An Artist's Birth

This image isn't yet finished, but I have to post it for a class. It comes with a poem.

An Artist’s Birth

Graphite grease like a second skin
Smothers my fingers, nose, and chin
Eraser nub now a field of string
All is smudged but the page before me.
A homely birth to a comely face.
And from her a radiance constrains my senses
Preventing departure, I linger still
Make thy mark, she speaks
Make thy will.

In thy tender care I live
By thy gentle touch I breathe
Stroke my hair and rub my cheek
Bring me form from obscurity
As thou wilt I will conform
On thy page my soul is born
Without thee I would not be
And all I ask before thou leaves
Is make me whole, make me ‘plete
Forsake me not, my maker, please.
How can I live and never know
Thy plan for me was more than shallow?
So make of me that thou wishes,
All I ask is I am finished.

Hunched in a basement, my back is sore.
A single prison-like window that glows no more.
I look away. Wipe black my eyes with medium.
2am, yet again? I think. 2am
And she’s calling to me,
My handicapped child
The beauty.
This shouldn’t be, an unexpected creation
A hobbyist’s delight, reality’s abortion.
Too much tomorrow, I haven’t the strength
One or the other must break.
I swallow, clear my mind from the consequence
And calmly return to my elevated desk.

Shh, I whisper. It’s alright. I dab her eye, brighten the light.
I won’t forsake thee, love, no, not tonight.
You trust in me and I will guide
Until the light and shadows we’ve tried
Til the stray marks have been erased
And we through the night together awake
When you are made whole and I am made great.

Environment Thumbnails

Been doing a few environment sketches lately.

Monastary

This is the most recent version of the monastary for Roák-Aradûn.
Kelly my instructor has been nagging me to finish stuff and get a
portfolio together. Finishing stuff is kind of fun. Ironically the
image above isn't quite to that stage yet but I figured what the heck.

Dryad

A tree spirit.

Joe Olson's Snow Monster

Value by me. Line art by Joe Olson.

More drawings from a quiet Sabbath evening.

After diesta

So there's a new avalanche artist named Diesta and I love his work.
This is a kind of emulation I guess. Only thing missing is a beautiful
woman.

Forgot to post my 15s

I really feel that drawing quickly helps me draw better. These are 15
seconds.

Gestures in conte

After a four month hiatus I returned to conte today. Here are the
results. I feel like I'm getting closer. Only light years to go...

Gestures

5 min anatomy studies.

Pages per week

So I've been noticing this accumulation of paper in my closet and I decided to count how many pages I used in my sketchbook from last Friday to this Friday (so that would be 8 days, plus conference weekend...)

120.

But I've also been noticing that there's a lot of junk and so I'm going to make a concerted effort to slow down on my drawings and produce more quality and less trash. Hopefully this effort won't be wasted.

Remember that I do figure classes in my sketchbook as well, which fills up a good half of those pages.

Caveman Update

An unfinished clip. I can't wait till it's done. I think my brain cells are starting to commit suicide in rebellion. I will never touch 3D again...

Róak-Aradûn

My brother and I decided to try our hand at entrepreneurship and are making a Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition supplement book. If you're into D&D and want to try an experimental online gaming forum, check out the website at www.roak-aradun.com. Email my brother Aaron for if you want to be a part of it.

Róak-Aradûn, in my opinion, is the epitome of what role-playing should be. My brother is a genius at it, and truly loves the wholesome benefits of role-playing--a creative pasttime that in my opinion is exceedingly valuable and can be very, very entertaining. I played D&D extensively in high school, and while I eventually realized my true passion was drawing and writing, I will never doubt that the talents I have largely came from being involved in role-playing as a youth. If you don't know what old school paper and pencil role-playing is then you should look into it. It's probably on Wikipedia.

I have been doing a lot of artwork for it the last couple weeks. Some of it I am pleased with and some of it I'm really not, but here is the better stuff. As usual nothing is finished.

I hope that with publication the goal I will have enough of a sharpening stone to encourage me to get competitive in the art world...but with Caveman on my shoulders (I will finish it I tell you!!!) I can only pray that my art will improve enough in the time that I have.



A silhouette study of the city skyline.









A lighting study. Hence, try to look at the colors more than anything else.







A dragon.




















A character thumbnail for the forum.













The silent forest.




















A character thumbnail for the forum.

Caveman Animatic

So the forever-long caveman project I've been working on finally has somewhat of a face.  Please comment on it if you have an opinion.  Many people have had a hand in this project, providing ideas, comments, and encouragement.  I will do credits when it's finished and name everyone.  Thanks ya'll!

Coolest personalities ever.

Hey ya'll, Andy Erekson just posted this sweet link to some of the coolest personalities ever...CHECK IT OUT.

Recent Drawings