Drawing with Graphite II

I chose to execute this image of Lindsey with graphite pencil as opposed to charcoal so that I would have more precise control on depicting the various patterns and textures of the fabrics. Her "Lady Jack" outfit in charcoal had velvet, satin, lace and feather boa, which was a nightmare to get right in charcoal without interfering with the each other. This maid outfit had a translucent lace skirt and the fine detail of the lace really called for the precision that graphite allows. A taxing process on the arm and hand to be sure, but once you get into a healthy rythym the results are just right. One must take care to not overdue each passing as it is easy to give in and burnish the darks or push too thick of a line, especially as the arm fatigues. Pay attention to keeping lines consistant and clean and the pencils well sharpened, not neglecting to switch the pencil grades when necessary.

Colored Pencil II

The image above was done with colored pencil on a brown sheet of paper. The paper one uses helps balance out the colors used, in this case the brown helped bring out the warmer hues of the skin allowing an easier time to get Lindsey's skin color right without having to worry about blending in red pencil. The most difficult part was trying to mimic the reflective aspects of the sequins on the dress, but I managed by flecking with pure primary and secondary colors covered with white. Again, as with all pencil drawings, it is time consuming and harder on the hand than charcoal or paint, but well worth the effort.

Atra Mors

This image is part of a portfolio exchange project that questions the ramification of the world's increasing demand on oil. The title refers to the Latin translation for the "Black Death" or as we know it: the Great Plague that ransacked Medieval Europe and killed off nearly one half of the continent's population. This occurred because of several reasons, one being population density in urban centers which saw the rapid spread of the plague but also due to unregulated commerce which brought the disease from the east in the first place. This unabated commercialism was the result of high demand of inexpensive commodities and goods, without concern of quality. Before this time, the Roman Empire had a well maintained, regulated and taxed shipping and commerce system, which prevented any major pandemic from taking hold. Medieval Christianity had no such standards but learned its lesson which helped bring about the Renaissance. We are now reliving the complications brought about from unchecked consumerism which oil consumption is the heart of. The catastrophe this time however will not be a mere pandemic but environmental destruction on a scale which will make life for human civilization untenable. Of course we offer our up our future generations to this fate in the struggle to consume as many manufactured goods as possible.

Costumed poses

There is a significant difference in working with a costumed pose as opposed to a nude. Firstly and strangely enough, it is more difficult to gauge the proportions of the anatomy as accurately as you would be able to when the body is unencumbered by clothing. Secondly the color of the costuming usually deceives the eye in regards to value. With lighter colors, one tends to raise the value making them brighter than they should be, and vise versa with darker colors. Thirdly, the detail and texture of the fabric entails visual trickery that is sometime time consuming and other times gets too muddy and confused. The above two images of Lindsey in her "Lady Jack" attire were harder to get right than if she was in the exact same pose in the nude. I avoided attempting a painting as the fish net stockings would be a nightmare and getting the temperature would be very maddening since here costume was pitch black, yet her skin tone very pale white-blue. I embellished the ink on bristol by adding the red ink and the charcoal version depicts the darker color/value issue I referred to.

Heroes/Villains - The Bureaucrat

This etching is titled: "Seeking the Behemoth's favor," and it comprises the Bureaucrat aspect in the Villains category. In theory an efficient, fair and transparent bureaucracy is essential to the proper functioning of any truly democratic system. However history has shown us replete that in practise no such body exists. Not in any institution; be it government, academic, religious. military or corporate, can one find a system void of corruption, inequity and gross mismanagement. Human beings are not infallible and prone to relishing power, be it true or perceived. We must demand a fair system with adequate checks and balance, yet also be willing to deal with the realities of the complexity of any system and not try to skewer the system in our favor. No body should ever be entitled to advance past everyone else that plays by the rules.

Reclining Nude II

This charcoal study of Janet reclining legs up is another great exercise in understanding the anatomy because it is much more difficult to draw upwards from the head being at the bottom position. The eye is always trained to identify the head at the top of the body and therefore naturally expect it at the top of a composition. By drawing this layout, amongst others, it forces the artist to really get the proportions of the body and the facial features correct as your mind is seeing the face essentially upside down.

