Wednesday, August 29, 2007

He-Man contest ending Aug 31st 11:59pm

Hi all,

The He-Man contest has been a lot of fun to watch! It's almost a shame the fun has to end. This is a fun and free contest to promote some good wholesome drawing. There's still time to do your sketching! Contest closes Friday August 31 11:59pm Eastern time. Click HERE for more info.

Here are the entries so far!.. in no particular order

Charles Santoso


Crylic


Dave


Mr.Scribbles


Frodon


Tababongchi


Jer


Jonny Dark


Kate



Matthew Blair


Rawls


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Toronto Fan Expo 2007

Amazing as always. Thanks so much to EVERYONE that came by the booth to show us some love. We had an amazing time. Next year will be bigger and better. I can feel it.

Here's some pics:

Best costume goes to this little man with the white hair


A picture of our booth


A super cool fan with one of my paintings as a tattoo


Here's a funny doodle given to me by a very talented student (Thalia) from Seneca College.



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Here's some MUST SEE links!!
James Jean
Paul Pope
Francis Manapul
Humberto Ramos <--new address
Francisco Herrera <-- new address
Rawls

Monday, August 27, 2007

Pic of the week by Kei

Announcement 01: I'll be teaching 3rd year life drawing for the animation program at Sheridan College this year. I'm very excited about this!

Announcement 02: September 20th digital painting class on Schoolism is full. Classes open for registration: November 02, 2007 & January 30, 2007

Announcement 03: He-man contest will be closing this Friday August 31st! It's a fun and free contest Kei and I started to promote some fun recreational drawing. No money involved. The response has been wonderful! Winners get original art from Kei and I. Click HERE for more information.

Here's the new pic of the week by Kei Acedera

Thursday, August 23, 2007

They're commmmming! Toronto Fan Expo



Tomorrow the Fan Expo begins!

Our friends Alberto Ruiz, Stephen Silver, David Colman and Joe Weatherly are all coming across the border to pay Toronto a visit! You don't want to miss this.

ARTIST ALLEY
Alberto Ruiz - Table A3 & A4
Stephen Silver - Table A5
David Colman - Table A2
Joe Weatherly - Table A12
IMAGINISM STUDIOS (Bobby Chiu, Kei Acedera, Thierry Lafontaine & Peter Chan) - Tables A8, A9, A10, A11

Stephen Silver will be signing books and doing caricatures as well!

Here's a caricature Stephen did for a fan at the Chicago Wizard con a couple of weeks ago.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Digital Painting Video!


Toronto Fan Expo 2007 in 2 days!
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Here's a new digital painting videocast I did yesterday. Hope you like it!



Link: COLE EASTBURN

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He-man Art Contest Info click HERE!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Fan Expo this weekend: Stephen Silver, Alberto Ruiz, David Colman and Joe Weatherly coming to Toronto!



Toronto Fan Expo 2007 in 3 days!

There's going to be tons to see and people to meet so come on down! I hear it's the 3rd largest Comic Con in North America. The Fan Expo has always been one of our favorite Comic Cons, not just because it's so big and so much to see but because it's in our hometown of Toronto Canada. Whenever Kei and I go traveling we always tell all our friends that the Toronto Fan Expo is something that they have to attend.

This year's comic con is extra special for us because we've asked some of our friends from California to attend for the first time: Stephen Silver, Joe Weatherly, David Colman and from NY Alberto Ruiz!!

Stephen Silver - is a truly inspirational artist and friend that Kei and I have admired for years. One of our favorite character designers and lead designer at Disney. His new book "Stephen Silver's Sketchbook" is an exact duplicate of his real sketchbook! A real MUST HAVE. Completely self taught and full of passion for his craft. CARICATURIST OF THE YEAR 2001. He'll be sitting with us signing books and talking about his online classes at SCHOOLISM.com.

