First Drawing Class for Third Semester

So yes, the third semester has begun, and boy oh boy, there is work to be done. The professors at F.I.T. don't waste any time, which is a really good thing! Although I have been practicing, I've been a bit rusty when drawing live models, especially when you are timed.
In this particular class, we will be studying shadow intensely, as well as building up volume in the figure. We will work in different mediums, such as charcoal, watercolor and pencil. In these particular drawings, I used charcoal and newsprint, which is a really good combination.

UGG Australia II

Everyone always says to challenge yourself as much as you can, that way you can get better at what you are doing. For example, when it comes to drawing models or pictures of magazines, I always tend to try to and look out for models that are in weird productions; something that I hope that I succeeded in today.

Something for my brother....

Drew Barrymore is my brother's secret crush. He doesn't just tell anyone that, but whenever he sees her on the television, he always says something like, "Wow....." and just trails off; which is why I decided to draw her out today. Hope you like it Javier!

Another Ann Taylor Ad...

I tried to practice more rendering today, something that does take great concentration, I do admit. Thing is, this coming fall semester, I have to take a rendering class, something that I'm excited about. However, the more practice I get, the more I can get out of it.

Silhouette

Throughout art, I always tend to think that silhouettes are also very powerful. This image is just blacks and grays, but, mostly bold black. It's not powerful, but according to the photograph, I think it makes a statement.

Sticking with It....

Of course, when in the art world, you do have to experiment with a great many things, especially when it comes to materials. However, when you have a great liking to a specific material, you sort of stick with it. I don't know if its because of the consistency, or the color, but lets say that walnut ink has been officially added my favorite list. I know that I have said this before in previous postings, but I will say it again, I highly recommend you use walnut ink! This commercial ad for Anne Klein clothing is something that  I have created by incorporating walnut ink and pastels into a drawing, something that up until today I would never have thought of using.

UGG Australia

I really like the snug look of this girl. It reminds of fall, with the big sweater and the cozy boots. I've decided to go a bit crazy with this piece, using a variety of mediums: water-soluble crayons, sharpie markers, and black ink. Since I've been using the walnut ink nowadays, I felt that the black ink was a bit intimidating for me today.....

Keira Knightley.... Going back to the pen

I don't know why, but whenever I tend to sketch, I really like to use pen. A regular writing pen. It gets messy at times, but I think I seem to know how to control this utensil a bit better whilst drawing. I decided to experiment on Keira Knightley today, not only because I think she is a pretty good actress, but because this is her advertising for Chanel. What an excellent perfume! I'm going to continue with the pen and see what happens....

The Boyfriend Jacket

Looking in past Glamour magazines, this particular pose caught me eye. The sweep of her skirt makes the picture in this one, almost too much because it doesn't really show her shoes at all. I decided to capture it with crayons and markers. I will definitely be working more on fashion illustrations.

Second Ink drawing of the day...

Been wanting to catch up on using the walnut ink. I'm definitely gonna keep experimenting with this.

Steering in another direction....

I have been wiring on my self portrait for a while now, which is a pretty good reason to stop the project and let it recap itself. I have been wanting to continue drawing, which is why I have done just that. I am also a nirvana fan as well, which is why I decided to draw this particular picture. It sort of reminds me of myself when I'm locked up in my room and listening/dancing to music. I'm sure all of us have done it before.

Continuation of my Self Portrait

I could say that this piece is coming along. Although I haven't painted in a while, I sure missed it. Hopefully by next week, I shall be done with this piece. I feel that in some places I went too watery and too dark, but that shall be fixed tomorrow.

Bermuda, a trip that I will never forget...

Being the first of our cruises yet to come, Bermuda was a perfect destination to go to. The first thing that I saw of Bermuda was how colorful the island was. You could see pink, blue, green, grey, and yellow houses. It made the country all the more welcoming as we pulled into the port of Hamilton. There were beautiful sights everywhere, the beaches were something that you had to see for yourself. You can say that I am officially spoiled by the beaches that the tropics have to offer, compared to the polluted waters of the New York City.
However, the craftsmanship of the boats and houses was something that I wanted to capture when I decided to draw out the landscape that Bermuda has to offer. I wish I could have applied a bit of color, but that could be for later.

