wrap up of the semester

well the semester is finally over! it has been an interesting and very informational semester of drawing the figure. looking back on the last 4 months my drawing abilities have definitely improved and i am a stronger more confident artist because of it. some of the things that i have collected in my bag of tricks from life drawing one are things like contour lines and cross contour lines, body proportions and perspective, a great understanding of the body's structure, atmospheric perspective, an equally good understanding of shells and how to draw them, and a whole lot of good times in the class room hahaaaa ok. The gesture drawing part of the class really helped me to loosen up and draw with my whole body instead of just my wrist. being more active in my drawing process has given me good results and i think they will just keep getting better as i continue to use these tactics in my drawings. i have found that you have to commit to one style of drawing while u are studying drawing, because if you try and incorporate too many different techniques, they can cancel each other out and ruin the whole thing. i look forward to seeing where the things ive learned this semester will pop up and really give me a great drawing in the future, untill then, its been fun but its time to take a break and relax!

FINAL PORTFOLIO http://www.flickr.com/photos/55389276@N02/

more shells

I finished my first ink wash shell drawing today and i am fairly happy with it. The previous shell drawing i posted isn't mine actually, i just really like it and i am trying to model my own shell drawings after that style. The ink took a long time to apply! alot longer than i had imagined, and it takes a long time to build up the layers to get the desired darkness and texture. i love how the layers look once they are all on top of each other and gives the drawing character and life. i am looking forward to the final shell drawing so that i can take what i've learned from this one and put it into practice. i think my shell drawings have gotten continuously better as the semester has progressed and i have learned so much about contour lines and line variety, it will forever help me in my studio art career. i think that my drawing experience will also carry over into my paintings as i get my degree. i want to explore more life drawing a some point in my life, or maybe i will pursue it on my own who knows. i have enjoyed seeing everyone else's work in class today, compared to mine i need to get my ink washes a little bit darker, and not be so shy with the ink. we are almost done lerning about all of the sections of the body, except for the head, that is in drawing 2.. which i don't think i'll be taking. but it has been super helpful to go through all the different area of the body in such length and it will stick with me for a long time to come!

Class so far

So far being in this life drawing class has proven to be a great learning experience. each class i am getting more and more used to using my whole body to draw instead of just my hand. as for things i would like to do more of in class, i would like to move into more full length drawing so i am able to get the full idea of how to get proportions and size of body parts. i have enjoyed getting the entire body captured in swift motions and simple forms, but i am a more detail oriented person so it has been a challenge for me. one dislike is that i would like to move a little bit faster with our lessons so that we can get used to bringing all the components of life drawing together faster and hone our skills more. i think this first full length drawing i did in class was a success. the perspective that i did it from was a really good lesson in proportion and foreshortening for the entire body. i think its always interesting the involvement of what ever the model is resting on and how it has to do with way we look at and we perceive the models position andwhat they should look like. its a very interesting thing to think about how orientation and position according to the ground we allow our minds to ground the person or figure in space.



My portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55389276@N02/

reflection on life drawing

After beginning in life drawing for only a week i have already been given a new appreciation for simplicity and form that can come from drawing from life and the body. There is something about having to capture the essence of a subject that is right is in front of you for a limited amount of time. The exercises that we do with our 30 second drawings and and the model's limited time poses really push me to see the entirety of a subject instead of the little details that can cause you to lose focus on what you're seeing. I have never drawn a live model before and never really though it would be that different from drawing from a photo, but after doing it, I now understand how the life drawing aspect is one of the most important I will learn in my career. In my past drawing career I have 80% of the time drawn from photos and they have turned out great and photo realistic. I now see that there has been something missing and that is the impermanence aspect of life drawing. I look forward to doing more work in this class and improving my skills and sight. if this class goes well i will probably think about taking life drawing two. the one thing that i might get a little weary of is these blog posts. but i will do my best to try and keep them interesting and true to what is going on in class and in my artistic career. i had this blog before i got into this class and used it for my work in general but for a while it will serve as my blog site for this class and to get my work out to the public. good stuff.

Commissions

"Float On"
Graphite on Paper
10x12

Tryptic - "Gerber Daisies"
Oil on Canvas
12x12 each

Paintings - Old to new

"Power"
Oil on Canvas
36x72

"We call it a Tripod"
Oil on Panel
15x23

"Honestly...?"
Oil on Canvas
28x 34

"7 Years Now"
Oil on Canvas
17x28

"My Seattle"
Oil on Canvas
30x48

"I am stage left"
Oil on Canvas
24x36

"Still Life"
Oil on Paper
24x32

Drawings - old to new

Tryptic - "Lucky Duck"
Charcoal on paper
18x24

"Family"
Pastel on paper
22x44

"Motion in the air"
Graphite on paper
24x36

Tryptic- "Without words I would be faceless"
Graphite on paper
18x22

"When we were young"
graphite on paper
18x20

still life
Charcoal on toned paper
22x30

"away"
22x30
Charcoal on paper

Dyptic - "Home"
Charcoal on paper
22x30

Self portrait in text
18x22
Pen & Ink

Welcome!

This blog is a place to come for news, new images, and on going projects I will be working on in my career as an artist. I encourage you to visit the page often and tell those who would be interested to also stop by and see what I have been up to lately. I look forward to sharing the progression and exploration of my art through this stage in my life and hope you take as much joy in viewing it as I do in creating it! Feel free to comment and share your ideas about the pieces as they come, I am always eager to interact with my audience as much as possible... Enjoy