erase me

mixed media on 300gsm watercolor paper 18 x 24

i just finished a painting for class just now. the picture is directly from my crappy camera phone, so the quality ain't that good.. the painting isn't even green toned man. i'll have a better photo up of the painting soon.

a work in progress

acrylic on 18 x 24 300gsm watercolor paper

lately i've been practicing on my own using a technique many of my favorite artists use. it's been working out some what. it's a shame foundation year doesn't allow you to explore different paints. in my class we are locked to using oil paint. i enjoy it, but there's something about it that doesn't work with me. i can't render at all with it, maybe because i'm impatient.

this piece is just a practice, i still need to finish the background. i want to add much warmer colors soon, and i have no idea what color her "hair-petals" will be. i had no composition in mind, just freestyled the whole thing.

be sure to check out the final product in a couple of days.

drawing class

drawing class ink & pencil 18 x 24

chow

body part assignment. acrylic 18x24

gabrielle

so i've been trying to sketch people, and my friend gab was looking through some of my sketchbooks one night and i decided to sketch her.  i suck at doing this, it's so hard!  it literally took me 40 minutes to just sketch her face!  i'm a perfectionist i suppose?  i think i got her pretty well in this illustration though.  i wanted to add some character, so i threw a little music reference in there!  i hope she likes this, i'm really terrible at sketching people.  i'm off to atlanta tomorrow for the rest of my spring break.  good looks gab.

on another note:

i want to sketch more people.  i just don't feel confident enough, and i feel afraid i'm going to ruin people.  i have to overcome this i suppose, i'll be sketching balls-naked bros next year in life drawing classes.  so not only do i have to worry about making them look accurate, i gotta worry about making their boobies accurate. (jokes)  so i guess more practice practice practice!

absurd

"one begins living honestly, when one begins living without hope."

i haven't illustrated a single thing in a while. i haven't even sketched or doodled.  it's been a while since i've been inspired to actually create something.  i guess it came to me today when i was walking around some random trails today at a local park.  the woods were completely desolate of other people, and i had some time to just relax and enjoy the sun.  it was nice.  this painting is up for interpretation, i just felt i had to get this idea out once i thought of it today at the park.

on another note:

i really enjoyed reading 'the stranger' by albert camus.  a very powerful novel that gave me some challenging thoughts.  i really took camus' message to heart.  it was like a little treasure or maybe an epiphany.  i just loved how layered the novel was, especially this theme that life is meaningless and truly absurd--that people that are afraid (the chaplain at the end) try to find hope, or try to rationalize (the trial) things that don't make sense (meursault's emotionally-devoid actions).  the beautiful ending of meursault coming to the realization of his own personal humanity.  the fact that he finally felt like he was alive, when he was so close to death.  meursault's sureness.  his acceptance of his fate.

i feel like this message was really powerful, and really human.  thinking about it now, generally we are all afraid of our pasts and futures.  we get caught up worrying and fighting the tide.  we fight this absurd life.  we fear things society has taught us, not allowing us to live a virtuous and redeeming life.  we are born into a world where you are told what is normal and what is fine.  when you finally have the balls to think for yourself, to choose for yourself, people start freaking the fuck out like your some kind of rebellious juvenile.

is it so wrong to accept that life is irrational?  is it so wrong to be sure of your own life? is it so wrong to not rely on irrational hope?  is it so wrong to exist and be realistic?  is it so wrong to choose and live in the now?

adam

i've been sketching this out for a couple days now.  i finally sat down and decided to finish it.  i wanted it to be simple (like most of my work).  the idea just hit me one day, when i drew it.  at first he was a statue, then he became a person getting killed by the tree.  i finally decided to work with the concept to convey the story of the fall of man from the christian religion.  the fruits in there, the dead tree is the tree of knowledge, and the leaves bursting from the statue-esque adam's body represents his fall.  i like it i guess.

watercolor + graphite + photoshop on moleskine

winter

it's cold out.  this painting is inspired by how freezing it is.  winter feels calm though.  i would like it to be warmer though, i'm sick of starting my car 5 minutes early.  more digital paint, taking a break from the traditional stuff.  i think i captured a sense of calm elegance in this piece.  enjoy.

edit: i noticed she looks like a prostitute. just throwing that out there.

on a different note, i've decided to attend the school of visual arts next year in ny.  i'm pretty excited to have an opportunity to further sharpen my skills in art.  i'll be an illustration major, so i'm excited to see how my college life turns out.  currently the economy is tough, so hopefully things work out in the end.  living in the city is expensive + sva tuition/fees.  i'm probably going to have to do work study next year, and i won't have a social life.  if anyone wants to room next year in an apartment near the lower east side, send me an email.

the prince

i've been trying to draw a story book comic involving a small prince too shy to live.  he's dressed in boarding school garb.  there are always butterflies flying out of his throat.  he's a shy little boy.  this started out as a fun doodle during religion class at school, and it ended up being pretty good.  so i decided to paint it on photoshop.  it took about eight hours to finish in total.  fun stuff.

love will tear us apart

today i was sketching, and i sketched a photo a friend of mine took back in the day. the whole time i was listening to joy division.  the illustration is heavily inspired by joy division's 'love will tear us apart'.  i really enjoyed painting this.  i hope you kids like it.

gouache, pencils on moleskine

it's pretty late, haven't slept, rings around my eyes.

so the sun is rising at 5:50am, i haven't slept.  dark rings around my eyes are forming, and i feel terrible.  but i've got like that creative juice, the burst of inspiration? bliss?  i hate it when it just pops out of no where.

so here's the run down on these illustrations:

the first is just some doodle, i like the shading i did with the 2h.

the second is an homage to rachel e morris who goes by the pseudo name subeo.

she developed another personality in her illustrations, a guy that smoked a lot.  apparently from her blog she was always stressed in art school, resorted to cigarettes and her addiction showed whenever she doodled and this guy ended up on the paper.

she was really nice to me on deviant art when i decided to get serious with my art, i was a noob then 4 years ago.  she gave me tips!

the third is a tree, and some octopus tenticles!  i like drawing trees, mad fun!