:Illustration:Gallery:Concept: by JAW Cooper

Busy busy beaver.

2012-01-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

Oh man. So busy.

First up, here are teasers of my submission for the upcoming "Laluzapalooza" show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. The painting is called "Dappled" and features, yes, another Sphynx cat. I just looove painting them!

Sketch:

Here are some photos of work in progress for my upcoming "Erode" show at WWA Gallery in Culver City (opens Feb 18th!). Most of these things are done now but what the heck...

Here was the "Guarded" drawing transferred, before I painted it. It's pretty big, about 30"x26". I painted it with ink and gouache.

Domes waiting to be filled with little sculptures (time providing.)

The three little paintings transferred to generously-sized paper. Mmmmm, generous margins... I like how lonely they look like this.

And finally (for today) I made this little beetle with frosted-acetate wings and gold-detailed body and luxurious wing casings. I almost don't want to sell him...

Onward! I'll post some pics of the final paintings as well as the new crop of newly-transferred drawings when I get a chance.

If you are interested in any of the pieces that will be for sale in the upcoming WWA Gallery show opening Feb 18th go HERE to add yourself to the preview list. You will get first dibs to view/buy work before the show actually opens!

For facebook-ians, HERE is a link to the event page.

Also check out the absolutely INCREDIBLE work of Jessica Dalva, Danielle Buerli, Tom Haubrick, Sinae Park, and Bryce Takara who will all be having simultaneous mini-solo shows in the same space!

New Crop O' Sketches

2012-01-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

Here are more new sketches for my upcoming show "Erode" which focuses on self sabotage, or things that eat away at us from within.

This sketch "Whisper" is about the cyclical pain of rumors/gossip/negativity.

These three will be separate paintings, very small and detailed. The three dead animals illustrate three major roadblocks that can keep us from realizing our potential. They are titled "Strangle" (lack of voice), "Splinter" (lack of focus), and "Freeze" (lack of action.)

These three are already underway and I'll post teasers soon! I'll have 9-12 drawings/paintings and 3 sculptures in the upcoming show at the WWA Gallery in Culver City and I can't wait to share them with you!

"Oscar"

2012-01-18T23:28:00.001-08:00

At last! I am very pleased to introduce you to the newest member of my mutant-animal-rug family... say hello to "Oscar."

I've been holding off on posting photos of this commission until he was delivered to none other than Otavio of the incredibly talented and renowned Brazilian street-art twins "Os Gêmeos." The brothers are here in Los Angeles for the next couple of months preparing for their upcoming show at Prism Gallery in West Hollywood which opens February 25th. I can't wait!

Without further adieu: "Oscar"

He's got two regular "friendly" eyes and one little gimp-eye on the right side of his face. Also note his grin which I accentuated with dark red velvet... the goal was to make him look friendly but weird, and as requested, he is red/pink.

And here are process shots from sketch to completion:

Materials...

Foamform on left, inside-out "pelt" on right... to show stitching...

The detail on this rug in the stripes and fur patterns was super involved, each stripe took an hour or so to hand-sew in from the back... but the result was definitely worth the effort...

Closer detail to show how small and numerous the stitches were for each stripe...

Well! That's Oscar... I'm so happy he'll be living with Otavio now!

Here are links to previous mutant-animal-rugs:
Buddy the Budding-Off Bear: 1 2 3 4
Randal the Riddled Bear: 1 2 3 4

"Sacrifice" Painting Finished!

2012-01-18T00:29:00.000-08:00

Finished at last! I hit a road-block when I initially put in the background in pale blue... ugh... what was I thinking? It took me a while to come up with a solution as the white india ink had sealed the paper so I couldn't paint over it in gouache. I laid in the black branches in black india ink today and am much happier with the contrast and the way it pops the colors. Crisis averted!

Here is a shot of my standard painting process- using india ink washes to lay in the tone and then colored washes of gouache on top:

Photos of the finished painting... I just need to sign it:

There are only four framed prints left! If you see something you want, contact me ASAP:

"Pomp" and "Guarded" sketches

2012-01-16T23:02:00.001-08:00

Scanned at last! Here are my two newest drawings for my upcoming show at the WWA Gallery in February.

"Pomp"

"Guarded"

I'm pretty excited about these two and I have big plans with how I'm going to execute them. Stay tuned!

"Guarded" sketch teasers

2012-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just finished another sketch for my (rapidly) upcoming show at the WWA Gallery in Culver City. This piece will be painted and titled "Guarded." Here are some photos:

A pile of sketches for the show:

And finally an updated image of the framed prints that are still available, the ones with a red bar through them have sold. See previous post for photos of the actual prints to see how they look in their frames! Contact me at jawcooper@gmail.com ASAP if you are interested in purchasing one:

Prints for sale!

2012-01-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

Here are the framed prints from the Bluecanvas Launch Event, now available for purchase! There is only one of each so it will be first-come first-served. Prices are as marked but do not include shipping; the ones with a red slash across them are already sold.

UPDATE!!! "Shapeshifter Set" "Honey, Suckle" "Clash" and "Beasts Set" are now SOLD. Updated image of available prints below:

Here are some photos of the actual prints:

If you are interested in one or more of these prints, contact me at jawcooper@gmail.com.

"Small Sacrifices" Progress Shots

2012-01-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

Super duper busy. Here is are some in-progress shots of a painting which I think I'll title "Small Sacrifices." Appropriate, as I hardly got any sleep last night painting it. I took photos at every step through this piece so I'll post a process image soon to show how I built up the paint from sketch to finish.

Don't forget about the Bluecanvas Launch Event in downtown Los Angeles next Thursday, if you want to pick up a sweeeeet framed print for megacheap. There is only one of each print so first come first served. See previous post for more info.

Prints! Getcha Prints!

2012-01-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

Been itching for a print???

As a featured artist in the upcoming Bluecanvas Magazine (Issue 11) I will be exhibiting a selection of prints at their launch event during art-walk in downtown Los Angeles on the January 12th, 2012 (this coming Thursday!) I will only have one of each print which will be framed, matted, and ready-to-hang in your house. First come first served, so get to the event early if you see something you would like! (address/details below)

Here is an image so you can see the sizes/images that will be available:

Prices:
16"x20" : 90$
10"x20" : 80$
16"x12" : 70$
8"x8" : 40$

The 10"x20" frames have multiple prints in them. All prints are priced as low as possible- just enough for me to break even.

Bluecanvas Magazine Issue 11 Launch Event
On: January 12, 2012
Starts at: 6:00pm, runs until 11pm.
@ Exchange LA
618 S. Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
http://exchangela.com/

Happy new year everyone!

Interviews!

2011-12-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

I've been getting more and more requests for interviews and the questions are often similar so I decided to compile a collection of them from the past few years. If you are interested check out my NEW INTERVIEW BLOG!

To pique your interest here are a couple snippets from various interviews:

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"Can you quickly introduce yourself?
My (abbreviated) name is J.A.W Cooper. I was born in England and grew up in Africa, Sweden Ireland, various other places throughout Europe, and finally Southern California. I currently live in Los Angeles, California in a loft downtown, where I spend an embarrassing amount of time creepily watching the comings and goings of people on the street below. For example, I watched a man psych-out oncoming traffic by rolling a taxidermied dog at high speeds towards the curb over and over to see who would be fooled into slamming on their breaks, and was thoroughly entertained for about 15 minutes. There are also an alarming number of people who prefer to conduct their daily business completely in the nude with their curtains agape. That’s not a weird introduction, right?"

(Interview: (2011) Vanea Cera @ http://designcollector.net/)

"In addition to the obvious natural elements in your work, there's always a strong feminine presence. Even when you render women in peril, they come across as strong, defiant, and conquering. How much of yourself is in these women, and have you struggled with any gender bias in the art world?
Art made by girls who draw girls is often perceived as superficial and the gender of the creator can soften the impact of the sexual aspects of the work. This can be a blessing to female artists who find beauty in the feminine form but do not want their work to be perceived as hyper-sexual or "pervy." In my case it is a curse as I prefer my "perv" quotient to be as high as possible..."

(Published: (2011) Keith Dugas (http://krossd-art.blogspot.com/2011/12/5-questions-with-jaw-cooper.html)

"Could you please explain the process you have to go through to prepare for a new gallery show?
I start with lists and lists and lists of words, motifs, colors, objects, ideas, feelings... etc. I then think about how to describe all these random things or capture them in a single concept, often a single emotive word. From this concept I list some more, being very specific about the directions within the theme that I would like to explore and from here ideas for individual paintings and the series as a whole begins to solidify. I will then often begin sketching ideas and the best sketches will eventually become paintings! My favorite way of working is on a series as a whole rather than on an individual piece. The series allows the work to be contextualized within a bigger world and allows me to more deeply explore a single concept which is where my best work tends to come from..."

