Tony Vitale

And now for something funny...I hope.

2010-08-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

I like to do up these little funnies and send them off to my wife, Carlene, at work. She seems to enjoy them. The bunny ones are based on little scripts we make up in our heads and share as we walk to the train in the morning, gazing in awe at nature's majesty.

This last one takes a little explaining. You see, we were watching these frolicking bunnies (presumably in some pre-mating ritual) dancing and hopping about. These four bunnies ended up staring at each other and, well, this is what popped into my mind.

More sketches....

2010-07-12T13:59:00.001-05:00

A plethora of sketches done over the past few weeks.

Sketches...

2010-07-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

These sketches were done for a friend who wanted some concepts sketches of the main character for a children's book he's writing. you can see the progression of style to what he asked for which was a figure that was more rounded.

© 2010 Character and illustrations: Ray Horita

A day in the Life of Me....

2010-07-01T10:37:00.002-05:00

Well, as a kid anyway. This assignment was one of the best so far. I had to create a biographical piece that used advertising or pop culture references. I chose the shows I watched when I ran to my grandmother's house after school, threw a towel around myself, jumped off the couch and lost myself in that fantasy world...at least until it was dinner time. I took this opportunity to play with a different format making the piece 13"h x 50"w. It was then printed on canvas paper. Did I mention I love my printer for being such a sport about the abuse I heap onto its little roller.

Eco Poster and Logo

2010-07-01T10:32:00.000-05:00

These were created as part of an assignment in creating promotional material for a business or organization that was optimistic in some manner. I chose Keep Evanston Beautiful because of their efforts to preserve evanston's natural beauty and for their efforts to educate people, young and older, in gardening and preserving our natural resources.

Spoof Ads

2010-07-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

These are from an assignment in which we had to create spoof ads.

A great non-profit used book store

2010-06-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

These were done for an assignment that required us to create promotional material for a non-profit organization. Here I chose Open Books. A great used book store in Chicago.

FInally, a return to posts.

2010-06-30T16:27:00.000-05:00

I figured I would update this place with some of the work I did in the past 6 months of class.
This project involved exhibiting the 7 sins using only type. If you look closely you can see that the animals are made up of words, synonyms actually, of the sin represented. Enjoy.

And another dragon....

2009-12-31T10:36:00.000-06:00

Soon to be on my etsy store. Guess I'm in a Dragon mood lately.

It is a good feeling to be published...

2009-12-23T09:59:00.000-06:00

After repeated efforts to get an agent and get my book published I decided to do the job myself. A professor of mine recommended Createspace and after some work to make a cover and typeset the book (many thanks to my wife for the latter) I have a real book out there on Amazon. It is such an amazing feeling to go to that site and see something I made out there for all the world to see. It makes me want more, so who knows, there may be more.

Dragon and Knight...

2009-12-18T10:23:00.000-06:00

This is the latest (or soon to be latest) addition to my etsy shop. I need to buy a new scanner and printer so I can sell better quality prints, which will hopefully be by the end of the year. The scanner I have now has a recessed plate so the buckling on the painting is not flattening enough and I get these dark strips across the picture.

My New Etsy Store...

2009-12-11T09:22:00.001-06:00

A not-so-shameful plug about my new etsy store (linkage to the right). This is the first piece I've listed with more to come.

2009-12-04T14:20:00.001-06:00

2009-11-30T18:32:00.000-06:00

more life drawing.....

2009-11-24T15:35:00.000-06:00

From the sketchbook...

2009-11-21T14:55:00.000-06:00

Some recent sketches. The profile is drawn from a book of Norman Rockwell photos I saw at the book store called Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera.
Sorry for the burned out edges. I really need to think about a new scanner. The one I have isn't doing too well for lately.

some life drawing studies...

2009-11-17T17:16:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of life drawings from this quarter. I'll be posting more as the week goes on. I have to say I did enjoy this quarter's life drawing class. Our professor lined up some great models to work with, and each had their own style of posing that brought a nice change to each new session.

doom and gloom this week...

2009-11-08T14:30:00.000-06:00

There is a theme here. We had assignments to create expressive artwork and to that end I chose to use an obvious (I hope) sad and moody color palette.

Typography...

2009-11-01T10:47:00.000-06:00

This is a project created as an assignment to use type as the main focal point in a design. I started with an idea for a story and used the story to create a title and finally what I saw as a cover design.

more sketches....

2009-10-23T12:29:00.000-05:00

from the picadilly sketchbook.

The tortoise and the Hare: After the Race

2009-10-16T08:27:00.000-05:00

We were given the assignment to use the story of the tortoise and the hare. We were allowed as much latitude as we wanted to take, so I decided to do the "after the race" story.

