Golden Koi

I Just finished this picture last night. It's done on 19in x 25in black paper using soft pastels. It has similar coleration to the koi fish I created for the Skate Deck Art Show. This one is more smoothly done, with softer colors as opposed to bold due to the smudging technique I used to color in the koi. There are a few marks from the pencil outline that showed up; however it doesn't bother me. The paper ended up having kind of a stressed look.

The lighting and the camera have discolored the photo a bit. I am not able to do and color correction on it at the moment, but I figured that's not a huge deal. However, I may replace it with a better photo later.

I have been a kind of obsessed with koi fish for about 3 years now. They are beautiful and the meanings behind them are inspiring.

FYI: I'm going to start tagging the picture differently and more evasively. I don't like the way the water mark changes the look of the picture. So starting today, you'll have to deal with my logo in the corner of every picture in a way that would be difficult to edit out (i.e. partially covering the picture).

Gift for My Brother

This was a gift for my brother. It is in a frame, so there is a reflection that shows up in the photo. The picture is 18"x24" and the medium is charcoal.

Dreams and Aspirations

This piece was done for the 2011 Skate Deck Art Show at Doogallery in Atlanta, GA. As the show title suggests the theme of the show was to create something using a skate board deck. This took about 10 hours and the medium is Sharpie permanent marker and acrylic paint.

When the Koi fish swims up a waterfall, it becomes a dragon. It represents aspirations. Lizards promote dreaming. I wanted this to be colorful and busy. The two animals are placed in a loose shape of a Ying Yang because both concepts of dreaming and aspiring can be opposites of each other even though they are two sides to the same coin. Dreamers don't pursue anything...but when you aspire you are in the process of making those dreams come true.

Bob Marley

This is my 3rd attempt at a Bob Marley portrait. He's fun to draw, plus the quote was the inspiration for the picture. It is done on 19in x 25in black paper using soft pastels.

Crochet Long Brimmed Beret

This was my second crochet project. It's a beret with a long brim that can be rolled.

Crochet Afro, Loc, Long Hair Tam

This is my first crochet project. A tam made for people with long [or tall] hair.

Isaiah 54:17

This illustration was made with coal and soft pastels. It is not what it seems to be. If you look closely the smoke recites Isaiah 54:17 - "No weapons formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shalt rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn" The idea of this was inspired by a dream in which I survived a gun shot to the head. It is done on 19in x 25in black paper using soft pastels.