Lera Lynn & Bird Watcher at the Tin Angel March 8

Newest poster design for Bird Watcher's March 8th show with amazing folk singer Lera Lynn. Link to her music after the break.

 

links to Lera's music after the jump.

Reworking is Always a Work in Progress II

Here is the rework of "The Great West or Old Black on the Elk" artwork for Bird Watcher, got it to where it needs to be. Original and embedded track after the jump.

The Great West or Old Black on the Elk

Bird Watcher's New Jam

Hand in hand again, Bird Watcher's new release is now available to listen to for free on Bandcamp with artwork by me, Samskrits.

I suggest you come out to Manayunk tomorrow night for the show at The Grape Room, 105 Grape St. Show starts at 7pm, $7 on Feb. 7th, it's gotta be good with those numbers. Performing with Underwater Country Club, Little Bird and more! it's gonna be a hoppin' good time!

Link and embedded tune after the jump.

Red Golashes

Yesterday was a pretty grim day weather wise and there's one thing I can't live without when it's rainy, my golashes! Mine aren't red but I thought, 'what if they were?!'...then I made a little painting of that idea. Being an artist is instant gratification for imagination! Rain or shine I stay inside!

splish, splash!

Reworking is Always a Work in Progress

I love reworking my work. I find that my first incarnation of something is rarely what I intended and I'm usually not happy with it. Since I've been working with Bird Watcher and illustrating their single releases I have had to create some stuff and just 'get it out there'. Luckily, I have the luxury of being able to send them updated versions that they are willing to put up.

Here is a rework of the image I did for the Happy House suite, original image and song are after the jump.

Happy House rework

Venus Anima

Been working on finishing these girls to completion, done and done!

These three images among others will be available for purchase in my Etsy store when it re-opens mid-February.

Deer Moon Girl

Lucky Rabbit Girl

Racoon Girl

This triptych started out with just Deer Moon Girl, she has been in black & white for the longest time an image I've drawn and re-drawn in various incarnations. I wanted to jazz her up just cause she seemed so sad so I gave her some droopy magical goo and some magical alchemical symbols and stuff so she wasn't so lonely, I think she digs it.

The idea grew from there to draw some more gals with weird animal attributes. It's very 'in' right now you know what with those playa/burner/steampunk/furry kids and all.

BUT besides that I really did put thought into each one. Deer Girl is sort of her own thing, a ring leader of sorts, but Lucky Rabbit Girl or as I like to call her : Dragon Lady (is that racist? I hope not...she has dragons on her dress...)...Anyway, Dragon Lady, one of my favorite Chinese folklore stories is the story of the Rabbit in the moon. In Chinese folklore the moon is a rabbit that sits and stirs the elixir of life which is really awesome. I want some elixir of life! She's super calm and always has some serious words of wisdom when she talks. Mostly she stares because that's just part of her rabbit nature.

Racoon Girl is the saddest of the bunch. She has a big cowl sweater to hide in and her hair is real messy, like so bad that she can't even get a comb through it. She just wants to chill under some brush and maybe tip over a trash can or something when it's dark.  She really likes knitting and she made her woven clothes to cover up her furry body.

More posting to come about the re-opening my Etsy shop and also what prints will be available.

Bird Watcher, Feb 7th, The Grape Room

Been very happy to be working with my good friends Bird Watcher designing posters and illustrating for them, here's the latest poster design:

Bird Watcher will be playing a show FRIDAY, Feb 7th at The Grape Room in Manayunk, PA. Joined by Underwater Country Club, The Rivals and serendipitously; Little Bird.

poster design & illustration by samskrits

Bird Watcher has recently been featured not once but twice on The Key, XPN's music blog. First featured for their two songs "The Great West" and "Old Black on the Elk" they were recently featured again as best free download of the week in the company of John the Conqueror, Gretchen Lohse, J Roddy Walston and The Business, Ginger Coyle Music, and The Skywriters. 

Not too bad. Stay tuned for the drop of their newest song which will be available for free download on Bandcamp here in the first week of February!

2-Dimensional Bobble Heads

For Christmas I told Jesse Soifer that we didn't really have to get each other anything...since we're both Jewish. I've always celebrated the pagan tree ceremony because of my w.a.s.p. dad but Jesse had never celebrated ever!  We ended up doing a mix of Jewish Christmas and regular Christmas where we ate Chinese food, saw The Nutcracker & Santa at Macy's, then fell asleep on the couch watching Peanuts shorts.  I drew this little picture as a placeholder for a frame that I got us but I think it needs its own frame now.

jitterbuggin'

 I have a real weird eye because I'm a cyborg and Jesse is definitely trying to feel me up...that's what happens in 5 minute drawings, cyborgs and 2nd base. Win/win!

Bird Watcher & Samskrits 4 eva

All I can think about today is how I have to go out into the cold if I want to be even remotely productive and it's really bumming me out but also inspiring me with a sense of adventure. Like everyone else I have the resilient and sustaining cold that leaves my nasal passages completely dry but yet somehow still have so much yuck that I get to cough up in the morning...how does the yuck not at least lubricate?

x-x-x

In these trying winter times I have latched on to a number of projects and one of them is fledgling musical act  Bird Watcher. Spearheaded by Julian Booker and assisted by Jesse Soifer these two dudes are starting to put out some really great folk/indie/Americana and I'm happy to be their resident illustrator.

