Back to Work!

Hi Guys!

So I know the last few posts have just been me rambling about my life and feelings- so I thought you guys deserved an art update as well.  I just got back to school 2 weeks ago and started projects in 2 of my studio classes:

Here's my advanced drawing sketch done in oil pastel on the back of my sketchbook - thinking of making a series of these little suckers.  I combined references of my friend covered in a blanket with these wax-like dripping forms in the foreground.  I want to see how far I can push this into a fantastical landscape of sorts...we'll see. 

This is my newest piece for my advanced painting class - one that I'm exceptionally proud of.  After a week of no ideas, I just sketched that little doodle on top while I was waiting for class to start and then I banged out the base layer of the painting in the next 3 hours.  That's the most productive class period I've ever had according to my professor - and I'd have to agree with her.  Hopefully getting a reference picture for the neck biting today...just hope the guy modeling doesn't see the finished piece....I kinda made him a demon/parasite thing with pincers for hands and a twisted/ snake-like form.  I know it seems hard to believe when looking at the painting- but I don't hate the guy - my professor just challenged me to see how dark I can make my artwork and I never step back from a challenge.  I think this piece also represents a lot of the frustration I've been feeling regarding my health and also my fear that people are judging me (for other reasons entirely).  Surprisingly enough, I've started to open up more this semester.  I'm finally finding people I trust that I can confide in and I'm really getting pumped for this semester.  So until the next update - I'll see you later! 

Another Semester Done!

Hey guys,
Woohoo! I did it! Finished up another semester of college and I'm still alive and kicking.  This semester was honestly the hardest one for me yet - not academically, but just socially.  I lost my 2 best friends/ex roommates from college because of a disagreement/misunderstanding that they just couldn't get past.  They ignored me and gave me the silent treatment for a month before they broke things off completely.  They turned another friend against me and completely ruined my Halloween - (or at least they wold have if not for a very comforting makeout session at 3am).  Now, one won't even make eye contact with me and the other can only talk/message me when she's drunk or high.  The most pitiful part is that after all the stuff they put me through this semester, I still miss them.  Not a day goes by that I don't miss talking to them, or I see something that reminds me of them.
 
So because of all of that depressing craziness, I really don't have anyone I can talk to at them moment - about life as well as my artwork.  I miss having roommates that would always be available for me to talk to whenever I needed advice or a shoulder to cry on - or just people I can hang out with in general.  I hope that by joining more clubs I can make more friends - and I can only hope that this time they might last longer than a year or two.

On a happier note - I got my first kiss- woohoo! But with that comes a whole new set of problems and things for me to worry about...ugh.  But at the same time, I'm glad I have someone I can usually count on.  He's come through so many times these past few months - even coming out to see me in the middle of the night to offer me a jacket during a fire drill - and I'm really thankful for that.

A lot of things are up in the air this semester and it's totally not helping my stress levels.  My schedule is insane with 6 classes and a possible internship on Saturdays, and I'm trying to be on 2 dance teams and lead the art section of another club.  I'm also thinking about starting another rotoscope animation project in my "free time" and I'd also love some time to hang with friends.  Last semester, the only free time I had to party was the very last night of the semester - so this semester I also hope my friends' schedules match up with mine (which is HIGHLY unlikely due to my 3 night classes and 2 dance teams - but one can still hope)

I'm also stressed out because I feel like my artwork is starting to go in a new direction.  As much as the corruption of my church bothers me, I feel isolated from it at college and with all of this new drama, it's less present on my mind.  Instead, my artwork MIGHT have gotten a little darker since I've been having it represent more of my current feelings and problems.  For example, I just finished up a slightly gory neck painting to show how I feel exposed and vulnerable.  I did another piece that showed me hunched over on the floor with my back exposed and spikes coming out of it as well.  Next semester, I have a lot of stuff to figure out and I just hope that everything works out for the better.  I'll try to post more this semester if I get the chance- and hopefully post actual updates on artworks instead of just rants about my life.  See you guys later - Wish me luck!

Life Update

Hello Everyone!

I just went back to college about a week or so ago and things are going well.  I FINALLY GOT MY ART STUDIO (hooray!!!) and just finished moving all of my supplies and pictures over a few hours ago.

