Ann

I've spoke numerous times about being drawn to create a certain drawing for someone that i've met. I'm not sure if it's with the overall theory that i will brighten up there day but i feel driven to do so. I had the pleasure of meeting Ann last summer while on a business trip with Old Navy. Her smile and laughter really made what i hope is a long lasting friendship. I liked this photo that she took best of all because it shows her sensual and mysterious side.

"It Was Because Of Me She Was This Way"

I like to think of myself as a narrative drawer. Every drawing i attempt to do is to tell a story. Hopefully if the story can't be told by the title then the picture should do the same. The odd thing is that i stumbled onto this picture by accident. I wasn't surprised when i found it and yet again like what seems to be always i was drawn to recreate it. All i can say is "I'm Sorry!"

"Beauty at Rest" (pic, sketch, drawing)

Stephanie is one of my former classmates that i had the pleasure of taking a drawing class with at Norfolk State. I wanted her to pose for a picture i wanted to draw but we were never got the chance to do so. As an artist i'm always hungery to draw portraits of people. That's one area that i believe i excell at all. I was lucky to find a picture of her and even more fortunate to watch one of the guys at the drawing group do his pen crosshatching. I guess you can say i borrowed a little bit of both to make this piece work. My overall goal is to do the picture and Stephanie some justice.

"Hands of the Master" (pic, sketch & drawing)

Rocky took this pic
Sometimes i think my sketches turn out better than my paintings.
I'm not a polished oil painter but i can paint with them. This is the 1st version of the painting before i decided to finish.
There are times in life when i think back and I'm just in awe with how everything seems to happen for a reason. It's very clear to whether people believe they have a life plan or not that there is one. Dr Jordan is one of those people i refer to when i think about situations like this. It goes without saying that he was one of my college professors and one that gave me hell most of the time but i needed that treatment. By observing people i learned that they can't always be babied or they will never learn the learns they are suppose to. Dr. Jordan died almost a year ago around this time last year. I never got a chance to attend her funeral but i believe this is the best way of showing respect to someone who helped me become a better person.

"Out Damn Spot"

Macbeth was one of the books that i never read in high school but learned a lot about by watching the movie. I also gained greater knowledge by listening to the review that my teacher would give in class. I loved the fact that it a plot dominated by revenge and how Macbeth knew exactly what he had to do in order to obtain it. In the movie his mother has blood of her father on her garments. She washes it repeatedly trying to remove it. In theory she is also attempting to remove herself from the sins that was created.

This color pencil drawing originates from a scene in the HBO show OZ. Without giving away it's own story i wanted to tell my own. Similar to that story in Macbeth somethings just can't be undone. Some pain runs so deep that it seems a simple washing of the soul won't undo.

Norfolk Sketch Group IV

That today night at Norfolk Sketch group went better than i expected it to. I was in tune with the mediums i began using. I actually made some friends there as well. I feel that drawing is a complete release from the stress and frustration within my life. Whether it seeming from family or work even if for a couple of hours i loss myself in my art work. I almost have to laugh sometime (after the fact always) how my co-workers don't really work at all. Shouldering a lot of the stress and burden while others around you glide through their week work. Baffling is the only word i can use to sum it all up.
As i said above this is just a couple sketches and some of them need some tweaking which will probably happen sooner than later.

Cara (Pic & sketch)

Cara is one of the ladies that i have the pleasure working with. she keeps me laughing and smiling with almost every words she says. When she first showed me this photo i was felt it expressed her mood and tone best. I told her jokingly that if she was single that would be her Match.Com or E-harmony photo.
I almost hate to admit it but sometimes i hate taking pictures of my work because it never comes across with way i need for it to. The problem is that i used many mediums on this drawing paper attempting to show my versatility. Marker, pen, color pencils and acrylic were all used in creating this drawing. As i mentioned earlier the bad part is that acrylic doesn't photograph well on this drawing material and color altering in photo program only go so far.

"Don't Touch Me There"

I don't claim to be a wise man but i do claim to becoming more in touch with myself. Some of my friends may read this and ponder why i am behaving the way i am at the moment. The only options i give them is that sometimes i simply enjoy being by myself. It's easy to see it's depression and i won't try to sweep it under any rugs at all but things are a certain way for a reason. For a quick example i was suppose to go hang out with some of my former co-workers last night and i went there then quickly left. Some how i knew i would be faced with numerously "where have you been" questions that i just didn't wish to answer.

This drawing is a small reflections of that. I shorten the title to a little bit but it's originally called "She Didn't Want to Be Touched There!" Even to this day i put up wall that no matter how intimate of a connection that i have with family or friends can they break down.

