Of Dwarves And Gnomes

I've long said I can't draw, but the truth is I never really tried. Yes, I've drawn before, and seen the same stick figures everyone can draw and just decided I couldn't draw, like most people. But the truth is, anybody can draw. Whether or not it's any good is relative and in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

It isn't until recently that I've tried applying myself to drawing, and drawing regularly. I've always liked art inside, and resented the fact that I wasn't artistic on paper. I've always dabbled in illustration and graphic design on the computer due to the fact that I resigned myself to being unable to draw on paper. I decided to prove myself wrong and, for once, actually try. My art didn't need to be great, it just needed to be better.

So I purchased a sketchbook (one made of recycled content, woo!) and applied myself. I even joined The Sketchbook Project so as to force myself to draw. Unfortunately I have slacked a bit on that front. My drawings started with ManCat who, by now, I hope you are familiar with. At some point I drew a dwarf. I don't know why; maybe because I love Scandinavian culture or something. Whatever the reason, it brought me to the first drawings I kind of liked. I felt that what I drew looked like what I'd wanted it to look like. I've always been able to see a drawing but I have never been able to translate that sight to paper, which has constantly antagonized me.

I surprised myself with drawing faces and eyes. I'd have figured drawing a face would be the most difficult as its the most important. I figure if the face is wrong the whole drawing doesn't work. Unfortunately, my faces still weren't there yet though. I had issues drawing noses, I didn't like ears, and mouths just never looked right. You should have seen how I drew hair too, that was downright atrocious.

I've always liked painting. By that I mean, I wanted to try painting since I'd never actually done it. I've always been amazed the way a painting comes together, and I wanted to try it. This is what I came up with:

It's not perfect, but I was really happy with it. Considering that I'd never painted anything before, I felt that it looked pretty good. Of course there are areas I don't love; the nose is a weird shape, his mouth looks like he got into a fight, and his shirt is ho-hum. But I was proud, and this fine gentleman now hangs above my bed as if protecting Krissy and me.

I mentioned The Sketchbook Project before. The project is actually pretty neat. You send them a small sum of money and they send you a sketchbook. You return the sketchbook completely filled and they take it on a nationwide tour, culminating in its inclusion in the Brooklyn Art Library. If anyone takes out my sketchbook, they inform me, too, which is cool. Here is one of my sketches:

The theme is I'm sorry I forgot about you. I am pretty happy with this sketch. I really like the eyes; he looks devastated that the bus passed him. Clearly, this is not the first time he's been left out, and no matter how tough his exterior is, his eyes can't hide his anguish. Or something. I like his lunch box.

Here is another sketch from the project:

I'm pretty happy with this sketch too. I am proud of my lamp; well, at least the shade. The lamp base is a tad wonky as is the table it's on, but that's okay; I like a bit of wonkiness. This one is a summer scene. And, yes, dwarfs always wear their full regalia no matter how hot it is, okay? I'll leave any dissection of this sketch to you, however.

Next is a painting I did, and it's probably one of my favorites, to be honest. I bought some 8x10 canvas boards to paint Jessie a picture for her birthday (seen here), and felt like painting one evening so I did. I started by drawing a dwarf and decided that rather than the typical portrait, I wanted it to be asymmetrical (?). I really liked the idea of him coming from the corner like a photo bomb. Behind him a sort of children's-book style forest. His beard is (maybe?) impressionist in style. His cheeks are rosy like apples. Dwarfs always have rosy cheeks, don't you know? I'm extremely happy with the eyes. You might have to go to flickr to see it bigger to see the detail, but it still looks good as a small JPEG, too. He's not perfect (but who is?) though; his suspenders have a lack of definition-- they look flat. His pants look a bit off. among other things. But as a whole I'm quite pleased with this. Truth be told it was originally going to go to Jessie but frankly we liked it too much. Sorry, Jessie.

