Recent Works and Works in Progress!

Last quarter I had a lot more freedom with my subject matter.  I chose to paint a piece that contrasts old school and new school, what culture used to be and what the main focus is now.  I wanted a vintage spin on it, so what I did what use the retro drive in diner and change it to a modern "restaurant."

 

"Dining"
2'x1.5'
This is an oil painting on black gesso.

I personally love this painting.  It had a lot of thought and research put into it.  For the car, I actually went through my photos that I had taken at the Good Guys Car Show in Columbus last summer, and used it for the Bel Air in this.  I used a photo found online of the McDonalds.  I started this painting by thinning out a yellow paint and drawing out where I wanted everything.  I then blocked in colors.  After i had my major colors blocked in, I began layering and packing in color.  I started out with a larger brush and ended with my details using a small brush.  My professor told me to always start with a big brush, then move to the smaller brushes.  Too many people want to start details right away and then end up taking more time.  Block it in first, I promise, it will help.  It's hard to get used to, but eventually it works out.

 

"Jeremy"
1.5'x1.5'
Charcoal, graphite, Stonehenge paper

This was a drawing I did of my friend Jeremy.  I had an assignment to draw a face with a hand.  I wanted to have fun with this assignment, so I had my friends take goofy pictures of themselves.  I got tons of pictures, but I found this one to be the best suited for my assignment.  I actually worked on this a whole night.  I only wanted to spend two hours starting it out, but I got into the piece and spent about 8 straight hours drawing it.  While drawing it, I would take a photo of it and see how it looked that way.  I find that seeing it through a picture on a phone or computer helps you see it a different way.  I also would hang it up and take a step back.  ALWAYS take a step back and view your art while creating it, from a distance.  This way, you can see things that you couldn't see close up.  It's easier to spot proportion issues from a distance.  You can also see if your shading gives the subject depth and volume.