Mark Eberhardt Illustration

Water(color) on Mars [work in progress pt2]

2012-01-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

A little further along. Masking fluid off, paint on.
I knew that if you erased too vigorously on watercolor paper, it scratches the paper. I risked it. Turns out applying a wet layer and toweling it off before it dries makes a great stone/wood texture.

Groundhog Phil

2012-01-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

Today's storytime at B&N was all about Groundhog Day. I drew this little guy for our coloring activity and one of the kids left his or her expressionistic rodent for me to take home and share with all of you.

It just makes me wonder why they left it. (Kids usually take their lovely colorings home.)

Was it too avant garde for their parents' refrigerator?

Was this just a practice coloring and the final one was more refined?

Did they find the red bow tie too garish?

Well, I took it home, because I like it and it'll probably go on my refrigerator once I publish this blog post.

Water(color) on Mars [work in progress]

2012-01-30T21:29:00.000-08:00

A crummy shot of the poster I'm currently working. If you don't know about the Mars Science Laboratory that launched last year, take a look at the animation below. I should be able to post the final this Friday.

Sketchbook 16

2012-01-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'm just finishing up my sixteenth sketchbook since my first visit to the Illustration Academy. This one has taken me a little longer than the others did, but I'm getting back in the groove. Here are the highlights.

The easiest most location for me to draw is the Barnes & Noble cafe. It all started in Savannah, and now I hang out at the one next to the Ohio State campus. They get lots of students hanging out and doing work.

Farscape was my favorite show.

Really blind contour drawings. Sitting outside at night, I couldn't see what I was drawing.

I take my sketchbook on walks. One of the local parks has a small herd of buffalo.

At a monthly meeting with Nikki Smetters

His favorite thing to complain about was how people who complain about snow should move to a warmer climate.

You have to wonder about some people.

I think that if pugs were in Star Trek, they would be really friendly Klingons with respiratory issues.

Three Gruff Goats

2011-11-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

A few more coloring book pages for you from my story times at work. The Three Billy Goats Gruff and a late happy Thanksgiving from Mark Eberhardt Illustration! (click on the links to the left for full-size printable pages.)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

More coloring pages!

2011-10-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more coloring pages I made for my storytimes at B&N. If you color them, send me photos or scans and I'll post them here!

Owl Coloring Page

2011-09-17T20:33:00.001-07:00

Who's this coloring book page for?

You of course!
Feel free to print and color this fall-themed drawing! Send me a picture of it if you do!

Download the full picture here.

Sketch

2011-09-12T19:36:00.001-07:00

It's been a while.
I'm still working, mostly on my comic. My next post will be some comic sketches. For now, have a Rocketeer.

Old and new

2011-07-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the second in a series about a young witch's travels.

This one is a re-do of a piece I did during my time at SCAD. Expect more adventures of the young witch in the future.

The Perseids

2011-06-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

More of a series of images than a comic, I did this for a contest on an astronomy equipment website.

Birthday Cards

2011-06-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since my last post, but I've been waiting out the family's birthdays so I could post these here without spoiling any surprises. I'm hoping to have these cards up for sale at some point soon.

In other news, I still don't have a very good scanner. I have a few more pieces to post, but would rather wait for higher quality scans. I can post some previews for you though.

Witch

2011-04-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a new painting. Nothing much more to say.
Working on a pair of pieces that I'll post some time soon.

Brushes

2011-04-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

I just got a new iPod - my first touch screen device, I know I'm behind the times - and have been playing around with making art on it. Inspired by Jorge Colombo's work for the New Yorker and the work of a former professor of mine, John Bavaro, I downloaded the Brushes app and have been practicing at a new medium.

I first started working from photographs.

Then moved to images out of my head.

And finally began to work observationally, treating my pod like a sketchbook.

I enjoy trying new media. I'm fairly proficient in Photoshop and was able to use this app similarly. I still prefer to work traditionally, but this is a fun change of pace and I'll post more when I do more.

Bartimaeus

2011-04-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Stroud has written some of my favorite books including the Bartimaeus Trilogy (now the Bartimaeus Sequence). I recently finished reading his newest, The Ring of Solomon. The book was action packed and there were plenty of interesting scenes, but one image that stuck in my mind throughout the entire book is one where some of our characters first meet.

I like the product - done in ink and coffee on cold press paper - though I think I may do it again in watercolor on a larger scale so I can be more detailed.

