Austin Artist Sketchbook

Mother Earth

2012-02-01T14:59:00.001-08:00

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Who is Cobalt?

2011-12-27T20:40:00.001-08:00

WhoIsCobalt.com is a recently developed animated trailer for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, which utilizes facebook to give the viewer a more personalized experience.

It was directed by Tommy Pallotta (producer on A Scanner Darkly), cowritten by David Mack (comicbook artist and writer), and motion graphics were created by the talented team at Submarine (out of Amsterdam). Austin-based artist and friend Nathan Jensen concepted and painted backgrounds, while I did the character artwork.

All images by Paramount, Bad Robot and Submarine.

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Security Mentor

2011-10-14T07:56:00.001-07:00

Security Mentor is a client I've been working with for some time now that has been developing a new training program. Check out their website.

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New "lifestyle illustration

2011-09-14T10:55:00.001-07:00

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Two Door Cinema Club at Lollapalooza 2011

2011-08-14T16:15:00.001-07:00

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Honda CB Print Design

2011-08-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

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Sketchy

2011-08-11T14:53:00.001-07:00

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Eels at Stubbs

2011-07-23T10:03:00.001-07:00

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Weezer plays Pinkerton - El Scorcho

2011-06-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

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Destroy Kitty

2011-06-06T15:14:00.001-07:00

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Redo w/ Color

2011-06-03T15:55:00.001-07:00

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Art Reconstitution

2011-06-03T15:44:00.001-07:00

What do you think? Is it an improvement? Does it hold your attention?

See the full gallery on Posterous

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5 minute sketch

2011-06-03T13:12:00.001-07:00

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Final Wall Art for Providence Medical Center

2011-05-17T11:24:00.001-07:00

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Another iteration - Abstract Flower

2011-05-16T10:09:00.001-07:00

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Mercado - Vector Landscape

2011-05-11T10:02:00.001-07:00

When a long time collector, Tracy G, contacted me again and said she had a new idea for a gift, I was excited! I had created a portrait for her husband a couple years back of him with a fish and it turned out beautifully printed large on canvas. This would not be a portrait though.

Her family had long visited a mercado in Laredo, Mexico for vacation and with the growing drug violence, had been forced to stop. It was a family tradition and very disappointing to her parents, whom she shared a close bond with. It occurred to her to take her memory of this special place and immortalize it in a timeless piece of art. Something to serve as a reminder of those precious times they shared together. So she sent me a low-quality washed out photo of the market and asked if I could revitalize the bright colors, remove several elements and people, and capture that fun, summer time mood. We then printed it 11x17 on stretched canvas. How do you think it turned out?

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Abstract Wall Art - A new technique

2011-05-11T09:21:00.001-07:00

I began experimenting with a new method for creating abstract wall art. My goal was to focus on texture and I started with a pencil drawing of an abstracted flower. I then scanned that into photoshop along with multiple hand painted oil textures.

The textures were time consuming to make mostly because of drying time. I would apply multiple thin washes of color over the canvases and then once those layers had dried, I would "scumble" or drag stiff dry paint over the surface with a palette knife or bristle brush, which catches on the crests of the texture beneath, leaving a broken texture or color. I really love this effect because it adds richness and the colors mix optically, which really brings the surface to life.

Once I brought all that into photoshop, I could begin to piece it together and overlay parts on top of the other. I'm not quite feeling like this is done... what do you think? Does it need a center of interest or does the texture and randomness keep you interested?

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Business Avatars

2011-05-02T09:44:00.001-07:00

This illustration was one or two created for an article for CIO magazine. The other will be posted when the article hits stands.

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Coolest Costume Ever!!

2011-04-08T14:51:00.001-07:00

iPhone 1392.MOV Watch on Posterous

Jose Acosta made this costume for his son and promises to post the video on YouTube soon.

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Most awesome chair and table combo ever!

2011-03-23T09:00:00.001-07:00

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Article in Daily Texan

2011-03-22T08:24:00.001-07:00

Check out the full story

Aaron Sacco

Austin, TX

512.431.6691

Website | Blog

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Phantogram

2011-03-19T19:40:00.001-07:00

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The strokes @ SXSW

2011-03-18T10:54:00.001-07:00

I finally saw the Strokes at a free show during SXSW. The fireworks were a total surprise! It really was a fun show and the weather couldn't have been better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3E4iTtUOSc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

* Written with my thumbs :)

www.aaronsacco.com
512-431-6691

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Rise above: Take two

2011-03-14T19:34:00.001-07:00

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New Illustration: Rise Above

2011-03-13T20:26:00.001-07:00

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Help!