(Interview: (2011) Emily White Illustration @ University of Gloucestershire, England)

"As an illustrator that does commercial and gallery work, what are your suggestions to an Illustration student that wants to do both as well?
I think the biggest "mistake" of the new illustrator is to work on dead-end projects. Usually these involve a lot of grunt-work, low pay, no exposure, many revisions, and high stress. Often the "client" is a friend or family member adding another dimension of complication to the mix, and usually your time would be better spent looking for legit work or refining your portfolio. Gallery work is a tricky balance... you really can't make a living at it unless you are famous, so you have to look at it as a side-hobby and use it for exposure and to build your ideal portfolio (since you can do whatever you want!) It's fun as long as you are not looking at it as a source of steady income. Commercial work can be just as rewarding as gallery work if you go in excited about it. I quite enjoy the challenge of realizing someone else's ideas while injecting some of what gets me wet (ha ha). Gallery is like working in a vacuum, it can be paralyzing unless you approach it like a commercial job where you create the prompt. Soooo basically, if you want to stay sane get a REAL job that allows you to use your skills (ie: in house illustrator, sketch-artist, storyboard artist, freelance illustrator IF you think you can rustle up enough steady work to make a comfortable living at it) and something that doesn't leave you so depleted that you are unable to create personal gallery work when you get home, and just try to stay excited about your work!"

(Published: (2011) http://paul-herrera.blogspot.com/2011/05/jaw-cooper-interview.html)

"Where is the best place in California to sit and sketch?
For me, nothing beats the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum’s bird hall or the Los Angeles Natural History Museum’s halls of mammals. I like sketching at natural history museums because they are cool and quiet (if you time your visit to avoid children on school trips) and since the animals don’t move you can draw at a leisurely pace. For landscape sketching, my favorite hiking/sketching spot is Sturtevant Falls in Chantry Flats during the week (it’s far too crowded on the weekend.)"

(Published: (2011) argotandochre.com by Daniel Rolnik)

"Where do you call home? Actually, what do you think the definition of home is?
'Home' is a place where you can unabashedly eat english muffins in your undies while watching Animal Planet. For the last couple of years I have been unabashedly eating english muffins in my undies while watching Animal Planet in a loft in downtown Los Angeles."

(SNEAK PEAK! Will be Published: (2012) Issue Eleven of Bluecanvas Magazine)

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Wow... New Years resolution to self: watch your language.

Want to read more about my process, techniques, and experiences as a young illustrator? Click the HERE to be transported, as if by magic, to the aforementioned INTERVIEW BLOG.

"Splinter" & Misc. Sketch Teasers

2011-12-14T01:59:00.000-08:00

"Splinter" sketch detail shot:

Misc sketch, investigating armour as inspiration in fashion for my upcoming "Guarded" piece:

"Taetrum & Dulce" at MondoPOP Gallery

2011-12-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

MondoPOP Gallery's "Taetrum & Dulce" show opened last night in Rome and my two pieces "Surrogate" and "Honey, Suckle" are now available for sale!

JAW Cooper
"Honey, Suckle"
Ink, gouache and graphite
31 x 39 cm with frame
635€ (850$)

(click HERE for purchasing info)

(To see "Honey, Suckle" framed click HERE. Detail shots HERE. And sketch HERE.)

JAW Cooper
"Surrogate"
Ink and graphite
31 x 39 cm with frame
350€ (450$)

(click HERE for purchasing info)

(To see "Surrogate" framed click HERE. Detail shots HERE. And sketch HERE.)

A giant "thank you" to curator Dan Barry for inviting me to participate in this fantastic show!

Recent "Erode" Sketches

2011-12-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to scanning the last few sketches for my upcoming "Erode" series:

"Poisonous Brood" Sketch

2011-12-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

I'm still plugging away on sketches for my upcoming "Erode" series. Here is a sketch I did Monday morning, I think it will be called "Poisonous Brood" or "Leech."

Nothing is more exhilarating than starting a new series. As you know I am an avid list-maker; here are some notes I have made as I continue to refine and boil-down my many many "Erode" lists into one cohesive concept:

Finally, on a more serious note...

You may have seen my many animal sketches from various visits to the incredible Wildlife Waystation. The Waystation, located in Los Angeles, is a sanctuary for exotic animals and big cats (often rescued from abusive situations) and provides an invaluable service to the community and the beautiful animals in their care. They have always relied on the kindness of volunteers and the donations from people like you and me, but now they are in very real danger of being shut down due to lack of funds. Not only would this be a serious loss to the community, but many of the animals would likely have to be euthanized.

PLEASE DONATE NOW by clicking the link, or mail a check to 14831 Little Tujunga Canyon Road, Angeles National Forest, CA 91342. To make a gift by phone call 1-818-899-5201. Anything, even a dollar helps them continue to feed and provide for their animals!

"Spite" Sketch

2011-11-29T00:52:00.000-08:00

Here is another sketch for my upcoming "Erode" series. I am tentatively calling it "Spite" but "Sabotage" and "Leech" are both possible alternative titles... can't... decide... I'll have to think about which direction I want to take the narrative and how it fits into the series as a whole and title it accordingly.

This new series "Erode" will be darker and more surreal than my previous work; I'm pretty excited to work on it!

Recent Sketches

2011-11-27T23:18:00.001-08:00

I have a LOT of work due in the next few months and I've been making lists/starting to sketch and coming up with a concept for my new series of 8-12 pieces... "Erode."

"Host" sketch:

Random witch doodle:

Random vampire doodle:

Holiday shopping?

My painting "Famished" for the Subtext Gallery is available! (400$)
My painting "Snuffed Out" for the La Luz De Jesus Gallery 25th Anniversary Show is available! (700$)
My painting "Honey, Suckle" and my drawing "Surrogate" are available for pre-sale now and will be on display on Dec 10th at MondoPOP Gallery. (800$/400$)

My work is featured in the beautiful 2012 Bluecanvas Calendar! (10$)
My work is featured in the recently published "Cute Illustration" book by Monsa Publications. (20$)

Famished

2011-11-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here was my piece for the Subtext Gallery's "Homeroom" show that opened last Friday. Please contact the gallery director at dylan@subtextgallery.com for inquiries.

Based on this drawing I did in Kindergarten:

"Famished"
Ink gouache and colorase on stonehenge
8"x10" framed
400$

(Comes with a copy of the original childhood art if requested)

It was a great show and I'd like to thank Chrisina Conway for inviting me to participate!

"Famished" Teaser

2011-11-02T18:21:00.001-07:00

Teasers for the painting I finished for the "Homeroom" show at Subtext in San Diego:

"Famished"

Here are are images of my two pieces for the show in Rome framed all pretty n' nice:
"Honey, Suckle"

"Surrogate"

And lastly, my work is featured in the new 2012 Bluecanvas calendar! I'm September, ooo la la! Pick up your copy HERE. There is also a link to "preview" the calendar on the same page.

"Famished" Sketch

2011-11-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here's the rough sketch for my piece for the upcoming "Homeroom" show at Subtext Gallery in San Diego. The show opens Nov. 11th, here is a LINK for more info.

The theme of this show is for artists to re-interpret a work from their early childhood... how cool is that? So cool! I'll post the drawing I did in kindergarten that inspired this piece along with teasers of the final image soon.

Shapeshifter Sketch

2011-10-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the rough sketch for a little painting titled "Shapeshifter" that will be on display/for sale at Liliya in downtown LA as part of their "Monster" show which opens tonight. Info and image of finished painting to come.

Mondo Pop Teasers

2011-10-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

Teasers for "Honey, Suckle" painting:

*The gold details behind her head, on her clothing, etc were done with a metallic ink so they are shiny at certain angles.

Teasers for "Surrogate" drawing:

These have both been shipped to Rome and will be on display in December at Mondo Pop Gallery.

"Dairy" WIP's and "Cute Illustration"

2011-10-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

Here are in-progress teasers of two pieces for an upcoming Mondo Pop Gallery show in Rome. I'll post the finished images/teasers soon!

I was featured in this beautiful hardcover book by Monsa Publishing; "Cute Illustration:"

Details:

Recently I had work in the "Crazy 4 Cult" book by Gallery1988 and the newly released "25th Anniversary" book by La Luz de Jesus, and will be featured as one of 12 artists in the upcoming Blue Canvas 2012 Calendar as well as being featured for a second time in their magazine/launch event in January 2012. Just some things to look out for!

"Dairy Series" - WIP

2011-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the sketch for one of the three pieces I'll be shipping to Rome at the end of the month as part of my "Dairy" series.

"Honey, Suckle" sketch:

The other two pieces are called "Surrogate" and "Spilled Milk."

I'll post teasers of the finished paintings/drawing soon!

Reaper II: Thylacine

2011-09-25T22:43:00.001-07:00

For the "Extinction Expedition" show at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart...

"Reaper II: Thylacine"
11.25" x 14.25" (framed) 9"x12" (image)
ink graphite and gouache on mounted Stonehenge
600$

Half of the proceeds will be donated to help the Time Travel Mart continue to tutor children after school.

