Roundcat Productions

Black and white painting of James H. Lacey

2011-03-11T15:33:00.001-06:00

I did this painting from a photo I found in one of my ten thousand or so, airplane books. Just a cool looking pic and I thought it would be a good challenge for me.

P-51 Pilot

2011-02-02T16:23:00.005-06:00

A little fun to keep me motivated on the day job. I did this sketch from a
photo I found on the internet. It was a good excuse to try some of the watercolour, wash brushes from Corel painter.

Exerpts from books that never happened.

2011-01-26T19:40:00.007-06:00

Like the title says...I've often wanted to just publish a bunch of stupid / funny pages from book ideas of mine that are either half baked or too ambitious for my lazy butt to actually finish. I love this one because I'm a huge fan of high stakes stories around cute and fearful characters.

painting detail

2011-01-25T16:48:00.002-06:00

I thought this was neat because you can really see the difference in detail from the foreground plane to the distant one...I tried to use a larger brush on the distant plane to keep my details lower and add some depth.

Black and white version

2011-01-25T16:42:00.003-06:00

Thought I'd post this as well. To check my values and balance, I sometimes convert the painting to black and white....helps me see mistakes...anyway...I almost like this better than the colour....which probably means my colour sense sucks. Yay.

Ferocious Frankie. Is it done? I think it's done...

2011-01-25T16:37:00.005-06:00

So I'm thinking this is finally finished....at first glance, it doesn't look like all that much was changed since the last version but I've done a fair bit of fleshing out. I don't know if the vertical set up was much of a success...I keep wanting to widen the canvas and paint in the foreground plane....I won't though because the whole point (besides try to get better at painting) was to try a less than common set up.

Ferocious Frankie detail.

2010-01-18T10:36:00.002-06:00

Here's some closer detail...

A bit further on this P-51 Mustang painting

2010-01-18T10:27:00.003-06:00

I'll keep this short...I've done a bit more...lengthened the cowl of the foreground plane....the rough prop arc guides are visible fro the two rear planes...so I'll refine that down the road...massaging the clouds...some details...yadda yadda.

oh, one more thing...the colour here is closest to the original painting..the one below had some levels adjusted....Not sure what I like yet....this one seems to have more atmosphere...so much for keeping things short....crap.

Smrt Dog Dum Dog.

2009-05-08T11:41:00.003-06:00

Here's a sketch for a show idea of mine. what the heck I'm ever gonna do with this....I have no idea...but I've been trying to change the way I draw characters for the last while. There's so much great stuff out there and I tend to be stuck in a rut of sorts...I like the big dog, Spencer...but the Chihuahua blows. I'll fix him.

Mackenzie turns 10 !!!

2009-03-28T23:15:00.002-06:00

Yep, it's true. My super awesome daughter is turning ten! I love you squirrel.

Valentine's card

2009-02-14T13:50:00.004-06:00

I was playing with some digital pastels. I like the result....It's a bit cautious..but overall I think I'd like to continue with this sort of feel..and maybe down the road it would be cool to do a book in this style.

Grumman AA1B.

2009-01-05T15:19:00.005-06:00

I Chose this plane because it's the one I used to own. Like all my paintings..this one isn't completely done. :) But I wanted to post it. Again, I'm not entirely happy with this but I feel like I'm learning. I've switched software for this one and I'm liking the results. And even though the software shouldn't matter, I find it easier to get the feel I'm looking for with this one. On the right is the full painting as it stands right now. I've got to do some work on me (the pilot) and refine the clouds...as well, I need to put the call letters on. They were there in an earlier version but I decided to darken the plane considerably and so I just went right over the Id. Too big a pain to paint around them. The second image is a bit of a detail of the airplane. In reality it's about 30 inches wide so this gives a bit of an idea of the printed size. Anyway, more to come....
in about a thousand years.

Merry Christmas !

2008-11-20T22:23:00.005-06:00

Hey there. This was a complete blast to do :) One of those rare times that I have an image in my head and the end result feels pretty dang close! I've always wanted to do a Christmas card. Maybe this will be the beginning of a yearly tradition for little old me. Oh yeah, the two dudes on the hill are our cats. Roundy and Zoom.

Anywho, Merry Christmas folks, dudes, and dudettes. :)

Awesome animated golf show, "Kill Golf"

2008-10-31T06:09:00.007-06:00

This is a page from the pitch bible of, "Kill Golf," a show Blayne Burnside and I created a few years back...sheesh...long time no do anything.

