Day 121

I had a lot of fun with today's self-portrait drawing.  My good buddy Robert Wimer hung around and created a fabulous time-lapse video of the drawing process, which I'm pleased to share here.



It was a bit of a surreal experience to be filmed while making art.  I've seen many different videos of an artist sketching or drawing, so it's very exciting to now have my own!

I was also very happy to carve out a longer block of time for art-making today.  With the demands of everyday life, sometimes it's very difficult to squeeze in enough time to make a nice quality artwork.  However, one of my goals for this project is certainly being met: I AM making an artwork each and every day, regardless of how much (or little) time is actually invested.  I will say, however, that it was a blast spending a little over an hour making this drawing!

#121 February 18, 2011,  Conte
Sounds: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Live Anthology: Ultimate Collector's Edition Boxed Set (5 CDs + 1 Blu-ray + 2 DVDs + 1 LP)

Day 89

I am beyond pleased with today's portrait. And I loved yesterday's colored pencil drawing. Same goes for the day before. Honestly, I feel like I'm a bit of an artistic zone, and I'm totally digging it.

There are different things that art IS or can be. One of the most important to me is that it meets the individual needs of the artist. One of these is literally a physical need to create, to make something new. The best comparison to really describe the feeling is that it's a lot like how I expect a smoker to feel when they have an intense craving for a cigarette. The ironic thing is that earlier in the evening I was incredibly excited to make today's self-portrait, but I was blocked because I didn't know what it would look like. Once the idea came to me, however, I was all set and jumped in feet first.

I should point out that how I'm handling "the self-portrait project" is a little different than I think most artists work. Generally speaking, an artist will have a given style exhibited in their art and while some will occasionally deviate or experiment, it seems that most artists' work is recognizable for how it looks. With this project, I'm making a conscious choice to expand my style so every self-portrait doesn't look exactly the same. When I reach the conclusion on Day 365, one of the goals is for my to have dabbled in enough different styles or materials that I will know what my art should look like.

That is, until I decide to change my style once again...

#89 January 17, 2011,  Conte and Ebony pencil
Sounds: Kiss, Dynasty

Day 66

It's been literally years since I've used this color of conte, called sanguine. And that's pretty strange, really, because I always enjoyed working with that rusty color, especially on plain white paper. I've always been pleased with the range of values that can be achieved from very light to very dark with this medium.

It's also interesting to look at my recent self-portraits. While I've said before that I consider myself to be a very happy person, it seems that images of myself are made with a frown, or scowl, or a general irritated expression. I'm pleased to report that the past three days' drawings have portrayed me with some form of smile! Perhaps I've been even happier than usual...

#66 December 25, 2010,  Conte

Sounds:  Johnny Cash, The Legend of Johnny Cash


Day 50

Sometimes the facial expression is made through "acting" . . . and sometimes it is not...

I'm doing things a little different today. As always, the self-portrait that is posted today was actually completed yesterday. Usually, I also write the blog entry at the same time - but on this occasion, I only wrote the above statement. And I had nothing more...until now.

Over the past several months, I've come to realize a lot of things about myself - things I want, things I don't, things that matter, and things that don't. Like anyone else, I get extremely frustrated when things happen beyond my control that negatively affect me or my family. Of course, everyone knows that "bad things" will sometimes happen; but I also really want to believe that when faced with the choice, that people will ultimately do the right thing. I know that perhaps this sounds too trusting of human nature, but for now I'm going to continue to hope for the best.

On a somewhat related note, it never ceases to amaze me how certain artists throughout history have been able to exist on such extreme emotionalism - it's no wonder that some of them have been labeled as crazy!

#50 December 9, 2010,  Charcoal and conte
Sounds:  The Cure, Disentegration

Day 44

I started this drawing not only as part of the self-portrait project, but also as an example for my students, who are currently using charcoal and conte on colored paper. Interestingly enough, they were so consumed with their own projects that they just looked at mine in passing!