200 Posts!

2011-09-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

200 posts and so much to catch you up on...

First of all I just finished this piece for the "Extinction Expedition" show at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart. The show opens Saturday at 1pm and will rage on until 4pm. Here is the Facebook Event page.

Teasers of the piece:

I'll post a full image when the show opens Saturday.

Secondly, this painting "Snuffed Out" is FINALLY available for sale through La Luz de Jesus Gallery as part of their 25th Anniversary show!

Here is a link to the online preview and here is a link to my piece "Snuffed Out"! I am so honored to be participating in this show alongside the likes of Scott Musgrove, Tara McPherson, Martin Wittfooth, Dave Cooper, Liz McGrath, Tim Biskup, Mark Ryden, Nathan Ota, Shag, Robert Williams, Bob Dob, Daniel Lim, Eric White, Jessica Joslin, Danni Shinya Luo, Damian Fulton, Misato Otake, Jessica Dalva and many many more!

Lastly... what do you know about awesome super portable easels? Allow me to "learn you good" with this educational video (that I am in) for Jack Knife Easels:

Much more to come including previews of my pieces for an upcoming show in Rome!

Sketchbook Scans

2011-08-25T02:20:00.001-07:00

Finally scanned these two proper-like. Both will eventually be painted so keep yer eyes peeled!

"Domesticated"

"Reaper II: Thylacine"

Also, just noticed that I'm at 199 posts and 536 followers. Wow-wee! I'm chuffed as nuts... as they say.

Raffle winner selected!

2011-08-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Way to be a winner among winners, MrMouw! It is my pleasure to mail you "Reaper II: Thylacine Failure" as a token of my appreciation for the amazing support I get from all of you, my wonderful friends, colleagues, fans, and followers.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated, I read every comment and was touched by your sentiments. I really wish I had enough to send to all of you!

This is my thankful face:
(Note the "sleepover hands.")

Love,
Cooper

RAFFLE TIME! Free drawing!

2011-08-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Winner selected: Congratulations MrMouw!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated, I read every comment and was touched by your sentiments. I really wish I had enough to send to all of you!

So most of you long-time followers already know how this works but for you lovely newcomers:

Want a free drawing? Oh heck yeah you do!

DIRECTIONS:
* Leave a comment on this post and include the following info: Your name and an email to contact you at. (I will not add you to a mailing list or anything.) Personal messages are unnecessary but always appreciated!

This raffle will END at 9pm (Pacific time) on Thursday August 18th, 2011 (NOW CLOSED.) Good luck!

The prize:

"Reaper II: Thylacine" Drawing (failed experiment version)
9"x12"
mixed media on brown paper
FREE TO A GOOD HOME

The story:
A week ago I drew a sketch for a piece for an upcoming show, thought I would try executing the final drawing on a brown paper bag, realized it fell way short of my original drawing, re-executed the piece properly and want to give the "failed experiment" away to show my deep appreciation to all you who support my blog.

Sneaky peak at the original drawing in my sketchbook (not being raffled off):

Just in case you are curious, you can see past raffles here: PAST RAFFLES

THE RAFFLE IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS "MrMouw" FOR WINNING!

La Weekly- Ballet

2011-08-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

On news stands now! Page 42, for an article about the Los Angeles Ballet. Pick up a copy!

As usual, a big thank you to CD:Darrick Rainey at the LA Weekly.

Most of you are familiar with my "Raffles" right? Well I am going to San Francisco for the weekend BUT when I get back I will be Raffling off a drawing.... soooo keep your eyes peeled Monday/Tuesday of next week! Oh boy!

"Ballet" Teaser

2011-08-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a teaser of my latest piece for the LA Weekly. It should be on newstands this week so keep your eye out! I will post the full image when it's published.

Sketch with teasers of the final painting:

"Domesticated" sketchbook

2011-08-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

A drawing I did last night in my sketchbook that I kinda want to paint.

... I want to call it "Domesticated." Or "Broken." Hmmm.... "Domesticated" is better. I swear that ram doesn't have too knees on the left leg, twas just trying out different positions for it.

Pasties Galore

2011-08-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

"Pasties Galore" and "Imp Britches" fresh off the circus circuit.

Pasties.

"Clash"

2011-07-27T21:57:00.001-07:00

"Clash"
12"x24" framed
graphite on stonehenge
*SOLD*

Here are some photos of it in-progress on my desk:

I accept commissions on a very limited basis (based on the particulars of the request and my availability) but feel free to contact me if you would like to propose a project!

"Clash" Teaser

2011-07-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

(*SOLD*)

I completed this commission (titled "Clash") a couple weeks ago but the client wanted it to be a total surprise when it arrived (an idea I LOVE) so I didn't want to post photos too soon. It is set to be delivered this afternoon so here is a little teaser; I will post the full image when I am sure it has been received.

Wildlife Waystation

2011-07-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Bout freakin' time I posted these! I was incredibly fortunate enough to be invited to the Wildlife Waystation yet again by artist/teacher Gary Geraths. I've been a number of times in the past and each visit is more magical than the last. The Waystation is a refuge for abandoned and mistreated exotic animals, and though not open to the public they do occasionally allow groups in for educational purposes... or in our case to sketch like fiends.

*And lastly the sketch for "Vulnerability & Prudence" which I never got around to posting:

You can see my drawings from my previous trips to the Waystation HERE and also some mixed in HERE. Also check out my dear friend/fellow artist Jessica Dalva's sketches from that same trip HERE.

The Wildlife Waystation provides such an amazing service both to the community and to the animals in their charge and I strongly urge you to donate or look into volunteering if this is a cause that speaks to you!

San Diego Zoo

2011-07-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

I went to the San Diego Zoo with friend/fellow artist Thomas Nguyen. Conditions were ideal for a sketch marathon! Here are some of them:

*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

*Note the lovingly-rendered llama-butthole. My finest moment.

I've still got to post my big-cat drawings from the Wildlife Waystation... but my scanning muscles are tired so it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Tarred and Feathered

2011-07-14T10:54:00.001-07:00

Here are my two pieces for the "Crazy 4 Cult: 5" show that opened last weekend at Gallery 1988. They were inspired by Tod Browning's "Freaks."

"Tarred"
Graphite and white pencil on frosted acetate
8.5"x10.5"
*SOLD*

"Feathered"
Graphite and white pencil on frosted acetate
8.5"x10.5"
*SOLD*

They form one continuous image; here they are framed side-by-side:

A big "thank you" to all who showed up to the opening and especially to the lovely young lady who bought both pieces so they would never be separated!

Interview at A&O

2011-07-08T10:15:00.001-07:00

Here is a lil' interview I recently did with Argot & Ochre's Daniel Rolnik. Just click the image below to see it!

Also, Gallery 1988 Melrose's 5th annual "CRAZY 4 CULT" show open's TONIGHT from 7pm-11pm! It should be packed and exciting, and I'll have two pieces for only 250$ each (teasers here) so if you've been wanting an original but are low on funds snap em' up! (Contact G1988) See yall there!

Crazy4Cult5 Teaser

2011-07-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

So Gallery 1988 Melrose's much anticipated annual show "Crazy 4 Cult" opens this Friday and here are some teasers of my two small pieces based on Tod Browning's "Freaks."

"Tarred":

(*SOLD*)

"Feathered":

(*SOLD*)

Here is the info for the opening. If you've never attended this show before be warned... it's CRAZY AWESOME and thusly heavily attended. If it's anything like the four previous Crazy 4 Cults the line will go around the block! I'll be there so if you stop by (and know what I look like) say hi!

So many of my friends are in this show and their work is incredible... check out their pieces/teasers/WIP shots:

Danielle Buerli
Allison Reimold
Julian Callos
Keith Noordzy
Mylan Nguyen
Sarah "Sae" Soh
Tom Haubrick
Nigel Sanders

"Curio" at Terra Obscura

2011-06-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some (shitty) photos of my sculpture "Curio" (based on THIS sketch) for the Terra Obscura show which took place last Saturday, June 18th. The show was SPECTACULAR, truly a feast for the senses. I'd like to extend a hearty "thank you" to everyone who came out to the show and to the amazingly talented members of the Upper Six Hundreds art collective who put on the show!

JAW Cooper
"Curio"
Sculpey, leather, wire, glass, acrylic
600$

Photos taken at Terra Obscura:

Aaand, here we all are: (I'm far left in the native american headdress.)

Here are my new promo/business cards:

Lastly, a lil' peak at a work in progress:

I have sooo much catching up to do and I apologize for my absence... s'been crazy busy since I started my new freelance job. More soon!

New Sketchbook

2011-05-21T12:43:00.001-07:00

I was inspired to start a new sketchbook like I used to keep in the good ol' days. For the past six years I've been drawing on loose bond paper and carrying around a "sketch-folder" but it'll be nice to have a real bound book again!

