Colonial Williamsburg

Governor's Palace

Pocahontas wuz here

Recreated Powhatan village

Tired

Wedding Portrait

Testing a sharpie on some nice oversized coated card stock led to this wedding portrait of some friends. When I was done, it reminded of me of the famous Jan van Eyck painting on the left. Yes, the dog is blind.

Inspiration through frustration

People are so easily distracted with their gadgets these days. I couldn't get past a woman walking slowly in front of me. I figured she was texting and I was surprised to see that she was actually reading her kindle. Made me wonder if an actual book ever had that effect.

Winter Blues and the memory of a Caribbean Cruise

The deep chill we find ourselves in right now across the Northeast makes me remember with fondness the Eastern Caribbean cruise my wife and I took. It was well over a year ago but the images recorded in my sketchbook somehow make the cold a little easier to deal with.

 

 

 

A week aboard the Emerald Princess. We left from Ft. Lauderdale and visited the Bahamas, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

Our first day we were treated to an island BBQ provided by the ship whose staff brought all the food and supplies needed for a great party. Sitting on the beach in the warm sun and occasionally taking a dip in the cold clear waters put us in the right frame of mind for a week of relaxation.

After a full day at sea, the following day we arrived at St. Maarten. Coincidentally that day was St. Maarten's Day and there were plenty of island festivities to take in. Earlier in the day, the two governments of the island met at the border, each presenting a floral wreath to the other in a show of peaceful coexistence on this split island. My sketchbook pages are done one for the Dutch side and the other for the French side. Notice the two ways the island's name is spelled.

Our arrival on St. Thomas occurred fairy early in the morning and I was able to sketch this scene from our room's porthole.

We climbed to the elevation where this tower stands to take in the view of the harbor. It was very easy to see why old Blackbeard would have chosen this spot to keep a watchful eye on the sailing traffic. This is the enormous bronze statue in the courtyard with the tower just behind.

The ship provided lots of things to do as we traveled. The art auction was filled with what I expected in framed posters and giclees but a tiny Erte original painted for a Vanity Fair cover in the 30s caught my eye and was probably the most impressive piece on the ship (at least in my opinion).

People sat and ate and relaxed and I sketched.

Grand Turk was our last stop before beginning for home. There was really no view except of our ship in the distance. Despite the lack of scenery it was a very quiet day and very relaxing since we were the only boat that had docked.

Our last day was a full day at sea. A day to sit at the pool and soak up the last rays of sunshine. A 300 foot screen played movies all day. WALL-E was playing when I sketched this.

Teaser

 

Besides the little sketches and quick exercises I've been posting here, I've been working on a painting which will hopefully be the beginning of a series. The image above is the final drawing before transferring onto canvas and painting. The building is entirely fantasy but it's based on some very real things.

After being satisfied with the design of the building, I felt that the volume of the structure was missing and that I wouldn't be able to indicate its form properly in this very flat, head-on positioning. So, how do you learn about things that don't exist? You MAKE them exist.

Initial sketch and design of the building

Model created out of foamcore and construction paper.
Yes, that's a kneaded eraser serving as the rough terrain.

Using the original 'flat' sketch, I began to build my model using foamcore and toned construction paper to indicate the roof. I penciled in the lines of the shingles on the roof and quickly indicated with a marker the windows and doors. Lastly, I sculpted a kneaded eraser to act as the natural terrain. Once this was complete, it was ready to be shot with dramatic lighting to use as photo reference in the painting stage. Now all of this may sound like a lot of work, but taking the time to gather the proper reference will only save time and mistakes in the long run. The Old Masters have done this for centuries and animators today routinely consult a maquette to aid in their drawings.

 

Photo reference of the model in various lighting.

Dinotopia creator and illustrator James Gurney, covers this process in his book,  Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist. Order your copy here and have it signed by the artist/author. Jim also maintains Gurney Journey, a daily blog sharing years of experience and practical advice to artists everywhere. If you haven't been reading it, you should be.

Grand Central Parkway

GCP, digital

About 25 years ago if you were exiting the Grand Central Parkway at the Steinway Street exit (now it's the 82nd Street exit) and was stopped at the light at the end of the ramp, you would have been lucky enough to see this mysterious writing stenciled on the guardrail on the driver's side. It was a landmark significant only to silly kids like my sister and I as we made up reasons for its purpose.

Now, 25 years later, you can still see the letters—if you look carefully enough.

Preview Google's Art Project

Now your can visit the world's museums and get really close to some of the most famous works. Not a substitution to seeing them in person but a nice resource to have literally at your fingertips.



Art Project - Preview (via GoogleArtProject)