Sketchbook Friday - Circus Character Revivals

Back in college, I created these sketches for a homework assignment. Ever since, they've been sitting in a box in my room, the ideas collecting dust. I was fixing some files on my computer recently when I found these old scans of the originals.

I like circuses and carnivals, so these characters were an exploration of those fancies. 

For this sketch, I thought of a woman so obsessed with jewelry/beauty, that she ate it. It's one of those ideas where if someone does something repeatedly enough, they'll become like that object/idea.

The drawings I've been doing recently are inspired by these sketches. I think it's time to revive these characters.  Maybe in color pencil, maybe pen?

Are there any characters that catch your attention? The Juggler is my favorite sketch! 

Sketchbook - Color Pencil Onew # 2

This is a reference photo I used to create the base of another color pencil drawing. Once again, Onew (a member from the Korean group SHINee) makes an appearance.

The topic of home had been lingering in my mind when working on this drawing. I associate Onew with the idea of home, only because his personality appears to be down-to-earth, easy going, and calm. That's how I would like my future home to be. 

My job also had some influence on the end result. Working in an architecture firm has made me more aware of architectural details. So much of my recent work includes quirky houses decked in mountains of tiles and patterns.

Enjoy the photo progression!

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       Click on the images to enlarge

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Onew #2. May 2013. Rembrandt Polycolor Pencils

 I would love to do a collection of people as homes. It's a nice topic I hope to explore in the future (not including the many other projects I seem to start and not finish, heh).

Side note: I'll be retaking a photo of this drawing. The skin came out paler than it actually is.

Sketchbook - SHINee Color Explosion

I mentioned in a previous post (click here) that a Korean boy band named SHINee inspired me to draw again after a personal crisis. This is another SHINee member I decided to draw. His name is Kim Kibum-although, he goes by the name Key. I used this photo as a reference for the base sketch. It's been awhile since I've drawn faces, so I was worried about the end result. It took me a few hours to get a rough sketch down before I started coloring.

I struggled with the collar and shoulder design. I realized the pattern clashed with his hair. I had to figure out a way to erase the pattern-especially since the layer of color pencil was heavy-without destroying the integrity of the paper. I gently erased as much of the pattern as I could (Color pencil applied on lightly is easy to erase. Applied heavily, it's a different story). The color had dulled down enough that I applied a new layer of color pencil. I do like the end result, especially since some of the previous pattern shows through. It gives the collar and shoulder more dimension.     

SHINee's Kim Kibum. 2012. Color pencil.

It took me more than a month to finish this while juggling between work and other projects. It's even more difficult to finish full color pieces since I work full time now. That breaks me heart a little, but I try to figure out ways around the time crunch.

Happy Friday everyone!

Sketchbook Throwback

Demiloon. 2010. Materials: Color pencils, acrylic paint, card stock, black artagain paper.

Jumping off my comment about throwbacks from this week's Photography Wednesday post, I thought I'd pull out a few old illustrations I created in college. At the time, I used to layer different types of paper to create more dimension between the background and foreground. It was a fun method and one I would like to get back to in the close future.  

The above image was a commissioned piece. The story I had in mind was about an evil clown who collected the souls of children, harboring them in balloons.

2009. Materials: Color pencils, acrylic paint, card stock, black artagain paper.

This was an incomplete piece I created for a college class. I can't remember what the premise was for this one, but I did enjoy the construction of women as flowers (not the most original of ideas!). 

If I do delve back into this method, I would like to create the base colors on my own rather than use different colored papers. It's something I always had in mind to do, but with taking seven classes per semester, it was difficult to execute the full idea.

Do you have any old techniques/methods you'd like to return to in future art works?

Artist Reawakening - Onew I

I had dropped illustration for awhile since I struggled with personal and financial issues when the recession hit a few years ago. It really crushed my creative spirit. One day, I randomly stumbled onto a music video from a Korean boy group called SHINee. For some reason, listening to their songs lifted my spirits.

After some time (2012), and feeling in a better mood, I decided to work on a color drawing to see if my hands remembered how to utilize art utensils and materials.