I'm doing well in my classes - even with my busy schedule- and I promise to start uploading works in progress that I've been doing for some of my art courses.  I have a 3 x 4 ft painting due in a week, so you probably won't be hearing much from me until I get that done and out of the way.  Wow....okay....see you guys later!
-The Niz

College: so much supplies and so little space

So, as you know, I am preparing to go back to the wonderful world of college in a few days and so, I spent all of today packing and sorting all my art supplies.  Now since NONE of my art teachers have responded to me or sent me any sort of supply lists, I just have to overpack and hope for the best (and bring a lot of gift cards for the art stores in town).

My main worry for move in day is my roommate running out of the room, terrified that she's living with a hoarder who brought 8 boxes of art supplies on the first day.

In order to avoid this scenario, I am discreetly going to bring up my materials in different waves.  Since I live close by, my parents are going to bring my materials over the course of a few days, so I don't get overwhelmed the first day.  The hope is that I will also have an art locker (and HOPEFULLY a BFA art studio to work in) but we'll see.

For my first wave, I'm just bringing up the supplies I HAVE TO HAVE.  I also plan on working the weekend before classes start (such an overachiever) and I want to start working on another paper cutout model of my church.

So far my list is as follows:

FIRST WAVE-

• Mungyo Gallery Soft Oil Pastels (3 old boxes of 48)
• Portfolio Water Soluble Oil Pastels (3 new boxes of 12)
• 3 Sennelier oil pastels (black, gray, and white)
• All tortillons I have on hand
• Prang watercolors (half and full pan)
• 4 cheap brushes
• 5 vine charcoal sticks of various sizes in a glass jar
• 2 Scraper tools
• 5 Color Shapers
• 2 Trays to hold water (for watercolors)
• 3 pieces of wood (16" x 4" x .25")
• Metal ruler
• 6" clear ruler
• T-Square
• Triangle Ruler (can't live without it)
• Tape Measure
• Scissors
• Smart Living Invisible Tape (6)
• Sandpaper (varying tooths and sheet sizes)
• thumb tacks
• 2 Strathmore Sketchpads 5.5" x 8.5", 100 sheets each
• Plastic portfolio 30" x 23"
• first aid kid (I'm clumsy)
• box cutter
• Cutting Mat 16" x 23"
• 6 Kneadable Erasers
• Pearl Eraser
• Camera/Charger
• Flashlight and Lamp (for light sources)
• pencil sharpener
• pack of Ticonderoga #2 pencils
• 8 leadless pencils
• pack of Bic round stic black pens
• a box full of old colored pencils of various brands, sizes, and colors
• giant drawing board with clips
• MY SAVIOR - my lap desk (a comfy drawing board with clips, a pillow underneath it, and indents to store all of my tools when I'm working

SECOND WAVE-

• 9 Oil Paint Tubes
• 2 Sable brushes
• 4 dead brushes (last year was a bad year)
• brush cleaner
• gamsol
• galkyd 
• 3 alcohol inks (Adirondack brights - red, blue, and yellow) 
• Alcohol Blending Solution
• India ink
• Sumi ink
• Face/Mouth mask (for charcoal)
• extra xacto knife (for my possible studio)
• 100 No. 11 xacto blades
• Iridescent Medium
• Ox Gall Liquid
• Masking Fluid
• Gum Arabic
• A Sponge (found in Hobby Lobby) - good for texture
• YES! Paste
• Scotch blue painter's tape
• electrical tape
• 4 Sharpies 
• 3 Golden Artist Colors Acrylic Paint tubes (red, blue, and yellow)
• Strathmore Sketchpad 5.5" x 8.5", 100 sheets
• Borden & Riley #880s Royal Sketch Book 6" x 9", 60 sheets
• Strathmore Watercolor pad 9" x 12", 12 sheets
• scrap pieces of tracing paper
• Canson XL Mixed Media Pad 18" x 24"
• Canson Drawing Pad 18" x 24"
• Strathmore Newsprint Pad 18" x 24"
• Canson Watercolor Pad 18" x 24" 
• Yupo Sheet (huge)
• Arches Paper 22" x 28" (around 7 sheets)
• Any old artworks, references, art magazines I feel are inspiring enough to bring back with me
• As much scrap paper as humanly possible

And there you have it.  This is the chaos that I'm living with right now.  I am taking a figure drawing class and a painting class next semester with professors I've never heard of, so I really have nothing to base my supply list on.  I can't say that I've used all of the materials mentioned since a lot of art professors make you buy a ton of stuff and never use it in their classes.  Honestly, if any of you know anything about Iridescent Medium, Ox Gall Liquid, Masking Fluid, or Gum Arabic PLEASE tell me!  

