Lyman's Muscle Art 360

Whereby everyday for 360 days, starting on 1/5/13, I will post 1 of the nearly 6,000 illustrations I created between 1994 and 2007 for Muscular Development Magazine and its related publications. You might call it the lazy man's "drawing a day" exercise, or a survey of the fitness landscape of the past 20 years, or just a way to rediscover what's hiding in the cardboard boxes under my drawing board.

[muscleart360]

Number 88 "Grilling Death" is about carcinogens that form when you grill meat. The perfect post for this Labor Day weekend! Muscular Development Magazine 2007. Watercolor, ink and charcoal/black prismacolor pencil on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 87 "Ass" This one is a clip from the actual page in Muscular development magazine from 2005 or so. It accompanied an article, not surprisingly, on girl's butts. Watercolor n' ink on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 86 "Arnold Mouse" This appeared in Muscular Development magazine around the time some scientists were screwin' around with some mouse chromosomes and things like that. With a tweak here, and a tweak there, they had a muscular mouse they dubbed the "Arnold Mouse" (after Arnold Schwarzenegger). Izzn't it cute? Watercolor n' ink on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 85 "Brute Force" Ok, I'm cheating a bit here. This was never published. It was part of a set of new-style samples I sent around to a few of the muscle magazines. Charcoal and colored pastel over multi-tinted gesso with the color pushed a tad in Photoshop. A fun style to work in. Good for big bold shadows as the gesso really grabs the chalk! 2010

[muscleart360]

Number 84 "The Toad" It was a while ago (1999), but there was a NY Yankees pitcher who was called this. Apparently he was sluggish and overweight. This is done in a style I really love: ink and black Prismacolor pencil. Similar to old "sports cartoon" type of illustrations but a bit slicker. The two illustrations didn't appear next to each other like you see here; this was the illo sheet I handed in to the art director for placement in the magazine layout.

[muscleart360]

Number 82 (out of order, sorry!) "Ecstacy dance". Another rare full-pager (for me) about the growing use of Ecstacy at clubs and raves. Looks like fun, doesn't it? All airbrushed acrylic on illustration board. 2000AD. I tried to add emphasis on the central figure by spotlighting him in a warm glow; whereas everything (and everyone) else in the background is dark and cool.

[muscleart360]

Number 83 "Curl comparison" Another "comparison" set-up between two illustrations of a similar theme done at two different times. The earlier black n' white one had to do with muscle action while the other dealt with resistance exercise on bone density. Brush, pen and ink for the first one; gouache, airbrushed acrylic and inkline on paper for the second. Which one do you like better?

[muscleart360]

Number 81 "Drs. Viagra" Often the same subject can come up in a magazine over the course of several months or several years. In the '90's Viagra was a big deal, so several Health/Sexual Performance department articles dealt with it. Here's two examples; done in the same retro style (which I love to do!) that went with Viagra articles. Note the differences in attitudes of the figures, one is more "heart-oriented" and the other is obviously more aggressive. Both are brush-n-ink on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 80. This one most likely about overtraining. We've all felt this way at least once, right? Keep in mind that these images are scanned from the originals w'out the benefit of the accompanying article for which they were created. Sometimes I remember exactly what the article was about. Other times, like this time, it's a guess. Same ol' watercolor n' ink on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 79 "Death by doobie". This one has a similarity in composition to the last one (Number 78), so I thought it would be a good follow-up. More "skeletons", which I find equally fun to illustrate as the steroid guys. The object of this magazine article was to address the health risks of marijuana use. Watercolor n' ink on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 78 "Beer vs Wine". Went with an article on which alcoholic beverage was better for you (or more popular). An odd subject to have in a bodybuilding magazine, but there existed a monthly department health issues; often controversial ones. Personally I'm a wine guy, tho' a beer (or two) on a hot day can't be beat! The typical watercolor and inkline on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 77 "The Smokin' O" Ok, here's a cute one. About how vitamin C is good for smokers. Hand-painted acrylic on heavy paper in a long-since-abandoned style. The near-symmetrical "ball" of the orange was achieved by making a circular template by cutting out a circle in a sheet of acetate w' a compass armed with a sharpened compass needle; and then gluing the template down and painting thru' it. As much fun then as it would be today!

[muscleart360]

Number 76 "IQ Test" Went with an article in Muscular Development magazine on how college girls were using testosterone injections ("Test"; get it?) to boost grades. Hey!-get big and up your college exams too? Watercolor and ink on paper.

[muscleart360]

Number 75 "Jerk it!" This one for GNC's PHYSICAL magazine, and one of 9 small illos that fit into a full-page grid. Like most things GNC, it had to do with proper supplementing for strength athletes. Airbrushed acrylic, inkline and gouache detailing (like around the triceps, elbows and serratus) on heavy paper. -n-jerk

[muscleart360]

Number 74 "DWH" Driving while high accompanied an article on legalizing marijuana and how it might affect driving (much like alcohol can). Good ol' watercolor and ink on paper. Done for Muscular Development magazine 2007

[muscleart360]

Number 73 "Libido Les" . Accompanied an article on how overweight guys have less sex drive. Do they? Watercolor n' ink on paper -testosterone-sex-drive

[muscleart360]

Number 72 "Rotator cuff impingement" Occasionally I did medical/anatomical illustrations for Muscular Development magazine. This one obviously on rotator cuff injury. I "drew from experience" on this one; having injured my left rotator in the gym two years earlier. Airbrushed acrylic and gouache on heavy paper. Size @ 8x10"