Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Artist Al Rio Passes 1-31-12

I can not begin to express my feelings , Al Rio had been one of my inspirations and I am stunned to learn of his passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Please read the following blogs discussing his life, work and unfortunate passing.

ExposureEghg:

exposureghg - Artist Al Rio passes away:

Jessie James Comics:  http://www.jessejamescomics.com/site/index.php/media-and-blog/entry/in-memory-of-al-rio
'via Blog this'

Kicking things off



Elmer Fudd (1993)


I've always liked to sketch cartoon and comic book characters for fun.  This was just something I did for fun but never took the time to seriously develop. About a year and half ago I underwent a major surgery and had an extended recovery time. This has given me the extra time to work on my drawing skills.



I never considered myself an artist. I have not had any formal training. I just have an internal desire to create. However I am learning that is this is the nature of an artist. I have much respect for the true Artists who can visualize a concept and successfully bring it to life, whether that is in the form of a Drawing or Painting. This is a phase I am working towards.

Early on I made the mistake of taking criticism of my drawings personal and allowed this to discourage me. In this last year I’ve come to realize that had I taken a more active approach to learning technique and practicing when I was younger I would be able to successfully translate the thoughts and images in my head to pen and paper. I say this because I have seen my work improve every day. 

Derek Jeter (Kupka Reference) 2011 
The Elmer Fudd Sketch above is a perfect example. When I first started out I would only draw using cartoon characters as reference because I could see the lines and mimic them. For the Longest time I had myself convinced I could not draw something that was lifelike. I was letting fear prevent me from trying. Not long ago I did this Sketch of Derek Jeter. This was using a photo realistic portrait by artist Mike Kupka as reference.  

My most favorite to date is this sketch of Wonder Woman which I started by using an Alex Ross image as reference.

Both Mike Kupka and Alex Ross use a form High Realism in their work and I admire their work greatly. 


Wonder Woman (Alex Ross reference) 2011
More recently I have discovered Oil Painting and found a way to combine my love of drawing with this wonderful medium. My goal for this blog is to journal my progress, document tips and techniques that I have found and who knows maybe get some feedback from those of you out there who have a similar desire to grow your own talents.


So thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my rambling thoughts….. 

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Art Fest 2012

On Saturday 1/28/12 my family and I attended “artFEST” in Chambersburg, PA.











“artFEST, held in conjunction with Chambersburg’s IceFest, is an artistic demonstration, where the artists create their art during the day, with the general public watching the art develop. All work produced this year will be auctioned to benefit the “For the Kids” fund. The 2012 artFEST will be held on Saturday, January 28 at Historic Preservation’s Warehouse, which is located at 252 East King Street in Chambersburg.” (franklincountyartalliance.org)

This was a truly fun and amazing event. The artists started at 8 AM with the goal of having all work completed by 4 PM. At 4:30 pm the work was auctioned to benefit “For the Kids” the annual fundraiser that donates money to children's organizations that are in need.  Most artists worked with paint on canvas but there were several other mediums used as well. One artist in particular gave a “hands on” demonstration of glass bead making.

I give these artists a lot of credit; the work they produced was beautiful. They did this while people were watching and asking questions. As an artist myself I can say this is both an exciting and frightening prospect. The early steps of any work has its rocky point and allowing someone to see those stages and pass judgments based on this unfinished condition can be humbling. The artist’s emotions are laid bare for the public and they are extremely vulnerable.

All in all this was a great event and they raised a considerable amount of money for a good cause.