Ever done this? Or experienced it before? I wanted to have a hectic background and convey the emotions of the couple. Being that they are in a passionate moment, it is just them, and all else seems far away or a blur. I wanted hot colors to show the lust, and desire.
As for the music video below, what better to go with this illustration than D'Angelo's "How does it feel" video. Good lyrics, and at that time what a nice body he had in this music video. I found myself drooling after two minutes of watching it.
The Sandy Hook shooting really has had an effect on me. Like everyone else, I do not understand how someone could go into an elementary school and shoot children. And like every other liberal out there, I strongly feel something should be done about our gun control laws. There are way too many shooting sprees that have been happening, it is starting to make me physically ill. I drew this picture while after hours of watching the news regarding the Sandy Hook shooting. The title, "Pass Me Not" is basically regarding the title of a popular gospel hymn about prayer. Anyone that has been an avid church goer would know the words of this song and more than likely have heard it several times: "Pass me not O gentle savior, hear my humble cry, while on others thou art calling.. do not pass me by..."
My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families. RIP.
Below is a link showing my artist profile in Shakefist Magazine. I was so excited I couldn't sleep after seeing my name in bold letters. I felt so honored to be the artist in which was profiled for the month. Never happened before, and just think this is the beginning!
Ever been very upset? I don't have much of a temper but sometimes I wish I did, I would love to throw or break something. I have seen people do it. But, I can always do it in my illustrations. Basically I drew this picture when I was suddenly irritated about the fact I couldn't go to a concert happening in Boston due to not having enough money. which to a certiain degree I am used to, however it is getting old. Mediums used: Photoshop and pen. I added a static texture in the background.
"They Are Watching" Illustration. Mainly about friendships between men and women. As a child, it is nothing to become friends with the opposite sex, but as you get older and become an adult, it usually raises eyebrows. The illustration shows a binocular view, showing that the two people in the illustration are being watched by someone.
"Work Sucks" illustration, pen and photoshop. Work stress is terrible in my opinion, especially when it is a career that you are not interested in, or find boring. I just had to capture how I felt at work most of the time.
Work Stress by the numbers
40% of people found their jobs very or extremely stressful 26% of people found to be burned out or stressed often by their work 29% found to be stressed quite a bit or extremely so because of their work.
I guess I was just in a bad mood when I drew this, I have no clue. Honestly, I had to research on how blood splattered and literally felt sick looking at blood for 15 minutes.
Utilizing mediums such as Photoshop, oil pastels, along with others, his illustrations have a hint of realism. He effectivity illustrates movement in some of his artwork with some of his techniques. Beautiful. Check out his webpage below.
Illustration by Barry Patterson. Portfolio and webpage is below.
I am having an artshow at the All Asia Bar in Cambridge. So this is my invitation to anyone who would like to check out my artwork. Information is as follows:
ARTSHOW AT THE ALL ASIA BAR LOCATED AT 334 MASS AVE, CAMBRIDGE MA TIME: 5PM SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2012 FEEL FREE TO BRING ANYONE YOU WANT
"The Stage" This is one of the first times I experimented with the "Lighting Effects' in Photoshop. Goes well with the pic as it really looks like she is on a stage with the effects.
MGK-- Invincible music video
Why have I never heard of this guy? I assume maybe my obsession with rock music has caused me to check out different music a lot less.
THE ABORTION FIGHT.
I can't believe in 2012 we are still
having the discussing whether or not women should have the right to an abortion, and the right to take contraceptives. Or should I say, the right for contraceptives to be covered by our health insurance. Talk about being out of touch right? Roll back to the 1950's, next we will have the great honor of having to have a man co-sign our mortgage and car loan. Romney is doing what he does best which is flip flopping on the issue. But lets be real, one of his goals are if he is to become president, is to defund Planned Parenthood and try to overturn the Roe vs. Wade decision from 1973. As we all know, that decision made abortion legal for women. Abortion illegal, contraceptives not covered by health insurance... oh my.. imagine that... what will he think of next? Don't answer that, I don't want to know.
HALLOWEEN ILLUSTRATION. By me of course, who else?
