there is no robot god

Laika

2011-06-15T16:19:00.004-04:00

I was recently on Alyssa Nasser’s blog Ten Paces and Draw, this was my final from Alyssa’s sketch, be sure to check out the awesome final from my sketch and everyone else’s take on this week’s theme: OUTER SPACE

In other news I've been trying out tumblr and I've decided to devote it to more sketch/misc items and keep this blog for larger more thorough updates

Totes

2011-05-21T23:53:00.000-04:00

I didn’t do a very good job of letting anybody know about this but you can now purchase my design on a snazzy tote here if you’re in New York anytime soon just walk yourself into The Strand and pick one up

Every day they see me Tumblin' tumblin' tumblin'

2011-04-13T22:16:00.002-04:00

So I'm going to be transitioning this blog over to that new fangled Tumblr

A new idea

2011-04-12T20:36:00.003-04:00

Here's another color test for a different idea I had for Adam's book

Don't you quit on me

2011-04-06T23:03:00.003-04:00

This image is a test for a larger image I'm doing for my friend Adam's alphabet book, my letter is Q and this is slightly lighter tone than my earlier idea of the ghost of suicide victims

Click it its a .gif

2011-04-01T19:36:00.002-04:00

I promise this is very important work and relative to illustration

Clothing company

2011-03-25T03:29:00.003-04:00

This is taken from an image that will be in a zine at the MoCCA festival, can you guess what it is?

All a twitter

2011-03-14T17:58:00.001-04:00

While I wait for my computer situation to be resolved I'll be putting up some blurry photos of sketches and the like on my twitter

My computer died

2011-03-09T00:59:00.000-05:00

It's like I'm living in the middle ages

erh...ummmm... ahhh

2011-02-23T22:00:00.001-05:00

Awwwww Yeah

2011-02-20T02:26:00.002-05:00

Busy busy busy

2011-02-14T20:13:00.001-05:00

Been busy, no new work but this is a thing

Trust Issues

2011-02-03T15:57:00.001-05:00

Found this poster in an old frame so I decided to spruce it up a little

Ode on a Grecian Tilley

2011-01-26T16:59:00.005-05:00

This is my entry for the 2011 New Yorker Eustace Tilley contest. This year the winning image will appear on a tote bag for the strand bookstore so I went with a classic Greek style as a homage to the classical thinkers that inspired our love of knowledge and their receptacle, the book

P.S. There's still time to vote for my design on Threadless

VOTE!

2011-01-21T22:02:00.004-05:00

Think about all those times I've been there for you, all those favors, the small acts of kindness, dear friends wouldn't it be great if there was some way to show your appreciation for me? For those I don't know think of all the times you've needed someone there for you, all those times you could have used a favor, a small act of kindness. Wouldn't you like to get in on that action? Well now you can by voting for my Threadless T-Shirt design

fffffffuuuuu

2011-01-20T22:39:00.002-05:00

jk jk no special announcement.
but...

New Work

2011-01-19T21:55:00.002-05:00

New work on my website

Also be sure to check back tomorrow for a special announcement

Cinghiale

2011-01-17T20:53:00.004-05:00

On New Year's Eve I worked coat check at a fancy restaurant, the first thing I noticed was that the coat check room they put me in was not designed to hold coats, the second was that I was sequestered away so I could get away with being paid to doodle, the restaurant is called Cinghiale, which is Italian for wild boar, but the logo the had was typographic and more of a a "wild bore" (I'm high-fiving myself right now) so I decided to draw a new one

Greeting from Sunny Florida

2011-01-10T15:00:00.003-05:00

Panther style

New Work

2010-12-11T20:08:00.003-05:00

New work on my website

Little old ladies

2010-12-08T19:53:00.001-05:00

Hmmmm

2010-12-05T18:55:00.001-05:00

There's a new post, underneath the old one, so two down from this, can't seem to re-arrange them into proper order though

Ok now I feel creepy

2010-12-02T03:07:00.002-05:00

Process

2010-12-02T01:41:00.003-05:00

I'm starting a new self initiated illustration project, I started with a single figure and then becuase he was on a scrap I drew the others on other pieces of scrap then scanned and combined them in photoshop. I used played around with their positioning and decided I would change the mop man for composition, I also did a color test. Next step is to print out the composite, refine and make the desired changes and then ink that final sketch, more to come, stay tuned

Fan Art

2010-12-01T22:16:00.003-05:00

I am very comfortable with my sexuality thank you. Original characters here

Typeunion

2010-11-24T21:26:00.004-05:00

I've found this site, typeunion.net, where people, anyone, can submit they're typographic work, that's me in the upper left hand square, check it out

Over the Mooon

2010-11-16T02:04:00.002-05:00

New! New! New!

