That's Sketchy

Head Drawing

2012-02-19T00:09:00.001-08:00

I'm really trying to come up with at least one decent portfolio drawing before this term is out. This, of course, is hardly it. However, I'm quite proud of how the construction process went having begun with Andrew Loomis's techniques for building a human head.

Sloth Sketch

2012-02-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try making a sloth design, and this is what I came up with. The inspiration came from wondering what kind of animal Flat Eric was; certain that he was not a primate, I agreed with myself that he was a yellow, sausage-eating sloth who can head-bang quite well.

My Sketch :)

Flat Eric

My new-found fascination and adoration for this mammal has absolutely nothing to do Kristen Bell's recent sloth incident featured on Ellen show. Still though, I've included the video because, since we're on the subject of sloths, we might as well watch.

Kristen's Sloth Meltdown

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Just want to say HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY with this cappuccino I poured. :)

Courage

2012-02-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is a sketch I started while in church -- and though it may have appeared with my nose so close to the sketchbook to be completely impossible for me to hear anything of the message, in the midst of a doodle is how I listen best.

During a phase of life where I find myself having many days of sickness and riveted by all kinds of fear, I just feel it's necessary to be courageous and shine on in such a leery world. People will be amazed by it, whether they be your closest friends or those who try to come against you.

Amflybians

2012-02-11T15:39:00.001-08:00

The other day I was thinking, with a particular amount of sorrow, how there haven't been any tree frog sightings about my house for a very long time. Fondly remembering back to childhood, tree frogs have always been around, likely because my siblings and I were always catching them and making houses for them; theses days I don't believe I've been looking for them diligently enough, thus it's easy to say they're simply not near.
However, after years of not seeing a single tree frog in the wild, I saw this after coming home from a trying day at work:

For a tiny fraction of a second I started, but quickly recovered and became entirely enchanted by such an endearing sight.

Head Sketch

2012-01-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

This is a head drawing I worked on at Watts Atelier. I've never been particularly proficient in drawing people, let alone the human head, which is a multi-planed sphere with a jaw and eyeballs that aren't flat either. Remembering back, I was in high school when first began drawing the human figure, but like many things, I let the challenge go after the first couple of tries; I just didn't know how to draw humans, and it was easier to settle with drawing only what I knew how, and I knew how to draw a lot of silly cartoon animals.

There's nothing wrong with sticking to what you know and doing it well, but if the desire to expand your skill exists, then I believe it's necessary to push yourself. Drawing your character with his hands behind his back because you don't know how to draw hands is baloney! (I'm actually speaking to myself here; this has been one of my bigger problems.)

Now I'm taking a serious approach after about 6 years, and I'm still extremely dissatisfied with the results, especially with this head drawing. The difference is now, though, I will continue trying and I will get better and quicker at it. I already see improvements.

Jackalope

2012-01-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

Animanomaly

2012-01-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Thylacines

2011-12-20T00:57:00.000-08:00

My Pencil Study

Also referred to as a Tasmanian wolf or Tasmanian tiger, the carnivorous marsupial was wiped out of existence in the early 1930's... or so it is believed. I PERSONALLY believe there are survivors, safely nestled away in a secret habitat out of our scope.

Some Rare Footage

Horse of Course

2011-12-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

So I finished this painting early this morning -- it took awhile for me to be satisfied, manely because the eye was proving to be quite difficolt. For a while it was driving me crazy, almost angry, but now I think I'm stable. Before I knew it, the clock read 2:30 AM and I was absentmindedly foaling around with the liner brush. Singing to Pandora was fun until I came upon the 3rd hour (at which time I found my voice was horse), so I turned on TV instead. Hooves Line is It Anyway never ceases to entertain. I made sure I had the volume down, though, because I have sensitive neigh-bors.

There was supposed to be a complete lunar eclipse this morning, but I missed it, what a night-mare :(
Guess I'll have to saddle for seeing the next one in 2014. I'd had quite a long face until I made some tater trots, which cheered me right up. What would have been even better was a stack of buck-wheat flapjacks and some real maple stirrup, but I'll save the pancake mix for a day when it reins.

