Master of None

The Insanity of Every Day Life

2012-02-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

My everyday life includes a two-year-old and a new born, wife, work, Master's courses, writing a novel, and occasional sleep. Hence the long gap in posts! To make up for it, here is my first-ever video message for my Preaching class:

Your honest feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks!

Intercalary

2011-10-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Gustave Doré's illustration for Paradise Lost

I am nearing the end of draft one of my novel and already seeing areas to tweak and trash. I had a bunch of intercalary chapters that were tied to the symbolism and themes of the story, but not the plot. I am trashing these in favor of dream sequences that deepen the understanding of the protagonist. Here is one such reject chapter. Maybe I can make it into a poem or something. LOL.

***

The Morning Star illuminates the blackness of space, more brilliant than any other. It phosphoresces shimmering waves of blue, enthralling all that behold it. But it it desires more. Venus is thirsty, yearning to supplant the Sun.

It broods and schemes, cinching it’s orbit in a spiraling invasion pattern. It engulfs satellites and punches through the void, transversing Mercury, the winged messenger. Solar winds buffet the plunging sphere, but lustily, the the bright prince of the sky pushes onward.

Its heavenly body glows red-hot, internal iron superheating; poles are decimated by the ever-increasing magnetic fields. It does not pause, pulled into the gravity of its own desire.

It has arrived, a hurtling globe attempting solar coup.

Oblivion!

A cataclysmic kablooey of blinding white light. The usurper is vaporized in the intense heat of creation’s beating heart.

Hot plasma incinerates every molecule. Venus becomes fuel for the shining of the Sun. The Bringer of Dawn has fallen into eternal darkness.

The Highest Call for Christ Followers

2011-08-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

In Ephesians Chapter Four, Paul paints a picture of what an effective servant of Jesus Christ looks like. He explains calling as not merely a job, vocation, or talent, but admonishes that the highest calling for every believer is to be mature, merged with the corporate Body of Christ, and Missional.

The first step in fulfilling the highest call as a faithful Christian is to leave infancy, and take up the mindset of a mature believer. Maturity is marked by a transition from embracing culture to embracing Christ; hedonism is exchanged for selfless love as the believer discovers a new and better way to live. An immature believer only consumes, expecting others to fulfill his or her needs. A mature believer is one who moves beyond this, and begins to foster an attitude of others-centeredness.

An understanding of maturity and the value of other believers lead to seasoned Christians, who become strong cells in the Body of Christ. When the cells are strong, the Body can move like one organism in response to God, helping Him fulfill His Grand Plan. Christians with this mindset become united, acting in cooperation instead of competition.

But just as each cell in the body is unique, so is every believer. Each is the steward of a unique set of gifts, talents, and experiences. Recognizing a special and specific calling on his or her life ushers he believer into greater effectiveness in serving Christ. Paul urges more than just knowing the call, however. Once a Christian is called, he or she must run, not walk, the path God has laid out. Do not be sidetracked, persevere. The Christian life is more a marathon than a sprint, and one must continually put one foot in front of the other, covering the distance that lays between the believer and God’s end goal, bit by bit.

The end goal is mature believers in a mature Body, responding to the Spirit, each fulfilling a unique calling that accomplishes God’s overarching will. This is the highest calling.

How NOT to Discipline

2011-08-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

After his bath a few nights ago, Wyatt was in his typical rambunctious, ornery mood. I was struggling just to get him toweled, and donning his PJs seemed less possible than teaching a chimp calculus. He kept squirming away, I kept yanking him back. The situation worsened when I couldn't get him down the stairs. I'd guide him in the right direction ad he'd peel away, choosing his own path away from my intended purpose.

Everything fell apart when he toppled a box in the hallway, due to his overflowing childhood curiosity. My reaction was anything but pleasant.

"WYATT, NO!" my voice was booming with frustration as I slapped the offending hand.

He collapsed on the floor in shame, his quivering lip telegraphing his humiliation. At that moment I realized I'd gone too far. I did what every good dad knows he shouldn't—I disciplined in anger.

My reaction to him was less about what he was doing, and more about my current state of mind. Nothing was broken, nothing spilled—too much effect for so little cause.

The whole episode was due to my impatience with getting my way. I needed to recognize and address my frustration much earlier, when it was first emerging: step back, take a breath, say a prayer, put the incident into perspective. Recognizing that may have made all the difference in my reaction. I wouldn't want to be treated like I treated Wyatt. God doesn't father us like I fathered him. My hope is that if I beging to put Wyatt's needs above my own, frustration will transform into patience and loving guidance.

How to Create Authentic Characters for Fiction

2011-08-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Characters are how drama is played out in storytelling. No characters, no story. They do not have to be human, but they cannot be two dimensional. In my opinion a flat protagonist is the quickest way to kill a story. People won't read stories about someone they care nothing for.

Authentic character requires motive. Without motive all you have is surface characterization—what we see on the outside—looks, dress, mannerisms. This doesn't begin to tell the whole story. You may see a loud, drunk jock at a party and make a lot of assumptions based on stereotypes alone. But why is he behaving that way? Perhaps someone has just broken up with him, perhaps he is trying to distract the party-goers from someone else who did something very embarrassing. You don't know any of this without knowing the core truths of the character.

True character is revealed by the decisions a character makes. The decisions a character makes are the result of motive—goals, desires, personality, history. These attributes must be plotted out beforehand to give the character life and inform the decisions that he or she makes throughout the story. In Story, Robert McKee illustrates this well. Imagine you are driving by a horrible accident. There is an overturned bus in a ditch beside the road. The bus is on fire and full of screaming children. Do you stop or drive past? That says something about you. If you stop, do you watch in horror or attempt to save the kids? That says something about you. If you enter the bus and don't have enough time to save all of the kids, which one do you save? As a character continues his or her journey through the story, each successive conflict exposes more and more of his or her true character.

For major characters think about some of the following ideas to add depth: motives (complex and contradictory are best), a past, the character's reputation with others, a network of relationships, habits/patterns, talents/abilities, tastes/preferences, and of least importance, physical description. These examples come from Card's Characters and Viewpoint.

On a side note, characters who rely on stereotypes can be useful in minor characters. Stereotype is a great way to communicate a lot about a character without having to spend precious screen or page time explaining who they are. For example, I can describe a long-legged blonde stripper with daddy issues named Bambi and the reader will know what type of person she is, based on this stereotype along. In this form she may make a great minor character, but most likely isn't the best choice for a protagonist unless she somehow bucks the stereotype.

