Ok, so this is where it all begins. I'll try to keep a record of all my home projects on this blog and accompany them with photos as often as I can. Really this is just so that I can look back on my works every now and then and see how they've come along, but I guess it's also a good way of letting people see my work and perhaps learn a little about the way that I produce my art.
Assuming this stupid computer actually uploads my photos, there should be two images: one of the work I'm wanting to talk about, and one of a dilapidated old truck in the bush I came across that inspired me to do something with the imagery it presents.
To the left is my "bass dude". He hasn't yet a name (I name my characters so that I can let them "talk" to me while I'm working) so I guess Bass Dude will have to do... Actually, it fits rather well. Ladies and gentlemen, you have witnessed me in the process of naming my work.
Anyhow, it's an A3 portrait layout using pastels and Derwent pastel pencils, with an F lead rough draft which I sketched in art a few weeks ago.
This is one of the rare pieces I produce which comes naturally without any real inspiration, I guess you could say he's part of my musical passion so that could be part of why I drew him. At first he was going to be lead all over with shading and everything but I discovered a new love for pastels so I just had to give them a go. I reckon it's pretty good so far. The shading on his awkwardly shaped face isn't too flash but I'll fix that as I go along. I want the background to be dark with a light coming from behind him, an image stuck in my head from watching the Lez Zeppelin DVD too many times. It kinda reflects the darkness around this dude and the light that he produces, metaphorically the music he brings to his fans in a world of shit music. I gave him facial hair because I kinda like that style, one of Faith No More's members has the same do. The headband was inspired by my hero, John Bonham. He's Zeppelin's drummer and in The Song Remains The Same he wears a similar one, I wanted part of Bonzo to come out on my work so I thought the headband would do nicely. The bass design is from mine, you can't see it yet but it's going to be the same colour eventually. I guess this dude is what I secretly want to be, I doubt it will ever happen but I've always dreamed of rock and roll stardom. My ambition in life is to teach art but there's always room for teenage fantasies I suppose.
To wrap things up, Bass Dude is a subconscious image that I managed to conjure of a bassist enjoying his music in the world of fame. I've positioned him so that the viewer can see his full expression and maybe feel as though they're right there in front of him, and the focus is his face hence the dark shading around him that I will later add in.
This image is a photo I took in outdoor ed (while orienteering up near checkpoint 15 for anyone who knows what I'm talking about). I went past it a few weeks ago and should have taken a photo then, while the sun shone through the truck's crumpled windows and
made the greens around it rich and complete. My phone's camera isn't too good so I'm going to have to add in some creativity when I do this one. I'm thinking pastel, although I do want to paint it as I feel I could get some very rich textures from the old truck and the bush around it. I like this image because not only is the truck rusted and old, but the bush around it is broken and there are branches on the ground. It's as if everything is in a state of untouched harmony; the old truck would have been one of the original utes and It's a great historical piece because it's obviously been there for a long time. Looking at this truck in person, I feel a strong connection with it. I guess that's why I want to immortalize it in image. I'll add more later as I begin work on it.
That's all I have for now. I'll update this whenever I can and add some stuff I've done in the past so that you can see how far I've come.
Art is my life. I thank you for taking the time to read how I feel about my work.
This is an image I came up with during maths one day when I was bored. I was in the mood for creating something with fine detail so I drew this. It's basically a cross with a dragon on it reflected upside down. The reflection isn't symmetrical, it's more on a morality level; the top cross says "Satus Victus", which is Latin for "Start Living", and the dragon has soft lines and light features. The vines growing up it represent life and the struggle to the top. The cross reflected is grounded by black crystals which I thought looked cool at the time. I clearly remember drawing these crystals in Media one day, one of those memories that stands out for some reason. The cross itself says "Letum", which is "Death" in Latin. The symbol of the cross represents faith, and this image basically questions where a person's faith lies. It's double sided, and the dragons are facing each other as if to protect their territory, each cross is the exact opposite in terms of morality. BASICALLY, it's a contrast of good and evil in human faith, and the link they share. There's no escaping the evil, but good always happens no matter what. Note that the good side is positioned above the evil, a position of power.
