STP Oracle ©2010 BeeryMethod

Working with any band on covers, collaterals, and designs takes quite a bit of time. Not just on the creation aspect, but in just getting in touch and hearing back from such superstars. It took a while for them to finally get back with me about the design. It appears as though they may not be using this one on the merchandise as planned, but it was a hell of a lot of fun dishing out some psychedelic throw back material for one of my all time favorite rock bands!

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His latest release, The Late-Nite Walrus, is no exception for our insanely syncopated symbiosis. What began as a few liner notes from K Sos turned into a deeply exciting cover to work on when it came around to the BeeryMethod Studio. His notes consisted of “a walrus (with sunglasses, a tuxedo on, tusks, and whiskers) walking forward in a desert. In the desert, he is surrounded by stacks of CDs (which appear like castles) and tons of random book shelves filled with books.” I decided to take this concept a bit further and ‘class’ it up a bit. Rather than stacks of compact discs I decided that the old vinyl was more proper. The walrus character was a depiction of a burnt-out Vegas act who had done his dues and is now out of his element yet surrounded by what he loves best, his words and music. This was a clever hint on the personality and desires of K Sos as well. We even hid a few book titles on the foreground shelf that are a few of Sos’s favorites.

The Late-Nite Walrus ©2010 BeeryMethod

Aside from the vinyl I thought the perfect compliment to this lounge-act-walrus was to add in a few other antiqued elements such as the old record player, radios, violin, and vinyl records stuck in the ground with K Sos’s other cd titles. Taking a reference from the Marvin Gaye album I Want You, I divided the top half of the cover with a simple white line and black rectangle. This also conveys the old record covers of the era and seemed like the perfect touch for the theme of this album. Along with the Vegas references I created lettering based upon the famous ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign on the strip and even borrowed those neon star elements which really made the cover ‘pop’. Using our neon color trifecta which consisted of purple, green, and blue it was an easy task of strategically placing these colors and elements to keep the viewers I moving around the cover.

Last but not least I chose to utilize the crow element. The crows represent the vehicle of bringing knowledge, shape-shifting, eloquence, prophecy, boldness, skill, knowledge, cunning, and trickery as symbolism. The flock of crows is the unleashing of lyrical mayhem and fortitude K Sos brings to the mic and were worthy elements to bring intricacy to the sky and atmosphere. They float nicely in front of the moon.

When I finished the cover, after a few small revisions, K Sos sent me this message: “Do you have a portal into my brain?…is that a component of the BeeryMethod?…shit is fucking ridic!”

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Hobo Eaters Flyer

Artist statement (dirt on the show):

Hobo Eaters: Agents of Chaos

The term hobo-eater refers to an entity who, through ritual means, would take on by means garbage and liquor the sins of a deceased bum, thus absolving his or her soul and allowing that person of the street to rest in peace.

What was once a ritual performed by beggars and vagabonds in certain villages of bygone years is now performed in a reverse of roles by animated entities who take on the form of the hobo whose diabolical lifestyle is reflected upon the appearance of the hobo-eater. The hobo-eater would be brought to the dying vagrant’s curbside or stoop, where a neighborhood drifter would place a crust of dumpster pizza on the chest of the dying and pass a 40 oz. of malt liquor to him over the corpse. After reciting the ritual, he would then drink and remove the crust from the derelict tramp and eat it, the act of which would remove the sins and deadbeat-scars from the dying transient and take it into himself.

Often times hobo-eaters are not only filled with the sins and scars of the deceased but take on a ghostly appearance, ragged with the lines of deceit and chemical abuse of the former vessel. The result is a vaporous apparition whose tattered clothes and grungy attitude is forever portrayed among the urban environment. Thus the ethereal term Agents of Chaos has come as a contemporary descriptor for these aeon old hobo-eaters who are destined to drift the streets perpetually consuming fiendish souls.

Hobo Eaters 2010 Poster

Below are a few of the Hobo Eaters character pieces that are included in the show:

Vapor Trails:

Vapor Trails Ink & Wood Stain

Vapor Trails Detail

Vapor Trails / Bummin & Runnin

Below are some updated photos of some of the work included in the show. To avoid rambling on too much about all the pieces I am simply posting the pics including the detailed shots of the artwork. Enjoy!

