So it took me alot longer than I thought it would (but considering I'm a big time procrastinator I guess maybe it was sooner than I thought?) but I finally finished this drawing... at least the penciling. All I have left to do is the inking. Which may be the hardest part next to actually coming up with what to draw. And of course, I still have yet to purchase the Koh-I-Noor pens, which are out of stock until 12/22. I think I might have to buy some other pens in the meanwhile. That, or just use one tip size throughout the whole thing.
If you look back at the previous version(s) of it, you can see how much has changed since I first started it. And actually, when I originally started drawing I began with only the face. I really didn't have much of a goal, which is the way I usually go into a new piece (sketchbook or otherwise). Sometimes that can be a good thing, but other times it may not work out the way I had hoped. But I think this did. Hopefully the ink and color come out the way I hope they do. The next step after I've finished is to maybe do something similar on a larger scale.
Rather than just update my previous post I decided to start an new one since I tend to lag sometimes. That, and it gives me an excuse to have more content. Luckily, this is a short one.
I started working on the drawing more and, like I had said earlier, it turned out completely different than what I had originally started. I think the only part still there from the beginning is the top layer of teeth and nose. If you look at the post below you can see the big differences. I honestly thought that previous drawing was going to more or less be the final product (in terms of the face at least).
So I'm going to add more to the left side of the page since right now it's basically just the face. And I'm going to continue with the whole steam/smoke (not sure yet which of the two it will eventually be) throughout the background. And of course, I'll post the finished pencil drawing, if anything just to drag it on until I have new content (like I always do).
Just over a week ago, on Halloween of all days, I started a new drawing. I guess you could say that I was inspired by the "holiday" to draw something a little bit on the morbid side. Of course though that would have mostly to do with the non-stop horror/suspense programming that was on display on most of my local television channels all weekend long leading up to the 31st.
So I started drawing this mutilated face (sounds worse when I type it out) that I used to always draw in high school. I don't know why. I think I was inadvertently influenced by H.R. Giger or the Alien movies or something else he did in the 80's or 90's because alot of my doodles (btw, I hate that word) had that organic/mechanical combination that he was so good at. I don't even like mentioning him, because in no way am I trying to mimic or copy his work or his art style.
My original intention wasn't to add all of the machine-like pieces throughout the drawing. I was going for a more organic feel. When I started it, I was actually hoping to finish it the same night. But it's now been over a week and I've gone back and forth erasing alot of what I had originally started. And now I'm going to completely fill in both pages. My view of what I was supposed to draw changed drastically. But then again that's usually what happens. I go in with no real vision or goal in sight.
Obviously it's not done yet. Like everything else on here it's just a rough draft and I'm going to either post the completed work the next time, color and all, or a version in between in ink. I'm trying to finish up all the rough pencil work by this Thursday night. Ever since the Koh-I-Noor pens I've been wanting to get have received a significant price drop they've been out of stock.... And literally, just as I wrote that last sentence they moved the date up on when they will be in stock again. Oh well, at least that saves me 2 train rides and about 3 hours (round trip) to get into Pasadena to get them...
Ok, so I had this coupon for Aaron Brothers for 50% off any one item. Just to make it clear, I rarely ever shop there... The selection is terrible and the service is subpar. Anyways, I went in yesterday because the coupon I had expired that day. I was hoping to find the Koh-I-Noor pens that they used to always carry. And of course they don't carry them anymore (I guess the $140 retail price was too much for most). So I figured I could find some other pens in the meanwhile but there was nothing even close to that quality.
Instead I see a set of Copic Sketch Markers. Big mistake. They had them at retail ($77.99) and not even thinking if I already had those colors I bought them. With the coupon it came out to $42 for the set of 12. I just couldn't pass up that deal. They retail for about $6.49 each. With the coupon they were each about $3.25. Considering these markers are rarely ever below retail I thought it was a good decision.
The ones I bought are the 12 oval shaped markers at the bottom. If you look closely you can find the doubles.
