Strained

My vision seems to have shifted and I am having a harder time looking at my monitor, so I'm less than enthused about drawing tonight.

Updo

Harpers Bazaar posted something about the best new hair trends of 2014, and one softly undone updo seemed especialy natural and modern to me, so I thought I'd use it as a reference to do more au courant hairstyles ob my women. Well, it ended up a painting practice session, although not too much of a likeness attempted. Still, it did make me create a model who looked contemporary even if she doesn't look like the original at all, although I think she looks realistic. She kinda looks like Margaery from Game of Thrones.

Trever

Trever works in a retail store near me and he's a great guy to chat with about menswear. He also has the white side-walled pomp that's very much de rigueur in Downtown New York, but his has an extra curl at the end that makes it a romantic 30s style bob, but high up.

Upstate

Overnight in Hudson without any drawing implements so methinks I'll save this space for an upload tomorrow. 

Edit: My friend Charlie got a piece of artwork as a gift from a relative, and it was an oversized sardine in a can. This'll be my sketch because I already Instagrammed the good, scenic views (which you can see for yourself here, if you'd care to follow me)

Blueprint too

WOW, I'm really absent minded of late - that's two days in a  row that I sketched something for the day, but forgot to post!  After posting the sketch I forgot to post for yesterday, I noticed I didn't even post the one I did two days ago!! What's going on?!?

Oy, well, this was a sketch based on a Xander Zhou sweater and kinda stole-thing for AW14.

Selling It

I passed by the Comme des Garçons store today and the salesman who helped me, Nicholas, looked impeccable in a ruffle shirt, and AW14 wide leg pants that I had gone into the store to inspect. So I made a sketch of him, which I forgot to post in time for yesterday!  Grrr.

Blueprint

The original model was in a layout photographed by Lowe H. Seger but I wanted to see the pose underneath the clothing. Or at least what I thought it might be. Also, I took off his pants to show his penis.

Facial Study

As I get older, the more I learn, the more I realize I have much more to learn. Anatomy is one of my favorite things, but I'm not terribly good at it. I make a lot of mistakes, and when I was younger I thought I had such a great grasp on it, but I drew much more simplistically, with comic book aesthetics in mind. In fashion illustration I stray a lot with the elongations specific to fashion, but with portraiture, I need to be more astute. And dammit, I still make my eyes too close set and can't really grasp how the angles show and hide cheekbones. So I shall practice faces until I get more and more comfy.

Bol-ed Over

Grace Bol is a model, and I just love the way she looks. I once saw her on my street and I ended up just walking behind her for two blocks, wondering what to do (is that stalking?). She's got such a beautiful face and a wonderful smile. I had her on my mind when I started the sketch, then looked for a reference to try and approximate her features, but I didn't really try for an absolute likeness. This is more of a fashion sketch than a portrait. Still, fun!

Slingshot Sling Back

A friend posted a concept shoe that utilized slingshots for the heels. I figured, you could also do the variation where the shoe is a slingback... but then I realized, isn't that why they call it a sling back, because it's based on a sling shot? I'm not so clever.

Inking Phoenix

Bought a ton of comics this week, mostly indie titles that have heavy inked illustration styles. So I was inspired to do a more inked style,and to do that, I downloaded Kyle Webster's Mr.Natural brush. I really should have paid something (it's free, or pay your own price) as it's as fab as he said! Ill have to purchase more sets later to show my appreciation.

I had done a colored layer on this, but I really preferred the minimal linework on her face, as is. Adding color changed her. I think sometimes imagining the rest of a minimal drawing is its beauty.

Watercolor Doodle

Just laying down paint and reacting to what's there.

Peanuts, Gaby, Norman, Paul, Reggie, and their friend Heron

Peanuts, Gaby, Norman, Paul, Reggie, and their friend Heron were quite surprised that they could actually FEEL the solarization effects of the photo filter.

Profile

This Webster watercolor brush is one I don't understand. It's a very transparent brush with a wet edge, but I feel like it just makes Peter Max-shaped strokes.

Deconstructing Beverly

My favorite black model, possibly of all time, was Beverly Peele, whose career was unfortunately brief because she retired to raise her daughter. She had the most exquisite features, and seemed otherworldly. This is by no means a portrait of her since it looks nothing like her I think, but I brought up a photo of her to sketch and try and figure out what it was that made me love her face so much. She had the most beautiful almond eyes, and the most amazing cheekbones that flowed into her full lips, but ultimately it was the combination of all her features. Beverly is still alive and modelling on occasion, from what I googled.