The Atlanta Backyard

I was surprised to see how much Atlanta had that we New Yorkers don't. Nature, for instance, is something that I find inspiration for in most cases, when it comes to art. Atlanta had a lot of that, and I'm sure glad I saw it.
This particular drawing is actually my uncle's neighbor's backyard. The heat down in Georgia was something massive, so in order for me to draw outside, I had to be underneath a garage door, unless I wanted to be cooked alive. I wanted to add more colors, but this is the result.

The Atlanta Trip

Nowadays, airlines always want to rip you off, especially when it comes to baggage. This particular airline called "SPIRIT" was one of those airlines. However, we did get to our destination safely, and thats what counts.
We had to make two connections from New York City to Atlanta; From N.Y.C. to Myrtle Beach, then from Myrtle Beach to Atlanta. It took us almost all day to get there, but hey....
Therefore, in Myrtle Beach International Airport, I decided to draw the next plane that we had to board for Atlanta. This one was particularly hard, because of the perspective and all. It was something to pass the time.

Self Portrait Part IV

I had a really good day today with this piece. Glad I sort of fixed my forehead, that pink spot was really bothering me. I also started on my eyebrows and eyes, and I'm real happy the way they came out as well. I know I know, I'm a bit of slow painter, but I have a feeling that once I get to the cheeks, it'll become faster. God I can't wait!!
Not sure if I will post tomorrow or for the next few days, but hopefully I will get some drawing done. Got loads to do, but I'm getting attached with this piece. Wonder why......

Self Portrait Part III

Hey guys, it's been a while I know! But over the course of a couple of days, I came up with this. Yes, I know I'm a bit of a slow painter when it comes to gouache. You sort of have to be patient with it in my case. However, I decided to work in sections, focusing only on the color/shade of that section. I'm still having trouble with the area of my forehead, but feel free to comment!

Self Portrait Part II

And so the tedious work of underpainting begins! I already started blacking out my hair, but not just with black. I also added greens and reds into it to make it look a little bit more interesting. I also started adding the tones and shadows into my face, using the complimentary colors of purple and yellow. I will continue this process until I begin the stage of actually painting in the skin colors of my face. I really like how this is turning out, and I applaud myself for using gouache, one of the mediums that I don't normally use. 

Self Portrait Project

Since yesterday, I decided to take it upon myself that I wanted to create my self portrait, paint and all. I have been wanting to do this project for quite some time now, since first semester, and now that I have some time on my hands I say, why not?
I prepared the illustration board yesterday, gessoed it and taped the edges, you know the usual. So today, I put down the basic drawing, added some darks and lights to indicate where the shadows and the lights are and all. I'll probably  tweak a few things on my face and hands. However, I think that by tomorrow I will be able to put a wash down and start on some underpainting. Can't wait!

The American Girls

I'm telling you, I am really starting to love this walnut ink! I'm trying to stay away from just outlining the figures or whatever, by creating mass with washes and all that. Again, I'm merely practicing drawing figures and people in general from pictures and photographs from magazines, so that I can draw the life back into it. It has been pretty good exercises so far. And a good sign that I have been seeing a lot lately is that thanks to this blog that I have created, I have been itching to draw every day, and have been trying to keep my word as well.

The Backyardigan

Yup, today I decided to draw my backyard. It still is a beautiful day outside here in New York City, and I am enjoying every minute of it. I also decided to change it up a bit, instead of drawing portraits, today I wanted to do a landscape painting. I also used that walnut ink, and I'm getting the hang of it, too.

