Lots of stuff happening tomorrow and have been prepping all day, so I limited myself to a 2 minute drawing.
I was listening to old Brand New Heavies songs and what struck me was how happy they were. While anticipating all the Inauguration events, the song You Are The Universe seemed rather appropos, and I was sketching along to the music. Not fully done, but I plan on doing something with it. I think.
These past few days have been exhausting emotionally. I'm glad I'm going on a trip soon. A change of pace should do me good.
Emma Bunton did a cover of Life In Mono by late 90s band Formica Blues, and I loved that album back in the day, so I decided to hunt for it and play it again. Could be nostalgia (man, it's over 10 years old now) but it's a really good album, from back when Portishead was the hottest thing going. It's a little maudlin, and I was feeling exhausted, so this sketch emerged as a reaction to it.
Didn't have much time to really do something in full, so I threw out a quick pen sketch of Mark's profile, though it's more of an impression than a likeness.
New friend Mark wanted a simple sketch on paper. At first I thought of doing a drawing of my hand, but since I pulled out a ballpoint pen and messed up the pinkie, I decided to scrap it. Instead I did a reprise of Zenaida, my Venus of the Rice.
After an especially full-on piece like the Sprouse one, I'm usually not too enthused and need some time to get my energy back (unless the exact opposite happens and I get all excited, but not usually). So I barely wanted to draw and threw out this comic-book style man's face with a traditionally square jaw.
My ode to Stephen Sprouse, one of my favorite designers back in the 80s, whose work is currently being feted by Louis Vuitton.
I ran into an illustrator I'm acquainted with on the street yesterday, and I finally took him up on his offer to join a group he participates in and do some life drawing. I've been wanting to revisit fashion illustration because I've lost some of the line I used to be so happy to have back in my days at F.I.T., but even more so right now, to get out and interact with other people. I've been oddly isolated lately, with a convergence of events leading to friends just being absent no matter how much I try to see or call them. So, despite feeling out of sorts, I nevertheless found myself back in the F.I.T. halls earlier tonight, to take the plunge. New year and all, right? I figured it was better than staring at my computer screen at home.
I didn't bring much in terms of materials, just what I could grab. In some ways, limiting my media choices makes me make more creative choices with my approach. I stayed only a scant hour, but it was enough to remind me how much I can do, as well as how much I can do better. They had two models simultaneously, a beautiful black female model who they draped in some odd clothing combinations, and a very alternative-looking, hairy white man who was conversely naked the whole time I was there.
I had a very specific image pop into my head as I left the magazine stand (which happens to me fairly often, inspiration and all that), and after running into a fellow illustrator on the street who was going to the Stephen Sprouse party (the second such run-in yesterday) I thought I might do a Sprouse themed drawing. This would be the base for it, but she's looking too sweet, although I like her lips, so I'm posting this before I change anything to match my mental image.
I was messaging with a fellow comics board poster about how he can recognize me from just my drawings. I suppose I should take that as a compliment that I can get a likeness (which is often the compliment I get for my portraiture, so, okay). But I'm still on the fence about actually posting images of myself here on this blog - I still feel like there's a lot of personal info out on the web, and this blog sometimes is about as personal as it gets for me. So pardon the fact that I've edited my face from the image. My models have no names or other personal info attached to their images here, so I feel there's a level of anonymity despite their likenesses on view. Not so much the case with me.
I decided to customize a personal pic for online profile purposes. I'm using the whole "Mass" style I like to do, all that swirling , ribbon-y, metal-y stuff.
This year-end drawing was turning into a dragon lady in the classic Dave Cockrum/Marvel vein, so I let it happen. She's kinda Shi'ar.
My friend Kyle was talking about illustration great J.C.Leyendecker tonight, and I went to google some of the classic Arrow Man images. I found myself seeing a lot of the styles I've aped from comics in his work, so I decided to do an interpretation of his work. I pulled up an Arrow Man illustration and started working really quickly on a face, pulling elements like lines and shadows from his work, but not too studiously adhering to the original. I was sort of forging, but not. This reminds me of the technique my art school teacher Chabet used, where he had us forge Impressionist masterpieces to better understand their technique. This is definitely an ode to Leyendecker, but with my own hand thrown in.
I finished up the first season of Mad Men and was thinking how specific the casting for this show was - I don't know if the period costumes really worked or if they also chose just the right actors to emulate that era's look. Jon Hamm, the star, reminds me of the old Arrow Man drawings. I tried to draw a profile similar to the period's but not sure I captured it. I keep seeing my 80s influences.
I was watching Mad Men on DVD last night since I don't get cable, to see what all the fuss is about. I can see why designers were getting so influenced by it when it first became popular - the attention to period detail is phenomenal. I feel like my apartment got so smoky from watching everyone puff away constantly! Anyhow, I decided to pull out one of my many new sketchpads and do a period fashion illo while I was watching. There were a couple of women in it who just made it so easy to draw. I'm glad my lines still look somewhat genre-specific when I do natural media fashion illustration, although I'm so out of practice. Maybe I take another fashion illustration course just for the fun of it this year. I wanted to last year, and it would be nice to do, and it would get me out of the apartment!
I find I'm out of practice with super-hero style outfits. This stuff used to come so naturally to me and now I really don't know what I'd like to draw even when it's automatic. Guess I'm finally getting out of my comics phase - hell, it's been over 30 years...
The more the day went on, the worse things got. Definitely not the best beginning to a new year. I let instincts run this drawing, letting it become whatever it wanted. It went through several revisions of arms and body parts, and an unending evolution of the costume. It didn't matter. I'm really preoccupied with emotional matters, so I was happy to draw on automatic pilot, distracted and essentially doodling. A few tears later (yeah, don't ask), I just drew what came to my hand, not even my mind, and it feels a little better. This is the part I like best so far, not that it won't change even further. We'll see.
The last drawing of the year. I was feeling really down. It's been a rough year, with changes I didn't choose, and situations I couldn't change. I threw on an album that was basically a bit more maudlin, and this was the result. No thinking, just emoting via the stylus. I emote in a strange way.