Classes

2011-03-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

I just finished teaching a pair of art classes for kids ages eight to thirteen, and I thought I would share some of the great work my students did.
My first class was about making comic books. Each student had a comic book done by the end of the six class sessions. Here are some of my favorites.

My second class was about making picture books. I only had a few students in the class, but they made some great books during our two month class period. All three students wrote and illustrated ghost stories. Aidan's "crazyman" story was hilarious. And Kyndra came up with some amazing compositions in her story about the Arts Castle's ghost.

Desmond the Dragon

2011-02-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Desmond the dragon.
Part of a rhyming alphabet written by Beth Post.

A Few New Thumbnails

2011-02-08T12:02:00.001-08:00

I recently was invited by my old high school to participate in their upcoming Sesquicentennial Celebration of the Arts this May. I thought I'd take the opportunity to create a few new pieces that will (hopefully) look good hanging on a wall and be new portfolio pieces for me.
Here are the thumbnails:

The first idea came from the desire to have a piece with more architecture in the background. My recent Golem piece (which you can view in the "Art for Everyone Else" section of my website) has buildings in the background, but still feels like a fairly shallow space. I wanted an open, light space where I could play with perspective and atmospheric perspective.
The second thumbnail basically came from me reading a short blurb about Tomoe Gozen. Tomoe Gozen was a female samurai, which was rare in the 12th century, and was apparently an amazing warrior.

Cats and Dogs

2011-02-08T11:42:00.001-08:00

This piece was done as a commission for Christmas. Jackson and Lola are a pair of Chihuahuas living in Austin, TX (the skyline in the background.) I tried to capture the dogs' personalities based on descriptions and photos and I think I did a pretty good job.

These two cats are Cricket and Calypso. Both were second generation (at least) strays - born without a home. Cricket was lucky enough to be found and given homes along with her siblings. Calypso just found a home in Pittsburgh PA. I'm planning on doing more of these small images -they're about 2x3"- and selling, framed, on Etsy. A portion of the profit will go to Columbus' Cat Welfare Association.

Valentine Cards

2011-01-26T08:48:00.001-08:00

For Valentines day, I made a small set of cards. Each is an animal that mates for life. I didn't get around to printing them in time for this year's holiday, but maybe you'll get one in the mail next year.
From top to bottom:

French Angelfish
Screech Owls
Trumpeter Swans
Red Foxes
Gibons

van Gogh

2011-01-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

Here is my newest mailer, to be sent out to art directors in a matter of weeks.

An update to the website will be coming shortly as well.

66 Drawings of Space

2011-01-08T17:32:00.001-08:00

The original goal of this project was to be a gimmick. A bunch of blog posts, a bunch of drawings. It became an exercise in composition - to see how I could create different and interesting compositions using only black and white and gray. They got a little repetitave for me towards the end, but hopefully they're fun to look at.

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Albery Einstein
Carl Sagan

Michio Kaku
Stephen Hawking
Alexei Filippenko

Sir Issac Newton
Nicolaus Copernicus
Johannes Kepler

Galileo Galilei
William Herschel
Charles Messier

Eugene Cernan (last man on the moon)
Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in space)
John Young (first person to orbit the moon solo)

Kathryn Thornton
Jim Lovell
John Glenn (first American to orbit earth)

Neil Armstrong (first person on the moon)
Buzz Aldrin
Mae Jemison (first African American in space)

Sally Ride (first American woman in space)
Yuri Gagarin (first human in space)
Alan Shepard

Spitzer Space Telescope
Cassini-Huygens
Pioneer 10

Voyager II
Hubble Space Telescope
Sputnik I

The TARDIS

Influence Map

2010-11-22T21:40:00.001-08:00

I'm doing a bit of work right now. Working on some valentines, a portrait of Vincent van Gogh, a pair of pieces about the Golem myth, a comic book, and a piece about a dragon based on text by Beth Post. Unfortunately, I don't have any work for any of these scanned well.
I found this thing called the "influence map" on Kate Beaton's blog, and thought it looked like something neat to do. So I did it.

