Random Pieces...

....That I happen to like. Must.....draw.....more.....need.....more....skillz..........

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders

Who doesn't like making fan art of their favorite child hood tv shows? I know I can't resist!!! I used to love Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders! The colors! The style! Ah! I loved it! I rarely got to watch it for whatever reason (I don't think I understood the benefits of the tv guide channel...remember the tv guide channel?) I recently downloaded a few episodes and ooooooh man....that was an awful show! The writing! The characterization! The cheesey-ness! The horrible limited animation! It hurts...It hurts me so. Regardless, I have fond memories of the series and the characters. I admit to having Fallon and Gwenevere action figures (They were the shiiiiiit!). So what I've done here is reinterpret the girls in my own style and increased their personalities (can one increase personality? haha)...ok how about pushed their personalities to the extreme.

Fallon

Gwenevere

Tamara

Oh! What fun!

Week 5 Elemental

Week 5 was my choice and I decided to go more along the lines of experimentation as opposed to research.  The premise was to do a self portrait but depict yourself as an elemental that you saw best fit for your personality.  After some deliberation I went with wind. Sometimes I'm calm, sometimes I'm in a flurry, most of the time I'm easy going.  I reeeeeeally wanted to put wind turbines in the picture to help with the "wind" theme. I loooooove me some wind turbine! I also couldn't resist the use of clouds.

 I ended up experimenting with color and media. I knew I wanted the lighting to depict a sunset...I felt it would reference my orange hair. Also, I wanted the warm lighting to contrast with blues which i normally feel embody "air." The piece over all is really interesting. I like the contrast and I loooove the oranges! I thought the lighting came across really well.....The scanner, on the other hand, tore the piece to shit.....Allll them colors have been destroyed. Good Job scanner >:/. I promise the piece is so much cooler in person! Where did all the orange go...you might ask. The scanner ate it.

Comic Book Wednesday!!!

SO MANY COMICS!!!!! SO MANY!!! IT PLEASES ME!

Experimental Self Portrait

So I experimented with drawing a self portrait with various ball point pens. I needed a break from homework haha. My aim was to wet the ink with a brush and paint midtones with the ink but that didn't work out well. Either the ink is waterproof (probably not) or the illustration board held the ink real well. It was interesting to put down ink, wet the page, and then put down more ink over the wet areas...that created a cool texture. Ugggggggh why do I have to have man face!!!!!???? What I like best about the picture is the hair...It's just curly and awesome. Also, as Eric pointed out earlier today, you can tell I'm in "work mode" when I've pulled my bangs all the way out of my face with a dumb clip...It's reeeeeeeeeeeeal attractive hahahahaha!

Week 4...A Different Culture

So week four was to research another culture...And man did that leave a million options out there for the taking. I didn't realize how specific I would have to get in the research.  I started with the idea of researching India and different examples of Indian Art. I had to get real specific with my searches. I finally narrowed it down to the depiction of Hindu Gods in art. From there I had to pick a specific god and a specific form (because in hindu, god have multiple incarnations). I ended up picking Saraswati.

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, the arts, and sciences.  She is the companion of Brahma, the creator of the universe.  She was also known as the goddess associated with flowing water. (Generally flowing water is associated with the flow of creativity).

In art, Saraswati is depicted as having 4 arms, each representing an aspect of learning- mind, knowledge, alertness and ego. Each hand has a specific object that it carries. In her left, back hand, Saraswati holds sacred texts (in my picture, just a book). The right back hand holds a rosary (signifying meditation). In her front two hands, she holds a Veena, a indian musical instrument which she normally plays while sitting upon a lotus flower (symbolizing the search of light or knowledge). She is accompanied by a swam whom is her mode of transportation.  

A prayer to Saraswati that I found goes as follows:

"May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like the frosty dew drops, who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arms rests the veens, and whose throne is a white lotus, who is surrounded and respected by the gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness and ignorance."

 I love Hindu art and I would love to follow up on research. I am in no way an expert but I hope I did some justice for this powerful and important goddess!

Week 3...Groovalicious ROOOOOOBOOOOOOTS!!!

So for week three Miku decided on the theme of robots! I was all for it! I already had this character in mind that I wanted to do. It was one that I had sketched on some notes from class but I knew I had to do more research of.  I came up with the idea of a 70's robot....one that was made of computers from the 70's as well as was dressed in seventies style. I looooove the idea of the fringe leather vest with bare chest and I also love the creeper aviator glasses!

As far as research went, I had to look into whether or not computers were small enough in that era to fit into homes. I wasn't sure of the history of the home computer. Luckily the interwebs is the master of answering all questions and I found out that home computers were available in this period however they were pricey. Did you know the first "portable" computer weighed 55 pounds? crazy!

Anyways, this robot's torso is based on the 70's computer model texas instrument (the people who now bring you calculators) TI 99/4. This bad boy came complete with software that was in the form of cartridges (this is pre floppy disk guys!). Its like shoving super nintendo cartridges into you computer in order to make it run....soooo inefficient!

His head, however, is based on a set up I believe my dad still has. It's a reel to reel music player....I believe is also plays 8 tracks....however I'm not sure.  This model is called the akai 4000ds mkii reel to reel (circa 1977). You had to pair it with speakers...which I've incorporated as the robots ears.

Keeping with the 70's theme, I had the robot participate in roller disco. Having recently bought some sweet skates myself, I just had to incorporate them. His attire I tried to keep in a 70's sort of color scheme: red, yellow, brown. And who could resist the use of a fro? The answer: no one!