Prada's Spring 2008 looks on some Pretty Kitties

Acrylic and Ink on 12x16 panel. Also, have a look at the color study. The scan unfortunately doesn't do the piece justice, as this panel really glows in life.

Yves St. Laurent - Fall 2008 Men

Here's a little sketch I did of a couple photos lying on my desk.

Beyonce & Sean Penn

Here are the first two in a series of 8x10 celebrity portraits I'm working on. I've included photos on the full progress, because I think half the fun of art is the process. As you can see, I changed Beyonce's hair in the last minute. Mr. Penn went exactly according to plan, though!

Scholastica Landcut & Redman

Scholastica Landcut is not quite finished - there's a couple little things I've been meaning to do to this one.

And here's a crop-in on a canvas I started this morning. I love how much natural media glows. These are both so much more stunning in real life.

You'll notice all the unfinished projects that I've shown in the last month or so: I've actually never had so many open projects going at once in my life. I'm the type of person that's very quick to resolve something, so it's feeling very fresh and invigorating to start and end things as I'm inspired to.

Tiny Dancer

I'm super proud of this! Did the whole thing tonight - it's a test for a larger music-video project I'm working on. (She's actually supposed to have a banjo, but I was so eager to animate her that I skipped that part!). Here are two slightly different versions to enjoy. As you can see by the difference in color, I'm still getting the hang of exporting videos.

Two Portraits - In progress

Sean Penn & Beyonce! I've been playing a lot with traditional medias lately. I'm so taken with the luminence that genuine paintings have. The way the pigments sparkle in the light is so incredible.

Pioneer Tiger!

Here's a shaky cam shot of a painting that I'm working on. It's inspired by Neko Case.

Puppy in pumps. <--the worst animation you've seen in a while

This is something I whipped up in AfterEffects as a test to see if I could use the software to animate a character created in Photoshop.

Beyond the generally bad timing & movement in this little 3-second clip, I'm really enthused at how simple AfterEffects is to use and how seamlessly it works with both Photoshop & Illustrator. I'm excited about it and will definitely be working on a high-end piece in the near future!

Batman III: The Dark Rumor Mill

Cher, Bale, Depp, Hoffman.

No, this is not my wishlist for the 3rd Christopher Nolan Batman film. These are actually rumors that have been made (and possibly already debunked?) It's been fun to illustrate not only 4 celebrities, but also what they would look like in the role of these comic book personalities. (update October 12)

Mr. Cobblepot

This one was so wonderfully easy - inked and drew it in just an hour between jobs, then came home and colored. The whole project is now 3/4 complete! Almost finished...

A vamp in her twilight.

Here is the second part of a promo piece I'm working on....

E. Nygma

Here's a sneak peak into a tiny promotional piece I'm doing in my spare time.

Update

There's a few more things I'd like to do with this, but here is my progress so far.

I feel so sad...

...that I haven't posted in FOREVER. So here is something I whipped up just for you! It's a work in progress.

30 Rockefeller Plaza

So, this illustration has been looming over my shoulder like a vulture for the past 3 and a half months, but I just couldn't find a chance to do it. In fact, it was originally conceived as an Amy Poehler & Tina Fey thing back when Baby Mama came out. Anyhow, three days ago I said, "Adam, you are penciling this tonight, inking it tomorrow, and coloring it the next day." And I'm so happy I did.

Tree Head Update

Still a work in progress. A nice diversion!

Falcor

Here's a funny little painting I started today... Funny coincidence looking at my last post that I've used nearly the same color palette on this one! I'd completely forgotten and thought I'd try something original.. At this point, it's still very rough, but perhaps in the next few weeks I'll get some time to finish it.! It's good practice, anyhow.

Tree Man

Here's something I did on my break at work today. One can only define corporate standards for so many hours in a day. The original sketch came from our weekly meeting where I try to practice my skills. I'd like to take this a little further...

a day late and a dollar short

I almost forgot: Happy Father's Day. Here's an image I did as a tribute to my father and grandfather and the great tradition of Old Style beer. Cheers.

In Progress

Here's some work I'm doing inspired by my recent visit to a nun graveyard. My favorite headstone belonged to one Scholastica Landcut... Media is acrylic on masonite. My apologies for the tragic glare.

Audrey Redcoat

More fun with watercolors. This is the sister act to "Black Eyed Susan." It quickly turned into a sampler of watercolor technique, I think the only thing I didn't do was throw salt on it! My favorite part is the variegation in the stockings... I think my next watercolor will be less controlled.

I've been watching Twin Peaks like a madman lately, and it couldn't have come at a better time because the women in that show are perfect models for these lusty ladies of vice. While I conceived of this project a week or so before I began watching the show, I can't help but notice the similarities between to two: a throwback to retro-Americana & mystery. And lots and lots of cigarettes. This one was going to have wilder hair, but I reined it back in as a tribute to Audrey Horne of Horne's department stores.

Boy

Dedicated to Issac

Hooray

Guess what? I got into the "Big Book of Illustration Ideas 2." Go out and buy it, then turn to page 124, then find my e-mail address (adamosgood@gmail.com) and commission some work! This promo I did of KT Tunstall is the selection piece.