1 Mercer Mayer was one of the first artists I loved as a kid. His books made me want to draw.
2 Ramon Bachs was one of the first comic book artists whose style I was really drawn to. His work influenced me to start with the animation program at EUP.
3 Jon Foster made me want to be an illustrator. And he's a real cool dude.
4 Paul Cezanne and...
5 Vincent van Gogh were two big influences on the way I looked at paint and at color when I moved to the painting program at EUP.
6 Sterling Hundley was a big influence during the one illustration class I had at EUP. I tried to emulate his style at first and helped me create strong work at the Illustration Academy.
7 David Wiesner's Three Pigs was the basis of my graduate thesis at SCAD. His books changed the way I thought about kids' books and their use in kids' lives.
8 Gustav Klimt was another stylistic influence after the Illustration Academy. I tried to incorporate design and pattern into my work after seeing his.
9 Lane Smith inspired me to jump out of the traditional notions of a book and question the way books are normally drawn/designed/written.
10 Herge was one of the first styles I identified with when I started to find my own. I also loved the animated version of Tin Tin when I was young.
11 Shaun Tan provided a stepping stone for me from knowing about traditional kids' books to learning about postmodernism in kids' books.
12 Oliver Jeffers makes books that I really like.
13 David Petersen is helping me right now while I'm working on a comic book. I just really like his Mouse Guard.
14 Kate Beaton's Hark A Vagrant helped my decide that I wanted to start making comics.
15 Scott C. makes cute look awesome which is something I want to do.

Another Herman Melville Illustration

2010-10-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to have an illustration published by Harper's Magazine. I chose to illustrate Herman Melville's The Town-Ho's Story. The art director chose this image for me to finish:

I really liked more than just that one sketch, so I decided to go to finish with another image. I finished it a few weeks ago and finally scanned it today.

It seemed like it had been a long time since I had updated here. The post below this one is the 100th on the blog and I was going to make a big deal out of it, finishing 100 drawings of outer space. I am still working on them - they're taking a lot longer than I expected. I'm going to save them for now and make a big deal about a post sometime in the future. For now, be satisfied with Steelkilt from The Town-Ho's Story.

Where to find me

2010-10-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

The internet is a pretty big place, and you can find me hiding out in various corners of it. Here's a list of my profiles on some websites so you can follow me if you feel so inclined.

Facebook - Everyone's got a profile on here, so this is the easiest place to find me.
Etsy - Here I sell prints and soon I should have some small originals up for sale too.
Twitter - I'm starting to update more regularly. I at least post on Twitter when I post on Blogspot.
Illustration Mundo
The Behance Network - A portfolio site.
The Designers Couch Network - Another portfolio site with an emphasis on design.
JacketFlap - A site for children's book authors and illustrators.
LinkedIn

Kitty Comics

2010-10-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Two things:
1. I've got this weird cat living in my house.
2. I want to begin making comics.

I made these three based on actual events to warm up with ink on paper again.

We all scream for ice cream.

2010-10-02T10:49:00.001-07:00

My brother made this image called "I Scream!"

Screen print

I made this image called "You Scream!"

Watercolor, India ink, coffee

Good Food Awards Poster

2010-09-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

This is a poster for the Good Food Awards Chocolate and Coffee week poster competition. The original (which I turned in - this is my website version, cropped to make it nicer) has a little more space at the top for sponsors' logos. The area where my © is is also for sponsor logos. I used watercolor, colored pencils, gouache and coffee. The fonts are Didot and a slightly modified Illo Academy 2009.

Process: Celestial Siesta

2010-09-09T19:40:00.001-07:00

This illustration was completed for an Italian illustration calendar contest. The theme was "siesta." I decided to do something outer-space related and I also decided that I wanted to document the whole process.

This is my final thumbnail for the illustration. I've figured out how I would like my values to be set up and my composition. I scanned this into my computer and blew it up to actual size (which is pretty small compared to my last piece) - 10x10."

I took the print-out of the thumbnail and drew over it using tracing paper. I found some reference of astronauts to get the space-suit realistic. My first drawing was much more detailed and realistic but with more and more details, the silhouette started to disappear and the idea of a space-suit (even though it looked more like the real thing) got lost. I went back for some more reference and found older suits that were more simple and based my drawing on them instead.

I scanned my final drawing and printed it out. I used woodless graphite on the back, taped it to my watercolor block and re-drew the drawing to transfer it to the paper.
I know that the foreground would be mostly lights and the background would be a starfield, so I used masking fluid over the areas that are not going to be space. I spattered more masking fluid to create random stars in the background with an emphasis on the diagonal from bottom left to top right to make a Milky Way-like band of stars.

I probably should have taken a photo while I was in the process of painting but I got absorbed and forgot to. Overall, the painting only took a few hours because this piece is nice and small. And here's the final product.

