Bathtime with Blubbles

Brand Monkey is a class about branding and how to visualize an idea/image in your head and take it to reality. After playing around with several decent concepts (manly chapstick that doesn't look like lipstick, chopsticks with printed fortunes) I created
"BATHTIME WITH BETTY BLUBBLES"
That's right kiddies, now you can enjoy a rubber bath toy from childhood with an (albeit slightly immature) adult theme! Betty is curvy, sexy, and of course bubbly. She's also ergonomically floatable (fat is actually lighter and more buoyant than muscle. who knew!) and she'll make bathtime fun for everyone!
I had no idea how much of an undertaking this project would be. First there was research, then numerous concept drawing. After many critiques and advise from instructors I settled on the one you see below. Next was package design (in progress) and finally the act of sculpting a prototype to later be cast in resin. I've been watching videos on creature sculpting and reading anatomy books. Although she's a very cartoony character, it's important to convey a hint of realistic proportion. Once the head is complete I'll post the entire image to view. Then it's off to China for a process called Rotocasting, which creates the final form. Be prepared for Betty Blubbles in all her rubbery beauty!

~ T

Sea Slime?

Last term I did a piece for a design class and it was requested to show in the campus gallery. The gallery is seen by many both famous and well, in-famous. Anyway, rather impressive for an advertising major I thought! Gouache on 12"x12" illustration board and took roughly 13 hours to complete. Tedious but very fun. Enjoy "Carbonated Sea Slime"

Tread lightly...

This is a great piece with lots of potential but just can't find enough time anymore to sit down and work on fun projects all my own. If you scroll back through past postings you'll notice the sleeping buffalo are actually from a freehand drawing I completed in an hour for a western art auction. The full vision was just as you see here. In harsh winters, desperate wolves sometimes enter buffalo herds and steal young calves right out from under their sleeping mothers. These guys are in definitely walking a thin line.
If all goes as planned I'll have 'er done in another six months! Enjoy,
~ T

New fun year, new fun stuff

Happy new year!
It's been far too long but I've not forgotten you kiddies. So...what has Mr. Jensen's eccentric little mind been up to in the midst of his inexcusable absence? Well lemme tell ya - Redid the blog layout as it needed an update in design/color/whathaveyou. Hope you like. Art Directed an advertising campaign for Whirly Pops. And what are Whirly Pops you ask? If you've been to Disneyland in the last fifty years Whirly Pops are the ginormous suckers you buy that take 12 hours to eat. We had to research the product, devise a campaign and execute it across print, web and television. A fun project to be a part of for sure as not only did we tour the secret LA facility where Whirly Pops are created, but we got to eat a ton of free candy in the process! Ahh the perks of the biz. The print concepts mirrored famous artist styles, in this case Van Gogh and Warhol.
To accompany our Whirly "Pop Art" we shot the commercial in a live gallery in Pasadena. I ended up playing the part of Harold the stodgy art buyer (along with a rather beautiful costar). Behind us you can just make out a fully painted Whirly Pop.
Got some more visual enjoyment comin' atcha so be back soon! ~ T

Un-Original

This was a self-promotional ad (actual size 24"x36") to show a single describing word,"original". Sadly round four of what you see here will be scrapped as the sheep are too cartoony. Now you might think sheep and think "sleep" or "black sheep" or simply "what the fuck do sheep have to do with anything Tyler!?" and you may very well be right. But the critics in charge of my grade disagree. The first idea was a silhouette of ducks with one duck of a different feather having argyle patterned plumage. Funny? Better? Worse? Got a more "original" animal idea?

One more for ya...

Just couldn't let this fabulous day go by without another ghoulish blog entry on my favorite holiday. Originally, I had a fun little drawing for you kiddies: a two headed, inbred hilbilly playing a fiddle in a pumpkin patch. But some jackwad little monster fuck stole it right out of the room where it was being critiqued! You know who you are if you're reading this and may your guilty karma bless you with crippling gonorrhea.
Anyhoo, this piece is still fun and began as a test painting in gouache over the weekend to play with positive/negative space. It was great to bust out the brushes again and let the mind wander. Even if you completely suck at all things artistic I urge you to give it a try as it's a great form of meditation. The original piece was done using only black and white, but I sent'er into the digital world and added a few extras for your enjoyment. Until next year - Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!

