jason dwyer

Brand New Portrait

2012-02-09T13:52:00.000-05:00

Ever the attention seeker, the incorrigible actor/comedian Russell Brand has been popping up in the news again, this time for ending his year-long marriage/shag to pop star Katy Perry. The famously wacky bohemian Brit is known for his indulgent hard-partying lifestyle, as well as a series of high profile relationships. His marriage to Perry was always a hot topic, the media never really fully buying in to the image of him settling down. Despite being made famous for his debauchery, Brand has actually been drug and alcohol free for several years, and is also a meditating vegan. Just to really confuse people.

In doing a portrait of Russell Brand there is a certain quality about him that requires a little searching beyond the obvious. There's the frizzed up hair, peculiar outfits and the owl-stare eyes...but there's also the smirk of a possibly serious comedian always in the middle of a joke. I started out with a drawing inked with brush on rough paper to give a loose quality to the brush strokes and then overlayed some greyish digital colours, just building up the tones and texture. The drawing did most of the work, with lots of black in his hair and beard and after adding in a few props alluding to his debauchery, the portrait was complete.

Sketchbook Spreadventure

2012-02-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a sketchbook spread from last year. I find I'm attracted to sketching mostly real things like buildings and people more and more...it seems easy that way. Less thought more drawing. Sometimes it's worthwhile to inject some random out of the brain doodles into the creative routine, just to make sure the noggin is still working. Good ideas often ensue.

Michael Cho Sketches

2012-01-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for some retro-inspired brush work sketches, check out the work of Toronto cartoonist Michael Cho. He throws down some serious two tone gouache and ink works with some really well planned out interplay between light and darks. His style looks great with comic book characters and action heroes, and also brings to mind illustrations for paperback novels in the 50's. His best work includes more detailed renderings of Toronto's back alleys, to be published as a collection in an upcoming book from D+Q later this year.

Print Portrait

2012-01-19T13:47:00.000-05:00

This old print always pops into my head now and again...it didn't really turn out the way I wanted, but really probably better. Everything went wrong and there was some fixing up but the spontaneous accidents made it way more interesting. It's like Jackson Pollock used to say that there are no accidents in painting. Done during my do anything on top of old comic book pages period, and featuring a great pose, it's a real keeper

Great Google Graphics

2012-01-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

Aside from being a powerful search engine, and ignoring its current omnipresence makeover, a cool thing about Google is never knowing how the logo will surprise you. Since for many the Google homepage means the start of their day, the creative methods of incorporating artwork into the standard logo can really set a tone of creativity. Usually the graphic is changed up to mark a special occasion or event, though sometimes a new one just seems to pop up out of nowhere.

There are probably exhaustive archives from day one and huge groups of followers who track every version, but here are a few of my recent favourites. A Houdini version, done in the classic magic show poster style, an interactive version to do some deep sea diving in honour of Jacques Cousteau and Jim Henson's 75th birthday graphic, a wacky assortment of Muppets and buttons that do who knows what

Dictator-less 2012

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

As 2012 rolls in and a New Year dawns, millions of people around the world can be happy for many things. Among them, is the sudden lack of surplus in evil dictators, thanks in large part to a healthy thinning out in the Middle East through most of 2011. It just wasn't a good year to be a vicious, undeserving, ruling jerk, as we said good-bye to some longtime heavyweights including Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and North Korea's Kim Jong-il. As we cast their repressive memories into the sky, here's to a new year, and new possibilities across the globe.

Journey Into North Korea

2011-12-22T13:50:00.000-05:00

With the passing of North Korea's idiosyncratic dictactor, Kim Jong Il, it might be just the right time to give Guy Delisle's graphic novel, Pyongyang a read.

With its wonderfully simple pencil drawings, Pyongyang documents Delisle's extended stay in North Korea as a director for an outsourced animation team. Through humour and keen observences he explores the unique and often baffling society that is North Korea. With his trusty chaperone, Delisle experiences both the workplace and the "recommended" tourist sites, while doing his best to handle the culture shock. From amongst the backdrop of abandoned half-finished building projects and power outtages, endearing characters emerge...sometimes walking to work backwards as a form of exercise and other times hand-pruning grass in parks as a form of patriotism. Having gotten a glimpse behind North Korea's closed doors, something so few will ever get to do, Delisle does his best to pass on the experience, and Pyongyang does just that, in heartfelt and engaging fashion.

Oldie But Goodie

2011-12-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

Watching the Canadian mystery show Murdoch Mysteries has got me me thinking about how cool the end of the 19th century was. It was an exciting time, with life improvements happening rapidly, and a sense of anticipation. Sure they didn't know a couple world wars and a depression were soon to come, but they had some sweet bikes. Science was blossoming with many time-saving devices but yet to be overwhelmed by automation, electricity was gaining popularity, travel was becoming easier and HG Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mark Twain were writing away. Perhaps the most striking signs of the time period is the clothing. Women wearing impractical layers upon layers of dresses with decorative hats and men always in 3 piece suits with bowler hats, greased up hair and pocket watches. And people were decked out in these fine garbs, even if just sitting around their house relaxing. No stretchy pants, no t-thirts, just your Sunday best all the time. I tip my hat to the classiness.

Winter Blues

2011-12-09T14:03:00.000-05:00

The key to avoiding winter blues and lack of sun, aside from using a SAD lamp, I find, is just curling up with a good book and falling asleep. The long winter's nap! If you're lucky you can dream your way through the entire winter. Bears are pretty bright with the whole hibernation thing. Which brings to mind one of my favourite Christmas books, The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. Classic!

Over-Marketed Music

2011-12-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

Last night I noticed there was actually a Grammy award nomination and concert show on TV. An actual event for just the nominations. And it featured the same group of performers who will no doubt perform on the actual awards show. It seemed obvious that it was just an excuse to try and boost pre-Christmas record sales, but what really sunk in, was how the majority of musicians present were costumed, gimmicky and talentless, which seems to be the most marketable combination. It probably vanished a long, long time ago, but where did the old days go, where people just wanted to listen to good music and appreciate a performer without some over-hyped circus show personality?

Conference Mug Swag

2011-11-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

Doing design for objects other than the norm is usually fun challenge. Promotional products come in all shapes and sizes, and if you are slapping on more than just your logo there can be a lot of experiential things to consider. And don't forget that pesky technical requirements often work their way into the mix too.
In designing an "inspired conferencing mug" as a conference show giveaway I looked at a few different ways to make it an effective promotion. The slogan and doodles on a black mug, are carried over from an advertising campaign, so the overall branding is sound, and plays on the idea of a great conferencing venue inspiring great ideas. The interesting aspect is that while sitting at a meeting or conference with this mug, not only it is an advertisment and an object that will keep a viewer repeatedly engaged, but it may actually be inspirational on its own...leading to all sorts of doodles and brainstorming. Much more effective than just a plain mug with a logo.

Habibi Gets Heavy

2011-11-11T14:07:00.000-05:00

Talk about your big graphic novel! Both the size (672 page hardcover) and the magnitude (highly anticipated follow-up to mega-hit Blankets) put huge weight into Habibi, the new book by Craig Thomspon. The story follows a fantasy like love plot against a Persian backdrop and harkens back to traditional fairy tale adventures. Though not hard to get into, I think the writing was perhaps my least favourite aspect of the novel for a few reasons. First, the storyline constantly cuts away to mystical splash pages full of esoteric poetry and symbols which I think took away from just the overall simplicity of the tale. Secondly, the subject matter in general, exploring muslim and christianity faiths seemed excessive, and even self indulgent given Thompson's overt interest in religion. Save those few quibbles, it is still a good yarn none-the-less, just not what was expected and a big departure from Blankets.

The art, as usual from Thompson is stunning, and the hours that went into its creation are very evident. The trademark characters full of emotion and free-flowing brushwork are well suited for Habibi, and in many cases, steal the show. More than once I had to break up the reading flow, just to take time to full appreciate some of the gorgeous panels. The detail of the various middle-eastern patterns, clothing, architecture and calligraphy seem intensely researched and just as intensely rendered. The only drawback to all the fine detail being that sometimes the art style shifts over too close to realism, rather than keeping to the more comfortable comic book imagery through out much of the pages. Overall, reading Habibi was an immersing experience and well worth the time...I only hope it's not another seven years till Craig Thompson's next book.

