Harris Hammersmith

Aliens on the Run

2011-12-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

Portrait Sketches

2011-11-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Sketching while watching a movie. Seems to be the common trend these days.

Mullet Monster

2011-11-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

The name says it all.

Cat & Mouse

2011-10-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is the last of a series of four illustrations to be used for children's books.

Dinosaur Soup

2011-10-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

No it's not bits of dinosaur, it's just alphabet soup with dinosaurs. No need to bang down my door. I included the sketch and I wanted to emphasize the large oval and circular shapes. I wanted to add a little more contrast than what I usually do. Something my work has needed in the past for variety.

Sandy Koufax

2011-10-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Sandy Koufax to be used for an auction on November 17th. Originally it was going to Kevin Youkilis but since they just had the biggest collapse in baseball history I will steer clear of that until the dust settles.

Strange Fish

2011-09-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the fish I came up with poking fun at some of their patterns and names. This could turn out to be an endless project.

Lettering Fish

Shrimp Matis Creature

Stegosaurus Fish

Gold Fish

Clown Fish

Zebra Fish

Spotted Fish

The Challenge of Snow

2011-09-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have never tried to draw or paint snow in an illustration. I had to take this one really slow and have a good mental picture before executing. I looked up several artists work to see how they tackled snow and watercolor. For the most part it was almost a black and white illustration before a few areas of actual color appeared. Now off to the beach.

Sketchbook Update...Blah, Blah, Blah

2011-09-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

Bough a new sketchbook and thought I'd watch a movie while drawing. The movie was a dud as it transferred to the drawing. Must be a subconscious thing.

Personal Work

2011-09-09T15:53:00.001-07:00

My obsession with weird fish continues. This one is very strange.

Siesta Key Drum Circle

2011-09-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

This was a long one. I came home each day and worked and worked and work. Well the fan worked more than I did to dry the watercolors. So I worked then watched. That has to count for something. This is the popular local communities drum circle. The three characters are the larger than life mainstays each Sunday on the beach. They draw many people each week to enjoy music and a sunset.

Plant Alien...or Something Like That.

2011-08-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Not sure the idea behind this sketch/ practice illustration. I am in the process of trying to find a new paper to use since they discontinued W & N hp 140lb. I'm experimenting with as many different types of watercolor paper as I can find. This illustration is using the old college classic: illustration board. Never thought I would be using that again but so far it works better than the others I've tried. Good thing I still have a supply of the old tried and true W & N for professional work. I the mean time I will keep searching under rocks and in art stores. I drew the plant alien while watching “Into the Wild.” It was very inspirational and sad at the same time. Maybe it was because the main character was an alien in nature? Probably not but I'm also on a diet so I will blame that for the concept behind this picture. No for more vegetables...mmm.

Stuffed Animals

2011-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Using four earth tones to complete the picture was a challenge. Most of the picture only has three with the rabbit having a few washes of burnt sienna (who doesn't like a little burnt sienna every now and then). Even cracked open an old set of colored pencils to add some highlight so it lightens the mood a bit.

Couch Part 2

2011-08-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

This was a test of drawing from observation and painting from memory. The colors are close and ended up being a good test of memory (at least that's what I remember).

Studio Pics

2011-08-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

I always like seeing photo's of other artist's studios/ workspaces so I figured I'd toss mine out there. It has been labeled "The Cave" by my wife of course, since I never come out. It's basically a converted spare bedroom that turned in to my workspace. Tiki (the garbage cat) likes to rummage through the garbage in search for discarded thumbnails and sketches for his very own.

Milking America

2011-08-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is based an article about America being milked from every direction and no end in sight. Whether it's from the government, employer, utilities, entertainment, basic cost of living, the separation grows closer together between income and expenses.The United States map and the milking machine indicate the seriousness and lack of human touch of the issue with the comical "moo" indicating the lack of seriousness indicated in the article by many individuals.

Monkey Still Life

2011-08-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Drawing of my stuffed monkey that sits at the bottom of my bookshleves. In college I told people that he would lay a curse on them if they weren't carefull. Ironically it worked most of the time. To this day I watch my step.

Updated Website

2011-08-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

I knew I needed to get to this for the longest time and finally sat my self down and plugged away all day night.

2011-08-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Illustrations for Notre Dame Magazine from a while ago. Article regadring court jesters and their history and in the political arena.

Hemingway: Version 2.0

2011-08-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

New finished work of Ernest Hemingway. Probably my most drawn celebrity or famous historical figure. Always had a fascination with him and his Key West years.

Oily Fish

2010-08-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

This the second illustration created about the oil in the Gulf of Mexico. A bit more of a subtle concept with the dead fish and the text. Wanted to try something a bit different in concept and in the overall look of the picture.

I've been painting in acrylics and oils to try and loosen up my style. Seems if one uses a pen too long without anything else the work becomes stiff and too tight.

Smores w/ a traditional background

2010-08-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Usually I don’t have the chance to try this but backgrounds have always given me trouble more than anything else. The last post was the smores version with the filled in computer color. That was fast, easy, and painless. The new post has the watercolor/ traditional background,which took some time because of drying time between layers. I am curious if any one prefers one over the other. I’m still undecided.

Smores, Type, and Textures...Oh My!

2010-08-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Focused on textures and fonts on this one. Even had to break out the aluminum foil for the candy wrapper for reference. The advertisement is for National Smores Day on Tuesday. Ironically there is also a national day for ice cream sandwiches also. The illustration is also a first for using the computer for the background color. I figured maybe it’s healthy to try something new and break away from the traditional for a minute or two.

Hot Off the Press...A New Website...Finally!!!

2010-07-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Tried to make the website (http://harrishammersmith.com/) a bit more fresh and lively. With a new layout for thumbnails hopefully it makes viewing a little easier and more accessible. It’s always a big relief when the new site is completed. The world seems to stop until it is complete…or maybe I just want to have it complete really bad. Not sure on that one.

Mayor McGinn

2010-07-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

Thought I would show a little more process than usual. The illustration was for Seattle Business Magazine and their Mayor Mike McGinn outside having a meeting in the rain wearing gore-tex. I stayed fairly close to the final sketch adding only the silhouettes of pine trees in the background and the wood grain on the conference table.

Nelson Mandela

2010-07-01T19:23:00.001-07:00

Oil Fire

2010-05-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Tried a different look to my work. A bit darker to a darker concept with the oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

Living Room Couch

2010-05-19T17:57:00.001-07:00

Watching a bad movie and drawing the couch. To draw this my back was turned to the television to let you know how bad the movie was.

Sara's House

2010-05-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

Architecture is one of thorns in my side. I took a different approach to the house in this one. I've never been able to draw a straight line so why start now.

Snakes, Rats, and Marigolds

2010-05-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Florida Postcard

2010-03-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

This is a postcard for the Art Center of Sarasota. Depicting the roses on the Ringling grounds in Sarasota, FL.

7 Deadly Sins

2010-02-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

Playing with contrast vs. color.

Tropical Plants, Flowers, Fruit, and Feet.

2010-01-31T07:41:00.000-08:00

Sketches from this week of tropical plants, flowers, fruit, and feet. ...mmm...everyones favorite.

Amy Winehouse Process

2010-01-31T07:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post this since I came across it this morning. The portrait of Amy Winehouse was one that drove me nuts but really pushed me to come with a better image than I would have normally settled on. This ended up being my first promotional piece for both Workbook and and main image for my previous rep. As most artist would agree, the process and beginning work is as good if not better than the finished. Hope you like it.

Robert J. Lang

2010-01-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

Origami master, mathematician, and physicist...oh my. Even with my enjoyment of origami I can honestly say I will never ever come close to his level of expertise in this art. I figured the best I can do is to draw him and leave it at that and enjoy his work from afar. His work can be viewed at www.langorigami.com

Classical Guitarist and an Art Monster

2009-11-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Terrible Yellow Eyes

2009-11-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of images for the great site at www.terribleyelloweyes.com. One of the best art sites going with my personal favorite Peter DeSeve.