Ohh Firefly, Ohh Firefly

Fireflies are a few of the only bugs that I mostly adore. They also have a very symbolic meaning, the beginning of summer. I saw one today and it just absolutely made my day. I'm looking forward to seeing more, but I don't believe in keeping them in jars with holes on the top. Fireflies are bugs and are meant to roam free.
With this thought in mind, I decided to draw a sketch of a girl on a typical beach day. Oh how I would love to go to a beach around here in New York City, but just the sight of one just brings me shudders throughout my whole body. Not to mention public pools, ugh! Maybe when I'm out in Long Island or somewhere MUCH more cleaner, I won't mind jumping into the water.

Say Cheese!!!

For starters, its gloomy out in New York, and to me that means laziness for me. Too bad I have to go work tonight, but hey I have to keep drawing. For that, I kept it simple today. I simply drew from a Walmart ad, and instead of posing for a picture, I felt that this was a more natural pose. I want to keep practicing facial expressions. At first, I used a pencil to sketch out the face, and then I used a china marker to add in the shading and tones.

Going Green!

I know its a bit late for Earth Day and all, but I don't know what drove me to pick up a GREEN Sharpie Marker. It's weird, sometimes I get these urges to try and do stuff out the of ordinary, and express them through my artwork, but I went with it this time. You may never know what results might bring with these risky chances that you take. I highly recommend it!!
At first, of course, I didn't like it, but I pulled myself through with it and started mixing in different mediums. First I used a regular pen, one that you write with, then I started using a GREEN Sharpie Marker, and then I finished it off with colored pencils. Somewhat satisfied with the end result, but we'll see what happens later....

The Great Norman Mailer

I was going through my old pile of Rolling Stone Magazines today, and I came upon the interesting article of Norman Mailer. According to Camille Paglia, the writer of the article, he was a novelist, a new journalism pioneer, a public intellectual and a pugilist. I'm into these types of people now, especially if they tried to make a difference in our non-understanding society. To this day he is still remembered as a great writer. That's a good reason to draw him, right?

In a Summery Mood...

Yeah, yeah, I know what I said before about me being not too happy about the coming of summer, but the weather has been really cooperating. I mean you could feel the heat and all, but its cool at the same time. I'm in a better mood for tomorrow, being the First day of Summer and all, and its going to be about 80 degrees, and the rest of the week is going to be 70 degrees. This is absolutely brilliant!
So in order to inaugurate the new season, I decided to draw this model, that seemed to just have come out of the water. I wanted to create this "beachy feel" to it, if that's even a word. I experimented on her face, adding colors that may not have seemed right at first, but I think it worked out fine in the end. What do you think?

I'm back!

The road trip was long, as it was meant to be. Our destination was Montreal, and we had to cross all of New York State to get there. It was a rather sad trip, because one of my relatives had died, so i really couldn't get that much drawing at all. I merely did two drawings, and I felt sad for that as well. I wanted to give my family support and care, because that's what you do, right?

One of my aunts had caught a liking for my sketchbook, and so I showed her my work. She then told me a personal experience that had happened to her at the funeral service. My aunt said that she had seen the Virgin Mary, with a greenish veil, which was only a profile, but her face was covered. She had wanted me to draw that appearance for her, because she wanted that image to stay with her.
After various sketches, we came to the finalized one (above). I'm happy to say that she liked it. With this experience, I caught a little insight as to what the Illustration world is going to bring for me. Sometimes, you have to go through various sketches and ask again and again, but the result is worth it. I'm happy that I went with my family to Montreal to share the love and to begin again.

P.S. I haven't drawn for today yet, so there is more to come!

Heads Up!

So, tomorrow I'll be off on a little road trip for the weekend, and I will not be able to post anything for the next few days. However, I will be sketching, so I will not forget about you guys!
This drawing is brought to you by sketch paper and brown conte, and don't forget about the pencil! I wanted to challenge myself with the odd way of the person looking out and up. I really emphasized the face, and didn't really pay much attention to the rest of the picture. Challenging though....

