THE BEETLEBLOG:

Debbie and Bryan

2011-12-24T00:59:00.002-05:00

Watercolor 16x20

A fun piece where I experimented a bit with granulation.

2011-09-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

This was a piece I did as a private commission. It ended up on the front page of the Bedford Times Mail on September 10th. It was titled "Ten Years Remembered". To view the article go to: The Times Mail

Ellen

2011-09-13T17:49:00.003-04:00

This was a commission for a good friend of mine. Its a portrait of her young grand kid. When I presented it she started to cry and gave me a big hug... Yep, you know when they cry, you got yourself a satisfied customer!

Bosco

2010-03-20T17:28:00.001-04:00

He stunk so bad but was oh so cute!

New Portraits

2010-02-02T22:40:00.005-05:00

These were commissions for my Uncle David. The two young boys are my cousins. I am currently taking on work so if you have inquires about commissions please feel free to contact me. Enjoy!

New Painting

2010-01-03T16:03:00.008-05:00

This is a new painting to be featured in a show at the IVY Tech Learning Center in Columbus, Indiana. My new subject Sarah was the young lady in the painting. It is a 22"x28" size so I think I will charge big bucks for this one.

Sarah C.

2009-12-12T10:04:00.003-05:00

This was a wash done of my good friend, Sarah. She will be the subject of an upcoming series I have planned and has also volunteered to be the subject for a character in a new comic book idea.

Thanks, Sarah!

Click image to enlarge.

Jonah

2009-09-04T23:28:00.001-04:00

Wow, its been a while folks!

I finished this in about 2 1/2 hrs. It was a fun project and I can see that I need some practice in spots. This may need a glaze??? We'll see.

I will try another this weekend and post.

JFK Wash

2009-04-20T10:32:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. Its been a month since my last post but its not for lack of being busy. Here is a new tidbit of work I'd been cranking out and I must say I really liked it. These washes are fun and quick. They also make a great gift. I will be going in to the Hobby Lobby today to see about teaching a workshop on this type of media. Enjoy! Click image to enlarge.

Beetleblog Spotlight: Chris Staggs

2009-03-06T02:23:00.004-05:00

Title: Batman Montage

I think this will be a new feature here on my blog. I will showcase a personal friend's work once a month and list a link to their blog just because I'm a swell guy and I have very talented Pals!

Chris was a friend of mine from the Joe Kubert School a few years back and is an amazing artist. Staggs was a real cut up and was always cracking jokes but regardless, I always saw him working hard. He now resides in California and is finishing up his education. I'm sure Chris will have little trouble finding work as a professional. Please check him out at:

http://bolognafingers.blogspot.com/

Bravo Chris!

New "Jeremy Buck and the Bang" Art

2009-02-24T11:35:00.004-05:00

This was another piece I created for the band. It was done in photoshop and took a considerable length of time to complete. A family issue and computer problems slowed this one up a bit. Enjoy! Click on the image to enlarge.

Happy Birthday, Honest Abe!

2009-02-12T21:48:00.004-05:00

This was a wash on chip board I finished today. I felt the subject was appropriate. I have to do a demo next month on this technique at the Bloomington Watercolor Society and this was an example to show as a teaser. Enjoy! click image to enlarge.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Poster

2009-02-07T23:20:00.008-05:00

This is a poster I designed today for my upcoming Dr. Sketchy's event. I put a nice Art Nouveau touch on this one and I'm very happy with it. Dr Sketchy's is burlesque style figure drawing that is held at local establishments, cafe's, (if you have Dr. Sketchy in your town, that is). Its a departure from the more traditional figure drawing session in which everyone must be quiet and the model sits there like a gunny sack for three hours while you have to jockey for position amongst your classmates... I also got a parking ticket the other night so I'm through with that bull,,, but I digress.

