JOHN HINDERLITER Artist and Illustrator

2012-02-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

My latest email promo piece. I did these illustrations several years ago for a doctor's pad so he could circle stuff and send it home with the patient.

2012-02-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Scrubbed in some dark shadows with an oil paint wash.

Spent the afternoon nursing a nasty headcold and using a palette knife to lay in some basic background colors. I plan on using brushes for the figure and to work some details into the background, but otherwise intend to leave it as-is.

2012-01-28T06:36:00.000-08:00

My next figure painting. At 2 feet square, this is the largest figure painting I've done to date. I may have to get some bigger brushes!

2012-01-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

I'll have to let it sit a few days to decide but I think this is done. Lament, 12x24" oil on panel. I had to repaint the sky. That original blue was just too damn bright.

2012-01-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

Some better photos of the painting in progress. Took it outside for pics. Now I'm working on the background and a dead pigeon that goes near her feet.

I was reading an interview in the latest issue of JUXTAPOZ between two of my favorite painters, Jeremy Geddes and Ashley Wood and loved this paragraph from Wood:

"I think visual art primarily based on theory and conceit is shit, I have no time for it, but that's me. I believe the intellectual theory idea over image is a backdoor for a basically untalented bullshitter to play at being an artist. But their shit is needed to keep the art machine going; many galleries have to fill their walls with something, I guess."

I couldn't agree more. If you need a "statement" on the wall explaining your visual image you have failed.

2012-01-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

Oil painting in progress. I haven't painted in so long that I had worked up a fear of sitting at the easel. Today I decided to suck it up and jump back in. So, I painted in most of the figure in this oil-on-panel painting. Hopefully I can get it finished tomorrow before I get hit with the storyboard work I know is coming in.

2012-01-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

I don't believe I've posted these before. They're little 6" square acrylic paintings I did on pine blocks. I gave the wood several coats of clear polyurethane before doing the paintings and then gave them several heavy coats of poly after they were done. Right now they're hanging in our kitchen.

2012-01-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

Spent the entire day yesterday holed-up in the studio. Just havin' one of those depressed kinda days where I didn't want to have to see other people, so I made some headway on 3 different projects. I drew the Pirate player as a sample for a client, then worked on my Dorothy story illustration and finally got some paint on the tandem portrait for some friends in California. It felt good to see something accomplished.

2012-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Doing a little work in the studio this morning while listening to my shows on NPR. This is a sample done for a client. It could be a really fun project.

2012-01-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

This out-of-order series shows the drawing I did for the Boys & Girls Club auction. I started by painting a piece of Strathmore with paynes grey acrylic washes before transferring my pencil rough. Then I did the rendering with black and white pencils and a blending stump. I'll try to get a better photo of the finished piece as this scan dropped out all the middle tones. The mask is part of the event logo and I punched it up with some white acrylic highlights.

2012-01-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

You need to head to downtown Pittsburgh and see my buddy Toby's art installation! It's on Sixth St. opposite Heinz Hall. Super cool and fun. The details are amazing!
www.pghrobotrepair.com
It's where I go for all my robot repair needs.

2012-01-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Up until 7 years ago I had a studio in downtown Pittsburgh for 18 years. Back then, when dinosaurs roamed freely and there was no internet, it paid to be close to my clients who were primarily located downtown. Unfortunately for my budget, my studio was in the Arrott Building right above Weldin's Office Supplies. For those who don't know, Weldin's is a real throwback. They had a map department, a custom stationery department and, worst of all for me, a fountain pen department. I wound up with over 100 fountain pens, some of my favorites pictured here. The price of the pens ranged anywhere from $20 to $250 for the wood Namiki at the bottom of the photo. Whenever I got in a job that required any pen and ink work I would justify a trip to Weldin's for a new fountain pen. Luckily for me, they were tax deductible. I still use them occasionally for my own projects but almost all of my commercial work is done digitally to make changes easier.

2012-01-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a little personal project I did this week. I've had this idea rattling around in my head for a story about a Yeti who discovers spaghetti and it changes his life. Who doesn't like spaghetti??
I'm going to try to flesh this out into a real story. The illustration started as a rough pencil sketch on paper but the rest was completely digital using SketchBookPro for the line work and ArtRage for the color. I then used Photoshop for the type and a few effects.

2011-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

These Christmas illustrations were done so long ago I have no idea what they were for.

2011-12-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Even more Christmas cards from the archives.