On the "Words" side....

2009-10-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

Things are running full tilt with school so I haven't had time to scan or photograph any art. Here, though, is a piece of flash fiction written a few months back for a fiction class.

A Quick Drag

It was time. Terry had waited for three days before the opportunity presented itself. His mother was going to the beauty salon and he knew she wouldn’t return for at least an hour.

“Now, you call if you there’s any problem. You have my cell number, right?” She said.

“Got it, Mom.” Terry followed her to the front door. She left. He watched her pull away and dashed with anxious enthusiasm to his room where he had stashed his contraband.

Terry reached behind his Rob Thomas CD, grabbed the cigarette and book of matches he had taken from his mother’s purse four days ago, and made his way behind the garage. It was perfect. A thick, high row of evergreens lined the back of their property, with the sides blocked by a seven-foot wall of stained cedar.

Terry fumbled with the slender stick of paper and tobacco. He finally got it settled between his index and middle finger. He plucked a match from the book and tried striking the match head while holding the cigarette, but dropped both. This time he set the cigarette on a rock and struck the match. He recoiled slightly from the sudden, sharp whiff of sulfur. He drew the match down to the cigarette, holding it there until the end was lit and blew out the match.

This was it, a perennial induction into maturity. Terry was going to smoke his first cigarette. He set the delicate stick between his index and middle finger again, struggling to steady it before bringing it up to his lips. He sucked in, but too hard and hacked the smoke from his mouth in large billows before he tasted anything.

Again.

This time a hot, charred taste of ash washed over his tongue before he coughed out the smoke. Terry felt a little more prepared the next time. He drew on the cigarette with more control; the tip flared with a red-orange light as it ate away at the parchment skin. He held the smoke in his mouth for a moment, feeling the dry heat. He noticed there was no weight to the smoke, no thickness, just an unpleasant taste similar to the times he’d sat too close to a campfire. He pushed the smoke out between slightly parted lips, watching with pride the white stream of vapor as it mingled with the air and dissipated.

Terry sat for a moment, reveling in the skill that he so quickly mastered. At least he felt it was quick. It was time, he thought, for the next step. Inhaling. No more of this kid’s stuff. He knew he was ready and braced himself.

However, his brief flirtation with maturity came to an end when he was pulled from his elation by someone clearing their throat.

“I forgot my cell phone.” Terry’s mother stood at the corner of the garage. A slightly controlled burn of anger lit her eyes while her pin-striped jacket creased against folded arms.

“Mom! I can explain.”

Three comics strips from school...

2009-10-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

These are some recent strips drawn for a Graphic Narrative class I'm taking. The first one is based on our incidents this summer with squirrels eating apples off our apple tree. The little scamps would sit high upon their perch and pick off an apple, take a bite or two, drop the apple and pick another. This became annoying for the fact that the apples would sit in front of the house attractive bees.

The second is based on an actual rabbit that sat in the bushes in front of our picture window. He/She would sit and scratch and fall over. I'm not kidding here. The rabbit had so little coordination that we watched it try to hop up a mound across the street that was not much more than a swelling on the ground and it fell over backwards. We call Him/Her (how can you tell?) Tipsy.

Finally, this last one is because I frankly had no other idea, I was tired, and the project was due so there it is.

Enjoy.

And more sketches.....

2009-09-25T20:13:00.001-05:00

Dog Days of Summer.......

2009-09-23T20:44:00.000-05:00

Another round of Picadilly pencilings. Can you guess the theme of this round of sketches? Ignore the human face. I don't know how he managed to slip onto a page of puppies.

Notebook Sketches...

2009-09-21T18:44:00.000-05:00

Some random works from the ol' Picadilly (a notebook similar to Moleskin) I bought in bulk at the local Borders bookstore. These sketches can get pretty random so don't look for any significance. Note: one of these shows some noodling to work out the banner of this blog. There will also be the random note scribbled along the margins somwhere on the page that has nothing whatsoever to do with what is happening on the page.

2009-09-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

Found the frog I'd drawn a few years back and rendered to vibrant life by Carlene (aka Knitsquirrel). Something about those big feet. I love drawing these guys.

A change of pace...

2009-09-11T12:05:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd load up some photos from my digital photography class last spring, two of which were taken of my lovely wife of infinite patience (it was very cold that day and I spent many a minutes trying to figure out my new camera while she posed)

Figure Drawing...

2009-09-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

This is a piece I did for a figure drawing class I took over the summer. Hopefully I'll manage to get more up here as the new quarter goes on.

