AA14.2 Benjamin

Nothing like feeling there's progress in a portrait to get me interested in a project. I feel like I made some progress with Benjamin here.

Of course, just you wait - I'll get to the point where it's a close enough likeness that anything wrong with it will make the entire thing horribly wrong. Ah, the process...

The Gray 9

Wow, I never uploaded this it seems. Well, I guess I am allowed to have mistakes. I noticed the numbering of the images before and after this aren't taking into account this intermediary image so all my numbers are off by one!  I better correct that by adding a new drawing. Or two!

Eryc

Went to the Leslie Lohman Studio night tonight and drew the model Eryc. I had wanted to do more classic drawing, but I also went with the flow of whatever the pose inspired me to do. The first was more classic, but I had just sat down to my chair when it began so I was a bit harried and kept making mistakes that I had to erase (and usually I'm good about not erasing).

I'm not loving anything, but I consider tonight more of a toe-dip in the water, as I need to get back to speed on live sketching. Like riding a bike, it will come.

Desmond

One of my new models for the hair series, and you can tell why right away.

AA14.1

Experimenting with the Kyle Webster brushes ongoing, this time on some actual work. I think I'm finding the same lack of control I have with watercolors in real media with these brushes. Have to practice more to get the technique I want down...

AA14

I'm doing some lookbook illustrations for a friend of mine, and they include unisex looks so this will be my first official fashion illustrations of women's clothing! We start out with rough croquis...

Bomb Shell

I saw this lovely shell of a bomber jacket-as-blouse at If Boutique today. I love this kind of design work. Wish I could wear it as a guy..

However, I really need to figure out how to us I need to know these brushes more. I need Kyles tutorial...

PJ and his friend Heron

PJ and his friend Heron, seduced by the indie theater's new luxury seating, unwittingly got tickets for a 3 hour art film about mimes... in French.

Brushworks 7 (Zenaida Edition)

I think I've found two brushes in Kyle's array that I really respond to: the brash and aptly named "Brutus," and the big "Diluted" brush, which produces these nice, super-wet, watery washes. I liked them so much I was loathe to do more than 3 other brushes after that.

Kevin and his friend Heron

Kevin and his friend Heron give you more than 50 shades of gray.

Brushworks 6

I got so caught up in my design work for a client that I lost track of time and didn't post last night. So today's makeup post is another set of experiments with Kyle Webster's watercolor brushes. He's really done a good job with these wet edge brushes, but even with my own natural media, I never did go for these rounded dabs of color. I'm going down the line of 35+ brushes (I think that's the number) but to date I've only gotten to the first 16!

Brushworks 5

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the new brushes - they do different techniques from the ones I utilize when I paint watercolors, yet I can't deny they look better than the watercolor brushes I've been using. And there are so many of them! I've been getting by on just 2 or 3. Hopefully I'll find a stride - I want to be able to work, and not just stumble through...

The Gray 8

I've been retooling this quite a bit. I started out with a straight drawing, but now I'm adding separation techniques, and deciding how much detail to remove. The detail makes for a better drawing, but if I get it right, the graphic technique will make for a better piece. Aagh, dilemmas.

Although that said, this crop makes for a lovely piece by itself. I might have to add this as a possible final piece.

Ben's Hair

It's more like a squall (as David Downton once described Carmen Dell'orifice's mass of silver), this head of hair of Ben Wishaw's. I'd never really heard of him before, and I'm not quite sure how I came upon his photos, but anyone who's read my blog and noticed my obsession with masses of hipster hair would know I'd be drawn to him. Not quite the teased and sprayed coifs of the Prada Candy boys, but unwashed, somewhat oily, overly dense hipster hair. I wasn't exactly trying for a likeness but I suppose it's there a bit.

And this was a chance to play with the Kyle Webster watercolor brushes. I only got to try 5 or 6 before I decided I didn't want to go any further, as I liked the effects. I'm excited to get to know these brushes.

Charm 'Round

My niece asked me to make a logo for her Etsy page, but I think she really wanted a header.

