Inktober Head Sketches

 A couple of head sketches from last month (Inktober). I'm looking forward to doing more of these in the future possibly as commissions and just for fun.

About six weeks ago, my wife and l became parents for the first time. It's been both exciting and challenging for us. It's made me think about priorities and what's really important in life and how being an artist fits into all of that. As I'm thinking about this I can say that I'm looking forward to making things (school t-shirts, lunch notes, birthday cards, etc.) for my son and my wife to show them I love them.

Wolf Sketch

After work, usually around 4:30, I like to treat myself to a quick sketch before going home. It's a nice way to wind down and have some fun. Lately, I've been drawing all my roughs (for work) on the computer using a program called Sketchbook Pro. It saves time and if there's a revision, it's easier to make an edit on the computer rather than redraw something from scratch. So getting back to the real sketchbook and holding an actual pen or paint brush feels really good!

This drawing took about 30 minutes. I really enjoy the spontaneity that comes from working fast.When I give myself a time limit I'm usually trying to put down as much information as I can and so the analytical part of the brain shuts down giving unexpected results. It's fun!

Wolf Portrait
Ink Brush, Colored Pencil and White Out on Toned Cardstock

Honeymoon Cafe' Sketching

Happy to announce, Heidi and I were married last Saturday (4/26/14) in Plymouth, Minnesota. It was a beautiful day and we were fortunate to miss the rain that lasted several days after the wedding. This was a sketch of her from one the cafe's we ate at on our honeymoon.

To the love of my life; thank you for being on this amazing journey with me. :)

Free Time

These are a couple drawings from a while ago. The first one is a portrait study done by Yim Mau Kun. Studying other artists work helps me stay limber and learn some new tricks. Whether consciously or unconsciously, I do them in hopes that their genius becomes apart of my work as well. The second one is a drawing of Michael Jackson from about a year ago. It was a rough drawing in my sketchbook and was later cleaned up in Adobe Illustrator.

Happy Holidays to everyone and best wishes to you in the new year!!