These are the final 3 images I created for this semester's Cthulhu project, in the end I learned a lot about myself, like what size I like to work/need to work, the right inking tools for me, time management(ha) as well as a solid process for coloring I can grow with. Good times...I definitely recommend SVA's MFA program if anyone is considering it.

Something new for November... more Cthulhu inspired work. I can't wait until I'm done... I swear I'm not drawing another octo-squid-like anything for at least a year.

Busy busy busy...

A quick piece about Fall for my comp ill. class.




Another for my Cthulhu project... I'm still altering the colors on this one, not sure what I'm settling on just yet.



A piece based on an OPed article in the NYTimes about the trials in Jena. No sketches this week for the sketch section. :P

A quick piece for Vooy's magazine. These two images are connected to the same novel. The top piece has to do with the death of the main character and the thoughts imposed upon him from the writer(who becomes an actual character in his own story near the end).... and the second piece has to do with the ambiguity of whether or not the main character had his lower leg taken from him by God (who is the cricket in this image... you'd have to read the story). My favorite part of these assignment's from Vooy's magazine has to be the freedom of expression and the exposure of my work to an audience that otherwise wouldn't see it. The magazine is based in Sweden and it's nice to think of my work "transcending" language.... hopefully that doesn't sound too cheesy, lol.

This piece was a lot larger originally but I cropped it down to a more to the point composition... it's rare for things to work out that way. I imagined the character dying of old age sort of and his brain..well, wilting? I love to draw tree-like elements so I had a lot of fun with this. If I had a bit more time I would've added more details but my class schedule ran into my deadline. (Started near midnight with the original drawing, completed at 6am... they're 6 hours ahead so I had to tie it up that night.)

The part of the story where the main character loses his leg, I played with a lot of textures in this piece, I wanted it to feel natural. This was completed awhile back but thought I'd post it now to connect the two assignments.

It's been a long time since I've posted.. (don't I always start off this way?). I FINALLY started grad school!! Sooo I've been busy being well... a grad student. My schedule isn't too busy but it is very very dense, I only have class on Tues (9am-12)/Wed(10am-10pm)/Thurs(1.5 to 9pm), but of course I'm expected to be working on my days off. Tuesday is a short class, Computer Illustration portfolio-- which is also my favorite at the moment. It's only from 9am-Noon, but so much information is packed into that small span of time. The class is primarily a re-intro to photoshop, but having not had a formal introduction to Photoshop it's nice to refresh on what I know. The teacher is Matthew Richmond and he runs a Design Company that uses a lot of illustration and exciting designs . He literally knows ... basically all there is to know about pho'tochop...orr definitely enough to get everyone started on a professional level. The variety of talent in the class is really amazing and I'm looking forward to growing artistically with my classmates. Below are some sketchs, all of them done during critiques.... don't get me wrong, I pay attention during crits! And give my own advice when I feel its necessary, but I can't seem to keep myself from drawing during lectures and crits. Old habit I guess?





This last drawing was actually partially for an illustration I made about what it was like to be stung by a jellyfish, its like part ant bite, bee sting(though i haven't been stung yet), skinned knee and burn x10 in one tiny location... it's a type of pain you really have to experience to understand, and I don't recommend it to anyone.

A long long long overdue post. That slump I mentioned awhile back? Basically, it hit me...like a truck. Then backed up to finish the job. I don't think I've EVER wasted so much time. I guess the time wasn't a complete waste, I spent a lot of time thinking and planning for things art and otherwise, but when it's all in your head or on scraps of paper.. there really isn't much to show for it. Anyway, I've been working on this image for awhile now, mostly because I haven't had time for it, or just wasn't happy with it. It's had maybe 5 stages.


The first of the images... I just didn't feel like I was pushing myself, and I guess I was tired with whatever it was I was trying to say during my senior thesis, and using this "visual language". I had fun drawing and inking this, but during the time I was going through a move to another state, had some life troubles, blah blah ...I lost interest in the piece. I still wanted to work with the concept though, so one night I redrew some compositions for the piece.



I settled on the last image even though I wasn't a 100% happy with it, but I was desperate to start drawing something new. About this time I was coming down pretty hard on myself, I felt uncreative, uninspired, unmotivated... All the good stuff! The imagery was boring for me, I needed something fresh! BUT again I decided to stick with it. I spent the next hour or so trying to pencil this concept into something I'd be happy to take to final.


I think I failed. At the end of this I was so bored with the idea, I ended up setting it aside. There was just too much going on in the piece..too many elements thrown in unnecessarily. It reminded me of a montage, or collage without a meaning that was trying reeeealy hard to have one. Eventually I remembered one of my teachers once giving me the "Less is More" speech, so I tossed this drawing and tried to narrow in on a concept. (By toss I mean set aside into the pile of drawings in my corner that no one should ever see....). I had fun drawing the beasts and the plantlife, and decided to again exclude any human representation and allowed myself to let my lines "breathe".

Pencils.
Final.

So in the end, I did draw some more ethereal-smoke-like-hair fire- forms, animal life, and some of the abstraction I enjoy creating. I revisited the visual elements I thought I was tired of, but it turns out it was the compositions I was getting tired of seeing. This probably isn't my most successful piece, but it feels good to resolve something like this, and essentially put an "end" to my senior thesis project.

Same fish, quick colors. I've been in a creative slump for the last couple of days... I managed to color this fish today though. Goodtimes.

30 min fish?

I feel like this today. It was fun to draw though. Maybe I'll color it later.

Busy busy busy. Just some messing around with photoshop.

These are actually kind of old, I've been really busy settling into my new place and commuting to NYC.


The second drawing is more or less a sketch for a piece I'm working on. I'm keeping the concept but "trashing" the original drawing. It didn't feel like I was pushing myself enough to keep going with it.

A slow day for drawing again. These skulls seem to be a reocurring theme for me. I gotta keep on drawing them until I get them out of my system.. I think I've drawn about 20 in the last year or so. Ah well, fun times with tree skulls and fire!

And lastly a few sketches of the guys from one my favorite bands, the Arctic Monkeys. These look nothing like the guys, but eh, I'll work on getting a better likeness tomorrow. These were just for fun.

A brief sketch for today.

It's been a long... LONG time since I've kept up with anything blog related. The last post was from...september of last year, sooo yeah. Anyway, I'll try to keep this not too personal. May was one of the most over the top, and exhausting months of my life hands down. Relationship stress, Graduation stress(what now!?), Moving stress (NY, NJ... accidentally walking into a whore house on the way and asking how much it costs to rent a room), Packing stress... learning how to drive a 24ft long truck on the fly, after driving only mid-compact size cars my whole life--stress!! I managed to find some time to sketch though.

Dragons doing dragon like things.

Most of these were drawn sitting around in a starbucks in jersey.

Some sketches done in class sometime in April, of Sue K and Maurice during a crit.

And lastly a reeally creepy drawing of Steve Heller, back when he came by MICA as a guest speaker.....He's a nice guy, kinda famous(ha kinda), and writes good books. Maybe one day I'll be as successful.