Wax Bloom

Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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Graphite on Cold Press Illustration Board, 8 x 10″

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1. Start Working Larger I’ve been limiting myself to pieces no larger than 8.5 x 11″ for the past year because thats how big my scanner is. It seems silly to me now, but it made sense at one point. The largest piece I did in 2007 was 11 x 14″ and I was really happy with the way it turned out. I was less happy with how it photographed, which leads to goal number two…
2. Set up a Photography Area I don’t own an SLR, but the point-n-click I have does fairly high resolution images. The issue I have is one of proper lighting. I want to be able to confidently and accurately capture my work. I’m tired of saying “it looks better in real life.”
3. Get Back to Working with Clay This time last year I was heavily into creating clay caricatures and I’m starting to miss it. I stopped when my Mom suggested I do a portrait of my daughter, and found myself more interested in drawing than sculpting. I also want to sculpt things other than what I had been. I bought my daughter a play kitchen set for Christmas and it could use some more toy food, for example.
4. Try Other Mediums I spent most of 2007 working in Colored Pencil, and found the inspiration to branch out a bit to graphite late in the year. I did a lot of oil painting in college, and would like to get back into that. I’d like to give pastels a try as well.
5. Draw Things other than Faces As much as I love portraiture, I really don’t want it to stagnate. I want to start trying other subject matter – perhaps try my hand at a still life or two to start, and move on from there.
6. Pursue More Commission Work I think I let a lot of commissions slip through the cracks last year by not going after them with more vigor. I read somewhere that people don’t make up their mind about a purchase until they’ve been reminded of it around eight or nine times. Folks would approach me, mention how much they loved my work, say they wanted one, I’d say “great!” and nothing would come of it because I didn’t follow up (because I expected them to…foolish me). This year, if you ask me about a portrait, expect to be harassed until you have it in your hands

And you? What do you plan to accomplish this year?

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