Jack Nicholson

This is Jack Nicholson.

Self Portraits 2013

Alright, so here are some self portraits for the start of the new year.  These are actually posted in the reverse order that they were completed.  The bottom portrait was my first attempt, it turned out to be more caricature than portrait.  The back of the cranium is too shallow, the mouth is too big, and a couple of other things. 
The second one is OK, but I clipped of a bit too much mass on my right, frontal cranium.  The treatment of the beard is a bit botched on the bottom, but I am really happy with the overall rendering and believability of the drawing.  The top picture is probably most proportionately/academically accurate. 
Overall, I would have to say that the middle one feels most like me, and if it weren't for those two mistakes, I'd be totally content with it.  This was a fun exercise, and I am glad that I continued after my first failure.  There are still some things, like the angularity of my designs that are slightly overstated, and my eyelashes too.  But I do like to allow an element of caricature in my portraits to a slight degree less than my first attempt. 
Nathan Fowkes explains this common problem of caricature artists that I demonstrated in my first attempt in this short demo (at around the 9:40 mark).  This is only a problem if it is undesirable, but it is good to know so you can either avoid or utilize it, but most importantly to be aware of it.  Be sure to watch the whole video...and all his videos for that matter.

Failure is alright, because the road to success is paved in it; and if that's true, I must have made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.  Enjoy!

Otis

Here is another picture of Otis.  I drew this in graphite and col-erase on printer paper.  I am not too happy with some of the fur texture...but the drawing is decent.  Here is a link to the previous finished drawing I did of Otis.

This is going to be a gift for my brother for Christmas this year...he has no choice but to like it because he is my brother.

The Legend

Happy early birthday Andreita!  Hopefully you will not see this until your birthday, but I had to post...it's been too long, and there is more art to come soon...so I wanted to space it out.  There is a finished charcoal study at the top...and then some individual studies below.  I think I need to use bigger paper for a full body view like this.  Either that, or finer tools.

Hope you enjoy!

Theme Park Cleansing

Alright...so here are some studies that I have been working on.  The red sketches are most recently done from Burne Hogarth's "Dynamic Anatomy", and Ron Lemen's article in Imagine FX's special issue "How to Draw and Paint:Anatomy Volume 2."  I had mentioned this issue a few posts back, but had not really had the time or energy to give it some proper study until recently.  I labeled the drawings according to who I was studying from, and any drawings not labeled were a product of my own creation based off what I am trying to learn from their teachings.  I think the greatest lesson I learned from these studies is that I still have a lot to learn.  It's a good feeling to have.

Speaking of which, it feels great to not be working 10 hours a day 6 days a week for a bit.  The break is nice, but it has also been a struggle for me.  I always feel like I need to cleanse myself of "theme park drawing" and get back to exploring a larger range of possibilities in what I am interested in as an artist.  I would say that the month just before the beginning of this work season was a great peak for myself.  I hope to return there and beyond soon.

It is really tough to balance drawing for a job, and making art for pleasure.  More often than not, it is all or nothing when it comes to being a freelance illustrator.  I will complain about this in another post (wink).

Bruce Lee Studies

Alright, so here are some studies of one of the greatest people of all time...Bruce Lee.

The bottom, right corner is more of a failed attempt at a portrait. It was a really awkward spot/angle the drawing board was at. It felt like the drawing was in my lap...I guess I need to invest in an easel or a drawing table or something. I will need to redo a portrait of him again at some point. These are drawn in charcoal on 18x24 inch smooth newsprint.

Enjoy!

Charcoal and Prisma Color Doodles

Here are some samples of doodle sheets that I frequently do before I start any drawing...it is a chance to warm up before a study session, leading to a finishing session. I am still trying to bring the control of my rendering up to par with those illustrators that I really look up to. I feel pretty good about the control I have when it comes to pen renderings, but I still feel a bit clumsy when it comes to charcoal.

The bottom sheet are studies of other artists, with exception to the top figure 2nd to the right; that is a photo reference from some art pose book or something. These are all my attempt to try and learn something from truly talented figurative and classical artists.

Kid Me

So this is a quick drawing of myself when I was young. I did this in 2009, and I can definitely see some errors in proportions. However, I am most dissatisfied with the way my left eye turned out. I should say too, when using conte, you end up running into bits of rocks and grog in the clay, and they leave deep grooved lines that cannot erase. You can see these going diagonally across my forehead and other parts of the drawing.

Cut the Cake

I apologize in advance if I have posted any of these drawings. This is a study done in 2009 of my parents from their wedding album. The fashion and style is so dated and interesting to me, as well as the fact that my parents look so young. This is done in charcoal and white pastel on 18X24 newsprint.