December 31st 2010: Always Looking Doomed / The End Is Nigh

The End Is Nigh. I've done it before and I'll more than likely do it again, but I decided to finish off the year with a zombie self portrait. Above = photo, below = zombie.

Good facial expression captured, good eyes, good blood splatter. The end of the year. Wow. 365 drawings in as many days. Alongside all of my uni work and other stuff. It's been absolutely brutal on some days when I just could not find the inspiration/effort/ideas to be going on with. Whilst on other days it's been just awesome. I think 2011 is going to be interesting, I'm going to go for some larger pieces worked across a couple of weeks / a month rather than loads of little quick ones. I feel my skills have come on in leaps and bounds, certainly my knowledge and understanding of different techniques and styles has. I'm getting all nostalgic now. It was definitely a worthwhile challenge to set for myself. Bring on 2011.

December 30th 2010: Tiger Boy

Continuing from yesterdays styles and theme of big cats. Doesn't work quite as well due to the fact that it's got a lot of white fur and so there's big spaces. But it still works well I think, a little more cutesy maybe but still good. Only one more to go.

December 29th 2010: The Lion's Share

Sometimes the lion's share ain't fair.

This looked like it wasn't going to work right the way up until I finished it. Luckily it all came together in the end otherwise it would have been a massive waste of two hours. Note to self: add a mid-grey outline to the edge of something, looks like a shadow. Nice.

December 28th 2010: Always Looking Bemused

Went for the dumb, stumbling zombie type today as opposed to yesterdays angry, intelligent one. This however means that the emotion in the face is a bit of a let down and as such I don't think it makes such a good image. The yellow eyes also make it a little bit cartoony.

December 27th 2010: Always Looking Dead

I think this is one of the best things I've done all year, and since it's the end of the year that logically means that I've been getting better throughout... right? Took the style i've been using recently and applied it to zombietime. Then applied colour. I love it. Way more realistic than most of my previous zombie draws but it's still stylised and the colour is all block but using the black line shading it changes it up a bit. Also no marker edges which I think has actually worked. Good times. I might get this framed.

December 26th 2010: I Stumble But Never Fall

Christmas lazyness has occured a little over the lasy couple of days. Over-indulgence causes lapses in concentration. Further ideas for Stumble shirts, obviously would need to be redrawn since it's proper rushed & sketchy. I like the idea though, which was what it was mainly about. Also really like the sentence and the composition. So not bad for a lazy effort really.

December 25th 2010: Munko Christmas

Merry Christmas everybody. For those of you not obsessed with David Choe like I am, this will need to be explained. Munko is the whale. The whale is a recurring character. I got a vinyl collectable of him for Christmas. I was busy.

December 24th 2010: Always Looking Manly

The first (and possibly only) man to enter the series. He looks a lot like Kevin Spacey for some reason. Coincidental. Nice shirt.

December 23rd 2010: Always Looking Catish

Cat.

December 22nd 2010: Always Looking Dismantled

Another Stumble piece based on Brody Dalle. Think it's working well, got the shading down, maybe a little too much across the stomach but I don't think it's effected it that much. The colour's a little more standard here. Red lips is pretty basic but I think it works for this picture. I like the Stumble aswell, different to the others and a lot more subtle but I like it. This looks better when it's bigger but i'm happy with it.

December 21st 2010: Always Looking Revenant

Based on a picture of Brody Dalle which is why I chose Revenant for the title. Pretty good. Think I nailed it other than messing up the shading in a couple of places but overall I think it's worked really well, I like big hoop earrings in drawings. I've started to work this style to my tastes now so I'm enjoying it more and more and I think getting better. Bit more colour in this which I think works really well, not so much as to be overpowering but the heart really pops out. As David Choe said, "Red is the king of colours."

December 20th 2010: Always Looking Anchored

Tight.

I think I've pretty much got this style down now. I love this one. I think the torso definitely makes it more interesting. Got the shading sorted. Tattoos look cool, adding an extra element, the hats bringing in some good qualities. Simple face with a bit of shading. The "Stumble" thing is becoming a theme. It's just an interesting word I like and I'm considering making a t-shirt company called Stumble so these would be some good designs. I think if it goes ahead this may well be the first desin I get printed. Purely because I want this on a t-shirt.

December 19th 2010: Always Looking Wretched

Lazy spree didn't last long. Nailed this one I think. Possibly my favourite of the series so far, I like the use of the banner coming across there, brings it together nicely & makes it not just a plain portrait. Gives me the opportunity to get some type in there as well which is always good. Splash of colour, flowing hair, flower, good face with the right amount of shading. Tattoo on the neck works really well I think. Don't Cry For Me. I don't know why I picked "Wretched" for the title. Just seemed to fit while I was looking at it.

December 18th 2010: Pandas Love Ball In The Cup

Pandas much prefer a ball in a cup to a yoyo. Yoyos are left in the dirt, unused. Sad and alone. While ball in a cup gets all the play time. This drawing is awful. Laziness sunk in. Snap out of it.

December 17th 2010: It's Watching Us...

Like father like son. Although the bigger one is clearly much better styled. More interesting face. Penguins are very self-consious.

December 16th 2010: Always Looking Blue

Not so sure about this one. I like the little bit of blue in there, I think that works really well, as does having a little bit of a lighter grey as well. Gives it a couple of mid-tones which I think makes it a more rounded image (maybe) but I messed up the hat, and also I went a little bit mental on the shadow. Dial it back a bit and I think I've pretty much got it. We'll see next time. Finished another sketchbook. Gonna have to go out and get a new one tommorow to finish up my 2010 session. Also I really like the lips styles on these last two. When you get the white lines and the fill right then they look ace.

December 15th 2010: Always Looking Ahead

Another go on this style. Not as good as yesterday I don't think. Technically probably a little better, got my white lines in the right place and stuff, but I think this filling out tech works better with a hat/hood or something, and less neck going on. That way you've just got the face amongst a lot of block shading. Still like this one though. Start up a new series. Always Looking...

December 14th 2010: Always Looking Over Your Shoulder

Really happy with this. There's a few errors in there where I've not put a white line around some parts but overall I think this has worked really well. It's not supposed to have two shades of black, I just didn't wanna wear out my marker so I swapped pens for shading. But even this has worked fairly well. I went to moon street earlier, which is a music/live art event which i've been considering doing for a while and having been i'm now pretty up for it. Probably do something in this style. Mike Giant/Adam Issac Jackson sort of thing.

December 13th 2010: The Moon And The Gypsy

Stumble. I like gypsy heads. Think this ones pretty good. I was going to do just a quick sketch with a thin pen line over the top, but then I got involved in it and got carried away and added all the extra stuff and the shading and stuff. I like the moon, he's way cool. He looks like he's being dissaproving though.

December 12th 2010: Bill Nighy

A little smudged around the edges, but it's definitely Bill Nighy. He was in some films like Underworld and... I can't think of anything else. I think he was the singer guy in Love Actually. Anyway. Pencil draw, no pen. Think it's pretty good, maybe needed some darker shading in a few areas but overall I think I got it down.