Anatomy studies

I want to focus on animal anatomy for a while, just to boost my understanding of comparative anatomy and be able to bang out wicked looking creatures. So I started with these two pages and there'll be more to come. I was just looking to understand the relationships of the forelimb muscles, and finding similarities and differences. Before I did these I use to draw a bicep in most of my animals/creatures, but looking at the tiger and bear, and even the dog, there is no fully developed biceps like primates have. And the deltoid is proportionately larger in humans than in animals. Just some of the things I noticed :) I did another animal oil study last night that I'll post when I get back from work. Sorry i haven't been posting as much. I will try and amend that.

Animal studies

Polar bear was done 3 1/2 hours on monday night. Tiger 3 1/2 hours tuesday night. Both of them are oil on prepared cardboard. I have a lot of free time at work in the evenings those two days, so I figured I'd start making good use of my time there by painting. In my studio I'm never motivated to do these kinds of things since I just want to work on the good, meaty stuff to get a career. Which is stupid of me. I should do more of this now so it makes my portfolio pieces that much better later on. We'll see what I end up doing. I might spend the rest of 2009 actually just practicing my painting technique. Not a bad game plan. Hmm....

Art Out Loud

No art today. Unfortunately I never took photos of the two drawings I did for the Spirit Gallery show. Had to rush to get the last one framed and everything delivered. However, good news. I spent last Saturday at the Society of Illustrators at the latest Art out Loud event. I have been to a couple of them already, but this one had a bit more punch for me. I have spent the last several months trying to be painterly, painting thicker and looser a la Greg Manchess, Malcolm Liepke, Sargent, etc. I learned an overwhelmingly great deal about the application of paint from all this. But something wasn't right. It didn't feel natural. I was fighting my natural inclination to paint a la Donato Giancola, Bouguereau, Draper, etc. So although it was very fun and as always educational to watch all the artists paint, I parked myself near Donato for probably 3/4 of the event. Anyone who has followed this blog, I don't think many people do read all my ramblings and this is probably more for self gratification, knows I have said that I don't want to paint like Donato but I want to be in that school of thought. Boris Vallejo made a very interesting comment about how Donato paints. He said that he paints "intelligently" whereas he himself just paints and it comes out, since he's been doing it for 50 years or so. Its not that Donato doesn't have the facilities to just go and let the magic happen, but he does put a lot of thought behind each and every single stroke in any piece I've ever seen him work on. And I think its that which I want to emulate most. I can't fight the realist in me. Its hard, and I've accepted it as who I am. I also can't fight the love to paint representationally, making believable flesh and tones. And I think all the loose painting I've been doing has strengthened my abilities as a painter and I can now begin producing art that I think will make me truly happy to show off. So the next few months will be very productive as I have surplus motivation, for more than one reason, and will try to pump out a painting every two weeks. And starting simply with single figure compositions focusing on my weak points to get them to a professional level. With that, I'm off to the drawing board for round one.

Finished!! (almost)

Its done enough that I can post it online. But I want to tweak it some more traditionally so that its show worthy for the Spirit Gallery show. So I won't be doing a third painting as I need to finish this one, but I will put in a third piece that is a very nice, finished drawing. Huzzah!

Art Update

Here is a progress shot of my Princess of Mars painting. My goal is to block in all the figures to the same levels as the central thark by the end of saturday. If I can manage it by friday, even better. Then I'll have all of next week to finesse the details and fine tune things, even though next week will be hell at work. Also here is a sketchbook page of a head and hand study for a painting I want to try and get done for the show at the Spirit Gallery in September. I'm putting the martian painting as well as my phoenix painting for sure, but if I can manage to put in a third piece that would really be killer. Anywho, critiques and comments are welcome.

HOT SHIT

This is the image I really had wanted to work on at the Master Class but was too afraid. I really didn't enjoy working on the composition I had so I felt that for my mental health it would be better to scrap it and start this one. I'm going to transfer it to canvas today and begin painting tonight. I am so much happier with this and I have a reeeeeally good feeling about the turn out for this piece. I think it'll be my first true showcase portfolio piece since graduating art school. It will be done by the deadline on september 1 and for the show at Spirit Gallery in CT. I might even do a smaller painting too since I'm on an art high.

Princess of Mars

These are the sketches and final comp for my Master Class painting. I'm still working on it and I hope to have it along with another painting done by the end of July. I'll have sketches, ideas, studies, and other smaller things to post throughout the month as I'll be planning a lot of my summer art while I paint. Without further ado, here are the finished drawings of John Carter, Dejah Thoris, the Great White Ape, and a little bonus picture.

Phoenix Reborn

Better quality photo of the finished painting.

Pending finish

I was told last Wednesday I could submit art to the faculty show. Great! I thought. Then SHIT!!! I had nothing I felt proud of showing off, or that could display any skill in my working medium. So I started this painting. The drawing had been done for several weeks. Many milestones in this painting. First and foremost this is the first painting I am proud of working on since I graduated art school almost a year ago (tomorrow is one year, YIKES) And for those who know me, its also the first painting I actually finished since art school haha. Now, as far as "finish" is concerned, the image you see is not the actual finished painting. I'm going to work on a few of the small areas that are kind of glaringly off, and I'll work on them today. Also, the big bird in the back needs somein...its kind of blah. For the sake of the show though, I'm only going to touch up those few things. When I get it back I might go to town, I do want to have something nice to show for the master class coming up in June. The photo is also not the best, but anyway, I am very proud of what I accomplished in four days. I didn't paint friday, I felt the need to be a social person and went to a bar/club hehe.

Finished painting (gasp)

Yes, a finished painting. Albeit its only 5x7 inches, but a painting's a painting. Its the head study from the last post. Clayboard grows increasingly more forgivable the more one adds paint to the surface, but it still manages to dry fast. There's a little smudge mark that got on her near the corner of her lip, I'll paint over it so its presentable. But this is the finish. I'm really happy with the paint application and the fact that it remains smooth, but the paint strokes are there and visible. Enjoy :)