Shell of the Former Me

This blog is set to be all over the place but i'll try to keep some order in my writing. This past Sun i went to go watch the new Indiana Jones with some friends only to realize the movie didn't live up to all the hype. It was just as weird and strange and the eventing afterwards were. Before then i had taken some caffeine pills to ensure that i would actually be awake. I had went to see the latest installment of Chronicles of Narnia and i continuously would dose off from time to time. I've had issues with one of my friends in the past and i tried my best to address it outside of the group. The individual didn't want to be addressed, what else can i do. I don't make it a habit of being fake towards people. i have to do that enough at work towards customers. After the movie everyone exchanged awkward goodbyes. That was part of the bad things that came out of the caffeine pill but the good thing is that i had a chance to watch a movie i never heard of before. The Last Affair had beautiful quotes and ideas that drove my artist side into overdue with ways of expressing emotions. It's just sad that i didn't get to watch it from the beginning.
Mon was a holiday and i did my time at work and came home to a house full of people because my family was having a cookout. I was so tired and frustrated that i didn't even want to be bothered with anyone so i went straight to sleep around 7pm. It's kind of hard to explain to people that sometimes i simply want to be left alone. I enjoy not feeling the pressures to deal with others.
Tues flew by as well and before i knew it i was at my normal drawing session. By the time i had reached there my moody funk had taken full swing. Normally this is one of the happiest moments of the week but instead it was just the opposite. I was there and i was drawing but i wasn't myself. All the drawings i was during were a little less than what i would expect. I want to blame it on the new markers i was trying out or the positions i had set up in. There's no true reason for me to be in an artistic funk as i was. My 1st instinct was to leave but i forced myself to stay until the end. Well before the last timer had went off for the final pose i was well on my way out the door.

"Don't Pout" (pic & drawing)

I'm fascinated by the art nuevo style. The swirls and circles create captivating lines that play on the ideas of design. Before i went into teaching my 1st go around in college, i wanted to get a degree in art advertising. Norfolk State didn't offer that as a course therefor i went with my second passion which is teaching. That's a whole other story all together.
I stumped upon this picture because one day i had noticed that my friend Melody changed her myspace profile picture. The picture was taken in what seemed to be a photo booth type of various facial expression. This is the only one i was able to get a copy of. It's no secret that I em joy drawing girls who have long hair. This drawing plays off art nuevo's style of idea allowing me to put a stronger focus on her hair.

The Sunday Post: Art Exchange

as always if you have time show her some love.
MySpace.com - lertsis - 22 - Female - www.myspace.com/lertsis

I think it's interesting to see find out what other people think of you when they see your work. Or what imagines they've created in their mind of who you really are. I'm amazed by my friend Letrsis's art work. I think her work is not only very emotional, but fun, and free spirited. The images and colors take a mind all of their own. The medium that she uses whether it's crayon, pattern or cotton have flow throughout her piece. So i thought it would be interesting to see what i would look like as one of her characters. For some artist that could be a very challenging request, but before i knew it i had my very own Letrsis Tommy drawing.
After seeing it i felt inspired. So i sat down and sketched out a couple of designs that i thought would best respresent her as an artist. On the bottom is my attempt using her own traits to draw her.

Norfolk Drawing Group XII

It's a friday night and i'm thinking about being at work in less than 7 hrs and it's slightly upsetting. Life doesn't really give you enough time off sometimes. I drew so so drawing this past Tues night. Some of them are actually ok but i'm striving for something better something more concrete. So therefor i'm drawing and trying to practice to get my technique down to a science. Every art has their own technique or signature that they do well. I more or less get the impression that i'm still trying to find what works best for me. So i draw.

"She Wanted to Live off of Sunshine & Chocolate Bars"

This is my pre-Norfolk Drawing Group blog. Honestly i'm probably be late due to me writing this one, but since i finished this piece last night i wanted to post it. Last Fri night when i was in one of those creative/ emotional moods i movie caught my attention. Candy staring the late Heath Ledger was about a romance between a drug addicted poet and his artist girlfriend that went terribly wrong. I was entranced by the movie because of the harsh reality of the way so many people loss their way in life. Love is a sensation that freezes time and everything before and after it will never be the same. The female lead in one of this drug fits wrote on the wall of her small country house of her first sensations of being in love. She stated that she wanted to live off of " chocolate bars and sunshine!" At first i thought that was funny but when i remembered what it felt like to be in love i knew it to be true. You will spend all day with someone that you in grossed with without even finding time to truly eat. So that's where the title comes from.
As you can imagine i am completely raiding my friend Ashley's photo gallery picking picture and picture to draw. This was so powerful in black in white that i saw myself doing something amazing with it. The brown swirls are suppose to represent chocolate while the circles are the sunlight. Thanks again Ashley.

