. The t-shirt is where I was getting a little anxious. It takes up a good amount of space and I wanted it to be plain enough not to be distracting but not so plain that it was uninteresting. I laid in a wash of French Ultramarine to start. It has a nice "grainy" look to it after it dries. Then I put down another wet-in-wet wash of that same color to deepen the values – at the same time, I mingle in a few areas of Alizarin Crimson. Then I deepen the darks more by adding some Burnt Sienna to the French Ultramarine. Now, I failed to mention that at multiple interval during the process, I step back from the painting. One thing that I learned in art school, working in graphic design and even in personal life, you should always take a step back from your work to assess, reflect and even to just forget about it for awhile. Otherwise, at least for me, insanity awaits. So I take a final step back to look over the painting. For the finishing touches, I go back to do some lifting. Lifting is where I take a wet stiff bristled brush, and lightly scrub in some light areas by lifting the pigment off the paper. And voila – my finished piece. I titled it "Pride and Joy."

My Process: Part Seven

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-15T20:12:17-06:00

I further add value to Molly's hair - keeping in mind the curls and undulations. I deepen the hair color by adding a little more Winsor blue at a time. When I had it all laid in, I looked at the hair and thought that a unifying wash would help decrease the contrast and pull the look of her hair together more. Because at that point, it was very high contrast and her hair looked "piecy." When I put the final wash down, I was also able to soften the blends between the values, which helped quite a bit. I then repeated the steps I used on Molly's face when I painted Jacob's. His was much easier since his face is much smaller in the composition. Before I called it a night, I put a Burnt Sienna wash as a highlight color for Jacob's hair. Funny enough, he and my wife thought it strange for him to be a redhead. We're in the home stretch!

My Process: Part Six

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-13T23:20:26-06:00

At this stage, I have added more detail to the mouth. What I find tricky about mouths, even to this day, is that teeth are rarely pure white. (Same with the whites of the eyes). So I had the carefully use light, cool washes to build up the values between the teeth, and the give them some tint. Then, using the same mix I used to do the initial wash for the mouth, I built up the values there – adding Winsor blue to deepen the color. I then moved on to the hair. One of the biggest lessons I learned in art school, was that you should always treat hair as a single form – not to consider it strand by strand. I laid in a light wet-in-wet wash of Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre to establish the highlight color. Then I made a mix of Burnt Sienna and Winsor Blue to start building the values – I laid in an initial wet-to-dry application to establish highlights in the hair. Molly's hair is so curly, so there were a lot of undulations. Next time: Her hair should be done and on to Jacob!

My Process: Part Five

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-11T09:53:25-06:00

I have begun to work on the details on Molly's face. With some more glazes, I deepen the darks and shadows and start to define the eyes and nose. I try to cool the colors around the eyes by adding a little more Windsor blue to the skin mix. For the eyes, I eye some cool color to the "whites" to define them. Then I work on the irises. I still need to work on this part, as I think eyes are the most important aspect of a portrait. I've established a basic look – leaving the edges dark and lightening as the color goes to the center. Before I called it quits for the night, I laid in some Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Sienna in the mouth area. This will be my base/underpainting for the mouth. Until next time...

My Process: Part Four

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-03T23:52:25-06:00

I managed to warm up Jacob's face a little more today with a light wash of Alizarin Crimson. Then I laid similar washes for Molly's face. This area takes up almost half of the composition. So I worked with a bigger brush and worked wet-into-wet a section at a time. To avoid the demarkation lines left by watercolor as it dries next to a dry area, I wet more than what I was going to paint. Again, I kept the blue tints near her eyes and temples and added red to the cheeks, chin and nose. Once everything totally dries, I will begin adding the darks and the details of the face. (I'm resisting the use of a hair drier!!)

My Process: Part Three

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-03T12:03:53-06:00

At this point, I started laying washes down for the skin. I start with a yellow underpainting – establishing values and intended to give the overall color a warm tone.

Once that wash dries completely, I started working on Jacob's face. I mix a skin tone of Aurelean yellow, Alizarin Crimson and a touch of Windsor Blue. Then I lay that color in as a wash – lifting highlights out as it dries. After that dries completely, I add more value by putting in another wash – this time, adding more blue around the eyes and temples and adding more red for the cheeks and chin.

At this point, I think Jake is a bit too "gold", so I am going to let this dry and "warm" it up a little more tomorrow.