Fashion Mashup, Done

I dunno if you can see here since the preview isn't that huge, but I rather liked how she turned out, considering I didn't plan on her being a finished piece to begin with. Well, okay, no, I take that back. I always think of some grandiose finished piece for my ideas, but considering how I don't often finish ideas, I think she's ahead of the game. Not only that, but I have a full length AND a mid shot to show detail. Fifties gown and pose on a 2014 gal. It's quite possible she's also a lesbian.

Uni-Ball Flowy

Strangely, when my internet went out last night, I didn't necessarily do work on my computer offline, I went completely off the computer for some things as well. The Mac just seemed like an empty box without internet connection. If I feel like that, I wonder how kids might feel of they're 'grounded' from using electronic devices? Anyhow, I just sketched this doodle version of my Fashion Mashup gal, using my super flowy Uni-Ball ballpen.

Fashion Mashup 2

This will have to wait until I get my internet connection back up. While I can post with my phone, my sketches are sequestered in my desktop. But I gave my gal Doc Martens to wear. updated 08.05.14

Fashion Mashup

Fashion always seems fun when there's more than a bit or irreverence going on. I like the idea of juxtaposing classic styles and poses with much more contemporary styling, but have to see if this will be the right mash up with yesterday's buzzed pompadour.

Barber Cut

I saw a guy at the gym with a very clean, freshly shaved coif, and I wondered about a dainty looking model with the same cut. So here she is.

Not So Demure

I was just playing aimlessly with one of Kyle's watercolor brushes and the dress I drew was very 50s but the face I made (and her initial hairstyle) wasn't the right face for such a period piece. So I decided to emphasize the disparity with a few tattoos, which made it better than I could have imagined.

Miller Time

I saw this lapel-less hybrid shirt/blazer from designer Matthew Miller online. While I can't afford it right now, I can draw it and hopefully that will stave off some of the need to own it.

The Maid

Went to see Cate Blanchett in the Genet play, "The Maids earlier yesterday, and when I got home I ended up chatting with an old friend I haven't spoken with in a while, so I overshot my posting sched. So here's a rough of a maid.

Sit

I always love when people draw people doing the most mundane things, and do it convincingly. That kind of natural observation is so great when rendered right. A new artist I'm following on Instagram seems to have such an easy handle on how to draw the most normal poses and scenes that I challenged myself to do something not posed or extraordinary.

Quickly, Duck!

I'm busy designing so I had to just draw a duck. Quickly. :D

Marie and her friend Heron

Marie and her friend Heron boarded the helicopter with glee, absolutely certain that no one else was going to make a grander entrance at their high school reunion that evening.

Star Lord

I just watched the rather entertaining Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but even before I saw it I was rather into the character Star Lord's face mask. It reminds me a bit of The Rocketeer. But it's not an easy one to draw! Also, I suck at inking and shading, especially now that I super rusty. Not to mention old school.

Alien Blue 2

For some reason, the blue ballpoint conceit just makes me doodle like it's a piece of paper next to the phone base, while I'm babbling away with a friend... He/she's kind of androgynous, no? O rmore likely, I drew too manly a woman...

Alien Blue

I wanted to draw with a plain blue ballpoint pen but didn't muster up neither the pen or idea, so I just started doing a face in blue...

Anchor In a Maelstrom

I was looking through old sketches of Dave Cockrum's in this wonderful tumblr, and it made me want to just draw comics again, if only for tonight. And when I drew Storm's face, it reminded me of a specific scene in a specific comic book. In the very first issue of John Byrne's run on the X-men (#108!) where Phoenix ponders her lack of power to repair the M'Kraan crystal's inner workings. Storm offers her her life force as support, with the line,"You need an anchor in this maelstrom."

Old Technique

This rendering is a technique I came up with a few years back ha I did on a commission that was rejected for a fuller-rendered color version. I even drew it on an old envelope, along with a few other illustration ideas. I recently found that envelope and have it right beside my keyboard, and I'm finally taking the time to render some of the ideas I came up with about 3 or 4 years ago.