Day Eighty Six

I had an interesting, semi-productive day today. I managed to churn out yet another sketch and attend a play at an old school...

That's me, on the right. Well, my feet.

For today’s project, I attempted a different, more abstract style of illustration. Maybe it’s just the constant episodes of Project Runway and Next Top Model that air on afternoon television, but fashion (as an art, an idea, a way of life) has sunk it’s perfectly manicured nails deep into my all-too-willing brain.

So, at the risk of becoming every other young woman my age, I’ve decided to indulge this recent obsession with all things (good or bad) fashion related and continue to illustrate and study. Why not, right?

far-ther adv. To or at a more distant point. adj. Most distant; farthest.

Without thinking, I just began to sketch. I was inspired by a few dresses I’d seen today, and a vintage-y look. I used the runway to illustrate the concept of “farther”.

I like the way this turned out; it was very freeing to draw a simple sketch of the (greatly exaggerated) human form without obsessing over how each curve looked and if everything lined up in a semi-realistic way. I like that the runway is as long as it is; it makes the whole experience seem larger than life. In a way, I think, it is some kind of unreal, fragile existence. It’s fascinating that so many people dedicate so much time, energy, and obsession for a few moments and a short (often devastating) career. All for something that does not feed, heal, or house anyone. But, in a way, it does all of these things (except feed...I would really argue the opposite). It’s an interesting dilemma; does something so superficial and pointless on the surface really have a deeper meaning? Maybe I’ll never figure it out; that’s alright. I don’t mind being perched between cynicism and awe.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post; thank you for reading!

Xx

-r

Day Forty Six

Today’s post coming to you live (just barely) from the couch. I almost forgot about today’s piece; I scrambled last minute for the pastels and a piece of tagboard. As I sketched in pencil, I came up with the idea for what to do with today’s word. Oh yes...today’s word...

in-dus-try n., pl.  –tries The commercial production and sale of goods and services; a branch of manufacture and trade; industrial management as distinguished from labor; diligence.

After working for a bit, I decided to do sort of a sort of mirror image.

I liked the idea of the plants mirroring the buildings in approximate shape and size. I wanted to show the replacing of plants and trees with tall buildings and smog. (Just between you and me, I prefer the dark and grungy industrial wasteland to the picturesque field any day.) I think I would rather have spent more time cleaning up the image; maybe I will work on this idea for a print later on. Now that I have the rough draft, I’d like to see how a clean, bright silhouette would turn out versus the sketchy, soft lines created by pastel.

Thanks for reading!! Enjoy your night!

Xx

-r

Day Forty Two

It got cold again. Not that I would know; I didn’t actually set foot outside my house today... I drew the line at staying in my pajamas after 2 o’clock, and traded in my sweats for a pair of skinny jeans and the closest available pair of rather festive socks:

I believe I have fallen in love with pastels. For yet another day, I am using them to add dimension to my staple (pen and ink). Today’s word threw me; there are so many possibilities for this word, but I decided to go with a rather sweet and simple take on it.

dir-ty  adj.  Not clean; grimy; indecent; obscene; mean; despicable; lacking in brightness or clarity; relating to excessive radioactive fallout. v. To become or make soiled.

Looking for inspiration, I came across a song I hadn’t heard in a while...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV1rZa9bUxA

I really like their style-that kind of goofy, energetic, crazy sound. Although I may be entirely misinterpreting it, I drew from this song, especially the chorus: “Do you really want to hold my dirty hand?” I liked the idea of a cute little character being more than a little in love. Judging by the insistence in her eyes, it may be unrequited...

I started with the girl, added a big heart behind her, and colored it and her cheeks in with pastel.

I’d added a few lines at her feet and coming up to add “dirtiness”, but used the black and gray pastels to add more to it.

I then added a little yellow to give it an even more childishly grubby feel. Ah, what a sweet thing.

I hope you enjoyed today’s piece! Have a great night and stay warm!

Xx

-r

Day Forty One

Great day today. I shot some cool pictures of the melting ice and snow, ate a good lunch, and learned everything there is to know about art therapy. *sigh*. Wait...it was more of a *SIGHHHHHHHH!!!*. Ahh, there we go.

Now, for today’s word.

san-i-ty  n. The state of being sane.

Of course, drawing a sane person would be no fun. Anyway, how could you know for sure they were sane? Maybe they were super crazy and just super good at hiding it. You would never, ever know. Until they killed you or ate the family pet...then you would probably know.

Well, as you have probably guessed, I drew someone pretty insane. 

As with yesterday’s piece, (although the outcome was extremely different) I used oil pastels to add emotion. I liked the smudged and dirty effect the gray and black pastels gave to this character’s face. I figured if the intense stare didn’t do it, the sagging eyes and striped jumpsuit would clue you in to the fact that this character is a little off.

Hope you enjoy today’s piece!

Stay crazy, people.

Xx

-r

Day Forty

Day forty! Holy cow! Only 325 days left to go...

