M.C.Barrett Concept Art

Island Towns

2012-01-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

About mid-way through drawing these I decided they're out in the middle of broad, ephemeral inland seas that dry up for years at a time.

Since I'm such a materials nerd, it only makes sense to start listing faithfully the involved parties. I'm having a blast with a light-blue Pentel R.S.V.P. ballpoint, a grey Zebra Mildliner highlighter, and a black 0.5 mm Uni-ball Jetstream ballpoint, on a blank Rhodia 80g sketchpad.

Squiships

2012-01-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

Here's something I thought up this morning: near-magical spaceships with flexible, deformable membranes as their outer shells. As the note indicates, I'm thinking something along the lines of graphene membranes with embedded networks of high-temperature superconducting loops to change shape and become rigid where needed, forming such handy items as landing feet or airlock tubes.
Materials: Pilot Penmanship EF with Noodler's Bulletproof Black ink, Kaweco Sport EF with Kaweco royal blue ink cartridge, Pentel Pocket Brush pen with J. Herbin Gris Nuage ink, and a touch of Waterman South Sea Blue out of a Lamy Safari EF, on Strathmore 400-series medium-tooth drawing paper.

Fillerup!

2011-12-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

I saw a photo a while back of a satellite being loaded with fuel in a cavernous, bright white clean room. The technicians have hazmat suits (the fuel is usually really toxic hydrazine) which resemble spacesuits, and they're watching giant dial gauges, with hoses leading up to a robot spaceship. It's the most inspirational combination of elements conceivable. I've riffed on this before...

mostly made-up animal skrobbles

2011-11-23T02:20:00.000-08:00

New permanent low sketchbook prices!

2011-11-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

If you recently bought one of my sketchbooks and you think I'm a jerk now, I'll do an extra drawing in it, but only if you can bring it to me in person. I can't be bothered to mail things out because I am a lazy jerk.

I'll see about getting some art up here in a while...

sketchbook doo-doos

2011-10-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

In my fantasy future, as in my personal life, touch interfaces are reviled as abominations.

Some sketchbook pages...

2011-09-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Washing fountain pen inks with a waterbrush full of dilute walnut ink, Aquabee Super Deluxe sketchbook is super nice for this.

Sorry for the lack of updates, been kinda spacey this summer.

Some doodlin'

2011-05-24T11:33:00.001-07:00

File name says it all, I think.

Digesting a Burrito at Top Pot Donuts Sketches

2011-04-09T17:54:00.001-07:00

figuring out tree-drawing...

2011-04-02T14:31:00.001-07:00

Got this neat little bristol sketchbook...

2011-03-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

Strathmore Visual Journals, they have super sturdy covers and come in several varieties of filling. I'm using the smooth bristol version, with pigment liners and copic markers. I want to make it a super neat little book of drawings to let people flip through, no messy sketches and doodles here.

how 'bout a sketch here just 'cause...

2011-02-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

I want to put more everyday stuff up here, so here goes.
I like how this fountain pen ink separates into its different dyes when I wash over it. These are all silly fake things except the tyrannosaurus with the giant head. He actually exists.

edit: instead of a new post, just gonna put these other guys in here. They're also fake dinosaurs.

Also, I should mention I'm doing a workshop in Vancouver next month. I believe they have a few seats left to fill.

Bookplug!

2011-02-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

My pal Katy plugged my book on her blog so I'm plugging her book on mine!
The book is huge!
Katy's lots of fun to watch draw, and since it's pretty much just complete sketchbook pages, this book is the next best thing! Also go check out her buh-log! Gratuitous exclamation points!

Book is Finished!

2011-02-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

The new book is done! I've placed my order and it's now in Lulu's hands, but I think I got this fired off earlier than last year so I'm confident I'll have my stock in time for Emerald City Comic Con. At the show, I'll be in the lobe of Artist's Alley immediately to the left as you enter the door, table C-17. Go see the sales page now, though, right here!
Also here is a donut shop doodle session from this afternoon.

A new book is on the way!

