Since before graduation, I have a project in mind. The story is still in the process of development. My characters are set but I am still trying to find their right image; how they look, expressions… The project name is Phyteuma. If anyone knows what phyteuma is, then most likely you’d know what I’m basing the story on.

This idea began from a class project. There’s a painting I’ve done as part of the story, although the style will be different. (Please excuse the poor quality; camera quality)

Concept oil painting Phyteuma 2009

Then there is this overly edited (and still needs to be edit) ink drawing I’ve done that was part of a panel in the story. Now, it is still on debate whether I should toss it or keep it (again, sorry about the image quality).

Phyteuma panel

There are more characters I’m developing in Phyteuma. I’ll show more next time.

Recently, I’ve made two journal pages for a secret project to be given to a close friend/adviser. From that sprout a concept. Here are the sketches (sketches are not part of the journal drawings. Those will be shown at another time):

My Puppeteer sketch 2009

My Puppeteer sketch 2009

They are done in Photoshop.  The story is about a broken wooden puppet and as the title stated, it’s Puppeteer! hahaha. I’m still playing around with the idea, but if i am continuing this, it’ll be loose and fun.

I’m also looking for hosting to get a website online. Until then, I am still on wordpress… as long as I stop being lazy and update more often than I do. haha.

This  morning felt like Christmas.

I ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com and one of which is J.C. Leyendecker, by Laurences S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler. This collection of Joseph Christian Leyendecker’s art works is finally here! It actually came out just last year 2008 and I wasn’t aware of it until last week. The contents contain Leyendecker’s history, family, pictures, illustrations, and other artists that he had influenced. It is well laid out with illustrations that I haven’t seen on the internet before. However, I wish they had more oil studies he had done before his final pieces. Those oil studies are as intricate and amazing as the final product of his work.

After looking through the book, I wanted to start painting again. It’s sad to say I haven’t touch paint for a long time now and I wish I had continued my practice. Anyway, after I finished my weak studies, I wanted to scan the images. Well, long story short, my cripple scanner would not operate. I don’t understand what could possible be wrong than the fact that it’s really old and I had not used it for about a year (At that time, it was half dying). So I gave up and took pictures instead. The pictures did not come out so well; you can’t see the colors I meekly put in. hahaha.

Oh well. Until next time.

Concept drawing

A concept drawing for a class.  We are doing a sci-fi version of The Old Man and the Sea. We were supposed to be doing character design but I went a little ahead by doing a concept of the ship I want Santiago to be on.

I was told by some to update my blog… and I shall. I’ll put more up this week.

Ah. Spring.

I love Spring.

…minus the rain.

I found something simply amazing.

J.C. Leyendecker has been my favorite artist since freshmen year of college. The class had to do a report on someone we didn’t know and I happened to stumble upon Leyendecker’s art. I LOVED it. It could might as well be love at first sight. I am very thankful for that person to post up scans of Leyendecker’s work. I could only find a few that I’ve scanned or found online. In NY, there was a show with some of his paintings and I loved it even more. Although Leyendecker is unknown to most artists, Norman Rockwell actually looked up to him, imitating his style. This came to a surprise to me because how can people MISS Leyendecker’s art? It is baffling. I feel that Leyendecker’s paintings are under-appreciated whenever Norman Rockwell name comes up. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rockwell’s paintings too. However, I have to stress, have you EVER seen Leyendecker’s work?

The registration process was smooth to say the least. It was the only time in my life when my choice of classes were not closed. I think the happiest moment was knowing that I did not have to take a history class, which I had been dreading every year and wimping out of it. The only thing to do now is find an internship and all will be well.

The internship department was helpful, but it was a bit useless. The college central website they gave me did not have much listings for my preferred interests. I did find some, but mostly aimed away from my major or were freelances. My friend was more helpful finding publishing companies for internships in editorial. However, some of the internships I found are close to the deadline. With that said, I have to go through all my old drawings/paintings and upload them as soon as possible.

Here are some of my old stuff from different classes in SVA:

My first attempt in gouache paint of last year in John Parks‘ gouache class. Worked from a photo.

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I will put more up in another day. Finding my old stuff is more troublesome than I thought.

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I currently finished reading Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995, by Joe Sacco, for my Culture Survey class with Marilyn Palmeri. The interest at first was not that big, but after reading a couple of pages into it I really enjoyed it. A journalist, Joe Sacco interviewed the Muslims about Gorazde and through them he depicted the tragedies of war most of us didn’t know about. The art work itself is simply amazing and the storytelling is pretty mind blowing as well. I highly recommend it. I wish someday textbooks (history, science, math… etc) could be in comic book form so people like me could better grasp the material.

On Friday night, my class went to our professor’s studio, Steven Assael, to do a drawing session. Came in late from work but glad that I didn’t miss out on it. Saw some of his amazing paintings, pencil sketches, drawings… Makes you want to paint. Very inspiring.

There was this painting with two models on a vertical canvas. A female sitting near the top while the male is upside down, curving down the canvas. My description of the piece fails the actual beauty of the painting. Let’s just say I love it.

Took me forever to upload that up on deviantart. Should have scan this instead of using the camera.