more things

Figure drawing is foundation bread and butter.  No matter how skilled you are, this be hallowed ground -- tread and retread often. The way is well-worn by the footfalls of its many faithful.  

You go through reams of paper learning this stuff which, I think, is by design -- can't be too precious with each iteration: the objective is the skill, not the Mona Lisa.  At least, that was my takeaway.  

But, every now and then, a sketch or two rises from the reams that pleases even me.  Here were a few surprises from Art Center (maybe even pre-Art Center, I can't remember).  I like these.  I don't know why.  

  

I remember the objective of this one was to capture fear.
I remember this, specifically, because that was the class that I learned of Repin.

That's Ilya Repin.
Google him along with Ivan the Terrible and His Son,
but only after you've prepared your heart.

media: charcoal, ink, watercolor.

various school things

More things from my time at Art Center.

Painted traditionally (watercolors, gouaches, acrylics, inks....acrylic inks.  I was very adventurous). 

Painted traditionally, for the most part, I should say: there was digital adjusting to the last two.  I once met a fine artist who completely denounced digital -- the use of it at any and all stages of the creative process. 

"T'is cheating," he said. 

"I cheat," said I, raising my hand in dutifully-demure self-abnegation.

He had thought me one of his fold.  I corrected his assumptions and confessed to him my sins.  He patted my head, pitied my youth, and I walked away humbly absolved.  I'm afraid to report that, years later, my dereliction continues and has degenerated further still in its deliberate delinquency.  Call me cheat, scamp, lady of the night.  If you ask me, I bet Da Vinci would've happily (and readily) digitally edited his sketches, particularly before committing them to paint -- to very expensive, hand-mixed paint.  His purity was less from piety, I think, and more from a lack of resources.       

Can you see the violin?

A wine list for children 

A J-rock themed thing.

A mollusk.

medium: watercolors, gouaches, acrylics, ink, acrylic inks, and whatever else pleased my reprobate soul.

digital things

I think I'm just going to throw my digital stuff into this post.  Some pieces from here and there, accumulated during my tenure at Art Center.  

This  was another one of those projects where I ended up liking the sketch better than the final. 

Nuance-y, process-y, technical bits for those who like that kind of thing.

(I happen to like that kind of thing):

Here's where you take the photoshop lessons, the digital matte painting lessons,
and the perspective lessons you've accumulated over the years and mix it all in a pot.

Carnivores.
This is just vector art.  From adobe illustrator lessons alone.
Sola illustratio.

A self portrait.

A painted desert. Pft. See what I did there?

Yet another: sketch preferred over final. Sigh. Mastery is a process, right?

medium: digital

mythological things

Some paintings from a project from way back when.

These served as a series of illustrations for a friend's website.  Each character was to have their own personalities and traits which I attempted to capture through watercolor and gouache.

I'll post a few of them here (I forget how many there were).  I may post the rest some day.  Who knows.  My feelings towards blogging wax and wane irregularly.  What are you regulated by, O Feelings o' Mine?  The moon?  The sun?  The vengeful spirit of Pluto?

medium: watercolor & gouache