Let's start at the very beginning, A very good place to start

 It all started when it came time to think of Christmas gifts.  Being a true New Yorker means I am dirt poor. I say this not to say that I still don't have plenty, but instead to say that there was no money for gifts.  I still wanted to show people that they are in my thoughts so I decided to make them small little art things.  I asked one friend what she wanted, and probably more as a joke she said a booger.  Well I like to turn the joke around, so I set out to make a booger.  I like plump, squish, organic things, so I made him in a similar fashion to the way I used to draw The Momoe.  I was and still am learning how to use water color to enhance the drawings that I make, so I looked to some of my favorite artists for inspiration: Buff Monster, Chris Ryniak, Andrew Bell, and Leontine Greenberg to name a few.  Also during this time I challenged myself to learn to use a brush to do my line work.  I am a huge fan of pens and the control they offer, but many of my idols use the brush, so I also needed to use the brush, or at least know how.  I started with Speedball Super Black India ink and a #0 Series 7 Sable brush (Unanimously the best inking brush known to man).  Most of these pieces are about 6-8 inches and in the early stages here were done on Fluid Easy-Block Cold Pressed water color pads.  You can see how the first one turned out.  I thought to try a back ground on the second, which I didn't really like.  There has been a lot of experimenting with the highlights and accent lines within the shape to get the idea across without it being to much.  I think I have finally arrived at a place with the newest pieces that I am happy with.  

  The third image here was trying and seeing if I liked the eyes to have pupils.  It ended up looking like a fetus or a piece of chewing gum.  Kinda creepy.  I don't know what I was thinking with the splatter stuff on the bottom.  Not a failure, because I learned a lot, but definitely not the route I wanted to take things.  

Images 4 and 5 here show me moving into a more abstract amalgamation of form with some extra little shapes poking out of the booger.  From the beginning and even now I really enjoy using yellows and oranges, partially because they are some of my favorite colours, partially because they are forgiving.  While I was in this early stage, I was painting with the paper really wet and blendy.  The colors transition smoothly from one to the other, a good technique, but something I have moved away from somewhat.  You can see on 5 that I used some other colors to create shadows and see what that would do.  These two were also heavily focused on the eyes and head with very little body.  My brush work started to clean up a little bit as well.

I'll end here with number 6 here which was kind of a break through, and pushed the direction and still does.  I move away from the shape at times, but come back to it in some form frequently.  I have always liked the way plump things look.  Almost like they have filled to the brim and are about to burst.  I like the idea of poking them and my finger sinking.  I used a lot of yellow pigment on this one as well giving it a glowing feel.  I also wanted to see what the figure would look like without adding pure white highlights to the body.  I have always liked the two light spots on the eyes, but I was trying out other highlights in addition.  It took me another 20 or pieces to realize I like the two light spots just fine.

Keep your eyes open for the next post where the style of the plumpies starts to change a little bit.  It also includes the two that I made on Christmas.

Thanks for looking and as always thoughts and critiques are welcome.  

Looking back to Move forward

The Momoe

This is mostly meant to a pic heavy post.  I was reminiscing with a friend earlier about some of my old sculptures, and it made me think of what I have accomplished in my art over the past 10 years.  I decided to look back through some old images and see what has carried through and what has fallen away.  Also to see how many pieces I have poor images of or no record of at all.   Its been quite a journey so far, and I look forward to seeing what else comes.  This first image is Momoe.  I still think this is one of the my favorite things I have ever created and that I still look to all the time.  Momoe represents how many of us experience life, constantly torn between emotions.  I chose to show him as the sad face here, but if you flip your head upside down you can see hes also quite happy.  Originally he was meant to be a sticker that you put up in the orientation of how you feel that day.

The next image is of a splat thing I used to draw.  I had completely forgotten about them, but they have a strong relevance in the work that I am currently making.  Looking back at this one gives me new ideas of how to approach my new pieces.    

Sculpture has always been one of my true passions.  The ability to physically create something with my hands that exists in three dimensions has always excited me.  The two sculptures here are both made with yarn.  The first was a site specific piece done for a group show.  The second is yarn that has been wrapped around found objects and then coated in beeswax.  Being in New York has limited my ability to make large pieces like these, but I feel like the aesthetic and shapes still show up in my work. 

After school I moved towards pen and ink drawing more and more.  I started a project called "If and When" where I challenged myself to make 365 drawings in 365 days.  I made close to 400 during that time, and built the habit of make drawings on a daily basis in an almost obsessive way.  A habit which I have continued.  Since I began that project nearly 3 years ago I estimate I have made close to 700 finished drawings/paintings and countless sketches.  40 of those have been make since the beginning of 2014.

