Monday, March 24, 2014

Mixed media piggie.


















Just for kicks (and the fact I hardly ever do it on real jobs), I decided to have some fun with a drawing i did in my latest sketchbook. I started off with a line work sketch of the pig with a Sharpie, went back into it with a Micron pen for minutia, started some of the shading with a very limited palette set of colored pencils, and then added some subtle digital colors. It's an experiment at best but it's something I don't get a lot of opportunity to do with my hectic schedule. Between teaching, clients, and just trying to have a normal life, I have to sneak this guilty pleasure in at 4:00AM!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Sketchbooks sketchbooks sketchbooks sketchbooks...




















The majority of the sketches you see in this blog are from my sketchbooks. This is what four years of sketchbooks look like. It's 25 lbs. (or just a touch over 11 kilograms for those of you on the metric scale). They're all 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" Handbook Journal Company Travelogue Series sketchbooks. In this box, there is 55 individual sketchbooks. Each sketchbook contains about 65 individual images for a grand total of 3575 drawings.

I do this as an exercise for myself; I use it to stay limber mentally and physically. I also do this on top of my real job and teaching. It gives me a chance to explore new line weights, styles, and subjects that my regular paying clientele might not ask me to do. I also do this to hopefully inspire my students, to let them know it's possible to do this. Finding the time can be tricky but it's so worth it.

Not every drawing is a gem. Some are just random scribbles. Some are done in marker, some are in pencil, some are a combination of media- but all of them I'm putting down a mark. I'm not afraid to take a chance. And if the idea is valid (no matter how rough it is), I can always come back to it and make it better. It's about taking a chance. It's my expressive nature coming to the forefront here.

And ultimately it's also a lot of fun to do.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Peccary for the heck of it.


















It was just one of those fuzzy sketch moments that just happened. I'm not sure why I drew this but I will admit to digging doing the fuzziness about them.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Deep deep sea denizens


















Ever since I was a little kid and I found out about angler fishes, I've always been fascinated by them and now that there seem to be more and more deep sea explorations, we're learning more and more about them. They're just so unique looking that they almost crave to be drawn... and who cares if it's accurate?