Oily, Greasy, Dirty Fun

Sorry for the lack of post, I was a bit caught up this week on account of my cell phone being stolen a few days ago. Whoever did it, you're a total wanker and I sincerely hope you burn for it.

Anywayssss, I'm so excited for Halloween tomorrow. In case you didn't know, theres a huge Halloween parade in New York City every year. Naturally, I'll be attending, so come find me!

So, this post is about oil pastels, thought it'd be fun. I actually don't have too many examples of my work in oils because it isn't a medium I work with frequently, but I think it should still be appreciated.

I actually had so much fun with this piece. It was done in 2008 or 2009, I can't quite remember, but its from my junior year. I made it from a combination of photographs from concerts taken by my wonderful friend Alleson, who is a sophomore at Parsons and is an awesome photographer/artist.

2009

I really like oil pastels because of their intensity. They really give one the freedom to be very expressive, although they don't blend nearly as well as chalk pastels. Thats kind of all I have to say for today, everyone should comment and tell me what they think, or post a comment about your Halloween plans/costume/both. Have a fun, safe, spooky holiday!

Print That

Hey guys! So, I don't have too much to dribble on about today, lucky you. Instead, I'm going to make this pretty short and sweet, as I'm a bit pressed for time. Today I'm doing a post about printmaking, specifically drypoint etching.

Junior year, '09

Senior year, '10

Mixed Media, '10

Drypoint etching is a really interesting technique in which one etches into a metal plate with a sharp tool, digging out grooves for the ink to sit in. Then, ink is rolled out and onto the plate. The excess is removed with a cloth, leaving only the ink in the grooves. A page is soaked and prepared for the print, then both are pulled through the printing press. Its a somewhat tedious method but the results can be very precise and beautiful. The name drypoint is used because typical etching involves a corrosive that eats away the grooves of the metal plate.

The advantage of any form of printmaking is that very similar prints can be pulled over and over. With metal plate prints, one can pull an identical print a bajillion and seventeen effing copies (taking into consideration that the image etched into the plate will most likely lose its crispness after many uses). Hope these inspire one of you to go out and try some printmaking :]

Parsons Challenge

Hey guys,

So, I'm pretty excited about this post right here. It related very closely to Parsons, the New School for Design, where I just started as a freshman this August (2010). It is, of course, my Parsons Challenge, in case you couldn't read the title. The challenge this year was to create a series based on something you overlook every day. It played a pretty important role in my application, and I'd like to share mine with you nice people.

conte crayon 2009

colored pencil 2009

graphite 2009

Thank goodness I had all these archived for me on my Deviantart, otherwise I would have lost all these photos along with everything else that was flushed when my hard drive crashed a few months ago. As you can see, the pieces are done in varying media and range in emotion from subtle to very expressive. I hope these are not abrasive to your eyes.

Oh, and lets not forget about this guy.

Hahahahahahah yeah I just did that.

Bzzzzzz... Hey man, hold still.

Hey you lookin' to get INKED? Well, this is your lucky post! This ones all about, drumroll please...

TATTOO DESIGNS, WOO! Sorry I'm a bit excited, I just haven't posted in a few days, and this ones a good one.

How you like them apples? Not bad right?

By the way, that second one was done for my friend Dylan Ross, who is releasing his new album Mint very soon! Its really good, you guys should give him a listen at myspace.com/ilovedylanross. He also has some really great mixtapes up on there, too.

Stillness

Hold still. HOLD STILL. For. Two. Seconds. Hold still.

I hate when people move around while I'm trying to draw them. I guess thats why there's such a thing as paid models, eh? I'm just kinda sick of staring at naked people, ya dig?

Nah, I'm just messing with you, that'll never get old. Too bad I'm not posting those on here! hahaha...yet.

So, instead, I thought I'd post a few still lifes I have. They're in colored pencil, one of my favorite media to use. Enjoy them! DO IT!

2008, junior year of high school

This is an important post, because this piece is particularly special to me. It was done in the summer of 2009, right before my senior year. I started working on a few projects on my own over that summer after being rejected for the Cooper Union summer program. That school is so uptight, I wasn't too butthurt about it. Anyways, this was a still life I set up on my floor and worked on for a week straight. It ended up being featured in the Katonah Museum of Art in a young artists exhibit.

