I did my first real climb up 2 days ago, and it was one of the best feelings I've had in this journey of movements. I've been trying for months and months with no success, and finally, i just thought about flinging myself up dynamically, and going for it, and i did it. It felt good, and although i was really tired and cut up from the days training, i managed to do about 10 all together.
My hands are all cut up still, and my body is really sore also, so i wont be going back out for at least one more day. I hope i didn't forget the movement, but something tells me i wont.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
first post in a long time
Well, I've been out of college for almost 2 and a half months now, and I'm not certain how well i have used my time. There has been a max of 5 feet of snow here, and the dreary days do a number on my mood and energy level...that being said i think I've done quite a bit with my time, drawing, exercising, going outside when i can...but it is still very frustrating. in mid feb i went out to do some jump roping, it was about 10 degrees out, and my rubber jump rope broke...that really ticked me off, so i got mad, threw some things and went inside and watched tv or something.
but anyway, my least favorite months are over, and march is here, so spring is on its way...finally can get some more serious training in, as well as getting a normal energy level back. i try to lengthen my days as long as i can thou, try to stay up for over 24 hours, sometimes up to 30, and then sleep for about 8...i figure ER doctors do it all the time, so why cant i. during that time, im watching soccer and drawing, or if im not drawing ill stretch while watching tv...ah it sucks, i cant wait to get out!
but for those of you who read this, i'll tell you that my drawing teacher told me to ditch drawing from hogarth haha. he gave me a book called artistic anatomy and it is SO much better and in depth. it gave me a whole new wave of inspiration to keep going.
oh, and i've been working on 2 or 3 songs by myself, because there is nobody here to play with me anymore, and i will have them finished soon, but it is hard getting them pieced together just right, when i have to overlap them using windows movie maker...
ok right on, until next time...mike.
but anyway, my least favorite months are over, and march is here, so spring is on its way...finally can get some more serious training in, as well as getting a normal energy level back. i try to lengthen my days as long as i can thou, try to stay up for over 24 hours, sometimes up to 30, and then sleep for about 8...i figure ER doctors do it all the time, so why cant i. during that time, im watching soccer and drawing, or if im not drawing ill stretch while watching tv...ah it sucks, i cant wait to get out!
but for those of you who read this, i'll tell you that my drawing teacher told me to ditch drawing from hogarth haha. he gave me a book called artistic anatomy and it is SO much better and in depth. it gave me a whole new wave of inspiration to keep going.
oh, and i've been working on 2 or 3 songs by myself, because there is nobody here to play with me anymore, and i will have them finished soon, but it is hard getting them pieced together just right, when i have to overlap them using windows movie maker...
ok right on, until next time...mike.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Do Things.
We shouldn't ever have to wait for a 'suitable' environment in which to follow our dreams. I know I always say, "Oh! I can't wait until I'm out of school so I can really start to train." or "I can't wait for summer time so I can really begin training hard." ...I can't wait for this, I can't wait for that...like somehow the future setting will suite better than this one, where ever that may be, here and now. This is silly, life isn't going to wait for us; there is no point in not using the time we have now if we have it.
In saying that, the last 2 days I have tried living my life the way I see myself living in the next year at the apartment. I have woken up early after going to sleep relatively early; ate breakfast, trained some type of conditioning with stretching included, for around 2 or 3 hours. (2 straight hours of various chin ups/pull ups with stretches during rest time) I probably did around 80 pull ups + chin ups and stretched my russian splits as well as various other stretches. Then I drew for a few hours in the Cafe, had some more various meals, went to frisbee (which is a good way of conditioning for i try to never stop running and it last for an hour) ate another small meal and then went to badminton. It felt really good, and right now I feel when I go to sleep I will feel good about my day, for I got a little closer to the way I want to be, but I was being that way while trying. It's like...living your dream while pursuing it.
