Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Forgotten Passing

With all the news coverage surrounding the tragic death of Robin Williams, I feel the passing of Lauren Bacall was overlooked. Here's my homage to a great siren of the silver screen.



Lauren Bacall
charcoal on toned paper
16.5 x 21

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Rocky Horror Picture Show





Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute
charcoal and pastel on canson paper
10x12


Lately, I've been watching so many artists on you tube and facebook who can draw amazing, tiny drawings (think baseball card size) on a completely flat surface, and I've been trying to force myself to work that way.

This piece was drawn at a slanted easel on my desk. I have a tendency to be very tight whenever I work any place other than my big standing easel, though I know from having it drummed into my head repeatedly in figure drawing class that you need to have free range of motion when you're drawing. My pencil grip is completely different when I work at my desk, and inevitably, something on the drawing is off. This piece was no exception. More than 24 hours after finishing, I noticed the left eye is higher and larger than the right. It's not a huge difference, barely noticeable actually, but it was driving me crazy, so I corrected it in Photoshop, and increased the contrast slightly.

I have come to the realization that comparing yourselves to others is generally a waste of time. My method is my method, and I'm going to honor it, even if that means squeezing my giant easel into the teeny tiny corner of my apartment that has been converted into my "studio!