Anyway, thanks for listening to my hectic life.  Now that everything artsy is sorted (for the most part) I can go on to packing and sorting through all the clothes and books in my closet, YAY! *collapses from exhaustion*

Home Stretch!

Wow, 5 days left until I go back to school - which translates to 4 main work days and one packing day.  I'm trying to plan and sketch one of my last pieces of the summer which was inspired by the challenge #drawthisagain .  I plan to redo my glass squirrel picture again for the third time since 2012.  Let's hope I finish in time!

I'm also trying my best to write up and film the video on subtraction I've been working on and I also promised Lady Avolate (a good friend of mine) that I would try to do a dance video of Last of the Wilds by Nightwish.  While I don't have the editing tools, space or time alone to do it at home, I have already cut the song and am thinking of steps and choreography, so we'll see when that gets done.

Also, just to give you an idea of my progress the last few years, here are my two glass squirrel oil pastel pictures:


The first is from the summer of 2012, right before my senior year of high school and AP Art.

The second is from March of 2015.  It was made during my junior year of college for my Thematic Drawing class.  It was the first drawing I did in oil pastel and also one of the last since the professor hated oil pastels.  She also hated color which explains the sad lack of color.

My next picture (the one I'm working on this week) will also be in oil pastel and will thankfully be in color.  Getting started on it right now! Woohoo!

And Another One Done!

Woohoo! Just finished this piece a couple of minutes ago.  This piece looked hideous for so long that I'm actually excited it came out looking a little less ugly.  I definitely have trouble following through with my artwork and committing to ideas, so this was a practice of that more than anything else.  I created the base picture with all forms created and shaded with oil pastel - like I would do for any normal artwork of mine - except I left the figure and background lighter than usual.  Instead, I went over the whole thing with black charcoal in the darker areas to give it that extra layer of a smoky, rich black.  I only have 12 more days until I go back to school, so I'm trying to finish up as much as possible and straighten out my BFA ideas before classes begin.  

This piece is based on some Hermione/Lupin fanfiction (don't judge) I stumbled across where she ends up being bitten by a werewolf.  I am in love with the story and it made me start to research more about werewolf art and how artists depict the transformation.  Not to mention, I also just did another 2 hour "photoshoot" session where I just do random poses with random lighting and props and see what pictures inspire me.  I just completed another fabric "photoshoot" which only lasted for an hour since I was getting frustrated by the end, but I got a lot of creepy, twisted forms out of it, so I can't wait to start drawing them.  

I also just saw my new dorm room today and am freaking out since it is half the space I had the last 2 years.  I don't know where I'm going to store all of my at supplies since the desk is just a small board attached to the foot board of my bed.  There is no storage space and I haven't even begun to think where I can work in this tiny space that I will be sharing with a girl who is not an art major.  Needless to say, my anxiety is through the roof.  

Any video suggestions you might have for my artist channel can be left in the comments below, on my facebook page, or my youtube channel.  I am trying to at least do one or two more videos before college starts - but if I get more suggestions, I'll do more.  So far, I have the requested sgraffito video planned and I thought I might do one on what art supplies I'm taking with me to college.  Also, I have another piece (sgraffito) nearly done, so I will post that and show how I made it in my tutorial video.  

New Video!

Hi guys, just posted my new ART That video on my charcoal and oil pastel work.  Next up is a video someone in the comments asked me to make on sgraffito with oil pastels, so now I just have to decide what piece I'll be making for that video.  As always, I would love to hear from you - any comments, concerns, questions, suggestions, etc.  I only have a few weeks left before I go back to college, so I want to get as much done as possible before then.

I want to map out some of my BFA pictures and my theme a LOT more.  I have a huge list of books I want to read and some that also relate to my theme.  I also want to get ALL reference pictures I could ever want or imagine done while I'm at home since I won't be in a room with an art major this year and I will have no real personal space or time to myself.  And finally, I want to share as much as I can here and on Facebook and my Youtube page.  I'm reading a book called "Show Your Work!" by Austin Kleon and I would DEFINITELY recommend it!  It provides me with motivation and makes me want to work and share and build a community and network of artists.  Anyway, that's enough of my rambling for the night.  Good night everyone!