Finished Guitarist Sculpture

 I just completed the first phase, sculpting, of the guitarist. It's made with polymer clay, which means it needs baking, and after it cools off, I may or may not sand or polish it a little bit. It will also be painted. I may apply a full black coat and use random neon colors for the details.

There was a big problem with polymer clay working with the hands and other parts because polymer clay is not hard enough and won't allow for finer details. This sculpture's entire body is only 12 inches, but one possible solution for adding better details will be making larger sculptures. Another road could be working with another type of clay, which is better for finer work, but that other clay doesn't dry and requires making a mold to produce reproductions with resin. which implies much more work, but that would benefit lower-priced sculptures and future sales. I promised my wife that I would make this sculpture thing pay for our rent, so I have to try my best.

This first sculpture won't be for sale due to internal structural defects in the aluminum wire. It wasn't properly joined. So, next time, I will reinforce the structure to make it shake-proof or go the extra step and make it one solid resin piece. We will see.

By the way, since I'm suddenly more business-minded now, I just created a new e-mail available on the "about" tab.

Guitar Player Progress

My wife is starting to like the current results, and out of a good mood and inspiration, I told her, more like I promised her, that sculpting would pay our rent. She believed that to be true, and that's an excellent sign from her because my wife has a good eye for things that might work out. I'm feeling a renewed sense of purpose. I see myself going somewhere with this.

This is the current progress in a realistic style, albeit with a reasonable degree of caricaturization, which is expected because I tend to do that with some of my vectors and line drawings. The final work will be painted in more than one color, but not in a realistic way. I would use more abstract, interpretative, and expressive colors, graffiti-style. 

Guitar Player Update

This is my progress so far. I've done many other polymer clay figures, but never one that was this complicated. The first thing I'm learning with this project is that sculpture is all about the internal structure. It is a critical factor. The wire structure has to be well-designed, constructed, and well-thought-out. If you fail at this, the whole thing won't stand. It may fall apart during baking or handling. I'm not going to put this piece on sale for that specific reason. Some details should have been done differently and more structurally sound. The good thing is the next piece will be much better after the lessons learned today. I'm making progress, and hopefully, people will be interested in my work.

  

L. A.

To me, Los Angeles, the idea of Los Angeles as a place and a city has been in my mind as one of the world's pinnacles of culture and arts. Way too many things have been conceived there, not just ideas but also incredible people. I have always seen that place as a dream and a myth.

I can attribute the following to the law of attraction; we lived in Orange County, CA., from 2017 to 2019. These were terrific years with plenty of experiences, good and bad, but mostly good. In fact, I completed my bachelor's degree in digital cinematography while I was living there.

Life took a turn for us, and now we are back in Texas and doing well, except there is very little to no occupation around cinematography for me here. I get to be a rideshare driver, which is not the same, but it's not bad. Being an independent creator is sometimes the only choice to make a living and still be connected to what you love.

Los Angeles and Southern California are still matters of personal desire and dreams. I still daydream about living and thriving there, as if I'm just waiting for things to be right so I can one day earn my way back into LA.

There are things in this universe we still can't comprehend why they are the way they are. I still miss my days in California and am so sorry I couldn't stay and be strong enough to hold. Right now, I can only watch from afar. Right now, all I do is talk about California. 

Once more, Los Angeles is burning. It feels terrible, utterly demoralizing, sobering, and disheartening. It is like my dreams are being torn apart, like a nightmare. I feel their pain, and my heart is burning with Los Angeles, too.

I'm Already Sculpting

 Due to my personality, I owe this anxious precipitation to starting to work in sculpture because I intensely crave being part of a more cultural and artistic environment. I have resented being away from these circles for so many years. Today, I do rideshare for a living. It's well-paid, semi-lonely, independent, and flexible work. Rideshare has some nice advantages. I can think, enjoy the view, and be in hundreds of places around the city. Sometimes I have met very interesting people. There are some random downs in ridesharing, because it is not all greatness, and it's mainly due to less-than-cool experiences with some odd riders behaving in undesired manners.

Overall, I'm happy with my life and what God and this country allow me to be and experience, but I  still feel terribly incomplete due to my (previously) stagnant art production, but then, after so many years of idling, I now have a better eye for art. I'm more methodical and patient, so in the end, I'm a late bloomer because the right level of maturity for art and self-expression, the right ideas, and full access to creativity have all come to me recently. It wasn't really there before. It's like I have suspected all along; it's all God-given. But then, if you don't practice consistently, there is no merit to recieve.

Under these premises, I have decided to elevate my art even more. That's why I'm moving from pastels and pencils to now include realistic polymer clay sculptures. It's a bold and unafraid step like the boss level in gaming terms.

