Well, there's a whole list of reasons why it's fun to make Matte paintings. It's not just that they look cool but, for me, it opens up a whole new world of dialogue as an artist. Matte painting is something that's used for creating environments for TV, Film, and Gaming. It's an exercise in creating stories and that's what appeals to me the most. I just started learning about it and so far I've been having an interesting time getting my feet wet. I'm generally teaching myself the ins and outs of it with the help of some dvd instruction from the amazing artist's over at The gnomon workshop. I am in no way affiliated with them, just a very happy customer of about 5 tutorial dvds. I've learned a lot from them and I'm using that knowledge to move my self along as an artist. Here are a couple of quick black and white environmental design comps that I did. After I had a few compositional sketches completed I opened up a cool image that I had in my image library of Scotland and decided to try my hand at making a matte painting. Check out the results below. I'm personally very happy with where this is taking me…

Here's one of the first environment sketches I did in photoshop. Very loose, just trying to sell some depth in the image and an interesting composition. This took about 10 minutes to do.

Here's the second one I did. Again this was quick, about 15 minutes. Just working on creating an environment with some decent scale to it…

Here's my first matte painting. My intention was to incorporate the Asian buildings into this Scottish landscape. Please understand that I am just beginning with this. I realize this would not be suitable for an actual Matte painting but one day through practice I'll create something that will be.. I find this process interesting because your starting out with some kind of mood or feeling and then your allowed to build whatever world you want right into that landscape. It might be too early to tell but I think I'm hooked..

MATTE PAINTING, I call this "The BonnieLand"

This is a 12 foot tall by 240 foot wide collaborative mural accomplished in the summer of 2010 by the following artists:

Peter Bragino
John Bragino
Kevin Corcoran
Lisa Distefano
Christine Kane
Jeff Slack
Jennifer Quinn
Sonia Vera-Leon

I designed this mural as a 4 seasons cyclical theme starting in winter on the South wall and ending again in winter on the North wall. It's painted inside a 120' tunnel and both walls were painted to complete the cycle of the seasons. I gathered some of the best artists I knew to come down and join me in the creation of this mural. My brother John shot a documentary while we painted this.

Here are two versions to view. The top one is a wider format so you can see more of the mural at one time. The bottom is for checking out details. Enjoy!!

This image has been through many stages to get it to this point. Here's a list and a good reason to embrace technology as a tool for art…

Applications on the mobile phone platform are what websites were 15 years ago. Something your going to see more and more of very quickly so I took the plunge early in the game. With about a 2 week effort and the help of my new friends over at mobile roadie I'm proud to officially announce the launch of my new iPhone application.

iPhone and iPod touch users can download the Bragino app here >

It's basically everything in one place……..Artwork, videos, news, announcements, and special offers will all be at your fingertips. Stay tuned for original music from Marino Bragino, Videos by John Bragino, and even some original multi-dimensional works from me.

Here's some screenshots of what it looks like.

Reve > is French for "Dream"

I often speak to other artists about naming of their pieces and it's not uncommon for it to be a tough subject for some. For me it seems like a simple process and this illustration was no different.

The look on the woman's face I had drawn seemed to have a longing for something different than her current situation, half removed from the person who's face was looking back at her in the mirror, a longing, dreaming of another life. Through word searching on the internet I came about the word Reve. I liked the look of the word and it seemed to fit the illustration style plus the meaning fit as well. Just like that a name is born. I've always been under the belief that no matter how much intention you have for a piece of art and what you'd like it to be you must always leave room for what it wants to be as well.

Here are some of my favorite studies from September..

I chose this one because it's something I'm working on, which is just painting while working from the model. That is no mediums that are generally used for drawing, ie: markers, pens, oil pastels etc……Just acrylic paint and a few brushes. This page was prepared before painting this image with a solid green background. "Killing the white of the background like that helps you to work with paint a little better. It basically creates a mood that you can then place your figure into.

I really love the way this one came out. It reminds me of an old USO poster, or something that would have promoted Coney Island. It just has that 40's/50's feel to it mostly I suspect because of the color.

In this image, as opposed to the last two, I'm using drawing as well as painting. There are many things that I like about this but mainly the distortion through the page and the complexity of the angles in which body parts are moving. The stockings might have caught my attention as well.