GURU: Inspired by ancient sages of forgotten lore. The word bubble is Chinese for “Knowledge”.

Guru

Guru detail I

Guru detail II

Guru detail III

VAPOR TRAILS: Inspired by all the shredding skateboard bad-asses…you know who you are.

Vapor Trails Ink & Wood Stain

Vapor Trails detail I

Vapor Trails detail II

BUMMIN & RUNNIN: Inspired by old 50’s animations, bums, and liquor.

Bummin & Runnin Ink & Wood Stain

Bummin & Runnin detail I

Bummin & Runnin detail II

RUBIX DUDE:  Inspired by particle theory and physicists worldwide.

Rubix Dude Ink & Wood Stain

Rubix Dude detail I

Rubix Dude detail II

THE SHAMBLER:  Inspired by Scrooge McDuck, Robert Crumb, and A X-Mas Carol.

The Shambler Ink on Wood

The Shambler detail I

The Shambler detail II

CODED: Inspired by zen buddhism and hidden meanings.

Coded Ink on WoodCoded detail I

Coded detail IICoded detail III

ROCKET ROCKER: Inspired by the Rocketeer and dark rockers everywhere.

Rocket Rocker Ink on Wood

Rocket Rocker detail I

Rocket Rocker detail II

AGENT OF CHAOS: Inspired by Hells Angels debauchery.

Agent of Chaos Ink on Wood

Agent of Chaos detail I

Agent of Chaos detail II

Agent of Chaos detail III

LET THE WHEELS BURN: Inspired by Mars Volta album Octahedron

Let The Wheels Burn Ink on Wood

Let The Wheels Burn detail I

Let The Wheels Burn detail II

Let The Wheels Burn detail III

THE MANNIKIN: Inspired by Robert Bloch’s short story The Mannikin from his collection Mysteries of the Worm

The Mannikin Ink on Wood

The Mannikin detail I

The Mannikin detail II

The Mannikin detail III

The Mannikin detail V

LUMBERING JACK: Inspired by chainsaws and the Pacific Northwest.

Lumbering Jack detail I

Lumbering Jack detail II

Lumbering Jack detail IV

BLOOD LIFE: Inspired by gangsta females everywhere.

Blood Life Vector Print Poster

Blood Life detail I

Blood Life detail II

Blood Life detail III

Blood Life detail IV

RUBIX DUDE: 3 versions of all characters. 1. Ink on wood 2. Vector digital design 3. Oil painting.

Rubix Dude Oils

Rubix Dude detail I

Rubix Dude detail II

Rubix Dude detail III

Rubix Dude detail IV

Rubix Dude detail V

Rubix Dude detail VI

MICKSTER MCGEE: Inspired by unicycle chimps, hipsters, scenesters, 80’s cartoons, and underground comics.

Mickster Mcgee Ink on Wood

Mickster McGee detail I

Mickster McGee detail II

Mickster McGee detail III

Mickster McGee detail IV

OL TIMER: Inspired by father time, ferrets, chicken suits, tar & feathers, and explicit street vagrants.

Ol Timer Ink on Wood

Ol Timer detail I

Ol Timer detail II

Ol Timer detail III

PHANTOM BEARD & DOOB: Inspired by Norwegians, black death metal, k-9’s, rebels, counterculture, loud loud loud music.

Phantom Beard & Doob Ink on Wood (unfinished)

Phantom Beard & Doob detail (unfinished)

Phantom Beard & Doob detail finished I

Phantom Beard & Doob detail finished II

Phantom Beard & Doob detail finished III

Phantom Beard & Doob detail finished IV

Phantom Beard & Doob detail finished V

Phantom Beard & Doob detail finished VI

Where's the bird?

Doob detail

Phantom Beard & Doob detail III

Phantom Beard & Doob detail IV

LYCOSA MASTER: Inspired by wizards, tattoos, medieval sorcerers, devils, demons, warlocks, giant spiders, and reckless gladiators.

