Growling Man,.... eyes and brow,...

....   worked on the eyes a little more and started on the eyebrows. What a difference already,...

____?____ing Man,... (eyes)

So I have been contemplating what to call this piece,.. screaming man, angry man, stern, sad, morose or macabre,.. hmm.   

.......

B, K and M,...

My first commissioned work,... signed (which I have never done), sealed and delivered.

I should explain why signing this piece was such a big deal for me. I have never "signed" my work, I simply initialized it "sB" and the year.  Signing it was a request by the customer (a dear friend as well) and she was absolutely right,  it adds an aire of professionalism. I had always felt that writing my name would take away from the art and make it look like I was bragging,... I was wrong, signing the art makes it art.  

Bluebird,...

... I would like to dedicate this piece to my wife (by far the most courageous and strong person I know) and Camp Bluebird (the most impressive place I am aware of). Camp Bluebird is an adult camp for cancer survivors who are at all stages of their survival,.. from just diagnosed to in full treatment to years or decades in remission. Campers are treated to recreation and relaxation, but more importantly they can share their story and interact with fellow survivors and come to a better understanding of their life-style adjustments and non-medical needs when living with cancer. 

My loving spouse has been a frequent attendee to Camp Bluebird for a few years now. I love the idea of this place and I am overwhelmed with admiration for the effort, dedication and hard work the volunteers put into making this a reality.  Thank You!

Enough of the mushy stuff back to the art. This was my first attempt to work with color and like all things new that I try, I was frightened. However, I like how this turned out,.. the bird house and back ground in simple graphite and charcoal really do make the colors on this bluebird pop a little more. 

I finished with the eye,...

Although the change is minor I think you will agree that the final product has more realism.

A previously learned lesson did come back to me with this piece,.. that even with color and good technique to bring in realism, shadows are the most important. Shadows are what give a 2 dimensional drawing a 3 dimensional feel.

One is a bird on a page,...                                    ... while the other is a bird coming off the page (hopefully).





{on a personal note, the fact that I managed to start with my favorite color, blue, is not by chance}

sB

Blue bird (color !!!)

Completed the entrance to the birdhouse and it looks ok for now,...

 



Yup, finally took the leap into color. I am still very reluctant to do color, but I have been asked by many to try it.

I think I am on the right track,.. the beak needs work and the eye needs to blend in more. 

sB

boy work,... (update)

At the request of the buyer I worked on the boys mouth a little and can clearly see how much I have improved in just the time from the first child to the third child.  I am thankful for this project and grateful for this buyers input and constructive criticism.

Blue bird (color??)

... new project ,...

Life is,...

... what happens when you aren't looking.

So I have been drawing on this commissioned piece but only in spare and very scarce time. Work, Wife and Home have been keeping me busy.  However I believe I am done with this one.  It has not been sealed but I want to do a dry run presentation first (in case I am requested to make changes).  Otherwise I will sign it, seal it and sell it.

...sB