Day 15

Today i've been playing with fire. Feel like a scientist figure out the knits and cranny's behind why things look the way they do. Great fun.

Day 14

Nothing too special today, just been working on a project to help a friend who's organising a community event later this week. Enjoy a quick skull for today.

Day 13

Today I was really impressed with some of my entries for the Sketchathon event. We talked about changing the structure of the event. Highlight of the day has to be my best mate/ mentor/ admin doing an Indian accent. He's amazing.

'I wanna fly like a bird tomorrow, so i'm crawling on my knees today. '

Feel sort of overworked/ border line burnt but it feels way too good. I'm really proud of how far i've come in the short span of 12 days. Need to keep pushing. It doesn't mean that i'm happy. It just means that I can see some difference.

Day 12

Been a really good day today. I managed to stick to most of the schedule and just worked flat out. A bit sleep deprived at the moment but its the only thing keeping me going right now. The more I push my body through the pain, the better it feels for some reason. Its like i'm slowly getting to know myself better and what I'm capable of doing. There is a sense of accomplishment in sticking through the tasks and seeing them all the way to finish. Also did some anatomy studies today on paper. Look rubbish so I left it out.

I have to balance my food intake at this point. Eat too less and i'll starve. Eat too much and i'll be too lazy to move. I also have to eat the right kind of food otherwise my body will start to lose some of the energy it needs to keep me going. Also drinking a lot of water to keep my eyes dehydrated.

'Inspiration is in the air, you just gotta learn to breathe.'

Life is boring without challenges and this one is slowly growing on me. My biggest fear at this moment is giving out through the course. It'll be devastating. I have to keep going no matter what. If I give up, I know i'll  live to regret it for the rest of my life.

When I concentrate on any particular thing, it feels like a waste of time and I always look towards other things that i'm not doing right now. But the truth is that i'm just playing mind games with myself.

I'm learning the foundation right now, only to forget them as soon as i've mastered them.

Really good day.

Day 11

Been working on some Zbrush anatomy today, mainly watching tutorials and modelling the parts on dynamesh primitives. 

Also painted a skull concentrating on the form.

Day 10

For day 10 I spent a considerable amount of my time working on this skull. Looking at angles and working on measurements. Learnt alot from it. Also learnt a bit about how to be disciplined.

'Hard work and luck are related to each other. The harder you work the more luck you will have.'

Decided to not miss my last train so only got this sketch to a draft level in 20 minutes. Off I go.

Day 9

Staying over in the studio overnight to finish a traditional pencil portrait for a good friend. I wasn't happy with the first attempt so I kept painting till 7am in the morning. The train service resumed at 5:30 in the morning. I had a decision to make, jump on the train and take the first draft or finish the painting regardless of how long it takes. I was physically tired at this point but mentally fresh. After 25 hours I was still sketching and it felt good.

'Follow your heart. It's the greatest navigation system you have.'

I did finish the portrait and went back home to sleep for a couple of hours before getting back up. I had a business seminar in Stafford. I really enjoyed the journey there and the overcast day lit the landscape in a very painterly way. At this point I was not only happy about delivering two portraits in a night but I also listened to my heart and did the right thing.

I safely delivered the portrait to Margharet and she was very pleased with it. That magical moment when you see a positive response from your client is priceless. Margaret is going to frame the portrait so i'll upload it when I receive it from her.

On the way back I shared the train journey with a really good friend from the business club. Full of inspiration and positive vibes. I think winners carry an ora around them wherever they go. She is definitely one of them.

Day 8: Beth portrait done

I decided to stay in the studio today and spend some more time on the portrait. I wasn't happy with the progress on this portrait so far so I decided to look up some reference and actually use them whilst painting.
I also did some lighting tests to see if I can come up with something different to what i've done so far.
Here is the result:

As usual I started the day with a skull study. Today I decided to add a lighting situation to the skull to see if it works. I like how the image turned out in the end. 

Gotta catch a train in the morning as I'm going to Stafford. I'll probably sleep in the train. But I feel really good to have taken the decision to stay in the studio. Pretty happy with how the portrait turned out and now I'm going to work on a traditional portrait for a friend of mine. 

Day 7: Beth portrait in progress

So for today i've been working on a portrait for my best mate's girlfriend. Brad means more to me than many other people in life and seeing this man change his life around the way he had really inspires me to move on with my life. He's the kind of guy I would kill for. This is just a really small present but I'll definitely do another portrait for her after this journey just to see how far i've improved.

'Setting goals is an easy task. Believing in them requires all you have.'

Been also working on some more solid brushes and painted a skull this morning. Annotated because I want to look back at it and be like oh yeah, that's what I did wrong.

Day 6: The Sketchathon day

Today was the Sketchathon day and to switch things up, we decided to record the Sketchathon videos on Youtube and have structured learning process so we can get more out of this day. We all took it in turns and my friends went first. Amit, then Long and then Walent. They shared their techniques and really useful stuff that we all found helpful.

'No point having all the riches in the world if you can't enjoy it. Look after your health.'

Then it was my turn and they asked me to do a Zbrush sculpt to show them what the software can offer. Hardcore is my middle name now. The results are just a by-product of the mental image we create for ourself. If you decide to be strong you will be one day. I truly believe that i'll be a great artist one day and I actually believe in that. I'm willing to work for it and do whatever it takes to reach my goals.

Day 5

I woke up late today. Like really late. But unlike the other days, I didn't beat myself up over it. I just realised that I have to move on, be strong and not lose focus. Boiling my head is not going to take me far. A chilled calm attitude will.