I'd like to thank Lauren Loro for tracking me down and interviewing me about the guitars that I did with sharpie markers. Lauren is one of three "INKterns" participating in the Sharpie social media internship. Sounds like an amazing learning experience to me and with all those free sharpie's I have to say that I'm a bit jealous…Lauren started her own blog dedicated to her internship called "Sharpieinktern's blog" to delve deeper into her experience at Sharpie and to find out first hand what creative things people are doing with Sharpie markers. I'm honored to be the first artist she interviewed. Check out the full interview below and check back at her site often to see what else she discovers….

Rock On with Sharpie!
It amazes me what people create with Sharpies. That is why I am especially proud to introduce my first Sharpie Artist Peter Bragino. Thankfully he was kind enough to allow me to interview him and display some of his work… Hope you enjoy!

Tell me a little about your business.

My business is Bragino Creations and that incorporates my life in whole as a working artist. I own and operate THECEEFLAT Gallery in Brooklyn (www.theceeflat.com) and run the fine art section of my business out of there. I also create wall murals, art on random things, design work, figurative drawings/paintings, and airbrushing in any capacity.

How are Sharpie markers incorporated?

Sharpie markers have been and always will be a driving force in my work. From the early days of drawing friends names in grafitti and scribbling in notebooks, to current times of fine art paintings and art on guitars Sharpie has been there for me.

What benefit do you think this offers and to who?

The idea of having your own business as an artist benefits the artist in many ways. In my case I’ve always hoped that rejecting the norm and blazing my own trail would help inspire not only my immediate friends and family but anyone who comes in contact with my art as well.It’s possible to create the live of your dreams and that’s where I like to live, on the edge of creation…

Why are Sharpie markers a good fit for this?

Sharpie markers are a good fit for artist’s because they’re permanent, consistent, and simple. I especially like the industrial Sharpies. They write over just about anything which is why I used them to draw on the guitars. I also love to use them when I’m drawing the figure. I use mixed media a lot with the figure and the Professional or Industrial Sharpies can handle working over just about anything I put on the page, even wet surfaces. When each figure study only lasts 20 minutes it’s important to get the information down quickly without waiting for things to dry..

Tell us about some of your favorite designs. Why do they resonate with you?

Most of the designs that resonate with me are designs that are based on good composition. In the end composition is the most important aspect of any one of my pieces and the ones that succeed the most are ultimately added directly to my favorites list.

What was your inspiration for these designs?

Most of my inspiration for the designs that I create comes directly from nature. I draw a lot on location around New York and I study weekly from the human figure so in general it’s all natural and of course organic…

Can the public order designs or is this a private hobby?

The public may certainly order designs from my online store which should be up soon (www.shopbragino.com). I recently made the decision to redo the store so it’s in the process of a major rehaul. In the meantime potential clients can contact me through my website (www.bragino.com).

Have you tried to decorate any electrical guitars?

I haven’t painted any electric guitars. So far I’ve done 4 acoustic guitars.

Have you created any other piece of art using Sharpies?

I’ve drawn on many things using sharpies. One of my favorite things to draw on with sharpies is humans. Yes that’s right I use sharpies to create temporary tattoos on friends, and have even used them during photo shoots for giving a model a half sleeve.

What is your favorite Sharpie to use?

My favorite sharpie to use is certainly the basic black fine point. You can’t go wrong with the classics. For the more permanent situations and harder to mark on surfaces I love the professional Sharpie with the chisel point. It’s almost like using a brush with ink or paint.

The End.

Here are the drawing / paintings for this week…….My thought process for this week was to push my images and keep adding to them. To explore layering and building up the images. I didn't want to settle for just a good drawing and that basically brought me into a more painterly attitude with these images……

 Image 1: I like this image for the exploration of different sized marks or paint strokes on the page. The figure is barely emerging from within them but the variation of the marks makes for an interesting image despite the figure.

Image 2: I like this image for the thought process of painting and the adding of light to allow the figure to emerge from the page. There was an underlying abstract painting here initially. I created a line drawing of the figure on top and began painting in the volume of the body on top of that……

Image3: This image is a little on the rough side compared to some of the things that I usually do but that's what I like about it the most. I think that with the combination of colors, the primitive types of marks running throughout the figure and the composition of the page the image works. Detail could be added but I'm not sure if that would help or hurt what’s going on here……

Image 4: What I like mostly here is the way that the colors pop off of the grayed out background. Nothing seems to make colors sing more than juxtaposing them against a color that has little to no hue in it. If the background were white the colors would still sing but they'd be competing with the white background. Here the colors are left to perform on their own…

Image 5: I included this image because of it's simplicity. It amazes me how a simple wash can describe the form of the body. After that wash lays out the terrain it's always fun to come in and draw around and on top of that form.

