Illustration Friday - Emergency

OK, well after two weeks of very weak digital entries for Illustration Friday on my part I decided to go back to basics. I pulled out the coloured conte sticks and just let it flow.

Here are my thoughts around this week's challenge and my response. When you have this big emergency happening (and I have had a few in the last twelve months) there's all this commotion around you. The emergency is staring you in the face ready to consume you. It's big and scary and your adrenaline is pumping. Yet, you can focus and be calm. Thoughts become sharp like razors. Know what you have to do and execute it. This is how came to my image for this week.

An interesting side note, I could see anger being very similar to danger. Maybe more red. But instead of a focus the middle is empty.

Let me know your thoughts, and please check out the rest of my blog by clicking on the header. I warn you though, my last two are slightly embarrassing. I was going to delete them, but I figured it's a good reminder of how things can go bad.

Illustration Friday - Missing

Here's a late entry for Illustration Friday. I wasn't going to do anything this week because I wanted to do an illustration that was more refined. I couldn't let this idea go though, so I just roughed it out in a sketch then into Photoshop. Sadly again, this took me longer that it probably should have.

At any rate, here's my entry for Illustration Friday - Missing: Missing Opportunities.

As an aside, I think I've peaked with Photoshop for now. Instead of progressing my skill I feel like I'm regressing. Instead of getting better and more complex, I feel like I'm getting worse and more simplistic. I'm really not nuts about the execution on this one. Ugh.

Well let me know what you think.

Humbling Post - first all Photoshop drawing (not complete)

Tonight I tried to do something completely within Photoshop. All I have to say is WOW, it's a lot tougher than it looks. Getting the idea out of your head and into Photoshop is not easy. Right now this thing just looks so hokey and amatureish. Well I guess you got to start somewhere.

I didn't really have a plan, I just was doodling and deling layers when something didn't come out right. Not to say that this did, but it at least started forming into something. I think I have to re-configure my workspace if I want to do 100% digital drawings. I also think I should move off of my laptop and onto a real PC with a nice big screen.

I've been reading some hardcore Photoshop magazines from the UK, the last one I got was Imagine FX magazine. This magazine is for people that want to get into concept art for videogames, movies and TV. Most of the art is sci-fi fantasy stuff. Similar to 'airbrush art' of old. Not that I like all of that stuff, but some of it is really good. Also from a realistic/technical standpoint it's quite astounding. The perspectives, realisim, anatomy and lighting is phenominal.

I do get the feeling though that the guys that are into this might poo-poo the more abstract or figurative work. Similarily all the conventional artists poo-poo the digital art.

Check it out at http://www.imaginefx.com/.

By the way, did I mention I'm still trying to figure out what/how I want to make art? I know I've deviated from my original concept of daily charcoal drawings and I've added a lot of digital work. Oh well, it's not like I have hordes of people are reading this blog daily. As a side thought I wonder how long I'm going to keep this up. My little expeiment today in Photoshop has disheartened me a little. Plus my other hobbies are calling me. (see HERE )

At any rate, if anyone is reading this let me know what you think of my stuff.

Angry at Nothing

I had a grumpy day today. I don't think I got much sleep last night, and work didn't help. So here's a quick drawing that helped calm me down a bit. It's pretty much how I feel though, angry at nothing.

Fourth Pastel - Indy Cigarette Girl

Ok, here's my fourth pastel. I worked on it over two nights. It's based on a photo of mine included in the post.

This is one of my better and earlier photos. I'm pretty happy with the photo. I think I did do a little tweaking in photoshop getting rid of some background items and darkening the hair to meld into the background.

As for the pastel painting, I'm satisfied with it, I wouldn't say proud, but satisfied. I did draw it using the smoother side of the canson paper and I think that helped. I used black paper but in retrospect I probably should of used a lighter colour as it would have made her skin tone more fair.

Items I know I could have done better are;

1. Right eyebrow: The angle is a little off. Erasing that big of a black area would have made a mess.
2. Eye proportions: the eyes are a little far apart and there's not enough skin between the left eye and the side of her head.
3. Right side of the face: I couldn't get the contours right.
4. Right shoulder: Again, not sure how I could of fixed that without making a mess.
5. Hair ends: I'm not sure how I could of ended the hair better.
6. Background/Trimming: I copped out and just used black.

One cool thing I learned during this is that brown and blue make a good colour that can be used as a shadow for skin tones.

I'm looking for some real critiques so let me know!

My First Pastel - or - I feel like a first grader.

OK, so here's my first pastel. Well actually it's my second. Technically maybe my third. My first was a portrait that I never completed. My second one was so horrible I ripped it to shreds. With two failures I put my pastels away and cried. Well, I didn't cry, but I was a little disheartened. After months of therapy (Actually, I've been busy doing other things like this blog, that I doubt anyone reads other than the Illustration Friday people, but they only look at my weekly entry) I finally got over my first two and I figured I better give it another go. So this my third pastel, although not all that great is somewhat bearable. I did learn a few things while doing this. Here's what I've learned;

First: It's a lot harder than it looks to do a good pastel painting/drawing. I have a couple of books on how to draw/paint using pastels, and boy do they make it look easy.