Heroes/Villains - The Chemist & The Mason

These prints are a continuation of the visual narrative project started with the piece "He stole through the night. . ." That image was the Thief aspect in the Villains category. The images above are both in the Heroes category and they include the Chemist, titled: "Tirelessly toiling towards truth;" and the Mason, titled: "A cost not insignificant." The final project will have 19 hero and 19 villain images with corresponding text, hopefully done in letterpress. Eventually all will be hand bound to create an art book.

Colored Pencil

When drawing in colored pencil there are a few things you need to take into consideration with the materials you use. Less expensive pencils are usually poor in quality as the pigment is suspended in a more waxy medium, leaving behind a shine and making it far more difficult to overlay the different colors that help blend areas. Pencils also come in different densities (hardness) which also allow you to make variations in line thickness, details and filling in area of color. The other matter you must take into account is the type of drawing surface you use, not only for color and tooth, but how sturdy it is. Unlike graphite, it is actually much more difficult to erase or lift mark when they are applied, so errors need to be covered up in a sense. The end result is a much more illustrative look than other media. It is time consuming but worth the effort.

Drawing in Graphite

Using charcoal allows the artist to get a drawing to a refined state in a relatively short period of time. To be sure it can become a messy process, but it is remarkably fast. On the other hand drawing in graphite requires a little bit of patience. It is a universal assumption that all artists are accustomed to drawing with a pencil from youth, but that does not mean we know how to handle it properly. As with all media, the better quality materials the better the results. Graphite pencils range in density (hardness) and darkness (tone). The hardness scale goes from 9H (hardest) to H, and the tone from B to 9B (darkest), the middle pencil is always an HB. The famous scholastic "Number 2" pencil is the equivalent of a 2B. Hard pencils give very sharp and precise lines and are best suited for architectural and engineering drawings. Tonal pencils allow a full range of dark values to be drawn without burnishing the paper by pushing too hard on the surface. To be sure drawing with graphite requires constant sharpening and a consistent stroke and pressure on the fibre of the sheet as well as holding the pencil vertically like charcoal and drawing with the arm instead of with the wrist. The above study of Rene is 20" x 30" and took approximately 12 hours to complete. A similar sized drawing in charcoal would have taken about 6 hours.

Composition

One commonly overlooked aspect of creating any image is the composition. Layout of the figure or object, angle, source of lighting and how the object interacts with the pictorial plane or activates the edge are just as crucial as draftsmanship, value and volume. A thoughtfully laid out image can evoke emotion, create a narrative or project tension. In the two images above I decided to pick a pose that creates a melancholic and nostalgic feeling. Our model, Jerry was gracious enough to grow a beard for the pose (months in advance) as well as dress in a very specific style that would clearly conjure a certain feel. However, if I had chosen to pull back in the charcoal  it would lose its intimacy and had I laid out the ink version symetrically, there would be no tension. I have countless images in which the drawing or painting have been executed to a high standard but have no emotional impact simply becasue the composition was just not right.

Beta Gale

With this woodblock print I am now officially finished with the first phase of my series: The Disasters. This, of course, is the wind aspect of the series and was very difficult to finish as I was carving out of red oak, an extremely hard wood. I learned quite a bit in the process and broke a few tools as well. You can not work red oak like birch or pine, it's fibers are interwoven and course, however I needed to see if it was worth the surface texture. To my satisfaction it was indeed worth the time, effort and pain. Trying to capture something as dynamic, fleeting and without heft as the wind on a solid surface is one of the hardest tasks I've ever attempted. The next phase of both The Disasters and The Four will have me challenge either lithography and silkscreen or cast relief and stencil. After all the reproducible media are complete I will begin tackling the one off forms.

Creating a Visual Narrative

This etching with aquatint print is titled: "He stole through the night" and it constitutes the Thief aspect from the series Heroes/Villains. The images from this project will also be used to create a narrative that will string together tell a mythological like story which I intend to write out and make a finished work in book form. I will study the book arts to learn typography and binding so that I can make an edition of fine art books.