But the point is, that i shouldn't wait to do it, i can incorporate what i want to do anywhere i am. Even if I am currently in college and miserable...i can turn that around. The place doesn't have to be perfect because life isnt perfect, it isnt supposed to be. all we can do is what we can, and what we want, where we are. never putting this off to the future. do it now. do things now. DO THINGS
In saying that, the last 2 days I have tried living my life the way I see myself living in the next year at the apartment. I have woken up early after going to sleep relatively early; ate breakfast, trained some type of conditioning with stretching included, for around 2 or 3 hours. (2 straight hours of various chin ups/pull ups with stretches during rest time) I probably did around 80 pull ups + chin ups and stretched my russian splits as well as various other stretches. Then I drew for a few hours in the Cafe, had some more various meals, went to frisbee (which is a good way of conditioning for i try to never stop running and it last for an hour) ate another small meal and then went to badminton. It felt really good, and right now I feel when I go to sleep I will feel good about my day, for I got a little closer to the way I want to be, but I was being that way while trying. It's like...living your dream while pursuing it.
But the point is, that i shouldn't wait to do it, i can incorporate what i want to do anywhere i am. Even if I am currently in college and miserable...i can turn that around. The place doesn't have to be perfect because life isnt perfect, it isnt supposed to be. all we can do is what we can, and what we want, where we are. never putting this off to the future. do it now. do things now. DO THINGS
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Why? Hogarth? (Art Is Hard)
I have had these 2 books by Burne Hogarth, "Dynamic Figure Drawing" and "Dynamic Anatomy" for a few months now, I think I may have received them in late January, early February actually; and I have drawn from them off and on sporadically. Some days I would think that I should only study from them and never do any imagination drawing, then other days I would set them aside and think that I should only draw from imagination...I am not sure why. But I have made up my mind at this point at what I am going to do.
In the drawing dvd I got last Christmas with Marko Djurdjevic (Massive Black Inc, and now lead cover designer for Marvel Comics) he said that he got his hands on these books at an early age and at age 11 decided to spend all his time drawing out of them to nail the human body proportions and forms...to get them in his head so they would never leave. So when he was about 13 he set the books aside and then began drawing from life to incorporate more realism, but the foundation was already there. He had an ease after that, for drawing the human figure. This is why at age 19, i've decided to do this. I am way behind i know, but then again he is the lead cover artist for marvel frickin comics and new what he wanted to do with his time at a young age. It's taken me a long time to decide.
I am sick of drawing from imagination, looking at a drawing i just did and thinking "what is wrong with this!" because I know something is wrong, I simply can not see what it is. I am sick of being afraid to foreshorten figures, and to twist hips and necks. I am sick of being afraid to draw hands and legs, and to foreshorten. I simply do not have the knowledge and foundation, and I need to build it.
I realize that I have been drawing from these master drawings by Wesley Burt, and Marko D as well as other magnificent artist but it doesn't help me. I am not ready yet to be taking on such drawings that are so above my current level. This is why my drawings look sloppy and my lines are not flowy. Most of the time I am struggling with these drawings because I'm just trying to duplicate, not understand. I need to understand form and pose, not just try to draw other drawings. I need to think about how light reacts, not just look at dark and light tones on a paper. And I need to build this foundation, have a strong solid base so I am comfortable. I am not looking for perfection, I just want to expand my knowledge on the subject so my imagination drawings become better and less frusterating. So I can have more fun creating characters and poses, and not be caught up in trying so badly to make the person look believable...I want that part to be easy, like nothing.
I have a long way to go however. I started earlier this month, drawing a few studies, for at least 2 hours a day. I figure if I do an average of 3 hours per day for a year, that is 1095 hours of drawing, which is about 45 days of drawing all together. That doesn't sound too bad...that means for the next 365 days, 45 of them i will be drawing days. Hey it wont hurt, call me crazy or whatever, but i think the average person spends about that much watching tv a day..in tern gaining absolutely nothing. This cannot hurt me at all.