Bristling with Optimism

2010-09-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here's the final product. Watercolor and gouache with some Photoshop touching up because the scanner had some sort of green line-making error.

And on to the next project...

Half-full

2010-09-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

I did this piece for a poster competition, and it's the largest art I have made in a few years. The competition theme was "glass half-full" and most of the entries are really design-y. My take on the notion of having a glass half full mentality (with some help from Nicki) is this man who has no hair on his head and lots of hair on his chin, but is completely satisfied with his hairy situation. The dotted line across the middle hopefully makes things a little more obvious.

It don't know if I will win the competition or not, but I really like the piece I made. Now let's see if I can get this thing scanned at Kinkos!
(Watercolor, gouache)

Sketches

2010-09-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the project I'm working on right now.
The idea behind it is the phrase "glass half-full."
Final will be poster sized -somewhere around 25x35" using watercolors, gouache and some other materials that I haven't gotten to yet.
Thanks to Michael Goings, who provided me with reference for this project.

Black and White work

2010-09-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Early this summer, while reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and seeing the wonderful black and white illustrations of Carson Ellis, I decided I needed to expand my portfolio to include black and white work.
Tonight I added five pieces to my website as a start to this portfolio. Here are a few of them.

What Shines in Darkness - India Ink, pen and brush.

These pieces were inspired by chapter titles randomly taken out of books, song and album titles, and folktales and rhymes.

Fause Knight on the Road - sumi and India ink, pen and brush.
Sun Giant - India ink, pen

Website update coming verrry soon

2010-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Probably tonight. I just need to finish one more drawing and then my website will have a "Black and White" section.

Here's a little preview:

Mark Eberhardt Shop

2010-08-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

So, I've started a shop at Etsy.

Etsy
MarkEberhardt

I've only got one item up so far, but more will come eventually. Let me know if you'd like to see anything specifically up for sale.

Photobooth Self Portraits

2010-07-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in Borders with a computer and a sketchbook and I want to draw a self portrait. I decided to use Photobooth on my computer because I didn't have a mirror.
Pardon the cellphone pictures - I still don't have a scanner.

Illustration for Harper's Magazine

2010-07-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

This spring, several of the SCAD graduate students got the opportunity to work with Harper's Magazine to illustrate some of their classic articles and stories.
The story that I got to illustrate was "The Town-Ho's Story" by Herman Melville. You can find the sketches I did for the story here.

Scannerless

2010-06-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

As of two weeks ago - graduating from SCAD with an MFA in Illustration - I have been without the ability to scan.
I can't scan until I get a scanner and I can't get a scanner until I have enough money, so hire me!

I have been doing work, though it is a little difficult to in Buffalo. I have been painting outside to keep my oil skills in check and have been drawing in my sketchbook.

This painting was done in Orchard Park NY, where I'll be for the rest of the summer, by Yates Park.
This drawing was done from some old photos for a project I'm just starting focusing on size relationships and cowboys.

Paul Bunyan

2010-06-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a book project I worked on this spring. I completed a few pages and hopefully will have most of it done by the end of the summer.
I started Paul Bunyan as a 32 page children's book, but going through multiple sketches and ideas for each page, the final book ended up being 40 pages long. (though at one point it was 25 double page spreads - 50 pages.)

So after I chose the thumbnails that I would like to take to finish, I did drawings at the size that they would print as a book. I planned to print at Blurb.com and liked their 8x10" vertical size, meaning my double page spreads would be 8x20". I don't really like doing spot illustrations unless I have to, so all of the pages in this book were full bleed double page spreads.
Once I completed the drawings, I laid in the text, which took a very long time to figure out.

Then I finished a few.

I had to turn in a copy of the book at the end of the course (my last course at SCAD by the way), so my girlfriend, Nicki Crock bound the pages together really nicely (in lumberjack plaid) and helped create a dust jacket. She took these pictures before I had to sadly part with the book forever.

First mailer.

2010-06-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'm getting my first mailer ready to send out this week. I decided to print images on both sides of the postcards, which requires me to mail them in envelopes because the back is too dark. So to entice art directors to open up the envelopes, I've printed the outside with a little lino-cut design.

Updated Website

2010-05-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

I just updated my website with some new images and a new section - books/posters. More updates to come soon - I've got some scanning to do this afternoon.

Savannah Children's Book Festival Poster Update

2010-05-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

This image came in second place in the Savannah Children's Book Festival poster contest. Yay me!