Mixed Media Sculpture

I was tasked to create a kite for an exhibition celebrating the artist made craft. I chose to make a dual image object honoring our space pioneers in which the top side is titled: "Thank you Icarus for daring to fly. . ." and the bottom side is titled: "Damn you Icarus for teaching us to dream. . ." I constructed the frame from wood and twine and used hot glue in lieu of wax to bind it all. The top image is acrylic and conte on canvas and the underside is acrylic with attached goose feathers. The mast has stenciled in the mission flight numbers for the space shuttles Columbia and Challenger, with seven feathers per flight lost for the astronauts who lost their lives in those tragedies. It saddens me so much that the space age has come to an end. All our technology that we take for granted, from communication, entertainment, transportation, medical and safety all owe their existence to NASA. The population as a whole has seem to forgotten that in their zeal to acquire more, faster and cheaper. Hubble alone has given us unimaginable insight into the fabric of existence and the nature of the universe. The end of the Shuttle program with no replacement in sight marks the first time in our species history in which our frontier is contracting and not expanding. This marks a possible regression into a dark age. I pray that I am wrong. 

Setting the Precedent

This image is an etching from War aspect of the print series "The Four." It is titled so because a child born into a world of violence is prone to violence. Hatred begets hatred in a vicious and everlasting cycle that seemed unbreakable. The trauma of a violent upbringing will create war mongers, political fanatics, and those who take advantage and profiteer from upheaval; including but not limited to those who control food, energy, and the flow of capital as well as media outlets, unchecked governments and religious institutions. It is absolutely irrational and borderline psychotic for people of different ethnicities, cultures, creeds and political ideologies to despise each other for what amounts misunderstanding and miscommunication. There will never be peace on this earth until we strive as a species united to break the cycle of violence.  

The Immaculate

This woodblock print constitutes the disease aspect from the print series The Four. Throughout human history, individuals with what we now know are severe psychological, neurological and physiologically degenerative conditions, have been relegated to the fringes of society and shunned as either demonic, corrupted or possessed and nothing but a bane and burden on society. It is such a remarkably troubling thing that these sentiments still run rampant and most people ignore the millions who suffer from a variety of ailments. Only with a massive public awarness campaign and heavily supported medical research can we even begin to allieviate those who go through an entire life truly tortured and in pain. We must never take the fraility of our species for granted.

Heroic Pose

The standing pose is one of the most difficult for a model to execute as it is incredibly taxing on the body. Only a stable pose such as this can be taken on for prolonged periods. In the past, models were many times tied into convoluted stances and poses with ropes and left for hours on end. Suffice to say that photography has eliminated that essentially barbaric practice. Dalawn's physique is perfect for this type of pose, which is heroic and statuesque.

The Condition of Postmodernity

This etching with aquatint print is part of the famine aspect in the series "The Four." While the vast majority of civilization's existence is filled with the suffering of the poor; a post industrial, post modern world has no reason to have even one hungry person. The gap between those lowest and highest in the economic spectrum is greater than at any point in human history. This is further exacerbated by the burden on the middle class which is forced to support both ends because of deception and greed of the rich. In the process those who are in the moral position to alleviate the pain on the poor are relegated to ignoring and avoiding them. I accuse myself as well of this hypocracy.

Multiple point of view

The use of reflective surfaces in still life, interior space, figure and portrait work allow the artist to tackle the object from multiple points of view simultaneously. It is a good method to understand the relationships in space and how light interacts with that void. Mirrors create interesting compositional elements and can give a seemingly mundane study an intriguing narrative. This charcoal study has given me insight for a future piece that I will call "Janet's Nemesis."

Kierkegaard’s Dilemma

This image is an etching from the disease aspect of the series The Four. While doctors take an oath to do no harm, they are inevitably corrupted by the constraints of capitalism that dictate medical care. As an individual patient, one does not exist nor have a personal nor profound purpose, but simply acts as a vessel for data to be harvested from. Physicians have the deepest desire to heal, but their spirits are broken and thus they lose their humanity. Ultimately the patient pays the price, especially those without adequate financial resources to accommodate the care they truly require.

Multiple portraiture

These two portrait studies are of the same model using different medium and technique. The ink on bristol was drawn while situated under the model looking upward. It created a strange angle that distorts the face and elongates the lower half of the face. The charcoal study was drawn opposite handed which I am increasingly getting accustomed and finding interesting results with each study.

