Style versus Substance

Had an opportunity to draw the lovely Ami Amore, belly/fire/sword dancer extraordinaire.


This provided me with an excuse to try out a new technique I have been toying with. I have been wanting to add more color to my work lately but have been unhappy with my attempts at straight painting.

Basically, I put down a wash of watercolor and then draw over it. As the wash and the drawings are done separately, I have to consider the composition of the picture according to the background I have already made.

Though not nearly as controlled as I am normally accustomed to, the effort produced some surprising results. I am looking forward to experimenting with this process further.

Light and Shadow

Seems like I have been drawing for a week straight. It also seems like the only time I draw these days is when I get together with a group of other artists. I have given up on experimenting for the time being and am sticking with pens. Go with what you know.

Cadavre Exquis

Exquisite corpse is when two or more artists work on one picture. What follows is a series of collaborations between fellow artist Flammis (Ariel Childers) and myself. She and I have very similar styles (read: heavily comic influenced) and I think we were able to compliment each other nicely.

Carnaval... NOT carnival

My drawing group had a special treat in honor of Carnaval that really must be seen to be believed.



We normally start out any session with a series of 30 second poses. These 'gesture drawings' help us warm up and get a feel for the model. The beautiful Eliana danced for us while we sketched.

My experiments with watercolor have been hit and miss. For every good piece I turn out, I have a colossal failure to keep me humble. Tonight I gave it a shot and was not at all pleased with the results. The outfit was just too damn complex.

Giving up on the watercolor, I was able to get a couple of really nice pen sketches out of the deal. The anatomy on this one is not perfect, but I was paying more attention to light and texture and I am happy with the results.

I am most satisfied with the final sketch of the night. Granted, it is a simple pen sketch and it seems I can do those in my sleep, but it made me happy. That is, after all, the whole reason I do this.