Brushworks 4

Just bought and downloaded Kyle Webster's watercolor brushes, and I have to say his washes are pretty nifty! That said, this was a quick, maybe 5 minute trial seeing how his 'wamazing' multiply brush works. Next time I better draw some line art to work with before I start painting.

The Gray 7

Continuing my silver-haired former neighbor's portrait. I've been enjoying just drawing this, and while I've had feedback form a friend who likes the more detailed version with more classic rendering, I'm going for a bit more stylized, like the rest of the series. But since things are in layers, I can always decided later how much detail to remove.

Adventuring

I just thought up a rather ambitions project, the likes of which might never get done, so I decided to start it now. I have a good track record of eventually finishing up projects worth finishing. so hopefully these won't be so far fetched to even start. This is a rough layout.

Watered

A Bergdorf Goodman ad in yesterday's New York Times had the logo rendered in watercolor. I wanted to see if I could recreate the effect with Kyle's Wet & Wild Watercolor brush, and it seems I can to a degree. I pre-ordered the rest of his upcoming watercolor pack, and it seems I'll be having competition with digital watercolors soon. And here I thought I would corner the market. Ha!

Coy 2

I have trouble with Tomo's face - her features are very subtly connected, so it's all about the proper rations of space and soft edges.  Although when I walk away and come back expecting to find a problem, I find the likeness isn't as bad as I thought, until I set about working on it some more... and then it becomes a horror show of inadequacy. Aahh, the process.

Impression of an Acquaintance

I see this Italian guy at the menswear shows twice a year and I really like his look, but when pressed to draw what I like about his face, I can't figure it out. So I'll have to sketch him from a photo or real life someday.

The Gray 6

Continuing my portrait of my silver haired friend Michael. I'm trying to figure out how much linework to allow for this hair, and whether technique wins out over graphic intention, as this series is all about flat expanses of color (even if that color is white). I think adding noise to my brush should give it the combination of a hard edge yet still have some texture...

Zenaida 2014

I was too busy researching Wordpress themes that I forgot to post last night! So I quickly sketched out a Zenaida using the new watercolor brush. Not my best one of my Venus of the Rice, but the brush is looking quite good in some of those areas.

Binary 2

While at the gym tonight I got to thinking about what to draw for today (I do so mostly at night before I sleep) and I thought of just continuing the Binary portrait from yesterday, but adding inked lines. Or what passes for ink in my hands. And I rather liked the outcome, although it's more playing with what I started rather than going for what I thought of, which was going to have a more Chris Sprouse look to it. But I do like her randomly flaming face head.

There's a retro feeling to her facial type, but not too much, I think. Although I distinctly feel a little Vince Colletta is happening in her lips.

Binary

For some reason I thought of Carol Danvers' second code name/super identity, Binary. I think it was Chris Claremont's attempt to recapture some of the glory of Phoenix after she had died, ably assisted by Phoenix's own designer, Dave Cockrum. I thought of doing a reimagined version of her even if lately she's known as Captain Marvel (after stints as Warbird and Ms.Marvel) although after sketching the face I just didn't have the wherewithal to paint it properly. Maybe later.

The Gray 5

I feel like I really need to keep at this one, after all, it's mostly hair! But then again, it's the hair that needs to be done rather methodically, otherwise it could turn into mass of eugh that you might see in the bottom of a drain.

Jamie W.

Not really familiar with this model but while I was trying to remember the last name of one of my current faves (the ethereal Matthew Bell) I ran across Jamie Wise's photo and decided to do a quickie watercolor using Kyle W.'s brush. I liked it better before I tried to get a better likeness (while not really working that hard at it, hence my dissatisfaction with the result), as it was just a fun rendering, but I think I'm developing a feel for this brush now.

More Watercolor Experiments

... courtesy of Kyle Webster's watercolor brush. I like the face which came together nicely, without any references. But I think I need references for the hair – that... thing I came up with isn't the prettiest.