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Refurbished Site

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2008-10-12T22:08:03-06:00

OK... It’s been a really long time since my last post. Sorry about that. This year has been nuts! For the last several months, I’ve been working overtime trying to complete a huge project for Macmillan Publishing as well as two books for Benchmark Education and I’ve barely had time to keep my head above water. And as a result, I neglected the website updates and my portfolio. As the next month or so progresses, I plan on adding a few more tweaks to the site in an effort to make it more interactive. Again, my apologies for not keeping up with everything. I plan on being much more on people’s screens the year comes to a close and the new one begins... Take care! -G

SFG: Superhero - Shazam!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2008-01-08T22:28:50-07:00

After yesterday's illustration of Dr. Fate, I decided to go a little lighter and do a quick version of the Big Red Cheese... Captain Marvel! I loved that comic book when I was a little kid. I remember one particular story where Cap races Mr. Atom for some bizarre reason.

SFG: Superhero - Dr. Fate

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2008-01-07T22:31:20-07:00

This is my contribution to sugarfrostedgoodness.com's topic of the week, Superhero. I was always more of a DC comics fan than Marvel when I was collecting comics in the late 80's and early 90's. And one of my favorite characters was Dr. Fate. I always thought that helmet was the coolest thing!

I'm Back!!!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2008-01-02T21:46:39-07:00

Please for give the horrible lapse in my blogging these last few months. As soon as October hit, I got so wrapped up in other things that I just let it go and by the time Christmas hit I realized I hadn't bothered to post anything! But happily, some of the distraction came from a series of projects that came my way! One project came from Scholastic publishers in England for a 4-page story leaflet for young readers. It was titled The Giant's Smelly Feet, by Alison Milford. This project was really fun as it marks the beginning of my foray into children's illustration. It isn't the only children's project I was approached about since October. I'm currently beginning work on a project with Macmillan Publishers on a language workbook for kids. I won't be able to post any pieces from that project until it sees publication later in the year but I will keep you posted when it comes out. I also was approached by a cool design studio in Seattle, Washington called Rocket Dog. They initially spoke to me about doing a few projects that fell through due to scheduling conflicts and such, but we eventually got together for a studio promotional they want to send to past clients. Rocket Dog's look is retro space imagery and they wanted to do a series of cocktail drink coasters, each with a different pinup-style girl in a space theme. Here are a few of my faves... On the opposite side will be a cocktail recipe appropo to the different glasses in each drawing. Susan and Tim at Rocket Dog are the coolest and they really gave me a lot of latitude with this project! Anyway, I hope you forgive me for not posting in so long. I hope to do better as the new year begins. Take care and Happy New Year!

Illustration Friday - The Blues

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-10-01T23:20:57-06:00

This is my contribution to this week's Illustration Friday... a slime monster with a case of the blues.

Various Teen Girl Sketches

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-30T22:24:40-06:00

Below are a few sketches I did a while back for a client and I thought it would be fun to post them.

Mothman Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-26T22:05:51-06:00

I've been reading John Keel's book, The Mothman Prophecies and it's pretty creepy. Lots of unexplained sightings of lights in the sky, visits from men in black, and... the Mothman! The common feature everyone keyed on were the glowing red eyes that held them transfixed. If you want a cool read as we lead up to Halloween, this is the book for you. As per usual, I started thinking, "What if the mothman is just looking to make a few friends and has horrible social skills?" So I thought it would be fun to do an illustration of another of his ill-timed attempts at introducing himself to some poor schmuck. I had a heck of a time with this drawing, specifically, the strong one-point lighting and the highlights on Mothman and the kid. I think the textures worked really well, and I'm particularly happy with how the moon came out.

"CATCH IT!!!" Impulse Children's Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-16T22:16:25-06:00

This image just sort of popped into my head the other day and I decided to go with it. I wanted to create an illustration that suggested a bigger story behind it. I haven't the foggiest notion what that orb is but for some reason the kids need to get it... After starting on the final illustration, I became really hesitant to complete it. I don't know what it was, but for some reason I was fighting to finish it the entire time. I think it shows in the final result, areas where I held back. But overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

Audrey Hepburn Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-10T23:44:59-06:00

I watched Breakfast At Tiffany's this evening and I got inspired. As a general rule, I don't do caricatures but I couldn't help myself with this illustration. The eyes might be a bit big but that's pretty much the first thing I notice when I see Audrey Hepburn on screen. My favorite part of this one is the earring. I think I caught the glitter of diamonds without resorting to too much hard-edged detail.