I will still do the occasional doodle, but not often. Drawing, in this next year, means HOGARTH HOGARTH HOGARTH! and i find that if i ever get bored, i just have to think of the outcome. A year is a long time, it hasnt even been a year since i began drawing 'seriously' and really trying to expand my technical skills, and i have come a looooooong way in these last 10 months. (started in February) I am really excited for November 2008, so I can look back and see where I started, and also so I can put aside Hogarth and finally have that foundation I'm fighting for.
-Mike
P.S.
Check out Taylor's Blog for some new Hollow Village amateur recordings!
In the drawing dvd I got last Christmas with Marko Djurdjevic (Massive Black Inc, and now lead cover designer for Marvel Comics) he said that he got his hands on these books at an early age and at age 11 decided to spend all his time drawing out of them to nail the human body proportions and forms...to get them in his head so they would never leave. So when he was about 13 he set the books aside and then began drawing from life to incorporate more realism, but the foundation was already there. He had an ease after that, for drawing the human figure. This is why at age 19, i've decided to do this. I am way behind i know, but then again he is the lead cover artist for marvel frickin comics and new what he wanted to do with his time at a young age. It's taken me a long time to decide.
I am sick of drawing from imagination, looking at a drawing i just did and thinking "what is wrong with this!" because I know something is wrong, I simply can not see what it is. I am sick of being afraid to foreshorten figures, and to twist hips and necks. I am sick of being afraid to draw hands and legs, and to foreshorten. I simply do not have the knowledge and foundation, and I need to build it.
I realize that I have been drawing from these master drawings by Wesley Burt, and Marko D as well as other magnificent artist but it doesn't help me. I am not ready yet to be taking on such drawings that are so above my current level. This is why my drawings look sloppy and my lines are not flowy. Most of the time I am struggling with these drawings because I'm just trying to duplicate, not understand. I need to understand form and pose, not just try to draw other drawings. I need to think about how light reacts, not just look at dark and light tones on a paper. And I need to build this foundation, have a strong solid base so I am comfortable. I am not looking for perfection, I just want to expand my knowledge on the subject so my imagination drawings become better and less frusterating. So I can have more fun creating characters and poses, and not be caught up in trying so badly to make the person look believable...I want that part to be easy, like nothing.
I have a long way to go however. I started earlier this month, drawing a few studies, for at least 2 hours a day. I figure if I do an average of 3 hours per day for a year, that is 1095 hours of drawing, which is about 45 days of drawing all together. That doesn't sound too bad...that means for the next 365 days, 45 of them i will be drawing days. Hey it wont hurt, call me crazy or whatever, but i think the average person spends about that much watching tv a day..in tern gaining absolutely nothing. This cannot hurt me at all.
I will still do the occasional doodle, but not often. Drawing, in this next year, means HOGARTH HOGARTH HOGARTH! and i find that if i ever get bored, i just have to think of the outcome. A year is a long time, it hasnt even been a year since i began drawing 'seriously' and really trying to expand my technical skills, and i have come a looooooong way in these last 10 months. (started in February) I am really excited for November 2008, so I can look back and see where I started, and also so I can put aside Hogarth and finally have that foundation I'm fighting for.
-Mike
P.S.
Check out Taylor's Blog for some new Hollow Village amateur recordings!
Monday, November 19, 2007
First Day Back (Holland, 1945)
My first day back was in interesting one. I learned a lot of things, mainly that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me just to get back in reasonably good shape. Earlier this year I was probably the strongest I had ever been; at a pace of about 17-20 pull ups max, and max 50 fast push ups. I found out that I cannot do more than 5-7 pull ups and no more than 10 slow push ups presently. I also cannot do a muscle up any longer, and not even a decent climb up. I felt completely terrible about myself most of the day, but I understood that I shouldn't expect anything more. I spent most of the spring and all of the summer doing nothing but drawing. I didn't do any conditioning or parkour what so ever, as well as none when I went to college in July, and only one day in August when I was off, and then again none, when I was in school for September up until now. I trained once in October for 2 hours and that was it. I think this whole year (dis including Jan-Feb), I've trained less than 10 days : ( But I found another passion, i was drawing and i was loving it. At some points I was so into it that I wasn't sure if I would ever go back to training...but i realized, that i l still loved it, and that I wanted and needed it in my life as well. So now it is simply a matter of balancing out these 2 passions, while incorporating music also.