I'm working on a sculpture of this little fetus-alien thingy for the upcoming U600's show "Terra Obscura":

Suckle... way creepier when the leg is raised. Also when it's cross-species:

That's all for now, folks!

You better... ketchup.

2011-05-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Catching up on things:

Here is a commissioned portrait of Stephen Hawking with an albino owl. What a guy! This was one of my first acetate experiments... I fell in love.
*SOLD*

"Vulnerability and Prudence" Another acetate experiment, for the "Counterparts" show at the Hibbleton Gallery.
*SOLD*

Lastly, a portrait I painted months ago. A gift for a very special man who helped me through a rough period.
*SOLD*

My very good friend and insanely talented artist, sculptor, and designer Danielle Buerli is doing her graduate work (in Switzerland) on sketchbooks and I was inspired by our discussion to start a new 11"x14" like I used to keep in the old days. I used to keep INTENSE sketchbooks but stopped after my first year in college because I was putting every waking hour into homework and no longer had much time to just sketch without a practical application. I have a "sketch folder" which was functioning as a highly-edited sketchbook... but... I'm excited to have a real bound book again.

I'll put up the first couple pages tomorrow!

Promotion!

2011-05-18T12:44:00.001-07:00

For years I have been working as a freelance illustrator in downtown Los Angeles, but I have grown tired of the lonely life of freelance hermit-dom and yearn to work as part of a team again. I am in the midst of a job search, seeking to parlay my illustration/gallery skills into the fields of animation/character, creature, and landscape design/illustration for motion graphics/story-boarding/all purpose sketch-artist!

On that note, if any of you lovely readers know of any job openings in or around Los Angeles (or further afield if I can work from home) please let me know! (jawcooper@gmail.com) If you help me get a job-job I'll totally send you free art and kudos.

I have updated my portfolio and posted it on my website: HERE. Check it out! Any feedback is welcome.

Three new 4"x9" promo cards:

Reprinted these two business cards:

I will be putting together promo-packs at the end of the week, if you are a company interested in my work and would like to receive one please email me at (jawcooper@gmail.com) and I'll be happy to send one your way! (I also have a PDF of my portfolio/CV available upon request.)

PRINTS AVAILABLE!

2011-05-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

I rarely make a run of giclee prints but that's just what I did for the Bluecanvas event last month. Many of the prints sold at the opening but here are the available prints as of today. There is ONLY ONE OF EACH PRINT, no duplicates, so if you see one you like contact me at jawcooper@gmail.com to reserve it.

*Update: "Pied Piper" "Cracked/Tangled" "Copycat" "Malodorous" "Fight/Flight" "Ruin" "Father's Eyes" "Ignorance Is Bliss" "Specters" "Night Owls" "New Years Baby" and "Minions" have now sold.

So many sold yesterday that I re-posted these images with "SOLD" over the taken prints so you can easily see which are still available. If you want one, move quickly!

Prices are as marked but do not include shipping and packaging which comes to around 5-10$ within the US. It costs as much to ship one as it does to ship a couple... so... buy a couple and save on shipping! Ehhh?

Get em' while they're hot!

30$ prints: all different sizes but around 6"x10"

40$ prints: all different sizes but around 10"x12" ("malodorous" print: 8"x19")

50$ prints: all different sizes but around 12"x16"

All giclee prints come hand-wrapped in fitted, clear, protective sleeves with museumboard backing. Archival and acid free.

I've also updated my website with my revised portfolio. (jawcooper.com) I'm aiming to parlay my skills into a job in concept art for animation, illustration for motion graphics and advertising, or as a storyboard artist/all-purpose sketch-artist. More on that tomorrow!

Vulnerability & Prudence

2011-04-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

Bellow are teasers for a painting/drawing I made for the upcoming "Counterparts" show at the Hibbleton Gallery in Fullerton which opens May 6th.

Counterparts are things/ideas that complete, correspond to, or compliment each other. This piece is about balancing vulnerability and prudence in relationships.

"Vulnerability & Prudence"
Ink, gouache, and graphite on 300lb watercolor paper and frosted acetate.
*SOLD*

In Progress:

Finished:

Framed:

I will post the scanned image of "Vulnerability & Prudence" when the show opens. If you are interested in purchasing it, please contact the Hibbleton Gallery director at mail@hibbleton.com.

Lastly, to anyone curious about the previous post (now removed,) Rayne Longboards and I have come to an amicable agreement. They have shown integrity in investigating my claims and have licensed the work from me to continue to legally use the design. I am very happy to report that are an upstanding company and I look forward to the possibility of working with them in the future! A happy ending for all!

I'm Just A Big Ol' Tease... With Prints!

2011-04-13T21:30:00.001-07:00

Just a couple teasers of some of the things I finished recently:

"Snuffed Out"
NFS until October via La Luz de Jesus Gallery

"Stephen Hawking" (*SOLD*)

In the above piece I experimented with mounting acetate (with a graphite/white chalk/white gouache drawing) onto 300lb watercolor paper toned with colorful ink washes. It was so fun, I will be working this way a lot from now on!

BLUECANVAS EVENT/PRINTS!!!
I usually make giclee prints on a strictly case-by-case basis but I've run off a large number for the Bluecanvas event that will be held in downtown Los Angeles tomorrow, Thursday 14th, as part of the monthly art walk. I will have a large number of prints as well as a few originals for sale at the one-night-only event and the prices will be far lower than normal since I ran off the set all at once.

EVENT INFO:
The Bluecanvas event will be held Thursday April 14th at 453 S. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90013. It will run from 5pm-midnight and I'll probably be there at ~8pm or 9pm for an hour or so. Featured artists include Adam Ybarra, Bryan Holland, Charmagne Coe, Christopher Gideon, David Cole, Bob Dob, David Lovejoy, JAW Cooper, Javier Villanueva, Max Neutra, Rona Liu, William Zdan, Zeal Harris, Da Kim and Cecil Kim! What an amazing crowd!

LINKS:
http://www.bluecanvas.com/launch-event (Event info.)
http://www.bluecanvas.com/ (I'm the featured artist this week!)
http://www.bluecanvas.com/jawcooper (My Bluecanvas profile.)

Nearly all prints will be 30$, except for a couple small ones which will be 20$ and a couple larger ones which will be 45$. Whatever goes unsold will become available for purchase through my blog the following weekend, but there is only one of each so if you know you want a specific print reserve it by emailing me ASAP at jawcooper@gmail.com.

Here are (crappy photos of) all the prints laid out on my bed, as well as a selection of prints of my favorite LA Weekly editorial pieces:

A selection of some of the imminently available prints:

I'll be at the opening tomorrow night so if you stop by (and know what I look like) please say hello!

Extinction Sketch + LA Weekly Retrospective

2011-03-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is the final sketch for a painting I'm currently working on. I did the final drawing on frosted acetate and OH MAN, I'm never looking back, it was so luxurious to draw on. I just gotta figure out a way to integrate acetate into my finished work and I'll be the happiest camper! I wanted to show extinct animals fading in and out of smoke coming from an extinguished lantern, surrounded by creepy/supernatural ladies representing death. I'm nearly done with the painting so I'll post up some teasers of it finished with color tomorrow.

*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

Also, LA Weekly is featuring a retrospective of some of the editorial pieces that friend/extremely talented illustrator Julian Callos and I have done for them. Check it out! Click the photo below to check it out:

Here are a few of my favs:

Night Owls

2011-03-29T14:51:00.001-07:00

As you may have read on fellow LA Weekly illustrator Julian Callos's blog, our monthly visual column will no longer run due to to the paper's reformatting. It's been a wonderful experience working with AD Jason Jones and Darrick Rainey and though the column was canceled I will continue to work on editorial and cover assignments for the Weekly. My last piece for the column is titled "Night Owls" and caricatures the LA clubbing scene. I used watercolors and graphite instead of my usual gouache and was quite pleased with how smoothly the colors went down.

"Night Owls"

The initial sketch for my "Reaper" painting for the Inle show at G1988...

*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

Photos with color:

More Gouache Landscapes

2011-03-28T02:03:00.000-07:00

Check out Evan Cummiskey's blog to see more amazing gouache landscapes!

Can you spot my shep-shep lurking on the hill?

Fuck Huntington Gardens and their bizarre rule that anyone who wants to paint there has to pay an exorbitant fee to join their "guild."

As always, a giant thank you to Andrew Hem for all his guidance!

Just a Start

2011-03-17T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm only maybe 30% done with this painting but I thought I'd post my progress anyway. It's kinda cheesy but, again, the purpose of these is really just to get more comfortable with painting in photoshop.

Ol' Muggy #1

2011-03-16T00:35:00.000-07:00

3-hour digital painting based on an old timey mugshot from HERE. Thanks to Julian for posting this link!

