Thursday, December 20, 2007

Animal Band arrives

shortly after i got home tonight the UPS truck pulled up and with a knock and a thump roared off.

"a box?"

there's no more story needed.

my first (and currently, only, copy) of Animal Band showed up


here's the cover, with the jacket on it. larger : click image


the jacket pulled back. the jacket is die-cut and glossy. the case (the physical outside of the book) is matte with UV on the title to make it shiny. this scene wraps around the back. larger : click image


here's an inside spread, the action of the book heating up. larger : click image

then there is Sterling Publishing's spring guide. they told me Animal Band was going to be featured prominently... this is kind of silly. (i'm not complaining.)


larger : click image

- the top image is Animal Band's spread in the catalogue.
- the bottom left image is the cover of the catalogue
- the bottom right shows one of the section pages. Animal Band images are the illustration for these spreads.

i am honored. there are some BEAUTIFUL books being released by Sterling in the spring. Animal Band's place in the catalogue is crazy and humbling.



again, the book won't be available until March, but you can pre-order it.

Animal Band is available for pre-order on Amazon.

...and Barnes and Noble.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Boo-yah!



Animal Band is available for pre-order on Amazon.

...and Barnes and Noble.

...and Borders. (which is linked through Amazon, but who cares.)

(i just found this out from a friend of mine. doing a little dance right now.)

now, go and buy it! let's flood it with pre-orders!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Oprah Winfrey and James Frey

every year for the last three i've done a series of caricature illustrations for the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

they're their "Top Turkey" awards. they award them to the noteworthy boneheads of the year.

i just got this year's batch, and while i can't post them before they publish, i'm going to spend the next two weeks posting some of my caricature work-- something most folks haven't seen. then i'll post a few from this year's "Turkey" batch.

to begin.

james frey was a big faker, apparently.

he was honored in 2006.


Larger : Click Image

Friday, November 9, 2007

Deep Sea Bear in Deep

FROM THE SKETCHBOOK


Larger : Click Image

yep. it's a bear in a deep sea diver's suit.

'cept, he has no helmet.

it's why bears don't deep sea dive.

they always forget their helmets.

TUB SQUID!!!

FROM THE SKETCHBOOK

a recent show i put together had me trying to find a theme.

i landed on

scenes from late twentieth century childhood.

the idea was to depict the world before the Playstation and the X-box.

i did several sketches. in the end i decided i'd do something with it another time.

here's a sketch from the series.


Larger : Click Image

we had some serious plumbing problems back in the day.

RV

i like to draw gigantic truck things. i discovered this when i did this front of a bus for a drawing i did a long time ago.


Larger : Click Image

unfortunately, these trucks are generally buried somewhere in a composition and you can't see them.

here's an RV from a recent project.


Larger : Click Image

here's the RV in the composition.


Larger : Click Image

note: i really pushed the colors because the newspaper tends to water things down.

later i realized i missed all the junk--air conditioner, etc--that's supposed to be on top of an RV.

i promise a drawing of a firetruck in the near future.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Robot Doodlin'

A PAGE FROM MY SKETCHBOOK

just sitting around with my homies chewin' the fat and doodlin' some robots.


Larger : Click Image

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Halloween Art

so, it's Friday.

were you doubting me and my dedication to weekly publishing?

i am in two Halloween shows and here's the stuff.




Mr. Bones Plays the Blues, Larger : Click Image

pretty self explanatory. it's also a shout out to Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked this Way Comes which I read a month or so ago. it's one of my favorite books now. Bradbury's prose is stellar.



Hallowheely

a few weeks ago i posted how i had this idea i was really excited about.

well, this was the idea:


Scooter Ghoul, Larger : Click Image

when i was a kid my mom gave me subscriptions to several kid's magazines, Ranger Rick and 3-2-1 Contact among them. one of the mags had this cool space diorama where you punched out all the characters and the ships and there was a background too. i thought it was the most awesome thing ever.

sitting one night, the diorama just popped into my head and i decided i wanted to try this sort of thing.

six layers of illustrated goodness. bought the shadow box on sale. had a great time. will do more. (Mr. Bones started out as one, but then i ended up liking him flat.)

note: if you would like to see these pieces in real life, and find yourself on south lamar, between now and November 30, visit: Lowbrow Emporium, 2708 S Lamar Blvd, 78704

Friday, October 12, 2007

angry puppets!

