On vacation with family and I took some time to draw in REI while shopping.
Ink
3487: Solo Artist Day 133
We are in the middle of moving so the next few posts are going to be of me sketching in my sketchbook. I’m still working on the solo artist course by doing mostly heads.
3378: Solo Artist Day 24
Cylinders finished and started art learning from the Society of Visual Story Telling. Love it!
3377: Solo Artist Day 23
Boxes and cylinders, video production with figure drawing and some digital in the evening. Wonderful art Day!
3376: Solo Artist Day 22
Reviewing my perspective notes, drawing 50 boxes, creating brushes and studying values.
3369: Solo Artist Day 15
A full day of art making and watching amazing interviews from Schoolism.com.
3368: Solo Artist Day 14
Even after a great morning today ended up as a low energy day, but I was still able to get some drawing done.
3367: Solo Artist Day 13
Plant construction study and the beginning of a digital study of an Albert Bierstadt painting.
3366: Solo Artist Day 12
Starting on Lesson 3 of drawabox.com and doing a study of a spectacular digital painting.
3365: Solo Artist Day 11
More practice with form intersections then moving on to organic intersections.
3364: Solo Artist Day 10
Still working on the form intersections and I’m stretching my mind to the three dimentions.
3363: Solo Artist Day 9
I’m working my brain super hard on these form intersection exercises. Super hard!
3357: Solo Artist Day 3
Short art day this morning but lots of awesome connection with other artists!
3356: Solo Artist Day 2
I finished my inking texture practice from draw a box and played around with a digital portrait as well.
3355: Solo Artist Day 1
After looking at this curriculum with Josh we’ve decided to commit to finishing the whole thing.
Jon Snow Drawing
I started the Jon Snow drawing today and this time I began with a structural method straight out of Russia.
Welcome to chrisbeaven.com
I spent most of my time today doing all the crazy tech stuff that it takes to move my site to a new host and domain. Welcome to chrisbeaven.com!
Pressed For Time
Because I’m tying to move my website to a new host and domain I’m pressed for time all day.
The Most Committed to Our Identity
When we’re at our worst that is the time to be the most committed to our identity. Today my motivation is slow and blah, blah, blah. But I’m committed, so I got the work done, period.
Moving My Website
I didn’t have a super productive art day today but I did get some work done moving my website to a new host.
Laying Down Material
Today’s session on the Princess Bride drawing was all about laying down material and grinding it into the paper.
Piling Up Charcoal
I had a ton of fun today during my art session rocking out to some music and piling up charcoal on the paper.
Lack of Clarity in Motive
From the day I started research for this drawing I’ve had a severe lack of clarity in motive, and the quality is suffering because of it.
Simplifying the Values
After yesterday’s influence from amazing compositions I started incorporating what I learned right away by simplifying the values into three tones.
Simplifying the Head
I didn’t have enough time to get deep into it but I’m focusing more on simplifying the head with this charcoal Black Panther drawing.
Paper That I’m Not Supposed to Use
Today I started a second drawing of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther but with a paper that I’m not supposed to use with dry media.
Black Panther Drawing
I was right, after a good night of sleep I was able to make a decision on how to proceed with my Black Panther drawing.
A Whole Lot of Smoke
Today’s research into the next Fandom Fitness drawing has resulted in a whole lot of smoke and that is exactly what I see when I look outside.
Short Practice Day
I didn’t have a lot of time for my art session today so I did what I could and had a short practice day.
Tyrannosaurus Drawing Finished
After making some adjustments to the tail I’m calling this Tyrannosaurus drawing finished.
How Much is Not Enough?
I beginning to get comfortable with minimal detail in my drawings but there is always a question about how much is not enough.
Complex Forms with Scales
I’m learning that describing complex forms that are smooth is much easier than trying to describe complex forms with scales.
A Very Productive Labor Day
I’ve had a very productive labor day today by focusing as much as I can on art throughout the day.
Art and Recovery
Today was a relaxing and easy day as I focused on art and recovery by drawing early and keeping my workout easy.
A Long Day of Working
I’ve had a long day of working today but not much of it was on creating art but framing it.
A Day of Adjustments
Today has been a day of adjustments. I’m going to be adjusting my current Jurassic Park drawing as well as my future roadmap of practice and performance.
Tyrannosaurus Drawing Composition Work
Today was the first day of work on the Tyrannosaurus drawing but I’m not convinced the composition will communicate action, movement and depth.
Researching Tyrannosaurus Images
I’m in between Fandom Fitness drawings currently so I spent a lot of my time today researching Tyrannosaurus images for a Jurassic Park drawing.
