The Art of Joseph A. Wraith

Last Great Act of Defiance   © 2016 Copyright, Joseph A. Wraith       Sometimes it's all about the attitude, or emotion, art for me carries my emotions even if it's just work-art. It still is created with emotion and feeling.   Sometimes it is a given emotion from a client who wants to relay it into the design, be it happiness, anger, sadness, or just plain blah.     These emotions may not be my own, but that of the client only, something they want the artwork to speak of.   I still have to feel it, like an Empath feels the world of emotions around them, I too have to feel the emotional value of the art I am creating in order to pay it forward, or it will end up flat and meaningless.   Emotions are dynamic and art can be the bullhorn if the feelings don't speak loud enough.     As an artist and animator I am usually tasked to deliver the key ingredients of a design, which in my notebook represe...

Monsterlings Logo © 2016 Copyright, Joseph A. Wraith Note: Some of my images may be missing from this blog depending on syndication.   The Monsterlings project is a wonderful concept my brother, (award-winning writer - R.W. Hahn) and I came up one dark stormy night... nah, just kidding we came up with it over a phone conversation when he saw my little monster characters, and at the time I had an idea that I wanted to pursue with him on a new children's educational project, he loved them so much that he and I decided to collaborate and create a world within a world. This project will combine botany, science and humanity into one ongoing story, with a unlikely tiny little hero of great magnitude. Telior peeking © 2016 Copyright, Joseph A. Wraith   Monsterlings is an illustrated children's book series using traditional and 3d illustrations to help tell the fictional stories of tiny peaceful Earth bound creatures. These minuscule denizens live in the n...

There's Always Someone Bigger. ©2016 Copyright, Joseph A.Wraith     Well I made it through another Thanksgiving and my stomach didn't explode, I didn't strangle an obnoxious family member, and I didn't wake up with a hang-over, so all in all a successful holiday indeed. I hope everyone had a great celebration of gluttony and lies. On to the next...   I decided to work today and avoid all Black Friday traffic, nothing like spending a nice, peaceful day and evening at home doing what I love best. I guess I can't call it work if I love it right? I think officially I have to have something to complain about to call it "work". Let me think on this... Ok, my Mac is really fast, no complaints there. My clients are pretty cool, so no complaints there. I have a water cooler, food and snacks available, so that's good. Hmmmmn...  Nope, I guess it's officially not work... but, wait... I have to do it to get paid, so maybe it can be consider...

Molo loves his morning mushroom caps. ©2016 Copyright, Joseph A. Wraith Happy Thanksgiving all!    I personally enjoy this time of year, and not just because I get to cook my yummy wino-turkey and eat the leftovers for the next several months, but because it's fall and the weather gets really beautiful here in Pompano Beach. I love the colorful Halloween season, the cool creepiness and the early dark evenings. Plus, the sunsets rock!    I'm also very thankful for my life and the way I have been able to live it. As a freelance artist, I'm my own boss, I get to spend my time at home working at my own schedule and it's a wonderful freedom... ah, hem... sometimes, unfortunately my boss is also a creative, workaholic, slave-driver who expects me to be busy working 12-16 hour days. Athough he does give me time-off to enjoy the beach, or catch a flick during the day. Sometimes he even wakes me up out of a dead sleep in the middle of the night to work on some...

   O K, this is where I spew my art works and words of wisdom upon you, better get an umbrella, raincoat, and a couple rolls of visqueen, maybe a pair of galoshes while you are at it, and don't track that smelly stuff into the house! I'll also be giving you my art pointers and pipeline that I personally do when completing a project. First off, I never went to art school for my art, I'm basically self-taught in everything I do.  So if it doesn't jibe with the corporately-taught way of doing things, oh well...  there are a few ways to skin the cat should we say and this is my way. I may also rant on how artists are treated professionally on occasion, especially when that artist is me, or friends of mine. Living in beautiful Pompano Beach, Florida I am close to the main hubs of the Southeastern Art World and there comes a stinketh from below. We will get to that later. On an up-note, I just joined Directory of Illustration and I have them to thank for starting...

  Avalanche Control Crew   I live near the beach, this is the closest I will ever get to snow, thank God! Yes, I also know that penguins and polar bears do not live on the same poles, but that doesn't mean that they can't be hired to do work together on an Avalanche Control Crew. Am I right, am I right, am I right? I think so!