My Process: Part Two

david@dburkart.com — 2009-01-02T09:10:41-06:00

When I paint, I will typically use frisket to mask the foreground while I lay in washes for the background. This time, I decided not to use frisket. To keep the color out of the foreground image, I used a wet-into-wet technique. First, I laid down a wash of clean water in the area I was going to paint only. Then I applied paint before the water dried. Some of the fun of wet-into-wet is watching the colors mingle on the paper. Sometimes, you can even help the process along and tilt the paper to affect the direction of the pigment. I knew I wanted the background to be just color and I wanted it to be predominantly cool. So I used a lot of Windsor blue. To make sure I didn't reactivate any of the pigment I put down on subsequent washes, I waited for each wash to dry completely before applying the new one. This method of layering color over the other is called glazing. So after the the first washes of yellow and blue dried, I went over everything with another wash of blue.

Next step, I begin working on the skin tones!

My Process: Part One

david@dburkart.com — 2008-12-30T16:49:13-06:00

I thought I'd try something I'd never done before: I'm going to document my process as I am working on a painting. I realized that I do not have any "in progress" images of any of my work. Not to mention, this should keep me on a schedule to complete this portrait. So, to start, what I am working on is a portrait of my two children. I took a number of pictures of them, as well as sifted through numerous other ones, to find what I wanted to use. I ended up using these two photos:

I thought about explaining why I picked these particular ones, but I think I would like the final painting to speak for itself. If anyone knows my kids, I hope they can see my reasoning. Put simply, I found images that not only reflected their personalities, but also their relationship as brother and sister. From these photos, I joined them in Photoshop to work on cropping and composition:

I didn't want all the stuff in the background to take away from the composition, so I blurred it. Next, I printed it out and began a sketch:

After much fine tuning, I scan the drawing and enlarge it on the computer. Then I print it out in "tiles" and piece it all together. This portrait is larger than most of my work – about 20" x 15". Looks like it's time to break out the big brushes!

Next, I get my watercolor board and transfer the printout to the board using graphite paper. I used to use carbon paper, but that stuff's pretty permanent. The graphite paper's like using light pencil – bold enough to see, and easy to erase and lift later.

And here's where I stand now: A board that is masked on the edges with painter's tape and the drawing enlarged and transferred. Next step: the beginning washes!!

There's a Dinosaur in My Backyard: Part 2

david@dburkart.com — 2008-12-27T13:49:37-06:00

Well, I'm just all over the place as far as painting goes. In the midst of working on a portrait piece I will be entering in a few art contests, I decided to take a break and finish the 3rd illustration from the "There's a Dinosaur in My Backyard" series. Here is the sketch I did a few months ago:

And here's the final painting:

To recap – the main character has made friends with the T-Rex and he takes her for a ride. This one is my favorite, well, because it's the "pay-off." But don't get me wrong, I don't read the last pages of books are watch endings to movies I haven't seen. Anyway, it was fun to paint. Maybe it's because painting a dino was new to me. Maybe it was the fact that the subject matter was happy and festive. Either way, I had a lot of fun doing this and don't know if I can resist doing the other two before I start back up on the portrait. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Lost and Found

david@dburkart.com — 2008-12-21T22:12:16-06:00

Back in '98, I got a bug to do a Skywalker family portrait. I hadn't painted Star Wars before – I just practiced with this piece:

It was "down and dirty" really quick and really small. Plus I wasn't happy with how I rendered Leia's face. So I worked harder on a larger one – carefully picking out the best reference photos and thinking a lot more on composition. Well, I worked so hard on this piece that I actually painted it twice. The first one really had me frustrated: the glazing was not what I wanted and left a lot of mottling on Leia's face and I didn't like the deep shadow in Luke's face. I must admit, that I was so unhappy with it that I tore it up. But recently, as I was looking through my old art, I came across the pieces to this "second draft." So I scanned them and pieced it all back together just to see what I discarded. Turns out I was missing a piece – so that is why the bottom corner is missing. I found it very interesting to revisit this painting, even if by chance. I'm glad I restarted. I much prefer the final version to this one. So, here is the reassembled Skywalker family portrait – the "second draft" on the top. The final version is on the bottom. I think that if there was one thing I wished I would have kept, it would be the background texture in the first one.

