Niv Bavarsky

DEADZONE

2011-10-17T12:50:00.001-07:00

"Deadzone", gouache & ink on bristol, 19" x 24"

BIRTHDAY PARTY

2011-10-12T11:52:00.001-07:00

RESUMING THE TRAIL

2011-10-10T12:40:00.001-07:00

Here's some artwork for my good friend Franciscus' new album as Fennel - "Resuming the Trail". Check out the album here. It's real good.

In other news - I've been posting sketches more casually on my tumblr. Check it out! Follow me! Reblog everything into infinity!

ROYAL PORTRAIT

2011-10-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

LAST DAY IN L.A.

2011-10-04T11:34:00.001-07:00

POOL

2011-09-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

PEOPLE I KNOW

2011-09-21T14:25:00.001-07:00

Hello,
Here are some drawings of some people I know.

This is a portrait commission from Emerson Wahl, a Los Angeles-based percussionist.

Jill:

Natasha:

More soon.

Bye!

GRACE JONES (TEN PACES)

2011-09-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a portrait of Grace Jones for Ten Pace's "80's sketch-a-thon" - based on a sketch by Celine Loup.

VIKING+BIRDY

2011-09-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

SCURRED

2011-08-25T13:52:00.001-07:00

BIG MOVES / THE STRANGER

2011-08-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there internet,
How are you?

This is a poster for my friends Big Moves, a really great LA band.
Also:

My "Cartoons" drawing ended up on the cover of the Seattle Stranger! Thanks so much to the Stranger's AD, Aaron Huffman. It's great to be in the same issue as artists like James Chong, Ana Benaroya, Daniel Fishel, and others.

More soon!

A BUNCHA STUFF

2011-08-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hey internet,
Here are some new things.

This image was created for the Desktop Wallpaper Project at The Fox is Black, an art/design blog run by Bobby Solomon. Bobby asked my friend Andy to round up some Baltimore artists to create wallpapers based on the discography of Animal Collective (who originally formed in Baltimore) - my album was "Here Comes the Indian", one of their harshest and weirdest.

Check out the wallpapers HERE - Some iphone versions for you:

Here's a painting of Annie Koyama's "Kickass Annie" logo - Koyama Press publishes a lot of really great stuff, like Michael Deforge's brilliant series "Lose" and Steve Wolfhard's "Cat Rackham Loses It". Seriously great comics.

And finally, a sketchbook spread drawn while listening to the new Shlohmo album "Bad Vibes" - it's real good.

Whew. Seeya!

NOBROW 6

2011-08-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to say that these images will be in the upcoming Nobrow anthology. Nobrow 6 focuses on "The Double"/Doppelgangers, and will be twice the size of their previous anthologies, expanded to include both comics and illustration. A lot of really great artists will be in there, and I am very happy to be participating. Thanks very, very much to Sam & Alex over at Nobrow.

Also a big thanks to Zach at Supersonic Electronic for featuring my work today!

High five, internet.
-Niv

TOMB

2011-08-04T12:07:00.001-07:00

Some 3 am sh

GIRL

2011-08-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

CARTOONS

2011-07-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

Some cartoon experiments - I've been trying to simplify things.

DREAM DRAWING

2011-07-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Cats & cacti seem to have become a regular motif....

I have an interview up at The Artfuls - check it out here

Luchador

2011-07-21T13:26:00.001-07:00

NO DAWGS

2011-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'm living in Berkeley with some talented friends - Willem, Julia, Shannon & Babs. Some of us were goofing around on a restaurant's chalkboard the other day.

HOUJAN

2011-07-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

Houjan sat next to me at a Starbucks yesterday and started talking to me. It was the best conversation I've had with a complete stranger. I'll remember it for a long time, I'm sure. What a nice guy.

DUNCE

2011-07-18T12:01:00.001-07:00

WILLEM

2011-07-16T13:54:00.001-07:00

LADIES

2011-07-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

PEEKABOO

2011-07-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Super secret sneaky sneak-peek

SKETCHES / HARRY POTTER

2011-07-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey internet,

I had a very nice visit home for 4th of July (my favorite holiday) - here's a sketchbook spread from that trip.

