Charcoal,
22 x 16 in.
This nude figure drawing was created at a live figure drawing studio during a 2017 summer art program at the University of Pennsylvania. This piece was charcoal on paper, and one of the first times that I had used erasers and kneaded erasers to establish bright moments and highlights on the drawing.
Charcoal pencil and powder on paper,
24 x 18 in.
This piece was another challenging drawing for me. As I typically created portraiture with acrylic paints, I was outside of my comfort zone when I drew this still-life animal skull with charcoal. I used charcoal powder and reductive technique, both of which were new to me. I was previously aware of the messiness of charcoal powder and the precision required to manipulate it. However, as I continued to add more details to the drawing, I became gradually more comfortable with using this previously unfamiliar material.
Ink wash and charcoal on watercolor paper,
10.5 x 7.5 in.
As it was my first experience at a figure drawing studio, I was uncomfortable with the union of nudity and art. Each facet of creating this piece was new to me; I had never produced an ink drawing nor had I worked from a nude male model. What is more, I was given a restricted time limit of fifteen minutes. Upon completing the piece, I fully understood the elegance and tastefulness that can be achieved from nude life drawings. As I stepped out of my comfort zone, I explored this region of art that was unfamiliar to me.
Pencil and graphite powder on paper,
18 x 23 in.
As a person who typically focuses his art around portraiture, this landscape piece was challenging for me. Portraits are very organic and free form. However, landscapes are entirely different. Skylines, composed of buildings and industrial monuments, are especially geometric and structured. However, I was able to utilize my background in portraiture to integrate organic shapes in the trees and the clouds, uniting what I am familiar with the unfamiliar.