Graduate Thesis

2010-05-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

I wrote my graduate thesis on postmodern picture books. The visual component is below - a complete children's book utilizing many of the devices common to postmodern picture books.
If you like my book, it is available for purchase at Blurb.com.

Sketches for Harper's Magazine

2010-05-15T14:08:00.001-07:00

A trio of sketches for Herman Melville's The Town-Ho's Story - a short story about Moby Dick published in Harper's Magazine a long time ago.
Harper's is opening a section of their website with classic stories including this one and the graduating grad students were asked to submit sketches for illustrations for the website.

Savannah Children's Book Festival

2010-04-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

So every year, the Savannah library holds the Savannah Children's Book Festival and every year, there is a contest to design the poster for the event. They asked that there be no text about the festival, date or anything on the posters. These are my two entries into the competition.

Check out my reference collage for this one here.

Now I want to illustrate the three pigs.

HEY! (i updated my website)

2010-04-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Just a little update. No new images or anything, I just fixed my front page - changed a spelling error, curtesy or spel-cheker extrordinare, Angela Stork, added new images for when you scroll over things, and made it a little less cold and more personal. Go have a look. My Teatrio (which I marvelously failed to get into after spending countless hours stressing over it) images are up there too (I don't know if I remembered to tell anyone that). (parentheses)

Paul Bunyan story and sketches

2010-04-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

So I've been really busy so far this semester working on three books - Paul Bunyan, my thesis (a Native American creation story), and doing six more illustrations to complete my Teatrio submission. These are the sketches for my Paul Bunyan story. There are two for each break in the writing so my art director (teacher) could chose one composition for me to go with.

The Maze 01

2010-03-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

There are a few pieces that I still really like from my undergraduate work. This composition was one of them.
I did this piece while on the road, traveling from Savannah to Buffalo to Pittsburgh last week. I originally painted this piece in oils about three years ago as part of a book project I was working on in my last painting class at Edinboro University.
I changed very little from that piece to this piece, only making the shapes a little more graphic and defining parts, such as the horizon, dunes, and monkey's face more than I had previously.
I am currently working on a few pieces for a young adult oriented portfolio and I think this piece fits.

Check out this book.

2010-03-15T11:33:00.001-07:00

I had to make a book for class to use as a portfolio. It has pretty much everything that I have done since last April in it.
Also, I just updated my website with the images that I made for the Teatrio Competition. I'll post them on here at some point.

Mark Making by Mark Eberhardt

Promotional materials

2010-03-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

I had to get together a bunch of promotional materials for a class. Postcards, portfolios, books, business cards, and other stuff.
The colors are mostly blues and oranges. The colors in these photos are off a bit because of the lighting.

Sketchbook a, part 1

2010-03-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Sketches using pencil, sharpie, watercolor and gouache. Done at Morris Hall at SCAD, some bar in downtown Savannah, and Barnes and Noble. The sketchbook is one I've been keeping while working in other ones. Made by Nicki Crock using heavy weight watercolor paper.

Rip Van Winkle

2010-03-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

I did this piece at the Illustration Academy last summer. George Pratt kept telling me to darken Rip's shirt and I finally did it - six months later.
Gary Kelley gave us the project, which was the 7 deadly sins, and I interpreted it to a more kid-friendly version of sloth.

Buy my books!

2010-03-04T20:00:00.001-08:00

If you buy one of my books at Blurb, you can get free shipping through the 22nd of this month. The promo code is "WESHIP"

There are links to my children's book "Coyote and the Monster: How the Nez Perce people came to be" and a book of my art from the past year in the bottom right corner of this blog.

Teatrio

2010-02-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

So, I've finished my images for the Teatrio competition, including a self portrait. For now, here is the self portrait. I'll post the actual images made for the competition soon.

More Monotypes

2010-02-26T11:26:00.001-08:00

This morning I had to give my students an extra help session. While they were working, I did some monotypes. I had the time to also draw on top of them using oil pastels, colored pencil and chalk. Unfortunately there is no press here so they all turned out a little soft.

These top three were done from a book of Edward Curtis' photographs.

This print was done from life.

This last one is from a sketch I did last summer.

New Blog!

2010-02-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

Boom, it's a monster! is a joint blog started by myself and my friends Krishna and Lauren. I promise that if you follow it, you won't be sorry. I'll be posting some images on it that I won't be posting here, so you should go take a look.

