sorry for the double posting - I put this up in the sketchbook area by mistake a little while ago and couldn't figure out how to delete that post ---- so I'm just reposting here in the class work area..... This boat is a combination of a Longboat and a Junk. At the time I was without photoshop so it's in my sketchbook. I could have done a better job on the perspective.... and the waves !!! 
Hi all - I've been doing SVS classes off and on - lately I've been off because I did the "how to stylize a portrait class" and ended up making a zine - but I'm (hopefully) back and I (hopefully) won't just lurk. I did like the portrait class but I'm not one for drawing pretty girls or cute things - I needed a bit more of a challenge I guess - so I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and channel my frustrated political self - maybe as a way to offset that frustration ? who knows ? Anyhow I ended up with 25 portraits of political figures that have been in the news for the past few years - and then I spent a week fussing about in photoshop figuring out the printing layout etc. I've never done a zine before and I have a feeling it may be addictive. While I was watching the news I was drawing from photos I found online - this activity may have made the news a little easier to digest. I also combed the internet for quotes from these people etc etc.... and it all came together (finally) and I bought one of those long staplers. I guess the thing is that I wanted to go past just making illustrations and posting them online or putting them in a portfolio. I wanted a physical thing. It's very satisfying. And it's something that is fun to do (if not a little frustrating at times) but a great way to learn as well. It's not at all what I expected to happen - it just happened and I kept on with it until it was done. I've actually sold a few already and I'm delivering a few more to bookstores in my neighborhood tomorrow. I just walked in and showed them one copy and they said yes - bring more. In some ways I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm getting ready to go back to city college in January (for illustration this time and and finish up with a degree finally) but even with just taking a few classes here I've improved my long rusted skills and did something with that I never even thought of a few months ago. So maybe this 'hello' post is about encouragement too. Maybe all these years I've just doubted myself too much, and thought I should wait until - until - until..... I guess I'm saying don't wait until - just follow your pen or your paintbrush - more than likely it's pointing in the right direction.
well - here are a few pics from the zine and some of the illustrations - terrifying drawings of terrible people. !!
I was very pleased that the direction of the conversation went towards folks other than students. After a few decades of trying all kinds of art and styles while holding down fulltime work I've reached a crossroads moment. I'm out of a job and only doing a little freelance at the moment due to a serious work injury - I'm debt free and I have saved a bit of money and started classes at SVS. I'm mostly self taught, no art school, no degree and it really feels like This Is It - this is when I can focus on the one thing that has remained constant in my search for the right thing - the picture which tells a story. I've found a bit of a niche in doing bookcovers for a small publishing company - mostly photo-bashing - and I've gotten better at it - but it's the hand drawing and illustration side that I'm here for. Thanks again for the supportive environment and remembering that not everyone here is a fresh 20-something art school grad.
@CosmoglotJay Thank you ! it really took on a life of it's own - as if I didn't have a choice - driven partly by my political leanings and partly by my need to do art to 'stay sane' - an unavoidable combination !
@theprairiefox Thank You !! I hope to start participating in some of the monthly challenges. Life is a busy thing and it was good to take the time every night to just work on this - I like to work in series and I think that's one of the reasons we are all attracted to this school - to develop a story in pictures and see the consistency thru a project. Some days I think it took me far to long to get where I'm at but then I look at the progress after just a few classes and it's totally worth it !
@deborah-Haagenson ooooh I will check it out ! I think I saw something else like that - it was a sketchbook library - it might be the same thing - - anyhow good suggestion. Also - I totally 
my long stapler - it's got the power of She-Ra or something like that
@Kim-Hunter Absolutely with the rigging.... I did photo research on the two ships and the sails of the junk seemed to always be flat like that - but for the sake of expression I'll put some wind to them... I have photoshop back on my computer so I'll actually be able to fix some of the other issues as well.... Thanks so much for the feedback....
sorry for the double posting - I put this up in the sketchbook area by mistake a little while ago and couldn't figure out how to delete that post ---- so I'm just reposting here in the class work area..... This boat is a combination of a Longboat and a Junk. At the time I was without photoshop so it's in my sketchbook. I could have done a better job on the perspective.... and the waves !!!
