06.16.2017 - Blast From The Past: 06.16.2007

10 Year Anniversary Blast From the Past


WOW!!! I can't believe that a WHOLE DECADE has passed since I started this blog. Thank you everyone who has visited my little corner of the interwebs, left nice comments, and bought the original paintings! Here is the post that started it all 10 years ago.


title: Julie Standing With Arms On Her Hips
size: 12x18 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $400.00

Detail:




I know I've been neglecting this blog for a while now. Life has a way of getting in the way. I've still continued the practice of weekly figure drawing. That is until this past August of 2016. I moved to Amman, Jordan with my wife so she can gather research for her Ph.D. However, in this conservative culture, figure drawing the nude model is not something easily accessible. I've searched around for some sessions but no luck. I miss it dearly and I can't wait to start back up when we return to the States in September. Maybe I'll even find time to scan a few in and resume posting.

01.31.2015 - Blast From The Past: 09.12.2008

title: Tiffany Reclining, Wearing Black Gloves (With The Gloved Hand Of Another Female Nude Resting On Her Hip)
size: 9x12 in.
medium: watercolor, ink, pastel
price: $150.00

12.07.2013 - Blast From The Past: 10.06.2007

title: Jenny In Profile, Seated In A Chair With Raised Leg
size: 10.5x14.5 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $200.00

12.01.2013 - Blast From The Past: 10.01.2007

title: Amber Ray With A Ponytail, Seated In Reverse, On The Arm Of A Chair
size: 10.5x14.5 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $200.00

01.12.2013 - Blast From The Past: 11.09.2007

title: Male Nude, Standing In Profile, His Arms On His Hips, Looking Down
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel (on 80lb watercolor paper)
price: $200.00

01.05.2013 - Blast From The Past: 07.03.2007

Hey everyone, in 2013 I'm cutting back on my output on the blog to make time for some other projects. I will be highlighting some of my favorite posts from the last 5 years on the weekends. The weekdays will continue with new originals. I still have a few more post of paintings and sketches from 2012, but I can't wait to start on some new nudes in this new year.



title: Ian, Standing, His Arms Behind His Back
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel, ball-point pen
price: $200.00

Detail:

06.17.2011

title: Female Nude, Standing In Profile And Reverse, Her Left Hand On Her Hip
size: 6x14 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $125.00

Another piece from December 2006. A more experimental take on the figure. I think this may have been one of my first attempts to define the figure's contours using the negative space of the background.

01.01.2011

Happy New Year!


title: Female Nude, Reclining
size: 11x15 in.
medium: pastel, marker, gouache (on compressed cardboard)
price: $200.00

This is another sketch from back in 2007 done at the Drawing Studio in Smithtown, NY. You can see the hint of this pose in the background of yesterday's post. I'll start experimenting with other media in the near future. For now, enjoy the older work.

12.31.2010

Good Bye 2010!
(and good riddance)


title: Female Nude, Seated In Profile And Reverse, Looking Away
size: 11x15 in.
medium: pastel (on compressed cardboard)
price: $200.00

2010 is finally almost over. It was a pretty rough and stressful year for me. It wasn't all horrible and awful, just full of drastic change. A lot of which I was not ready for. I'm always the optimist though so I believe that the hard times were necessary for me to progress. I had fallen into a rut and the drastic measures I undertook this year forced me out of my complacency and continues to do so. The one place I feel I have remained complacent is the figure drawings that I post here. A lot of times, the daily format seems more of a chore. I'm sorry if this sounds like wining. I'm just trying to diagnose the problem before I proceed with the solution.

Often times during this year I thought of ending this blog. At first I toyed with the idea of ending it when I hit 1000 nudes in mid-March. And now days, every time I have a bad drawing day I think of throwing a fit and quiting. But in reality, I don't think I can quit figure drawing. That would just be counter productive. I dug this piece up while unpacking boxes from my move to Portland (it's been 6 months and I'm still unpacking). I did this sketch back in 2007 at the Drawing Studio in Smithtown, NY. I mentioned this a few times before but it always bears repeating. The instructor at the Drawing Studio, Jeff Fisher always pushed me to experiment with different media, colors and approaches. and even the results were often times disastrous, my skills would always improve. So my solution for the year ahead is to throw some different ingredients into my repertoire and see what happens.

