This is a character art drawing of a fuzzy monster face. Mediums used in the drawing are markers, pens, paint pens, and even watercolor and white paint. It started with broad washes of color over loosely sketched lines defining the placement of the eyes. Layer after layer of squiggly lines of color, in both ink and paint form, were continuously applied after that. And the eyes were redrawn multiple times after each pass of color. The head of the monster is slightly defined by the opacity and bulk of lines in particular areas, but the drawing was still kept loose and energetic. Also some abstract elements were added, like the heavy black line on the right side of the artwork.

These two expressive abstract portrait drawings of male faces were drawn in the year 2003 with markers and a white paint pen. Each portrait was drawn with quick energetic lines and multiple vibrant colors. Unorthodox colors encourage putting extra emphasis on the shapes, planes, lines, and contours of the male face. And artistic strategies other than value changes must be used to define the structure of an easily identifiable image, the human face. This process can help expand the creativity and visual language available to the artist.

This ceramic bowl and ceramic vase were created in 1998 from pottery clay. The ceramic bowl and ceramic vase were sculpted on a pottery wheel, and then painted with various colors of glaze. The painted clay bowl and vase were then fired in a kiln for a few days. The heat causes a chemical reaction in the clay and glaze, hardening it to the strength of ceramics.

This is a charcoal and pastel drawing of two trees created in 1998. A rich blue background was first applied to the paper with broad strokes, using the long edge of the pastel stick. Hints of green and blue were also applied to ground, with the white of the paper used to indicate the sandy landscape. This helps to invoke a desolate and cold feeling in the drawing. Black charcoal and white chalk was then used to loosely draw in the trees, using thin heavy lines. The short shadows indicate a high sun, and the barren trees add to the desperation of life trying to grow in a harsh environment.

In keeping with the tradition of Egyptian themed drawings, here is a charcoal drawing of an Egyptian Sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is traditionally reserved for mummified bodies of dead Egyptian pharaohs, so the face was detailed with deep cheekbones, eye sockets, and an emaciated look. The charcoal medium was used to draw quick energetic lines and create the structure of the sarcophagus. After blending and pushing the black charcoal around, sanguine sepia and white chalk was used to add the lighter gold portions around the headdress and face. The black charcoal was then used again to sketch in deep shadows by redrawing similar line paths multiple times. This helps to create unusually deep, dark shadows in the drawing that are not fully reproducible in a digital format. There is a sense of weight and depression to the drawing, thus making the clear white background all the more striking.

This charcoal drawing of a bonsai tree with the sun in the background was sketched in 1998. A tension is created between the contrast of soft pastels used for the background sky, sun, and atmosphere, and the crisp dark silhouette of the bonsai tree and rocky landscape. The soft orange and pink sun was drawn first, and then surrounded by the blue sky. The cliffs and rocks were drawn next with charcoal, with the bonsai tree itself loosely sketched after that. Blue highlights were added to the rock face, and more energetic lines were utilized to sketch the twigs and branches of the tree.

These two marker drawings of people, one of an old man and the other of a young woman, were sketched in the year 2003. Each portrait focuses on the face of each person, using a limited palette and opaque colored lines to recreate a likeness on paper. A white paint pen was also used for highlights. The stark colors add a cold and rigid feeling to these portrait drawings, even though the marker lines are kept fairly loose and energetic. Tension is also created between the upbeat style of drawing and the melancholy look on the old man and young woman’s faces.

This is a charcoal drawing of an Egyptian Sphinx, which was sketched in 1998. Heavy black charcoal lines were used to energetically draw the structure of the sphinx. Quickly moving from one area of the page to another helps to keep perspective on the whole drawing. Shadows were pushed very dark, and the white highlights are emphasized with chalk. White chalk was even used to fill in white areas of the paper, and blend some of the crisp charcoal lines. Sanguine sepia is used to highlight angles and perspective lines in the drawing of the Egyptian sphinx, which also helps to lead the viewers eye through the art and creates a sense of movement.

Similar to a recent post with charcoal gesture drawings, here are two more gesture drawings of human figures. Although the medium used in the first one is acrylic paint, so it should really be called a gesture painting. The figures were drawn from life. As live models would take a 30 second pose, the paint and charcoal was utilized to make quick gestural sketches. This helps to convey the energy and movement of the figure with a few quick expressive strokes of a brush. The posture or stance of the person is summed up quickly, and this process is often used as a warm up exercise before drawing more detailed sketches.

This is a pen drawing of an Old Man that was sketched in 1999. It is somewhat of a portrait, but it doesn’t focus on the face, rather the whole body and posture of the man. Light squiggly lines where used to quickly sketch in the body, with heavy crosshatching used to depict shadows and shapes. His hunched back and downward gaze help to reinforce the contemplative nature of the old man, as he slowly walks away from the viewer. Also, the drawing is approximately 9″ x 18″, and utilizes a slight wash of water to soften some of the crisp pen lines.