'You want to conquer the world, but can you conquer your thoughts?'

So today with a positive attitude I sat down to study a skull. This time I tried the extraction method to capture the essence of the skull. Meaning I mentally got rid of all the background elements in the image, analysed the figure and just started attacking the piece. 

To finish off, I did a Sargent test. Going all out with a solid brush. I'm tired of using transparent brushes. Its time to move on and make a difference in my art. So here is goes. 

The journey feels good! 

Day 4: Feeling the heat

So it is day 4 and i'm already feeling the heat. Been working on some grayscale studies. Decided to stick with black and white and nail the anatomy and values before moving onto colour.

There is good stuff coming out of my journey already and by doing these paintings I'm making it possible for me to find my weak spots. I've been writing them down. One of things I need to do is study more master paintings and also principal of materials.

I also feel like I need to get rid of the symbol system in my head as it keeps overriding what I can see before my eyes.  

'If they aren't there when you're down. You don't need them when you get back up.'

Lost the study I did this morning, I was mainly trying out the dot measuring technique which seemed to be working. Will try and do another sketch to see if I can remember any of it. Am I sad about losing my sketch? Hell no, it was just one of 1000's that i'll be doing soon. Onto the next one.

Day 3

Day 3 started with me painting a skull and learning anatomy while doing it. I'm trying to memorise the names of the important landmarks so I can easily recall them when painting.

This morning I realised that results is the only thing that matters. The process and the stuff behind the scene is of little importance as the viewer doesn't see any of it.

I decided to switch things up today by having as little rest as possible between my rounds. 1 hour work followed by 15 minutes of traditional drawing to get away from the screen. Been working mainly on a portrait for a friend's girlfriend.

'Just make a start, the rest will take care of itself.'

In the last round for today, I decided to go all out with colour and attacking the painting. However, it turned into a big disaster and just stayed in the uncanny valley. NO TIME FOR GIVING UP NOW. We have to keep pushing and work for better results. Need more failure to make me a stronger person. The more I fail now, the more angles I can cover later on.

My eyes are hurting at present and the screen is blurry but whatever, good things always come after little failures. Its the winners that keep pushing and the losers stay behind.

Here is the failure for today:

Day 2: The day of anatomy

So today I started working on the foundations. Going back to basics and literally figuring out what I need to make sure I don't have to look back.

I started the day with this portrait study. Learnt a lot by doing it. Their are plenty of mistakes in this portrait and it was great to compare and analyse the results afterwards against the reference.

Forgot to bring my lunch today but rather than going out and wasting an hour or two, I just scorched what I had in my cupboard and got back into motion. I'm not going to use this or that as an excuse any more. It is time to put every single second of my day into progressing towards my dream. From this point onwards rest is a necessity and not a required part of my day. If I can go without it, I will.

'Don't do the minimum you have to do in order to survive. Tread your own path and break free from the crowd.'

It is not possible to build a mansion on rotten straws, anatomy is like base of the house. Getting it right will definitely pay off in the end and ignoring it will cost me later in life.

An hour of anatomy a day will make the real difference in your work. Try it!

I'm capable of doing much more than this and I have to work up to a level where i'm performing at the peek of what I have to offer.

It all seems reachable now....

Portrait Marathon day 1

After all the ups and downs I had in my life. I decided it was time to go after my dream with all I have. Spend a year on my craft. Just one year to find out wether I am capable of doing what I want to do.

I've been fascinated with the landmark of faces ever since I started uni but because of the technicalities which you have to learn. I cant say i've enjoyed it as much as I wanted to. I do know this will change over time. And thats what this marathon is about. Do it so much that it becomes my second nature.

I'm out of university now and rather than going for a job in the industry. I'm going to take a chance to walk on my own path. It has not been the easiest of decision. Hard because I feel like my skills are very low in traditional drawing. I feel like a 3 year old when i'm drawing with a pencil. My pencil sketches are anything but impressive. I do realise that their are artist with a lifetime of experience over me.

The step for me was to get out of my comfort zone and not be content with where I was with my life. I always loved London city and would love to have a studio in the city one day. To be one step closer the city I looked for a studio as close to central as I could. I found a really nice place in Hackney full of creative people. Its only 10 minutes away from central and I get to see the beautiful city on my way, the Gerkin, Shards and the rest from my train everyday.

I have been here for just over a month and I feel like this is the right time to make a start. Its really now or never.

I want to be a portrait artist. A good one.

I'll be posting my results on Facebook (however bad) so I can get some feedback as I go along and so I can get some commissions of it.

I recently read The Alchemist and I truly believe in every page of that book. I've had enough beginners luck to give me a taste of what the good life is about but now I need to work for it. I do feel like we can become anything we want to be, we just have to believe in ourself.

By the end of this journey I just want to achieve one thing. Be a skilled portrait artist. The journey becomes much easier when you dig deeper and work out your goals, then its just a matter of watering the plant regularly and watching it grow.
I would also like to make enough money so I can afford a studio in Central one day.

I'm a very talkative person but right now I don't feel like talking to anyone. Until my brush strokes give me what I want, i'll continue to have sleepless nights. I have a dream and i'm going for it. If I drift this time, I know i'll regret it for the rest of my life.

Today I was working on the first phase of a logo design for a client and to my surprise she loved the logo and approved it over the phone. I did put enough effort in the logo and was going for the get it right the first time factor but wasn't expecting this response.

I feel good about this and to make it even better these guys jumped on the tube and started playing some live instruments. It was surreal and everyone loved it. I have a good feeling about this journey.

Sketch 1

Design through expression