The end of a school year.

Here is a batch of some of the works I have produced over the spring semester. Of course, none of these are products from school... even though that’s where most of my time and energy is consumed. I am still practicing with oil paints and plan to use them further, however I have also dabbled with watercolor paints. I'm finding the medium very enjoyable and hassle-free, at least for quick studies and field sketches.

Valkyrie's Wrath

I recently took a trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. There I saw some mind blowing landscape paintings by Albert Bierstadt. The environment for this piece was influenced by his work. I still have a long way to go, but just studying his use of value and color made the process a lot easier.

Painted in Photoshop CS3.

This is a Gnomon Contest winner!

Teal'c Portrait

Just for fun. ~35 mins

Teal'c from Stargate SG-1

The Miser - Poster Design for USC Upstate Theatre

This is one of those images that just creates itself, probably because it was fun. Poster design for university play.

Animation Backgrounds

When watching old animated cartoons I often find myself amazed by the background art more so than the character running around in front of it. Older Disney cartoons and Looney Toons, have some awesome scenes that may only be shown for a few half seconds. It's hard to understand how an artist could put so much time and dedication into an image that would be seen for such an insignificant amount of time. That, and if the cartoon is any good, the audience will be focused on the animated characters. It seems to me that those artists go mostly unaccredited and unknown. I was happy to find an amazing blog that showcases some old background art, lots of it! :

http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/

Landscape 2010

I will call this my first piece of 2010. When drawing from the imagination, it is difficult to make images look natural. Sometimes things come out looking too idealized or perfected, when the true beauty is often in imperfection, and the sudden break in a pattern that we don't expect. I can't yet say if I have accomplished that in this image, but it is an aspect I am working on.

Update

School has been tough lately, and unlike before, I am now eagerly counting down the days. It's not so much that the work is difficult, but rather it seems the focus is so far from my true interests, it's as if I am wasting my time. However, the biggest concern lingering in the back of my head now is the matter of what I will do after graduation. I don't feel at all prepared for the working world yet, but I am trying to dedicate every scrap of spare time to art. Much of that art lately has been for BC Wars. Here are a few images from that and some personal work. Much more on my website: http://www.lanebrownart.com/