I’ve been busy during the past few months! I decided that I needed to update my blog with some fairly recent painting work. This was a princess painting commission that I worked on in July. It took two solid weekends and a couple late nights after work, but the results turned out great!
Self Portrait
I’ve been a little busy lately and now that things have calmed down a bit, I decided to update my blog with a few personal projects that I’ve finished within the past few months. One project that I’m really proud of is my self portrait.
I finished this self portrait in on March 30th, 2024. I waited 6 months for the painting to fully dry for varnish on September 29, 2024.
The gloss varnish made the colors and details more vibrant, but I feel that I lost some of the brush strokes.
This was how the painting looked when I finished it on March 30th. It was a little hard to photograph, because the paint was very shiny. I was very satisfied with resolving proportions, details and colors.
I started this painting around January 2023. I was originally thinking that I could finish it for my 40th birthday on February 26th. It turned out that I was a little rusty at painting, and this painting took a lot longer than expected.
What made this painting challenging, was getting the facial proportions and expression correct. There was a period of time where I thought a purplish background would have looked good. I ended up using a darker neutral that was less distracting from my tan skin tone. I really wanted to emphasize bold shadows and highlights from a strong light source.
This painting was a great experience. I might be tempted to work on another self portrait in the near future. Hopefully, it will be quicker with the knowledge I gained.
Sketchwars 2024
I’ve been a little busy during this past year. This year started off busy with CES. It’s now Chinese New Year and things have slowed down a bit. I’ve been an active participant of Sketchwars on Facebook. Many of the designers participating are very good, so I do want to try my best. Its been a very fun and creative outlet! Here are my entries during the past year:
Delica sketch
One vehicle I’m particularly a fan of is the Mitsubishi Delica. The first time I’ve seen one of these was in Austin. I was very drawn to its stubby proportions. With its knobby tires, brush guards and vinyl graphics, it looked like a very adventurous looking vehicle from a different era. This was sketched on an iPad using Sketchbook Pro.
Some initial progress before the final version.
GX470 sketch
Around Torrance, I see a lot of interesting different types of vehicles. I’ve seen R32 GTRs, Mclarens, Ferraris, and even some stanced Lexus LS430s. One vehicle I’m a fan of is the modified GX470. When I was in college, these were primarily used as grocery getters driven by soccer moms. Lately, people are learning that these vehicles are great for off-roading. Around town I’ve seen examples of GX470s with lift kits, roof racks and extra fuel canisters. I think its a very cool, repurposed look.
I wanted to create a sketch thats aggressive, yet fun. I thought pearl paint with bronze trim would look classy. The design features useful off roading accessories like a roof rack, extra gas tank, a modernized brush guard and plenty of LED lighting. This was sketched on an iPad with Sketchbook Pro.
Some initial progress before the final line drawing and color.