So, of course, once I got home I get my other markers only to realize that I already had those colors. Every single one of them. I don't know how to feel. I thought about returning them or doing something sneaky like taking them to Blick and exchanging them there for something worth $80. But instead I just kept them. Technically though I don't have these because the ones that I buy are the regular, square shaped Copic Markers. But I ended up liking the sketch markers because of the longer brush nib on them. So all in all it wasn't that big of a deal that I spent $40 on a set of markers that I might already have. I think secretly I obsess over the fact that now I have 50 Copic Markers, even if 12 of those are doubles.
It took a little longer for me to finish this drawing from my previous post (which should come as no surprise since I'm a habitual procrastinator) but I finally finished it... even if it doesn't exactly look complete. The original picture only shows a small portion of the guitar and even less of his left hand so I decided not to try and draw half a guitar. I guess I should have made it so the bottom of the page cuts it off naturally, but then there would have been all this negative space above him, which I hate. Sometimes I wonder if that's me trying to make it look good composition wise or just some random bout of OCD.
Hopefully though, you can tell who it is or at least recognize him enough if you're not sure. It's Frank Zappa, contrary to what a friend of mine thought from the original pencil sketch, she said it looked like George Harrison. And actually just now I did a Google image search for George Harrison and it kind of did look like him in the 60's with the long hair and mustache. At first I thought it was a bad sign, but in the end I think it came out good.
Since I've been trying to stay away from crosshatching I thought I would just use gray tones to shade instead. For this I used 3 shades of Copic Markers since the original picture was also in black & white. I also used a Koh-I-Noor Rapidosketch drawing pen, which is my favorite drawing utensil until I finally buy their 7 piece Rapidograph pen set. I've always been hesitant to purchase the set, since it retails for about $100-150. Recently though Blick Art Supplies has the set for $60. I need to get those pens. And also these Copic Multiliner SP Pens (another $70). I think I might start selling drawings. More accessible ones though, by that I mean cheaper and smaller. I'll try to post some examples of what I mean in the future.
Since I haven't gone back to my previous drawing, it's so tedious to the point that I'm kind of over it for the time being, I thought I would draw something similar to the Bertrand Russell ink drawing I did a while back. By that I mean similar in style. Cross hatching, high contrast, etc. I guess you'll see once it's complete. But for now I have a rough sketch that I thought I would post.
Unfinished Frank Zappa
There's still alot of work left to be done. Mostly getting the scale right. Since the guitar and his right arm are angled so weird, I have to get it right to show the correct perspective. At the same time his head is tilted forward. Actually just looking at it right now, I know I need to add more hair to the top of his head.
After I finally finish getting everything right and have completed drawing him and his guitar, I'm then going to go over it in ink. I'll post that and the completed drawing once I'm finished (soon, I hope).
I usually tend to not draw portraits of people, known or otherwise. I always have a feeling that it doesn't exactly look identical to the original. But then, recently I just kind of figured that there's really no other way to get it down then to just try it. Even if it doesn't look like him it doesn't really matter.
I recently started doing these small ink and marker drawings on postcard sized illustration boards. Which has been kind of a hassle... mostly the prep involved in hand cutting the thick paper. But once that part was done (I cut out at least 5 for the time being) it wasn't so hard except for what to draw on them.
Originally my idea was to make some hand drawn postcards but then I realized that the illustration board wasn't the best medium. The only reason I used it was it's sturdiness. But either way I think I'm going to use them as prototypes for future postcards. At the very least ideas for them, if anything. I wasn't sure what to draw but I know I didn't want to make anything realistic like scenery or people. So instead I decided to go abstract and use mostly patterns and designs.
The first one below is completed. The second one isn't finished yet but I'm getting around to finishing it. I'll probably have it done by the end of the week and can hopefully update this post or post it in a new one. The designs are pretty much just an amalgamation of previous designs I've done in the past. You can see the similarities to some of my other drawings.
You kinda get the sense of water, I think it's the wave(ish) patterns
I prefer this one to the other one, probably because of the boldness
Okay, so it's been a really long while since I had any updates or new posts... longer than I thought actually. Until I looked at the date I didn't realize how long it had been. So to make up for it I'm going to post some new artwork (and some unfinished work as well).
