Whale Dream

"WhaleDream" is finished. I've noticed that when a piece starts to look to me like a messy collection of scratches and smudges, it's time to stick a fork in it. I will get a better pic done, put it in a nice simple frame - but first it has to come off the easel and get cleared away.
17" x 23" assorted pencils and graphite powder

studio shot


finished drawing


detail

 

I took a couple of photos w my real camera and spliced them together in Photoshop. Final pic.


I fetched a nice econo-frame & matte from Viktor Gallery here in Toronto and assembled them today. It makes a nice pair of pictures in matching slim graphite grey frames over the mantle

 

WHAT THE FUCK? YOU DO WHALES TOO???

Trees now whales. Yup. You're the BEST!

 

THANK YOU FOR THE WHALE ART AND OTHER AMAZING PIECES!!!

I am looking into getting frames so I can hang them up in our house!!!!! <3

 

Here's "Whale Dance" - another drawing and another pic of the three related framed pieces over the mantle.

 

I hope you get paid well for your talents
Truly incredible

 

Thanks Popeye. However I'm that rare creature Seinfeld spoke of - a fat starving artist. Mostly I get paid with kind words.

 

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

(I have had a TY card in my purse for WEEKS that I will mail to you!)

 

The tree is a woman, I can see get profile. My Mom is a professional artist. Oil paintings. And her work pales in comparison to yours @kramus

 

Thanks for saying so @POPEYE Now to get the world on board with you

 

"Over the Deep" is officially off the easel. Phew.
17" x 23" pencil & graphite powder



Detail


Detail


On the wall bracketed by the other 2 whale pieces I've done this year. I do like the look

 

Just love the flow, imagery, and depth in your work! Bravo! <3

 

Thanks ma'am
I decided a little while ago that while there is a heck of a lot of different art things I will never do as well as multitudes of artists out there, one thing I'm truly the absolute best at is doing my thing my way. You see here the latest step along that (relatively recent) turn in my path

 

@kramus I think this is good and sound advice. May I ask about how long it has taken you to develop your style? Did it come from a love of the subjects, the medium, both, or something else? Love getting to watch you follow your path.

 

Thanks for asking
I'm known as a driveller, @Wildmermaid , so pull up a chair
I don't have what I see as a clear "style". Others see something consistent in my work, because there have been many comments in the past about knowing a piece is mine purely due to its "style".
That said, the last few drawings I've done (I'll call them "Whale drawings") are self-realized "me" pieces that draw on different elements I've practiced without knowing at the time I was practicing, so to speak.
In sketchbooks over the years I have done many drawings just for fun that were organic free-expression. I would even wonder while spending hours on yet another random, self-indulgent drawing if there ever would come a time where I would use that approach as a major conscious part of art pieces. Well, with the "Whale" pieces now I am doing exactly that.
I like telling my own stories, in my own way, with my own analogies. When doing it with words I'm told I actually grind on my immediate family members. *sigh* These "Whale" drawings seem (to me, at least) like they are doing this in a visual, cool looking way. I like the synthesis, pure and simple.
The subject matter of my last few pieces? I'm going on 60 years old. I've read widely my whole life. My mind has chewed things over like a cow might (cows are ruminants after all, and I ruminate all the time). There are literally dozens, scores of interconnected elements I could weave and reweave with my art. I'm on a whale kick just because. Who knows what the next set will be.

*edited to add an image of my current "on my easel" Whale piece just for funsies. And because it has a mermaid

"Deep Dive"

 

Okie dokie... first off there is nothing at all stupid about the way you talk and the things you share @kramus! You have a terrific combination of wisdom, telling it like it is, and a deeper connection to your inner life. All of that come through in every post!

Our families are there through the planning, sketch, worrying, and creating stages so all artists can get a lil' draining I guess.

