Fall sketches
Comicish
I’ve been making sketchbook pages like this and it’s been a total blast! Taking the aesthetics of comic books and blending them into journal, composition, and drawing practice format is really doing it for me. I’m near the end of this Moleskine and finally hitting a stride.
Forest fire
Had an idea about the fires this year I wanted to get out of my head. Because I recently moved and can’t find most of my copic markers, so I
used a Brilliants set purchased recently.
Heads, trees, ghosts, cat magic, knights.
Comic strip
Page 3
Page 3 of my painting sketchbook. Working on personal mythology with my own characters, world, metaphors.
I’d say this is done in my “natural” drawing style. If I just draw without thinking much about it, let myself go into a flow state, this is what it looks like. Unfortunately, I don’t like the way I draw very much! My mind says “Keep it simple. Be deliberative and intentional with your lines. Slow down and think about what you’re doing.” My hand says “Wha? I just made 10,000 lines while you were blabbing.” I like how I’ve returned to the way I made art in college though, which is when I enjoyed it the most.
This painting went way off course from what I had in mind. I was going for wild, vibrant, and wavey with simple shapes and abstract/layered concepts. So, in that sense, this one was like trying to make a hot dog and getting a turd in a hamburger bun. There’s work to be done!
My other goals were to lean on my feelings, leave out intellectual concepts, experiment with new techniques, tools, and mediums, and to tell a story. Those objectives were successful.
Painting Sketchbook 2
I’ve never been the type of artist to explore a specific idea the way a fine artist might. I have always jumped from subject to subject, never making 2 paintings related to each other. These explorations are working on the idea that there’s a place where you are, but your mind and body aren’t. I want to keep exploring this idea because there are a lot of facets and a deep well of understanding to illuminate. I’ve been thinking of these as paint sketches; explorations to someday paint “for real” when I am in a place to do so. I am doubtful that the day will come, but the practice will help me when I am in a place to make art on a larger scale again.
This page didn’t go the way I hoped, but the lessons learned will be valuable, I suspect. Drew too many petals, couldn’t make the person glow. I’m still not happy, but it’s time to move on and try again. I don’t have the vibrant colors I needed, which can be limiting when working with markers. I didn’t think Tombow Fude pens bled, but with alcohol-based markers they will if you’re scrubbing them, so I go some muddy colors. I really, REALLY overworked this! On the other side, I am loving the marker/gelly roll combo. Gelly Roll pens are seriously underrated! 🙂
New painting sketchbook
Sketchbook monsters
I’ve been doodling some monsters in my moleskine. First I make a blob of color, add two eyes and a mouth, then improvise the rest. It’s a useful way of experimenting and challenging myself. Also tried some new copic marker with whiteout pen techniques, and I’m very pleased with the results. Enjoyable, but after the last massive drawing I’m ready to get back to planning my drawings!
Marker Monsters
Marker Monsters was an Instagram-focused personal art project. It started as a parody of Pokémon, and after couple of years it had run it’s course. I learned a lot, and had tons of fun drawing on post-it notes and meeting new artists. It helped me keep my drawing skills sharp in the little free moments I can find.
I consider this project finished, so here’s almost everything I made in one überpost!