Anyways, I was unable to finish the drawing I was working on in the previous post. I was updating it often, you can see in the last few posts that I was working on it. It was alittle ambitious of me considering all the intricate line work and using that paint marker I'd never used before. As soon as it dries and I try to apply ink, the paint seems to flake off. Not all the time but about a good 5 minutes into it, it inevitably flakes off, which I then have to color over, again. All of this was way too tedious so I never finished it.
Eventually I will finish this, someday...
As you can see, I wasn't even able to finish one of the colored sections. Too many mistakes. If I drew over it in ink too hard the paint flakes making me have to add color over it. This could eventually damage or tear the paper. But I think I'm going to eventually finish it. Looking at it now after not seeing it for such a long time makes me like it alot more than I did when I was first drawing it.
I have a bad habit of being overambitious sometimes. Usually when that happens I don't end up finishing what I start. That, and my tendency to procrastinate too much. I thought that I'd post a few other drawings that are also unfinished.
I'll start with this one since I already posted it on this blog. The reason why I didn't finish this drawing is that I added more of the "sticks" throughout it and honestly, I was just unsure of where it was going. I drew the skull first, but then just added all the "sticks" and had no idea what I was going to do with it. Plus, I wasn't very fond of the color scheme I used.
This one I have a legitimate reason to have not finished it. (Also from a previous post) This I was drawing at a friend's house while out drinking. I didn't really expect to finish it, but add to the fact that I was a little tipsy and drawing rather quickly, there's no way I would have.
My outdated tv and some random books
This is one of the first drawings in my Moleskine sketchbook. Actually, my third but the first one that wasn't a hand/arm. I was really just eager to use my Copic Markers so I sat on my bed and drew a portion of my room. I didn't finish it because I didn't like how it came out.
A logo I designed for this blog, but never finished
This one was supposed to be say achromatic (color) spectrum, but it's hard to tell since the scan didn't pick up the graphite pencil. And actually, that's the best part of the drawing. But I don't really feel like scanning it again (too many problems with my scanner/printer... it figures, since it's not a standalone scanner).
Some kind of pseudo sea monster looking thing
This final one, I don't know what I was doing. I think I just felt like doing something I hadn't done (or hadn't done in a long while). If you know any of my older work it's very reminiscent of what I used to do. I tried to stay away from cross hatching to give it a different, almost comic/cartoon feel. I dont know why I never finished it.
So hopefully someday I'll be interested in these again, at least enough to finish them. Well, most of them at least. But if I do I'll be sure to post them.
So it's been over a week since I last posted the progress of this drawing. Mostly because I didn't know where to go next... by that I mean I didn't have any direction as to what was going to be in the background. I really just started drawing this girl, and figured something would come to mind.
I got these markers recently. They're the kind people use for crafting, scrap booking and whatnot. I thought, what can I really do with them? So I decided to use them in this drawing. I've never used them before and don't really know any of the quirks involved with mixing them with ink. Hopefully it wont ruin the drawing but we'll have to wait and see in the next post.
Anyways, on to the drawing.
I finally finished filling in the colors that were off on her. And I went over alot of the lines in and around her body. You can see the pencil sketches of the spaces where I'm going to be drawing something in.
Ok, so it may look rough but this next part kind of took me longer than I thought. It was a really hard decision to draw in all the lines before coloring the area. The markers I'm going to be using are so strong that they just completely cover over everything leaving no sign there was anything underneath at all. I guess that's because they're leafing markers.
The next step will probably be the hardest and most labor intensive because I'm going to have to slowly and precisely (well not that precise, but you get what I mean) color in small areas, while at the same time still leaving the pencil marks that I will then be filling in with ink. It's kind of hard to explain but you'll be able to see what I mean in the next post. The idea here is for the spaces to look metallic.
In this picture I fixed some of the lines a little bit and went over most of the hair with a thicker tip. I think it really helped to give the hair some depth. I also added the first layer of color.
