Work in progress

(17x11 Ink on Illustration Board)

Hey all, it's been a little while since I've posted any work, but rest-assured, it's not because I haven't been doing anything! I've been coming up with a couple T-shirt designs and other various ideas/sketches, but those aside - I've been working on a new illustration. Above is a progress shot of some line-work I've gotten done. For this piece I found a quote that gave me some inspiration, sketched out thumbnails, and drew up some practice compositions. This illustration is being done on 300 lb illustration board, and is 17x11.

Some good advice

I'm always looking for advice, whether it's from professionals, teachers, or my peers. I like learning from others' experiences and trying to better myself. So when those artists who have "made it" in their careers tell me that though they are happy to share their wisdom, I sit back and take it all in. With that in mind, I stumbled upon this little gem written by Phil McAndrew: "Super Obvious Secrets That I Wish They'd Teach in Art School" I found it to be filled with insight and just tons of great advice. You might recognize Phil McAndrew's work from his epic mustache comic that made its way around the internet.

(Panel from www.philintheblanks.com)

It's finally done!

(Hey look at that, it's done!)

Hey everyone! Just finished putting together my website. I don't have much else to say other than take a look! Check it out - www.victorpreato.com

It kind of looks like the letter "n"

(Watercolor and Ink - Sketchbook Page)

Well I know I just put up the sketchbook tab, but I have another addition. I just finished this little guy a few minutes ago and for some reason I'm extremely happy with how it came out. For those interested in how this little dude came to be - I started out by laying down some paint and paint splatters in no particular fashion. I just sort of did it in a "this feels like this color should go here" sort of fashion, and once some semblance of form shaped up I tacked up the arms. From there I grabbed my trusty brush pen and added in the lines. The whole process, including waiting for the paint to dry, took around 20-30 minutes.

The Sketchbook

(Ink and Markers - Sketchbook Page)

I've been buried in my sketchbook for the past couple of weeks - drawing everything and anything that comes to mind. It helps keep me involved when I'm not working on a project, and it's a lot of fun to try new things out. I've become pretty attached and I don't know what I would do without one. Now this wasn't always the way I used to think, I used to hate the idea of having to draw and write in an empty book, I don't know why, but it just never clicked with me until a few years ago when I was in school and became more serious about everything I do. For those of us who have adopted the "I NEED TO HAVE ONE" mentality, our sketchbooks are extremely important. Ideas are born there, ideas die there, and nothing is better than a blank page to express yourself upon. It's a very personal thing, and at least to me, the drawings in there hold more weight and value than any words I could write. I know some some artists who are completely willing to let people flip through and view their sketchbooks, and others who cringe at the thought of letting someone get that close to their personal work. I'm a little in the middle, there's some ideas that I'm not ready to share and others I am, so I've created a new page on this blog, located in the tab "Sketches" above. So if you're at all interested in seeing a small sample of what I like to draw in my free-time go ahead and take a look.

Taking commissions!

Hey all, with school over and some more free time coming up I am currently taking art commissions / freelance work. If you're interested, just send me a message detailing what you are looking for at: victorpreato@gmail.com. We can discuss specifics. Thanks for your interest!

Hit Girl Sketch

(Digital Media)

As promised, here is the Hit Girl sketch. I kept this one quick, somewhere around 45-60 minutes I think. I had some fun doing a different approach on each of the characters, so as you can see this sketch focuses much more on line than color. You can see the original image I used for reference HERE. For this sketch I quickly drew the outline in blue (because I'm used to the blue-pencil sketching in traditional media), followed by a more refined sketch in black. From there I lowered the opacity of the layers and drew in the final black line work you see in the final image. After that I quickly added color (nothing fancy here - I was trying to keep it loose and quick). Take a look at the previous posts to see some of the other Kick-Ass characters.