Last, is a painting I painted for Chris, my brother, for his birthday. I'd been wanting to paint a painting for someone and I was trying to figure out who best to paint for. I figured Chris would like it the most. I thought it would be really funny for Mike and Jen to have to hang a dwarf up in their house, but ultimately I settled on Chris. Besides his birthday came at the right time. Also, my dwarfs tend to resemble him in ways; he looks like a dwarf (in a good way).

Yes, the head is floating and I wanted it that way. I really like the hat. The hat is what I painted first and it came out better than I could have imagined, frankly. Originally the face was more in the orange color range but, inexplicably, I decided to do the shady side of the face in purple. It took me awhile to be happy with it, and I kind of regretted it for a couple days, but in the end I feel it worked out. The eyes are okay; they are good enough but not my favorite. The nose is kind of okay, too, although it is sort of weirdly misshapen. His moustache is in the style of Jimmy Mcmillan.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to comment. =)

Where The Wild Things Are

Everyone dabbles...

I like children's books. I may not have the affinity for them that a certain other person does, but, to be honest, I've always loved them. I may not read them every day, or think about them all that much, but I like them. I cannot imagine writing (or illustrating) one myself. They are incredibly simple at face value but beyond the simplicity of the words and rhymes directed at children are messages far more profound. I don't know if this is for the parents or if these deeper messages are meant to sink in for the children who are merely given these books for their educational purpose (what kid learns with War And Peace, right?). I suspect that children know what they're reading; perhaps children aren't given enough credit.

Max (Click to see larger)

I drew this first picture the other day. For some reason I decided to draw Max from Where The Wild Things Are. I don't know why. Maybe because Max is troublesome, or a rebel, or because of a certain cat, but it is likely because my brain meanders constantly and at that precise moment it thought Where The Wild Things Are.

I don't have a deep connection with this book. I like it (also, the movie is good). I don't recall reading it all the time or anything. I do remember it though. I like that it's not your typical children's book; it's darker than many are. But the story is relateable, is it not?

Monster #1 (Click to view larger)

Next, I decided to draw the rest of the characters. I figured, while I am at it, I may as well do the rest of the characters. Truth be told, I haven't started one of the characters yet (the girl with the long, straight hair). But I started with who I can only assume is the leader of the monsters Max finds. I like the way he looks. My drawing actually turned out fairly well. I have since drawn a new one with colored pencils, which looks pretty decent but I don't have a photo of it yet.

Goat Monster? (Click to view larger)

As I made my way through the cast, I next arrived at this goat like fellow. He seems angry, but I don't know why. Maybe he wants to be in charge sometimes, maybe he is tired of having to take orders from the other monsters. Maybe he reflects Max's struggles with his mother, which subsequently get resolved in the end. I don't know, but he is angry and he really shouldn't be. Sure, he's kind of alone. He only has three other monsters on the island to keep him company; perhaps he needs more. Some people do, after all, need more companionship than that. Maybe he needs to be surrounded by creatures to be comfortable. Then again, maybe three is the perfect number and once Max showed up, his entire foundation crumbled; not to mention Max immediately becomes their king, so maybe the monster has a lack of trust there.

Bird Monster (Click to view larger)

Next in line is the bird. I was looking forward to the bird, to be honest, but it proved to be somewhat of a pain. I found it difficult to find a good source image so I could see what the bird actually looks like. All in all, I am fairly happy. He is not perfect, but then again who or what is? The fur and stuff isn't bad. Oh well, I'm pleased.

King of the Wild Things (Click to enlarge)

For some reason I ended up painting Max. It's loosely based on the drawing from the first card. This is an 8x10 canvas board. Krissy likes it a lot, but she likes everything. I like it. As a whole, I'm happy with the painting but there are definitely parts I feel could be improved if I knew how to paint, but I'm kind of a perfectionist, so if I knew how to paint I can only imagine how I'd tear it apart. I didn't add the bush's shadows until the end, and I feel like it brought the painting up a level. It's kind of neat how small things can have such an impact sometimes.