- This is the reference image I used. Onew is the leader of SHINee and my favorite Korean singer. 

I drew a rough version of Onew's face and started to let ideas flow on the page. Then I broke out the color! This was my first time utilizing Rembrandt polycolor pencils.
 

Sunset Onew. 2012. Rembrandt Polycolor Pencil, tan cardstock.

I felt so relieved once I completed this. It felt really good to know I still had the heart to illustrate ideas.

Then again, when your passionate about something, that passion never really leaves you, does it?



This piece holds a special place in my heart. I didn't think listening to music would motivate me to dive back into drawing again. It triggered an artistic reawakening in me, something I truly needed.   

Sketchbook - All Aboard The Carnival Hell!

This is the second boat-Carnival Hell-I've drawn in my small ship series (the first one being the Nautilus, which can be viewed here). Once again, my love for carnivals made its way into a drawing-I have a serious soft spot for ferris wheels. I sketched the boat first, and then free handed the rest in color pencil and ball point pen.

I named this ship Carnival Hell because I envisioned all the rides to be broken, as suggested by the defunct looking ferris wheel. So even though this looks like a fun ship to be cruising on, board it at your own risk!  

I've recently been getting into drawing smaller than usual. Each drawing is around 4"x5". I've never really worked in this size before and I like it. This doesn't surprise me though, especially since I collect small trinkets like pressed pennies, dishware, and art cards. Plus, small pieces feel like intimate experiences the viewer can hold on to. You have to get close to the piece to discover all the fun details.

 

Sketchbook - Shipwrecked Nautilus

 

My favorite subject to draw and photograph are boats, barges in particular. I went on a boat drawing binge last year. I drew this in pen and added pencil to get ideas for shading. Because of my full time job, I don't draw as much as I'd like to, so most of this was done while traveling to work (I take a boat to get to the city, the perfect place for boat sightings).

I've experimented with different color pencil brands and my favorite by far is Rembrandt poly-color pencils. Surprisingly, they aren't in supply at many art stores, and I've only been able to find them in one store in the city. They're great for sharp clean edges and detail. I also like to use Derwent soft color pencils for blending. I decided to use the ball point pen to be my darkest shade; it helped in terms of color separation. 

Viola, the Nautilus drawing was completed. This feels more like a rough drawing than a final, but I do enjoy the play on color. 

NOTE: Due to sickness, I haven't been able to work on Pipa and Tak, so I'll postpone posts about them until the beginning of May. I'll also be going on vacation starting this Sunday, so that's another reason for the delay. Happy Friday everyone.

 

Sketchbook - Harvester of Flowers & Sneak Peak

Harvester of Flowers. 2013. Ball point pen and pencil on Canson illustration paper.

This is one of the few drawings I've created that comes close to completion (I have conflicting feelings about finishing works, which I've talked about in this post here). The drawing was inspired by straw hats farmers wear while working and harvesting food in the fields. This Bird Man is a harvester of flowers.

I've only returned to drawing and coloring in recent years after a period of shutting out my passions due to a few personal struggles when the economy went down the drain in 2010. It feels good to know that even though I'm a bit rusty, the drawing skills I've developed throughout the years haven't completely left me.

Work-In-Progress of Pipa and Tak.

I haven't made as much progress with beloved Pipa and Tak as I would have liked, but I thought I'd show a raw work-in-progress of a drawing I am currently attempting to finish. I wanted to flush out their characters and appearances a bit more. Their outfits in previous sketches appeared too generalized. They're clothes are more distinct to their character now. 

I'll definitely have more to show for next week's Sketchbook Friday, so stay tuned! 

Sinister Sisters Pipa and Tak # 1

The Introduction

From all the countless characters I have ever created and drawn, these two mischievous sisters are my favorite. The older sister, Tak, sports quirky ponytails and overalls. She's fascinated by sharp objects, especially butcher knives and meat cleavers. She's the more sinister of the two, plotting twisted and deadly pranks against strangers just for fun.