@deborah-Haagenson ooooh I will check it out ! I think I saw something else like that - it was a sketchbook library - it might be the same thing - - anyhow good suggestion. Also - I totally my long stapler - it's got the power of She-Ra or something like that
@theprairiefox Thank You !! I hope to start participating in some of the monthly challenges. Life is a busy thing and it was good to take the time every night to just work on this - I like to work in series and I think that's one of the reasons we are all attracted to this school - to develop a story in pictures and see the consistency thru a project. Some days I think it took me far to long to get where I'm at but then I look at the progress after just a few classes and it's totally worth it !
@TessaW Thanks much ! Style is something that I've always found to be elusive when you push on it or try to force it - I think when we let go and follow the pen or pencil - it begins to develop naturally. So much of our lives are rush rush rush - and because I watch the news at pretty much the same time every day I ended up drawing for that hour every day and the habit of doing it allowed me to relax and not feel the pressure of a deadline or a goal or anything but doing the drawing - I was very happy to see the consistency across all the drawings - - I guess that equals a 'style' - it wasn't something I was chasing - it just happened -
@CosmoglotJay Thank you ! it really took on a life of it's own - as if I didn't have a choice - driven partly by my political leanings and partly by my need to do art to 'stay sane' - an unavoidable combination !
Hi all - I've been doing SVS classes off and on - lately I've been off because I did the "how to stylize a portrait class" and ended up making a zine - but I'm (hopefully) back and I (hopefully) won't just lurk. I did like the portrait class but I'm not one for drawing pretty girls or cute things - I needed a bit more of a challenge I guess - so I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and channel my frustrated political self - maybe as a way to offset that frustration ? who knows ? Anyhow I ended up with 25 portraits of political figures that have been in the news for the past few years - and then I spent a week fussing about in photoshop figuring out the printing layout etc. I've never done a zine before and I have a feeling it may be addictive. While I was watching the news I was drawing from photos I found online - this activity may have made the news a little easier to digest. I also combed the internet for quotes from these people etc etc.... and it all came together (finally) and I bought one of those long staplers. I guess the thing is that I wanted to go past just making illustrations and posting them online or putting them in a portfolio. I wanted a physical thing. It's very satisfying. And it's something that is fun to do (if not a little frustrating at times) but a great way to learn as well. It's not at all what I expected to happen - it just happened and I kept on with it until it was done. I've actually sold a few already and I'm delivering a few more to bookstores in my neighborhood tomorrow. I just walked in and showed them one copy and they said yes - bring more. In some ways I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm getting ready to go back to city college in January (for illustration this time and and finish up with a degree finally) but even with just taking a few classes here I've improved my long rusted skills and did something with that I never even thought of a few months ago. So maybe this 'hello' post is about encouragement too. Maybe all these years I've just doubted myself too much, and thought I should wait until - until - until..... I guess I'm saying don't wait until - just follow your pen or your paintbrush - more than likely it's pointing in the right direction.
well - here are a few pics from the zine and some of the illustrations - terrifying drawings of terrible people. !!
@NessIllustration I'm just starting to look at the forums - I'm still on my first class ! Thanks Ness !!!!!!
I was very pleased that the direction of the conversation went towards folks other than students. After a few decades of trying all kinds of art and styles while holding down fulltime work I've reached a crossroads moment. I'm out of a job and only doing a little freelance at the moment due to a serious work injury - I'm debt free and I have saved a bit of money and started classes at SVS. I'm mostly self taught, no art school, no degree and it really feels like This Is It - this is when I can focus on the one thing that has remained constant in my search for the right thing - the picture which tells a story. I've found a bit of a niche in doing bookcovers for a small publishing company - mostly photo-bashing - and I've gotten better at it - but it's the hand drawing and illustration side that I'm here for. Thanks again for the supportive environment and remembering that not everyone here is a fresh 20-something art school grad.