Sop Art Studio

Thing (Ben Grimm) in a box

2011-11-22T01:12:00.005-05:00

New sculpture in my Etsy store

my store on ETSY

2011-09-13T23:49:00.002-04:00

For all your artistic shopping needs:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristopherSoprano?ref=pr_shop_more

Mention my blog when and you will receive a free gift with paid order.

Thank you for the continued support.

Film Noir + Beer labels preliminary typography

2011-09-13T02:12:00.005-04:00

This is an early design test for a series of beer labels I am working on for a New Jersey microbrewery. Very excited to be able to create a family of packaging designs for their products.

The theme for this particular piece is a 1940's film title card painting.

AltDaily interview with Stuntkid

2011-08-17T19:15:00.004-04:00

Check out the interview I participated in with fellow illustrator Stuntkid (aka Jason Levesque)

http://www.altdaily.com/features/arts/visual-arts/art-commerce-a-chat-between-fans-and-stuntkid-2.html

2011-08-06T15:29:00.001-04:00

Cosmic Cat released today!

2011-06-15T20:54:00.006-04:00

This is my cover art for the riotous funny man John F. O'Donnell (a.k.a. JFOD)

You can download his albums her FREE for a limited time.
http://jfodcomedy.limitedpressing.com/

Donations are appreciated.

sketchbook -Bacchante- ball-point pen

2011-06-04T19:22:00.004-04:00

Feeling very adventurous lately.

I have lived around New York City my whole life and never tried this before:

Decided to take a random train and get off at a random stop.

My spontaneity landed me in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Found many new and unusual sights. In addition to an awesome health food shop which made the most amazing sea moss smoothie.

Upon further exploration I found the Brooklyn Museum. On the top floor I decided to take advantage of a lounge-like area in which resided a marble sculpture entitled Bacchante by Frederick William MacMonnies.

I took about an hour and a half to just meditate on the forms of this work and created this sketch of it.

SteamPunk Style: CYCLETRON prints now available

2011-05-05T23:38:00.003-04:00

This dapper gent is coming your way.

CYCLETRON

11in x 17in (27.9 cm x 43.2 cm)

$25 + shipping & handling

PayPal accepted

PRATT Draw-A-Thon -part 1

2011-04-18T23:51:00.007-04:00

This past weekend I attended one of my favorite annual art events, The Draw-A-Thon at The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

Starting at 7PM Friday night and running until 7AM Saturday morining, this massive event is a true test of each artist's and model's endurance and passion for their craft. Stretching over twelve hours, filling seven rooms to capacity with artists of all ages, skill levels and practicing a variety of mediums. All working to capture the performances of eighteen models in poses which would impress some yoga instructors.

This year I beat my personal record of nine hours by lasting eleven hours. After the pizza break at midnight the drum circle performs and their energy is contagious. I had such an adrenaline high that I crashed as soon as I got back to my car in the morning.

As you could imagine I was quite productive in this time period so I have over two hundred drawings to sort through and scan. I will be posting some of my favorites very soon.

I highly recommend this event for all artists. It is such a thrill to be a part of the energy which is stirred up by all of these creative minds under one roof.

Streamline design

2011-04-02T19:37:00.003-04:00

Aztec Helmet (ball point pen and watercolor on paper)

Having fun creating Sci-Fi character designs with obvious cultural influences.

I plan on sculpting this character in the near future.

For the love of the commute

2011-03-24T16:13:00.006-04:00

10in x 10in ball point pen on paper

I love my commute to work. Seriously.

It gives me two hours a day to draw from a host of unique characters. On the trains I am given countless free models who challenge me with their original costumes and restless movement.

Below is one of the more stoic characters I have encountered. This man sat still for almost fifteen minutes. This is unusual because most people cannot sit that still for that long unless they are asleep. But I prefer the people who are not sleeping because I never know when I will loose that pose.

Drawing fast everyday helps me capture the essential elements of my subjects. Plus, the unpredictability keeps my sort attention span occupied.

ECUADOR - part 2 "Head Shrinkers"

2011-03-18T08:39:00.005-04:00

More pen drawings from my trip.

These were actual human shrunken heads!

Pretty cool.

ECUADOR - part 1 - "A pallid bust."

2011-03-16T08:52:00.006-04:00

I had the great fortune to spend the entire month of February in Ecuador.

This experience has opened my mind to see what is necessary for happiness and prolonged contentment in life.

A sense of creative freedom is of prominent importance and I am so grateful to be able to work anywhere. To take advantage of this, I always have my sketchbook with my and my favorite drawing pen.

