:.....:

Back. Just not here.

2011-04-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

I am now blogging at http://iamshrimpcat.blogspot.com/.

Dear Blog Followers,

2010-11-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

I will no longer be updating nqta.blogspot.com. Taking some time off to see if making art is really what I want out of life. Thanks for following. Adios.

-Ben H. Shapiro

Halloween

2010-11-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here's my last minute Ms. Pacman costume my friends and I used for Halloween. Made from different color foam. We all wore black and pinned one of the characters onto our shirts. Fun times.

The good news is...

2010-10-23T23:16:00.001-07:00

I did some painting tonight. The bad news is I'm rusty as all heck. Gouache on hot press.

“The painting develops before my eyes...

2010-10-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

,unfolding its surprises as it progresses. It is this which gives me the sense of complete liberty, and for this reason I am incapable of forming a plan or making a sketch beforehand.” This is a quote from Yves Tanguy. I think he’s pretty rad. I wish I had the ability to just paint without laying down a sketch. Maybe someday...

Sketches

2010-10-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Been doing a lot of ballpoint work the last two days. Just on notebook paper during my work hours. Hoping to have some paintings for this week. More to come.

2010-10-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Napkin and Post-it doodles. I like drawing small. All drawings are less than 2 inches. Ballpoint.

New York

2010-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Not much of an update. But here are some photos and doodles from my time in New York.

2010-09-22T14:05:00.001-07:00

Post-it doodles are always fun. Especially when you're at work. Here are a couple of fun sketches.

New York.

2010-09-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Haven't been doing much work at all. Started a painting but still do not have the time to finish it. Scholastic is taking a lot of my day but I'm really enjoying what I do there. Here's a doodle from my desk at work.

Brooklyn.

2010-08-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

I have finally moved. I'm now living in Greenpoint. It's pretty nice. Love my rooftop view of Manhattan. I have a temp job working for Scholastics. Life is good. I'm scanner and desk-less so I have to work digitally for now since I can work on my bed.

Stickers?

2010-08-03T02:01:00.001-07:00

Made some stickers. Want some? Email me your address. This is my version of Max from Wild Things.

Play Dem Keys.

2010-08-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

sketch sketch sketch. I hope once I'm New York my illustrator's bootcamp routine will help me grow. Or I'll never draw again and make sammiches at a deli. I'll need to start painting too. This blog is becoming too casual for my liking but things will change.

More Tablet Fun!

2010-08-01T03:21:00.001-07:00

Desk and Masks.

Tablet.

2010-07-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Been playing with my tablet again. Here are some sketches. My styles are all over the place..

Some digital painting.

2010-07-27T02:16:00.001-07:00

This is a digital flesh color study of John Waters(I guess). I used a screen capture as a reference and John was sitting in the shadows. This has helped me figure out some of the colors for the shadows and what not. I'm hoping to apply what I learned to my watercolor/gouache paintings.

Freelance project for Jamison Murphy.

2010-07-12T18:58:00.001-07:00

I've been freaking out about this move to NYC for quite some time now. Applying left and right for any job or internship. Nothing. I knew this would happen. So to try and boost my confidences I began asking some magazines and musicians if they needed any work. FREE. I got a response. One. From a 13 year old Georgian boy. This kid is flippin' awesome. I found him through The Mountain Goat's forum and he was submitting his covers. For being only thirteen, his words make you think he been through it all. The kid is definitely an old soul. So I offered to illustrate some of his songs for the CD liner of his second album. I just did black and white graphite drawings with some inking. Nothing too fancy and I finished them quick. I may design his poster but I'm leaving for Brooklyn July 15th and am not sure if I'll finish it in time. The titles are "Shape and Recollection","yoknapatawpha", and "I am a Bananafish"

COW-RHYS-WALRUS!

