Introductions

I'm a freelance illustrator and a Kendall College of Art and Design graduate currently living in Michigan. My work ranges from rendered paintings in watercolor, to still-lifes in pastel, to film storyboards, to more comic-style illustrations in digital or traditional colors. Needless to say, my work is diverse. My intention for use of this blog is to display my artwork in a professional manner and to bring in commission-based business. Essentially, this is my online portfolio. Many illustrators are using blogs these days, and needing a presence for myself, this will hopefully work for me as well. So I encourage you to watch regularly for postings of artwork and perhaps be compelled to call on my services for a commission. Keep in mind that I work in a variety of mediums and subjects, so do not hesitate to ask for something that you might not see here. Just contact me at andrew.shirey@yahoo.com, my work e-mail and my Paypal account.

Read my illustration commissions post as a starting point to get an idea of the potential price range.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

She-hulk -PINK- sketch card


She-hulk presented something of a challenge, that being how to fit the pink ribbon into the picture. Given her super strength, bending an iron beam into a ribbon shape was my first concept. However, given that it was similar to what Wonder Woman was doing with her lasso, this idea seemed too much alike and so I abandoned it.

Instead, I went with my second concept, which was having her accidentally breaking thru a wall. Granted, the ribbon shape is a little obscure here, however the way it silhouettes She-hulk and the pile of bricks seems suggestive enough. It's not blatantly obvious and the more subtle approach works in its favor, in my opinion. That, and an embarrassed "Oops, oh well..." expression adds some amusement.

Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Seventy-five percent of the purchase will be donated directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact me if interested.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Batgirl -PINK- sketch card


I'll admit this sketch card gave me some trouble, but the result was well worth the headache. Purchase this original art for $30 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Seventy-five percent of the purchase will be donated directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact me if interested.

Monday, October 25, 2010

WW -PINK- sketch card


Finishing the black-and-white movie monsters set of sketch cards, I've decided to do a small handful of pink-themed, superheroine cards in honor of breast cancer awareness this month. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Seventy-five percent of the purchase will be donated directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact me if interested.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Fly sketch card


A personal favorite monster movie of mine, here's The Fly. And yes, that is indeed Vincent Price. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Golem sketch card


Precursor to the Frankenstein story, here's the mythical Golem from the German silent film adaptation, Der Golem. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Dracula sketch card


Another classic vampire, here's Bela Lugosi from Dracula. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Detroit FanFare: Mark your calendars!

As you may have noticed, there's been a recent appearance of sketch cards in the gallery. This is in part due to the upcoming Detroit FanFare, which is fast approaching. Be sure to mark this October 30th and 31st in your calendars, especially those who live nearby or within the Dearborn, Michigan area.

True, this convention falls on Halloween weekend, however there should be plenty to see and do for those who attend, including a "pre-show" zombie walk that Saturday morning. :zombie: I wouldn't be surprised if some of the artists and vendors handed out candy to the kids, either. Might do a little of that, myself. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention special guest Stan "The Man" Lee. Even if you aren't especially a Marvel fan, you've got to admit he's established one heckuva legacy in the comic industry.

If visiting yours truly for a little one-on-one time at the table isn't enough, I'll be attending the "Shots 4 Sketches" after-hours event on Saturday night. I'm not much of a drinker and Jason has given it up all together, but then again the artists don't actually have to drink the shots. (Working the following day with a nasty hangover is not my idea of fun.) A portion of the proceeds also goes to charity, and I'm usually inclined to help a good cause. In relation to that, the American Red Cross Detroit Chapter will be there that Saturday to take blood and money donations as part of the "Blood 4 Comics" event -- pretty self-explanatory.

So stay tuned for further posts, and if you can come visit the table that would be great! Expect to see more sketch cards and at least another zombie mini-print or two. Maybe another special addition as well, but for now that's my little secret.

On a side note, I'll be wandering about Youmacon for a time Friday, October 30th, as a visitor rather than an exhibitor. Adam Withers and Comfort Love, husband and wife duo extraordinaire, were kind enough to offer a carpool down to Detroit. Adam and Comfort will be attending that particular convention during the same weekend as Detroit FanFare, so it should be interesting to compare notes of our first-time experiences at our respective conventions.

The Burgies '10

Here are a handful of photos taken during the second annual Burgie Awards hosted down in Miami, Florida, at the Transit Lounge by the Burger Beast himself, food critic Sef Gonzalez. Unfortunately, I wasn't there to partake in the food and festivities. But for those of you who are curious, read the details here. Despite not being there in person, seeing the winners holding my artwork as a trophy of sorts gives me a certain degree of pride.

Charm City Burger: Best Burger Broward

Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog

La Camaronera: Best Sandwich

Latin Burger & Taco: Best Burger Miami-Dade

Quickie's Burgers and Wings: Best Specialty Burger

The Filling Station: Best Wings

Yellow Submarine: Best Hot Dog

Mummy sketch card


Imhotep from The Mummy, still wearing the bandages but sporting a fez. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Frankenstein sketch card


To compliment the Bride, here's the first Frankenstein's monster. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Wolf Man sketch card


When rendering The Wolf Man, how can you not have him howling at the full moon, I ask you? Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Black Lagoon sketch card


Even though I haven't seen Creature from the Black Lagoon, I felt that the monster was pretty cool, even as a young kid. So here's the Gill-man almost on top of Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams) in this sketch card. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Nosferatu sketch card


Another horror-themed sketch card, this time of Count Orlok of Nosferatu. Purchase this original art for $20 USD, which comes in a plastic protector and includes no additional mailing costs. Contact me if interested.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Bride sketch card


After illustrating the Witchfinder sketch card last Sunday, it put me in the mood to do another card. So here's Universal's classic Bride of Frankenstein. Depending on how this sells, I may do more. I'm currently setting the price at $20 USD. Because of its size, there's no additional charge for mailing costs and comes in a plastic protector. Contact me if interested.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Witchfinder sketch card


When the individual issues were being released, I followed along with another of Mike Mignola's Hellboy offshoot series, that being Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels. However, it wasn't until this afternoon that I borrowed the graphic novel and read the series in its entirety. Good stuff, needless to say.

Recently, I was also sent a reminder of a sketch card charity event, The Treasure Chest of Art, which I had agreed to participate in at the last Motor City Comic Con. And having just finished Witchfinder, it seemed like a fun choice for my subject.

If you would like to have this original piece of artwork, purchase your very own chest set, which includes an additional forty-nine sketch cards. All proceeds will go towards the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation, a worthwhile cause.