Monotype

2010-02-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've done any printmaking, but last night I had a strong urge to do some monotypes. I don't have a press or anything, and I am a little rusty, but I like the product. I think I am going to do some drawing on top of it later today.
I used an image that I took for reference for a piece that I'm planning on starting next week. Here, it's a man with a torch and a book. Next week, he'll be exploring an Egyptian tomb.

Sketchbook 11 pt.1

2010-02-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my project for the Teatrio competition pretty much non-stop for the past month and it hasn't left me very much time to do any paintings for fun. I have still had time do draw though, and here is some of the sketchbook that I am about half finished with.
Ink, pen, pencil, marker, hi-lighter, gouache, crayola crayon, coffee on recycled fliers and other papers.

Space Jokes

2010-02-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

I felt like doing some drawings.
Graphite on paper someone gave me at the end of the Illustration Academy last summer because they couldn't fit on a plane.

The Cosmos

2010-01-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't enjoy reading about space?

Demo Part 4

2010-01-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

I've finished both of the demonstrations for my class. The materials again are pencil, gouache and acrylic paint. I did two demonstrations to illustrate the versatility of the technique that I was teaching them.

Self Portrait as an Onion

2010-01-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

For some reason, while chopping onions to put in tacos last night, I felt akin to the tear inducing little vegetable. Watercolor and colored pencil on 300lb arches watercolor paper.

Demo Part 3

2010-01-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the first demo, finished. Pencil, gouache, acrylic and ink on illustration board.

Jellies

2010-01-17T14:27:00.001-08:00

Watercolor, gouache, colored pencil.

Call For Entries Poster

2010-01-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my friend Kenneth Franklin and I decided to collaborate on a call for entries poster for a SCAD Graduate Illustration show that will take place in the spring. Kenneth drew this, and I transferred it and painted it with watercolors.
The person in the painting is the chair of our department, Allan Drummond.

Demos Continued

2010-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

I gave my demo in class today. I didn't finish the images yet; there are still three or four class periods until the project is over, but here they are so far.

Demo Drawing 2

2010-01-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing for a demo using the same technique as the drawing in the previous post. I felt that, since it was such a versatile technique, I could demonstrate multiple ways to take it to finish.
The drawing is of John Brown, who I picked because of his amazing beard.

Demo Drawing

2010-01-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

I am currently interning with one of the teachers here at SCAD and have to give them a technique assignment next week and do a demonstration of it. The is the drawing I am starting my demo with. The technique is the one I used to complete my children's book about Coyote and the Monster last spring and was demonstrated at the Illustration Academy in 2008. I will finish this using gouache and acrylic.

How I Spent My Winter Vacation

2010-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

I did these three images while I was in Florida with my family over SCAD's winter break.
The first is a re-do of an image I did at the Illustration Academy last summer (2008). You can see the sketch and the original image a few posts earlier than this one.

The second image is from a sketch I did at the Illustration Academy this year. The assignment given by Mark English was to make a travel poster. I chose to do a poster for Neverland, since he didn't say that the place needed to be a real location. The sketch didn't make the final cut, but I liked it and decided that it might make a nice piece for my portfolio.

The third image is something I thought up while I was down in Florida. I visited the Kennedy Space Center while in Orlando and the place left an impression on me. I've always been fascinated with galaxies, stars, nebulae, black holes, planets, and pretty much anything that has to do with space, and I think watercolor really lends itself to depicting those crazy things out there. Who knows, maybe someday, I'll get to do a book about outer space.

My current studio

2009-12-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Orlando Florida. It's in the 70s here right now. No snow. Happy New Year.

Foxes

2009-12-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Here's what I'm working on:This is redoing a painting that I did at the Illustration Academy last summer. I really liked the piece I did for Gary Kelley's color assignment (my color was red) but it no longer fits the way that I am working. So here is the sketch for my next piece, which I am going to start painting tonight.

And this is the original piece that I did at the Academy last year. Originally, I used gouache, acrylic, colored pencil and maybe a little oil. As I've worked over the last year, I've realized that simplicity works best for me, and though this mixed media technique looks good, It just plain takes too long to work this way.

Sketchbook 9.5

2009-12-10T13:28:00.001-08:00

When I was in Buffalo, I finished one sketchbook (number 9) and didn't have the next one (number 10) that I was going to work in with me, so Nicki bound this one for me, using construction paper.
You can see some thumbnails for the pieces I am working on right now, some people from bookstores and a list of the pieces in my brother's portfolio, which I am helping him get together for his grad school applications.