The Katonah Museum of Art is a really wonderful place to visit because they rotate their exhibits every few months. There's always really beautiful art, and if you're ever in the area, you should really check it out. Ferreal.

Anyways, thats about all I have to post about for today, let me know what your thoughts are. I'll probably be posting more frequently after I finish this lengthy 2D project. I think its going to come out nice though, I'll post anything that looks interesting.

Doodles

Hey guys, I know its been a few days since I've made a post but I've just been swamped with homework. Like, homework out the waz', seriously. I don't time for anything anymore, ha! :|

So, I guess I'm making a post about my colored pencil pieces I have, specifically some illustrations I used to do. Granted, these are pretty old. I've never actually taken a formal illustration class, but its something that I used to find a lot of pleasure in developing. Its just really unfortunate that I don't have the time to just sit and finish one of these anymore. I miss them. The way I used the colored pencils, I applied a lot of pressure to my page in order to get a really smooth looking effect.

 nov. of 2008, did it while I was bored on vacation

they say that a dead koi is bad luck. also 2008, inspired by my favorite tattoo artist, Nick Baxter <3

just for fun, march 2009

Hope those tickle your fancy! I'll post the link to Nick Baxter's page so that you can all drool over it like I do.

http://www.nickbaxter.com/

I want to be his bitch.Check out his tattoos and other pieces, too. AMAZING.

More Flags, More Fun

Sorry about not posting yesterday, but I was too busy having an amazing time at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. The drive was two hours each way, but it was well worth it. I went on my first inverted coaster yesterday, and I had the time of my life.

Bizarro coaster, probably my favorite.

El Toro, an amazing wooden coaster

Also, yesterday was part of fright fest! So much fun.

Yeah, pretty much. Thats what took up all my time yesterday, and is also the reason I didn't make a new post yesterday either. Blame the roller coasters....But, I guess if I don't post some of my art, you guys will get all testy, so here you go, you get a charcoal post.

portrait of David Lynch, summer of 2008

Robert Longo-inspired self portrait done in 2008 towards the end of my sophomore year in high school. Its about 4 feet tall.

Done in Dec. of 2008, white charcoal, junior year.

Charcoal is a nice, loose material similar to chalk pastels. It will only hold onto toothy paper, as the charcoal is very dusty. Please people, have your charcoal sprayed. Hope you enjoyed :D

Its Here, Its Here!

I hate parody movies, they're always really terrible. I've had it with these mothaf***in' movies on this mothaf***in' tv set! And now I'm kind of stuck watching them and doing my 3D homework, sighh...

But on a more exciting note, its time for a sharpie tattoo post! WOOOOO!

Sharpie tattoos have been something I've been doing for a little while, just for fun. Skin isn't the only thing i use my sharpies on, but let's not count our chickens before they hatch, or we run out of eggs in the house. Sharpies are fun because they can blend and are fairly easy to wash off with some soap and water (but if you wear them on too long, prepare to scrub off a few layers of skin).

I don't remember when this was from, but it was a bird I drew on my best friend's arm in 20 minutes. Definitely done several years ago.

This one took a half an hour sitting on my friend's back, but it was sure fun. Summer of 2008.

Something I drew on my foot while I was bored, later became a design for some high tops (post for the future).

So yeah! Those are all of the sharpie tattoos I have photos of, but believe me, there were countless more. If ever I go ape with my sharpies again, you all will be the first to know.

Pb or C?

C, of course, referring to the question of whether pencils are lead or graphite.

Cm'on, its graphite, obviously. Its a really good material for value renderings. I'm gonna post some of my old ones, but this certainly will not be the last graphite post. Err, I'm not sure what else to say about this medium, buh is supah fun you try eet.

This is a statue of Venus from the Met in nyc, done in 2008 from observation =^,^=

 This was done in my junior year of high school (2008), DEFINITELY from photograph, this took me like two weeks. Labor of love.