Quickie Digital Sketch

2011-03-15T00:38:00.000-07:00

30-minute digital sketch:

I definitely feel like I'm getting faster at this and I think it'll really help my traditional work as well.

Babes and Lies

2011-03-11T03:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys, I lied! The opening for "Inle" is this Friday March 11th from 7pm-10pm at Gallery 1988 Melrose.

Also, I did a quick digital sketch of a babe this evening:

Based on this photo of Claudia Schiffer by Mario Testino:

"Kitschen Sync" and "Inle" shows open tonight!

2011-03-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Two gallery openings tonight!

1)La Luz de Jesus's 14th annual "Everything but the Kitschen Sync" show

-I have three oil paintings in this show, two of which are still available. For a reminder of what my pieces look like and how much they cost, follow the link: HERE

-The opening is from 8pm-11pm at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Wacko:

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
phone: 323-666-7667
email: info@laluzdejesus.com

-It's always an amazing show and my incredibly talented friend Jessica Dalva is also participating. Follow the link to see her gorgeous sculpture: HERE There will be 123 artists showing, including Lacey Clemens, Edward Robin Coronel, Damian Fulton, Sunny Gu, Danni Shinya Luo, Aya Masuda, Nathan Ota, Bryce Takara, and Jessica Ward.

2)Gallery 1988 Melrose's "Inle" show

-This show was curated by the wonderful Greg Simpkins and here is the image/info for my large gouache painting:

"Reaper"
19"x23"-framed
Ink and Gouache
800$

-To see additional images of the painting follow the link: HERE

-The opening is tonight from 7pm-10pm at Gallery 1988 (Melrose)

7020 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: (323)937-7088
http://www.nineteeneightyeight.com/contacts

I'll be attending both openings, I hope to see some of you there!

"Reaper" Teaser

2011-02-27T00:11:00.001-08:00

Oh man, so many late-nights this week, I'm pretty exhausted. I just completed a painting for the upcoming "Inle" show at Gallery 1988 on Melrose and I'm very excited about it!

Here are some teasers:

"Reaper" is an ink/gouache painting, 16"x20" (19"x23" framed)(800$ retail.) I'll post a better scanned image when the show opens.

Lurkin' in the glass...

The theme for the show, "Inle," was the grim-reaper black rabbit from the book Watership Down, one of my favs. Here is a flier for the show which is curated by the incredibly talented Greg "Crayola" Simpkins.

The line-up is incredible, I hope to see some of you at the opening March 4th, as well as at the "Kitschen Sync" show at La Luz de Jesus which opens the same night. The online preview for the "Kitschen Sync" show is now up: CLICK HERE. "Thieves" already sold!

I think I still owe you guys 2 more raffles which I'll space out over the upcoming week. Stay tuned!

Quick Break

2011-02-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

Oh hello friends! I'm taking a couple days off from the raffle, but there should be another Monday or Tuesday. The winners for Raffle #3 were:

DillyFae - "Reach"
Tom - "Smug"
Sarah "Sae" Soh - "Wound"

Congrats guys, and thank you to EVERYONE who continues to support my work and participate in the raffles!

Just for fun, here are some recent creature/concept art sketches:

RAFFLE #3

2011-02-17T23:33:00.000-08:00

I decided to have three winners for Raffle #2, because... why the hell not, it's my raffle, right? The winners are Shauna Woodard who will receive "Wall Eyed," Nathan Rico who will receive "Boar," and Jorge Negrete who I'm just waiting to hear back from regarding which of the remaining pieces he wants. Congrats guys!

Also, I have yet to hear back from Rob Brown regarding "Tattoo" so if I haven't heard from him by tomorrow night I'll pick a new winner.

RAFFLE #3!

See THIS post for full rules/description. Here is basically all you need to do to enter Raffle #3:

RAFFLE #2

2011-02-17T00:57:00.000-08:00

And the winner of Raffle #1 is: ROB BROWN who chose "Tattoo." Congratulations Rob!

RAFFLE #2!

See THIS post for full rules/description. Here is basically all you need to do to enter Raffle #2:

DIRECTIONS:
* Leave a comment on this post and include the following info: Your name, an email to contact you at, and which of the pieces available in today's raffle you like best. Personal messages are unnecessary but always appreciated!

Raffle #2 will end at 11pm (Pacific time) tomorrow (Thursday, Feb 17th.)

If you don't win today, try back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after... you have 4 days and 4 more separate raffles to channel your good karma and win!

Raffle #2 options:

Eagle

Tiger

Minx

Pinto

Boar

Wall-Eyed

This round I've included a mix of drawings, drawings with gouache on top, and gouache-only studies.

I read EVERY comment you guys leave me and it makes me so happy to see how excited you are about my work! You are all incredible.

Raffle #2 is now over and the winners were: Shauna Woodard who will receive "Wall Eyed," Nathan Rico who will receive "Boar," and Jorge Negrete who I'm just waiting to hear back from regarding which of the remaining pieces he wants. Congrats guys!

RAFFLE #1

2011-02-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

In honor of JUST hitting 400 followers on this blog:

Want a free piece of art?

DIRECTIONS:
* Leave a comment on this post and include the following info: Your name, an email to contact you at, and which of the pieces available in today's raffle you like best.

I won't add you to an email list, I just need to contact you if you win. I will be giving away one piece a day for the next 5 days and the paintings/drawings you can pick from will change from day-to-day. The winner on each day will be chosen via random number generator, then I will see which piece they say they wanted most and I will mail it to them!

Raffle #1 will end at 10pm (Pacific time) tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb 16th.)

These raffles are my way of thanking everyone out there who visits my blog on a regular basis; checking on my progress, leaving me comments, and giving me feedback. Your support means the world to me!

If you don't win today, try back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after... you'll have 5 days and 5 separate raffles to channel your good karma and win!

Raffle #1 options:

Wall-Eyed

Tattoo

Blue

Deer
All are small quick gouache studies that I did today.

In unrelated news (and not part of the raffle) here is my latest LA Weekly painting, out on newstands as of last Thursday:
"Everything in Moderation"

Raffle #1 is now over and the winner was: ROB BROWN who will receive "Tattoo." Congratulations Rob!

PAINTINGS FOR SALE!!! And landscapes in gouache!

2011-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

Oh hey yall, happy V-day! Remember these three little oil paintings from a couple months ago? They are finally available for sale!

"Nectar," Honey," and "Thieves" will be included in the upcoming "Everything But the Kitschen Sync" show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Hollywood and available for presale as of NOW. (Follow the link above to see the show preview online.)

Here are my pieces:

"Nectar"
Oil on wood panel
5" x 7"
*SOLD*

"Honey"
Oil on wood panel
5" x 7"
$300.00

"Thieves"
Oil on wood panel
6" x 12"
*SOLD*

The show officially opens March 4th, but if you are interested in any of these pieces I highly suggest that you contact Matt Kennedy (the gallery director of La Luz) early @ info@laluzdejesus.com.

In other news, I'm taking a landscape painting class taught by the AMAZING Andrew Hem for fun, and boy is it! Here are some scans of quick sketches from my moleskin:

I've been very busy and have loads more new and exciting drawings and paintings to post but I think that's enough for today, right?

Tutorial: Mounting Paper on Wood or Board

2011-02-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

I am frequently asked about my process of mounting paper onto wood or museum board. I've spent YEARS refining this process so I apologize in advance for the length of the explanation!

REASON: I mount paper on wood or board is because I prefer to transfer the delicate details of my sketches via light box rather than using transfer paper or similar methods. To use a light box your surface has to be thin enough to allow light to pass through (paper), but to paint without having your surface buckle or curl you need to work on something sturdy enough to hold up against water and the test of time (wood or board). My process combines the best aspects of these two surfaces.

DRAWBACKS/PRECAUTIONS: Though paper mounted on wood/board is more structurally sound than unmounted paper, if exposed to the elements (moisture, sun, dirt...etc) it will still deteriorate. If the work is commercial then this is not a particularly big worry, but if the work is for a gallery then I recommend framing the piece behind UV-blocking Plexiglas (for gouache/watercolor/graphite/oil/acrylic) or sealing the piece when it's done with an archival non-yellowing spray or varnish (for oil and acrylic.) Not absolutely necessary... just something to consider. One other thing; oil paints in particular are corrosive to paper and can yellow or literally "eat away" at paper over time. Some people consider paper an unsuitable surface for oils for this reason. I love painting oil on paper, but I always seal the paper with a combination of sprays, clear gesso, matte medium, and acrylic-paint washes after transferring and mounting the drawing but before painting. Again... food for thought.

PAPER: I recommend using a heavy printmaking paper such as Stonehenge (favorite) also suitable are Somerset or heavy Rives BFK. The process will be really hard or impossible if you use thin paper as it tends to buckle and tear in the mounting process. If your light box isn't very powerful be sure to get white paper as opposed to grey or cream.

