Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Street Sense



The image above was the first project completed for my Drawing From Imagination class, and hence...was drawn from my imagination. The idea of this class is to learn various aspects of linear perspective in order to create realistic people, places, scenarios, etc. without the aide of visual reference. The buildings and shadows in this drawing were created using specific methods of perspective geometry to give it proper effect.

Below are two twenty minute in-class figure drawings and the first homework assignment from my Clothed Figure Drawing class. The goal of this project was to evaluate form by analyzing the elements of stretch and compression as exemplified by a flour sack, of which we were encouraged to embellish with character and narrative.




Sunday, September 21, 2008

Monday, September 15, 2008

San Fran Gets A Little TRICKY


Yes. After ten long years of parental roadblocks, just-misses, and cancellations, I finally got to see one of my musical heroes, Tricky, in concert last night at the Independent here in SF. This British musical badass had been creating weird albums since 1995, all the while spinning this fan-boy's head into hazy whirlwinds of beats and riffs, creating a truly unique atmosphere. And since Tricky is frustratingly elusive when it comes to the public, especially in America, catching a live show is about as easy as trying to catch a gazelle by dressing up as a tiger. But the tears ceased to fall as I claimed a front row spot for the show, only to realize that I was standing to the right side of the stage, forgetting that Tricky consistently claims the left. It wasn't all bad, as I was directly in front of Tricky's lead female vocalist, Veronika, who is very easy on the eyes, not to mention a great singer. Having heard that Tricky shows can be hit or miss in regards to quality, I was thoroughly impressed and blown away; the musicians were spot on, the singing was great, and all the while Tricky stiffly lurched across the stage, throwing his arms in the air, shouting bits of verse and chorus like a possessed musical shaman channeling notes from the great unknown, while simultaneously directing the rest of the band with tempo cues. This spectacular show was complete with key songs from Tricky's repertoire, including a cover of Black Steel by Public Enemy, and several songs from his new album Knowle West Boy. Surprisingly, before the encore, Tricky made an announcement apologizing for not being one hundred percent, saying "it's been a rough night" as he had just gotten out of the hospital, and was playing despite doctor's orders. Can I get an AMEN?













Friday, September 12, 2008

(Visual) Progress Report


A light smattering of in-class studies from two of my courses, Clothed Figure Drawing and Chiaroscuro, featuring half naked girls and big balls...





Sunday, September 7, 2008

Shape Happens


If one contemplates the idea of "Graduate School," then one might surmise of a concentrated effort on the advancement of personal/technical skills through large projects of professional caliber in an attempt to hone said skills to that of high level industry standards, whereupon the result of intense study yields a professional career in which one can attain greatness, no? Yet I find myself at the bottom of a canyon I once thought had been conquered long ago, i.e. "the Basics." Indeed, my first class, Chiaroscuro (the study of light and dark), begins with the study of basic forms and shapes that each and every object in this vast yooneeverse can be broken down into, such as spheres, cylinders and cubes. Our first task was to draw the shapes to master their form, through which I was brutally reminded that "Ah caint draw shapes fer sheeit."

This past weekend, apart from being sunny and beautiful as opposed to foggy, cold and supportive of mass delirium, I got to see an all-girl band, The Shes, at an outdoor block party. If you have not heard of this band before, it is most likely due to the fact that they are fairly new, have only a handful of songs, and are under the age of fifteen. Despite that, they were very good; especially their drummer, who's maybe four feet tall and could rival Joey Kramer from Aerosmith.

Below are more shape studies, a picture of The Shes, and photographic evidence that experimental weight loss studies should always be attempted out of public view (I'll bet it tasted good though.)