2011-12-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

More Christmas cards from years gone by.

2011-11-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

Images from Christmas cards past.

2011-11-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

Another fun illustration. Yay! No copy required. Boo.

2011-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Some vector art in Illustrator and some Photoshop magic.

2011-11-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

Some photos of the chaos that is my studio.

2011-11-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

So, I'm going to be doing a series of illustrated ads for a men's clothing store and, best of all, they're letting me write the copy too!! Woohoo!

2011-10-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

I've been working on several projects involving vector art recently, none of which I can show yet due to confidentiality agreements, so I'm getting used to using Illustrator. Here are a couple of renderings done for my own amusement.

2011-10-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

"Her Love Was Never Free"
One work-in-progress shot and the finished piece. Pencils, black and white, on gessoed and painted Strathmore.

2011-09-28T10:25:00.001-07:00

I believe this is finished. I'm going to let it sit for a few days and see if I want to do anything else to the background.

2011-09-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

Some progress.

2011-09-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Working on something new.

2011-09-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Got some nice local press about the Illustrator Society's drink book promotion.

http://peters.patch.com/articles/illustrated-book-drives-local-artist-to-drink

2011-09-12T08:35:00.001-07:00

This is a conte pencil drawing I did over the weekend. It's on Strathmore that has been gessoed and painted with an acrylic wash.

2011-08-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

This show opens this week and should be pretty darn awesome. I've seen some of the illustrations and they're cool as hell.

2011-08-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

I apologize for these being out of order, here is the progress for this illustration.

This was the finished line art, done in Photoshop after scanning my tight pencil rendering seen below. It's so much easier inking in Photoshop, especially if I decide I don't like something - the undo button is a godsend. I decided that a brown ink line would be more in keeping with the old storybook feel they wanted, so I changed the line color to brown in Photoshop.

I took the pencil drawing, scanned it and threw it on top of a parchment layer to get rid of the stark black and white, which I find hard to work with when coloring stuff.

This is the crazy-tight pencil drawing done on parchment. It's big, around 16" square.

This is the crop the client will use. The color is all rendered digitally in ArtRage. I sent them this version, but wanted to see if they liked a more aged feel, so I sent them the version you see in the post below this. Still torn as to which version I like better.

2011-08-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here's an illustration I did some months ago for goat-cheese farm here in the Burgh.

2011-07-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Some pen and ink sketches from last night's figure group. I really like drawing with a fountain pen and this Namiki pen is awesome. I haven't used it for over 4 months but it fired right up and worked great. Unfortunately, it ran out of ink before I could finish my last drawing. Oh well.

I still love the look of these little warm-up drawings.

2011-07-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Found out yesterday that this painting won an award in the Associated Artists show Myths & Legends show opening Sunday. Pretty cool.

2011-07-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Looks like this is going to be an awesome show tomorrow night!

2011-06-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Anyone looking for a bicycle cartoon series?

2011-06-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is my final revision to my vodka drink page. Below is where I started today.

2011-06-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to do another page for the Illustrators Society drink recipe promo book. This was all done in Photoshop. I'll let it sit for a day or so and then decide if it's finished.

2011-06-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

More Chinese white pencil on black paper drawings from last night's figure session.

2011-05-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

Some drawing fun from last night's figure session.

2011-05-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

This is a scan of the painting I did for the Pittsburgh Illustrators Society drink recipe book. Still playing with the type.

Delivering these 3 pieces today for a show opening next week on Pittsburgh's Southside at the Red Door Gallery. The show is titled Naked In Pittsburgh and is going to have some awesome artwork in it (I know some of the artists).

2011-05-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the pencil for an illustration job that got cancelled out from under me. Anyone want a Galileo illustration for cheap?

2011-05-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Taking a step back from this painting to decide whether or not I'm finished. The large blank area on the left will be full of copy.

2011-05-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

Went to figure session last night and had a good time despite dealing with a back spasm and a twitching shoulder muscle.

2011-05-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

It should be illegal to have this much fun with a painting. Sorry it's such a crappy picture.

2011-04-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

Started painting on my drink recipe book illustration today. Had a lot of fun painting the face though it's nearly impossible to get a good photo of wet paint.

2011-04-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here's my layout sketch for the upcoming Pittsburgh Illustrator Society's drink recipe promo book. The finished art will be an oil painting.

2011-04-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Finally getting some time to work on a portrait commission for some extremely patient folks in California.