Here are two examples from the novel I am currently working on. The first is my protagonist, the second a character twice removed from the protagonist, so not as developed.

Scott Siveright:

Role in Story: Protagonist

Occupation: Corporate Video Editor

Physical Description: Handsome and slender, light brown hair and eyes, lithe

Personality/Prefs: Creative, wry sense of humor, loyal, protective, thinks he is a coward—he can’t see the bravery within him, cynical because he sees others as caring about things that aren’t important

Habits/Patterns: Fidgety, can’t sit still, easily grasps what people are trying to explain so gets impatient with waiting for them to finish

Background: Scott was born and raised in Southern California. His parents provided for him very well but did not build into him as a child. He never had the opportunity to finish things - sports, after school activities—he was always pulled out of them because his parents didn’t want to expend effort on their part. His father is a successful businessman and was not present enough to make a difference in Scott’s life. He didn’t have any strong men in his life.

He went to college not knowing what he wanted to do and arbitrarily picked film production. He jokes that at least he’s using his degree (unlike most graduates) even if he doesn’t always enjoy it.

Shortly after college he married Angie. Before they could get settled into their marriage and build unity as couple, Scott was diagnosed with testicular cancer. This was a three year battle of chemotherapy and radiation. Angie stuck by him every step of the way even though he wouldn’t have blamed her if she left. He wasn’t a lot of fun to be around then. There wasn’t much to do in the hospital besides watch TV and that got old fast. So when Angie was at work he would write. Writing was what helped him not only pass the time, but process all of the pain he was going through. He soon discovered his passion for writing and decided he would somehow become a writer.

He has now been cancer free for one year. He and Angie have been married four years. He is very grateful for being alive and having a wife, job, etc., but is unsettled because he isn’t doing what he would like and now knows how precious his remaining time on earth could be.

Internal Conflicts: He is scared of many things: scared of not being able to have kids, scared of having kids because he thinks all his free time will be gone and he will never get to pursue a writing career, scared of the cancer coming back/afraid of dying, leaving Angie alone, or alone with a newborn. He feels behind in everything since he couldn’t do anything for the three years he had cancer. His cancer has relapsed after a year and he hasn’t told Angie. He is beginning to loathe himself because he feels like he has failed Angie.

External Conflicts: He and Angie have been fighting a lot because she wants to start having children. He agreed to a timeline but is now backpedaling/avoiding the discussion. He discovers a mysterious hole behind the couch but Angie says he is making it up as a distraction from their relationship problems. He has minor conflicts with his boss because he just doesn’t see the importance of corporate video - his values have shifted since facing death.

Reputation: Cynical, clever, loyal, fearful (others see him viewing himself this way)

Talents/Abilities: Writing, Video production, motorcycle riding, firearms

Network: Angie his wife; Elton his best friend since high school and co-worker who helped him get his job; Elton’s girlfriend Shana; Amy’s sister Danae; his parents Scott Sr. And Leah; Angie’s parents Ronald and Ruth Alpin (deceased); boss Zachary Lewis; Oncologist Dr. Samuel Conlan

Notes: He is braver than he knows. He faced cancer and won. Since he was close to death he feels a bit more comfortable with it than most people (not any less scared though). Bravery is defined as doing what needs to be done despite fear, not without fear.

Shana Lo:

Role in Story: Elton’s girlfriend

Occupation: Attorney

Physical Description: Chinese, petite, high cheek bones, wide face

Personality/Prefs: Hard working, logical, plows through problems on sheer will-power

Habits/Patterns: Always checking her phone for work emails, is antsy like she always has somewhere to be

Background: Shana is from Los Angeles but her parents both emigrated from Hong Kong. Her mother is a seamstress and her father is an engineer. Both worked very hard in order to provide a safe environment for their children. Education is very important in her family. College and graduate schools were not an option. UCLA undergrad and law.

Internal Conflicts: Wants to please her parents by having a successful career (has to be as good as her brother and sister), she never thinks she is working enough, wants to lighten up and have fun but is too afraid of failure to do so

External Conflicts: Shana is career focused but Elton is pressing her to get serious about their relationship, her boss is riding her to work more (60 hrs isn’t enough)

Reputation: Her stern exterior cracks when liquor is applied, logical, no nonsense, uber intelligent, hard worker

Talents/Abilities: Litigation, research, public speaking, logic problems

Network: Elton is her boyfriend; Jack and Lucy are older siblings; parents are Winston and Eva

Notes: There is a constant struggle to let loose and be serious - a battle between what she wants and what is expected of her

And there you have it. I don't claim to know everything—if you have anything to add, or even disagree, please comment. I'd like to keep the discussion going.

How Transparency Refines Creativity

2011-07-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Photo by Alfred Molon

How can transparency radically refine your creative ideas? It happens through community. The idea is that as you show your process, unfinished work, and ideas, others are able to speak into your work. This real-time feedback can help to expose week areas, bolster strong ones, and explore unique ideas from others in the community. In the era of social networking this is almost effortless.

These concepts, again, come from Belsky's book Making Ideas Happen. The reasoning is sound enough that I am willing to give this a try and see how it plays out. I will begin to post my writing processes and unfinished, in-progress work from the novel I am creating. I am hoping to vet my story ideas and writing process through the online community in order to make them better, teach others the little I do know, as well as establish a community who will be interested in the finished story.

This is a completely open forum. Please leave your complaints, criticism, and feedback - what works, what doesn't, how could it be better? I believe my ideas will improve through community.

Are You Leading a Useless Life?

2011-07-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

The Christian life is not solitary. We do not each work out God's plan for our life divorced of how He is moving in the lives of others. Yes, God does work through each of us in a specific manner, but not at the neglect of His Grand Plan in which He uses every believer working in conjunction to bring about His perfect will.

There are believers who have tremendous faith, being obedient through severe torture to the point of death; others are crippled by sickness or disability and mourn what they see as an ineffective, fruitless life. But effectiveness is not necessary to participate in God's Grand Plan - only faithful obedience.

"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them had received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us they would be made perfect." Hebrews 11:39 NIV

Do you feel like you have led a useless life? Do the dreams God has placed in your heart seem to lie atop an insurmountable peak? Like the greats of the Bible you will get there through steadfast commitment and confidence in God. But it is equally important to understand that faithful obedience overshadows accomplishment. Who but God can judge your fruit? Your life is more than your successes and failures - it fits into a complex design in which we all work hand in hand, acting in faithful obedience to help accomplish God's Grand Plan.

