2011 Recap

This year was a great starting point for me as an artist.  I initially began this journey with the intent of having no regrets and I believe I have accomplished that fairly well. There are a few paintings and drawings left to do, but that’s for another year.  At the beginning of the year I had no real aspirations other than drawing, painting, and drawing some more.  A simple formula I guess, and for me it boiled down to being consistent and always creating artwork.  Throughout the year I realized this journey was well worth the effort and, with support, everything I set out to do was accomplished.

I would like to thank everyone that has visited and followed my blog.   I would also like to thank my family, friends, teachers, and mentors.  Without all of you this year would have been a lot harder and not quite as enjoyable. 

I hope 2012 is just as enjoyable and an even bigger learning experience.  I already have a long list of goals and things to do from exploring color, different subjects and much more.

Thank you, God bless and I wish the best for all of you in 2012.

Sketch

"Little Girl"
9"x 11" graphite on Strathmore.

I started this earlier this month for WC monthly challenge and never got a chance to finish this sketch.   

Sam



"Sam"
9.5"x11" graphite on Arches CP.

Sam started out as a sketch months ago and went very well. Almost too well for a sketch, so I’m finally getting around to finish the drawing.   

Sketch

‘Eli Wallach’ graphite on Arches CP.

I should have drawn this on Bristol, but I couldn’t resist cold press paper.  I normally get better results when drawing older faces on textured paper.  A nice start but I should have put more time into it.  At least I can say it’s a sketch and I'm doneJ. 

Photo reference: Wetcanvas weekly drawing challenge.

Sketch

I had a lot of fun with this, very interesting angles and her face.  Contour drawing before shading (Can I say my sketch is done at this point next time?).







I’m changing the norm from watercolor CP paper to Bristol board.  I have fallen in love with textured paper, but my most recent work was a little too textured for my liking.  Bristol smoothness is a welcome change to CP but I’ll have to do a few more pieces.  So much for being lazy and using the same type of paper for every application.

 ‘Grace Kelly’ graphite on Strathmore Bristol board.

Photo reference: Wetcanvas weekly drawing challenge.

Sketch




'Bill' 8.5”x 10.5” graphite on Strathmore Drawing 400 Series



Another sketch from Wetcanvas November-December portraiture challenge.  I started this drawing with no real expectations other than to sketch, have fun and see where it takes me. 

There are two light sources in the photo and normally can be a problem for me, but the light weren’t equally as bright and there were enough shadows to easily resolve this.

I made it a priority to have a wide value range from the bright area in his shirt and highlights to the shadows and background. 

Sketch



'Anthony Hopkins' 9”x 10” graphite on Strathmore Drawing 400 Series



I love to draw and sketch and this was a perfect opportunity to go back to what I enjoy.  I often feel to rigid and tight after completing a portrait that can take 25+ hours to complete. 

I was drawn to this photo because of the opportunity to capture a likeness of a famous actor, angles, and light and dark.  The emotion on his face was rather interesting and a sketch would be a great opportunity to explore and have fun.

Photo reference: Wetcanvas.com November-December portraiture challenge.