Tag Archives: mixed media

Saturday Sketchbook 30MAY2009

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Virtual Sketch Date

Virtual Sketch Date

It is time once again, the last week of every month, for the Virtual Sketch Date! At the VSD, they post a photo reference every month and you are supposed to give your rendition of it.  It is open to any artist in, I believe, any medium.  You are given one week after the photo is posted to put up your version.  The only sort-of rule is that the first image needs to be related to the reference photo.  That is, draw/paint/sculpt this image before you begin your abstract fantasy sci fi masterpiece.  vsdmay09bI did mine while watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Girl2.  With all the jumping around and Mutant Ninja action, we had a mishap that included Girl2’s foot, my elbow and a PITT pen.  For the record, you can’t really scrape cheap paper.

On that, I met with my printer yesterday and the new sketchbooks will be ready by next Friday.  It really took some doing deciding what paper, binding and even the cover cardstock I wanted to use.  But we finally agreed and the first set will be rolling off the presses Friday!  If you would like one, I’m sending out a few to my artistic friends so that I can get some feedback before I end up with 1000 of these in my garage.

E-mail me with your mailing address and, if you’re one of the first 25, I’ll send you one!

The Artistic Biker Fine Art Sketchbook. Smooth watercolor paper, 50% cotton, 50% synthetic. 4" x 6" perferated pages. Made in the U.S.A.

The Artistic Biker Fine Art Sketchbook. Smooth watercolor paper (U.S. domestic), 50% cotton, 50% synthetic. 4" x 6" perforated pages. Made in the U.S.A.

Saturday Responsiblities

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Guess what I'm supposed to be doing?

Guess what I'm supposed to be doing?

Ah, a three day weekend.  Plenty of time for rest and relaxation.  Time to do the things that I have put off doing for myself like sunbathing, or taking a rest or… Oh, apperantly I’m supposed to be doing chores.  I am apparently supposed to take care of the yard maintenance, the vehicle maintenance, and any other “honeydew” my lovely young bride has in mind to make our humble abode more pleasant.  I pulled the lawn mower out and saw how 20+ days of rain have affected our yard and thought, “What a great painting that would make!”

lawnmowersketches1

compositional sketch 1

So, I ran into the house and grabbed my sketchbook.  I put the lawnmower just the way I thought it should go and walked around it for close to 30 minutes looking at it from different angles and configurations.  This was when my wife caught me.

It’s not so much that she was mad at me, she really wasn’t even frustrated at me.  She just managed to give me a look of disbelief.  One of those looks that makes you feel guilty that you’re not doing what’s expected of you.  She brought me a hat and my mini-sketch book and said, “That would make a nice painting.”  That’s just one of the MANY reasons I love her.

comp. sketch 2

comp. sketch 2

comp sketch 3

comp sketch 3

comp. sketch 4

comp. sketch

color study

color study

Finally, I broke out the mini-sketch book to make this color study.  As I was finishing it up, I could hear the thunder.  I looked up to see scattered clouds on an otherwise gloriously sunny day.  I grabbed my camera phone and snapped a photo of the final layout.  Ten minutes later it started raining in what we call locally rain-shine.  That’s when you’re standing in direct sunlight and still get a soaking.  I probably should have mowed the lawn at some point.  But I believe it will make an EXCELLENT painting.

College Chapel

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College Chapel

College Chapel

I had several long breaks today between the courthouse, the printer, and an old friend with a cool offer.  During one of those breaks I went down to The University of Science and Arts, a local college.  I sat in the shade behind the library over looking the chapel while I ate my sardines in hot sauce and drank my 8oz. Diet Dr. Pepper.  While sitting there, I broke out the mini sketch kit and played around a bit.  I like how this one turned out and am VERY eager to do more.  It’s like that.  When you do something that shows obvious improvement or that you think looks very good, you are inspired to do more and more.  One bad drawing can grind you to screaching stop if you let it.  But if you just keep plugging away, you can look back and see that your bad drawings today are still way better than your bad drawings, and even many of your GOOD drawings from yesterday.

My friend Danny, a preacher, made me an offer to use space in his church to give art classes.  We discussed it at length, and I think that we could come to some kind of arrangement.  I also think that it would be a blast to get to do so.  We both agreed, however, that his congregation might frown upon nude figure drawing.

