Salt & Pepper

So, after making a quick model of a salt shaker for yesterday's entry, I couldn't resist creating its complement and running a render while working on my paper for my MFA. Love being able to bounce back and forth between the digital and the traditional.

When It Rains...

Just got the check from insurance to replace the carpet. We've been rearranging 3 rooms in order to get my studio upstairs... finally out of the basement into the light.

In the process, I've been pushing through some pretty severe neck and back pain... numbness and tingling in my arms no less. Makes for some difficulty in trying to get things done while working and living life. Starting PT Thursday.

One bright spot... I might have a real commission to do a children's book!  

A wise man once wrote: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." Looks like I'm in for another round of character building. Bring it on!

More issuu...

Open publication - Free publishing - More book

Another issuu document, this time from my publishing portfolio.

Carpet's being ripped up... worse than we first thought. Might just move the studio to an empty bedroom upstairs.

Water, Water Everywhere...

So, it's Wednesday already, and where's my post? My only answer... life happens!

We've been busy getting my Dad's house ready to go on the market after some pretty extensive water damage from burst pipes. In the midst, we've been helping my oldest daughter and her husband get their new condo ready and getting them moved in.

Of course, at a most convenient time (is any time convenient for this?) my carpet in my studio is soaked from a leaking water pressure gauge. You know, one of those pinhole leaks that keeps spitting a small, steady stream, enough to soak the padding before it starts to show up in the carpet. Needless to say, I'm a little preoccupied. 

So, no, I'm not slacking.

discovering issuu

Discovered issuu.com this week...

Booker T Washington

Another of Teddy Roosevelt's firsts was being the first president to entertain an African-American to the White House. 

First Phone

All this drawing and painting made me thirst for some 3D modeling (what a geek!). Anyway, in researching Teddy Roosevelt, I found that there were a number of "firsts" associated with him and his presidency, one of which was being the first president to have a telephone in his home.

I did some research on phones in that era, recreated it as a 3D model in Strata, and then drew the image. Here they are, the model and the drawing, side by side.

Beginning Teddy Roosevelt

Started on the image of Teddy Roosevelt today. Gosh, how I love working with pencil.

Dennis Nolan

Last night I went to the University of Hartford to meet with Dennis Nolan, a wonderful watercolorist with the heart of a father. We talked for 2 hours about paint and palettes and chroma and value and all kinds of other fun stuff. Dennis was a real encouragement to me in the beginning of the MFA program. He knew that my real satisfaction would come from going back to my traditional roots. How right he was.

Dennis gave me some great feedback on the direction in which my work has been going. The mentoring I received last night will really take things to another level. He and my thesis adviser, Bill Thomson, another amazing illustrator, have suggested I create some portraits of recognizable and/or historical figures so that any audience viewing my work will see that I can faithfully render their likeness. So, rather than pump out something for everyday, I'm going to be working on an illustration of Teddy Roosevelt. I'll be posting my progress.

While we're revisiting...

Took Q's input about pulling back the color in the background on the image of Riley.

Liyah One More Time

Your comments are truly helpful and welcome. Taking one more shot at the image of Liyah, I desaturated the color, darkened the background a bit so that the face stood out more, and added a little color to her lips and cheeks. Still a moody piece, but a far cry from the murderous first attempt from a couple weeks ago.

impressionistic tissue

I was cleaning up my studio and started unfolding a piece of tissue I used to dab my watercolors. I scanned it in, made a seamless tile from it and started playing in Photoshop. I ended up making these Monet-like impressionistic patterns. Don't know what the heck I'm going to do with it yet, but it was one of those happy accidents that comes from entertaining oneself with paint-soaked kleenex.

Riley

Since deciding to work together with Ken and Lois Wilder I feel that rush like when I used to be a bike rider... when you come downhill and keep your cadence as you go up another. Having their photography, and the heart that comes with it, available to me has been a blessing and a half.

So ends my third week at this blog. I am so pleased with the progress from that first lip-biting shot with the lupe on my desk. So much more to learn...

More Color Adjusting

While I'm in this color scheme frame of mind, I thought I'd play with the image of the Thai farmer. Unlimited possibilities.

Liyah Revisited

Now that I've done a few of these images, I'm understanding more and more the impact of color. I know that sounds like a "duh" moment, but I was so caught up with working the new style that I didn't think so much about what a slap to the eye that red can be. I've had a number of comments about the image of Liyah. Sure, if I was illustrating an article about someone who had been murdered or their heart broken, the original color scheme would work well.

Thank God for Photoshop. Since each of the images is built in layers (pencil drawing, watercolor, photo) I can go back in and play with the hues. What a huge difference.

Keep the comments coming. Like I said, I can get a bit myopic (a sophisticated way to say "blind"). Your feedback has been helpful.