The Burial of Mr. Sweeney Todd

Today, this 16th day of December, Two-thousand nine, we remember the life of a very beloved Crown-tailed Betta fish, Mr. Sweeney Todd. He was the most daring and fierce Betta fish that I've had the privilege of owning, thus far, and lived a good life in a spacious 2-gallon tank. He'd swam around great reefs, plant life, and even a sunken Man 'o War battleship, during his lifetime and blew great joyful bubble nests when he wasn't flaring up his gills at his fellow Betta. In attendance of his funeral was his beloved owner Christopher Manzanares, his friends Kristiana Miller, Mr. Tobias (Toby), and Mr. Poe. Also witnessing the burial of Mr. Todd was Pete the neighboring Black Labrador.

This is the last resting place of Mr. Sweeney Todd. Buried next to his dear friend, Archimedes, who passed away earlier this year from natural causes.

Mr. Sweeney Todd
Brought home early in the year 2008
Passed Away the early in the morning of December 16, 2009
He is estimated to have lived 3-4 years.

I woke up this morning to find Mr. Todd lying fin up in his recovery bowl. He'd been battling with a fierce Swim Bladder Disorder for nearly 2-weeks, and it seems as though his treatment and medication just weren't enough to get him back to health. Unable to swim to the top, except for air, he hadn't eaten anything since his sickness started.


Filled with sorrow, the other Betta couldn't bring themselves to say goodbye to their dearly departed friend.

Toby turned his back to the scene,
and Poe simply hid amongst his plants.



Named after the infamous Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Mr. Sweeney Todd was bold, fiery, and spirited. His colors were fitting to his daring personality, red with black-tipped fins.

We say this to you, Mr. Todd, you shall forever be missed, and though your tank may be occupied by another in the future, you are truly irreplaceable. We love you.

"Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight."
~Rossiter Worthington Raymond

Pinc Tacos - Board Bunny #1 Final

I just now realized that I hadn't posted the final draft of the Snowboarder. Pinc Tacos told me that there was something that they didn't like about her face, originally, so I had to go back and redo everything from the neck up.

"Board Bunny #1"
5" x 12" x 300ppi Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos 3 tablet

Pinc Tacos - Spray the White Poster!

I've finished the ski bunny. So I wanted to share the image that we all agreed upon. we had some issues with the font, initially, but we came to a satisfying compromise.
Christopher Manzanares
"Spray the White"
9"x12"x300ppi Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop w/ Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet

One Hot Burnout! Pinc Tacos Poster.

Ok, so now that we've settled on the image, we're throwing in the neon sign and a little bit of flavor text. The text may change or we may throw it out entirely, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm a huge fan of all things classic, so naturally I chose this very attractive Art Deco font for the flavor text.

Skier Update!

Just wanted to post this quick update on the Pinc Tacos skier. A friend of mine from RMCAD suggested that I try doing a high-key pinup, so that the flesh doesn't look so "Hard." I'm not sure if I've quite achieved it, yet, but it's certainly starting to pop.

Pinc Tacos - Skier Spraying the White!

So you saw the snowboarder, now here's the skier that I'm working on. This is second draft that I've sent to Pinc Tacos of this pose. Once again, the catch-phrase for this winter series will be "It just feels right to spray the white!"

RMCAD Art Bash 2009

Come just to look or you can also bid on unique pieces of original artwork created by Yours Truly, selected professional artists, RMCAD faculty, alumni, and students. Proceeds will benefit the Foundation’s student scholarship fund.

More than 140 works of art will be on the block for this annual event and fundraiser. View and bid on the canvases here starting November 23, or see them in-person—they’ll be on display in the Rotunda Pavilion from November 30 - December 5. The event will be capped off with a wine and cheese reception and final live silent auction December 5, from 6 - 9 pm (bidding ends at 8).

WHEN:
Saturday, Dec 5, 2009, 6 - 9:00 PM

WHERE:
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (Rotunda Building)
1600 Pierce St
Lakewood, CO 80214

For more info, visit:
http://www.rmcad.edu/student-life/art-bash-2009-2009-12-05
or
Philip J. Steele Arts Education Foundation


RSVP on Facebook:
CLICK HERE!

This is the piece that I did for the Art Bash. Go and see it Live, it looks much better. It's kind of blown out in this poor photograph.

