Rachel Weisz

This will be the blog sums up everything of great importance at the moment so if you get lost along the way it's probably your own fault. My vacation for work is almost half way over and i feel very unproductive. I've done a couple of sketches but the small odds and ends that are out of place in my apartment need to be taken care of and not neglected. I believe the will before to late. My thermostat is giving me troubles. I do know how to read and follow directions but i swear it's against me and blowing cold air no matter what setting i have it on. I'm 100% packed for my trip to Richmond to hang out with my extend family/friend base. My friend Trey is having his Halloween party with a Gangster and cops theme. I spent $60 at Party City believe me that was no party but hey it's be worth it. One of my friends from the drawing group DeVaugh was nice enough to let me borrow Amelie and Garden State. I really liked both movies and if you haven't seen it please watch them. Amelie is one i know i must add to my "please buy me list." I added 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Confidence, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space to my collection. yeah i know that's an odd combination of movies but AMC's Terror Fest has left a sour taste in my mouth. I could be wrong but a year ago they had continuous horror movies both new and old running all day long. Now it feels a little lack lustered watching the same movies day after day. I find myself watching Sci Fi more than AMC and to think i like AMC better. Panic Room IS NOT A TERROR/HORROR movie. I don't want to ever see it filed underneath that genre again.

This brings me to Rachel Weisz and why i drew her ( a badly drawn sketch). On the same day i brought Confidence, Constantine on tv (both movies that she acted in). Rachel reminds me of someone from my past that recently has tried to get in contact with me again. I have some many memories around me that i have to try to make new ones. Perhaps 10 years from now......

which also in closing brings me to Broken Flowers another movie i watched during pre-cable experience. the lesson i learned is sometimes you can pick up from where you left off at and others you have to simply chalk it up as a lesson in life.

Norfolk Drawing Group XXX : Rock n' rolla

I wouldn't be lying if i said i honestly thought about walking out of the drawing group last night. It's not because i harbored any bitterness to anyone there, but because the model inability to stand still caused some problems. Granted it was her first time modeling for an extended amount of time but something seems a little off about her. Possibly she was bubbly or maybe it was the Pepsi that she was sipping. It allowed me to trust my medium and not rely so much on the model staying in the same spot. One of the fellow artist Mike pointed that out to me that you have to "draw faster" or simply go with the flow. When i say trust your medium, i simply mean that with my style instruments like color pencils, or pastels allow me to be loose and capture the gesture.

Even with a so-so model good times were to be had by all. I did learn that alligators have sexual reproductive organs similar to humans at happy hour. Plus songs were sang for both Allison and DeVaughn. Now that's love..lol

Oh Kate Lea!

So this is what i'm working on at the moment. It's a picture that forces me to focus completely on attempting to make it look like the original picture. Honestly i've fiddled around with this color pencil drawing for well over a month. With millions of ideas swimming back and forth throughout my mind i know i can't move forward until i complete this one first. Just for FYI reasons, her name is Kate lea and she's a professional wrestler.

Norfolk Drawing Group XXIX

Emily modeled for us this pat Tues night. I must admit that Emily is not only a very cool person but a great model as well. I think i enjoy her bubbly approach to life,because not everyone can feel that way. These are some of the sketches that i did through the night. As the evening grew on my draws became better. If you didn't make it out that evening i can only hope to explain what i mean when i say it was a truly fun evening.

Penelope Cruz (sketch)

I mentioned some time ago that i was watching the movie Vanilla Sky and without mumbling i can say I'm attracted to women with exotic beauty. I can't pin point exactly what it is, possibly the accent or the facial structure but when you draw as often as i do you learn to appreciate things that are different. Cherish them in some sense. I jokingly revealed to some of my co-workers that exotic women are turn on. There response was go looking on-line for one, but my beliefs lay in the realization that the best things are let up to chance and being patient. I guess until then I'll be dreaming until my Penelope Cruz tells me to "Open Your Eyes!"

Diana Meyers (pic & sketch)

So yet again it's time for Saw because Halloween is right around the corner. i bring up Diana and the Saw series for a reason. She was the one of the detective in the movies until she was killed off. I'm was first drawn to her when she appeared in the movie Starship Trooopers. Which was extremely an over the top sci fi movie that i saw over 10 years ago with my friends Art and Kimani.

