Back to the kiln

I've got a couple of weeks off from work and am enjoying being home at the house. I fired up the kiln for the first time in too long a time, on monday night. I got to use a pyrometer that I had bought awhile back on ebay. I like knowing what's going on inside the kiln as it fires, trying to judge by color is not a very easy way to be sure of the temp. The one shot you can see through the peep hole and see the cone bending over, it has the number 04 upside down on it. Cone 04 is the temperature to which I fire my work to (Bisque)before I glaze and then fire it again. As you can see from the pyrometer reading at cone 04 is 1942 degrees, or somewhere around there depending how quickly or slowly you fire. Cones measure the amount of heat that the clay absorbs not the temperature that is in the kiln, when they bend over like this one is, you have reached your mark. I hope to improve my glaze firing with the help of the pyrometer. With it I'll be able to hold the temperature at a certain temperature to hopefully get some better results with my glazes. Anyhow, I hope to get some work done while I'm home. I just mixed up a new batch of paper clay so I can continue working on my series of man and woman theme sculptures. Merry Christmas!!

New Clay Stuff

I got myself back into the studio today to finish up two pieces that have been neglected for a couple of weeks now. I think if I focused on one thing I could probably be really great at what I chose to do, but that apparently is not going to be the case with my life. So my only hope is that I live a long time so I can pull together all of the misfit, half baked, creations.

I like the mask, with the hole drilled in threw the bridge of the nose to add something after glazing and firing. I do plan on exploring this avenue more and add sort of a head dress to the ceramic masks that I make. I'd like to incorporate metal, wood, and other materials in the future.

This other sculpture, another one in the series of man and woman growing together theme, is interesting. I've attached them to the top of a vessel I threw. I like how the two forms are incomplete, fluid, and somewhat broken, but still beautiful. The male figure is playing a supporting role in this one, but they are both in the struggle together. I'm excited to get this one fired and glazed, because I can't wait to see it with flowers coming out of it's cracked and open forms.

Work on Timmy begins

I recently started modeling my pal Timmy Fifel, as you can see he doesn't have his head yet. This is a learning process for me, mainly being a traditional artist and animator, I'm learning as I go. I did some simple rigging on him to see how his body mesh is working. It just blows me away when you start moving him like a puppet, to see him start to come to life. I guess that's the magic of animation.

Fun with Maya

Here's a little piece I threw together with a small piece of animation I did awhile back when I was getting familar with the rig the students in the fundamentals of animation class use at Full Sail. I'm having fun learning more and more these days to be able to work on my development and animation reel for my story with good old Timmy Fifel. I think the New Years resolution for next year will be to model and rig him and start animating him in an environment.

Clay, Ink, and the Princesses

I try not to labor over these pots too much since I haven't perfected my firing and glazing technique yet. I haven't done enough work yet to feel like I can confidently guarantee a successful result. So if they don't work out so well I haven't put to much blood and sweat into them, (makes it easier to swallow if they meet with disaster). I look forward to the day when my glazes will turn my work into something uniquely special.
Here's our two little girls, our found kitty Zen and my wife's precious little girl Shimmey. I'll have to post some video of them playing one day, they love to wrestle, and it's a hoot to watch.
Drawing continues. I would love to be able to spend a week on a drawing and see where I can take it, but for the moment I'll settle for a stolen hour here and there. I find it hard to weave a long deep story into my drawings unless I spend a great many hours focused mainly on the drawing. This drawing has no real story at this point, just a simple theme that's been showing up in my ink drawings. People biting people, although I love zombies, I don't think that is the motivation, and I'm not craving brains or human flesh. I have an idea what it means, it's just I haven't spent enough time exploring and weaving my tale.

Work continues

As I continue to draw my small 4x6 pen and ink drawings on my breaks at work, I can't help but get the itch to do some larger scale work, so I just started one. I'll have to try and shoe-horn this into my routine somehow. Just do it until it becomes part of the day.

Like I said time to make some pots, The weather has made a turn here in Florida, and it a perfect time to fire up a 2000 plus degree kiln. Not to mention, that come February of next year my wife and I would like to be able to open up our store front on Etsy.

Back to Pots

With the cooler weather hopefully just around the corner, I'm looking forward to firing up the kiln again, it's been awhile. Someday money will come find me, and I will no longer have to leave the studio to find it, then I will be able to focus on all that is waiting for me around the studio:)

almost lucid in my dreams

I still am using my breaks at work to do small pen and ink drawings. No real preconceived ideas as I sit down with a sandwich in one hand and a dip pen in the other. As I look at these last few drawings in my book I've done, I can't help but see a story unfolding. Still going with the man and woman theme, just with a twist or two.

New Sculpture in the House

This is Number two of a series of man and woman themed sculptures I plan to do, all having to do with the idea of growing together within you relationship. As you may notice these figures are hollow open vessels, which I think is symbolic and also seems appropriate for the medium that I choose to work in. I have also done a little color study of how I might go about finishing it up. I'd like to use some beautiful ceramic glazes, but also paint some with under glazes and finish them with a clear coat glaze.

Working

Heres' something to look at: an etching plate I proofed this weekend, an Albino Frog out in the back yard, and me working on a sculpture that is nearly completed. Life is good.

The life and times of Timmy Fifel

The trick is not to get distracted, drawn in, don't be reactive. Just remain still and present without judgement. I know, it's hard, but try.

Blogging Blogs

Awhile back I posted some pics of a friend I worked back at Disney with,  Tom Thorspecken,when he came over to sketch me while I sculpted.  He started a blog in the beginning of the year with the goal of posting a new sketch every day. He's covered many interesting events here in Orlando over the past 6 months. His sketches are always impressive and his stories compliment them well. Right now I follow two blogs, one is his , and the other is Justin & Shels stop animation journey at Stop Motion Mission. They both inspire me with there dedication and love of what they do and also the work they produce because of this  passion & dedication. Tom posted the sketch he did of me that day here :)

It wasn't easy, but nothing is............

