Progress, not liking the eye

I need to get this drawing done soon anyway because I should be getting the photo for my commission soon. Also I have to finish this soon, because starting to get really frustrated. I did a great job on this fish, I think though a few thins don't look quite right to me. I think they work though. I just don't like the eye right now though. I'm wondering if I've completely screwed up and if I've done something wrong. It just doesn't look right and I don't know what it is. It's like that moment in my freshman art class; Teacher: "Something's wrong I don't know what it is, fix it." Me: "I don't know what it is either." (Needless to say it still looked wrong when I turned it in).
I'm going to work on this more tonight, but I needed to vent a little bit of frustration about this.

Zazzle vs Imagekind

I'm thinking of just having some prints available through an online service. I like the idea of having control over my prints and limiting how many can be made, but I feel that both Zazzle and Imagekind offer a ease of use, and a bit of security for the transaction. First though I have to decided which to to use.

With Zazzle I like the amount of control in creating a product and I have used them before so there is the familiarity. I also know that they produce a great quality in business cards. Though I was hoping to be able to pick standard sizes and have more than one size available at once. I wouldn't unnecessarily crop the artwork but I could create the white border on the prints to accommodate. I did make some changes to an old Zazzle account of mine (new username and all), and I did explore a few options in prints.

I did just create an Imagekind account too. So far I'm just confused. I'm not really sure how you set up a store to sell products. I started creating something and I do like the options but I don't know how the store is set up. So far it looks like I'm going to go with Zazzle unless I can figure out Imagekind and it's absolutely dazzles me.

Yes right now I do have a prints available link, but I've been looking at the two options of Kinkos and an online service to be able to fulfill any orders that way. I think Zazzle though taking me out of the equation in the middle might make ship time a little faster. Also it should keep costs of prints down since I don't have to charge for shipping.

Bit more progress

I got quite a bit of work done between yesterday and today. I'm really happy with the fish, now if only I could be that happy with the eye. I think it's the eye lashes that are bothering me the most. I'll fix those when I start filling in the rest of the skin. Ideally I'd like to finish this by Friday but we'll see how that goes. I think it wouldn't be so bad to at least be finished by May 8.

Progress and self explorations

I spent a good hour working tonight. It's not much really in the grand scheme but it's all I can afford right now. I think I spent my hour well. I'm really happy with how this is turning out.


I just started reading Lives of the Artists. I've only read the preface, but I'm already impressed. It got me thinking as well. Tomkins talks of getting to know more about the artist's lives to understand their work and I can definitely agree. I didn't really care for Pollock's work until I learned more about the man behind the work. Now he is one of my favorite artists and I love his work. It really made me think about myself as an artist. I feel that for someone who spends a lot of time drawing themselves; I sure don't think much of how I look. I just spent an hour looking at a photo of myself, yet I really wasn't seeing myself. I look in the mirror to brush my teeth, do my hair, but rarely do I really look at myself. I sometimes surprise myself when looking in the mirror. And usually find flaws straight away as well, "I'm fat... my face looks weird.. my nose is big... I hate my teeth..." I think in my artwork I'm searching for that beauty in myself. Especially with my more recent drawings, I haven't avoided my teeth. In "Day at the Zoo" I considered editing them out, but in "Part of Me" my mouth was the only part of my face in the composition. I confronted that piece of me that I just am not fond of and tried to find the beauty in it.

I've also considered writing an autobiography someday. I think some parts of my childhood are pretty interesting, and they've definitely influenced some of my work. Like Tomkins said, artists with interesting work usually had interesting lives. I've like to think my art is interesting, and I think my life as been interesting. I think I have some things about my life I'd like to get out at some point in written form, to catalog a bit of my childhood. If not in a full autobiography, then just in a word document that will sit on my computer. I work through some issues in my work, celebrate parts of my life, and explore parts of myself. I also take inspiration from music, media, and art history.

I got a little bit of work done tonight, and I made a few changes to the first line of scales. I think it's definitely looking better for it, and I'm really happy with the gold color.

New Prismacolor website

http://www.prismacolor.com/

Prismacolor, revamped their whole website. There is a new feature, Studio, you can upload a portfolio of your work. You can show your work get some feedback and maybe find a little inspiration too. The whole design of the site is really eye catching, clever and beautiful. I think I'll definitely be spending more time on there now. I think I might even create a portfolio of my own in their studio.


**I created a portfolio of my own: here.

Small update

I'm actually pretty happy with what I did tonight. I think maybe some of my proportions may be off on the fish head/eye area, but I don't think it really makes a huge difference. I didn't use the gold pencil and I really like the gold color that I was able to create with the yellows.

I did come across something that confused me a bit. Some colored pencil work is considered drawings and others are considered paintings. I thought because of the nature of the media, my work would be considered a drawing. I pretty much use the same technique I would use with charcoal and pastels (would I use pastels). I consider my charcoal and colored pencil work because I consider them a dry media. Though I did get an email explaining two colored pencil painting techniques. It would seem that the technique that I use would be considered painting. Though I'm not sure why. I think I'll definitely have to find some books on colored pencil. In school (high school and college) colored pencil was never formally covered. I've kind of gotten into this media on my own, so I don't know a good bit of the technical side. So if anyone has an opinion on the subject, or has some knowledge to share, I'd love to hear it.