More photos after the jump!
Quick news/good news:
German magazine Spoonfork has kindly featured my art in their latest issue's special guest section. Here it is!
In other news, the T-shirt that is the product of my Artsprojekt Labz T-shirt contest victory has been produced and is ready to buy, if you're interested. Click here for more info.
So it's been a freakishly-busy six months for me. Aside from my normal work and my personal artwork, I've also been creating artwork for a fairly large game project called Glitch. Today, Glitch was officially announced. More info:
I also had an interview published recently on the vector art website Vectortuts. Here it is.
Lastly, if you're interested in amazingly-crazy music/art festivals, my art will be shown at this weekend's Lucent L'amour Festival here in LA. Details.
More to come very soon!
Camilo Bejarano AKA ph7labs recently launched the awesome new publication Colorvision Magazine and was kind enough to interview me. If you've got a few moments, check it out!
Apologies for not being better at communicating with everyone who's been visiting the site and commenting on my work. I've been busier than ever, working seven days a week on new and very exciting projects which I'm sure you'll see in the near future. New artwork will be posted very soon!
In July, my artwork will be showcased at Hibbleton Gallery in Fullerton, CA. The show's running from the beginning of July through the 26th with an opening reception on July 10th. Of course, the flyer below already says all of that. If you're in the LA area on the 10th and you're interested in seeing my work and the work of a few other very talented digital artists, stop by. Drop a comment if you have any related questions.
I meant to post this a week ago, but things have been pretty crazy lately. On Tuesday, April 28th, 2009, my wife Adriana gave birth to our daughter, Sonja Isabel Leavens. It was an emergency C-section, so the whole thing was a bit dramatic. Apologies if I've seemed overly quiet or incommunicado. Here's a photo:
More illustrations, news, etc. as things slowly normalize.
More to come on this, but in case you didn't already hear it via my Twitter feed, I'm one of the top ten winners in the Artsprojekt Labz T-shirt design contest.
One interesting detail: I wasn't entirely sure I entered the contest until they emailed me and told me I won. I received an invite on one of my illustrations, Calling the Sun, through my flickr profile. I always just accept the invitations as it's a good way to spread the word. It appears as if the word has definitely been spread this time around.
This not only means there will be a Calling the Sun T-shirt, it also means that I'll be joining the Artsprojekt community and designing and hopefully selling different products. I'll provide details as they're available.
In other news, I'm feverishly working on more illustrations, one a collaboration, another, a two-page spread for an Argentinian design magazine (South America loves my work). More to come!
The Flintridge Bookstore in La Canada, CA is hosting a weekend-long art show beginning tomorrow, February 21, 2009 and my work will be in the mix. They've been really great to me over the past year, displaying and selling my work and helping to spread the word. As part of the show, I'll be discussing my work on evening of Saturday the 21st, some time between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. If you're in the Los Angeles area and you'd like to see my work in person, this is a great opportunity to take it in in a fairly intimate setting. Limited, signed prints will be available. Here's the info:
Location: Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House, 964 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 (The store is across the street from the giant Sports Chalet mondo-complex on the corner of Foothill Blvd. & Angeles Crest Highway)
Schedule: Open reception begins at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday the 21st and the show runs through Sunday evening.
Hope to see you there.
Steve, the artist and blogger behind the website "Go Flying Turtle," was kind enough to interview me and showcase some of my work on his blog. Go check it out! While you're there, check out Steve's artwork. He's really talented and he's a super-good guy. The interview covers different ground than other past interviews have, so it's definitely worth your time if you have the time. If you don't have the time, then sit back and relax because you're really busy and I can sympathize (I'm really busy, too).
Things have been super busy recently, mostly due to our recent move from apartment to house. Even amidst my inactivity, though, things continue to stew. Case in point: I was interviewed for the web-based publication VIZIOmag, based out of South America (I believe).