Cooking Something Up

2011-11-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to have some fun and refresh the Copper Skillet guide for the 2011 competition. The Copper Skillet Competition is a yearly event held to determine who is the top conference chef, in Canada and the world. The Iron Chef type cook-off pits six chefs against each other, with half an hour to pull off a meal in a a high-pressure situation in front of a live crowd.

Physically, I wanted to change up the format from a standard brochure, to something more suited to the event. The new single fold tall style brochure, is reminiscent of a common menu shape, hinting at the culinary aspect of the competition. Printed on silk paper, the luxurious tactile quality is fitting for an event showcasing some of the world's top chefs. From a graphic standpoint, the brochure needed more flair and excitement. Focusing on the magical artistry aspect of a cook-off, I created a key main image, as well as some flourishes to give it a modern edge.

Motivation

2011-10-28T13:56:00.000-04:00

Here's a recent illustration for the current issue of WO Magazine. The article explores a woman's adventures in strength training class, and the motivational role the instructor plays. Exercising in a group setup is a good way to push yourself, for fear of embarassment, however sometimes you get more than you bargain for. I felt like trying something a little different with this artwork, and chose to go without inking, opting instead to use the original pencil drawing. Sometimes using a sketch can add a bit more energy to a piece, though I don't know if I would consider doing it regularly. On top of the drawing I added some digital colour, and a bunch of texture to give it a handcrafted feel.

The Early Bird

2011-10-04T13:57:00.000-04:00

Having been unable to sleep due to the inability to breathe through a wall of allergies, I found myself awake very early in the morning. I was up before the sun, and I think even before the birds. It kind of felt like I was experiencing this weird private earth quiet time, that humans really aren't supposed to be a part of. Like getting to see all the toys come alive when you aren't there.

The experience reminded me that ideas can strike at any time, out in the world when you aren't watching, or in your head while you're sleeping. I wanted to capture the moment so a few hours later when the sun started to come up I snapped some photos.

Billboard Bonanza

2011-09-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

Billboards are an exciting form of advertising that have held their own in the digital age. The opportunity to position your message in a high traffic spot, and not have to worry about distribution still goes a long way. Not to mention the esteem that comes along with your branding being out there, large and in charge for the world to see.

In designing a billboard campaign there are a few points I think important to keep in mind. First, the scale is completely different from typical advertising. The print will be huge, so details in retouching and letterspacing are important to be precise on-screen. And second, the billboard will generally not be right in front of a person's face, so the layout must be simple, with careful attention focused on bringing out the key element(s) first. The cool, yet challenging aspect to billboards is having a solid design that works for the entire campaign, so that people can recognize the different locations as being part of the same branding. In the series for The Club at White Oaks, I tried to do just that, promote an inclusive fitness club with an image and only a few words, while giving people a sense that there are more pieces to the puzzle.

Sketching and Drafting

2011-09-09T14:13:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick sketch out the window in Ottawa during a break from the hockey pool draft.

Happy Jack

2011-08-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

With the passing away of Jack Layton, it seems everyone suddenly has developed an orange crush. Perhaps it was the way he bridged the quintessential "everyman" persona with his work as underdog political leader that has connected with so many people...or perhaps it was the stache.

Hammer Time

2011-08-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

The Hammer isn't always pretty...or not really at all. But its years of decay and neglect as an aging industrial city do produce some interesting subjects to draw and paint.

Here's a view somewhere in downtown, done about five or six years ago. Painted with acrylic over a wax resist, along with xacto scratching, it takes on an interesting feel and texture, which seems to suit the grittiness of the area

Boots Made for Walking

2011-08-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a recently completed, digitally layered sketch based on a photo background from Little Italy in NYC. I thought the girl had an interesting sense of urban style, and drew up some quick line art. Then over the scanned ink drawing, there are some flat colours, texture, and some extra atmospheric colour. Without any specific intentions, I wasn't sure what would turn up at the end, but sometimes it's just more entertaining to not know when the end is or what the final results will be.

Happy Hour

2011-08-05T13:54:00.000-04:00

Happy hour sketching at Scallywags in Toronto, because it's five o'clock somewhere!

Bubble Gum Wars

2011-07-28T13:59:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how bubblegum companies have stepped up their game when it comes to packaging? While chewing some Wrigley's 5 the realization hit me that gum packaging has undergone a serious evolution. From just plain wrappers and childlike graphics, packaging is now stylish, sophisticated and costly.

Take the packaging for 5, which is constructed of luxurious heavy weight matte black stock, and features pretty much every special printer effect possible. Spot gloss, complex die cuts, embossing, foil graphics...it's all there. To round out the sophistication, each stick of gum is removed from the package like a cigarette. Like every other product out there, gum has caught up, and now expects you to be making a lifestyle statement by whatever brand you flaunt.

Cooking in Ramsay's Kitchen

2011-07-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

Fueled by his outrageously entertaining temper, along with his appreciation of the perfect dish, Chef Gordon Ramsay has lambasted his way into the hearts of millions of tv viewers. His fiery Scottish emotions within the context of food television seem to provide the perfect combination of coarse language, abrasive humiliation and not to mention, good food. Viewers all over the world tune in weekly to see one of his many shows including Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and Master Chef.

While he runs his kitchens like a drill Sergeant, Ramsay's oft witty remarks and constant smile peeking out from beneath his glare, lead me to believe he's actually a really nice guy. In painting him, I wanted to capture a bit of this inner warmth, lurking behind his tough guy exterior. As the rough sketch developed, the folds and wrinkles of his face began to take on the quality of a cuddley Shar pei and I began to see him in a new, faithful ol buddy kind of light. But a subtle sharp knife and some flames somehow made their way into the painting...it just seemed...fitting. Yes Chef!

Egon Gets Expressive

2011-07-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

In a bit of a portraity mood, lately, I've been flipping through the work of some of the great artists of the past, hoping their individual methods of dealing with subject and background would provide some inspiration. A figurative artist who I've always found both impressive and expressive, in a style all of his own, is Egon Schiele.

A controversial character from the the early 20th century, Schiele trained with Klimt in Vienna before earning gallery level recognition of his paintings and works. He caused a stir in the art world for his exploration of sexuality and was even briefly imprisoned, before dying at a young age of the Spanish flu. His large body of work in the figurative realm provides a glimpse into his emotional mind, with loose drippy brush strokes, twisted limbs and distorted figures and haunting self-portraits. Each portrait seems to capture a unique quality within the subject, while maintaining an open-minded treatment, helping to demonstrate the importance of painting not just what is seen, but also what is felt.

Colours Everywhere

2011-07-08T13:53:00.000-04:00

After I've taken a bit of break from major creative projects, I find that cool loooking things and inspirational colours can start popping up everwhere. Not that they don't always exist...colours, shapes and textures are always right in front of you, whether the mind notices or not.

I like to keep a bit of a mini sketchbook to keep track of these random bits of collaged papers and leftover paint marks that one might come across through the course of a day. It comes in handy now and then, and also lessens the amount of leftover paint that goes to complete waste. If you've never stopped to look at your workstation or palette after a painting or two is finished up, there's no time like the present. The intoxicating blend of scientific colour theory combined with random brush marks and splatters is a visual experience like no other, and a masterpiece in its own right.

Back in the New York Groove

2011-06-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Miami Ink tattoo guru Ami James is back, this time taking New York City by storm with a brand new crew. His dreamteam turns out some amazing work at the Wooster Street Social Club, including Tim and Tommy who bust out some spectacular master portraits. Several episodes of NY Ink have already aired on TLC, following their strong case to have tattoos appreciated as a higher art form. Of course all of the shop tears and drama are thrown in, which gets too be a little much at times, but some of the stuff these guys can do with ink and skin makes it worthwhile to check out!
Take a Tour of NY Ink with Ami

Fitness Heroes

2011-06-16T14:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes extraordinary people serve as inspiration for art and design. In this case, a magazine photospread, inspired by a group of people who's dedication to fitness and well-being is its own tale of triumph.