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language..." John Donne

How to Get Things Done

2011-07-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

Etching by Otto August Kuhler

Creatives often have problems completing projects, and I am no exception. Even when I know the steps necessary to achieve a specific end, I will languish somewhere along the way. To overcome this I have adopted what Scott Belsky describes in his book Making Ideas Happen as a bias towards action. This means that my number one priority is finishing a project - this overshadows even creativity and quality. As important as quality is to an artistic project, it counts for nothing if the project is never finished.

To get traction on a project, Belsky recommends creating a list of action steps - ordered and tangible steps required to get a project finished. Put a due date by each of these steps and review the list regularly. I like to put this list on the outside of a project folder with all necessary documents and research inside. This works just as well with digital files too.
Here is a crude example of the action steps for the novel I am writing:

Read 2-3 books per month ongoing

Buy Scriviner August 2011Characters – August 2011
Milieu descriptions -detail, who lives/lived there? September 2011
Steps with value changes October 2011
Create detailed working outline January 2012
Write draft one March 2012
Re-evaluate draft for: themes, symbolism, what works, what doesn't (rewrite and cut as necessary)
Write draft two August 2012
Send draft two for feedback August 2012
Write draft three based off of feedback from draft two readers October 2012
Research publishing options and agents through internet, writer's market, etc. November 2012

Give this a try and you will be surprised how much accountability a list with due dates will give you. You will get more done in less time.

If you like this idea, I urge you to read Making Ideas Happen. This is a small glimpse of the treasure that lies within. Belsky shares his wisdom on how creatives can get organized, form a collaborative community, and lead other creatives.

On Finding Purpose

2011-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I started this blog three and a half years ago as a quest in purpose. I entitled it "Master of None" because I considered my self a jack of all trades but [insert title here]. I liked photography, fine art, illustration, video, and writing and I wasn't sure which direction to go. I thought I had made a decision to pursue some type of fine art or illustration, but an uneasiness has been building up in my mind over time. I have been working at it more and more, but finding joy in it less and less.

What I found myself having the desire to do, was write. So the last couple of weeks I have put drawing up against writing in a sort of competition. I figured writing and drawing could duke it out until they got along or there was a good solid KO. And as much as I love doing both, writing has won out completely. No TKO here.

I have been holding off admitting this to myself because I have invested a lot of time in money in visual arts the last four or five years. It feels like epic failure to stop drawing - like giving up. But something that Steven King wrote in his book On Writing gave me a sort of revelation. He wrote about his son wanting to play sax because he liked the sound of Springstein's sax player. He practiced diligently for 7 months but King and his wife could see after that it wasn't for him. His playing was always practice - he would play the amount prescribed by his teacher but never more. He wasn't playing just for the joy of making music, just to get better. I realized that is what I am doing with drawing. I see great artists whose work I love and think "I want to do what he can." But I practice out of duty and discipline with the intent of getting better. I enjoy the process but I think I am using art as a means to an end - enjoying good looking images, storytelling. This made me look back at what I had been doing all of my life that gave me joy - reading and writing.

I have read well over a thousand books in my lifetime and have been writing in some form or another since elementary school - poems, stories, journals, screen plays, etc. I wanted to draw to tell a story but missed writing. I decided graphic novels would allow me to do both. Then I discovered that the kind of stories I want to tell are better suited for novels. It has been a long path of self discovery to see what was right in front of me. I have been doing it so naturally that I didn't question it. It is as much a part of me as breathing, so I almost overlooked it completely. Writing is no easier for me than drawing, but I seem to love it more in those frustrating situations instead of less. I guess that is proof that I really love doing it.

That being said, I stand hesitantly at the trailhead, not sure if the direction is true. Even so, I am going to hike ahead and see where it leads.

Drawins

2011-06-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

My wrist was feeling up to some new pain!

Fire in the wrist

2011-06-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have been dealing with wrist pain for quite some time now, but it has never been bad enough to keep me from putting in a couple hours of daily drawing practice. This week that all changed.

Practice has been impossible these past few days. The Drs. all say there's nothing wrong, but the pain says otherwise. If I don't get this solved, my drawing career may end before it starts.

On a happy note, I stated writing again in the newly available time. I did 850 words of a new story tonight. It felt amazing to get back to it.

Recent scketches

2011-06-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

I got some great feedback on this stuff from my pro art buddy, so it already seems outdated to post it!

The hardest thing to draw...

2011-05-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

The hardest thing to draw... is the other eye!

Sketch Update

2011-05-17T23:04:00.001-07:00

I have been working on really nailing the features and simplifying my drawings without getting to cartoony. Comments? Thanks for viewing!

Some recent practice

2011-04-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some more faces and figures. This is tough work and I still need a lot of practice. I think I will be focusing on design and simplification. As for the ink drawings, the left one is brush and the right one is pen. The brush is really challenging for me!

Faces and Figures

2011-04-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some drawings from this week. I am starting to do more full body figures, although I need more practice for sure. The first pic was today's practice, the second a compilation from earlier this week/last week. I did the pen stuff a couple days ago - the face was all done with a kolinsky sable, and the shack with a Hunt 107 pen nib. Comments appreciated. Thanks!

Recent Scribbles

2011-04-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

I was traveling a bit this past week so my practice time was kind of sporadic. I did manage to squeeze in a few frantic sessions though!

Yet more faces

2011-04-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, more faces. I am stubborn so I am gonna keep drawing them until they look right. I think they are looking better, no? Doing some studies from amazing artists that do it well (like John Byrne) is helping a lot.

Also a few pen and ink drawings. Pen and ink is dang hard! (But am having a lot of fun learning it)

Simple Style

2011-03-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

After some great feedback from my friend Hethe, I am trying a simpler style. Less lines - only where needed and only where necessary. He also pointed out some strange errors in my eyes and noses which I am also trying to fix.

Paper Time Machine

2011-03-24T22:44:00.001-07:00

Keeping a sketchbook is really akin to traveling back through time. I can easily flip back through pages or older sketchpads if I dare and really see if I have been improving. When looking at older sketches a while ago I realized that I was still not getting the structure of the face down correctly. Features looked misplaced and the form wasn't solid. Kinda like when the Nazis messed with the Ark of the Covenant...

