Art at Joes » Events

Last Thursday’s figure session

joe — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:05:44 +0000

From the figure drawing session at Studio Outpost. Our model, Marissa, added a fur top and full length gloves to her poses. I added the cigarette holder for dramatic effect!

My poster art for Guadalcanal Diary

joe — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:04:07 +0000

Here’s the poster I did for their show at the Strand this NYE. The great type design was done by my pal Henry Owings. T-shirts will be available soon, and the show should be a blast!

New Ballerina piece for the Strut

joe — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:55:04 +0000

Eight feet tall, acrylic on plywood. I’ll have the piece displayed

at my booth Saturday, September 17th for the East Atlanta Strut.

Look for me near Joe’s Coffee shop on Flat Shoals, just north of

Glenwood Avenue. http://eastatlantastrut.com/

Ugly Americans on Comedy Central tonight!

joe — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:33:53 +0000

Finally! I worked on character designs for the second season of Ugly Americans from December 2010 to May 2011. I was fortunate enough to get to work with my old buddies Sam Leyja and Matt Jenkins as well as the rest of the fine crew at Turner Studios, as we cranked out dozens of characters for every other episode.

Tonight’s show (10:30pm, Comedy Central) is the first one we worked on, Episode #202 “Callie and Her Sister” (that’s one of the show’s main characters above, Callie). After the show airs tonight I will be able post some of the designs I worked on, including some “dress-ups” (and “dress downs”!) of the main characters. Look for more posts right here (it’s about time) over the coming weeks, as I reveal some other projects I’ve been up to!

-Joe

Chomp and Stomp!

joe — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 12:37:16 +0000

Throw on some boots and come visit me at the Cabbagetown Chili Cookoff today (Saturday, 11-6pm). My booth will be on Kirkwood Ave between Tye and Powell Streets, just west of the park. Lotsa naked drawings to go with your chili and bluegrass!!

Cheap Naked People!

joe — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:13:29 +0000

Drawings of classy naked people, that is… sold cheap! This Saturday, September 18th at the East Atlanta Strut festival. I’ll have a booth right next to Joe’s Coffee (in the lot in front of “Fluff and Em” Florist). I’ll be selling drawings from the past decade of figure classes I’ve held here in Atlanta:

Drawings of men, women and even babies!

Stop by, say howdy and pick up a cheap naked person!

-Joe

TRANSFORM

joe — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:39:41 +0000

Change is inevitable. In my case, it also seems to be happening all at once!

I have transitioned back to freelance work these past two weeks, I’ll be storyboarding at Trick 3d next week through September and continuing work on a Bruce Hampton documentary. This is keeping me busy on the work front. Next, my rental house in Grant Park is undergoing some updates in hopeful anticipation of new renters this Fall, and finally- the ASIFA figure drawing class is moving to a new location!

I’ll have more information on the possible new location(s) for the figure class soon. In the meantime, if you have any ideas for a great location please let me know!

Here’s what we’re looking for:

1) A space that can hold up to 40 artists and a model stage, with good lighting and comfortable environment.

2) It should be centrally located, I prefer Midtown or somewhere close to where I live near the East Atlanta Village.

3) Free or reasonably priced parking, safe and convenient.

4) Someplace that wants to have a regular drawing group. I’d like to keep the cost for the artists at $5, and I currently pay the models at least $50 for the two hour session, more for the veteran models. It’s the best deal in town, but I can only do it if I’m not paying rent. This has never been about making money- originally any extra proceeds went to ASIFA, now they go to the models to keep the good ones coming back. For this reason, schools and studios have been good choices- they want to attract artists and that’s what this class does.

5) Someplace awesome!! I have also been involved with two spin-offs from the figure drawing group; our own Boozer Doodle and Dr. Sketchy’s run by Lori Gami. These have been great outlets for creative artists and performers to take figure drawing to a different level. From the Dames Aflame stage in midtown to the East Side Lounge and IceHouse in East Atlanta Village, and now the infamous Clermont Lounge on Ponce de Leon; we have been in some great spaces that inspire artists. The Thursday night class deserves a space that lives up to the talent of the artists that have been attending these sessions for years. Let’s find a great space!

