Pin-Up Girls go BOOM!

This morning I was inducted into Pin-Up and Cartoon Girls!

I have a confession. When I was a wee little scrapper still learning my way around the pencil (mind out of the gutter please) I had a glorious fantasy of what I would do some day far away when I could draw well enough. Toiling away to learn my craft I vowed that one day when I was good enough...I WOULD DRAW CUTE GIRLS!

Oh you don't even have to say it. I already KNOW that I've got issues! Nevertheless it seems that a boyhood fantasy has brought about something pretty darned delightful.

I have been a fan and follower of Pin-Up and Cartoon Girls for quite a while and it houses some of my all time favorite artists in a sexy, classy and creative homage to the beautiful female form.

Obviously I don't even begin to class myself with the all-time greats but it sure is a wonderful feeling to breathe some of the same air!

Click right here to swing by to check out my cozy little corner of the site! Then put on a pot of coffee, get comfortable and immerse yourself if the vast archives of deliciously talented artists offering up their creative  interpretation of some downright gorgeous babes.

Indeed that boyhood dream has come true!

Watercolor Painting at Descanso Gardens

If you live in the Los Angeles area and you have yet to visit Descanso Gardens then you've got a homework assignment! This place is simply gorgeous with 150 acres of flowers and botanical collections.

A rose that I painted from a photo that I took during my visit.

During one of my visits the lilacs were in bloom. I flashed instantly back to one of my favorite childhood memories. When I was a boy my mom and I would take long walks together. Sometimes while we were on a walk she would cut some lilacs to bring home with us. Once home, she would put some in a glass with water and place them in my room for me. I can remember how my room filled with that beautiful scent. I would lay on the floor and draw or color with my window open, the fresh air breezing in to circulate the lilac scent around my room. Amazing. Thank you, mom!

It was wonderfully nostalgic to stand there at Descanso surrounded by hundreds of blooming lilacs and drinking in that aroma.

Painted from a photo that I took during another trip.

Painted from life at Descanso Gardens.

Here comes fall!

The first day of fall is fast approaching and I'm getting excited! As an artist I find fall to be one of the most inspirational times of the year.

I love the colors of fall, the change in climate, the promise of holidays soon to come. For me, this time of year kicks off a very magical feeling. I love going to Michael's Arts and Crafts Store and seeing all of the fall merchandise and decorations. I love smelling the scented candles like Pumpkin Spice and Autumn Harvest.

All of this wonderful atmosphere soaks into me and I get creative. I know I'm a little early here but I just can't help myself. Here's a fall themed Batman painting of mine from the archives. 16x20 oil on canvas.

Sketching a Femme Fatale

Here's the sketch for the illustration I posted a couple of days ago.

I sketched this with a blue Col-Erase pencil (#20044) on laser paper.
I find the silky smooth surface of laser paper to be really fun to sketch on. A large part of my enjoyment when drawing comes from the tactile experience of the drawing tool in my fingers and the feel of the paper beneath my hand.

I literally choose what type of paper to sketch with based on my mood and what I'd like to "feel" while drawing. Of course there are other project related considerations or limitations which dictate what range of tools I can work with. Once I know what those limitations are though, I work within them in whichever way feels the most fulfilling to me.

I think it's safe to say that I value the experience of creating as much as I value the completed creation. Drawing is a lot like life in that way.

YOUR Creative Power!

"The Creative power within us makes us into the image of that to which we give our attention."

I read that this morning. Simple. Elegant. Tremendously powerful and (in my view) truthful. The only remaining question is: to what shall you give your attention?

Everything counts. Television, books, celebrity gossip, movies, family, advertisements, the news, the economy, work, dreams and aspirations, and on and on and on. The world is competing fiercely for our attention but our thoughts are still our own (provided we're not sleepwalking). So... 

To what shall you give your attention?

Make that choice CONSCIOUSLY, consistently and relentlessly then back it up with action and watch your life become as you wish it to be!

AK-47 vs. My Pencil

Which would win in a battle between an AK-47 and my pencil? Take a look at this and then you tell me.

Lauren's niece recently posted a photo of herself firing an AK-47 at a shooting range. I'm far from a violent person but I've gotta say that she looked cool doing it! Also, having artistic sensibilities I was suddenly overcome with inspiration. A drawing needed to happen. Immediately.

Fortunately for me this creative urge struck me around 9:30 in the evening after I had finished a good day's work. I could jump in and indulge this inspiration full force and guilt free!

Lauren's niece has a particular look which lends itself well to being depicted as a femme fatale (even without the Kalashnikov). I took full advantage of that fact and drew this little gem right from my gut.

It was one of those glorious creative sessions where time evaporates and the pure, unfiltered joy of creativity powered me non-stop from inception to completion.

I wrapped up at 2:30am and I don't even remember getting up from my chair. It was awesome.

So which would win the battle between an AK-47 and my pencil? Well, the AK-47 is capable of instantaneous death and destruction while my pencil is capable of instantaneous life and creation. It's an age old debate.

You tell me.

Star Gazing

When was the last time that you just stopped what you were doing and looked up?

