WICKER PARK CHICAGO YEARS 1

A couple of days ago one of my very first artistfriends Chrysolite Benoit from more than 10 years ago came by and we reminisced about the good old days of living and working in the 'flat iron building' in Wicker Park Chicago, we got drunk on Belgium beer.

 Chrysolite 1

1. One of my very first oils on canvas, when I arrived in Chicago I met Chrysolite she was a artist like me and had the same birthday, we felt free and painted our asses off.

CHRYSOLITE 2

me,marketa sivek, erik hamilton and chrys

2. watercolour on paper in color sketchbook.

The book is actually a photo book someone gave me, I just started painting in it, the paper is flimsy, thin and full of little holes. The paint was of a gouache kidspaintpalet I found on the street it missed 50% of it's colors but that's what I used until I had money to buy some fresh paint.

The PENGUIN in PINQUINO.

 I thought the best way to start this blog was to share the build-up of the intro illustration of this page, the little penguin is based on a logo for a gallery-studio I had for a while 'PinquinO' at the Flat Iron Building here in Chicago and it's one of the characters in a book I'm close to finishing "It was god's own fault, the snake is semi-OK". 

Starting left and right, finished the pencil one first, will end with ink because it's a fun one

 

 Changing balloons in #3 #4 and the position of penguin in #4

The final,Pencil, Acrylic, Watercolor and ink. Thought for a moment to fill in the Oil one with actual Oil, but GEEZ!