The feature on me appears in issue #3, which is available as a download for both Mac and Windows. The other artwork and artists represented in this issue are really great, so check it out.
More to come for sure, no doubt. Happy New Year, everybody.
And soon the smoke beast began to expand like a balloon, scaring every ounce of bejesus out of the house-hungry cyclops. (Illustration Friday, topic: balloon)
I actually finished this illustration about a week and a half ago, but I'm posting it now to correspond with the publish date of a tutorial I was hired to write for the website Vectortuts. If you're really interested in vector illustration and you're looking to learn a bit more about my process, check it out. I will warn you, however, that it's a members-only tutorial and you'll have to pay to play.
Here's the link, in case you missed it: vectortuts.com/articles/news/new-vectortuts-plus-tut-create-whimsical-artwork-entirely-in-adobe-illustrator/
Vector Illustration, Adobe Illustrator CS4
Prints: chrisleavens.imagekind.com
This year I've decided to print some extra copies of my personal Christmas cards and offer them up for sale to anyone. That's right, anyone. There's only one catch: you'll have to pay $17 for them. Sound like too much $$? It's not because you get ten cards, plus shipping's included. That's right. $1.70 per card. What a bargain.
As you may or may not remember, the card looks like this:
The text on the inside of the card reads, "There's no place like home for the holidays. Merry Christmas."
So for just $17, you get:
(Sorry, prices pertain to US residents only. If you live in another country and would like some, leave a comment and I'll contact you personally.)
To buy some, just press the "Buy Some!" button below. You'll be directed to paypal.com and the company you'll be paying is Kpants Productions (don't worry, that's me). Thanks!
Ryan Putnam, the singular force behind the awesome vector-illustration website Vectips, recently interviewed me via email. Here's the interview. It's pretty different than the last interview I did, so check it out and feel free to leave comments. If you have any interest in vector illustration, Vectips is an amazing resource and Ryan really knows his stuff.
Also, I realize I've been quiet lately, but new stuff's on the way. Real life's been keeping me busy. My wife and I are trying to take advantage of the economic downturn and buy a house while the market's low. Takes a lot more time than I would've imagined.
The last two times Imagekind featured me and/or my work, I was out of town and unable to spread the word. This time, I'm here and it's just about the best time to buy prints, especially if you've ever considered getting a framed piece of my art. They're currently running two specials; one gives you free ground shipping and the other takes 20% of custom framing. I believe the two offers can be combined, so if you're at all interested in purchasing any of my prints and have a little extra cash, now might be the time.
Looks pretty boss-hog in a living room:
My store: chrisleavens.imagekind.com
To see my work on the main page (will disappear at the end of the day): imagekind.com
In other news, I met some folks at the art show last week who run an up-and-coming social network called My Modern Metropolis. They really liked my work and today posted a spotlight feature on my art. Go check it out!
Finally, I mentioned a little while back that my painting Seed Tax was going to be included in a publication. Here it is, in Design This Design That. Check page 9.
Thanks to everyone for being so helpful and supportive.
If anyone's interested, my art's being displayed tomorrow night at this show:
I realize it's pretty last-minute, but it was for me, too. Unfortunately, I have to recycle work from previous shows because I didn't have enough lead time to get the new stuff in there.
A few weeks back, a web/print publication called Oranges & Sardines contacted me requesting an interview. Here it is in all its glory.
In other Chris-art related news, it looks as if my painting, Seed Tax, will be appearing in a separate publication and another possible solo show is also on the horizon. More details when they arrive.
In site news, I've begun some under-the-hood tinkering, but you more than likely won't see any of the results for about a week or so. Apologies for any bugs or inconsistencies in the meantime.
Vacation has ended, bringing me back to LA, back to usable Internet, and back to another group art show:
Flying sunglasses will apparently be in attendance as will my artwork, but unfortunately I will not be present. Adriana and I will be enjoying our nation's independence along the central coast of California. Hopefully we won't be engulfed in flames or anything.
