Day 47

I've been thinking a lot lately about some of the old cartoons that I watched as a kid. One thing that I always thought was funny was the way a giant skinny lump would immediately form on someone's (or something's) head after getting whacked with a hammer, an anvil, or any number of other heavy objects! And so, I thought it would be fun to make something with that theme.

While I love the final product of animated images, I really am drawn to the process of how they're made as well. (Punk kind of intended...) I really enjoy seeing the more spontaneous, lighter sketchy lines that are covered by thicker darker lines in the preliminary drawings. I tried to emulate that effect with this portrait by using very little eraser.

#47 December 6, 2010,  Pencil
Sounds: Butch Walker, Letters

Day 46

Pure and simple: the idea for this self-portrait came when I was recently discussing Salvador Dali with my students. There are several photos of him in a similar pose (albeit with a different position of his mouth), and always accentuating his eyes. Since Dali is an "art hero" of mine, I figured this was a good way to pay tribute to him...

#46 December 5, 2010, Pen
Sounds: New Grass Revival, When The Storm Is Over/Fly Through The Country

Day 45

Oddly enough, the idea for today's self-portrait is not new to me. A couple days ago I was looking through an older magazine and tucked in the pages I found a sketch that I had made several months ago. The original plan was to use it for a painting, but I liked the idea so much that I used it here and now. Incidentally, it should also be clear that I am no longer following the self-imposed ban of using a pen!

This drawing walks the line between Surrealism and Expressionism, with strong characteristics from both styles. I get a lot of comments about the facial expressions in my self-portraits - that I look very mad or unhappy. As I stated yesterday, while I occasionally do feel that way in real life just as everyone does, I like to think that I'm a relatively happy person. I make lots of jokes and tend to take very few things seriously. But perhaps the expressions are more telling than I realized, at least in a subconscious way. I guess it's something to think about...

#45 December 4, 2010, Pen
Sounds: Chris Cornell, Carry on

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 43

A couple days ago, I had a good time reworking an idea from a painting of mine - so much that I decided to do it with another one!

A few years ago, I did a painting called "An Unwinnable Situation," in which a person is precariously balanced on a tightrope with a seemingly endless drop below. The end of the rope was on fire and the walker was being attacked by blackbirds. Obviously the idea was altered slightly in this image - which is much more whimsical - but the idea behind it is the same.

I think that in a lot of cases people really want someone else to fail at whatever endeavor they are working towards, and sometimes all of the negative aspects make a person feel like they can't "win" at all. Perhaps it's a job, or a relationship, or a project that's maybe a little outside the norm. Who knows, it could be that this perceived expectation of failure is nothing more than a person's fear of trying something new or different for themself. What I do know is that is sure is fun proving people like this wrong...

#43 December 2, 2010, Spray paint collage
Sounds: Son Volt, Retrospective: 1995-2000

Day 42

I've been wanting to make a portrait that borrows *cough, cough - rips off - cough* the style of one of my favorite artists, David Stoupakis. His work is borderline creepy, but I really love the effect that he gets in his paintings and drawings.  Plus, I've had some interactions with him by email and he seems like a damned nice guy, which is always a good thing.  And I am happy to say that I'm the proud owner of one of his poster prints!

This portrait was made in the way that most budding artists get their start: with ONE single pencil.  The experience of making this drawing was fantastic: at one point, I felt like abandoning the drawing and starting over...but I stuck with it and am quite pleased with the results.  This is not the first time that this has happened during this project, and I think it serves as a gentle reminder that sticking with something can pay off in the long run.  (This is not to say, however, that certain things shouldn't be abandoned.  The trick is to learn when to forge ahead, and when to change course...)

I'm also happy about the fact that the scared/emotional expression on the face is totally faked. Despite what the image might suggest, today was a pretty great day!

#42 December 1, 2010,  Pencil
Sounds: Nine Inch Nails, Downward Spiral

Day 41

Today marks several "returns" for me. First of all, I had a chance to revisit an old friend: Prismacolor colored pencils. I fell in love with this medium nearly 25 years ago because of the amazingly vivid colors and how workable the pencils are. It's been a long time since I've used them and it felt so good to "go home."

Secondly, I revisited an old theme. This self-portrait is based on a painting that I did a few years ago called "On the Cage." I always liked the idea, but never felt like it was fully realized. I found it a bit interesting to turn the head into the base for the birdcage in this drawing.

And finally, with this drawing I revisited my old way of art-making. My son had a basketball game out of town tonight, so I returned home rather late. I had also been busy with other things this afternoon, so I didn't have a chance to do the portrait then. Long story short: this drawing was started around 11:00 pm. I have always loved working into the night, and although there is no way that I could do every piece in the series in this manner...it felt really good at least for tonight! (I may feel very differently about it in the morning though...)

#41 November 30, 2010,  Prismacolor colored pencils
Sounds: Rick Springfield, Working Class Dog