A note for the future

Important announcement for the future of this blog. I will be limiting the amount of images that will be displayed on here, and focusing on my personal website and tumblr account. That's not to say that I won't be using this site anymore, just don't expect as many images of my work. It's mostly to do with user friendliness (this site is a bugger to arrange pictures on!)  If you are interested in keeping up with my artistic endeavors then head on over to either site, links to which can be found on the sidebar.

But hopefully you will continue to check up on here. I've still got plenty to rant about :p

Old people

So, for this project I've been currently working on, I have been spending a lot of time drawing old people. In an odd way, it's something that I always enjoy. There's so much detail and expression that you can't help losing hours with it. These were all done using either pencil or charcoal

 

It's competition time!

So, just entered my first illustration competition! Very very nervous to be having my work judged by professionals (or anyone) but fingers crossed, we all have to start somewhere right?

I am very proud of this picture as I pretty much poured my heart and soul into it. This is a continuation of my exploration into charcoal and I think it may be a media that I will use indefinitely now. It just provides so much tonal quality and atmosphere which I adore and lends the image so much soul. But I'm beginning to sound ridiculous now so lets just say that I was very happy with the results.

The image itself is a recreation of the moment that Paris of Troy seduces Helen of Sparta and ignites the Trojan war. I wanted the image to appear as if we were looking into the scene as someone intruding and are glimpsing the passionate moment of first embrace. I wanted there to be lots of atmosphere and foreboding, as we the audience know all too well the result of this embrace...

Finishing line in sight!

It's almost Christmas, which means I'm beginning to draw an end on my first modules of year two. In retrospect, there are plenty of things that I would have done differently. Time management is still my arch nemesis and will continue to be for some time. But, as I sit here at 05:36 in the morning, a glass of wine beside me, I take some solace in the fact that despite my inability to handle my time accordingly (and at the expense of my health) I look over my produced work and feel a great deal of pride. For some time I refused to take praise from myself or others, and it is something that any creative professional has to overcome. But ultimately, if you cannot take joy in the work you create then it really isn't worth doing at all. My latest final piece which will be scanned in today is something which I feel reflects me and my work more than anything that has come before this.

But for now, I will have to bore you with my life drawing!

If I haven't said it before ill say it again here. Life drawing this year has been the best so far. Now that we are able to dictate our own media choice, I've felt that I've learned more than I did previously because I can use the techniques and theories that they are teaching and actually apply it to the way I draw. Out of the pictures above, I felt that the second image was my strongest. I was particularly pleased with how I'd managed to replicate the delicate the pose. It's often the most subtle of gestures that make or break a picture and I felt this one turned out great, especially how all of these were just 20 minitee exercises.

A notable absence

Now I feel like I'm treating this blog like an abused housewife. Almost a month without a post. Eeeek, its amazing how quickly university can take over your life.

Well, actually its not just university. I've been struggling with some health problems lately which took an awful amount of time to diagnose and treat. But I'm happy to report that I'm now doing well, have a prescription in place and am feeling better for it. All that's left to do is sort out my sleeping pattern. I won't go into the boring details but its enough to say that I'm not getting my 7 hours a day. This has led to me actually do more work because I'm awake longer, but I know its not something that should be encouraged.

Anyway, enough about my personal life, scouting back over my last few posts, I last left off with me in the middle of an editorial project, the results of which can be seen below:

Considering my misgivings about this project, I was actually very proud of the final image I produced. I had been toying a lot with charcoal in my life drawing sessions and had wanted to try and apply this to my professional work. So, after a few hours of trial and error (don't lean on the picture without fixing the charcoal first...) I completed the image. Without meaning to blow on my own horn, I felt that the media suited my style perfectly and raised my standard of work considerably.

The application of the image to the set template however was frustrating. In all truth, I didn't really tailor the image to the brief, and ended up with something that I wanted in my portfolio than I did in an editorial brief.

But all in all I was extremely pleased with what was a difficult project. But I feel like I've turned a corner stone in terms of finding my 'style'. I've already begun my next charcoal piece, and I've had great feedback so far.