Slide Into Perspective

In the process of getting all these photos up, I decided to use a slide show mechanism instead. This would help eliminate a long stack a photos, which just looks messy, and create a more professional and cleaned up look. I used a free site called imageloop that I learned of from my ecmp class. (Thanks Dean!) In total I have 11 photos, I'm only missing one, the reason being this person never accepted my friend request on facebook, in order to gather info and images of them. The other being John not getting a photo of them for me. But much like what Denise (you) told me, "It's out of your hands." That was something I couldn't control and so in the end, it was their loss.
This project is not over to say the least. I'm still not completely happy with every drawing, so I would like to continue on improving that. Also, they're not printed out to the public yet, and probably wont be until next semester. This really saddens me and disappoints me cause I was really hoping in having it out in time for the last issue, but it's out of my control. Hopefully they use the drawings in one way or another.
This project wasn't a completed waste, I had fun, and allowed me work on my creative side again. I got to meet some fantastic people I probably wouldn't have met otherwise, and got positive and negative feedback from people. (The negative was mainly that I was being generous to certain "character attributes".) I learned about myself as an artist, how I need to be patient, and understand that there are things we can't always control. I have to realize this as a teacher that students in certain circumstances may not always have things work out for them, especially as an artist. My work as a teacher will have to be supportive role in their process, provide them with the tools, and allow for flexibility. I just have to simply remind myself of this scenario I just had.
Here's the list of people in the order that's shown:
James Brotheridge, John Cameron, Graeme Zirk, Austin Davis, Stephanie Campbell, Cassidy McFadzen, Taylor Bendig, Peter Mills, Alex Fox, Adam Young, Iryn Tushabe

Light at the end of a Tunnel

I'm nearing the end of my project, as I only have a couple of portraits to touch up, but otherwise nearly done. I found this project to be a challenge as I had to draw people I had never met and analyze there photos and hope they translate onto paper. Now I hope to see it printed onto our local university paper, so I can get some feedback from my peers.

Process of Creating.

Since I haven't really talked about my process in creating my drawings, I thought it be a good idea.
To begin, I need a project, which for this instance, were portraits of certain individuals. Since I don't know half of them, and is impossible to round all these people up to meet and take their photo, I chose an easier process: Facebook. Facebook is a networking website, which allows me to get in contact with these people and find different photos of them. I read a bit about them and look at the photos they have displayed in their profile. From that I grasp who they are, and use common traits/artifacts of them and apply them in the portrait.
For drawing, I usually start off using a regular pencil (not a mechanical pencil- they create sharp edges, and aren't as flexible to work with). It usually takes a couple tries, but after erasing and re-drawing, you get what you're aiming for. Once confident enough, I want to make it permanent. Because pencil smudges and makes a mess, it doesn't keep your drawings at the best of qualities. You can usually buy a spray to coat your pencil or charcoal drawings with, but since this will be in the paper, and pencil has a very dull pigment, I thought it would be best to go over it with something black. I'm careful not to apply too much pressure, and once working with a line, I try to be continuous. By this I mean, once I start a line I don't want to suddenly stop because if I stop than start from where I left off, you can usually see it. Once this is all done, I allow the ink to dry, for a minute than erase my pencil lines.
And that is my process in which I do my sketches. Many artist chose to do it differently, but go with what you're comfortable with. There is no right or wrong.

News I could do without.

Last Thursday, I entered the Carillon room to catch up with John Cameron and to let him know where I was at. We hadn't talked much about the sketches and the new issue, so I thought I would ask. He got a stiff look and shifted his mouth to one side as he began to say: "Yeah... about that."
Right off the bat, I could see where he was going with that sentence. It had turned out that the new program might not be in place by the end of the semester, and that they wouldn't need the drawings until next year. I was choked, as I had put hours of hard work and effort already in my sketches, and this was my big assignment for my Arts Aesthetic class.
John did come up with the idea of squeezing them in for the last issue before the end of the semester, but Austin (another writer for the Carillon), seemed hesitant.
Before class, I talked to my friend, Elora, she`s my `critical` friend for this project. I told her my situation, and she told me to talk to my prof, Denise. Elora had Denise the previous year, and told me not to worry. That Mrs. Morstad was very understanding and will let me make up for it somehow. So I entered the class, still worried of having to throw the idea out the window, and come up with a new project for my class. I talked to Denise and told her my situation, and thankfully Elora was right. Denise said to continue working on my project, and that the changes in the paper, were out of my control. All I had to do is to save a copy of the issue and hand it in, whenever it were to come out.
Hopefully we CAN have the sketches in on the last issue, not only for my class, but I would like to get an evaluation from my peers. Let`s hope for the best!

Artist Block

For the longest time, I had artist block. It's much like writers block, where you feel like you're in a slump and lack creativity or inspiration, which is exactly what I had. Now mine isn't so bad, because I am working off pictures to create my portraits, but I believe I still qualify for artist block.
Every time I pick up my pencil, I can't seem to co-ordinate my hand with my eye, to create the image I'd like to have. I pick up my eraser, erase my mistake and try again. The same result. Than I erase and re-draw so many times, that my paper becomes a huge muddy mess of faint lines of past mistakes, that I need to start fresh on a blank piece of paper.
It's very frustrating, because I want to draw, but it's just not showing through in my work. So I decided to take a break for a while. Abandon my work completely until the time is right, and finally, it came back to me.
I spent hours drawing and drawing. Once confident enough with my portraits, I made it permanent with my micron pen.
I feel relieved finally getting back my creative side, that I missed for too long. I'm going to take advantage of this, and create as much as I can, before another artist block, and before I get too busy with school as I am near the end of the semester. What a relief.

Time is on my side.

Much to my excitement, John Cameron, a fellow writer from the Carillon has brought it to my attention that I wouldn't necessarily need to be done my sketches by the end of reading week anymore. The production has been delayed as they haven't yet gotten their new software for the new set up of the Carilon. They said time it could vary anywhere from the end of the month, or the end of the semester. I'm hoping that it will be on time for when this assignment will be due, so the new design and my sketches are available for peers to see and evaluate.
In the meantime, I was able to complete three more sketches. I'm happy with Taylor Bendigs, and Austin Davis portraits, but plan on a second attempt for Graeme Zirk.

Sketch #1

So this is me in the middle of my process drawing James Brotheridge. I took some familiar photos of him and meshed them together to create what makes him, him.
It took me a few tries to get what I wanted, but I feel fairly comfortable with this sketch so far.
I'm not sure whether they wanted it in colour or not, I usually don't tend to colour my sketches.
Anyways, here's a close up of my sketch of James. I drew it in pencil then went over it with my mircon pen to make it permanent.