So its time to write a blog, time to join the new wave, put it out there for others (meaning ALL) to see! This blog comes by way of suggestion from an art teacher who believes that keeping an online sketchbook and journal will help to stimulate, discipline or otherwise lend energy to the pursuit of honing certain skills etc. I have my doubts, as I am a doubter who doesn't think too much of the need for me to have a personal blog. You might understand better if you are aware that I feel all weird and self-conscious of how often I use the word I. Like it's all about me, what I think and how much I know, though I know little enough about I most of the time, strangely?

   Onto a more specific note, this blog will give me a chance to give nod to art that I appreciate, artist who have inspired me and, hopefully, giving a chance to the reader who excels at mining obscure facets of the net a place to read some user reviews of various pieces of artistry tools I come across or often use. Explaining what techniques I'll be practicing and why, in the realm of drawing/painting may also be a topic and concern. I admit that I enjoy a number of artist blogs as they describe their learning experiences in a more intimate nature then most of the "one size fits all" art instruction books and media. Though my art is not of the level I wish it to be, as I retired from drawing nearly 15 years ago, I do believe in one person helping another along in a shared journey to be of great benefit...most of the time. It is my desire to help myself along even if it passes that I have helped no one else.

   But, anyway, I am going to post a few pieces of mine that I had made quite a few years ago, then a piece that is much more recent and see how it goes form there. What a pleasant surprise it would be if I find that in a years time my skills have increased two fold from where I have restarted...where it did start is, when at 8 years old, an older boy who lived a few doors up from me showed me some drawings he'd made of Lion-O from the Thunder Cats and then a few of Spider-man and The Black Panther. From that time on I began a relationship with comic books that would last through my teen years. I picked up a lot of knowledge while immersing myself it that media but I taught myself many bad habits when it comes to drawing/drafting as well, such as I drew small stuff...the sizes I'd copy from comic books (which are originally quite a bit larger then shrunk for copy and press) and I also gave everything an outline, many times a heavy one, like the inked lines that appear in comics but do not exist anywhere in nature! It has been a bit of a struggle to move away from these poor habits.

15 year old drawing

   Well, the post is getting a little long in tooth so here are my first couple post and we'll see where it goes from here...be well and keep up the good fight, Mark.

a drawing for a course last year or so