LA Auto Show - Not Cars!

Despite the abundance of sleek shapes and bright colors around me, I was incapable of not being drawn to certain... architectural elements of the Auto Show. For instance...

A boring view of wasted space...


...and a pretty interesting fiber-sheet layered wall.

LA Auto Show - Cars!

Went to the LA Auto show today. I've never really been a huge fan of cars in the way most guys are, but I will admit that after being submerged in them for a few hours I have a new appreciation and a slightly keener eye for these functional objects. While I took a mess of overall car pictures, I couldn't help but dwell on the details. Here are a couple photos of a couple very different Porsche's:

Turkey Day Post Its

After a day full of food, these couple Post-it sketches were all I could muster.

Forms of Circles

Some further exploration of the various shapes made out of circles, including the golden section and related forms. The second sheet (ripped from the sketchbook!) were attempts at making more structural forms in this same manner.

Circles Upon Circles

A new theme in my sketches, or so it would seem. The circles are forming the Shape that i came up with a couple weeks ago... It all continues to develop and I think it would make an interesting painting, whenever I get back into painting mode.

Hypothetical Bridges

Whipped these up on the train today. I had this idea for a spiral/ribbon bridge... then it turned into a helix bridge... then it turned into a sectional bridge based on undulating circular tunnels... then I got to my station and had to put the pen down. They aren't fully hashed out, but just some initial thoughts that could potentially be worked out later... or on my next train ride!

Planar

Here's a scribble that turned out a little bit more reserved the some of the other more intense ones. The simple planar forms are just real enough not to boggle the mind, though I do wonder what is happening behind that uppermost plane.

Pershing

This is a shot of the fountain in Pershing Square in Downtown LA. Not so much the fountain, as the stones on which the water falls.

Paper Straw Wrapper

I doodled this at a local Italian joint on an opened piece of straw wrapper. Not that that has anything to do with the content (maybe it does?), I just like giving some context to my sketches.

Ribbonny Doodle

A quick one with a ball point pen.

Bike Racks

Went to my old architecture school, SCI-Arc for a mentoring event the other day. Very strange to be back there, as there were a lot of changes to the school, inside and out. Mostly, I am guessing, to accommodate the extra 2-300 students that are attending there now than from when I attended. I thought this was an interesting scene outside:

Slightly Symmetrical Scribble

Another scribble drawing, quickly... uh... scribbled in the sketchbook. Hey, it's not fantastic, but I'm trying to get back in the posting rhythm.

Shape (with a capital S)

After a series of small doodles, I came across this shape. I pulled it out and sketched out a larger iteration of it... I interpreted it as a Shape and symbol of the Infinate and it is made out of a series of bell curves and golden ratios.

Blue Ball Point Scribble

YES WE CAN!!!!

It took me almost a week to make this collage, but it was worth it, and I finished just in time for Election Day!

Its my small way of lending my skills to the cause (If only the inspiration bug bit me a little sooner.)

Get out there and VOTE tomorrow, everyone! Leave nothing to chance and don't take anything for granted. With one day to go, it aint over yet! Go Obama!!!

Home Scans

Haven't made a post in over a week, but have been dealing with computer issues.... which is no longer a viable excuse! Finally got a new computer! Finally got a scanner! Never again do I have to post my sketches from modified digital photos!

Heres a couple quick post-its doodles from over the weekend. Nothing fancy, just trying to get back on a roll...

More to come soon!

Small Strip Collage #4

Another in the series... Not quite as successful as some of the others, mostly due to some of the pieces getting jacked up in the cutting. But, you learn and move on.

Scribble Variant

This drawing started as a scribble drawing, but turned out a bit different than I was expecting when I went in and hard-lined it. I think it lost something in the translation between mediums, though definately worth exploring further...

Doodle Scrap

Nothing fancy here... just a doodle that I scrawled on a random scrap of paper sitting on my desk.

Semi-Aquatic Scribble

Another scribble, done on the train today, with a felt tip pen. The emboldening of lines from the initial scribble and application of texture and infill, while somewhat selective, only reinforces the original gesture, which was not a completely conscious mark.

Unfinished Scribble

I had started another scribble drawing over the weekend, but never got around to finishing it. When I opened the ol' sketchbook today, it looked pretty cool just the way it was, so I post it as-is. I think these things are starting to look like Rorschach tests.



I see an amazonian insect that just at her mate's head after coitus.

Ball Point Scibble

Another scribble drawing. This one is in ball-point pen (this really seems a formidable medium for these drawings) . I am also surprised that I am able to keep the lines relatively smooth on the bumpy train ride.

Juxtopposadoodle

These are sketches/doodles from the last couple of days. These two were from two seperate days, drawn with seperate pens, but right next to each other. They aren't meant to look like anything in particular, but in a way they resemble each other.

