Canibal Elk

Being an artist is fun. I feel guilty about it sometimes when all my buddies are actually working for a living - but being an artist is also a series of interruptions; phone calls, taxi driving, wrong materials, bad weather, killer horse flies and other minor distractions.

However, I've never quite had an interruption like the one sculptor George Bumman had this past week...

Canibal Elk

No Arms! 6-25-11

This one is a reminder of just how badly I need a scanner. It's just hard to do much without the right tools!

Weird Worm, 6-24-11

One of my kids said this little guy was scary. Another one said he was cute. So there you have it. It is impossible to please everyone!

Marker Sketch, 6-23-11

WC Sketch 6-22-11

7"x5"

Here's another one where the sun was only out about 10% of the time. So a lot of this was guess work.  I'm looking forward to trying this one again.

Cole, 6-22-11

Marker Sketch

This is another medium I am attempting to become more familiar with.  Thanks to the generous donation of a friend, I now have a small set to play around with. I'll be posting more in the days to come.

Todays Water Color Sketch, 6-20-11

5"x7"

My adventures with Water colors continue.  This is the fifth sketch and I feel like I'm learning a little more with each outing. Maybe after another hundred sketches I will finally have what I'm looking for. Then again it may take a thousand.

Crazy Sketch

This was a made-up sketch I did while entertaining the kids. They say he looks scary!

Digital Dominance?

"Picture It" is the blog of Fred Lynch, professor of Illustration at Montserrat College of Art and Rhode Island School of Design. In the post linked below he shows the trend toward digital methods  completely taking over the world of illustration. Good thing? - Bad thing?  I don't know enough about the digital world to have much of an opinion. I just find it interesting.


Digital Displacement

Caleb on Swing

Earthbound, Sharpie

This is not the best sketch. Caleb certainly does not have a mustache. But considering drawing from memory is not my strong suit, I didn't think this was to bad.  I did it while he was having the time of his life!

Mary in the River

Earthbound, Sharpie

Old Studio Road

This is yesterdays outdoor sketch.  I'm still getting use to this medium and guess I will be for the next 100 paintings or so. I may go back and touch this one up. It looks like I over did the blue's in the shadows.

Flora and our Condo

What I do When The Kids are Sleeping, Day 4

Moleskine, Sharpie

Hay Bales

I took my oldest daughter to cross-country practice this morning and sat and painted while she ran.  They practice in this nice little park we have here in Tuscaloosa - and it happened to be after they had mowed the hay which added nicely to this watercolor sketch.  We also had an unusually cool morning so the weather experience was pleasant for a change!

WC Sketch 6-14-11

This is the second water color sketch I've ever done.  I setup over at the The University of Alabama's Arboretum. I'm still adjusting to how this stuff works but I'm finding it to be a great outdoor medium. Very fast, and not near as messy.

I devised an easel setup on this one that required me to hold the water color pad in my hand..... it didn't work very well.  Drawing accurately was almost impossible, but the result wasn't the worst thing I've ever done.

Just finished another one over at Sokol Park which I will post tomorrow.

What I do During Lunch, Day 3

Moleskine, Sharpie

What I do When The Kids are Tubing, Day 2

Moleskine,  Sharpie,  Ballpoint Pen

What I do When the Kids are Swimming! Day 1

Flora,

Earthbound Sketch book with a Sharpie

Moleskine, Sharpie

Moleskine, sharpie

Earthbound, Sharpie

Earthbound, Sharpie

Geese!

This mother goose was on the nest.

My First Watercolor

I'm not really sure why I have avoided water colors.  I think it is probably because you cannot scrape off the paint like you can with oils.  Anyway, I have seen it used as a sketching medium and I thought I would try it out on my sketching trip. Very different feel and approach but I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I will be posting some of the pen and ink sketches I did on my trip during the next week.

Swing

This one comes across a little somber.  It may have to do with the directional lines are the downward glance.  Could not be more opposite than the happy smiling child that she is.

Tornado Damage

I was waiting for a lunch appointment and spent about 10 min on this sketch of a house damaged in the April 27th tornado. I spend most of my time drawing people and I found trying to render the debris rather difficult. With all the damage there is in Tuscaloosa, I'm sure I'll get more opportunities.

Doodles 6-02-11

These two sketches are the top and bottom of the same page. When I use a larger sketchbook, and I'm trying not to draw attention to the fact that I'm drawing, I will often flip the sketchbook like this.