This is a photo of me drawing Garay Asisclo Portocarrero (First Cheif of the Fire Department in Guayaqui) along with the drawing from my sketchbook.

Hooray for Jury Duty!

2011-01-12T22:04:00.003-05:00

I had jury duty yesterday. I love to think of it as an extended
figure drawing session.

Unfortunately I got called to a case so I only got about two hours
of drawing time.

But I think you will see the characters I captured are quite unique.

ballpoint pen on paper 10in. x 10in.

Live! From Outer Space Vol. 3

2011-01-05T00:58:00.005-05:00

CD cover art for John F. O'Donnell.
Check out his comedy at
www.intothewildcomedy.com

Space Spruce

acrylic/digital 11 in. x 12 in.(28cm x 30.5cm)

Cosmic Conquistador PREVIEW

2010-08-26T00:49:00.003-04:00

Preview of a production bust which I am developing.

Jordu Schell Creature Workshop at Spirit Gallery

2010-08-16T18:39:00.006-04:00

I have just returned from an absolutely amazing workshop. The Spirit Gallery in New London, Connecticut was host to Hollywood creature creator Jordu Schell.

The week was filled with a lecture, demonstration, great stories and hands-on help by Mr. Schell. Each student created a full size character head which we then molded and cast in latex. We also created creature maquettes.

I met a lot of great artists who are also just great people.

Early progress photos of my character

Final clay sculpt before casting

Space Witch sculpture work in progress

2010-07-07T20:24:00.005-04:00

Space Witch sculpture - Phase 02 from Sop-Art Studio on Vimeo.

Go paint outside!

2010-06-22T19:50:00.005-04:00

.

It was such a lovely day I decided to make a big doodle outside.

I had some old canvases which I wanted to paint over.

Needed that sense of liberation that working large affords me.

.

Extension: Spiral Skull - details

2010-06-09T14:38:00.006-04:00

I've received some request for detailed photos of the final pieces.

Hope you enjoy the images.

Thanks

Extension: The real deal -spiral skull sculpture

2010-06-08T23:59:00.013-04:00

I am currently focusing on realizing some of my painted designs in sculptural forms.

I decided to start with the spiral skull creature from my painting entitled Extension. Some of you may recognize it as part of my "Skull-Bowl" series or from my blog avatar. This image has received a strong response, making it the logical choice to start my sculpture series with.

Here is a little bit about my process.

This is the clay in its early stages. I am using Chavant NSP, which I softened with a lamp to begin forming the large masses. While I did refer to my original design from the painting, I made some changes to the proportions. These subtle alterations to the form made the structures more unified in the physical form.

Here is a photo of the prepared mold form. Getting ready to pour in the latex compound.

This is a comparison shot. Some of the detail on each casting must be refined with an Xacto knife before painting. The final finished pieces capture every nuance of the original sculpture and each facet is enhanced by the "natural bone" or "bronze tone" finishes.

Available in two finishes:

"natural bone"
or
"bronze tone"

Also included will be a custom sculpted frame in the works.

Please specify your choice of color when ordering.
Shipping & handling are not included in prices. I do accept PayPal.

The Curse of the Golden Skull

2010-06-02T23:25:00.005-04:00

Painted study for illustration based upon the story by Robert E. Howard.

acrylic & enamel on wood

Frazetta Museum

2010-05-13T01:38:00.003-04:00

In 2007 I was extremely fortunate to visit The Fazetta Museum
and meet Ellie and Frank.

Their personalities were as captivating as the art.

I feel honored to have been in their presence.

Hope you enjoy these photos which capture some of his vibrance.

"We... Are... WYLD STALLIONS!!!"

2010-04-15T14:22:00.008-04:00

Into the Wild 02

acrylic+enamel on paper

12 in. x 18 in.
(30.5cm x 46cm)

.

New cover art unveiled at MoCCA Festival

2010-04-11T02:47:00.005-04:00

Writer Patrick McEvoy; Pronto Comics, and myself at The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art MoCCA Art Festival this weekend.

I've done two covers for Patrick's short stories in the Divergences anthology.

.

The Thing in 3D!

2010-03-24T22:16:00.007-04:00

Venturing into the third dimension.

Thought I would challenge myself even more by making Mr. Grimm's stoney façade emote some sensitivity.

Painted resin 2in. x 1.75in (5.1cm x 4.4) display stand included

$30 + S/H

PayPal accepted

Please VOTE for our Web Comic!

