The Art of Leyna Haller

Mini iPhone

2010-08-15T12:41:00.003-04:00

Yes, that is a teeny-tiny iPhone. I made it for the 48 Hour Film Project. Our prop was "cell phone". So the director of the team I was on wanted to do the Zoolander gag. I talked him into a small iPhone. What you can't see in this image is that there is a shiny cover on this to mimic the glass on the surface of the iphone. There are really only 2 discrepancies: 1) There are 3 columns of apps instead of 4, but seeing as how it's about 38 mm across, I could only get 3 to fit. 2) It's technically too thick. The proportions are to the iPhone 4. But now I'm just being picky.

I'm pretty sure that the magnificence of this thing wasn't seen on camera, but just the reaction of the crew was enough. Max, our fearless leader, laughed when he saw it. That was good enough for me.

If I had more time (I made this in about 3 hours) and if stores were open while I was making this, I might have tried to figure out a way to make it light up. Oh well, next time.

Water Lilies

2010-08-12T22:55:00.004-04:00

Today I decided to go to Goodale Park, which is in the heart of the Short North. The park in general is ok, but I love the pond because it's filled with these crazy giant water lilies and lily pads. The lily pads don't all lay flat on the water, which gives this sense of an alien growth over the pond. Beautiful and creepy at once, which really is my cup of tea.

I grabbed my sketchbook and found a nice spot to draw from. Well, it seemed nice at first. The weather was humid so I was dripping with sweat within 10 minutes of sitting down. Also, the best place to sit was a rock. So by "nice" I guess I mean less than ideal. To put it nicely.

But after being out there for about 3 hours (broken up by a coffee/get me outta the sun break) this is what I came up with. There is a further purpose to drawing flowers... but I'll leave that for the final. Which, fingers crossed, I'll actually finish.

Back in the Studio

2010-08-09T12:06:00.004-04:00

Ok... so it's been a while since I posted anything. Not that anyone reads this anyways. In the time between the last two posts I've worked on a movie and moved to a new abode. The sweet thing about the new digs is that I have real, honest to Goonies work space.

And I've finally taken advantage of that space.

I haven't sculpted anything in a long, long time. Which is kinda pathetic, actually. I used to love sculpting, and I think I was half-way decent at it. Maybe. Kinda... So I was asked to do a few sculpts. One is a human heart, and this is what I've got so far:

I'll post images of the final when I have it. Also there is another sculpt that I'll be working on here pretty soon. Yeah.

The Other "Eroded" Poster

2010-04-02T23:18:00.002-04:00

So here is the other poster for the film "Eroded" that I worked on. It was inspired by old "Grind house" style posters.

The point of inspiration was this screen capture. I loved the Bullit/Tarantino feel of it. So I started messing with it. I just felt the image was too good to not use. I think it came out pretty well.

"Eroded"

2010-03-24T02:01:00.003-04:00

Here we have the poster for a film I worked on in November: "Eroded". Directed by my friend John Whitney, it's a pretty cool little piece. I did the art direction on it. Four days of mayhem and madness and over all a great looking film.

Then John asked me to make the poster. Sweet! So this is the (97% there) final for the poster. I think it's cool, and I don't usually get really excited about my own work. But I think this looks awesome. As far as movie posters go, I prefer creative stuff to the typical "giant head with little scene below and a bunch of text" option that many studios go for. I think this poster makes "Eroded" look like an Oscar contender. Who knows? It might be.

There is a variant poster coming... keep your eyes peeled.

This Is Not The Inspiration You Are Looking For

2010-03-22T19:08:00.004-04:00

Today I went to my Starbucks (by "my" I mean that it is the one that I go to the most frequently. I only wish I owned my own coffee shop.... granted having baristas come into my house at 5 am to set up would be awkward eventually). I was there with the sole purpose to sit down and write. I've been trying to write a script for a few months and I have the worst case of writer's block I've ever experienced. I made about 10 pages of notes in the course of 3 hours, during which time I considered who would win: Rick Blaine* or Bruce*, tried desperately not to fall asleep and spent more time searching for music than actually listening to my iPod.

Most of the stuff I came up with was poop. Sure it got me further into the mind of the protagonist, but as far as plot? I have doodly-squat.

So it totally makes sense that while I was stuck in traffic today, whilst running errands, a whole separate idea popped into my head. A nearly complete short film, just requiring a few tweaks here and there. Why does it always work like that?

Oh, and for anyone who visits (all 2 of you), here's a picture:

It's my weird attempt to draw Houdini. Don't ask me what's up with not drawing eyes. Even I don't understand my brainmeats sometimes.

*And if you were wondering: Rick Blaine = Bogart in "Casablanca", Bruce = Shark in "Jaws"

Shana Logic Contest Entry

2010-03-19T17:16:00.005-04:00

So one of my favorite websites, Shana Logic (http://www.shanalogic.com), is having a fan art contest. The reward isn't huge ($100 gift certificate) but I used it as an opportunity to create something. The whole point of the contest is to create something inspired by Shana Logic's products. This is based on the bunny couple from Cry Wolf.

