Day 362

I wish I had a fabulous story about the origin or the meaning of this self-portrait. When it comes down to it, I had a dollar bill in my hand and the idea sprung from there. Very simple.

The real story (such as it is) is the progression of the style as the drawing progressed. I pretty much knew that I'd work with acrylic for the highlights, but originally I had planned to brush on some ink for the darks. Once I began my preliminary drawing with pencil, it became clear that I'd need to use a pen for the tighter details. But once I got even further, I simply loved how the pencil looked alongside the colors of the cardboard and the pale white paint. So that became my plan as I added darker shades with a common mechanical pencil.

And obviously I stuck with it to the end...

#362 October 17, 2011,  Pencil and acrylic on cardboard
Sounds: Truth & Salvage Company, Truth & Salvage, Co,

Day 336

I have a good story to tell. Or maybe it's a funny story. I don't know, at the very least, it's embarassing.

As I have done for the past several nights, I laid down on the floor to make my art; it seems like a very child-like thing to do, and I have found it fun to make art in the way a kid would do it. It wasn't terribly late when I started this drawing, but for some reason (perhaps it was because I was laying down!) I got really tired. Really fast.

And . . . I fell asleep while drawing no less than four times!

Now, this is not the first time that I've fallen asleep while making an artwork during this entire project.  However, this is the first time that the drawing had evidence revealing that it happened - there are errant lines everywhere!  Once the drawing was completed (such as it was), I got up and went to the bathroom.  When I returned, apparently I summoned enough consciousness to realize that it was a terrible piece of art!  (Upon looking at it the after waking, it was revealed to be a completely horrific terrible piece of art!)

As if the story hasn't been embarassing enough up to this point, it gets worse.  Knowing that the self-portrait was not good, I decided to make another one.  Apparently I was coherent enough to know that I'd likely fall asleep again and again if I resumed the previous position, so I made a change.  This time I balanced on my hands and knees in the crawling position and bent down to draw into my sketchbook that remained on the floor!  I'm sure I looked very strange, but at least the second attempt was slightly better.  At least it was better enough to actually include it...

#336 September 21, 2011,  Pencil

Day 289

I was so stoked about working in a little more realistic style a couple days ago, that I was motivated to take it even farther today. I've said it before and I'll say it again: one of the great personal benefits to this project is that it's taught me to work much faster than I ever have before. In the past, I would pour over each and every minute detail of an artwork - so much that it would take me hours and days and weeks to complete a single drawing or painting. It's wonderful to have adopted a more economical method of working!

I would also like to add that I really enjoy the unfinished appearance to this drawing. The original idea was to add every detail, but as is often the case, the plan was altered while the drawing was in progress. I'm glad I did it this way - I think the result is quite nice...

#289 August 5, 2011,  Pencil on vellum
Sounds: Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More

Day 286

Just a very quick little sketch for today's self-portrait. What can I say, though: I kinda like it...

#286 August 2, 2011,  Pencil

Day 280

It's funny how things look different in various contexts. I completed this self-portrait in my sketchbook - I went a little "old school" and decided to work in pencil tonight. I was pleased enough with the drawing and, as always, I scanned the image in preparation for putting it online.

But then, when I saw the drawing on my computer screen, it looked suspiciously lke a police sketch artist's rendering of a suspect in a crime of some sort!

So...I'm not wanted for any crimes that I know of. And besides, it's probably pretty rare that a sketch of a suspect is actually a self-portrait...

#280 July 27, 2011,  Pencil
Sounds: Shinedown, The Sound of Madness

Day 238

A drawing made very quickly late at night.

This one achieved a rare distinction: it has been a long time since I have literally fallen asleep while making a piece of art!

#238 June 15, 2011,  Pencil

Day 234

When I was a kid, I used to have these toy people that were shaped like eggs. I don't really know how popular they were at the time, although I do rememeber commercials for them on TV, complete with a catchy little jingle. In a sense, I suppose the best description for them would be to make a comparison to Humpty Dumpty.

I can't really say that these toys were on my mind when I was making this drawing, but that little jingle came to mind immediately as I sat down to write this entry!

#234 June 11, 2011,  Pencil

Day 231

This drawing was made at the end of a long, LONG day of working in the hot sun. I was lucky to even be awake at this point!

#231 June 8, 2011, Pencil

Day 214

This self-portrait began at a place of zero inspiration. I sat down to make art, and there was nothing. I made a to-do list for the next day in hopes that my mind would be led toward an idea or vision. But nothing.