Tues Night Drawing Group III

I don't want to say it was a horrible night for me drawing but it was. There was no excuse that i could come up with to explain why i wasn't in tune with my drawings. As i stared at others pieces they were and that frustrated me even more. I shouldn't have posted these bad drawing that i sketched. The more i thought about it; i did anyways. Just to prove to anyone who says i draw well or for anyone who says they have nothing else to achieve. The progression of my art work is an on going journey. One of my college professors said that one artist worked his whole life just to create a perfect circle. I'm the same way all i want to create is one perfect drawing then and only then will i know I've reached the top.

(Kimani) "He Dreamed the Dream that All Dreams Dream"

Every photo i use has a story. This story is an interesting one. One of my best friends from high school fell asleep on a park bench inside a theme park. I just so happen to have a disposable camera handy so i took a picture. Now this my artist take of that day. I call this piece "He Dreamed the dream that all dreams dream." Above is the sketch which i did on one of the lunch breaks at work. If i had to guess how big it was it's about 4ft tall.
This is the finished piece right here. Which i yet again finished at work. I know it's a horrible habit but i draw often at work during my lunch.

Letrsis (sketch & pic)

I'm sorry but I'm going to rant a little. I believe that every drawing has a pulse. Once an artist finds that pulse anything is possible. I say that because quite often i find such a pulse that allows me to create something beautiful.
Letrsis is an amazing artist that works are both imaginary and impressive. If you get a chance to checkout some of her work please do.MySpace.com - lertsis - 22 - Female - www.myspace.com/lertsis
This is one of the pictures that she posted on her website. I wish i could have created something that presents her style but maybe one day i can...

"First Time Grandmother" (pic, sketch, & drawing)

I took this my photo the day after my niece Gabby was born. I went with my family to see my sister Kim in the hospital and my niece as well. I guess sometimes the camera just finds the photo.

"First time Grandmother" was easier to sketch that it was to draw. In you look closely at my mental notes i had planned to use watercolors and pastels to do this drawing. Not to long after this sketch i began using illustration watercolor drawing boards. I know it's a long name but they are very forgiving and allow me to use acrylic and color pencils together. Which helps me fine tune my drawings because trust me I'm not a painter.
Of all the drawing that I've done as of lately, this has been the hardest to complete. I worked on this for more than 2 months. Slowly but surely I've been piecing all this together . In the end this is my finish product and what I'm most proud of all the ones I've done this week.

"Lookin for Me" & "Old School Love (Revisted)"

I found this picture on Myspace. It was on someone's profile that was a new member. The pose just caught my eye. So i guess you can say i borrowed it. This is just a pencil sketch and i originally wanted words or possibly a poem to the far right.
"Looking for Me?" wasn't the original title. The title itself was more of a phrase. Most of the time when i draw on colored paper i have a habit of covering the paper completely and not allowing some of the color to show thru. this time i wanted the paper's color to dominate the drawing. Therefor i used white and a pinkish red sparingly.
I'm also on the search for photos and this was actually part of a Netflix ad that i found. I'm not sure why but i love watching most black and white movies. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that most of those movies were pure and with very little nonsense added into their stories.
i got a very small canvas when i brought some acrylic paints. So small in fact i wondered what could i actually paint on this. "Old School Love (Revisted)" was the idea fit because i only have so many canvases that are being used for other projects. The arylic paint i was using didn't really flow the way i wanted it to. I thought about painting it perfectly the way it was intead to be painted but the black clashing with the white had a more dramatic feel therefor i left it.

"Where There's Smoke There's Fire" & "Maria's Guest Room"

This is a picture I took of Niki at The Tobacco Club on her birthday. In the background are Trey and Jenna dancing up a storm. Honestly, Niki is a very pretty lady but that wasn't the main reason i chose to paint this picture. I loved the way her hair flowed implying movement. It gave the impression that it photo was taken on the fly.

I may not have stated this earlier but my sketch pad is a my best friend. I have no idea what my sketches, drawing, or painting will turn out like until i attempt to draw them out (most of the time). Originally, i wanted more lines and wave in the background behind Niki. There's also a rough sketch of "Maria's Guest Room." Sometimes i prefer to do black and white ink drawing instead of color.
In " Where There's Smoke There's Fire" wanted to do something different this time. I had in my mind that i was going to use nothing but warm colors (reds, oranges, pinks, etc). The more i began to layer blues, reds, peach and others the more i realized i was being drawn back to it being a realistic painting. I always struggle with backgrounds. If you look very closely you can see 2 large semi arches which simply became buried. For the moment at least this painting is done but i still might go back and touch it up.
The best part about painting is the simply fact that it's an emotional release. I truly had fun with this painting because i tossed all the logic that I've learned aside and simply painted what i felt. This is very close to the original photo but then again it isn't. Color are used throughout the entire painting. The same blue that is used in the lantern's pole is also used in table's legs as well as in the bed frame and bedding.

