Color! Oh, Color!

The best thing I gained from my Figurative Concepts class this Fall semester was an experimentation with color via pastels. See, color was an elusive she-beast to me and is only now starting to come around. Previously, I worked mostly in a limited color palette, usually even purely monochromatic. This isn't to say that I'm necessarily going to vastly change my color appreciation and I'm still a hardcore sucker for monochromatic illustrations... but the explosion of color I experienced was a nice diversion from my norm.

We each placed our five best drawings on the floor of the classroom the last day and the scope of it all was pretty cool.

Pastels are actually pretty awesome and fun to use. They provide bold, vibrant color and are a relatively flexible medium--at least more so than my usual inks. Here are a few selections of my work with pastels these past months. In the future, I'll be adding some of these to my Etsy shop so if anything strikes your fancy, keep an eye out.

Ah, pastels. How you have worked your way into my heart... and my hand.

Merry Winter's Solstice, everyone!!

Enjoy your holiday festivus winter celebrations!

A Master's Copy and Awesome Portrait

FALL SEMESTER VANQUISHED!!!

Now there's nothing but time to post some artwork from the semester, photograph work, and draw, draw, draw in this month and a half I have off until Spring starts! So, without further ado.....

This was a Master Copy assignment from my Head Drawing class. We had to copy one of a Master's drawings (from a selection provided). I tried my best and think it turned out alright in the end... definitely the revisions I made from my instructor's critique furthered it much more. Also, drawing a child?! Whaaat....

Here you can see the real essence and evil soul emanating from those dead eyes... or it could be that the drawing's just been started...

This was how I first turned it in. Definitely not as finished as I would have liked it but I thought it was a good start. My instructor, though, was clearly able to see what I had missed and give me some pointers.

And there's the final, final version! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out... at the very least he looks like a human child minus physical deformities. Below is a closer look at the drawing followed by the original reference. I don't know who the Master artist was since it wasn't listed in the file... if anyone recognizes it let me know who it is!

For the final in my Head Drawing class, we had to draw from photo references of our classmates taken with a primary and secondary light source. There are still some revisions I want to make to my final, so I'll post that in a couple of days, weeks or so... but a fellow classmate, Katy Fox, happened to have drawn me for the final. At the end of class she asked me if I wanted the portrait... do I want an awesome, multi-colored, textural drawing of myself?

HELLS YEAH!!! So thanks a lot, Katy--not that you read this blog--but her style is quite awesome and she did a great job. Check it out and be inspired by mah face.

(via some light Googling, I believe I found her website too. For more of Katy's work, check it out here. )

Late November Doodles

Where has the month gone?

Man, that went by fast (and yes, I know there's a couple days left in the month but still... dayum). I have about three weeks left in my semester and a healthy helping of drawing lying in wait ahead. I'll be going over some of my classwork and posting drawings in the next couple of days or so. Until then, sketches ahoy!

Thunder Thighs in Pleasures of the FLESH!!!

Very fun commission for a friend Sergio of his original character "Thunder Thighs". She's a superhero with awesome pheromone powers and the ability to explode any and all who do the nasty with her. Awesome superhero, hands down. In this scene, she has been taken hostage by the evil Dr. Colossus and multiple superheros have tried to save Thunder Thighs but find their ends in a burst of pleasure. Next is the idiotic, entranced former president George W. Bush. Will Thunder Thighs ever escape?!

Head Drawing Midterm

There's something about the initial sketch's looseness that I like which, unfortunately, gets a little bit lost in the final version.

This was neither the first nor last of the reconstructive surgery her lovely face underwent.

Final! Not the best, but I definitely feel that my drawing skills are getting somewhere a little further down the road... and charcoal is no longer my enemy.

IAmOscarGrant.org Poster

This is a poster for the community organized IAmOscarGrant.org, a non-profit style organization started by Kimberlee Webber in response to Oscar Grant's murder by Bart officer Johannes Mehserle. If you don't know what any of that means, I highly suggest Googling those names; it's a murder of an innocent man on the Bart by a Bart cop--yes... the transit system in the Bay Area has its own police officers. Terrifying. The trial happened over the summer with some pretty sub-par outcomes.

