So let's start from the beginning. I loved to draw from the time I was little. Unfortunately, I don't have any of my childhood artwork. Not sure why none of it was saved, but rest assured I was better than the average seven-year-old (or ten-year-old, or twelve-year old).
(OK, so not quite that good...hehe.) I really started improving in junior high when I discovered a book on drawing in my 7th grade art classroom. The only thing I remember about the book was a drawing of a dog that I copied using charcoal for the very first time. Finding charcoal pencil was like finding my soul mate :). Again, I don't have that drawing--because I gave it to my high school boyfriend, who never gave it back. (Loser.)
Then in high school, I was blessed with an amazing art teacher. Actually, I had a couple of great teachers, but Mrs. Meyer was the best. We just connected, and she knew how to push me and help me improve.
If you read my last blog post, you got to see a couple of my high school drawings. Here are a few more:
The Indian girl won the annual art contest at my high school. The girl is done in charcoal pencil and the background is done in pastels.
Not sure what kind of bird this is. I just found some images in a magazine and combined them. This is called a scratch board. The whole thing is coated in India ink, and the white parts are literally scratched away with a sharp point.
"Welcome to the jungle..." Yep, Axl Rose from Guns-n-Roses. I was a big fan :). This is done in charcoal.As you can see, I've never been much for doing color art. I prefer to work in black and white, either charcoal or regular pencil. I like close-up work, like portraits or individual items rather than entire scenes. And realism. Even if I draw something fantasy, like a dragon or an elf, I want it to look realistic. I don't have a problem with other styles, this is just what I enjoy working on myself. (Although, I've learned recently that my old high school art teacher holds painting classes over the summer, so I may just have to sign up and let her work her magic again!)
Next time, we'll fast-forward to my more recent stuff, and then after that move into the backstage happenings of doing artwork for a small press.
