Angel of the Annunciation

This post is an unfinished piece that I'm very fond of. Yes, it's another Christian piece, but I do work for a ministry and a lot of these have been for work because I draw and interact with children.

Anyway, this is a piece that, no matter how much I might enjoy it, didn't actually make the cut at work because my angel was a little too controversial looking.

In all honesty, I was just trying to be more faithful to what I felt the Bible described angels as: scary beyond all reason! :( I'm kidding, but it was an effort of mine to challenge the stereotype of the robed rosy cheek halo sprouting woman with feather wings and a harp. The reason I do this is because I hope that maybe people will be intrigued or disgusted by this enough to actually go see what the Bible itself says about the appearance of angels.

Anyway, back to the work. It's a mixed media piece with charcoal, ink, conte, white paint and matte medium. Enjoy! (but remember, it's not finished)

Carrying a Cross

Today's picture is a pencil drawing of high detail and very little "umph" if you ask me. Although I like the subject, the drama is in the detail of texture here, not in the body language of the characters. In other words, it's like the figures are posing for this picture instead of experiencing an event.

Still, people really seem to like this picture and it does show a more accurate representation of Roman Centurion armor.



Now, I'll discuss what I did right. I think I did a nice job of spotting black areas so that the emphasis is on the soldier and the cross beam. I think Jesus does actually look like he's been flogged and the crown of thorns came out pretty well. Also, since no reference was used, I think I did a pretty okay job with anatomy and props as well.

This might be a matter of personal taste, because a lot of people really like this piece when they're looking through my work. They favor the detail and meticulous crafting that a piece like this has, whereas I personally like gestural drawing a lot more. Oh well, that's why I do pieces like this, because I don't just draw for me. :)

Thanks for looking!

Praying in the Garden, and Fun With Fish Day!

Here's some more Bible story goodness for all you ne'er-do-wells out there. I kid, of course.

This is one of my drawings of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. It turned out alright, but I'm more pleased with some of my previous commissions of this subject matter. If there's any lesson we can take from this piece, is that we need to get alone sometimes to properly communicate with God, and reflect on life. The piece was made with charcoal and conte' on pastel paper.



The next piece is a humorous and cartoony depiction of Nicole and me at work. My character is Caius, an arrogant Roman soldier, and she is Phoebe. Phoebe is none too pleased with Caius, who is oblivious to her reaction. Caius thinks everyone likes him.

Happy Birthday Nicole!

Today's entry is a present to a very beautiful and wonderful lady, who is celebrating her birthday, today. For her birthday, I decided to paint her favorite Bible story, which is Mary washing the feet of Jesus with her perfume, hair, and tears.

Instead of explaining my process and materials, I'll let the painting speak for itself.