Illustration of Aspens in Fall

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-09T11:07:08-06:00

This is an illustration I've had in mind for some time and it seemed like a great time to finish it out. With the trees starting to change up here in Colorado, we just last night had the first cool evening of fall. Granted, fall doesn't last too long here, so you have to enjoy it when it shows! I'm really happy with how the last several illustrations have come out, this one in particular. Here's a detail of the little girl. I really like the freckles. Here's another detail of the final illustration. I used our Border Collie, Scout, as a model.

Fall Colors

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-06T17:33:52-06:00

You've probably noticed that the site colors have been altered for Fall! Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love when the sun is no longer directly overhead, I love the cooler evenings, I love the smell of someone's distant fireplace. And, of course, the explosion of color all over the landscape. While I lived in South Florida, we had only two seasons: Humid and Less Humid. As a result, I missed Fall for about 9 years. But since moving to Colorado, Fall has become an Event! The aspen trees go nuts! Farmers cut mazes in their cornfields! Orange and red is everywhere. Anyway, I hope you enjoy yourselves this season and get ready... Halloween is around the corner!

Bug Sketch

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-04T22:33:36-06:00

Here's a quick sketch I posted at SugarFrostedGoodnes, a really cool illustration site. If you ever have the chance, you should visit SFG to see all the great drawings and illustrations posted. It's always great to see work from other illustrators and also pieces posted by hobbyists.

Edgar Allen Poe - The Gold Bug: Final Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-09-03T19:46:17-06:00

Here's the final of the Edgar Allen Poe illustration. This is from his story, The Gold Bug, from Tales of Mystery and Imagination. I've been experimenting with more textures in my illustration and I've also been wanting to add a more darker themed pieces to my portfolio and I think this accomplishes both.

Edgar Allen Poe Sketch For Upcoming Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-31T19:48:19-06:00

I've been reading a lot of Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination and this is the beginning of an illustration I hope to have finished in the next few days. I actually did this preliminary drawing digitally. I don't normally do that as I tend to like the feel of pencil against paper.

Nessie Illustration Detail

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-30T01:50:06-06:00

Here's a detail of my earlier Nessie posting below. This way you can get a good look at the details in the final drawing.

Illustration Friday: Visitors

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-30T00:33:14-06:00

This week's Illustration Friday topic: Visitors. I really like how this fianl drawing came out.

Loch Ness Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-29T00:29:28-06:00

A few years ago I did a watercolor of Nessie being bawled out by a fisherman and I've wanted to do re-do it digitally. This time Nessie is being warned that there's some not-so-nice people on their way to the loch. This is piece is much more soft than my usual work. I'm planning on exploring this look a little more. The final illustration took a whole evening to complete as I was working back-and-forth between Illustrator and Photoshop. The kid in the boat actually started out much more generic and with his back to the viewer but after looking at it for a while I realized he needed to be as interesting to look at as Nessie.

Itching for Halloween...

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-28T00:45:47-06:00

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Santa... dishin' out trouble

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-26T18:01:15-06:00

I don't know where this idea came from but I just went with it. I guess I was wondering what Santa would do if trouble came a-knockin'. Or if the elves ever rebelled. Hopefully I can work it into a finished illustration for the holiday season.

"The Once and Future King" Character Sketches

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-26T17:57:15-06:00

Here's a few sketches from when I was reading The Once and Future King... One thing that stands out to me is Arthur's (the little boy's) ears... way too far back on the head. I'll eventually flesh these ideas out for a few full illustrations.

Lord Faa Character Sketch and Preliminary Drawing

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-23T11:31:49-06:00

I just finished reading the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, The Golden Compass, and I started messing around with ideas for the characters. This was my first attempt at Lord Faa, the leader of the Gyptian clans. All I had time for was the head, which is why there's no details on the upper torso.