I am in awe of our sky and the vast reaches of space that extend beyond it. Numerous times in my life I have been lucky enough to gaze at the night sky far from the unnatural lights of an urban environment. What I see in that setting is absolutely breathtaking.

Stars in numbers far greater than I could have possibly imagined seeing with the naked eye burst forth against the dark swath of space. It's unbelievable. I have spent hours staring at that extraordinary sight. As trite as it sounds, that experience truly does make me ponder my own (and everyone's) existence.

This is my humble creative offering in honor of that experience. For those of you living in a city (like me), hopefully this will hold you over until your next opportunity to enjoy the night sky in its most magnificent state.

Attraction is Distraction

As an artist, feelings of attraction to your model or subject can be counterproductive but you can use that energy in a way that benefits your art. In my post "7 steps to drawing a coffee shop hottie" I stated that 'Attraction is Distraction' and I want to elaborate on that.

There is a certain level of artistic integrity and professionalism that needs to be present when drawing from a model or sketching someone in public. You're not there to gawk or to make that person feel uncomfortable. That being said, feelings of personal attraction to your subject can aid you in your work provided that you channel that energy properly.

I attended a private life drawing workshop once where one of the artists was filling his page drawing nothing but the model's breasts and nipples. These weren't anatomical studies. These were outright lusty drawings of what appeared to be his favorite part of the female body. It seemed somehow invasive to me and stood in my mind as an example of how NOT to channel the energy of attraction. For this artist, attraction was distraction.

Making attraction work for you.
There may be times when you intentionally seek out an attractive model or subject to serve the purpose of your art. I regularly do this in my coffee shop sketches. Whether your feelings of attraction are intentional like this or accidental, the point is to know how to make this energy work for you.

Sexual energy is a raw and powerful tool in the hands of the purposeful artist. Left unchecked however, it can eviscerate your focus and obliterate a drawing.

Drawing can be a visceral experience and the lines that finally appear on paper can be the result of personal feelings filtered through a process of draftsmanship and technique. Using your feelings of attraction to power and fuel the inspiration of the drawing is an excellent and very productive use of that energy. For your consideration I offer a simple 3 step process for taking control of your feelings and directing them in a creative way.

3 Steps to channeling attraction energy.

1. Have a goal. Decide what it is that you want to communicate with your drawing before your begin. Having a goal in mind creates a channel for your energy. Without this you run the risk of simply drawing to gratify lust and the drawing lacks purpose, direction and communication.

2. Ask your self: "Why am I attracted to her/him?" Observe your model/subject and force yourself to answer this question. Decoding the specific things that cause you to feel attracted will help you identify which areas of your drawing to push, exaggerate or possibly even diminish.

3. Look beyond the physical. Make a conscious decision to look for the non-physical attractive qualities of your model/subject (even if they're imagined). You may find that the quality which is most attractive to you is your idea of what that person is like. Find this and imbue your drawing with it (gesture, facial expression, mood, action, etc).

It is not my intention to reduce the whole affair to a cold, calculated formula because it isn't. Rather, I aim to present tools which can help give creative direction to a powerful and potentially useful feeling as opposed to being at the mercy of that feeling. Don't bury your feelings, use them.

7 steps to drawing a coffee shop hottie

Wanna draw a gorgeous coffee shop girl? Gather up your drawing skills, mental focus and good ol' fashioned passion 'cause Papa Lark's gonna break it down for ya. There's a million ways to do this so here's one that I like a lot.

1. Observe! As soon as you choose your subject you've got to carefully observe her. She might be leaving soon so you've got to get a solid enough impression that you'll be able to work from memory. this is key!

2. See the finished drawing in your mind. Imagine it complete. The clearer this picture is, the easier it's going to be for you to get it down on paper whether your subject is still there or not.

*Mental Game - Attraction is Distraction.

She may be pretty but you've got art to create! Use her attractive qualities to fuel the inspiration for the piece (gesture, attitude, style, etc.) and then quickly change mental gears to the work of solving drawing problems. See your subject for her artistic value and focus on getting that down on paper.

3. Start with a loose sketch that focuses on the overall. Don't refine your drawing yet. Just get it down on paper with a focus on capturing the attitude and character that you want to communicate.

4. Once your sketch is loosely laid down you can go back to make revisions and refinements (like the above example).

*Mental Game - Are you keeping that picture in your head? Are you clearly seeing the drawing that you intend to create? Nice! Let's keep truckin'...

*Tools - For this sketch I began with a blue Prismacolor Col-Erase pencil (#20044). This sketch was done on the brown paper of my  Cachet Earthbound Recycled Sketchbook.

5. Finalize your line. I chose to finalize my line for this sketch in black ink. However, I used a very thin line because I didn't want the black ink to show up too much in the final piece (once again sticking to that clear mental picture).

*Tools - In order to accomplish this exceptionally thin black line I inked this with a Copic Multiliner SP (0.05).

6. Time for color. There are an endless variety of media and techniques to play with but for this particular sketch I chose marker. Your only concern at this point is laying down flat colors (without tones or shadows).

