Lunchtime 15 minute Batman Sketch

It seems I am going through a Batman phase. I really love the opportunity to work with suck good darks and lights. He is such a gothic figure, that when he is in his element, the shadows, is when he is the most fun to draw. And his cape has so many directions youn can take it. I can see why MacFarland gave Spawn such a great cape.

Lunchtime Sketch

I did this during lunchtime, I wanted to work on Perspective and hands.

Self-Portrait & Practice Sucking

This is a self-portrait done today during my lunch hour. Pencils and then inked over with black, medium-grey and light grey pens. I am happier with the pencils than I am the inks, but that is probably I am not yet comfortable with inking anything. Choosing what to make black and grey and what to leave alone...It is just so...permanent. LOL

Okay, so practicing sucks right? Or am I the only one who cannot stand to sit and draw head shapes (even though that is what I really need right now) and body gestures and hands and feet. I am terrible at practicing, I wish I wasn't I would be a better artist. I would love to find some slick way of making practing fun, but I am pretty sure it is one of those things that you just have to sit down and work on to get any benfit from. Which sucks, cause I suck at practicing.

Does anyone have any tips on making practice more enjoyable? I use music, but other than that, it is just me in the dark with a board and a pen.

FREE Music on Amazon today!

Since this is an Art Blog, I will post something from the archives....This was a broken headstone at the Necropolis in Glasgow, Scotland. Ball-point pen on paper.

I was looking at Amazon.com for some MP3's and saw that today, an Elton John #1 hits album is only $1.99! Also, for Black History Month, they are giving away free tracks by classic Blue's artists. There is also a Free Alanis Morrisette track from the new album.

Central Park Sketch

More fun with my new pens. This is from a photo I took at NY's Central Park, near Strawberry Fields.

Got New Markers for my Birthday!

Woo Hoo! I got a set of Manga Markers for my birthday the other day. Blacks and greys. I couldn't wait to try them out. I really like the brush pens, I haven't used the medium or thin pens yet. I thought the BATMAN would be a great starting off point for the cool greys and blacks. These are sketch card designs.

Back from NYC

I just got back from NYC and I had a wonderful time. Took tons of pictures, but we were sightseeing at such a frantic pace, that I never got a chance to sit and sketch anything. So I will be going through my pictures and sketching from those. We saw the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Ellis Island, St. Particks Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Radio City, The Met Museum of Art, Central Park, The Plaza, Hell's Kitchen (is is pretty posh now)...Oh yeah 42nd street and Times Square.

In the mean time here is one from the archives. A stippled Shark I drew form my sister.

X-Files Sketchcard Designs

FOX MULDER

FLUKEMAN
I was watching the X-Files movie "FIGHT THE FUTURE" and I was thinking that there were so many great freaks on that show, that I would do some sketches using them. searching on the interweb for reference material is difficult, not for Mulder or Scully (Hah....Scully...) but the villians, I did find FLUKEMAN, who is just an awesome freak.

My First Sketchcard Design!

So I finally got around to doing my own sketchcard design. Please, Please, let me know what you think. If you want a commision...I am game! Just drop me a line! Cheers.

INDY!

Now that I look at it, he seems kinda old and thin. LOL Well, he is old, but his face is definately not that thin.

Heath Ledger's Joker

This was inspired by one of the promo shots I found of Heath Ledger as the Joker. This is a meaner-looking more thuggy Joker. Sketchbook page using pencil then primsacolor pen (black)

My Take on THE JOKER!

So I went to the library last night and found a book about the Greatest Batman Comic Covers. I was flipping throught the incredible artwork (I am a Neal Adams Batman-guy) and realized that I have never tried to draw Joker and that he is one of the characters that I love to see people draw the most. So last night I sat down an ripped this out in about an hour. (again, I love the prismacolor pens!) It isn't the typical Joker, I think I would need to do more to get a more Joker-style to it, but I thought it looks pretty good.

I was inspired by a picture of Conrad Veidt’s character in The Man Who Laughs

Getting back to Fun Star Wars Stuff!

Okay so after the crappy couple of days of skething shitty heads... I got back into the Star Wars book. I ripped this one out after the lil ewok went to bed. I was really unsure about this before I started filling in the dark space. I wasn't sure it was going to work, I was having trouble with the mask and the belt but the hand, the hand felt awesome to do. I think I am going to try more of these perspective poses. This was my first real sketch using a prismacolor pen (thin on one side, broad on the other). I have to say, I really like the feel and delivery of this pen and I think I will be going out and getting more.

Crappy Sketching Days

Crappy sketching days.

I have beening checking out the "how-to" drawing vids on YouTube and I was feeling in a funk and after two days I was feeling like I had taken two steps back. The following pages are pages I did while watching the videos.


I figured that I was getting out of my "fun zone" and I was starting to take things a bit to seriously and this is the problem I get in to when I drop art for spans of time. I get frustrated and that takes all of the fun out of drawing.

I did find small packets of useful stuff those nights. Like in the first pic, the crouching figure actually came out with good proportions and size. I enjoyed that. Some of the general comic faces turned out okay. But I need practice and I am not sure that doing these sketches are helping. I need instruction and that is why I went to the videos. I need to stay focused and work on one thing and then use those skills to move on.

More You can Draw Star Wars Pieces

I am just really loving going onto the Star Wars Learn to Draw site. I know it is for kids, but I am getting a lot out of it. I had forgotten how just using basic shapes makes things so much easier to map things out, whether it is features or figures I am getting a lot out of it.

I have just fallen for the cute style of KATIE COOK, she has fast become one of my favorite artists. I got to meet her at the 07 San Diego Comic Con, completely by chance, I was walking through Artists Alley and she was nice enough to do a sketch for my new born son. (I will have to post a pic of that later). Anyway, I just love here style and I did one of her Leia sketches here:

From past sketch session

These are sketches from some drawing sessions I went to in Glendale. It was on Central Ave and called "The Atelier", I don't know if they are still around, since I moved I can't stay in Glendale late after work. I had a great time there though. I really found that you can't just pick up a pencil and perform like you used to when you haven't sketched in years.

Even though my first session was a frustrating disappointment, my following session yielded some nice stuff that really surprised me. I am looking at going to the Drawing Club for the monthly long pose sessions to get back into the habit of figure drawing. Some of my favorate blogs to read are either from the Club itself or people that attend. I can't wait.

Star Wars Caricatures

I was cruzing around on the art blogs and came across Tom Richmond's Caricature tutorial about the "5 Shapes" via Drawn.ca and got the bug to try some of the rules on some Star Wars characters. My first attempt is below.

Darth Vader 1

Darth Vader 2

Jango Fett

Clone Trooper

Drawing Star Wars

I caught on of Matt Busch's "drawing Star Wars" episodes and I was hooked. I watched them all and I checked the book out of the Library and I am so glad I did. I have been so inspired to get back into drawing. I started with out doing about a sketch a day.

I am trying not to get to ahead of myself, cause if there is one thing I understand better now than when I was an art student, is that you need to develop skills and build on those skills. Here are some of my latest sketches.