joseph sapulich

SKETCHBOOK

After John Singer Sargent's 1879 painting of Carlos Duran.

Here is the final painting along with progressive stages leading up to it. Special thanks to my friend, H.J. Smith for posing for me. It was the fasted canvas I painted but it took the longest to finish. Huh? Well, the oil was painted in basically two sessions but there were several months in between those sessions. During that time H.J. moved to Oklahoma, got a great new job, met a wonderful girl and . . . well, let's just say I had to finish the painting before he forgot he even posed for me. Anyway, it was all worth it.

As you can see the canvas drawing wasn't all that on model—actually not very inspiring either. It was just a fast way to position key elements that would be more fully developed as the painting progressed. As for the edges, I love juxtaposing really sharp edges alongside softer edges and love nailing those areas that can be completely lost.

PAINTING IN PROGRESS

ROUGH CANVAS SKETCH

AVATAR FACIAL STUDIES

Distributed by 20th Century Fox

These are some of my early Navi character studies for the licensed property Avatar directed by James Cameron. The artists and designers working on our team were amazing and I just remember how great everyone was.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I learned about anatomy and figure drawing working with these artists. The film, of course, was extremely successful worldwide along with the ancillary products and promotions that were launched throughout the theatrical run.

Aang

Two of my character sketches for the Paramount Pictures property The Last Airbender. I enjoyed viewing the animated series for prep work before getting started on the project. The series did a great job blending humor within the underlying serious nature of the story. As you can tell from these sketches, the characters for the film were developed to have a more serious tone to reflect the hard realities of the world around them.

THE LAST AIRBENDER

These three images show my digital painting for water bending and the background. I used Photoshop CS4 and worked very large using a Wacom tablet. When the painting was sized down it looked photo realistic.

I've been crazy busy, so when I have time I'll post a few of my character sketches of Aang . . .

THE LAST AIRBENDER

These images are are samples of my digital painting assignments depicting water bending effects and backgrounds for the Paramount Pictures property The Last Airbender. Working on this project was amazing. I got to meet M. Night Shyamalan the day he was flying out to adopt his daughter. My wife and I adopted both our children so I appreciated his excitement and commitment.

What I remember most is walking into our first meeting getting a jolt of all of the creative energy. Being in that room with so many artists and creative thinkers who were dreaming dreams and making them become reality through their art was so inspiring. I left that place feeling excited to be a creative thinker—a person living beyond the box.

PEN SKETCHES

I thought I'd share a few of my doodles that I did a while back with just about any pen that happened to be laying around. I doodle ideas, thoughts, anatomy studies such as eyes and faces, and sometimes I even doodle artist's paintings to learn as much as I can about their work.

Doodling helps me see and better understand the world around me. Most often we think we see something but we really don't fully comprehend the significance of it all. It never ceases to amaze me how light can wrap around a seemingly insignificant object and yet cloak it with beauty and deep emotional impact.

CHARACTER SKETCH

PRISMACOLOR PENCIL

Rough character sketch using Prismacolor on vellum. Just getting a basic understanding and feeling for this character and his personal characteristics as I see them.

PENCIL SKETCH

This pencil is from memory for an oil painting. Most of my conceptual ideation is in rough pencil sketches. Even when I go to the final canvas or digital painting I most often draw everything out to make sure the anatomy is accurate and the layout is working. The sketch posted above shows my usual style and technique for both thought and preliminary canvas layouts. Sketching people, places, ideas and dreams really helps me grow as an artist. I go through several sketchbooks a year and seem to do more now than ever before.

THE PRODIGAL

THE PRODIGAL

Few knew his name but many remembered his face as he made his way along the back roads of the Smokey Mountains. He slowly walked up to the house where he spent his youth and scanned the land with tired eyes. He saw the old truck was parked in it's usual spot beside the field he once worked. He shook his head and smiled. He thought how the years were hard on that old Ford but then realized they were harder on him.

He stood there for a while and just breathed in the air and took it all in. It seemed like no time had past at all. Even the soil was just as hard and cold as he remembered. He tried to to make a go of it but just . . . his mind flooded with memories of his past—even her. Then, the harsh reality of the cold wind brought his thoughts back to the present where he stood alone. The prodigal had returned home but here was no one there to greet him. So nothing changed. Not the land. Not the home coming. Not even him.

DETAIL OF CANVAS; OIL ON LINEN 30x40"

I started this painting with a charcoal drawing which was the best that I ever did—it was fantastic. Masterful. Never before has a drawing flowed so freely from my fingertips. How amazed and impressed I was until I realized the entire layout had to move two inches to the right. I tried to ignore it but I had to wipe off the sketch and redo it. This second drawing wasn't brilliant but it did the job. Oh well.

After that I fixed the charcoal and then gave it an over all atmospheric wash of color to set the tone of the environment. I blocked in the local colors of the face, hat, sky, coat and car with extremely loose brush strokes. After that, I painted the face since it was the focal point and referenced it against the previous color indications.

In my process, the under drawing (if one is even used) is quickly covered up by layers of paint so every stroke of the brush needs to be drawn. In realistic paintings, it's important to realize that each stroke represents a surface fixed within the three dimensional universe. It must be placed in such a way as to turn the flow of light across the figure while giving a defined shape to that form. To me, that's really the biggest technical difference between painters—the various levels of ability to draw form with the brush.

DESPERADO

OIL ON LINEN 26 x 30"

I spent a good part of my youth in smoke filled bars located in the South side of Chicago. My father shot pool most of the evening and I remember the faces of the customers coming and going as the hour grew late. To some it was a refuge from the hard realities of the outside world. Marriages gone sour. The daily grind of working tough jobs. The repetition of day to day life making ends meet feeding the family. The beer made some forget their labors and kick back for a while as others fell deeper into depression. I learned a lot about people there.

