Nate the Bee-Keeping Judo Master

Sometimes I get to do commissions where the subject matter can be quite a challenge. Take Nate for example! I was asked to do a piece for a gentlemen named Nate who is into almost everything you can imagine. Specifically, Nate is really into bee keeping, Judo and making (and I would assume drinking) wine. Sooooo... how do you combine all of these unrelated elements into one composition?

I drew lots of fangers.

Of course, the first step is to draw. Watch movies, drink coffee, stare outside the window at the empty sky... and then draw more. A lot of times, if the end result to a visual problem is something I just can't wrap my head around, I start with something that my monkey brain can handle. For this job I figured the drawers (?) that bee keepers keep the honeycomb in would be easy to draw and compose. I mean, rectangles right? I know rectangles! So, as I begin to draw something simple, it frees my mind to wander off onto more complex ideas. I like to chip away by drawing and eventually I end up with a visual solution that is somewhat satisfying (let's be honest... I'm never satisfied with my own abilities).

This study was created in Photoshop and NOT in finger paints.

One exercise I've been experimenting with lately is to compose with color. I think the composition above is pretty elementary, but it's a different approach to drawing with pencil and paper. Not sure it worked out so well for this piece, but I'll try this practice again on something else.

How on earth did illustrators draw from reference before the internet? I guess they used "books". Ghastly!

As a graphic designer, when I graphic designorate, I use grids. I have also come to find that grids are essential to composing images too. Not that you have to stay rigid to your grid, but it does help me arrange shapes into sizes and areas that are pleasing to my eyeballs. Again, when composing a really complex idea, it's helpful to work with what you knows. I know rectangles and grids really help me out when I'm stuck.

Let's get buzzed. Get it?

The final piece, dear friends. I think it is a decent job of combing several, unrelated ideas into one consistent illustration. The client was happy. I was happy. The bees were drunk. The end.