Immediately upon returning to the bay area I set to work on this piece for Alyssa Nassner's Ten Paces & Draw blog, in which artists make sketches based on a theme (this week was Harry Potter), then swap to finalize another artist's piece. Here is my version of Gaelyn Woltz's original sketch, showing the Fat Lady painting that guards Harry's dorm room. I think most people, myself included, always imagined the Fat Lady painting to be a very classicized Roccoco sort of image, but I thought it'd be fun to see a more "20th century" Hogwarts.

Below is my sketch for the project, which was also re-interpreted by Gaelyn.

See the rest of the swaps over at Ten Paces : http://ten-paces.blogspot.com

In other news - I just revamped my website, adding new sections, adding some new work, removing some old work, etc. Check it out over at http://www.nivbavarsky.com

Thanks internet!
Love,
Niv

THURFWENSDAY

2011-07-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

Collaboration with my buddy Cam Floyd

GOLEM

2011-06-28T13:33:00.001-07:00

WHERE CHIMNEYS ARE SEEN

2011-06-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

Study from the 1953 film "Entotsu no mieru basho" (Where Chimneys are Seen) by Heinosuke Gosho

"OOF" PROCESS IMAGES // SHAMELESS PLUG

2011-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some process images from "OOF"
Someday I'll have a big process post where I explain my methods more thoroughly, but for now I think these images are self-explanatory.

I'd also like to announce that I have made an InPRNT store - I currently have two prints available, with more coming soon.
Check it out HERE

Japan Benefit Show 2

2011-06-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Last May, my buddy Taylor threw a benefit concert for Japan - he brought out several bands and a few excellent food trucks, and a good time was had by all. It was such a success that it's time for Round 2! The show is Sunday, July 10th at the Guitar Merchant in Canoga Park, CA. If you're in the LA area, definitely check it out. Food, music, and a good cause!

More details here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=196688303711628

VEND SEND MEND

2011-06-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

This piece is for Vend, Send, Mend - a Japan Benefit art show organized by Craig Bowers & Jee Shaun Wang

More details at: http://www.vendsendmend.com

DETECTIVE DRAWING

2011-06-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

OOF

2011-06-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

Sucks to be this guy.

JUNGLE FIRE

2011-06-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Some stream-of-consciousness drawing. Sumi Ink on Bristol, 19 x 24
Check "All Sizes" on Flickr for a closer view.

HIGH AND LOW

2011-06-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a sketchbook study from Akira Kurosawa's "High and Low" - one of my all-time favorite movies.

BACKYARD DRAWING

2011-06-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

IN PROGRESS

2011-05-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

A detail shot from something I'm working on

COWBOY DRAWING

2011-05-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

JULIAN'S TATTOO

2011-05-26T11:27:00.001-07:00

This drawing lives on someone's forearm.

PISSED

2011-05-25T13:59:00.001-07:00

AN IDEAL BOY

2011-05-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

I bought a used copy of this book recently - "An Ideal Boy" is comprised of illustrated educational posters from India. Some of the drawings are really beautiful, and some are very bizarre, and many are both. A large chunk of the images are based around ideal behavior (or the opposite) for young boys. The drawing above is referenced from a great chart called "Human Stages And Duties", documenting several stages of life, from birth to old age.

FNUH

2011-05-23T13:36:00.001-07:00

Tumblr "studies" - haha!

TEN PACES

2011-05-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here's my second contribution to Alyssa Nassner's Ten Paces and Draw - My piece is based on a sketch by fantastic illustrator Will Bryant - check out his original drawing here.

This is my sketch - see Will's awesome version here.

CHICKEN

2011-05-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

TRAVIS

2011-05-10T15:36:00.001-07:00

CLOPS

2011-05-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Lilith

2011-05-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

This image was commissioned by Sridhar Reddy, the writer & director of independent horror film "Lilith" - the movie follows Sarah as she goes through different layers of hell, seeking redemption and confronting her family's dark secrets. This was a fun assignment - getting to read a movie screenplay for an illustration was pretty cool. I hope I get to do it again!

My friend Cam Floyd was also involved in this project and did this great piece right here for the film's poster.

Sketchbook drawings + Life of Pi

2011-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here's some recent sketchbook work.