You can listen to them on bandcamp through the link above or the embedded tracks below.

the great west- ford the river!

happy house suite

I've just been going with my gut listening to the songs and then whatever comes to mind is what I draw. So far I'm pleased with the images but I also wish that I had time to plan out an elaborate scheme of an overall larger design and then each song or release being a part of the reveal of that larger design. I don't mind that right now they are sweet little inspired vignettes and it doesn't mean they can't be used to make a larger piece in the end. We'll see where it goes. Happy to have creative freedom and a great sounding board with Jesse and JJ.

I'll be posting more stuff for Bird Watcher later in the month when another of their releases drops so check back!

Philly Mag & FooBooz

So being the tunnel-visioned technologically disinclined person that I am, I definitely didn't even know that Alex Tewflik of FooBooz had quoted me from an email that I sent him about his inventive Starving Artists series. Alex has the great idea of featuring all the diamonds in the rough talent of the starving artists of Philly who work in the service industry. I think his series idea is amazing and I told him as such.

Sometimes working as a server you get mistaken for a servant or just someone who has absolutely no ambitions in life. Disregard the terrible economy, the rising cost of higher education as well as the fact there just aren't jobs for my generation in the fields that we have studied and gained degrees in. I never saw myself working in an office and I still don't to this day. My dreams are a little different because that's just me. I don't want to climb the corporate ladder, it's definitely shoddy and seems like a rough place to enjoy anything. So, I work in a restaurant to pay my bills and network. I get to meet tons of people every night and some of them are really interesting and have given me jobs, advice, great stories & that can definitely be more than just 20%. Some of the conversations I have are more eye opening than all the money left on the table. While I might not be working towards the house in the Hamptons & a sweet 401K I am enjoying the time I have now, so yes, I will get you another Coke.

Here is the link to the article: PhillyMag Oct.16

My featured image:

Gruss vom Krampus

Tis' the season...for the Krampus to come for all you bad boys and girls. If you don't know what a Krampus is, he's the furry dark underbelly to Santa Claus' white snowy bearded, rosy-cheeked, saccharin sweetness. He just so happens to have a really long tongue with which he will maybe lick you. If that's not creepy enough he'll catch you with his Vaudevillian hook and throw you in his basket backpack to take you down to the depths of fiery hell where I'm guessing you'll spend Christmas sweating and really wishing you hadn't given so many people atomic wedgies and swirlies.

Inspired by this refreshing take on the disgusting consumer driven horror that is Christmas these days I made a little thing to honor Das Krampus and hopefully invoke him to come back and smite our selfish, greedy asses into being a little less well...selfish and greedy.

get in my basket!

Merry Christmas!!

Tigers & Dinosaurs & Whales, Oh My!

I was recently commissioned to make three animal themed paintings for Apple Child Care in Philadelphia. Not only was this project so much fun I can't wait to drop the paintings off and see how the kids and staff like them.

Dinos! Rawrr!

 The Dinosaurs were particularly challenging because no one really knows what kind of skin they had or what colors they were. I used my best judgment and inspiration from artists before me. I didn't want to the T-Rex to be too scary so I made his usually razor sharp teeth rounded, he'll still bite ya' though.

Creatures of the deep

The Ocean was really overwhelming because there are so many different creatures that reside in its vastness. I tried to stick to the favorites because these kids are very small, notice the 'Nemo'. Back in my day they were just called clown fish and I don't  know about you but I don't like clowns...I do like Nemo though.

Exotic Rainforest

The Rainforest was my favorite by far! I loved researching all the exotic plants and animals. I want to cuddle that sloth so hard!

More photos of installation to come as soon as they get brought out to the location! Hopefully, there will be more animal paintings for the rest of the rooms at the day care center. There's been talk about an arctic, desert and aviary series as well, we'll see.

Happy Holidays!

We are mid-holiday season, the eye of the consumer storm if you will. For the next few weeks shopping consumes almost every American's free time, it's horror for retail people, I feel for them.

So, if you're like me and you like to stay in the safety of your home to buy gifts for friends and family alike I would recommend picking up a sweet limited edition poster I illustrated  & designed for friends and local Philadelphia band The Quelle Source. Two designs available they're only $10 signed and numbered printed by Philly local company Fireball Printing on super nice stock paper.

Here are some other online places to buy unique and handmade or creative gifts, support your small e-business owners!

Timothy Anderson Art
Torch Song Metals
LadyHawk Love
Hero&Sound Design

Some previews of the amazing shops above!

Happy shopping everyone!

Welcome!

prayer flags in Zhong Dian

Namaste! Samskrits.com & samskrits.blogspot has moved over here for a little while! I hope that you enjoy the new space and my artwork. Stay connected with my facebook, twitter & instagram : @samskrits.