2010-11-08T03:37:00.002-05:00

Check it out: michaelclaytonillustration.com

I can't stop

2010-11-04T22:49:00.001-04:00

drawing the moon

Wildcard

2010-11-02T21:44:00.001-04:00

Coming soon

2010-10-28T12:49:00.003-04:00

YES YES YES

2010-10-26T15:21:00.003-04:00

I'm a big science enthusiast and as an artist I want to do my part to bring the wonder of the subject to those unaware, a lot of science illustration I find unappealing and off-putting to those not already entrenched in the subject but this image is one of the greatest picture to come out of academia. From a study on how dogs dry themselves by shaking

Test

2010-10-25T22:48:00.001-04:00

Synesthesia

2010-10-23T05:29:00.003-04:00

a digital sketch for a new illustration, to be completed in ink and guache

Found some old drawings

2010-10-13T17:48:00.003-04:00

This is a team of ghost/monster hunters, a young ghostbuster type scientist, an old witch and a ghost who's scared of monsters, get it? Those tentacle things are atrocious, and the young scientist has an oddly stylized face

Here's two gunslinger types, I'm still pretty fond of this one but I think it needed some better black white balance so I fuxed with it a little and got this:
Also, the cowboy in the foreground went on to found Arby's

ay, there's the rub

2010-10-06T16:23:00.002-04:00

A piece on depression, hmmm it's a little long so I guess you're going to have to click on it for a better view (that's what she said?)

Webermasite

2010-10-04T20:05:00.002-04:00

New website is up! check it out.

sooooooooooooontiredc

2010-09-24T20:30:00.001-04:00

slseepy facrrew

Website revamp

2010-09-22T17:09:00.003-04:00

Revamping my website, including a new little contact link, reorganizing, adding some new work, should be up soon

A brief history of light

2010-09-21T19:21:00.003-04:00

If you can't read my chicken scratch the above reads: In 1670 Isaac Newton discovered light, but light was too fast and escaped. In 1760 Ben Franklin invented lightning, an artificial light. Later Edison, in a game of riddles, was able to trap lightning in a glass prison.

words and pictures by me

We have an unreasonable show for you this evening

2010-09-17T12:03:00.001-04:00

The elusive Annie Wu

2010-09-15T18:17:00.003-04:00

Today I wore this shirt, from the amazing Annie Wu, he is my portrait of Annie:

This is the quintessential portrait of Annie Wu because it is mostly black, hides a majority of her face, and features a computer and fancy shoes

And everything else

2010-09-13T00:58:00.001-04:00

People I don't know

2010-09-10T15:47:00.003-04:00

Shaggy as a wrestler

James Lipton as a muppet

People I know

2010-09-08T15:59:00.000-04:00

Hope you like tropes

2010-09-07T13:53:00.001-04:00

Spoilers, he's both

2010-09-03T10:36:00.002-04:00

Sketchers

2010-09-01T18:02:00.007-04:00

took in an Orioles game

a close up of the players (to scale from my seats)

The Doctor (my preferred incarnation)

My pre-college class (Tommy could do that with his foot)

sketching on the light rail

More Werewhale on Friday

Is he man, whale, or both?

