So a question came up and I have to ask, how do you guys feel about me putting together a book of my art? I had an interesting talk with a fellow artist about it and he said that it could be a theme or a set of sketches, but that I should.
I’m considering it.
My son is back in Afghanistan. He took leave and we took a pretty fun roadtrip. I miss him already.
Anyway…
Things have been… interesting. My art life has been somewhat quiet. I have a few projects lined up, but without a deposit, I don’t start, so that’s a non issue.
Plus I found out that Staedtler discontinued the pencil I use to sketch out my art! I suppose I could just buy an 8H pencil, but I tend to lose the color with my vision issues. Oh well, something will come up.
In the meantime, I’ve resorted to colored pencils. They tend to shade really heavy and it requires me to use a more delicate touch. NOT my forte, lol.
Also… I’ve had a few people complain that I don’t draw many PoC (People of colour). The reason is…
…they don’t ask. Or I don’t post.
My paying customers often ask for a still life from a photo and the biggest hesitation comes from the concern that I’ll post the image. Of course I don’t. I have more than enough who don’t care, lol. And some are made up.
For some reason, most of the ones who say hell no are black.
Now one lady gave me an ENTIRE FOLDER of nudes to use! She only asked that I make a poster for her. Deal.
Once upon a time, I used to want to go into space. I was good at math and thought I wanted to fly. Then I chased a bullfrog into one of those rain culvers under a dirt road….
….and got stuck.
I went from annoyed to scared fast. I yelled for help, no one heard me. It took about an hour and I found that I could only go forward, so that’s what I did. I stayed calm and freed myself.
Later I watched the Android Bishop do the same thing in the movie “Aliens” and had an anxiety attack. I didn’t know what it was; I just couldn’t breathe and felt as though the room was closing on me. Then I learned that you have to be strapped in and still for training and actual missions and I knew that wasn’t for me.
I needed to be free.
But I never lost my love for space. Watching the shuttles, Voyager, Skylab. It all seemed so, BIG.
Then, one day, I was given a chance to work for NASA, as a contractor. The people bringing me in didn’t know it, but I was so excited!! By then we had Hubble and we’re building the International Space Station. Still launching shuttles. Getting ready to go to the moon again. I was proud to have a PIV card that said that I was at Goddard Space Flight Center. It made me so happy.
But I forgot that happy is a temporary state.
I’m going blind
I have glaucoma. It’s pretty far along. They were supposed to operate but I can’t afford it and now my right eye is almost completely gone. My left is down to 86%. And I’m freaking all the way out.
I’m not sure if they can save my eye. I hope so. But I’m really scared right now. I’ve drawn all my life. I don’t have any memories of not doing it. My job is photographer/video editor/ artists.
What happens when I lose my sight? Forever?
I don’t live with anyone. There’s no family nearby. And I suffer from the kind of mental issues that are mocking my continued efforts to not give in to despair. Suddenly that suicide thing that I’ve been holding at bay feels like a mercy killing.
As an artist, if you’d ask me what I feared more than anything, it would have been losing my sight, with losing my hands a close second.
I’m not close to anyone. I’ve been dealing with this by myself for months. The surgery can only save what’s left, maybe. And because it’s the optic nerve that’s dying…well, maybe it’s already done.
I gotta have the surgery. I need to. But my window is closing and soon it won’t matter. I’ll be in the dark. And I’ll never come back.
Well, it’s that time of year when people approach me to draw really buff women. I don’t mind ❤️
Believe it or not, the whole thing is something that flowed from a lifelong love of weightlifting for me. I have absolutely no problem with a woman trying to be as strong as she wants.
Of course my first show as a spectator made me want to draw these superhuman physiques. And the ladies were more amiable and less guarded than the guys when asked. So I naturally started there.
Having someone willing to pose for dramatic effect was a turning point for me. I’d never had an opportunity to do still life drawing; so I relished having access to people so willing. I guess you can say that I gained a new artistic appreciation for bodybuilders.
I try not to over sexualize the people I draw. That component is there of course, but it’s not the point.
If you’re trying to get the same effect in your work, you have to understand that the people you’re drawing ARE PEOPLE. I do the same thing with cosplay. I find it brings out the best in them.
Sometimes it’s good to just draw an emotion. It keeps things simple, but gives a clean look. I actually like those best.
So that’s that! Now you have an answer for my drawings of women being mostly muscular.
Oddly enough, no one wants an off-season image of themselves, lol.
There are a few exceptions. And honestly, if you’re one, let me know, because I’d love to do more pictures like this one.
I made it! A buttload of pictures were completed for #inktober! Including a very special one…
So, it’s never come up but I have a couple of wily and fun ginger sisters in my life. I’ve drawn them before as Jean Grey and Dark Phoenix; it seemed appropriate, given the personalities involved. But one of them REALLY loves Halloween. So… I made her the Goblin Queen!
I started out with a couple of thumbnails to get the design I wanted.
Then I did a rough sketch. This is when I decided to add a pet goblin. A queen needs her subjects!
After doing a clean line version of my image and choosing a pallet, I begin coloring, doing the leather and skintones first.
Next came the cape. If you know the character, you know her original design by Marc Silvestri was very sketch and tattered looking. I didn’t want to go THAT far, but still wanted to stay in the spirit of the original.
Next I added some background accents. I was going to make it feel a little more Dante at first, with suffering souls and all that. But I decided against it.
Finally I added an appropriate sidekick and made sure all of the focal light fell on the main character.
My friend was really happy with her gift. But I’m no dummy. I have to draw the other one soon. They ARE sisters after all.
Another week down, one more to go! It’s been fun so far and I intend to finish the next three days off right!
There were days of colour and I enjoyed those most of all. I’ve been selling my house and it’s a little hard to get in rhythm when you have to leave every couple of hours!
Couple that with the fact that my VERY supportive local Starbucks has been closed for renovations and it makes things extremely difficult.
Oh well…
I still managed to knock out a few good drawings (and a couple of poorly done concepts, ugh), so overall I’m pleased.
Who knows? Maybe next year I’ll stick with the official theme of the group or maybe tell a self contained story within the allotted time.
All I can promise for certain is that I will be drawing, alive or not. It’s my function 😉
Howly Time! 