Happy Holidays!!!

In the spirit of the season I am giving a 20% discount on all my art & gifts til Jan. 3, 2017.

Pumpkin Carving-Halloween Time_5

Pumpkin Carving-Halloween Time_5

Happy Halloween! 

That means…pumpkin carving fun! Here's this years pumpkin 2017, a wicked witch to help handout candy to the neighborhood children. Wishing everyone a fun filled holiday!

I wanted to try something different this year and expand my horizon. I wanted to do a smooth face, peeling hair and to add more detail in the eyes. 

I started with some basic eyes and then blocked out the nose. Then worked in the cheeks as I carved the mouth, teeth and had to go back and finish up the detail in the eyes. The hair was difficult because I kept peeling the pumpkin skin off - so when trying this you really need to definitely watch your strength with it.  

She's going to look great outside with a couple glow sticks inside. Hope you enjoyed this years pumpkin - - Happy Halloween!!!_Shaun.

Gift Ideas:?

Shaun Newton Studios and Pixels have teamed up to produce some truly Unique Fine Art products.
Fine Art Prints, Throw Pillows, Beach Towels, Totes, Phone Cases, Greeting Cards and More are perfect for your decor and a must have for passionate collectors.

For the Holidays these unique items will make a show-stopping Gift!
Check out my new shop: http://shaun-newton.pixels.com

Celebrity Painting

This is my latest painting of one of my all time favorite films. This is acrylic on canvas (40" x 30") and here is the main thing I wanted to accomplish.

I wanted to create a likeness to the celebrity by not copying a photograph - to create an original image.

I did use many references most had nothing to do with the celebrity, but with some creativity I had started to hone in on the image that I wanted to create. I needed a pose that would be recognizable but different enough that people would realize that it was something new. This celebrity is famous for his glare and wanted to capture that look without an odd angle or expression.

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I started with his face and ended up moving his eyes several different positions to get the look I wanted to achieve. I soon finished with blocking in a background and having fade out with dripping paint, because I like the painterly look and feel. Check out the final painting on my website or facebook page.

Please click like on the page if you would like to see more of my paintings, thank you.

Next Painting…?

I was thinking of what my next painting should be and then it kicked me in the head…?

Starting my new painting-this one should have a kick to it. Canvas - 40" x 30".

Pumpkin Carving-Halloween Time_4

Busy again this year and didn't get a chance to post on my blog lately. This year I decided to just wing it and the pumpkin turned out to look like one of my neighbors. Turned out okay.

Unfinished Vision

This is my latest commissioned painting of an astronaut titled, "Unfinished Vision."
This is an acrylic painting on canvas (26" x 24"). Here's the things that I wanted to accomplish with this piece:

1) Original composition of various components for an unique perspective.
2) Start with high detail on one side and have the painting flow to the other side to become unfinished.
3) Use angles to give the painting a sense of movement.

This photo shows the painting being painted. I started with the more detailed side-this way I can carry over the color and have it fade out into the background. I like being able to look at a painting and know it's a painting and not a photo.

The sketch shows the placement of objects. I angled the astronaut on direction and angled the background the other direction. This should make it look like the astronaut is taking his first step and keeping the painting as original as possible. The finished version is above and hope you enjoyed this preview of the painting_Shaun

Pumpkin Carving-Halloween Time_3

Happy Belated Halloween!!

Busy year this year and didn't get a chance to post on my blog lately. Last Halloween I was paid by receiving an actual carving set to carve a pumpkin for same friends of mine, but they wanted a plush monkey. Here's the photo of the pumpkin but I had to add some Halloween flavor by adding the stiches across the forehead. Hope you enjoy this one-next year I am thinking of a Zombie, but we'll see what happens.

Pumpkin Carving-Halloween Time_2

Happy Halloween!!

I decided to carve this years pumpkin of Jason Vorhee's from the Friday the Thirteenth films. This one was less detailed but I plan on creating a more detailed and scarier pumpkin next year. Let me know what you think, thank you.

Pumpkin Carving-Halloween Time

I carved my first pumpkin on Halloween about two years ago at a toy company that I working at. My coworkers talked me into entering the company contest and I carved out Darth Vader using a butter knife on my kitchen floor. I was surprised that I won-it was so fun. Last year I carved my second pumpkin of CHUCKY just for fun using just a steak knife this time. It looked great at night as his eyes and the cracks in his face glowed. Check back a day or two before Halloween to see what I can come up with for this year_Shaun

Illustration-publication

I was hired by the Department of Fish and Game to illustrate various magazine articles and books. Here's my first set of illustrations that I created for them. After they received the drawings, they liked them so much that they decided to give me a full page. They ended up using the climb illustration above as a full page. That way they had me create an additional illustration, as seen below.