2010-07-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Rhys is a funny funny guy. Extremely creative and good with Photoshop. He made this weird Walrus+Cow face for self promotion and I loved it and wanted to draw his creation. So I did. Then laid it out as a pattern. Not much of a post but Rhys and I have been talking about a collaboration of some sorts. He lives in NYC and I'll be there soon enough.

2010-06-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

I painted outside today. It was a nice reminder as to why I hate the wind. These guys are tiny. No more than 3 inches tall. Gouache.

2010-06-09T04:45:00.000-07:00

Started and “finished” this piece tonight(this morning). It is part of the series of graphite/spot color illustrations I am playing around with. Not sure where these are going but I do enjoy making them. I just zone out and draw/erase until I get it to where I feel it’s finished.

William S. Burg

2010-06-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the BK in July. Looking to find an apartment. I'm also planning a trip to Belize. After seeing a picture of the Great Blue Hole, I had to plan a trip. The portrait is of what I'm expecting to encounter. Grizzly Hipsters...

Scuba much?

2010-05-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Haven't been painting much. Just sketching in pencil and adding some photoshop color. My summer travels will begin the 16th of June. Will be great to leave this 100 degree heat.

Update! Jetpack.

2010-05-13T01:54:00.001-07:00

Here’s an update of the drawing I was working on. It started on the back of a script from work. Then I just kept playing with it until I got the drawing seen here. I wish I had this on a piece of arches so I could paint it properly. I might give it a go in PS. I want to add more to the take off area but not too much.

There are no pan-asain supermakets down in hell

2010-05-11T00:49:00.000-07:00

Portrait of The Mountain Goat's John Darnielle. Ummm, it's pretty off. Digital Mixed media. Here's also a preview of a drawing I started tonight.

Sketches

2010-05-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on the updates. No projects or paintings to show off. Just mainly doodles that I've done at work. Here's a video of the station. It recorded sideways(stupid phone). whoops.

Motion.

2010-03-29T03:14:00.000-07:00

So I've been playing around with After Effects and some video footage I took. I made a mini green screen and recorded some of it using my Flip Ultra HD video recorder. Pretty experimental stuff that I want to expand on once I learn more AE.

Bunny Boy!

2010-03-19T01:49:00.000-07:00

I have no excuse for not painting/posting anything. I just watched Gummo for the first time tonight and wanted to do a few pieces based on the characters. Here is a sketch of bunny boy. I promise I'll post more this weekend. :....:

Gouache

2010-03-07T02:18:00.000-08:00

Hello to all my blog followers(Chelsea...) I have been rather busy the last month and finally got some painting time in. I have a few call for entry deadlines approaching and have yet to start my pieces for them. This piece was just for painting practice and was never intended to be submitted. It was actually started about 4 or so weeks back. Pretty much around the time of my freak out...I was working with the helmet/hat theme but things got side tracked. Originally just wanted it to be graphite with a single background wash. It got muddy is some areas but I was happy with my mark making. Definitely had some David Christiana influence for this.

2010-02-10T08:34:00.001-08:00

Boxer doodle. Threw on some walnut ink for good measure.

sketches. hands. ballpoint.

2010-02-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent doodling I’ve done this week. Working on hands which for me are the most difficult. Especially without some reference. I never know what a person should be doing with their hands in a drawing. Mine are always tucked away.

2010-01-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Had a bit of an art/life freak out last night. Stayed up until 3am trying to make anything remotely creative. Gouache was failing me. Couldn't mix the right colors so I just started doodling on a piece of Rives BFK. Laid down a wash of walnut ink and called it a night. Added some color today using photoshop. I'm hoping my slump will pass since my friend Chris Newberg wants to put together a show. We'll see what happens with that..

Got some popsicles down in my cellar...

2010-01-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

I sketched this dude-bro at work the other day. Finally painted the guy. I wanted praying hands on his neck but it ended up looking like a popsicle. So....creamsicle neck tatty. Gouache. Word.

Whipped

2010-01-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

Gouache and PS.

2010...

