I've Got the Blues...and Yellows...and Some Green...and a Touch of Red

Happy Sunday! It is Sunday, right? In any case, here's the "Sunday" post for the week.

Since I've already shown both abstract and objective art from my repertoire, I'll skip the explanations about what each is and refer you here and here for examples of objective pieces and here for abstractions.

This first painting is of a tropical fish, the species of which I don't recall (I have more of an affinity for mammals and reptiles than fish).  While the fish is obviously the focus of the painting, I decided to counterbalance the natural intense colors of the fish by removing all of the obvious color from the background.  I say the obvious color because in spite of appearance, the rocks, coral, and sand all contain a degree of blues and purples.  The viewers eyes perceive the small amounts of color on a subconscious level and add to the overall cohesion of the painting.

Next is a nude woman. Seriously. She's been abstracted to the point of being nearly non-objective, but does remain some identifiable features. This is in fact part of a pair of paintings, one abstract and one realistic. I may post the original at some point if I can get a good picture of it. Fear not though, in spite of being a nude the woman in the photograph I worked from is completely decent, so I can still maintain the family friendly atmosphere of the blog. But I digress, so back to the abstract version. With this one I chose to use a primary color scheme (red, yellow, and blue) for the figure of the woman. Since the background of the photograph was jungle foliage, I used green. The green also helps set off the figure from the background in the same way the grey background above helped set off the fish. 

 So there's the *ahem* "Sunday" post for this week. I'm afraid to say I've been slacking a bit in my art creation as of late, but I will definitely be remedying that in the coming weeks.  Speaking of weeks, I hope you all have a great one! Until next post...
Stay creative,
AH!

Tooth and Nail

I guess that given these drawings, maybe "Teeth and Nails" would be more appropriate, but it just didn't have the same ring to it.

First up is a character that has little by way of explanation, but what there is I'll tell you.  This is Pearlie.  Pearlie is one of those drawings that just sort of popped out of the depths of my subconscious. I find teeth to be interesting and at times disturbing.  Just think of all of the famous characters who would look vastly different without them. Bugs Bunny, Jaws, Count Dracula, and Goofy are just a few (admittedly disparate) examples. The shape of each of those characters' teeth is a huge part of the viewers identification of who they are.  Pearlie is no different.  Given his rather massive mouth it is apparent that he is a talker. His huge white rounded rectangular teeth betray his non-threatening disposition. The dark eyes could be a little ambiguous, so I also gave him a whimsical hairstyle to add to the overall goofy impression he gives.

This next one requires the least amount of description of nearly anything I've posted so far. It's simply a skull.  Since, barring any invertebrates who have taken to reading my blog, all of us have skulls it is one of the most recognized shapes I can think of. The symbolism associated with them is pretty clear too. Unfortunately danger, death, poisons, and general warnings are all commonly associated with skulls (frequently accompanied by crossed bones). Because of those connections, most people have a bit of a mental block against noticing the finer details of skulls. Who knows why? Maybe it's a human instinct thing. Whatever the reason, that simple fact makes a skull a great practice for observing and drawing details. It's arguably one of the most unfamiliar familiar things you can draw. Give it a try sometime.

Finally is a critter that I drew purely for the fun of it.  Have you ever thought about the term "fish fingers" that is given to the formed pressed pieces of fish served in many school cafeterias?  This is the answer to that very question. This is also another of my drawings was directly inspired by a fifth grader's suggestion. Since, as far as I know, a fish of this type has never been observed in the wild, I had free reign to give it whatever details I wanted. As you can see I decided it should have a beak. There's not really a logical reason for that decision, I just liked the way it looked. I thought having a big toe for its side fin was a nice addition as well.

Well, there you have it. I should point out that this week's title not only hinted at the drawings you'd see, but also at how hard I'll have to work to make sure I have something to post next Sunday. I think I may begin showing some of the paintings I've done, or maybe make some more drawings... who really knows what all can transpire in a week. Check back to see, and be sure to tune in midweek for the next installment of Wired Wednesday.
Stay creative,
AH!

Mid-Week # 6: Wired Wednesday - Episode IV: The Metal Menace

Time to get wired! I can't say that it was my intention, but this week all of the wire art turns out to be aquatically themed.  

As I do with drawings, I will frequently ask for suggestions on what I should make with the wire. This is one such suggestion.  The college group from church were gathered at my house for a Bible study, and being a multitasking machine by my very nature, I asked my friend Michael F. to give me an idea of what to make during our discussion.  He comes up with the idea of a shark.  Cut to an hour or so later and this little fellow has come swimming into existence.  I tried to keep the wire following the contour of the shark to give it the naturally streamlined look that sharks have.  This is a fairly unique sculpture for me, not only because of the speed at which he was made, but also due to my inclusion of something other than wire into the design.  I found that there was almost no way to create teeth that looked right on a scale that matched the shark's body (8.5 inches from nose to tail fin) so I found a picture hanger in a junk drawer and wired it in there. It worked very well as you can see. It's most visible in the first picture.

