My wife and I shopped at our local HEB for some stuff for the week, and I picked a few things from the produce section for my next artwork.
These two incoming pieces will be colored in a more modern style: I will work both pieces with 0.5 mechanical pencils and then cut off a silhouette of the drawing with some transparent acrylic for color masking. I will then apply the color slightly offset over the penciled work to create a more poster-like illustration.
The mask and color will be used separately for the fruit and the hand. Two airbrushed colors and graphite pencils will be used. I'm hoping this will come out great.
This is a sign work, not an art piece. The name was blacked out for privacy. It's not an actual commission. It's a gift a family member will give to someone this holiday.
I came up with this sign idea after thinking hard about something different and original. This type of sign can be placed in any hallway, home office, game room, or living room. It was made with an airbrush, markers, and a mechanical pencil. For this type of work, the stamp will be on the back.
I will show you how, by initially spreading the graphite, the drawing looks awfully flat.
I'm an illustrator/artist, so I know from experience this step scares and disappoints many new artists. They think they are doing it wrong, but that is not the case. All you need to do is work in the shadows and add highlights, and the drawing will look more realistic.
"Heavenly Father, as I strive to live according to your will, please show me if the things I do daily hold value in your eyes.
Do you like my artwork?
I’m seeking your deliverance from my current isolation and approval to pursue art activities as a full-time occupation.
If you are holding another road and direction for me, or if you find my petition acceptable, please help me understand how to better align with your purpose.
In the name of Jesus, AMEN
I had to rethink the title for this piece, so I felt it was more appropriate to name it a "moment of pleasure." This artwork was made over pastel paper with a mechanical pencil, four brands of pastel pencils, Q-tips, and a Posca marker.
This weekend was busy with Thanksgiving, the wifey's BD, garage end-of-year cleaning, and trying to write the first pages of a new book after eleven years of inactivity.
As you can see, my plate is full. That's why I'm looking to avoid any possible commitments. I can't split it in half. All those above are the stuff on the side plate; the main course is to continue retaking my artist-illustration-forgotten career.
Right now, I'm working on the bitten strawberry piece. I'm using Strathmore pastel paper and more than one pastel pencil brand. Of course, the 0.5 mechanical pencil and Q-tips. Here's what I've got so far.
We know it's common sense; being thankful should be an everyday thing. Start by saying we do not even need to remind ourselves of the reasons why establishing comparisons is not generally a good idea: It exposes us to becoming arrogant and entitled. Just be thankful. If you can find a good, solid reason for which to be specifically thankful is even better.
Now, we must remember this day is not only of spiritual gratitude related to God as our provider; it's also directed at being thankful to other people who have extended a helping hand to us, those who have welcomed us and helped us in times of need. I have had, and my family has had, many instances in our lives when others have come to our help in difficult times. To these people, each one of them, to the ones I knew in person, and also to the ones I never knew but were behind actions that played in my favor, I am thankful and grateful for being the recipient of your disinterested kindness.
In my previous work—the fork with the red pepper—I originally intended to use a strawberry but had none. We have strawberries again, but I wouldn't repeat the fork idea. So, I just came up with this concept of a bitten strawberry, and I think it looks good. The strawberry survived the photo session but was finished right afterward. It's keto-friendly.
By the way, I started the keto diet in mid-September and lost 23 pounds. When I started, I weighed 223 pounds and was also lifting weights, so apparently, I was gaining more weight through muscular mass. I suspended weightlifting entirely and started the keto diet, and that gave me immediate results. Right now, I'm at 200 pounds, but I started plateauing around two weeks ago.
So, starting today, November 26, I'm using a small home treadmill that one of my daughters is letting me use. Every day, I will try to walk 30 minutes or more to help break the weight loss barrier.
According to Google, when you plateau while in keto, you have to exercise more or start counting calories. I won't do weightlifting until I reach my ideal weight. From then on, gaining muscle mass will be an entirely different story. Let's see what happens.