2010-03-01T17:22:00.003-05:00

I have created the cover for a new web comic
written and illustrated by Aaron Watts.

The story is called The Fall of Inkazimulo.

The comic is in the March competition on zudacomics.com.Visitors to the site vote on the story they like best (you can only vote once!). You have to sign up on the site to vote. Registration is simple (username, first/last name, email addy, birthdate).

The story with the most votes wins the contest at the end of the month.

In addition to your valuable votes;

giving our story:
-STAR RATING,
-MARKING it as a FAVORITE
-and leaving a COMMENT.

Will also factor into our final score in the contest.

The winner gets a one-year contract to make a page a week to add to the story.

Please tell everyone you know and vote for The Fall of Inkazimulo!!!

Siren of the Sea

2010-02-26T17:25:00.005-05:00

Evolution

acrylic on board

9 in. x 8 in.

(23cm x 20cm)

Busog ...Sarap nito!

2010-02-24T14:36:00.004-05:00

This is delicious!

Busog is great apparel company I had the pleasure of collaborating with.

Check out their exciting clothing designs:

www.BusogMeansFull.com

Figure Drawing -warm-ups-

2010-02-11T04:32:00.007-05:00

My new weapon of choice;

Copic WIDE -extra broad- markers

They look like sharp chisels. The large tip allows for the broadest range of line width which I have ever achieved with a marker. I really enjoy throwing down huge shadow areas then, without switching tools, delicately adding wispy lines.

one-minute poses (one color) 24 x 18

one-minute poses (two colors) 18 x 24

*These drawings were done from models found on

drawing-tutorials-online.com

It is a great site filled with video tutorials

in all areas of drawing and painting.

I highly recommend checking it out.

It has useful information for all skill levels.

One last note: the middle value would dry up quickly while I was drawing. I found that misting the tip and inside the cap between uses helped refresh the ink flow.

CD- Live From Outer Space

2010-02-01T05:15:00.003-05:00

Space Monk

acrylic/digital

11 in. x 12 in.

(28cm x 30.5cm)

CD cover art for John F. O'Donnell.

Check out his monthly Live Comedy shows at Webster Hall- NYC

www.intothewildcomedy.com

Custom sneakers for Mr. Rockets

2009-12-13T21:59:00.008-05:00

Custom Kicks

...to coordinate with the limited edition series of shirts from

Mr. Rockets

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures.

Warlord

2009-12-08T03:32:00.006-05:00

Warlord

acrylic + oil on board

9 in. x 14 in.

(22.8cm x 35.5cm)

Starting to incorporate oils in my work process.

PHOTOMERGE tutorial

2009-12-02T23:22:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share this tutorial I created for my class.

This is an easy method to scan a large piece of art and reassemble it in Photoshop.

Into The Wild

2009-11-25T00:22:00.002-05:00

Into the Wild

acrylic on board

13.75 in. x 17.5 in.

(35cm x 44cm)

This is my first post-IlluxCon painting.

Venturing into uncharted territory.

Luchadors

2009-11-11T16:27:00.002-05:00

Greatness

acrylic on panel

10.25 in. x 29 in.

(26cm x 74cm)

"Good is the enemy of great."

sketchbook: Commute

2009-10-30T01:19:00.003-04:00

Gain/Loss (subway sketches)

ball point pen + acrylic

Mr. Rockets rides on...

2009-10-29T17:48:00.003-04:00

Pan's flute

2009-09-29T13:41:00.004-04:00

Pan's flute

acrylic on paper

11 in. x 15 in.

(28cm x 39cm)

Fortunate to be painting again.

Experimenting with a new approach.

Very grateful to JW for the generous donation of paints.

The origin of Voltron?

2009-08-14T14:18:00.005-04:00

I really enjoy sketching at the MET (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Had a great time working on this sketch of Hercules with a lion's hide for a cape.

At almost eight feet tall this sculpture is impressive, add that lion skin and he is seriously intimidating.

Joust

2009-08-06T23:50:00.004-04:00

This is my contribution to The Autum Society of Philadelphia's "8-bit and Beyond" a video game themed group show. The Opening: will be on Friday, August 7th, from 6-9pm at Brave New Worlds 45 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA

http://theautumnsociety.blogspot.com/

Joust

colored pencil / digital

prints will soon be available

Mr. Rockets site update.

2009-07-22T00:17:00.002-04:00

I am really happy to share the Mr. Rockets site. Check out some of my recent designs here.

http://MrRockets.com Cheers to Tommy, Dan, Tiffany and the rest of the Mr. Rockest Team! You can follow along on twitter for updates. Thanks Again.