I'm finding that I need a deadline to get anything done--which isn't a great quality as far as a free-lance artist is concerned. It's easy to be lazy and call one's self an artist. It's not easy to be an artist. In many ways I find it's harder to wake up and sit at home working on a project than to get up and go to work at a business. I'm hoping at some point I can have a separate studio, some place I can go to that isn't living space also.

Further Progress

2010-02-25T17:56:00.003-05:00

Well, I've gotten a few more hours in on this painting. I'm hoping to have it ready for a showing at Utrecht here in Columbus. It's a weird piece, I think. Part religious icon, part Klimt inspired pattern work. I've always liked images that have part that drops out, implying parts that aren't actually there.

I can't help it. Sometimes my Catholic upbringing comes out in my art. I like the imagery, and it will always be a part of me.

I'm hoping this will be done soon. I had a devil of a time on the hands (I generally suck at drawing hands, and painting them is worse!) I'll post the results here when I have them.

Works in Progress

2010-02-20T22:59:00.004-05:00

So, this is what I've been up to the last two days. I was working on sketches for another painting and in the mess of visual research and thumbnailing I came up with the above sketch. I liked it so I decided to turn it into a painting.

I haven't done any real painting in a long time. I've been focusing on digital painting. Any time I've used paint is to paint props for the films I've worked on. I recently got the itch to get back to traditional media. The second image is the progress I made today. It's about 3 hours of work. I still have a long way to go. I'm not looking forward to painting the hands, which I wasn't so great at when I was in art school (when I was creating every day).

At this point, I'm kinda changing the nature of this blog. Instead of posting a drawing every day, I'll be posting the progress I make on the various projects I have going on. Enjoy!

Where Have You Been?

2010-02-20T22:55:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since I've posted. But never fear, I've been busy making stuff. I was working on my Etsy shop, which just launched two days ago. So now I have plush C'thulhus and dinosaur necklaces available. I'm currently working on more products which will hopefully debut soon.

Take a look if you get a chance! My shop is under the username Teratologie.

Drawing-a-Day: Nouveau Pen

2010-02-03T23:41:00.003-05:00

Today's image was inspired by the design work of the Art Nouveau movement. Because it makes total sense to have a pen with weird smoke drifting from it.

Drawing-a-Day: Can't Make Heads or Tails of This

2010-02-02T23:48:00.003-05:00

Continuing from yesterday's Steampunk theme is this lovely lady. I wanted to draw a woman in Victorian garb and this is what came out. To me she's traveling, possibly in a foreign city, and upon arrival consults her map. It doesn't make so much sense to her, which is how I feel when I'm in a new city on the first day. No matter how much I prepare ahead of time, I still feel kind of lost.

New Drawing and Month Review

2010-02-02T01:16:00.003-05:00

Today's drawing is of a trilobite is a filigreed frame. The frame is actually based on a piece of jewelry I have and I wanted to see if I could design the shape of the trilobite into the parameters of the oval. I'm a huge fan of dinosaurs and all things prehistoric, and the trilobite is on of my favorite critters from that by-gone era. I think it's form fits right in with my predilection for the steampunk aesthetic. It's a symbol of an era of discovery.

So, here I am in the second month of the "drawing-a-day" project. I kinda failed at that this past week. All I can do is redouble my efforts and try to crank drawings out. I believe part of this is because I'm still hung up on doing nice or complete drawings. It's difficult to just put crappy doodle out there for the world to see. But I believe that becoming a better artist involves having less of an ego about one's work. So, we'll see how things go from here.

Day 20: More fairy tales

2010-01-27T23:39:00.004-05:00

So, after taking a few days to apparently do nothing (yeah, I'm doing really great with the whole Drawing a day concept. Yeesh.) I'm back with a quick sketch for the fairy tale "Many Furs." I had previously posted about this work by the Brothers Grimm. I'm really hoping to do a few finished illustrations for this. It's one of my favorite fairy tales and I've rarely seen it interpreted visually in a few places. So, there will be more of these drawings in the coming weeks. You've been warned.

Day 19: Zombie

2010-01-24T23:59:00.003-05:00

Today's sketch was inspired by a friend of mine. That, and I'm kind of intrigued by the idea of zombies throughout history. There's nothing to say that a zombie wouldn't cling to the trappings of their human existence. And if a person spent most of their mortal existence being an over-coifed peacock, she might try to remain fabulous after death.

Day 18: Gargoyle

2010-01-22T20:45:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think that being a gargoyle would be really boring. You just sit around all day, watching stuff, getting rained on. Your only friends would be other gargoyles and pigeons.

Day 17: Wasn't Everyone's Childhood Like This?

2010-01-21T22:42:00.004-05:00

Every little vampire girl should have a franken-kitty.

Day 16: Crafty!

2010-01-20T19:09:00.002-05:00

This is a tribute to my passion for sewing, done in a traditional tattoo style.