The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks Final Illustration

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-08-23T10:50:18-06:00

I just recently finished this illustration for Theatreworks USA, a children's theater company in New York City. Really fun project and the marketing coordinator was great to work with! The name of the play is THE PLANT THAT ATE DIRTY SOCKS. Based on the series of kid's books by Nancy McArthur, the play is set to begin production in 2008. This piece will be used for promotional posters, flyers and ticket stubs. I don't normally use such a strong color as the purple in the background but I wanted something that would make the green of the plant pop and also catch the eye of kids.

On Newsstands Now!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-06-05T20:46:23-06:00

Finally! The summer issue of Teen Magazine just hit the newsstands and inside is the Summer Fun Book! It's a removeable activity booklet with puzzles and games and most of the illustrations inside were done by yours truly. The art director gave me the opportunity to work on the cover and interior pieces and it was a blast! If you get a chance, go to Barnes and Noble or Borders and pick up a copy.

Cute Animals

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-05-08T07:03:41-06:00

A few spot illos I did for the upcoming Teen Magazine summer activity booklet. My favorite is the bear.

URL Change!!!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-23T22:07:06-06:00

I've just gone through the process of adding a new URL to my site: www.geraldkelley.com. It finally came available and I got it. I'm always asked why I selected geraldoillustrates.com to begin with. Geraldo was my nickname given me by my brothers while growing up. Gotta love the era of Geraldo Rivera's talk show. I thought using it as my URL was a neat idea at the time but its gotten too cumbersome as I work at streamlining my online work. It also got too tiring to spell out every time I needed to give out my email address over the phone. So for the time being, both addresses will get you here and my old email address will continue to work. But I will eventually ditch geraldoillustrates.com permanently so please update your bookmarks and email information. Take care! -G

Illustration Friday: Snap

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-04T22:10:45-06:00

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Illustration Friday: Green

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-12T22:09:57-06:00

Lex Luthor! Green warsuit! Green kryptonite! Green with envy! Superman has always been one of my favorite superheroes. And Lex Luthor has to be the iconic villain.

Address Book To The Rescue!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-22T21:19:38-06:00

As I've worked to develop my mailing lists over the years, I've also looked at various means of managing them and easily printing them out for mailing promotional materials. I've tried various programs, some that proved to be over-rated and others that were more than what I needed (or more than I wanted to spend). Then I discovered the best solution was already on my Mac: Address Book. (PC users: please forgive me, but this pertains only to Mac users. Nothing personal.) I've always used Address Book but I didn't realize that it also had a great printing feature that can be customized to print either to labels or even directly to envelopes. Here's how: Open Address Book. Create a new Group and name is something creative like MAILING LIST. In the control strip at the top of the Finder, select PRINT. Once the print dialog box opens, you are given several options for printing labels or envelopes. Next to the STYLE option, choose MAILING LABELS. The label option includes dozens of Avery's standard label layouts currently available. Select the one you want and you're good to go. If you want to print directly to the envelope, select ENVELOPES from the STYLE option. You are then asked to pick your envelope style and layout. Once you've selected your format, you can then designate your distribution list, in this case I would choose MAILING LIST. Voila! No need to invest in over-blown spread-sheet programs just to print your mailing labels and envelopes.

Teen Magazine Booklet... continued

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-16T22:17:51-06:00

Here's another piece I just finished for the activity booklet featured in this summer's issue of Teen Magazine.

You and Your Wacom

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-14T22:43:00-06:00

If you're like me, when you brough home your nice new Wacom Tablet, you pulled everything out of the box and started using it immediately, giddy as only a true geek can be. And, if you're like me, in your excitement, you gave only a cursory glance to some of the small extras that accompanied your pen. The nibs. For a long time I simply forgot about those things. The standard nib always seemed to work just fine. Even when I did my Photoshop work I never gave the point of my pen a second thought. But I kept getting frustrated with the seeming lack of finesse I was experiencing when needing some soft effects on my illustrations and I just couldn't get what I was looking for. That's when I remembered the extra nibs tucked away in the pen box. I took a look and found the Stroke nib. The Stroke nib is the one with the small spring added for greater finesse. The Stroke nib adds extra "give" to the pen, allowing for greater control of stroke pressure and thickness. When drawing, the Stroke nib also feels more natural. I now make a habit of going back and forth between nibs as I work. When I do work in Illustrator, I use the Standard nib. But when it comes time to add texture and details in Photoshop, I grab the needle-nosed pliers and replace nibs. I've noticed that the strok nib actually reduces the finger stress I sometimes experience when I work. If you have a Wacom, don't forget to experiment with the different nibs that come with your pen. They really do make a difference.