2010-01-09T23:30:00.000-08:00

Alright. So I haven’t posted in one month....whoops. I really don’t have many finished pieces but I bought a watercolor moleskine and some gouache. I’ve been sketching at work and painting at home. Hoping this will make my watercolor/gouache skills grow. They’re all very random and done on the spot sans reference. Scanner washed out the paintings and I didn’t bother editing with PS. More very soon.

An update in December?

2009-12-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

I finished the painting portion of this portrait a week ago. I let it sit. Hating it. Wondering to myself why I can’t capture likeness and motion. This piece is stiff. As it should be. It’s based off a photo I shot of my friend J.P. Peer. That’s why it is never a good idea to reference a photo for a painting. I felt there was a lot of good painting in it that I didn’t want to let go to waste. Decided to scan it and see if that next level was in reach. I think I like it. I want to add some type and some background animals. He was holding the shotgun controller to Big Buck Safari. More soon? Probably not as soon as I’d like.

Red 5 standing by.

2009-11-30T00:30:00.000-08:00

My lack of updates has been bothering me. I need to do a painting a day. It’ll help keep my current chops as well as make me grow as a painter. I love watercolor, although my technique and palette needs work. Hoping the LAS(local art store) has some watercolor Moleskines. Here’s a weird piece I put together the last couple days. It deals with reclusion and imagination. That is the life of an Illustrator in my opinion. Here’s the original sketch and final painting.

Moleskine.

2009-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some drawings/sketches I’ve done over the last couple months at work.

All Souls.

2009-11-09T00:57:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I went to my first All Souls Procession down on 4th Avenue. I figured with this more than likely being my last year in Tucson, that it was time to finally embrace part of my heritage. Unfortunately I had to work later that night so I did not get to see the rest of the festivities but did march for a good hour and a half in the parade. I didn’t feel like painting my face so I opted to make a mask. I honestly have not touched paper mache since grade school but liked how my devil mask came out. This would have made a way better Halloween costume than my Paperboy one, which nobody understood. Come on, who hasn’t played that classic video game from Atari? Anyways, I have definitely put off this animation project for too long. Think it’s due tomorrow...Here are some pictures.

Leaf Girl

2009-11-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here’s a little watercolor/digital piece I put together over the last two days. My friend Shanna sent me a picture of her Halloween costume and I thought it was adorable. She was a bag of old leaves. I told her it should be made into a painting. On the original I messed up on the mouth and didn’t want to have to scrap it. So I just added a little scarf...lame. I really wish I could have captured her smile from the photo. Anyways, I have a couple animations to start and will post them once I finish them.

Update, Yo!

2009-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

It has almost been 3 months since I have touched any watercolor. I started this one in August and could not figure out how to finish it. So I left it sitting in my “studio” for that time. Every once in a while I would pick up my watercolor block and try and pencil in the rest of the image but would end up erasing it. The figure was placed too far low on the paper and I had already started painting the damn thing. Last night I decided to just go for it. Basically this is my own version of Hideo Kojima’s Pyscho Mantis. I like how it came out for the most part. I keep telling myself I need to work on environments to put these figures in. Chelsea, this doesn’t count as my watercolor. I’ll have a new piece for you soon...

After Effects.

2009-10-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

I’m currently taking a class on After Effects at the CC in town. The class is total garbage but I am learning a bit. Here is my first kinetic typography project. Took a sound bite from the movie Juno...

2009-10-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

Here’s a quick digital painting I did today. I painted on top of a sketch from my moleskine. I want to go back and add more detail.

Work Painting.

2009-10-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

I brought my computer to work today. Hoping to bust it out during my 2+ hour break. Doodled and painted for a good while and came up with this face. Digital painting without a plan is difficult. I'm also trying to develop a painterly look to these digital pieces.