Night Watchman

2009-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

Being on winter break, I want to do a lot of my own work. I gave myself an assignment to make images based on the word "cold." This is the first of those images. Watercolor, colored pencil and gouache.

My website has finally been updated

2009-12-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

www.markeberhardt.com has finally been updated. I just uploaded a new, extremely simple site with only an index page, galleries and links to my email and blog. I've included most of my work from the Illustration Academy, along with some things I have done in and out of class this fall.

I found a great site, with tools you can download to create a really simple and very customizable gallery. If you make your own site and don't know much about flash or html, I would highly recommend going to www.jalbum.net to see what I'm talking about.

New Raven Illustrations

2009-11-19T15:28:00.001-08:00

Three illustrations based on the Haida myth of Raven. Raven found the sun, the moon and the stars, and then found humans and let them loose on the world.

Watercolor and colored pencil.

What I've been working on

2009-11-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

I have six pages of Rumpelstiltskin finished plus this cover and the end papers. Sketches are done for all of the pages and the story is all written.

Landscape Painting

2009-11-06T10:17:00.001-08:00

This morning, I went out painting with my friends Candice and Trevor.
I spent the better part of my undergrad painting outside - buildings and telephone poles mostly - paintings that focused mainly on the skies.
Since graduating and going on to the Illustration Academy and studying at SCAD, I've left oil paint in the dust, opting for a slightly quicker medium that works well with what I how I want my art to look. It's nice to get my hands dirty again with oils.

Last fall, my friend Beth and I were planning on doing a pair of Bill and Ted paintings but the plan fell through when Beth got hit by a car! (she was okay though.)

This is the first time I have used soft brushes rather than bristle brushes and I kind of like the result, though it looks nothing like anything I have ever done before.

Monsters: Kraken and Ahuizotl

2009-10-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

There is a show at SCAD sponsored by the "Society of Illustrators" club called "Monster Masquerade." I did two pieces for it in watercolor. They're incredibly small compared to the normal size I work at. The fine artist in me hates working this small.
The first image is of the Kraken, and the second is the Aztec water monster, Ahuizotl. I'm sure you know about the Kraken, but the Ahuizotl is like an aquatic monkey with hands for feet and a hand on it's tail. It drags it's unfortunate victims down into the water where it eats pieces of its prey and leaves the rest to wash up on the shore.
Pleasant huh?

Jack and the Beanstalk Illustration

2009-10-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking lately that I really liked some of the illustrations that I did at the Illustration Academy last year, but as they are, they don't fit into my current portfolio. So I am starting to re-do them in watercolor and the style that I started to create at this year's Academy.

The first one that I painted is a piece from Jack and the Beanstalk.
The assignment was originally given by Robin Eley and Scott Anderson in the last week of the Academy last year.

Let's all go to space. Self portrait, watercolor.

2009-09-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Self portrait in watercolor and colored pencil. I've been really interested in space lately.

Happy Birthday beth post!

2009-09-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my friend beth's birthday so I decided to make a painting for her. I combined my love of Native American stories and her love of buffaloes to create this painting of the Lakota legend of the White Buffalo Woman.
It's watercolor with colored pencil lines.

I sure hope beth's not reading this because she's not getting it until tonight!

Here's beth's illustrations: www.bethpost.com

Illustration Academy Figure Drawings

2009-09-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

nupastel. probably ranging from about 5 minutes to 20.
at the academy, we had figure drawing sessions every tuesday and thursday evenings. there was an emphasis on shape, silhouette and value relationships.

markeberhardt.com and a sketch

2009-06-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

My website's going to be a little longer in the making than expected. My computer died last week and I lost everything that was on it, including the newest version of my website.
You can expect a new, classier markeberhardt.com to pop up around the end of the summer. Until then, I'll be posting some sketches every now and then.So this is a sketch done for Gary Kelley's project. It's Rip Van Winkle. I'm done the final image in watercolor and colored pencil and just need to do a few touch ups before I am satisfied with it.