CLIENT : Marriage Today
PROJECT : Editorial Illustration : Full Spread

a good friend of mine is a graphic designer. he throws me projects whenever he can. he designs a christian magazine about marriage. this is the third illo i've done for them, and my favorite one so far. the idea here--room is made for the devil in relationships when we say bad things to each other. i'm on a circus/carnival kick right now. it happened to fit the theme of this one.

the thumbnails: composition and concept development : not for the client


i didn't have a grasp on the concept yet, so i drew this marionette. he's a drunkie. the worst kind of puppet.


the concept using ventriloquist dummies. the client really wanted "angry eyes," not a cartoony devil to convey the devil concept. the addition of a pitchforked tail might have worked, but they said no tail (again, too cartoony). it might have been too hard a read anyway.


the first sketch using the stage concept.


the stage with the addtion of children. not enough emphasis on the stage. also, no room for the article title and text for the aticle.

media note: i've started doing my sketches with a Uni-ball Signo, 207. it's fast, doesn't smear, and has a nice dark line. i'm left-handed and get The Smear with a pencil and no smudge sheet.

the finish:


FULL IMAGE : CLICK IMAGE

the puppet stage had the added element of the "audience." fighting parents often have spectators, their children.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

drawings, what?

yeah, yeah. i KNOW this is a drawing blog and i haven't posted in months.

it changes NOW. there will be at least once a week postings.

to start off, here's one of the latest things i've done.

CLIENT : The Fort Worth Star Telegram
PROJECT : Go! Cover, their weekend speciality magazine

the Star Telegram has been a client of mine for a long time now. for four years i did a weekly sports editorial cartoon for them, now they call me for specials. this link will take you to my Sports Editorial site where you can see some of the work done during that time.

the rough:



this is a looser rough than i would normally send a client. we've been working together for a long time, so i figured it was ok. the client said to be sure there was some racial and gender diversity. also, she wanted to be sure Fort Worth landmarks were recognizable.

the finish:


LARGER : CLICK IMAGE

the rocker chick is probably one of my favorite things i've drawn in a while.

more csjennings art than you can shake a stick at

here's the october cs jennings art schedule, i have pieces in two shows:

Saturday Oct 13th Austin Sketch Squad presents:
The Lowbrow Monster Mash Art Extravaganza!


OPENING:
7:00pm-11:00pm Live Art show with local artists (the drawing type not musicians.)
Live music by DJ Zonabi
and Sponsership by Lonestar
(which means free beer, for those who like that sorta thing.)

The Exhibit will run Oct 13th-Nov 30th so if you can't come check it out.

LOCATION:
Lowbrow Emporium
2708 S. Lamar
Austin, TX 78704
512-462-3739

THE SQUAD'S WEBSITE: (which took a break through the summer but will start back up soon)
http://austinsketchsquad.blogspot.com/

remember cool art + good music + free beer= fun times



Dr. Janx's Second Annual Spooky Art Show
Amy's Ice Cream on Sixth Street


FEATURED ARTISTS:
- me (of course)
- Jason Chalker
- Dylan Edwards
- A. Litsa
- Kevin Peake
- Thomas P. Reidy III
- Aaron "Ren" Sacco
- J. Michael Stovall
- Alicia Traveria
- Michael Veroni

OPENING: October 28, more details to come

Friday, September 21, 2007

shout out

first off, a shout out to all my home dogs who came out to the Third Annual C.S. Jennings Amy's on Sixth Street Ice Cream Art Show--aka: Brain Freeze-apalooza.

forty people showed and ate ice cream and hung out. the venue couldn't have hosted many more than that. (hopefully i'll get some pics up soon. there were cameras there... none of them mine.) it was by far the best opening i've ever had. it was really great seeing everyone. i was honored by your presence.

thanks to everyone!

i'm the luckiest boy in the world!

if you couldn't make it, click the cowboy robot to see the new work.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Conversation

I like it when a client says, "If you want to keep doing these... if it works for you... we don't send them out often [to the artist]... just six to eight times a year."