This Blog is still alive...I promise

2009-10-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I KNOW. This blog has been seriously lacking updates over the last month and a half. I still don't have much to post but here are some in progress Photoshop work. I am planning on doing a daily digital painting once I update my computer's ram and set up my second monitor. I do like water coloring but haven't had the motivation to create much of anything. Stay tuned..

Sketchbook painting

2009-08-14T11:35:00.001-07:00

:.....:

2009-08-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Had sketched this guy at work. Decided I wanted to make a painting from it. The guy has a lit rocket strapped to his back. I might do some more work on it. My usual process. Yeah.

Painting?

2009-08-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Finished this painting earlier today. I can't paint realistically. I know this, but I keep trying. I used a reference photo of Sie ist Idaho. Not sure who took the photo. This was for learning so I don't see the harm in using someone else's work. Watercolor with (a lot of)Photoshop touch ups.

Bored at Work. Sketches.

2009-07-26T19:22:00.001-07:00

Here are some sketches from work. Practicing my ball point again. Sorry for the poor quality but these were taken with photobooth then cropped with PS. Yeah...

You Scream....

2009-07-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

I had this drawing of a chameleon eating ice cream in my sketch book for a few weeks now. Drew the guy at work. I wanted to do something with it and thought that maybe I could make a digital piece from it. Ended up redrawing it on a watercolor block. I wasn't happy with all of the colors so I threw the painting in PS and did some minor adjustments. Here is the original sketch and the final product. :....:

Teef

2009-07-18T02:04:00.000-07:00

Haven't had a lot of time to work on art due to my new job/moving. I have been sketching up a storm because of all the down time. I've been sketching ugly teeth faces for my friend, Eva. Here's a sample of what I've been drawing. Hoping to start painting again in the next few days.

Newish Painting. Character Study? Unfinished.

2009-06-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I laid the sketch for this piece about a month ago. Yikes. I’m really falling behind. Stressing a lot about my new job, moving back home, and life. It’s going to be quite the commute. This piece is mainly about the figure. Poor composition choice and didn’t really have an idea for the scenery. It is Boba Fett or possibly just some other mandalorian solider sans helmet. Yeah, I need to quit posting unfinished pieces...

You should see the other guy...

2009-06-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

I really want to master Photoshop. It will not be happening anytime soon, but I have made some interesting progress. I'm thinking I can incorporate photography in my illustrations and it won't be cheating if I take my own pictures. So I found some craptastic/myspace-esque shot of yours truly. Did some “touch ups” and gave myself a black eye and bloody nose. Creating bruises/blood was more difficult than I had anticipated. Well here it is with the original shot. I'm also promoting good hygiene...I guess.

Update? Sure.

2009-06-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a wild ride. To say the least. Met someone that actually interested me but she ended things before anything really took off. Good for her. As much as I want a relationship, I know that this next year should be devoted to me. Making myself a better person/artist. Finally quit my horrible/life-sucking job at the BB. Definitely went about it the wrong way, but it made me feel good to tell them, “I’m never coming back.” But whenever I’m at my lowest, something always seems to comes up. KVOA called me today for my second interview. Wish me luck! I did some sketching as well as some photoshop work over the weekend. Also bought a cheap Ukulele for that girl’s b-day but will probably just paint the thing and keep it. Any suggestions?

Sketchin' with Photoshop

2009-06-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick photoshop painting. I should be sleeping since I have work at 8.

Diver Painting

2009-06-16T03:21:00.000-07:00

I've had this drawing of the diver/shark for a few weeks now. I was never really happy with the shark under drawing but never bothered fixing it. I was mainly concerned with how to execute the painting. Creating light sources is never easy for me and the fact that the scene is underwater, delivered yet another problem. So I figured instead of ruining the drawing I could do a color study via Photoshop. This helped me out a bit and gave me a good place to start painting. Here are the steps involved with this piece. Enjoy!