Step 5
The next picture is almost complete, well the girl at least. I need to touch it up a little bit, you can kind of see some spots but it's mostly done. Now I just need to add a background or something(?) I'm still not sure what to do with it.
Step 6
On a side note, if you notice in this post, compared to the last two ones, the quality and color look alot better. That's because the drawings were scanned wireless so I think the image quality wasn't as good so I connected my laptop directly to the scanner and you can immediately see the difference in quality.
At first I wasn't sure how to draw the hair, meaning that I didn't know whether or not to keep it simple with straight lines like I had planned to. So instead I just sort of used the rough sketch as a guideline and just started filling it in and see how it would come out. The result is a mix of my usual cross hatching.... That's exactly what I was trying to get away from doing, but I knew that I'd eventually get to that point. I'm going to limit the cross hatching to the hair and nowhere else.
Step 3
I just finished it up to this point this morning. There's alot more detail, and some of the lines were made bolder. It's coming together better than I was hoping for. Now all I need to do is finish it by touching it up and adding more depth and maybe a background or something.
Originally this blog was supposed to help me with drawing everyday... that is, to help by getting me to draw everyday more or less. At first it was more, now it's unfortunately become less and less.
This post is a good example of what I was originally going to be doing. Now that I have a proper scanner setup, time, and my interest has peaked, I've decided to chronicle a drawing I started working on this past Monday. It isn't finished yet, but I'm going to try and post the progress. Well, at least scan the progress and post it afterwards.
Step 1 (more like 2 actually... read below)
I had a rougher version of this, a sketched out one, but when I scanned it most of it didn't come out. I think it has to do with the pencil not being picked up. When I messed with it in Photoshop I could see some of the indentation of the drawing, but no graphite. Her hair expands in the drawing above, but like I said, the scanner didn't quite get it.
Step 2
Here I filled in more of the hair and went over some of the lines. If you've ever heard of, or seen, any of Moebius' work you can see the influences here. Actually that's the style that I've been dabbling alot with lately (clear, solid lines with little to almost none, or non-existent, shading at all). His drawings are so smooth and fluid, he's probably my favorite artist. I guess that's because he does the kind of art I also do, illustration.
Anyways, that's it for now but I'll be updating the next steps of the drawing. Hopefully it comes out the way I want it to in the end. But if it doesn't at least I'll be able to go back and alter the previous image(s) digital, which is something I rarely ever do, if it all.
So for some reason I haven't really been drawing as much as I'd like to lately. I think it has alot to with the art show and all the work I did at the last minute that kind of turned me off to it. But really though, I had been in a considerable drought even for me.
The other night though for some reason I decided to finish a drawing I had started a while back in my Moleskine sketchbook. It was already my favorite drawing in the book but became even more so when I completed it. It's a portrait of Bertrand Russell, philosopher and logician, along with a quote of his that I not only like, but fits the space rather nicely.
Ok, so this is going to be a quick post since I'm at work and don't have the actual drawings that I meant to put up since they're at home...
So I was finally able to retrieve the framed drawings I had done for the artshow in January. They were kept up at the salon/gallery until this past Saturday (actually, it was March 5th but I started this post a week ago and haven't got back to it til today) when I was able to take them down to make room for a photography show they were having.
I had previously posted that I sold two of the drawings, and now I decided that I might as well try and sell the remaining four. They're all done in ink and marker (high quality Copic Marker). This following pictures are reposts, but I'm going to take new pictures this week since I have them at home.
This one I have framed now, the size is approximately 8x10 framed
This one is in color, size is 10x12 (I will check and make the corrections later)
Actual color shown, 10x12
My favorite of the bunch, design-wise at least, 11x17
I don't have set prices as of yet, I'm just going to see if I get an response and price them accordingly. But even then I doubt they'll be too much either way. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me at evolvemikl@gmail.com. Also, if anyone is interested I can do custom pieces if you like a theme or image that I've previously done.