Hope you enjoy this poster. Click image to enlarge

Jeremy Buck & the Bang 2009

2009-01-21T20:34:00.009-05:00

Here is a piece I worked on over the weekend for JB&B. They've added a new member (guitarist Jeff George) and have asked for updated material. They've always been fun to work with and I hope they return to the Midwest soon! More to come...
Click image to enlarge

Bullitt

2009-01-07T23:24:00.002-05:00

I heard that McQueen did his own driving stunts in Bullitt. I've been meaning to do a Steve McQueen and finally got around to it. Hope you like it! Click image to enlarge.

New Painting (first oil!)

2008-12-31T03:10:00.009-05:00

Hey there! I just finished my first complete oil painting and man, am I relieved at how it turned out... and its also a commission! Painting your first oil is like riding your first roller coaster...scary but when its finished you can't wait to try it again. Oils are very forgiving and I can't wait to do another!

Gainesville's Favorite Son

2008-11-22T13:43:00.003-05:00

I just watched the new documentary, "Runnin' Down a Dream" and realized that I've never drawn this guy. If you haven't seen the movie, check it out!Cilck image to enlarge

Halloween Kabuki Study

2008-10-31T19:12:00.005-04:00

This is my study of David Mack's creator owned character, Kabuki. I met David last month in Columbus, Ohio and picked his brain a bit about painting and comics. He was a real pleasure to talk to and his advice was invaluable. Thanks, David!

David's work has been exhibited all over the world and his talent can also be seen in Marvel comics' Daredevil: "Parts of a Hole" among others. Check out his site in my list of links.

Grandma Lillian 1920-2008

2008-09-07T17:08:00.006-04:00

Miss you.

New Avenues

2008-08-19T22:17:00.012-04:00

Recently I started apprenticing at a local tattoo studio and am learning quite a bit. I really like the work and it is a great departure from my last daytime job as a picture framer. I was asked by the studio owner to cook up some designs to be printed on shirts. You see, a little promotion for the shop never hurts. Its a quick way to show my chops and earn my keep. Here are a few designs. Click to enlarge.

Goodbye for now, Oregon!

2008-07-28T20:13:00.005-04:00

Sorry I've been a little lax with the blogging. I had a great time in Portland. I met many nice people and made a few contacts as well. I may need to plan another trip in the near future when funds allow but for now I'm just left with fond memories. I'll post more pictures of my trip here in this blog and I also would like to thank Jay, Angela and the baby for their fine hospitality. You guys are the best!

Jay and the baby

Greetings from Portland

2008-06-23T00:47:00.005-04:00

Hey there! I just spent my first full day in Oregon and I have to say, its the greenest place I've ever been. I may never leave. The weather is a cool 73 degrees with no humidity. The people are friendly and very warm, and there is a lot of interesting things to draw and paint here. I have a beautiful view of Mt. Hood from where I'm staying and decided to do a quick watercolor study just to stay busy. I may touch it up later in PS or maybe not.
Tonight my friend and I are heading downtown to see a band and to meet up with his coworkers. and tomorrow I start looking for a job. I think that Portland agrees with me. I've only been here a day or so but feel I could really get used to it here.

I'll check back in again in a few days.

New Book - Its the Truth

2008-04-16T10:40:00.013-04:00

This was a book That I worked on recently with a great guy named Larry Leonard. Larry is a school teacher, sign language interpreter and now, emerging children's book author.

I had a blast with this project and can't wait for the next book we work on together. To see more visit: http://itsthetruthbylarryanddan.blogspot.com/

Ron Wood / Richard Ashcroft

2008-03-30T11:54:00.006-04:00

I think I'm getting comfortable with this medium. Here are a few new digital paintings done in photoshop. Ron Wood from the Stones and solo artist and lead singer for the Verve, Richard Ashcroft. I have some more musicians I would like to paint so stay tuned. Click to Enlarge

Aspen Grove

2008-03-07T02:50:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted anything recently so here is a new painting I did for a young lady in exchange for a tobogon she will be knitting me. I touched this one up in Photoshop but for the most part it was done in acrylics. Click image to enlarge

