Artist Thirty-Five: Phil Noto

Why this Artist?
    I have enjoyed Phil Noto's works for quite a few years now as he was one of those random artists that I found on Pinterest and quickly became obsessed with.  There was just something about the style of his works that I really liked and I loved a lot of the subjects he illustrated.  I thought all things considered, he would make an excellent artist number thirty-five. 

There are many of Noto's works that I really like, however here are some of my favorites:

Leia Skywalker - Dark Lord of the Sith by Phil Noto 

Wonder Woman by Phil Noto 

Buffy by Phil Noto 

 Who is this Artist?
    Phil Noto studied illustration at Ringling School of Art and Design.  After finishing his degree he worked for Walt Disney Animation on films such as Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan and Lilo and Stitch.  After ten years of animation however, he decided to become a comic artist.  Noto has illustrated for many comics including Batman, Superman, Danger Girl, Beautiful Killer, Hellboy, Buffy, The Infinite Horizon, Avengers, X-23, Wolverine and Jubilee, X-Force and Thunderbolts.  Noto has also worked on many large scale gallery paintings and has had solo exhibitions in galleries all over the world.  He has also attended a large number of Cons.  

What does he do?
    This artist creates illustrations, in his own style, of famous pop culture characters.  Noto likes to paint most of his works, however he is also an inker, colourist and penciller.  This artist's works are usually created using loose but definite lines and blended colors to create interesting lighting and realistic tones.  Noto's works range from the more realistic to the more cartoonistic, however no matter which work you look at, it is very clear he has his own style.

Why he inspires me?
    Looking at Noto's work will help me with mine because I am trying to create a posterized or comic book style and his style is a lot like that.  Noto is also an inspiration to me because he illustrates a lot of female characters but a lot of the time puts his own spin on them (for example creating a Princess and Sith Lord hybrid).  I also wish to put my own spin on famous females.  Noto is an inspiration to me in both the style of his works and his concepts. 

To see more of Noto's rad works, you know what to do: http://www.notoart.com/ 

Skyward by Phil Noto 

World's Finest TPB Cover by Phil Noto 

Solaris by Phil Noto 

Artist Thirty-Four: Sarah Hickey

Why this Artist?
    Sarah Hickey has earned her spot on my list of fifty artists for having an amazing illustration style and because like me, she is inspired by images of women from a variety of contexts, histories and worlds.  Hickey has an amazing way of layering imagery to create each of her works and she really blows me away. 

It was very hard but I have narrowed down some of my favorites to share: 

Charlotte Pondered the Family Tree by Sarah Hickey

Queen Amazon and Her Avian Entourage by Sarah Hickey

Spirit Selves by Sarah Hickey

Who is this Artist?
    Sarah Hickey received two bachelor degrees in fine arts and education from Griffith University.  Only five years later she had nine solo shows and over twenty group shows.  Hickey has been a Finalist in many art award competitions and was featured in Curvy Magazine.  Hickey is becoming more well known across the country which is well deserved as her works are very intriguing. 

What does she do? 
    This artist creates works that use a complex layering of imagery and patterns to depict spiritual iconography and the feminine.  Most of Hickey's works are inspired by female idols in history, pop culture, religions and other worlds.  All of Hickey's works are very colorful and vibrant and overall very beautiful. 

Why she inspires me?
    This artist inspires me not only because she has the same influences that I do (females from history, religion, pop culture, ect) but she also loves to depict these women in a beautiful but unique way.  I love that Hickey has her own style and has gotten better and better and stacking images together to create one cohesive piece.  Hickey is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists and I love her style.  I think someday I may even try to create a work inspired by her. 

To see some more of this amazing artist's works you can go to: http://sarahhickey.com.au/

Paola was Hailed for her Tauren Sensibilities by Sarah Hickey

Pregnant by Sarah Hickey

Soreya Dreamed of Tropical Booms and Island Heat by Sarah Hickey

Artist Thirty-Three: Gustav Klimt

Why this Art?
    Gustav Klimt was one of my very first, favorite artists.  My love for his artworks began when I was very little and entered my aunt's bedroom for the first time, she was an art student and had created a large work based around Klimt's style.  I can remember being very young starring at all the different colored shapes and loving the way it looked like a puzzle pieced together instead of a painting.  Klimt's works have always intrigued me and his style is something I have thought about trying to imitate so it is only right he be one of my artists. 