2011 is not only the start of a new year but it also starts a new decade. The 2000s were really great to me, despite all the unfortunate events that happened around the world. I became an adult and watched my skills improve with every passing year. I started to become comfortable in my own skin and confident in my abilities. And even though I still feel like I have not found my voice, I know I'm on the right path. I'm very eager to see where I'll end up in the next 10 years.

Thank you everyone who follows this blog. I appreciate all of your support, even if you may not be very vocal in the comments section. (hint. hint.) I hope to repay you in some small way in the coming year/years. But for now, you still have a few days to take advantage of the Holiday Sale.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

05.18.2010

title: Male Nude, Seated, Looking Down
size: 7.5x11 in.
medium: pencil, pastel (on sketchbook paper)
price: $50.00

05.11.2010

title: Amber Ray With A Flower In Her Hair, Seated In Semi-Profile
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $150.00

05.10.2010

title: Pinkie, Standing In Semi-Profile, Her Right Arm Behind Her Back, Looking Away
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $150.00

03.01.2010

title: Tiffany, Seated In Reverse, Her Left Hand Resting On Her Right Knee
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $200.00

I'm starting March off with drawings from my archive. Partially because I'm a little behind on new work due to other deadlines. Most of the drawings I'll post in the next couple of days were done outside of the Society of Illustrators Jazz & Sketch session. And some, like this one of Tiffany, are more on the experimental side.

I drew this at the Drawing Studio in Long Island. Jeff Fisher likes to make you go out of your comfort zone and try new materials and techniques. A lot of them turn out to be complete disasters, but what most consider to be failures are great teaching tools for work done later. For this piece I used both hands at the same time. This is a tough exercise that requires a lot of concentration. I'm sure I cheated a number of times in the duration of the pose. My trick was to pre-plan the mark for one hand while focusing on the contours made with the other hand. Other times I let the"idle" hand make the back and forth "shading" marks while the other hand was the focus of my attention. I came away from this exercise with a greater ability to focus on the marks I was making and their relationship to what I was observing.

09.22.2009

title: Female Nude, Standing In Semi-Profile, Her Arms Folded In Front Of Her Chest
size: 9x12 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel (on pastel paper)
price: $150.00

09.04.2009

title: Female Nude, Seated In Profile, Her Left Arm Bent At Te Elbow
size: 9x12 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $150.00

08.05.2009

title: Amber Ray, Standing In Semi-Profile, Wearing A Gold Mask And Tasseled Pasties
size: 9x12 in.
medium: watercolor, pencil
price: $150.00

05.29.2009

title: Bust And Torso Of Sara, In Semi-Profile, Her Arms Behind Her Back
size: 9x12 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel, marker
price: $100.00

This was the most experimental piece of the night. I borrowed a brush marker from my friend Randy Gallegos. The ink bled as soon as I applied watercolor (with my finger). The marker bled further when I sprayed the piece with fixative to seal the pastel touches before scanning the painting.

05.28.2009

title: Anastasia, Seated In Semi-Profile, Leaning Back On Her Arms
size: 9x12 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel, marker
SOLD

This was the first of the long poses on the day I forgot my brushes at home. I borrowed various supplies from friends (like the blue pastel from my friend Wayne) and McGyvered some rudimentary brushes by chewing on cocktail toothpicks. The washes were done with my finger. Suck on that Jorge Colombo!

02.06.2009

title: Amelia, Standing In Profile, Wearing A White Frills Around Her Neck
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pastel
price: $200.00

This drawing is from another rowdy night at the Society from a few weeks back. This was a new model, who came dressed as a male clown along with Amber Ray as a female clown. As the night wore on they slowly disrobed. That night we were also celebrating the 18th birthday of Lynne Foster's (one of the organizers of Society's Jazz & Sketch sessions) son, Guy. During this pose, Amelia sang a great rendition of Nina Simone's Feeling Good without moving. How's that for an 18th birthday party?

02.04.2009

600th Nude!!!


title: Lillian, Seated Cross-Legged, Wearing Red Sunglasses
size: 11x15 in.
medium: watercolor, pencil, pastel
SOLD


Detail:

This painting just magically came together. From the initial line-work (which I left loose), to the washes and the finishing touches in pastel, everything just seemed to work. It made me actually think that I know what I'm doing.