This is Audrey. Audrey's been a good friend since I was a snotty teenager, but I've never been able to draw her accurately. Some likenesses are just naturally elusive. I was talking with Warren Linn once (Warren was one of my professors in college, and a huge influence on my philosophy and work ethic) about the pursuit of the accurate likeness - we agreed that sometimes, you just have to give in to the drawing, and let it develop independently of the need to accurately represent something. Sometimes a portrait can fail as a description, but succeed as a drawing, and that's okay. At the very least, it's a comforting excuse for when I fail to nail down a portrait.

This piece was made for my friend Alyssa's new blog project, Ten Paces and Draw, in which illustrators sketch based on a theme, and swap those sketches to let someone else finish the image. The theme this time around was "Literary Characters" and this drawing is based on a sketch by Erica Sirotich, who chose the book "Life of Pi". Check the rest of the drawings (including my Captain Ahab sketch) out here

Cubes

2011-04-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

This is actually a couple months old, but upon reviewing my sketchbook I decided it might be worth sharing.

I hope everyone's having a great weekend.

Big Moves EP Release Show + T-Shirt

2011-04-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey! My good friends Big Moves are releasing a new EP (which I also did the artwork for) called "Lanterns" and are having their EP Release Show at LA's Bootleg Theatre on Saturday, April 23rd. If you're in LA you should definitely come and see some good music. Available at the show will be this t-shirt I designed for them:

Valley Life

2011-04-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

My buddy Nick sent me a sketchbook from NY Central Art Supply. It's a total pleasure to draw in.

Single-Cell Organisms

2011-03-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Big things coming - for now, microscopic things.

Amoeba head

2011-03-24T23:11:00.001-07:00

From summer

2011-03-20T16:14:00.001-07:00

It's a very rainy day here in Los Angeles - this was drawn on a bright sunny day in a very different time.

HEY

2011-03-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone - I've been working on a bunch of cool projects that I can't show you yet. Been busy! I'm looking forward to sharing a new batch of work with the internet. This is a little doodle I did at work today and then colored using my magic computer box.

More soon!

Mustard Valley 2 & 3

2011-03-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Here are second and third paintings in my Mustard Valley Hyperzone series. If you're in the bay area please come check them out at Giant Robot SF! Opening is March 4th, 6:30-10:00

Mustard Valley Hyperzone

2011-02-12T15:24:00.001-08:00

11 x 14, gouache on gessoboard

This is for the Game Over IV show at Giant Robot SF - I had a lot of fun working on this painting and I'm really excited for this show. Thanks to Cam Floyd and Eric Nakamura for getting me in on this.

There'll be at least one more painting set in the Mustard Valley Hyperzone, my bizarro ode to the classic side-scrolling platform games of my youth.

bird

2011-02-07T23:36:00.001-08:00

a bird

Mind Controlling Goop Monster

2011-01-16T17:35:00.001-08:00

Solitary Zen Pinball

2011-01-12T19:19:00.001-08:00

Here's a piece for the art+literature website Annalemma - this piece accompanies a story called "Solitary Zen Pinball" by Jason Olsen, about a pinball machine designer devoted to making the ultimate, purest pinball experience possible - at whatever cost.

Read it here: http://annalemma.net/features/solitary-zen-pinball.html

Thanks to the founder/editor of Annalemma, Chris Heavener.

HRGGHGLG

2011-01-11T18:52:00.001-08:00

I never liked sports as a kid, since I was (am) a whimpy nerd and spent all my time doodling, but recently I've found myself enjoying them, to my own great surprise. Hockey is my favorite - people get punched a lot, and that's really fun to see.

Burger

2011-01-10T18:55:00.001-08:00

Hamburgers are, obviously, one of the most enjoyable things to eat, but also, perhaps less obviously, one of the most enjoyable things to draw. I really, really like drawing burgers.

01/09/2011

2011-01-09T09:32:00.001-08:00

A little late, but happy new year, folks.

2010 was pretty big - I graduated, got my first real professional gigs (the first of which came the day after graduation, as I watched the moving trucks take my belongings away from Baltimore), etc. I won't bore you with the details.

I'm excited for 2011 - I think some more big things will happen.

The Gaze

2010-12-22T08:35:00.001-08:00

This piece is for a group promotion with a bunch of friends of mine, in anticipation of V-Day 2011.

3 strikes

2010-12-07T13:02:00.001-08:00

This is just a little warm-up - brush pen doodles out of my sketchbook with some photoshop work. Makes me want to give screen printing a shot.