Time Flies When It's Close to the Holidays!

david@dburkart.com — 2008-12-15T22:44:23-06:00

My my. How long has it been? I think it's this time of year that teacher are just gnawing at the bit to make it to Christmas break. The students are starting to "check out" and we have to be sure that we don't or there will be utter chaos! But in the midst of benchmarking, rehearsals, tree decorating, stage decorating, grades, and the number of other activities our children at other schools are involved in; there are those bright moments – the little gems that make it all worth it. It could be a student proud that his or her artwork was on display; or it could be the fruition of weeks of rehearsals that result in a magnificent show of talent. However small they may seem, they are the world to me as a teacher. It's the mark that progress is being made – that the children's esteem is a step stronger, their courage is raised, their talent is nurtured. And through it all, if I helped make a step forward, toward the positive, then it was worth the minor frustrations. It is fascinating to watch a child grow. It is heartwarming to watch them grow strong.

Here's a pic of the stage as it was produced by myself and the Art Club. Couldn't have been happier with – and for – these kids! Scroll down to compare to my sketch! Until next time!

Martians' First Thanksgiving

david@dburkart.com — 2008-11-23T18:42:47-06:00

Periodically, SCBWI offers contests for writers and illustrators. They'll present an idea, and we interpret it. This month, the idea for illustrators is called "Thanks, But No Thanks!" The description: "Ever been dragged to a Thanksgiving dinner against your will? Well, so have the brother and sister duo of your new book. But nothing could have prepared them for Thanksgiving '08. For this month's Illustrator's Contest, show us what your characters are up against at this year's feast."

I wanted to play a little with irony. For these Martians, it is their first Thanksgiving on Earth. However, when they are presented with the golden juicy turkey, they are disgusted. What does a turkey resemble to them? Why would it cause such disgust? (And no, they are not vegetarian.)

Graphic Designer turned Art Teacher turned Set Designer

david@dburkart.com — 2008-11-15T19:27:21-06:00

Artists can wear many hats. I started out as a Graphic Designer. Now I am a teacher. All the while I painted and illustrated. Now I am back to something I haven't done since my high school days. As a junior and senior in high school, I helped paint the backdrops for our musicals. I remember painting the backdrops to "Sweet Charity." Now, I am called upon to do some work for my school's Christmas program. The theme – "Santa, you have mail." Here is a small watercolor sketch I did as a design. Hopefully I can pull this off with a little help from the Art club and some parents. I get rather intimidated doing art at a large scale.

Found Time to Draw!

david@dburkart.com — 2008-11-10T21:18:02-06:00

Yes. More progress has been made. I worked on a sketch yesterday developed from a few photos of my children. I wanted a more "candid" shot – though my son is looking right at the camera. But I still think I captured the essence of both my children. Molly is in the foreground – not because of importance, but I wanted to say something about her personality – she's lively, "bigger than life," a show-off of sorts and consistently happy. Jacob on the other hand, is less extroverted – her can be found standing behind someone a lot, not that there's anything wrong with that at all! He's just the soft-spoken one of the two. However, he's still laughing along with Molly. I wanted that to be an indicator that he's not devoid of humor or liveliness. In fact, there's more to him than he lets on. A complex one he is!

I think I will produce this at a larger size (most of my work is pretty small). And I'd like to experiment with application. But don't know how far I want to go outside my comfort level. I've been studying the work of a watercolor artist named Kim Johnson-Nechtman. I love the way she presents realism, but in a loose yet controlled style. Anyway, here is my final sketch:

Been too long

david@dburkart.com — 2008-11-09T16:10:40-06:00

My goodness! How long's it been since I've written?! And what has happened in a month's time? Well, what's happened besides Halloween, my school's Fall Pumpkin Festival (where I face painted for the first time!) and of course, the Election? For one, I have finally started the Art Club for my school. Looks like the kids'll dig it. Our first assignment? Set design for this year's Christmas program. I have also been preparing for something I haven't done in awhile – a portrait of my kids – together. I realized as I was looking at my portrait work, that I have done paintings of each of them, but not together. The challenge is that I want this to be more that a mere rendering. So I will produce it to enter in the North Light Book cover competition. And after today, I think I may have found the perfect images to work with!! At the same time, I will be working on the SCBWI illustration contest for November. The theme: "Thanks, but no thanks!" More on that later! In the meantime, here are some pumpkins I carved (from the fake foam pumpkins) and displayed in my classroom.

Field Sketch

david@dburkart.com — 2008-10-12T23:20:40-05:00

I am really digging plein air painting. I feel like I did in art school – painting straight from life and very spontaneously. It's a nice break from the illustration series that I am working on at the moment. Though, all the outdoor sketching I had been doing is paying off – the scenes in the illustration take place outside. And it was much easier to set up the backgrounds having painting so many trees, grass and landscape in the last few months. The trick is going to be the dinosaur (you'll see what I mean when I finish). In the meantime, let's enjoy a day at the basketball courts. I even captured a few young players too.

