PERSONAL WORK | The beauty in change

By Mandy JW

-This is the representation of the beauty of change; I cannot root myself to one place.

PERSONAL WORK | She'll eat you alive

Succubus by Mandy JW

She’ll make you weep

And moan and cry

To be back in her bosom

To do it again

Pray – shall I go blind?

Pray – cos nobody ever survives

Praying to stay in your arms

Just until I can die a little longer

Saviors and saints

Devils and heathens alike

She’ll eat you alive

(From Rev 22:20)

PERSONAL WORK | Faded

"Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver and gold" - Bob Marley

Faded by Mandy JW
This drawing is done in pencil, pencil crayons and ink.

How to draw with imagination

We all sit down to draw sometimes and when the pencil hits the paper, our minds draw a blank. So what do you do when the seemingly endless flow of creativity comes to an abrupt halt? In this article, I will give you a few tips on how to work with your imagination to ease the pain of "artist's block".

By Mandy J W

• Merge elements together. Don't be afraid! Things don't have to make sense in the world of art, so take advantage by mixing different images together. In the image to the right, instead of having traditional hair, the hair takes an organic form and gradually tapers to a small section allowing for a smooth transition from the hair to the smoke.
• Create an atmosphere. Mixing images together is great, but make sure the emotion of the piece isn't lost. Focusing the piece on a theme or an emotion can make the otherwise juxtaposing image quite coherent. For example, the theme here is death, so I've used smoke, which dissipates quickly to represent death. Likewise, the dripping ink is symbolic of death because of the placement along the neckline.
• Use reference materials. It can be helpful to use a reference image for different details of your drawing, but don't limit yourself to images; reading stories, researching topics and recalling memories of events can all be very good reference materials. In the example, I used reference images of smoke and a close up of a dragonfly wing, but the real inspiration came from research I had done much earlier on day of the dead. 

These are only a few tips to get you started, but the best way you can exercise your imagination is to practice. I will continue to write on this topic, so check back often for more tips on drawing with imagination. 

How to Draw a Chrysanthemum

I was having a hard time finding a good tutorial on drawing a chrysanthemum, so I have put one together myself. Enjoy!

By Mandy J W

1. Sketch the basic shape and direction of the flower using circles as a guide. 
2. Draw petals wrapping around the second largest circle. 
3. Draw petals towards the center. 
4. Erase the second outermost circle. 
5. Continue to draw petals until they meet at the center. 
6. Using the remaining circle as reference, loosely sketch in some petals. 
7. Sketch in some more petals behind the previous ones. 
8. Erase any conflicting lines. 
9. Shade the under sides of the petals for more depth.

PERSONAL WORK | Killer Pinup

...A series I'm working on. Lovely real-life models turned into bad ass pinup-esque illustrations. This one likes guns... 

By Mandy JW

PERSONAL WORK | Designs

Last year, for the end of my graphic design program, I decided to put up some of my work on photobucket. Here's a little slide show:

PERSONAL WORK | Why Education in Art is Important

These are some drawings that I made while I attended art classes on figure and portrait drawing a few years back.

Today I want to emphasize the importance of education when it comes to any facet of your life that interests you. If you want to do better, you must attain some sort of education. This does not mean you have to go to college. It could be as simple a picking up some books and doing some solid research, so long as you're combining what you learn on your own with what you learn from others. However, attending classes does give you an edge.

During the time I spent attending these classes, I learned quite a bit on a variety of techniques, tools, media and composition. Information on art can be found in many places, but the advantage of a classroom setting is the well rounded process in which you learn. It offers hands-on, visual and verbal instruction, plus the instructor can point out ways you can improve based on what he/she sees in your work.

You may also learn other things that may surprise you that you may have not learned outside of a class to help you in other areas of art. For example, my teacher was also a former business owner of a graphic design company who was kind enough to give me advice and answer any questions I had concerning the field of graphic design.

Classes are also important for the social aspect. Surrounding yourself with other individuals who are studying the same field as you will not only inspire you, but they will excite you and get you into the artistic mindset.

If not for anything else, attending classes will force you to practice which is one of the most valuable things you can do as an artist. If you are attending life or portrait drawing classes, you also have the added bonus of being supplied with a model.

So if you are an aspiring artist or if you just like to draw for fun, I encourage you to get out there and take some classes because you really will get your money's worth. It's a fantastic and fun way to learn and once you realize how education can improve your art, you can discover your full potential.

PERSONAL WORK | Drafts: Sugar Skull

Love your spirit.

My interpretation of Viva La Muerte by Brian Viveros.

By Mandy JW

By Mandy JW

PERSONAL WORK | Come to life

Every now and then I like to take a photo of a sketch I am working on and then illustrate it on the computer. This particular sketch was inspired by an illustration in a previous post. This is my own interpretation of the work of Brian Viveros.

Tattoo Ideas & Inspirations

So little space, so many ideas!!!

Being a graphic designer definitely allows the time that is needed to plan out a tattoo and placement. However, these high expectations make this process so painful as I am usually such an impulsive person. Here are some beautiful inspirations for some pieces I'm working on...