8/10/10

caged


I did this for a job a while back. The eagle is supposed to represent freedom of speech in the United States, and the cage represents the repression of that freedom. It fits this week's Illustration Friday word, so I figured I'd post it since I'm too lazy to do something new.

44 comments:

Tamara Henderson said...

very cool eagle! the textures are wonderful too!

Sayantan Halder said...

nice interpretation....... gr8 job

justdoodleit said...

This is so striking, beautiful and correct (thankfully politically incorrect, in this context). It is such a shame that some of the finest values of modern society, enshrined in the eloquent passages of US constitution are getting eroded slowly, but surely.
From the "The Eagle has landed" to the eagle being caged?

anil ks said...

..coool!! love your color palette..nice take for the topic..

Kristyna litten said...

wow i absolutely love your work. your style is so fun.A nd your characters are great

Gabby Zapata said...

The meaning is simple and clear. I would hate to keep an actual eagle trapped in a cage. [Though, I do have a parrot!] But I love the textures in this! Great work :)

Francisco Martins said...

hey buddy!
Whoa, you're smart! genius concept michael and beautifully executed as always. love the composition, textures and colour palette. you are the man! :D

Portugal says hello!

Rico said...

Very cool concept.

Vanessa Brantley Newton said...

OOh one thing I do know is that you can't keep an eagle caged. They must FLYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! I love this. This is so powerful. The eagle just happens to be my favorite bird. Great job. How are you my friend?? Thank goodness we all have work and that we are keeping busy. Thanks so much for stopping by cause you made my day that's for sure he he he he!!

Unknown said...

Cool concept Michael and very nice textures as well!^_^

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not i understood exactly what you wanted to convey with the illustration before reading your explanation of it, SCARY!

Cheryl Lynn said...

This is fabulous, Michael. I love the eagle. You're right, this is so appropriate for this week's theme. I love it. Your great talent shines through again.

Have a great afternoon!

poppylocke said...

That is one miffed looking eagle - great work!

Sonia Horn said...

your works are verey good!!
I'm a big fan!

Lisa Graves said...

fab.u.lous. Wicked pissah.

dosankodebbie said...

ahhh, nice. this is an issue that concerns me too.

Elizabeth McMahill said...

beautiful and powerful!

Abz said...

I think hes hungry...

looks great as per usual! ;)

salli s. swindell said...

you nailed it...in every way. content + design.

Jason Dove said...

Michael, another great piece! Your shaping and texture are purfect!

michele said...

This is perfectly fitting for this week's challenge! Powerful!

Roberta said...

Not a happy bird!!!
This a great idea for the theme and for the original article!

bee said...

This has to be the COOLEST image I have ever seen that illustrates such a strong social commentary. Ace work! Love the texture in the cage too, looks kinda rusty :)

matt dawson said...

As Bee says, what a great way to take the edge off a weighty subject... makes it more memorable. Bold, beautiful design on the character and layout. Well done for not opting for the obvious red white and blue palette. Gorgeous texture work too, sings out to me... do you scan in natural media to use as layers or is it all generated in computer...? Gorgeous!

Chris Kennett said...

More excellence Michael! I'd love to see a process post from you someday, because your end results often baffle me with their brilliance!

Manola C. said...

Wow Michael!! It's great as always! Very beautiful work! :)

Gavin Goo said...

Awesome work! Strong concept! I love the touch of the stars at the bottom. Another great piece!

Linda Hensley said...

Very to the point, and it's not just our freedom of speech that's being restricted. Good job!

Nina Seven N7 said...

really great piece, michael! so perfect for the theme.

MrBibleHead said...

Terrific Michael! The eagle is phenomenal and I like how you made the cage a little rustic and added the stars around the bottom. Great political statement too! Another masterpiece!

Tom Woolley said...

love the screen print textures - i wanted to get the same effect on mine but think I need to crib up on Photoshop.

Nathan Bottcher said...

Fantastic textures and color palette. Looks great!

donny* said...

that is a really strong piece michael! concept is solid and it says everything visually. and, beautifully illustrated, of course. you're always an inspiration.

Shirley said...

What a fabulous, majestic eagle, Michael! Glad you posted this as it's awesome for this week's prompt. Love all of the textures and your palette - his eagle eye says it all. Wonderful!

Michael Villegas said...

Thanks for visiting and your kind words!

Great work. The texture and depth is fantastic...

Eric Barclay said...

Stellar work... and the stars are such a nice touch. Love everything about this.

Anonymous said...

Freaken awesome. Love the warn texture and textured shading. It's basically the style I some times set out to do in my own work because I love the look so much but I have a tendecy to go off track most of the time. Also thanks for checking out my SCBWI post on my blog. I'm glad you got something out of it. Take care.

duchessdoright said...

I don't think I've seen you do anything political before. The meaning is clear even before the explanation. It's interesting to see the variety of your work. I love your aesthetic.

Jonas Santos said...

beautiful drawings Michael, sorry about my english, but is very important for me, see artists like you, it's a reference for me, see you


a hugh from Brazil

Tyler Schatz said...

fantastic drawing, I love the design and textures!

Wayne B. Medina said...

this is awesome man!

Lisa M Griffin said...

Its great! LOVE the expression... I actually viewed bald eagles in the wild while camping this summer and you truly nailed the expression that they carry. Somewhat regal, yet haughty. :)

TH3DEN said...

Sir there is much awesomeness in this blog, and i would like to have most if not all of these on shirts!! :D Love the colors and themes!

R.Dress said...

Awesome!