Illuminating Identity

I have been thinking about who I am lately. There is the person that I am and how I'm perceived. Art is the only place where those two people are united. The artwork is how I'm perceived and who I am. The goal is to develop my skill and my style so I can better express who I am and what I feel.

I spent time over the weekend exploring the illuminated manuscripts at bl.uk. The bl.uk is a fantastic resource. It has scans of beautiful illuminated manuscripts and a very useful keyword search.

I also watched several tutorials on graffiti. The Steven's Art Studio Advanced Graffiti Tutorial is the best I have found yet. Illuminated letters seem to be old school Wildstyle to me.

As I explored the illuminated manuscripts, I started doodling my name. I think it's important to be willing to experiment. Try the same thing over and over, and refine with each step. I started with the top Kit then started experimenting with incorporating new details like the outline and the swirls on the second Kit.

As of 11/10/14, I'm at 134 hours. Aside from exploring illuminated manuscripts and graffiti, I'm working on learning perspective and drawing dynamic poses by quick sketching complicated perspectives and difficult poses. It's time to get back to work.