"Cara & Erica"

The story behind this sketch that Cara gave me a couple of photos taken in a picture booth as part of her going away gift to me. Cara since then has moved from Va to Texas. One of the things that Cara is most proud of in life is her children. Erica being her youngest and the only girl which makes her that much more special in the family. This sketch i believe shows the importance of children within our lives. It reminds us of what it means to be young. So often as adults we can't remember being young and living life without boundaries. No one should ever feel tied down because we aren't. Who knows maybe one day soon I'm put this sketch to some good use and it's become a true drawing with this key statement as well.

"James and his Throne"

It's no mystery to anyone who knows me that i love wrestling. i have and probably always will as long as i live. I can sell and spin it in some many ways but the truth is I'm an addict. Every time a ppv would come around i would manage to find my way into a Hooters to watch it, eat, and enjoy the lovely ladies that they have working there. Around the time that my best friend from high school, Art had left to go overseas to fight in the war i decided that i would go by myself to indulge in wrestling. I noticed that a guy just like me would be there all the time sitting at the bar watching the event. As with most guys small talk leads to each other saving sits for when one is running late especially if the restaurant is packed. It's good sometimes to talk to someone who is a scholar of the sport. Who has followed it close if not closer than you have. Our friendship has grown even with he moving aways as well. We've seen ppv's together and i even was one of his groom's men. I can truly say I'm enriched for having James as one of my friends and i can only attempt to show him gratitude by drawing him.

Norfolk Drawing Group (Cramped into 1 blog)

I have to apologize ahead of time for not posting these drawing but as most know i haven't had the Internet nor have i been had any free time with getting settled in.

This is my 1st night back mentally and physically after having a horrible day drawing. That's a large part of the reason why that session isn't posted. I can't explain what happened but the previous session simply wasn't working for me. This however was a good night. I want to say it was my birthday which almost makes it better in that sense. Except for a few small miscues which i can see at the moment. I was very pleased with how the night went. This was my first time drawing a full figured model which was fun because it's to easy sometimes to get caught up in the simple line work when life has some many curves and bends. The model was fantastic and full of energy.

I'm not a painter. I do paint but i will never make a living as one because it take way to much energy to do. So i draw and sketch instead. This is my 1st attempt to paint in cheap acrylic during our trust sketch session's painting night. Honestly i attended for it to match the colors of the couches in the living room but it doesn't at the moment. Which means i will have to finish it.

It's good to draw someone that makes you feel fat. In all seriousness the model did a pretty good job for his first time modeling for our group. I attempted to rekindle my love of working in markers but soon found that due to time restraints i should go back to what always seems to keep my as close to having a finished sketch which just so happens to be color pencils. I guess color papers and sketch drawings go hand and hand with me. I would saw a pretty alright night to draw.

Ayesha Sketch

It's funny how you run across picture of the past and you wonder why you've become the person you have. This is a sketch of Ayesha and a few people know the story of who exactly she is and what influence she had on my life. I may never have the opportunity to tell her this face to face but I'm glad what occurred between us did. I'm a better person for that ordeal and I've grown leaps and bounds (so i tell myself). It's always hard to look back on things in life and say well in the end everything will be in the right place because mentally most people are blocked from seeing life in that light. I'm watching this cheesy Kung Fu cinema pack that i picked up from Best Buy (endorsement plug) and the shaolin monks no matter what happens always seem to have a positive spin on life. It's extremely hard to do that I'm attempting to do that as well.

"Wake Up!"

rings in my head at the moment. Once you don't have cable or are unable to watch regular TV you teach yourself to trust your DVD collection to the fullest. I made myself a must watch listen as i attempted to piece together my apartment. Vanilla Sky. The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic, The Bourne Identity, Slackers, Brotherhood of the Wolf are all movies that i rotated in and out of my DVD player Was i searching for something outside of the directions to putting together Ikea furniture? Of course i was. Well i make sense for me to tell you exactly what it was maybe not. One thing is clear though this apartment is now my home. With sliding doors longer than my arm length you can hear ever single car that passes by in both my living room and bedroom. Plus with paper then walls you possibly could hear the neighbors upstairs running on their exercise equipment or possibly the neighbor next door having sex. Hey maybe i should start a comic book/ journal about what happens in my apartment.

this pic are simply phase one and my apartment is 85% to where it need to be.