Finally Started!

Got my canvas in the mail. First time ordering this particular brand, it looks good. The label says it's been gessoed three times. I like my own, and I like the surface smoother, so I gave it a couple more rounds of gesso, sanding after each application.


This piece will be called, "Tuesday Morning." Here's the drawing my painting will be based on:


Some color studies:



Now the drawing begins. I'll make changes as I go along... hopefully for the better:

Waiting...

Living in the boonies is great in many respects. One major exception to this is the lack of an art store. The closest one is an hour away, and it's not particularly good. After the Wyoming Antelope I began preliminary work on a fantastical piece. I ran up to the closest art store to get a canvas in the intended size. They didn't have one, but could order one that week. Fine with me. I went to pick it up later in the week, and they said their distributor couldn't get it. NOT fine with me. I was on a roll, and didn't want to slow down. So I ordered one online, knowing that it would take a while. So I did a quick study of an arm and a pistol. It turned out well, but was tough. I don't feel I'm mixing my flesh tones well enough. I got some nice blue in for the veins in the arm, but the darker part of the bicep and shoulder lack confidence. So much to learn.

This was a good study while waiting.


I actually had a little bit of a breakthrough with this one regarding materials. I used a small sable watercolor brush for some details that worked out great! I was also able to sign my name the way I wanted. It's the little things that can make life better.

Wyoming Antelope

Unfortunately, with these next pieces I don't have any of the sketches or color studies associated with the work. My studio space suffers from Acute Clutter Disorder, so I've taken to getting rid of the extra drawings and paintings once a final piece is done. This begs the question: What the hell is all this stuff on my desk? That could be the subject of another blog.

This piece was way out of my normal mode of subjects... which would falsely imply I have some kind of consistent subject. I'm working on that. I took a trip to Wyoming to visit my Uncle and I was incredibly inspired by what I saw there. I live in a beautiful woodsy place... but Wyoming blew me away, with its expansive landscapes, open skies, and interesting wildlife. I wanted to see if I could capture this.


My Uncle has this now.

Scholarship!

I'm hoping to earn the "New Media Scholarship" offered by the New York Academy of Art. I'm applying to this grad school and hope to attend next fall. The scholarship requires that we document our application process. Well, my application is already in the mail. So I'll start with what I've done recently and move on to my current project.

First Art Blog

The intention of this blog is to document my art making process. It is to record my work leading up to my move to New York, and my studies while I am there. Feel free to check in and see what I’m up to!