2011-04-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here's my drink recipe for the upcoming Illustrators' Society promo drink-recipe book. Now all I have to do is come up with an illustration.

MY RECIPE FOR A BOURBON AND WATER ON THE ROCKS:

It was the perfect bar for my needs, dark and cool on a relentlessly sunny and cheerful day. After spending the better part of the day trying to get an Art Director to understand that there is no magical “create illustration” button on the computer I was in serious need of a drink.

The dark wood of the bar and liquor shelves really accented the bottles of bourbon that were calling to me. There was no TV blaring, only some Tom Waits growling out of a hidden speaker, so it was easy to get the bartender’s attention. I asked for a Knob Creek and water on the rocks as I slid a twenty across the bar. It’s always been my contention that, if you drink good liquor, you don’t need to add any damn mixers, which, like condiments on a sandwich, are used to hide crappy ingredients.

Now, I don’t know if my silent barkeep was always this psychic but he knew exactly how to make my drink. He cracked the wax on a fresh bottle of bourbon, which kept me from wondering how long it had been sitting on the shelf, and reached for a heavy crystal rocks glass. The kind of rocks glass that’s hard to find in these days of foofoo theme bars. A rocks glass that was solid enough to dent the floor without shattering if you should drop it and heavy enough to remind you of the gravity of what you were doing and that your mother wouldn’t approve.

Next, he retrieved ice from a small freezer behind the bar and not from the usual tub of melting slop. Even from where I sat I could tell that this was special ice reserved for folks who took their drinking seriously. Clearly, this ice was made from morning dew that collected in the butt-dimples of Beyonce’s ass. Not the kind of thing you use willy-nilly in some kind of umbrella drink.

This bartender knew how to keep his customers happy and so didn’t use a measuring spout on the new bottle of bourbon but just eyeballed what I would call a very generous pour and what some would call a DUI invitation.

The caramel-colored liquor fairly glowed as it embraced and caressed the ice and, as he gently slid my attitude adjuster across the bar to me, my bartender-savior gently uttered the word “water”

2011-04-21T04:50:00.000-07:00

A few drawings from this week's figure session. Ya gotta love a model who shows up with a Centurion helmet and sword.

2011-04-19T05:05:00.000-07:00

Some of the advertising work that's been keeping me from posting anything lately. Check out the digital watercolors on the tractor illustration. Thank you ArtRage.

2011-03-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

A couple of renderings from this week's figure session.

2011-03-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

My last drawing of the evening at yesterday's figure session. White Prisma pencil on dark grey paper, approximately 9x16".

2011-03-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

Took a couple of the Sharpie drawings from Tuesday night to a more finished state. Sharpies and white pencil, who'd a thunk it?

2011-03-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

Some fun with a Sharpie at this week's figure session. I was totally burned out after several days of cranking out storyboards as fast as I could and had no expectations at figure session, so just grabbed a Sharpie to play with. Pretty happy with the results.

2011-02-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

I've been working on an interesting project for Children's Hospital - designing an indoor "garden" room.

2011-02-25T09:11:00.000-08:00

Ghost In The Shell, oil on 12" Compaq laptop.

Robot Hands, digital, 11x14".

1962 Unmanned Drones, oil on canvas, 12x24".

1956 Human-Gravity Hybrid, acrylic on canvas, 18x24"

These are the pieces I've entered into the 2011 Art+Technology art show.

2011-02-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

I finished this painting in a rush for the Art+Technology show but not sure how I'm supposed to submit it. Their paperwork is a clusterfuck of confusion.

2011-02-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

Working on a piece for the Art+Technology show.

2011-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

A 5 minute sketch at the end of this week's figure session. I used a dried-up old brown Flair on equally old dried-up newsprint. This morning I spent another 5 minutes putting in the white highlights with a Prismacolor pencil while I drank my coffee.

2011-02-10T04:42:00.000-08:00

Started these drawings at our Tuesday night Schoolhouse figure session and will finish them up in the studio when I have the time.

2011-02-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

This is a terrible scan of the figure rendering I worked on this morning. The paper is actually cream-colored and a lot of the softer tones have dropped out.

2011-02-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

Finished this pencil drawing yesterday and working on another this morning.

2011-01-29T06:41:00.000-08:00

Started this drawing at Tuesday's figure session and am planning on finishing it in the studio.