So I stopped drawing out of my head and went back to drawing from life and photos to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong. I also found a little plastic skull model that I keep in my pencil bag for reference. The first set of faces is the result of a few weeks of drawing in this manner (a couple are still out of my head). I think I am finally starting to grasp the solidity of the head and how the features interact with the bones beneath.

The second set of faces composes my latest attempt of drawing out of my head in a simpler manner. When looking back at stuff from a month or so ago I think these are a marked improvement. Yes they are simple and without a lot of shading but they seem much more solid and real. What do you think?

And, just for fun, I was fooling around with pen and ink. The faces were sketched quickly with a ball point fountain pen (I was playing around with deformation a bit too), and the book sketch was done with a traditional crow quill nib.

I would really appreciate some feedback on this stuff. Thanks!

Blueberries in Season!

2011-03-06T20:54:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I like to create edible "art".

weekly update

2011-03-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

More faces. I think they're getting better...? My wrist hasn't been doing too well so I haven't been drawing as much as I'd like. An hour or two a day is all it can take. :(

Comments and crits welcome.

More Mugs

2011-02-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

I am still trying to figure out how to simplify the face while keeping the underlying structure/planes of the face intact. i.e. without introducing distortion and errors. Progress... but slow going.

Faces and Spaces

2011-02-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

Still doing faces - playing around with simplification and trying to find a style I like. I think they are getting better...?

I also started doing some line drawings of interiors. I need a lot of practice with environments.

Comments and crits most welcome.

Faces (now some with bodies)

2011-02-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a samling of recent faces. I did about 30 pages this past week, so this is not nearly all of them, just some that I liked. I think/hope they are getting better. I see improvement, but I have been know to be delusional before. ;)

Faces and Ink

2011-01-30T23:22:00.001-08:00

A bunch more face practice and a foray into inking. I am hooked on inking already!

Faces

2011-01-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have been working on faces the last few days. Some are mine and some are inspired by other artists. I have decided to pursue professional illustration as a career so this is the beginning of a long road!

Shotgun sketching

2011-01-20T12:37:00.000-08:00

I was working out of a hotel room this week so I pretty much drew anything and everything for practice.

Quickie

2011-01-15T01:22:00.001-08:00

A plane, a portrait, and a deviant.

Recent Practice

2011-01-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

More drawing practice!

Last week's practice

2011-01-04T20:51:00.001-08:00

I hope this all amounts to something. I mostly feel like I am spinning my wheels.

More Drawing Practice

2010-12-24T22:36:00.001-08:00

Some more drawings! Merry Christmas everyone!

Drawing Practice

2010-12-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

I have realized recently that the biggest problem with my paintings is my drawing ability, so I have been doing a lot of drawing practice lately. This has turned out to be quite helpful. I am doing tonal mass drawings with the brush, and line drawings in the form of sketches and perspective work (form in space). Enjoy!

Figure Update

2010-11-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

Last week was crazy hectic, but this week was a bit slower so I made some progress on my figure study. I still have a ways to go. Right now I am focusing on the upper back. I need to simplify the forms and values more. Comments and critiques welcome!

Another small update

2010-10-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

I am making progress on my two projects bit by bit. A lot of what you see in this update is correction of drawing errors.

I am realizing I need to work on my drawing foundations - that is probably my weakest area in my paintings. I also started blocking in my darks on the figure study. You can see my 7 value scale off to the side.

Quick Update

2010-10-18T15:44:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update on both of my current projects. Still quite a ways to go on both.

New Work

2010-10-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

I had some time to start some new projects this weekend. Yay!

Here is a new still life I started. I have laid in general colors and values in thin washes, and now have the task of really stating things accurately.

I also started a new figure study - just a rough block-in so far.

And finally, a nice "domestic rainbow" under my dining room table this morning. Yes, I am a bit geeky about stuff like this.

In Lieu of Painting...

2010-09-30T12:07:00.001-07:00

...here's a motion design piece I did for my day job. Please click video to view in HD on YouTube.

I'm not dead!

2010-09-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

But the heat has been keeping me from painting. It hit a all-time record-breaking high of 113F in LA this week. As soon as it cools down, I will be back at it. I already have an idea for the next one. I hope all of you are experiencing better painting weather.

Thirst for Knowledge

2010-08-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

It has been blisteringly hot in my studio (a.k.a. garage), so painting has been difficult. It finally cooled down long enough for me to finish this one. I must admit I rushed a bit with the glasses because I was afraid I would never finish them if the heat came back. This is a simple design, and if I did it over, I think I would want to have more detail/variation in the books. It looks a little too plain to me.

Posts may be a little sporadic for me because I am doing an intensive 40 weeks of training for expanding my motion graphics skills for my day job, but I will still be painting and posting when I have the opportunity. Maybe I will post some motion design stuff too.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer.

Books WIP

2010-08-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

This isn't the first painting I have made since I have gotten home from my trip, but it is the first one worth showing. :) Just a quick camera phone pic.

The challenge is always keeping everything together past the underpainting, carrying it through to a fully resolved painting. We'll see if I can pull it off!

Vanuatu

2010-07-23T12:01:00.001-07:00

I have been absent from the blogging world for a bit because I was on a church trip to Vanuatu, down in the South Pacific. Here's a few photos. I hope to recovered and back to painting sometime soon!

Sweet 'n Spicy

2010-06-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have been absent as of late due to a huge load of work, as well as my wife and son being in a car accident. Thankfully, they are okay. I was able to squeeze this painting of a sweet pepper in while my wife was resting and recovering. Sorry for the glare.

Can and Rag

2010-06-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here is another little study. I like the way the can turned out, and the rag is... well... interesting. I guess I need to practice painting fabric a little more!

No hidden meaning here...

2010-05-27T09:28:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to practice painting whites.

Last week's practice

2010-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some small studies I did last week. I am still working at the craft of oil painting, so no real meaning to these - just objects I interact with.

Still recuperating...

2010-05-11T09:15:00.001-07:00

...but I did manage to do another little study yesterday of this mango. Mangos are so multi-hued that they present interesting challenges for me to paint.

Sick and Tired... Literally

2010-05-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have been sick these last few days due to some nasty kid germs, but I managed to hoist myself upright for a short time and complete this little painting. I have been using a lot of these things lately, so I thought it would be fitting for a study.

Now back to rest and recovery...

Take a bite

2010-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have painted an apple that actually looks edible. Thanks again to everyone who gave me pointers this last week. My success is due to you!

