Drawlloween 2015!

First time taking on the challenge!
And I am thankful to say that I made it through. Didn't get shit-else done the whole month, but it was probably the most productive month in... Ever!
Usually I'm spending weeks on a single piece trying to get everything right. A bad trap to fall into. One I have to work on climbing out of. And I have to say that Drawlloween was helpful in that. Instead of agonizing over every line, you're forced to just slap something down. So it was a great exercise in not caring, just get it out and move on.
Never mind that I spent most of the time three or four days behind. But so what! All was completed on the 31st!
A++ Will do again next year.

Graphite / White ink

Red Ticonderoga Pencil / Brush Pen

Violet Ticonderoga Pencil / Zig Writer

Red Ticonderoga Pencil / Brush Pen / Crayons

Micron Pens / Dr. Martin Inks

Interested? Contact me

Red Ticonderoga Pencil / Brush Pen

Red Ticonderoga Pencil / Brush Pen / White Charcoal

Red Ticonderoga Pencil / No.2 Pencil / Brush Pen

Graphite / Dr. Martin Inks / Liquide Gold Ink

Available at tamisery.etsy.com

Violet Ticonderoga Pencil / Brush pen / crayons

Purple Crayon

Violet Ticonderoga Pencil / White Charcoal

Can you tell I was dry-heaving by this point. 

Graphite / White Charcoal

Red Ticonderoga Pencil / Brush Pen / White Charcoal / Copic Marker

Graphite

Graphite / White Charcoal

Graphite / Markers

Micron Pen / Markers / White Charcoal

Graphite / Markers / White Charcoal 

Color Pencil

Graphite / White Charcoal

Graphite / White Charcoal

Brush pen / Graphite / White Charcoal

Graphite / White Charcoal / Marker

Black cat... In the dark. 

Graphite / White Charcoal

Grandma always loved that old farm. After she passed away we took one of her mouth eaten dresses and gussied up that seasons scarecrow. It seemed like a humorous way to honor her. Seeing how she really enjoyed gazing out over those fields. After a while we noticed the pumpkin head began to shrivel into a peculiarly familiar shape.

Sorry, Arachnophobic. This is all you get.

Graphite

If you're a slow worker like me. I can't recommend this enough! In just the span of a month you'll notice a change. One forced out by the sheer repetition of upchucking something every night.
It reminds you that you only get better by doing. And doing alot. 

Painting Sketchbook

For the longest time I've wanted to learn how to paint. Not just fumble around in the dark. But to really learn a practiced technique. Or at least become acquainted with one. 

For the longest time fear and over saturation got in the way of picking up a brush. Desperation began to set in as years rolled by with out dedicated action. There were too many false starts to count. Book after book went on the ol' Christmas list and YouTube videos played till my eyes bled.

Painting was always just a dream.

Odd isn't it? To have such a crippling fear of a medium. At the time it wasn't odd. But as I stand here now, typing this, remenicing back to those moments. It's all becoming laughably strange. And the path is still so new.

One fateful Christmas, a husband stepped in. He got me the  gift of a schoolism oil painting class with Tomas Fluharty, a master in the Dutch/Flemish style. 

That was for Christmas and the supplies were for the "push present".

Ladies... if you don't know what a push present is, then quickly school yourself! And log it away in your gift receiving calendar.

Two pieces were done...

First, to shake hands with the monochromatic under painting process.

Then we did the whole thing again and took the second piece through the color and correction stages. Unfortunately, it's taken more than a couple tumbles. And somehow... I got white paint on his snooter. Not a even the hint of a clue as to when it happened. The thing's been up on the wall for ages. A constant wonkey reminder.

Walked away with an "Excellent" from the class. Which, if I remember correctly is like a 4 out of 5 score. But me thinks Mr. Fluharty (who was a great teacher!) is just a kind person. Compared to most of the others in the class my work was a solid 3 at best! AT MO-FEGGIN BEST! Maybe a 2.5 / 2.75 as I stand here eyeing the two paintings now.

Regardless, once a direction of study was had, most fear was lost. Then a skin allergy to the paints developed and everything stopped for a couple years.

She mentioned they were produced using slow drying acrylic... One that worked similar to oils.

The game was back on! 

But an instagrammer by the name of @sirenitadolls refurbished hope. When she began posting her works. And she mentioned they were produced using slow drying acrylic... One that worked similar to oils. Golden Open Acrylics. 

Oh-ho-ho the game was back on and two sets were slapped on the ol' Amazon wish list. Awaiting the gift giving season. I was not let down.