But wait, there's more:
My artwork is also currently on display at the Flintridge Bookstore, an independent bookstore in affluent La Canada-Flintridge, CA. The bookstore's been nice enough to house my work for the past three weeks or so and may continue to do so for another month or so. If you're in the area and want to see the majesty that is the work of "Christo" in person, you have two options. Bookstore address: 964 Foothill Blvd. La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011.
So it goes. After the art show displaying my work was canceled last night, I was predictably bummed out. So it was nice to receive a mass email from Imagekind today that listed me as a featured artist:
Yes, I'm now in a gazillion inboxes. Seems as if the karmic wheel's been kind to me lately.
In case you forgot, my Imagekind store can be found here: chrisleavens.imagekind.com
Official flyer (click image below for embiggened version):
That is all.
I've been invited to display my work at another one-night group show here in LA. The location's the same, 533 Los Angeles St., 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA. The time, of course, is different. The show's going to be part of the downtown LA art walk on June 12th. It sounds like it's going to be much more art-centric than the last show. More details soon. For now I give you this self-portrait I took as part of the promotion for my previous show:
Today I woke up to find that I'd been chosen by Imagekind as a featured member. Given the fact that they host hundreds (maybe thousands?) of artists, this is somewhat of an honor. Check it out:
See the front page, which includes my goofy mug: imagekind.com
Visit my corner of imagekind, which now features even more of my stuff, including the best of IAD 1 & IAD 2: chrisleavens.imagekind.com
After weighing a variety of options, I've decided to sell my artwork via Imagekind. They offer a multitude of choices and reasonably-priced custom framing (their frames may seem expensive on first glance, but compared to other places, they're a good deal). A direct link to my web store follows the colon: chrisleavens.imagekind.com.
Currently I'm only selling five images. Click on the illustration you like for a direct link to its Imagekind home:
I'll be posting more for sale, including images from the first IAD, as soon as opportunity allows. I create nearly all of my artwork at a 4:3 ratio and the ideal ratio for most printers and store-bought frames is 5:4 (8x10, 11x14, 16x20 are all right on or near a 5:4 ratio), so I had to resize some of the elements to make things work. Also, I've been going in and cleaning up details that I wasn't able to during the IAD project. In some cases, like Hungry Again, for instance, I even drew in a few extra elements that I meant to include in the first go around but skipped due to time constraints. If anyone's really eager to get their hands on something that's not currently available, make it known and I'll make it a priority.
If you find time in your busy day, please make a quick list of your five favorite IAD2s and list them as a comment on this message. I'll start printing a few of them soon, so lists may be of use in order to judge popularity.
Any other comments regarding IAD2 are also welcome, but I will not answer any questions about underpants.
After five or so years of quietly threatening to launch a portfolio website for myself, www.chrisleavens.com has been spawned. Most likely you've already seen a majority of what lives there, but more will be arriving as more is created and I'll be offering prints for sale through a currently-deactivated web store that's part of the site's software package.
It's still a work in progress, but if opportunity presents itself, visit the site and let me know what you think by leaving comments on this post. Suggestions are welcome.
Although I'm relieved that the month of October and the Illustration a Day onslaught have both drawn to a close, I have to admit I feel a little lost at the moment. Shouldn't I be drawing right now?
IAD is one of the most satisfying creative endeavors I've tackled in years. It also seems to be among the more popular. Due to the positive response, I've decided to have a selection of the images printed and made available for purchase. What I am looking for from the Unloosen community is a brief list of your favorites, if possible. Just choose the five illustrations you liked best and list them in this entry's comments. I've extended the front-page life of the IAD posts in order to make them stick around for a few extra days, for those of you who don't visit often or need time to think.
On another, slightly-related note, I'm going to be delving into wedding preparation land and I probably won't be posting as much as usual for the bulk of November, but I'll be back.
Thanks!