2011-03-09T13:16:00.001-08:00

Does her hair look natural? I feel like her hair looks too flat and awkward. Maybe I've been staring at it too long. Also, do you think the style looks up to date? Any suggestions would help!

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Dreaming of Summer Time

2011-02-25T11:20:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Kellie for the inspiration and modeling!

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Business as usual

2011-02-21T09:02:00.001-08:00

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Kambrie

2011-02-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Artfulness

2011-01-08T00:05:00.001-08:00

I had a lot of fun on this illustration. The retro feel from my hipstamatic photo, and the awesome styles from my buddy Art, was really perfect for capturing that retro mood. I've been meaning to work more filigree or flourishes into my more realistic vector illustrations for a while now, and I'm not sure I'm completely done with this one, but I'm pretty content with how it has come together. Particularly the color palette.

What do you think? More filigree?

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Robotic Buffalo

2011-01-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

This last month I have been lucky to have time to work on a variety of personal projects, one of which is The Sketchbook Project. On the website they describe it as ..."like a concert tour, but with sketchbooks." 28834 artists from 94 countries around the world are participating. The tour starts February, 2011. They will end up in the permanent collection at The Brooklyn Art Library.

Bad Seed

2011-01-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

Playing with Hipstamatic

2010-12-02T17:49:00.001-08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Art attack

2010-11-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

All graphite (pencil) drawings on paper. One is mixed with oil.

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Website - Plant Fix

2010-10-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I posted online a new website I built for an emerging business here in Austin called Plant Fix. Gabe (owner) is an old friend of mine and a knowledgable source on plants and organic gardening. I highly recommend his expertise!

The website is very simple right now, but we will be adding a FAQ section and an Advice section to answer your basic gardening questions. You can follow him on Facebook.

View website!

Collapsus Project Released!

2010-10-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

In early 2010, I collaborated with artists Nathan Jensen and Leah Lovise (both from A Scanner Darkly) at the behest of Tommy Pallota (Producer, A Scanner Darkly, Waking Life) to create around 115 illustrations for collapsus.com, a transmedia project exploring our likely future as the world energy crisis continues unresolved. The site, a creation of Amsterdam's Submarine Channel, is a “documentary mixed with narrative branching off into video games and social networking.” (Boing Boing)

To check out stills of the artwork visit my website

Or visit: www.collapsus.com

Juried "Self" Show

2010-07-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I recently was Invited to jury an international art exhibit called "Self" at Croft Gallery in Waco, TX. It was sponsored by the Waco Friends of Jung, and included artists from as far as Brazil and Israel. The gallery space is gorgeous, spacious and located in the newly revamped downtown.

To see all the artwork click here.

To see the article from the Waco Trib, click here.

17th Century Pub, London.

2010-05-03T11:31:00.001-07:00

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Completed Mural

2010-04-24T09:45:00.001-07:00

I almost forgot to post this!

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Mother's Day Portrait Commission

2010-04-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks Mr Wiley!

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Call to Artists: "Self" show deadline April 30

2010-04-23T10:25:00.001-07:00

I was invited to jury the "Self" show at the Croft Gallery in Waco, TX. Self portraits are welcome along with more abstract interpretations of self. The deadline for entries is April 30th and the entry fee is $15 for up to three submissions. The space is amazing, so don't miss this wonderful opportunity to get your artwork displayed!!

Check out the prospectus at:

http://www.croftartgallery.com/artists/selfjuriedexhibition.html

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Sad Accordians Show

2010-04-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

Aaron Sacco
Austin TX
512.431.6691

Written with my thumbs on my iPhone.

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Deep Eddy mural progress

2010-04-16T19:24:00.001-07:00

Still in need of touch ups. But looks good from a far.

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New Mural for Deep Eddy Vodka

2010-04-16T02:26:00.001-07:00

Recently I was commissioned to paint a fairly detailed logo for a new office headquarters on East 6th. Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka released their products for the first time during SXSW and is beginning to generate some buzz.

The art is 11'x16' and this image shows it in progress before the layers of tape are pulled to reveal the crisp lines underneith. More pictures to come!!

