Block Printing

      At the begining of this project, the concept of block printing was very new to me.  I had done similar things using wood carving tools, but it wasn't all the same.  This time around we were given composite blocks that could be carved into, to get an effect similar to that of a rubber stamp.  I started with a more simple design than the one above, sketched it out, transfered the penicl onto the block and carved it out just to get the feel for it.  It was cool looking, but ultimatley I wanted to challenge myself so I decided to portray this scene from the old Disney movie "Alice in Wonderland" using the same techniques as before.  It was just as much of a challenge as I expected it to be, which was just what I wanted.  This was definatley one of the more new and exciting projects this year.

Pages from a Book

        These are altered book pages that I created using paints, magazine cut-outs, and sharpie markers.  The purpose of this project was to create a link between words from a book, and visual design.  Each one tied in themes of power, insanity, and imagination through the words highlighted, or framed on the page.  This wasn't the easiest project for me to plan out, because reading isn't really a hobby of mine, but in the end I was able to use the words to easily get a message across, and it was fun to try something different.

Painted Perspective

         For this project we were instructed to create a sense of two-point perspective using colored paints that would demonstrate specific color schemes.  Here I chose contrasting colors blue and orange, because they are my two favorite colors and look really interesting together.  Everything I painted was formed from a shade or tint of blue and orange.  For example the land below was created with different combinations of orange, black, and white paint.  The sky above demonstrated the same technique with the color blue.  This project was really fun to do, however painting on paper proved difficult because it is constantly warping.  If I were to do it again I would probably use canvas, but overall I'm very happy with the way it looks. 

Living Space

       This is a drawing done in paper on a decently sized piece of paper (cannot remember exact dimensions) of my own bedroom.  We were given the assignment to create a space that demonstrates perspective and shading accurately given a fixed point of view and light source.  Some objects in my room proved more difficult to put on paper such as the floor boards, guitar, and the desk on the left.  I gave them a significant effort however I am not too proud of the result.  Looking back on this drawing I can find other flaws such as the amount of blank space near the top, the size of the window, etc.  But nothing can be perfect unfortunately.
        Otherwise this project was pretty fun, because I was working from memory in an attempt to recreate my own personal living space.  I had fun sketching my dresser because it is covered with stickers that I have been slapping on there since I was a little boy.  Had this been a piece using color it would have taken much longer and I would have found many more troubles in accurately depicting this location.  Overall this project was not my favorite but I still feel accomplished in drawing a scene from my memory.

Missing Pieces

         Recently we designed an abstract skateboard graphic which demonstrates the concepts of color use and balance.  This project was particularly fun for me because I have grown up with a skateboard under my feet and have seen more graphics than I can recall.  I've noted colorful ones, dull ones, abstract ones, and realistic ones, each time imagining what I would do to make them better.
         I brought in an eight inch wide by thirty six inch long skateboard deck and traced it onto a large piece of paper, then cut it out.  I started out drawing on it with pencil so that I could brainstorm my ideas, and after about two to three days in class I ended up with this final product.  It's brightly colored with orange and blue marker and some black outlines to make it stand out.  Ultimately I was proud of these puzzle pieces.

David Gilmour

       This is part two of the previous post concerning shading and the use of value, while using a pencil.  No he is not Jesus, although strikingly similar in appearance, this is David Gilmour, lead singer and guitarist for the band Pink Floyd.  I was inspired to draw him specifically because of my interest in him as an artist, and the music he produces.  This was more difficult than the profile view of James Hetfield because it was a close up, detailed photo to begin with, not to mention the amount of hair I had to work through.  I ended up giving the basic shade with a pencil and using the eraser to lighten the lines in his beard, as well as the rest of his hair.  Although I had very little experience drawing people (let alone their faces) coming into this, I was even more satisfied with my end result on this second time around, making this my favorite art work I have done in a while.   

James Hetfield

       This is a large-scale pencil drawing of James Hetfield done by gridding the origional photo, and scaling it up for the final picture.  This project was intended to provide practice in the use of value while shading the human face.  This two-part project began here with the profile veiw of James Hetfield, lead guitarist and vocals for the band Metallica.  Part two will be posted later with a frontal view of a different artist.  It was cool to attempt something like this that I had never done before, and ultimately I was very proud of the result.