So, I did what always seems to help: I simply started making marks on the paper. The larger face started to take shape and more details emerged. I've said before how I love using a scribble technique, so I followed my instinct and let it flow. I actually had a plan for what it would represent when I drew the line across the forehead, but it looked interesting as a "mask" so I ran with it instead.  (Yes, the original idea is now in my "future self-portrait to-do list!)

The outline for the top of the head was already there from my preliminary marks, so I left it in. Unfortunately the drawing looked a little plain at this point, so I added the smaller head at the bottom. While I was making the drawing, this head was upside down, but once I finished I happened to flip the page and liked what I saw - so I guess this artwork is interactive because it can be viewed in multiple ways!

#214 May 22, 2011,  Pencil
Sounds: Marty Casey and the Lovehammers, Lovehammers

Day 213

I'm curious what type of psychological diagnosis I might have. 

I understand that's quite a way to start today's comments, so let me start at the end of the story.  At the first glance of today's self-portrait, there is an obvious change in my appearance: the beard is gone. 

Now, let me say for the sake of clarity, that I generally prefer myself with some sort of facial hair.  Unfortunately, however, I find myself literally unable to leave my whiskers alone, especially when they get a little longer.  I constantly catch myself reaching up and touching them.  I bite on the ones near my mouth.  I pluck errant hairs when I catch my reflection in the mirror (and not just the grays, either!).  The worst of all?  When they get long enough to grab with my teeth, I pull them out - yes, with my teeth! 

(To answer the obvious question: yes, it hurts.)

When I was a small kid, my mom got very worried about me because I started to lose patches of hair.  Fearing some sort of dreadful disease, she hauled me off to the doctor for a diagnosis.  She found his first suggestion to be ludicrous: perhaps I was pulling it out on my own.  But I couldn't be that goofy, right?!

Wrong.  Soon, Mom found some clothespins hidden away with some of my hairs stuck in the spring mechanism.  Yes . . . apparently I was pulling out clumps of my hair.  Although I don't remember this happening, I would assume that it hurt then as well!  Recently I asked a psychological professional what could've been my motivation for doing something so strange at the time, and she replied that it was likely caused by some sort of anxiety I had at the time.  Hmmm, it makes me wonder.

Back to present day.  I won't say that I shaved the beard solely because I was tired of messing with my whiskers.  I've stated before that I really love changing my appearance on a regular basis, so this was just one of those times.  But, I have also readily admitted to having some pretty strange proclivities, and this was certainly one of them.  Either way, it won't be a distraction - at least until I grow it back again! 

#213 May 21, 2011,  Pencil

Day 202

This self-portrait is even looser and more spontaneous than yesterday's.

After finishing some work on the computer last night, I decided to close my eyes "for just a minute". At 4:30 am, Austin woke me up and asked why I was still awake - I suppose he failed to notice that my eyes were closed and my chin was tucked into my chest!

So, this is a 4:30 am drawing. I felt like I was able to shake the sleep from my eyes just enough to create a passing likeness, and the bird sharing the outline of my forehead was an interesting touch given my state of mind when the drawing was made.

With that said, I would like to complete the next self-portrait a little earlier in the day!

#202 May 10, 2011,  Pencil

Day 173

Today's portrait is a little unique in the sense that it's actually the "sketch" for the one I will do tomorrow.  This was not originally intentional; it simply occurred to me that this one could stand on its own as one of my self-portraits.

While it's clearly not my best effort or even close to my favorite in this entire project so far, I am very fond of the loose, spontaneous style of this drawing.  I have always enjoyed working in that manner, and I don't forsee ever abandoning that method of drawing on occasion.

#173 April 11, 2011,  Pencil
Sounds:  Young Dubliners, Real World

_____

Happy Birthday to my son, Austin Norris!!
I hope you had a great day!

Day 168

I used to draw this type of image a lot about eight years ago. It started simply enough as something resembling a full moon with a face on it. At some point, I decided to close the eyes and add a big smile.

When I first started making these drawings way back then, I had no idea it was a self-portrait.

Eventually, the image began to symbolize the concept of having good dreams. Obviously the closed eyes would seem to indicate the kind of dreams that a person has while sleeping; while I can definitely appreciate those kind of dreams as well, the real meaning dealt with dreams that relate to goals and things to strive for.  The image meant so much to me that it is the first tattoo I ever got.

It seems like there are times when I need to be reminded of these dreams.  Probably more importantly, I think I need to be reminded to actually work very hard to make these dreams a reality.

As my buddy Vincent Harris regularly says: "Every night, ask yourself 'What have I done today to ensure my success for tomorrow?'"