Lycosa Master Ink on Wood

Lycosa Master detail I

Lycosa Master detail II

Lycosa Master detail III

Lycosa Master detail IV

Lycosa Master detail V

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For the intro to my process I am going to breakdown how I created Cascade Vagabond which was one of the first characters created from the theme. Cascade Vagabond not only was created as an original piece of art but also ended up as the winter 2009 shop deck for Snowboard Connection.

All designs begin with a light pencil sketch to define the linework that will eventually be the parameters for inking and coloring digitally:

Beery Method : Hobo Eaters

Sketch

After a sketch that defines the characters details I move on to hank inking the characters with Pigma Micron pens on vellum:

Inked

Here is a side by side view:

Inked Detail

After inking I scan the image and vectorize it in Adobe Illustrator. Once all the character is vectorized I move on to adding colors and gradients:

Cascade Vagabond Digital Version

Below is the final image put to product. In this case it is a pro line skateboard. See the blog archive for more close up details:

Cascade Vagabond Skateboard

Here is a breakdown of how I created Rubix Dude who is another character from the Hobo Eaters series:

Sketch / Ink / Original

Sketch / Ink / Original

Here are some close up shots of the materials and process:

Blue Line Sketch

Inked Drawing on Vellum

Ink & Wood Stain

The original piece was done utilizing the sketch by projecting on wood, tracing, hand inking with brush, and painting with wood stain and finish:

Rubix Dude: Ink & Wood Stain

Details

The fact that the above piece is hand inked makes it the “original” and one and only. I can create variations on this design by utilizing the sketch and inked drawing, but every new edition will be different. No one version is alike since I ink by hand using brush and pen. Some versions sit on finished wood, while others are absorbed directly into the grain of the wood piece.

Below is the digital version with added hues, gradients, and tones that make it very different from the original:

Rubix Dude Digital Version

Last but not least I printed up limited edition tees of Rubix Dude by printing transparencies from the vector output and screen printing to garments:

Rubix Dude Tee Shirts

I still have a few of these limited edition tee shirts available. Printed on silver AA fashion fit tees. Please contact me if interested in purchasing!

To continue this thread the following will be most of the characters from the Hobo Eaters: Agents of Chaos series. As to not be redundant I am simply posting the details of the sketches, inked versions, originals on wood, digital versions, and any products created with the designs. Enjoy!

The Shambler:

Sketch

Inked

Sketch / Inked / Original

Sketch Detail

Inked Detail

Original Detail

The Shambler Original

45 Mack:

Sketch / Inked

Inked Detail I

Inked Detail II

Original Detail I

Original Detail II

45 Mack Original

45 Mack Digital Version

Blood Life:

Sketch

Inking

Blue Line & Ink on Vellum I

Blue Line & Ink on Vellum II

Unfinished Inking Detail

Ink Detail II

Blood Life Digital Version

Coded:

Sketch & Ink

Sketch Detail

Ink Detail I

Ink Detail II

Coded Digital Version

Ol Timer:

Ink Beginnings on Wood

Final Inks on Wood

Ol Timer Tee

Ol Timer Digital Version

Rocket Rocker:

This design actually started in reverse. I did a digital rendering in Corel Painter which I then vectorized in Adobe Illustrator and added halftones. This design was eventually picked up by a Seattle skateboard company Nomadic.

Rocket Rocker Ink on Wood

Rocket Rocker Skateboard

Bummin & Runnin:

This design started as a pencil rendering which I then scanned and added a couple layers of highlights and midtones. It was originally created for soft goods production and ended up on tee shirts which are available from Portland OR based Tilteed.

Bum & Run Original

Bum & Run Detail I

Bum & Run Detail II

Bum & Run Detail III

Bum & Run Ink & Wood Stain

Bummin & Runnin Digital Version

Bum & Run Tee Shirts

As this post has become lengthy with photos of my process from concept to finals and even products I am going to put the rest of this series of characters in the following post regarding the Hobo Eaters show and series…

Beery Method Design Studio

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I find that connecting with so many individuals all across the board in many industries who simply enjoy what I do is the most gratifying aspect of my work. Whether connecting with a young artist, musician, or skater I hope I can always inspire and nurture the original creative qualities in all who I link up to. When working as an independent artist and consultant it is the journey through creating exceptional imagery for clients who respectively come back to give praise and seek future collaborative opportunities that keep me engaged and inspired.

