12.20.2006

Track Day at Buttonwillow Raceway










Driving fast and doing it legally is one of the favorite things I love to do when I'm not painting or drawing. Last weekend, my buddy John and I went to Buttonwillow Raceway to attend a racing school. The weather was overcast but it didn't rain as forcasted. Overall, it was a really fun day. We were really tired after a whole day of intense driving. It finally did rain when we drove home.
There was a photographer that took some really nice shots of the event. I used a sample that he took of my car turning a corner in the first photo above. The rest of the crappy ones were from my camera. His photos are really good and his website can be found here:

www.caliphotography.com

Enjoy!

12.17.2006

Imaginary Spaces Art





Here are three images from the Imaginary Spaces show.

12.12.2006

Sketch Tutorial






Hello again. Here's a sketch I did in value for fun and practice. I actually feel more comfortable sketching in black and white because you can really pick out subtle changes in tone. This is a favorite excercise I like to do. I should really do more of these after looking at Robh Ruppel's blog. Damn he's inspiring!

Above are images of various stages of how I usually start a sketch. The idea here is to block in the the big shapes initially (A). In PhotoShop, I usually do everything in a single layer. Don't worry about getting everything perfect. Just keep it loose. "Loose as a goose" is a good thing to tell yourself I guess. However, you're still in control with where you place things except with wider scope if that makes sense. The important thing at this stage is to establish composition and perspective if you're dealing with a complex scene. Like Mr. Mullins put it, "it's a controlled fall."

Once you're happy with the composition, you want to establish the light source. In this example, I established it early on from the left. (B) From here on details will gradually come in, but make sure to keep your comp in check. One thing I like to do is to flip it horizontally often to see if anything is off. Comp D places more detail into the scene and refining some areas. At some point, the comp will have to be readjusted (in my case) because I painted over too much in an area or I needed to fix the composition.
A good analogy to getting a sketch like this down to the end(subjective) is like fishing. You want to keep the line loose when you get the initial bite and then reel it in slowly into the net. Better yet, it's like waiting for a polaroid photo to come into focus. Nonetheless, take your time to observe the details and relax.

12.11.2006

Japanese Tea Garden


I started making stuff up not remembering the exact details. I think it'll hold up though. Perhaps I'll do more with those trees on the left later. This is a fun excercise for the night. Got to sleep now. Nighty night

12.07.2006

Imaginary Spaces at Gallery Nucleus


Gallery Nucleus wil be hosting another show from December 16- January 8, 2007 hosting a myriad lineup of artists. The subject matter will be involving environments.

A few of my friends and I have been invited to participate in this show. It's definitely an honor to be part of this show. Please come by on December 16th and see what's in store. See you there!