Monday, August 27, 2007

nature boy

ACHTUNG: if'n bugs make you squeamish, you better sit this one out.

every morning during the summer, part of the morning ritual is going outside to water the plants.

i stepped out the back door, blinking in the sun, pulled the hose from its box and turned on the water.

first the lantana. it has really started to flourish now that the heat is here. since the rains have stopped it has grown like mad.

the next planter over is the butterfly weed. the butterfly weed is the only surviving member from last year's patio plants. it was cold, a lot, and so i moved them into the garage... without any sort of light. the buttercup hung in there until the last freeze and i lost it. the butterfly weed looked pretty bad, but over the summer had shot up new growth and filled its stalks with leaves crowned with little bursts of flowers at the top. i was proud of the butterfly wee...

"what in the blazes?!"

98% of the leaves were gone from the plant.

"i watered you," i said, "i don't..."

leaning in this fellow said.


why, hello there.

ladies and gentlemen, i introduce to you the monarch butterfly caterpillar.

not only is the plant popular with the adult butterflies, adolescent butterflies think it's super cool too!


nom. nom. nom.

these fellars, half a dozen monarch and then again that many of these huge fuzzy dudes, had reduced a thriving, foliage covered plant to mere stalks in a matter of hours. (it was a full plant the morning before.) when i arrived home that evening, the plant was COMPLETELY bare. no flowers. no leaves. no nothing. caterpillars were nowhere to be seen.


thanks yo! --note the monarch caterpillar is upside down.

(i shared this tale with my mother. savvy all things botany, she said the plant would be fine. she's right. it's come roaring back.)



when i go out, i turn on my porch light. i find this greatly simplifies the reentering of my property upon arrival home. most of the time there's a rat tag assortment of small moths, whispy-winged gnatty things, and geckos to eat them.

THIS night, however, would be different. THIS night, the hugest, coolest, moth i've ever seen awaited me.


hello, ladies.

his wings were as wide as a ship's sails! when he breathed, great plumes of smoke belched forth from his belly...

with his wings closed, he was 3 and half inches across easy. massive. gorgeous. his design is really stark and graphic.



watering the plants--and watering plants does seem to give me an excuse otherwise lost to venture about my yard--in the front yard on saturday, i leaned over the hose box (yes, i have hose boxes in the front and back of my house) and nearly stuck my head into


hello my deary. come for dinner? --see her huge.

her web.

"WHOA!" i said.

this, ladies and germs, is a golden orb spider. she's about five inches, from tip to tip. this little lady is not concerned about much. she's tippy-top of the food chain. she's so big, you can see her from the street in front of my house.

we had one of these stake out our back porch when i was a sophomore in high school. she built a web that spanned an entire half of our porch. we would bring her things to eat--well, stun and drain of their life-giving juices--all summer. she was cool.

this golden orb had a bunch of tiny spiders running around her web. i don't know if they are males--guy spiders are teensy, and generally a snack--or if they are her offspring.



yes. i will let her live in my front bed as long as she wants. it'd be criminal to kill her.

aaaah, SNAP!

one of the readers of the blog pointed out the fact that in the illo of the hand holding the trumpet down there, i've left out the palm of the hand. should be some blue there.

the hand and trumpet are from the first time i "nailed" the look of that character. therefore, i've had at least a couple of years to notice i'd missed his hand. i saw it once i pulled the hand out for the "finito" illo. it was too late, though. the disk had been sent to the publisher. i know there's some illustration types who drop by here, so you probably noticed it too.

this illustration is on the cover of the book. fortunately he's on a yellow background, so it will look like part of the trumpet. i've discovered--since sending out the disks--a couple of other snafus, on the cover and case themselves. i was assured, by some other artist friends of mine, no one else would ever see them... certainly not a four year old.

it'll be a game when the book comes out: "Christopher S. Jennings* is a bonehead."

