In celebration of my 20th birthday, I decided to showcase 20 of my favorite art pieces that I've done, so far.
Over the years, I definitely feel as if I've grown a lot as an artist, but I have to admit that some of my previous work is better than some of my newer pieces. Okay, maybe not "better" but I pefer them more than my newer pieces. In this post you'll see pieces new and old that I feel really showcase my talents and artist abilities.
DRAWING
Way before I even knew what Photoshop was or what even graphic design was, I drew. From sketches to detailed portraits, from graphite to colored pencils, drawing has always been something I've done with a passion. Although it's now more of a hobby to me, I still take on drawing pieces with the same passion I had when drawing was the only thing I knew.
Project: "Rainbow Skull"
Model(s): Random skull
Medium(s); Graphite & Prismacolor Pencils
Maybe not the cleanest drawing in the world, but this was my first drawing in a while that was completely freehanded. Of course I looked up reference images for the skull and the headdress, but when it came to the overall piece it was really "go with the flow."
Project: "Rainbow Roman"
Model(s): Nicki Minaj
Medium(s): Prismacolor Pencils
This is one of my ONLY colored portraits, and definitely the best one out of all of the colored portraits I've done. The picture doesn't do the actual piece justice, but you can get a general sense of why I'm so proud of this piece. For those who aren't familiar with colored pencils, they are a nightmare to blend, so getting the shadows and highlights within multiple colors was such an accomplishment for me!
Project: "Don't Fuck With Mugler"
Model(s): Lady Gaga
Medium(s): Graphite
By far my BEST portrait. Portraits aren't my forte to begin with, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't keep trying. I don't mean to brag but seeing depth and values is something that comes natural to me so drawing faces is definitely within my comfort zone, BUT drawing faces that already exist are a challenge for me. So having this piece come out looking almost exactly like the reference photo makes me very happy.
Project: "Jag Skull"
Model(s): Jaguar
Medium(s): Graphite
My favorite drawing that I've done, EVER, well... so far. I'm not going to say I spent hours on this piece because I didn't, but that's why I'm proud of it. Before, something like this would take me 4-5 hours to complete, but this piece took no more than 2 hours. Knowing that proves to me that I am developing my artistic abilities.
Project: "King Leo"
Model(s): Lady Gaga (female)
Model(s): Lady Gaga (female)
Medium(s): Ballpoint Pen
Yes, this was drawn with a single ballpoint pen! That right there should be explanation enough as to why I'm proud of this piece. It showcases almost everything I can do with drawing without the luxury of erasing mistakes.
TYPOGRAPHY
I love fonts and I love working with type! I think the reason I like it so much is because type just seems like something people ignore everyday, so when people use it creatively it adds so much more to its whim.
LIGHT EFFECTS
Pete Harrison is one of my biggest inspirations, so I'm always trying my hand at new light techniques on Photoshop!
PHOTO MANIPULATION
Definitely one of my strongest suits when it comes to graphic design. I love making things appear as something else, that freedom of manipulation definitely stimulates my creative mind.