Here is some history of the ASIFA figure class:

I started the figure drawing class in 1998 at Primal Screen, for the animators that worked with me at the original Monroe Drive address (next to the Park Tavern near Tenth Street). Owner Doug Grimmett graciously opened the sessions to outside artists as well, and the weekly classes attracted a regular following.

When I left Primal to work at Turner Studios in 2001, designer extraordinaire Justin Winslow took charge of the sessions, including when the Primal Screen studio moved to their new Ralph McGill address. Increased use of the photography space forced the class out of that location, and it went dormant for a while.

Then I got a call from Lou Hertz, an old animator pal of mine whose wife Judy worked at Creative Circus. They had an available daylight photo studio, and Lou offered to help me run the class on alternate weeks. I fell for it, then he managed to slip out of the scene and I was left running the show again each week. Later when Lou slipped away from this life altogether, he left me with his old position as President of ASIFA-Atlanta, a local chapter of the world wide animation organization. Looking back, those were two of the most important influences on my animation career- thanks, Lou!

Eventually we had to move from the Creative Circus, due to structural problems with the building. Figure drawing regular Kat Hagan came to the rescue with her recommendation of Westwood College, a new art school located on Spring Street, right next to the Adult Swim building and directly across the connector from my office at Turner Studios. She quickly assembled a great group of young students that helped set up and break down the class every week, and I offered a discount to the students as a courtesy to the school. It’s been going strong since then, but now it is time to move on again!

One year later, I’m full-time again…

joe — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:38:47 +0000

Yep, it was just about a year ago I was included in the lay-offs at Turner Studios, where I had worked in the animation department as Senior Animation Director. I had been there for about eight-and-a-half years, and suddenly found myself back in the freelance world. Fortunately, I was able to find work and it didn’t seem as bleak as I’d heard, until I got stiffed for about $4,000 on a freelance job. I was finally able to collect some of it (still trying to get the rest) but the ordeal reminded me of the downside of self-employment. I did have some positive experiences working with new clients and some contacts from the past that I enjoyed collaborating with again. It was also great working from home in my studio across the hall from my girlfriend Rebecca’s office. We enjoyed being able to take breaks in the back yard with the chickens and hiking over to the Village for tacos. It was a good time for me to work on a variety of jobs, and pursue some different creative outlets. Finally, I visited the folks at “Floyd County Productions”, creators of the “Archer” series on FX. I had met them originally at an ASIFA “Blowin’ Smoke” event, where I first saw their show “Frisky Dingo” (Under their old moniker: “70/30 Productions”). I loved the look of the show, and it was hilarious. At the time I remember thinking I would like to work with them at some point. Well, the opportunity arose when they earned a second season for Archer. They hired me on to help storyboard the new episodes, and after a month we both agreed it was a good fit. They need the help with a very tight schedule and thirteen new shows to produce. I am happy to be drawing again every day, though I must admit I had become rusty doing this particular type of drawing. I’m working hard to recover my chops, and inspired every day by the extremely talented crew around me. It’s good to be a part of a fun loving, hard working team; and there seems to be a genuine affection among everyone involved in the production. I look forward to improving my skills every day. Oh- I’m also a reference model for the the main character! Actually, just the body (killer suit). So I get to play dress-up from time to time. Look for my action poses when the new season starts- I’ll keep you posted… http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/archer/

Dr. Sketchy’s this Monday!

joe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:56:17 +0000

“Julie” from February’s Dr. Sketchy event. Come on out this Monday!

Dr. Sketchy’s Tonight! 02/08/10

joe — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:16:39 +0000

Come on out tonight and enjoy some quality drawing time at the Clermont Lounge! 8-11pm, bring a friend! www.drsketchysatlanta.com