2011-01-28T04:53:00.000-08:00

Some progress pictures of a figure drawing I started at Tuesday's figure session and am finishing in the studio. Taking a pause to decide how I want to handle the background. I'm thinking something simple to keep the focus on the figure.

2011-01-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

I started this piece at figure session a couple weeks ago, then finished it in the studio. The drawing is color pencil on paper which I coated in clear polyurethane. Then I put an oil wash across it and pulled out the highlights with Q-Tips dipped in turpentine.

2011-01-21T06:10:00.001-08:00

An old watercolor portrait I stumbled upon while looking for something else. Not a big fan of the graphically-rendered hair any more.

2011-01-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

Spent the entire weekend in the studio finishing this painting. Fake Fairies Are Better Than No Fairies, 16x20, oil on canvas.

2011-01-09T12:25:00.001-08:00

Her World Only Made Sense Upside Down.

2011-01-08T15:22:00.001-08:00

Had the opportunity to do some illustration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week. A very interesting project.

2011-01-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

Same pencil, different papers.

2010-12-29T09:56:00.001-08:00

Step one, finish the figure drawing from last night. So much easier to do when the model isn't passing out and falling over.

2010-12-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

Another experiment. Prismacolor drawing, oil wash with highlights pulled out with Q-Tips and solvent, china white pencil all on paper.

2010-12-28T08:46:00.001-08:00

Doing some experimenting with my figure sketches.

2010-12-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

Some animation sketches for a client.

2010-12-20T08:03:00.001-08:00

Making progress a bit at a time. I've decided I really prefer painting on panels (this is on canvas).

2010-12-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

If it was Tuesday you know it was figure session. I love this small sketchpad of brown paper but I have no idea what it is or where I got it.

2010-12-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

Finished portrait commission. Can't figure out how to get a decent photo of wet paint.

2010-12-11T06:38:00.000-08:00

Working on a portrait commission for Christmas. Let's hope the oil paint dries quickly! 11x14, oil on panel.

2010-12-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

This week's figure session was a lot of fun with some very talented artists.

2010-12-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Some holiday fun.

2010-12-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

A digital illustration for a double-page spread in Bicycle Times.

2010-12-07T04:56:00.000-08:00

Not a very good photo of the progress, but you get the idea.

2010-11-29T04:38:00.000-08:00

New painting in progress.

2010-11-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Decided I needed to rework parts of this painting. Much happier now.

2010-11-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Nearly done. Just some tweaking left to do. 10x20, oil on old, beat-up plywood.

2010-11-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

Got me a new painting going. Here's the first in-progress pictures. More to come.

2010-11-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

Some sketches from this week's figure group.

2010-11-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

2 hours, 1 bourbon and water and 3 Tom Waits CDs, start to finish.

2010-11-15T04:43:00.000-08:00

Started a little 5x7 oil painting last night before Boardwalk Empire came on. Had the Tom Waits cranked in the studio and was having such a good time I missed the opening of the show.

2010-11-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

The very latest installment in the Robots of Doom.

2010-11-14T10:10:00.001-08:00

Wow, I really haven't posted anything here for a long time. I've been busy with commercial work, but it's all under confidentiality agreements so I can't show anyone anything. Attended the Western PA SCBWI conference yesterday and received some interest in my Robots of Doom project. You can see all that stuff here http://robotsofdoom.blogspot.com

Here are a bunch of doodles I did yesterday at the conference.

2010-08-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

The finished latest installment in the epic Robots of Doom tale.

2010-08-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

The latest line art for the next Robots of Doom illustration!

2010-08-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

A quick small drawing from last night's figure session. There are some crazy-talented people in our little group. I'm about out of drawing pads. I hear a trip to the art supply store in my near future!

2010-08-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

I Can Make My Own Damn Mistakes, oil on panel, 24x12

Lost In Space, oil on panel, 12x24

Not Coming Home, oil on panel, 8x16

Three paintings I'm entering in the Sweetwater Gallery's annual First Fruit show.

2010-08-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of really bad progress photos from yesterday evening. I was having a blast, painting with Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Mark Cohn and Brandi Carlile cranked up on the CD player.

2010-07-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

The rough under-drawing for a new 12x24 oil painting. Now, all I need to do is find the time to finish it.

2010-07-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

I've been crazy-busy since the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, about all I've been doing is cranking out storyboard frames as fast as I can. This project was a very welcome break. A couple digital illustrations for a website.

2010-07-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

A couple new figure drawings.

2010-06-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

Some work from the weekly figure sessions.