Alberto Ruiz - just about the best modern day pin-up artist today. His sense of design and ability to draw the female form is unmatched. He's also an independent artist and is one of the friendliest people in the biz. We love this guy because he always 'keeps it real.' Never afraid of saying exactly what's on his mind and fights for what he believes in. Alberto will also be sitting in our row talking to fans and signing books.

Joe Weatherly - is a Southern California based artist specializing in the drawing and painting of animals. His style is bold and vigorous capturing the essence and drama of the subjects he draws and paints. The attitude and expression of the animal’s character along with telling a visual story is what his work conveys. Conservation of the natural world is something Joe is very passionate about and hopes his work will motivate people to protect it and promote its survival.

David Colman - is an amazing animal drawer and designer working at Disney Feature. Recently he won an Emmy for his work at Cartoon Network. He also has a wonderful book on "The Art of Animal Character Design." Another must have!

So come on down to the Toronto Fan Expo this weekend and show these amazing artists a real Canadian welcome! We're going to talk Stephen Silver into doing caricatures as well!

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TCAF review - 100% awesome. Thanks so much to EVERYBODY that came by our booth. It was completely overwhelming. 3 of our books sold out and a whole bunch of our prints as well!
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Here's an illustration I'm working on. Not sure if I posted this before. I really like the idea but I wanted to tighten up the design of the "dragon pig" a bit better.


It's a creature study I did to explore the form a bit better and tighten up the design. At this point I'm not worried about texture, tone or lighting.. I'm just concentrating on the basic form of the creature.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Online Digital Painting Class begins Sept. 20th



Hi All,

There's 2 spots left for my next online digital painting class. Register at www.schoolism.com

In my first class on Schoolism, I had the pleasure of having David Colman sign up. For those who don't know who David is, he's an amazing animal drawer and designer working at Disney Feature. Recently he won an Emmy for his work at Cartoon Network. He also has a wonderful book on "The Art of Animal Character Design." For those of you in the Toronto area, David is going to be signing his book at the Toronto Fan Expo coming up August 24-26th and he'll be at the Labyrinth Book Store August 25th 7:30-9pm.

Here's what he had to say about my Digital Painting class on Schoolism:
"To ameliorate one's craft a certain amount of pain must be endured. Only through determination, passion and appropriate guidance can a new plateau be achieved. By guidance I am simply referring to the teachings of a contemporary master. Bobby Chiu is this master I speak of. Through the artistic journey we all come across talented individuals, both professionals and amateurs. However, just because one is a great artist does not necessarily make them a great teacher. Only a handful transcend both
disciplines. Bobby Chiu is one of these few. He sits atop a mountain of skill and achievements yet is able to explain how he got there. His methods are simple to understand yet tightly bound with valuable information. Since taking his class my personal work has jumped leaps and bounds. I recommend this class to anyone and everyone, both young and old, and to all of those who strive for excellence, because Bobby Chiu will get you there."

David Colman – Disney Feature
Development Artist/Story Artist (Los Angeles, USA)

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On a similar note, here are some more testimonials from other wonderful students I've had the pleasure of teaching...

I've been working in photoshop for years as a freelance illustrator. I thought I understood this powerful program, but after taking Bobby's class I was blown away. The nine week course at Schoolism was inspiring, motivational and opened a whole new path for me as I work on new art work. The best part of the class is the one on one intruction you get from Bobby as he works on the assignment you hand in. You're able to work on your own time, watch the videos over and over again, and get personal instuction. Even the best art college in the country will have a hard time competing with Schoolisms savy and inovative online classrooms. I'm already planning on taking another class soon.

Steve Harpster
Childrens' Book Illustrator (Ohio, USA)
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Hi my name is Erez Kramer, I'm from Israel, currently working as a graphic designer and will start studying animation next September.
When I signed up for to course I was hoping to improve my DG painting technique and I could see improvement right from class one.
By the end of the course my DG painting level was much higher and I found out how to put out things that I never knew how to before.

