Saturday, October 31, 2009

Skidmore Yearbook Cover? 11"x14" Graphite Pencil


So I know it's been a looooong while, but I finally finished something. (Although I did finish a piece a few weeks ago, it's a present for a friend so I have to wait before I post it, but trust me it's worth it) A friend of mine here at Skidmore asked me if I'd be willing to do the cover of the yearbook as they were looking for something in particular, so I whipped this up over the past month. The yearbook theme this year is "In the Moment," and I thought this picture embodied that sort of idea.
I have some great Autumn themed pictures that I'm looking forward to doing with some pastels, but school's been pretty crazy so those might be a while in coming.
Have a great Halloween everyone and I'll be sure to the post the next piece as soon as it's fixed!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Monkey 11"x14"


I absolutely love how this piece turned out--I had been planning on doing this one for a while but put it off until I was down on Long Island and had a Saturday to myself. I finished it relatively quickly as I worked on it while working at the Farmer's Markets. I'm thrilled with how the shadowing came out, because that's what really drew me to the picture (taken by my brother Shaun) and I was  adamant that I capture that lighting because it made the picture so dynamic. I chose to do this piece in graphite pencil because I knew it would capture the depth and drama of the shadows, as well as give that sense of texture that you get from Monkey's fur. I'll have this piece made into prints as well as cards that will be available at the Farmer's Markets and select stores around the Southern NH area.  

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Margaret: In Loving Memory 8"x10"


Although this piece took me a little longer than I originally anticipated (a bit over two weeks), I'm really pleased with the outcome. I had a picture to work from that I was able to reproduce pretty accurately and then added a background that I thought would compliment the colors of the dog. This portrait was also done with colored pencils, which I think was a great medium to convey the coloring and texture of the dog, as well as add an interesting look to the background. The layering of the colors took a long time, and getting the tiny details (the teeth, the brindle coloring) was difficult but I'm really happy with how I was able to capture those little pieces that truly make the piece as accurate as possible to the subject.   

Old Ford 11"x14"


I finished this piece a few weeks ago but have only now gotten the chance to post it. I love how this one turned out--I started it with high hopes, didn't like the way the colors were turning out (i used colored pencils for the color) and put it away for a while, focusing on some other work. Finally I came back to it three weeks ago and played around with the colors, trying a little more layering and working the color until I got the bright red that I was looking for. I have this prints of this piece with me at the Farmer's Market as well as for sale at Moulton's Market in Amherst, NH. 

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Frenemies 9"x12"

So finally a piece with animals that aren't horses;) I saw this picture and thought it was so adorable that I just had to do it. I had a hard time getting the texture of the kitten's fur to look realistic, as well as accurately convey the color variations in its coat. The cat was grey, but each hair is a different value, and that's difficult to portray with pencils on paper. I think I did a good job of it though, and it doesn't look too flat. I love the puppy's wrinkly face being squished by the kitten's paw, and you can tell the puppy has an amazingly patient disposition, which I also tried to capture in this piece. 
This drawing will be for sale this week at the Amherst Famer's Market, so stop on by and see what else I have to offer or commission a piece of your own! Thanks for everyone who came out last week, it was nice seeing you and getting to chat! 

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Pink Rose 9"x12"


Due to the inclement weather, I didn't get to set up my stall at the Amherst Farmer's Market, which was a major bummer. However, the day wasn't a complete waste as I dug out my oil pastels and got to work. This picture I thought was appropriate for the season and will make a great greeting card and prints; it's certainly a colorful change from the graphite pencils I've been fond of of late. It was certainly nice to get back to some of my older mediums to check my skills, and I had fun playing around with the oil pastels again. So, if you like what you see this piece, prints, and greeting cards will be available at the Amherst Farmer's Market (2:30-6:30 the Village Green) and also at the Golden Egg in Salzburg Square. Stop by and check it out! 
PS-The colors are more vivid in real life, I promise. 

Monday, June 15, 2009

Apple with Leaves 8"x10"


Another from my apple note card collection. I decided to add some leaves to this one and I really like how they came out. The stem also adds some dimension and character to the picture that the other piece doesn't have, although I like each of them for their different qualities. I'm making this picture into note cards as well, to be sold at both the Golden Egg and the Amherst Farmer's Market, so if you're interested in buying these stop by! 
PS-The photos I took of both of this and the Apples piece aren't of the best quality, so to get a better idea of their true beauty please come by in person and check them out. 

Apples 8"x10"


This is a piece that I plan on making into blank note cards in the hopes that people will use the simple but detailed piece as thank you notes or greeting cards. I'm planning on packaging ten cards with envelopes and selling them at The Golden Egg in Salzburg Square, Amherst, as well as at my stall at the Amherst Famer's Market on the Village Common. This was a fun little piece that really tested my skills with shadow and light, and I had fun making the still-life and photographing it up at the lake this past weekend. My career as a photographer isn't solid yet, so I'll stick to the drawing for now. 

