Some Thoughts on Setting Goals

 At the beginning of the year, I realized I was not drawing enough. I set a goal to complete 1 illustration a week. So far, I have been doing really well, just 3 weeks behind. Some would say I am not meeting my goal, in a sense this is true. But I like to look at it a different way. I have now completed 22 illustrations that would not have been done. That is pretty impressive.

This one is an example of a worms eye view. It is part of my series of different of camera shots that I am using in my Visual Narrative class (I am also illustrating my own images for my classes instead of using others work).

Reworking an Illustration: B is for... and some thoughts on failure

A few years ago I created an illustration that was visual failure. It haunted me. There were so many problems with it. I loved the concept and the idea, but the execution was pathetic. A lot of the mistakes were due to lack of planning and lack of a proper amount of time to really do it justice.

Luckily, it was for a personal project, It hung in a gallery exhibit and was posted as one of my failures on-line. It still haunted me. 

Over the past year or so I have gained a greater appreciation for failing. Although I still fear certain aspects of it, the fear of failure does not plague me like it has in the past. I have started approaching it with a more positive perspective and an understanding that failure is inevitable. I will fail. I will fail often, I have failed and will continue to do so. How I approach each failure is more important that failing. My failures are now strengthening me and helping me to get better. This one thought has freed me in so many ways. It is liberating. I am ok with messing up now.

The last few months, I made time in-between projects to rework it. Slowly, I tweaked the composition, redrew each aspect, and lightened it up. In the end it is much stronger. 

This is from my personal project “A is For Alliteration” and is for the latter B. The title is “B is for a bevy of beatnik blue footed boobies boogieing to the bodacious blues beat of The Baby Blues Brothers, a blue whale bleating on the bassoon, a blue lobster banging on the bongos, a blaring bagpipe, a blue agama on the base, a boar on a banjo, and a blue jay belting the ballad, is the bee's knees.”

Drawing Practice

I am working on a personal project and spent a few hours practicing drawing blue-footed Boobies today. The more I draw, the more I realize the importance of these preliminary drawings. As I work on these, I find the final image is stronger. I come up with stronger ideas and compositions.

You just can't rush things and have quality work. It may be good, but there is so much more richness to the final piece when you put the time up front.

Bow Tie Guy of the Day: Blue-Footed Booby

Blue-Footed Booby (blo͞o ˈfo͝otəd ˈbo͞obē)

This is the last of the images I will be posting that has been hung in the art show, Blank Space. The closing is this evening at 6 pm in the Quimby Gallery. I have around 50 4 x 6 works of mine in the show. It has been incredible watching the exhibit live and grow. There are over 300 4 x 6 inch works of art in the gallery at this point and I expect more will be hung before the closing tonight.

B is for…

Over the past few years I have been slowly working on an alphabet series. You can see D, Q, S, P and W at the link provided. This is part of a series call “A is for Alliteration” and is currently on display at the Quimby Gallery as part of the 2015 faculty exhibit, “Blue.”

The title is “A bevy of beatnik blue footed boobies boogieing to the bodacious blues beat of The Baby Blues Brothers, a blue whale bleating on the bassoon, a blue lobster banging on the bongos, a blaring bagpipe, a blue agama on the base, a boar on a banjo, and a blue jay belting the ballad, is the bee's knees.” 

I had a blast working on this one. I am still trying to figure out how to give it the jazz club feel without making my colors so saturated, so if you have any tips let me know.

National Bow Tie Day!

August 28th is National Bow Tie Day. I thought I would post a few of my favorite Bow Tie Guys over the years.

the 10th Bird

Blue Footed Booby (blo͞o ˈfo͝otəd ˈbo͞obē)

Work is piling up, but I am still managing to make time to draw. The Blue Footed Booby is a large tropical seabird with bright colored feet.