*it will be published under "Christopher S. Jennings." I'm still going to work under C.S. Jennings and i will sign stuff that way.

Friday, August 17, 2007

mr. bluebird's on my shoulder.



stick a fork in me baby birds,* 'cause if you didn't know, the book is finished.

after four months of no friends no fun no movies no nothing, the hi-rez files have been put on disk and are in the (not so) trusted hands of UPS on their way to NYC.

how do i feel? let me sleep this weekend and i'll tell you...

i feel awesome! she's done. she's out of here! now i move on to other stuff and try not to think about it. ...spring 08 will be here soon enough. (but not soon enough.)

there's a giant list of stuff to do. a show (or two) in september. two shows in october. websites to update (csjennings.com is getting a complete facelift). christophersjennings.com has to be created from the ground up. the list goes on and on.

after kicking it with m@ for a while tonight, and listening to his wisdom, though, i am going to take it easy. breath a little. go to bed early. bask in this moment. it's not everyday your dreams come true. in times like these you need to stop and just sit in it a while. kick up my feet and go, "yeah. this will work." (i know, i know. YOU told me to take stock of the moment too. so i'll take it.)

viva la animal band!

*i don't know what that means either.

Friday, August 10, 2007

BFO*

walking up the stairs to kyoto's thursday night sushi happy hour**, i was answering some questions about my book.

in our company that night was a gal who repairs instruments, which, i think, is fascinating. she doesn't repair stringed instruments, so her current beau, a ukelele player, is out of luck if one of his axes--or, in this case you would say, hatchet--goes down.

"instruments are HARD to draw. the hardest instrument to draw," i said, "was the trumpet, tubes running every which way. my favorite instruments to draw were the violin and the bass violin. i love the pegs and shape of the heads."

the hardest THING to draw, i said, were the strings on the stringed instruments.

"why don't you use a ruler?" said the ukelele player.

...yeah. that is a great idea.



the ukelele player



his other videos are awesome too.

*Blinding Flash of the Obvious
**FOUR people ate all they could eat and drink for $60 dollars, ya'll, and it was GREAT. if you're going, don't go on First Thursday. the line starts at the door at 5:30 and they let you in at 6:00. "last call" is 6:45.

Friday, August 3, 2007

AB Update

poor, poor drawblog. so neglected because i can't really talk about what i'm doing. soon, my friend, soon you will be filled with exciting new drawings and stuff. for now, however, here is a little something (i can post) about the book.



until today there have been two distinct mile markers in the creation and execution of the children's book. though there have been amazing things along the way, there have only been a few that really brought home what was happening.

the first was the email in which the publisher asked me if the book was still available and told me they wanted to make an offer. this is the moment where a dream i've had for a long time began to sputter into reality. it made the mind whirl, "really?"

the second followed a chain of other things which should have driven it home, but ended up being steps along the way. the signing of the contract--after some back and forth with the publisher. receiving the completed contract, which made the deal solid, made it in actuality real. talking with my editor--most of our correspondence has been by email, though the art director and i talk almost weekly now. news of how the book was being received at the publisher. who was excited about it. who was behind it. a couple of other things i can't tell you here and now, but are really, really, good. all of these things, you would think, would make this more real, and they did, but driving it home the moment of "holy cow. this IS going down," that only came again when...

...the second time, to get back on track here, was when i was sent the copy for the inside of the book jacket. the synopsis of the story on the front flap and the author's bio/description on the back. when it came in the email, it was a "whoa!" moment.

the interior, i believe, is just this side of approval. a last minute change in the game plan moved the last spread in the book to the case--the physical outside of the book, that the jacket wraps around--which meant a WHOLE NEW spread had to be designed and then illustrated, which added a week. everything should be thumb's up now. i'm sure there's something happening internally at the publisher, an overall approval process, but i don't know anything about it. as far as i know, we're pretty much locked. (though i am assuming nothing.)

we've been focusing on the cover and the jacket for a couple of weeks now. i finished the case illustration and we are working on the jacket to get the elements where they need to be with the die-cut. (the jacket will be cut around shapes so you see the case. should be mondo cool.) i send things to the art director and he works out the technical and positioning of the elements so i can move to final art.

he sent me a file where he'd worked on putting things together and that's when i passed my third mile marker.

in the font we're using in the book. there on the spine. nine letters.

