MAN OF MANY HATS

I'm often asked how I always keep so many things on the go and that I'm a man of many hats. Indeed, I keep the ball rolling in many courts, but I also try to keep it fun. Maybe I'm just a crazy workaholic. Maybe its that I'm doing what I love. You see for yourself in this monumental goal reaching Episode 50!

EPISODE 49 SAN MIGUEL

I've edited and uploaded the second video from my week log sketchbook travel to Mexico fro your enjoyment!  In this one we take a road trip to San Miguel de Allende and visit art galleries, studios and see the sights and sounds f this beautiful city before returning to Guanajuato for a few more days of sight seeing and studio visits. Check it out on my Youtube channel.

Belas-artes Lisboa residency week 1.5

I completed my first blue series drawing. The colour is inspired by the tile work found all around Portugal. I purchased all matter of blues in different materials so I could discover what wold work best. None of which are col-erase, which would probably have been sufficient and I have a huge stack of them back home. Below is my latest episode which offers a glimpse into my thought process and some time lapse of my physical one.

https://youtu.be/UhY1m_qtdzU

My ideas are developing about what I hope to make for this residency, it just seems that time is ticking away quickly. I am managing to keep my focus but there is a full roster with many workshops and assignments between work days. I decided to skip one that did not interest me yesterday in favour of some seeing some sights and visiting the Gulbenkian museum.

It collection was amazing and up lifting.  I revelled in the beauty of decorative arts and traditional collections, that was just what I needed mid week.  I am going to try and get in more museums and take a bit of the pressure off, it is a "working" / "vacation" after all.  Afterward I walked through a park and visited the Estufa Fria  which is an outdoor botanical garden housed in a converted quarry.

Draw Droppers

I was eager for session 2 Sunday morning of "Draw 'til you drop". I had a big exciting day ahead and was looking forward to the coffee and the session. I brought a much more compact set up and got a good seat by being early.

 Did a bunch of quick warm up drawings with the tools I brought, a bin of coloured materials, pencil crayons and watercolours.

I also did some quick ones with good old HB graphite pencil too.

It was this burlesque models first time, she was so fun to draw.

I pulled out some golden High fluid Acrylics and empty Molotow marker containers and filled them up. Spilled some tone on the paper to work with.

I found this indigo to be really opaque and dark but used the background snow flake light motif as a pattern in this sketch then I thinned down the acrylic int he marker with the subtraction of the blue an the addition of iridescent pearl.

This is my favourite sketch of the session, and it was done before lunch = morning person for sure! I had fun with the loose use of the colours and the addition of brushed in black watercolour to my toolkit.

There was an overlap with the burlesque models allowing for a more interactive narrative int he pose. The devils minion.

She had a really interesting layered and textured devilish outfit complete with horns. It felt like time moved quickly as I raced to get the colours down for the feathers, metal chain, thick leather strapping, draping silks, soft pillow, delicate lace etc. in the right place before the pose ended.

I skipped drawing and went straight  into the skin tone, followed by the the red and finishing with the black and blue, to get this quick watercolour sketch done quickly.

I reached back for my graphite for the last two drawings before packing up for more adventures awaiting. After the session I had some errands to run before jetting off to fulfill my teenage bucket list to see Alice Cooper and Motley Crue perform for their final tour and last show in Canada at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

A great cap to an amazing week-end!

Change is the only constant. So bring in the new year.

To end off the year my final sketchbook drawing and process are below.

It started with a simple sketch in pencil, drawn in with copic multiline and outlined with a regular old sharpie.

It may be the end of the year but that does not mean “it’s the end of the world as we know it”. Try not to have a catchy tune in your head. I love how music is the soundtrack of our lives. A few notes are able to evoke a strong emotion and bring us back to a moment in time. Audio is a powerful thing.

I then coloured in the body and antlers with Copic markers for a deep rich colour.

As we approach the end of the year, for me, it is a time to reflect and gather ones thoughts. . Every year I write a list of all the things I did in the previous year that made it awesome, then I make a list of the things I’d like to accomplish in the next one. I also make a list of all the people I love just to remind myself how lucky I am to have all of you. Finally I buy myself a new moleskine day-timer and begin filling in everything I have booked so far. It’s great that as the previous year comes to an end we all have the opportunity to begin anew. Like a final chapter in a book the new year offers endless potential and the chance to begin a whole new story. Let’s all start the new year on the right foot while making a step in the right direction!

I filled in the background with watercolours so they would not be as vibrant as the main subject, though sketchbook paper is not well suited to the material, it was a risk I was willing to take.

2014 has been both a challenge and a joy. The things that occurred were both difficult and interesting. There were notable tribulations some acted as a real test of my intentions and morals. TO say the least it has been engaging. It has been hard personally and I’m sure many readers can relate. I remember all those who I have lost, this year I had 6 funerals for family, friends and acquaintances. I hope next year there are none.

I added some texture with prismacolour pencil crayons onto the watercolour paint. I masked out the deer with painters tape by cutting around it with an exact knife, being sure not to goo too deep as to score the paper below.

Nothing mean more to me than knowing that after my vulnerable and heartfelt words that there are those of you who read them. I feel so deeply and decided to share but the vulnerability often makes it difficult. Your deep, rich resonating replies mean the world to me, I really appreciate it. I am so grateful that you let the conversation commence and your opinion/viewpoint are honoured.

I splattered white out with a tooth brush and misted the paper to create blurred flowers and to set the background further back. This photo was for Instagram and has a vignette and some tilt shift added. I wish it was easier to draw blurry like this. I like how it has turned out but may revisit it with more pencil crayon and copic marker in the foreground in the future.

I look forward to the new year and all it may bring. I hope yours is awesome too! Cheers, see you in the new year!

Catalina Wine Mixer

Before leaving for this vacation, my good friend Lupe decided to throw together a "Catalina Wine Mixer" and sent out a questionnaire for everyone to fill out. Once the majority of our friends showed up the info would be posted as a fun ice breaker to introduce everybody to one another.  In order to jazz it up I was asked to do some drawings to represent some of the answers people gave. I gave the drawings away after and used a watercolour moleskin and paint set I have never used before.

Here is my first drawing for the choice between day or night. I said daytime was my favourite, but in the Central American climate night was far cooler so I slept during a lot of the day.

My room mate Ray wanted to participate by lending a helping hand and finished off the colouring.

The next three drawings are for peoples favourite sex positions. I drew one of the local male dogs doggie mounting a girl who is NOT Lupe.

After a quick application of watercolour and washes it was taped down to the table for practitioners to enjoy.

Mine is Cowgirl, I'm not going to expound the benefits here but I did make an inside joke of it between me and my good friend Dom, I managed to keep this drawing a secret until the day of the mixer where she was surprised, plus I let her keep the piece.

Here is is with a splash of paint. Notice how white the guy laying down with the ears is, I'm not that tan. lol.

Here is Dom tallying the results of the survey and making the lists for display at the mixer. She is much more tan that the drawing and didn't actually have a cowboy hat.

The final choice in the survey was Missionary. Its a transitional move really, or for the lazy, so Lupe and I agreed it is boring, so to jazz it up a bit I made it a legs up drawing. A pope giving it to a nun on a cloud in heaven.

Here it is done with a splash of paint.
These really had people arguing about what position is best and why. Sex really starts passionate and heated debates at the Catalina Wine mixer!

What's your favourite position?