This poster was originally made for an event held September 25th, but was never really used as the flyer which was the original purpose. Alas. However, it was fun to create and I thought I should share.

Random Post is Random

Glorious. But still off. This is my first assignment from a Figurative Concepts class at AAU. The class is very fun and engaging; we're working strictly in color pastels for the beginning of class and it's a new, overall pleasing, experience.

But this drawing definitely needs a lot more work... at least a couple hours. It wasn't until I looked at the drawing next to the reference that I noticed the boobs were off.

See? The angle is all off... which is pretty disappointing since I had fun rendering that right (technically left) breast. :/

I guess that will make it all the more fun to draw it again...

I got the reference photo off Deviant Art on Eva Pechmarie's work. You can view the original here.

Sketches and Space

Hello out there, Internets. How's it been?

My summer semester has officially ended (well, actually a week ago now but productivity is just barely kicking back in) and I am fueled and energized to draw some mother-ouffin' comics! So just you wait!

In the meanwhile, some doodles and my new work studio--super under development.

7 Deadly Sins Entry

Here is my entry for a contest awhile back called The 7 Deadly Sins Contest. Although I didn't place, the winners were quite awesome and I was happy just to participate and create the piece. If you'd like to see the winners, you should check them out here (scroll down a bit to the April 13th entry).

2pt in Blue

Here is the lineart of my 2pt Perspective assignment from last semester

(funny enough, the same assignment I'm working on again -_^)

Here are the color thumbs of different light sources and shadow plotting. That pink one still calls out to me.

And then.... plotting time....

Which brought me to the finished illustration before you:

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the illustration. ^_^ It was fun to draw and I like how it turned out. I'm thinking of making prints of this once I have more ink for le printer.

That is all. Now, to procrastinate no more....

Well, Holy @!#*

Hark! Yes, time sure has swept us by now, hasn't it? Prepare for a lengthy post, friends.

Firstly, I have made the trek cross country with the boy and friends to Oakland, CA!!! The road trip was "hella" fun and an experience I won't forget.

The latter part of Wyoming, Nevada, and California were the funnest parts of the drive simply due to the gorgeous landscapes.

Now that I'm finally feeling settled in (somewhat) to my new environment, it's time to get back to drawing! Here are a couple new sketches. More work to be posted in the future!

I haven't forgotten about my Catholic grammar school comic. Here is a sketch of my previous principal of that time... the scariest nun of them all.

This started as a sketch of a window and chair in my living room. I'm still playing around with the concept and may develop it further into an actual illustration.

Until next time!

11 Days and Counting!!!

Eleven days left in Chicago!

Freak Out.... Commence. Mainly since I haven't started packing yet.

Not to leave you completely lacking any visual, here is the nude version of one of my recent assignments. I have to make a few corrections to the final version where they're clothed and placed in a setting....

SUCCUBUS!!!

More updates will be coming and I'll try to post more regularly. Once corrections are made, I'll post some more finished drawings and most likely will update my Etsy shop with more prints and original art in the next month.

Right... So...

I know and you know... it's been too long. And I'm sorry. I really am. You know, I could make excuses... say how busy this semester is, how much work each class really takes out of me, how moving in one month is causing me to begin slight freak-out mode... but no.

Just have a picture.

And try not to hate me too much. ^^

Above is my latest finished assignment from my Chiaroscuro class.

There are a few drawings from my other class which I need to make a few small corrections to and then I'll post those here as well.

As for my comic... well, alas. I really, really wanted to get the first issue done before leaving Chicago so I could drop it off at Quimby's and Chicago Comics, but that just isn't going to happen. It will be made, but most likely not until early this summer between semesters when I'm out in San Fran broke as hell with no other distractions in life.

Perspective Kicks Me Arse

But I will take it down! My "Drawing From the Imagination" Class at AAU is a killer... but definitely worth the stress, complete lack of social life, and tearing out my hair.

Lookit my 2 Point Perspective Drawing!

I think it came out pretty well considering it's difficult for me to draw a straight line even with the use of a T-Square and 90 Degree Angle thingamajigger.

Thoughts? Flames? Complete hatred and disdain?