5/31/10

Ug.  Not really pleased at this one, but whatevs.  Practice (and lots of time) makes perfect, and after an hour I was done with this one.

5/30/10

As the impending dread of another rent payment looms, here's something I did for Friday's Monkey + Seal post.  In similar news, I'm so goddamn sick of that damn keep calm and carry on crap that my work sells.  I am so sick of it in fact, that I will probably never look at this referenced poster again, just because it reminds me of those stupid coffee mugs we sell.

5/29/10

From what started out as a texture test ended up becoming this happy little accident.  I imagine this beast to be some sort of unstoppable force, made up of a bajillion little specks of evil energy.  People don't stand a frickin' chance in hell, and just get swallowed up into the abyss.

5/28/10

To be perfectly honest, I did not make this today, as I was working all day and was at the Spring Show last night.  However, this page was created via silkscreen in 5 runs and is part of my semester-long book arts project.  It was juried into the Spring Show for Book Arts, so yay!

PS - Yes, I did reference actual pig penises for the boar dick part.

5/27/10

So I just couldn't bear to have a plain old standard black cap n gown at graduation yesterday, so I busted out the silkscreen and got my embossing powder and get busy.  Yosh!

5/26/10

THERE IS TONS OF SHIZZ TO CELEBRATE!!!

For reals, though, between me launching three new tie designs, Eve + I graduating today, and the re-launch of my website (new format, new look, wooo!), I'm pretty stoked.  Thus, you should most definitely check out the new site at www.rickkitagawa.com and take advantage of the fact that I'm in a good mood and having a 30% sale on my ties.  Sweeeeeeet!!!

Congrats to everyone else who is graduating this season, and a special Thank You goes out to everyone who's supported us over the years.  We really could not have done this without your support, well wishes, financial support, and understanding.  Thanks everyone!

05/24/10

Busy trying to update the website.  So that's my "art" for the day.  Thus, you get to see a random piece of sketchbook.

5/24/10

The box I made during my demo for the "Learn to Box" workshop I taught last night at Paper Source Fillmore.

I'm not sure what I'm going to put in it, but I'm sure I'll find something. 

5/23/10 - The Raven

This is an illustration for the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.  I thought about maybe illustrating the entire poem, and if I ever do, I'm going to use this as the cover.  I'd probably silkscreen it on some gravel text from Paper Source.

The first image is how it the front of the book would look, and the image below is the book laid open. I personally think that the cover is effective enough so that you don't even need the title on the front, but that is, of course depending on how well versed you are with Poe, I guess.

5/22/10

CU of a work in progress of a painting I'm doing for the next show I'm in.  Acrylic on canvas.  Score.

5/21/10 - Monster study

Watercolor and a bit of gouache (I think) quick study on some Canson cover paper, I believe.  I'm a big fan of creating on whatever you can get your hands on, so sorry for the ?? nature of this post.

In other news, if you're reading this before 5pm PST on Friday the 21st, if you sign up for the Monkey + Seal newsletter, you'll get access to a special deal where you get ~30% off any of the ties that I screenprint, such as the ones you see below.

Sweet.  Get on that shiz while you can!

5/20/10

A quick pencil sketch I quickly filled in with PS as a concept for a creepy skateboard deck based on the Japanese mythical creature the kappa.  I'll probably work on this sucker to get an actual deck up soon.  Huzzah!

5/19/10 - iPhone case + empire building

So if you're interested, I'm selling these.  And if you are wondering about this (since it's a skin and not a case - get a clear case if you want protection), here is some info:

"The skins are made of a durable and easy-to-remove 3M vinyl material. It has special "comply" cross-hatch channels so that you can push out any air bubbles really easily. The adhesive is contained in little beads on the back of the vinyl. It is only when you apply firm pressure and burst them that skin adheres properly. This means that providing you don't apply firm pressure you can reposition your art multiple times without damaging it. The skins also have a protective gloss over-laminate that minimizes scratching to your device." (from the manufacturer's site)

Cool.  I get these printed on-demand, so just fyi, it might take a week or two for you to get these in your hot little hands.  $20 + $2 shipping = $22.  Sweet.  Thanks a bunch and enjoy!