Clayboard aka Scratchboard

There is a very unique feel to using scratchboard, and the results of white line on black background force the artist to think of form and negative space without color in mind, almost like a value study in reverse. There are many effects that can be done using a variety of scratching tools and further use of paint or stain can bring the finished piece to vibrant conclusion.

Drawing opposite handed

I am right -handed and this portrait study of Anna was drawn entirely left-handed. It is extremely difficult to draw opposite handed and also a very awkward experience as if though you are not in control of your limb. However, learning to work opposite handed is a valuable ability as it allows you to approach things from multiple ways. Leonardo DaVinci could draw profficiently with both hands and it is theorized that having that ability allowed him to access both hemispheres of his brain simultaneously, thus explaining his ingenuity and innovation.

Drawing from a dark background

It is very difficult to work from dark to light. For this study, I wanted to see if I could apply color on black paper to create all the warmth and light on the figure without having to worry about the dark values. The difficulty with drawing though, is that you are limited in the value range you can achieve and can easily over saturate certain colors making them too intense. Notice the eyes, once light is added it becomes difficult to darken them again. Especially in this medium, as colored pencils do not leave much room for correction. This is an important excersise that all artists must attempt as it helps understanding values and temperature when you are working in reverse. Caravaggio was the master at bringing lights our from a dark background, and his work pops off the canvas.

Ink Drawing on Bristol

Like silverpoint, drawing in ink forces the artist to make confident marks as there is minimal correction that can be done. The better quality pen that is used, the better the results. Using pens of various diameters (0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7mm 1.0mm) allows the artist a wide range of marks and line widths. There are many ways to approach a subject with ink, including contour, stipling, cross hatching, blocking, sketching or any combination of the various styles. Bristol is an excellent paper for ink as it it smooth, accepts the flow of the ink consistantly and has a brilliant white surface which helps define the line. For precision work an artist should ideally use repitographs, but those take practice to master as the point needs to "float" above the surface and not press into the paper like a typical pen. Many artists have managed to get remarkable results from cheap disposable roller ball pens. However, you will never find a true black with any inexpensive equipment.

Beta Eruption

This linocut print is the second image of the Eruption aspect in the Distaster series. Carving in linolium block produces such a distinct feel that is worlds apart from the birch woodblocks. They are both extremely expressive mediums to work with, but every particular image is puncuated by the material that is used. In this case, I feel that the always shifting earth is a fluid thing and the smoothness of the lino allows that dynamic to show.

Beta Conflagration

This multiple color woodblock print is the second image in the Conflagration aspect of the Disaster Series. This image depicts the overwhelming destruction that takes place from the great wildfires. While a naturally occuring and necessary phenomenon, the intrution of man into the cycle has caused devestation far beyond what nature had ever intended. The continual wildfires in the western states and the recent uncontrollable infernos in Russia and Greece a few years past reminds us that there is truly no escape from the firestorm. 

The Dying Gaul

The image of the dying warrior is a classical motif that has been revisited countless times in art history, each time taking on a new meaning. During the Renaissance, the pose was typically reserved for the Passion of Christ or the Martydom of the Apostles. In Napoleanic times, David painted  "Death of Marat" as a variation on that theme and pose but used for political propaganda. For this, DaLawn reclined in a casual dying pose so that there was adequate anatomy showing. In addition to the vine charcoal, I attempted a scratchboard to approximate a silverpoint as well as an ink on bristol drawing.

Alpha Gale

This print is first image of  "Gale" within the disaster series. As with "Deluge," "Conflagration," and "Eruption," this "Alpha" is an etching with aquatint. Being lost in the wind is a harsh thing to imagine as it attacks multiple senses and leaves you completely discombobulated. However, the wind is the easiest disaster to escape if you have adequate shelter.

Reclining Nude

One of the standard historical art poses is the reclining female nude. This type of pose has been used widely since the Renaissance to illustrate classical Greek stories, reimagined in the Colonial 19th century with the facination of the Orient as depicted with the Odalisque, and brought through the modern era with the engagment of the viewer by examining the female form and identity and the political and socialogical struggle that it was coupled with. The above two studies of Janet and Anna are just a few of the many reclining nudes an artist will have to do before he can master the female form. Keep in mind that one needs a full range of ethnicities, skin tones and body types to truly understand all the subtle charateristics of the anatomy.