The story is basically about two Game Wardens that stake-out and arrest smugglers even after one warden is injured. Hope you like my first set of published illustrations, thank you.

Unique Idea #2

I love this idea that my cousin had and implemented. Every family member and friend that comes over to the house to visit has to paint a brink. It can be any subject or text. When finished the painted brick is sealed and placed into the walk way that surrounds their house. I get a good feeling when I walk the path and enjoy the artwork from the many people I love and those whom I miss.

Since I was raised in Norther California, I had fun with my brick by painting my favorite team as shown above. 

I hope others embrace this unique idea and have their own walk of art.

Illustration-Assignment

I was looking through some old papers that I had shoved in a file cabinet. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this sketch and thought I would share. I created this rough freehand ink sketch in Junior High School as a class assignment. The class had to draw the first letter of their name that would illustrate something about ourselves. I was the odd man out because everyone started with the letter shape and decorated upon it. Instead, I decided to let the object that define me would become the illustrated letter itself.

I used mechanical drawing tools and my old art supply box to form the letter "S". At that particular time in my life I did a lot of technical mechanical drawings. I really enjoyed creating the texture of the objects by using different pin strokes. The simplicity, dimension and dynamic angle still makes me smile. I had to be 10 or 12 years old when I did this.

This might be the only class assignment that I still own. Thank you for stopping by_Shaun.

Reflection

Above is my first painting of a person, acrylic on canvas (48"x30"). Here are the things I wanted to accomplish:

1) Create a painting of a person from an original dramatic POV.
2) Not to use a lot of black but to use dark colors instead (painterly style).
3) Painting a rain scene - a wet look look.

The reason for doing this painting is to expand my creativity without becoming too detailed or too realistic. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you force yourself to tackle something that is way over your head. I try to paint without any thinning the acrylic but forced to do so at times to get the look that I am aiming for.

I started this one by sketching out the basic profile then worked in the facial features. I started by painting the eyes and working towards the mouth. Next I streaked in a background that would symbolize the angle of the rain. I was going to just paint the car in graphically without detail but it looked too out of place, detached-so I had fun throwing in the detail. The last item that I worked on was the jacket because I wanted to run the paint off the canvas to reinforce the water feeling to this piece.

My Business Cards

I went ahead and created my very first business card. The card features my painting titled, The Player. What a fun design project with a 4/1 classic color theme. I also included a die-cut of rounding two corners and added a spot varnish over the character for a unique style. They really came out better than what I expected-very nice.

Tis the Season

Above is a still life test I created last year for the holiday season. Here were my goals:

1) A well detailed subject that will push me creatively.
2) Capture the holidays in one painting including the warmth of family.
3) Add some color and try not to use too much black to keep a painterly appeal.

I painted a pumpkin for Halloween, Nuts for harvest for Thanksgiving and a home-made Christmas drink as a gift. I used warm colors and added a fireplace for hearth and family. I kept the organization in order with the calendar. I really like how it came out overall and learned to use the brushwork with a more comfortable ease on this one. Hope you like it.

Sample Illustration - Girl Toys

Here's a quick sample illustration I did while working in the toy industry. I worked in TV Games, Boys Entertainment, Girls, Elementary and Preschool.

A Little Wine

This is my first Still-Life painting – Acrylic on canvas: 24"x 36". 

Here's my third finished acrylic painting. With this one I wanted to focus and experiment with strong color options. I wanted a warm romantic Tuscan type of a feel in this painting. 

We have a warm red candle, olive green bottle and the comfortable blue night sky. The scene is bathed in gold and rich wood tones from the base color to the reflective detailed stem of the wine glass. I designed the arrangement to create interest and a flow. I wanted the glass to grab your eye as the focus is stripped away by the strong glow of the flame of the candle. Then you're focus is dragged down to the well detailed metal cork screw. This way you are easily lead through the entire painting.

I got the inspiration for this painting from a beachside restaurant. I wanted a romantic setting with some level of difficulty and detail to push me creatively in tackling this medium. I gave it some thought and decided to add the grapes and ocean fading into the background. I like the rough texture of the wood contrasted with the soft glow of the candle. Once I decided on the painting I picked out my objects and set them up.

Unique Idea?

I always loved wood working creating cabinets and custom furniture. It would be a great business card to have it made out of a thin piece of wood and literally brand the information upon it..

Tower #1

This is my second painting – Acrylic on canvas: 24"x 36". 

This is an extreme close-up of a lifeguard towner cluttered with graffiti on a Southern California beach. Brushwork renders detailed woodgrain of the tower as well as the fading ocean in the background. This was a study of brush stokes vertical versus horizontal as the tower woodgrain crosses the ocean horizon. Graffiti primer paint was added to show an organic blotching brush technique to contrast the traditional painting basic style brush strokes. Later the tower only was gloss varnish to have a stronger visual contrast.