Gone to the SAICFF 2012!

Where have I been?

The land of busy.

If you haven't noticed, I'm a little behind on my daily artwork — but rest assured, I'll be jumping back into it when I can.

Meanwhile, I'm a semi-finalist for festival trailer at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival 2012. Once everything's said and done, I'm releasing the trailer for your viewing pleasure. Then you can see what I spent a decent chunk of time working on several months ago.

So keep checking back!

"A Steadfast Determination" - 44

It all comes down to action and reaction:

(Pencil on 110-lb paper)

I've noticed poses and figures involving action (and some element of reaction) carry some of the greatest emotion. For example, looking at this sketch, I can feel this boy's determination in his struggle to move the heavy-laden pail. I'm definitely going to try incorporating more "action" and "reaction" into my future art.

"Teeming With Life" - 43

I was going to add an interesting, funny twist to this one:

(Vector-based medium)

Notice the past-tense? That's because I realized, halfway through creating everything, that this image deserved to be clean and serious. And if you want to be picky about the shapes of the continents, it's called "drawing" them out over a few minutes.

"Looking For Company" - 42

Back to some fun stuff:

(Pencil, pen, & marker on 110-lb paper)

Growing up, I had a certain "style" I would use to draw. It wasn't on purpose; it was, like most of us growing up, the best I could do, and therefore realism. Thankfully, I never fully "lost" that style. Another interesting note is I rarely drew "cartoons." I'd get books from the library on "how to draw" cartoons, but they made me repulsed, a little -- and I think that's because I viewed them, at the time, as childish. But it's not, and I know that now.

Art markers are great, by the way; the texture they give, the color selection -- they just make creating artwork that much more fun.

"Portrait of a Stranger" - 41

I've rarely attempted any realistic portraits:

(Pencil on sketchbook paper)

And I can count on one hand how many I've done in the past. As much as realism is a challenge for me, (considering I've never taken any formal instruction), I think this turned out decently. I'll have to do some additional realism portraits in the future.

"Behind You" - 40

This is why you should always look both ways before going into a jungle:

(Digital, iPod Touch)

The beauty of silhouettes is that you just have to get the shape right. While that becomes a greater responsibility because of the lack of detail, it channels a different side of creativity. And it's a challenge I enjoy.

That, and pictures with a humorous twist always catch my attention.

"The Golden Feather" - 39

Not to be mistaken with a piece of grain:

(Digital, iPod Touch)

I started this piece with the background -- red, with a molded-texture of shading. The two colors (gold and red) go quite well together. I don't know where the feather idea came from. Just my random mind, I suppose.

"200 Years of Charles Dickens" - 38

Wow, what a year to live in -- Charles Dickens was born exactly 200 years ago today:

(Vector-based medium)

And the gift of stories he's given us have kept on giving since then. Pretty amazing to think one's work, literary or otherwise, may live on for centuries to come. What will people think? What will people say? Will the stories become "boring" to students, exciting to lovers of classic literature?

"By The Beautiful Sea" - 37

"Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication." ~Leonardo de Vinci

(Vector-based medium)

There's not a whole lot in this scene, and yet it evokes an entire image with just a few simple shapes. I especially like the cloud I created in the background -- the unique edge gives it interest, while being subtle in coloring and shading.

"The Conquering Giants" - 36

Unless you were hiding under a rock tonight -- you probably knew the annual Super Bowl happened tonight:

(Digital, vector-based medium)

And the New York Giants won. I can't say I watched much of the game, but the pieces I caught were pretty exciting. Go Eli Manning!

"The Complacent Bystander" - 35

You might be surprised to know this piece is digital:

(Digital, ArtRage for iPad)

I know I am. And I drew it. But that's the beauty of technology; we're getting closer to the point where it's nearly impossible to tell a physical piece of artwork from a digital one. Pretty cool, huh?

"Beauty In Design" - 34

I haven't used oil pastel in a while:

(Oil pastel on 110-lb paper)

The last (and first time) I used oil pastel was maybe two to three years ago. I liked the medium, but the inconsistent clumps and challenge of detail frustrated me. Using them again, they still frustrate me a little, but...I'm going to force myself to experiment more This particular piece was inspired by a random doodle of circles, when I realized it recognized a hand in the shapes. A few minutes later, I was drawing a hand out with oil pastel. Not too shabby, I think, considering I've rarely drawn or painted realism before.

"The Green-Eyed Monster" - 33

Having cats around for several months now has given me special insight into these creatures:

(Digital, ArtRage for iPad)

For instance, they like to play. With just about everything. Including socks. And when you pick them up and look them in the eyes, they'll give you the widest eyes you've ever seen -- until they look away a moment later. It's fun having cats.

This piece started purely with a black background. I selected a color I liked, (in this case, lime-green), and drew some circles. That's when I realized they could be eyes. Cat's eyes. And the rest went from there.

"Spy." - 32

I don't know what was playing on TV tonight (I only heard parts), but it sounded spy-ish:

(Vector-based medium)

And so I was inspired to do this piece. The varying widths of each line adds to the look, and accentuates certain details. Plus, the messy fills make me think of different 1950's printings I've seen. All in all, I'm pretty happy with this piece. Makes me want to write a story to go with it.