Fair warning! Mushiness follows.

First off, a note that sketches and a lot of artwork will now be posted to Tumblr:

kniivila.tumblr.com

I'll still be updating this blog, but moreso on an extensive artwork posts / personal blog basis. I promise to be a better blogger, haha.

Since I suppose the cat's out of the bag in the real world, might as well throw it all down here. After 2 years (3 if you count the internship), I've left my post at Paper Bag Records to focus on my personal illustration career.

There are some narrative projects that have been brewing for the last few years (see above for mysterious peeks at...something), paintings waiting to leave me, and somehow I feel like I'm finally ready to take myself seriously. The years with a wonderfully close team at Paper Bag gave me confidence in myself and the business side of the arts that I just didn't have after graduating.

I'd be crazy not to thank everyone in the PBR office - Trevor, Melanie, Darryl, and Dara. I had the pleasure of working with these amazing people the last two years, as well as an entire host of incredibly talented bands and their teams. This job flew across the Atlantic a couple times, drove me across America twice with PS I Love You, and forced me to take responsibility and grow as a person.

Driving across America, Venice Beach CA to Manhattan, NY.

You would do yourself a service to check out any of the bands on the Paper Bag Records roster - ridiculously talented and hardworking, and just overwhelmingly good people.

I've also been surrounded by an amazing personal circle of family, friends, and artists who haven't been afraid to give me a kick in the ass when I'm being negative or lazy. Thinking back to graduating, moving back to Calgary and basically lying facedown for a month because I had no direction and no motivation. This time it's different - I'm excited and ready.

So anyway! Thanks for reading, and check back for updates as this new chapter starts!

4 pages of cityscape thumbnails. All based off of concept art and photo reference from my inspiration folder. Just trying to get a hang of city density and perspective for the time being. I think it's actually pretty startling, the progression from left to right. (Click to enlarge for details)



I've been on a domestic tear as of late, and have taken to copying recipes I really want to try into my sketchbook. This means I never lose the recipe, and has the added benefit of making sure I try the damn thing out since I went through the trouble of copying it out by hand. (I can attest to the deliciousness of each of these.)



And sometimes things just don't go my way.

je ne comprends pas.

(Click to enlarge)







(Obligatory downtown view)

So I'm here in Montreal, having an amazing time and lacking a scanner. (Also, severely regretting underestimating the difficulty of learning to speak french.)

I've seen some amazing live music, drank some alright beer, and done a hell of a lot of walking. It seems like there's at least 3 festivals going on simultaneously at any given time in the summer months. Totally bonkers!

Scenes from BC

I spent some time in a little town called Kaslo in southern British Columbia the past two days. It's built on a forested mountainside by a lake, and some of its back residential roads look like they came straight out of a miyazaki film.





And afterwards, we went to Ainsworth Hot Springs, which features a CAVE. Seriously, you go sit in a cave in piping hot water and sweat until your brains come out of your nose. It's pretty awesome.


(Photo courtesy of Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort )

PS: Tomorrow I am going to Montreal for a month so that I may mangle the french language. WISH ME LUCK.

Scenes from Alberta

The benefits of home

Back in Calgary!

While there's no studio space, and the greenery is more like brownery, I woke up to this on my bed this morning: