Serene Sketching in this New Year

http://tomsarmo.com/

 Finally, January!

I enjoy the holidays, but always look forward to the quiet winter months. Months when I can disappear into my work. The past four days have been the wind-down, so random sketches have been the order of the days.

http://tomsarmo.com/

Just little studies that somehow clear my head of the clutter and get my fingers ready for the next studio project.

http://tomsarmo.com/

I liked this one, but couldn't resist messing about with it more.

http://tomsarmo.com/

The best thing about sketching is that it really doesn't matter that they end good or bad--it just feels good to play.

Posted these and much more on Instagram. 

I invite you to follow me there by clicking the Instagram button in the right-hand column.

I wish you a truly relaxing winter, and

Thanks for the visit!

Three Resolutions

http://tomsarmo.com/

 Prelim sketch-in-progress: Listening for Elves; 1895

Stubborn.

 2014 was a different year for me art-wise. Rather than try goal-setting, which just makes me cranky, I just tried being a bit more organized, something I've stubbornly resisted in the past. It worked pretty well, because it bought me time. As a result, I learned more.

http://tomsarmo.com/

 Detail of a head-study sheet.

The addition of some structure carved out time to take workshops, get out and meet artists, and dig into social media for active study instead of aimless scrolling. And while my sketchbooks have always been used hard, I was able to expand that use, and man did I learn.

http://sarmo.tumblr.com/

Preliminary sketch-in-progress for Lunatic.

I'm not much for resolutions either, but am caving in to three:  

Gonna keep a lid on my stubborn, keep to that bit of structure, and hope to keep learning in 2015.

Thanks for reading this, and for checking in now and then.

Inktober: One Through Five

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

October 1

Finally decided to commit to Inktober this year. Because I've been using a lot of ink lately, it dovetails nicely with an upcoming show I'm working to fill. The goblin above--and his antagonist-- may end up in a larger, finished work.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

October 2

Dragged a beautiful old chair-back carving out from under a pile of neckties in a shite-store one day. (It really has both sides, but I was too lazy to sketch symmetry that day.) I'm using it for an above-door carving in a small painting.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

October 3

This little guy--a mug with a mug with a mug with a mug--will be finished in watercolor. Was working on that before I took a break to blog.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

October 4

Random--sorry. But that morning I was sick of figures. And all I had with me was a ballpoint pen.  Added the watercolor wash and white prismacolor later.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

October 5

A clockwork, steam-punky sketch. He came out of nowhere, while I was drinking my morning cup of coffee. When a character just develops on the paper without any thought from me, well that is one of the best feelings!

Jake Parker came up with Inktober back in '09. He comes up with many creative things. 

He must be a character. 

Here's the site: http://mrjakeparker.com/inktober

Got a few more days to go before November. Maybe some Halloweenie stuff will be next.

Thanks for reading!

Illustration Construction: Part Two (and a Rough back-step)

Roughs. A few anyway.  

Sorry, I forgot about the roughs. I did about 8 for this project. These were done after the first composition sketch--the one with the words on it 

(see previous post http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/2013/06/illustration-construction-part-one.html ) and I should have stuck them in there.

These are a combination of value and composition thinking. The initial idea is just about subject. Roughs (or thumbnails) like those above help me develop the subject into an actual scene. Roughs are crucial in finding the best solution for the scene.

I decided that the interior, not just the characters, was important to me. So I chose the second from the left for my composition, and the last one will be a reminder for the light or atmosphere.

 Somewhere along this process I began sketching face ideas for the artist. Much of the time this sort of "thinking" is done while sitting around talking with my family, not necessarily while I'm in the studio. You could say it's like letting the unconscious take over.

There were quite a few more interim sketches of this guy, too many to reasonably show. This is one I traced up to see if I liked the character.

[You can skip this paragraph if you want--it's a bit of an apology. The most satisfying "making" for me comes while thinking and sketching and dreaming--and that lazy wandering feeling is very close to sublimity. I like to draw everywhere--both on paper and in my head, and most of those drawings get lost. There's something sort of nice about the impermanence.

Finally though, a fellow has to quit the lazy part and get to work. But the methodical exertion on the drawing table is not my favorite thing, and I too often rush that part. The tough issue for me is keeping the qualities of my wander-sketching--and the joy-- in a final illustration. I hope I can do that for this particular picture.]

Anyway, here is the second stage of the drawing. The artist and helper are still wavery and uncongealed, both here and in my head. But I'm getting there.

Next up: Part Three and some color.

Thanks for staying with me on this particular journey.

Illustration Construction: Part One

Good old summer--ugh! It's my most trying, most un-stimulating season for some reason. This year, instead of fighting the annual "creative block", I went back into an old sketchbook for inspiration. Since the artist-in-studio has always fascinated me, there were plenty of sketches to look at.

These were done a great many years ago, but luckily touched off an idea; a complete studio interior with an artist fortunate enough to have an assistant. A sort of Artist Dr. Frankenstein and his Igor?

This is the first new rough, with a few notes. I like to begin a new illustration by sketching stuff out without resources. That seems to help me keep the idea open to development. Looking for resources too early tends to cement it in--not what I'm after at this stage.

This is the first composition sketch--very rough, but with the perspective worked out. Most often, I do these using a 2h pencil on junk paper. This one's been enhanced--thus the smeary look.

I started sketching ideas for the lantern and hand positions--in this case while sitting around in the living room after the studio work session.

Next post:  Part Two: The Construction Continues

Thanks for the visit!