Image 6: I like this final image for a bunch of reasons……I like the line drawing that runs throughout, the distortion of the figure to push space on the page, the way that the feet and hands came out, the abstraction in the background, and the patterning in the pillow. It's generally my taste for design and drawing that attracts me to this image. I hope you enjoyed the images for this week. More on the way soon…..

This week I only had 2 1/2 hours of figure drawing vice the normal 5 1/2 hours so I'm going to post most of the image that I created in that time period. Generally the poses are between 10 and 20 minutes. Short poses seem to force you into a more concentrated thought process while studying the figure. There's no time to let your guard down. All your decisions need to be important, quick, and add to the overall success of the image. Working in this manner has helped me recognize what I find asthetically important very quickly and I use that to help guide myself through each drawing / painting (it's kind of like allowing the image to tell you what it wants to be). Each pose may call for something different and you'll notice that in how I handled the 3 standing poses. The more I play and explore different types of asthetics the greater my language becomes and the more enjoyable I find the process of creating images……Image 1: I chose this image because it was a struggle for me. The medium tried to get in my way but I fought with it and it turned out to have some really interesting textures in it. I like the lines that are scratched back into the image through the top layer of paint. I dont think this is the most successful image but some of these asthetics will filter into future drawings for sure…

Image 2, 3, 4: Here's the three seperate standing poses. The first is done with pencil, the second with oil pastels, and the third with acrylic paint. I like them all for different reasons but I especially like them together. I think the best thing about them is that each one has it's own mood or personality and for that alone I feel I was successful with each one…..

Image 5: I think this image had great potential but I lapsed a little in the way the distortion came out. This pose was very dynamic and strong and I feel that I captured that essence in the forward hand and leg but lost that quality in the head and the back leg. There are a lot of things I like about it though and one of the main things is the underpainting of colors and how they read through the image. I'm sure this will show up in some future images as well…..

This week we drew another one of my favorite models. Her name is Lori and she's well known on the Long Island figure scene. She's a large model and just about one of the most interesting people to draw. My focus this week was to create mood in the images and to think about designing the backgrounds on the image as well. I was also looking to fill the entire page and create a more complete image rather than a solitary figure sitting on the page. I wasn't too worried about creating a representational image (one that looks just like what the model looks like). I was focused on the overall composition, design, and picture as a whole…….

Image 1: Chosen for it's overall composition and it's sense of volume. I enjoy how the figure feels like it's being chisled out of the page and the abstractions that exist in the background as well. I believe this image works as it is without adding anymore detail. I wouldn't be against adding some small bits of detail here and there but I don't think it's necessary for the image to work compositionally.

Image 2: I chose this image for it's mood and it's potential. Unlike the first image I feel this image needs more work to finish it. It's got an interesting mood to it which I like, but I will be painting back into this one to bring more weight into the figure itself. Once I do that it should create a lot of space between the figure and the background which will force the depth I'd like to see in this image..

Image 3: I chose this because of it's abstract composition. The figure's not recognizable and it's not supposed to be but the shapes that reside on the page have been created by using the figure as a point of departure. This is mainly a study in composition, color and space. I feel this image is complete. I think it's interesing to solve compositions on a page just as a musical composer solves compositions. When the songs complete you move on and create another one…..

Whenever I'm drawing the figure on a consistent basis my sketchbooks benefit as a result. It's a good argument why I will always continue to study. The more that I study the more I produce. My mind keeps moving with ideas and it fosters creativity. I've never gone to school for art and that doesn't bother me a bit. I am a student of art and will always continue to be. As I grow my thoughts change and new things come of it. I don't believe in having a block as an artist. I believe that if you create without fear and without judgment and allow yourself the freedom to play and enjoy the process of making art interesting things will come out of that exploration. Here's a page I drew in my sketchbook the other day. It's fun and creative and I think that there's some interesting things happening here.If someone asked me how to be an artist my simple answer would be to create art. I haven't found a better way to do that than to keep a sketchbook at all times, a place to explore, fail, test, think, color and learn. It might just be as simple as that……..