It’s often liberating; not having a plan for your art. I love the feeling of opening up the dictionary with no expectations. I try not to have a plan in place for how the art turns out before I see what my word will be. This way, the art is spontaneous and (hopefully) new.

Well, today I had a plan. I had a plan in place the second I walked to my desk to get art supplies. I knew exactly what to get, and how my piece would turn out. Then, I saw my word.

Would you like to know what it is?

fish bowl  n.  A bowl usually made of glass, serving as a small aquarium for fish; a lack of privacy.

As soon as I saw the word, I tossed my plans aside in favor of something much more interesting.

I liked the comical idea of a girl being in a fishbowl. Although I had originally intended her to be stuck, she seems almost to be just hanging out there, blowing bubbles with a straw. I used oil pastels to add some color, because they are easy to blend to create that watery look.

I hope you enjoy today’s artwork and your night.

Xx

-r

Day Thirty Eight

Worked a little bit on art stuff today. The whole day seemed to slip away. Oh well. It’s Friday!! Anyone else looking forward to a three day weekend??

 If only I was here:

Southern France: 2010

I opted for a simple pen and ink sketch for today’s piece. I absolutely love today’s word. Not because it’s particularly exciting, but it makes for a cute cartoon.

lamp  n.  A device for generating heat and light.

I decided to just begin by drawing a lamp...

I decided to add a couple of characters around (and inside) of the lamps. For a little extra, I added some Edison bulbs.

I hope you enjoy today’s post, and your night!

Xx

-r

Day Thirty Seven

Sadly, today was a designated school day. That means no art, no television, and no music. Well, I cheated a little on the “no music” front. Feeling deprived, I decided to take some extra time today’s project.

I had an uncarved linoleum block sitting around, and decided to use it. After the experience with linoleum block print Christmas cards, it seemed like a good art form to explore.

Before I tell you more about the carving process, I should probably tell you today’s word:

romp  v.  To run, play, or frolic in a carefree way.

Okay, back to the carving...

The original sketch was of a girl (seen from the back) running through the forest. This block was very easy to carve; cutting down considerably on time and amount of accidental stabbings. (hooray!)

I spread some paint on a sheet of glass with a silkscreen squeegee, and placed the carved block onto the paint to ink it.

Let me just say that many of the fine details did not come through in the carving (the blades I had were much too wide for this task) and the girl herself did not come through as much as I’d hoped.                                                   

The first time, I’d put too thick a layer of paint on the glass, and the print came out "blobby".

The second print had too little ink, and barely came out at all.

The third and final print was lacking some paint around the edges, but I decided to go with it.

The two people (other than myself) that have seen the print can’t quite tell what it is *sigh* but I hope at least some of you can. Thanks for reading!

Enjoy your night!!

Xx

-r

Day Thirty Five

Saying today was cold is like saying getting shot in the knee might sting a little... Deciding to walk to my hair appointment was maybe not the best of ideas, but well worth the touch of frostbite.

couldn't help it...gotta to show it off

Time to curl up a few inches from the space heater and defrost just enough to scrawl a sketch onto a piece of paper. (okay, now I’m just being dramatic) Today’s word made me think of some unwritten social rules, and the almost ridiculous way that people follow them.

dis-tance  n. Separation in time or space; the degree of separation between two points; the space that separates any two specified points in time; the quality or state of being distant; aloofness.

Phew!!

Anyway, it made me think of that awkward hug people give each other when they’re practically strangers. The one where they stand about 3 feet apart and lean in and pat each other on the back... I can’t stand that hug. I mean, if you’re going to hug someone, actually hug them. If you’re not comfortable enough to do that, you shouldn’t be hugging them in the first place...that’s what handshakes are for, people!

Okay, enough ranting about “air hugs”. I decided not to sketch the scene I just described, and instead to go for something sweeter and arguably much more awkward...

 I like that they are leaning so far, they are about to fall.

Hope you are enjoying your read, your night, and your warm house. It’s harsh winter days like this that make me extra grateful for what I have.

Xx

-r

Day Thirty One

Day thirty one...wow. Taking a quick break from silk screening to bring you a quick pen and ink sketch...

Today’s word was perfect!! Although I was too much of a ninny to travel further outdoors than the porch of our house, I quickly determined that it was really, really cold. I watched as the trees outside my window bent almost double in the high winds, and decided that today was a good day to stay inside.

Back to our word, though...

chill-y  adj.  Very cold; without warmth of temperature or feeling.

To make up for yesterday’s lame excuse for a posting, I decided to go all-out with the color. A couple boxes of Dad’s old pastels helped to bring today’s image to life a little.

ahh, blending...

 I liked the idea of standing calmly on a winter day; although she may be quite chilly, she seems to almost enjoy the quiet. It reminds me of the times last winter that I (and my reluctant accomplice/father) spent shooting photographs late at night in the snow. The blanket of white made familiar places new again; the world was quiet and (apart from the occasional car) we were on our own. There really is nothing like it. 

Well, I will cease my rambling and let you get back to your night...

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post.

Xx

-r