After finishing a sculpture I started many moons ago,I decided to have a little fun with it, colorful fun that is. Interesting thing about this sculpture; it is based on a pen and ink drawing I did awhile back "Growing Together" . My wife and I live a modest life in a modest house that is supplied with an arsenal of artistic weapons. It's our sanctuary, and we rarely seem to stray from it, at least for the last 5 years now. During that time we seem to have grown together, and made quite a content life for ourselves, both of us pursuing our art. I began drawing these man and woman themed pen and ink studies where the two were physically growing together. This 1st sculpture in a series I hope to do. It took some time to complete because of time issues and also a wandering mind that led me astray. When I did have time to sit and work on it my mind was not where it should have been and I veered off and added a bunch of design elements that had no real purpose and did not add to the story. I had a moment of clarity the other day and began lopping off the dead wood, so to speak. When I was done stripping it down, I found myself back at the original drawing. I think I have learned something from this, and if not I hopefully will be able to see more clearly when I am making poor design decisions:)

etching proof

Here's a look at an etching proof I ran tonight. I'm rather pleased with the direction that my etchings are headed in. I scribbled on this plate off and on for the last few weeks during my breaks at work, along with scribbling on quite a few pen and ink drawings I have not finished yet. This plate was a bit of an experiment to try and see the kind of detail in line I can get to hold up through the acid biting process, I think it faired pretty well, and I think I can take it much further. Once I get through these last few plates and start working in copper with ferric chloride I think I can take it still even further. The ferric chloride bites straight down, so there's less expansion of line during the biting, which equals more detail holding up:)

Infected

I know I'm supposed to be posting my first sculpture by now, but I just have not been able to finish it yet. I'm not sure that my schedule will allow me to produce my sculptures as quickly as I had hoped. But none the less, I still plan on doing a series of 12 sculptures, as you can see I'm continuing to explore the man & woman theme in my drawings. It's probably time to start tinkering with some etching plates along the same theme also. 

Kiss!

I think this will serve as inspiration for my next sculpture, speaking of that I'd better finish up the first sculpture. I think I'll be doing a series of let's say 12 sculptures, all with the man and woman theme. I guess that's what happens when you're happily married, it seeps into your work. 

Back to sculpting

A friend of mine, Tom Thorspecken asked if he could come over and sketch me while I was working on a sculpture. Tom is an extremely talented artist living here in Orlando Fl., and since the beginning of the year has been doing a sketch a day and posting them on his blog. While most of us may cringe at the thought of trying to tackle complicated and cluttered scenes, Tom revels in them and dives in with little trepidation. Along with a loose and carefree style of documenting all in his point of view, Tom has been writing the most wonderful, stories of his sketching adventures, that I find very entertaining and sometimes informative. You can see his sketchbook chronicles at his sketch blog here. 

I'd like to thank Tom for giving me the jolt I needed to make some time to get back to playing with clay, and also for finding me to be Sketch Blog worthy. 

I'll talk about the sculpture next weekend when I hope to have it finished up, Let's go for one sculpture a week, that shouldn't be too hard to manage? we'll see...... 

Pen & Ink continues

The plan is simple at this point in time. Just to continue on smiling. The end of the year seems as good a time as any to pick up my head and look to see where I am. Sometimes giving up control, and being more content and accepting can take you to places you may not have been able to get to had you taken control yourself. I hope to find my work has traveled to an extraordinary place when I pick up my head to look, sometime at the end of this year. 

Etching proof

I stole some time last week during my breaks at work to scribble on a plate, which I dipped and proofed this weekend when I was supposed to working on some freelance. This one is getting a little more busy than the last ones, which I like. I still have to take them further and spend more time on each plate. No fear though, a have a bunch of plates to get though, and I plan on living till I'm about 92, so that gives me plenty of time to do some really unique pieces. 

Pen & Ink

There is a story here, I promise you that. 

Pen & Ink

Life just seems to get easier when you stop fighting it, and just enjoy the ride. My new mind set of working seems to be paying off. I've wrested long enough with my artwork, I'm just going along for the ride these days, and it's pretty darn fun! 

proofs

Proofs

Proofing plates

I guess it's been at least three years now since I bought my self an etching press. But for a number of reasons I have not produced any etchings besides a christmas print the first year and an occasional failed attempt to recreate my drawing style on an etching plate. The one major reason for not producing plates was just a yellow streak that was running down my back, and now with my new found happy art making mode, the fear of bunking up an etching plate has been alleviated. Good bad or everything in between, from now on I'll be making prints. The fear is gone, at least for now. These are some pics of me proofing some plates I did this past week. 

Back in the saddle

I said yes to some freelance 2d animation work and then I remembered I had sold my animation desk last summer. So I had to throw together a box to draw on. Here's my 30 dollar animation box hung on a drafting table. Next can of worms to open is Zbrush, I got a demo yesterday from a friend at work, and I'm sold. Trust me there's a path here somewhere. 

Ease

Now it's not that I haven't been working that I haven't posted any new work. I have just been working on computer animation, yes Maya, the 21st century, I have finally arrived!! But lately I have been drawing, and enjoying myself I might say. I hope to soon be posting some etchings that I am currently working on . I'm sure all my loyal fans we be thrilled at what I have come up with. This drawing is titled "Ease" for the reason of my new demeanor have have taken with the approach to my work. No more struggles here mate, all smooth flowing lines of artistic bliss:)