Dear Black and White

What is there to say about black and white? When you're living in a place with very little storage space, you get by with what you can. In my case I spent a few months in the Navy living out of a closet and a desk. Buying a lot of art supplies didn't make sense because I would just have to ship them to my next station. It was cheaper to work with black sharpies. These are a couple that used up a whole sharpie each.

My Birds

I like the idea of flying. Not just on a plane, but like Superman. My wife says that's why I draw so many birds. There might be something to that. I think their coloring is something to marvel at too. I don't fill in all their colors because honestly just a hint of it is powerful enough to complete the image in your mind. Besides, I just enjoy picking out the best way to highlight a piece. As always, feedback is welcome.

If you're seeing this on facebook try to get over to my blog. The black background really makes a difference.







Wait a minute, that's not a bird...

Distractions

I guess this would be a conversation piece. It has nothing to do with casting a negative light on the United States. As a current member of the armed forces I have sworn to protect the Constitution. No, this picture is just expressing the question of where our true allegiance lies? I am an American, I appreciate all the Earth has to offer, but is it distracting me from my faith? In death I will leave this place and live on in Christ, to the glory of God. With that in mind, I need to remember to peruse my spiritual gain before my worldly gain. The different crosses represent different faiths, with the one true cross bearing the blood of Christ.

A little charismatic, maybe? I'm not that stringent though. I say, "the one true cross," only to mean professing faith in Jesus. That includes Catholics and Protestants of any denomination. The other crosses can be anything put in place of that faith.

Feel free to comment on your views, or how this piece strikes you. I've only ever shown it to my wife and would like to open the floor to anyone.

A tribute to superheros

I've been reading comic books since I was 10. I took a break from them in high school because, quite honestly, chasing girls occupied most of my free time. I got back into them while I was stationed on my ship. I read a small library of books which cost a fortune to mail home. But comics were my quick fix when I needed something to read that could be put down in a hurry. I've always been fascinated with comic art. I can't take credit for creating these, only re-creating them with my own hand. Except Leonardo the Ninja Turtle...I drew that one from memory.

What I see

I've recently tried my hand at landscapes. When I see something I want to draw the first thing I notice is the outline. I see where all the bold lines fit and how the shadows lie. I am proud to say I hunted down and captured the inspiration for drawing the flower in my own neighborhood. I hope you like them. I've got a few more to put down on paper.

So I got this tattoo and...

When I finished up basic training for the Navy I moved, just down the street actually, to Naval Training Command, Great Lakes. Here I would be stationed for six months and suffer through the coldest winter of my life. Made a lot of friends, after all it was my equivalent of a college dorm. Eventually some of them noticed my art work, and asked me to draw up some tattoo designs.

I never planned on getting a tattoo. I don't know if most people who have one always knew they wanted one or if it was more a place and time experience. I was just doodling in my barracks and thought, "I like this one."

I think because my personal art signature is at the epicenter of this it may appear that I am so self involved with my art that I wanted it tattooed on my body. My response to this would be a resounding no. My train of thought, in earnest, was moving toward creating something original to me. If a tattoo had my signature as apart of it then surely it wasn't just picked out off of a wall in some random tattoo parlor. So one -10 degree night I went with a friend and walked the walk.

This is a mildly unflattering photo of my back, but since this is the position I was in while I got the tattoo then this is the best way to show it. Be gentle.

Seeing art where there is none.

I wouldn't really call these "art" only because of my own personal definition of what art ought to be. But all the same these were two instances where I came across something so plain and common and that I don't even understand why I did this myself.

1st up, cigarettes. No, not mine. I don't smoke. But I thought it would be funny to steal a few from my co-worker and give them some flavor.




2nd, top side of a light fixture. I was climbing down the ladder and the light fixture was so evenly covered with drywall dust that it spoke to me. It said, "I could use a little flair over here." I was happy to oblige by shaping this quasi dinosaur/alien thing on it. All in a days work.

exercising the No.2

I was playing with my daughter on the back porch a few days ago and noticed the way the sun cast a shadow on this fake plant. On a whim I thought it would be cool to time myself and see how quickly I could knock out a sketch that actually looked complete. This took approximately 15 minuets, maybe less since I wasn't following the clock that closely. I'm going to keep doing these drills only because of the novelty factor. I'd like to be able to render a sketch of medium complexity in under 10 minuets.

...cup of coffee

I love the way a cup of coffee makes me feel in the morning. Caffeine is just amazing. I kicked it while I was away for training because it wasn't always readily available. Those caffeine headaches can be a real mother. But now that I'm home I've fallen back into its clutches. What a sad state man can be.

So for anyone who might be viewing this experiment, please bear with me. I'm still reading up on how to edit my blog and format my drawings. Usually I'm very thorough about studying something new before I try it. But with this I jumped in head first. No one likes that cold feeling creeping up their bodies anyway.

Here are a few more pieces for your consideration:





.

The first of many

God has appointed this time in my life to experience the suffering that so many others out there are going through. Unemployment. I have been unemployed for seven months. Sure, there have been stints here and there where I make a few bucks, but those are strictly one time deals.

I caught a break with the Navy Reserve a while back when I was sent off for three months of training. That was a steady income for a little while that gave me a sense of purpose again. Not sure what I liked more, the money or having purpose.

I've recently changed my prayers as a result of meditating on the words I've been hearing lately from my wife and from the pulpit. In the past I have always prayed for patience during this trial. Patience to wait for God's Will to be revealed in this trial, patience to continue suffering without understanding why. Now I am praying for courage. I am going to try something different. I don't like different and that's why I pray for courage. Over the next few days I am going to post a lot of my artwork for the eyes of the internet. I am hoping to get a lot of feedback, both good and bad. More importantly I am just hoping something will come of it. What that will look like I don't know. Revealing myself in this way is something I don't do. I don't like to talk about me or show off. So with a humble heart I give you my first sample...