Retrospection

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Yes, it’s that time again; I’m back in school and my last semester! Nutty!

For my Illustration 5 class, I have been asked to look back on my work from the last 3.5 years and start to look at what it means to me.

sketch for my upcoming comic "The Nine"

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I would have to say one of my favorite media for drawing is ye ole china marker, a.k.a. litho crayon. I love its buttery smooth stroke and its ability to create a lot of value with a little effort. I also like to paint, mainly watercolor and acrylic, although I used to love oils. I haven’t produced any of those in a while, as they tend to take an eternity to dry, so they’re not ideal for school. Scratchboard is fun for me, as well. It’s so satisfying to reveal positive forms from a negative space.

Charcoal is a medium from hell—er, well, it’s just burnt willow twigs. Not only is it extremely smudgy, it gets in your lungs and turns your boogers black. Gouache, if used in a watercolor-like way, is all right, but trying to push the paint to make flat shapes with consistent thickness is infuriating.

Somehow, I’ve never gotten into collage during my art career. It looks beautiful, and I’d love to try it one day. I’ve also never had any instruction on the subject, so I’m a bit scared to just jump in on my own, but who knows? Maybe some day…splash!

planar development drawing

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I’d have to say that Life Drawing with Fred Burton was and still is a huge help to me in my illustration. Of course, knowledge of the figure is crucial to any artist creating representational work of any sort. Graphic Design is next in line just because an illustrator needs to understand the relationship of his or her work and its final destination. Then there’s Drawing Composition. Pardon my bluntness, but if you can’t make a pretty picture, you’re not likely to be a successful artist.

One can’t help but be influenced by her peers. Seeing their projects turns me on to new techniques, new media, and ideas I would have never conjured up on my own. Also, it’s good morale to work with each other to bounce around ideas and have work-in-progress criticism.

personal painting from last semester

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000189 EndHTML:0000001965 StartFragment:0000001525 EndFragment:0000001929 SourceURL:file:///My%20Dungeon/Users/admin/Desktop/FA09/blog%20posting/post_01.txt The subject matter of my work is almost wildly varied. I prefer fantastical creatures or epic scenes, but there’s a place in my heart for quiet, serene pictures, too. I really like things from the imagination, from fiction, myths, fairytales. Drawing from life is fun, though it doesn’t carry the same giddiness for me.

graphic adaptation of Steven King's The Dark Tower Books 1 & 4

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It stems from my love of fiction. David Burton (my Lit. Survey teacher, not related to Fred) put it best, that mankind has loved stories since our creation. I’m no exception. And I’m a sucker for romance novels.

The music I love almost doesn’t fit with what I read for leisure. Metal, rock, and alternative are about the only genres I listen to, coupled with a bit of opera and the occasional Weird Al. That man is a genius, doing what he loves and making money off it at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrowbOGZJwg Pure genius! Amish Paradise by Weird Al

Thor, Squeaky, and Fonti: Rhode Island Reds

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I grew up on a farm, and many of my hobbies and interests reflect my upbringing. I know how to drive a tractor and ride a motorcycle, though I’ve never ridden on pavement before. I love keeping pet chickens and turkeys, just like my mother and grandmother, and her mother before her. Bit of a tradition, eh?

I have an affinity for really small cars, little four-cylinders or smaller, so underappreciated by their owners and mocked by SUV owners. Fossil fuels, people.

canopic jar

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