;-)

Serendipity

2011-12-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm just finishing up a portrait of a white horse. The soundtrack to this painting includes songs by Seabird, Bitter:Sweet, Guster, White Town, and Faded Paper Figures.

Totally unrelated to art, there's something I've been thinking about.

Do you ever feel like there is a countdown somewhere, ticking ever so steadily, to a pivotal moment in which you meet a particular person who proves to be of extreme importance for the remainder of your life? This someone could be the adorable geek that will stand in front of you at Starbucks next Monday, or the charming stranger that'll notice your tag sticking out of your shirt while pumping gas tomorrow, or the unfortunate -- and thankfully forgiving -- guy who's Mustang bumper gets a reshaping due to your lack of attention on the road on the way to Costco. Whether I meet such a person in any of these particular circumstances or in one completely unforeseen, he is there, I know it.

Sometimes I feel like I must rehearse, practice, or somehow make time go faster, in order for this meeting to be a sure success. I figure there's the chance of fail on my part of course, and if I sabotage the encounter with my notorious tendency to muddle my speech with too much vocal static, I might never know what might have happened. The chance to become joined with this special person would be lost forever. I'd kick myself endlessly for not being more poised, astute, and assertive, I suppose. There are times when I feel pressure to act or appear a certain way in order to avoid failure (I'm definitely not saying that dressing well and being on your best behavior isn't of any importance).

Same goes with where I'll live, what my career has in store for me five years from now, or who my friends will be once I move to Laguna Beach next fall. I often feel like there's only one shot for such things, and if I miss, game over.

Thing is though, I don't believe it works that way, and I'm SO thankful that it doesn't. Seems I need to remind myself of this every day.

I picture God with a blueprint out on a table. He has a plan for me -- it really isn't my business to know the plan all at once, as ripped off as that may sound, and even if I did know it, there's no way it would ever be understood. What really needs to be done on my end is to listen, be quiet, relax, and simply do my best. Time is better spent practicing servanthood, building character, and experiencing the adventure of desiring the ultimate will for my life.

So when that serendipitous event arrives -- and it can definitely come at ANY time, wherever you are -- the point isn't to worry about making those few minutes everything you've anticipated them to be without error. Worrying was never on our duty roster.

Matthew 6:25-27 ~ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Frozen in the Sunshine

2011-12-01T12:06:00.001-08:00

There's a window right beside my bed that I love, and a heavenly bamboo nandina plant stands directly outside, guarding me in. Through the window I still can observe the sky whether it be a starry night or a golden, citrus morning.

With the arrival of today's lemon kissed dawn, melancholy memories (that have, over the years, continued clinging to me like jungle creepers) held me tight, and I returned the embrace for a few icy minutes. I could feel a thin frosty layer of despair stiffen the waters of my soul which stood still beneath the distant December sun. While I knew how easy it would be to allow myself to become encased in this multifaceted crystal of anger, pain and fear, I also knew that if I were to let that happen, I may be locked in until the summer comes, or longer.

(This introverted wool gatherer could be quite comfortable concealed within the slow-moving glacier that is her sorrow.)

There are much better things. The frost will cease if I move; it takes one step followed by the other, and with each one, the riveting cold will shatter, leave my shoulders and ultimately fall to the ground.

Get out of bed.

It's time to taste the sweet tang of life, and I will probably pucker.

Cinnamon Waves

2011-11-30T01:28:00.001-08:00

The autumn season brings the most breathtaking sunsets to San Diego, though I don't recall having ever just sat down and looked at one of them for the simple purpose of doing so, let alone sharing one with a lover. Always, it turns out I'm on the way to work (or at work looking out the window) or just seeing a photo of one posted on Facebook fifteen minutes ago.

Today I was driving to work during the late afternoon and saw the display, one of the most beautiful I'd ever seen. Colors at every spot on the spectrum filled the entire dome of Earth's atmosphere -- my own dome was spinning in complete astonishment. Just as enjoyable as it is to pull away from a movie screen for just a few seconds to steal a glance at those surrounding me and make note of their pure facial expressions before they see me looking, it's quite fun to notice the faces of other drivers as we were all stopped at the traffic light. All eyes gazed up at the golden ripples -- everyone in awe. I blushed.