Second: Don't use the wire side of the canson paper. It's painful to use and you get this annoying screen pattern throughout the drawing/painting. (edit - I found some examples online where this looks ok, I guess I'll try it again)

Third: Pastels and computer mice don't mix. Don't touch anything until you wash your hands. My mouse now has some permanent orange/grey pigment on it.

Anyways, let me know what you think. I'm prepared for the worst.

Another Robot

Here's another robot. This guy started off as a charcoal drawing, the I brought him into Photoshop. I like the sketchy look to him combined with the bold colours. I get the feeling I've borrowed this style and I think I know from who. If anyone else has seen this let me know.

To be honest that's the one thing I'm really trying to find; my own unique style. I like graphical/technical art, but I also like colour blends and transitions. Some of my work would be technical and abstract. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that I don't have anything really 'organic'. It's all very graphical. I think I'll try to do something less ridged and more free flowing.

Well I'm off to work in my sketchbook with conte in my bed. Yeah I know it'll make a mess, I'm a nutter, thanks for caring.

Illustration Friday - Geeky - The Pyramid of Geek

Well now, here's a topic that I was able to come up with TOO many ideas. I decided to go with my 'Pyramid of Geek'.

I have a few reasons I approached this topic this week the way I did.

First, I've been wanting to do something more graphic and less cartoonish, painterly, sketch or drawing.

Second, I wanted to stay away from drawing a geeky character (even though the horn rimmed glasses did make it into my composition).

Third, I wanted to better learn how to use the pen tool in Illustrator. As an aside, the pen tool gives me a headache every time I use it for the first 10 minutes then I get the hang of it, still it's a tough tool to get used to.

Fourth, I wanted to include all my geeky hobbies and things I have been/are interested in.


I did all the icons in Illustrator then played around in Photoshop. I feel the execution is a bit rudimentary, but the concept is sound. I got to tell you though, doing all those icons in Illustrator took me a while (still just learning).

I'm curious if most people can figure out what some of the more cryptic icons are. Click on the image above and you should get two at least. The first person that can provide me the most specific meanings for all my icons, including the top one, will get a print of the illustration signed and sent to their home for free!

Back to the Charcoal

I haven't posted a charcaol abstract in a while so I figure I'd pull one out of my stash. I've also been busy with life in general.

Here's one from a few months back. Again, just sitting and drawing and sketching away until something came out.

Lately I've been trying to do more work in Illustrator and Photoshop. Those are both pretty big applications and you can do a TON of stuff with them. I'm just trying to learn how to master them. I don't know why I find Illustrator difficult. Connecting all the line segments and whatnot together and then making something out of them. I find Photoshop a lot easier.

At an rate, here's my drawing. I called it 'Roots'. Enjoy.

As always, any comments are appreciated.

More Crazy Photoshop Fun

Still playing around in Photoshop today.

This image was originally a picture taken at a 'State Fair' (we call it the Canadian National Exhibition - CNE for short). I love going there, always a fun day for me.

At any rate there were these two entertainers a guy and and a girl walking the grounds. It was a neat show they had. The guy was on stilts but had a suit around him that looked like he was sitting on this tall ostrich. The girl walked around with a magnifying glass. Her costume though made it look like she was floating. It was all very Ren-fair-esque (Renaissance Fair), but insanely interesting.

I hope they are back next year, I'll take more shots. If they sit still for long enough.

Workspeak

This one was done after a particularly bad day at work. All I heard was the corporate line that translated into 'blah blah blah' for me. Kind of like the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons. I was just aggravated from hearing BS all day that I put it to paper. So is it art? I don't know, but it made me laugh when I was done, so that's good enough for me.

Here piggy, piggy, piggy

I've got a confession to make, these aren't so much as 'daily' as I have a stockpile of sketches I've been doing since March-ish. I think I may have peaked on the abstract art with my charcoal lines. I still don't mind doing them, they are really just a form of relaxation for me. Most of these drawings are done before I go to bed at night. I don't think they are works of art per-say, but they are the result of my thoughts at the end of the day.

I guess I could get pretty artsy and make up something along the lines of, "These sketches are the culmination of my daily feelings and activities put to paper. It is my visual diary of my emotions of the day. I try to capture what I've felt through the day and immortalize it on paper." That sounds pretty good actually, it does sound a little like BS, but there is some truth to it. I love talking to artist at outdoor arts shows and whatnot, they have such great stories about the pictures. Some are interesting and you can get to peek inside their head. Others sound like total bollocks and feels like they are making it up on the spot.

Can't really remember how this started but it ended up looking like a pig to me. The shape of the head can also be a torso as well. I may have started out like that, but oh well. At any rate here's my picture for today, hope you enjoy it.