"j-e-n-n-i-n-g-s"

i'd forgotten they put the author's name on the spine of the book. we'd been fussing with the name on the front of the cover for weeks, it'd been a given since i put together the first dummy--now a almost a year and a half ago--but the author's name on the spine....

and there it was.

if i'd only illustrated the book, my name wouldn't be there. having written and illustrated, however, there she be. big as day (or as big as 18 point type anyway).

what do you know, kids, we're publishing us a children's book.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

rich

ha-ha.

"stick a fork in me."

little did i know.

we had miles to go.

and while we're certainly closer to done.

there's still a few steps left.

(also, apparently, forcing me to type in couplets.)

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

boo--i said--YAH!!

stick a fork in me, boys and girls, it's done.

the first version of the color book is completed and off to the publisher.

there will be further dinking with it, i am sure, after their notes, but for now, it is finished.

yes, virginia, it feels awesome.

the final crush was three solid days (and most of the nights) in my studio, at the drawing table and computer, in solitary confinement. (i haven't done the math yet, i logged somewhere around 50-60 hours in those three days.)

for those of you keeping track:
deadline: 0
cs jennings: 1

bring it.

coming summer 2009

i posted the new beethoven bust on another blog. one of the comments was:

"I can't help it. Hard as I try not to, I think "Night of the Living Dead," of course the original one, when I look at ole Ludwig. Just needs context; I'm sure that's it..."

it's the natural evolution of the story, a ready made sequel to AB.

AB II: Dead Composer Bust Zombie Rampage

who will rise to the challenge to vanquish the dead composer bust zombies?

who will save us from this terrible peril?!

Rock, Dead Composer Bust Zombie Hunter

roll over*

if you were drinking some coffee the other day, your morning cup, and reading the paper, or the back of the cereal box--in short, if you were having breakfast. or lunch. it could have been lunch or maybe even supper... if you were leaning against the vending machine at work, thinking about getting some dunkin' sticks, but lamenting your not having a steaming beverage into which to dunk... there's no reason, really, food need be involved, is there? you might have been driving your car. or perched atop a the local water tower with a telescope in hand keeping dibs on the town mayor... or, mayhaps, listening to music. listening to music makes more sense, actually. if you were watching television and the commercial came on where elvis costello is sitting in the car talking about beethoven, or you were looking at a CD or perusing i-tunes, or had picked up your cello and run the bow across the strings, or watching a saint bernard run across your front yard, and this nudged your mind, this question muscled itself in, "say, i wonder how the janx is getting along with his whole beethoven conundrum?"

i present this:



the thought being.

1) need column in book

2) yes. plants (which i had done a sketch of) go on columns also.

3) but really beethoven is the best.

4) "what if, and stay with me, the beethoven bust was ANIMATED and like, reacting to the situation?!"

so i drew that one.

and there's also a jazz trumpet player too in a frame who is all, "what are those crazy animals up to now?!"

but you have to wait for the book to see him.

'course, the editor may veto them both.

so it goes.

*beethoven

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

beethoven scares kids

there's this column in the book.

it comes from nowhere.

one moment. no column.

the next minute,

ZINGO!!!

here's a column! (it's important to the story.)

i was thinking maybe this column should show up at least time before it's needed.

"what's on a column?" i thought to meself.

...beethoven!!!

his bust lives on columns. my book is, afterall, about music. so ludwig showing up makes sense and scores me smarty points with music teacher types.

here's the thing, though...

beethoven, the beethoven we know and love, he doesn't smile. in fact, he not only NOT smiles, he scowls. it's his thing. the scowling.

scowlers don't belong in kids books.

especially scowling heads with no body.

that sort of thing will mess you up if you is four.

so i toned down the scowling.