I think I should point out that the expression on my face in these artworks is not always necessarily an indicator of the mood I was in while I was creating it. Granted, there have been times when I've been in a pretty grouchy mood and it's come through in the portrait for that day. But most of the time (like in this one) I am simply making a face that I will draw. Call it acting, if you will. So let me be clear: my wrinkled up nose in this portrait is not telling of a bad mood or a symbol of frustration; it's simply a face that I made while creating this drawing.

While it's not a content or happy face, I think it looks a lot like me. And...it was a lot of fun to draw, even if my students didn't really pay much attention!

#44 December 3, 2010,  Charcoal and conte on colored paper
Sounds: Young Dubliners, Saints And Sinners

Day 27

It was one of those nights. I had a clear idea of what today's portrait would look like, but there was one problem: I simply didn't have the time to dedicate to making THAT artwork right now. So I stared at a blank piece of white paper while listening to tonight's choice of music, Jeff Black's Birmingham Road. The CD includes a great song called "That's Just About Right." It wasn't long before my hand started moving and I had this drawing completed!

My old friend lives up in the mountains
He flew up there to paint the world
He says "Even though interpretation's what I count on,
This little picture to me seems blurred.
Hard lines and the shadows come easy,
I see it all just as clear as a bell;
I just can't seem to set my easel to please me,
I paint my heaven and it looks like hell.
Is it me or is my vision jaded?
If i ask you, will you tell me true?"
I say "No and yes, I think the world you've painted
It's just the way that it appears to you."

Oh, your blue might be gray, your less might be more,
Your window to the world might be the big front door;
Your shinest day might come in the middle of the night
That's just about right.

He says "Man I ain't coming down until my picture is perfect
And all the wonder has gone from my eyes;
Down through my hands and on to the canvas
Still like my vision but still a surprise.
Still life," he says, "is the hardest impression:
It's always moving so I just let it come through."
"And that, my friend," I say, "is the glory of true independence -
Just to do what you do what you do what you do..."

"I don't think people's visions get jaded
I think the times change and so does the truth
So in that I think the world you've painted
Is just the way that it appears to you."

We ended our talk on how many friendships had faded,
And nowadays what makes a picture seem real
Are the simpler versions and not complicated.
"Thanks for the brushes man, I'll see you next year..."
So let's roll on, we know what we're here for:
Souvenirs of all that we've seen.
So write a story, paint yourself and paint the town;
When you look around you know where you've been.
If you wonder if your vision is jaded,
You just ask someone who will tell you true:
One true friend who sees all that you've painted,
Say "Hey man, that looks just like you..."

(I don't mind shamelessly promoting a great artist: Jeff Black is a fantastic songwriter and a really great guy. Check out his music when you get a chance!)

#27 November 16, 2010,  Charcoal and conte on paper
Sounds: Jeff Black, Birmingham Road

Day 7

Today's drawing was a lot of fun. As I looked through some of my older nonrepresentational drawings, I was "drawn" to (pun kind of intended) the loose, sketchy, almost agressive style of these pieces. They were made with charcoal and a great deal of erasing, and the style could best be described as "stream of consciousness." Obviously a self-portrait has a subject, which is prohibitive of simply drawing what comes to mind. While this drawing is more controlled than those that were my inspiration today, I did strive to keep this drawing fairly loose. This is a concept that I will definitely revisit and expand upon as the project continues...

# 7 October 27, 2010,  Charcoal, conte and eraser on paper

Sounds: The Beatles, 1967-1970 (Blue) Remastered


_____

As I stated in the post for Day 2, I am a huge music fan. If you notice, I have been listing what music I've listened to while making each day's drawing. These are also links which lead to amazon.com where you can listen to samples of the music and even purchase your own copy if you like!

Day 6

I'm a big fan of drawing on various toned papers. For today's portrait, I used a common brown paper grocery bag with charcoal and conte crayons.

To provide a basic definition, any art material that comes in stick form is called a crayon. Most people automatically think of children's wax "colors" when they hear the term crayon, but it's actually very inclusive of many different types of drawing materials. I generally compare conte crayons to charcoal, with the main difference being that conte is a harder material, therefore it's less messy - and this makes the medium much easier to control.

#6 October 26, 2010,  Charcoal and conte on brown paper bag

Sounds: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals