February 28th: Sketchings on a Newspaper and a Bit of Anime

So, drawing one: I am left at church on Sunday for about 35 minutes. It is raining and so I go back inside and decide to sketch the statues of St. Michael and the Child Jesus, and the stained glass window of the crucifixion. I didn't have any paper or pencils, so I borrowed a pen and an old newspaper.  It was a bit challenging to draw standing up.

The second drawing has a picture I drew of a girl at the computers at the library where I work, and a small portion of James Patterson's Maximum Ride graphic novel. I got impatient with the girl at the computer rather quickly; she kept squirming and giggling with the girl next door to her. I am  not quick enough to draw squirming children yet. So, I thought I'd give a go at some anime. I usually have no patience for it. I like to be sketchy, and it's hard to make anime look decent without drawing cleaner lines than I want to make time to do. At least, I haven't figured out how to do it any other way yet.

I want an art quote for the day.... hmm...... How about "Bad artists always admire each other's work." - Oscar Wilde. Ha! I mean, oops! I mean, what? (what part of that applies to me? Hmm... makes wonder if he's wrong, or if he's right and is talking to me.) So, if I try hard to admire the BEST artwork there EVER was, would I automatically wake up a better artist tomorrow morning? It's worth a try.

February 26th: Turin Kills Beleg

    Today is a bit more somber than the princesses and dragons and mermaids thus far. I decided to get out one of my favorite books, Children of Hurin by Tolkien, and draw one of my favorite scenes from it. I love Beleg, and I almost cried the first time I read his death scene. (Warning: do not EVER grow to love any of Tolkien's characters from The Silmarillion, Children of Hurin, etc. He will kill everyone off, as he did my favorite, Beleg Cuthalion.) This is a rather rough quick sketch, and I am not happy with Turin's closer arm that's holding Anglachel. The foreshortening is rather pitiful. In fact, it is pitiful everywhere else too. Just goes to show again that drawing from life is so much better for natural looking results; but, one doesn't always have that option. But I DREW today! Maybe I should have practiced piano, considering I have a lesson on Monday that I am NOT ready for, but still! I drew! And I am over all pleased with the overall feeling of the sketch.

        "Beleg drew his sword Anglachel, and with it he cut the fetters that bound Turin; but fate that day was more strong, for the blade of Eol the Dark Elf slipped in his hand, and pricked Turin's foot.
        Then Turin was roused into a sudden wakefulness of rage and fear, and seeing a form bending over him in the gloom with a naked blade in hand he leapt up with a great cry, believing Orcs were come again to torment him; and grappling with him in the darkness he seized Anglachel, and slew Beleg Cuthalion thinking him a foe.
        But as he stood, finding himself free, and ready to sell his life dearly against imagined foes, there came a flash of lightning above them, and in its light he looked down on Beleg's face. Then Turin stood stonestill and silent, staring on that dreadful death, knowing what he had done; and so terrible was his face, lit by the lightning that flickered all about them, that Gwindor cowered down upon the ground and dared not raise his eyes."

      Poor Turin. Beheading his best friend who had suffered so much to save him was only the beginning of his troubles.

February 24th, 2011

    This is a sketch from a story I am illustrating for my friend, Benjamin Singleton, called Eustace Pennyworth And the Dragon of Chichester. You can check out his facebook fan page by typing the title in facebook search.  I have done a painting for the same story, which you can see here: http://www.marysullivanartwork.com/art/then-he-cried-big-dragon-tears/ . The sketch I did today was an attempt to figure out what I want to do with this scene. I'm not sure I like the composition, etc, but we'll see what happens. I haven't decided if the dragon or the princess should be in front. And I don't know if the princess should be in the water, or on the bank trying to pull off her shoes, or having her crown getting caught in her hair when should took it off, etc.

February 23rd Part Two: Git 'Er Done Quotes

"To become the enemy, you must see yourself as the enemy of the enemy." - Miyamoto Musashi

"If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control YOU." -Miyamoto Musashi

"Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience." Thomas Merton

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a most perfect plan executed next week." -George S. Patton

Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of a warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men." Miyamoto Musashi

"The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we are not made for comfort, but for greatness, for good."-Pope Benedict XVI

1st Post: February 23rd, 2011

Officially, the post of the day is the header. But I needed to do a post to point that out. Also, I decided to put the past two sketches I did over the past week. The first is my attempt at copying a Waterhouse while watching Quantum of Solace. Which I thought was kinda lame.  

Note to self: trying to draw while watching an action movie you've never seen before is not the best idea in the world. Fun maybe, but the drawing rather than the tv watching suffers. 

    Another is a lesson or two from The Structure of Man: Drawing the Human Figure From Your Mind DVD set that i am using in an attempt to teach myself anatomy. I have been working on these DVD's for about 3 years now. It's about time I got past the foot don't you think?

How about an art quote for the day: "Art allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -Thomas Merton