Anyway, it's the funniest show ever!.......... Really. It all takes place on a Golf course...but really has nothing to do with Golf at all. There will be no crappy jokes about, Mulligans, the 19th hole or how some guys Grandmother can drive the ball further than some other guy.

There will however be insanity, stupidity, drama, gratuitous violence, several brushes with death and of course, an entire episode dedicated to bigfoot( maybe two). By the end of the first season the biggest, most diabolical and fiendish plan ever hatched on a stupid cartoon will be revealed and Golf's future will hang in the balance.

Freakin' gold people..................Freakin' gold

"Uh-oh, My Cat is a Super Genius! " Got my first proof of the book.

2008-08-21T10:40:00.006-06:00

Hey! I got the first proof copy of the book. It was exciting and a little weird. It looks pretty good but Somehow when I looked at this thing....it seemed odd. I put it amongst a bunch of other children's books and it looked strange to me.
felt like anyone who looked at the pile of
books would be able to pick mine out as
the one that didn't look legit. I think
maybe that's because I've been so close
to it for so long.

So there's a bunch of little problems. The colour isn't right on some of the pages...and though the cover looks quite blue here...it really seems rather purple when holding the book...so I need to do something about that. Also, there's text I need to shrink for a better fit...some of the words get lost in the binding too. I'm working on finding an editor right now...so some fresh eyes should help. Have a look and throw me some comments. :)

Soapstone Fish

2008-08-19T14:27:00.004-06:00

Hey there. So I just got back from a week at a cottage with my family and during little moments where we weren't eating, swimming, kayaking or sleeping we would sit down a do a little soapstone carving. I did this for the first time on another cottage trip last year and I liked it so much I picked up some tools and stone so I could do it whenever I caught a second.

So anyway...here's my fish. It's in Brazilian soapstone. I posted two picks because I wanted to show the scale and colour a bit better..the orange/brown version is really the true look of the
piece...but the photo in my hand is without the
flash and it shows the detail a bit more I think.

Soapstone is one of the coolest things I've worked with in a long while and I highly recommend it. It's relatively cheep to get into and pretty relaxing....unless the thing breaks on you...which this did....the fish should have been another 3/4 inches in length but the tail broke early in the carve...so after much crying, I shortened the sucker. I think it turned out okay. :)

Fw-190 engine detail drawing

2008-07-15T00:40:00.005-06:00

Trying out some sketching in sketchbook pro. Found this photo in a book about the Focke-Wulf 190 fighter from WWII. The ground crew guy was on top of the engine cowl waiting for the front armour flange to be installed. The dude didn't look happy.

I think I captured his scowl pretty well. Made me wonder what the back story was....did he not like having his picture taken?..or was he mad at the photographer for some reason?? Who knows....Either way...I'm sure in about 2 days I'll hate this drawing no matter what the guy was thinking.

neat photo of the front of my favorite German fighter though :)

Book! Book! Book!

2008-06-27T06:40:00.008-06:00

The book moves ever closer... I'm final assembling the last of the pages. Just did this one the other night...I've still gotta get a edit/proof reading done...'cause my wordses-es and grammers sucks.

Horse for Mackenzie.

2008-06-24T14:47:00.007-06:00

Wow....like 3 months since I posted anything...I was getting sick of looking at that crappy chick sketch I did....and I was doing some quick paintings for my daughter's room. I think this one is finished...I don't know what I was going for...I drew this from a photo and I wanted to add something to it...so I took a few liberties....

girl...I don't know why i did this

2008-03-26T20:41:00.002-06:00

Just a sketch I did ...and I really don't know why....I guess I'd like to do more stuff like this...never get a chance to experiment with people....or how to draw them in a lose and fast way and after seeing some gorgeous work on a couple blogs I guess I found myself doing this...it hardly compares...but it's a start.

Focke-Wulf 190 sketch

2008-02-18T22:19:00.005-06:00

Alrighty. This was fun. Started out as a quick doodle of this FW 190 in the foreground...and of course nothing was right...that's what happens when you draw planes from memory ( and your memory sucks)...but I enjoyed it just the same and I liked the feel of the sketch...I guess the twin engine in the distance is a B25....and the fighter above and behind it...? let's pretend it's a Mustang :)

Anyway, despite the fact the B25's Port engine is burning, I'm not normally a big fan of WWII aviation art that depicts battles...seems stupid maybe...seeing as that's pretty much what WWII was all about.