(this was just a prelim sketch to test the effect. he looks more like thomas jefferson than beethoven.)

...i better put something else on that column.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Sketch-a-rama

here's a lil drawing from my sketchbook, based on an old Fats Domino tune i loved as a kid. (we had a greatest hits record. at one time i could sing the entire thing in order, side-to-side.)

A sampling of the lyrics:

I'm gonna be a wheel someday
I'm gonna be somebody
I'm gonna be a real gone cat
Then I won't want you
Everything's gonna go my way
I won't need nobody
I'm gonna be a real gone cat
Then I won't want you

You're gonna cry, cry, cry
You're gonna cry, cry, cry
You'll be wonderin why I don't look at you
When I go strollin by.




(he's got him a suit on. that's how you know he's the big cheese.)

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

for your view pleasure (as i work on the book)

Salvador Dali on "What's My Line?"



thanks 9 for the head's up on this one.

Friday, June 1, 2007

ch-ch-changes

as a kid one of my favorite books was Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever! i broke down last week and ordered it from amazon. i'm glad i did. it's better than i remember. Scarry is a true master.

however, and this from a friend mine, it's different than i remember.

she pointed me to this site. (it's the Best Word Book Ever! but it shares several pages with mine.)

even children's books are not safe from the tendrils of political correctness.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Hacks

you know what really gets into my craw? jerks who have drawing blogs, but never post. i mean, what's the point, right?

as for me and my drawing blog, and my not posting, what you may not know, and what this blog was created--in part--to chronicle, is the creation of my children's picture book (illustrated and written by c.s.jennings). we're way beyond creation now, the book being under contract to a major publisher, and in its third revision. (the deadlines also suck up any time i would have to do drawings for the blog or to drag up things--primarily freelance projects--you haven't seen.)

actually working on the book, though, i find i am reticent to share anything specific, such as, the title, any text, and picture postings. i am, instead, prompted to secrecy. it's probably what my publisher would want at this point anyway.

so, minus those things, here's an update:

AB update

the deadline for the revision is tomorrow morning. i spent the weekend drawing, as i will spend all of tonight. even without the publisher's notes, i had/have several itches i needed to scratch, ie: things i wanted to fix. it's a huge overhaul, with at least six spreads being totally redrawn, or with major element changes made.

i received a jolt of energy after talking with my art director for the first time on friday. he has a Great idea for the cover and jacket--a die-cut and use of UV overprinting. it's going to be gorgeous.

i also got an idea of how excited they are about the book, which makes me more excited. i'm isolated working in my office, hunched over my drawing board in solitude with no feedback, and little contact from the outside world, and i kind of forget what this is all about. (ie: dreams coming true, that sort of thing.)

i watched someone read the book on friday night. the rhythm really comes through (she was bouncing around to it). the idea is not so much that AB is a rhyming book, but that it is an uptempo song with a kind of "tink-tink-tink" rhythm running underneath the pictures and words.

overall, i am really pleased with how the book is coming together.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Uncle Pennywhite's Verticopter



The best thing about Abigail--and there was lots that was great about her--the best thing is how she was not a girl. I mean, she was a girl, she had the hair and eyelashes and the dresses and all that. The other girls, though, most girls--allright, ALL girls, except Abby--didn't go for the more boy stuff. You know, frogs, spiders, and swinging from ropes, the get your knees dirty kind of things.

Abby had been to the colonies, she said. Told me stories about elephants and lions. She'd seen them face to face, you see. Her mum, she tried to get Abby to be more girl, a proper lady, but Abby just couldn't. She was too interested. She was interested in what was under the grass, in the sky, what made the earth tick, you know.

Her parents must have finally given up because they sent her here, to London, to live with her uncle. Abby's uncle is more like Abby. Cut from the same cloth, you could say. He likes to invent things. Always tinkering and going on and on about "The Great New Science." I don't mind the going on. He does some really keen things. Every once and a while those things blow up and then it's really exciting. Plus, he pays me a couple quid to help him. Who doesn't need a couple quid?