Artist Links

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-10T18:57:50-06:00

I was asked today about why I post links to other artists. "Aren't you worried that you'll lose work to someone else?" this person asked. ...But that chance already exists. An art director has only to go online and she has immediate access to artists across the world. I link to other artists for a couple of reasons: ...I like their work. Something about the way they draw, their sensibility, their technique. I just like it. Generally, there's something about their work that I wish I could do. Basically: I'm jealous. ...Benevolent selfishness: I link to other artists because I would like other artists to link to me. It increases our search engine placements when someone is looking for an illustrator. ...I have been working a long time to get my stuff noticed by people in the industry and I know how hard it can be to stand out or even be acknowledged. As an illustrator, it's nice to have someone notice what you do and when it comes from other illustrators, I'm personally humbled and encouraged. Yeah, I'm competing with other artists for an increasingly smaller design budget, but it doesn't mean I won't point an art director toward an artist who won't better meet their needs. We're all trying to make a living off our talent. Who doesn't want to do that? But life is too short to refuse to recognize the ability of fellow illustrators or to think that I'm the best one for the next big illustration assignment. Is it stupid?

Teen Magazine Booklet

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-02T19:03:09-06:00

I just finished working on a front and back cover illustration for a removable activity booklet going in the next issue of Teen Magazine. This was a lot of fun to work on. The folks at Teen Magazine really are great to work with. Check out the portfolio and see the full piece.

I'm Animated... part 2!!!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-04-02T18:38:11-06:00

I seem to be including more video than actual illustration on here... Anyway, last entry was my latest attempt at character animation. But I've actually made the attempt before and this is the result. It's a station I.D. that was to air during kid's programming. This is pretty much straight forward Adobe Illustrator elements imported and manipulated in After Effects. There's lots of things wrong with it, but I still really like it. By the way, the voice of the bear is me... and I will NEVER do voice-over work again.

I'm Animated!!!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-03-20T21:28:10-06:00

Working with the local CW network affiliate, I created loose caricatures of Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa and Martha Stewart for a spot promoting the station's programming lineup. After working out the basic drawings, I animated them using After Effects. Once I was finished, it was handed over to their producers and edited into the finished commercial. It's not massive animation but I'm happy with it! I've done limited animation before with characters I created but this was the most involved work I've done to date. Normally, I would create the drawings in Adobe Illustrator and simply import the files into After Effects and proceed from there. However, this results in rather stiff looking animation with limited flexibility and I've never been completely staisfied with the results. But this time, I actually did the drawings in After Effects using the mask tools which allowed me to freely animate any part of the drawing necessary. The biggest chunk of time came from actually drawing the characters in AE. I'm really interested in doing more animated pieces in the future but I don't plan on using AE as the tool of choice. I might eventually teach myself Flash but the learning curve is a little daunting. I did find a program that seems to fit my skill set, called Anime Studio Pro. It's much more artist friendly and it seems to be gaining popularity as a decent animation program. There's an animation company called GreyKid Pictures that's using Anime Studio Pro to produce some pretty spectacular pieces of work. Check out this, this and this. I'll never achieve their level of expertise but I plan on making some decent headway.

Non-Illustration Related...

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-03-20T06:30:51-06:00

I know this doesn't have anything to do with illustration, but I've always loved this clip from the movie, NETWORK. And it still manages to resonate even after all these years...

Welcome to the new design!

gerald@geraldkelley.com — 2007-03-12T22:00:26-06:00

I know, I know... I redesigned the site only last year. Last May, in fact. But I wasn't happy with how some of the things were looking as I saw it in different computers and in different browsers. This design is supposed to hold up MUCH better across platforms and browsers. We'll see. If you notice anything a little wonky looking, please let me know. I'm not a web guru but I'll make an effort. Over the course of the next few weeks, I plan on adding several categories to the blog. I plan on making available custom Photoshop brushes that I use in my work and I may include some tutorials if I get the chance. You'll notice an RSS FEED link at the bottom of the page. So if you want to keep up-to-date on the latest info here, feel free to use it.