Friday, November 09, 2007

FAILURE!


Well I blew it. This week's homework just fell apart. I can say it was because I was running on very little sleep for several days in a row pulling my double life as student and commercial artist and as a result my concentration was off, but in the end I just swung and missed.

I may go back and try and save this one, repaint the second garlic bulb and see if I can pull this one out. The thing is you can learn from failure as well. This was a rough week painting wise but a good week drawing wise.

Let's hope next week is better.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

You're pretty hard on yourself, but then almost certainly that is why much your work is so very good.

I follow your course notes with interest, as I have just got back into life drawing after a long time in front of screens. It's very inspiring to see and read about your fight with your art! Keep it up.

Brian said...

Hi Mike,

Babe Ruth not only had a homerun record but he also had the reocrd for the number of times he struck out. Keep swinging for the fences!

Brian

Urban Barbarian said...

It's hard for me to see what's wrong with this one. I think it works quite nicely! I'm always impressed that you can paint these studies so lovingly.

Kristen McCabe said...

What went wrong? It looks wonderful. I like the crack in the front one. Nice Color pallet too!

Mike Manley said...

Well the thing is that the second bulb isn't as finnesed as the first one, there is a lot that still needed to be done to bring it up. It's flat compared to the left one.

I am being hard on myself, but I have to be or I won't grow. We all have that instinctual feeling when we "get" something in a drawing or painting, be it a cartoon, or still life. I knew i didn't "get" this one. It's too flat, reflected light isn't right...I didn't have that feeling, I know I feel it was cheifly due to teh fact I was almost literally falling asleep while painting it at 3:30 am with 3 hours before i had to get up before class. But that's the way it is as i have to cram commercial art and school into the mix and some weeks its a trainwreck.

Unknown said...

The right bulb definitely has a rotting pumpkin sort of feel to it (which I think is cool) I think the problem is too much white. It blends together so it forces you to focus more to pick out detail. And since you're hyper critical of your own work (as is every artist I know) being forced to look closely for detail makes you only see the things you don't like.

It's not a bad piece.

The second layer with the peeling skin holds a sense of mystery (and as I said I get the sense of rot underneath)

~Mike

Gary said...

Mike,
Are you teaching at the Art Academy of New York
this winer session?
I see your name listed for Saturday classes.
If so, that's great news, and I may have to take a class this winter, 2008!


-Gary

Mike Manley said...

Gary, Yes, I will be teaching a figure drawing class this spring at the art Academy--so sign up :-)