Theme #2 - Steampunk

 So I threw around some ideas for my Steampunk sketch. At first I was going to attempt a Steampunk Pacific Rim Jager but then it hit me ...... STEAMPUNK ROBOCOP! This was a lot of fun to do. I may do the rest of the body soon.

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Rockstar sketch #2

I really wanted to do a sketch of Iggy Pop so I did a second Rockstar sketch. I used a col-erase pencil to rough in the forms and then went in with Copic markers.

The Animal sketch was my first time using Copic markers and this was my second. I'm happy with the results.

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Work Sketch blog - Rockstar

We have a sketch group at work that chooses a different theme every week. Everyone does a sketch of that week's particular theme. I am jumping on board very late, but late is better than never. The first theme was Rockstar. Here is my sketch of Animal, the ultimate Rockstar!!!!!

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The beginning

I got into the Animation/Film industry because I loved to draw when I was growing up. I have hundreds of drawings that I saved from when I was a kid. I even have sketches that I drew on the backs of my parent's cheque books.

Somewhere along the way, between working in the Animation industry as a Surfacing artist and becoming a husband and father, I stopped sketching and producing art in my spare time. It has literally been years since I have sketched on a regular basis.I lost my desire to draw and paint. It was difficult to find the time and the energy.

I looked at my daily schedule and found some time where I could sketch. Part of my morning commute into the studio is on the GO train. For years I drove but traffic and construction pushed me to take the train. At first I was excited to have a place to sketch but it just ended up being my place to sleep or check my emails.

Luckily, I recently took that first step towards daily train sketches and so far so good.  It was like starting a fitness program though, I wanted to be "in shape" INSTANTLY but that didn't turn out to be the case.
There were a few false starts because I would just sit there staring at a blank page unable to decide on what to draw. Then, when I finally attempted a drawing I was horrified with the results. This in turn left me discouraged and feeling defeated.

So instead of trying to produce masterpieces from scratch after not doing any sketching for almost a decade, I decided to look at the works of modern masters and attempt to reproduce them. I figured this would help  prove to myself that I was technically capable of producing high quality work. The plan was that if I could do a good job reproducing art that I considered high end, I could then use what I learned from those studies to create my own works of art.

I chose to work in marker, Copic markers to be exact. A friend of mine and very talented artist, Joe Vriens, did Copic marker sketches for my kids at the Toronto Fan Expo in the summer of 2013 and I loved the results. They seemed like the perfect tool for my journey back into the world of sketching. I could have gone with simple pencil sketches but I wanted something that forced me to make decisions and stick with them. I wanted something that was very unforgiving. I didn't want to waste time erasing pencil lines that weren't quite right. The Copic markers allow me to produce variable line widths quickly and easily. They also come in a wide range of colours so I am not limited to gray scale and more importantly, they can't be erased. The markers are bloody expensive but I have been building up my collection bit by bit.

So here begins my journey, my quest to becoming a better artist. I am starting with baby steps but I plan to be flat out running in the not so distant future. Wish me luck .......

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