So I got feature tagged by . Basically, in return for being feature5, I have to feature 17 other dA denizens. I don't know what magic the number 17 carries, but I don't want to destroy the karmic chain. So here I go, actually PARTICPATING in the community.

First come first serve - first 17 requests to get featured will have a place in my next journal entry.



Now back to my regularly scheduled (boring) journal entry:





I am co-founder along with of a new club called Impact Zone
This club is dedicated to our love of waves. Surfing, waves crashing, paintings, photos, anything wave like. Take a look and join!

I am also selling limited addition prints of these pieces:






These are not Deviant Art prints. They are done on 100% rag paper using archival ink. Proper care will let them last 100 years or more. They are signed and numbered editions of 100. $60.00 per print. Note me if you are interested.



Some reviews of drawing technique books


[link]

I'm working on an image for my header but don't hold your breath

Didn't hold your breath, did you?

I almost never update my journal. I'm kinda boring that way. But here is some news.

I am co-founder along with of a new club called Impact Zone
This club is dedicated to our love of waves. Surfing, waves crashing, paintings, photos, anything wave like. Take a look and join!

I am also selling limited addition prints of these pieces:






These are not Deviant Art prints. They are done on 100% rag paper using archival ink. Proper care will let them last 100 years or more. They are signed and numbered editions of 100. $30.00 per print. Note me if you are interested.



Some reviews of drawing technique books


[link]

Clubs I'm in:



Stampage:

I'm working on an image for my header but don't hold your breath

I am going to be adding useful things to my journal such as links to tutorials, some book reviews, and other good stuff. The first effort is directed towards book reviews. I will be filling this out and making it look pretty as I go along.

For now, follow the link for book reviews


[link]

Clubs I'm in:



Stampage:

Mood: Reading

I am self taught, unless you count the Drawing 101 class I took in college in 1990. After that class I didn't draw again until the summer of 2005. Since then I've been drawing part time, a few hours a week, as a way of maintaining my sanity. The following books are ones that I have bought and found to be useful to various degrees. All books will be rated as follows (half-stars awill be used):

Waste of paper.
Last resort reading.
A few good ideas
Good enough to borrow from a friend and forget to return.
Buy it, because your friends likely won't loan it out.
An absolute must have. Sell your soul if you must.

Some of my criteria for a good book:

1) Did it make me think? I want something that makes me connect my mind to my pencil. I don't want just a step by step instruction book.

2) Will I use it more than once? A really good book will be useful again and again.

3) Was it clearly written and illustrated?

4) Did it give me new ideas? This is closely related to number 1. While I want a book to make me think, a also want it to stretch my imagination and make me think of new things (or at least things new to me).

I also reserve the right to modify my ratings as I aquire additons to my library and have a better feel for art technique books.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
Rating:
Review: Apparantly this book is somewhat controversial. From reading other reviews, some think the author is a crackpot and others think she is brilliant. Personally, I am only concerned about one thing - did I learn to draw better because of this book? To this I must answer yes. The biggest positive about this book is that it primary focus is on perception. This is a key to drawing. You must draw what you see and not what you think things should look like. This book really changed the way I think about my approach to a piece. The biggest draw back to this book is that Ms. Edwards spends too much time on her brain theories. While this is important to her, I really just want to draw better. Her ideas are interesting, but I think they could be toned down. Another drawback is that I will probably never use this book again. Having gone through the excercises, there doesn't seem to be much utility in repeating them. I gave it 3 stars because it really helped me learn an important concept in drawing - draw what you see. I almost down graded it to 2 and a half stars because it will likely gather dust on my shelf now. If you are a beginner at drawing this book can help. If you already do decent stuff, it may or may not. If you're good, leave it at the book store.