PS - If you're reading this before 9am PST, check out Chris Guillebeau's Empire Building Kit.  This shit is pretty legit -  we own it, and I can say it's well worth the money.  Buy that shit today and start building your own empire like yours truly.  Huzzah!

5/18/10

After a weekend of seeing some awesome artists at the Hyphen release party (where I saw Joe To rock it) and at the Tree Show IV at Giant Robot SF where both Joe and Lawrence Yang had some pieces up, I decided to get back to the ink that I've been missing so dearly. 

Please excuse the poorly-taken photo - painted and photographed around 4am.  Such is life.  Congrats again to Lawrence and Joe (and all the other awesome artists) at the show!

5/17/10 - Illustration Friday - Equipment

I decided to illustrate the tools of the trade.  There should probably be a palette box, paints, and a crapload of more brushes, but on a daily routine, this is usually it.

5/16/10

Mushrooms.  All digital - don't let the scanned paper texture fool you!  This whole digital pen + ink type deal is making me itch to get my hands and brushes dirty with some good ol' fashioned india ink.  Gonna try and get down with some soon!

5/15/10

Pencil done on my lunch break at work.  Color in Photoshop.

5/14/10

2 hours, 100% photoshop.  Woo! 

Sick of her dreary day-to-day life working the night shift as a custodian to an ungrateful boss, she hikes every morning into the hills to be with the birds.  As she imagines flying up and away with them, she finds peace and her own kind of happiness before she must return to her painful existence...

5/13/10

Crap, forgot to post this earlier today.  Anyway, quick speed pain based on one of Eve's thumbnails from long ago.  Thanks E! 

Also, in other related and good news, I found out today that I got into the Fine Art Spring Show for Book Arts!  The silkscreen project that I worked on all last semester (15 weeks!) turned out to be a book, and it's in the show!  I'm super grateful and super stoked about this one, especially since I got tons of help along the way from my instructor, my classmates, and Eve. 

Anyway, so make sure to check out the Fine Art, Illustration, and Animation sections of the Spring Show to see our stuff!  Opening night is on Thursday, May 27th from 7-9pm in 180 and 79 New Montgomery!  Hope to see you there!

05/12/10

Micron and uniball white pen on Moss (via Paper Source) envelope.

5/11/10

And this guys says "Congrats on getting into the Spring Show, Monkey + Seal!"  Score.

5/10/10

I watched Kung-Fu Panda with Eve the other night and I got inspired by the opening.  Go Viper, Go!

5/9/10

#8 - purple thingy

#9 - angry brutish mf-er

#10 - Fishhead on stake

5/8/10

#5 - Snake with Bloody Mouth

#6 - Weird Mummy Head With Bloody Mouth

#7 - Voodoo Head with bloody tears

More fucking fantabulous shit from yours truly.  Ug.  Found out a major fuck-up occurred that's probably gonna run me a good $600.  Shitty.  Buy my art so I don't feel like such a shithead.  Thanks!

5/07/10

This first speed paint was done as a sort of inspirational take on our seemingly insurmountable goals.  I  used it as the image for today's blog post over at Monkey + Seal about getting off your ass and doing some work.

The below are done with acrylic washes on paper (watercolor isn't always permanent enough for my liking) with ink on top, with more acrylic on top of that (sometimes).  I'm trying out this new, quick, very raw style, and I'm liking it a lot.  For shits and giggles and hopefully some cash, I'm going to start selling these bad boys - original art for $22 ($20 + 2 shpping).  

#1. Ogre Grin

#2 - Bacon Demon

#3 Beheaded

#4 Brain Stew

Please buy my shit.  And by "shit," I mean "totally awesome artwork.  Thanks.