Vastra and Jenny!

Here it is. Yup. The moment you have been waiting for is finally at hand. Here is the Vastra and Jenny picture in its final glory. I know these two Doctor Who characters have developed quite a following after their single appearance (Ok. It may have been two if you are being pickey, but it was really just one story in my mind.). I know that they are due to return this coming season and I am looking forward to that as well. Enjoy.

Vastra and Jenny. Part Three

Plugging along! REALLY struggling to motivate myself to work still. I know it will get easier eventually but I need it to kick in soon as I got stuff to do!! Got a decent sketch of Jenny done in my sketchbook over a lunch break and pasted it into my composite drawing. Moved ahead to the inking stage as well. I am pretty pleased with the "flow" of Jenny.

Vastra and Jenny. Part Two

Didn't really feel like I got the balance I was looking for in my composition, so I went back to the drawing board to re-work Jenny's pose a bit. Here is what I came up with as well as the re-worked color comp.

Vastra and Jenny. Part One

As I try to get myself up and running again at my drawing table, let me start to show what was in the cooker before I took a short break. Lady Vastra and Jenny were such a cool part of the Doctor Who mid-series finale last year that just about every whovian began proclaiming love for this inter-species couple. Heck, people want them to have their own spin-off!! I thought they were cool and warranted a pic. Plus I really need to start getting some new Who stuff for Hurricane Who this November!! Here are my initial thumbnails and my first color rough.

More figure drawing

These are older pieces from figure drawing classes of by gone days.  I still think that these are better than the recent ones but some of that may be attributed to that some, or all of these, were longer than 20 minute poses. I just don't remember. Hoping to have NEW pics to show soon. I am struggling to be productive right now in the aftermath of Mom's passing.

Back to School

A few months ago, a coworker and I decided to take a figure drawing class at a local school. It had been about 12 years since the last time I sat in such a classroom and it did feel to be a bit weird and reminiscent of good times being back at school. It took about two sessions to start to shake off the rust and then my teacher found out what we did for a living. I think that may have influenced her as to how to teach us. She would NOT let me draw like I draw. She forced me to use a different approach and I really struggled with her method. I figured she must know more than me and that it would be good for me to learn to look and react differently with the drawing. I am not too sure she was right. She seemed to think that I was taught how to draw the figure as an "illustrator" instead of as an "artist". Does that make any sense?? Come to think of it, my figure drawing teachers back in school were not working illustrators so I am really confused. She would go so far to say "STOP! You're illustrating again!!" I liked being back in the classroom environment tho and I may do it again but maybe an open class instead of one with instruction.

Here are some of the drawing I did in the class. The first two are some of the gestures done to warm up at the beginning of class and the rest are about 20 min. All done with charcoal on newsprint.

Mom

I don't usually discuss much of my personal life here on my blog. Not as a rule, more of the fact that I just think that most people don't really care about me as an individual person and are here for more artistic reasons. That's fine, but I am going to get personal today.

For my entire life I have always had a constant. I could always count on my mother to smile at my work and have words of encouragement. Always. She saved just about every drawing I did as a child in a big book and even kept a copy of my professional portfolio as an adult. She even framed and hung work in her home of paintings I did in school that I did not like but she boasted about. Her love and support was always completely unconditional. She also checked my blog on a regular basis for new things and would discuss it with me on the phone. I called Mom three or four times a week, mostly on my way home from work. We would also talk politics, religion, and baseball. Nothing was really a bad topic for us. My relationship with my mother was only distant in the literal sense as she kept her home in New Jersey near where I was raised. Mom won't be reading this entry on my blog. She won't be discussing it with me on the phone on my way home. Mom died on August 1st. I was lucky enough to be at her side as was my older brother. She was made comfortable by the hospital and didn't suffer. She opened her eyes at the very end to us, held up her hands for us to hold and then slipped away. She was a brave and strong woman and I can't imagine how difficult her life was. The longer I am a parent, the more I realize how hard the road was for Mom. She was raised by my immigrant Grandmother as her own father passed away on her tenth birthday. My father passed away when I was 7. Mom was only married for ten years and one month. She has waited thirty-six years to be re-united with my Dad and I am trying to find solace in that as I grieve. I have been a Christian my whole life and I am confident that Mom is in glory. I cry because I am selfish and I want my mom here with me. I cry because my son has lost two grandmothers in a three month span. My mother in law passed away in my home this past April.

While going thru Mom's home, I found some of my favorite photos of her and thought to share them. I don't know how old she was when the first two were taken but I do know that the wedding photo is from 1966 and the final two were taken on my birthday this past May. Mom was between her two open-heart surgeries and seemed to be in full recovery that weekend. I know now that God gave us all that wonderful three days as a farewell memory.

Sleep well Mom. You will be missed every day of my life until I join you in Heaven. Sleep well Mom. Your suffering is over and you are whole once more. You are with Dad and all those who have gone before you. I love you so very much!!

Last photo of Mom with me and my family.

Mom with her two Grandchildren.