six small studies still simmering

i don't even know what that alliteration was about.

anyway, i talked to chris thornock last week and he suggested i make 6 small paintings (5x7 inches) within the week to just explore and experiment before I really get into the big pieces for my project. i made them diptychs and it's been really fun! i've used different processes on each one and have done lots of stuff i've never tried before. the subjects relate to my actual paintings.

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picture 1: halfway through the process of diptych 1

picture 2: early stages of diptych 2

picture 3: what diptych 2 currently looks like

picture 4: early stages of diptych 3

picture 5: what diptych 3 currently looks like

by tomorrow, these will all be done. so be excited? or not. or whatever.

but i'm not gonna lie...i'm pretty excited about that last one especially.

confession

so...i kind of haven't really done art in like...um...six months. i got really burned out and needed a break. then life just got crazy with health and home problems. sooo now i'm trying to graduate! yesterday i went to two figure drawing classes just to get back into it. it was super helpful but also really hard because i've digressed so much. below is one drawing i did. it has a ton of proportion issues as well as other stuff. but i need to just post it so that i'm obligated and accountable to get better. i just need to start drawing again; i'm hoping the skills will eventually come back.

my first full-length figure drawing in...a year? 

exhausted after attending those classes and two meetings regarding my final bfa show, i ran into my wonderful friend and fellow illustrator melissa, who asked me if i'd like to "play art". the tired, puzzled look on my face told her she needed to expound on that idea, and she explained that it's her term for doing art just for fun. i had kind of forgotten about that novel idea. below is what i drew in the few minutes i had. it was fun and low-pressure exploratory and very imperfect. a good re-start. (while i did that, she was busy with THIS. clearly, she's been keeping busy with her art and it certainly pays off!)