Steve Purcell's Blog

There was a time in my life where drawing pirates was a more central part of my day-to-day activities. Here is a sampling of a couple of skeletal pirates along with a piratey monkey character from those richly rewarding days. They are original sketches on separate sheets but framed together at 18 X 22 inches. 
Late last year a hugely talented colleague of ours, Jamie Baker, had the poor luck to suffer a stroke a few weeks before his company health insurance kicked in, and is facing huge medical bills. The proceeds of this auction will help him pay down that debt and continue his promising recovery. 
If you're a fan of any of my old pirate or monkey-related art or know some who is, please bid or pass along word of the auction. But, good cause or not, go browse around, as there are dozens of rare and beautiful works by many well-known animation industry artists. 
In the meantime, I will see if I can find some more detailed scans of these pieces.
Bid and bid often!
Pencil and ink on paper - varied sizes
--Starchie

Here's a small piece done for a charity auction. I like putting the green with the orange and this one also has a bit more murk than usual. She seems to be an inhabitant of Toybox world.

Acrylic on board 4X9

--Starchie

Here's a bizarre piece that is part of the current i am 8 bit show, an exhibition of artwork inspired by the classic era of video games.

Any time I've been involved with the show I've taken the opportunity to depict my favorite malevolent game character, Sinistar. This painting depicts him in what could be considered a moment of conflict for his countless evil deeds.

The i am 8 bit gallery lists this little painting for sale here.

Acrylic 12X6

--Starchie

Apes, like Phantoms of the Opera, Frankensteins, Skulls, Devils and Clowns issue forth from my pencil like the rubbery capsule prizes in a 1960's gum machine. Here are a few samples from the deep strata. 

Pencil 8 1/2 X 11

 --Starchie

...is running. I don't keep a real sketchbook. But I have thousands of random drawings that end up on the backs of script pages, phone message notes and other miscellaneous scraps.

I'll post a selection here if you want to see some really peculiar stuff.

6" X 6"   Pen and watercolor

 --Starchie

 Here is an early character sketch of Merida's dad, King Fergus from the Pixar film "Brave". We always knew we wanted a blocky, furry, jovial chunk of a guy. I dashed out this painted sketch early on trying to capture some sense of his personality.

 Brilliant artists Carter Goodrich, Matt Nolte, Steve Pilcher and Pixar's smart character and sim departments created the amazingly realized Fergus that actually appeared in the film.

 8X10 Acrylic --Starchie

Japan relief continues a year after the tsunami devastation.
THIS PAINTING is part of a group of auctions of artwork and signed Pixar items by many colleagues and friends. The proceeds benefit a project called Artists Help Japan.

Go and browse some amazing artwork, signed books and super rare items and bid often.

I don't want to try and explain too much about what I was going for. I still look at it a couple of different ways.

Acrylic, 8" X 20" and mounted in a simple black frame.

--Starchie

As well as a few crudely scrawled Sam & Max strips, I used to do these holiday illustrations for the school paper back at what was then California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA). Here is my Saint Patrick's day installment done in 1982.

Pen and Ink 11X14

--Starchie

Here's a quick Phantom to get used to my new tablet. I'm not planning to switch over completely since I enjoy the tangible aspect of painting on paper. This device is a great tool for blocking in ideas quickly, testing color palettes and the management of images for publishing, to list a few of the benefits.

I'm not sure if I could get great at doing finished paintings digitally, though I'm not opposed to the idea. I'm hoping this "machine" will clear the way for some new projects.

8X10 Digital

--Starchie

I did this piece over a couple of evenings for a charity auction for the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. I'm pretty happy with the colors otherwise there are some other issues that I would treat differently if I allowed myself some more time. I expect I'll take another whirl with this character. Her name is Merida, the lead from Pixar's "Brave" coming out next summer. It's a project I've been involved with for quite a while, also known as my "day job".

Acrylic and Prismacolor 8 X 20

--Starchie