The Adventures of Chubby Fish and the Shark

2009-11-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

Had a few scraps of watercolor paper left over and figured I'd try it out.

Sketchbook Update

2009-09-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

Space Man

2009-09-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Drawing of an alien from another world with an odd looking scuba diving breathing apparatus.

Batman Sketch

2009-08-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ran in to some old Batman books and figured it was time to draw my own version. It's not in the ball park of Alex Ross but hopefully it was a valiant attempt.

Drawing with shapes, numbers and letters.

2009-08-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

This was a refined drawing using mostly shapes, letters and numbers. This was used to emphasize how basic drawing skills and shape recognition are the starting points in all design and artistic endeavors. The head is an upside down "U", the chest and pants are rectangles, the ears are a manipulated "C."

Hot Off the Sketchbook!!!

2009-08-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Finished yet another sketchbook. Time to run to the store...I should really buy in bulk. When will I ever learn.

Red Fish

2009-04-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Oprah

2008-09-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Trying to be more detailed oriented and conceptual. This was Oprah as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.

Sandy Koufax 75th Birthday

2008-07-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

This image is for the 75th birthday of Sandy Koufax. It's not going to be displayed until December of 2010. Even though I'm huge baseball fan I didn't realize how good Koufax really was. All I knew was that he cut his career short because of arm trouble and didn't want troubles the rest of his life. Truely one of the greats of the game.

New web page item.

2008-07-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Thinking of an image for the first page of a web site is a very hard task.

Flower

2008-07-08T11:15:00.001-07:00

Winehouse Portrait

2008-07-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

This image was created for the upcoming Workbook 31. I also entered it in the Altpick show (Will keep my fingers crossed).

Slash

2008-04-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Lady

2008-04-07T15:14:00.001-07:00

Pastel Portraits

2008-03-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

Pastel Figure

2008-03-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

David Ortiz

2008-03-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

General

2008-03-02T09:31:00.001-08:00

Lenny Kravitz and Some Old Guy

2008-02-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Governor

2008-02-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

Maestro

2008-02-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

Milk Man

2008-02-18T10:36:00.002-08:00

All Tied Up

2008-02-18T10:36:00.001-08:00

Economy

2008-02-18T10:35:00.001-08:00

Glazed

2008-02-18T10:34:00.001-08:00

Lunch Time Sketching

2008-02-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

Narf!!!

2008-02-13T18:08:00.001-08:00

Messing around with shapes and exaggerating the features to fullest proportion...or at least trying to.

Coach Potato Art

2008-02-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Sketches made while watching old movies and television. Life is tough.

Portraits of Inventors

2008-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Librarian and Politician

2008-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Fish Experiment

2008-01-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is another experiment testing different paper, media, pens, and techniques with watercolor.

Cliff Claven

2008-01-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

One of my favorites shows and characters.

New Sketchbook

2008-01-25T18:30:00.001-08:00

Finally surrendered to the Moleskin brand sketchbook. Figured with Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway I can't go wrong. These are a couple of my first drawings in the new sketchbook.

Hemingway Experiment

2008-01-15T18:22:00.001-08:00

This is my annual attempt to draw Ernest Hemingway. This time around though the drawing turned into an all out experimental project. This process included using various pens, paper, and pencils. I learned a lot of all my materials including a couple of new ones. I have posted some various works through the project including the finished piece. I worked primarily from reference in the beginning then turning to my drawings to develop my own personal interpretation of Hemingway. Thanks for looking.

New Year Sketching

2008-01-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

These are a few new images from my new sketchbook. I have switched from the traditional 8 x 11 spiral bound to the travel sixed hardbound for better watercolor usage.

Merry Christmas 2007 (only a few days late)

2007-12-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

This image is for my annual Christmas card.