Sketches

2009-06-14T12:29:00.001-07:00

Here are a two sketches for pieces that I just finished.
The first is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Our assignment at the Illustration Academy was to create a conceptual portrait of someone who we either really liked or really disliked. After going through quite a few ideas, I came to this image of Abe bringing people together.
The second image I worked on this week is a piece based on the Haida story about Raven stealing the sun. I did this piece to kind of meditate on topics for the stories I will be working on in the fall.
I will post the finished images of both of these pieces when I get the newest version of my website up in about five or six weeks.

ukulele illustration

2009-06-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

I'm reworking my website. Here's a graphic I did for it. It's done in oil pastels with liquin.

Illustration Academy 09-3

2009-06-09T12:07:00.001-07:00

Now, I'm well into my second week at the academy this year and I'm working on a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. I'm also working on a new design for my website with a special section for children's books.

By the way, I am in this video at least three times. Can you spot me?

Illustration Academy 09-2

2009-06-04T20:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some figure drawings I did tonight and my studio space right now at the Academy. Jon Foster did a demo today and let me just say I don't know what to say it was so amazing.

Illustration Academy 09-1

2009-06-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm at the Illustration Academy again.
One year ago I did this. I really, really hope I've gotten better since then. I'm doing the same assignment right now.

View and purchase my first children's book

2009-05-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

My first children's book "Coyote and the Monster: How the Nez Perce people came to be" is now finished. You can view it online and buy it here at blurb.com.

My first cover illustration

2009-05-14T14:43:00.001-07:00

This week's issue of Augusta GA's Metro Spirit has one of my pieces on it. I did it for an article called "Thunder Over Augusta," which you can read here.

Watercolor Sketches

2009-04-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here are three watercolor roughs for pieces that may or may not get into a few magazines.
The first is for Charleston magazine and is about parents who make their kids stay home for the summer and do housework instead of going to camp or on vacation.
The second and third are for What's up Annapolis magazine and are about shopping for gifts and about studying/being prepared for tests.

MarkEberhardt.com

2009-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

My website is up and running.

http://www.markeberhardt.com

I'm working on a new design, the one up is what I created in my computer illustration class.
Some of the links are bad, other than that, I think it's alright.

Sketch for Baystate Parent

2009-04-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

This sketch is for an article on the dye Red#40 which "makes you sick." (unless you do research on it... then it's harmless.) I used watercolors on an "aquabord."

Saint Beth Portrait

2009-03-23T20:14:00.001-07:00

A portrait of my friend Beth.
Beth is the patron saint of swirly things and colorful spandex.
Oil and gold leaf on board.

The Mariner's Wife Illustration

2009-03-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

The mariner left for sea. Days turned to months. Months turned to years. But his love remained hopeful that he would someday return.

A Fine Day for a Parade. Watercolor Illustration

2009-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

This project was to illustrate the title of a song. I got "A Fine Day for a Parade" by Fountains of Wayne. Obviously it has nothing to do with the lyrics. Watercolor and pencil on really expensive and really bad watercolor paper. It needs a bit of work I think.

Fish on a Leash

2009-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

That fish is best in show. Gouche.

Nicolo Paganini mixed media illustration

2009-02-10T22:09:00.001-08:00

It's finally finished, a portrait of the devilish musician Nicolo Paganini. I used watercolor first, then acrylics, an oil wash and some more watercolors and ink.

New Monsters - Watercolor and Ink Illustrations

2008-11-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

This spring I started my book of monsters. I currently have a about twenty monsters completed and I'm not quite done yet. So here are the newest four creatures.
These were a little rushed because there was a deadline on getting a free book printed but I think they look good. They're all done using watercolor, gouache and sumi ink on watercolor paper. The monsters are called Shockaboozies, Itza, Cholothrope and Rokuro. I think I need to work on my watercolor darks, so that's part of my next project.
My next project is aimed towards getting a piece to start a decent portfolio. I'm working on a headless horseman piece.

Phone poles and art history

2008-11-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

I'm getting out and trying to paint "landscapes." I'm working on a series of telephone pole paintings like the good ol' days of undergrad except now I think I'm better than I was then. So here are the first two in the series. I have to get five done for class but I really like doing them so I'll probably get more than that finished. They're both oil on acrylic on Masonite boards, about 8x10". I may do a larger one when I get some money to buy more boards.
I'm also busy writing a paper on Illustration history compared to the history of mainstream contemporary art. So far I've got pieces on Pyle, Wyeth and Rockwell done. Only twelve pages left to write. Wish me luck.
Only thirteen or so days left of classes here in Savannah and I'll be headed home to Buffalo. I'll be visiting Edinboro the week after Thanksgiving, so if you're there look out for me.