2009-09-08T15:23:00.000-05:00

These are some sketches I did for a short story I wrote (The beginning is included below). Sorry for the poor photo of the bird. I had to take a picture and I'm still working on that end. Enjoy.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Dedicated to Charles and Maxine Easter and the love of grandparents everywhere

Lionel turned off Corn Avenue and walked down the dirt trail that led towards the forest. He walked this same route from school everyday, a short cut between school and home. Lionel was short for an eleven year old. He was not overweight just, as his mother so often said it, ‘pleasingly plump’, two words that Lionel had come to believe did not belong with each other. Lionel kicked up a plume of dust. I hate him, he thought, my head still hurts.

This most recent incident involved a practical joke played on Lionel’s classmate Scott, and Lionel being in the wrong place at the right time. Scott had arrived at his locker to find someone had poured Elmer’s Glue through the vents of Scott’s locker, drying into semi-clear glue icicles dripping from his books and notepads. Lionel made the mistake of letting a chuckle slip out. Two large hands grabbed Lionel from behind and spun him around into the lockers behind them. “You do that? Think it’s funny?” Scott, like all bullies, hated being laughed at, especially by someone of Lionel’s size. It was soon over and Lionel left school with a dull ache bobbing around in his head.

Lionel entered the forest, rubbing the back of his head. He walked a narrow trail, shafts of sunlight speared through the forest canopy, fallen leaves crackled beneath his footsteps. A tomcat off to the left was making its way slowly toward a large maple tree, carefully placing each step. The gray and white striped cat either didn’t notice or didn’t care about Lionel’s presence. Lionel could hear a rustling behind the maple, which was soon followed by the sound of an animal crying out in something like a crow’s caw and a gargle. Lionel had to see the source of the sound, so he walked toward the cat assuming his approach would motivate the hungry feline to flee, but as Lionel moved closer the cat continued toward its intended meal. Lionel peeked around the tree and didn’t know what to make of what he saw. A bird the size of a fat Chihuahua, struggling in a tangled web of fishing line. The cat’s tail flicked back and forth in anticipation. Lionel jumped at the cat. “Shoo, get out of here. Go on, beat it.” Lionel watched the cat dart into a cluster of bushes and scamper off into the underbrush.

When Lionel turned back, the astonishing bird of a moment ago was gone and now a robin sat pitifully entangled in the fishing line.

“What is this? You weren’t a robin a minute ago; I saw you when I chased off that cat.” The robin remained still, cocking its head to one side, its beak opening and closing without making a sound. It occasionally made a show of struggling against its restraints.

Finally, the robin’s form began to change. Its head and upper body turned a radiant blue, while its cinnamon-colored breast faded to a lime-green that matched the bird’s wings, and coal black eyes grew large with a purplish color. The pointed beak swelled to resemble the bill of a dodo. But what shocked Lionel more than anything was what happened next. The large bird ruffled its feather, as best it could in the ensnaring fishing line, and spoke.

“Happy now?” The bird said.

another illustrator project...

2009-09-07T07:54:00.000-05:00

This was done for an assignment requiring us to take a picture and recreate it in Illustrator. Naturally I had to choose the latest Superman, and I was pretty happy with the results. This was traced over a photo and then colored. Not as easy as I expected, but again, I was pretty happy with the results.

Space suit...

2009-09-03T18:10:00.000-05:00

This is a sketch (hopefully obvious) of an astronaut. I saw it on the cover of Time magazine's July 27, 2009 issue and felt a need to sketch it. I love those space suits. So many textures and folds to sketch. Fun times all around.

This is me learning to paint....

2009-09-02T16:14:00.000-05:00

I'm learning to paint (with Guache in these two pieces). I figured it best to start with tonal works and move on to color. I hope to eventually work with Guache, Acrylic, and Oils. Time will tell. Anyhow, here are a couple of things I've done recently. The top is hopefully appearing to be Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and the bottom is the flash sans ear wing thingies (I got lazy, sue me).

2009-09-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

Another school project done with illustrator. I scanned the line art I drew (top) and then tricked it out in Illustrator. He's a cute little guy. There's another I have somewhere from a few years ago I'll post if I find it.....

A school project....

2009-08-31T17:10:00.000-05:00

This is a project for school. We had to create a scene using a robot of our own design and draw, color, and letter the piece in Adobe Illustrator. This was my favorite project of the quarter. Though it wasn't due until six weeks in, I started working out sketches (some included here) after the first class when I heard about the assignment.

I love this town.....

2009-08-29T11:35:00.000-05:00

The other day I saw one of our neighbors plucking "No Parking" signs out of the ground that had been placed along the block. He took them to an area across the street that's hidden by bushes, took the placards off and absconded with the stakes, inspiring this quickie drawing.