#168 April 6, 2011,  Pen and pencil on paper

Day 165

I have pointed out before that there are simply times that any artist is not in the mood to make art. Please don't get me wrong: I love art-making and I absolutely do not take for granted that I can do what I can do.  But tonight was one of those nights where I really had no inspiration or desire to sit down and do my self-portrait.  In other words, tonight was one of those nights that people ask me about: "Don't ya ever just dread having to do another drawing?"

At the end of this project, I will know that for every single day in a year's time, I made some type of art.  No breaks.  No skipping a day here and there.

I like that a lot.  And it's pretty motivating on days where there is no other form of motivation to make some art...

#165 April 3, 2011,  Pencil on vellum
Sounds:  Alter Bridge,  One Day Remains

Day 164

I did a painting called Secrets illustrating the fact that we all have things kept hidden inside, things that may or may not be a big deal that we continue to keep underwraps.

I think we all have our own set of secrets, things that we'd probably prefer no one else knows. I know I do. On the other hand, it seems that there are some things that might eventually need to be revealed. Honestly, it really bothers me when someone believes they know how something "is" - but their alleged knowledge is only based on the information that they are actually privy to for one reason or another.

In other words, there are times when a person thinks they know something, and in reality, they know very little about it according to the fact that they've only heard one side or small parts of a particular story.  Here's the real quandary: should a person reveal pieces of information that would actually help defend themself, but would hurt someone else's personal standing?  To make matters worse, in most cases the situation is actually a lot more complicated than I've presented it here, and in ways that are layered rather deeply, so it makes matters even worse when a person is considering just what they should do.

(I think this is now one of those self-portraits in this project that has actually become a sketch for a larger scale "finished" painting...)

#164 April 2, 2011,  Pencil on vellum

Day 158

One of the nearly unseen personal effects of this project has been my sudden need to wear glasses while drawing. The more I worked on small details, the more I have noticed my eyes crossing and my vision becoming blurry as I tried to focus in on tightly rendered areas.

It's been a strange transition for me to begin picturing myself wearing the glasses. The general process has been to do the actual line work without them, then put them on so I can see better during the shading process (or when I'm adding the heavy line work on the pen drawings). There are times, however, when I'm interested in portraying myself in a slightly different way, and at those times I've just left them on me in the drawing.

In a manner of speaking, I suppose the glasses could be considered just another prop to create just another character...

#157 March 27, 2011,  Pencil
Sounds: Chris Whitley, Hotel Vast Horizon

Day 157

I really felt like I owed it to myself to do a great drawing tonight. I made it clear that I was very unhappy with essentially everything about last night's self-portrait, from the circumstances of it being made to the end result. While it was nice to get some positive feedback after I shared it, I still wasn't convinced that it was a good artwork.

One of my daughter Katey's favorites in this project is way back on Day 15. We were talking earlier this evening about all of my self-portraits, and she said again how she loved that drawing.  It got me thinking that I really liked that one too!  And it also got me thinking about how my appearance has changed a lot since that drawing way back in last November.  So I decided to re-visit that theme, and I am very pleased with the results!

It felt great to put in a little more time and effort on this drawing.  Of course, I like how it looks, but it also just felt good to draw for an extended time.  Sometimes it really strikes me how much fun it is to make art, and to do it well enough that I can look at the result with pride.

This is what I do best, and I always need to remember to give it the attention and dedication it deserves...

#157 March 26, 2011,  Pencil
Sounds: Slipknot, Slipknot

Day 147

This self-portrait was made while I wes nearly half asleep, literally. Good thing I was using a photo reference because I can guarantee I didn't have a smile on my face while I was drawing!

#147 March 16, 2011,  Pencil

Day 138

I went back to the basics just a bit with this self-portrait. Although I adore the style, I feel like I've fallen into a bit of a rut with the pen drawings featuring bold heavy outline. So, I decided to mix it up a little and use nothing but pencil.

Although this drawing is certainly not 100% "realism," it was nice to make an image that is more straight-forward without some type of theme.

With that said, I miss the blackbirds...

#138 March 7, 2011,  Pencil

Day 127

Sometimes I like drawing with pencil, and sometimes I don't. I can't decide what my feeling is tonight. While the drawing is a decent likeness of me, I'm not sure how much I like it. Perhaps it's because this is the first self-portrait with my new glasses, and perhaps it's because of the technique. One interesting thing to me is that pencil is supposed to be the "king of drawing", the most commonly used tool for mark-making. But as I've continued through this process, I've found myself liking pencil drawing less and less.

Some days, like today, I get a little frustrated at the finished product. But it doesn't take long for me to remember that at this point I'm barely one-third of the way completed, and there are a lot of (hopefully) amazing artworks left to go...

#127 February 24, 2011,  Pencil
Sounds:  U2, No Line On The Horizon