Here are some of my favorites that this artist has created: 

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt 

The Three Stages of Woman by Gustav Klimt 

Water Serpents by Gustav Klimt 

 Who is this Artist?

    Gustav Klimt was born in 1862 and died in 1918.  He was born near Vienna and attended the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts where he studied architectural painting.  A couple years later Klimt's career began when he started paintings interior murals and ceilings.  During his life Klimt painted many works which can now be seen all over the world in many museums and private collections.  He is now one of the most famous Symbolism/Art Nouveau painters in history and his works stand as a true testament to that. 

What does he do?

    This artist created paintings, murals, sketches and other art objects, a lot that focused on the female body.  His works almost have a frank eroticism to them.  Klimt has a very unique style, his paintings are made up of hundreds of simple shapes filled with a large variety of colors and arranged so the images almost look like large puzzles or collages.  His works are more decorative than realistic but the way he pieces them together is definitely something to be admired. 

Why he inspires me?

    The artist inspires me because of the way he effortlessly was able to piece simple shapes together and make amazing works of art.  He is also an inspiration because even though his work is a little bit different and not a lot of people were doing similar things, he still stuck behind his paintings and kept moving forward with his own personal style.  I hope that I can use Klimt's style to help me in my own work someday, especially when looking at works with a lot of simple shapes and am glad he was introduced to me at such a young age. 

More of Klimt's works can be found all over the internet, however one site you can visit is: http://www.klimtgallery.org/

Baby by Gustav Klimt

Danae by Gustav Klimt

Hope II by Gustav Klimt

Artist Thirty-Two: Mark Dos Santos

Why this Artist?
    Mark Dos Santos is another artist that I met at IndyPop Con, however in this particular case I had seen a few of his works prior to the convention.  This artist may not be the most famous, however his works definitely apply to mine as his style is something I admire and will be looking at for inspiration in my own works. 

Some of his works that I really enjoy:

Legend of Zelda by Mark Dos Santos

Buffy by Mark Dos Santos

Gotham Evening Post by Mark Dos Santos

Who is this Artist?

     Mark Dos Santos resides in southern California and is a freelance artist.  Mark enrolled at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts and his studies in animation and comics paid off as he still continues to grow in popularity and has had many good publishing jobs including doing illustrations for the comic "Deadlands: Hell on Earth".  This artist is currently becoming well known though because of his Gotham Evening Post issues that are based off of Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Posts.  Although he hasn't been in many galleries, his works can be found all over the country as he has been to a large number of Cons ranging from Comic-Cons to PopCons and other Cons all over. 

What does he do?
    This artist creates illustrations of famous pop culture references in his own style.  He has drawn many superheroes and other figures from television, video games and movies.  Mark Dos Santos has a bit of a poster style to a lot of his works and uses a lot of solid shapes and colors.  He likes to create works that take style references from other places, like old magazine covers.  

Why he inspires me?
    The artist inspires me because of the style of his works and the subjects he chooses to depict.  His thicker lines and sections of color are something I am looking at for my own work.  He also illustrates pop culture references in his own style and although I have not exactly found mine yet, I hope to do the same.  This artist makes many works of his favorite characters and I wholeheartedly enjoy each one of them. 

To see some more of his artworks you can go to one of his websites: http://markdossantos.com/index.html

Codex by Mark Dos Santos

Storm by Mark Dos Santos

Sweeney Todd by Mark Dos Santos

Artist Thirty-One: Tertia du Toit

Why this Artist?
    I discovered this artist somewhere in internet land and was very drawn to the clean and vibrant colors of her works.  The artist illustrates a lot of female characters and because this is something I am planning on doing for my large Senior Seminar project, her works are a great reference to inspire me later on.

Here are some of her works that I really like: 

Kitty by Tertia du Toit

Stoomafblaas by Tertia du Toit

Windvry by Tertia du Toit

Who is this Artist?
    This artist lives in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa but her work can be seen in many other places.  Tertia earned her BA in Painting from the University of Pretoria and has returned there and to a few other venues to lecture on Fine Art and Design.  This artist has been in many exhibitions both solo and group all over the world, some of her work can even be found in the United States.  Tertia has done a lot of commercial designs, illustrations and paintings for a countless number of companies and clients ranging from food companies, clothing companies, packaging places and many others.  The artist has also illustrated hundreds of book covers.  Tertia du Toit is a very successful professional artist and does some amazing works. 

