Candled Apple

Candled Apple. December 29, 2011.

Randomly came across some art challenge online (can’t find it now), that inspired this piece. The challenge was to basically sketch two items (in the same sketch) at a dynamic angle. It specifically said a candle and an apple in that art exercise, however for the purposes here you could choose your two items from various different objects, like a bunch of grapes and a wrench, or whatever your fuzzy little heart demands.

Though the goal of the art exercise that inspired this sketch had likely been the unique dynamic angle, I took it to a different place entirely. Preferring to draw the two items being used together in an unexpected way, I did just that. And the apple became the candle holder. Which I thought was far more interesting than doing a cut off close up of the two sitting next to each other in a haphazard manner with an askew viewpoint, as in the examples shared there. Then of course, later when I realized I could call it a candled apple, I giggled and felt even better than before about my deviation and rebellion against the instructions. In art you can’t always follow the rules.

So perhaps you could draw a palm tree with it’s top more closely resembling the blades of a fan, and give it a clever name like …uh… Palm Breeze, or some such whimsical nonsense. Have fun with. Sweet giggly, rebellious fun.

Does the concept of rules in art ever strike you as off? Have you ever attempted to follow some instructions for an art exercise, then veered straight off left field in the process, and wound up with something that made you happier than it could have if it had followed to form?

Goth Sketch Warm Ups

Shirtless Goth Guy Sketch. Oct. 21, 2011.

It’s maybe about 4 in. w x 6 in. h.  

Last year I acquired this great little sketchbook. Despite often forgetting I have it, when I do remember I get extra excited about sketching. Yes, I love miniature things, but more than that it’s a nice looking pro-grade sketchbook, it’s aesthetics add to the atmosphere for doing little drawings. That’s always a good feature of an art supply. After all, it is essentially an art journal, and one’s journal is easier to maintain if it looks decent.

The sketch at the top is the very first thing I drew in the sketchbook. Yes, a hot shirtless guy, and yeah he is goth. He’s also at least half Asian. I’ve been told by some chick, “Yeah he’s hot but too skinny for me.” I had to refrain from facepalming right in front of her, cuz he’s standing at an angle, which anyone with a decent grasp of anatomy, perspective, & logic can clearly see his hips are tilted making him appear skinnier than he is. And I might add this sketch is just that, a 10 minute warm-up sketch. I know that I should not let it bother me that some would interpret him skinnier than he is, but thing is he’s thin, wiry and cut, not Aeon Flux’s cousin. But enough of the peeve of misinterpretation.

Goth Lady Sketch. Nov. 14, 2011.

And the very next sketch in there is this pretty goth girl, which I included in this post since they sort of go together. It’s a wee bit more detailed than the photograph shows, but not much you can do to enhance the photographing of the light loose pencil sketch detailing. I refuse to tear pages out of this sketch book for scanning. I’ve done that to spiral sketchbooks in the past, but it bugged me even then. At last, I finally have a not just decent camera but a high quality one. As an art supply, digital cameras are freaking sweet, so much easier to do what I gotta do with them. And wow do I love the macro feature, comes in handy often with the tiny detail work I include more often than not.

There would’ve been much less time between the first two sketches, if had hadn’t been packing up my house and enacting a cross country move, then adjusting to said move in between the two sketches. Although, gotta say except for missing January, February and July entirely I’ve only been remembering I have this sketchbook once a month. Life’s been a crazy rollercoaster for awhile. You’d think that placing it in an obviously in my face spot would help increase it’s frequency of use, but that has yet to succeed. Not worried though, it will become a regular habit before much longer. Then suddenly it will be filled, and I’ll be sad and have to acquire a replacement. Acquiring replacements is a pain, trickier than it ought to be but something workable usually is found.

Do you get slightly cranky when someone misinterprets your art? Does that cause you to cringe when thinking about gallery settings? Who else has a cool sketchbook? Do you also enjoy doing goth artwork? Do you wish you were more in the habit of doing your warm-up sketches?