http://courtjones.com/blog/index.php http://courtjones.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120421-135722 here. The article has a short interview with me as well as a layout with some of my caricature and fine art work. And a couple nights ago, the magazine threw an art party at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla where my work was the centerpiece, along with works from other local artists. And when I say "centerpiece," I mean it literally. The hotel wouldn't let us hang anything on the walls. There really was no wall space to hang anything. So we had to display our works on easels. And the magazine decided to place my easels in the center of the room, which made me a little nervous for their safety, what with the loud music and open bar!



It was a nice event. I mostly talked with the other artists who were there and enjoyed watching the people looking at my work. Since I mostly do illustrations and commissions, and not gallery shows, this was a rare bit of personal interaction with the public.

I painted the Christopher Walken from the previous post for this event, as well as this Marilyn Monroe. After doing caricatures professionally for over sixteen years, I recently realized I had never painted or even drawn Marilyn, so I figured it was time. And this one got probably the most attention from the party guests.




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Thank you, Mr. Walken, for the years of entertainment! Also, I painted this for an upcoming art show. More on that in a couple weeks...

Oil on gessoed panel, 12 x 16 inches



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And here's my final head study from the last painting class at the Atelier last semester.



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]]> http://courtjones.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120217-134950 San Diego Union-Tribune once again asked me to do an Oscar-themed illustration for the cover of the Night and Day Weekend section. The composition was left up entirely to me. But unlike last year's illustration, which only showed the critic's choice for the best actor and actress, I wanted to include all of the major contenders for the Best Picture Oscar itself. And with the limited time I had to work on it, I needed a way to represent the films as a whole, in a simple way, and not make it look like I was focusing on just the actors.

In order to avoid having to draw and paint full bodies or complicated backgrounds, I came up with the picture frame idea, with Oscar himself playing the role of the critical viewer in a gallery or museum who is contemplating his choices. And each gold frame has elements which reference each nominated film in some small way. I kept the frame for "The Help" simple because it seemed appropriate that a movie about domestic workers have a less fancy frame. Still though, this illustration ended up being quite an exercise in rendering shiny gold surfaces.

And I'm so happy I finally got a chance to caricature Owen Wilson. What a weird schnoz!

This was done entirely in Photoshop.




And here's a larger version, without the copy.

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And this is a small 8 x 10 inch study of a crow from a photo I found somewhere

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Beginning January 11, 2012, I will once again teach "Drawing Facial Features and Expressions" at the Watts Atelier, in Encinitas, CA on Wednesdays from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. For the first half of the semester, the class will focus on learning the proper construction of the individual facial features as well as how idealize them for portrait work and how to use your new anatomical knowledge to improve upon poor photo reference.

The second half of the semester will focus on the anatomy of the facial muscles and how they work to create the expression of emotions. Along with the internal anatomy, we will learn what the seven basic expressions are and how to draw them so that they read as authentic in your drawing or painting. This class is a must for anyone who would like to improve their portrait or caricature skills and to infuse more personality and emotion into their subjects.

The class will run for ten weeks and costs $385. As always, registration for classes at the Watts Atelier is open to anyone. There are no portfolio reviews or other registration requirements. Read more info and register for the class on the Watts Atelier website.

This class probably will not be offered again for another year, so if you are interested, be sure to inquire at the school or contact me with any questions.


Here is a group of ear studies in oil I did last week.

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Gathering the photo reference for this presented some challenges. Namely, I couldn't think of anyone to pose for me who has a real vintage look in their faces and hairstyles. It's hard to explain, but I think people just looked different back then. At least the types of people you saw in ads and movies had certain characteristic traits. So I shot photos of the models in costume, along with the props in a living room setting with consistent lighting and then found some vintage stock photography of models faces from mid-century. The faces gave me particular problems, because I had to change the lighting and angles slightly to make them seem to fit on the bodies in that scene. I ended up totally repainting the mother and father's faces once each because they didn't quite work the first time.

Also, the dog I photographed was a completely different breed. But the client really wanted a chocolate lab puppy.

This was drawn in pencil on smooth bristol and then painted in Photoshop.



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And I got a chance to really explore some ink hatching techniques. It's such a difficult and delicate medium that forces you to plan out every single stroke. The angle, length and thickness of the line, as well as its proximity to every other line are what create the illusion of value and form. But when it's done right, it's a very satisfying type of art to look at. The lines also help create a sense of motion that other types of rendering might not have.

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I chose the backdrop of the Hotel del Coronado, because it's one of our few really well-known San Diego icons, and the beach idea seemed appropriate. Once I had the setting and background in mind, I tried to place myself in the moment and figure out how someone might celebrate the holiday season in that environment. So the idea of the sand-snow man came to mind. The Hotel del usually has standard white Christmas lights on it's main cone shaped tower every December, but I thought it also looks a bit like a Christmas tree already, so I took those decorations a step further.

And then I figured if Santa were here, he would do as most tourists do and take advantage of the warm weather and beaches. Oh, and he would definitely surf.



Since I knew this would be a realistic traditionally drawn illustration, I took my own photo reference for almost everything and tried to do things "right", which included, photographing the location, buying/borrowing props and wardrobe, and hiring models. I drew everything out in pencil on a large board, but the painting itself was painted digitally with Photoshop, and a little bit of Art Rage Studio for the impasto paint effects.

I also did a few comic panels in ink and watercolor for the inside pages of the magazine, which you can view entirely online here: Pacific San Diego Magazine - December 2011





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