Thanks to D Port and SkinnyBuddha for representing my hard work and offering good wishes on my birthday! Skinny Buddha family always!

Beery Birthday

This is just a huge shout out and enormous thank you to all my fans, fellow artists, friends, and family who have supported my all my goals and work. I couldn’t do it without you all…you are the best and I got nothing but hot lava love for you all…MAD THANKS!

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No strangers to stirring the pot of political roughness and kicking raw flavor that amplifies the generation XYZ, it was a duo blast of urban rawness and shotgun imagery from both sides. K Sos and Rams are on the pinnacle of exploiting their freedom of expression and Murphy’s Killer is no exception. In an attempt to squash Murphy’s Law, the facetious proposition that if something can go wrong, it will, these two members of The N.O.C put the clutch down on excelling into a new era of keeping it genuine and representing the buzz of the American street aficionados.

To do justice and reflect the messages broadcast on MK the cover had to be montaged in a seamlessly compact way. Depicted on the cover are members K Sos and Rams who have drug Murphy to his last rights. Murphy is satirized as the obese, greedy, white-bred politician who has been captured and brutalized by the N.O.C crew. A shotgun to his head, stab wounds, and all his dirty money on the pavement, Murphy (Murphy’s Law) is over with.

Murphy's Killer 2010

To complete the full effect of the chaos to ensue I broke into my bank of imagery to montage a masterpiece of mayhem. Surrounded by police squads, cops with guns drawn, tattooed chicks, screaming fans, and flames bursting in the air the focus of the cover (the slaughtering of Murphy) is pushed into the foreground. Photos used in the background came from my trips across the continental USA. The graffiti building on the left originates in the Mission District of San Francisco, the city skyline of Chicago, a water tower from Alcatraz, parking lot in Seattle, deco building and club from Italy, and characters who have been digitally painted and enhanced all come together to form a surreal environment that is reminiscent of a frame from Grand Theft Auto.

Every detail from the ghetto birds (police helicopters) blasting spotlights all the way down to the cracks in the concrete all spin from the depths of my inner beast that roars “make this solid…down to the core”. The effect is an insane composition that keeps the viewer coming back and finding more pieces of gooey visual elements that rock the soul. Here’s to putting the kibosh on Murphy’s Law and the giants of the Southeast…N.O.C. 4 Life!

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Artifakt - Valentine's themed art and music event.

The piece I chose to do for the show was an amalgamation of media. As I love to get tight with a lot of my illustrative style works the process is a daunting one that involves laying down a full rendering in graphite, inking with some sienna india inks, oil paint washes, and then redefining through the use of sharp color pencils to inflict contrast. The result is an eye-pleasing, three dimensional look that is nothing short of extremely unique.

Fragment Heart

This particular piece titled Fragment Heart was my take on the effect of broken hearts and how one copes with the trials and tribulations of love. It involves a sexy, medusa-like, animaesque-shiva female who holds the radiating pillowy heart which is the icon of love. She grips it close to her chest with snakes writhing from her hair and a look of dispair. Precariously gripped in her hand is a needle which is on the hinge of poking the “Valentine” to blow up the love that once was. It is also a sort of play on voo-doo and what a jilted lover might choose to do when love has gone wrong. She sits on a sinewy blanket of folds that creatively spell L-O-V-E. She is no longer taking what love has to offer…time to move on…time to put love in it’s place…time for revenge!

Here is a breakdown of the creative process:

Graphite Layer

Beginning with a sketch I build upon the image rendering it with graphite pencils to create contrast and depth.

Ink Layer

After fully rendering the piece in graphite (which looks black and white) a thin layer of clear acrylic spray is applied. Once dry, a mid-tone layer of ink is applied to accentuate details in the drawing.

Oil Rub Layer

After ink dries, another thin layer of clear acrylic spray is applied. Next, oil paint is rubbed into the surface of the image. Highlights are pulled out of this layer by means of eraser to create form through contrast and layered depth.

Color Pencil Layer

The tone is now set into the piece with the hue of the first layer of oils. After another layer of clear spray another hue of oils is added. In this case the piece turns from a ochre/sienna hue to a warmer red/rose. Erasing is repeated to create more depth between tones throughout the piece.

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