Plans Change

I was talking to my Sister-in-law (wassup Sadie) about my new project and she was saying how much she was enjoying my drawings of various authors and characters. She mentioned that she thought I should draw some Star Wars characters (as if I wasn't gonna, psshhh), but that I would probably not be able to due to trademarks and copyrights. That set off an explosion in my mind that led to me googling laws and junk having to do with art depicting celebs (both dead and alive). Not only are there legal wranglings involving rights to personal image, but there are laws to protect the photographers as well. Therefore, I won't be continuing with this project, even though there seems to be some leeway. Just too much paranoia.

I will, however, be starting a new project. It will involve the ever-frustrating use of soft pastels. I'm really wanting to simplify my art style and I've always been drawn to simple compositions and color choices. I'm not into loud or clashing colors or overly-busy designs. I really dig Edward Hopper and Van Gogh, with their studies in light, geometry, and organic shapes, so I've decided to draw inspiration from them and begin a journey into simplicity, striking compositions, and abstractions/slices of reality. I really want to focus on the man-made juxtaposed with the natural. I'm not going to over-think my compositions or subjects and I'm not trying for a masterpiece with every work. I'm merely going to find a subject that interests me and attempt to create a work that highlights it in a compelling way. Here are a couple of my first works for this new direction:

Light pole

Rooftops

I think you can already see the Edward Hopper in these works. I'm hoping to introduce even a wider variety of colors in my future works, but I really want to keep things true to life. We'll see where this leads.

Drawings Drawings Everywhere

My latest undertaking is a project that would have me draw at least 5 new works a week, with a goal of one per day. I've always been intrigued by people that do this sort of thing, because it's quite a challenge. Drawing, even for people that are great at it and love it, is not always very easy and many times ends with crumpled paper or scribbled out images. So, I see this as both an opportunity for me to grow in my skill, try something new, and showcase my talent and vision.

The actual project will consist of portraits of people that have influenced or inspired me in some way. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people that my life has been shaped by, and most of them are not family members or friends (though, of course, some are). Some of these people have had more influence than others and some are just steps along my path to where I am today. They are writers, musicians, athletes, entertainers, characters, etc. I feel that a person's name or face are each representative of what that person stands for and has done in their lifetime, and therefore, a portrait wouldn't just be a representation of a person's physical make-up, but a representation of their life and efforts. For instance, my portrait of Tolstoy shouldn't just make the viewer think, "Oh, yeah. Tolstoy was a great writer." It should also make them think, "Anna Karenina was a great book. Konstantin Levin's wrestling between faith and materialism affected my soul." Or, "Tolstoy was a strange dude and contradicted himself in his thoughts and actions." The viewer can take away many things from a portrait and there is a good possibility that they will take away more things from a portrait of someone they recognize.

In any case, this is my labor of love. Here are my four first drawings.

-Tolstoy-

-Dostoevsky-

-Twain-

-Ron Swanson-

Fresh Start (?)

I do a fresh start every so often. This is a fresh start.

New blog. New tumblr design. New twitter account. New Etsy junk. New lease on life (old cliches still).

Why all the new? Well, why not? How's that for a question answered by a question? Turned that right around on you, didn't I?

The new is due to a reassessment. A conversation with myself. A conversation with my family. A conversation with God.

It's time I started to buckle down and try to get my art out there in the world. Whatever it takes. It's going to be a lot of work, I can already tell. Hopefully it will be fun work, though. I think it will be.

So, I'm enlisting the help of my friends. If you are my friend, please follow me. Get the word out. I hope that I give you every reason to do so. If you are in need of someone to follow you, I will be happy to. This isn't all about me (even though it kind of is, at least in this case). Follow this blog. Follow my twitter. Follow my tumblr. Follow my etsy stuff.

I will do my best to get my junk together. I'm revamping everything.

Thank you.