More Airbrush Work-Fire and Trees

This is my first attempt at doing fire. I worked from a photo I took of fire. The photo wasn't that great because the flames were too white in the photos, and I had to invent some of the colors and values. I'm going to try again with a better reference. The forest scene is based off a Wetcanvas.com photo.

More Airbrush-More Animals

These are all 12x16 inches on Canson watercolor paper, cold press. Paasche V airbrush used along with transparent Golden Airbrush colors and FW acrylic inks. Combination of airbrush and paintbrush used for details. All images based off photos from the Wetcanvas.com reference image library.

Sketch Dump#3-Sketches from the old sketchbook continued...

These sketches are also based off photos from the wetcanvas.com reference image library. Except for the last image on the right, which is from observation. They are pen and wash and acrylic ink.

Sketch Dump#3-Sketches from the old sketchbook.

These are sketches from the sketchbook that I finished about a month or so ago. I will be posting sketches from the new sketchbook soon. This is the first of several sketch dump posts. The watercolors are done from observation from a bus window on a trip to Florida. The ballpoint pen drawings are based off wetcanvas.com reference image photos.

More Airbrush-The Finished Pieces

These are the finished pieces. They are all a combination of airbrush and paintbrush. I airbrushed the entire image first, and then used a paintbrush to put in the details that would bring the image into sharper focus. All reference images courtesy of the wetcanvas.com image library. The image size is 16x20 inches. Also, on the previous post the image sizes are 9x12 inches.

New Work-Taking up the airbrush!-the images.

For some reason the images didn't show up, so here they are.

New Work-Taking up the airbrush!

Hi everyone: I'm sorry that I haven't updated this blog in a few months, life has just gotten in the way. However, I have made time to still do my artwork, and I have plenty to post. As you all may know, my first love is pen and ink, but recently I have become a bit burned out with it. Or rather with all of that stippling. I'm not going to stop doing pen and ink or stippling entirely, but I really need to start producing more work quicker, so I have taken up another medium-the airbrush. I only started four days ago with the airbrush, but I think I have become quite good with it in this short amount of time, though I still have a long way to go. I use a combination of airbrush and paintbrush for the details. I know that there are people out there who do photorealistic work with an airbrush and get sharp details with it, but I'm not sure how they do it with a tool that seems to be made for doing soft-focus work and backgrounds. At any rate, I've never been a photorealist, and it's no sin to combine tools for the effect that one wants. And I think I've arrived at a unique style. So enough, with the introduction, I will start off my showing some of my first airbrushed efforts and then my later finished pieces. All images except for the self-portrait are from the wetcanvas image library. The first eagle, and the smoker, and the clouds are airbrushed without the use of a paintbrush for details. The blue-violet eagle and the self-portrait show the use of a paintbrush to bring the image into sharper focus.

Sketch Dump#2

More new work from this month. The first image on the left is after an Andrew Wyeth drybrush entitled "Johnny Lynch". The woman on the right is from wetcanvas.com. The middle images are an acrylic painting of a lion. I used to think that I just didn't paint very well with acrylic, but this painting is done on a pre-gessoed hardboard. It's one of my best acrylics, I think. Image courtesy of wetcanvas.com. The third images-the one on the left is a self-portrait. The hands on the right are from wetcanvas.com. The first and third group of images is completed using a black ballpoint pen. The last images are also taken from wetcanvas.com and are completed using rapidograph pens 4x0, 00, and 2 sizes.

Sketch Dump-More New Work

Here's a bunch more new work. Also on the previous post, I wanted to mention that the autumn forest image was taken from the reference image library of wetcanvas.com.
The first image of the two boys is completed with watersoluble graphite. Images courtesy of wetcanvas.com. The second images-the woman sleeping on the left is my partner, and is drawn from observation. The cityscape on the right is drawn from one of my personal photos of New Orleans, post Katrina. The man in the middle is based off an Andrew Wyeth drybrush called "The Finn". It is pen and ink using 4X0, 00, and 2 sized rapidographs. And the final images are also from wetcanvas.com.

New Work-Sorry it's been so long.

Hi everyone. I'm sorry it's been so long that I've posted anything. Life gets in the way sometimes. However, I have been very busy drawing and sketching, and I have plenty of work to post.
The first two are of a pen and ink drawing that I'm doing. It's being done with rapidographs and acrylic ink. It's taking me forever, but it's worth it in my estimation.
The second is of a sratchboard and acrylic painting. It's my homemade version of scratchboard, which didn't work out too well, hence the acrylic background to the cat. But it was a learning experience. I took a gesso coated hardboard panel and covered it with ink. The ink hardened too much the second day to scratch through very well. I colored the cat with acrylic ink. I gave this one to my mother as a gift, since it's a portriat of her cat Precious.

Self-Portraits and a smoker

I do lots of self-portraits in my sketchbook, and they all come out differently. This one is just a quick sketch, it's completed in ink and watersoluble graphite. Derwent makes watersoluble graphite pencils and the sticks that don't need to be sharpened as well. They call them Graphitints. I like the wash effect they give and they are great for quick sketches. I prefer the sticks to the pencils.
The spoons have my reflection in them, so in a sense they are self-portraits. I got lazy and did the shadows and background in watercolor. Originally, I was going to fill the page with spoons, but then I decided I didn't want to spend all day sketching them.
The smoker is taken from a photo from Wetcanvas. com-reference image library. It's an image I have drawn many times, but I have never done it in pen and ink until now. I love the textures on the face and the challenge of drawing the smoke, and I think that's why I keep returning to this image.

More Moleskine Sketches

Here are some more moleskine sketches. I've been sick with a cold, and I haven't gotten out to do much outdoor sketching, plus it rained today. I'm beginning to get a little antsy to go outside. The drawing of the leaves is taken from North American Trees, a Readers Digest book. The hand is from observation, but the background and the rain is made up. The other sketches are of Turtle Creek, a park in Dallas. And they are from my own photos.

"Spring"-finished work

This piece is 6x8 inches. It evolved from a series of nudes that I did in my sketchbook. I wanted to illustrate the seasons by using a human figure in some way. This is the first piece that I have done so far in this series. It is done using 4x0, 00, and 2 sized rapidographs. The background is based on my own reference photos. The figure is taken from The Nude Figure a visual reference for artists.

Moleskine Sketches

I finally finished my larger sketchbook, and moved into my favorite 3x5" moleskine. Some of the images are small finished drawings, others are sketches. Some use the reference image library from wetcanvas.com as a source. The shoe and the cat are from direct observation.The drawing to the left of the falcon is a close-up of a hibiscus. The falcon is from The Complete Encyclopedia of Birds and Bird Migration. I drew the falcon's eye too large, but it is a sketchbook afterall and it doesn't have to be perfect. I think we all have to remind ourselves of that sometimes. Sorry for the uneven picture quality, my camera doesn't do well with pen and ink images. Which is too bad because I mostly work in pen and ink.