As I was beginning to figure out, it was a value issue. I was painting the light side far too light., and this was the reason I couldn't get the color right.

The fabric background leaves something to be desired, though. It was too busy, so I tried to simplify it, and now is just looks messy. Oh well, one challenge leads to the next.

Happy painting everyone.

Rotten Apple

2010-05-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

I tried my hand at another apple last night to learn about reds. It didn't work. It was going so poorly that I didn't even finish it.

I lieu of that painting, here is a teeny avocado that turned out a bit better. I painted this on a scrap of canvas that I had lying around - I think the avo is less than two inches across.

Tonight I continue the battle with red!

EDIT:

Based off of Scott Altman's pointers (check out his excellent illustrations), I tried a little Photoshop paint over. It turns out this was a value problem all along. I was making the light colors much too light, hence the redness was lost and the colors became pink and desaturated. It is amazing how much my eye tricks me - saturated colors look far brighter in value than they actually are.

I also fixed the shadow side of the apple, which was lacking a core shadow.

Tonight I will try to apply these lessons with oil paint. It is so much easier in Photoshop when you can undo...

Apple - Difficulties with Red

2010-04-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here is another fruit study. I am realizing how difficult it is to paint red colors accurately, especially in the lights. If you add white, they get too pink. If you try lightening with yellow to keep the chroma up, they get too orange. Anyone have any insight on how to deal with this? My only thought is to key the whole thing down to keep the reds closer to the value that comes out of the tube...

More Fruit

2010-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

I painted a couple more fruit studies this weekend. My biggest challenge at this point is seeing the half tones. I want to nail them so that the object really looks round. Right now I feel like I am using the inherent qualities of oil paint to blend the lights and darks together to create the halftones more than I would like. I hope to be able to see the more subtle value and color variations in the half tones to make the object turn in space without resenting to too much blending.

Tangelo

2010-04-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick 5x5 study I did last night. I am not convinced that I am seeing color accurately yet, so I plan on doing a bunch of these to practice the skill of mixing what I see.

Japanese Teapot

2010-04-20T09:26:00.001-07:00

I am done with my color scumbling experiments. I learned a lot, but that style isn't what I would like to pursue.

Here is a teapot study I did last week using my "normal" style. It's all right, I guess. The teapot lid is definitely a bit out of perspective, but I am happy with the values and color. I feel that I got those pretty accurate.

Comments and critiques welcome - rip it apart. ;)

Three Little Piggys

2010-03-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest study in color and paint application. Thanks to suggestions from all of you, I am getting the hang of how to use brushes in conjunction with palate knives to achieve the scumbled look that I want. Not that I have perfected it; I could still use a lot of practice.

One reason I love painting is that it is so demanding (this is also a source of continuous frustration). Like so many artistic skills, it requires you to be a craftsman and a visionary. I still struggle a lot with the craft, the "how to paint." I hope that with enough effort this will diminish and I can then struggle with "what to paint" or "why to paint."

Happy Easter everyone!

One Year Checkup

2010-03-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

It has been just shy of a year since I started painting, so I thought it would be useful to check up on my progress. I thought the best way to do that would be to paint another version of the same setup I did in my very first painting. I am also still exploring broken color (layering colors to optically mix a new color), so this was also a chance to practice that. So here we go, two versions of a still life with a mango and banana, one year apart.

I think I have come a long way, but I still have so much to learn!

In the mean time...

2010-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am still waiting for my big landscape painting to dry, and well, it's like watching paint dry...

In the mean time I have been doing still life practices. The top one is in my "normal" way of painting. The bottom was an experiment in optical blending. I did all of my color mixing on the canvas through layering individual, pure colors. I painted with a palate knife because a brush would've mixed the colors more. It was tough! VERY TOUGH! But I had fun, learned a lot, and am exited by the vibrancy of the outcome. I am still trying to work out the implications of optical blending and how it will apply to my paintings in the future. It will take a lot of trial and error and practice, I will do more!

A better photo for the last post

2010-03-13T11:14:00.001-08:00

Apparently taking the picture from the side like this really cuts the glare. I hope this photo makes it easer to see what's going on in this painting than the last one.

Death Valley Sunset - Painting 2

2010-03-11T11:20:00.001-08:00

I finally covered the whole canvas with paint (sorry for all the glare - it's very wet still. I need to get a better pic of this - it's not doing it justice). Now to let it dry so that I can go back and paint in the sunlight on the forms. I am hoping that creates a luminous quality - contrast of values and colors.

I learned something very useful on this painting. I usually fall into the trap of completely mixing all of my colors on the palate and then applying them to the canvas. This time I did a lot of mixing on the canvas through superimposing layers of paint. I think it helped sell all the "dirt", and helped create variety and color vibration.

Let me know if anything is bugging you about this. I appreciate the feedback, and there is still time to improve this painting. Thanks!

Death Valley Sunset - Painting 1

2010-03-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

I did something a little different with this underpainting. I typically do a diluted version of the final color, saturation, and value. This time I did one with the color in its purest form, disregarding saturation and value. I am wondering if this will provide more color depth. I usually cover up the underpainting pretty well, so this may not make any difference whatsoever. But I was curious, so I decided to see what would happen!

How do you all do your underpainting - if you use one??

Death Valley Sunset - Pre-texturing Canvas

2010-03-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

I finally got the drawing transfered to the canvas. After I fixed it, I sealed it with acrylic matte medium to preserve the drawing. I never follow the drawing exactly, but it is sure nice to have it mapped out so that I can focus on other things.

The next step I had never tried before - pre-texturing the canvas. As I mentioned earlier, I like the look of impasto, but paint too thinly to achieve it. Perhaps I will become more daring as my skill and experience increase, but for now, I will try using acrylic modeling paste to gain the same effect. First I mixed the modeling paste with matte medium to improve the texture and ease the application. It took me a while to get the mixture right; the best I can describe it is as runny cottage cheese. I then applied it with a brush to the desired areas. A light touch is required to get the paste to stick. My results are below.

I wanted to keep the texture mainly in the foreground and the focal point (the peak), and used no texture at all in the sky or distant mountains. Now to see what it looks like with paint over it...

Death Valley Sunset - Design Process 3

2010-02-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished the line drawing for my Death Valley painting. This is the last step in the design process before painting, and is meant to get the composition, lines, and drawing nailed down. I typically just do the contours of the shapes, but since this scene is so complex, I decided to also indicate the flow and perspective of all the different little hills to inform my brush strokes during the painting process. It's kinda looking like a scratch board or something.