Quote from the Sega Genesis game, Zero Wing... now a meme
I came across this article today on the tech site Ars Technica about anime fans who pirate anime shows and alot of the points mentioned I can totally agree with. Although I would have to say that I don't condone the illegal downloading of copyrighted material. (for those who know me, you know I just had to say that) I can see why fans of the genre do resort to such activities.
From Ars Technica:
But the bigger issue is the quality of these translations, which are crucial for enjoying a foreign-language series.
"As for why I continue to pirate anime that I can get legally," said Otaku2, "the main reason is because I strongly prefer fansubs over professional subbing. The fansub groups tend to keep more of the cultural idioms intact whereas professional subs just Americanize the sh*t out of everything."
"Fansubbers do a better job striking a balance between cultural references," agreed Otaku1. "And when something is obscure, they'll flash a half-second explanation on the screen you can pause later to read."
This, I would have to say, is the number one reason that someone like me might resort to downloading anime from Bit Torrent sites or other sources. Most American translations of anime are crap. At least those done professionally by the studio. They either translate the material wrong, or as was quoted, they Americanize the content. You see, I want to see the original Japanese words put into the right context. There have been many instances where you can tell that something is left out, or where they're supposed to reference Japanese culture but exchange it for American.
Continued from the website:
Otaku3 chimed in. "Fansubs also go out of their way to point out cultural stuff in the video itself, whereas 'official' dubs or even subs just try to pretend it doesn't exist. Some fansubs even go so far as to have screenfuls of text at the beginning or end to explain the cultural context of a particular episode."
On top of the subtitles, alot of times when anime is released in America they tend to cut or censor it. Which makes it necessary for die-hard fans to find the originals online and download subtitles from sites like Open Subtitles or Subscene.
I think they should just start adding multiple subtitles to these shows/movies when they do release them on DVD or stream them online.
I had previously blogged about Japanese artists and anime... and truthfully, I've never been one of those kind of fanatics, at least not in the conventional way. When I say those types, I mean the kind that cosplay or are fanatics about a specific series. (seriously, what the hell do people like about Pokemon so damn much?) I never wanted to be put into that group, but it's really hard to differentiate yourself when outsiders see them all as being those kinds of people.
Another variation on the name
I've always really liked the art of anime but for some reason I could never get into the storylines. Alot of the series' tend to be really long and complicated. On top of that, it's hard to catch any on tv and if you happen to, they're usually edited for mature content or cut to appeal to kids. When I was younger I was really getting anime and manga but back then there weren't alot of places to see them. Unless you were willing to pay a premium and special order them from comic shops or video stores, which was out of the question when you're 15 with no job.
Recently though, I somehow stumbled upon the art of Leiji Matsumoto. Considering how much previous knowledge I had of anime, I had never heard of him. But I was fairly familiar with his work. Alot of sci-fi and/or anime fans (or just fans of 1970s-80s era nostalgia) would remember Space Battleship Yamato, better know in the U.S. as Star Blazers. Ill spare you my explanation on the series and how he revolutionized the anime genre, you can read about him and the series in the previous links.
There's actually a live action movie from Japan that came out in 2010, but I really have no interest in it. Images of Tokusatsu, (Japanese live action film or television that predominantly features special effects) like Power Rangers and Ultraman, come to mind whenever I think of Japanese live action
Space Battleship Yamato
I recently downloaded the Japanese first season with original Japanese language voice acting (not the goofy ass English voices) and English subtitles. I'm trying to pace myself and not watch them all in one night. Even though the animation is a little crude, and you can sometimes see scratches from what looks like the animation cell, I can't stop watching it. On top of that the music is great. I love background music from old cartoons, preferably anything from the 1960s to the mid 80s.
While watching the first episode about a week ago, I noticed a familiar tune in the background. (And yes, I did create and upload the video myself.)
The music is sampled by MF DOOM on his album of instrumentals and beats, Special Herbs Vol. 3&4. The man's voice at the beginning is from the American version's audio. I don't have that version of the series, so I used the original Japanese.
It was pretty interesting to hear that, but not unexpected since I've heard other things he's sampled from. He samples alot from old movies and tv shows, and considering that I'm a fan of sci-fi and comic related material, it's not too hard to spot the samples.