Quick Update

2009-06-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to fall behind on the blog again. Here's a quick unfinished photoshop painting of a soon to be Cowboy. I found a paper texture online and did some tricks. Paper credit goes to~Insan-Stock at deviant art. I normally scan my own but felt lazy. Ill update with the finished piece, eventually.

I think I need a new job....

2009-05-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

Sick of working at Beyond Bread but have yet to find a better place...Here's a little illustration that shows some (dark)humor about how much I love my job. I'm trying to save up for a new computer but at minimum wage I won't be seeing that 24inch IMAC any time soon. Enjoy!

Photo manipulation

2009-05-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for jobs in NY and have began to realize I'm not qualified for any of them. Ha! Going back to school seems like it would be my best bet to do get into animation. To stay somewhat productive I decided on doing some photo manipulation . I took a picture of my friend J.P. and decided to turn him into a zombie. Sorry J.P. Mostly dodging and burning with some freehand painting. Turned out okay.

Cleaning. Process. Study.

2009-05-13T02:29:00.001-07:00

I'm moving out of my current place by July 1st and felt like doing some cleaning. I found the oil sketch on the bottom of a pile of scrap paper and other random unsuccessful pieces. I decided that I should try and save the sketch before tossing it. Did a lot of touch ups and it only took about a couple hours to get it to where I wanted it. I'm feeling more and more comfortable with Photoshop's dodge and burn tools. Here's the original sketch and then what I was able to come up with.

Missed Deadlines and Finished/Unfinished work.

2009-05-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

I started the month of May off with a bang with two missed magazine call for entries. I had just discovered Creative Quarterly during my time in Chicago and wanted to be a part of it. A combination of the BB and a lack of focus caused me to not have anything finished for the May 1st deadline. I thought that I would certainly have the pieces ready to submit for CMYK's 45th issue. I had only 2 of the 5 pieces I've been working on finished but felt that they were good enough to submit. It's about 1 hour until the deadline and me being the optimist that I am thought I still had enough time to submit my work. Fast forward to only minutes until my time's up and I find myself 45 dollars poorer and nothing to show for it. The CMYK website isn't working but apparently they're still able to make transactions. So here it is, some of the finished/unfinished pieces that will not have a chance to be judge until the next call for entry... Whenever that is.

-edit. I forgot to mention that Jp inspired the matador piece. My biggest illustration influences are my friends.

Process

2009-03-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

This piece is a little photoshop practice I did a couple months back. Mostly dodging/burning plus some hue adjustments. Not sure if I'm going to work on it anymore.

I really do suck at updating...

2009-02-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

A couple quick pieces. The Cat's Cradle piece is probably going to have type but haven't tried laying any out. The portrait was a quick watercolor and red ink. Both pieces have had some photoshop adjustments.

Update!

2008-12-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

These shoes have been in the works for a good month. They weren't hard to make, I just haven't had a whole lot of time to make art. The shoes were given to my friend Gil as a Christmas/Very Late birthday present. Blank White Converse with Prisma markers, sharpie, acrylic,and some water color. Not very much planning went into these. I wanted to make them as "doodle" like as possible. I incorporated some imagery that he's fond of. More updates in the next few days.

CMYK Issue 42

2008-12-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

I know this is a bit late and most of the people that read this blog already know about it, but issue 42 of CMYK came out. I was selected for the Illustration category for recent graduates/current students. Unfortunately, CMYK did not post any of my contact information, which I find a bit silly. So, here it is. My Brasalina and Jackson Pollock on page 66.

Digital Update

2008-12-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a piece I started and “finished” tonight. I was playing around with using textures/digital drawing/painting. I'm hoping to be able to incorporate this in future illustrations.

Weak Update.

2008-12-07T22:36:00.001-08:00

I've been slacking in the art department. Here is a quick ode to Ashley Wood. I am trying to get better with digital and this is some dodge and burn practice. The only thing made by hand is the original surface. I'm thinking I should print it out and do some acrylic or gouache work on the piece.

It has been awhile...