To be honest, when Abby first came, I didn't like her very much. I thought at first she was going to be like a girl and make us drink tea and say things proper. One afternoon though, when her uncle was out, Abby says to me, "Reggie," she says, "Reggie what do you reckon is under that tarp?"

Well, I knew what was under the tarp. It was the verticopter. I pulled off the tarp and showed her.

"Smashing!" she said, "Let's try it!"

I told her that's exactly the sort of thing we should not try. The first thing her uncle told me after inventing anything, he would set down his wrench or whatever and say, "Reginald. See this? Don't ever touch this."

Abby didn't care what her uncle said, "He's my mother's baby brother, and who listens to babies?"

It was at that moment I knew I was going to like this girl a lot. I mean, if you could like a girl and all.

the thumbnail:


to see more detail: click here.

artist's note: this illustration represents a slight shift of my style. it is more realistic. i have a few juvenile reader fantasy projects i am developing and i am working to bend my style a bit to fit the tone of those projects.

©2007 C.S. JENNINGS

Saturday, April 21, 2007

the boys





party man

"say, C.S., what do you like to do for fun on a friday night?"

"i like to watch a movie and then stay up into the morning drawing OZ stuff!"

(this should be my last Wizard of OZ post. no promises though.)

Friday, April 20, 2007

Monkey Napped



VERSION B : 4.20.07

see a side-by-side comparison of the original and new versions.

the monkeys fly in. the monkeys beat the stuffing out of the scarecrow and the other guys. the monkeys carry dorothy off. long shot of dorothy being carried off.

i wanted to pull the camera in. follow her up from the ground and into the sky. originally i planned to show her high above, but the drama of being lower, with the tree line, and just being nabbed, is a little more visceral.

(technically, the left wing should prolly be in front of the tail, but i wanted the visual element, so, you know, whatever.)

to be absolutely frank, while these are the explanation of my rationale for this piece, from the very moment i suggested this topic, this is the image i saw in my head. i toyed with making her shoes silver as they are in the book, not ruby, but i thought that element would stop the viewer at a point where i didn't want him thinking about the small details.

i know. this is a sketchblog. i had to go to finish on this one.

so, here's a sketch or two.







this is a sketch i did for the monkey, kind of working out the elements. i knew i wanted aviator scarf, goggles and (i thought) hat, but the sweater had to go. monkeys are vest wearers, and a vest wearer mine shall be. i am making a real effort to develop my backgrounds, so there's a little witch's castle in there.







this is a quick sketch, a test to see what "traditional" versions of the characters might look like in my style.

this topic is addicting. i do want to tighten these guys up, apply some ideas i have for them.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Batter UP!



When your baseball bat turns into an actual bat it forces one to evaluate one's life. Billy thought it might be time to be nicer to Esmerelda, the girl in the lunch room who dressed all in black. She'd said she'd get him, and while he wasn't for sure this was her doing, it seemed like the sort of thing she would do to him if she could. Regardless, he determined next time he saw her he wouldn't call her "EsmerSMELLda."

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Tally-ho! The Draw Blog

I have been promising to create a place on the web to show my drawings and junk for a long time.

Wait no longer lads and lasses, that time has now come.

What sort of things can I expect to see on this blog? you ask.

Well, my drawings for one.

It will be a place I post stuff about my art. For instance, when my book comes out (SPRING, 2008!), that will be on this blog. Or a show I am having. Here too.

Also, I'm going to tell you about things I think are cool.

...there are some illustrators I've been wanting to share.

...there are some sites you should see.

...there's a book you should look into.

All, though, about, and pertaining, to pictures. Moving and non-moving.

So here's the first drawing.

Literally. It's oldest one I have of my stuff.



(Yes. It's real. I was early single digits, I am told, when it was drawn.)


**A shout out to my buddy Paul for helping me set up the whole hosting thing.