What does she do?
    Tertia du Toit works in both paint and digital design to create her illustrations.  She depicts many subjects in her works, however drawing women seems to be her passion.  All of the artist's works have a very particular style, they all use very clean lines and vibrant colors.  Her works are bright and some even have a mystical feel because of the lighting she chooses to portray and even in some of her subjects.  This artist has a unique style and it is very recognizable if you have seen only a few of her pieces before. 

Why she inspires me? 
    The artist inspires me because I really enjoy her style of works and she is interested in portraying women, like me.  I love the way Tertia uses such an extreme color palette and makes the figures in her works look very natural.  She is a great example of an artist that has defined who she is and what style she likes to use and this is something I greatly admire.  I hope someday I can have a style and make just as strong and fun works.  

If you really like Tertia du Toit's work you can always visit: http://www.tertiadutoit.com/

Harts by Tertia du Toit

Potter's Place by Tertia du Toit

Triptic by Tertia du Toit

Artist Thirty: Mike Mahle

Why this Artist?
    I recently met this artist when I decided to become a complete geek and attended Indy's PopCon in Indianapolis, Indiana (Which was absolutely one of the best days of my life.. incase you were wondering).  Mahle's work jumped out to me rather quickly because it was in one style that I have considered for my senior seminar project.  I loved his very clear poster style and the fact that his female subjects looked really tough subconsciously summoned me to his booth.  I know this artist will be a good reference and inspiration for my own work this coming semester so I thought I would place him here as artist number thirty. 

Here are some of Mahle's awesome posters:

Lollipop Brigade by Mike Mahle

Sky Sirens by Make Mahle

Wonder Woman by Mike Mahle (I mean come on, we all knew this one was coming)

Who is this Artist? 
    Mike Mahle may not be one of the more popular (so far) artists that I have posted, however he is a professional designer and illustrator that shows his work at a lot of different Cons all over the United States.  He resides in Illinois but just a few of the places he has showed his work are Indy Pop Con, Three different Wizard Worlds, C2E2 and some others.  Mahle also has a Book Journal for sale that is filled with a lot of his illustrations.

What does he do?
    This artist creates both vector based and traditional pen and ink illustrations.  Most of his works are based on superheroes, classical movies and some of his own personal creations.  Mahle has a very posterized style in his works, he likes to use simple shapes and solid colors, which is something I want to try and do for my senior seminar works and gives him a unique style.

Why he inspires me?
    Mahle inspires me, not only because he enjoys illustrating the same types of things that I do, but because I really enjoy the style of his works and want to practice using similar methods.  I also admire this artist because his female characters look totally fierce and strong and that is something I am also planning on doing.  Mahle caught my eye the second I saw his booth at Indy PopCon because of his fantastic posters, I just hope I can use his work to help me with my own. 

More of Mahle's works can be found at his website: http://mikemahle.com/

Alice in Wonderland by Mike Mahle

Black Canary by Mike Mahle

Sherlock Holmes by Mike Mahle 

Artist Twenty-Nine: Andreas Franke

Why this Artist?
    I have always been intrigued by Andreas Franke's works, especially after I discovered that a lot of them can be seen hundreds of feet under water and can only be viewed if one uses scuba gear.  The dream-like feeling I received while flipping through his images had me hooked almost immediately so it is probably good I have finally added him to my list of artists. 

Here are some of my favorite photographs by Franke:

Little Red Riding Hood by Andreas Franke

Sarah by Andreas Franke

Mohawk #10 by Andreas Franke

Who is this Artist?
    Andreas Franke is a famous photographer that was named one of the 200 Best Photographers for Luerzer's Archive.  He has traveled all over the world and has worked for many brands some including Coca-Cola, Ben & Jerry's, Ford, Nike, Visa, Wrigley's, General Electric, Gillette, Heineken and many more.  The artist's works can be found in a number of magazines and other publications as well as in underwater exhibits, galleries and museums all over the world.  Franke creates unique photographs that are impossible to forget.