For me, these planes should be painted in a way that shows their power and grace without focusing on the fact that they were designed to blow the crap outta stuff. I'd rather try to capture a split second that conveys what it might have been like to be near these beautiful machines as they were flown to their limits.....Just about the coolest thing ever.

another plane..What the heck.

2008-02-12T22:58:00.005-06:00

Just playing around last night. Sometimes, after a day of drawing silly stuff...I've gotta try something for myself...bit of pencil line with some oil paint...I don't know if I love it...but I'm trying to find my style here....so ....it's a process...ya know?

Another colour sketch...maybe my next painting attempt....

2008-01-07T08:58:00.001-06:00

So maybe this could be my next painting...provided I finish the first one. Whatever the case, I'm gonna stay away from any blending. This whole painting was done with brush and knife only and the result, in my opinion is a more lively and appealing. I should point out that the planes are P51's.....and if you know anything about them you're probably thinking...man, do P51's look like this...and my answer would be...I dunno...I kinda painted these from memory. So yes, I'll be checking reference once I go for the final.

NIght time plane sketch.

2008-01-02T21:25:00.002-06:00

Just trying out some washy techniques for some quick plane studies. This is an OS2U on it's beaching gear.. FUN! AND COOL

some morning doodles

2008-01-02T08:12:00.002-06:00

Hey there. Like the title says....some morning
doodles to get loosened up a smidge.

Airplane Paintings!!! in progress anyway.

2007-11-30T07:52:00.001-06:00

Okay...so I'm getting into this new painting here..
It's a couple of bearcats over a super cool skyscape....super cool if I get it right. This image is the first rough colour sketch....It's funny I haven't looked at this for a while...since I've been working on the later stages.....and man, I think I like the original tilt on the planes...plus...I like the rougher feel of the paint.....I might try this with another painting in the future. More impressionistic feel

So I guess I would call this the middle stages.
I've started to smooth out the clouds ...which is in keeping with the cloud reference I'm using...it's a wispy kind of cumulus and stratus mix...the sun's position seems to rob the clouds of volume but creates a kind of layered feeling...The black perspective looking lines were something I added to help me when I'm later adding any "God rays that are punching through parts of the clouds...you can also see that I've moved the planes.....A mistake in retrospect.....so.......see below.

A couple things have changed here...I've widened the canvas a touch....Things felt a little tight on the left of the painting....like the planes needed room to fly... I've also restored some tilt to the planes....I like that.... Funny: Though I like this result...it's clear to me that I've lost the punch of initial rough....crap. I think I need to add some tilt to the clouds themselves...theres definitely a sense of horizon in my first rough....I'll try to get that back.........AAAAAAHHHH!!!!...................more changes on the way.....but once I get this sky worked out it's on to the planes. The fun and painful part.

Cool dude with angry squirrel

2007-08-24T10:21:00.001-06:00

Well....this is pretty stupid....but I'm trying some experiments with photoshop elements....I've just seen some really cool stuff on other peoples blogs...and it's wicked!!!! So I guess I'm giving it a shot......Fun to do anyway....but it's my first kick......so I'm hoping to get better.....or worse......or become indifferent.......

Look out Cat guy....there's a mean looking, angry robot type guy over there!!!!

2007-08-06T22:16:00.003-06:00

Man...Blogger doesn't seem to like these pictures....they keep getting messed up...anyone else have any trouble posting PNG's?...anyway...attempt #3....This is a little pastel sketch I did...the one above is pretty close to the original....I think I pushed the saturation a smidge...and maybe added some magenta....But check it out! the one below is the second version where I pushed the yellows way up. Plus I hit the contrast a bit....the lesson to be learned here..? if you suck at makin' pictures the first time....Photoshop can make your pictures more coolester and less suckester.

Farmyard Automation

2007-07-30T22:10:00.002-06:00

Alright...I'm definitely just puttin' something up for the heck of it...I've kinda been toying with doing little illustrations on the subject of farmyard automation........soooooooo here's a chicken driving a robot, metal thing...I've never been so proud.

I guess this is sorta day...

2007-07-19T00:26:00.000-06:00

Well...I don't really know what time it is...it's just some more pastel stuff I'm experimenting with...I'm pretty messy when I draw..or paint .......or clean my house. So I'm trying to find a style that works for my...."strengths".

