Random Sketches

Sometimes I get in these moods where an image comes to my mind and there is no reason to it.  But I think you get a feel for where my mind is when the drawing comes out on paper. 

When I was a freshman in college, it was the worst year of my life.  Any and everything you could think of happened to me during that year.  Everything that was supposed to go left for me went right...and I lost it.  I lost EVERYTHING that year but I also gained EVERYTHING.  I met some beautiful people that I believe I would not have made it out alive.  It was that serious.  One individual who lived next to me took the time out to hear a bit of my dreams and aspirations which was all about art, of course....  For my birthday, she bought me this huge sketch pad.  It was the best gift I received that year.  It meant so much to me...she didn't even know me that well.  But she did.  So in one my random drawing moments....I was inspired by another friend down the hall and I drew the following work in that huge sketchpad:


Girl with Rabbit (pencil and color pencils)



I think my mind was in a serene place even though my life and heart was not.  In my mind I wanted this girl to look like my friend and I would remember her telling me about a pet rabbit.  So she was my inspiration for this random drawing.



Untitled (pencil sketch)

I believe I was in high school when I did this piece...I remember thinking that I want to draw a random woman's face and in my mind I knew which features I wanted the face to have.  I kept thinking she must have Joan Crawford's lips.  I always thought they were the most unique lips.  So I wanted everything about this woman's face to be severe and intense.  On top of that I added a sharp bob cut for hair.  Fierce.  That was where my mind was in this random activity.





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My first customized tattoo artwork

I only recently decided to find another outlet to market my artwork to others.  The idea is to sell some of my artwork as tattoo designs.  So I was asked to create something for a friend of mine.  She and her husband wanted to having matching tattoos to symbolize their son coming into their lives.  Her husband designed a tattoo for them.  Her request to me was for me to add to the original design to make it more feminine for her. 


Without posting the original design (I do not have permission to do so), I can describe the changes I made in order to make this a more feminine piece for my friend.



Tattoo Design (pen & ink 2013)



 

The original design has angel wings rather than the butterfly wings I have added.  I kept the same concept intact along with the lettering.  However, I re-designed the omega sign and made it a little more sleek and thinner since this was for a female and it goes better with the butterfly wings.




Tattoo Design (photo)
 

I have to say this turned out pretty well.  I liked it even better on skin! There is nothing more gratifying than seeing your work appreciated by others.   ;-)
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My Very First Muse

One of my very first subjects for portrait sketching was Billy Holiday.  I felt an instant connection with her at a very young age.  I was obsessed with her music, her beauty,  and her tragic story.  I felt like I was her in one of my past lives.  I identified with her story and her pain.  I wrote poems for her...I felt like we were connected through space and time. 

In this first sketch, you can see that I was not so talented in the shading area but what I can I say? I was very young and my sketching powers were not yet quite developed.  However, I can still feel why I was so inclined to draw this photo of Billy.

Billy Holiday (Sketch 1995)

In this second drawing, I was very much intrigued by the level of detail to which I had to pay much attention.  These are the types of portrait sketching that moved me...those with high detail.

Billy Holiday (Sketch 1995)

I really can't remember which sketch came first but I did them both within the same year, at the age of 15 under the tutelage of a great artist, Mrs. Dodys, my junior high school teacher.  She made me see that art was something bigger than me and that what I was doing meant something.  She was one of the many teachers that nurtured and molded me into who I am today.  She encouraged me and made me see that this was not just a hobby. 

I would be no one without art. Pin It Now!

My first stab at painting....

So I have given you a peek into my favorite sketch that I did when I was 16, I also gave you a peek at my first tattoo design when I was about 24.  Now I am going to give you a peek into my first stab at seriously painting. 

I first dabbled in painting when I was about 13, I think....I remembered that I did not like it as much as I thought I would. Ha Ha Ha Ha....I could not figure out why I was not connecting with my paintbrush so I never tried it again unless my art teacher, Mrs Dodys, told me I had to for a grade ;-)

Last year a friend of mine invited me to one of those BYOB painting classes.  There I met another fellow artist, Rebecca Coates. Shout out to Rebecca! ;-)
She promised me that I would love painting and what do you know....I fell in love and now I can't stop.  So this first piece I did is a sunset on a lake with trees....that sort of thing.

Acrylic painting 2012

Not exactly a masterpiece but I really fell for painting at this time and found myself signing up for those classes every chance I got until.....once day I decided, "Can't I just do this on my own in my home???" 
And so now, I do. ;-) Pin It Now!

My very first tattoo design

I got my first tattoo around 2004.  I decided to get some body art done a few years before that but I only wanted artwork of my own on my body.  This first piece took years to design and to decide upon.  I was inspired by the nomadic lifestyle I have, henna artwork a lovely Indian woman betstowed upon me while soul searching in Germany and finally love...

my first tattoo and design

This tattoo was done by a guy name Joe at Sacred Heart Tattoo in Lil 5 in Atlanta, GA.  He is no longer with the shop but I still stop in from time to time to get some work done.  I am looking for a budding tattoo artist to work with as I begin my tattoo design endeavors. Pin It Now!

My First Love...ART

Welcome to my artspace! :)

It's hard to say when it first happened. 
The first time I realized I could create something so beautiful (in my eyes at least) with just a pencil and paper...
I definitely know that I was very young and in elementary school when I first started my obsession with doodling.  I remember the calm and peace I would feel as I was sketching.  I remember the endless notebooks of drawings, the pictures taped to my bedroom wall, I remember it all.  It made me so happy and took me to another place just as if I was reading a book.  I was in love and his name was Art. ;-)

Thank you so much for taking the time to follow my progression and read my tales of art-ploration.

The first piece which I used in the background of this lovely blogspot....is one of my favorite pieces that I have done.  I knew it was special before I even picked up the pencil.



Dallas Austin (sketch 1996)

I was 16 years old at the time.  I remember working on this sketch in study hall in high school.  For those who don't know who Dallas Austin is -I shall explain.  Way back in the day when I was a little artist in training, I was really into this group called Another Bad Creation (ABC).  Dallas Austin was the record producer/songwriter behind this group at the time and then I remember him being heavily associated with TLC, another favorite group of mine.  I saw this photo in a magazine and I thought, "That would be a hot drawing" and so I drew....
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