Mr. Rockets initial launch.

2009-07-16T21:26:00.003-04:00

This is a preview of two designs I created for Mr. Rockets.

More info to come.

BATMAN -Golden Age

2009-06-27T20:03:00.004-04:00

This is my contribution to The Autum Society of Philadelphia's "Golden Age of Comics" group show. The Opening: will be on Friday, July 3rd, from 6-9pm at Brave New Worlds 45 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA

http://theautumnsociety.blogspot.com/

Boys' Wonder

acrylic on panel

13in. x 20in. (33cm x 50.8cm)

$800 + S/H

PayPal accepted

sketchbook shenanigans

2009-06-05T01:40:00.007-04:00

Why? Because I never did before.

KUTA art card contest

2009-05-26T13:31:00.005-04:00

KUTA MASK

graphite drawing/ digital color

My historical depiction of Sean "CHEEKS" Galloway's KUTA.

This is my entry in his contest to promote the new KUTA vinyl figure.

You can view all of the contestants here:

http://cheeks-74.deviantart.com/favourites/#Kuta-Art-Card-Entries

ATTACK OF THE CONDOS! (60 minute painting)

2009-05-23T09:46:00.005-04:00

Longbranch

acrylic on board.

8.5in. x 11in (21.6cm x 28cm)

$200 + S/H

PayPal accepted

2009-05-19T11:41:00.001-04:00

My art is featured on Free Pamphlet Publishing -

http://freepamphlet.wordpress.com/

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Big things on the horizon!

2009-04-30T00:57:00.005-04:00

sneak peek of collaboration with Mr. Rockets.

More horns than The Tower of Power.

2009-04-21T23:06:00.002-04:00

I got a request from a client to create a bull with 13 horns.

Then I had to set it on fire!

I always enjoy these challenges.

top: 8x8in ballpoint pen on paper/ digital color

bottom: 8x8in. acrylic on paper

Retro Rampage

2009-04-20T18:04:00.007-04:00

Arcade

acrylic on wood

19in. x 23in. (48.5cm x 58.5cm)

$500 + S/H

PayPal accepted

I was Interviewed by Max Stout for GlubDub.com

2009-04-11T01:48:00.006-04:00

This is an interview about my album cover work

and my creative/destructive process.

http://www.glubdub.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=251&ltemid=10067

sketchbook pages

2009-04-08T12:55:00.006-04:00

I love to sketch on the subway.

There are so may unique models to choose from;

all interacting and overlapping.

The unpredictability of the people's movements makes me work

to capture their poses quickly.

I work in ball-point pen on the train, then add the color back at my studio.

Kill your television! (30 minute painting)

2009-04-06T19:39:00.007-04:00

Static

acrylic on board

11in. x 14in. (28cm x 35.5cm)

$60 +S/H

PayPal accepted

traipsing translucence

2009-04-03T20:39:00.004-04:00

Diaphanous

acrylic on board

11in. x 14in. (28cm x 35.5cm)

$200 + S/H

PayPal accepted

Deviant Art portfolio

2009-03-24T15:27:00.007-04:00

I appreciate the request for more postings.

For some instant gratification

you can find more of my work at:

http://sopartstudio.deviantart.com

Thanks

My card...

2009-03-18T23:05:00.005-04:00

My pop-up business card.

I designed; hand-cut and assembled each card.

When folded flat it is the same size as a standard business card.

How about a quickie? (30 minute painting)

2009-03-16T16:02:00.008-04:00

SkullBowl 01

acrylic on board.

11in. x 14in (28cm x 35.5cm)

$60 + S/H

PayPal accepted

"Mythology" -Limited Edition Print for sale

2009-03-14T12:35:00.003-04:00

Each print individually signed and numbered by artist.

Only 25 were made.

Paper size- 8 in x 16.5 in (20.3 cm x 41.9 cm)

Image size- 6 in x 12.5 in (15.2 cm x 31.8 cm)

Each print includes a 100% cotton rag archival mat suitable for framing.

$50 each + S/H

PayPal accepted

day 1 "My Big Red Rocket" (30 minute painting)

2009-03-13T14:50:00.003-04:00

This is an exercise in creativity.

Here I will share with you my art, ideas, creative process, inspiration and random amusements.

I appreciate any feedback; but the constructive kind is preferred.

(insert inspirational quote here)

"I'm Johnny Knoxville,

and I'm going to the moon!"