2011-02-08T00:55:00.000-08:00

Just a little bit of news here, no art. Sorry, maybe I'll fix that tomorrow...
I'll be sharing a table again this year in the artist's alley at Emerald City Comic Con. Originally it was to be with Kristen Perry, but as she's swamped with projects, she hasn't been able to prepare anything for this year. It looks like I'll be splitting it with Richard Anderson, if only for one day (Friday), and another fellow whose name I cannot recall, but I think he builds little model buildings. Rich will have a number of prints for sale.
The Point: I'm hard at work right now putting together a new sketchbook, which will be available for purchase alongside last year's Cars and Rockets, Mostly. I'm making good time, and if Lulu is as phenomenally quick on the turnaround as they've proven thus far, I will have plenty available. It's shaping up to be even more fun than the original. The book will be available on Lulu before the con, but if you're local or plan to attend I'd suggest you pick it up in person so you don't have to pay for shipping. Stand by for further sketchbook progress announcements!

Cars of tomorrow, a few days after that!

2010-12-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

As may be apparent by now, I love cars when they're stripped of their finery and exposed to the elements. They're like big rusty animal skulls, really. I might do more of this, or I might try to turn these into rat-rods where they are. Hot damn I love a good nasty rat-rod.

Demo Sketches from Anomaly H2O Vancouver

2010-10-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

Stuff I did at the workshop at the Vancouver aquarium. Contrast is a little weird since I was working to the projector's properties and such. I had a pretty decent time, yakked at lots of folks and hopefully helped a few find ways to get to their visions.
The Vancouver Aquarium is hands-down the best one I've ever been to. Some may be bigger, but I've never seen one that treats individual species with as much dignity and intimacy as this place. Even the pet-store-ubiquitous swordtails and tetras were presented in completely naturalistic tanks, displaying their natural behaviors that make them every bit as fascinating as the wolf eels or piranhas. It is just an extremely pleasant setup all around, and each exhibit seems to be designed not to overwhelm, but to invite contemplation. It's worth making a special effort to visit if you're in the area, and if you live near Seattle, it might even be worth the drive up alone, and certainly worth the (I believe...) CN$30 admittance.

I am a drawing all tiny in red ink jerk

2010-10-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Much room for mushrooms: it's rainy and cool and Fungus Season!

2010-10-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

I fancy myself something of a wildlife photographer, but I gotta be able to fiddle with all my manual settings. Fungus stays put for all my twiddly tweaking.

More markery...

2010-10-03T23:33:00.001-07:00

Dang if Copic sketch markers aren't actually pretty excellent tools. I've used a lot of different markers and these are definitely the best of the lot.
An art materials rant follows in the comments...

Ink, markers, watercolor this weekend...

2010-09-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Kinda rippin' on William Stout with the little dino-dragon thing.

Some quickety city bits...

2010-08-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Did some stuff...

2010-06-21T11:00:00.001-07:00

Here's the rest, also, a painting I did a few weeks ago and forgot about.

I like to go into the woods and take pictures of slugs.

2010-05-26T16:41:00.001-07:00

Also wandered into a shipyard a couple of months or so ago. I'm going to try for more of that moody forest lighting this weekend, since I know how to get it now (Also, specular squigglies on the water! Fun!)

Something not brown! Also, Kekai's Workshop!

2010-03-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

I start little paintings all the time but hardly ever bring them far enough that I'm ok with letting anyone see them. Here's one quickie that I'm not too fussy about. I'm thinking the creatures aren't actually blue, but fluoresce brilliantly underneath the glare of their UV-lopsided sunlight, or maybe some exotic magnetospheric interactions with an energetic particle stream from a periodic stellar event result in a UV-emitting atmosphere like the inside of a fluorescent light tube. Or they're just blue, whatever's fun.

And since he's sort of my boss but also sort of my friend, I'll mention that Kekai Kotaki's workshop is coming up, and I believe he'd be most pleased if you heed his summons. Bring weapons.

(Don't bring weapons, we don't want any trouble.)

I have a sketchbook for sale!