To all the mamas in the house...

Happy Mother's Day! This image was created for my mother, because she likes dogs an awful lot.

Black Eyed Susan

Here's the water color painting I've been wanting to do for some time. I don't mean this subject, I just mean A watercolor painting! This bares some similarity to the post below in that this is the first time I've used water colors in over 4 years, so I'm not terribly confident with the media, but I just went for it. I'm pretty happy with the results... Of course water color is just about the least forgiving of the painting medias, so certainly there are a few things I don't love about this. First off, the stems of the flowers got way too thick and would have benefited from being more delicate. I also think I her hands lack grace. Next time I'll get it right! This was just an experiment after all!

Things I DO like about it:
1. Watercolor is such a loose medium! Even the tight lines I made did their own thing. (Her lips started bleeding, for instance). This adds a lot of character that a digital painting would never have.
2. I love the source material I got this dress from... those lines on the skirt are just perfect for this application. The dress from a book called "Vintage Fashion" and was designed by Texan Tom Brigance in 1952.
3. The use of white space and using the paper as a color.
Also, perhaps this will be interesting, but everything about this piece was planned before I began painting. I made a quick color study in Photoshop so that I wouldn't make any foolish choices when it came to the final. I'm REALLY happy I did this because I changed a few things around getting to this particular color combination.

Ages

AGES! That's how long it's been since I've last posted. New job is going well, keeping me busy. Here are some icons I did my second week in. This is the first time I've use Adobe Illustrator to make an illustration since college, so I'm a bit rusty. I'm excited about these, though, because they look snazzy, and they're super-charging my Illustrator skills which I had in spades a couple years ago but since forgot. I can once again feel comfortable calling myself a Bezier Ninja.

This makes me giggle.

I didn't realize, until completely finishing, that the lighting on the figure is incongruent with the shadows cast behind him. Bad artist... all I was thinking about was how I compositionally wanted the shadows to fall and what it would do to the psychology of the piece. I kind of like that it doesn't match... I don't know if it's terribly obvious beyond creating discomfort within the reality of the piece.

The pose is from a Gant ad.

And, I decided to fix the new Red Haired Girl... Looking at her the day after I painted it, I realized that her hair wasn't really what I had envisioned it... the original plan was for it to be big and wild, and it ended up being quite short. So, here's an update. I think it's improved. I also think the technique is a little nicer... the hair in the original piece is a little too evenly painted. I was trying to do this a little more painterly and with some degree of emphasis and randomness.

A New Red-Haired Girl for a New Age.

Another model... this time, however, the only thing I'm borrowing is the pose, from the lovely Jessica Stam as featured in the April 2008 Vogue. This feels a lot more satisfying knowing that I invented the colors, the clothes, and the hair. Feels a lot like my senior thesis project, actually, just quicker and (cough) more interesting.

It is also only coincidence that this completes a trio of complementary colored paintings (see yesterday's post, and the day before that). I don't think this piece really goes with the other two. When you compare it to Daria (March 25) it looks so breezy and fun. I'd like to do something darker, though. We'll see.

AND, what's more fun is that this kind of reinvents "Red Haired Girl" for me. Just a little over a year since. Maybe every winter I can do a new Red Haired Girl?

AND one more and... a gift for Tina! Here's that sunburst texture... It's just something I found. As I'm sure anyone with a keen eye has noticed, I've used the exact same texture overlays for the last three paintings on here. It's a combo of this swirly texture I found, a bumpy gesso texture I made (and use in almost everything I do... time for a new one?), some hand-written journal I found, and a light bumpy texture. I've been noticing a trend in digital art that leans toward the use of layers upon layers of texture that add an extra level of depth that will generally always be lacking in this media. (even though this is the gimmickiest of gimmicks.)

Calvin Klein

Here's another fun little diddy I did tonight. So excited to be doing some art again in my free time. Something got away from me these last 2 months and I've just been laying around watching TV (perhaps I should have kept this to myself?).

Anyway, this is the same deal as yesterday: used a photo from a CK ad. Although this time, the colors are entirely mine. And the composition too. I cropped in a bit and moved him over to the left. I like these strange asymmetrical comps where the character appears to be moving out of the field of vision. Adds to the story.

Definitely inspired by the colors I used yesterday. In classic Adam Osgood Technicolor dream coat fashion... Do I dare paint someone in a shocking blue sweater tomorrow?

New Painting

Here's a quickie I did tonight... first time I've "painted" since... Oh I don't know January, I suppose. I'm happy I took a break... started off really refreshed, made some bold moves with application and most of all: had fun! It's based on a photo in the March 2008 Vogue of model, Daria Werbowy. Here's a question: if this painted from a photograph, but is just as much about my hand as it is the subject, does the painting become mine, or is it still the intellectual property of the photographer?

From the bottom of my heart, I know that this will never be mine, but I've heard about changing the source material to a certain degree and then it being considered original. Anyway, I merely ask just to feel okay about putting something like this in my portfolio as a display of technical skill.