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Aunt Ronnie's Ski House

My first commissioned piece! Aunt Ronnie asked me to do this drawing of her ski house up in Maine so that she could always be reminded of her sanctuary. This piece was a little difficult for me in that there were so many straight lines! I don't have a lot of experience with architectural drawings so this was a bit of a new experience for me but I'm really happy with the outcome. I especially love the soft texture of the pine trees in the background to the straight, solid structure of the house itself. This was done on an 8.5"x11" piece of drawing paper and Aunt Ronnie asked me to make it into blank greeting cards, which is an option with all the pieces I create. My hope is that Aunt Ronnie will look at this picture and feel as though she's up in Maine enjoying her ski house! 

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Oh Yeah, Right


Mom reminded me about this one when I showed her the blog:
I saw this picture as the cover of Equus and I absolutely fell in love with it, so I decided to recreate it. And to make matters worse, I thought I'd try my hand at acrylics. I've never really done painting, but figured it couldn't be that hard... Well, that heinous idea was soon set aright when I finished the preliminary sketch and started to paint. It was a great experience though, and I will certainly do more painting when I find the time. I'm calling this Snow-swept, and it's a 16"x20"? acrylic on canvas board. I had a very tough time mixing the colors on the horse's coat to get the right mix, as well as shading with paint to fill out the figure and give it depth and muscle. I don't think I really succeeded, as I'm particularly not thrilled with the colors on the horse, but I love the way the snowflakes came out--because the original was a photograph taken in the snow, the snowflakes in the foreground were blurry, which was a quality of the picture I loved, so I was determined to get that same quality with my rendition. I mixed water to varying degrees to the white paint in order to get the right transparent effect. Pretty cool. 

Something Different


So I can do things other than horses, so long as they're horse-related;)
Gathering Rust is a piece I started over Spring Break when I was at Mom's watercolor class and needed something to keep me busy. It's a 14"x17" graphite sketch that I took from an example in Mom's watercolor How-To book. When I saw the picture I knew that it was going to be a challenge, especially without color, because of the myriad of textures from the foreground to the background. I was concerned that the viewer wouldn't be able to appreciate the rust on the horse shoe and chain as it's hard to convey that texture with pencils. Overall I'm not thrilled with the piece, but I think I did an admirable job with the peeling, chipped paint and the textures on the horse shoe itself. And that's all I have backed up, so now onto some new things. Until then...

While at School

These two I did this past semester at school. Although I didn't make as much time as I'd have liked to do more art, I was happy that I managed to get these two completed, and expect that I'll try a little harder next year to make more time to draw.
I finished Companions relatively quickly and was pleased with the results. It's an 11"x14" sketch with graphite pencils from a picture out of a calendar. I had a hard time making the darker horse's mane lo
ok realistic and am not terribly thrilled with the results I had. However, I am content with the other horse, as I feel it came out very expressive and animated. 
Soul View is a picture I found in one of my horse magazines and I've always wanted to do a picture like this--a very modern look at the horse through the horse's soul. This too is an 11"x14" sketch with graphite pencils but I also have prints of both this and Companions in 10"x8" because they're a bit easier to frame. I'm happy with the way this picture tu
rned out, although I feel that I could have done a greater contrast with the darker areas to make the picture more vivid, but I didn't have the appropriate pencils. I've learned from that mistake however. 

Backlogged Items


Here are a few pieces that I've completed over the years that I haven't sold or misplaced. 
The first is a portrait I did of my horse Nick, who I just sold this past fall. It's on 8"x10" sketch paper and done with Prismacolor colored pencils (the only way to go with colored pencils, I swear) and I completed it in late 2005. The original photo was taken by my mom, so Thanks to her for taking such a great pic. My only regret with this piece is the heavy Sharpie outline I thought would make it look better (what was I thinking?) and also the crooked frame I put on it. Otherwise I'm
 super happy with the way it came out and I love how accurate the colors look.
This was the family Christmas card for the longest time, as Mom took this piece and had it printed on blank note cards. It didn't take me long to complete this, and it was done by fall of '06 on 8"x10" sketch paper in graphite pencils. I got the original picture from a calendar photo, but messed around with th
e horses' coat colors so they don't look exactly like the originals. I love how the dapples came out on the one horse--I was 
experimenting there and was pleasantly surprised how that came out. 

Welcome to My Blog

Hello There!
For those of you who know me already, as well as those of you I haven't met yet, welcome to my blog and thanks for visiting! This blog is meant as a stepping-stone for broadcasting my work and getting myself out there so that others can view and consider my work. I'll post a new blog for each piece completed and tell you a little about each work so that you can get a better understanding for what I'm doing and why I do it. 
If you have any questions about a particular piece, would like to order a print or commission a piece of your own, please email me. For those wishing to commission something, include in the email a photograph or picture you'd like re-created with details and comments (including size) that you'd like me to consider while completing the work. I'll then give you an estimate for how long it will take me to finish and price for the completed work. Prices will range depending on size and complexity of the piece, as well as the medium. *Please keep in mind that art takes time! Therefore, you cannot reasonably expect me to whip something up in hours--a decent piece takes anywhere from days to months to produce, and I work on a first-come, first-serve basis.*
So, I hope you enjoy previewing my work and perusing the blog. Of course, feel free to leave me comments and notes as I love to hear feedback from everyone. Thanks for all your support and love!