Like I'm Under A Spell...

I posted, a while back, that I was way into the idea of doing a couple of Harry Potter illustrations... and, I must admit, this obsession thing is like a rash - the more I scratch it, the more it spreads! Gross! I apologize for my choice of analogy, but i will NOT apologize for these...




GEEK OUT!

Work, Work, Work...

But I'm not complaining... I like doing this! Get pumped for the show! I know I am.

Little, Mini, Campish Thing...

Just wanted to drop this out there publicly for anyone who might know someone who would be interested. I'm teaching a little three day art retreat for former students (or whoever) in Kansas. I've limited the age range to "8 and up," but I'm guessing the cut off somewhere around twelve or thirteen. Email me if you have any questions, I'm SURE exceptions will be doable. The dates are there on the flyer, June 24- June 26, 9am to 12:30pm. I have a few slots left open, so email me at benrum@gmail.com if you're interested... and I'll bring the supplies!

UPDATES!

For anyone interested in seeing my 'Pretty Things' in better light and such, check out my website, which I just updated with a new batch of photos I took last weekend to better represent the paintings. I set up in the back yard to get even light with little or no reflections. Check it out! Also, I'm posting about the upcoming show again, just so it will be here, at the top of the blog!

It's a little POTTERY...

Any one who's ever talked with me for more than a word knows that I am a geek. I'm a geek in the truest, most devoted sense. I'll grab onto something, be it Star Wars, Stephen King , Tolkien or zombies... and INDULGE on it until I am satisfied or exhausted. I've researched the speed classes of imperial fighters, watched ALL of the extras on the LOTR extended editions, and, here it is... read the Harry Potter books at least three times each. Don't even get me started on Batman.
The current obsession is, for the umpteenth time, Mr. H. Potter - the fella' in the cupboard under the stairs. I've just audio-booked my way through books six and seven and I'm back to the Sorcerer's stone. The thing that always happens is , when I get completely inundated in some fictional world, some collection of work, be they books, movies, illustrations... It directly affects my sketchbook. Seriously, check it out: below, we have the man in black himself, Lord Voldemort! And BOY does he look fussy!


Next is the cutest of cute, Hermione Granger. These are all on the same page, a series of sketches I made with thoughts of a series of paintings. Please ignore the crabby L.V. in the upper-right-hand corner...


And here's the prize winner - the sketch that nabbed the honor of becoming a painting. What you can't see in the sketch is the original idea for the title, 'Ouch.' I don't know if that's going to last, though, might be too vague. This was the first effort - what I consider an 'advanced sketch' or a 'trial run'... I wasn't happy with it, to be honest. The colors are too shallow, and I thought our one-year-old Harry Potter looked a little too much like an indignant forty-year-old man who's just smelled a fart in a public place. Also, the smoke on the freshly seared scar looks too loose and wispy for my tastes...

Now THIS, on the other hand, is what i had in mind! A cute little baby Harry, just after the killing curse bounced off of his pudgy, little forehead, looking singed and more than a little freaked out. The details are there, from the Gryffindor pajamas to the owl snuggly... This is what I was aiming for. I hope y'all like it as much as I do! Look for more Potter-y here in the near future!

SHOW FORTHCOMING

Here's a postcard for an upcoming show... If you're in Chicago, I hope you can make it!

Felt-a-palooza III

Here's the latest flyer for The Felt Show's talent/comedy show FELT-A-PALOOZA! I recently discovered that I have been spelling flyer wrong my whole entire life... I'd been saying 'flier' all over the place, until a helpful cousin talked smack on facebook. thanks Margatroid!