More Time Sketching

david@dburkart.com — 2008-09-28T21:09:12-05:00

We took the kids to the park yesterday. While they played, I sketched the playground they played in. Where are the kids, you may ask? Well, I'm pretty good at capturing people on the move in my sketches, but my kids move at the speed of lightning!

Adventures in Education

david@dburkart.com — 2008-09-27T11:12:58-05:00

In the midst of a presidential debate, a floundering economy, and global warming – what is it that I, as an art educator, worry about? Last year – my first year –was so valuable even though it was so challenging. There are things I learned that has almost become second nature to me this year. Classroom management is still a struggle, but new insight has given me a better outlook on how to handle many situations. It has given me more room to focus on individual students. And I have begun to discover some of the pain these kids must suffer in their lives – the things we as adults tend to forget that come along with being a child.

A lot of what I'm finding are children who need validation, attention, love and encouragement. I learned at the end of last year and over the summer that there are educators who believe that classroom management should deal very little with consequences. By that, I mean that if we took a more proactive approach – where we focus mainly on relationships, monitoring and encouragement – then consequences become less of an issue. So I am trying this approach this year and there is some truth to that theory. But there are a handful of students that I am focusing on that really struggle because they feel out of place everywhere else and thus carry that with them into my class. True, I only have students for 25 minutes at a time, twice to three times a week, but I still feel compelled to reach out to them. One in particular actually thinks that I do not like him at all. I've given this particular student a lot of thought this week. My personal goal is to reach out to him, to let him know that I do care. And I hope to see him try to make more positive choices. Because I get a feeling that few adults have really done that for him.

It also strengthens my resolve to become a better father to my own children. They are definitely more privileged than most of the children I teach, but there are universal needs that every child has – no matter their financial and family situation.

Struzan in Training

david@dburkart.com — 2008-09-24T20:31:50-05:00

Where has time gone? Since school started, I have been concentrating on classroom management, modifying my lesson procedures and plans and even starting an Art Club. It's going to be quite a year. I really hope the students get a lot out of what I have to offer this time around. Judging by their work so far, things are looking really good. At night, I have begun work on the series of illustrations centering around Molly and a friendly dinosaur (you can find the sketches in the sketches section). And speaking of unfinished work, I dug up an old drawing I did when I was 12. Looks like even back then, I had a fascination with Drew Struzan's work.

At Least Someone in This House is Doing Art!

david@dburkart.com — 2008-09-07T10:37:32-05:00

Well, I've got to hand it to Jacob. I set out some paints and paper, and he produces. Meanwhile his dad only manages to get one out of three 7x10 drawings transferred to illustration board. I'm thinking I may have Jacob start doing my art for me.
:)

Dual Passions

david@dburkart.com — 2008-09-06T14:43:46-05:00

I was wondering,what do people do who have dual passions?How do they keep themselves motivated to maintain both? For instance, I am a second year art teacher. I couldn't be happier with my career change. And it takesa lot of work to not only plan the days,but to inspire and manage children in a classroom. But I also love painting and drawing.I lead a second life as an illustrator and to be successful,one has to continuously paint and generate presence by self-promotion. Whew! What to do.... because what I SHOULD do when I get home from school is continue painting. But what I WANT to do is sleep!!

Impromptu Illustration

david@dburkart.com — 2008-08-22T01:54:24-05:00

It's a few days left before the weekend – then school starts. Being the art teacher, some of my colleagues will ask for a favor here and there to help decorate their room or hallway. This year, I am helping the first grade team by creating a hallway banner and t-shirt for their theme, "Dive into learning." I thought it would be a good opportunity to do an illustration. So, based on a concept from the 1st grade teachers, I came up with this in one sitting. It also gave me an excellent chance to try some different watercolor techniques.

I Don't Do "Cute"... or Do I?

david@dburkart.com — 2008-08-20T00:04:07-05:00

As the school year approaches, we as teachers gear ourselves up with workshops, staff development, lesson planning and room-readying. Today, I was at an art teacher workshop. Got to do some really cool activities that I can't wait to incorporate into my lessons. One of them was creating a design for a creature and then create its egg out of modeling material. Well, without visual reference, I am a lost illustrator. So, I experimented with doing something TOTALLY out of my head and leaned it towards "cute." I have never done "cute" before, so this is my very first attempt.

