My First Jesus Piece

 

"Through the Eyes"

Acrylic

16x20

This project consisted of creating your own personal response on the story or music of Jesus. I wanted to combine both the story and music together to create a emotional piece. Im not the most religious person but I wanted to attempt painting my own jesus which was inspired by my roommate Craig, who looks very much like Jesus.

I wanted to capture the pain, suffering, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ with an intimate piece by focusing on the part of the human body which evokes the most emotion. Also combining the music sheets from Bach's St. Matthew Passion created another layer of drama in this piece.

Pinecone studies

acrylic on wood

pen

1st Sculpture

The final for my Human Figure class required us to make a 3D sculpture of the human body. We had creative license to morph the figure into whatever as long as the proportions where close enough to the human body. Making a 3D figure really made me understand human anatomy unlike drawing could ever. You have to think of the bone structure/ muscle and how it forms on the body from every angle. 

First time working 3D

pen, acrylic, and pen

on glass

This project consisted of creating a narrative Illustration on a 3D object. Working on a 3D surface was something I have never done before but it was definitely and eye opener. I decided to take an my old whiskey decanter that my mother gave me and bring the story of it onto the bottle itself. 

Two years ago I took a year off from school to work. During that year I bartended at a local bar almost every night until close. I would get home at 1, 2, sometimes even 3am and wouldn't be able to fall asleep. A bar guest once recommended to pour myself one whiskey on the rocks and relax. Worked like a charm. It was the one part of my day I would get home, take off my tie, pour myself a drink, and unwind after a long night. It was pure relaxation. 

"Classy Bum"

watercolor and pen

The second part of the project was to create a piece that incorporates your object in any way you wanted. I originally was going to make piece where you would normally see a whiskey decanter, like a classy bar scene with a gentlemen and lady in conversation. BORING. I then played with the idea of seeing this classy object with an unexpected owner. The juxtaposition of having a bum pouring himself some whiskey out of this fancy decanter had some humor that I wanted to elaborate on. The penguins reactions are confused and angry to this unusual situation and also act as another simplistic element to the setting. 

Sketches

pages from my moleskine

pencil and charcoal

I try to sketch as much as possible in my sketchbook. Sometimes when I can't fall asleep I just start sketching whatever is running through my mind. Every once in a while I'll add to sketches and make them more personal. This was a drawing of my ex I did a while back then added more meaningful elements to it in the morning. 

Rockclimber

"Rockclimber"

color pencil and chalk pastel

This was my final for my Advanced Drawing class. The assignment was to create an illustration from a bird's eye view perspective. I wanted to have fun with this piece so I intended to create a piece that was action packed with color, perspective, and composition. I use a lot of photo reference to get my figures to look as realistic as possible. Taking a TON of photographs then Frankenstien them together is how I attempt to capture dynamic moment in my pieces. 

Narrative Illustration

A full and spot Illustration for a narrative poem done with acrylic. The poem was about this lady who became very friendly with an alligator who lived in the lake near her home. So close that she was able to be face to face with the enormous animal. The spot Illustration below is suppose to have the first letter of the poem in it and an element of the story incorporated into it. 

Reflections

"Reflections"

charcoal 

Fabric Studies

A couple fabric studies done in color pencil on toned paper. Fabric can be an extremely complicated and difficult to draw or paint. Doing these studies were surprisingly helpful in understand the way fabric drapes and creates movement

Portraits

A couple portraits done on toned paper for an anatomy class last year. When I draw portraits I usually always use grid lines on the faces to get proportions right then erase them when adding in values and details but decided to leave them in to show a little of my process. The top one is my roommate watching TV, the middle is myself, and the third is a movie frame that I paused and drew. 

Literal/Metaphor Piece

"They Will Never See Me Cry"

acrylic on clayboard

"They Will Never Break Me"

color pencil

The project was to illustrate a section of the poem, Hitting and Getting, by Philip Schultz and create a literal and a metaphorical piece. The poem was about his struggles as a child with dyslexia and how he dealt with it. The poem was fun to work with because all of the visual imagery. The top was the literal piece and the bottom was the metaphorical one. I wanted to create two dramatic pieces the represent the poem's powerful words.

Fragile Earth Project

"Holding on For Life"

Chalk pastel, color pencil, and charcoal

The Fragile Earth project was assigned to all junior Illustration majors at Mass Art to create an illustration in response to our Fragile Earth. It dealt with anything from endangered animals, global warming, and pollution. I focused an the La Loma tree frog which is one of the many amphibians that are critically endangered because of a drastic decline in population due to a rapidly spreading fungus called Chytridiomycosis. It was on the brink of extinction until scientists in Costa Rica have finally been able to breed these frogs but still battle to find a solution to save this species and many others from this mysterious, deadly disease.

Somebody that I used to know

untitled

Acrylic on board

Landscape paintings aren't really my style but this place was an exception. It was the park me and my ex-girlfriend used to visit, sit on the bench, and watch the sunset. Long story short, just like most young relationships, it ended, we moved on, and the painting was returned to its rightful owner. :-)

Wabi Sabi

"Wabi Sabi"

chalk pastel, color pencil, and charcoal 

"Wabi Sabi"

chalk pastel, color pencil, and charcoal 

"Wabi Sabi"

chalk pastel, color pencil, and charcoal 

Wabi Sabi is a Buddhist term for bringing the beauty out of the ugly. Using that concept I created a series  that brought beauty out of man made objects which were slowly deteriorating from nature. I explored with object such as an weathered telephone pole, an old rusty truck, and a cracked stone pillar. Everything has beauty to it. Just depends how you look at it.

The piece that made me change my major

"The Amazing Alphabet"

watercolor and pen

I originally went to college to become a graphic designer because it was "more practical." One of the classes I had to take was an Illustration course and I fell in love with it. The professor of the course quickly became my mentor and took me under her wing. She opened up my eyes into the world of Illustration and made me realize I can actually make a real living in that career. Before I transferred to Mass Art to pursue Illustration she quoted in an email... 

"You got what it takes, but it's going to take everything you got."

One of a kind piece for a one of a kind girl

"Jaylee"
Watercolor and color pencil

This painting was done for a good friend of mine and probably my biggest fan. Ever since we met she has been one the most wonderful and interesting women that I have had the pleasure to get to know. Before she moved to Colorado from Boston I wanted to paint her a piece that captured her personality that I adored so much. Miss you!

The Project from Hell

Rolling Stone Cover Assignment 

Pen and Ink

8 x 12

This was a piece down back in 2010 where I had to take a relevant celebrity and morph them with something that makes sense. Morphing Snookie from the reality show, Jersey Shore, into an Oompa Loompa was the approach I went with. The piece had to be done in the pointillism style which consist of using only dots to create the illustration. THOUSANDS of dots from a 005 Micon Pen. First and last time I'll ever use this technique.