Journey of an Absolute Rookie: Paintings and Sketches

[xXMizu_NinjaXx]

Wow these are Great, Its amazing how far you've came on your journey.

[Orifice]

Haha woooow man! This stuff is so damn great! I have no idea how I have managed to miss this, very glad I finally found it. Heh a minute after I came here i became a fan. I'm getting more n more into paintings and more and more eager to paint, so this inspiration is really really good for me, thanks for that! Well, I'll be back!

EDIT: ................what? I visited the first page. ! The inprovement is something I have never seen, HEARD of before! Oh man! 4 years to become a master ey? This gives me some hope! Gota say it again; you the man!

[NiyanaMae]

Hey! I just wanted to say that, like many other people have told you IM sure, your work is extremely inspiring. I have been drawing off and on for several years now, but only seriously since the fall when I started school online for Illustration. Even though I am going to an expensive art school right now, part time, I think once my husband and I move to Chicago in a few months I will highly consider going to an atelier there. Either way... I just wanted to say hi and tell you to keep up the great work!

NiyanaMae

[pennington]

dude! you need to start a blog or something for your imagination doodles. that's hilarious.

[Nerahla]

I just found this thread -- from your very first steps years ago to this and I want to tell you, that it is so hearteningly inspirational and encouraging that I got a little emotional looking at it. I will try and remember this thread when I get down, and try to remember that I /can/ do this with a little perseverance and grit.

Thank you so much for letting us take some inspiration from your journey, and sharing all of this with us out here in internet land

[Blind]

Hi MCM... I haven't been here in a long time... I think the last time I checked in on this thread was some time in early 2004. What you've done with your talent in the past 5 years is truly inspiring. I remember your very first posts when you first showed up at CA. The contrast between then & now is startling. Well done!

[Mr.Greene]

I really like your work, especially the last one you posted, the color and value is really amazing...if your first posts on this thread was how you really started...WOW...you have improved by a ridiculous amount. It really is a journey.

[Mitchell]

Beautiful paintings! I'm still shocked by your prgression.

[dan liimatta]

damn - crazy thread - love to watch the evolution through the years, and it should probably read former rookie nowadays

5/5 and perhaps the most inspiring thread work ethic wise I've ever seen, on CA or anywhere else - makes me damn myself for reading this, and not slave at the wacom! So got to run!

[paperX]

subscribing to legendary thread ...this sketchbook has been my inspiration for sometime now, just paying my respects may this incredible journey provide inspiration and hope for many artist for years to come

[k4pka]

I just read a post you left in the fine art section, about copying only the warm and cool relationship of colours in flesh, and not the *actual* seen colours. After having recently just had this click myself (I am self taught) I can only say it is a relief to hear it from someone else.

My colouring is suddenly much more authentic, and easier now that I dont try to match the exact colours, only the temp relationships.

So yeah, a huge thanks for that really.

[Kronos]

WOW, man this is quite a journey indeed, its really awe inspiring to see so much progress in a relatively short time.... heh, you have gotten so much better its almost funny heheh, sorry man this is just crazy!

You are an amazing inspiration, i can't thank you enough for sharing.

i will have to take a good look through the whole sb soon.

and could you please post a larger photo of the last painting, it looks freaking gorgeous, but damn, its so small!

sorry for babbling on but i really mean it you have lit a wee fire in my belly, thank you so much for sharing.

[coriat]

whoah dude, you're awesome!

[saa]

that is amazing. you heard that several times before but i'll just say it again - awesome work, i admire your discipline and passion for art. i just looked through each of your works and am speechless. thank you and i have no doubt you will continue growing. cheers

[escape2mars]

Hey Jon, congrats on your entries to Salon International! You're now a superstar

-alex

[MindCandyMan]

ashrumm - Thanks! Oils are so difficult that's for sure. It will certainly take a lifetime to conquer them...if I even do it by the time I die hehe.

Justin Oaksford - Thanks for stoppin by man. Don't worry...I have a four year gap in my resume...I have no choice but to keep going at this point heheh.

draw - Thanks! Oh man the middle class we need to bring that back!!

blanquish - Thanks for the kind words man. I'm really glad you picked up on all those things. Those things are intentional so it's good to know someone's getting them hehe.