Keys To Drawing by Bert Dodson
Rating:
Review: (to come)

Drawing Nature by Stanley Maltzman
Rating:
Review: (to come)

Lifelike Drawing by Lee Hammond
Rating:
Review: (to come)

Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil by J.D. Hillberry
Rating:
Review: My biggest complaint about this book is that it is too short. My second biggest complaint is that some of the specific tutorials are lacking detail, but some of the others are very complete. This makes for a spotty book that leaves you a wee bit disappointed in spots. That said, some of the things in this book are amazing. His tutorial on weathered wood is a tour-de-force. Study it carefully and you will learn a great deal about pencil strokes, shadows, shading, and more. Also, all of the drawings in this book are exquisite. If you have never seen realism in graphite before, you will be blown away.

Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth
Rating:
Review: For some reason I cannot bring myself to give this book 5 stars. I think part of it is that some of the writing is a little confusing. Then the other thing is a matter of personal taste. All of the figures in this book have massive muscles for the males and Rubenesque hips and breasts for the females. I think this exaggerated expression of the human figure may be intentional, but I find it a bit distracting from the task at hand. Other than that, this book is excellent. It takes the idea of "drawing what you see" to the next level. Here the emphasis is seeing the figure in space. The author develops a well structured approach for analyzing the human figure in all of the difficult positions that are typical in real life. He also clarifies how the major portions of the body interact and effect each other. This is not a cook book approach to drawing people in action. It explains things in a way that should enable an artist to create works out of their own imagination, abandoning the need for reference photos. It is also the type of book that will be a useful reference for a long time. It "solves" many of the problems of people in motion or highly foreshortened poses. If you can't figure out the placement of a leg, this book probably has a drawing that will clarify it for you.

Note: This author has some other books along similar line. I may add them too my collection. I suppose that in itself is a strong endorsement of this title.

The Artists Complete Guide to Facial Expression by Gary Faigin
Rating:
Review: If you want to do portraits, get your hands on this book. It is a detailed and comprehensive reference on what makes a face look the way it does. It will NOT tell you "draw eyes like this" or "lips like so". It will tell you the underlying structures that make lips look the way they do or why eyes have wrinkles and skin folds. This book is almost scary in how it changes your vision. Now, when I look at people, I see them differently. I see cheekbones under the skin, or understand why a dimple just appeared. It ties together the different parts of the face in a way that explains expresssion. A simple example is that the same mouth shape coupled with different eyebrow positions creates a completely different emotion. This may seem obvious to an experienced portrait artist, but it is a revelation to someone that is beginning their study of the face. This book also passes the test for clarity and longevity. It is well written and I will definately be using it for reference for years to come. Perhaps the only negative is that it can be rather technical. I suspect that many artists won't care about the name of a particular muscle. But if you can get over that, I believe this book is well worth the money.

I am an 'entry level' artist. You know, the kind that your local art supply super store tries to suck into lessons and stuff. Forget that.

I actually have some very specific goals. I have a love affair with the ocean and ultimately want to find way pulling that out of myself and dumping it on paper. Currently, I only work with pencil and charcoal. This is because it seems to me that everything boils down to shape and shading. I feel that until I get a grip on that, throwing color into the mix is just adding complexity. I don't work in digital formats because I am a database admin in my day job and after dealing with the work day I really prefer the tactil feel of drawing on paper. I mean, a click and drag feels the same no matter what's going on on the monitor. Don't get me wrong. I am astonished at some of the things people create on the computer. But I like the pressure of the pencil against the paper. It somehow feel more substantial than the ones and zeros that are ultimately digital media.

I am currently obsessing on waves, partly because I surfing is a part of my psyche, and partly because I have noticed in alot of ocean landscapes that I see the waves get poor treatment. I'm striving towards capturing the raw power of the surf in my drawings. Once I've gotten that far, I'll probably start focusing on other elements and start putting together more complex compositions. Though, personnally, I think a wave alone, properly rendered, can speak for itself.

So, for whatever it's worth, here's my best work so far. Please critique it. If you like it that's cool. But if I wanted only fauning praise, I'd ask my mother. So don't be afraid to tell me what you don't like.