On a positive note, seeing Taylors progress and his abilities drastically increase over these last months and years, really came out evident today. He did things that he couldn't do last year including a wall grab, and large precision that he wasn't close to before, and also showed me that he can do three straight dead hang muscle ups on a fat bar. It was really impressive seeing how much his hard work has paid off. Also, looking back on my sketchbooks from senior year before i began drawing seriously, I've also seen my progress and knowledge of anatomy grow. Granted it is still not nearly as good as i want it, but it is considerably better. It's amazing when you can actually see progression pay off. It gives me a lot of inspiration to keep going, in whatever I do.
Hopefully I will be sore from all the dips Taylor and I did. We did simple dips on a short wall, to emphasize the dip motion needed in a climb up. We did a lot, and kept doing more and more, pushing ourselves with the help of each other, farther and farther. Things like this make having someone to train with so much more rewarding. It's a mutual push, and I think this is another reason why living together will make us really feed off each other, and force us to not become lazy and therefore "disappoint" one another.
Tomorrow we will most likely do precisions due to our sore arms. Another friend mine is interested in parkour and is planning on coming out and training with Taylor and I tomorrow. I hope he gets something out of it, and learns something.
take care for now. I'll give it a few days before I update again. No use in posting every single day, there is too much to do!
PS- The titles are weird yes, and I'm not going to tell you what is in the parenthesis. It's pretty easy to figure out though.
-mike
On a positive note, seeing Taylors progress and his abilities drastically increase over these last months and years, really came out evident today. He did things that he couldn't do last year including a wall grab, and large precision that he wasn't close to before, and also showed me that he can do three straight dead hang muscle ups on a fat bar. It was really impressive seeing how much his hard work has paid off. Also, looking back on my sketchbooks from senior year before i began drawing seriously, I've also seen my progress and knowledge of anatomy grow. Granted it is still not nearly as good as i want it, but it is considerably better. It's amazing when you can actually see progression pay off. It gives me a lot of inspiration to keep going, in whatever I do.
Hopefully I will be sore from all the dips Taylor and I did. We did simple dips on a short wall, to emphasize the dip motion needed in a climb up. We did a lot, and kept doing more and more, pushing ourselves with the help of each other, farther and farther. Things like this make having someone to train with so much more rewarding. It's a mutual push, and I think this is another reason why living together will make us really feed off each other, and force us to not become lazy and therefore "disappoint" one another.
Tomorrow we will most likely do precisions due to our sore arms. Another friend mine is interested in parkour and is planning on coming out and training with Taylor and I tomorrow. I hope he gets something out of it, and learns something.
take care for now. I'll give it a few days before I update again. No use in posting every single day, there is too much to do!
PS- The titles are weird yes, and I'm not going to tell you what is in the parenthesis. It's pretty easy to figure out though.
-mike
Sunday, November 18, 2007
First Post. (Op Beach- Mono)
My first post! Well, I suppose I should tell you what I will be sharing with this online diary.
First, I will be posting a lot of artwork, and for the next few months to a year, maybe past a year, they will be mainly Hogarth studies and life drawings. Life drawings from models, and of any thing that I see really. Still life's, or whatever. I am back to basics. 'Gotta walk before you can crawl. (Wait, reverse that.)' Anatomy: learning proportions, how muscles work, and also being able to draw exactly what I see are qualities I know i must posses and obtain, conquer and pursue, if I am going to someday become an illustrator or a production artist/concept artist. After all, how could a writer be a writer if he didn't know how to use commas? or how spell 'definitely' right? "By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree." -(good ol') Chinese proverb.