It wouldn't be a perfect Halloween without a romantic dance with death. I don't know, but for some reason I had the hardest time coming up with an idea for a Halloween theme this year. I wanted the pumpkin to look like there was a fire inside of it. I think it looks pretty affective. As far as the date with death, I thought that the weirdest thing would be for her to dance with either the Grim Reaper or a skeleton.
Remember during the Presidential Debates Mitt Romney brought up PBS and Sesame Street's Big Bird? Do you also remember he mentioned getting rid of PBS? Which would mean that children around the country would no longer enjoy Sesame Street and all the beloved characters on the show. Below is a brief video regarding an eight year old from Alabama and her letter to Mitt Romney regarding her plea to not rid of PBS because of her love for Big Bird. Obviously she didn't write the letter herself, or did not watch the whole Presidential Debate let alone understand fully what each opponent was talking about.
"The Rage" done with pen and colored through Photoshop. Can you guess what I was feeling while drawing this one?
Have you ever looked an artwork, whether photography, a painting, or illustration, and felt a strong emotion while looking at it? Any kind of emotion whether it is anger, sadness, or maybe even a feeling of happiness. Some artists do very well at getting their point across or showing a strong emotion through their art.
From the paintings of Jackson Pollock, to the controversial artpiece, "Piss Christ" by Andres Serrano, many artists have given the audience something they have never seen before. Part of the creativity of creating a new piece of artwork, is to think about what is an effective way to grab the attention of the audience.
Give the audience something they have never seen before. Jackson Pollock's paintings were effective because he used a technique that was new at the time called the "drip" method. The art created was often huge and allowed for the viewer to be engulfed in dreamylike images
Content is another way to grab attention. The creation "Piss Christ" by Andres Serrano, to this day still causes a lot of political controversy.
My greatest illustration came about when I was feeling a strong emotion at that given moment. Captivate the audience by getting them to feel what you are feeling, whether it be by symbolism or creating something that happens to be the extreme. The trick is to give them something to think about while looking at your artpiece.
WHEN I THOUGHT OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS THAT I DID BELOW, I WAS SO TERRIFIED OF WHAT PEOPLE WOULD THINK OF ME. THOUGHTS RAN THROUGH MY HEAD SUCH AS: "WHAT IF PEOPLE THINK I WERE CRAZY?"I THINK ABOUT IT NOW, AND I THINK A GOOD ILLUSTRATOR IS NOT AFRAID TO TAKE CHANCES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, DOES NOT CARE WHAT SOMEONE ELSE THINKS. I PUSHED THE BOUNDARY A LITTLE BIT WITH THE ILLUSTRATIONS, JUST A LITTLE. HOWEVER, NO MATTER HOW CRAZY SOMEONE THINKS I AM, IT IS THE ART THAT PUSHES BOUNDARIES, THAT IS DARING, AND IS CONTROVERSIAL, THAT GRABS THE MOST ATTENTION. MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE JUDGEMENTAL, ARE THE ONES THAT ARE NOT ARTISTS AND JUST PLAIN DO NOT GET IT. QUITE FRANKLY, WHO CARES IF THEY DO OR NOT? I HAVE HAD MY SHARE OF PEOPLE MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT MY ARTWORK. STATEMENTS SUCH AS I AM "ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING" AND I NEED "PSYCHIATRIC HELP". QUESTIONS SUCH AS, "WHY IS YOUR ARTWORK SAD?"
WELL, MAYBE I AM CRAZY, BUT... THIS IS MY STYLE.
So vast is art, so narrow human wit.--Alexander Pope
CAN YOU BELIEVE SOUNDGARDEN IS BACK?! They happen to be one of my favorite bands of all time. I was so sad when they disbanded back in 1997. Hopefully, they will make their way to Boston. I happened to be driving in my car and hear this song on the radio.
My main character, NIK, playing guitar. I thought maybe the lighting effects would help to make it look like she was on a stage performing in front of people.
I love cartoons I will be the first to say it. Family Guy, The Simpsons, and American Dad; I just can't get enough of them. Funny the main thing all three have in common is their relentless way of making fun of everyone from homosexuals, African Americans, the wealthy and Hispanic Americans. There is no limit to these shows which brings about most of the humor.