P. (Fuzzy) and I cover the same territory many times when either of us is working on a project. Just yesterday he needed to talk over a character design and we discussed it for hours, our son just tuned us out entirely. Hehe. He's working on his own comic so was absorbed by his process of creation. I'm getting back to oil painting and have babbled about pose, model, whether I want to work from life again, on and on lol. It is all just part of the cycle.

There is such a wonderful combination of the ethereal and natural world in your drawings! It seems like bits of your soul or at least your inner world comes through strongly. Maybe that is in part what your style means? I don't know, but I do know the soft fluidity is not something most people have, especially with pencil!

Your emotion drawings resonate with that inner outer energy as well. They also look like your style, even with the different subject matter. Eager to see where these drawings take you, and what subjects you cover next.

Yay for the new drawing and also the mermaid *grin*! Do you work at a tilted easel, flat easel, or standing? Eager to watch this piece progress!

 

@Wildmermaid that is interesting, your comments about the work evincing inner/outer elements. Something to ponder The fluidity is important to me for whatever reason. It almost "sounds better" when a curve or a flow works. Not sure just what it is, but it can be very satisfying when it happens.

The easel - I stand or sit depending. The black stool in the pic is adjustable and the little wooden footstool adds flexibility. I've added screws and nails for mahl sticks, rulers and brushes. I do like to do lap art also, either with a smaller drawing board or a sketchbook.

studio shot


*edit to add the mermaid progress today. Yesterday was a write off, today I am doing the sociable. But I did get some time into the drawing - at least enough to have a sense how she looks.

 

Your studio is wonderful! What are the pieces beside the easel? So cool that you use glass? and clips to keep the drawing upright! Do you use a maul stick much? I smear my damn hand through just about everything if I don't pay attention for even a second. >.< Great to see your progress! Happy drawing! *hugs*

 

@Wildmermaid it's a 1/4" plexi drawing board with the edges flame polished to keep me from bleeding too much from serious paper-cut type injuries I have a couple of different sizes I use. I like them because I can see through them, and when drawing in the house I don't feel like I'm hiding from the folks around me. The clips hold wooden strips I cut - the mahl stick rests on them and I can move it anywhere I like and it is supported while I draw. I thought I was very clever when I came up with that one I do have a couple of pieces of glass from old stereo stands I can use, as well as a store-bought board with a fancy clip that is large and light and carried to life drawing etc, but I've stuck with the plexi on the easel for whatever reason. The mahl stick keeps me from getting tired holding my arm up, and holds my hand away from the surface. Sustained pressure is starting to give me numbness so I taped a rolled up facecloth to cushion things. I still have to take regular breaks, but my arms would get tired and numb anyway I think.
The pieces - I have a bad habit of starting things, sometimes spending a crapload of time on them, and then they get parked. Mebbe a while, mebbe forever. We shall see. I have a half dozen paintings and I don't know how many drawings in limbo.
I am sticking a progress shot of "Deep Dive" here - I have a WIP at WetCanvas (Deep Dive WIP - WetCanvas) and Instagram (Mark Johnson (@markfineart) • Instagram photos and videos) but I'm flooding them, and I don't really get feedback anyway.

 

@kramus I can't recall my sign in info on wet canvas, probably somewhere in my mac journal though. lol. Just followed you on instagram, hope that was okay. I love watching your progress! Also the lacy foam on the bottom of the piece is very real and well rendered. Does someone cut your plexi for you or do you buy it precut? What sort of place do you take it to have the edges beveled? I hear you loud and clear on waiting and also abandoned works! My tabouret currently contains 3, but there are bunches of canvases and wood panels in one section of the art room that are gathering dust. >.< The plexi is brilliant! I like the idea of using it when hanging out with family and being able to be part of things instead of hidden behind dark particle board! What kind of erasers do you prefer? Now, do you find that you tend to redraw or work on a section multiple times or does it depend on the area? Bravo to you and loving your progress!

On Monday I'm doing a 24 comic thing to restart myself. Then at least something will be finished.