2010-03-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

Available right now HERE, or if you're going to Emerald City Comic Con, I'll be sharing a table with Kristen Perry and Katy Hargrove where I'll have some copies for sale (hopefully- I just ordered my stock today) and I can draw in them for you.

UPDATE: BOOKS IN MY HANDS! HUZZAH! COME AND BUY THEM!

Recentish and recenter stuff...

2010-02-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of these days I'll paint something that isn't brown, I promise.

Workshop Announcement:

2010-01-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

holiday doodling

2010-01-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

It's not that I haven't been doing anything...

2009-12-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

It's that I have semi-willfully eschewed the convenience of home internet service, and thus am less likely to remember to upload anything when I'm busy with stuff at work. EDIT: New scans uploaded (yay Epson, boo Canon)! Also included is an in-progress piece based on some of the ideas I've been doodling.

This is where they grow the color red, safely transported only by airship.

2009-09-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Estemmenosuchus

2009-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

They probably didn't hear well, and thus likely didn't do much along the lines of roars or grunts in their competitive posturing. They did, however, have mouths brimming with big pointy teeth, and gigantic bony flanges all over their heads. I'd expect this supported as much blood-flushed skin as possible to maximize the visual impact of their already-terrifying faces, scarred and calloused through shoving matches. This dude is fairly pissed off.

Baby Dromaeosaur of Some Sort

2009-06-27T02:53:00.001-07:00

Come to think of it, I might have included some indication of coarser remiges on the forearms, since some dromaeosaurs have been found with the telltale bumps on their bones, but here I'll just pretend they take a while to come in.

Mammals!

2009-03-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

Little fluffy mammals!

Barfday Number Turdy

2009-03-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

People made art for me because I'm old now.

Jamie Jang drew me in space! And Katy Hargrove gave me magnets wrapped in a cat! Me an' magnets are trouble and pain...

new kraft sketchbook

2009-03-02T03:02:00.000-08:00

I sure like old-timey racin' cars...

found some time to paint a thing...

2009-02-24T01:48:00.000-08:00

sorry it's part crap, but painting has not been happening lately after hours. I think it's a rocket gantry of some sort- I couldn't figure out what to do with the upper left so I plopped the rockets in at the last minute. I wanted to call this done and do something else. I can take 'em or leave 'em, honestly, though I lean toward the latter. EDIT: tweaked at work for contrast, probably wrong still...

Some city doodlin'

2009-01-03T23:59:00.001-08:00

One Hour Velasquez

2008-12-21T01:33:00.000-08:00

copy of http://img.artrenewal.org/images/artists/v/Velasquez/large/Velazquez_Juan_de_Pareja.jpg

Robot Girlfriend and a couple of giraffe-slugs...

2008-11-21T02:58:00.000-08:00

The wheels of tomorrow, today!

2008-10-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Dang I love the Detroit concept cars of the 50's and 60's. Cars were from the future back then.

R.I.P. Big Moleskine MK1, inaugural sketches MK2

2008-10-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Tragically, my favorite doodlin' sketchbook was lifted along with a pawn-shop-bonanza of other goodies from the passenger seat of my car on a dismal, rainy Saturday. Its replacement, fresh from sketchbook academy, is ready to fill its predecessor's boots. Fresh-faced and eager to serve alongside the army of brand new pens and pencils, Big Moleskine MK2 steps up... I believe in you, little dude.

MK1 is probably full of penises by now...

The natives come have a look at all this business

2008-08-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

four little ArtRage quicksters

2008-08-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

A little Steam Age Fantasy (it's not steampunk dammit)

2008-08-11T00:36:00.000-07:00

Deinonychus study

2008-08-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a nasty ol' bird...

stilt house doodles

2008-07-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Dimetrodon

2008-06-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

June 5 figure session

2008-06-05T23:38:00.000-07:00

Ballpoint in my larger-size Moleskine

Sketchwork pages

2008-04-22T20:07:00.001-07:00

2008-04-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Temporary portfolio

2008-04-22T20:01:00.001-07:00