Now I will transfer this to the canvas to paint. After the drawing is sealed, I plan on using some acrylic modeling paste to add some texture to the foreground. I like the way impasto looks, but I never paint thickly enough, so this is an attempt to get around that.

Death Valley Sunset - Design Process 2

2010-02-17T11:04:00.001-08:00

I am now a bit further in the design process for the Death Valley Sunset painting. Above is a little value study I did. This measures 2.25"x3". It is 1/8 scale to the final 18"x24" painting I will do. I am trying to use a 9 value scale for this painting, separating the values into distinct zones, hence all of the numbers written in the margins.

I then used the value scale and my other references to do a color sketch. This is 4.5"x6", or 1/4 scale. I used a #8 bristle brush to keep me from doing anything but large masses. This was a good exercise. I wasn't completely happy with the colors, and when I went into Photoshop with the painting this morning, I figured out why; I didn't make the brown areas cool enough. What you are seeing is an edited version with cooler browns. I will have to keep this in mind when doing the final painting.

You can also see from these that the middle of the painting is still sort of undefined. I will need to figure out what is going on there for my final line drawing, which is the next step.

More to come.

Death Valley Sunset - Design Process

2010-02-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

Remember this photo? I posted it a while back and thought it may make a good painting. Others agreed, so here we go!

The photo is only a starting point for the design of the painting. I knew a lot of design would have to be added to change it from a snapshot to a work of art. The first thing I thought would improve the image was to lower the distant mountains. Zabriskie point is a unique looking mountain, and I thought it would look better against the lighter sky. After that I got stuck, and consulted the design master himself, Stapleton Kearns.

Stape suggested that I needed more foreground, and perhaps a sun. He thought a luminist approach may be good and I agreed. I don't know yet if I'll go full luminist (high detail, invisible brush strokes, etc.), but I definitely want that feeling of light.

Below are the three versions I came up with after talking with Stape. More foreground, lower mountains, better values to promote counter change - they definitely looked better, but something still wasn't quite right. I was leaning towards a simpler sky and wanted to keep the sun, but just couldn't make it work properly.

After one more go around with Stape, this is what we came up with.

Now it's starting to look like a painting! The sun placement is better, and the dapples of light help tie the two ends of the painting together.

My next task will be value thumbnails and color sketches, then a line drawing, and finally the painting. The goal is to solve as many problems before my brush hits the canvas. I have enough problems with color mixing and paint handling to try and deal with design and drawing at the same time!

Painting Update

2010-01-28T10:06:00.001-08:00

Here is an update on the Chinese Zodiac Stuffed Animal painting that I am doing. Whew, that's a mouthful. I'm going to have to come up with a shorter title than that. The photo is a little wonky. I think I cropped the right edge off a bit - the cow's tail is not that close to the edge of the frame.

Anyway, this is mostly finished. I am going to let it dry and then do some final touch ups. I painted the light colors thickly with the intent of glazing over them with a dark color, and then rubbing the paint off of the impasto. I am hoping that the dark glaze will stay in the less textured parts of the paint, thus giving a "fur" texture. We'll see if it works!

Comments and criticisms always welcome.

Sloppy Underpainting and a Question

2010-01-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

I finished the underpainting for my still life. I used big brushes and a lot of medium to keep it loose and transparent, but maybe I went too far? I now have the challenge of brining the drawing back to accuracy in the final stages. The values could use some work too.

I also decided to use a very limited color scheme for this. Below is a Photoshop approximation of my palate. I am using a color wheel masking technique I learned from James Gurney. The three strings are my "primaries" and everything else is mixed from them.

I like the cohesiveness, but I am having second thoughts about using it the for the final paint layer because I am missing some of the reds and pinks that are in the still life set up. What do you think? Should I stay limited in my colors, or bring in full color for the final layers? Your comments and opinions are most valuable.

Sunrise

2010-01-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

I took this photo on a trip to Death Valley almost two years ago. I love the somber feeling of a lone person watching the sun rise. Maybe it could make a good painting.

Small update

2010-01-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

I finished the drawing on my still life. Now to transfer it to the panel and paint! I will definitely be limiting the colors I use to paint this because I feel that the original colors of the animals are not that harmonious. More to come.

Early Progress

2010-01-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

I finally had a chance to start a new project. Here is a pic of my still life setup, as well as a very basic drawing. My wife is chinese and wanted me to do a cute still life of my, her, and my son's chinese zodiac animals. This should be interesting since I haven't had to paint a fuzzy texture like fur before. I will post updates as I work. Happy new year!

Avatar

2009-12-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

Wow. Watching Avatar is like having a vivid dream you never want to wake from. The story is simple but satisfying, and the visuals are breathtakingly otherworldly. A must see in 3D. Hats off to James Cameron and all of the other creative visionaries that made this film happen.

An another note, I am really itching to paint, but have been unable to due to child rearing responsibilities. The little guy really knows how to soak up time. Hopefully soon, I will post some art!

Dutch Light

2009-12-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

The documentary "Dutch Light" is a curious and often contemplative search for the quality of light that painters such as Vermeer, Potter, van Ruisdael, and many others, captured in their work. Did that crisp, distinctive glow come about merely by artistic invention, or were there certain atmospheric conditions that inspired these painters? Does this light still exist today, or was it destroyed by land reclamation?

This documentary searches out answers to questions like these to the thrill of artists and other inquisitive minds. A wide range of historians, artists, meteorologists, and physicists are consulted in order to address the topic from all angles. The filmmakers also attempt to capture this illusive light on their own, showing both the vibrancy and dreariness of Holland through use of skillful cinematography.

Interesting topics are covered, such as the way landscape and atmosphere effect the "look" of certain landscape paintings. Is there an "Italian look," a "French look," an "American look," because of the way that light behaves in these regions?

This film is a joy to artists and lovers of documentary film making, and is highly recommended.

Just gotta brag

2009-11-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

Isn't he adorable?

Consequently, he's also the reason I haven't posted any art lately. He is a handful.

La Jetée

2009-11-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes something impacts you for reasons completely unknown. La Jetée had that kind of impact on me. If anyone knows where to get a copy of this (that isn't a $100+ VHS) please let me know. This was the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys.

