have you been slacking?

Hahaha. Never. Yes, so I haven't posted in some days. I have been drawing a lot in my sketch book. What this usually means is that I have filled multiple sketch books, as I tend to fill up the page (no tiny drawings for me unless it's on the edges of my desk; seriously, at my last job the desk was lined with colour paper tape and sharpie marker in all kinds of floral pattern, and on my portable laptop, much to the dismay of my boss. lol. I can't stop drawing hahaha) and go through lead and sketch books like nothing else.

I am using Hogarth's "Dynamic Figure Drawing" book, and will be moving along with four others I also got with advice from Michael, a prof at Art Center who was kind enough to offer words of advice on how to keep going and be the best that I can be. Thank you Michael for being so patient and kind and helping me to become not just a better artist in terms of technique, but also to help me become a better artist by making me think about thinking. He reminded me that Frank Lloyd Wright and Berkey and Seurat were not great so much merely because of their painting (even though their technique of course is beautiful) but because of their ideas. The medium is a means of communicating visually an idea(s), telling a story. I am reminded of Caravaggio's "David with the head of Goliath". In art class, the story of that and how Caravaggio was able to make work that was a metaphor for his own social situation struck me in a way that was unforgettable.

I try to put in ten to twelve hours a day already of painting or drawing. It's a lot of fun and I'm trying to use a mechanical pencil more. I ran out of points yesterday and found a gel roll (black) tried a bit of that too. I remember going to the grocery store when I was little and of all the things mom would look out for (you know, kids grab snacks), she would say "no more paper for you! You have enough already". Hahaha. Thank goodness for digital!

Speaking of digital, I started taking a Corel Painter class last night (other classes I shall be taking this semester; all five of them; Sketching for Environment, Intro to Digital Painting, Zbrush and Digital Mattes). I LOVE Corel. I'm actually planning to purchase an educational version (through my school) so that I can draw and use Photoshop at work (yeah, my work lets me paint. Hooray!) and then come home and paint some more during the night using Corel. The GREAT thing about Corel is that it does not handle layers well, so it forces you to paint over and make choices...like real painting. I LOVE it! And the brushes are UNBELIEVABLE. You can get lost in it. My favourite brush right now; the Acrylic: Water Acrylic one. Mmm. Heaven.

And yes...I will find a way to get some sleep. Cheerios! :)