Book Project

My book project is not quite complete, but I am really enjoying working on it. I can’t wait to finish it and hopefully get it published.  For this project, I decided to use real photographs and manipulate the pictures to create mostly surreal images.  The subject is my niece and various dream-like scenes.  The story is going to be about a little girl and her different travels and dreams, which will also include some other “characters” or animals in the story.  Doing this project has opened up different ways for me to make are or illustrate books that I would not have previously considered or known how to do. 

Art Goals

My goal in art is to seriously commit to working on it consistently, multiple times a week.  I want to have one completed artwork finished a week, even if it is just something small. I basically have to treat my art like it is my second job and stop giving excuses to why I put it off or “don’t have time.”  Time is my biggest obstacle, but I really just need to manage my time better and make time for my art.  Ideally, I would like to sell artwork consistently as if it were a second job, to where eventually it becomes more of a bigger part of my income.  It’s always been a dream of mine to make art for a living, so this is my long term goal.  I just need to produce work consistently and build my skills. I also want to develop my own artistic style because right now, I do lots of different random things.  I still want to do different things, but I would like to develop my own unique style so I can start having series of works.

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Archimaboldo

Children's Book Review

I think the children's book The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson (illustrations by Beth Krommes) was an award-winning book for a few reasons.  The illustrations went well with the story.  The illustrations are simple yet detailed at the same time.  They are simple in the sense that they are black and white, with touches of yellow/gold.  This was perfect for the nighttime atmosphere the book presented. Each subject mentioned on a page was yellow, highlighting that page's picture as well as the text.  The pictures were very detailed despite the simple black and white & yellow look.  Every image was made of super detailed line drawings/hash marks. Some were really complex with tiny marks/lines that made up an image. I think these super detailed images made of lines/hash marks as well as the pictures being black/white/yellow are what helped this book win an award.

Text Art

Art Card

Medical Ethics "Corrupted Minds"

I would evaluate this piece as my best work, which I titled Corrupted Minds.  There are many reasons this is my favorite piece and reasons behind why I made this digital art piece (besides needing to for the medical ethics assignment). The subject has multiple images combined to create one image and mood.  There is an isolated room with lingering handprints as if someone were trying to escape, embedded text of a description of the medical ethics case I chose, a picture of money and pills. 

The medical ethics case was a disturbing case about a guy named Dan Markingson, who was diagnosed as schizophrenic and ended up committing suicide in 2004 while enrolled in a University of Minnesota clinical trial of antipsychotic drugs.  For months his mom desperately to get him out of the study, warning the psychiatrists that Dan’s condition was deteriorating and that he was in danger of killing himself. There was a lot of controversy over this case and many believe it reveals deep problems with the way clinical drug trials are designed, funded and carried out, and I have to agree. This is why I chose to include the picture of money and pills in my artwork. 

I really liked how my piece turned out because of the overall mood it gives. To me, it has a bit of a dramatic effect and it also blends everything together to where you have to look at it for more than just a second to really see what is there. Even then, some may not understand the meaning behind it simply by looking at it.  This is what I wanted to accomplish.  I also love how the colors and texture turned out.

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Art & Apps

Lemons

Lemons, 6x6 acrylic on wood

Orange

Orange, 5x5 acrylic on wood

Blue Flower

Blue Flower, 12x12 oil on canvas 

Lips

Lips, 5x6 acrylic on wood

Cherry

Still life in progress

Style 2

Last Painting for Class

Portrait in Progress

Whimsical Sky

Whimsical Sky - Acrylic on Canvas 18x20

I wanted to portray Van Gogh's style in a painting. This is my rendition of his Starry Night painting, painted in acrylics.  

Green Eye

Green Eye, Acrylic on Wood 5x7

I was very happy with how this eye turned out.  It was my first detailed painting of an eye, painted in acrylics. 

Apple

Apple, Acrylic on Wood

This was my second acrylic still life painting.  I was pleased with the finished product and how realistic it turned out.  I have a feeling I will be painting more still life in the future!

Moonlit Tree

Moonlit Tree, 20x16 Acrylic on Canvas

My inspiration for this painting was a breathtaking black and white photograph of a tree.  I decided to add in mountains and the moon, to create a nighttime scene.

Dark Waters

Dark Waters, Acrylic on Wood

This is a complimentary color acrylic painting.  Getting the colors just right for this one was tricky for me.  I love the way it turned out, especially with the sun setting behind the mountains.