For the photoshoot each person was not available at the same time, so they were shot separately (by Stephen Dominick) and pieced together afterwards by me. Strong rim lighting against a black backdrop was used to give it that determined hero vibe. Afterwards, further dramatic lighting affects were added in photoshop, along with the background atmosphere.

What Is Authentic?

2011-06-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

I just got finished reading a real eye-opening book on the search for authenticity. The Authenticity Hoax, by Andrew Potter explores the concept of society's modern search for a truly authentic way of living. It's conclusion: if something is marketed as authentic, or you have to say it...it isn't. Through delving into topics such as tourism, politics, consumerism and philosophy, Potter exposes the search for the authentic as nothing more than exclusionary status seeking. It really caused me to stop and reconsider exactly why I make some of the choices I do, and if it is for the right reasons or not.

Of particular interest is the chapter that explores authenticity in art. For example, if after visiting an art gallery with some famous works, you found out that one was a forgery, it would be natural to feel cheated. Despite the fact the forgery was indistinguishable to you from the real thing visually, a painting's perceived value is that it holds with it a certain spirit of the moment, that doesn't exist in the fake. The chapter goes into detail about how the best art authenticators in the world mostly really on an overall sense, or gut feeling from a painting, as opposed to signature or lab analysis tests.

Another interesting theoretical question is the status of a piece if it has been remade based on an original. In the 90's, British shock artist Damien Hirst sold a work featuring a giant tiger shark in a case, pickled in formaldehyde. The tank had not been properly sealed and a decade later when the owner resold the piece, Hirst offered to recreate it and properly seal it this time. So the question remains, especially if the original was not destroyed...which one one is the real "Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" and which one is the fake.

Heavy Humidity

2011-06-02T16:27:00.000-04:00

Whenever the really hot summer weather in Ontario hits, and the humidty has you practically drinking your own sweat, it brings to mind tropical climates which deal with the relentless humidity year round.
But then, at least they get crazy ten minute rains several times a day to break up the heat and nice oceans to swim in aren't bad either. Here's a quick sketch of a typical Cuban farm house which, frightening to many, doesn't even have air conditioning.

Paddling Through Process

2011-05-26T14:37:00.000-04:00

Art always goes through different stages, starting from just an idea doodle, to something more grand and complete. That's one of the great things about creating...you get to watch a concept grow. Sort of like planting a garden, you get the seeds planted, toil away in the hot sun and eventually (hopefully) enjoy the fruits of your labour. Here is an inside peek at my creative process for a recent illustration in WO Magazine.
1. Idea Doodle
This is where the idea takes place and I experiment with different thoughts and compositions. It can be the worst most crude drawing ever...in fact sometimes I wouldn't even consider it a drawing. More like some basic mapping language.

2. The Drawing
Most of the work happens in the drawing stage. It involves fleshing out the idea into a recognizable form using your thoughts, reference material, and the overall vibe the drawing gives off. Once the composition feels right, I then go in with a darker pencil and finalize most of the details. Once complete I typically ink with a brush pen.

3. The Finished Colour Piece
In this case, I scanned the artwork and cleaned it up before adding digital colour in Photoshop. I'm often not sure what direction the colour will take at this stage, and just let it build up on its own. Sometimes I'll add in some finishing texture in this stage too, and then it's all wrapped up and ready to go.

Applied Arts Illustration Annual Hits the Stands

2011-05-16T14:11:00.000-04:00

Hot off the presses, is this year's Applied Arts Illustration and Photography Annual, the best lowdown for what's going on in the Canadian graphic arts industry. Overall, the slick matte cover gives off a good vibe, and there are some decent articles inside, as well as the actual photography and illustration award winners. I always feel there could be more illustration featured, but bias aside, at least the photography showcased is pretty amazing.

In the illustration section there are the usual suspects like Rick Sealock and Pol Turgeon, but surprisingly a lot of new faces and fresh talent, which is always good to see. My portrait of Drake, ended up in the portrait section on a spread featuring some other well done portraits including Forest Whitaker and Georges St-Pierre. Here are a few shots of the layout

Spring Returns

2011-05-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

The warm weather is back again, which for the many sketchers out there in colder climates means freedom. No more doodling in the car, or trying to draw without getting ink all over your gloves as you shiver (and swear). Park life is here to stay for next few months, so get out and enjoy the people watching and fill up your idea file and sketchbooks while you can. Fresh thoughts and inspiration are a great thing. Might still consider bringing an umbrella though.

Military Industrial Complex Rolls On

2011-05-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

As most of the world celebrates the death of Osama Bin Laden, I was reminded of an old painting I did, focusing on other, less benevolent foreign military ventures that the US has been involved with. In fact, once you sort through the full out wars, and the playful meddling imperialism of the 80's in Latin America, there seems very left in the way of positive results. More often than not, the U.S military is mixed up in business that it shouldn't be, and gets its hands caught in the cookie jar. But score one for the good guys. Yo mama osama.

Layering Ideas

2011-04-19T14:47:00.000-04:00

In painting you can't be afraid of an idea not turning out. Worrying about the end result of a painting before even getting started, has killed many a masterpiece before it got off the ground. It is important to remember that making art is a process, and that the process is often more valuable than what it actually produces.

Recently, I got to tackling a large 6' piece of cardboard, all the while feeling unsure about what I wanted to do with it. Initially, I had an idea about including a bunch of different sketchbook portraits. Once finished, I found myself not really thrilled with the result. After a few days away, I revisited the painting with fresh eyes and a new idea began to evolve, right over top of the old one. Much more in tune with what I had originally wanted to create, Average Shelf Life was born through the natural layering process, an organic creation that earned its right to exist.

Teeing Off on Tiger

2011-04-13T14:02:00.000-04:00

Over a year after learning of his well documented infidelities, media and fans alike, are still not shy when it comes to taking swings at Tiger Woods. And who can blame them really? Its one thing when a giant media personalities' private life is put under the microscope because they've done something really foolish but it's quite another thing when one of the legends of the game lets down his sport.

Largely credited with the astronomical rise in golf's popularity, and nearly undefeatable for the majority of his career, Tiger's best finish this year is fourth. Without Tiger at the top of his game, the average fan has nobody left to root for or against. Tiger's crummy play since the truth of his wild womanizing ways was exposed, has left golf grasping for anyone with a hint of charisma, to take on the ambassador role for the sport. Unfortunately it's like trying to find a VCR in the days of DVD and BluRay. Golf needs Tiger and until he gets his swing back, he's an easy target. Hopefully he doesn't cry himself to sleep at night.

Publish Post

Spring Birding

2011-04-04T13:43:00.000-04:00

The weather has finally warmed up, and along with it has followed a symphony of birds. It's their busy season, so pretty much any tree, wire, pole and fence has suddenly been adorned by one of our feathered friends. And they are actually easier to see now, without leaves on any branches yet. All of the usuals have been out and about, including an abundance of cardinals. There was a particularly tense stand-off this morning between a stubborn blue jay and rough-around-the-edges squirrel. Do desperate angry squirrels eat birds? hmmm. But as of yet this spring, the rare Weiner Dog Balloon Bird, has remained elusive.

Breaking Free

2011-03-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's good to work in a method you normal wouldn't consider the best for the project at hand. Breaking free of your creative routine is an important tool, not only in refreshing your artwork, but also in making new discoveries. If you just stick with what you know, then you will grow extremely familiar with that, but never actually grow as a whole.

Personally, I often find it difficult to disregard the "proper" methods of drawing and working, fused inside of me from schooling and experience. For example, no matter how much I try to draw like a child, it is never anything as unique, innocent and unrestrained as a real five year old would actually produce.
To break free, I like to just grab a random medium, and start to create, without any burden or expectation of producing something great. Shown here is a recent sketchbook doodle looking out the studio window, done in large pink oil pastel. The pastel specifically forced me to ignore details and realism and just draw away. It's certainly no masterpiece, but rewarding all the same.

Over a Decade of Web Presence

2011-03-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

Having recently done another personal website redesign, I wanted to take a peak backwards to see how far the web has come. And really, what a difference over ten years makes! I think my first website was about circa 1999 or so, and from then, I've had four illustration site versions, and two design site versions, before integrating them this year. There is only one version I can't seem to find any files for. Obviously my own design and web work has improved over time, since, thankfully, I'm not in high school anymore. My visual interests as well, have morphed, shuffling among infographics, doodles and clean advertising looks.

