Portfolio Iteration 2

This is my 2nd portfolio attempt.  I took some time since my last one to realize 1 major thing: I didn't even know how to draw.  I took some night classes and practice as much as I could.  It has paid me back and I'm very happy with what i've created.  It's not michaelangelo, but it works for me at the moment.  I still have a lot to do.

Wish me luck with sending it to Art Center.  

The biggest realizations i've had are:

1. I had to learn how to use photoshop in 1 week.  I still am terrible and slow inside of it. 

2. Creativity is probably the hardest thing to do.  It's also the single coolest thing int he world to master.  Being able to use a pencil and pull some crazy stuff out of your head on paper to communicate an idea to someone is amazing.

3. Design is what it's all about.  It might not look like it with 9 pages of art.  But I had to fill 2 sketchbooks to figure out how this whole concept worked.  It was not easy, but visually thinking is the most undervalued skill in the world.  I've made me even stronger with communication then I was back in sales.  

4. Communication is important.  I've always felt this, but I feel it even stronger now.  Few people can do it effectively.  Lots of people can talk and make noise... but clear communication is hard.  

i'm sure there is more... but that's it for now... 

Enjoy and leave feedback/crits!

A few comps from current portfolio

Thanks Alena :)

motivation....

2 environments for a story i'm working on about a boy who went forth to find out what fear was

And just because you motivated me a little... here's more.  Spent the entire night putting this together.  I needed it... so many fucking holes to cover now.  Eeek... October 1st... I hate you deadline

Practice With an Epic Gouache fail

Today was a lesson in an epic failure.  I did a self portrait drawing and then over confidently decided to try and execute a gouache painting.  It ended after about 40 minutes in complete failure.  I dont know shit about painting and this proved it.  First, I tried using the Zorn pallette.  I thought by limiting my options I could stand a better chance.  Well, I dont know much about mixing colors, especially in that pallette which is basically 5 colors: Black/White/Yellow/Red/Raw Sienna.  To get blue for instance you mix black and white.  I know... you're thinking grey.  But try it.  It is blue, especially next to red.

Well I bombed.  Hard.  So I wondered why.  I dont know how to paint with Gouache.  I dont know how to mix colors.  It's not like photoshop with a simple picker.  My eyes are poorly trained for color and this is now something i'll work on.  

Instead of feeling bad, I decided to execute the same idea again but with watercolor pencils.  It turned out much better and more agreeable.  I still think I need work on really painting form and value.  But It looks and feels much more solid and clearly communicates the self portrait.

Then I just messed around with pen and some designs

Some more creative bursts

Doing these has been helpful to just unblock and push through.  It generates weird and interesting ideas that i'd never think of.  It's important to understand your feelings and just rifle out whatever it is without giving a fuck.  that's the point!  I think most artists refuse to show the bad.  I relish in it because if you can show that you can keep pushing yourself and make better work.

Bought some water color pencils and wanted to try them out

None of this should make sense.  So don't try and make sense of it.  I bought some water color pencils and started a new process in my journal.  The first half is pretty analytical, structured, and tight.  The end of my notebook is chaos, wierdness, and really nothing in particular.  Just random spewage from my brain.

I like this dualistic approach so that I can be purely creative and purely analytical. It's fun getting frustrated at the front of my notebook and then releasing the tension in the back.  I am building my notebook to meet in the middle.  

Even these 4 things have given me some good ideas to go off of for quick stories.  

practice

A couple of notes.  I tried shifting composition to the right to make it more asymetrical.  I simplified his hair to make it straight on the right and complex on the right.  And lastly I tried to keep the values clear.  It is still very graphic and looks unfinished but I dont know at this point how to make something look "finished".  For me, I just use what I know and try new things to get it past what I did before.

I am observing that I create better when I just dont think and let it unfold how it should.  This felt too planned and looks bad because of it.  I am trying to keep conscious various design ideas principles which I felt better.  The question I have is " how do you know when the design principle is implemented well?

Practice by lending a helping hand

The david eye

Doing some digital sight size of Michaelangelo's David's eye.  3/4 and front

Each one was about 10-15 minutes.  I practiced only 3 values to really make it read. There is still some flatness in the eyeball and not sure how to really make it feel deep.

Thanks dad!

Scream?

Practice: Surprised!

Still practicing black and white values to make the forms read.  This one I wanted to give the character a sense of surprise.  I raised his brow and also opened his mouth a bit.  I also raised his eye brow to further the effect of surprise.  What do you think?  Do you buy it? 

 After looking at it now, I've realized that to compose this a bit better with the idea of surprise I should tilt his shoulders down to the left.  Why?  Because if I did, it would look like he is on his way someplace and the reaction behind him is making him more surprised.  So it is as if he is caught even more off guard.

Pushed pose.  You decide.  Which looks more surprised?  

Practice Facial Expressions

Wanted to try some facial expressions

Practice Practice and more!

The nights drawings

Here I wanted to practice drawing 1 head.  I then changed and distorted the 1 head into 4 other permutations.  I liked the fat one and so I designed it below

Similar thing.  I designed 3 face shapes and then took the one I liked and turned it.  I tried an interesting technique.  I projected the 2D shape onto the front plane and then built the structure from the 2D plane. It sorta worked and sort of did not.