Have a lovely day.

A Stranger

2010-12-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

Without a studio, I've taken to going to Starbucks to draw sometimes. The coffee helps, as does getting out of the house. This is a warm up sketch of a guy with one of those e-book readers - Still a strange concept to me.

Oh! Happy Hannukah, everyone! I haven't been home for this holiday in a few years now and it's been really great. Lots o' latkes, and at least one really successful party. It really is wonderful to share the holidays with family and friends.

Post-Its

2010-11-27T11:59:00.001-08:00

Here are the final 12 - these plus the cluster of 4 in the post below are my contribution to the Post-It Show 6, at Giant Robot 2. Each of these will be available for $20, and I'm selling the larger cluster for $60.

The show opens December 11th - come check it out!

GR2 is located at:
2015 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025-6229

4-Posts

2010-11-21T11:39:00.001-08:00

Gouache on 4 super sticky post-its - for the Post-It Show 6 at Giant Robot 2

Post-It Show

2010-11-13T15:58:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited to be participating in the Post-It Show (number 6!) this coming December, along with some good friends and a bunch of artists I really admire. The show will be at Giant Robot in Santa Monica, opening December 11th. I'll post more specifics later on.

Here are some of my initial experiments - I am not sure if they will be in the show yet (I'm still trying out several options), but I liked them enough to show you guys. Hope you dig.

Sketchy

2010-11-11T10:02:00.001-08:00

This man sat perfectly still, and had glasses on his face AND hanging from his shirt collar. He was just begging to be drawn, despite a permanent grimace.

Thanks very much to Zach over at Supersonic Electronic for featuring me on his blog today.

Facing Extinction

2010-11-10T13:16:00.001-08:00

Fun fact: as a child I was obsessed with tigers. I had a tiger poster up in my room, several stuffed tigers, the works. I thought they were the coolest. They are the coolest.

Unfortunately they are also really dwindling in numbers - in the past century a population of 100,000 has shrunk to around 3,500, and illegal traders are killing Tigers and selling their parts, killing around 1,000 more this decade.

This image was made in response to an article I read on the BBC - Check it out here.

Hunted

2010-11-09T11:46:00.001-08:00

These guys are in trouble.

Monster Mash / Mercy, Not Sacrifice

2010-10-27T17:47:00.001-07:00

This is a new piece for the cover of Brand X, a weekly alternative magazine distributed by the LA Times. This is for their Halloween issue, naturally. Big thanks to Krista Simmons, the editor of Brand X and a longtime friend, and to design director Erik Haugli.

In other news, I'm super excited to be part of Mercy, Not Sacrifice - a charity art show here in LA. My pal Hannah K. Lee made this TOTALLY RAD flyer for the event:

untitled

2010-10-16T11:08:00.001-07:00

Gouache & Crayon on board, 11 x 14

It's been really nice to focus on "traditional" work lately - I love working digitally and all the freedom it offers me but getting back to a single, tactile surface has been really rewarding. Hopefully I can carry that energy over into my illustration work as well.

The Novel

2010-10-14T19:14:00.001-07:00

Mixed media on Denril, 9x12

Check this out at "Ek-Phrastic" on October 21st, at Krowswork Gallery in Oakland.

This piece accompanies a poem of the same name by Jesse Nathan.

Cake

2010-10-11T11:46:00.003-07:00

"Cake" - 9 x 12, Mixed media on Denril

This painting is going to appear at the "Mercy, Not Sacrifice" charity show at the Lincoln Heights Tutorial Program next month, along with a bunch of other cool artists (like Hannah K Lee, who got me in on this - Thanks Hannah!)

The show is the night of November 6th, at the Lincoln Heights Tutorial Program in LA - 2618 Workman St. 90031 - hope to see you there!

Tu

2010-10-09T15:46:00.001-07:00

This is Tu. This is also my 100th post. WOOO

stuff

2010-10-08T16:07:00.001-07:00

Alex

2010-09-18T11:52:00.001-07:00

I always wonder what it's like for my friends to be drawn so frequently. Alex must be quite used to it by now.

