Holidays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX9b7vT-1Xw

Christmas has come and gone and what I've realized is that this is one holiday that i never get a chance to really enjoy myself during. I say that because since i was 17 i've been working retail. While most people have the luxury of shopping when they want to and spending time with love ones i don't. My focus has always been about simply recovering when i get the time to. I've been more emotionally drained this year than i can recall any previous year. That has a lot to do with being yelled at or pulled in so many directions on any given day that I ask myself is this really where I'm suppose to be. So on my days off i don't want to go anywhere simply sleep. For example i got off work this past Tues and everyone who knows that i go to my drawing group that night. I was so burnt out that i went home only to rest up but ending up falling asleep. I know I've missed parties, movie outing, and hanging out with friends over the past months but honestly i can't take the complete blame for it. I'm simply tired!

Overall i did have a good Christmas. I got plenty of things that i needed not only around the house but in life as well. I got to see my family, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandmothers even if it was for a brief moment in time. Until next time.

Emily (sketch revisited)

Previously i draw a simply pen sketch of my friend Emily. One thing i try to attempt to do often is draw in the same manner in which their original artist would. In this case, it's Emily and her style in itself is very mystic and imaginative. I couldn't come close to that while i attempted to finish it one early morning before work this past week. But i feel it balances out the empty background that i have and separates the foreground as well.

"Gabby Sketch"

Just recently my little niece the 2 foot terror celebrated her 1st birthday. Actually today after i got off of work i went to her birthday party. Being an uncle is actually different that i could have imagined. I guess it's a good thing that she still knows who i am even after moving out some time ago. It's funny not to long ago she wasn't just crawling now she's walking up and down steps. Who knows maybe one day I'll even have a son or daughter of my very own but until that i will cherish the fact that she is a handful.

"Brian (sketch & picture)"

I pretty much can get along with anyone working at Old Navy. There are also a few people that even if i didn't work there we'll probably be friends. Brian is one of those people. I've know him for over a year and i can say overall he's a very cool and very level headed person who never loosing himself in the moment. I have yet to see him get loud or raise his voice, that's hard to do with you're surrounded by crazy customers and insane associates. So i dedicate this to the pencil sketch to the coolest that we all should process.

Superman Doesn't Always Wear His glasses.. (Trey)

So what can i say about Mr. Trey that isn't true. That's how this blog should really start. Actually Trey is yet another one of my store opening friends that i've had a pleasure enough to meet and enjoy hanging out with in Richmond. I give him credit for doing the right thing and getting out of the Old Navy hassle when the moment was right. There's so many numerous stories i can tell about the Adventures of Trey & Tommy, for example being at a seafood dinner that actually turned into a club after hours or the infamous "Hey Girl !" story which never gets old. I can say Trey is good friend to have. So if you ever see any pictures of me in Richmond this guy isn't to far behind.

katie Lea Burchill

One thing i'm very proud of is that i'm a wrestling fan. I have been and probably always. I'm not going to justify the reason why i like it because this isn't what this post is about. This post is about a female wrestler, Katie Lea. It's a very known fact to those who know me that i'm a sucker for european women and i'm drawn to women with long hair. So when i saw her and heard her accent as well it the rest is pretty much history. I stumbled on this photo which which i simply couldn't turn down the chance to draw. I hope that my version of the original  does her the justice that she deserves. 

Leia (sketch) "She worn her faith with her always"

Leia is actually yet another one of my c0-workers that work with. Why i keep raiding there photo galleries is a small mystery to me. She's one of my fellow Portsmouth people which make me happy to know that i wasn't the only one taking the insane 30 minutes or more, never less drive to Virginia Beach to work. The best part is that she's actually going to my former high school as well. I have to lover a fellow Churchland Trucker. 

What i'm most proud to say about Leia is the fact she is one person that i know who is extremely open about everything in her life. Which is hard for most people to do and she's proud of her faith. 

The Real Reason Why I Draw....

hopefully it's clear and easy for everyone to see what that reason is by now. I do it because there's an itch within my body that simply needs to be scratched. Today i was in Barnes & Nobles which is my normal spot to unwind sitting in the cafe table sketching out of magazines. I was there not because i was attention drive but simply for the reason it felt right. It's a place that  encourages squatter to sit, stay and enjoy the atmosphere. 

To put it simply i don't draw for fame or for recognition. i just want to be know as someone who was simply working out things inside my head and mind in a creative way.  Don't get me wrong if people like my art work or i do gain fame along the way that would be just as well but there was never my reason. 