Race Into Reading

2008-02-07T01:40:00.005-05:00

This is a new project that I did for my sister. Her little boy is having an event at his school to promote literacy and my sis is on the committee. She enlisted me to draw up this poster to promote the event. Sarah Fisher (IRL Driver) will be the keynote speaker and will be reading stories to the kiddies. I will also be in attendance along with my collaborator Larry Leonard speaking about our upcoming children's book "Its The Truth". Click image to enlarge

New Years Eve Masquerade Ball 2007

2008-01-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

This was a poster I painted in Photoshop for a friend who put on a benefit for the Children's Organ Transplant Association. It was also sponsored by local radio station WTTS and Budweiser Select. The event was held at the Grand Hall in Indianapolis' Union Station. The musical acts included up and comers Luce and Jonathan Clay. Click Image to enlarge.

Johnny Rotten

2007-10-27T13:09:00.001-04:00

This is an old one I painted in school about a year and a half ago. I have to say I was quite nervous because I had heard how trying watercolor could be. In the end it was a lot of fun and I was quite satisfied.

Layout for my Caricature Brochure

2007-09-21T19:50:00.002-04:00

This was a fun and useful little project. I needed a nice brochure to pass out to potential clients in regards to my caricature work. If you're new to my blog, I do caricatures for parties and events in my spare time for some extra loot. It was done in Adobe InDesign and only took a short while to complete. The brochure is click-able and may be printed or you can email me and I can send you a high resolution PDF version (images are at actual 8.5 x 11 size). I also have a new brochure completed for my Illustration and Graphic Design work which I will post up very soon. Click images to enlarge.

Baboon Yawning

2007-09-06T21:19:00.000-04:00

Its been a while since I've left a blog post so I thought I'd dig up an old painting that I'd never posted before. This one was done about a year ago but I'm still very proud of it. I managed to dig up the photo from which I referenced it. It was from an old National Geographic. This piece was a mix of guache, acrylic, and some airbrush tossed in for the background. Enjoy and please leave me feedback for this one. Click images to enlarge.

Last Full Measure of Devotion

2007-08-09T19:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a new book cover that I've finished this week titled "Last Full Measure of Devotion". I'm finding that I can now crank out a digital painting in about a day which will come in handy if I can ever get any freelance work of this type. Enjoy! Click image to enlarge

Artist In Residence at Holy Angels

2007-07-10T10:47:00.000-04:00

The fine folks at Art With a Heart in Indianapolis have set me up with an artist in residence program that involves several inner city summer programs. This weeks was for Great Spirits summer program at Holy Angels Catholic School where we talked about careers in art.

The kids were great and seemed very interested in how the books were created. There were lots of questions and I was asked for my first autograph (which lead to everyone wanting an autograph) and that was the coolest part of the day.

I always get more out of working with the kids than I think they get out of it. I hope a few might think about art as a possible career someday!

Caricatures at The French Lick Springs Hotel

2007-06-25T14:45:00.000-04:00

I was called early saturday afternoon by a friend, who also does caricatures, to fill in for her that evening because she was double booked. I agreed and started to make my way down towards Orange County. I hadn't been to French Lick/West Baden in a few years but I remember it being a beautiful place right out of the turn of last century. It is said that French Lick was a popular weekend getaway for Chicago mobster, Al Capone back in the 1930's. They have recently renovated it and added a new casino. If you get a chance to visit there I would recommend it.

The Caricatures went well and I was in and out of there in two hours. The the place was so nice I kind of wanted to stay longer. Everyone had a great time and I made some nice quick cash (always good for an artist) on a saturday night where I had nothing planned but drawing in front of the TV.