Day 15: Cupcake!

2010-01-19T23:48:00.002-05:00

Yep, today's drawing is a quick sketch of a cupcake. I was truly at a shortage for ideas today. Plus, I like cupcakes.

Catch-up Day!

2010-01-18T00:52:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been a few days since I posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been drawing! The first few were inspired by the Brothers Grimm story "Allerlerauh" or "Many Furs". It's about a princess who runs away from home and disguises herself in a robe made of the furs of all the creatures of the forest. There's parties, pretty dresses and a happily ever after.

This is when the king finds Allerleiruah hiding in a tree.

This is a design for what she would look like in the furs.

I couldn't really decide which time period to set this story in, so I just drew an 18th century French gown. I've got a fascination with historical costumes.

This last one was just a random drawing of a rib cage that I did. It has nothing to do with the fairy tale. I think my drawings were getting too "pretty" and I had to do something a little weird.

Day 10: Anglerfish Monster

2010-01-14T21:28:00.002-05:00

Today I found myself without my sketchbook. So I drew this in my notebook, which I try to keep with me at all times so I can jot ideas down. I sat in a coffee shop and doodled this. I have a fascination with deep sea creatures and fish monsters. So why no combine the two of them? Also, not having a pencil I had to do this with just a ball point pen. I forgot how much I enjoy using ink.

Day 9: Space Girl Pin-Up

2010-01-13T06:11:00.003-05:00

Ah, there's nothing like a retro-futuristic space girl out to combat the forces of intergalactic evil. I'm a fan of pin-ups, especially the saucy ones.

Day 8: The Aviatrix

2010-01-12T04:26:00.002-05:00

I like the term "Aviatrix". This was sprung from looking at too many old photographs of pilots, ladies and war uniforms. She's a little too pretty to be a real pilot from the early days of flight. Probably just a silent movie star in a film about a female pilot.

Day 6 & 7: Catching Up

2010-01-11T06:40:00.003-05:00

Due to my weekend plans, I got a little behind on posting. So here's drawings for Saturday and Sunday. Apparently this weekend was the time for anthropomorphic creatures. The first drawing is of some deer/man forest spirit thing. Obviously the second is a mermaid. Not much else to say.

Day 5: Red Panda Scare

2010-01-08T21:03:00.004-05:00

Ok, he's not scary, but he's a red panda. I've always wanted to draw a red panda in a fuzzy Russian hat (I'm sure I'm not original in this idea.) I don't usually draw cutesy critters, but he happened. I think lack of sleep has made me delusional. I did the color in about an hour and a half in Photoshop.

Day 4: Doodle Day!

2010-01-07T08:46:00.003-05:00

Yeah... today, due to another project, I didn't have much time to spend on a drawing. But the point is to get something on paper, even if it's a quick doodle. Looking at this, I'm considering enrolling in a figure drawing class. It's been at least 4 years and I feel rusty.

As for inspiration, it's cold here, and this guy's expression is about how I feel right now. Cold, weary and on the border of insanity. So, nothing new.

Day 3: Quetzalcoatl

2010-01-06T03:40:00.003-05:00

This is Quetzalcoatl, the Meso-American god. He was worshiped by the Aztec and Maya as well as other cultured of Central and South America. He's been depicted in several different form, but I kinda prefer the feathered serpent.

The first two drawings were cleaned up a little in photoshop before I put it up here. Today I decided to leave the page raw. The doodle in the top left corner was where I was trying to figure out positioning. Also, I wrote "day 2" in the top right corner. This drawing was supposed to be for yesterday, but he wasn't done in time. I was influenced by the way Gustav Dore drew his creatures as well as original Meso-American art.

Day 2: Surly

2010-01-05T04:51:00.006-05:00

I like hanging out at the bar. Chilling with a drink about the size of my head. This drawing gave be some problems. Mostly it made me realize that I need to work on hands.

On a side note: if you see a lady with this look, back away slowly.

Day 1 Drawing: Dreaming in R'yleh

2010-01-04T04:03:00.010-05:00

Day one: This is the first drawing. An interpretation of C'thulhu from the work of H. P. Lovecraft. I'm a huge fan of Lovecraft's work and a horror fan in general. Given the nature of my Experiment, I thought it would be appropriate to open with the insanity-inducing Old One himself.

The Experiment

2010-01-04T03:51:00.006-05:00

Welcome to my artist blog. This is an experiment. Well, it's more like a challenge for myself, which will hopefully help me grow as an artist.

The experiment is to make one drawing a day. Sometimes this will be a finished rendering. Other times this will be a doodle on a napkin. Either way I am going to try to put pen/pencil to paper and create something every single day.

This comes out of a need to reconnect with the "artist" part of myself. Honestly the idea of this is daunting, but I'm pushing forward. I'm hoping that by putting this out on the interwebs it'll force me to commit to the experiment.

I'll probably post other work on this blog, too. Hopefully some of these drawings get turned into finished pieces. Stay tuned!