The most amazing thing though, is the speed at which web technology evolves. At first, there was nothing but plain html to set-up your website with. All tables and nothing but. Then along came Flash which was hailed as the heroic smasher of restrictive web chains. Then came all sorts of graphic heavy ways of slicing up Photoshop files to get something that actually looked cool. The real gamechanger of the past five years has been CSS. The ability to distinguish presentation from content, and lay an entire site out in a clean, unrestricted fashion and then make easy changes across the site is a remarkable development. Lately everyone has seemed to turn against Flash, but it's still going strong, along with countless other impressive technologies like Ajax, asp, Jquery, CMSs, blogging and social media. Throw the newcomer html5 into the mix and it's pretty much the wild wild web all over again.

Paint it Black-Awesome Inkers

2011-03-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts about comics, graphic novels and line art in general, is the feeling of a nice crisp black line. Or even, the startling amount of variation that can be achieved from a simple mark on paper. The way a drawing is inked can have a serious impact on how the final artwork ends up...it turns out inkers aren't just tracers after all. Interesting though, is the fact that much of the inking I appreciate most, happens to be done by the same person that did the pencil drawing.

FRANK MILLER

The master of film noir himself, Frank Miller, is a hugely influential inker with his Sin City series. Massive areas of solid black, and the ability to create a clear scene without any outline, show tremendous experience and talent. Before Frank Miller, I used to find it hard to focus on b/w artwork, but he lured me right in.

CHARLES BURNS

Such crisp and delicate, thick-to thin brushstrokes are a marvel of skill and patience. Light source plays a huge role in creating Burns' distinct brush style. Seriously, it must take him at least a day just to ink one page!

CRUMB

Noted for his somewhat old-fashioned scritch scratch cross-hatching style, Crumb's inkwork just seems to flow perfectly with his drawing style, and tales of his longing for the good ol days. It must be a slow process to build up his darks, but Crumb is mean man with a Rapidograph.

JAE LEE

Lee opens up new possibilities when inking for colour work. Unusual techniques like heavy toothbrush splatters and cutting back into inked solids with a blade, really add a unique and textured look to his already energetic pencils.

JEFF SMITH

In his work on the Bone series, Smith did a remarkable job keeping up a clean, consistent style. Excellent brush control and several levels of line variety and thickness, help to showcase the fantastical yet lifelike characters.

CRAIG THOMPSON

One of my inking favourites, Thompson's black lines seem to add so much emotion and depth to his work. As a result, the drawings always look fresh and unlaboured, like he just dashes them off effortlessly with his pocketbrush.

JEFF LEMIRE

The Canadian newcomer is quickly working his way up the respected ranks of comic artists and graphic novels with his heartfelt work. The art in his Essex County series shows control meeting insanity, as lines spatter, drip and weave all over, while never losing site of the overall drawing.

ADRIAN TOMINE

A study in the philosophy that less-is-more, Tomine creates visuals with subtle yet highly competent brush work. His inking creates depth and emotion, all while not even seeming to be there. And his colour work isn't half bad either!

Applied Arts Illustration Annual Winner

2011-02-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

I recently found out my submission has been chosen to appear among some of the industry's best, in this year's Applied Arts Photography and Illustration Annual. I'm particularly happy that I will be featured in the portrait category, which has always been a main area of focus for me. The portrait is of none other than Canadian rap star Drake, as seen in an earlier post.

The issue should be in stores by May, and the Winner's Exhibit is scheduled in Toronto for late October. You can check out the full post and winner's list on the Applied Arts blog.

Back at the Barnyard

2011-02-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

After buying an inversion table, I had a bunch of large cardboard lying around that I couldn't bear to recycle without attempting to repurpose first. Based on a blurry roadtrip photo, this painting of an old barn, seemed to make pretty good use of the material.

My idea was to harness the natural cardboard grooves and turn them into the wood planks of the rusting barn. Barns themselves can be quite interesting subjects to paint with the various shades and textures of weathering and degrees of decay. Though the scene is from a bleak winter day, I wanted to accent all of the cool grey and white with some warm colours popping around the composition, to generate a bit more interest.

Featured in the Standard...

2011-02-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

The expanded version of the article about my painting in the Tribune also ran in the St.Catharines Standard. Page two article, along with an unexpected cover inset. Here are a few screen shots of the layout.

Featured in the Tribune

2011-02-10T17:04:00.000-05:00

Check out the article in The Tribune about my painting purchased by the City of St.Catharines. The portrait of Bill Burgoyne Arena, exhibited back in the spring as part of the city's gallery show, seems to be striking a chord with a lot of people. Canadians do like hockey, after all.
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2970955

New Old Zehrs logo

2011-02-04T13:47:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a rebranding happens, and you find yourself wondering what exactly the point of it was. In general, spending a bunch of time/money to take a step in the wrong direction, or even worse, backwards, just isn't a good idea. The redesigned Zehrs logo now going up in store locations across Ontario, is feeling like of those big steps backward.

While the old logo and its typical grocer blocky typography could certainly benefit from a refresh, the new version is entirely questionable. It just doesn't really make sense...some sort of custom middle-eastern script fusion logotype that looks like one of the the fonts you get in the 10,000 free fonts packs. It doesn't feel very contemporary or have any connection to the fresh local market vibe that Zehr's interiors are going for. Then throw the old serif Markets which really doesn't fit in, and its one heck of logo grab bag. Should have just stuck with the old logo

Website Go for Relaunch-jasondwyer.ca is new and improved

2011-01-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

After several months in the making, the new website is finally launched. Featuring a ton of new portfolio content and a streamlined navigation system, jasondwyer.ca, is a new and welcome departure from the old site. I toyed around with several looks before going with clean and simple, which puts an emphasis on the work and not on the website.

One big reason for the redesign is that I wanted to include both my Illustration and Design work in the same website. Previously the two halves of me were kept separate, where as now I am just one creative entity. As my focus in art has been drifting into the fine art realm, that aspect has been given showcase room as well.

The other reason for the site redesign is that it has been a long time coming. The old sites were 2.5 and 4 years old, and a lot has changed in the web design world. I wanted to stay fresh with the new technologies and standards and have a web portfolio that is easy to update. The Bill Barilko artwork currently on the main landing page, is a tribute to how long it has taken to finally get around to making the changes. Not quite 49 years. but close enough.

www.jasondwyer.ca

For Whom the Bell Tolls

2011-01-21T16:09:00.000-05:00

Back in the day, church bells were sort of like a Facebook event invitation. It was the only way to easily communicate to a whole village that an event was taking place. In the current era, if you live in a neighbourhood with a lot of churches, they are really just more of a loud cuckoo clock. Still, it was kind of peaceful, one grey winter afternoon, to watch the snow fall to the sound of the bell tolling.

Resort Giftcard Au Naturel

2011-01-14T14:01:00.000-05:00

Just released for the new year is the redesigned White Oaks Resort Giftcard. The look, which strays from the typically over-extravagant giftcard packaging, is based on the five-star properties' recent campaign of natural excellence. Sometimes simple and understated is the way to go. Flower imagery is used throughout the project and campaign to underscore natural beauty. To continue the green friendly theme, the outerholder is printed on post-consumer recycled craft stock with one colour vegetable based ink. The simple one-fold cardholder tucks into an envelope, for minimum packaging waste.

Alien Abduction in the Backyard

2011-01-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

There's something about fog that can instantly change the way a scene looks, and throw the mood into something right out of an eerie sci-fi flick. Though possibly (but unlikely) just the product of my over-active imagination, these long exposure photos I captured from my window at night, seem to give direct evidence of a UFO landing and abduction. The truth is out there.

Tops of Ten

2011-01-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

As the door hits the year 2010 in the butt on its way out, it allows a few seconds to pause and consider the year that was. The following is my list of notables from what is now last year.( I like to include items in the year I discovered them, not necessarily in the year they came out)

BEST VIDEOGAME: Kinect Sports
The Kinect has revived my interest in gaming, which typically revolves around either the latest hockey or basketball game. It provides a great physical workout, an exciting new world of interactivity, and some of the games in the sports package like beach volleyball seem pretty real and are certainly fun to play.