Pokemon Drawing Finished
After lots of challenges, lots of learning and more time than I would have expected my Pokemon Drawing is Finished
Art and Wood Working
Today was another very long day of art but this one also included a lot of wood working.
Preparing My Artwork for a Show
My wonderful day of art started with an early session, then a fantastic call with other artists from Optimize.me then the rest of the day was spent preparing my artwork for a show.
Just Take a Day
I needed to just take a day. None of my days are spent doing nothing but this was definitely less productive than most.
Imagining How Light Will Fall
I continue to challenge myself with my Pokemon drawing today by imagining how light will fall on an imaginative form.
Seeing the Simple Shapes
For the Pokemon drawing I focused on seeing the simple shapes that made up the Aerodactyl. Then shading the Pokemon to match the light source.
Influenced by Comic Book Art
I began shading in the Pokemon drawing this morning which is trying to be heavily influenced by comic book art.
Pokemon Drawing
I’ve always tried to avoid tracing in my art career but for this Pokemon drawing and it’s complex assortment of cartoon characters I decided it was the best route.
Practice Day
Because most of my art time was taken up with errands today I decided to just call it a practice day.
Research and Planning
I’m in between Fandom Fitness drawings today but I’m getting ready for the next drawing with a couple hours of research and planning.
Sheldon Cooper Drawing Finished
I could refine this drawing more and edit some of the crosshatching but I really don’t have the energy for it so I’m calling the Sheldon Cooper drawing finished.
Working My Brain Hard
I’ve been working my brain hard today with some reverse gestures and using my left hand for common tasks.
Back to Sheldon Cooper Drawing
After finishing my self portrait I’m back to Sheldon Cooper my latest Fandom Fitness drawing.
Self Portrait Finished
I’m almost 100% sure that my self portrait is finished. Before I spray it though I’m going to look at it for a day and make sure.
Texture in Drawing
I was able to put a lot of time into my self portrait today. All the while I focused on filling space with initial values and texture in my drawing.
Change Mediums to Fit Motive
I’m heavily influenced by Robert Henri and more than ever I try to change mediums to fit motive rather than technique.
Relentless
I didn’t want to stop drawing today, my motivation is relentless and I feel that I have unlimited energy to finish this self portrait.
New Self Portrait
I decided to pause on my Sheldon Cooper drawing and work on a new self portrait drawing for a Proko.com challenge.
Drawing In a Hurry
I’m drawing in a hurry this morning because I’m off work and we have a hike planned with a friend up in the Mt Baker area.
Conservation of Values
I’m learning with this drawing of Sheldon that conservation of values is harder than having a larger range of values at hand. With limitation comes subtlety.
Calm and Productive
Another calm and productive day of art making. I’m getting in a groove now and the necessity to rush is fading.
Transplant Anniversary
Today is the two year anniversary of my kidney transplant! Today I’m celebrating my amazing friend and her astonishing gift with a day off work and a hike in the mountains.
Sheldon Cooper Drawing
I’m back in the groove now with the beginning of a new Fandom Fitness drawing. This time I’m drawing Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.
100 Years in Weeks
I’ve had on my to do list for a while now and exercise from Optimize.me, called “100 Years in Weeks”. Today I took the time to complete it and get more perspective on my life.
Between Fandom Fitness Drawings
There is always a bit of a lull in my drawing when I’m between Fandom Fitness drawings because I’m doing a lot of research on the next drawing.
Captain Jack Sparrow Drawing Finished
The Captain Jack Sparrow drawing turned out awesome and I’m proud to call it finished.
Art and Learning to Walk Again
After dealing with foot pain for years, and now knee pain, I’m starting over by buying new shoes and learning to walk again the right way.
My Most Productive Month Ever
After my most productive month ever of art I decided to take a very easy day.
Get Messy With Charcoal
The character Captain Jack Sparrow is never sober it seems and to try and convey some of his erratic behavior I had to get messy with charcoal.
Recovery Day
Today was a very relaxing day. I’ve been working more on art this past month than any month previous and I needed a recovery day.
More Drawing Mediums
Its time to experiment with more drawing mediums and these are inspired by what Steve Huston uses.
Captain Jack Sparrow Drawing
Yesterday I did most of the research for my Captain Jack Sparrow drawing and today I narrowed it down to one image with some adjustments.
Time to Get Technical
After a third page of draw a box exercises I got fed up with making the same mistakes so I decided it was time to get technical and learn something.
Editing the Yoda Drawing
After a nights rest and looking at yesterdays post once again I decided to edit the Yoda drawing a little.
Yoda Drawing Finished
I may have rushed the bottom half of Yoda’s robe but for now I’m going to call the Yoda drawing finished.