Thanks bro and sis in-law!

Best rescue to date. Thanks hoarder instincts!

Here we are. New paints, that don't erupt sensitive flesh in to hives. And a nice sketchbook with thick handmade paper to use as a practice book. Rescued it from the trash bin at a previous job. Best rescue to date. Thanks hoarder instincts!

A ding dang toddler pulled the button off the page marker. I'll reattach it one day. Toddlers... 

Tried to make it a point to write down the amount of time taken, brand of paints and techniques used.

I.E. 1 Hour / Under painting / Glaze or Direct painting.

11-26-13 Regular craft acrylics, Direct Painting, 2 Hours
These two, I was toying with atmosphere. 

12-5-13 Regular craft acrylics, Direct Painting, 1 Hour

10-15-14  OPEN acrylics, Under Painting / Glaze, (no time)
Tried to figure out cool tones with hot lighting angle edges.

10-16-14 OPEN acrylics, Under Painting / Glaze, 5 Hours

10-22-14 OPEN acrylics, Direct Painting, 1 Hour 20 minutes
Focused on cool cast light. And warm reflective light.

Just to address the fact of there being three unicorns of a similar pose... I was also experimenting how to handle a painting of the floral unicorn sketch that was done so long ago. Hadn't a clue how to tackle white fur. We'll see if it happens. I'm so G D flighty, things get abandoned for long periods of time.

Carry on.

10-24-14  OPEN acrylics, Under Painting, 2 Hours 30 minutes

OPEN acrylics, Under painting, No date, no time. 

11-20-14 OPEN / craft acrylics, Under painting, 3 Days
This is the photo taken the day of completion.

Real quick... 

A cautionary tale.

After each page was done and dried for several weeks. I'd finish it off with a coat of Golden high gloss glaze. Let it dry for several days between glazing and put the book away. Things were cool. It would come off the shelf for this n' that or to be scrutinized harshly from time to time. Until one moist, tacky floored humid day. I took it down and found it glued shut! Particularly the pink lady page. As she got the thickest coat. Devastation, rage and heartbreak were all the feeling that welled up at once.

After a couple days of moping about it, I remembered a stack of scrapbook page inserts that'd been laying around. Again, saved from the trash. Snagged em from a warehouse clean-out several years ago. Never had a single use for them... I don' even scrapbook. Want to, but never will. Who'm I kidding?! Only myself.

They just sat in a box, not a single use to be had. Till that moment. These pages have a "wax paper" like dust sheet. Ripped those suckers off, cut them down and glued one between each used page. And haven't had a sticky problem since.

Bullet dodged!

By the way, I did refrain from showing two pages. Why?... Because I don't like them and you're subject to my whims and rules! Nya'hah!

I've gone and done it.

I've joined the masses and set up a blog.

With the hopes of accomplishing what? ...To be honest, I don't know.

I simply enjoy trying to make and do things. Anything. Some projects stick and become more. Some fade away into boredom. 

What I hope to do with this blog is to... Rather, what I think (as I sit here typing this now) I want to do. 

• Simply see if I can keep up a blog. 
• use it as a record of what I've accomplished in my work and especially as an affirmation of what I've learned. 
• Allow others to learn with me or teach me a thing or two as they follow what I do. 

I used to be a very secretive artist. 

"Nuu, Copy right ME! Do not steal!!" 

Wha wha whaa. 

It's a mindset you see echoed all over artistic web communities. Sup Deviant art!

That your work is so original. Separate from everything else. That you must guard it at all costs or risk never attaining any kind of recognition. What you risk loosing are many life and career fulfilling links and friendships. 

In recent years I began to feel that sort of mindset to be a very immature, irritating and exhausting. If someone came to me with a question I would do my best to answer it and be helpful to them, but I would also try to keep back important tidbits. Then I came to realize how pointless it was.

It doesn't matter if somebody figures out how exactly you did something. Let them. In the end what they produce will be different from your work. Cause they aren't you. They have their own skill level, design sense and focus of interests. Some artist are secretive for fear of handing more skill and power over to someone that may or may not be better than them. Or deep down, they don't want to see someone rocket past them. 

Again, Let them have your knowledge. If it turns out they blow you away then turn around and learn from them instead. Take a close look and examine how they took the same tools and technique and made it work better.

So I suppose that's what this blog will be about. It'll serve as a vehicle for this developing frame of mind. Watch my mistakes in the hopes of avoiding them yourself. Watch my progress and triumphs and go accomplish the same, or more.