This'ns also from my junior year, a tiny stone relief from the St. John the Divine Cathedral from observation.

So yea, let me know how these make you feeeeel.

I went to Mesa Grill today, on 5th and 15th. It was really good, Bobby Flay's place. The shrimp tamale and asparagus salad are really good appetizers, the salmon entree has a really great smokey flavor and the "hack" chicken came with an amazing sauce. The atmosphere was a little loud but our waitress was super nice. Make reservations ;D

I really miss going out. It seems like I never have time anymore with all the homework I get. I really want to get back to some museums, I feel like I'm missing out on all the cheap culture around here. I don't quite feel like I'm properly experiencing the city at the moment, its disappointing. School can be slightly overwhelming. I haven't been to a concert in forever, I miss the atmosphere.

This certainly isn't the type of concert I usually go to, but I love how fun this looks. Can we go? Pleaaaaase?

Old Water

Ohh, how i miss my watercolors. Yeah, I'm going into wet media today. Get on mah level.

Watercolors are particularly nice because they're transparent and you can layer the colors on top of one another. One is also capable of making really beautiful wash effects with the right techniques.

First watercolor I did in high school, 2008. That's my sister posing, I really liked how the light was hitting her face.

Done in my Junior year, so like 2009. Miniature tea set, that blue was gorgeous.

water color pencils, '09.

Watercolors are really fun to work with, but I find that they're easier to paint from photo. Its really hard not to sit and paint layer by layer when watercolors and the appropriate brushes are capable of such detail. Hope you liked these, let me know what you think.

By the way, I've decided, if you haven't noticed yet, I've decided to log my art backwards kindof and track my progress since high school. I'm looking forward to sharing my last few years with you all.

Formal

Formalism (n.) : A strict adherence to, or observance of, prescribed or traditional forms, as in music, literature, or art.


Formalism is a way of analyzing a piece without taking into consideration any previously existing information (time period, artist, politics, biases, assumptions, etc.) Instead, it suggests that any successful piece should intrinsically display its meaning through only what is available to the viewer. It encourages one to look at the form, composition, color use, and other techniques that the artist or author provides in that piece AND NOTHING ELSE.


There is also a difference between providing a description and formally analyzing the work. Describing the piece, for example, would be to state, "The sculpture is composed of a sphere (the head), a rectangle (the torso), and two larger rectangles (the base)." Formal analysis takes it to a HNL by making inferences such as, "The figure's eyes look upward, creating a sense of attentiveness in the subject." Formal analysis takes into consideration how the piece makes the viewer feeeel. The point isn't to ask "How does this make me feel?" but rather "Why does it make me feel this way?" Get it?


Err, anyways, tell me what you think about formalism. I personally agree, to some extent, but I feel that considering existing information such as the time period or the artists background is also crucial. So much of the artist goes into their piece, in my opinion. Let me know what you think.


By the way, if you dont know what HNL stands for, you're SOL.

Little Bit of Nothing, Whole Lot of Something

Hey people
Today was another rainy October day in NYC, what a drag. Couldn't wait to get home to my massive amount of homework :D

I think I'll take a look back at chalk pastels for a bit, post some old pieces. I don't think I'm going to be working with this medium for quite a while, which is kind of disappointing.

shoot this ones old! 2007

 2007

this ones from 2009

also 2009

Oh, and all of these were drawn from observation. Teehee. Chalk pastel is a really nice, soft pastel you can use on toothy charcoal paper (grips the pastel dust best). Don't forget to SPRAYYY your chalk pastel pieces, otherwise they'll get color all over you. Trust me.

Anywho, let me know what you think. Tell me which one is your least favorite. Bai!

Whoa, Throwbacks!

These are two studio pieces I did in my FRESHMAN YEAR of high school.pen and ink self portrait

colored pencil still life

I thought this would be a good way to start off my new blog. These are some of the older studio pieces I have in my possession.

For those of you who may not know (and that may be most of you), I just started my freshman year at Parsons, The New School of Design. Looking back at some of my old pieces is really nostalgic, and I'm excited to share my progression with all of you.

Looking forward to your kind words and harsh criticisms
-Renee