To sum things up, I think that this course is amazing and it will give a lot to any painter in every level.

Bobby- I really want to thank you again, it was a really good experience for me!

Best regards,
Erez Kramer
Student (Israel)
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Bobby Chiu's Online Digital Painting course was a mind blowing 9 weeks experience for me. It was full of passion, motivational and inspirational.

Technical wise, I've been using photoshop to do my works for a few years now and I still learned a lot from the course... I've received some new techniques also additional tips and tricks which will be beneficial for my future works.

Theory wise, I've definitely gained additional knowledge and lots of new ones. Defining shapes through tones, compositions, colour theories and more!

The process of going through Bobby's head (explained in the video) is a rare and invaluable thing for me (and for other artists too, I'm sure) to experience. I've learned heaps from hearing what he was thinking and decisions which he made when he digitally paint his works

The best part is hearing personal video feedbacks for my submissions and the ability to hear Bobby's personal feedback to other people's works is a big bonus! I'm glad that the technology (internet) allow this to happen. Location and time differences are not an issue anymore.

I rate this course 10 out of 10 and will definitely recommend it to people who are passionate about art.

Thank you Bobby for making the online course happen at the first place. I'm extremely honoured to get a chance to be part of it. Now please excuse me, I have to draw, paint and keep learning again (as what all artists should do).

Charles Santoso (Sydney, Australia)
Graphic Designer
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There is very little that I can critique about the class and a TON that I can praise about it. So I'll start with my opinion about what I think you should change. Well as I sit here thinking about what to write I realize that I can't think of much at all. The class was extremely informative. Any artist from beginner to intermediate will find this class to be a very solid learning experience. As a self taught Photoshop artist of about 4 years there were techniques taught in the video lectures that I simply don't believe I would have ever figured out on my own. I use techniques taught in your video lectures every day at my job and in my own personal work. Thank you for creating such a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the best artists out there.
P.S. Hearing about the old lady that tried to steal your shirt was priceless.

The main reason that I decided to take your class is that I was tired of hearing you talk about me in your podcasts. I am/was one of these slackers you talk about in your videos and I was sick of it. So I had a choice to make. Either stop watching your videos on youtube or stop slacking. So taking your class was the first step to progress from slacker to artist. But the one piece of information that I will never forget as long as I live is that you had a dog name major who saw a ghost and took off running...lol. The reason I remember this is that it was the first lecture and my girlfriend was listening to it from across the room. She was like," You actually paid to hear a guy talk about his dog major and some ghosts?" So she gave me a hard time about it. But thanks again and I hope that you'll hear about me someday.

Jason D. Ross
T-shirt Artist (Missouri)
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I've had a great time with your digital painting class. At first I had second doubts, because there was no required skill level. I was afraid that maybe it wouldn't make sense to join this class. But I've been a great admirer of your work some time now, so I took the chance...

The courses were very different from each other though every course was helpful for the next. I had the feeling you were very inspiring towards every student. Highly talented or low- skilled. (of course I watched the other students' entries to see how I was doing)

Your feedback isn't too technical so that makes it not too dry either and the online course certainly helps to give everyone the attention they need in your video-feedback. It sure helped me improve my work! Maybe you should start a student gallery!
Great job! Had a wonderful time and thank you Bobby!


Michel Maas
Art Director (Noord brabant, Netherlands)

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On yet another note.... the He-man Art Contest is free for anyone to enter. It's a fun little contest Kei and I put together. It's just for fun and the winner gets our original sketches posted HERE

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Here's a cover I'm working on for Creative Engine with an amazing painter named Peter Chan.
This is the rough:


This is the "less rough" version:

Friday, August 17, 2007

TCAF this Sat, Sun! and.... Art Contest!!



For those of you in the Toronto Area, come on down to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, otherwise known as TCAF! The Imaginism crew will all be exhibiting there.

