Just messing around in my sketchbook. I am pretty pleased with the geisha – she’ll look rad with colour, but the winking one? Not so much. I wanted to try something different, but the mouth is lazy. Like super lazy. Instead of taking the time to do it right, I opted to avoid the teeth. Not great.
Still, she does show a bit of promise if you can look past the blatant issues.
As of late, there has been much talking in my Universe about change and fulfillment. I’ve been looking at all facets of my existence to see what could use a tweak here or there. Notably, I have decided that I am happiest when I am enroled in some sort of art class. I am much more productive, challenged, and just generally happier – even if the work stresses me out. Good stress though. 
I haven’t been in an art class since I finished my VDes certificate at the U of C (over a year ago). Crazy! So I think I would like to return to it. I really do love learning new art things. Ideally, I am looking at some extended studies courses in the Spring session (April-ish) at ACAD since I have pretty much exhausted the curriculum at U of C. I know that April is a pretty long time from now, but it can’t be helped from a fiscal and time management perspective. Plus, once I start classes, W will be done his last bit of school. So we won’t be stressed out at the same time.
I am also laying the ground work for some additional future education stuff, but I don’t want to say too much about it until it gets underway. Mostly because I am known for being so flighty about my education. There have been many, many entries about various certificates and degrees that I longed to earn – all of which did not pan out. At all. So I have learned to keep things closer to the vest until my commitment is 100%.
ACAD sent me their Extended Studies catalogue for the upcoming Fall/Winter semesters. Yesterday, I started to casually flip through it. It was a curiosity because a couple months ago, I decided that I should put my art classes on hold temporarily and get a “grown-up” education – something that could benefit me from a job perspective. So I am in the process of a Business Analysis certificate through Mount Royal College. My first class starts September 12th.
Up until now, ACAD offered two through their Extended Studies faculty – Studio Arts (which is basically beginner studio certificate) and Jewelry Arts (which I have no interest in). Neither certificate appealed to me in any way whatsoever. I know my way around a studio already and jewelry? Meh. I have my Visual Design certificate through U of C and for the most part, I am pleased with it. My future plans were that I would take some art courses as I found ones that interested me.
I am also sorts of exhausted today. I have been pulling some ridiculously late nights coupled with ridiculously early mornings. Today, we even missed the alarm and slept in, which let to a mad dash to get W to the train. I hate rushing in the morning. It is completely off-putting and usually ends up ruining my day. It also doesn’t help that its pretty gloomy outside and there is some blasphemy talk of us getting snow on Saturday.
It does nothing for my motivation, I don’t mind admitting.
Still, yesterday was pretty fantastic. It was First Thursday and I dragged W down to Art Central with me for the First Thursday Meetup event. We had a nice, little turn out. But, I’ll be honest, I’m not 100% if I actually enjoyed First Thursday. The galleries and exhibits were, for the most part, alright. There was nothing (save a few select artists) that completely stood out to me. In fact, a lot of the stuff I had already seen before. So in that regard, it was a slight disappointment. A small part of me just feels like Art Central hasn’t been the same since QUAB left. 
Still, in spite the disappointing galleries, there was a lot of great discussion and comaraderie. So that makes it a successful evening in my eyes.
The Document Your Art workshop that I attended at ACAD on Saturday ended up being a pretty good experience. I am now armed with a lot of info about how to take good photos of my art – 2D or even 3D – with a nice, crash course in how to use my manual settings on my camera (I always forget!) as well as a gray card. And better still, a lot of the principles I learned can totally be applied to creating my own prints. And I can probably set up a decent 2D documentation studio for SUPER cheap. I already have the clamp lights. I just need to find a couple of stands and I’ll be in business.
Now this won’t necessarily help me with taking my own photo references. But its a good start, methinks.
I also finally managed to get my reference images out to D for the Blogger Portrait Project. I opted for a pretty familiar pose – me chewing on my hair. Its a disgusting habit, I know. But a nervous one that I picked up after I quit smoking. And ya know, I’ll take the gross habit over the habit that might kill me any day.
And, if I can be a little more self-absorbed for a moment, man, I have nice hair. I didn’t realized how nice until yesterday after seeing photos of myself from all angles. I just have nice hair and that makes me feel swell. 
Title: Untitled
Size: 11 x 14″
Medium: Graphite on Bristol Smooth
Time: 22.25 hours
Status: WIP
Oh the hair. The hair has been a pretty big challenge so far. The teeny, tiny gray hairs are really troublesome. So. Many. Layers. But still, so far, so good. I am pleased. I’m also getting a nice work out with the electric eraser. So, I shall be a master!
In other news, yet again, my education plan has been shifted slightly. I’ve decided to put the business certificate off until the fall. Mainly because with the nature of the certificate, it’s better if you take the classes one after another right away. Since most of them are seminar-based, it’s easier. However, paying for these classes one after another is something else. Right now, I can’t do it. I could register for one or two, but that’s it. I wanna be in a position that I can register for all of the ones I need to. So, fall.
And for the record, I’m not just pushing off the business certificate because it might be boring. Really. I’m not!
Instead, I am going to try and register for a couple art-related courses/workshops through ACAD. They have two that I am interested in and neither are studio-based. The first is a one-day workshop called Document Your Work. The goal of the workshop is to give artist’s ideas of how to document/photograph their work and digital manipulation for the purpose of recording one’s work. This includes discussion about lighting. Give the amount of times I have complained here about my update images, this is definitely right up my alley.
The second runs from May 14th to June 25th and it’s called Critique. It’s a weekly critique session (using various critiquing models) for completed and works in progress. I think this is the one I am most looking forward to. The idea of getting together with fellow artists on a weekly basis to talk art and talk about OUR art sounds very, very appealing to me. I’ve been struggling to find some art peers and friends so maybe this is a step in the right direction. If nothing else, maybe it will give me some confidence to seek out like-minded folks in the really-real world.
On a completely different note, I found this link on Jafabrit’s blog and it made me feel a bit better about using photos as references*. If it’s good enough for Lautrec, its good enough for me. Just saying.
*Not the copyright part of it. Just the tool part of it. I still think if you are going to sell a drawing/painting/whatever, you should use your own photos or get written permission from the photographer. Period. I’d never sell any of the drawings I have done of other folks photos. That would be squicky. Most of them have been done for my own education/amusment or as gifts (as in the case of the current WIP).
Title: Untitled
Size: 11 x 14″
Medium: Graphite on Bristol Smooth
Time: 8.5 hours
Status: WIP
After the frustrations of the previous day, I elected to abandon any work in my sketchbook and focus on my current piece. Ok, focus is a bad word because I did like an hour or so on it yesterday. But work with me here.
Anyway, I worked on his right eye (artist right) and its coming together. The slight folds in his skin from his hand pushing up against his cheek is proving to be a nice little challenge. I want it to be natural looking instead of a deep incision across his face. CJ will have a bird if I disfigured Colin Farrell. There would be an ass-kickin’ for sure. 
(W still really wants me to put the Bullseye symbol on his forehead, by the way. Must. Resist. Heh.)
Still, overall, I think its going a lot better than my previous piece. I mean, its just more organic and I am not struggling nearly as much with likeness. Then again, I have an inappropriate crush on the Winslet, so I was probably putting unnecessary pressure on myself. Colin Farrell? He’s cute and absolutely fantastic in In Bruges, but I really could care less.
I suppose that could construed as a negative attitude. Hurm.