Caught Up!

Finally! I have caught up with all of the posting that I have been meaning to do over the last week but couldn't due to computer problems, giant post-birthday hangover and good old-fashioned lack of time. At least I haven't been idle!

Here are a few more collage studies that I whipped up over the last couple days. I know I said that I was going to stop doing these, but I just can't seem to help myself.

Small Strip Collages

I knocked out a couple more small strip collages over the weekend. They turned out alright. I was more excited about the technique I worked out on the second one. These were made in the series of small collages that I have been making lately, and were both 3.5" x 2.5". The intent is to just make a ton of these things. They are averaging a day or two a piece at this size.

Party Lights

I took this picture while I was inebriated at my birthday party! Who says you can't take cool pictures while you're drunk? No one. Thats who!

"Building"

I think the title of this piece speaks for itself.

Quick Study

Another study for a collage. Smaller seperate parts become one larger whole. Like those little slidey puzzles you have as a kid. Hey, now THERE's an idea!

Contrapt-O-Matic

Came up with this wacky piece of machinery on that way in to work on the train. I still haven't figured out exactly what it does yet. I think it might peel grapes, or it may be a device to learn how to fold paper more than 7 times. One of the pistons doesn't do anything. I think every machine should have one part that has no function.

Stubby

I started doodling on a shuttle ticket stub that was sitting on my desk and this is what happened.

Stuffed Primates

Jess and I went to the LA Natural History Museum this afternoon for a few hours and ended up settling in what I like to call the "Stuffed Animal Wing" to sit and sketch for a little while. It's been a while since I actually sat and drew an animal of any kind, so it was a good exercise. I don't think they are particularly great, but worth showing nonetheless. The second one turned out a little creepy.

Exquisitely Political

After watching the debates tonight and having a nice long conversation about a whole myriad of topics, Jess and I whipped up another exquisite corpse-esque drawing. I drew half and just put it in front of her. I'm sure its completely impossible to tell who did which half. The halves are different, and yet.... there is something to the insanity.

IF - "Clique"

This collage was done in response to the Illustration Friday topic of 'Clique'. I didn't think I was going to come up with anything for this week, but the next thing I knew I was whipping up another collage. I'll let this one speak for itself...

PS: This was also made in the 3.5"x2.5" format. Its a little smaller so instead of a weel of cutting tiny pieces, its only taking two nights.

Add a Splash of Color...

This was something I whipped up on my lunch break. Its another study for future collage efforts, but came out kind of neat all on its own.


If this entry looks jacked up it's because my normal computer is on the outs and in the meantime I am posting on a mac. That is all. Belated Illustraton Friday post coming tomorrow.

Sculptural Construct Idea

Came up with this on the train a couple days ago... more of a structural sculpture, based on conterbalancing something large with something much smaller. Would like to get some actual built study models going before actually jumping into the real deal.

Bamboo Shade

A photo of another lampshade and light from my apartment. Whenever I end up compiling all my photos into little books, I'm sure I will put it with the rest of them.

"Island"

Cloud City is the ultimate Island in the Sky. This strip collage was the result of the most recent studies that I posted. Its the first one of its kind in that the image on the large pieces is obvious, with black strips making up the entire infill. Final collage size ended up being 2.5"x3.5".

"I see a city in the clouds..."

Post-it Doodling

I had some material at work that i have been meaning to scan in and post, but because I keep forgetting to do so, I will just a quick post-it doodle. Which, come to think of it, was still done at work.

The 100th Post Spectacular!

OK, so its nothing more special than any other post, but it is still worth mentioning that I hit the 100 post milestone on this blog today! Not bad, not bad. If I keep up at the rate I'm going now, I just might hit 200 by the end of the year! We'll see if that happens.

Here's another scribble, that I started last week, but was finally able to finish fleshing out over the weekend. I used a little bit nicer ball point pen this time, which yielded a slightly different result than the standard Papermate one I usually use, but it turned out alright nonetheless.

Studies Before Studying

Out of town for the last couple days, so the posting streak came to an abrupt halt. I have been sketching in the meantime, and will be doling out some stuff over the next week while I am studying for my architecture exams.

These are a couple pages of studies for more of my collages. Started doing some prep work for small pieces the other day. I realise that drawing the collages out quickly and actually hashing them out in collage form are two completely different looks, styles and results. It made me think that its time to stop doing hand-drawn studies for the pieced together strip-collages that I make. Perhaps the hand drawn studies will evolve into full-blown pieces in their own right.

Sketchbook Clutter

Keeping in the theme of the week... I wanted to post some studies and preliminary sketches from last night's I.F. post... Since the sketchbook is so cluttered anyway, I just took a quick scan of it and that will be my post for today.