2008-11-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

Figured I needed to update the status of the Graphic Novel and my in general. The proposal was finished a few weeks back and is being tweaked before we send it to potential publishers. I haven't created any new pieces since then but have been sketching a lot. I am hoping to start regularly updating the blog again. In the meantime I'm including the page 1 completed, which the author Taylor Zajonc did the type for. Also a panel from the last page.

Graphic Novel Update

2008-10-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here's an update of the graphic novel. It's a mock layout of page one. It is missing two panels still which should be complete by Wednesday.

Sketches

2008-10-10T13:37:00.001-07:00

I have decided on posting some of my Morning Drink and Draw sketches. I will be posting up an update for the Graphic Novel in a week. Enjoy!

Music player.

2008-09-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

I had a watercolor of a horn player laying around that I made for Andy Polk's watercolor class. I never really liked how it came out, so I finally decided on making it into something worth displaying. Watercolor scan and the final. Enjoy!

Update

2008-09-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

Three of five character designs for the graphic novel.

Graphic Novel

2008-08-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

I have been commissioned to work on a graphic novel. I really shouldn't say much about it but I will show you a quick sketch I did for it. I still need lots of practice but it's a start.

Here's an update

2008-08-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

I decided to update my blog with some process. Jp, I liked your idea of doing that. Here's a piece I drew up for a sculpture that didn't turn out the way I wanted. I liked the sketch and wanted to finish it digitally. I scanned/printed/worked back on top , and photoshopped the piece. Enjoy. Also, BenHShapiro.com has launched. There isn't anything on there yet but check back in a month.

Another Tablet Sketch

2008-07-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to escape to Bisbee for a few nights. I wanted to try and get some work done but that didn't happen. I'm still deciding on a Domain name for my website. I'm thinking about playing it safe and making it BenHShapiro.com. Here's my tablet sketch I did lastnight. I did more hand drawing but I'll have to scan those later.

2 pieces

2008-07-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

Both of these were made about 3 months ago. The guy hanging in his underwear was a collaboration between Jp Peer and Myself. I drew the guy and Jp added the color. The other is the smallest watercolor I have ever made. It is about 1" x 1.5". Enjoy.

Graduate School????

2008-07-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't used my tablet to draw in a long time. I've been using it recently to create the word bubbles for my mini comic. Here is something I made today for practice. Hopefully I can stick with my goal of actually doing some type of sketch a day, whether it's on the computer or not.

I've also been contemplating on where I would like to go to Grad School. Where ever I end up, all I know is I'll be taking the foundation animation classes before actually starting my graduate studies. I can't believe RISD's digital media program, is not animation. What gives? Do I even want an MFA in animation? But why don't all schools have Master programs for Illustrators? It's becoming a tad frustrating. So far I will be applying to SVA, Pratt, Cal Arts, and possibly The University of Florida.

2008-07-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a piece I made upon my return from Pittsburgh( Early June). I felt the need to use up the pieces of scrap wood I had from a previous project. It's bass plywood with pen, watercolor, and acrylic. It is untitled so far.

Maybe I'll Start Using This.

2008-06-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Girl, 2007, Mixed Media
Guy, 2008, Watercolor/ink

I need some sort of web presence ,but class is taking up my time to create that amazing website. I really need something launch me out there. I'm going to start by documenting any new artwork, shows, or anything I create or do.

June has been a good month for my work. I was in a show called "Big Ideas, Small Frames" at Dinnerware( An Art Gallery in Tucson). My two pieces sold opening day(Guy and Girl) ,which is good since I can help out Dinnerware as well as gets my name out there.

I'm finishing up my degree at the University of Arizona and taking my last two classes there. The comic class is really inspiring me to try and continue making comics. Hopefully my Mini Comic will be somewhat decent and I can continue making a monthly mini.

I guess that's it for now. Be on the look at for more art coming soon.

Hello.

2007-05-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

My name is Ben Shapiro. I'm an Illustrator.