MOUNT: I recommend archival wood for gallery work and museum board (~1/8") for commercial work. Museum board is expensive but won't buckle as much as illustration board. Be sure that if you are mounting on wood, hardboard, or gesso board that they are archival (AKA: non-acidic/won't leach chemicals) or they will yellow your painting and may even eat away at the paper itself over time.

SKETCH: I recommend you b/w "Kinko's Copy" your sketch to increase the contrast, darken the lines, and adjust the size of your sketch to make transferring easier.

"GLUE": You MUST use Matte Medium. There is NO substitute. I've tried so many things, just trust me on this.

SUMMARY OF IDEAL MATERIALS:
*Stonehenge paper
*Archival wood or museum board
*Matte medium (no substitute)
*Pencil
*Cork-backed ruler
*Artist's tape
*Light box
*Paper towels
*Large brush
*Fine-grain sandpaper wrapped around a flat 2"x5"x1" thick piece of wood (or something similar)

PROCESS:
1) I trim the paper 1/4" bigger in length and height than the wood. (So the border is 1/8" all around when mounted)

2) Tape the sketch to the back of the paper using artists tape so it won't shift around and transfer your drawing on a light table. (You can tape it to a window in the daytime if you don't have a light table.)

3) Choose a location to mount; it should be flat, level, clean... any grit or dings in your surface will be impressed into the surface of the paper as it is being mounted. Put down an even layer of paper towels that extends past the size of the paper in all directions (to absorb moisture and cushion the paper.) Place your paper on the paper towels, face/drawing side down.

4) Put one additional piece of paper towel to the side (for later) and gather your matte medium, gesso brush (the bigger the better), and the wood or board you plan on using.

5) Squirt a generous amount of matte medium onto the wood/board and immediately start spreading in around with the brush, sweeping the excess off onto the spare paper towel. You need to work FAST but still achieve an even coat. Use the brush to glob just a little extra Medium onto the corners and along the edges if the size of the piece is large. This will ensure that those key areas bond well. This part should take no longer than 1-3 minutes depending on the size. It's best to have a friend help if you're working larger than 2'x2' to be sure that you work fast enough that the Medium doesn't dry before you can mount.

6) Flip the wood/board over, holding it above the back of the paper/drawing. Visually line them up and lower the wood/board onto the paper. Press down gently to force the Medium to touch the paper, being very careful not to let the wood/board shift around.

7) Flip the whole thing over, including the paper towels. Smooth the paper down, using circular motions and working from the center out to push out any air bubbles and to flatten out the Medium. (Keep the paper towels flat between your hands and the paper/drawing to keep the paper clean and to prevent the friction from compromising the integrity of the paper's surface. Use your hands to bend the excess paper just a bit around the edge of the wood, this further ensures that the edges bond strongly.

8) Flip the whole thing BACK over again so the wood is facing up (and the paper towels are flat on the bottom) and put a piece of paper or paper towels on the back as well and pile heavy books on top. Make sure the weight covers the whole back and is even, the paper towels on the top will protect your books from any matte medium that seeps out.

9) Leave it for 2 hours at a minimum. Leave overnight if possible, the larger the piece and the more matte medium you use the longer it will take to dry. If you only have time to leave it 2 hours, use a hairdryer to be sure it's dry and fully set. If you don't fully dry it and the paper is even imperceptibly moist from the matte medium the surface will be more prone to damage as you start painting/working on it.

**If you are mounting on board, just trim off the extra paper with a sharp Xacto knife and you are done! (Cut from the front, using a cork-backed ruler and trimming a little of the board too for a cleaner edge.)

**If you are mounting on wood, continue:

10) Remove books and VERY GENTLY test a corner by tweaking the excess paper to check that it has properly bonded to the corner of the wood. Place paper down/wood up on a cutting board and trim the excess paper with a fresh Xacto knife. Do not trim too close to the wood, maybe leave ~1/32" still sticking out.

11) Flip back over so the sketch is up and take your fine-grained sandpaper (wrapped around something flat so you sand evenly) and use firm downward strokes at a 90° angle to the edge of the wood to sand off the remaining paper and to further strengthen the bond at the edge. This will also make it so that nothing can "catch" on the paper and rip it off the wood in the future. (Warning! Downward strokes ONLY! Upward strokes will catch on the paper and pry it away from the wood.)

12) DONE! I've tried to be as specific as possible, but the only way to perfect the process yourself is to practice.

I hope this was helpful to someone out there! Don't be intimidated, it probably takes longer to read all this shit than to actually mount the paper.

4:36am

2011-01-26T04:36:00.000-08:00

Finally was able to scan these rough sketches for a super cool upcoming project... hint: new merchandise!

*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

I can't wait to add more animals and paint these up!

SB NHM 2

2011-01-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some sketches from the SB NHM. As I said before, they have a really amazing bird exhibit! I hope yall enjoy:

These owls were too crappy to finish... but I liked the Frigate Bird:

Ok, so... do you ever wish there was a way to keep WASPy parents from pestering you to show their tots your drawing while you're in-the-zone? I just casually kept this sketch on top of my stack of drawings... bingo:

...hooters...

I'm incredibly thankful to have so many followers and lovely commenters posting to this blog and sending me emails, and I want to hold another free-art-raffle to show my appreciation in the near future!

Just out of curiosity, would you guys be more excited if I raffled off some sketches, animal drawings, small paintings... small prints... what? I always prefer seeing artist's original drawings but naturally paintings are more valuable...

(As always, facebook fans will get an early heads-up when the raffle is active.)

Sketchdump

2011-01-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

Time for a big ol' sketchdump, right?

First off, I went to the SB Botanical Gardens with friend/artist Kristen Moore yesterday and did a little painting:

About a week ago I went to the LA Natural History Museum with friend/artist Evan Cummiskey:

Aaaand, just a few of the random chick-drawings I've done the last couple days... many more to come! (When I get around to scanning them.)

LA Weekly: New Years Baby!

2011-01-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, Los Angeles! My illustration is on page 10 of this week's LA Weekly, out on news stands NOW.

As always, a BIG "thank you" to Jason and Darrick at LA Weekly!

"Feral" and Interviewed by Kelly Patton

2011-01-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

Catch-up post:

I forgot to post the full image of this piece that I did recently for a show downtown curated by Cecil Kim:

"Feral"
*SOLD*

ALSO I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the lovely and talented Kelly Patton when she interviewed me a month or two ago. She has posted the audio (22mins) on her blog: HERE

If you would like to know more about my process, how I promote, and my advise for new illustrators check it out!

Preview: Happy New Year LA!

2011-01-10T00:22:00.000-08:00

Some more teasers for my newest piece for LA Weekly since it's not out on newstands yet...

Preview: "Honey" and "Nectar"

2011-01-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of two of my newest oil paintings... worked on top of some studies from a week or two ago.

Sorry for the low-quality photos, scans to come soon.

"Honey" and "Nectar"

"Honey"
5"x7"
Oil on wood
300$

"Nectar"
5"x7"
Oil on wood
*SOLD*

(Notice the tiny scull on the hummingbird!)

I just need to glaze them and paint the sides black and they will be finished!

Slog. Blog. Sleep.

2011-01-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Last night was brutal... I finished three paintings and completed a new LA Weekly illustration. I'm gonna go sleep now, but before I do here is a teaser of the Weekly piece I did to commemorate the new year:

I'll post teasers of the three other paintings today or tomorrow... I'm really excited about a couple of them!

"Thieves" WIP

2010-12-31T20:18:00.001-08:00

Here is a small oil painting I'm working on called "Thieves." I think I might need to work on the girl's eyes so it's more clear that she's blind and maybe add more scratches to her back...

40% done:

80% done:

(*SOLD*)

It'll be for sale at a gallery soon, updates to come! I hope you guys like it, I used my recent portrait studies (more to post) as practice.

Quickies

2010-12-15T01:17:00.000-08:00

I've been doing these quick 5"x7" portraits just to practice with oils.

(*SOLD*)

(300$) via La Luz de Jesus Gallery

Please vote, it would mean the world to me!

2010-12-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friends,

Please please PLEASE follow this link and rate my portfolio highly; if I win I'll get a show in NY and an artists residency. A dream come true. I really appreciate it! ♥

http://www.3rdwardopencall.com/JAWCooper

Warmest wishes,
Coop

Forgotten Creatures + Interview!

2010-12-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

The amazing concept artist Cecil Kim is curating another show at the Liliya China Bistro! "Forgotten Creatures" will open this Saturday, December 11 from 6:00pm - 11:00pm. I will have a piece in the show as will a number of my very very talented friends. Come eat some delicious food, see some amazing artwork, and meet some wonderful people!

Address:
Liliya China Bistro
108 W 2nd Street 102
Los Angeles, CA

Here are some teasers of my piece: "Feral."
*SOLD*

*SOLD*

This piece has sentimental value for me as I made it to commemorate my sister's bravery during a recent loss.