En Plein Air

david@dburkart.com — 2008-08-12T17:29:07-05:00

I've been on a real "en plain air" kick this summer. I think it's just been a nice break from painting from photographs. Nothing compares to painting from what you see through your own eyes rather than through a camera lens. I can see how colors and perspective can get distorted through a camera.

Today, we went to the pool with the kids and I took along my sketchbook and watercolors. It's not about details, as it is about shapes, composition and color. Not to mention, drawing and painting my 3-year-old daughter from life is a near impossibility.

Well, back to the lesson plans. School starts in 2 weeks!

Me, Myself and I

david@dburkart.com — 2008-08-06T10:39:02-05:00

Well, every now and then, I just gotta draw myself. Not to mention, I am a member of networking sites and I was tired of using the same old pic of me as my profile image. It was weird digging through my old photos and drawing myself. It was almost like I went back in time to see what I once was – and to see how some of those physical features are still apparent and how they were passed down to my children. There were times I wondered if I was drawing myself or one of my kids.

Yeehaw!

david@dburkart.com — 2008-08-02T10:52:39-05:00

I added a third illustration to "There's a Dinosaur in My Backyard" series. This one, the main character has made friends with the T-Rex and he takes her for a ride. As I said before, I would like to go back and flesh these stories out. Originally, the dino approaches her, then leaves. How boring is that? Anyway, next step: paint.

A Family Once Again.

david@dburkart.com — 2008-07-28T12:49:35-05:00

"With the danger behind them, Mother watched her two boys with pride as they finally got along."

I finally finished the tiger painting early this morning. I changed the title from "Mother's Pride" because I didn't want to give the impression that I was making a double entendre to a lion's pride. Anyway, as I keep "retro-writing" for my illustrations, I'm starting to get a little inspired to see some of these stories through.

Ahhhh! The Great Outdoors!

david@dburkart.com — 2008-07-22T16:45:01-05:00

Well, I'm back from Colorado. What a great time! I think to make vacations more enjoyable, you have to put as much into the journey as you do into the destination. We went as a family to see my brother-in-law and his family, and along the way, we stopped at The Great Sand Dunes, Lake City, Creede, Santa Rosa and even took the ole historic Route 66 back into Texas. I even had a little time to do some watercolor sketches at some of these places. It has been a long time since I painted outside. The colors are more vivid. You see things with your eyes and not a camera. And there's less restraint. I should do this more often!!

Like Riding a Bike

david@dburkart.com — 2008-07-11T01:48:36-05:00

It's been a while, yes. I spent the last week and two days doing some freelance work for the agency I used to work for. It was a surreal experience to be back in the saddle again – in front of a computer doing design production work. At first I was extremely nervous – it had been 9 - 10 months since I designed or produced anything. Not to mention, I hadn't seen my friends there all year – up until just recently. So it was a strange experience – not a bad one – just "dreamy." I equate it to visiting your home and neighborhood that you grew up in, having not been there for years. It's a different neighborhood, with different people, and your old home is painted a different color. It's not bad. It's just that things moved on. But it was really good seeing my good friends there again.

Now, I must prepare for a trip to Colorado. I'm excited – haven't been there in about 3 years. I just miss the wide open space, the mountains and the cool air. And what I really want to do this time around is some "en plein air." I've got my travel palette and watercolor pad ready to go. In the meantime, I have a quick painting I did with this travel set. From "Lord of the Rings" – Liv Tyler as Arwen.

Time Capsule

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-29T21:48:36-05:00

Today I was doing a little cleaning in my studio area (the place is a disaster zone) and found a folder. On it was my name and the words "science" and "math" on it. To best of my recollections, I used it when I was in 7th or 8th grade. But in it, I found pages of drawings and paintings I had done from the age of, I would guess, 8 to age 17. This one here is the earliest one – I know I worked on it with my dad for the Cub Scout troop I was in (that's his handwriting at the bottom) – it was for a fund raiser poster. Of course I had a how-to cartooning book that I was enamored with, and that's where the characters came from. What's funny is that I hadn't seen this drawing in decades and when I look at it today, I still remember the struggles I had with shape and getting the proportions the way I saw them in the book. I wonder where that book is anyway?