Errands, Work and Artwork
Another busy day today of running errands, work and artwork but I was able to plan my day well and get almost everything in, with a bit of rushing around.
Drawing Involves the Whole Body
Drawing when done correctly involves the whole body. A delicate gradation is made with the body hunched and focused. But a rough texture is done standing and energetic like conducting a symphony.
First Thing in the Morning
My Monday mornings are really nice now with the latest change in my work schedule. I get to start on art first thing in the morning.
A Relaxing Pace
I decided to take a relaxing pace with my art session this morning. I still kept my warm-up to 15 minutes but I allowed myself to get lost in the other drawings.
A Day of Research, Writing and Practice
Today is a day of research, writing and practice as I’m in between Fandom Fitness drawing and it normally takes me a day or so to find the right images for the next drawing.
Second Drawing of Martin Luther King Jr Finished
After only three session I’ve finished my second drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. I think this is the fastest I’ve ever finished a Fandom Fitness drawing.
Refreshing My Motive
I spent some of my rushed art time refreshing my motive on this Indiana Jones drawing and getting clear on what direction I want to take it.
Preventing Monotony
One of the keys to preventing monotony within a daily art practice, in my opinion, is to commit to several different daily practices.
A Morning Full of Art
I’m happy to say that I’ve had a morning full of art and creativity and it is so exhilarating after the last two days of minimums.
Not Enough Time
Another day full of work and not enough time for art so I’m practicing my minimum and a micro win again.
Micro Wins
Due to a long day at work I had to practice many micro wins today and settle for a very short art day.
The Dominant Eye
In Robert Henri’s book The Art Spirit he speaks of the compositional relationship between both eyes and how in life there is always the dominant eye.
Oasis in the Street
For my exercise yesterday I went on a long walk around the neighborhood and I had the pleasure of experiencing this amazing oasis in the street and it’s caretaker.
Captain Marvel too Much Detail?
I’m getting deep into the Captain Marvel drawing and I’m thinking I may be starting with too much detail.
Eggo Waffle Boxes and Daily Composition
I have two new challenges today. The first is drawing printed text on Eggo waffle boxes and the other is daily composition drawings from memory.
Eleven Drawing and Modeled Drawing in Ink
First I worked on a couple modeled drawings in ink than I moved to the second session of my Eleven Drawing.
Xena Drawing With Motive
Instead of just drawing what I see in the photo I focused on drawing with motive today.
Still Life for Demo 2
The still life I did yesterday didn’t have the impact that I wanted to achieve. I wanted something to entice people to the demo.
Superman: Getting Close
I switched to graphite for this drawing and took my time on it. I wanted to do the best I could.
Ann: Study Day
Today I spent more time studying other artists rather than drawing. Most of my time was spent with Robert Henri and Thomas Eakins.
Traveling Home
I was up late and very sick the night before, now I’m traveling home early in the morning.
The “Art First” Rule
The inevitable happened. I missed a day. But it was a wonderful learning experience that I can prevent a repeat of.
Optimize Coach Graduation: Day 3
On day one of graduation I learned that I need some practice with sketching moving subject and use my memory more, today I practice it.
Optimize Coach Graduation: Day 2
Today was spectacular! Up early for Meditation, Carpe Diem and Yoga, some Optimize programming then a SPARTAN RACE!
Optimize Coach Graduation: Day 1
After a very long morning we arrived in LA and started our first day with Optimize coach graduation. It was a wonderful day!
Mt Shuksan
My In-laws are in town and we took a trip out to Mt Shuksan which had some of the most beautiful sites I’ve seen in Washington.
Indianapolis Drawing 8
Our last day in Indianapolis we loiter in the lobby till it’s time to travel to the airport.
Indianapolis Drawing 7
This is the last day of the conference and I’m sitting at the ZooFit table drawing the high priced Mazuri booth featuring exotic animals.
Indianapolis Drawing 6
Once again in the lobby, I’m looking at a plethora of stark architecture and modern furniture and finally settling on an area of high contrast.
Indianapolis Drawing 5
I hesitated when starting this drawing of hanging lights as the complexity of the subject seemed beyond my ability, but I did it anyway.
Indianapolis Drawing 4
I’m in the lobby again, drawing a woman behind the front desk and the massive space surrounding her.
Indianapolis Drawing 3
I sit next to my 12th floor window as the light fades drawing the street scattered with people possessing lesser fortune than mine own.
Indianapolis Drawing 1
We have traveled to Indianapolis for an AAZK conference and ZooFit promotion so the next few days is me drawing in the hotel room.