Inspired Art

There is an organization called America Scores that works hard to provide after school activities for disadvantaged youth in urban communities. They offer sports such as soccer and creative activities like writing and play acting. I am humbly participating in their Inspired Art fundraising initiative in which artists create a work of art that is based on a poem of one of the children in the program. An artist always finds inspiration from a great many sources and illustrating prose is an excellent way to master mood and emotional resonance. This piece is titled "No one is there to tell her everything is ok." It is a multiple color woodblock print. I carved into birch panel and used water based inks on very fine paper. The poem is from an 11 year old girl and is as follows:

LONLINESS

This girl sits in the corner and cry alone

With no one by her side as sad as she is

She feels like garbage with everyone against her

While she stays everyday with no one there
To tell her everything will be ok
She feels like her family regrets her being born
She hates the fact that she has to feel this way
And she feels like a big disgrace.



If you are interested in helping America Scores please visit their blog: http://americascoreschicago.blogspot.com/

Alpha Conflagration

This print was done with etching with aquatint and is part of the disaster series. One can find shelter from the wind, rising waters and moving earth, but the raging inferno is impossable to avoid. This image has been in my mind since I was a young man and first read about the fire bombing of Dresden by allied forces towards the end of the second World War. Fire is all consuming and nature's ultimate destroyer.

Anatomical Detail Studies

Understanding the individual elements that make up the human body is crucial to learning the anatomy as a whole. Making studies of the various components such as hands, lips, eyes, ears, back, shoulders, ribcage, feet, etc. gives the artists an allowance to best fit them all together when working on the entire human body. The two silverpoints above are short, 2 hours studies from a live model which I always find better to use than plaster casts.

Back Studies

It goes without saying that the hands and feet are the most difficult parts of the human anatomy to capture perfectly, followed of course by the face. The one part of the anatomy that is often overlooked is the back. There are so many subtle variances in the structures of the scapula, ribs and spine as well as all the muscle groups making the back frustrating to get right. Above are partial back studies of Tiffany focusing on the scapula. The vine charcoal allowed me to focus on the movement of the torso while the silverpoint focused on the projecting surfaces.

Deluge series Alpha & Beta

Here are the final versions of Alpha Deluge (etching) and Beta Deluge (linocut). I am thrilled with the results and look forward to experimenting with the additional media for this series. I have expanded the project to include 4 different series of 24 images in 24 different media.

Silverpoint II

This Silverpoint of DeLawn was completed in a single, 4 hour session. The immediacy of the medium forces the artist to make bold and decisive marks as there is no erasure and absolute minimal correction that can be done. I find that the more silverpoint I do, the tighter my drafstmanship becomes. It's no wonder the masters used this technique, it forces you to become better.

Head Studies

There is an unfortunate lack of anatomical mastery in art education in the USA. I am collateral damage of the post modern era where concept and expression took precedent over academic style teaching methods. For that reason, I am constantly struggling to perform that which, at this point in my career, should be second nature. I can not stress enough how critical it is for the artist to continously sharpen their ability to draw and paint the human body, especially the hands and face. That is why so many self-portraits exist of the great masters; understanding the one face you never see, save in reflection, is the best way to master the structure of the face. Here are two charcoal head studies of Vikki & Jerry. Ideally, one head study per week is the way to go.

After Rodin's Thinker

For this piece I decided to replicate the pose of Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker." Using historical art as a springboard for one's work is a perfectly acceptable way to master certain techniques. In fact, there is ample precedent in which artists borrow style, image and composition from other artists. This is because all visual arts, just like music and language, are governed by rules of grammar and vocabulary, how the artist composes the final sentence and paragraph is what makes the work unique.

The Lotus

This was a very interesting pose to work on as the subtle variences of the anatomy of the back were difficult to bring out. I feel that I need to revisit this pose in the future with a different lighting scheme (as she was lit from a frontal angle). Nonetheless, I am still satisfied with the outcome.