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Scanner Commission

2010-01-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

Emily Wants to Know - CBS Interview

2010-01-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

Check out the online video

News 10 - KWTX Demo

2010-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Fishing in Alaska Commission

2009-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Dog Commission

2009-12-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ballerina Commission

2009-12-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

Elephant Woman

2009-11-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

I sketched this up in pencil first, took a picture of it with my iphone and then emailed in to myself. Then I worked out the tones and color composition in photoshop. Working digitally at this stage allows me to make decisions quickly and undo if need be. Now I can use this as reference for my oil painting. How fun!

Let me know what you think!

Album Art: An Experiment in Interpretation

2009-11-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

Check out this exciting new show this Friday the 13th, 6-9pm!!

Album Art is a collaboration of 6 artists inspired by 6 albums to produce 36 works in a variety of media. It will open November 13, 6-9pm at Gallery 5619, 5619 Airport Blvd. The reception is sponsored by Saint Arnolds and 10% of proceeds from sales will go to the Austin Visual Arts Association (AVAA).

Schwab - Kathleen

2009-05-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Check out the commercials online

Copyright: Mekanism, EURO RSCG and Schwab.

Schwab

2009-05-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

Schwab - Cathren

2009-05-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Schwab - Joel

2009-05-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

Schwab

2009-05-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Commission

2009-05-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

This portrait was a rush order for Mother's day. I hope it was a good surprise!

Study

2009-05-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

After an extended trip to visit Alicia's mom and my mom for mother's day, I started back enthusiastically to work yesterday. This is a study in graphite on Rives BFK, my favorite paper right now. I like to use the heavy weight paper for my pastel drawings, but for this I tried a light weight sheet in white.

Sully Sullenberger

2009-04-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is a mixed media illustration of the pilot who safely landed his passenger airplane in the Hudson River. The story completely amazed me.

Buzz from the ispot

2009-04-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Check these out:
http://arttalk.theispot.net/artnews
http://theispot.blogspot.com
http://www.theispot.com/whatsnew

Charles Schwab Commercial #5

2009-04-06T14:05:00.002-07:00

This year I got to work on my first TV commercials with Mekanism (San Francisco & NY) for Charles Schwab. They hit prime time in March. I created this keyframe using Adobe Illustrator and then sent off my layered file for animation.

More to come!

Copyright: Mekanism, EURO RSCG and Schwab.

Charles Schwab Commercial #4

2009-04-06T14:05:00.001-07:00

Charles Schwab Commercial #3

2009-04-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Charles Schwab Commercial #2

2009-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Charles Schwab Commercial

2009-04-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

AMLI Building

2009-04-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

During the last weekend of SXSW, I got a call from the Gourmet Paint Company in Austin and they were needing a logo put on the AMLI building downtown (2nd & Lavaca). This was a fun quick job that got me out of my studio and back on the street where I love to paint. This was the second time I've created a logo on an exterior wall. The original plan was to use a projector to speed the process along, but it was too bright out and the lights at night made it completely impossible... which was actually a bit of relief. I hate using projectors and much prefer using a simple grid method to enlarge. I then used painter's tape to create the clean edges. About half way through, I abandoned using a pencil altogether too, because the sheen on the paint surface made it difficult to see at certain angles... and I basically started drawing with tape. Weird, but exciting! I love experimenting with new tools and refining methods.

Matt & Mallory

2009-01-03T09:33:00.001-08:00

Commissioned Portrait

2009-01-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

commissioned portrait

Wedding Invite

2008-08-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Finished Mural

2008-08-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

DAY TWO

2008-07-25T13:34:00.001-07:00

DAY ONE

2008-07-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of a new mural commissioned by a couple in Austin. The tuscan landscape will add depth to their dining room.

Texas Biennial Piece

2008-07-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

I spent the last month painting furiously on this triptych for the Texas Biennial competition due on June 30th... hopefully it will get in. I was also preparing it and many other paintings for a show at Flightpath on 51st and Duval hanging on Saturday the 5th. The opening will be the following Saturday the 12th. It's called "Only In Dreams" and it features a lot of great artists such as Alicia Traveria, Kevin Peake, Nathan Jensen, Kennon James, Nick Derington, Dan Shuta, Michael Veroni, Amelia Litsa, Christopher Jennings, Jason Chalker, Ryan Parker, Chris Garcia, and Stanley Scott. It will be up for a month, so go check it out!

Preparing the Battle Field

2008-06-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

If you think there is no way that we could go to war with Iran before the Bush Administration leaves office...
consider this article from the New Yorker.