Rough Night in Chicken Town

2007-07-18T22:41:00.001-06:00

Alright...so I'm really starting to notice the "Night theme" here....okay...so the next thing I put up here has to be a daytime shot. Just playing around with some pastel and pencil....plus I'm trying to loosen myself up a smidge....while exploring some new styles...new for me anyway.........Man I love stupid pictures like this....oh yeah, right....I've still got a book to finish.....Crud.

STRESS IS FUN!

2007-07-17T06:39:00.002-06:00

I kinda just wanted to throw this up here....it's a sketch that's from my "Stupid sketches file". The other day a friend and I were chattin' about stuff and we touched on the fact that we both tend to dig drawing characters that are somewhat stressed...and this one came to mind....I don't know why....but crap like this makes me laugh.......

Orrrr......... maybe it's because it's really a visual metaphor representing the way I feel about life...I'm the duck....treading in the dark waters of existence.......and just below the surface lurks all the obstacles..... bills... taxes......relationships......career ...oh and my neighbours.....

(by the by...if any neighbours happen to read this; I wasn't talking about you.:)

Getting closer!!!

2007-07-05T05:33:00.002-06:00

Okay...so it's been basically forever since I've added
anything to this blog....but I swear....I'M WORKIN'
ON IT!!!! Anyway...here's another page from the book... I'm actually getting close here...at this point I'm pretty much going through all the artwork and doing touch-ups and repairs....(We're talking about 30+ pretty pictures....this takes a while)..which reminds me...remember to fix the shadow on the Car...originally the car was on the left side of the page....crap.

Besides the Cover...this is really the last "new" piece of art I had to create.....For whatever reason, I really wanna try to give a "real" impression of the earth...it's such a cool image to see in photos...All alone...so important...and insignificant all at the same time...(man I'm deep) .....overall..I'm pretty happy..oh, Thank-you, Photoshop, sunflair :)

Found an old sketch.!!!

2007-03-09T01:12:00.002-06:00

This is just a little sketch I did a long while ago....it was just a quick location rough for an idea I had about a Girl who is given special powers when she puts on an old forest ranger's hat. Just the other day, I was playing with some new computer paint/ sketch programs and I did a little colour sketch below. As you can see...I changed the rocks to another tree....I think it's a bit of an obvious framing on the cabin...and maybe looks a bit forced...but the rocks alone ended up leaving the painting feeling unbalanced...

I'm gonna take this colour sketch a bit further.....I've never been much of a painter so this is a neat little experiment for me.....we'll see what happens!

2007-03-09T01:07:00.001-06:00

Hey ...Just wanted to post one of the double page spreads to the book....I kinda liked the way it turned out...though I think I wasn't entirely successful with the smoke trail...had to wrestle with the idea of keeping the trail highly visible on the blue yellow background but still have it feel in harmony with the rest of the page........would have loved to have a warm yellow tinge to the smoke...but that always seemed to be lost in the sky....and Don't worry...the squirrel makes it :)

2007-03-04T08:13:00.001-06:00

Phew! Day two of the Roundcat Blogging experience! It's been a long haul....I figured I'd post a couple visuals from my upcoming Children's book....It's a work in progress that started really as a quick story for my daughter..................................... Well, 3 years later...here it is......almost. Anyway, here's a few of the pages that are close to completion. I'm semi happy with the outcome....it's one of those things that I jumped into with a lose story and the idea that I'd do some quick illustrations to go with it....but the story was a bit confusing and the illustrations were....well....lame.

So I tried to , "improve them" but still tried to keep the original design of The girl and the cat....This was because I'd done a fair amount of the visuals already and the thought of a total redo made me cry.

Roundcat Babble

2007-03-03T16:07:00.004-06:00

Hey! Welcome to the Roundcat Productions Blog!

My Name's Ted. I'm the guy at the helm of this MASSIVE Corporation and from time to time I'll be posting some of the artwork and ideas in development at Roundcat.

I'm hoping this blog will serve as a window into what's happening at Roundcat Studios. As well as an online portfolio of my personal work. You can expect to see a variety of stuff. From Animated television concepts and Aviation art, to Children's books, children's art, and squirrel wrestling.....okay, kidding about that last one....

It's just that at Roundcat, we like to say:

"We're always doing as much as we can...Largely because we don't know what the heck we're doing.....or something like that"