Land of a Thousand Hills

2009-11-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yay for internet access! Here are a few pics in and around Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. Tomorrow I leave for Kibuye, a very beautiful rural area surrounded by lakes. My pastor (Rick Warren) will be meeting with the president of Rwanda (Paul Kigame) and former prime minister Tony Blair. I will be really stoked if I get to meet Blair.

Travelin'

2009-11-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving on a trip to Rwanda, Paris, and Vienna. Since this is a work trip, I won't be able to paint or sketch, but hopefully I can take some nice photos to paint from when I get back. That will be a nice exercise for my color memory. I am going to attempt to upload photos as I go, but that will depend on my internet connection. See you on the other side.

In progress

2009-11-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

This is a wip of a digital painting of the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in York, UK. I am working from a photo and memory. I have gotten the general drawing, values, and color, and now I have the tedious job of painting all of the architecture. I don't know if I'm up to the task now, so it may go on the back burner for a while and come back to it when I am more confident (i.e. more skilled). That is one of the great advantages of digital.

Lessons...

2009-11-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a still life I just finished this morning before work. I am not too satisfied with it as I can see a lot of things I could have done better. My biggest lesson is that when painting something white, make the values a bit lower than they actually are so that you can still put the highlights in. I think I rendered the values accurate to what I observed, but the highlights were brighter than white paint, which posed a problem. My pure white highlights blended in with the surrounding color far too much. I tried to blue them a bit so that they would stand out, but it still isn't quite right.

The composition was also a little off balance, so I added some local flowers/weeds. I think that is the part I like the best, so I may return to using them in a future still life.

Comments and critiques welcome!

New Still Life

2009-10-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

This painting is a bit of an inside joke for me. This past year my wife and I tiled about 800 square feet of our house, so I thought our trusty, mortar covered trowel would be a great painting and fun reminder of our hard work. This was a pretty fast painting. 8x6, 2.5 hours. The palate was pretty small: white, cad lemon, cad red, transparent oxide red, ultramarine.

Semi-Plein

2009-10-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the painting of the Auburn Cemetery that I started while visiting and painting with Frank Ordaz. He finished his on spot, mine took those couple hours plus four more. He is speedy, but he is a pro. Painting with Frank was very enjoyable.

This is my first traditional landscape, and first plein aire (or semi-plein since I started it outdoors and finished it later from memory). I think it turned out decent, but I see some things I would have liked to have done differently. For one, I think the tree trunk is a bit odd since it leads to nowhere. It would have probably been better to leave it out and replace it with the large italian cypress that was behind it on location. But on the other hand, I really liked the color of the trunk!

Comments and crits welcome!

On Vacation

2009-10-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

I failed to mention that my wife, son, and I are currently driving up the west coast, visiting family and friends.

I had the fortune of stopping off and meeting Frank Ordaz along the way. He and is family are wonderful, hospitable people. We had a bit of time to paint outside. You can see Frank's result here. I didn't get nearly as far as him, so I will have to finish and post mine when I get home.

The pics are from Crater Lake in Oregon.

Classic Chevron

2009-09-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

I found this spot beside a diner on the 127 south of Death Valley. I thought it was neat that a new Chevron station had been built directly across the street from an old, derelict Chevron pump and new it would make a neat image. Tell me what you think. I am not sure if it is finished yet, so I am open to suggestions to take it further.

This was painted in Photoshop in about 7 hours.

EDIT: This is a new image based off of critiques I received in the comments section. I fixed the perspective on the pump handle assembly and lightened/added detail to the opening on the side of the pump. Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Fire and Ice

2009-09-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

What originally attracted me to this still life was the intense colors of the bottles when backlit. I dunno, maybe I pushed the colors too far though? The purple bottle is meant to be a bridge between the warm brown and cool blue bottle. Comments and criticisms most welcome.

This is 16x12 inches by the way.

Photoshop Environment

2009-09-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a environment sketch I did in Photoshop. Nothing too fancy. This is both from photo reference and memory of a place I visited in Death Valley.

Finished figure and a composition poll

2009-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, an extra day off was just the thing I needed to finish up a couple projects. Here is one of them. Done after about 16 hours of effort, stretched over who knows how long. I decided to do a charcoal background to get a little bit of atmosphere and texture.

My question is this, which version do you like better? My original may seem backwards to some people since the leg leads off of the image when reading left to right. I flipped it to see if it was better the other way, with the leg leading to the torso instead of away from it. I tried to keep detail and value at a minimum in the outstretched leg to make the torso the focal point, but what do you think? Which composition do you think is stronger?

New Sketches

2009-09-02T19:58:00.001-07:00

I am really chomping at the bit to finish my large figure study and still life, but the baby says "No!" So instead, here are a couple of character sketches I did in the "in between" moments at work. Enjoy!

A quick update

2009-08-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

I had a few free minutes today and decided to spend it on art instead of sleep. Here is an update on my figure drawing. I really hope to finish this soon!

We now interrupt our regulary scheduled program...

2009-08-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

...to announce Wyatt Yuan-Wei Elder, born 8-15-09 at 7:30pm. 6lbs 10oz, 19". The delivery was fast and smooth. Mom and baby are both doing well. In fact, mom is enjoying sushi after a long 9 month hiatus!

Thank you everyone for your prayers and wishes.

Pochade!

2009-08-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

I finally finished building my pochade box! Actaully, I had to get my dad's help since he is a carpenter. I would have blown twice as much on materials to get it right by myself! I now have no excuse to start painting outdoors. Well, except that my wife is giving birth in the next couple of days. But eventually I will get outdoors so expect some dismal first attempts at plein aire painting coming your way!

Also, an update on my figure drawing. What you see is the second attempt at the torso, the first was dismal (I like that word). I have put nine hours into this so far, and still have a long way to go. I also fixed the foot.

Comments and crits welcome.

A New Figure Study Begins

2009-08-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

I am posting the progress I have made on a new figure drawing. I have spent about 4 hours so far, and have finished the block-in, got a decently accurate contour drawing done, and have started shading. I began with the thigh because this area had the lightest and darkest values, so it allowed me to establish the value key for the entire drawing. Nothing will be darker or lighter than this area.

I will post the finished drawing sometime soon, as long as the baby doesn't arrive before it's due! Let me know what you think so far.

Torso Studies

2009-07-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some more figure studies from my sketchbook - this time the torso, front and back. I am slowly making my way through the entire figure. Enjoy!

Glass Bottles Monochrome

2009-07-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on my glass bottles still life. The sheen is due to wet paint.

