A study of... just one more thing.
(sorry, I couldn't help myself)

This has been a solid year for me as an artist. Keeping the love for the craft alive can be hard at times, but it is often found in personal work and sketchbooks. Never forget to take a minute or two to draw just for the fun of it.

Thank you to everyone for all the support and encouragement.
I wish you all the very best in the new year
Cheers!

#illustrationart #sketching #skilldevelopment #digitalpainting #columbo

Today I am experimenting with mixing the energy of sketching with ink with some digital painting techniques to render it out. I am continuing still playing with my approach to portraits.

The main focus is finding a balance that is both expressive and thoughtful.

#inkdrawing #illustrationart #sketching #skilldevelopment #mixedmedia

For this year's Art VS Artist, I thought I would review some of the work I have been doing with my painting studies. I am very proud of the growth I have seen in my work over the past year, and I am very excited to see where my explorations take me in 2024.

#artvsartist2023 #digitalpainting #illustration #art

Today I was playing with pushing some more stylized approaches to some quick sketching.

#inkdrawing #illustrationart #sketching #skilldevelopment #sketchbookdrawing

I have been working digital the last couple weeks, and I really felt like getting my hands messy with a quick and dirty sketch.

Drawing in this way reminds me of how I used to draw many years ago. It can be easy to fall into the more polished styles when working commercially. All the more reason to keep a sketchbook going, and to draw for the sake of drawing whenever you can.

#inkdrawing #illustrationart #sketching #skilldevelopment #sketchbookdrawing

Study of a green plastic cup in the morning sunlight.

Something that caught my eye this morning. The way the light was hitting the cup and refracting in the remaining water made for some interesting shapes.

Remember to take time to look out for the pretty little details the day can send your way.

#art #illustration #SkillDevelopment #digitalpainting #stilllifepainting

I decided slow things down a bit both in approach and subject matter. Playing with a lot of hatching and how the absence of the hatching can create volume in the negative space.

I really love the feeling of drawing with a dip pen on toothy paper.

#sketchstudy #illustration #art #skilldevelopment #inkdrawing #snail

Study of a lost dream.

I really loved Banshees of Inisherin, and I thought I would challenge myself to do a painting study of one of the most powerful cinematic gut punches in recent years. Barry Keoghan's performance was masterfully subtle and it was very fascinating to try and capture when his heart split in half.

#art #illustrations #SkillDevelopment #paintings #bansheesofinisherin #portraitpainting #films

I am still in a spooky mood while also pushing myself to work without an underdrawing. Adding in an ink wash is really feeling nice and is something I think I will continue with.

#inkdrawing #illustration #sketching #spooky #Bats #skilldevelopment

I had a really great drawing session last night with a buddy of mine where, I also got to test out a new pen and brush I picked up. Here are some highlights.

Manuscript Dodec Fountain Pen with a 0.85mm nib
Molotow Aqua Squeeze Pen (filled with water and 4 drops of Higgins Black Magic Ink)

This combination felt really great to use and was incredibly portable. Might be my go-to for a while when sketching.

#illustration #pendrawing #Ink #art #inkdrawing #sketching #skilldevelopment