I guess that is part of what makes the shows funny right? They say things that no one dares to utter in fear of offending someone or getting beaten up. From what I see in these clips, cartoons have always had a way of pushing the envelope. Below are some cartoon clips from over a half a century go.
I wanted to capture the feeling of emptiness and loneliness. One effective way was to have the background setting show a desolate graveyard in which the character is sitting. I wanted the focus to be on him and how he felt by having the background mainly in black & white, with the colored leaves to guide the viewer to the character.
When on Twitter recently I saw one of the most creepy Jesters someone had posted. Gave me the idea to draw this weird guy, of course it wouldnt be my signature illustration without a weapon on his hand.
Illustration-- same mediums I always use, pen, and photoshop. I didnt do much cross-hatching on this one because I wanted the viewers focus to go to the sunset in the background.
"Alien Spaceship"-- This I will actually be presenting at my artshow later in the year and the first time I have ever drawn a silhouette. One of my favorite illustrations, I took advantage of all of perks of Photoshop. Instead of just coloring only, I also added a few special effects.
Protester being dragged away by policemen during the Civil Rights Movement
I can't believe after all that black people went through to have the right to vote African American Pastors are telling Christians to stay home on Election Day. This is due to Obama's belief that gays should marry, and Romney being part of the Mormon faith. How silly, and what a waste of time the Civil Rights Movement would of been if African Americans are urged to stay home because of this. Personally I do not think anyone should stay home during election day. It is a day in which we can voice our choice. Obama is not only for the rights of gays but also for women, students with loans, and middle class Americans.
My favorite characters of all time "Nik & Mike", cartoon I created while in college. the characters have a changed a little as well as the story line. Picture depicts them protesting something, to a certain extent I was making fun of myself. "Pebbs" is actually me, my friends and family call me that for short. I wanted to have a lack of color in this picture to give it more of a late 1960's feel to it.
It is not a huge secret that obesity is a huge issue in the United States. Fast food is readily available, we all have become so busy and engulfed in our jobs we barely have time to cook or exercise. Children no longer want to go out and ride their bikes or play "Hide N Seek" but would rather stay home and play video games or surf the internet.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has made it a point to ban large sugary drinks over 16 ounces in public places in New York City. He came to this decision of course because of the high obesity rates. So is banning large sugary drinks in restuarants, cafeterias, and concession stands really going to lower the obesity rates? Sodas, iced coffees loaded with sugar, and frappuccinos are not the only thing that is leading to the high obesity rate. In fact it is only a small fraction of it. What about fast food, lack of exercise, cable television? It is amazing how many channels we can now get, of course wouldn't that be a distraction from exercising?
People are going to do whatever they want to do regardless. Anyone can easily grab a two liter of soda and drink that at home, amongst other foods that they can indulge in. I am not a fan of soda or sugary drinks, but I do think that people should make their own choices and we should not make it for them. Someone drinking a lot of soda does not affect anyone else. It almost reminds me of State Seatbelt Laws. If someone decides not to wear their seatbelt, it only hurts them and no one else.
Personally I think we should focus on other more important things rather than sugary drinks, but that is just me.
It amazes me so much how much this man has flipflopped on Obamacare. What amazes me in the first place, was that he passed the health mandate in Massachusetts. Of course I would know, I live in Massachusetts, all of us here have to have health insurance and if we do not we get penalized during tax time. What is funny about Mitt Romney, he was so adamant about the fact of Obamacare being a tax and how he was going to repeal it. Then recently, says he would like to keep parts of it. So which is it? Below I have a two video clips, one of him saying he would repeal Obamacare if he gets elected, the other saying he would keep "parts of it".
And now.....
So I guess it is safe to say he agrees with the president?
This is what the illustration looks like before coloring with photoshop. I start off with using a Micron pen and do a little cross-hatching.