Quick n'dirty (just the way I like it). This little dancing bat was a figure study for a new drawing technique I'm trying out. Also was a good opportunity to play with some new effects in CS5 Photoshop too. Am working on a few more styles for a school advertisement project and will definitely post those once they're done. With so much work sadly there's not a lot of time for anything else, but was glad to sit down last night and just let the pencil run for a change with minimal thought and reaction. Quick stuff like this really helps the creativity stay sharp.

Did I fall off the face of the earth??

Well look who decided to make another blog entry! It's been more than a month since my last posting and boy has a lot been goin' on. After my showing in Push Eject's Blaubak Gallery the month of August my work was pulled from the walls, packed tightly in a wooden crate and shipped (along with everything else I own in the known world) to the fabulous town of Pasadena, CA. Yep, for the next two years I shall be calling Cali my home while I attend Art Center College of Design. It's a rare opportunity that only comes around once in a lifetime and I just couldn't pass 'er up.
Most recognize this school for their unmatched automotive design program. The new VW Beetle? An Art Center graduate did it. But they're also well known for film, illustration and advertising. Famous western/wildlife artist Bev Doolittle, director/producer Michael Bay (Bad Boys, Armageddon, every over-the-top action movie you can think of) went here too. Those are just a couple off the top of my head. Trust me, there's a ton more.
And now you can add my name to the list of greats!
Rest assured I'll continue to post artwork and will be showing in galleries and festivals, but sorry friends the only way you'll see them is if you head South to the greater Los Angeles area. Or diligently check my blog! Now that I'm settled in, there will be more to come so stay tuned. Oh and will try to send the sun your way as well.
~ T

Gallery month

hola kiddies!

tyler j again with another post for your cheap enjoyment. this month I'm taking a break from festivals to show in a gallery. although I truly enjoy the festival circuit, it is exhausting. every weekend a new city, pack, unpack, set up, sell sell sell, pack and repeat. I feel like crazy heart, sans the downward spiral alcoholism and sleeping with old ladies in a trashy motel. ha!
where was I? ah yes. look for me in blaubak gallery (http://www.blaubak.com/) all of august. there will be several new pieces up too. opening night is this friday, the 6th. food, wine, art, wine, art and wine.
here's a sneak preview of "the friday nite seafood club". finally finished!
the other started as a simple anatomy study of a moose while I was sitting at an art show several weeks ago. but I liked the big guy so much I made a full piece out of him and added a little "classic tyler" flavor. entitled "swamp gas" it's truly tasteless. but hey, got a sinister chuckle outta me.
until next time...
~ t

The Friday Nite Seafood Club

If you saw The Unrefined Palate in my earlier blog or at a recent show you will no doubt agree it's a piece of art that stands out. Aside from the widely popular, A Delectable Feast, The Unrefined Palate is my second biggest request for prints. What is it about drunk, gluttonous wildlife that we find so engaging? Does it remind us of ourselves on a blissful, primitive level? Of course it does! Well, whatever. If it brings a smile to your face and makes you buy one for your home, then turn the grinder and watch this monkey dance!
And in that vein, here's my latest work: The Friday Nite Seafood Club! This Rat Packish group of Pacific Northwest Sea Otters meets every Friday to socialize and cook, but it always seems to lead to debauchery. Must be those coo-coo clamtinis!
Not sure you'll see it by the next show but I'm taking orders now. Email Jody for pricing and include the words "I read Tyler's blog" for a 10% discount. Enjoy!

