Party of Two

Yes loyal followers, after two months of work its finally finished!

Loosely based on an event from my own life towards the end of college were I was feeling utterly unprepared for the real world on the horizon. To celebrate the anticipation of graduation some friends were throwing a party at their place. I didn't want to go because I avoid crowds like the plague, but I was too afraid of what I might do to myself if I just stayed home alone. 

As predicted, I was having a miserable time. It was too bright, too loud and the amount of people packed into one room was enough to be a fire code violation. After being accidentally slammed into a back wall and having a strobe light test occur right in my face, I was just about ready to pass out when a gentle hand guided me outside. 

The two of us sat on the back porch in frigid temperatures for over an hour, just talking. During a lengthy lull in the conversation I felt something bubbling up inside of me that just couldn't be contained, and I just burst out laughing. It was the closest thing to joy I think I'd ever experienced. 


To learn what I experienced while making this piece, see The Making of "Party of Two".

Party Progress, Portraits and Other Pictures

I'm a little late with this week's post. I finished rendering for the figures in my long-gestating "Party of Two" project and was debating whether to hold off showing it off until next week when I would (ideally) have the whole thing finished. I decided that given how much time I devoted to the project this week alone, I may as well try and get a bit of feedback before jumping into the home stretch. 

Some of the bigger changes since last time include making the sky all black and replacing the tree with a street light to try  put more focus on the couple and make the space they're in seem more tranquil. 

Continuing my trend of drawing portraits from "talking head" interviews, here are two giants of science fiction television, Patrick Stewart and Rod Serling. 

Just for fun, I skimmed though the "Misc" folder in my inspiration files, drawing rough thumbnails of whatever struck me as the most interesting. I think this could make for an interesting exercise in brainstorming ideas if I were looking though a collection of pictures that had a consistent subject or artist.

Now I want to hear from you. What do you think of the things I share in these posts? What do you like the most and what would you like to see more?

Spider-Man and My Amazing Friends

This week I tried to capitalize on the release of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" by doing daily drawings of the American Arachnid. Unfortunately, sketching such detail in colored pencil was rather frustrating as the waxy tip did not hold a point for very long.



Instead, I found I had much more fun sketching people at a group get-together. Drawing from life is strangely refreshing and therapeutic, despite how much these guys move around.

 

 

Party Progress

Now we're cooking with gas! With I've got the house rendered and the background bits in place, I can devote my attention to the fun figures.

Now I want to hear from you. Is there any pop culture character you'd like to see me draw? What to you think of the party couples new pose? 

Faces and Fine Art for Friday

Greetings Friends! Its the last Friday in April and we're finally starting to get those April showers I've heard so much about. Theres been plenty of precipitation, but it was always snow up until now. 

I'm still working at sketching celebrity portraits using video interviews but it can be difficult to find footage doesn't cut away to the interviewer every 30 seconds. Fortunately I was able to draw at least one familiar face this week.

My name is Bond, James Bond. And it always will be. 

I've also been doing gesture drawings of fine art models to refine my anatomy skills.

Party Progress

I've taken full advantage of my new 11x14 sketchbook to figure out the pose particulars for the background dancers.

The most comments I've received have been about the couple and how they're posed. I figured it might be important to put some attention on developing the focal point of whole story. (click to enlarge)

Heres a screen shot of my latest update. The sky is now longer dark and the shelter tree is on the other side of the street. 

Now I want to hear from you. What do you think of the couple's pose? Which sketches do you like the best?

See you next week, hopefully with some May flowers. 

If you can't commit, you must a-quit!

Greetings friends! Hope this Easter weekend is kind to you. Mine is off to a great start now that the last patch of snow in the yard has finally melted!

Then

Now

Since last week, I replaced the cloud in the sky with a tree by the house. Clouds are typically associated with foreboding storms, so I thought that this couple would do better to have a tree over them to represent both life and shelter.

I also nixed the distant suburban street and brought the neighbor's house closer to make the back yard seem cozier and put more attention on the couple that this piece is all about. 

I had hoped to have this project finished in two weeks time, but a problem I seem to have with a lot of my work is the emphasis on meticulous composition planning. This can lead to burnout when it comes to committing to putting down lines for the final, especially when I feel very devoted to copying my reference material. 

Now I want to hear my fellow artists out there. How do you best transition from phase one to the final stage?

What are some precautions you take to avoid getting caught up in the little details?