Illustration XXXII : Random Acts of Creation

⬅  Check the illustration post before this, Illustration - XXXI

Hey, art people! Back with another dump from my digital sketchbook - a real mixed bag this time. Some client rejects, some do late-night experiments, and a whole lot of cats. Let's dive in.

That's What She Said

"What a shady thing to do to book a room to get laid... why did you book one with an AC."

This one emerged from a conversation that was too good not to immortalize. Sometimes the most random comments make the best art prompts.

I wanted to play with the contrast between intimacy and technology - how we're all just naked people staring at screens. The yellow frame against that blue background creates this weird artificial window effect that felt right for the subject matter.

Made this during one of those nights when the AC was actually broken, which added a layer of irony I'm probably the only one who appreciates.

Rejects from Another Client Project

Client work is a trip. This dude in his perfectly pressed suit was part of a corporate branding project that went in a completely different direction. The client wanted "approachable but professional" and apparently this guy was too... something.

I still kinda dig him though - that stiff posture against the gentle landscape. There's something about corporate art that fascinates me even as it pays my bills. Like we're all pretending business people don't have bodies or feelings.

Figured I'd give this rejected executive a second life in my portfolio. Every illustration deserves a home, even the corporate orphans.

Falling in Love in the Wrong Dimension

Ever fall for someone online? That strange space where you're physically alone but emotionally connected through a screen? This piece tries to capture that digital limbo.

Created this during a particularly exhausting week of long-distance whatever-it-was. Those yellow clouds against the pink sky represent all the daydreaming that happens when you're technically working but actually thinking about someone who exists primarily as pixels on your screen.

The blue blanket was a real one I had wrapped around me during most of this period. Sometimes the most honest art comes from just drawing what's actually happening.

Remains from the Inspiration from FFFFOUND

For the internet veterans who remember FFFFOUND - that legendary image bookmarking site that died in 2017. This piece is a little homage to the aesthetic it championed.

The simplified color palette and clean compositional style were directly influenced by hours spent scrolling through that site back in the day. Sometimes I miss the pre-algorithm internet where you'd find weird beautiful things without AI predicting what you'd like.

Drew this while thinking about how we all sit inside looking out windows, playing our little songs to ourselves. The divided window panes creating that grid against the landscape - that's pure FFFFOUND nostalgia right there.

Testing Project Gemini

This is one of those "what the hell is happening here" exploration pieces from when I was testing out Project Gemini. Sometimes you have to just let the stylus go where it wants.

The color distortion in the face against that blue body creates this weird sense of movement that I wasn't planning but ended up loving. The flowing red thing (scarf? cape? extruded consciousness?) just happened, and I decided not to question it.

AI is changing how we make art, but there's still something about the human hand making weird, impulsive decisions that no algorithm can replicate. At least that's what I tell myself at 3 AM.

Psychedelic Rhino

This technicolor rhino wasn't planned. Started as a brush test and evolved into... whatever this is. Something about the contrast between this ancient, armored creature and the acid trip color palette just worked.

Sometimes I wonder if extinct animals would be less endangered if they naturally came in these colors. Like, would we try harder to save purple rhinos than gray ones? Probably says something depressing about human nature.

This one's been surprisingly popular as a print. People really connect with neon wildlife. Who knew?

Cat Naps

Soon to be part of my... something

My ongoing obsession with how cats stack themselves on top of each other continues. There's something about their complete disregard for personal space that fascinates me - like furry liquid finding the path of least resistance.

This was pure observation - my two cats plus a neighbor's visitor creating this impossible pile on my couch. The stark black and white approach felt right for capturing just the essence of their shapes without the distraction of color.

This is actually part of a larger series I'm developing on animals that unconsciously create art with their bodies. More to come on that front if I ever get around to finishing it.

Sketchy Conclusions

That's the latest batch from my digital crime scene. No real theme connecting these except they all came from the same brain during the same month. Sometimes that's enough.

Working on some animation experiments next that might make it to Instagram if they don't make me rage-quit Aftereffects first. Also considering a zine collecting all the client rejects that have piled up over the years - would anyone actually want that? Let me know in the comments.

Keep drawing weird stuff,

— Your friendly neighborhood digital doodler who should probably sleep more

Check out the next illustration Blogpost,  Illustration: XXXIII  ➡