Pipa, the youngest, has a quiet, killer curiosity and loves to experiment with traps. She's the introvert of the pair and usually follows along with Tak's plans without protest.

I first created these characters during college and they've stuck with me ever since. I've always found children to be deadly in some way, and I'm fascinated by stories where irrationality leads to dire consequences in the name of entertainment.

This definitely isn't the last you'll see of them.

SketchBook - Cupcake Binge

Cupcake Sketch. 2013. Rembrandt Polycolor Pencils on black paper. 

There's a cupcake shop in NYC called Baked by Melissa. The cupcakes are literally the size of a small stack of quarters. Despite this, they're ridiculously delicious. I even went on a cupcake binge at some point, eating and drawing cupcakes a few times a week. My favorite flavors at their shop are Cinnamon, Tie-Dye, and Peanut Butter & Jelly. It's the perfect pick me up when I want a small bite of something sweet, especially on gray days.  

I think cupcakes are great practice subjects for color pencil drawings. They have lovely textures and color variations. I haven't used black paper (Artagain paper by Strathmore) in awhile, and decided to play around with it. This paper is versatile for dry media, albeit, the colors come out a tad bit dull, so I layer constantly to get vivid colors with smooth textures. This process works for me because I'm a fan of layering. I've also gotten away with incorporating dabs of acrylic paint, which works well only as decorative touches. Any heavy handling of paint on this paper will result in warping and curling, so be careful!

 

SketchBook - Idea in Starvation

Unfinished Sketch by PikiThins. Ball point pen work. Focusing on gestural ideas.

Imagine your ideas becoming malnourished when you ignore them. In their weakened state, they desperately struggle to hold tight to your brain, but that effort alone depletes their energy. They slowly starve and when they die, you suddenly feel as if you've forgotten something. Then you think: "I'll eventually remember." What you don't realize is that you never will.

When an idea first pops into my mind for a drawing, it's strong, flexible, and vibrant. However, it loses strength fast after birth, and then the drawing remains unfinished, the figure on the page an apparition of what it could be, never fully realized. 

Unfinished Drawing by PikiThins. Ball point pen & pencil work.

It's a terrible habit of mine since my college days; this 'unfinished' streak I've been running with. Countless drawings, craft projects, and writings have been left incomplete. It seems like a forbidden act to finish a work, and a voice in the back of my head shouts "turn back around, your walking in the wrong direction!" So I listen, I turn, and walk away without a second thought, dissatisfaction trailing behind me like a lost puppy unsure of where to go.

 Its troubling, especially since I firmly believe that what you draw is a reflection of your state of mind. To be frank, after thinking about it, I think this relates to my struggle to commitment and confidence. 

  

Does drawing reveal something about you?

SketchBook - Ball Point Rant

I draw organically when I use a pen. My mind wanders, and I only know the direction it goes when the figure takes its final form on the page. With pencils, I plan and plan and plan until the drawing stops making sense. I tend to think too hard when drawing in pencil. In any case, I usually start my drawings with a circle. For me, patterns play a large role in character creation.

 The Ball Point

A blue ball point pen has always been my preferred drawing utensil. 

Ball points remind me of angry doodles scribbled in the cramped margins of my notebook, of disjointed ideas being slashed across their bellies by the lines on the sheet, of attempting to condense my emotions into the white space left at the bottom of a page when I'd written too much on things that don't matter and spoken too little on the things that do.

After finishing with the pen, I move on to color pencil. I usually start coloring at the edges of things, where clothes meet skin, where patterns meet patterns. Peach/pink is one of my favorite colors. I use it as a base or undertone color for the entirety of an image.

I've used ball point for so long that I'm more comfortable drawing with it than with a pencil. I'm loose and quick with a pen, mistakes and stray lines are welcome, but with a pencil, I'm sluggish and self conscious. A mistake feels costly.

Ball points don't have much of a designation other than to create lines. They aren't designer or art pens. They can be anything and I think that's why I like them so much; they reflect a desire of mine to be free-spirited, to not be tied down by a designation. 

Which do you prefer? The pen or the pencil?