Cup of Joe - That's awesome! If I can help encourage another person to chase their dream of becoming an artist then I feel I have done my job. I have an update on the book as well, but unfortunately it's good and bad...

ArtZealot - Thanks man I am so glad to hear it. It's great that I can even give back a little bit.

xXMizu_NinjaXx - Thanks! Yeah it sure has been a while that's for sure. Sometimes it feels short and other times it feels like forever hehe...depending on whether my painting is going well or not.

Orifice - Thanks man. Yeah it was pretty crappy in the beginning. I don't look back at those pages anymore heheh...unless I need to prove to my students that they can learn to draw and paint.

NiyanaMae - Thanks for stopping by. Yeah you should definitely attend an atelier if you go to chicago. I actually don't know where one is in chicago, but I'm sure there are plenty. It gives you such a solid foundation. Keep in touch and let me know if you sign up for a program like that.

pennington - Thanks heheh...maybe I should. It would be a fun outlet to draw all that stuff. Just crazy imagination stuff. I think I might do that.

Runecaster - The amazing thing is that I feel I have gotten so much from all of you. Seriously there were days when I wanted to quit...and I would log on here and someone would have said something encouraging...so it helped me move forward. At the beginning is the trickiest time too...and so I owe all of you for helping me through that. It's great to have a community like this...artists would have killed for it 30 years ago.

Blind - Thanks! I've said this before but I think it's true hehe. When you start off like I did...you can only go up from there hehehe.

Mr.Greene - Thanks! I had a lot of fun doing that last one. It gave me some problems too, but for the most part it was really fun. It has definitely been a journey. It's weird...you make a decision and four years later your whole life has changed. It's strange. I'm just glad my wife has been supportive throughout the whole thing.

Skeiff - Thanks man. I definitely am too...I didn't know if I would be any good when I started. I thought I could be...but sometimes I still wonder about that heheh.

That fat kid - I love that critique dude. Not pretentious at all just the truth. I have been thinking about similar things as well. I am getting more comfortable with oils and drawing abilities, etc... so I am able to start thinking about the deeper things now. If a painting is ONLY an exercise in technique (apart from studies and schooling, etc...) it really doesn't have much value. I have also noticed that the paintings that I have not put feeling in...show it. They are lame and everyone know it...even if they don't know why. It's a great point that you make and a very insightful one. I am trying to tell a story with the most recent things I've done so I'm glad you picked up on that too. It definitely is hard to jump back and forth from the mindset of "that arm is wrong" to "How can I convey this person's personality". Really what I'm realizing though is that my drawings and paintings should look good only so that people are not distracted from my message. Kind of like in a song...all the notes need to be played right so that people won't be distracted from what you are trying to communicate. Right on man thanks!

dan liimatta - hahah...yes get on that wacom!!

paperX - Thanks so much...my biggest hope is that it will provide that inspiration.

k4pka - Absolutely man...anytime. I am learning all those things myself as well. I left my atelier basically right as I started painting so I've had to figure out certain things on my own as well. That one concept dawned on me one day and all of color opened up to me. It was like a light bulb turning on. My color isn't perfect now but I understand and can practice it more. At any rate I'm just glad it helped you and confirmed your ideas.

Kronos - Sorry for the small painting hehe...i use the same ones as my website so some patrons logging on are still at 1024 x 768. So I don't want to blow up their screens hehhe. I'm glad I lit that fire in your belly too man. It's amazing what looking at other artists' work will do for your inspiration level. Every time I go to the museum I come back fired up and ready to paint some more heheh.

coriat - Thanks!

saa - Thanks so much. I definitely feel like I have a long way to go that's for sure. Gotta keep growing.

escape2mars - Hey thanks! I was excited about that too. We'll see what comes of it. If my wife caught me calling myself a superstar. She would laugh and make fun of me for a long time heheh.