Christopher Manzanares
"Romancing The Stone"
8"x8" Oil on Canvas

Pinc Tacos - One HOT Burnout! Final (maybe)

Ok, after blood, sweat, tears, and probably the loss of 8 or so pounds, I believe that I'm finished with "One Hot Burnout!" Everything's been polished, contoured, and Turned on, I think I'm ready to stamp my final seal on this one. Of course it's all up to the clients to tell me if there's anything else that they want to see, but I'm guessing that this one's good to go!

Pinc Tacos - S&S Ironhorse Hotties Update!

With the holiday, last week, I had to take a day off, but I realized just a minute ago that I've neglected to post an update on the Burnout piece for Pinc Tacos. So here's a quick shot of my progress. The girls are nearly done, then it's the headlight and the smoke from the burning rubber, and then Fine'. Take a look at the girls in the meantime. = D

One Hot Burnout - S & S Engine Completed!

I've finished up with all of the mechanics of the engine and the pipes, So I wanted to just throw it up here and share it with you guys. This is an S&S 45th Anniversary 145 cubic inch high performance V-Twin engine. The engine was first built in 2003 as a tribute to the original founders, George and Marjorie Smith. In addition, it commemorates Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary. It was also intended to honor all passionate builders, riders, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts who have helped grow the 100-year evolution of the V-Twin motorcycle market. The 145 Cubic Inch motor is capable of producing over 185 horse-power and 180 ft. lbs. of torque. Very Impressive! I turned off the smoke from the burn-out so that you can better examine the motor.

Pinc Tacos Pinup Update - One Hot Burnout

Hi everybody, I just wanted to give you another progress shot of "One Hot Burnout." All of this machinery is meticulously time consuming, but I'm trucking along at an even pace listening to a LOT of Meat Loaf. I should have this thing wrapped up this weekend. Then it's on to more snow bunnies!

Pinc Tacos - One Hot Burnout Update

Just had to post a quick update on the Burnout piece. I've been given the go-ahead for this version, so I thought I'd share the process shot before I start cleaning it up a little bit more.

Spray the White - Pinc Tacos Snowboarder #1

Here's the final of the Snowboarder.


Digital Painting 5x11x300ppi
Adobe Photoshop CS4
Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet

Pinc Tacos - Spray the White

Here's The next Pinc Tacos Project that I'm working on. the theme of it is a series of sexy skiers and snowboarders to market up at the resort town novelty shops. The phrase that we're going with is, "It just feels right to spray the white!" Here's the first snowboarder that I've started to develope. Not finished yet, but I thought I'd share a process shot. Done in Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos 3 tablet.

One Hot Burnout Update - Pinc Tacos Pinup #3

You saw the bike, now I've added the babes. I'll continue to refine everything, but here they are, for now.

One Hot Burnout - Pinc Tacos update

Here's the bike I'm working on, for the next pin up. I'm getting a photoshoot together, for this pose, but it's been very difficult to coordinate 3 girls, one bike, and the weather all on one day. I'm really getting ready to tear some hair out of my head, at this point.

When you hit a wall; SGI Daily Encouragement

This is Soka Gakkai President Daisaku Ikeda's Daily encouragement for October 8th:
"When you encounter a wall, you should tell yourself, 'since there is a wall here, a wide, open expanse must lie on the other side.' Rather than becoming discouraged, know that encountering a wall is proof of the progress that you have made so far. I hope that you will continually advance in your Buddhist practice with this conviction blazing ever more strongly in your heart."

This encouragement really made my mind rest a little bit easier now that I've come to my own wall, where it feels like I've come to an abrupt halt after a long string of success. I know that I can look back at what I've done, and realize that there's something more grand waiting just ahead of me and to not give up with what I'm doing. I hope that this is just as helpful for anyone else who reads this.

One Hot Burnout!

Here's just a quick snapshot of the next pin up that I'm working on for Pinc Tacos. We decided that redheads always rock, but we needed some other hair color diversity in the mix. This is the approved sketch that I sent to the client.

Easy Glider Final

Ok, the client wanted the text changed a little bit, so here's the final version of "Easy Glider."

