Sketch-a-day 81

So, yesterday ended up traveling up to Dick Blick to pick up some acrylic inks to gain more of a color spectrum. All I had before was some red that I could cut with black indian ink. This sketch was the result thus far, painted in an old moleskine I don't really like. I think I still don't care for those book, but I won't knock it until the day I get my hands on a watercolor one for a proper paintbook.

They also had refillable brush pens there, so I can try the Gurney way of on site sketching. Going to try it out at the zoo tuesday. One with ink, and one with water. So after I can upload even more monkey sketches onto this blog. I do one monkey project coincidentally every year... this one... is gonna be big.

Edit: Screenshot the picture with the selection marquee around the text. All fixed.

Sketch-a-day 79 80

In hopes of not jinxing it, I think I'm back on the sketch-a-day bandwagon. Here's today's sketch, and yesterdays. The boat one is random with no real story behind it. Just another pen sketch with me trying to shove more environments in.

The second is part of a set of studies for me Illustration Seminar class with C.F. Payne. Have to do a straight forward illustration of a president, leaning towards lincoln because his deep set features fit my style of oils quite nicely, and he is weird looking. Although I keep asking myself why I got something so straight forward. Bit jealous of some of the other assignments given out. Need to work on likenesses anyway.

Bit of a rant here though, this isn't complaining for the teachers that read this, but I think it's sort of ridiculous that I have three classes requiring sketchbooks to turn in. As a senior illustration major, I hate being baby-sitted this way. I mean, at this point it's a no brainer to keep a sketchbook, but being graded on it seems a bit ridiculous. In total I have to keep four sketchbooks this semester including sketch-a-days with different requirements for each. I'm all up for sketching, but all it does is force you to back off on portfolio building which I SHOULD be doing this year, making all these new assignments impeccable. Instead I'll be shaving hours off of each one because I have to go do life studies. It's the silliest requirement I've ever heard. If others don't think they have to keep a sketchbook, they can regret it later, instead of making me do all of this now.

Sketch-a-day 78

For now, until it's most likely filled with work hours soon, I have a nice chunk of 3 hours between classes, so I doodled this out while watching two episodes of House. Gotta love how just coming back to Columbus has entirely reinvigorated my will to draw.

Also been doing a lot of research for my Illustrative drawing class, and I've chosen Cambodian temples to be my setting for the story we write in there.. But if you look at my illustrations, I don't do much vegetation, mostly because it seems boring to do. But I gotta do it sooner or later so why not now. The strange woman on the pole was inspired by a chinese monkey god, whom supposedly had a staff that could change sizes and connect the heavens and earth. So I drew the staff.

And I decided to put a naked demon girl on it. What else?

Sketch-a-day 76 77

Been a bit but I'm all settled back in and school has started again. These are pen sketches from the first two sessions of figure drawing. 2-3 minute gestures, then a hour or two long set of poses. Really love doing these in bic pen, bit scary when working small, and the pen begins to blot a tiny bit when the ink builds on the tip of the pen, but the permanence and the inability to erase makes the mistakes part of the process, and then makes it part of the picture.

Good start to the year so far, pretty excited.

Sketch-a-day 75

Wanted to name this guy, but I couldn't think of anything. Either way it was an awkwardly long speedpaint, with far too many layers and confusion. No real back story on this one. Just wanted to doodle and nothing would come out of the head.

Sketch-a-day 74

So I started to watch Band of Brothers randomly, and after I had gone through the series and watched all the extras, this sketch was the result.

Just installed CS4. Man! It is great. Photoshop has stopped crashing on me randomly, and will most likely stop me from not finishing everything I feed into it. Nothing like being set back 4 hours on a piece without a deadline, because at that point... you really don't want to redo everything you just did. I've lost so many things to that problem.

Just wanted to post up something. Once I'm back in school here come Monday, senior year woo, things should resume back to when this sketch-a-day thing started. Becuase I've realized, when I am home, I don't do anything, and no matter how hard I push myself... I still don't do anything. Can't wait to be back in Columbus, around the artsy folks, and in my much more productive happy place.

I was going to ramble about jets in this post, but it didn't seem fitting with a sketch of a soldier.

Thunder Over the Valley 09

I tend not to make really personal based posts on here. I try to keep it art stuff only, with my ramblings tacked on, and half related to what I drew, but I just have to include these photos. This won't be a day I soon forget.

Thanks to my girlfriend, Rachel, and her father, Dave (mostly him as he got the very scarce tickets), I got to attend the "Thunder Over the Valley" Air Show held in Vienna, OH. Seriously, wow. This show was in my opinion incredibutacular. I made up that word, but it was, this is no time for proper grammar. After waltzing onto this particular air force base, the place is just cluttered with aircraft old and new for people to grope and stare at; all the while with planes flying over head pulling off grandiose stunts and feats of impressive military strength. Throughout the day I used my iphone to snag photos and mostly videos, and I've compiled some of the few photos I had taken. I ended up with way more videos, but you need the sound to accompany the ones flying. The feeling of an f-16 flying over you at a speed faster than sound... well, a cell phone picture doesn't begin to cut it.

Really lucked out, as this was my first Air Show, that the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds returned to the base in 20 something years. I used to think jets were ok, run of the mill. When it came to flying contraptions I really loved the theatrical qualities of old bi-planes, and WWII fliers. There was just something about them that just seemed more worthy. The thunderbirds have changed that. They do things in jets that I never knew was possible. To be honest, those pilots have to be a bit off to do what they do (pretty much playing chicken at 1000 mph) but man do they make an impression and a good one at that. I still love the old machines, but wow, are the new ones intimidating.

Special mention to the jet car, whom thankfully raced a flying plane far enough away not to be scary as all heck. Cause in my mind, not too many good things can come of an jet engine, a seat, and four wheels. Well, except unmitigated joy.

Special, Special mention to the b17 bomber I managed to crack my face on. Coolest way I've hit myself in the nose yet. Sadly, it left no mark, and I can't tell people my cool scar was from getting hit in the face with a plane.

Anyways, excuse the quality, it's a phone camera, but I just wanted to share a bit of the show. I barely touched on anything here it feels like. Be ready for me to gush about planes in the next post too, because they are just so nonsensical I have to.

EDIT: Blogger made the pictures really, really small. I'll split it up and post it in two parts. But it will have to wait till tomorrow, photoshop just crashed, and I'm going to bed.

Sketch-a-day 73

A WIP of some color thrown on yesterday's sketch. Photoshop kept crashing so this was as far as I could get on it for now. Definitely want to refine it. SO simple it's jsut fun to paint. Haven't gotten into the fun details yet.