What does he do?
    Franke has been working on a project he has titled "The Sinking World' for many years.  This projects involves multiple exhibitions across the world.  One thing that is really interesting about Franke is that he displays his works above ground and underwater.  His underwater exhibits are especially cool because as the images sit (In protective cases), small sea creatures and sea scum begin to grow all over them, creating an awesome looking effect and giving the works an even eerier and interesting composition (I have attached one example, Adam's Break below).  In his works, Franke tries to bring a strange and forgotten underwater world back to life by taking photos of shipwrecks and adding authentic sceneries and scenarios from different periods in history.  Each of his exhibitions is taken at a different ship wreck and has a different time period or theme associated with them.  What amazes me though is how the photographs are then displayed on the corresponding underwater skeletons of the ship to create some very unique beauties.  Franke tries to create unreal and strange worlds through his images and I believe he is very successful in doing so.

Adam's Break by Andreas Franke (After being underwater for quite awhile) 

Some Scuba Divers Swimming Through One of Andreas Franke's Galleries

Why he inspires me?
    This artist inspires me in multiple ways, however, the first one is how he lets nature take it's course on his artworks.  Franke believes the specimens that naturally grow on his underwater works give them a unique look and that they are even more beautiful after being exposed to nature.  This is something that I think would be a really cool concept in the future, creating art and letting nature add to it.  Another thing that inspires me about Franke is how much he think outside the box.  Even though a select few people are able to scuba dive down and see his underwater galleries, he still continues to make them.  Is it possible to make something beautiful or to title something as "Art" if few or no one else can see it?  I don't know, however I do know that Franke is a genius and I would love to swim through one of his exhibitions someday.

Here are more works by this artist that I love, to see more feel free to click the link: http://www.thesinkingworld.com/

Picnic for Three by Andreas Franke

Snow White by Andreas Franke

Mohawk #8 by Andreas Franke

Artist Twenty-Eight: Tim Rogerson

Why this Artist?

    Tim Rogerson is one of my most favorite artists to date.  I have recreated over 10 of his works using acrylic paint and have even created my own original paintings based in his style.  I love his work so much I even painted In The Company of Legends twice.  Not only is he an artist that does a lot of Disney artwork (If you know me you know Disney is one of my favorite things) but he has a very fun style that is inspired by Picasso and Matisse, two other artists that I love.  I think it is highly appropriate after loving and copying his work for so long that he gets to be one of fifty great artists. 

Here are some of my favorite Disney Themed works by this artist: 

In The Company of Legends by Tim Rogerson

All Their Wicked Ways by Tim Rogerson

Micasso by Tim Rogerson

The Magic of Main Street by Tim Rogerson

Who is this Artist?

    Tim Rogerson was born in Orlando Florida but grew up in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  Rogerson attended the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida and earned his BFA in Illustration.  Rogerson has since, become a very successful artist.  He was named an official artist of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Winter Team, was named Official Artist for Disney's first ever D23 Expo and has had his works in many other galleries all over the world, and the Disney Vault as a piece of Disney History.  The artist has also received many honors and awards throughout his career and is gaining quite a reputation. 

What does he do?

    This artist creates a variety of works (mostly focusing on Disney themes now a days) that are all influenced by the styles of Picasso, Matisse. and Degas.  He uses many mediums to create works that are full of life and have a unique style.  A lot of his works almost look like puzzles as he breaks them up into sections and uses simple shapes and vibrant colors to pull them all together. Rogerson's work as very unique and his style recognizable. 

Why he inspires me?

    Rogerson inspires me because his works appeal to my Disney loving side and are also fun and unique.  I have seen a lot of Disney artwork but Rogerson puts a Picasso-like spin on his that is very addicting to look at.  I am also inspired by the way Rogerson breaks up his works into smaller sections, it makes the viewer's eyes travel across them.  I have always loved this artist and always will,  I love his style and hope that I can continue to use it as an inspiration in my own illustrations.  

Here are some Non-Disney works of Rogerson's that are really awesome.  To see more: http://tdrogerson.com/

Legends by Tim Rogerson 

Love is in the Air by Tim Rogerson

The Good Life by Tim Rogerson

I have also included a pretty crappy cell-phone camera picture of one of my current work (in progress) based on Rogerson's style below.  I tried to mimic the way Rogerson breaks up the image and colors. Below that is an acrylic version of Tim Rogerson's "In the Company of Legends" that I painted for my mom (One of many recreations of his work).  Both images are terribly taken but that's all I have for now.  

An In Progress Pride Rock by Jordan Hubbert

Acrylic Version of Tim Rogerson's painting "In the Company of Legends" done by Jordan Hubbert