My first sculpture will be a guitar player, which requires a high skill level. To do this, I had to become the model. I took photos of myself from the front, back, and sides. Then, I downloaded a human proportion sketch online, which needed to be resized on paper to the exact size of the sculpture: 12 inches.

Then, I covered the sketches with legal-sized acrylic sheets so I could work on top of them with the clay without ruining the prints. So far this is the progress I have. Working on the skeleton, which is the base of the sculpture construct. 

One thing to know is that when you are not working with the polymer clay, it is best to put it away inside a plastic bag so it doesn't dry up and become too hard.

Room Studio Setup

 I'm far from done, but at least the basic setup is decided. So far, I have chosen two opposite corners of the room. One will be for graphic design and the primary computer area. Of course, I still have stuff in boxes that must be put away in drawers or on a shelf.

The other area is occupied by Austin's Uplift Desk, which is perfect for working with sculpture. Depending on the work, you should stand or sit; this mechanical-electronic desk is just perfect for that.

Once everything is better distributed in the room, my first work will be a small sculpture. I'm using myself as a model of a guitar player. Not because I'm good at playing guitar but because I want to represent a sculpture of a guitar player. In the future, once I have access to more resources, I will either hire and pay or simply request voluntary models for sculptures. 

It's important to mention that modeling for sculpture doesn't imply standing while I draw. No, it's just four pictures of a model taken from four angles. Back, front, and the two sides. This is for proportions and a reference. Models in a studio standing for hours is a school thing and mainly stuff from the past. I would never do it as I get tired or distracted quickly.

I will update you once I start working or if I have something relevant coming up. 

By the way, the Coca-Cola can in the picture is not a can but a Bluetooth speaker. 

Empty Room - Full Room

 Finally, the vacated room was given to me, and now I have filled the space with my stuff, yet in boxes and with no clear idea of how to distribute it. I have to consider that I'll mainly be doing sculpture and painting, but computers and art materials still need space. Distribution and efficiency are one thing, but personalization and decoration are another. I will worry about that too, including lighting and window extraction-ventilation. I will update you soon. 

New Year New Space

Happy New Year to everyone! Thank you for stopping by. I'm honored by your visits to my site, which inspires me to keep working on my art. Hopefully, in 2025, I will have the means and the chance to upgrade my website to something cooler and more visually striking at a higher professional level. You deserve better, and I deserve better.  

An 11 x 11 ft room is soon vacating where we live and will be ceded to me. This is right to set up a more formal studio space. Not only that, but this is also my chance to start a small business. I'm 57, and this may be my last opportunity to do art and make some money. 

I'm considering making small, hand-painted resin sculptures with limited reproductions—maybe 15-20 for more exclusivity. Of course, I'm already drawing and painting, which will be included in the studio productions. I would also like to buy a laser engraver, a 3D printing machine, and a T-shirt printer for future products. 

Shipping is also important, so I must design boxes, labels, specialty tapes, thank-you cards, and other items.

I'm thankful to all of you, but first, I am grateful to God for allowing me to continue doing what I love in 2025. I hope this will be a great year.     

Polymer Clay came to me

 We celebrated last night, the so-called "Noche Buena." We were playing the white elephant game. Pick one gift from a pile of the 26 mystery boxes we had, according to your lucky number. My number was 10. When it was my turn, I chose a small box that contained, coincidentally, the only art materials out of that pile. That was very significant for me, like a sign from above. No one challenged my pick, so I kept a box of 48 tiny polymer clay sticks. Now, that reminded me that I have a bunch of clay-sculpture materials in my garage, so after receiving this set, the best I can do with this gift is use it for something interesting. I'm not letting this go to waste. I still don't know exactly what I want to do with it, but it could be some incense burners, fake plants in tiny pots, or even some animation. For starters, if I really do animation, it could be something relatively simple, probably two-dimensional, or if I get truly engaged, I might do something more complex, like wire-animated puppets. I'll do voiceovers for the characters if I'm in the mood. We'll see. The critical point here is to keep me completely busy and not have time to get anxious or depressed.

The Fender Dreadnought has arrived

 I received the acoustic Fender and purchased the tuner thingy, but I didn't need it. I tuned by ear and tuned perfectly. 

I already want to change to a nylon string set, or at least the first three strings. 

Of course, I must now buy intermediate guitar lessons, mostly to learn more complicated tunes. Good thing YouTube has plenty of backing tracks, so I can play songs with proper background music. 

After testing the guitar, I felt my hands were very sloppy; I became slower and clearly unskilled, so I must practice before playing something semi-acceptable. 

As an illustrator/artist, my main distraction was gaming, which was not very productive. I'm taking my own advice and doing something healthier, newer, and better—something I never completed: learning or re-learning guitar. I will gladly torture you with my future guitar videos.