This picture I actually illustrated for the Neponset Health Center in Boston. Although you can't see it when you go in, because they placed it in the areas where the patients, Dr.'s, and nurses go. Basically not in an area where there is a lot of traffic. What was great about this one? It was my Dr.'s idea for me to draw a picture dealing with health.
I think we all know how important a good health and exercise is for our vitality. I once read an article on CNN.COM, basically the most bogus one I have ever read. It was about how exercise does not necessarily help you to lose weight because you eat more. Well I would assume most people would know if you eat the right things after a hard workout, you will not plateau in your weight loss. Of course it is a horrible idea to work out hard and then turn around and get a meat lovers pizza with a soda and chips. What I find however, is that watching your portions are a big deal. Here are some other tips from me.
Drink plenty of water
Snack on plenty of fruit
Exercise consistently, 4-5x a week for at least 30 minutes. Most people make the mistake of working out consistantly for 2-3 weeks then stopping because they feel that they have not lost much weight. It takes time to lose the pounds. You didn't get the pounds overnight, therefore you will lose it overnight either.
Weight train-- which will help you gain muscle in the process and you will burn more calories
Find out what motivates you-- we all have our motivations when it comes to exercising. Whether it is looking forward to that cute guy at the gym, buying new exercise gear, or just that dress that you have been wanting to fit in to for such a long time. My personal motivation? I run races, mostly 5K's and 10K's and always want to give my best performance out there. Another, sometimes those races have some really cute guys. Lastly, if I gain weight, I can't afford new clothes.
Picture depicting women picketing for their right to vote in the early 20th Century.
Obama... Romney... the finger pointing.. the bickering. Which one do we choose??? I know sometimes election day and days leading up to it can cause some confusion and annoyance for others. Often times I hear people say how they don't vote, dont want to vote, how their vote doesnt count, that it doesn't matter. I just wanted to say why I really take advantage of election day, and my freedom to vote as a black woman. I honor and appreciate the long hard road American women had to travel so that we could have our right to vote. I often think about the risks that black Americans and white Americans took so that black people could have their right to vote without intimidation. I think about Womens Suffrage which took place from 1848-1920. During the Civil Rights Movement, many Americans risked their lives and were beaten, marched went to jail, and toiled so that we can have the rights that we have today. I realize it, I get it, I understand that, and I do not want their hard work to be in vain. Thank God for these brave men and women, black and white, who fought for our civil rights. If they were not courageous enough to fight for our rights, then how would things be today.
There is no excuse for not voting, if that right was taken from any of us, we would feel awful.
Titled "The End", a day of destruction depicted, mainly to show despair when in such conditions.
As I said previously, I grew up in a religious family. Often talk about the end of the world, The Second Coming and God's wrath. No matter how you grew up, what kind of background you have, it is one of those discussions that can be a little scary and troublesome to most people. Talking about destruction, death, and the end of the world, is a great way to disturb anyone or make them lose sleep. Economic Crisis, poverty, war, crime rates in America steadily going up...you see and hear preachers saying that God told them when the world is going to end or when God's second coming is... being of these reasons, often of course they are wrong and have no clue when this is going to happen. Or should I say they are wrong in saying they know the exact date... Truth is, none of us know, how can you know for sure unless God or an Angel told you face to face which of course is not going to happen because since obviously, God and Angels.. and Satan for that matter, do not have physical bodies. Don't you think however, it is a good idea that the world does not know the exact date and time? Just think about what kind of chaos it would cause, if all of us knew the exact date and time of Jesus Second Coming along with the actual destruction of the Earth. And if you did know when the world was going to end, how would you spend that time?
Through this illustration I did above, I mainly wanted to depict the feel of despair and desperation, if I, or someone else, or anyone were to be in such a situation where no one could help you. Also showing the ending of the Lords Prayer. Even people that.. so called, don't b"elieve in God", have an urge to pray in desperate situations, I know.. because I see it happen a lot.
Sorry I have been away for a while. I am working on my next post and artpiece which is about THE END OF THE WORLD. A favorite subject for a lot of us right? So when is the end of the world, I guess eventually dead or alive we will find out...
In the meantime a video from Youtube below from Creature Animation titled "Sp00ns Birthday Surprise"