Lastly, here is a link to the interview I did for the lovely and talented Kat Cameron:

JAW Cooper Interview

Included in the interview is this photo of my workspace... with annotations...

I hope you enjoy it!

OH! One last thing; Gallery 1988 SF is closing this month and are having a sale of a lot of the artwork in their possession including a number of my pieces from the Paper Pushers show last year. If you're looking for an original on a budget, this is a great opportunity!

Here is the link: G1988SF: JAW Cooper

I also have one piece still available at Gallery Nucleus: GNucleus: JAW Cooper

And a couple left at La Luz: La Luz: JAW Cooper

Christmas presents for your beloved Auntie Grumble and Uncle Badbreath perhaps?

SB NHM

2010-11-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

Spent Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara with my wonderful family and visited the SB Natural History Museum with my great friend and fellow artist Kristen Moore (check out her work!) They had an AMAZING new bird exhibition.

Quick sketches of my parents relaxing while the turkey cooked...

Lastly, a speedy gouache and ink painting of Joseph Gatt from a life-painting workshop.

I hope you all had a lovely and delicious Thanksgiving!

Promo Card Revisions:

2010-11-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you SO MUCH, everyone out there who took the time to comment and give me advise. Here are the results of the poll:

Back:
1)********
2)**********
3)********

Front:
1)****
2)************
3)********
4)***
5)***
6)****
7)***

It was pretty close between the 3 designs for the back so I decided to just use them all. #2,3,6 were the winners for the front so I focused on revising those as per your suggestions.

Design A Focus: Editorial
A Back: (not sure yet whether I'm digging the red line around the text box.)

A Front:

Design B Focus: Mix of Editorial and Gallery
B Back:

B Front:

Design C Focus: Gallery
C Back:

C Front #1: (photos all angled the same way)

C Front #2: (Just to have a vertical option to go with the vertical front. The images are kinda repetetive since they're on the other two cards already.)

I took my return address out so I have the option of dropping them off at galleries, and I can just make sticky-labels with my address for the ones I want to mail. This way I can use the text area in the middle either for an address or for a personal message if I send a couple at a time in an envelope.

As Rory said, there are restrictions on what the post office will mail so I'll have to take these over and double check with them before I send the files to the printer. Though I remain hopeful... I did once mail a plastic knife, spoon, and fork with the address written on them in sharpie and they made it... almost a year later.

Again, any thoughts on these new versions? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Feedback for Promo Cards?

2010-11-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of sending out a new series of promo cards and would LOVE feedback from you guys! The cards are 4"x9" and will be printed on 16pt matte cover stock with rounded edges. I want these to be mailable as postcards so I have left room on the back for an address. (And blurred out my own address... come to think of it maybe I shouldn't have a return address at all.)

Here are the three back options, let me know which is your favorite!

1)

2)

3)(vertical option)

And here are the seven front options, let me know your THREE favorite as I plan on printing a few. Also, if there are specific images you think should be swapped in/out on any of them let me know!

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)(using photos rather than scans)

6)(using photos rather than scans)

7)(vertical option using photos rather than scans)

I think I like 1&2 for the back and 1,2,5,6&7 for the front... but I wanna know what you guys think. Thank you SO much, I appreciate any suggestions/advise that you can give me!

Wildlife Waystation!

2010-11-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

Excitement! Yesterday I went to the Wildlife Waystation (an animal sanctuary closed to the public) with my old instructor from college (Gary Geraths), his animal drawing class, and a bunch of cohorts. Needless to say it was a day-long sketchgasm.

We started the day off with a pride of lions...

After lunch we moved to the "arena" to gawk at this beautiful young tiger prancing about. He was blind in one eye from the malnutrition he suffered before he was rescued by the Waystation. I'll scan the drawing I did of his blind eye soon... I just faked in two normal eyes in most of the drawings.

Lastly, I took a break from the tiger to draw this chirping cougar and a wayward peacock.

A giant "thank you" to Gary Geraths for setting this up and allowing me to tag along, and to the wonderful volunteers at the Waystation for allowing us to visit and for watching our backs while we drew the beasties.

Here is a link to some of my other animal drawings, many of which I did in Gary's class when I was a student: Animal Drawings

Here are some cohorts who also went and will surely be posting their wonderful drawings soon: Gary Geraths, Jessica Dalva, Zachary Schoenbaum, David Ra, Allison Reimold, Alexandra Dunham, John Sweeney, Mason Trager.... uhhh, and I'll add others as I think of them!

NHM for the WIN

2010-11-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

I went to the LA Natural History Museum for a couple hours today with Allison Reimold and David Ra. It was lovely to draw, but there were so many noisy children. I must find out which day of the week has the least number of school groups...

This beautiful statue was in the foyer of the amazing new wing of the museum:

I can't wait to go back!

The Sounds

2010-11-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

Just finished this... it's for a benefit calendar in association with the band "The Sounds."

Babes and Camera Advise?

2010-11-04T01:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I made copies of my drawings from this last Monday at Kinkos so they would fit in my scanner... Boom. Done. Babes.

And here is a sketch for a project I'm working on this week, the final painting to come soon...

Camera Advise?
Lastly and quite unrelated... I've been wanting to buy a polaroid camera for shits n' giggles and I would love any advise you artsy-types out there can give me about what to get. I also love the color effects of cameras like Holgas and what-not... are there any polaroid cameras that have similar color effects? I'm tryin' to keep the price under 100$/150$.

Dia De Los Babes

2010-11-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

I went to a life drawing workshop in Little Tokyo this evening themed around "dia de los muertos." Absolutely fantastic, a sketchgasm if you will. I need to scan the sketches but until I do these crappy photos will have to suffice...

This workshop happens every Monday night and I'll definitely be back for more!

Botox Banshee

2010-10-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

In this weeks LA Weekly in the "LA Life" section!

"Botox Banshee"

Photos of the painting:

Sketch and drawing:

Thumbnail:

First batch of thumbnails, not based on Los Angeles:

And once again, a giant thank you to art directors Jason Jones and Darrick Rainey!

Night of the Primping Dead

2010-10-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a wee teaser for this weeks LA Weekly illustration. It's called "Botox Banshee" and it's about how some women in LA refuse to age gracefully.

And here are just some random sketches of sexy ladies/gentlemen from the 1920's.

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who came out to see the "Horrorwood" show at the WWA Gallery last Friday!

His Father's Eyes

2010-10-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have a piece in the "Horrorwood" show at the WWA Gallery in Culver City which opens TONIGHT from 7pm-10pm. I'll be showing alongside some incredible artists, including Danielle Buerli, Julian Callos, Jessica LL Dalva, Nigel Sanders, Zachary Schoenbaum, Sarah "Sae" Soh, and Bryce Takara... just to name a very very few!

Here is my contribution, based off the film "Rosemary's Baby":

"His Father's Eyes"
Ink, gouache and graphite on Stonehenge
10 x 8 inches (framed 13 x 11 inches)
*SOLD*

Rosemary's Finished

2010-09-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

I think I'm finished with this piece, I might go back and put in more graphite details or do a background wash if I don't like how the white looks in the frame.

Here is the progression from drawing to finished painting:

And here are the paints/tools I used... in case someone out there is wondering:

The Winsor & Newton Series 7 #5 brush is expensive, but I do almost ALL of my gouache painting with it because it is so well made and has such a fine, natural tip. Definitely more than worth every penny.

This piece will be on display and for sale at the upcoming Horrorwood show at the WWA Gallery in Culver City, which opens October 15th. See you there!

Rosemary's Progress

2010-09-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

The transferred drawing. (graphite on Stonehenge paper, mounted on museum board)

The first washes of ink. (Dr. Ph Martin's "Black Star" waterproof ink; matte)

Finished with the ink tones:

I might lay in some more tones with graphite... undecided... either way I'm going to start laying in the color today!

Rosemary's Baby

2010-09-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

I will have a piece in the upcoming "Horrorwood" show at the WWA Gallery opening October 15th. I chose to do a painting inspired by the classic horror film "Rosemary's Baby." The first time I saw this film I hated it but I came to love it in subsequent viewings and I wanted to capture the creepyness of a Rosemary's blind love for her child.

Here was the initial sketch of Rosemary and her "baby."

*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

I wanted to fill in the space around her in an oval with satan... here was the separate sketch:

Here is a comp of the two sketches put together. I think I'll fade the devil away into feathers or something since the legs read funny when partially obscured. I'm planning on calling this painting "His Father's Eyes.":

Photos from my desk:

Other random sketches from my desk; I particularly like the fighter pilot rabbit-girl:

LA Weekly: Minions

2010-09-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Out on newstands today! Here is my piece for this weeks LA Weekly.

"Minions"

From thumbnail to sketch.

From drawing to graphite tones.

I worked a little differently on this one, laying in all the tones in graphite rather than ink and then washing over with gouache and building it up from there. I have to say, I love the control and detail of graphite but the tones are not as smooth as with ink (duh). I think my ideal would be a mix of both.... next time....