Oh yeah, the signature you notice at the bottom was the name I went by in my childhood. I'd thank you not to call me by that name now :)

There's a Dinosaur in My Backyard

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-25T23:25:45-05:00

The next set of illustrations I will be working on deals with a story I cowrote with some folks I used to work with. In my days in advertising, we had half-days devoted to strengthening our company's culture and understanding of its values. One of these days, our exercise was to work on a children's story – illustrate and write it. My group came up with this idea: a girl is playing in her backyard and discovers a dinosaur bone. Once she picks it up, she is met by an actual dinosaur. It was supposed to have the flair of "Harold and the Purple Crayon" where the object can transport the girl's imagination. It's been a few years since this exercise, but I still have the story, and have revisited it to re-illustrate it. In the original sketches, I used some stock photography for the girl's likeness, but wasn't really satisfied. (These sketches are in the "Sketches" section of the site). So I took some pics of my daughter and used her instead.

David and the Purple Crayon

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-24T22:20:28-05:00

As I was looking through my sketchbooks (when I should be sketching!!) I found some lost ideas, remnants of ideas that became something else entirely, and just some weird, sometimes dark, stuff. One ink sketch I found was an exercise I used to do for the illustration class I teach. The project was for a hypothetical children's book writers and illustrators conference whose theme was "magic." And I sketched a little ditty from my mind. You see, I haven't been doing enough of that these last few days – just letting my imagination run wild and letting my hand guide the pencil with it. Sometimes, I think I just need to make some time to relax and just draw. And when I did this drawing, I was doing just that – even if it was based on a class assignment.

Proud Father

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-19T00:06:50-05:00

Sometimes your kids do things that make you so proud. Maybe they score the winning goal, or get straight A's. My kids just draw and continue to impress me. First, on the left, is a drawing by my 8 year old son, Jacob. While I was working on the color scheme for "Space Boy," he brought me a drawing he did at school – from memory – of his color suggestion! He'd only seen my sketch once maybe twice! At any rate, I used his colors for the boy's shirt and the alien (it was almost purple!) On the right is from my 3 year old daughter, Molly. It is entitled "Molly" (Yes, that it her handwriting). Now she has the advantage of having an older brother who draws a lot – and she is learning quite a bit from him!

The Little Red Hen

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-18T09:44:31-05:00

One day as the Little Red Hen was scratching in a field, she found a grain of wheat.
"This wheat should be planted," she said. "Who will plant this grain of wheat?"
"Not I," said the Dog.

The painting – she is done. One thing I need to remember: don't buy cheap film frisket. That stuff just lets paint bleed under. I've used other frisket before without this problem. Now which part of the story should I illustrate next?

Red Hen revised revision

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-13T17:54:52-05:00

This has been a very good experience in adjusting eye levels. As much as I thought I was making the hound's eye meet the hen's, it just wasn't happening. So I went further and adjusted not only the eye, but the brow as well, and gave the pupil a little more white under it to further emphasize it's direction. I think I'm where I need to be to start painting!

Red Hen revised

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-12T23:28:43-05:00

I've taken this illustration to the SCBWI artists' forum and was given some advice. I think I like where this is going. At first, having the hen look like a hen with it's wild, non-focused eye didn't bug me. But engaging the red hen in the scene by having her look at the seed and the hound works so much better for me. Also, having the hound look up at the hen makes the scene work better in that it draws more attention to the seed and further engages the characters, and has them more anthropomorphized. If I like it enough in a few days, I think I'll start painting.

Next Illustration?

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-10T21:31:47-05:00

Right now I'm considering whether to finish painting "Mother's Pride" (see Sketches) or to put it on the backburner and finish this one: based on the story of the red hen. I'm thinking about changing the eye level on the hound to give the impression that he is looking up at the hen. But I almost like that he has that distant stare – like he doesn't care. Also, I may replace the single seed in her "hand" with a bag of seeds that say "seeds" on it. Right now, I wonder if people wouldn't know what that was. Hmmm...

Space Boy!

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-10T11:57:10-05:00

Here it is, in it's full-color glory.

First one out of the gate

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-08T20:04:42-05:00

Here's my first effort in over a year. It is based on a single sentence I wrote in my sketchbook, "As soon as he heard the noise, he donned his Space Boy Astro Helmet and grabbed his Space Boy Mega Ray Gun to investigate." Here's one of the final sketches before I started painting.

The first year

david@dburkart.com — 2008-06-08T10:23:12-05:00

Well, I made through the first year of teaching. To say the least it has been quite an experience. I've learned so much, and feel that I have so much more to learn. Now it's time to illustrate. (cracking knuckles) I may be a little rusty. Soon I will have a few sketches up of my latest endeavor. Until then…