"Oops!"

Some drawings you do are bigger than you are as an artist. Your emotions ask demandingly that you show yourself. A couple of months ago i ranted about a Broken Hearts Club drawings that i would be doing. I don't know if this is the end of it, but this is my story.

Those who know me understand that i am a very passionate person. I take certain things extremely serious in life. They aslo know i don't cry often even though i feel i should. I jokingly say my artwork are my tears so they will do all the things that i can't do. Yesterday was one of those days where all the emotion that i had inside was building up continuously. I brushed off the feeling that i knew eventually would set in. On the ride home i finally decided that i would finished this picture "Oops!"

The story behind how i stumbled onto this picture is interesting as well. I brought an art book almost a month ago and inside it they had an drawing that closely resembled this picture which i had take years ago. So fraintly i searched until it was found and began to sketch it out. I did this around the same time i was working on "Check Please!" I finished the other drawing/painting first because emotionally i wasn't prepared to invest myself in the process of creating it. I stared at it on my floor of my room knowing that one day i would have to tackle it. Even as i finished it i felt emotionally drained.

The story behind the pictures is another interesting one all together. I will tell the version of the story that i remember. It was the best weekend i have ever experienced in my life in Washington DC. One of those hot summer weekends when everything makes sense. I watched a movie early this morning and a character said she had the feeling that she could live off of "sunshine and chocolate" forever. That's how that weekend was.

Meagan

Yesterday at lunch i flirted with drawing some pictures while sitting in Panera. . Meagan is one of my former co-workers pictures that i took to lunch with me. I thought it was about time that i tried to draw someone i haven't drawn before. The first drawing i did in oil pastel was because i was more on an emotional high than anything else. I knew how blurry the picture was and i just wanted to be as loose as possible with the pastels. Of course i attempted to bring the drawing back to the form and structure i felt it needed but it didn't happy. It's just expressive!

The second drawing is exactly what i wanted it to turn out to be. I waned to use some black paper that i hadn't used in some time and this just so happened to be the moment that i could do so. I thought the idea of having a black and white drawing in reverse would be more interesting.

Norfolk Sketch Group XI

I'm so mentally tired from yesterday it's almost unbelievable that I'm not passed out in bed. The worst part about it all is that I'm not even sure why exactly i am tired. I went to bed early both previous nights this week so if anything i should be well rested. Somehow i plan to drag myself to the movies to day to watch Speed Racer to at least somewhat motivate me to do something positive today.

I'm going to try something different right now and list my top 5 80's songs at the moment:

1) Sting - Shape of My Heart

2) The Police - Can't Stand Losing You

3) Tears for Fear - Head over Heals

4) Duran Duran - Ordinary World

5) U2 - With or Without You

Last night at the sketch group my lack of drive came across in my drawings. My pen ran out of ink that let one of my drawing incomplete. My application of the mediums weren't even in the realm of being crisp. My line work need to get better and should be better. So that means back to the drawing board for me.

Check Please!! (pic & drawing)

On a rainy moody Monday it's funny how sometime amazing comes out of the darkness. I have been struggling to complete this drawing for some time. It's been a little over 2 week that i've been working on this. drawing. Once i saw this picture i knew exactly what story i wanted to tell with it. A story that has become a continuous part of my dating life. The dreaded bad date! I've had numerous ones from the girl who was 6 months pregnant already, the girl with webbed toes, and the girl who will simply be known as "the cardboard cut-out". I never got a chance to say these words because who know at any moment the date could have turned around but inside i was screaming "Check Please!!"
Background on this photo is that Ashley (one of my co-workers) is part of the picture. She has a very photogenic personality and easily become one with the camera. Ashley and her friend really have an feel for taking pictures. If you have time get a chance to take a look at some of her photos. Flickr: ohazalea


I'm aware i meet a lot of Ashleys!!!