This week I have two images to show. These were drawn live from one of my favorite models. I was trying to use mood and design in these images. The mood I accomplisehd in one of them by creating a backlit situation where the figure is slightly shadowed causing a strong sense of light. In both images I was able to incorporate patterns into the backgrounds to add a sense of design to them. Whenever I'm creating patterns my focus is mainly on letting the pattern have a life of it's own and not controlling it too much. I generally want to patterns to seem random which always helps them to feel more natural…….

Image 1:

Image 2:

Here are the chosen drawings from this week…..Image 1: Chosen for the diversity in graphics, the supporting weight along the back of the figure showing the stress of the muscles in this pose, and the space created on the page from front to back.

Image 2: Chosen for it's graphics and the idea that an underlying graphic can describe so much. When the addition of the pen graphic is interjected the space that the figure encompasses begins to come to life…..

Image 3: Chosen for the fact that it's the same pose as the first one but this image is built up in a more structural and graphic way describing the stress of the muscles in the body differently. I also really like the graphics in the face and the way that the toes are drawn on the forawrd foot..

Image 4: Chosen for the thought process behind this image. The exercise that was used to create this image is "Two hands at the same time". I found while drawing this image there was a better connection to the overall rythyms of the body giving it a very organic feeling. You can see by the way that I began to develop the forward foot that with some extra time, the weight and believabilty of the form would really begin to show.

Image 5: Chosen for many reasons……..Color, structure, space, form, weight, design, the layering of materials……I guess I'm just fond of this image in general. It has a lot of the things that I'm after right now as listed above. I feel I captured the power and the weight of the form well in this image. I'm also fond of how the different graphics, ie: line, wash, and paint all seem to harmonize in this image…..

This weeks chosen figure drawings….Image 1: Chosen for the way the body is painted and the color sense that's happening there. I also like the structural quality of the arms and the way they have a sense of stress on them….

Image 2: Chosen for the way the underlying gold wash creates a structure that the rest of the body is then surrounding and emerging from….

Image 3: Chosen for the way the graphics are created using the blue pen. I also like the way that the stickers were incorporated and the sense of structure that they lend to the form….

Image 4: Chosen for many reasons……Color palette, structure of the stickers that make up the mid-section of the body, the drawing and character in the face, the subtle use of line, and the overall mass of the form on the page…..

This is the first post in a long line to come. I have been studying the human figure in live sketch classes on a weekly basis for over 5 years now. I've recently begun my weekly study group again and I'm going to be posting images that I feel were successful from the day. The group meets on Sundays from 1-7pm with a 2 hour critique afterwards. It's pretty intense and there are a lot of exercises that we do to help understand mass, form, space, graphics, theatrics, composition, and good old picture making in general. If you live in the Long Island NY area and would like to develop your ability to make pictures you can find more info on the class here > www.thedrawingstudioli.com Here are the images that I chose for this week. Each week I'll have more images to post. I will try to offer a brief synopsis of why I chose each image…….(all images were created from the live model holding 15-20 minute poses)Image 1: Chosen for it's sense of graphics and how that creates a mood and a feeling, slightly seedy and burlesque. I also enjoy the limited color palette of pink. Seems to suit the pose well..

Image 2: Chosen again for the limited color palette and how that sublteness enhances the mood of the image. I also like the diversity in graphics on this image. It feels structural and that's one of the themes that I'm entertaining at this time…

Image 3: Chosen for the abstraction that runs through the figure created by the wash of red oxide. I like the distortion that's used to create space between the feet as well….

Image 4: Chosen because of the weight and the volume that's displayed. The layering of graphics and the reinvention of the form helps give the composition a feeling of visceral mass. The exercise used to create this image is called "5 lbs of Bologna in a 3 lb bag".

Image 5: Chosen for many reasons…I enjoy the variation in line weights and the interesting graphics they create, the subtle variations in color, the graphics of the brushstrokes, and the juxtaposition between the grey tones and the more saturated colors……

Here's a comissioned painting that I did for my friend and collector Kim who resides in California…..This image started out as a drawing in my sketchbook, was scanned into the computer, worked back into digitally, printed onto canvas, then painted back into. It's an interesting process that can have good results. The trick is to make all of the processes work together in the final image. This image is called "The Descent"…

On June 30th, 2007 Thrust Clothing hosted a surf competition at Gilgo Beach with the goal of raising awareness for ocean pollution. Part of that plan was to have 5 local NY artist's paint wall murals based on the theme. The day was a major success. There were waves, surfers, food, drink, artist's, paint and plenty of people to watch the event. We couldn't have asked for a better situation. The support of the people all day as they walked by was really incredible. Artist's usually paint indoors alone without anyone around but on this day there were seas of people… people from every walk and size who watched as we painted. All the artist's agreed that we could easily get used to having a cheering section of positivity around us like that. I just wanted to thank everyone who made the event possible but especially all the people at the beach with nothing but kind words to say. We were glad that we could bring a little bit of beauty to the tunnel that leads you to your beach. The slideshow unit below will give you all the visual details from this amazing day.

