Out Of Office

Okay, so this will be the last post for a little while. As I had mentioned earlier this week, I have some out of town business that will keep me occupied & busy, you know like a month. Unlike last time, I won't wait 8 months to make another post, hey I'm curious about who will win the Black & Orange on Illustration Friday. I'm completely addicted now. I will not keep anyone on the edge of their seat about the Novel or any ongoing projects. I should be back on line around Thanksgiving or so. If it is sooner, I will let you know. So until next time, have a Happy Halloween. Kyle, Missy and Jake, keep up the great work and daddy will be back soon.

Illustration Friday: Ghost 2

Darkness engulfs over her soul as she moves into the unknown. Wondering about, lost, and afraid of the uncertain she digs deep into herself to maintain what is left of her humanity. She has come to pass and understands that she is forlorn in this world. Not for what she is...but what she has become. Her transformation is quick, filled with suffering and unbearable pain. And even though she stands surrounded by the dark twisted tormented souls who to have fallen from light, she still remains abandoned, alone and lost.

Title: My Lost Love 2
Medium: Prisma Color Pencil, Ebony pencil, Corel Paint
Size: 8 1/2 X 11

Manipulated by the Manipulator_UPDATE

Okay, so after almost 8 months I finally have an up-date (see) http://surrealiststudio.blogspot.com/2006/02/manipulated-by-manipulator.html to this slow work in progress. Now you got to go easy, first of all, due to the move from Georgia to Kansas, working on the illustrated novel, attending schools and whatever else seems to fall into my plate there is not a whole lot done. But taken the fact that there is a lot of detail kicking with this one and to add to this....alright I'm done making excuses; this is what I got:
As you can tell, not much has come along, but believe it or not I just picked the project up about 4 days ago.

The neck and arm, both of which are coming together. Signs of the skin being burnt and stretch along with the smooth deep holes; all of which are shaded in Micron 02 0.30mm pen.



The detail for the neck connecting to the membrane on his back required a great amount of painstaking strokes, calm and stillness. With the tip so small and the flow of the ink, one sneeze, cough or poke to the arm could destroy the detail I was going for.


But different views and steady hands closed on some tight spaces and the outcome for it is looking great. I have no idea when it will be done. I'm hoping before the end of the year, but I guess will just see what is in store.

The Sketch Book Diary

Painting the cover
It's Tuesday and time is running short for me. Between work, projects and the book; I have been pretty busy. I have some out of town training that will take me from the studio for right around 27 to 28 days. Which I don't really mind because it will give my creative side a time to settle and relax. The thing is I have until Thursday to get a few more hours on the drawing board done so when I get back in late November, I can flow back into the book and get the damn thing done. I did take some time out yesterday to enjoy a Frappe at the Hard Back Cafe. It sits next to Hobby Lobby and I had to stop there to pick up a gift idea for my 3 Kiddos.
It would seem to be that my three little ones have latched on to the liking of art.
Michaela, Jake & I
Now Michaela, who is 5, has always enjoyed doing art. Any time I was at home in the studio she had to be there. I would be at the drawing board and she would be at her table either coloring or painting. Every five minutes would be used for a quick critique and a smile saying "Thanks daddy." And even then there would be the added pressure of her advice... "Dad it’s too dark, dad you didn't use enough color..etc" but it was always welcomed and enjoyed.
But it would appear that my oldest,

Kyle, has flipped the script. He has a new art teacher at school that has pulled the creative side from him and place it on paper. There's still the added X-Box every now and then, but according to my mother-in-law (who is watching the three of them right now) said he has taken up the work and to his excitement is enjoying it a lot.
So I figured this much, everything begins with a sketch, I still own several sketch books from when I was a kid and refer to them often. But I bought four of them and modified the cover so each would be able to identify their own. (If not it would be a blow out fight) and sending it to them so that they can keep sort of a sketch diary. I told my mother-in-law that it would be a great idea if they all drew in it so they could show their mother when she returns from Iraq. I even got her one; she’s always working on projects with the kids and pretty creative herself. This way when the time comes to sketch, color or paint, she won't have to fight for her own piece of paper. I hope it works; after all, I got my first sketch book when I was five and haven't dropped the pencil yet.

Finished work

Illustration Friday: GHOST

I have spoke of the voices before. Each one of the tormented souls talks differently. Their words are foreign and sometimes sound like a distant murmur...almost to faint to hear their flesh ripping screech. But as soon as I clicked on my email this morning there it was...Illustration Friday- the subject, Ghost...and boy did they start talking.


I have used this face in "Kathryn's Temptation" and in "The Grip". There is just something about it that scares the living hell out of me. This one spoke immediately as I read the title for I.F. It's one of the darkest souls that I have and you can see by the detail that him and I have had a very close run in before.

If I had to say it, then I would say that this is the drawing of the face in which the bad voice that looms over my shoulder and speaks only when rage emerges. It is thus far the darkest side of my soul yet, and the one I tend to stay far away from.
I never intended on him to show up...but he answered with a thunderous roar when Illustration Friday called.


Title: Dark Adaptation
Medium: Ebony Pencil
Size: 8 1/2 X 11

Kathryn's Temptation

Long after the Creed...
way before the Song...
there was the Temptation.
So who would like to hear the story behind the dark portal of this Tormented Soul?

Title: Kathryn's Temptation
Medium: Gauche Water Color, Pen & Ink, Prisma Color Pencil & Photo Shop
Size: 18 X 24

Recent submission in Illustration Friday "Black & Orange"

SMITTEN

She crys, and doesn't know why. Her song is that of a lonely one. She can't explain why and has gain no closer knowledge to where it will take her. The melody dark, almost eerie. Miserable strings play from melting violins as the composer moves his wand of misery to vocals of her echoing cry from behind bleeding curtains of pain. Figures with no faces line the pews of unreasonable doubt as the climax bursts into what seems like the end. But in all reality, in the tormented soul, its only the end of the beginning of the end.

Title: Kathryn's Song
Medium: gauche Water Color
Size: 18 X 24