This is the second layer of paint - burnt umber mixed with black, and various ammounts of white to get a value range. The first layer was a burnt umber wipe out.

I don't know if I will ever paint with this process again. It is very tedious, and since I have to force myself to do still lifes anyway (they are just for practice), it has been hard to sustain motivation to work on it. But the next layer is color, finally!

Comments and critiques welcome. I see some issues with the drawing.

I just turned 80!

2009-07-23T16:36:00.001-07:00

This is my 80th post! I guess that is not a super huge amount, but it feels huge, and that's what counts right?

I haven't posted any photography in a while, so here is some from a trip I took to Lake Tahoe in 2007.

I try to think about composition a lot while doing photography. Since you don't have the option of really controlling values, light, color, edges, etc., photography becomes a lot about waiting for the right moment.

Comments and critiques welcome.

Noses, Mouths, and Ears

2009-07-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Here is a continuation of human study from my sketchbook.

I want to restate again some points I made earlier, because I am just starting to see how important they are. It is very necessary to inform your observation with the study of form. As Sir Joshua Reynolds said, "the eye only sees what it knows." I don't agree with everything he stood for in art, but I like this quote! Knowing form, planes of the face and body, and anatomy only help increase your observational skills. This information will help your eye organize all of the little bits into something understandable.

Another reason to study form is to aid simplification and design. Observing the live model will not help you simplify what you see. But, if you have studied from Vanderpeol or Peck (these books are inexpensive and very helpful), you will begin to see how others have taken the complexity of what they observed, and organized it into something that can be drawn or painted. You must organize and design what you see. A drawing or painting without design is basically the same as a photograph, and I am guessing you don't want that.

But perhaps I am getting ahead of myself; before you begin to render the intricacies of form, you must observe and measure, as well as state the big planes, in order to have a solid underpinning for detail. Perhaps I could write about that too.

By the way, the value scale you see is a neat tool I found on Gregory Becker's blog.

Comments most welcomed.

A new still life in progress

2009-07-08T14:07:00.001-07:00

I am trying my hand at a more controlled way of making a painting, based off of suggestions gathered from Sadie Valeri's blog. The idea is to do a detailed drawing, the paint values only, and finally add color to finish the painting. Separating the stages of painting sounds really appealing to me right now, since I think value and drawing are my weakest skills.

This is the first paint layer; some burnt umber and black painted transparently. Before that I did a detailed drawing on the canvas, and varnished it. You can still see the drawing in some places.

This is a backlit subject, and each of the bottles is a different color, so hopefully this will have a luminous quality when completed.

The pic is off my cell phone, so not the best. I will post more shots as I continue to work on it.

My better half

2009-07-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, a portrait of my wife. I like that sassy smirk. That's the look she gave me when I asked her to pose. Man, from her face you would never know she's 8 months pregnant!

Photoshop crashed while I was finishing this up and I lost about an hour of work (totally disheartening to have to paint it over) - I think I will go back to my easel for a while since it can't crash. This took about 20 hours, by the way.

It's me again

2009-06-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Because of the dismal job I did on my last self portrait (it made me shudder when I looked at it), I decided to do another. I did this one in Photoshop with a wacom tablet, because I needed the practice. Despite being digital, however, I used much the same process I would with a traditional painting. I think it turned out much better! I am painting my wife next.

Comments and criticisms welcome.

I see eyes

2009-06-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have realized lately that creating a good portrait or figure painting is one part observation and one part knowledge of form. Unless you are a super keen observer and perfectionist, you are bound to make some mistakes while doing a portrait or figure study. I make tons!

One way to counteract this problem is to inform your observation with study. You may look at a face and observe, but knowing the planes of the face will help inform what you are seeing. This will help to keep you from missing things and to prevent over-generalization and over-symbolization. By symbolization, I mean making something look like a symbol of what it represents; drawing the symbol for an eye instead of what an eye actually looks like.

I have realized lately that I have been over emphasizing observation (and doing it poorly!). Thus I have gone back to Vanderpoel and Bridgman to reacquaint myself with the planes of the face and body. These are great books and I highly recommend them. Study them! Study anatomy! It will only help you improve your observations of the human form.

Here are some studies that I have been doing of the eye with a good 'ol #2 and kneaded eraser.

Come hear the Unicorn's Magical Toots!

2009-06-17T16:25:00.001-07:00

Future Unicorn is a comedy website that my buddy Greg and I just launched. It features Greg's unique style of humor. He writes and acts in all of the videos, while I take care of the production end of things - filming, editing, music, sound design, animation, and special effects. Greg is also a top notch designer and did a wonderful job creating a fun and edgy website. Take a look and leave a comment. Then come back soon for more new content!

Solo Swine

2009-06-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Another one of my wife's odd little piggies.

Master of None

The Insanity of Every Day Life

Intercalary

The Highest Call for Christ Followers

How NOT to Discipline

How to Create Authentic Characters for Fiction

How Transparency Refines Creativity

Are You Leading a Useless Life?

How to Get Things Done

On Finding Purpose

Drawins

Fire in the wrist

Recent scketches

The hardest thing to draw...

Sketch Update

Some recent practice

Faces and Figures

Recent Scribbles

Yet more faces

Simple Style

Paper Time Machine

Blueberries in Season!

weekly update

More Mugs

Faces and Spaces

Faces (now some with bodies)

Faces and Ink

Faces

Shotgun sketching

Quickie

Recent Practice

Last week's practice

More Drawing Practice

Drawing Practice

Figure Update

Another small update

Quick Update

New Work

In Lieu of Painting...

I'm not dead!

Thirst for Knowledge

Books WIP

Vanuatu

Sweet 'n Spicy

Can and Rag

No hidden meaning here...

Last week's practice

Still recuperating...

Sick and Tired... Literally

Take a bite

Rotten Apple

Apple - Difficulties with Red

More Fruit

Tangelo

Japanese Teapot

Three Little Piggys

More Broken Color and a Question

One Year Checkup

In the mean time...

A better photo for the last post

Death Valley Sunset - Painting 2

Death Valley Sunset - Painting 1

Death Valley Sunset - Pre-texturing Canvas

Death Valley Sunset - Design Process 3

Death Valley Sunset - Design Process 2

Death Valley Sunset - Design Process

Painting Update

Sloppy Underpainting and a Question

Sunrise

Small update

Early Progress

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Dutch Light

Just gotta brag

La Jetée

Land of a Thousand Hills

Travelin'

In progress

Lessons...

New Still Life