BEST FICTION BOOK: Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby (2009)
A quality yarn by one of Britain's best about a reclusive rock star and sinking relationships. Became a real page turner for me, with quirky characters and some humorous insights.

BEST NON FICTION BOOK: Fidel Castro: My Life, A Spoken Autobiography (2009)
At over 700 pages, this book certainly backs up Fidel's reputation as a born speaker. The transcribed version of a rare lengthy interview, casts light on the history and philosophies of the longest ruling country leader. Fidel seems to be fairly honest in his appraisal of his life, often critical of himself, and manages to share some intriguing stories. I enjoyed the read because it is free of Western World bias, who rarely mention that Cuba's life expectancy rate is now higher than the US and its literacy rate is the highest in the world, thanks to El Presidente.

TV SITCOM: Cougartown (2009)
I didn't think that a show staring post-Friends Courtney Cox would be funny at all. Joey certainly wasn't. But with a cast of zany characters full of relationship woes, somehow it turns out to be surprisingly funny. Always unpredictable, the redneck ex-husband Bobby continuously cracks me up.

TV DRAMA: Lie to Me (2009)
Though it already has three seasons under its belt, it took me a while to discover and get into Lie to Me. It offers an interesting mix of forensics, mystery, tech and crime, and follows the Lightman Group who are individuals highly skilled at detecting lies. Dr. Lightman's twitchiness takes a little getting used to.

MOVIE: The Hangover (2009), The Last King of Scotland (2006)
An interesting contrast in selections here, and clearly neither movie was actually seen the theatre.
The Hangover had me giggling non-stop and really upped the bar for buddy road trip comedies, following up I Love You Man, to become the new Old School. The Last King of Scotland, based on the book by Giles Foden, is a disturbingly realistic(though a good chunk is fiction) look inside the brutal regime of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, as seen through the eyes of a Scottish missionary doctor.

MUSIC: Motion City Soundtrack
I found something catchy in this good ol rock band out of Minneapolis. Their album, My Dinosaur Life, has some solid songs backed by decent lyrics, and could be described as a punk sounding Ben Folds. Or as the the band once remarked, they may even fit into the category of "Scrabble Rock".

GRAPHIC NOVEL: Skim by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki(2008)
I did a full review on Skim earlier in the year, and it really held up as my comic choice for the year. Set in the 90's, it follows the life of an angsty outsider at a catholic high school, and features some awesome black and white art.

NEWS STORY: BP Oil Spill
Of course not actually a good thing to have happened, this environmental disaster was huge in a bad way. It dominated the news for months, and its repercussions will be felt for years to come. Corporate irresponsibility finally seemed like it was going to be done away with, and huge oil companies were going to be held accountable for all their misdeeds. But then suddenly the media kind of lost interest. Does that mean everything is cleaned up over there?

DISAPPOINTMENT: Lost Series Finale
Seriously? The show was built up over so many years, with a masterful mix of science, theology, humanity, action and suspense, and produced, I'm sure, the career performances for many actors. And then with about ten minutes left in the finale, I realized that I had been watching loyally for six seasons, and that absolutely none of the mysteries they weaved were going to be resolved. I can't believe they pulled a veritable grade school writer's craft "And then I woke up." Anyone can create suspense and mystery if you never have to explain it. What a waste.

More Than Just a Number

2010-12-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

Straight outta the TDot, and backed by his pseudo street cred earned on the streets of Degrassi, Canadian rapper Drake continues to flex the boundaries of international stardom. Rarely does a musician from the Great White North, successfully make the leap into the U.S. market, but it seems to be no trouble for this actor-turned-rapper. Aside from the Bieb and Drake, it doesn't seem like anyone else from Canada is even making a dent over the border. Aided by a host of big name collaborators, there's no telling how big this Young Money heavyweight will get. However the machine works, Canada doesn't really seem to get this whole complex music promo starpower thing. Which is actually kind of nice.
Portrait done in watercolour on rough board

World Junior Hockey Time

2010-12-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

As the final 22-man squad for the Canadian World Junior Hockey team has been announced, it brings to mind, yet another little thing that the holiday season is great for. I have some very fond memories of classic games that I've gotten to take in over the years, and certainly for me, the tourney is a can't miss.

Here's a sketch I did of the good ol Canadian boys while watching a game last year. It was inspired by some highly entertaining colour commentary, which itself is worthy of analysis from sport to sport. Hockey and it's tough sounding strange terms, golf and its whispered commentary, or the beautiful game and its highly critical hosts. "That was a horrendous effort. Really should've done better for himself there. There's no room for utter despair like that on that pitch. He's brought shame not just on his family, but his entire country with that poor display of an excuse for football."

Word Games

2010-12-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

Randomly scouting large words in the dictionary, sometimes can produce an interesting find. As in this case, I stumbled across a word "defenestration", which is the act of throwing something or someone out a window. A word that says so much, with so little, deserves at least a quick collage. It also helped in the comprehension of the jeopardy category, Defenestration in Cinema.

The Weather Outside is Frightening

2010-12-01T13:31:00.000-05:00

This year Mother Nature kindly waited till the first of December, to provide the Christmas season's inaugural snowfall. But soon enough, the streets will be covered in the familiar mass of powdered white, slushy grey and hectic holiday shoppers, all muddled together in one big mess.

Snow is one of those painful things to paint...I like to lump into the snore category along with clouds and trees. Not surprising then, that I had to venture back about ten years to find a painting of a full winter scene. This one, of the downtown bus terminal area, was done in watercolour on rough paper, and captures well, the cold grey of midwinter.

Biebonic Plague Takes Hold

2010-11-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

Not that enough of the Bieb is ever really enough, but amazingly the pop powerhouse continues to strengthen his grip on the hearts of teenage girls around the world. His latest pandemic exploits include taking home four American Music Awards over the weekend, beating out the likes of Usher and Eminem. While garnering awards for being best of the worst, is not exactly impressive, it does show that the momentum of his hair cannot be stopped. Which is why, on the strength of his fan-blown hair alone, I pieced together a redeux, of my first Bieber portrait.

A Royal Affair

2010-11-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

To coincide with the media behemoth that is the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton, I thought I'd dig up up something suitably royal and British. Instead, all I could find was this aristocratic ostrich lady, drawn in pastel on toned paper.

Travel Sketching

2010-11-10T13:58:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that traveling is a great time for sketching...I count myself among the many that find an influx of new visual information, leads to to some productive doodling. Out of the ordinary architecture, fashion, signage, people and food, are all great fuel for creativity. Airports are an especially great place to get some sketching done, with time to kill, and a lot of people immobile for hours at a time. Here are some pages from Havana, New York and San Francisco.

Etch A Sketch 2.0

2010-11-03T13:49:00.000-04:00

In a modern twist on the classic Etch A Sketch creative ethos, customizing and modding products via laser etching, is fast becoming an intriguing method of self expression. People on the internet have even raised money to purchase their laptops by selling corporate logo space on an entirely logo covered case etching. There seems to be very little limitation, as to what is possible.

In order to intrigue clients, and further the resort branding, White Oaks Resort decided to set-up its sales team members with some laser etched laptops of their own. To try and keep it from being too corporate and unremarkable, we planned a design based on a butterfly and nature, which is a recurring theme throughout the resort branding. After delivering the artwork, we expected to get the engraving back, showing as a darker grey on the silver. As it turned out, due to the aluminum casing type, it actually came out engraved as white, which ended up increasing visibility. Overall, the etching came out nice and crisp, and seems to be an effective little mobile advertisement.

WO Magazine Fall Fitness issue

2010-10-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

Recently published in WO Magazine, is an illustration of mine about proper gym manners. Accompanying an article which broaches such delicate public fitness subjects as muffin tops and bodily fluids, it features your nightmare workout scenario of being stuck between two unbearable gym members. This art was done in ink with digital colour, contrasting a different set of photo illustrations I did for another article. I managed to contribute some design in this issue as well, including the LIV and Play restaurants recipe centre spread.