Originate Your Own Sound

Besides art, music also serves me as an inspiration, especially when it comes to jazz music. I admire musicians who want to make a difference in their music, and have their audience members read between the lines, you know? Of course, it depends on your taste of music, but to me their aren't many musicians who do that anymore.
However, without knowing what type of music Leigh Lezark from The Misshapes creates, I wanted to draw her, because I'm also in love with leather jackets; and the one she is wearing from GAP is a bit up there in the price range. I could only dream, right? The sketch is self-exaplanatory, just pencil on paper, but I really emphasized on the darks in her jacket.
On the other hand, I will definitely look into her music, and see if it serves me as an inspiration.

Decided to go crazy again....

I think its the weather that New York City is having thats making me go a bit haywire with my art. It feels like fall a bit, but I'm not complaining. Its not just the temperature, but also the way the day turns out. It sunny, then cloudy, then it rains, then its sunny again. And this is all in one day. Its just another one of those crazy days!
One of the movies that I have recently been thinking about is "Slumdog Millionaire". I don't know why! Maybe its because of all these Middle Eastern movies that I have gotten into recently. So with the soundtrack in mind, I've decided to draw the musician called M.I.A. I'm not into her music, but with the reference that I used, sure made me want to draw her. I used nupastels, and ink on kraft paper, yet again. I've just been so into that paper these past few days......

Here's Johnny......

Johnny Depp, what more can I say? His name just gives me a reason to draw him. Depp is such an interesting character, on and off the camera. Therefore, I kept it real simple. I merely used pencil and white chalk on kraft paper.

Liv Tyler, yup Steve Tyler's daughter....

So I felt that today I had to redeem myself from yesterday. I decided to draw Liv Tyler, the lady from Lord of the Rings, and of course the daughter of Steve Tyler from Aerosmith. You better believe it!
This drawing is a simple pencil/tonal sketch of her, posing for a Gap advertisement, wearing the "Boyfriend Cardigan". She is one of my favorite actresses, because she seems so sweet on the inside and all, which is a pretty good reason to draw her.

Messy Day=Messy Drawing

My mother likes to collect plants and exhibit them around the house. She has a green thumb, so yeah, you can imagine our back yard, too. I decided to skid off my regular style, and try a different approach. Messy basically describes this drawing, and I'm not too sure how I should feel about it. I tried varying the line quality as well as the different approach of colors. I guess yesterday's drawing was intervening with this one today....
The difference however, is obviously the type of paper I used and medium. I went drastic, by using a regular pen, as well as water-soluble crayons. They are pretty fun to use, and you can get a lot of different results with them. I created the water color effect on them, by pushing the colors around with a brush and water. So there you have it...the Peace Lily flower!

Fashionista

So after a brutal two days of the heat wave that hit New York City, the weather is finally collaborating with everyone. Its acting like Springtime, the way its supposed to be. The last two days were just a preview of what the summer will bring, and I know I will not be happy about it.

Today I decided to draw models, with springtime clothing on. I used kraft paper, which is one of my favorite supplies to use, as well as nupastels. I like drawing with these pastels, because in a way I feel liberal with them, free, in the sense that I add more and more color to it, because I somehow see them. The fact that they are a bit dusty makes it all the more challenging for people to use. But hey, I like 'em....

And so the Inauguration Begins!

I just love the look that he gives to the audience in this one. A quick sketch of Robert Downey Jr. based on a black and white photograph in the Rolling Stone magazine. I used black india ink, as well as charcoal and a sharpie marker.

The Starting of a Blog

mis ARTmanias. Wow, my first ever blog. But why this name, and what does it mean? Well, I decided to go more towards the ethnic way of naming this blog. In Spanish, it basically means "my ART-ideas". You know when you're just sitting on the subway, and an idea just comes to you out of the blue? Like many artists or writers that get these sudden "epiphanies", I definitely have to draw them, or write them down.
Ideas are just the beginning of the whole thinking and brainstorming process of anything, whether it be a composition that you are working on for a book cover, or story boarding for a scene in a film or commercial. Hope you stay tuned for more!