Whoopie!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and is preparing to have a Happy New Year. I haven't posted in about two weeks because I have been enjoying this time of year with friends and family, but here is something that I did back when the park was open, just to get something up here so I didn't go too long without a post.


Graphite and Airbrush

Roswell Hornets Football 2007

This was probably my most time consuming project to date, drawing the local high school football team. I Also did this project last year, but on a much smaller scale, I only drew the about 30 or so seniors graduating that year. This year, I drew the 30 or something seniors, the 20 coaches, the trainers, the physical therapist, the cheer coaches...on and on and on...

In all, I drew 60 people for this project, here are 10 of them. I thought I'd spare you from all the monotony.

As a side note, the 2006 Hornets won the State Championship,
and the 2007 Hornets made it into the third round of the playoffs.

Congratulations Hornets!

Final 2D Design Project

Here is what kept me busy for about the last two weeks of the fall semester, our final 2d Design project. The assignment was a two part project centered around a social issue, I chose Childhood Obesity.

Part 1.) The Poster - Well, this image really doesn't describe what I did, because there was so much going on in this project. Everything was attached to a foam core board, and was "sticking out" somewhat. The fries can actually be removed from the fry carton, and some of the fries have information written on them. The McDonald's street sign move back and forth, in somewhat of a pendulum motion, and the Red Circle with the McDonald's logo on it rotates.

I used Copic Markers and Prismacolor colored pencils to draw and what not.



Part 2.) The Take Away - Fat Kid key chains, made out of Sculpy, painted with acrylics, and clothed in blue fabric. The box was made out of black foam core and matte board.

I wanted to make them out of the same stuff the make prosthetics out of, but I tried and failed. I thought it would be cool if when you flick their little fat kid stomachs that it would jiggle

Attached to the key ring was this tag. We had to provide information, and a URL for an opportunity to find out more on the social issue.


If interested, click here for more information on this growing problem

We were supposed to be somewhat concerned about the issue we chose, and I am!

...but it was mostly chosen because of the humor of the subject matter!

Enjoy!

Self Portrait

For our final project in Drawing I, we had to do a self portrait, you know those "serious ones" I started three, and only finished one. The first two are drawings that I put about an hour into, size 24" x 36" and the last one is the one I came closer to finishing, but I would still make changes on it if I could.

The assignment was "you in your environment" So I figured I would just set up a couple mirrors on my drawing table, and draw what I saw, but I didn't like that once I got started...

I then decided I just wanted to draw myself, and my environment would be my background, but then decided that my proportions wouldn't be correct on this particular drawing, even though I think I came pretty close...
Then after two attempts in charcoal, I got bored kinda, and moved onto ink. If we chose to do it in ink, we had to use cross contour. You can see it if you look for them, and thats how I wanted it. Not perfect, but it will do... I hope.

Working with the Figure

Well, some might be wondering what I've been up to for the past few weeks without a post, and here it is, for the most part. These figure drawings were completed in class (Drawing I), and all were done with a purpose to demonstrate some aspect of drawing. Hopefully I've successfully demonstrated whatever it was I was being asked to demonstrate...??

Contour (Charcoal)

Proportion and Scale (Charcoal)

Representing the Figure in relation to its Environment (Charcoal)

This assignment was simply the figure on buff paper, but I assigned myself to think of it as how the light is affecting the figure, so I paid a lot of (general) attention to lighting (Charcoal)

Contour and Cross Contour (Pen and Ink)

Contour and Cross Contour (Pen and Ink)

This is all in class stuff, outside of class has also been crazy. I've been working on two final projects, one being a self portrait (as soon as that's finished you will see it up here) and the other a poster to illustrate a social problem. I had fun with the latter, and will also post that in the coming week or so. Both are in the final stages, and have consumed most of my free time for the past two weeks or so.

So please, I know I have a long way to go, but let me know what you think of these figure drawings. They are quite boring, but we're working on the fundamentals. This post if very much a part of the learning process. Thanks!

Pastor Appreciation Month

Along with Mole Day (October 23rd), October also brought us Pastor Appreciation Month. I was approached about doing a piece for the pastor of our church, Crosspoint Community Church, and here are the results. He is the father of six children, and his wife is a flight attendant on Delta Airlines. He is a huge Auburn Fan and used to judge cows at county fairs. With all that information, I came up with the grand idea of doing a knock off of the famous Grant Wood painting, American Gothic...my apologies to Mr. Wood.

Once again, Copic Markers...

Mr. Cosmo!

Back in May, I wrote a post about getting a Chameleon. Well, He's here and has been for a couple months now. His name is Cosmo, he is a 10 month old, 17 inch male Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). He pretty much hates me, or anything else that moves or makes sounds (unless he can eat it) so I don't take him out a whole bunch (if at all). When he does come out, it is only for cage cleanings and a general look over, he's pretty aggressive. Don't let his looks fool you, he'll tear you apart! In all seriousness, Chameleons are not pets that enjoy being handled, they are best treated like fish and not handled unless necessary. Here are a couple of pictures of him in his "natural" habitat, and one of me holding him.

Keeping true to the nature of my blog, here is a study of him done in my sketchbook with micron pens, and copic markers for coloring.



