Soon to come!

Hey peoples! Sorry I've been gone but I'm now back and ready to start putting up all the exciting new pieces that I've created. So hopefully by this weekend I will post something new.

Best,

Ian

Sorry I've been absent.

Fables 76, By James Jean. I particularly love this cover!

Maze, By James Jean.

Hello Everyone! Sorry I've been away and not updating my blog as often as you or I might wish. I've just been busy and as I have no internet at my domocile, I can't post. But I'm sitting in the library taking a break from work and telling you that you need to visit James Jean's blog at www.processrecess.com to check out his new work. It is quite beautiful!

The Dojo pt. 2

I love fishing! I caught this walleye today at East Lake and I brought him home to cook. It put up one of the best fights I've ever had fishing! It broke my line as I was swinging it up onto the rocks and almost flopped back into the water. Luckily I dove and grabbed it before it could attain any certain amount of freedom. This walleye was 21 inches long and weighed five pounds.

My delicious meal of fish and wine. I baked him and here is how I did it. It's a great made up recipe.

1. Go fishing and make sure you use a crankbait to jig along the rocks with. Also make sure you bring a stringer, fish bucket, or just a plain five gallon bucket (which is what I use).

2. Catch the damn thing. Patience is a virtue.

3. Bring him home and make sure you fillet him right away before he dies and rots away. You can really ruin the meat that way. Any old fillet knife will work and it takes a lot of practice! So fillet this bad boy into two long fillets making sure you cut out the rib cage. Also skin off the scale layer on each fillet because scales are gross sometimes and you don't want them in thsi recipe.

4. Wash the fillet good in COLD water. It's just a good healthy thing to do and it cleans all the blood and guts off.

5. Lay it on a large piece of foil and throw some salt and pepper on it.

6. Next, lay some SLICED lemon on the fillet. It adds some zest. After that sprinkle on some dill (not too much because it is really tangy!). Throw some parsley on it and drizzle it a good dose of olive oil. Give a little dollop of butter on top of each lemon so that it makes it just right! The smells should be permeating through the air by now.

7. Wrap it up in the foil like a hoboe dinner. Make it look like a sort of canoe basket and roll of the two edges and the top so it seals it in and lets it bake better. You should have two fillets, unless you cut it up into smaller pieces, so you have to do this process twice. A good walleye fillet will serve at least three people if the fish is over 20 inches long and decently fat.

8. Put the fillets in a pan and throw it in the over at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Sometimes it will take longer than fifteen minutes to cook depending on the size of the fish and thickness of the fillets. Check periodically because the biggest sin with cooking fish is overcooking! Take it out and if the meat is white and flaky then its done. You don't want any pink on the fillets! If you have a probing thermometer then stick it in and the temp should read 120 degrees (which is the perfect temp! It's ok if it's a little over 120, but don't venture no more than 140 degrees!)

9. Once the fish is done then take it out and slide it onto a plate. It should smell like something close to angelic and be ready for eating. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine and enjoy! It's really good with some type of bread as well!

10. The type of wine I would recommend would be a nice white wine because it goes excellent with fish. But if you want to go with a wonderful light-bodied red wine then thats great! (I actually prefer red wine sometimes). I'm drinking a nine year old 2000 Liberty School Cabernet. Which is a wine that you aren't supposed to drink with fish because it's really strong and heavy-bodied. It could overpower the taste of the dish. But it tasted great!

It was delicious! Brad, I thought of you as I cooked.

That is some sourdough bread which went great with the dish. Usually you should use some french bread with a hard crust and soft inside.

New sketches! I decided to draw some jellyfish because they look wicked and way cool. I'm also drawing this humpback whale to the right of them. You can see it below if you look close.

Welcome to my Dojo: some sketches and life at the home front.

This incredibly white bass I caught out of east lake by my father's house. It put up one great fight. Too bad I didn't string itup and cook the sucker. I let him go for all you fish lovers out there!

A new sketch that I just started a few minutes ago. Nothing too big but it sure is fun!

Work desk. And yes, that IS a James Jean print in the back.

My tried and trusted fishing poles next to my desk. Fishing is a passion of mine instilled in me by my Father and Grandfather when I was just a wee lad.

I have moved back home temporarily for the summer so that I can live properly. I had the opportunity to go fishing later in the evenings and work on my art at nght when there is nothing else to do. I usually spend my days at Pages Bookstore and Coffee on Main Street. They also have a cool new little gallery called the Cobalt Gallery which I will hopefully be showing some new artwork that I've been working on. I will soon be posting up some art that I featured in my senior portfolio show.

New Sketchbook

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy trying to get things done with school and such. I got a new sketchbook and I've been drawing almost everyday in it so I've gotten halfway through one side of it all. It's a small japanese fold-out moleskine that fits nicely into my back pocket so it can travel with me everywhere. I sketch almost exclusively with ballpoint pen right now because its so fast and fun. Enjoi and tell me what you think!

Will be back soon.

Hey people. Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days. I just got a new sketchbook and have been drawing so much lately. I will post up my new sketches soon I hope but for now I'm going to take a break and get some work done so I can pass school and such. See you all in a few moons.

Ian

The Big Show

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days but I've had a lot to do in getting ready for my Senior Portfolio Show. It was a wonderful show and there was some really great artists showing some really beautiful artwork. The only problem I had with the show was that there wasn't any illustrators there to give me any good feedback. The only professionals present were involved with big design firms that didn't give me or my work a chance. But that's the way it goes.

This was the setup of my booth in the art building. It doesn't look like much and it isn't. I don't have a large professional portfolio but I believe in quality over quantity. It was a really fun show and I feel like I had some strong pieces.

Some of my friends looking at my sketchbook. I had to chase it down a few times that night because apparently everyone looked at it more than my actual pieces! I don't blame them because I like my sketchbook far more than my portfolio work.. It is the central piece of my portfolio.

Two of my greatest friends looking at my artwork. I really appreciated everyone that came by and took the time to look at my stuff.

The illustrious and illustrative Boone Sommerfeld. Us two had a huge crowd in our corner of the room that night. Could it be that we are cousins and incredibly good looking? Or are we just two artists trying to make it in this world? I prefer to think both sometimes. Sorry for sounding arrogant. There are far better artists out there than me.

The great Leslye. She had a beautiful booth which included a book that she illustrated! She is so magnificent!

This is her beautiful book.

One of the page spreads from her book. It is even more gorgeous on other pages.

The one and only, Professor Neil Ward. He looks young and is young but don't let that fool you. This chap knows his shit. One of the best animators I've seen.