Nubbins Are Good for Swatting

2011-11-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

Take a Breath and Dive

2011-11-16T02:14:00.001-08:00

Earlier today during the young afternoon I was led to visit the lookout park that is perched above one of nine water reservoirs in San Diego. The reservoir is also known as Lake Miramar, and it was in this particular small park that I once shared a room temperature Blue Moon with my brother, Alan. Although I've often loved to bicycle the trail that circumambulates the lake, today I wanted to look out from above, breathe, and think for a few minutes before plugging my nose and diving back into the spinning vortex of my responsibilities. With me I had some tea, and I drank that and the golden afternoon in.

About a week ago I felt the great weight of regret pulling me towards the damp ground, and I readily let it consume all of me for about a day. I wish I hadn't fallen for the man that would end up taking me to a parallel universe that seemed so paralyzingly real. I wish I hadn't discovered that any given emotion, taste, sound, feeling, or appearance of something could always be thoroughly described in select words -- and that I could depend on this fact -- and that there really was no longer a need to try to explain any particular thing just for the fun of it. I said farewell to poetry, songwriting, and storytelling because of that. I wish I hadn't believed that there was no place in the art world for me except for in the company of tattooers and piercers. I wish I didn't have to experience the terrible car crash and it's aftermath of the summer of 2010.

With the man I bizarrely understood that I was unacceptable at every level of being, from hair color to the very tone of my voice.

The face of my creativity became pale, blue around the lips and cold to the touch. Stories of magic orchards, centaurs, and snow capped mountains in the middle of Iowa sank to the floor of my sea where they became still.

I found intense intrigue in the potential of smooth blank skin. The appearance of steel through its creamy surface made my mind soar. Laces of sharp but temporary pain posed a taunting challenge, and on the third deep exhale, I took it all in without a single grimace.

In the wake of the auto accident, a severe case of chronic functional dyspepsia (completely nameless and frightening at the start) riveted my body for months. I nestled in fear, anger, and defeat.

As I stood there with my bare arms resting on the rail that bound the park, I remembered these things without a bitter face. I may have actually been smiling because just then, a breath of November brought toward me little fluffy specs of flower from the giant miscanthus nearby. They were like snowflakes and I felt them on my face. But, recalling these four highlighted events (and many others in between), which began taking place four years ago -- these milestones I once considered regrets -- didn't make me happy. They didn't make me sad either, not anymore. I suppose if I forgot for a minute that I'm alive and well beneath my Father's wing, and that nothing/no one can possibly come against me as I'm standing in such a spot, then I would find myself in that cold familiar stupor that I was in a week ago.

Why regret? It will make a prisoner out of you.

Proverbs 3:6 says, In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

I believe this scripture can be applied to any spot on the timeline of your life. Now, for example. What has passed has passed. There may have been safer, wiser roads to take -- or hey, maybe the road that was taken was the right one after all. I can either feel like these years were wasted and mope, or I can take what I've learned from them (as well as the dear friends I've made) and seize the future with an excited, fiery gait. In pursuit of His will for my life, no matter how mysterious it is to me now, I will go forward. I feel like running there.

Oil Quick Sketch

2011-11-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Quite proud of this one, because I was able to conquer the intense want to over-render. Shortly after I'd finished the owl I noticed there was still fresh paint upon my plexiglass palate, and there was too a small, tile sized canvas close by about 5" x 5." Must utilize, I thought, so skadoosh. Took about an hour.

Barn Owl

2011-11-10T15:19:00.001-08:00

Second ever oil painting, and I think I'm finally getting a gist of how it works.

Rendering has always come first for me whenever I've created pieces of art -- which can (and has often been) a disaster when there is no foundation of shape or value. So for this wise guy I bit the bullet and tried my best to ignore the urge to paint individual feathers. Hoot.

Arts Alive Banner Project

2011-03-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

The finished product :)

After prepping the vinyl with a black gesso and having it dry completely, I transferred the image to the banner with white chalk.