Need More Input

2010-10-07T13:53:00.000-04:00

In a world filled with knowledge, facts and numbers, a person can feel more than a little lost, trying to interpret all of the data and turn it into useful information. Infographics serve to bridge that gap between a whole lot of data, and an easy to understand image, that provides you with a concise summary of what you really need to know. Though not something most people stop and consider, the creation of an infographic involves the pairing of some serious brain effort, with visual flair, and one well done, is a thing of beauty.

Popularized in the current media by tech-savvy publication, Wired, the infographic look is a current trend in design that shows no signs of letting up. A great website for all things infodesigny is FlowingData. The blog is run by a data junkie, and features all things informational. Recent images include Winning Paper, Rock, Scissors strategy, Muppets Name Etymology and How a Giant Shark Took Down an Airplane. Some graphics are more useful and serious than others, but it's definitely worth checking out.
Flowing Data

East vs West in Orange

2010-09-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

Inspired by the orange brown colour scheme of the new living room, I could feel the creation of an orange painting was only a matter of time. Done on a horizontal gallery canvas in acrylic, East vs West began just as an an abstract mix of colours. On top of that, I layered another round of abstract colour, keeping the brushstrokes more defined and unblended. Feeling ok with that stage, I dropped on with oil pastel, two different line drawings. There is a New York scene done in light colour, and a San Francisco scene done in darker grey. Both drawings merge with each other to create an interesting visual collage. Depending on if it is brightly lit or dim, only one city sketch pops out from the mass of orange.

Mr.Dressup Craft Time

2010-09-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

In the spirit Mr. D, I had a hankering to get some bad-ass crafting done. Not feeling like making a costume out of scrap bits of flooring, or a tin can phone between me and anyone near me in the neighbourhood, the logical choice was a theme painting. And every room needs a Wise Old Owl.

I scouted out value village for a good aged wooden frame, with a canvass board already in it. Then I just starting painting Mr.Owl from a some video clip reference sketches. I friendlied him up a bit, since as far as owls go, he's pretty disturbing. Now if only I could figure out a way to have his eyes droop shut when he gets tired.

Kool Koren Shadmi art

2010-09-10T14:07:00.000-04:00

The more I look at his art, the more Koren Shadmi's work grows on me. The Brooklyn based illustrator has been busy lately, turning up in major magazines across North America. His style is a nice blend of line art with watercolour on rough paper. This combination seems to work well, combining texture, colour and quality drawing with interesting metaphors and concepts. I'm particularly interested in checking out out his foray into graphic novels, IN THE FLESH, a collection of short stories and poems, published by Villard.
www.korenshadmi.com

Gun Show 2010

2010-08-31T13:52:00.000-04:00

As the summer comes to a close, I thought a little tribute to the hot sun of '10 would be in order. An image that captures the spirit well, is this drawing of my buddy R.T., pulling off one of his infamous pool party gun shows.

Seeing how he is a huge Frank Miller fan, and I've always been influenced by Frank's carefully crafted film noir inking style, that's how I did up the art. Not to mention there is a strange resemblance to Marv, from Sin City. Since I'm big on adding textures, I also did another take as a vintage screen print.

Grass Roots Photo Shoot

2010-08-18T14:02:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I began an ongoing project with AMD artist management, helping with their promo materials for local musician Kevin McGowan. His sound is a back-to-basics acoustic folk rock infused with introspective lyrics. To capture this earthy vibe, we headed up to some hiking trails to snap some photos and get some visuals to work with. A key ingredient to the photo shoot was showing up at the right time to capture the golden sunset lighting. Kevin proved to be a natural rock star, and after a couple hours of hiking around with his guitar, we managed to get some pretty decent shots.

Bieber Fever

2010-08-06T13:59:00.000-04:00

Nobody is really too sure how exactly this kid has managed to skyrocket to fame and exactly how long it will last, but it's safe to say he's on the clock. Something about puppy love songs sung by someone who can only marginally sing seems to lend itself to a short popularity span. Just ask Aaron Carter.
But for now he is pre-teen pop's golden boy.

Orange Duet

2010-07-28T13:56:00.000-04:00

In this quick little painting in acrylic, I set out to paint a city sunset, without the sunset. I wanted to challenge myself to think more about positive and negative space, rather than than true colours and a black outline. In keeping with orange hues, it basically reduces the image to a series of layered silhouettes, while dropping the late evening-sun going down on the city vibe. And of course a romantic couple is the perfect subject to include in such a painting. This was based on a series of reference photos taken in Toronto.

Commercial Crazy

2010-07-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

Despite working in advertising, I tend to have a low tolerance for it. I can't really stand listening to the radio and almost always just completely tune-out during tv commercials. A few recent campaigns have been managing to bypass my security and dig their way into my likable list though. I can't seem to decide which I like better, the Old Spice "smell your man" tv commercials by Weiden + Kennedy, or the Ally banking commercial series featuring children being ripped off, by Bartle Bogle Hegarty Ltd.

The Old Spice commercials are just completely zany and unexpected, which works perfectly with the rapid delivery lines. Basically, a man's man guy is demonstrating to ladies that by getting their men to use Old Spice, their hopeless men will suddenly become like him. His romance novel qualities include having tickets for that special boring event, diamonds everywhere and yachting. Oh, and he's on a horse.

The Ally bank feature a series of children getting angry at being ripped off and tricked by the evil other banks, of which Ally is not. The best one is a kid playing getting to play with a toy truck for a few seconds, before it's taken away and replaced with a crappy cardboard version. All because he didn't read the fine print. The look on this kid's face is priceless.

Octo BBoys

2010-07-08T13:47:00.000-04:00

While hanging around the ultra-touristy pier area in San Fran, I was treated to my first live dance crew performance. A group of about 6 or 7 guys from across the Bay Bridge in Oakland, materialized with a ghetto blaster and some pieces of cardboard and began to throw down some moves. A few had some skill and the others were fairly sub-par, but all were full of bravado and racial trash-talking. They didn't hesitate to start asking for donations of twenties from the crowd.

I snapped a series of photos on burst mode of some of the dancers, thinking it would make some interesting action shots. With a little layering and masking in Photoshop, it turned into a crazy multi-limbed bboy creature.

Hey Everybody

2010-06-22T13:51:00.000-04:00

It's your boyfriend George.
George Stroumboulopoulis, host of CBC's The Hour

Applied Arts Illustration Annual Let Down

2010-06-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

Always excited upon receiving mail, I quickly perused the 2010 Applied Arts Illustration and Photography Annual yesterday, after tearing it out of its packaging. That was about the high point though, as things went downhill from there. In summary, the entire issue was a big disappointment for me.

First, there is barely any illustration in the annual. 15 mere spreads. Compared to previous years, a ghost of its former self. This issue is much heavier on the photography, which I don't mind, except I never would have ordered it, much less paid $25 for it. And even worse, there aren't even any articles in this issue. That's pretty sad.

To compound the problem, the illustration included is not all that exciting. Nothing jumps out as being really solid or innovative. A handful of the usual talent, along with a pile of stuff that mostly just reminds me of stock illustration.

What really got me was the presentation. All of the art is presented in dull small boxes, despite the switch over to some kind of grotesque large format vertical magazine. If you go through the trouble to make a magazine an awkward, unusual size, then it should probably be for a reason. And as my final complaint...the magazine was redesigned to feature CMYK printer registration colours. A graphic arts magazine using the CMYK...now that's not too cliche and overused

More than a Skim

2010-05-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

I was recently in a comicky sort of mood and picked up the graphic novel Skim. Quicky, I found myself with a real page turner on my hands. The Canadian coming of age story written by Mariko Tamaki with art by cousin and illustrator, Jillian Tamaki proved to be a very well put together book, and worthy of the numerous awards it has garnered.

The content and feel of the writing is reminiscent of a female version of Craig Thompson's Blankets, as we follow the lives and heartbreaks of several teenage girls in high school. Taking place in the mid 90's, full of drama and even a little witchcraft, the story offers an intimate and accurate look into being an outcast and adolecence. Mariko writes with a poetic flare, working in unison with Jillian's delicate artwork.