One of Leiji Matsumoto's most recent works which really captures his graphic style and shows you how it's evolved is from a movie called Interstella 5555. And the music, well the music is another thing. There's no dialog at all but it features music from Daft Punk's album, Discovery. All of the scenes coincide with the tone of the music. The complete movie can be found below.
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
He also worked on a music video for Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The characters are taken from his new (2009) manga, Out of Galaxy Koshika. The music starts at :20.
The Elements of Style Art Show was this past Saturday night. We got a really good turnout considering all the promoting we did on Facebook and all the fliers we printed and passed out at the Pomona Art Walk.
I did take some pictures but unfortunately I didn't take as many as I wish I would've. Either way my camera, like most point and shoot digital cameras, doesn't work well in low light conditions so alot of them came out too dark or too blurry. Well, that and the fact that by then I was a little too tipsy to care. But I may post them in a separate blog post.
The event started at 6pm, but we encountered some technical problems with trying to hang my artwork since we couldn't put any nails into the wall I was going to be using. But we were able to remedy that with industrial strength velcro which actually turned out to work really well. I think I might use it to hang the unsold drawings in my rooms. Speaking of which, I was able to sell two of my pieces.
But my friend Aldo of Aster Magazine was there to properly document the event. All of the pictures in this post were taken by him and featured on Aster Magazine's Facebook. Which reminds me that they recently did a profile about this blog and my artwork on their website. So hopefully that will give me more exposure so that I can sell some more artwork. Speaking of which, I was able to sell the two following pieces that night. Which I'm pretty happy about.
I didn't actually title any of the pieces. I'm not the type to usually do that with completed works. The drawing above I had previously posted in color but these pictures are in black & white. If you go to my older post there's a scan of it in color. It's 8x10 framed.
The one to the left is 11x17 and is accurately colored as shown in black & white.
All in all, it was a good evening. And I think we're planning on doing it again next month. There were plenty of drinks, great music and a good diverse amount of people.
I finally finished the flier for the art show next Saturday, January 22nd. I decided to hand draw it because I couldn't find a font I liked. That, and the fact that I lagged on starting it. I have a really bad habit of procrastinating.
So I had finished the Elements part and was going to scan it in and fill in the rest in Photoshop but we needed the fliers printed out for the Pomona Artwalk this past Saturday night so I just free handed the rest of it in pen.
The art show also features artwork by Nere. She's another talent artist currently in downtown Pomona. Some of the work she does is stenciled and goes well with what I'm going to be having up. She scanned the flier for me and touched it up quite a bit. It's a lot more online-friendly now. Also that night
ELEMENTS of Style Art Show
Art by MikL & Nere
Music by dj estereo & BlockCity
music, drinks and art
Saturday, January 22nd
@
Elements of Style Salon
415 W. Foothill Blvd.
Claremont, CA 91711
6pm
Back in 2004, and really before that even, I used to go out and photograph graffiti. It wasn't anything professional, just a point and shoot digital camera. I had a few spots I would hit up every now and then and the Belmont Tunnel was one of them. It was located at the intersection of Lucas Ave where Glendale and Beverly Blvd begin and at w1st and w2nd Street (sounds more confusing than it is). A couple of years later, actually sooner than that, the city decided to sell it and tear it down and build an apartment complex on the yard. There's a good L.A. Times article about it here and how they wanted to turn it into a legal paint yard.
I don't even remember how I came upon it, if I looked it up or just stumbled on it (which is unlikely because it'd be too much of a coincidence). It was kind of a hassle to get to the bottom because it was fenced off and the rest of it was more or less the ruins of the old tunnel. Concrete stairs, missing rails that ended abruptly, slick grass and on top of that the first time I went with my friend there was this really vicious looking dog following us. But once you got to the bottom there was alot of good graffiti and graffiti artists painting freely.
Here are a few of the pictures I took that day in November of 2004 before it was torn down. The link takes you to my Picasa album with all the pictures and more graffiti.