The Dahlia Coven

2007-06-21T13:08:00.000-04:00

This was a book cover that I had done last fall for an AH book titled The Dahlia Coven. It was for one of Authorhouse's British authors and even though I was satisfied with it, it was quite an education in frustration. I did learn a lot from this particular assignment though, and the next digital painting I attempted was much easier and more enjoyable because of the trial and error of this one. I started with my photo reference of Petra Nemcova and Maria Sharipova and sketched out my composition. From that, I began painting over the sketch in Photoshop. The original cover has the same fiery background but in red instead of green. The Author chose red for the book cover but I display it here as it was meant to be shown,,, in all its ethereal greenness! Click Images To Enlarge

Jeremy Buck & the Bang

2007-06-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

This was a piece done for my friend's band out in California. Jeremy (big hair) and I go back to grade school so I was happy to help him out. I've seen the band play a few times here in Indiana and they put on a high energy show. If you get the chance, check them out at: http://www.jeremybuck.com/

Click images to enlarge.

Farewell Sopranos

2007-06-11T16:08:00.000-04:00

It was a long road but the Sopranos have ended. Will there be a movie follow up??? Who knows? I must say I was a little disappointed in the final episode. It should have been at least a two hour finale to tie up some more loose ends. It's the least they could have done for all the viewer's long time loyalty and support but, as they say, forgit a bout' it! Even though, I still got lots of enjoyment from the show and out of respect to the "Bing", I post this homage to a great run.

Breeze

2007-06-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

This was a digital painting for a book cover I had completed a few weeks ago. Its for a nifty little vampire yarn entitled "Breeze" by Authorhouse author, Scott C. Johnson. I really enjoyed working on it and any practice I can get doing a digital painting is a plus in my book. Much thanks to Deante Tolliver and Christian Kelly for posing for photo reference. I use Photoshop because its what I have at work and at home but I'm very interested in using Painter just to see its effects. I was told PS is just as good as Painter but I think that it may just be a matter of taste. I'll find out eventually.

In an earlier post I said that I liked to use mutiple layers. It was told to me that using too many layers makes one's work look stiffer and by using fewer layers forces the artist to work "without a net" as it were, ending in a piece with a more traditional, painterly, feel. this is something that I experimented with here. Click on images to enlarge.

Teaching Pt. 2

2007-04-02T13:01:00.000-04:00

Earlier I had posted a blog about my experiences helping teach an art class to at-risk kids a few weeks back. When I was asked to come back and teach again I jumped at the opportunity and it was well worth it. We spent the class cartooning Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. I had tracked down some lessons online and used them as a template for the kids. (http://www.malanenewman.com/donald_duck_fullface.html)

The children seemed so happy and excited to be able to apply, immediately, what I was teaching them in class.

After the lesson I drew their caricatures. The ones who I didn't have time to draw, had their pictures taken on my camera and were drawn at home. I've worked with art around kids many times and I've been told that people can really see a reaction out of the children when the drawing starts. I'm glad that I still keep that enjoyment for art and can share it with youngsters too. This especially for kids who may be troubled and don't have much else.

Below was a letter I received this morning from the Director of Art With A Heart:

Dan ,
These (caricatures) are great and I could identify almost all of them with out the actual photographs which means they were very well done. Thank you so much for following through on this. It teaches the children again that people do care and they can count on us to do what we say we are going to do. That is so big for our children at risk. I have printed them out and will have them by the children’s art work at the art exhibit on April 22 from 1-4. If you could stop by we would love to have you as our guest. The children usually feel really good about seeing their art work on exhibit.

Artistically,
Carol Conrad
Executive Director of Art With a Heart, Inc.

The Value of Teaching Pt. 1

2007-03-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back, the girlfriend and I volunteered to help with an art class for disenfranchised youth on the east side of Indianapolis. I've had very little experience with teaching but that was fine because we would not be by ourselves. we were two of about six volunteers, not including the instructor, that would work with the children that early Saturday morning.

