Update from the Cave pt. I (Patreon)

After I did all those little thumbnail sketches and color studies, I wanted to make some 3 dimensional references for the painting. 

This is not a very straight forward process for me. 

Typically when an artist creates reference for a painting, they are working from things that already exist. For example if an illustrator needs a horse in her illustration, she can look up references of a horse, and build a little model based on the reference. It's not easy, but it's straight forward.

I like ambiguity. I like improvisation and following my intuition and pareidolia and all that. Where to start?  

I knew I needed a cave. So I made a very crude sloppy little cave out of some paper, plaster of Paris inside a box. 

This will not be an exact model for my cave but it will help me with the light and shadow. and the light and shadow from this will inform the whole piece. It will also give my little models a good little backdrop if, god willing, I ever figure that out. 

The hardest part is the main figure thing. I did an automatic drawing on my underpainting that looked like this.

I really didn't know where to take it from this point. In most of my paintings, this is the part where I just keep painting. Figure it out as I go.

For this painting I'm really committed to experimenting with figuring it out off the canvas.

I had a bunch of sketches, which you can go back and look at in previous posts. They all had some ideas that I wanted to incorporate into it. 

But I still didn't really know where or how to start. So I just started. As I would with a painting.

I set up a little table right in front of the canvas and just started sculpting. I had my sketchbook right there so I could look for a jumping off point. Just searching.

It really wasn't working. The sculpture was alright. But it seemed like it didn't fit with the painting. I don't know how to describe why. It's an intuition thing.

One thing all the sketches and the automatic drawing on the canvas had in common were these ambiguous figures draped in fabric. 

So I set up a photoshoot with my friend Jazmin (I compensated her with Taco Bell) and I took a bunch of photos of her in different poses covered with a sheet. like this one.

I took a picture of the canvas, put it in photoshop and dragged in a few of the reference photos to see how they'd work. 

I started to see it. The parts started falling in place. There were thematic elements and design elements that just started clicking. 

To be Continued...

Happy January 3rd Everybody

I basically just worked on the cave painting all day. I listened to a lot of drone music. 

I've been taking little breaks to pet my cat and play my guitar.

I learned a Bach song recently and I pretty much have it nailed down. I could honestly sit there and play it over and over for hours. It's so nice.

Right now I'm trying to learn this Chopin piece and an Etude by Francisco Tarrega.

I'm trying to get back on my diet.

I don't know if I've ever shared this with the Choir, but last year I lost over 30 lbs. I haven't weighed myself since around Thanksgiving, but I know I've put some of it back on.

For me it's not about weight. I don't care about some number of lbs  (Or kilos for my international sweeties) I just feel better. I have more energy. 

It's still kind of hard because there's lingering treats and nonsense foods from the holidays. But I'll get there. 

My goal is to be able to be blown away by the wind. Just kidding.

Have fun

goodnight sweeties