Having seen Jillian's colour illustration work, I was not surprised to find how well it translated into a black and white graphic novel. Her linework pushes the boundaries of loose sketchiness, while at the same time being entirely purposeful. Some of the female characters are full of unique life-like qualities but even more stunning are the double page landscapes that come up every so often. I think both the art and the writing do a quality job of recreating the feel of growing up in the 90's and would highly recommend Skim as a solid read.

Subtle Cereal

2010-05-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

Packaging can make or break a product, crowded along the shelves with millions of other alternatives, crying out for attention. More often than not, this importance is reflected in the quality of design that goes into the packaging, as well as the budget behind it. Some of my favourite places to check out fresh packaging ideas, are Winners and Homesense. These places have lot of products that people don't really need, but they might buy if they get snared by appearance. I often find myself really excited about a set of flatware, because of its luxurious packaging, even though I have no interest in the actual product.

A nice example of unique, fancy packaging is this box for dorset cereals. Grainy type cereal is a dull sell, but the packaging makes it seem a bit more luxurious. Decent colour combos and simple typography compliment the die-cut window and foil stamped logo. The paper type used for the box even has a textured feel to it. Not that I dislike the zany packaging in the kid's cereal aisle but when every cereal looks the same, sometimes doing something different is worth the risk.

Tennis Thang

2010-05-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of WO magazine has hit the shelves and has a few of my illustrations in it. This one is for an article on how tennis always looks more fun and easier than it actually is. I very much agree on that point, as I've found tennis to get more enjoyable as my skills have increased.
This art was done in watercolour and ink. The other illustration I contributed was digitally done and accompanied a story on long distance treks.

Having Fun with Green

2010-04-28T13:37:00.000-04:00

I felt that the one of the classic high-five sequences deserved some artwork. If you ask me, "cut the pickle, tickle tickle" is way better than "on the roof, you're a goof." But that's just me.

Upcoming St.Catharines Juried Exhibit

2010-04-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

I have a painting that will be showing in next month's 6th Annual juried art exhibition at St.Catharines city hall. My painting Hockey Shrine was chosen to be among the thirteen local artists showcased. This year's theme is Shoot High-Go Low:Art & Sports in St.Catharines, with the show running May 20 - August 13, 2010.
This painting is a portrait of Bill Burgoyne Arena, an older venue which still houses all of the Kiwanis hockey in the area. Since I spent much of my youth playing hockey there, it holds a lot of unique memories, and I wanted to capture a bit of that in the work. I guess I wanted to say that while it's not a new jazzy four-pad arena, there is still plenty of community spirit inside. Hockey Shrine was painted in acrylic on canvas, over some old collage hockey photos, with a heavy gloss varnish.

Geometric Stream of Conscious

2010-03-30T13:48:00.000-04:00

All artists and creative folk eventually come face-to-face with the nightmarish scenario of a blank page and no thoughts to fill it with. A solution to this lack of timely inspiration, that I came up with many years ago, is the geometric analysis doodle. Basically, you just look around, and start drawing everything you see in the room you're in. Electrical wires, lamps, dressers, stereo components...anything will do. Just get yourself drawing, and feel the pen on the page. The trick to this stream of conscious doodling, is to reduce everything down to it's basic forms, patterns, and shapes. Try to keep most of your lines straight, using only the occasional curve. It turns out to be a bit of a lesson in industrial design. With layering different shapes on top of each other, you add depth and visual interest, and produce some intriguing results.

I always thought some of these doodles would make a cool painting, transferring them over from line art, to colour fills. Though painting flat colours in hard-edged shapes, is a far-cry from something I would list as fun for me, after years of procrastination, I finally sat down and painted one.

Subtle Colours

2010-03-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

One of the things I've been trying to pay more attention to, is how colour sets the mood for things. I mean, reds and blues are obvious, but what about all the subtle colours and shades and pastels in between. The more you think about mood within the composition, the more it becomes a whole image and not just a series of things put together.

I've also been experimenting with how texture can contribute to the feel of a piece and add some interest to it. Especially with digital colour, having something other than flat shades can spice things up but texture can go even further. Misting, grit, pattern...anything can be useful in setting the atmosphere. My current favourite is controlled speckling!

Sketching Away

2010-03-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

Here's a new watercolour city sketch from not long ago.Watercolour is something I wish I would squeeze more time in for with sketching and painting. It always seems to be the odd man out, falling between large paintings on canvas and sketching in ink brush. It's always a great way to keep a work spontaneous, whatever the project is. I find it to be one of those rare mediums that is able to tell you itself, when the painting is finished and you can put the brush down and relax. Not to mention watercolour is great to throw on some sketches to give them life, and can go with you wherever you go.

New Landing Page Has Landed

2010-02-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

Having been adding more web components to my site, I thought it would would a good idea to add a landing page to jason dwyer.ca. It made sense, since it's my main web focus, featuring my illustration, and it's the most likely domain to pop up on a search engine. Now a new visitor will be able to choose right off the bat between the design, illustration and blog portals, instead of having to find the links in contact sections. Hopefully it will enhance the user experience, and get a little a little cross-traffic happening. Eventually I'll just redesign everything in some nice fluid css, but until then...

Flying Ace Eustace

2010-02-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Every year The New Yorker runs a contest for cartoonists around the world to submit their own version of the iconic Eustace Tilley character. Always entertaining, some of the submissions take full advantage of the wide open ended rules, and draw up some very creative stuff. Basically, as long as there is a character of some sort in a side profile, looking at something, it fits within the boundaries.

I decided to do a take on the old flying aces, with their distinctive goggles and leather bomber coats. Something about the New Yorker just reminds me of the days when intrepid adventurers would take on the world. Working on Eustace was a fun little break and allowed me to work on a subject matter I normally wouldn't have.

T Squared for VDay

2010-02-09T13:55:00.000-05:00

In honour of the upcoming big day of February 14th love, I thought I'd share a recent drawing of young Hollywood heartbreak at its best. Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift dated for all of a few months before calling it quits. Was it the pressures of fame and being an "it" couple, or the frustration of never knowing exactly which one of them was being referred to when screaming fans yelled "Taylor!". Only time will tell.

Perfect people are always tough to do portraits of, without there being much to exaggerate, except their perfecteness. So that's what I did here, with perfect white teeth and sparkling eyes, along with a warm colour scheme, to add to the romance.

West Coast Panorama

2010-02-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

I finally finished up a panorama of the PCH, taken from a great lookout a little ways out from San Francisco. I'd been chipping away at it for a while and was really craving to see it complete. I've included the before and after images, to show what I was working with. I find Photoshop and other programs never really give a decent piece together on any automated settings, so I set all the photos out and line them up as best I can, peeking with transparency. In this case, I used at least 6 photos, to make it a nice long stretch.

In theory, for panoramas, all the photos should be taken on a manual exposure so the colour and especially the sky will always look the same in each frame. I just fired off some quick photos in sequence, and brought on the extra work...but I guess I enjoy the challenge. After layering things together I synched up the colour as best I could. The most time consuming part was filling in all the missing areas and correcting all of the bad overlaps. I find the key to adding in new chunks is just copying and pasting in chunks from other parts and then using clone and paint to blend it in. Just using the clone tool doesn't work for large areas and creates too much blur. Once everything was patched, I droppped in another whole sky to try and smooth it out, and then merged and adjusted the colour for the whole photo.

Prepare to Paint

2010-01-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

With the arrival of the new year, and the cold winter months, came an increased yearning to get down to some serious painting. It's an easy thing to put off, when busy with other drawing and design projects, but I plan on making an honest effort to be more productive in the painting department. Specifically what I have in mind, is a collection of paintings on large, same size canvasses, focusing on a similar subject matter. A bit of a new idea for me, given my usual preference is to paint whatever I have in mind, on whatever is available. In gearing up for the storm of painting, I made the drive down to the local DeSerres art store (not so local, since after moving the closest one is 45 minutes away), and took my time perusing the store. All in all, it's a pretty spectacular place, and pretty much impossible to come away from empty handed. I stocked up on some serious tubs of paint and a stack of canvasses, and am pumped to get going. Here's to a new year of creativity!