I was very surprised to see the enthusiasm and vigor that these kids displayed using their pastels and paints, making works that even I, as an adult professional artist, was taken aback by. I've read that children have a wonderfully inherent sense of design and composition till around the age of eight or nine, then a stage of brain development kicks in and "POOF", its gone. Its up to that child to find it, reactivate it and nurture it later down the road. Now I was seeing this first hand.

I left feeling very fulfilled even though I hadn't much time to work with the Children. Seeing the potential and the excitement these kids had, I thought; what could I offer a youngster who had artistic inclination and a real enjoyment for it? Could I teach him/her the tools to choose art as a career? Could I teach them how to be better than me?

This weekend I have been offered another unique opportunity: Teaching the class how to draw cartoons and caricatures by myself. I will post pictures and continue this post in part 2.

The Hillside

2007-03-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

I just started this one this morning. I haven't took a crack at digital painting in a while so it was fun getting back up to speed. The key to doing one of these babies is to use layers... lots and lots of layers. Not only do I place my sketches in layers as under drawings, I even put my photo reference in layers as well. I'm no master at digital painting, but one of these days I'll have to post a "how-to" on attempting one of these my way... maybe when I'm all grown up! Click image to enlarge.

Keith Richards

2007-03-07T14:32:00.000-05:00

Keith Richards, man what a talent. Its hard to believe they still tour. Keith has a lot of character in his face which makes for fun drawing. I find drawing subjects with distinct features is a lot more fun and actually easier than drawing beautiful, flawless people. Click on the image to enlarge.

Drew Barrymore

2007-03-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

This was a great exercise in woman's hair. Female features must be smooth and curvy with no unnecessary lines or wrinkles in the face. Stick to these rules and you will draw beautiful girls. Click image to enlarge.

Clint Eastwood

2007-03-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite actors (and no, he never sat for me). I use this one in my portfolio because everyone knows who he is and no photo referal is needed. Click image to enlarge.

Hot Rod

2007-02-23T16:39:00.000-05:00

This one was a good time. Butch is the retired father of one of my co-workers. He is a car nut that works on restoring old hot rods. The ones depicted in the caricature are his 66' Nova and his 67' Olds 442. Click the Image to enlarge.

Some Watercolor Fun

2007-02-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

This is a recent watercolor piece for a book cover. The book is titled; The 31st Man and was a lot of fun to do. I don't get to paint much at work, let alone do many landscapes, so this one was enjoyable. I got to use my new hand made watercolor book for this piece so now it sits on page one of many more to come. Click the Image to enlarge.

My first art post

2007-02-19T18:52:00.000-05:00

Well here it is, my first art post here on Beetleblog. Its for a self published book titled Red Moon. I got the idea for it from looking at some of Craig Phillips (finch!) work. He was recently featured in the new Spectrum 13. Thanks for the inspiration, Craig! The background was digital and the foreground was inked. Trees are great subjects and are one of my favorite things to draw. Click the Image to enlarge.

Welcome to Beet-o-ramma!

2007-02-19T18:20:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my little home away from home. I'm not real web savvy and I didn't feel the need to post up a legitimate website so I opted for this. It seemed like the logical alternative.

My name is Dan Alexander (or "Beetle" to my friends or Uncle Beetle to my nephews and niece) and I am a Professional Illustrator. I work for one of those print-on-demand publishing outfits and boy, do I like my job. Being a professional artist is the best! It has its bad days, don't get me wrong, but for the most part, I love getting up in the morning!

I have a BFA in Graphic Design from Indiana State University and two years at Dover, New Jersey's celebrated Joe Kubert School. I love to draw, paint and sculpt.

My main influences are from the good ol' comics (Kirby, Wrightson, BWS, Frazetta, Sienkiewicz, Jones, Kaluta, Buscema, the list goes on...). But these also opened my eyes to the fine artist; Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Klimt, JS Sargent, Remington, JC leyendecker, Bernie Fuchs and others.

My hopes for this little corner of the web are to post my work and receive feedback, to be influenced by others who share my interests in art. Nice meeting you and I will post lots more work soon!