Sketchbook cover

Sketchbook cover

I spend a lot of my time looking for just the right materials with which to draw, paint, sketch, whatever.  It always seems that what I’m looking for either isn’t available, is incredibly expensive, or is made in China.  I find the labor practices in some of those other countries to be incredibly offensive, so it just irritates me to no end that you can’t find anything made anywhere else.  Anyway, what I decided to do about it is gather some domestic materials and make my own.  A local printer friend is helping me out and soon I will have all the sketch books I want in the sizes I want.  WOOT!

EDM 121: Draw Something Shady

EDM 121: Draw Something Shady

EDM 121: Draw Something Shady

I know that I am supposed to be challenged and develop not only my awareness of the world around me and my draftsmanship, but also my creativity.  But I really find the vague challenges annoying.  “Draw something shady.”  “Draw something you like.”  These kind of challenges I know are designed to force me to decide.  But one of the things that drew me in to the Every Day Matters group to begin with was the specific list of items.  When I come to the end of a long day, it is nice to be able to look and see, “Draw a bowl.”  Then I know that I need to draw a bowl and I don’t have to think beyond which bowl, lighting, and composition.  It’s way more meditative that way.  That said, I am still pleased with the way this one turned out.

When Pigs Fly

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Swine Flu

Swine Flu

It’s time once again to post my response to the Illustration Friday theme.  This week’s theme is Contagious.  What with all the headlines surrounding the Mexican Swine Flu, I have to believe this is what the submitter had in mind.  I’m also willing to bet that of the hundreds of submission to Illustration Friday, my flying pig will just be one of many.

brain storming

brain storming

I believe a creative mind is just like a goldfish.  Feed it too little, or too much, and you’ll find it floating in the tank.  I spend about five minutes brainstorming these challenges.  I don’t try to think to much about it because it would be very easy to let myself be overcome by indecision.  To many ideas, second guessing and letting doubt creep in are the killers of creativity.  If you’ve ever had a deadline slip by you because someone just couldn’t make up their mind, then you know exactly what I’m typing about.  For this challenge, I set a specific amount of time for deliberation, five minutes.  After than, I grab the one that I think best conveys the theme.  If I am unhappy with the results, I can start over.  Usually, however, there will be at least two that I end up weighing against each other.  I think that if I had gone with the pig in the tie you might have confused the theme for “Men.”

EDM 119: Draw a flashlight

Flashlight

Flashlight

When I went to Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) training, at the completion of the course the instructor handed out these nifty keychain LED flashlights.  They are just the right size and REALLY bright.  The only problem is that they click “on” in your pocket.  Then when you need it, the batteries are dead.  I find it easier just to keep a fresh supplie of batteries around because this flashlight is perfect for the inspections I do.

Hierarchy of Love

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Hierarchy of Love

Hierarchy of Love

If you stick around this site long enough, you will hear (read) me go on and on about love.  Brought up by hippie-wanna-be parents in the ’70’s I was || close to being named Starshine.  I was raised on movies like “Billy Jack” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” where love is the central them.  Billy Jack was a Rainbow Warrior before rainbows were usurped by the Pride activists.  Combine that with my childhood subscription to Highlights magazine and you can find the inspiration for my Illustration Friday submission this week: Hierarchy of Love.

My mother has fallen out of her chair laughing at this point, and my father is simply rolling his eyes.

Seriously, I had a ton of ideas for this topic.  There are lots of things written for what to do about a creativity block, but not a whole lot about dealing with a creativity flood.  I now have ten projects listed from three basic ideas, none of which I felt I could complete and give justice to by Friday, let alone by tonight.  I have dutifully made notes about them and filed them away.  Rest assured if I ever get around to completing one of them, I’ll tell you about it here.

EDM 109: Draw a flame or flames

EDM 109: Draw a flame or flames

Most of my earliest childhood drawings had to do with muscle cars with painted flames, and flames shooting from the pipes, and smoke rolling off the tires.  They were all black as night with bright yellow, orange and red flames.  Until I saw Grease (the movie) and then many of them were red, white, and silver.  I still love flames on hot rods.  Even my bike has flame tread on the tires.  So does the beanie that I usually wear when I ride.  The other beanies have either Jack Skellington or shamrocks on them.