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Fan Art challenge!

After a long day of work Kei and I found ourselves watching 80's cartoon intros on TV last night and found ourselves inspired to do a little fan art! We had so much fun doing it that we decided that it might be fun to come up with a little challenge! Post your best He-man fan art on your blog from now until the end of August 31st and then post your link in the comments. It's just for fun and free to enter.

Kei and I will check them all out! There will be two winners. We'll each pick out a winner and mail them our fan art sketches (posted below)! It'll be a fun and nerdy way to do some art for ourselves again. So anyone interested?

Not sure how many will enter or if any at all but if it works out well then we'd love to do it again!

Bobby's


Kei's

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Digital Painting Classes in Toronto - Seneca College Sept 18, 2007

Seneca College Digital Painting classes are open for Registration.
Start Date: February 5, 2008
Location: Seneca (York campus)
(Keele, north of Finch) MAP
Duration: 9 week course.
7-10pm every Tuesday
Cost: $595
Bring a tablet. There will be a few tablets available but not enough for everyone.
Limit to 30 spots. Register HERE

It's going to be bigger and better than the one that I did at Sheridan. Now with the integration of schoolism.com it's going to have the best of both worlds. You'll be able to do the live classes with me and also have access to my online class videos so you can review the classes at home as well. The only thing you won't have is the one on one critique videos on your own work but I'll be answering any questions in the live class.

Please click HERE for testimonials from the classes I did at Sheridan.

Please leave any questions in the comments area.

For my online digital painting course register at SCHOOLISM.com.

Here's the pic of the week:

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Chicago Wizard World was amazing...





Chicago Wizard World was amazing... Thank you to everyone for a fantastic time!

Kei, T and I had our first piece of real authentic Chicago pie and boy was it AMAZING! No I don't mean some little fruit filled pie like grandma used to make. I'm talking about some thick juicy pizza pie... best I've ever tasted. Big thanks goes out to our buddy Jason Seiler for showing us what real pizza is supposed to taste like.


Besides the amazing food, we had an incredible show. Our Creature Sketches book is officially SOLD OUT! I'm sure going to miss that book.

Also another big thanks goes out to Michael Wright and Quanza (my apologies in advance if I didn't spell that right) for inviting our crew out with them. They showed us a wonderful time!

We had the pleasure of sitting beside Jason Seiler and Stephen Silver during the Chicago Wizard World Comicon. It was caricature heaven. Here's a clip of Seiler drawing a caricature of one of his fans. New podcast coming soon, I promise. As soon as I get a free moment


Here's another link to an amazing mind blowing caricaturist
Joe Bluhm Joe is the author of a fabulous new book called REJECTS. Besides the art, my favorite part about this book is all the writing. It's so interesting to read a glimpse of how it is to be a pro-event caricature artist. He's going to be at TCAF with us this weekend so come on down and show him some love, buy his book and get a caricature!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Wizard World Chicago! Artist Alley Table 3400!

Hi all.

Kei, T and I will be absent from subway sketching for the next 3 weekends. We will resume on Sept. 2nd.

We're going to be in Chicago Aug 9-12 for the Wizard Convention - Table 3400 in Artist Alley.

Then it's TCAF in Toronto the weekend after and then it's the BIG Toronto con, the FAN EXPO. Can't wait for that one!! Sorry about this... but don't worry. Comicon season is coming to a halt end of this month.

These weren't from this Sunday's subway sketching but we were on a bus at the "African Lion Safari" in Hamilton Ontario. We had a pretty fun time. I haven't been there for over 20 years...

Here's some sketches of a lion, baboons picking each others butts and other beautiful wildlife :)

Bobby's








Kei's


Friday, August 03, 2007

Missing San Diego..



These sketches were inpired by this lovely restaurant we ate at in San Diego called Ole Madrid. The atmosphere in the place was very relaxing, and the people we ate with made the experience extra special.