First I made a template, only putting lines where the heaviest shadows were.

Pug Shot

2011-02-13T15:15:00.001-08:00

Arrested for reckless tail-chasing in public

Sidewalk Chalk

2009-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

When summer comes back around, I'm gonna be doing this whenever I just want to get some sun. Kids' chalk and some charcoal from the fireplace and I'm ready to go. :)

Meloncholy Man

2009-03-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is an old sketch that I've always been fond of -- the anatomy is not right in certain areas, but it's kind of cool to know there's a good amount of room for improvement.

Tiger Drawing

2009-03-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

For this drawing I referred to a photo in an issue of ZOONOOZ. There's fantastic photography found in these magazines if you're ever interested in some good animal study.

Goose

2009-02-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

The Lion Who Lost His Mane

2008-12-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

I think it's interesting how I often wind up drawing animals more than I do people or other objects, and even more, I end up drawing lions. This is the main character of my upcoming children's book, The Lion Who Lost His Mane. The problem with this depiction, though, is I don't think he is tough-looking enough. He looks too nice.
Well, oh well.

This was actually drawn in the car on my way up to see some family in Santa Cruz. It's in plain graphite. I'd say I've caught a few sand crabs, finally. :)

A Collection of Sketches

2008-11-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

Snail Fellow

2008-10-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is the product of a random snail-fascination-phase. I don't know what about snails intrigued me as much as it did, but it took one rainy day and the experience of trying not to step on any of the cute mullosks that had congregated on the porch, and I was iterested. I guess minding my step brought me to thinking that a snail's life was at stake, and then I wondered about its family, if it had one. The life of a snail became the subject of my scope of thought for a day.

Humphrey Bogart

2008-10-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here I'm showing you the process in which I paintedHumphrey DeForest Bogart, both a great American actor and cultural icon. Bogie appeared in 75 feature motion pictures, including Casablanca, which finally brought him to the peak of his profession. His trademark film persona can be described as a hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side.
This is done in gouache on mat board.

Sphinx

2008-09-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Skippy Peanut Butter

2008-09-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

This rather brightly colored kid holding a jar of Skippy peanut butter was a quick little study after this really great guy named Norman Rockwell. Heard of him? He's one of my all-time favorite artists in the world because he captures the emotions and all the different expressions of the human being like no one else can.

The medium is gouache, a paint that could be described as a mix of acrylic and watercolor. You can apply the paint thinly on the paper so that it is a transparent color. Also, applied thickly, the paint can be opaque. It is such a user-friendly paint that I recommend anyone try it for themselves, just for fun.

This was done on a mat board, about 10" by 10".

Wombat

2008-09-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Another animal drawing, done in just plain graphite. It was composed on a regular piece of 8 by 11 printer paper and a Bic mechanical pencil. Why I chose to draw an Australian Wombat, I don't quite know, but it could be just because they are just simply the cutest little creatures down under.

They're marsupials; short legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately 40 inches in length with a very short tail. Aw, cute. They're found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. The name wombat comes from the Eora Aboriginal community who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney area. Want one, now?

I actually sold this guy for 50 dollars to a pastor and his wife who had happened to be serious wombat fans (I never knew such fans existed).

Self Portrait

2008-09-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

So here is something that I was forced to do. Yes, forced. It was a school project, so, among the different color wheels and perspective assignments, a self portrait also was part of the grade. I turned this in LATE. As I look back, I do realize there was some fun in this! I added a little cheetah to further add some enjoyment in my homework.

Anyway, this was done in colored pencil on gray mat board. It's really fun to do art on a tinted/dark surface, because white pencil really shows up. Highlights are one of my favorite steps in making a piece of art.

This is an example of realistic art. In this blog you'll see both my realistic renderings and the stylistic ink illustrations. I can't help exploring all the different mediums, so you'll also see scratchboard and acrylic, etc. The possibilities are endless!

As much as I wish I were beside a real cheetah, it never happened :(

Someday, though!

Nern of the Woods

2008-09-07T21:01:00.000-07:00