Wanting to keep my hands active I decided to make some small sculptures last year.  A friend and artist Marty Henley gave me one of the greatest gifts I possess, the knowledge of mold making and casting.  I set up a small wooden desk in our tiny apartment and went at it.  I have created three "toys" so far including the boxes.  I hope to make some more of these in the near future.      

 That brings me to where I currently am.  I was given the task of drawing a booger for a friend and have run with it.  My roommate Jake Ingram encouraged me to use the water color we had laying around to see if it would make my work any better, and it has been so fun playing and learning how to paint.  Below is the first booger I made followed by my most current painting of what I am now referring to as plumpies.  Over the next week or so I will post the images and talk about the transition from the former to the later.       

 I also have to give a big shout out to my best friend and partner Jessica Augier who has stood beside me and been my biggest supporter for the past 8 years.

With this post I hope to get back into a routine of posting more frequenlty.  So keep your eyes and internets open for new and exciting things.

As always thanks for looking, comments and critiques are always welcome.   

Some more watercolor paintings

I thought I had posted these a while ago, but it seems I didn't. Hope you all enjoy. Sorry it's been a while, I've got some other projects going on, but I'll be back at it before to long. 

Water + Color = Much Fun

So I have been spending the past week or so experimenting and playing with watercolors mixed with pen. I have to say for the first time I am really enjoying using color and seeing my pieces gain a new sense of life. Here are some recent pictures let me know what you think. 

 I am really just playing right now and seeing stylistically what works for me. So far so good. Well see what comes next. 

Sedna the Destroyer

Well shes been a long complicated process, but the time has come to introduce Sedna the Destroyer.  But before we see the final final, process... 

Early stages.  Placing the eyes getting the spacing right.  Roughing in some eye lids and the curve under the dome.

 

Some different stages of refining.  Using the wax pen, flame polishing, and rakes to refine the shape and contours.

 

Adding in some of the most fun textures I have ever attempted, The suckers.  I was very indecisive with what I wanted to do in place of the realistic beak.  

 

I finally decided on sensual lips.

 

Getting everything blocked off to create the first piece of the mold.

 

A small fleet of Sedna's after being freshly cast.

 

Detail of the underneath cast in resin.  Look how sensual those lips are.

  

A shot of the custom box I made.  I really should post on just the process of the box for this one.  This box was one of the more challenging projects I have done.  I probably went through 5 prototypes before I got the proportions and size that I wanted.  I am so pleased with the final product.    

The first of the ladies are boxed and ready to go.  I did a smaller run of these, only 20.  10 Are already gone, have you got yours yet?

 

Üdolf the Star Gazer

Well its been a busy couple of weeks, but at last Üdolf has finally arrived.  The first couple of pics show the progress from a funky little blob into a some what recognizable little creature.  I wanted to create some space in between the legs to make him more interesting.  In the end I built the nose on to make it look like a dogs nose.   

This is the final original sculpt.  I added some fur like texture and smoothed out the nose and ears.  

 Here you can see the mold making process even better.  The first side is blocked off with water based clay and I use an old pizza box to create my mold walls.  The second side is made after the water based clay is cleaned out and the sculpture and the mold are scrubbed so that all the residue is removed.  Finally you can see the two halves of the mold with the resin cast that just came out.  You can see how he has this things coming out of his nose.  I chose to pour through the nose in order to preserve the texture on the bottom of the paws and the belly. 

This is the final product, notice how I had to refine the nose back to a high polish.  This takes cutting off the sprue with a small saw.  I then go through 8 different sand papers, and three polishing solutions.  I also use the polish to enhance the surface of the eyes and inner ears.  Notice the pitting on the forehead.  This was one of the first casts I did and had air bubbles.  It took a few tries, but I was able to eventually get the bubbles out of the later casts.  

I wanted to create an interesting box design.  The dots represent the points of interest on the sculpture.  I wanted it to look like a constellation since he is the star gazer.  I also wanted to do a little bit nicer box, so I got some heavier card stock and chose to do a double flap on the top.  

The final product comes with a figure, a custom box, and a certificate of authenticity.  If you are interested they can be purchased here for $20 plus S&H.

As always thanks for looking.  Questions are always welcome.
If you are interested in the tools and materials follow the links:
Smooth-Cast 325 - Resin
GI-1000 - Silcone (mold)
Various tools
Cx5 - sculpting material

Etsy!!!

Well I finally took the plunge and decided to open an Etsy Store.  I named in UnderTheLadder, because that's where my studio exists right now.  Under the ladder to our bed.  As always thanks for looking and enjoy the shop.

I like you all to have images as well so here is a sneak peek at what's next.  I call him the star gazer.