More Sartorial Expressions

Here's a couple more sketches... Again I can't emphasize how indebted these drawings are to the photography of the Sartorialist, as his images are their source.

Fun fun fun

Here's two more Sartorialist drawings. I LOVE doing these! So much liveliness in the fashion... I love drawing the details. I'm also doing them with some limited supplies, and I like very much how I'm forced to use a limited palette and to think more graphically.

New things

I'm excited to say that I have a new job at Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee starting April. I'm going to be a graphic designer there and can't wait to learn 5,000 billion new things. Along with the new apartment I moved into at the beginning of the month, this will really help shake up my life, which had become rather droll. I'm hoping that all of the positive energy will feed my illustration and help bolster my slow freelance career. I'll keep you all posted. Cheers!

And because no post would be complete without an image, I've taken the liberty of sketching up a pretty little fashion illustration. This is from a photograph by the Sartorialist. I'm thinking about maybe sharpening my fashion illustration skills by copying more of his photos... they're so lovely, and it's really fun to just draw sometimes without thinking. Paying attention to lines and media and just completely ignoring subject matter.

The Fonz

If you don't live in Milwaukee, then you probably don't know anything about the Bronze Fonz that will soon be erected in the downtown area. Anyway, I thought that bit of news (which again, isn't news if you are in Milwaukee and listen to the radio or read the paper) was a nice tie in with a painting I did back in September. This was a gift to an Italian friend of mine that reminded me that Happy Days is how the world knows Milwaukee.

Buenos Noches

I realize that I haven't posted anything in a long while. Occasionally I come here looking for new stuff, and am surprised at myself, as ridiculous as that sounds. Honestly, I haven't done anything new in some time. Not since I finished the MIA piece, at any rate. I have been trying to upgrade my website, though, and can't settle on a layout that I like, and therefore have done nothing.

Meanwhile, I'll whet your appetites with a card that I hand-drew for a friend sometime last summer. I scanned it in for this very purpose. I remember it being somewhat thrilling to work in a traditional media on a tactile surface. I'll have to do that again soon.

M.I.A Finished?

I think I'm done with this. I added some hand-drawn textures, as well as some computer magic in the form of pixelization. The pixelizing in particular represents the basic, yet bold and original way that many of the graphics in her CD artwork and music videos are.

I was inspired by Maya's design aesthetics with all the bright colors and textures. At the same time, I'm wanted to rein in on a really wonderful, selective color palette; something that I feel adds a lot of sophistication to any piece of art. I'd definitely say that working a selective color palette AND executing the look of crazy / wild colors was one of the biggest challenges I faced.

This is also the BIGGEST file I've ever worked on. Over 1 GB! I usually get a lot more mileage out of fewer graphic elements. I'm a little afraid about what 1 GB means... Will the file be less stable? I know it's taking a long long time to open & save. Is it easier to become corrupted? Only time will tell.

M.I.A. Redux

I've been working on a new M.I.A. illustration for a couple days (or weeks, if you include my thoughts, hopes, and dreams on the subject). I'm completely scrapping the test-painting that I started of her back in October, as I come to the realization that the time for playing around and experimenting is over and the time to make some serious illustrations needs to begin.

Also, I've been obsessed with Matthew Woodson's art for about a week now, and looking at his blogs and techniques have instilled in me a new sense of vibrancy towards inked work (which is probably the one thing that I can honestly say that I do very well). I'm going to try to push the colors to be a little more organic, using natural techniques where I used to use digital ones. Another artist who I love is Yoann Lemoine--he paints underneath his inked works. I've done some things similar to this, but never spent any real time playing with the format.

What I really love about both Woodson and Lemoine's art is the way that they stylize their drawings. Especially the way Lemoine applies a boxy look to everything. I still need to find where I stand in the world of stylization. In other words, what does a person look like through "Osgood-vision", or a dog, or a lamp post... anything? I've been trying out the distortion thing for about a year now, and I'm having trouble combining that with inked work, especially inked portraiture. In this image in particular, I stretched Maya's face out rather dramatically in the horizontal, but then wasn't completely sure how to go about her body... She is a beautiful, full-figured girl, so I didn't want to do the long arms and legs that I've been doing so much recently, but also didn't want to get too realistic with her proportions. I think I found a pretty good mix between the two... We'll see how I feel about it in a couple months after I've done some more work.

I definitely know that my work lends itself best to broad, incomplete, yet confident strokes, and I need to find a way to use that more. Kagan McLeod is another illustrator that I take a look at fairly often... he does some wonderfully vague ink work, if you look through his whole portfolio.

Iron-On Magic!

So I found this iron-on in my mom's basement when I was cleaning through my things last May. I ironed it on to a t-shirt and just love it, so I'm going to hope that the artist originally responsible won't mind that I'm sharing it with the world... because it's just too cool to keep to myself.

The Self

I hadn't picked up the Wacom in a couple months and "painted", so I did this for practice. I think taking some time off was a good idea. The painting technique came really naturally to me, and I think that towards the end of 2007 I was getting really frustrated with myself.