____________________________________


As far as the book update is concerned...it's bad news. Unfortunately I got a copy of it from lulu (the self publishing company I was using to print it)...and I really wasn't happy with their printing quality. So what I am going to do is add high rez copies of all my paintings to the book. Add a tutorial painting perhaps and add a bunch more information and make it available for download. I will probably charge about 2.95 for the pdf or something like that. I put a lot of work into it but I just can't sell it to people when the printing is sub par. The binding just doesn't feel solid enough and the color reproduction is really lacking. So that's where the book idea is so far. I need to finish up that other stuff so I can begin releasing the book off my website. I am also thinking that I will do my "journey" book that way too. It will take me a LOT more time to finish that book...but I think it will be a great way to get the information to people. Sell a 150-200 page pdf so the price doesn't have to be jacked up. Plus I can sell it directly without going through a middle man. I don't know...lemme know what you guys think about that.


Here are a couple new paintings. These were the ones ready to varnish at the time. I did a portrait of my mother in law which was fun. We actually get along can you believe it hehe. I did some other still lifes too. Also I took a picture of some of the other stuff to show you what I can varnish fairly soon. The one all the way on the left is a self portrait. I have to wait to varnish it. It came out ok...I tried a really hard pose. There is a bunch of other stuff around the studio but I'll post that later on.

[MikeHayes]

I have been following this thread for years and every time I see an update it is like a hundred cups of coffee's worth of inspiration. I must also say it is part of the reason I decided to attend an atelier myself.

Although I am headed towards a different professional arena, the type of training and study I do is similar to you. I hate to ask, but should you ever find yourself with a free moment or two I would very much appreciate it if you could take a look at my sketchbook thread. It is mostly charcoal studies from life, with a few oils in there as well.

I tried really hard to reciprocate in advance and find something... anything, to critique you on, but alas, I am at a loss.

[Call0ps]

always inspiring see this SB, no matter when and how many times i come always inspiring, hard work and dedication .. love your last paintings. keep sharing keep inspiring plz

[Fishspawn]

Awesome update, can't wait to see what your book is like!

[deep_set]

I am totally serious and confident in the truth of the following statement:

"I have never been so impressed and inspired by anything in my entire life"

So, so inspirational mate, brilliant journey. Keep going!

[Art_Addict]

I like the still lifes more then the figures.

Personally I would save up time and money and put together a realy nice book
to publish instead of thinking about a pdf. Your offset market would be bigger.
And I always love the feel and look of a real hard copy. Just my 2c

[dakoscwash]

you're my hero

[Orbital]

This has got to be one of the best examples of artistic determination. From 2002 to now, the improvement is just... wow. Absolutely wonderful!

[paperX]

wow great update!!! i've recently started learning to paint traditionally and let me just say after attempting to mix colours in real life and looking at your works again has made me realise what truly amazing level of kick-ass-ness you are achieving

about the books...I agree with what Art_Addict said, mostly because even tho i'm still a student I would personally be prepared to pay a higher price just so that i can treasure the amount of inspiration you give me in my hands and also share it with others. thats my added 2c

[Bojee]

Always good to see the new work Jon, Although I agree that the PDF would be a good temporay solution I think I'd much rather have the real deal. Like many people on here, I'm pretty proud of my book collection and I'd love to add your's to it.

On another note, could you post some pics of your set up/studio??

[emily g]

The portrait of your mother-in-law is amazing.
You're doing such beautiful work--I'm proud to know you.

[drd]

This is the first time I've posted in here. I wish I'd seen it when you first began, I'd probably have gone down the same line as you, it would have been great inspiration...

I look at your first couple of pencil drawings in here, and then at these. No words needed.

I know you've done Acrylics and Oils. In your opinion, do you find working with oils much more manageable and/or easier than acrylics? Right now, all I can really afford to use is acrylics, because my painting area is in the house, unlike you which I'm sure have some sort of studio, I've just got my little corner =(.

I want to ask whether most artists consider acrylics the beginner paints, and when they're accomplished, they move up to oils and make even better pieces?

[Looped_Warrior]

Where have you been my whole life?! This is amazing!

[Blackhawk]

Well, atleast I know the portrait of your mother-in-law is semi-accurate as she does bear a striking resemblance to your wife Marie . Nice job man.

[pennington]

It would be a fun outlet to draw all that stuff. Just crazy imagination stuff. I think I might do that.

hot dog, i can't wait :B