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The Black Cat
14 x 18
oil on panel
find more illustration at thewhiteleaf.com

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It's been a while since you've seen a finish oil painting from me. This is actually the first completed "illustration" of this year. I've been spreading myself around on private commissions and stuff. I'm really happy with this one and I'd like to submit it Communication Art's Illustration Annual and use it for the next post card.

Though this is the revamp on an older illustration the look back is actually a big step forward for me. Concept concept concept! I'd rather be know for being clever then someone who can paint a pretty girl.

I've been e-mailing a few illustrators i really respect for advice and a crit of my portfolio. I'm ironically happy to hear a lot of them are too busy to talk right now but they'll get back to me. I love hearing about illustrators that are busy illustrating.

I heard back from one of the greats in the business today Tim O'Brien. I don't think he'd mind me posting part of what he wrote:

Hi Tristan,
Ah, what to do with realism? I think that's the main question, or, that's what I would ask.
I started around the time my old friend Jerry Lofaro did and back then realism was in vogue. I found myself not satisfied with only doing book covers so I tried for editorial work. It worked out. That was not the answer though. I need work from every place; book covers, editorial, and advertising and institutional stuff.
Together it's a career.
I saw your stuff before but I don't know how. I probably noticed it and clicked a link that made me look. Really solid stuff. The figures of people (women) in environments such as chairs, couches is attractive but hard to use to get work. The music related stuff is quite nice and it's that sort of rendering that will make clients take notice. I'm only going by what I saw in a few minutes. It appears you can paint anything. I teach illustration a few places and one thing I tell my students is to not have too many paintings of 'roommates doing stuff'. You are smart to 'assign' yourself real world assignments. Make sure the things you do decide to paint are not too student oriented. Relationship topics, recognizable portraits like Sarah Silverman are great as are paintings of people who are out of their 20s.

If you would like, keep me in the loop. I would be happy to help out.

His remark about not painting my peers and aiming for older subjects and subject matter was a real eye opener. The encouragement just gets me excited to illustrate and conceptualize again!

Finally, anyone interested in prints of this image?