Sketchbook – Surveillance
I have been listening to a few Daniel Suarez audio books and thought of my unfinished surveillance sketch that had been lying around for a few month. So I fetched it out of my drawer for some fine-tuning and here it is. Later tonight I'd like to start drawing some more fishes. Blubb.
Easter Eggs #2
Belated entry on our traditional familiy Easter egg painting. It was sunny, a bit of wind, no snow and a few wild rabbits were running over the grassland. All in all a very pleasant day somewhere on the countryside. I wonder why I only do this once a year. I can recommend to do it monthly. Use anything (sharpies, watercolors, acrylics, chocolate) to pimp the eggs. And painting in a group...is even better. Except blowing the eggs out sucks, it´s....ugh. It´s a saxophonist´s job. On the other hand: lots of omelet.
Post-it Scribbles
I wasted all my post-its on black scribbles. Here they are. I was into dots this time (pretty good if you are looking for a more meditational drawing experience). What else? Random #1: I finally bought more RAM! I am planning to install it myself ...*fingers crossed*. Random #2: What made me super smile this week: my friend bought one of my linocuts (the actual cut) as well as the corresponding print. *throws muffins in joy*
Blackboard#2
Current audiobook: "The Stand". I used to read a lot of Stephen King but never this one. It's very long so I play it also during brushing-my-teeth, cooking and doing the dishes. It´s spoken by Grover Gardner who's voice at first sounded ...like a robot, as though it´s coming from computer chess. ANYWAY, attached some more chalk stuff I did on my blackboard yesterday evening. Else I only did few unimportant scribbles since my last entry
Matryoshka#1
I painted my first Matryoshka batch! Before I could have a good look I gave them away as a Christmas present. So I am left with these photos. I am not very happy with the varnish. It doesn´t dry as fast as it should. The surface of the object feels a bit sticky, even after a few days, which is too long. I experimented with different temperatures and made sure to have a thin coating...but not much changed. I need something that ist dry as a bone within 24 hours the latest. But I am too lazy, still, to google for insight.
Linocut #7
Here are the 6 linoprints I´ve recently exhibited. Focus on tech and nature. 1-2 colored-linocut. A4 (210×297mm). Design carved on linoleum block and hanprinted with waterbased lino-print ink on white paper. These prints are currently available on Etsy. Go baby, get some! On other exciting news I haven´t smoked in 11 days. Whoop Whoop.
Vectorized
I use Photoshop to adjust or modify paper-drawings. Sometimes I vectorize black & white scribbles in Illustrator. There is always a bit of digital process involved. But I have never really drawn anything from scratch in graphic programs. It feels saver, more natural and closer to my ideas using pen and paper. There a certain restrictions (or call them disadvantages) that I like, for example that the sheet has a fixed height and width which you can´t change and the fear to fuck it up without beeing able to click your way back (no clean version control). I also like the soft scratching sound when the pen rolls over the paper and to tear a failure into pieces. It´s hard to do that with a graphic tablet.
Sketchbook Stuff 4
A few people have recommended the danish series "The Killing". So I bought the first season. Detective Sarah Lund is really chewing a lot of gum! Though totally unrelated to the show, the following sketches were all done through episode 1-6. These neon colors do not scan very well, so just phone pics:
Blackboard#1
Went to Modulor to buy some brushes. But like IKEA, one doesn´t simply leave with a few light bulbs. When my eyes fell on that blackboard/chalkboard they got big as mountains and I stuffed it into my (already overloaded) basket. It`s going to be interesting to create something more temporary, which doesn´t dust away in a drawer but will be gone with a wipe of the sponge. The 2 images below already don´t exist anymore, just in these photos.
iPhone case “insects”
Just throwing this in quickly. I ordered one of my iPhone case designs from society6. Simply for the reason that my stuff is on it (tehehehe) and I wanted to see what customers are really getting. It travelled all the way from the States! I like that website for I am actually selling something every month. It's not that I am happy about the few bucks I am getting (it's hardly worth mentioning) but I am delighted that some people on this planet want my drawings on their shirts or devices. Wheee. \o/
Pyrography#1
Wanted to try out pyrography for quite some time but didn't have time. Recently I was surprised to face a whole free Saturday and thought "Let´s buy a wood burner, now or never!". I jumped my bike, raced to the next big DIY supply store, got told that "We don´t have any" and rode back home slightly pissed.
Easter Eggs
Hi hi. Near Hamburg. Sitting at the wooden table, looking out the window. It still doesn't feel like spring but at least the sun was shining today, forcing the snow to melt a little. I come here every Easter to enjoy my dad's cooking and to paint Easter eggs with Michaela and the kids (actually teenagers now).
Sketchbook Stuff 2
Bought more notebooks for my scribbles. The following ones were done while watching Homeland. I have never been into Claire Danes but the role suits her. Unrelated news: I now own a juice extractor and ♥ing it.
Play >>
Christmas. I love DIY presents but this time nobody got anything handmade from me. I didn´t send out greeting cards, didn´t hear a single Christmas song or cared much about it at all. It was mainly because my new job kept me busy and I decided to spend may spare free time with reading suspense thrillers and falling to bed early. I also re-watched a bunch of Monty Python episodes and laughed myself blissful. Now that December is over and things are calming down, I can go back to see my friends, my Xbox and my brushes more often ;).
Class Notes
I successfully finished my first module (HTML/CSS). Wohoo. It was a good time, I liked my fellow students and learned a lot. Considering that my class notes were looking like this, who would have thought? I haven't done any personal drawings for a bit (life is busy), so the following chaotic scribbles are all I can offer at the moment.
Petite Exhibition
My friend Kamil and I exhibited some of our illustrations in the bar "Das Gift" last week. They have a little room for art shows in the back. I showed some of my animal studies and Kamil his iPad sketches on canvas. So we had a nice combination of analog and digital work. It was my first "real" exhibition. Exciting! In the beginning I was a bit nervous about it though. I have some kind of stage fright when it comes to presenting my own artwork. Anyhow, I am very happy we did this.
Push
"Drive" soundtrack is on. I bought it instantly after watching the movie. I think it was the first time (since I was a teenager?) that I went to sleep with earphones in my ears. Here is a painting on different layers. I have not much to say about it except that I did something similar before with scribbles. You can see it here.
Linocut #6
I worked three hot summer evenings on this linocut, with my feet dangling in a bucket of cold water. I listened to more A Song of Ice and Fire audio books, ate corn out of a can because I can and enjoyed every little breeze that found it´s way thru the window. And did I hear a wolve howling? I would have uploaded the stuff earlier if my week hadn't been ruined by not so amazeballs news. Change is coming.
Sketchbook Stuff
Occasionally I get my sketchbook out and draw either loveless and chaotic things or something a bit more thoughtful. Not necessarily to pursue any ideas but to beat impatience when the movie I am watching bores me. I feel good about most of the drawings/scribbles while others should probably be thrown into a bonfire. I am going to post a few but will leave the really ugly ones out. Sorry. ; )