OCEAN: the mural project: Gilgo Beach, LI, NY

Yay I won!

My design, "Serenade", has won the Threadless competition and will soon be on t-shirts around the globe and I couldn't have done it without you. (and the 30+ years locked in a room hacking away at a piece of paper with a sharpened tree limb.) 

This means that my design is going to be printed and sold on Threadless.com for a certain period of time (no one really knows how long that is). Basically until the t-shirt sells out. Point is if you want one you should get it now. After they sell out you have to beg and plead on the forums to get them to reprint it and let me tell you it's not a pretty site. (the website's pretty, the begging's ugly).The thing is you can not get the shirt from me. I signed a deal when I won that they could sell the shirt exclusively (in exchange for a large suitcase full of money). Ok maybe not a suitcase but enough to convince me to give them exclusive rights to sell it on Threadless. I'm not kidding when I say that this item will sell out and of course this is not a sales pitch to make me more money. I've already been paid (where is that damn check?). I make no more money off the future sale of this shirt but as I mentioned before if you want one and miss the opportunity I can't do anything about it. (Just a little inside info if your really interested in having one.) As you can see from the title of this newsIetter I have nothing but big love for Threadless because they love designers, artist's and creative people in general and that's pretty awesome. If you like cool t-shirts and you haven't been to threadless yet head on over there now and tell em I sent you. (I claim no responsibility for what they may do, say or throw at you if you do actually mention my name.)

Here's your options:

> Buy the shirt < 

> View my profile on Threadless <

The image below was a fun one for me to do. This image was done imporvisationally, meaning that it starts and ends without a plan. As I often do I am letting the music and what I see in the image dictate what I do next. It kind of feels as if I were composing a piece of music conducting an orchestra and performing at the same time. In order to illustrate what generally happens when I draw on the Sketchpad located here on this site I have recorded this drawing as a quicktime movie which you can watch below. The movie runtime is 9:39 and brings me to about 98% completion of the image. As you'll see in the finished image there are some adjustments made. Very slight but worth the change. Can you see what I changed? I hope you enjoy this inside look into my creative process. This video has sound which is important to the process. Please turn the sound off above in the top section of this site prior to watching the video.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Watch this quicktime video of me creating the image above .

When Michael Scafuto of Transit Media Group asked me to design the graphics for his trailer that attaches to his RV, which already had graphics on it, I knew something interesting was at hand. Here is the image that I was given to work with.Considering that this trailer is for recreational use: ie; Sand rails, Atv's, Dirt bikes, etc……(all things that go fast in the sand). The graphics had to accomplish the following things:

1. I had to make sure that the graphics on the trailer flowed well with the existing graphics on the RV. 2. I wanted to make the image reflect the personality of it's owner as well as everyone that thinks adrenaline is the corner stone of a good time.3. I wanted to push the image into the distance rather than the basic flat graphic that you generally see on the sides of vehicles but at the same time tie it into the flat graphic of the RV.4. I was asked to incorporate a "character" from a painting that I had done a while back called "Soul Searcher" into this graphic.5. The Race team that Mike formed needed a new logo created for them as well…Team Real Racing.6. The side graphics had to connect to the front of the trailer where I was to incorporate the logo for Mike's company Transit Media Group.

With all of that in mind I set out on one of my favorite programs…Adobe Illustrator CS2, with a Wacom Graphics tablet and some intense measuring I came up with the following design. (The idea behind this image is this: Here comes a giant Tsunami style wave that would basically crush anything in it's path but that doesn't deter "Soul Searcher". She not only dives right into it but grabs some style points by skimming the water with her hand on approach. Adrenaline junkies rejoice…….Oh and for the really observant the wave is sort of an homage to Japanese master artist Hokusai. Note the sand dunes in the background as well. That's usually Mike's final destination. The shooting star is for good luck.)Side view without race logoDetail side viewAfter installation, back view (note the Team Real Racing logo has been incorporated in the final version)3/4 front view