Easy Glider
12"x16"x300ppi
Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

Easy Glider - Pinc Tacos Pin up #2

Here is the second Pin up girl for the Pinc Tacos t-shirts. Still working with the text, but this is what the back of the t-shirt will look like, more or less. Baggers are getting really popular in the motorcycle world, so I decided to put a girl on a Road Glide, which is where the name "Easy Glider" was derived.



Easy Glider
Digital Painting
12"x12"x300ppi
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

Pinc Tacos!

Since I only currently have 1 follower on my blog, I'm hoping that I'll draw some attention with what I'm working on, now (drumroll) ..................................
PINC TACOS! This is the logo that I came up with after several revisions. This logo will be the spearhead for all of the marketing.


I'm on assignment with a couple of guys that do custom .45 work, and now they're out to make a line of apparel. They're heavy into motorcycles and pin ups. Someone handed them my card and called me to do all of the pin up work for their clothing line. The company is called "Pinc Tacos." Basically pin up girls and pink taco bell tacos. It's cheesy and kitsch but that's pin up, right? So I'm pretty excited.
I'll be putting up some more of the stuff that I'm working on, but here's some shots for now.

This was the sketch that I did after hearing the client's ideas.

This was the sketch that I showed the client. He quickly approved, so I moved on to the next step.

Adding Color!

After several revisions, and knowing that the t-shirts would be black, this is the final image that will be printed on the T-Shirts, keep an eye out for them.

La Fe Backcover

Here is the back cover for La Fe: Poetry of a Widow's Spirit
9x12x300ppi Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop CS4 W/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

La Fe digital Final

Finished the digital painting for the cover of "La Fe."


9"x12" 300ppi
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

Back in the Saddle, The Popular Puffin

I'm back from Alaska, now, and I'm straight back to working and cleaning things up. I got a lot of painting done, while I was in Alaska and managed to sell all three of the paintings that I did, while I was up there. I also did some caricatures at the Funny River Festival. I'll try to get as many pictures up, in a timely fashion, but I have a TON of pictures to sort through and resize for the web. So just be patient. In the meantime, Here's one of the paintings I did:
"The Popular Puffin"

Here was the sketch:

Gone Fishin'!

I will be leaving for Alaska, tonight, and will not be back until the first week of August. I will be out of range of any technology with the exception of a land line. My cell phone may be out of reach, as well. See you all in August! ~Christopher

Progress 2

La Fe Start

Starting the sketch of the final image. Working in Photophop CS4 Extended

Lightbox on my blog

I'm going to try to add lightbox to my blog so it will be easier to view pictures. I'll get to it later today.

Thumbnail Finals

These are the two that I'm going to run with and see what I come up with.

New book cover: La Fe by Jeanette Gilmore

Just wanted to poke in and let everybody know that I'm working on a new book cover for a collection of poetry by Jeanette Gilmore. Here are some thumbnails for you to look at. oooooh thumbnails.... More to come Soon.

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Tonight! 5-8pm - Come to My Grad. Art Exhibition

Where:
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Phillip Steele Gallery
1600 Pierce St.
Lakewood, CO 80214

When:
Friday, Apr 24, 2009
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM MDT

Because of the terrible weather, the show had to be postponed, I hope that this change will be more convenient for some of you.

This is my very last show as an undergrad and I would be very honored if you would come and see the very best of my work, before I graduate. I've put a lot into this show and I think that you will enjoy it very much. There will be refreshments and drinks served at the gallery and it's sure to be a real bang. I'm sorry for the short notice, but I've been painting painting painting, and getting everything ready for it.

I hope you can make it.
~Christopher

P.S:
You can also view my work at www.christophermanzanares.com
Please send me a message letting me know if you can or can't make it, so I can know who to expect.

Here's a quick process shot of the under-painting for Leda and the Swan. If you want to see the final, you'll have to come to the show = )

Website is ONLINE! - About Me

I just finished my Bachelor of Fine Art Degree in Illustration at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. If you're interested in attending my Grad. Show or want to follow up with my work more closely please go to my website www.christophermanzanares.com

Website Under Construction

My Website will be up and running pretty soon. I have all of the designing done and am halfway through with actually building the page for the web. More updates coming soon.

Third Post - Final Test

Last Test. BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG

Second Blog Test

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First Blog - EVERRRR...

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