2010-08-30T21:53:00.001-04:00

Typewriter

2010-08-23T21:08:00.002-04:00

Typewriters are like a computer without any of the fun parts

Go figure

2010-08-18T21:41:00.002-04:00

Fans

2010-08-06T02:16:00.003-04:00

found some old drawings while cleaning up the computer

A GOD

2010-07-22T20:23:00.006-04:00

I want to do more collage, traditional and digital, for funnzies, maybe sell the traditional for monies

Wildcard

2010-07-22T15:04:00.003-04:00

Sketch for a business card for Wildcard productions, wanted to go with a jester/joker card feel but the danger there is making sure it doesn't feel like Joker's calling card from Batman, so I went with a theatrical character that could by good or bad depending on what was called for

Hey there

2010-07-20T15:11:00.003-04:00

After the great Egon Schiele

The MOON

2010-07-15T21:59:00.002-04:00

Space Man

2010-07-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

The big plump jowls of zany Dick Nixon

2010-07-08T15:59:00.004-04:00

the lowercase s and z gave me some trouble, both could be the other

You Are, Are You?

2010-07-08T11:41:00.003-04:00

hmmmm, I don't know, what do you think?

Post College Pre College Update

2010-07-01T15:33:00.002-04:00

Easy as

2010-06-08T18:52:00.002-04:00

Working on an alphabet and a block/screen print, more on that later

I'm very good at what I do and what I do is this...

2010-06-01T20:31:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned before I was recently part of a friends wedding, the entire time I desperately wanted some kindly distant relative to ask me what I did so that I could show them these drawings I made on the trip up to Pittsburgh

You don't go out looking for a job dressed like that

2010-05-23T18:20:00.002-04:00

Been ignoring the blog due to this whole graduation thing (see picture), my friend Zack getting married, and all the run around from Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and now finally Louisville, I'll be headed back up to Baltimore soon but until then my resources are limited, but by next week, if not sooner, I'm going to try to start updating this blog three times a week, shouldn't bee hard, now that I'm unemployed...

Is this a... what day is this?

Who rocks?

2010-04-15T12:15:00.001-04:00

It's business time

2010-04-15T02:32:00.005-04:00

I ordered my business and postcards!

business card front
and back
Postcard frontand backA bigger version of the self portrait on the back of the card

Also I have a website! MichaelClaytonIllustration.com

The Extraculrriculars

2010-04-08T15:15:00.004-04:00

This guy is the second character for a project I'm working on called "The Extracurriculars" it's about kids who meet after school to beat the shit out of each other at the playground. This guy is called the hammer, becuase he breaks his own arms and fights in casts

A sampling from Illusionism

2010-04-08T15:11:00.002-04:00

Here are three pieces from last semester's Illusionism class that fell through the blog posting cracks

It's a whale of a tale, it's the tale of a whale

2010-04-05T23:47:00.004-04:00

First four pages of Werewhale, minus lettering, still a few tweaks before they're done, don't really know how I feel about this project, tell me what you think...

My name is on this, just above the shoulder on the right

2010-03-29T00:51:00.004-04:00

Come to the show, Friday April 2nd, I'm gonna be there

Imma cowboy

2010-03-24T14:05:00.002-04:00

On a steel horse I ride...

Jump

2010-03-16T21:05:00.000-04:00

I like the top drawing better

Spring "Break"

2010-03-14T03:36:00.003-04:00

I think I'm going to be drawing this guy a lot in the future, and his friends

Post Tramatic Stress Disorder

2010-03-05T21:18:00.001-05:00

Louisville Slugger

2010-03-03T16:39:00.003-05:00

So here I am, stumbling in like someone's drunken dad. Where have I been? Well son, how bout we go get some ice cream? I'll make it to your soccer game next time, I promise.

They real reason for my blog neglect has been that I'm working on my comic, Werewhale, and I won't have anything to show until it's all done, so in the meantime check out this guy

Posts should be more regular from now on, I promise

Drawing, digital and othewise

2010-02-09T23:04:00.002-05:00

The Greatest Generation

2010-02-02T17:50:00.002-05:00

In the movie Enemy at the Gates there are several scenes featuring a Russian Flag carrier charging into battle, I like to think it's the same guy and that he survived the entire war, and killed like 20 Nazi's with that flag

Drawing from the tablet

2010-01-28T09:32:00.006-05:00

Here are some images from one of my studio classes, drawing from the tablet. 2 min gestures and a 20 min pose

Political science

2010-01-17T20:13:00.002-05:00

Here's a piece from my thesis I forgot to put up, its about how science is often construed to support an ideological agenda

