It Iz

This is a pencil outline sketch of Izzy, who I'm doing a watercolor portrait of, from an idea of an image that popped into my head, and a photo shoot we did on Monday. It's not much now because once I paint it, I'll have to finish it (watercolors are best finished while they're wet).

Jean Grey In Modified Technique

While trying to emulate other younger artists styles, I'm finding I'm not liking the results. I'm not trying to change my own style, just trying out another for a change to see if there's anything I'm missing. Kinda not from this trial, but who knows... I think it's too heavy to do digitally. Maybe in natural watercolor...?

Crude 3

I can't believe I'm working on three separate pieces all at once... with a firm idea where each should go. Add to it the fact that I'm also finishing a poster layout and my website, I'm wondering where all this creative energy is coming from...? It's curious for me, even if I often multitask like this with other things. But I suppose the fact that this drawing is a really old one, but still worth finishing up (especially since it's nearly done).

Jean Grey in (Modified) Carven

I posted a blog entry about my current favorite women's fashion brand, Carven, and I decided that it would be fun to draw an X-man in one of the frocks. This is a modified one because the draping reminded me of Phoenix's sash, but I wanted it to look a bit more like her costume bu adding the ends of her sash to the draping. And it's obviously unfinished...

Newer Looks

Looking around, I find that younger artists are drawing an ideal of beauty that's different from the one I grew up drawing. It's interesting to realize when you see a lot of it and can channel it, and as a result see how different it is from your own style. Thinner lips, painted color around the nose(a concept that's completely foreign to me, since I grew up drawing starker, made-up faces), languid, more casual poses. No wonder I sometimes feel my own work can seem dated...

Hares More!

I don't know if I'll refine the linework on these hares, but you'll get the idea once you see the final composition.

Hare Again 2

Guess I'm going at it piecemeal, but I'm hoping the end result will be fun. Longtime readers know I like to hold off on a reveal.

Hare Again

I decided to do some more of my hares from my upcoming piece. While I'm using references, at some point I'll be drawing them freehand without needing to look at photos.

FDA Approved

Who knew my prescriptions would have such a psychotropic side effect on me? Well, last night, I found out. Melting into the plants, shifting perceptions, wave upon wave of varying degrees of consciousness? Psychotropic? Yeah, check.

Crude 2

I'm trying to rework the drawing but a hair configuration JUST isn't coming! Oh well, the color scheme is easy enough...

Crude

I came home at past 1 am after watching a movie at my friend Kevin's place, and for some reason I got the feeling to revisit this old piece that I never finished. I sorta wanted it to look like a velvet painting, but I'm having issues with the rendering style. Fortunately, having spent time away from it, I'm no longer as invested in the strokes I had previously placed, and can rework it with impunity.

Tesa and her friend Heron

Tesa and her friend Heron think two's company, trees are a photo op.

Hare Today, Gone Today

I was working on the Hares drawing when, after a ton of progress on one particular bunny, my application suddenly crashed on me, losing all the changes. So it was gone, and in my frustration, I just began doodling haphazardly...

Suitable

A friend of mine was asking for advise on what to wear for a dinner event he's attending, so I proffered a simple outfit based on a suit he had planned on using. Since he's had issues with having to shave his head recently, we were discussing headwear options, and I didn't feel a fedora would be apropos for a dinner, but perhaps a loose beanie might be edgy without being obtrusive.

Hares

I'm working on a new sketch series that I just thought of today. This is the beginnings of a layout I'm working on.

Out Of The Blue

My fingers have been unusually stiff lately, and as a result, I've been hard-pressed to draw anything. This is a makeup sketch for last night. I was going for a red-and-blue-ballpoint-pen-on-colored-paper feel. I feel like I inadvertently channeled a couple of illustrators who I looked at recently. I thought I was being all original by the way I was rendering this face, until I realized after going back to those selfsame illustrators' work that I channeled them without even realizing it. I feel like an out-of-control mynah bird.

Haphazard

I got into an argument that I had no desire to get into, and I was drawing this at the time. It's funny: I lost my ability to draw anything confidently. Lines wouldn't form right or sit well, and I kept redoing it haphazardly, distracted. It was an interesting exercise in how emotion affects my drawing ability.

Ow!

One of the things I hate about colds/flus are the aches and pains that come with it. I've been getting mine on my arms and legs lately, and I was trying to see if there's a pattern, so I drew up a map.

11.11.11

I wanted to draw something significant for 11.11.11, but to be honest, I was feeling rather unhappy and kinda useless today. I always get that way when I'm sick, and I hate taking drugs so my prescription was adding to my drama, and I was going to just do something prosaic. But I've been thinking about finishing this painting that I started in the early/mid 90s. I've been thinking of finishing up a lot of loose ends lately, and this was one of them, as you could see by my previous glove studies. Well, after doing a couple more studies today, I looked at the watercolor sheet and just put down paint. Granted, it's not a great rendering of leather gloves, but in my defense, I think by looking at this painting I never knew how to paint leather anyhow (at least, not in watercolor). But after over a decade, quite possibly nearly 2 decades, it's nice to finally sign this piece off as done. Do I like it? Well, originally it was supposed to be a fierce 90s era woman, but frankly, it looks like a drag queen. Although like a lot of drag queens, at least her makeup is flawless.

Glovely

Spent even more time trying to figure out if I should finish this over-a-decade old painting, trying my watercolors out on different sheets. I realize the original painting was done on a watercolor sheet that resulted in a different effect. Also that the paints I was using might not match the old, dried version. Ugh...

Blue In The Face

I wasn't thinking of doing anything for tonight since I've recovering from what appears to be a bad cold, but as I got sketching, the lines fell into place. I now have a base for a possible future finished piece. Or, of course, it could just end here.

Nicole, her co-workers and her friend Heron

Nicole, her co-workers and her friend Heron appear to have become quite addicted to homemade cigars.

Hands Job

I have a painting that I haven't finished painting in over a decade, and I really want to finish it up. All I have left to do are a pair of gloved hands. But before I attempt it, I'm going to need to practive my watercolor and make sure I can match my old style from over a decade ago..

Less Is More Woman

And here I thought I couldn't find any more ways to draw Zenaida. This reminds me of Leroy Neiman's Playboy Femlin. But, you know, zaftig.

The Penis of Willendorf

So that's the idea. I came up with the pun on my own when an attendee remarked on a statue at Charles Lahti's studio, saying it reminded her of the Venus of Willendorf, except more phallic. I chimed in, "The Penis of Willendorf?"

I actually googled and found a couple of people had already done their own versions, one a sculpture and another some rough drawings. I personally like mine. And I also find it gross. But I wanted the saggy, overly voluptuous quality of the original Venus (who is incindentally also the inspiration for my character Zenaida).


Of course now that I've made it, what do I do with it??

P. of W., 2

It's looking disguuuuusting, haha!

P. of W.

A sculpture at a friend of a friend's gallery opening inspired a pun that I decided should become a drawing. And since I wanted to do it in a graphite rendering, this is an initial shot of the beginnings of the drawing. I'll get to the full reveal when it's done (which hopefully would be soon, as I can't see this taking too long).

11.02.2011

Hairstyles uploaded on to Facebook and three pills - one orange and 2 blue - inspired the hairstyle and colors for this quick sketch tonight, done on the other palindrome date this month!

Moody Maiden

My friend Oli told me how much he liked the charcoal Zenaida drawing I have in my apartment, and I thought to myself that I haven't done anything quite so dense since (of Zenaida, that is). So here's my (digital) chalk pastel version of her, a bit moody and sultry, if you ask me.