Well November was a wonderful month. Kind of sad how fast fall goes, it's my favorite season and I never feel like I get to enjoy it and it's already freezing and just waiting to snow. My brother came up to visit most of the month and he heads back tomorrow, kind of bummed to see him heading out. All the more reason for me to hurry my ass up, graduate and get out to Austin.
Anyways, the art! Finished intaglio plate set. Really happy how it turned out and it's a nice, big size of 30" by 15", I think. My printmaker teacher wants to put it in the school's archives so I am happy but at the same time that means I need to do another edition of it, during finals.
Also been drawing Scott, my little imp guy. I need to get back to working on my comics which is a possibility with break a week away.
And most of all, Crunkodile
As for music, enjoy a cute ass, catchy music video from +/-
See you later fall, you were always my favorite~<3
Finally got a working scanner again. Basically I got a new computer and my last scanner was so old they don't even make software compatible for it with anything Windows vista and up. So uh, it's a little later than I wanted to post for November but I still got that chance to make 2 more post. At least one more.
First off, AAAAAAAAAAART!: Intaglio plate series I am working on. The less said about it, the better, until it is completed :3
A gouache painting for my illustration class. We had to pick a company or business to illustrate so I went with Anti- records. I noticed that most of the artist on their label, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Tabacco and Man Man, all seem to have themes of drug use so I had this idea of a baby and mama robo pill.
Second off, Seeeeeeeeeeeelf looooooooathing! I've been kind of mad at myself for getting all psyched up and starting a new comic again and not getting further into it. I have been good this semester at drawing regularly and struggling to get better but I really want to get back to doing a comic a week. I am busy; I have school full time and work two jobs but fuck, that's an excuse. No matter how busy I do get, my art should be a high priority and I want to do comics and graphic novels one day as well as illustration.
Third off, Grizzzzzzzzzly Beaaaaaaaaaaaaar!:
My love for them, their music videos and their new album only continue to grow like some beautiful melodic tumor :3
I have this tradition that every Halloween I listen to the Cure's album Denigration. So I'll cut to the usual music link right away:
A good song, still a bit cheesy but it's got that potent power of nostalgia for me.
Anyways, here's some recent art as well: This Illustration was on the subject of identity and that can be a little rough for me. I know myself well but when I present myself to others, it can get a bit depressing when I explain. Basically I wanted to capture my fixation on mortality, self worth and just constant recurrence of being trapped in the past by throwing in a lot of personal symbols from my life. I don't know how I feel about the poorly rendered smog but I feel it was successful otherwise. This was done in goauche on a 16" by 20" board and the title is from a Man Man song called Doo-little.
And a recent intaglio plate, 9" by 12", about a strange dream I had a few weeks ago about this weird, shrouded druid like figure. This one doesn't need as much explanation but I feel like continuing this idea for my next series of plates.
Whoo, two post for October. Next month, three, and all with better art and music, FOR REALZIES!
This month I swear I am going to make two post and then next month, three! I am so tired of doing these large updates and basically having to rush everything into a few paragraphs and pics. Also the large blocks remind me how much I haven't gotten done. I am hoping for a little more diligence caused from more updates.
Here's a woodblock I finished. This was done on multiple blocks, about 4 in total: It's a bit more abstract and blurry in form but I like the murky colors and feel. I've just kind of been in a similar mindset lately, muddy with no clear path. It's reflecting in a lot of my work lately which could be good or bad.
and heres a finished ilio for my illustration class. I did it based off a short story I really liked about a tengu. The poor guy gets struck by a bolt of divine lightning sent down from the buddha himself at the end of the story due to a forgetful monk. Basically the best way I can sum that up in one sentence since it's 4 in the morning here.
Typing too much, this image doesn't even need to be explained: POKE LIFE TILL I DIE
As for the usual update on new music I've been listening to let's go with Atlas Sound's new album Logos
This is a fantastic track off of it. At first I just really liked the tune but the lyrics made me fall in love with it. Especially the lines "You find yourself lost again, The better things you left behind, But looking back you may go blind." Something I remind myself of every day now.
See? If I had more updates this post wouldn't be so wordy and shitty. I'm setting a good example of a bad example for myself. GENIUS!
The new semester has been going pretty well. I just got back from a trip out to Austin to go to the GDC since I've been doing concept art for my bros company, Red Fly Studios. Each time I visit Austin I seem to find something new I love about it. I am crossing my fingers when that grad school application goes through in January.
As for my mental state, it's been in a weird state between melancholy and content. I'm getting work done, drawing a lot and enjoying myself but I feel like somethings a bit vacant about myself lately. Maybe it's just adjusting to the usual work load again but I just find myself thinking back to stupid things that don't matter. Maybe one day my brain will start working together as a cognitive whole.
Here's that suicide woodblock I finally finished. It's a nice 20" and 16" and took FOREVER. I was trying to capture that state of mind I've been in for the last year or two but put a positive twist on it with a nice little Posada style theme and colors. I could go deeper into the piece but I really like leaving it up to the viewer to decide the meaning. It's title is "Something bad inside me went away (those to come)" after a delightful Shins song I thought inspired/captured the mood.
and some doodles, the last one being a prelim sketch for a bigger water color painting I am going to do for an illustration project.
and some music of course.
Finally got around to listening to this new Dirty Projectors album and it's fantastic as everyone has been saying. It's a good balance of weird, sensiable and catchy with gorgeously deep lyrics. The odd cheerful tone mixed with a sense of depression in this song is definitely appealing to me lately.
Yup, back in school still means huge blog post for me. Oh well, better than nothing.
School has started for me again and I am quite enjoying the classes. Got photography, Spanish, intermediate Illustration and Intaglio printmaking this semester. They all seem pretty enjoyable and I am hoping this helps me pump out some more art (and post here) these next few months.
I've also been made president of the other art club at NIU, Ars Nova. So I'll be busy with that as well but hopefully it'll get me in the mood to be more productive art-wise. I even get my own little office at school since it's an official SA club. Usually that access to a little extra privacy can be helpful to get me drawing.
I am kind of bummed I didn't get more art done this summer or further into the comic I am working on. I had a really great summer otherwise, getting to hang with friends, go to Georgia and enjoy some concerts and that pitchfork music festival. I am still trying to figure out that perfect balance of getting art done and getting out. It sometimes feels like I have to shut myself in for a few days to get anything done.
Working on still life and figure drawing again, one of those areas I got to sharpen up technique wise. Should have some wood block prints and comics within the next week or two.
Also I've been on a blur kick again, mainly listening to Think Tank on repeat. They've been one of my favorites for awhile and also one of the first bands I ever really got into. They always tend to bring up nostalgic memories of my earlier teen years.
So I am making more than two post this month, hopefully I can make twice as many in August. Considering school's starting and a lot of stuff is up and coming, shouldn't be a problem.
I had to recently sign the NDA with red fly studios for the game concept art I am doing so sorry guys, no art until late on that! None the less it's got me feeling PUMPED.
As for now, I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO KRAFTWERK!
Why must it all be so catchy? It never leaves my brain. I recently got their album Radioactivity on vinyl and it's been on repeat quite a few days now.