Headshot on Panel

2008-06-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

Oil Study on Panel

2008-06-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

I began this image with a base color of burnt sienna and then I used three colors (yellow ochre, purple, and titanium white) to paint this close-up alla prima (on first try). I tried to retain my brushstrokes and used a large #12 and #8 bristle brush.

Small Oil Study

2008-06-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Small Flower Painting #1

2008-06-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

This 8x10 oil painting came along great in a short amount of time, but could definitely use a few tweaks. Its actually an unopened lotus... which is an amazing flower.

Small Flower Painting #2

2008-06-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

This 8x10 oil painting on panel was a fun study. I knocked it out in about an hour and a half and was pleasantly surprised by how finished it looked. I used a #10 bright, bristle brush from Windsor Newton for the underpainting and most of the body of the painting. Then I used a #6 bright to punch in most of the detail and highlights.

Pink Rose

2008-05-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

Rose

2008-05-21T10:33:00.001-07:00

Purple Flowers

2008-05-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

It has been probably over a decade since I used stippling (marks with numerous small dots or specks) in my art, but at an old client's request I revisited this technique in color. My past works were always in black and white, as was all my art back then. When I was in seventh or eighth grade I thought I had invented this new style after I saw a poster's dot matrix up close and tried to emulate it in my own ink drawings. I took one of my drawings to a teacher and proudly proclaimed that I had invented an entirely new technique. My teacher was quite graceful in deflating my ego.

The process is quite time consuming, but the slow building up means a lot of control. It helps to blur your eyes a little while you work to see what it looks like from a distance. Georges Seurat, who is probably the most famous artist who used this technique only completed a few works in his lifetime. One a year and he would do numerous studies before hand in chalk to know exactly what he wanted before he began. In contrast to his rather ominous drawings with rich tones and velvety blacks, his paintings were incredibly bright because the mixing of color was an optical illusion and so the actual paint was not dulled by over-brushing.

Sketch 01

2008-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Oil Sketch #2

2008-04-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

New Header

2008-04-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to my wife Alicia, who cut out and assembled the lettering for my header. She has been busy working in this new style to create promotional material for the very talented musician Tyler Jordan and soon will have some stationary to sell at Harts N Crafts. Keep an eye out for it on her blog.

Doodle face

2008-03-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I would go ahead and post this old drawing while I'm at it. I did it a month ago or so, but I always liked that it looked to me like my good friend Chris Johnson. Probably a year ago or so, I did a whole series of drawings of him for this comic book pitchand I guess I really got to know his face, cuz now I draw him without meaning to. If you or anyone you know would be interested in volunteering to get your picture taken, drop me a line. I'm always excited to get new faces to study, and its always a bit awkward asking people... I'm still overcoming my introverted ways.

Ballpoint doodle

2008-03-27T06:58:00.001-07:00

I began this sketch yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by how it evolved. I tend to use multiple sources of reference imagery when I draw and paint to capture subtle lighting effects and maintain accurate body structure; but this time I just flowed. It was quite relaxing. I probably have mentioned this before, but I love using ballpoint. Not the fancy ones that spew black ink effortlessly, but the cheap ones that really make you push hard to get a deep solid line. It reminds me of drawing in my intaglio classes at Baylor, where you etch relief lines into a sheet of metal using a sharp tool and then you rub ink on it and run it through a press to print it. The ability to create both soft delicate lines and bold thunderous lines based on pressure, and the inability to erase really adds to the texture of the drawing. If you build up slowly your hatching and avoid the urge to apply a lot of pressure from the get go, you can maintain a lot of control and there isn't really any mistakes... just more texture and movement. Give it a try sometime and send me your pictures if you do. I'd love to post them.

Tiger Woods - Painting Progression

2008-03-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama

2008-03-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Chad & his girl

2008-03-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

Dan & Emily

2008-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

UT Student Help

2008-03-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

A while back I was contacted by a student at UT who was in desperate need of a crash coarse in illustrator. He was attempting to get a scholarship for his masters degree in advertising and so I helped him with his illustrations. He did all the line work in the background and I did the characters and color.

Blogger Head Shot

2008-03-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Neighborhood Friends

2008-03-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

What we like

2008-03-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Alicia & Laura

2008-03-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

First Baptist Church Illustration

2008-03-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

Marshall

2007-12-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Memories of Jack

2007-12-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, our cat Jack died earlier this year. He's the black one in the picture. Me miss you little man!