I Wonder (Sketch & Drawing)

My small vacation is coming to an end. Yesterday i tried something i haven't done in a while. I turned off the TV for one full day. I did so hoping for some type of spiritual awakening. It happened! I finished more more work in one day that i have in years. I didn't even do this much when i was in college. All together i probably did 5 or 6 pieces.
Picked up where i left off in my last 2 blogs. This is the sketch of "The Faces Have Been Changed to Protect the Innocent." i realized after i posted it that i didn't even know the sketch.
I have been carrying this picture around for a while in hopes of drawing it. There is no positive or negative reason why but I've just had it in the pocket of my sketch pad. It seemed that almost every time i tried to sketch it the result were unsatisfactory.
Hindsight is 50/50. I call this piece "I Wonder" in the end if you're like me you ask yourself 1 million and 1 questions. All of them have reasonable answers but which one fits? This original picture was taken on the same day as " Love is a Battlefield" in a wooded area of Jamestown. I used the red paper that i had laying around from a Valentine's Day project i did more than a year ago. I guess everything comes full circle because i made her a handcrafted gift on similar paper like this and now i drew her on the same paper. Makes you think life is weird!!

"To Think I Use To Love Her (Sketch and drawing)"

When i blogged earlier i spoke of "The Broken Hearted (Club) Series. " I could easily say her name or others but that isn't my goal. My goal is to face what troubles me in hopes of not allowing these experiences to control my life. In the past i've thrown away sketch pads and given up art all together. I've even went as far as to vow to never write another poem again. In the end i began drawing again and i also started writing poetry. I find that in most bad things there is so good things that came about. I picked up where i left off in school and ultimately graduated all due to the person above.

On the far right these is a pencil drawing entitled " The Faces Have Been Changed to Protect the Innocent." When i was younger my mom watched alot of Dragnet and this is my little take on the opening scene. I know the title may seem very one sided but in my heart i believe that i am innocent. In the middle is a sketch of the picture i wanted to create. I did it this morning as i waited in the hospital during my sister's surgery. On the left is the finished drawing on colored paper. I pushed myself to finish this drawing today. I hate to say it but it's one of the things that simply had to do today. I believe that the title says everything it can as well "To Think I Use to Love Her." It would be easy for me to say i hate some of these women but i don't..

The hardest things to do are the right things to do are normally the same

The title has a lot to do with quote that i once heard. Often we have to make choices that are hard not because we must but because we have to. This week i was confronted with the same issue. Without boring everyone with details, facts or names; i decided to end a long hot/cold friendship. To sum of my feelings on the whole situation i would say " i was hoping that by lighting a candle that the light would lead her home." Overtime i believed that she would but she didn't. I guess you could say this is the first piece in a short series called "Broken hearted (club)." The series says everything wouldn't saying anything at all.
I didn't want to copy the original picture to protect the person who this piece is about. All i say say is that i found it this week while i was rumbling through some old items. It was taken at Jamestown and she posed with armor of the settlers. I called this piece " Love is a Battlefield."

The Last Time i Cried (sketch)

I'm not sure exactly why but i don't cry often. Sometimes I have some many emotions that are within me but somehow i don't cry. Late one night or early one morning some may say it simply happened. So i took a picture of it and honestly you can't see a single tear but the look is there. I captured the look of sadness and i knew i had to sketch it because it was the realest truest emotion in the raw. This is that sketch from that evening.

Maria (Pic, Sketck, Drawing)

I believe that everything has a progression, if it doesnt' then it's just chaos. I attempt my best to do things in order if my mood and emotions allow me to. This is a picture i took during one of my evening in Richmond at the Tobacco Club in Feb. I'm not going to lie Maria is a pretty lady and i guess the time just presented itself while i took the picture. I try my best to stay away from posed pictures because it doesn't seem natural. Almost like being in a studio where a photographer is saying "okay try this, tilt your head that way". I always hated that feeling. So there's also a sketch that is actually inside of my sketch book. During my vacation i fought with which medium to do this drawing in. I attempted it yesterday in oil pastels and it so so horrible that i threw it away. All i can say this is the finished product.

Tues Night Drawing Group II

I read something interesting in a book days before going on to Norfolk's Drawing Group. I read that a person how strives to be the best only competes against his or herself. It's hard to not to admit that i do often look at others drawing or sketches to see where they are at on "the talent pole" but the only person i should be focused on is myself. Trying to improve my own craft and talents. So last night i sat there and draw with as much passion as i have in a while. Working out all the things that have been bothering the entire week, month, year. To be honest I'm still hungry for to do and create move, it's a feeling that never fades.