I was having a similar discussion with one of my fellow drawing mate Bernard this past Tuesday about what are the main things that give me joy. I tried to explain to him this is my joy. I idea of  having a voice that can be seen, felt, and expressed with others is the greatest thing in the world. I spend so much of my day in side job (retail) being restrained from being the person i know i am but this is my way of liberating myself. So when I'm on my break with a pencil or pen in my hand drawing it's mental meditation for me. 

Above is my mini studio, which is actually my dinning room of my apartment. I say that because my day job annual income doesn't really allow me to have second room which was to be my studio. I tacked up pics which would be future art work which slowly one by one will be pulled down. 

Mary Mary!" (sketch)

It's funny how quickly a sketch takes form. Last night i was bored because nothing good was on tv and there was nothing really to treat as background noise so i finished up this picture and began to sketch. Part of the reason that lead to me to this picture is due to that fact that i saw Mary at work this past week. It's at least been a couple of months since she's popped in but it's good to know that she's doing well. The fondest memories is that Mary gives the best hugs that i know. I'm secure enough to say that as a guy, but she makes you feel really loved when she hugs someone.

blue book (value)

a model that i missed one night during drawing because i was sick
Janette Lee "The Black Widow" not only is she sexy but she can play pool too.
Emily, during one of our down sessions with coffee in hand. this is still a work in progress because i know how she loves her abstract backgrounds..lol


I recently finished another sketch pad. It seems to happy more often as i write down my things as well as idea in scribble language that hopefully only i can understand. I made a small promise to myself that i would take i would grab a sketch pad that would be filled with nothing but serious drawings. Normally my doodles get have really little or no structure but this supposedly small jem would be different. All them of these are pen drawings.

" Brittany" (pic & sketch)

This is the quick story of Brittany. I mentioned this before i was part of a traveling store opening group for Old Navy. Before the slow down in the store openings one of the last stores that i opening in Va was the Chesapeake Sq. location. You meet well over a hundred people and some stand out and other done but i recall meeting Brittany. I guess it was her bubbly attitude towards life that peeked my attention. Over the next couple of months either i would come in to shop or work at that location and she would there. So as you can imagine our friendship grew. She was like the girlfriend that i never saw [only if i was younger j/k].

She asked me recently why i didn't draw any pictures of her and i told her because EVERY picture i always see of her is smiling. I don't draw happy people because it seems like a large production and overly posed, but as you can see i drew her that way.

Norfolk Drawing Group Sketch Session (revisited)

Everyone has there own definition of what family and friends but the closest thing I've come to that is rubbing elbows with some really talented people every Tues night. It gets my creative juices flowing and inspires me to be more creative as well watching others that are passionate about art. Some are doing this for a hobby other that are doing this as a profession but I'm simply in awe. I often invite my friends to come and draw not because it's therapeutic but for the simple fact that art is one thing that has no wrong and right answer. Any given Tues i have someone creating a massive 5 foot tall sketch on the ground , someone else beside sketching strictly with a pen that looks similar to a pencil drawing, and a human art printer that sketches from left to right as well as top to bottom. I know i talk about about samurais and respect but i'm honored to be there.

"Craig (sketch & pic)"

This past summer while i was in Richmond i had a chance to hang out with Craig who is a pretty interesting guy. This is sketch i drew from one of his pictures.

"Vi (pic & sketch)"

I attempted to keep my promise and by purchasing a camera which to attempt to feel more productive about my sketching. This sketch i actually did a while ago for one of my co-workers Vi. Vi is a little funny from time to time mainly because she'll ask you the same question 11x within 2 minute time frame. "Tommy, what time are we leaving?" "Hey Tommy, what time are we leaving?" The funniest thing is that you would think that she would change her wording or phrasing... NOPE! In all seriously, Vi is a pretty cool person to work with.

"I Sing for Her But She isn't Here"

is actually one of my favorite lines from the movie The Killer. I changed the him to her to fit what my own context. I find myself being drawn and collecting movie of assassins and professional hit man which could explain why i posted this. Recently i finished reading a collection of stories that span 28 books (of which i have 26 of them) and 2 to 3 years of buying them off and on about a samurai. Few know the tale of Lone Wolf and Cub but that is a story that's close to my heart. I sympathize with characters that has been seemingly defeated, because it gives me hope that my life will change as well. I won't go into detail about it because i have my own violin to play. I determined to get a camera this weekend i can tell you that is one thing that will happen.