Torio

2010-09-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

My brother is a jazz pianist in a group called Torio - they are preparing for a competition in Belgium in a couple weeks, and I sat in on their rehearsal today and did these quick sketches.

inky black

2010-09-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've been working in a store and occasionally sitting in delicatessens. Brent's is a really great deli. I went there the other night and drank a cup of tea, to soothe a strained throat. (I had a cold - gone now, thankfully.) Developing a good work regiment around minimum wage and post-college ennui is a challenge, but I'm hoping it's a challenge I can rise to.

yogurt ghost

2010-09-04T18:13:00.001-07:00

First page in a new book. I hadn't played with markers in ages!

womb

2010-09-03T22:58:00.001-07:00

sketchbook/photoshop experiment

sorry for the dip in posting - more on the way.

Abaddon

2010-08-14T11:19:00.001-07:00

Abaddon, originally uploaded by nivbavarsky.

Mixed media & Digital, 11 x 14

Described in the Revelation of St. John, Abaddon is "the king of tormenting locusts and angel of the bottomless pit" (and sometimes considered to be the antichrist). Heavy, right? I'd been interested in drawing some of the darker/more mysterious figures (or monsters) from biblical scripture, and Abaddon seemed like a fun one to tackle first, given our mutual interest in insects.

Oneohtrix Point Never Gigposter

2010-08-13T12:19:00.001-07:00

Oneohtrix Point Never, originally uploaded by nivbavarsky.

Here's a poster for an upcoming show at Coco 66 in Brooklyn - thanks to Seva Granik!

(P.S. - these bands are really, really great. If any of you live in New York and are fans of ambient/synth music, I urge you to check this show out.)

cheese

2010-07-28T22:01:00.001-07:00

drawing, originally uploaded by nivbavarsky.

Hello

Disguise / Nebula

2010-07-26T17:44:00.001-07:00

Disguise / Nebula

i made an art

Sketches

2010-07-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

ICON

2010-07-19T18:36:00.001-07:00

ICON, originally uploaded by nivbavarsky.

ICON 6 was a great experience - I met some great people and some artists I really admire, attended some really fascinating lectures, and enjoyed the high life in a hotel entirely too fancy for me. The conference's open bar parties didn't hurt either.

I found this post-it on the ground sometime during the conference and stuck it inside a little notebook (which has one of my favorite pieces by my friend Jen on the cover) - if you drew it, tell me. I liked it.

Back to the grind!

Ian

2010-07-12T12:53:00.001-07:00

ian, originally uploaded by nivbavarsky.

Reworked my blog layout a bit in order to display larger images.
Here's a portrait of a friend from my sketchbook.

I'm heading to ICON tomorrow - which I'm looking forward to, especially since some really great friends of mine from MICA will be attending. See you later, internet!

Undead

2010-07-12T09:09:00.001-07:00

Undead

Originally uploaded by nivbavarsky

Ink Doodle

2010-07-10T12:07:00.001-07:00

I just realized I could post to my blog directly from flickr - (d'oh!) so here's my first test. About the image - I've been feeling a little stagnant in my sketchbook work, so I decided to pick the brush back up and try some new stuff, so....here's some ugly face.

A Leap Across a Chasm

2010-07-04T16:10:00.001-07:00

"The Passage" by Justin Cronin

2010-06-26T09:30:00.001-07:00

Here's a new piece for the New York Times Book Review. Art Director: Nicholas Blechman

The book is "The Passage" by Justin Cronin - it's a hefty horror novel, set in a future where a virus has turned most of the world into vampires. 90-some humans remain in America, living in a fortified colony with permanent daylight, but the power source protecting them is running out. Check out the review here

Summer Daze

2010-06-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Late nights in backyards

Alien Invasion

2010-06-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

GalactiCactus

2010-06-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

New threadless design! Please vote for me!

The November Criminals

2010-06-05T15:06:00.001-07:00

For the New York Times Book Review - AD Nicholas Blechman

Here's my first post-graduation illustration assignment! I got the call as soon as the moving trucks left with all my belongings, heading back to California, so this was completed while I was sleeping on my buddy Willem's couch. Big thanks to him and Julia for letting me use their equipment!

You can read the article here

Captain Cosmo

2010-06-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

I finally got my computer repaired and am getting back to work. Expect more frequent updates from now on. This guy will be up for voting on threadless.com soon - I'll post links to the submission once it's running.

Flatland

2010-05-02T14:46:00.000-07:00