I was born in San Francisco a few weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis. (I wasn't yet a month old and already in a world of trouble!) I was the second child of four kids and thought of by most of my family as the strange but quiet one. After a lackluster career in High School, I went off to Junior College and later enrolled in the Academy of Art College. There at the Academy, I earned a BFA degree in Illustration.
I'm currently an Adobe Certified Expert in Adobe Illustrator 10. Though since leaving school I've used many different graphic programs for the computer;. I've recently decided to focus on creating artwork in Illustrator. Vector based art allows for the widest range of final options and usage for my work. I can create artwork without worrying that it may be too big or too small for whatever print usage I may want to do with it later. Also the smaller file sizes vector art allows for easier transfer of my work over the Internet to vendors and clients.
Big Guns
Description Model: Mellissa Yvette
To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the gradient mesh tool in Illustrator. For starters, you can't really use it for complex shapes (and the human form is a multitude of complex shapes). I find to create shadows and highlights, it is much better for me to use the gradient tool, blur effects and transparency to get the effect I want. I then layer them one on top of the other like paint. I guess I create 80% of my illustrations this way. Building transparent gradient effects on top of either flat color or more often other gradient effect. Until I get it to look like light moving in and out of the form.
That is not to say that the gradient mesh tool doesn't have it's place. To make the background for this piece, I simply created a square and coverted it into a gradient mesh. I then played around with different colors for the anchor points until I got the effect I wanted. It was much more easier and effective than my usual way of painting in illustrator.
Application Illustrator
Labels Pop Art, Portraiture, Fantasy
Times Viewed 43653
Approved By toddm
15 April 2008 - 09:54
Comment From
Joe(y) (sketchyatbest)
Excellent work man.
15 April 2008 - 11:14
Comment From
dkelly (Dkelly)
excellent artwork. it pops off the page and is very "clean" looking.
D Kelly
artnmurals.com
15 April 2008 - 11:30
Comment From
Junior Chacón (juniorfco)
James, awesome job! I can appreciate the time it takes to create your artwork. Thanx for the insight on your technique. I too, am no big fan of gradient mesh, although I have seen some great stuff done with it. I still prefer your style over any mushy-mesh art. Again, well done!
Saying that mesh tool can't be used for complex shapes, I can't agree with that. My artwork is pretty much done with 99% mesh tool, and 1% photoshop (not because I can't use it with mesh, but I don't want to take the time doing so) If anything, you can say that mesh is just not for everyone.
18 May 2008 - 11:05:
James Courtney (Comixguy)
replied...
Well, a lot of tools aren't for everyone. (In my day job doing Pre-Press, I've run into designers that don't like Illustrator at all because they think that the whole program is too complex.) I was originally drawn to computer graphics because after 4 years of art school, nearly everyone there could paint on canvas better than I could. So the fact that someone could use a tool better than me isn't a surprise.
Currently, the gradient mesh doesn't fit into my style of working too well. (That may change in the future though, since seeing a lot of the great work here on Illustratorworld from artists that do use it.) But until I can find a need for it isn't going to get much use from me.
22 May 2008 - 09:50
Comment From
WAHYU EKA PRASETYA (wrongERRORproblem)
coool
10 June 2008 - 14:11
Comment From
Lee Slatford (spitfire07)
Well, a lot of tools aren't for everyone. (In my day job doing Pre-Press, I've run into designers that don't like Illustrator at all because they think that the whole program is too complex.) I was originally drawn to computer graphics because after 4 years of art school, nearly everyone there could paint on canvas better than I could. So the fact that someone could use a tool better than me isn't a surprise. Currently, the gradient mesh doesn't fit into my style of working too well. (That may change in the future though, since seeing a lot of the great work here on Illustratorworld from artists that do use it.) But until I can find a need for it isn't going to get much use from me.