Alyssa's January Challenge: A Month of Anatomy Studies

As we are nearing the end of the holiday season, I am setting some goals for the upcoming new year. Not the resolution thing, but rather a challenge of sorts. Most likely, this busy time of year is why I haven't seen anyone blogging lately, and so this is a post of encouragement to all of you not to lose your focus on drawing and making art. I'd like to invite all of you to do the challenge with me.

It will take place throughout the month of January. It will be broken up into four full weeks, each week focusing on something related to the topic of the month's challenge. The first is A Month of Anatomy Studies. The first week is A Week of Hands, during which I will study hands and draw them for the duration of the week. I originally set it up for myself, so if you want you can alter the challenge to better suit your artistic needs. Each week will be dedicated to a different part of anatomy so if there are certain things you want to work on, go for it.

Not sure if I'll post my results at the end of each week, or post on a day-to-day basis. That's also up to you guys.

I hope you all are doing well!

Angry Bird?

Adam "commissioned" me to do this bird next. Since I'm sort of taking up our living room wall with these birds, he said he got to pick the next one.

Another Jay & Two More Cardinals

I'm getting a little more picky, which means I'm not being as loose as I'd like to be. Grrr... Do these even look good? Should I keep going with this idea? I'm not hitting a dead end am I?




Started with a yellow wash for this one. The first one wasn't popping enough.

Painting V

Christmas Card

An illustration for the Christmas card I'm sending out to family and what not this year. It's base off of a picture I found of my mother and me during my first Christmas.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas Season.

Across the Pond

I may be visiting schools for the opening >< but anyone who can make it should still check it out.

Another bird

Great TED Talk on Optical Illusions

http://www.ted.com/talks/beau_lotto_optical_illusions_show_how_we_see.html

This lecture is fantastic. Anyone who paints, draws, writes or plays music knows that it is not the particular notes, words, or dots of color which matter but how they exist in relation to other notes, words, or dots of color. As artist we squint, establish our darkest darks to anchor those relationships, and employ other methods to see those relationships "truthfully." If any of you are like me you take the skill for granted and can't help but squint and draw in your imagination everywhere you go, often forgetting that others see things "naturally" with all the misperceptions we do our best to avoid. This lecture goes into why we naturally perceive things inaccurately and the function and necessity behind it. It embodies everything I've learned about human experience in both art and philosophy and on top of that is really fun to watch! So enough said, I couldn't recommend this with more enthusiasm!!!!

Sketch

Guess Who? Quick sketch from today after painting. I'll post the painting tomorrow when I finish it. I wanted it to dry a little before I add the last bit.

Experimental sketches and doodles

The first started out as a bird doodle and ended up a bit more elaborated. Gotta practice trees. The second I was experimenting with line and color. The second bird got screwed up but I'm not too upset since I'm learning from all these little studies.

Still here.

View better quality version on my new website (still under construction) http://www.dbhorak.com/



One of a couple new things I'm working on for my grad school portfolio. I'm also planning on submitting this to the Spectrum books as a promotional/unpublished piece. Doubt I'll get in, but wish me luck anyways.

Night Doodles

I usually read in bed, but last night I decided to draw.





Now I feel like I'm the one taking up all the room on this blog! :)

What the heck...

Cardinal Sketch

Just using up the red left over in my palette.

Boyfriend/Elvis Commission Finished

Painting II

Painting number II.

Painting II

Not finished, but here is some progress.

First of many

Here is the first oil painting in over a year. It's a little muddy.