Smith Family Dentistry Business Cards

2010-01-12T09:25:00.000-05:00

Recently, the Smith Family Dentistry business cards came in from the printers. Featuring a crispy cool blue look, the set was double sided two color printing on matte stock.
A unique dental practice, with three Smith family members as dentists, I first started the project with a logo design. Playing on the theme of their family- helping your family, and the feel of a local neighbourhood pharmacy, we decided to give a modern spin on a family crest. As well as differentiating it from other dentists, it was a good way to stay away from the overused cliches of the tooth care world, like toothbrushes and teeth with smiley faces. After the logo, it was a matter of extending the new look, into other identity items, keeping everything clean and spacious, yet friendly and approachable.

All Out Portraits - Derren Brown

2010-01-04T14:05:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across a guy out of the UK doing some great portraits. I'd never heard of Derren Brown before, but he paints some sweet wacky celebrity portraits, very much in the vein of Sebastian Kruger. He's got all the UK and Hollywood heavyweights in his gallery, my favourites include Edward Norton and Juliane Moore. Brown's work features some pinpoint realistic details along with a finely developed sense of exaggeration and colour. As it turns out, Derren is actually a fairly famous magician and illusionist, having had several tv shows and specials, and finding time to fit painting in somewhere between all that. Check out more of his work at www.derrenbrownart.com

One JoBro Down, Two to Go

2009-12-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

A portrait of the JoBro's, in honour of the oldest one being married off. I don't know his name, or any of their names, because they are more of just a total group entity. While their star power may be slightly diminished, the JoBros will continue to set young girls hearts a flutter and produce forgettable pop songs for at least several years to come. Here the JoBros are portrayed as a three-headed media monster, because together they are strong, but on their own, completely unmarketable.

Busy Elves

2009-12-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

When I was younger I would always get really excited about doing a special project over the Christmas season. The holiday decorations and items would all come out of storage somewhere, and I'd dive into the books, like Ted E. Bear Saves Christmas, the Honeybears, Tolkien's Father Christmas Letters and the Grinch. Eventually I would get inspired, and go into production mode, writing and illustrating some Christmasy thing, often a book, and more often than not, getting stalled on the perfect title page. One year when I was 12, I burned the midnight oil to have my own illustrated version of Night Before Christmas, done before the big day and actually succeeded. Perhaps the sign of a budding workaholic or maybe just someone who liked Christmas, I'm still very proud of that one. With text written out in typewritter serif and alternating red and green each letter, how could I not be? About five years ago, I continued on in that tradition, doing some artwork for a small press children's book, My Best Christmas and found out that a good holiday project never loses its fun.

Chinatown Before & After

2009-12-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

Here's a new painting of a couple of buildings in San Fran's Chinatown. There are some unique buildings throughout the city, especially in Chinatown with its strange mix of architectural styles and periods.

This painting is done on a 24x36 canvas, larger than I usually work, but the direction I'm going in. The process began with a built-up, textured surface. After that, to keep the underdrawing intentionally loose, I airbrushed in a rough sketch of the buildings, allowing me to cover the large surface area quickly and use a few grey values without having to mix paint. Once ready, the painting was completed in oils, working gradually towards more detail. Typically I prefer to paint all in one sitting, but due to the scale, it was done over a period of a few weeks.

Back in Business

2009-12-03T13:46:00.000-05:00

Arrived back from an inspiring and relaxing trip to Cuba this week. Havana was amazing as far as visual experiences go. Lots of of old crumbling buildings and all kinds of good stuff. Very happy with some photos I snapped and managed to fill up my sketchbook too. Will show some of it in future posts. I came home to find my new business cards had arrived. I was going for the simple old-fashioned style, of a business card just having a name and what the person does, like " Yosemite Davis, Inventor". It was a 4/4 job on coated stock...got a great price for 1000 from an american print shop, www.copycraft.com

Holiday Season Bonanza

2009-11-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

Along with the holiday season comes a handful of temporary changes. Most importantly, Christmas specials hit the air, and everyone tries their best to get in all of their personal favourites without scheduling conflicts. A few on my classic list include Garfield Christmas, Muppet Family Christmas, Charlie Brown and the Grinch. None of which were actually produced in the last 20 years, but all still going strong, and each special in its own special way.

Christmas is also the biggest shopping time of the year. Which means all of the best advertising, the biggest window display and POP budgets, and the slickest packaging, all come out to play. None of which sells me on anything, and makes me feel like I have to buy a product to complete my Christmas, but thanks anyways for elevating the level of cool promo stuff once a year. Businesses even fall in as well, slaving to get off the cleverest Christmas cards and thank-you gifts for the holiday season. Here is one of favourite holiday things I've done, breaking it out in MJ's honour

We Be Chillin

2009-11-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a sketch of university life, from a while ago that I dug up. It popped into mind, having been working with the latest Wacom Intuos widescreen (review to come).It was an exciting experiment for me, being one of my earliest efforts combining digital colour over top of a grey wash. Having the wash underneath, really allows for some loose painterly work on top of it, and also helps to make working digital feel more like a real painting process. The felt tip Intuos nib is a perennial favourite for most of my digital sketching, due to its grittier feel. From an artistic standpoint, setting aside time for experiments like this, is an important step, to bridging the old and new and becoming fully aware of the expansive opportunities combining traditional and digital mediums can provide.

Fitness Train

2009-11-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

An illustration I did for the Winter issue of WO Magazine is out this week. For an an article about a rough fall off the fitness train, the image likens the journey to an apple falling off a truck and then trying to do yoga. It was drawn in ink first and then coloured digitally. Some texturing was added to break up the solid colours and give it the worn feeling of someone trying to get back in shape. Complete with a dude in purple tights..there's one in every yoga class.

The Spirt of Mr.Dressup

2009-10-26T13:59:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, a Canadian between the ages of about 20 and 40, who likes to draw, there's a big chance that an artistic influence in your early years was Mr. Dressup. A legendary icon of children's television, the show featured Mr.Dressup (Ernie Coombs) , a talented artist who would often draw at his easel and make crafts, when not interacting with his puppet buds or dressing in costumes from his tickle trunk. The craft project was always solid, but when he sat down to draw, china marker in hand, Mr. Dressup could make time stand still. I have heard some debate about whether he lightly pencilled in the drawings before the show or not, but it has always been just an urban legend. The ability to just sit down and draw was something that inspired me then, and certainly still does. I recommend for anyone looking to rekindle a bit of the the shows wonder and magic, to check out the CBC museum, in the Toronto CBC building...it's filled with many key items from the show, from the treehouse and puppets, to the tickle trunk and drawing easel. Well worth the visit.

San Francisco Treat

2009-10-14T13:58:00.000-04:00

While in San Francisco, I noticed an interesting book, popping up in several bookstores. Filled with wonderfully detailed ink and wash sketches, it turned out to be a collection of Paul Madonna's weekly strip in the Chronicle, All Over Coffee. I first noticed it in the City Lights bookstore, at the edge of Chinatown, who is the publisher of the book as well.

A local artist, Madonna captures everyday scenes of San Fran, and makes them unique. Mostly architecturally based, his sketching is delicate and loose at the same time, and in the large page format, provides a healthy feast for the eyes. Rarely do the sketches delve into colour washes, but the occasional one doesn't feel out of place, when that realm is ventured. All Over Coffee by Paul Madonna doesn't disappoint and is a must-see for any sketching enthusiast.

Sweet Caroline

2009-10-07T13:41:00.000-04:00

This is a quick little comic I did based on a whole conversation overheard on the bus. Public transit is just about the most entertaining thing ever, other than maybe watching the Toronto Maple Leafs pretend to play hockey, year after year. The conversation was funny on its own merits, but also reminded me of a time, camping and enjoying the quiet night wilderness, when a rousing acoustic chorus of Sweet Caroline burst out over the trees, proving once again, that no one is safe from neil diamond.

Well Here it Is

2009-10-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

It finally occurred to me that updating portfolio sites on a regular basis is not very exciting. And you end up missing out on all the random good stuff anyway. So since everyone else is already blogging, thus eliminating any chance of me being trendy, I decided it was time to do the blog thing. I'll just be throwing whatever I'm working on into this little creative corner, from paintings, design and sketches, to photos and comics, while rambling about anything that inspires me inbetween. To start things off, here's a drawing with a little digital shading and texture, that I finished off recently. I'll be working a bit on cleaning up the look of the blog as I go too.