Artsy Fartsy

When I get all the parts I need and have it complete, I will post my cigar box guitar that I am building.  I have my box and all the stuff I need for the body.  I just need to decide on a neck style and get it ordered or make it myself.  You can make it out of simple 1" X 2" boards but it wont be fretted.

Ok, I finally scanned a few of my old attempts at art.  I will give you a little bit about each one because it isn't boring enough to just look at them you have to have my narration as well   

This is something I did in the late 1980's when I was trying to design my own Queensryche themed sweatshirt.  One of the designs was later used to make an actual sweatshirt but it was airbrushed instead of silk-screened so it turned out rather cartoonish looking.

This one was made at the same time as the "Ryche" logo and is also an attempt at something to use for a Queensryche themed shirt.  "Smile without a mask" is a lyric from one of the band's songs.  Not sure why it scanned so crooked.

We lived in North Carolina for a few years while I was in the Army.  My wife's name is Charlotte, which is also the name of one of N.C.'s largest cities.  I really liked the mascot for their NBA team the Charlotte Hornets.  So I sketched this little guy one day back in 1990.

These next two were an exercise in the medium of India ink.  Did both of these in 1986 (my senior year of High School).  Extra points to anyone who can guess who these two 80's rockers are.

This last one is bitter-sweet for me.  It is a pencil sketch of the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.  I really liked the story when I was a kid and this is actually a small test sketch I did (actual size is only about 2-1/2" x 4").  I then made a larger sketch that is probably about 4-1/2"x7" that turned out a bit better.  I took the larger sketch and framed it.  I had it in my daughters room for several years (kind of hoping to foster a love for the story in her that never really occurred).  We moved houses about 12 years ago and the larger version got lost somehow (still rather bummed about that).  Almost certain I did this in the early 90's

I'm working on a picture of a sleeping puppy.  I've got it ruffed in, but it will take a while to complete.

alldatndensum wrote:

I'm working on a picture of a sleeping puppy.  I've got it ruffed in, but it will take a while to complete.

Pun fully intended?  

Those are impressive, Staybrite. I remember doing some sketching as a kid, usually comic book characters, but I don't have the patience for it as an adult.

Staybrite wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

I'm working on a picture of a sleeping puppy.  I've got it ruffed in, but it will take a while to complete.

Pun fully intended?  

I tried to make you laugh, but apparently no pun in ten did!   

Staybrite wrote:

These next two were an exercise in the medium of India ink.  Did both of these in 1986 (my senior year of High School).  Extra points to anyone who can guess who these two 80's rockers are.

I'll guess. Lita Ford and Sammy Hagar?

BearDad wrote:

Those are impressive, Staybrite. I remember doing some sketching as a kid, usually comic book characters, but I don't have the patience for it as an adult.

I have done very little of it (if any at all) in the last 20 years myself, I have grown terribly out of practice.

metaldude wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

These next two were an exercise in the medium of India ink.  Did both of these in 1986 (my senior year of High School).  Extra points to anyone who can guess who these two 80's rockers are.

I'll guess. Lita Ford and Sammy Hagar?

Very good!  Lita Ford is correct.  
Sadly that is not Sammy.  Think of a more obscure almost one hit wonder hair metal band from 1984.

Steve Plunkett?

metaldude wrote:

Steve Plunkett?

Good guess but nope (makes me want to go listen to some Autograph though).


How about a real picture of him for a clue?

Ok, I'm tappin' out. I don't have a clue.

Here he is fronting his band....

(btw, I guessed it immediately... but I was way too late to this thread - you would've been so proud of me Staybrite ! I would've got both correct    ) Used to LOVE Black n Blue... gonna hafta Spotify them and do some reminiscing..

  Forgot all about them. They only had one song I liked and it wasn't anything popular, I don't think. I liked Sight For Sore Eyes.

There's a lot of bands like that. They had a couple songs that were really cool - Loudness had a couple songs, Vandenberg, The Boulevard of Broken Dreams was a cool song by Hanoi Rocks... so many bands back then weren't REAL popular, and their albums weren't great all the way thru, but they had those songs, those 1 or 2 songs that were excellent.

Staybrite, despite my silliness, I have to say that your sketches were every bit as cool and detailed as that of Guilty/Forgiven.  You both have a talent that should not be shelved.  Although the parable is teaching something deeper, the story of the man who gives three of his servants a certain amount of "talents" of money comes to mind.  The one who did nothing with those talents lost what he was given and added to the one who did use them.  Don't lose these talents!  Get those pencils moving, brothers!  I have found this to be a great stress release myself. 

Also, just seeing what your mind/hands create together reminds me of God Himself.  His creation is so much more than what we can do.  But, if you love what you have drawn and want to care for those pieces of art, then imagine how much more He loves this universe, our planet, and on down to the pieces of art we are that He made with His own hands.  How much more will He care for us now that He has created us as His masterpieces?

Sermon over!  Love you guys!

I am still working on a picture of a sleeping puppy from a photo taken on my phone of a screen saver off a computer.  I still have a lot of shading and adding of fur to the picture.

Also, all of my parts now for my cigar box guitar are ordered and en route to me.  While I have had the neck built so I don't have to do as much work, I will still have to modify the cigar box, drill the holes for the sound holes & jack for the pickups, and add embellishments to really personalize this.  So, while I am using a kit (hardware mostly), I will still have to do some personal building of this guitar.  If it turns out great, I might build a 6 string one with Strat style humbuckers.

The 2 big differences between G/F and myself when it comes to art are this.

1. Most of his creations came from his own head, nearly all of mine come from trying to reproduce a photograph or putting a twist on some other image (that is a huge difference creatively).
2. He kept his up and I am sure has improved considerably over the years.  I haven't drawn much of anything in 20 some years and can't draw/paint half as well as I once did.

There is nothing wrong with using a picture as a reference point.  I've been reading and watching some different artists' blogs and they use those too just so they don't forget details they saw.  The puppy picture I posted to Facebook yesterday was from a picture on my phone.  The original was a screensaver on a laptop.  I snapped the photo and used that for reference.

You might not have drawn in 20 years, but the skills are still there if you are interested.

I never was good in drawing or painting.
I think it never will be good.

I have been complimented in the above statements- thank you.
But I have to disagree with #1 on your statement Staybrite. I DO use references in everything I draw. Many works were direct drawings or scratchboards of an existing photo. And when I DO create something from "my head" it's actually my brain drawing on images that I remember, I can then combine several images into one to create something that looks original. When I was a kid studying art, I clipped thousands of images from magazines and old books and newspapers and actually had a file cabinet with alphabetical "things" -
Files like "Sports", "Old people", "babies", "vehicles", "landscapes", "houses"  etc... Whenever I would go to the drawing board, I would draw from images, combining many of them to "create" my own "original" piece.
So don't sell yourself short, I agree completely with Aldat, your work is excellent AND you still "have it", you're just not using it. I used to teach my students that whatever form of art media they work in, it's just that: Work. And what happens when you don't work out for a long time ? Your muscles grow weak- the muscles are STILL THERE, they're just weak... same with artistic skills, you still have them, you just need to work them... if you wanted to.
I've watched Alldat's work, just in a short time, improve a hundred-fold cuz he's working that art muscle and it's getting stronger and way better than when he first started out.