...enjoy

Co-workers...

Again, but this time sung to a different tune...sketchbook sketches!

I was going to do more, but I got bored, and didn't feel like doing anymore...so I didn't...

Jeremy

Chi and Pat

Kelton


...enjoy!

Mole Day 2007!!

As everyone knows, we just recently celebrated "Mole Day" appropriately on October 23rd beginning @ 6:02am, As designated by the National Mole Day Foundation.

As Part of the festivities, (and a particular chemistry assignment) my brother had to make a shirt to commemorate the occasion, and I of coarse jumped in to do my part in honoring the number "mole," and helped put his idea to paper.

Being as unique as he is, my brother themed his shirt after the 1970's dance show, Soul Train, and here was the result, a design achieved in cooperation with my brother, Matt.

Another Hallmark Holiday?! I can see the marketing potential now...

Prometheus, the Fire Bringer

This is the most recent example of work that I am doing in my 2-D design class @ KSU.
The assignment was to choose a myth or a folk tale and use that myth (in my case) to center an image around, using text to portray to story, or moreover, the "Deeper Meaning" of the story.

That "Deeper Meaning" thing is where I have difficulty.

I chose the Prometheus, Bringer of Fire myth to center my image around. For those not familiar with the myth, its about two brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, and their role in populating the Earth.

Here is a little Greek Language fun for those interested. Epimetheus was the Greek word for "hindsight" and Prometheus was the Greek word for "foresight"

Since Epimetheus lacked foresight, he assigned all the traits and abilities to all the animals of the world without saving one in particular for man, to make him unique. Prometheus, noticing this glaring error on his brothers behalf decided that the flame could be a unique attribute of man. Zeus disagreed. But as full of foresight as Prometheus was, he stole fire from the heavens and brought it down to Earth for man to utilize. And thats why we have fire... according to the Greeks at least.

Pretty straight forward, heres what I came up with...

Enjoy!

Once in a Lifetime

My day had an interesting start to it recently, it was one of those things that you would never even imagine happening.

I go to school at Kennesaw State University, which is located just north of Atlanta, near the city, but north enough so its closer to the North Georgia mountains. I consider myself lucky because of events like this, when wildlife and I come face to face. Usually its just small woodland creatures, like squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and the occasional rabbit, but the other day was a little different. As I was walking into the art building to put my stuff in my locker, I saw this guy. I believe he was a Red Tailed Hawk, but don't hold me to it. I quickly took out my phone to take a picture of him, before he flew away as I approached him (or so I predicted.) I snapped a picture and walked towards him (on the way into the building), and he didn't fly away! I was somewhere between 3 and 5 feet away from him when I took these pictures with my super poor quality camera phone, I SO wish I had my real camera that day, it was an incredible experience! I watched him, and he seemed to be paying close attention to me as well. Once again it was an incredible experience, and here's the proof...

One more week @ the park, some new sketches, mostly old ones...

The guy on the right is actually the confused guy's grandpa...his self proclaimed nickname was "shaggy"...

No words could describe how enjoyable this sketch was...

Not quite sure why I like this one, nothing special, but I like it...

Luke worked the summer with us at SFOG, as we so affectionately call it...

And Pat is our resident sailor

Swirlism

This was a project for my 2D Design class, the assignment was to create a self portrait using only textures and patterns to create value (rather than stippling, hatching, and cross hatching). I dub this Swirlism because the majority of this image was created using a variety of "swirls" and circles...My hair is words...lots and lots of words....

Click for a closer look...its quite trippy

Enjoy...

Charcoal Still Life... x 2

I realize that I'm not what you would call "good" at drawing still life's I find them boring..and charcoal is somewhat foreign to me...but this is what I got, so I'm going to show it...

In Class Still Life

At Home Still Life


...enjoy

Drawing on a Pumpkin...

Sometimes, I get asked to do weird things...

Much like drawing on a pumpkin! This was for some lady who was putting together a Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly pumpkin statue thing for a school auction. I met her in a Starbucks on Roswell Road, where she wanted me to, on the spot, draw Gene Kelly on her foam pumpkin. This is not really the way I would have liked this to work, ideally I would have taken the pumpkin home, and draw it at home, and really thought about what I was doing. She knew I worked doing caricatures live, and frankly didn't see a difference between this, and drawing on a pumpkin. Against my better judgment, it was completed within an hour of sitting in this particular Starbucks. She stopped me several times, and consulted the gentlemen behind us sipping his $10 latte about certain aspects of the drawing, he must have thought we (she) were insane.

The sketch onto the pumpkin was completed in some kind of make-up (don't ask) and finished in Sharpie marker. Yea, as I'm sure a lot of artist know, sometime you encounter clients who have a certain idea, image in mind, and want it drawn exactly how they picture it. Luckily I realized this as soon as I met the lady (who was really nice by the way, she was just very particular) and attended to her needs as she voiced them. She seemed please with the results, and told me I did a wonderful job.

Any who, with all that said, this is my big eyed, (even though he has small squinty eyes) chinless Gene Kelly on a pumpkin.

I hope she was able to raise a fair amount of money for her school with this submission. It was definitely and interesting experience, and one I will not likely forget.