Recent Work - December 2015

John O'Day - Colored Pencil

December 19, 2015

Some recent drawing and painting work from the past few weeks. The first one is a colored drawing of my friend John O'Day. When I posted this on Facebook the other day, someone put a funny caption below it that said, "I can't draw ears either".

Finally getting around to some serious watercoloring on the Freedom Raiders graphic novel. It's really good to get up close with the characters and to see the work of my friend Jim Clark who did the penciling on the project.

I've also been doing a lot of practice work, with ink, graphite and watercolor as I attempt to tighten and refine my technique to match the demands of comic book graphic. Still I try to leave enough of my own identity in the work. It's a tough balance at this point, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit it's very fun.

It's been unseasonably warm here in the Upper Midwest this winter. We've been lucky so far and the upside is more time to get outside and draw/paint. I swear the Farmer's Almanac is almost always more accurate than the Weatherman. The Almanac said it would be a warmer than normal winter.

Graphite Pencil

The threshold for outdoor work for me seems to be about 40 degrees f. Colder than that and my fingers and toes become too cold to work. I'm not out there all the time when it's cold, but all the bonus warmth seems a shame to miss.

Cathedral of St.Paul - Watercolor

Pencil, Ink & Watercolor - Jim Clark & Marty Owings