Aside from the constant Hogarth studies that you will get bored of, hopefully before I do, I will be keeping you and my future self updated on my (parkour) traing progress. Little goals, any videos or photos I happen to feel like posting, set backs, accomplishments, new ideas, philosophies on the whole subject, etc, will be posted here as well.
And finally, which I expect will be least talked about here in this diary, will be my music. NOT because I'm not concentrating as hard on it as I am on the other things, but because Music is hard to explain in words. It will happen between my friends and I in our rooms, or in some random place at 4 in the morning. All I'm going to be able to say is that we made or recorded a new song, or that "we played well today", "we didn't play well today", crap like that....BUT I will be able to post our songs here! So hopefully those will be special updates. Not to say that our music is anything special. Special meaning that those will be different in terms of material.
Tonight is, well this morning is Sunday November 18ths morning, at it's time of 4:54 AM. I am going to meet Taylor, my good friend later today and hopefully it won't be unbearably cold so we can get some training it. I haven't trained in over a month, it will feel great to get out again.
One thing that i have been really slacking on is conditioning. (pull ups, push ups, etc.) In March and April of this year I was up to about 20 pull ups and I could do 15 sets of 10 push ups with 1 minute breaks in between. I haven't tried doing many push ups, but i can only do around 5 pull ups now... I spend the whole summer drawing that I totally forgot to keep my body healthy. I need to find a way to keep a good balance.
PS-
I'll do an update on my first day back, if not tomorrow night, then the next day. If not the next day, then wait longer. Only if you care, of course, and that is if anyone else besides Taylor reads this. If that is true than I really feel TOTALLY silly.
First, I will be posting a lot of artwork, and for the next few months to a year, maybe past a year, they will be mainly Hogarth studies and life drawings. Life drawings from models, and of any thing that I see really. Still life's, or whatever. I am back to basics. 'Gotta walk before you can crawl. (Wait, reverse that.)' Anatomy: learning proportions, how muscles work, and also being able to draw exactly what I see are qualities I know i must posses and obtain, conquer and pursue, if I am going to someday become an illustrator or a production artist/concept artist. After all, how could a writer be a writer if he didn't know how to use commas? or how spell 'definitely' right? "By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree." -(good ol') Chinese proverb.
Aside from the constant Hogarth studies that you will get bored of, hopefully before I do, I will be keeping you and my future self updated on my (parkour) traing progress. Little goals, any videos or photos I happen to feel like posting, set backs, accomplishments, new ideas, philosophies on the whole subject, etc, will be posted here as well.
And finally, which I expect will be least talked about here in this diary, will be my music. NOT because I'm not concentrating as hard on it as I am on the other things, but because Music is hard to explain in words. It will happen between my friends and I in our rooms, or in some random place at 4 in the morning. All I'm going to be able to say is that we made or recorded a new song, or that "we played well today", "we didn't play well today", crap like that....BUT I will be able to post our songs here! So hopefully those will be special updates. Not to say that our music is anything special. Special meaning that those will be different in terms of material.
Tonight is, well this morning is Sunday November 18ths morning, at it's time of 4:54 AM. I am going to meet Taylor, my good friend later today and hopefully it won't be unbearably cold so we can get some training it. I haven't trained in over a month, it will feel great to get out again.
One thing that i have been really slacking on is conditioning. (pull ups, push ups, etc.) In March and April of this year I was up to about 20 pull ups and I could do 15 sets of 10 push ups with 1 minute breaks in between. I haven't tried doing many push ups, but i can only do around 5 pull ups now... I spend the whole summer drawing that I totally forgot to keep my body healthy. I need to find a way to keep a good balance.
PS-
I'll do an update on my first day back, if not tomorrow night, then the next day. If not the next day, then wait longer. Only if you care, of course, and that is if anyone else besides Taylor reads this. If that is true than I really feel TOTALLY silly.
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