I most often sat near the pool table and drew on napkins. Lots and lots of napkins. I started sketching the posters on the wall featuring name brand beers with beautiful mountains and waterfalls in the background. They looked like great places to live as the images of far away locations stood out against the dark walls. Sometimes the customers would go outside to have a smoke and lean against the building to talk so I sketched them as well. So many faces and personalities. I learned no matter how a person smiled, talked, or walked, their eyes would reveal their inner soul—the gladness or the sadness.

There was one guy who came in regularly just to get into a fight. His life was on the down turn and the atmosphere around him was dark. He was doing a slow burn and waited for someone—anyone—to start something. He would come by from time to time with the same predictable outcome. I never knew his real name but when he entered the bar everyone knew there would be trouble. That was a long time ago when I was in grade school. I have no idea what happened to him but his lifestyle could only have gone on for so long.

This oil painting depicts the man as I remember him standing outside the tavern by the back door like a desperado. He seemed to own the wall alongside the gangway which led to the alley. He would stand there and wait. Burning. I heard he lost his woman but I don't know how. Fighting was the only way he could feel anything again and it seemed to be what he did best.

DETAIL

I suppose our past shapes us and drives us to succeed or fail depending on how we decide to face the challenges life throws at us. As it turned out, I would use my art to leave that world and live in a house surrounded by nature—wetlands with a beautiful lake teaming with wildlife—just like those posters promised me so many years ago.

I've included shots of this painting in progress. I usually start out with a thumbnail done in a sketchbook and then refine it for emotional impact. Once I find a model, I sketch it out all over again and then project that finished layout onto a large canvas for the final painting. The small sketch then becomes my base for a color key if I feel one is needed. If so, many keys are painted until I find the right color space and lighting scheme. Once the charcoal is sealed with a thin spray of fixative, I apply a color wash over the entire canvas to cover the white ground and work as a unifying color when the canvas shows through the brush strokes.

CHARCOAL DRAWING WITH OIL WASH

PENCIL FROM SKETCHBOOK

Every painting I do is drawn from my life experiences. There is a story woven within the image which, I hope, gives a deeper insight to the character's soul and personality. If I grew up in a different place and time I might be painting daises set against a beautiful sunset but I have to be true to what I know. What I have personally experienced. I think that's why artists get better with age—there is a deeper sense of life to draw from and an understanding that at certain times in our life there is a little bit of a desperado in all of us.

Old Hickory

OIL ON CANVAS 18 X 24"

Tony Salerno, a dear friend of mine, posed for this oil painting. He has battled several forms of cancer over the years while living an amazingly active life which includes a full time job, working in several ministries, and devoting himself to his adult children—two lovely daughters.

We have served together in prison ministry for years where I have seen his gentle heart touch so many people with love and hope. He's the type of guy who will always be there for you. No matter who you are. No matter where you end up. He'll be there with hat in hand wearing a gentle smile. You might give up on yourself but he won't give up on you.

Within the emotional tones of this painting, there is a visual thread that hints to his past life of living hard. He once told me he has a lot of grace to give to people because he has received so much of it himself. These days, few preach it and less give it, but when you see grace in action there is no greater force on earth. With this said, we are left with a simple statement of a man who has faced life head on and has not only survived but thrived.

CANVAS DETAIL

I chose a warm color palette for this painting with a strong light source and defined shadow pattern. The light moves across the form of the figure creating a sense of movement which helps to frame the focal point of the image. He is posed in a way that speaks of his gentle manor with people. Holding his hat over his heart also added a visual cue to his respectful nature humbled by years of living life. Tony's smile is ever present as it contrasts his rugged features that remind me of old hickory.

Clone Wars

I really enjoyed working on this project because the content was so creative and the people on the design team were insanely talented. It's been an awesome time for me because I'm just blown away with being able to work with artists who are at the top of their game and yet about as humble as you can get.

Wolverine

This sketch was based off a sculpt which was amazing. This was just to get warmed up and then I went on to using the studio model sheets and reference materials for the rest of the project. Anyway, it was a way for me to get started thinking about Wolverine before concentrating on the live action reference materials. I was sketching various blue sky versions experimenting with how far to push the blades, muscle structure comparisons from live action to comic art, and also playing around with the costume detailing. The final ideation sketches are still being developed so this is the only one I can share.

Jackhammer

OIL PAINT ON CANVAS 24x34"

Jack started out as a boxer and then moved on to ride the highways and byways as a long haul trucker. I don't know how many miles he racked up over the years but I do know he faced life like a champ and won more than he lost. He learned the hard way how to take a punch and get back up again to finish the fight. He's tough as nails but one of the most real and caring people I've ever met.

That's what makes the heartland of America such a special place to me. People like Jack are a joy to find and paint because they are a different kind of breed. Instead of pointing a finger they lend a helping hand. Instead of searching for faults they help you find strengths.

DETAIL

No matter how bad the storm may be or how tough the times seem to get people like Jack don't stay down very long. They refuse to lose. Tough as nails they don't surrender to the odds but hammer right back. Day by day and year by year they work the land, dream their dreams and put food on the table to feed their familes. I don't think I'll ever get tired of painting people like that.

SKETCHBOOK

POKER FACE

AVATAR FACIAL STUDIES

Aang

THE LAST AIRBENDER

THE LAST AIRBENDER

PEN SKETCHES

CHARACTER SKETCH

PENCIL SKETCH

THE PRODIGAL

DESPERADO

Old Hickory

Clone Wars

Wolverine

Jackhammer

Labels

Blog Archive

••• ••