As always a giant thank you to art directors Jason Jones and Darrick Rainey!

Lastly, thank you again everyone who came out to Sweet Streets 2! It was so nice to see familiar faces and I met some really lovely new ones like Jennifer, who's enthusiasm made my night. Here are a couple photos from the show:

(photos above by Bigwhitebazooka Photography)

Sunny Gu and I in front of my piece (left) and her piece (right):

Jennifer and I at the end of the night as people were leaving:

P.S. I may have used my own shirt as reference for the LA Weekly piece. Awkward.

Prints!

2010-09-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

I've been receiving (and rejecting) a lot of requests for prints lately. I used to make prints on a case-by-case basis but stopped because it was more of a pain-in-the-ass than it was worth... what with the driving to the other side of town to drop off the file at the printers, then again to pick it up when it's printed, then to cut it down to size, then to pack and ship it, and finally to work out payment logistics. So I would basically break even but lose a shit-load of time.

Well, I'm going to give it another try and I have started "JAW Cooper's Print Blog" to answer your questions and handle your requests. I have a number of available prints posted, though I am capable of making prints of any painting on my blog/website, so feel free to contact me with specific requests. Please note; I will not make prints of any unsold gallery paintings.

Everything will still be done on a case-by-case basis (through email), but now I've worked out a system that should involve less driving around. That said, I will still only accept requests for prints as my schedule allows.

Don't forget to check out Clickforart's selection of my work! Shop online without having to negotiate/coordinate with me!

Moro Cameo

2010-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished my LA Weekly piece for this month and I have to say it one was the most fun to work on thus far. The concept for this one was "Minions..." I may or may not have shamelessly snuck my dog Moro in there. By which I mean I absolutely did.

I don't want to reveal the whole image until it is out on newsstands later this week, so here is a teaser of the drawing with areas of the final painting showing through:

I'll post the full painting this week along with all the process thumbnails/sketches/drawings.

Beautiful Freaks

2010-09-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Sweet Streets 2 show last night at Gallery Nucleus was amazing (way to go Caro!). Thank you to everyone who came out! If you couldn't make it, the show will be up through the 4th of October and if you live in a land far far away you can see it online by clicking the show title above.

Here is a link to "Beautiful Freaks," my contribution to the show.

"Beautiful Freaks"
20.5" x 26.5" framed (18"x24"image)
Gouache, ink, and pencil on 300lb watercolor paper
*SOLD*

Well hello... ladies.

2010-09-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Just finished this commission, don't want to say who/what it's for just yet:

A very good friend of mine (Fuser Paullada) bought me a year-long subscription to "Suicide Girls." (A site dedicated to beautiful/scandalous photos of tattooed girls.) I've found it to be a fantastic resource, perfect for practicing figure-drawing...

(⇧ From photos of the model "Fatality.")

Reminder: Sweet Streets 2 show at Gallery Nucleus opens this Saturday the 11th.

Long time, no blog...

2010-09-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

So... I'm not dead, I just fell waaaay behind on everything. Sorry! I'm back now and raring to post every couple of days again!

Here is a painting I'm working on, should be done in a couple of days. (Almost done with the background, haven't started the figure yet...)

A couple random sketches from my desk:

⇧The sketch on the left was meant for the upcoming Sweet Streets 2 show but I ran out of time.

This has a lot to do with why I fell behind; I just adopted my first dog. I named her "Moro" after the wolf from Princess Mononoke... she's a BEAST!

Last order of business:
I'm in the upcoming "Sweet Streets 2" show at Gallery Nucleus which opens Sept 11th (this Saturday) from 7pm till 11pm! I'll be there and I hope to see some of you too!

As I mentioned before, this will surely be an amazing show, featuring work from Amy Sol, Danni Shinya Luo, Fawn Fruits, Tessar Lo, Veronica Hebard, Yuta Onoda, and myself, just to name a few.

Freaky

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

Terribly sorry for taking so long to update. I just finished my piece for the upcoming Sweet Streets II show at Gallery Nucleus opening September 11th. This show is the brainchild of the very talented curator and artist Caro; see her blog for the show here. Here are some teaser shots, I'll post the full scan when the show opens!

"Beautiful Freaks"

Sweets Streets II has a phenomenal line-up and is not to be missed! Here's the gallery's blurb:

"Gallery Nucleus & Caro are excited to reprise the highly successful SWEET STREETS exhibit sponsored by Hi-Fructose, Tokyofashion.com and SOSO Happy! Last year’s colorful exhibition inspired by Japanese streets attracted hundreds of art and fashion enthusiasts. This year, SWEET STREETS 2 aims to top the last with internationally known artists, photographers, and fashion designers."

What to expect opening night:

-Free Admission
-Dj sets by Tune in Tokyo and 6%DOKIDOKI's Sebastian Masuda
-Pop-up shops by SOSO Happy, 6%DOKIDOKI & Bubblepunch
-6%DOKIDOKI fashion show
-Live drawing session with 6%DOKIDOKI models
-Japanese snacks and refreshments

I'll be there and I'd love to see your shining faces!

It begins.

2010-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just started the new free-form painting. I'm working on 300lb smooth-press watercolor paper... expensive but so luxurious!

I started by painting the beige background with rounded corners using a thin wash of acrylic and the rest of the painting will be completely in gouache with no pencil or pre-sketching. The first thing I started painting was this imaginary pink fish... which ended up looking... quite naughty. A dickfish of sorts. Anyway, the theme of this painting is going to be "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral."

When just the background was done:

Local Fauna

2010-07-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

On page 11 of this weeks LA Weekly! Pick up a copy today!

The original concept for this piece was "Wild Angelinos." I wanted to show the wildlife of Los Angeles (pigeons, rats, raccoons, coyotes...etc) going about their business much as we do, dressed up in suits, dressed down in flip flops, walking their pet cockroaches and so on. Working with Jason the idea evolved into charicatures of different types of LA citizens represented as animals; "Local Fauna." I wanted it to look like a vintage scientific illustration.

Final:

Original thumbnail, so you can see how rough I sometimes start:

Process: Sketch, final drawing, and halfway through the painting (done with sepia washes, before any color.)
*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

As always, a big "thank you" to art directors Jason Jones and Darrick Rainey!

And finally; this tall drink of Swiss mountain spring water is the lovely and exceedingly talented Danielle Buerli. She is moving out of the country in only a handful of days so I made her a friendship-headdress out of soft faux leather and wire. Here she is wearing it at Sturtevant Falls. Shomako forever.

Giant drawing done! (ish)

2010-07-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

I'm done working on this... it was fun but I definitely got lazy toward the end. My next project will be a free-form gouache/acrylic painting and I'm really excited to begin! Eventually I'd like to be making one large-scale free-form painting or drawing a week.

(Sorry these photos are so crappy.)

I had some help from David Ra, Jayne Cha, and Luke Berliner which was amazing!

I'm currently working on some sewing/3-D projects but I can't share them yet.

Oh baby!

2010-07-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

This is one of the drawings I did for Ken Garduno and Tom Haubrick's zine "Fauna vs. Flora" which they will distribute at Comic Con. If you're going to Comic Con, track them down!

*Note the three chinchillas cavorting!

*THIS DRAWING SOLD*

Oh baby! This sketch... I wish I could say this was my own sick idea, but actually it's for a job I'm working on. Womb womance? Fetal attraction? Anyone?

Giant drawing

2010-06-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with ways to incorporate my love of drawing more into my gallery work. This 30"x44" drawing completely covers my coffee table. It has no specific purpose other than to try to make a giant drawing without planning or pre-sketching... just for fun, trying to be more spontaneous and free with my drawing. Luke Berliner has already started helping me fill this bad-boy up, and I welcome anyone else who wants to help (and knows where I live!) I think on the next one I'll get a paper thick enough to incorporate gouache and liquid graphite without buckling, but for now I'm just using pencil graphite. My eventual goal is to complete one of these a week.

Here it is in progress:

Do you like that ^ lame "Oh! You just caught me in the middle of drawing this thing which is already drawn" photo? I put it in for scale... sure...

Also, I visited La Luz to take photos of the show up:

I take myself REALLY SERIOUSLY.

Downtown Dogs

2010-06-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here is my piece "Downtown Dogs," featured in this weeks LA Weekly on page 10. I live downtown and love observing the thriving dog-culture through my window; so many beautiful, exotic, canines. I was going for a Jules Chéret/ Toulouse-Lautrec poster-art look (gouache, graphite and digital).

Final:

Drawing:

Sketch:

As always, a big "thank you" to art directors Jason Jones and Darrick Rainey!

Lastly, my "Tarnished" show at La Luz De Jesus will be up till the end of the month. See it online HERE! Thank you so much to everybody who came out to the opening and who purchased pieces, your support means the world to me! (There are still pieces to buy; please contact me or the gallery if you are interested in anything!)