Somewhere

2010-01-08T00:17:00.001-05:00

Forgotten

2010-01-04T07:59:00.003-05:00

whoops, I just realized I never posted this after making the changes this is the companion piece to this

New year, old images

2010-01-02T00:28:00.003-05:00

Some even older illustrations I made during sophomore year

Break

2009-12-22T23:30:00.007-05:00

I'm back at home, away from a nice big scanner and most of my stuff, so here's some older stuff that I've worked on but didn't have a blog to post them on at the time. All of these are from my junior year

Count Chocula Remake

WPA poster remke

And finally, an old idea but also a preview for my next semester thesis: Werewhale

Last one I promise, the contest is now closed

2009-12-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

It makes the whole world blind

2009-12-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

I love videogames and vintage graphic design

2009-12-13T00:05:00.003-05:00

PICK A SIDE SOLDIER

2009-12-12T00:09:00.004-05:00

THERE'S A GODDAMN WAR ON

Come on come on, now meet the elements

2009-12-10T15:22:00.006-05:00

Finals are here, its the least wonderful time of the year

2009-12-06T06:59:00.005-05:00

Finals are upon me, here are some images from my illusionism class to tide your over until I can catch a break from finals, one finished, one in progress

Oh Winston, I love you so much

Put it up on th big board

2009-11-30T21:00:00.003-05:00

So I installed google analytics the other day and have since been checking it all too often, it has also inspired me to try and collect and catalog all of my site hits. So far: Maryland, Delaware, and New York. Interestingly enough, not Kentucky, my home state, where my parents live and apparently spend all of their time not loving me and not coming to my blog.

I've got the CD cover, now all I need is the talent

2009-11-28T05:31:00.004-05:00

I recently watched Nerdcore Rising, if I were I were a Nerdcore rapper my name would be MC CMYK and this would be my CD cover, "MC CMYK" is a side project of my other fictitious band "Cotton Gin N' Tonic"

GOD FUCKING DAMNIT

2009-11-24T00:43:00.001-05:00

Son of a bitch.

New portrait

2009-11-22T02:18:00.000-05:00

I spent too long on this to have it only be displayed at 220 pixels wide

I got flatbed scanners, values and tones

2009-11-18T22:11:00.000-05:00

I will be attempting to parody every line of Beck's "Where It's At" in these sketch updates

Harry Potter must die

2009-11-13T22:23:00.002-05:00

My submission for Alyssa Nasser's Harry Potter Zine. If I were J.K. Rowling I would have had Harry Potter die in the last book, the first chapter of the first book is "The boy who lived," how much better would it have been if the last chapter of the last book was "The boy who died?" A lot. Who am I kidding, if I were J.K. Rowling I'd just take another money bath.

Were all just monkeys on a crazy dirt spaceship

2009-11-05T14:33:00.001-05:00

Heres a little something from my thesis work, a spot illustration for an article about the manned exploration of space, I'm still not quite sure where I fall on that subject but this spot explores the risk of manned space travel. I'm thinking the title of this piece is "It's cold as hell" after the line from Elton John's "Rocket Man." This piece has a companion that I'll be posting soon after I've made some helpful corrections suggested by one of my teachers, Daniel Krall, check out his stuff at www.danielkrall.com

The moon is very far away

2009-10-30T21:10:00.001-04:00

Sketches and scans, just clap your hands

2009-10-24T22:39:00.000-04:00

I apparently used the x-ray function on the scanner since you can see through to the other side of the pages, this is on purpose, it is 100% more efficient to look at images this way. These people are Chip Wass, my guest critic for my thesis mid-term and Taylor Fischer, affectionately called "T-Lore" Fischer as she is proficient in lore, you can look at here arts here: http://taylorfischer.blogspot.com

This is a more comical version of Chip Wass, in this picture he is named "Cherp Waz"

And finally here's a drawing of my good friend Kristin Nohe, check out her stuff here: Kristin Nohe's blog

NOW I AM BECOME DEATH

2009-10-21T16:43:00.002-04:00

J. Robert Oppenheimer may have been one of the only people to ever utter the phrase "what has science done?" unironically

This is a piece of from my senior thesis, which deals with science and the discussion and promotion thereof