Latest stuff

Just returned from a weekend show called the Taste of Tacoma. And the taste was...well, ever eaten caviar when you thought they were blackberries? I have. I was eight. Use your imagination.
Anyhoo, no offense to my Tacoma-ites, ians, whatever, but when you're told "you should really stop all these little animal drawings and do stuff with vampires or skateboards" that's when I know my loving audience exists elsewhere. However, it was a fantastic learning experience and I met some great people.
Now for some fun news - check out the latest project I've idiotically added to my 127 other projects in the works. A childrens book that will hopefully see the light of day sooner than later. It's a grueling process that unfortunately begins with a ton of rejection. But hey, that stupid wizard kid at hogpuke's school of wizardry story got turned down by nearly every publisher alive. Now look at all the kid-learns-his-true-powers-of-magic-and-sorcery-themed movies and books out! It started a billion dollar genre market!
Buford Bull and his Very Bad Bugle is a true northwest topic, but there's a message and a quirky little amusing story that's definitely marketable and sure to please ages 6-10. Or older if you're an immature 33 year old. I've got four more stories and if time permits, Jody will post them for all you kiddies to enjoy.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY! Looking forward to doing absolutely nothing sober. Sorry mom.
~ T

Western Art Show

wow, two posts in a month! some fun pics from the Western Art Show & Auction last weekend. was asked to participate in a "quick draw" event where 12 artists have 1 hour to complete a drawing, which then goes to auction. the audience can walk around and see each piece unfolding before they bid. most artists worked in acrylic or watercolor, one sculpted a piece out of clay that was truly impressive, and I myself used pens and...crayons! yep, a $3 set of 24 crayola wax crayons. hadn't used those since, like, 4th grade? wanted to test my skill a bit and figured everyone was getting bored of "same old same old". as a result, I had a crowd of 6-10 year olds behind me nearly the entire time. great fun! anyway, this piece went for a surprising amount in the auction so I was more than happy. the feedback was so positive it's now going to be turned into a full piece. I'll spend more than an hour on it this time however. enjoy!

Goat cheese! BLEKK!

Wildlife, wine and cheese lovers enjoy! I spent about a month researching Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat anatomy up close for this piece. What a fantastic opportunity! Oh, and I studied a lot of wine. Bottles and bottles of wine.

Art festival/gallery schedule

For the last several weeks I've been hard at work in my spare minutes putting together the art booth. Most people take the easy route and go buy tradeshow stands, displays, table covers, holders, etc. etc. etc. and to that I say BAH! Tyler Jensen snubs his nose to the easy route! Although I much prefer simple and easy, I've never done so before which is why the idea to build a booth from scratch was oh-so appropriate (and ridiculously time consuming). Oh and I also built a trailer to pull said booth built from scratch. Sometimes the project is as much fun (if not more) as the finished result. So just you wait my minions! Pictures to follow and it's sure to impress.
Until then, mark your calendars and check out my work (and booth...hell, even the trailer!) for yourself, here are the dates -

May 21-23 - Western Art Show and Auction (http://www.westernartassoction.org/)
Ellensburg, WA

June 25-26 - Art A La Carte (http://www.metroparkstacoma.com/)
Tacoma, WA

July 10-11 - Art By The Bay (http://www.stanwoodarts.com/)
Stanwood, WA

July 17-18 - Gig Harbor Art Festival (http://www.peninsulaartleague.com/)
Gig Harbor, WA

July 23-25 - Renton River Days (http://www.rentonriverdays.org/)
Renton, WA

August 1-31 - Blaubak Gallery (http://www.blaubak.com)
Kirkland, WA

October 2-4 - Issaquah Salmon Days (http://www.salmondays.org/)
Issaquah, WA

Tyler J.

Western Art Show

Hola kiddies!

It's a ways out, but here is the kickoff to my summer art festival circuit. The Western Art Association has graciously accepted me into their 2010 show and I can't tell you how excited I am to attend! This is an event I saw for the first time with my dad when I was about 10. Inspiration was everywhere with all the work (as well as the artists themselves) seen there. So much talent and the booths were decorated with such creativity. If you've never been it's truly a unique event not to be missed.

Check - http://www.westernartassociation.org for more info and be sure to mark your calendars.