Next is another offspring of my days working at the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs hockey games.  In my down time I got to know a lot of the fans and made a variety of wire sculptures. One Mudbugs fan asked if I took custom requests or sold any of my creations.  Up to that point I had taken requests but had never sold any of them, so I told him that I'd be willing to give it a try (depending on what he wanted me to make).  Considering that he was wearing doctor style scrubs that were a crawfish print (crayfish for those not from the southern U.S.) and a "hat" made from rubber crawfish that were tied together, I had a good idea of what he was going to ask for.  I wasn't wrong.  So here's my mudbug. I made three of these 9.5 inch long crustaceans (two for him, one to keep) between that night and the next. My fingertips were a little sore from all that wire bending, but I got the job done and he and I were both very satisfied with the results.

 Finally is a bird.  Okay it's not a bird, but that is what it started out as.  It sounds a little weird (even to me) but for whatever reason, that wire just didn't want to be a bird.  After two or three false starts, I decided to just stop thinking and start bending wire. This fish is what emerged.  It's about 10-11 inches long and 4.5 inches tall and fairly simple in design, but I'm almost ready to call it finished. You might notice that unlike most fish, it doesn't have eyes. That is, in fact, by design. At some point I intend to add some transparent colored stones where its eyes should be. The problem is I just haven't found the right stones to use.  I haven't looked actively in a couple of years now, but think I may begin the search again soon. If ever I happen upon those fish eyes, I will attach them and post pictures of the (finally) finished project. Until then, it remains a blind cave fish.  I guess it can keep the cave chicken company.

Hope you're enjoying Wired Wednesdays. I've got some more ready for you next week. Stop back by Sunday for some more drawings.  Hoping you all have an amazing second half of the week.  As usual, send any questions, suggestions, thoughts either by way of the comments section or by email to heymisterh@yahoo.com. Also, don't forget to support your local artists of all kinds (visual, musical, performance, etc). While the arts are like the artists' lifeblood, what we do, we do for you.

Stay creative,
AH!

What (Taco-induced) Dreams May Come

Let's kick this post off with another student-inspired drawing. No, I've never taught a student who looked like this (though I bet nobody would mess with that kid), but as I occasionally do, I asked for student input for my next project. In an unprecedented turn of events, I got only two suggestions: a robot and a monster.  Since both ideas clicked when I heard them, I drew both. In retrospect, I think the metal jaw was probably at least partially inspired by the character Trap Jaw from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, one of my favorite childhood (and adulthood) cartoons.

I went with a almost completely black eye and exaggerated musculature and brow to play up his monster portion, and of course the metal lower jaw and cybernetic eye to give him his robotic aspect. The jaw was a little plain, so I added weld lines to give it a more gritty, metallic look.

 As I've expressed in earlier posts, my mind can be a strange place.  My dreams are often even more strange. This thing is directly from a dream I had, which may or may not have been influenced by eating fast food tacos too close to bedtime. As is apparent it is come sort of water-dwelling creature. To give you an idea of the scale of it, in the dream I was roughly as tall as this things nostril.  I'm more than six feet tall, so this thing was monstrously huge. It's face was flat when viewed at profile, and it's skin was translucent grey-green. Other than that, I recall that in spite of it's gargantuan proportions and grim visage, I didn't feel threatened by it at all.
The translucency of the body and fins (or flippers or whatever you'd call them) was an interesting challenge. I'm not sure I'd do it the same way a second time, but I suppose I'm satisfied enough with the results. I really like the way the tail turned out, as well.

This last one, for my younger readers, is a television.  This is what they looked like before they evolved into the flat panel, high-definition, admittedly much better incarnations that are the norm today.  This was another exercise in stepping outside of my comfort zone and drawing something that has a defined shape and very defined proportions. It was drawn at the suggestion of another of the youth group kids from church and, along with my Japanese spider crab, bulldog, and a dirt-bike (to be posted at a later date) became a compilation drawing that I gave copies of to the kids who inspired it.  I'll probably post that compilation sometime as well. 

Even though I wasn't crazy about the subject matter, I did get to draw a little of my relaxation-inducing meticulous details in the wood grain of the cabinet housing. I also drew a "Hamptronic" brand plate to the middle of the speakers to add a little visual interest.

That's it for today's post.  Wired Wednesday continues this week so check back then. Also, I'm still waiting to see who is willing to step outside of their comfort bubble and take the challenge I threw out there a while back.  Remember, even if you absolutely can't bring yourself to share your art with the world, I guarantee you know someone who is willing.  I encourage you to point them in this direction. Hope to hear from you all and receive those drawings soon!

Stay creative,

AH!