Troubled (Ode to AM)

Every artist finds things within themselves that forces them to create certain drawing or creations. It's a way of dealing and coping with emotions. This is my story about a friend i once had call AM.

Like most friendships we had a lot of in common from work, movies, and theories about life. She was the first women in a while that i felt more creative around. In an earlier blog i mentioned that a muse was missing from my life (currently i use my frustration with life as a muse). I can't tell her story because that for AM to share but i can talk about what i recall. The strength that she has within her in stronger than any that i've seen in some time. For various reasons we had to part as friends but i like to think on good terms. I hope that AM finds herself on an airplane that flies high above the clouds.

I'm not a Coldplay fan by any means, but one of my favorite songs is Trouble. My critic of the song isn't that important but if you find the time download it and listen to it.

Norfolk Drawing Group X

Tues are just Tues some times but not yesterday. It's drawing time for me but painting time for most. Norfolk's Drawing group was having there painting night and I'm not 100% comfortable painting in front of others. I think it's the 3 hour session that scares me a little bit. 3 whole hours of me attempting to create a masterpiece. I can do it but i don't know I'm intimated by the true artist around me. As i look around me i found that i should have brought my paints and i had no reason at all to be intimidated because i can hang with them. I was more surprised by how many piece were watercolor artist. I really don't have the patience to build layer on top of layer. Overall for a small turn out i was comfortable with what i did.

"Listen to Me" (pic and drawing)

This picture was taken during one of our sketch sessions nights. When i first saw the picture i liked the way the model tilted her head as if to say that was truly involved in whatever was been said by Devon.
The story behind this piece is so often i would like to people to listen to what i'm saying. I say this because certain times in life there are urgent moments that require that you do so. I'm not a rambler nor am i one that just talks to hear his own voice. I know some people that do so and quite often i wonder why. That's the deep meaning behind this drawing. I just want people to know that i have a voice.
"I speak to be heard" - unknown rap artist

"She Carried a Smoking Gun" pic and drawing

This is another drawing of my friend Maria. I'm slightly envious because she takes wonderful pictures. I enjoy telling stories with through my drawings. Quite often i manipulate peoples' images and apply your own personal stamp in order to do so. I chose the smoking gun as a metaphor for what romance and love does to people. Love is like a bullet that is shot out of a gun. It really doesn't care where it lands or how long it takes to get there but once it's left the gun it's gone forever.

"Heather" (pic & sketch)

No drawing is every complete without background. I'm a wrestling fan and some people know it while others do not. I've also gotten around paying the ppv fee by going to sports bars and watching it with other fans. Smart right? After Hooters stopped showing the ppvs , everyone i know that are wrestling fans migrated to Bakers Street. Most of the time when i go there i'm Heather is the waitress that waits on me. This is one of her pictures off of myspace that i drew last night when doodling around.

Norfolk Sketch Session IX

Normally i'm quicker with posting the drawings i did at Tues. Nights drawing session but i've been slacking. I will summarize the whole evening as quickly as possible. I showed up early to find what some might call a good spot. Depending on the night there can be numerous people there squeezing into as many places as possible. The good part being that it gives us the family atmosphere. The model forgot that he was modeling tonight so he was late. Somehow i'm not sure but i was talking into modeling for the gang after simply suggesting that well all take turns doing gesture poses. When the model finally arrived, he started off with a hard 20 min pose of having his arms raised out from his side. For anyone that has never modeled before it is hard to do. He was very eager to do aggressive daring things but it simply wasn't him. I guess that was a good experience because it taught me never take a pose for granted. Don't expect an arm or a shade to be where it was 10 sec ago even in a modeling session. It was a so-so turn out overall but i thin my drawing are okay. Some areas need some serious tweaking but i can always do that later.

"It all began with 1 simple Pencil" (pic & sketch)

This is yet another self portrait for the competition American Artist Magazine is having presently. The more i look at it , the more it's an okay drawing. Is it my best?? Probably not because i know i can do better and that i should've done better.
The picture was taken during my friend Jame's wedding. I was changing in the bathroom because all the bride's maid had all the dressing rooms. The real reason behind my changing the camera into a pencil is to symbolize that my connection with art/drawing. In high school and college until i got until art classes i always drew in pencil.