mixed media

Birds in Hats

Top Hats Erika Schnatz
| Erika Schnatz

It’s been some time since I’ve had my work displayed anywhere. There was that one time I had a piece up in a robot-themed show at a taco shop, and then someone STOLE MY PIECE OFF OF THE WALL, so maybe that’s the reason it has been a while? Or perhaps having a full-time job was the culprit.

In any case, I drew some birds in hats for the Tiny Wonderland show at Leanna Lin’s Wonderland in Eagle Rock, CA. The rule was nothing larger than 5″x 5″, so I found some 4″x 4″ panels and was plagued with indecision until several days before I need to mail out my work (nothing like artistic procrastination). I quite like these silly little birds, and if you like them too (and would like one to hang on a wall), a few of them are still available on to purchase: https://leannalinswonderland.com/collections/tiny-wonderland-art-show

 

Mr. Tea

| Erika Schnatz
A fun 80s mashup between Mr. T (who pities fools) and Mr. T (who has tall teeth) at a tea party (naturally). This piece was part of “Jibbart Jabbart: A Mr. T-Themed Art Show & Experience” at the PhilaMOCA in Philadelphia.
Line art

Picture from the show (c/o Ben and Amy Leach)

My art on the wall! (c/o Ben and Amy Leach)

Another view (c/o Ben and Amy Leach)

Pabst and Presidents!

| Erika Schnatz

It’s been a bit since my last post, mostly because I was doing some last-minute illustration work on this guy:

 It was entered in a Pabst art contest here in Portland at the lovely Grand Central Bowling. The winner was determined by voters, so I was very fortunate to have many of my friends stop by and drop their tickets into my envelope – I won the contest and this image will be transformed into a billboard in Southeast Portland! How awesome is that?!

I’m excited that so many people will see my art! I’m going to brag about it like crazy, since it’s not everyday that your artwork becomes a billboard (unless you work closely with a marketing department, I suppose).

So yay! Here are some images of this work in progress:

The rough sketch that started it all!
The line work for the illustration!

After the PBR cans were colored in (minus the white logo)
All done!

I should have taken some close-ups of the cans – there are many details packed on those cans. Once the billboard is up, I’ll be sure to take more detailed photos!

Neil Diamond Background Conundrum

| Erika Schnatz

Hey!

So I have a frame hanging on my wall that is sans a picture. In an attempt to rectify this situation, I drew a picture of Neil Diamond last night, because, why not? The man has amazing eyebrows.

I was going to pick a background for him, but then I thought, “Why not put this up to a vote? Maybe people want to contribute to this amazing portrait.”

Dear readers, I come to you with a conundrum: which background looks best with Neil Diamond?

Option 1: All American Hero.

 This is the background I initially planned to use. Because Neil Diamond is a real American hero.

Option 2: Groovy-licious.

Neil Diamond is also a super groovy man, so this may be an appropriate background.

Option 3: Silver Fox

For some reason, Neil Diamond looks the most suave with this background. Or maybe that’s just me.

Drop me a comment to let me know what you think! Let the people decide! The winner will be revealed at some point. Maybe Monday?

Materials: Micron Pens, scrapbook paper

A Week of Gnomes: Day Eight

| Erika Schnatz
Day Eight: Turn an old book into something new
I am always on the lookout for old books that I can mess around with, so I had lots of choices for this one. I thought it would be fun to make the gnome visit a Mayan pyramid, so I got out my Exacto knife again and cut up an image to make it a pop up picture.
 
I believe this is a Reader’s Digest book about World Mysteries (or something of that nature). I bought it at Goodwill for a dollar.
 
I cut around different parts of the image and folded them up to make it pop up – there are four different levels to this picture.
 
You may also notice the tiny gnome I made on the right hand side of the picture, approaching the pyramid. Not correctly proportioned, but if I made it the “right” size he’d be practically invisible.
An additional view.
Materials: Book, Exacto knife, paper, pen, and markers (to make the tiny gnome), tape
This took very little time and turned out way better than I anticipated. Fun times!

A Week of Gnomes: Day Five

| Erika Schnatz
Day Five: Make something using fruits or vegetables.
This worked out well because I had some fruit that was about to spoil. I turned it into a little gnome sculpture before putting it in the compost bin.
 
 
 
Materials: apple (for body), orange (for head, beard, and eyebrows), raisins (for eyes), scrapbook paper (for hat and shoes), Sharpie marker (to draw on a little smile), hot glue gun (to put it all together)
It was fun setting up a photo shoot for him on my desk. Very happy I didn’t injure myself with the hot glue gun (I have burnt myself badly in the past, glad that didn’t happen this time!)
Tomorrow: another gnome, in a different form