*Mental Game - If you're working with marker your color choice is going to be permanent. Take a moment here and check in with your mental picture. Really see each color for everything in the sketch and decide if they're working. You might need to change something and this is your last chance. Incidentally I was originally going to make the dress in this sketch blue (to match the real life subject) but I felt that yellow would be more striking against her hair color.

*Tools - I dropped in my color with Prismacolor Art Markers. These markers will saturate and possibly bleed through your paper so make sure the back of the page is empty. I also like to put another sheet of loose paper under the sheet I'm sketching on just in case. It's saved me more than once.

7. Adding tones. Start by building up layers of color with the markers in the areas that you want to make darker (this is where the paper gets pretty saturated). Let all of that dry and then work and blend into it with colored pencil. I like to use a combination of hard and soft pencils. The hard pencils are good for fine lines and detailing and the soft ones are great for covering larger areas and blending. The soft pencils also offer a nice dense layer of color so I used them to color over all of my thin black ink contour lines.

*Mental Game - As the sketch begins to take its final shape you may feel a spontaneous need to embellish and/or add details that weren't a part of your original plan. Go for it! The mental picture is there to keep you on track but not to inhibit your creativity.

*Tools - The hard pencils that I used in this sketch were Prismacolor Col-Erase and the soft pencils that I used were Prismacolor Premier.

There ya go! Let me know if this was helpful and/or if you'd like to know more about location sketching. Now get out there, snuggle in to your favorite coffee shop, pick a subject and make some art. Be respectful and have a blast!

All shapes and sizes - rock it with confidence

In contrast with yesterday's statuesque beauty I'd like to spotlight this bouncy little coffee shop lass. Tall? Nope. Model thin? Nope. Cute enough to make you forget your own name? Yep!

Let's dispense with this whole tired notion of advertisement based beauty definitions and enjoy the gorgeous life all around us. This exuberant little beauty came bounding through the coffee shop all full of confidence, energy and excitement with her friends. Charisma like that is a powerful thing and I think it has a positive effect on people.

Enthusiasm is contagious and this little gal was a five foot nothin' living proof of that. She had a high energy laugh that was so authentically happy I could see it cause smiles on people all over the coffee shop. Lightening in a bottle and cute as a button.

So I humbly offer forth my meager creative effort to capture that little blue firecracker who turned heads and spread a positive vibe.

Now get out there and share your joy! People all over this planet are counting on you!

An evening gown for coffee?

Ladies, who says a cup of coffee has to be a casual experience? Maybe you think flip flops and shorts are the proper attire for an afternoon cup of joe or smoothie. Nay I say! If you've got a perfectly good ball gown hanging pressed in the closet and you happen to be thirsty...well...you know what to do!

Living in Los Angeles certainly provides me with plenty of interesting sights and this was no exception. It's a bright, sunny southern California Saturday afternoon and a tall, elegant young woman with model good looks strolls by the local coffee shop in an evening gown. Her sidekick: an adorable, sprightly little pup. Her beverage of choice: A bright pink fruity concoction in a clear plastic cup because bright pink fruity concoctions are hardly worth ordering unless they shine like a beacon through the Saturday afternoon crowd.

Now before you accuse me of sarcasm let me remind you that she clearly made a distinct enough impression on me that I felt compelled to draw her. In fact, I commend her for her bravery. I think we could all use a dose of that kind of confidence.

You know what? That's it. I'm inspired. Tomorrow I'm going to wear an evening gown to the coffee shop. See you there.

Caged... and the rise of a creative consciousness

I don't know many people who aren't feeling the pinch on some level. This is my respectful tribute to everyone who is. Despite the bleak forecasting and overbearing negative chatter, I remain an optimist.

I'm optimistic because the human spirit is brighter and more powerful than any economic cycle. I'm optimistic because all around me I see people getting creative and re-imagining the direction of their lives. I'm optimistic because times like these force people to unlock their talents and the world benefits as a result.

As bitter as the struggle can be I think we're accelerating toward a critical mass of people that are beginning to see beyond grinding out an existence and into creating the life they imagine.

Perhaps Margaret Mead said it best...
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

A Creative Light in Stormy Seas

So last night Lauren and I rented Julie & Julia and took a fun emotional ride through a very fine film. Then, somewhere deep in the night as we slept in the cool air of this glorious southern California summer, the residual effects of the film took hold. Today my mind is seeded with a personal truth that I dare not ignore.

Life...will DEFINITELY provide obstacles, avert plans, alter courses and at times create a stunningly convincing illusion of failure. None of this however, should be allowed to eclipse my soul's true passion.

Life has delivered some choppy waters and by neglecting this blog I have conceded to putting a part of my passion last. I have succumb to obstacles, averted my plans and altered my course. I still smile everyday at the fact that I am lucky enough to make my living as an artist but it is equally important to me that I give freely and generously share my creativity. If my life is an ocean casting tumultuous waves then I must learn to be a better sailor and if necessary, take out the oars and row.

I'm sorry for my absence. I will do my utmost to put my passion first and use my creativity to share good things with the world. If you're still with me, thank you.

See you soon!
-Nathanael