Life Drawing: Progress

These three drawings represent the three extended gesture (approx. 30 minutes) drawings completed early on in my Life Drawing class. The earliest drawing is characterized by a strong, dark outline surrounding the figure. As it was explained to us, this is a fundamental drawing error when addressing the human form. This outline flattens the otherwise dimensional figure and is often a poor representation of the body's actual substructures of bone and muscle. Another common flaw that was called to my attention was excessive mark making. Rather than using only a couple of strokes to define one area, I had used many.

The second gesture study was simply a central axis drawing. Rather than using mass to represent the figure, I was told to focus upon the underlying structure. Again, there are far too many marks used to suggest each line but there has been some improvement. Also, the use of line weight helps to imply some sense of depth as opposed to the singular, bold outline of the first drawing.

The most recent gestural study takes into account a more thorough analysis of the spinal column and its curves. The line weights in this study are also very exaggerated, perhaps too much so, enhancing the illusion of depth. There are even fewer marks made to define each line and the proportions and perspective seem to be appropriate to the pose. Some consideration has even been taken to add details such as muscle structure and skull construction (see in detail.)

Vanquish-Men's Fragrance

Of all the work that I have completed, this piece is the most recent. A final project for Methods, Analysis and Visualization; it consisted of a handful of deliverables. This image is the advertisement used in promoting the fragrance, should it be produced. In the lower left-hand corner of the ad is the bottle itself which was created through extensive research, design development and prototyping. It is a resin cast model with chrome trim and black detail. Inside of the pseudo pistol grip is a trigger for dispensing the fragrance and the ridges along one edge conform to hand. The design is very sleek, aggressive and thoroughly masculine. The advertisement plays upon these key words by using Daniel Craig, the latest Bond actor, as the poster boy for a new fragrance. The name, other than its obvious literal definition, is borrowed from an Aston Martin, the quintessential Bond car.

King Kong

The objective for this Digital Imagery assignment was to combine two elements into one cohesive and visually appealing whole. While many students were busy grafting frog legs onto cell phones in Photoshop, I chose to combine two similar thematic elements. King Kong is synonymous with a towering city skyline and black and white film; which explains my two elements and the use of a monochromatic color scheme. The background is an original photo modified in Photoshop. The King himself was created in Illustrator with hundreds and hundreds, potentially thousands, of individual paths. The tight Illustrator paths allow the foreground subject to read very prominently in front of the granulated background. The street signs converge directly behind the giant ape's head, creating a visual directive for the viewer as well. All in all, the stark contrast provided by the color scheme and the techniques used to compile the final piece resulted in a dramatic composition with an old school sentiment.

Drawing Composition-Linework

I have never claimed to be a fine artist, you can ask anyone and I'm sure they would all agree. However, this particular drawing is one that I am certainly proud of. The perspective remains very accurate and the value of light, very believable. Despite this, the aspect of this piece that I enjoy the most is the line-work. In my early drawing classes (and to this day) neither charcoal or pastel are mediums that I prefer but, I managed to make them work for me by using intense line quality to distinguish form and provide value. The composition is also strong and the sense of depth seems well accomplished by my standards.