Jennifer A. Freeman

Patrick

2011-09-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

14" x 17" Graphite

It only took an extra few weeks to post than originally intended, but my latest graphite piece is up. I all too easily got lost in the details of the reflections but that has always been what I loved about drawing water to begin with...

Mom circa High School Graduation

2011-05-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

If I give away the year she'll probably kill me but this is my mother's high school graduation photo. Edited and drawn in colored pencil and then digitally tweaked. Working on this one has actually made me curious enough to look into Wacom tablets and the ease they provide digital rendering with....finally.

Quick Visit...

2011-04-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

A quick 8"x10" acrylic and ink piece I decided to do... more landscapes/seascapes to come I think...

Medusa W.I.P.

2011-04-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a work I've had to step back from for a short time... All the scales and layering involved in the shading of them takes much time and patience. In the end I'm sure it'll be worth it, though the scales are the least of my worries. The skin tones for the hand and face need to be more vibrant and the face needs more wear I think. Basically everything needs more contrast and a lot more layering... Time to get back to work..

Octo

2010-12-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

Newest piece, acrylic over oil, probably over a course of two years. 18x24.

Underwater Reflection

2010-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

Not entirely happy with this image, a little rusty with acrylic. Normally I use colored or graphite pencils best; and much more practice is needed to really get a grip on this medium. A trip to the supply store must be made. I need to start creating larger pieces with more detail in the future.

Storm Waves

2010-11-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

A quick acrylic painting of some waves, painted just to pass some time. Only about 11x14.

Jellyfish...

2010-10-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to draw a jellyfish because I finally became sick of drawing self-portraits while at a loss for a model... I love marine life, and water more than anything explainable; just as much as I love art I suspect. There's the same kind of peace and solitude in water, aquariums, and things that live in the sea as there is in drawing. I drew the center image originally in colored pencil and then edited it digitally through Photoshop. The other two versions are changed further using filters. Left being "Diffused Glow" and right being "Glowing Edges", I tried others however there seems to be something about the word 'glowing' in relation to an image of a jellyfish that just appears to fit. At this point I'm not really sure which I like best but they were fun to experiment with regardless...

Childhood Memory Portrait W.I.P.

2010-10-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

This hat reminds me of playing the original Mario game on the original Nintendo gaming system when I was a kid. I'm at a momentary loss of what to do with the background. I don't think leaving it blank is the best option; however a solution still hasn't come to mind. Graphite? Ink? A pattern? Decisions, decisions.

Charcoal Self-Portrait

2010-10-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Spent one night doing this portrait a few weeks ago. Didn't come out half bad, only took about 6 hours total I believe. I really missed charcoal, this wasn't a half bad solution to that, it's nice how quickly it is to use the medium. I should think of something a bit larger and more complicated to create with it.

Underwater...

2010-08-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to scanning and completing the underwater portrait I've been working on for too long at this point. I'm mostly happy with the final product. This one has more digital editing than I think I've ever used before which is an interesting switch. More underwater imagery to come I'm sure.

Drawgasmic 2010 Submission

2010-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

DRAWGASMIC 2010!

"Underwater", Colored Pencil, 11x8.5

This is the colored pencil piece I'm submitting for the Drawgasmic Exhibition in July 2010. The show will be held at 2720 / Art Dimensions Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri. You can go to http://www.drawgasmic.com/exhibition.php to check out more about the exhibit and all the participating artists.

Final Piece

2010-04-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

I finally added the right finishing touches both to the original piece and with some digital rendering in Photoshop. To my surprise I actually like the digital final better then the original; I may be starting to understand the appeal for artistic computer application. That's a big maybe though... On to the next piece, all I know is it will be 11x8.5 and for the Drawgasmic exhibition in July. Time to start brainstorming!

What to Make?!?!

2010-04-14T13:45:00.001-07:00

I'm planning on being a part of the Drawgasmic show in July which will be held at Mad Art Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri.

(http://www.madart.com)

The show will exhibit 1000 international unknown artists and should a be fun event to be a part of, now I just have to create the work! What to do, what to do....

Newest Work In Progress...

2010-04-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

I took the original image a few years ago and with my recent love for colored pencils decided to try my hand at creating a new piece with that reference-M.C. Escher style. I also tried my hand at edited the exposure and direct lighting through Photoshop which might work better once I add more contrast to some specifics areas of the original piece...

Time to smile and pretend, talk to me tomorrow and I'll be myself again...

2010-03-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

There's no photo to update this time... Not yet at least, I believe the next may actually be a self-portrait even though I have no idea what that'll accomplish.. For as long as I can remember I was suppose to make my art for someone and it was suppose to be and mean something to someone other than myself. Of course if a person is paying for it, it is the way it works and is expected to work- it's the exact definition of being an illustrator these days. However not too long ago my personal artwork was criticized for being too 'dark'... and at the time made no sense to anyone because how can a person's work be so dark when they normally have such a cheerful and pleasant disposition? What if it's the art that keeps my disposition that way in the first place? Without that outlet no one would see the same person they do on a daily basis. It is my balance. Not understanding where it comes from and why it's needed is no one else's responsibility, as it shouldn't be, because well, the art is the dark parts they're suppose to see; everything else gets worked out through them, I guess.

Apparently I should draw or at the least write more often then I do. I should have a dream journal, the crazy images and thoughts that I come up with need to be recorded if for no other reason then just to release them into a different space other than my head.

Kerri

2010-03-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

Another, and my last for a while, colored pencil portrait of my friend Kerri.

Lionfish

2010-02-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

I dreamt about owning different small scale aquariums, though in the dream the fish it contained weren't realistic. The lionfish in my mind actually had the head of a real lion! Regardless of how far off my imagination took the dream I woke up to research an actual lionfish; I made this sketch from one of the photos I found and I'm pretty sure a painting of a different view of one will follow... Going in the direction of realism meets abstract by nature seems to be a fun one to follow, could be where my love of water stems from.

Kerri

2010-01-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

Added in the backround and finally finished the piece.

A better but unfinished attempt...

2010-01-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

A colored pencil portrait of Kerri... I was so unhappy with the charcoal image I made of her, it just wouldn't do. Colored pencil seems to be the colored medium I feel most comfortable with due to the accessibility a pencil tip offers compared to a paint brush (at least for me), it mostly just means I need to practice more with paint... Maybe another day though, for now colored pencil especially in this portrait makes me happy, it's like something I've been looking for for years that was always in front of me but couldn't see. Should have paid more attention haha

Anyway, I'm quite happy with this thus far except I'm at a stand still with the back round. There's been a few ideas floating in my head such as a black and white city street scape or burning house of sorts. Leaving it blank has been contemplated as was a tragic scene muddled but clear enough to understand... I just can't make up my mind...

Kerriann...

2009-12-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

A portrait of my best friend Kerri... At first I was debating whether or not to create this using pencil or charcoal or both; in the end I mostly rendered everything in charcoal with touches of 8B Graphite pencil for the facial features and delicate skin tone. After everything I've realized that regardless of whether or not it was rendered in charcoal or pencil it is the actual photo reference I'd like to change.... The next one I'd like to create will be an emotional shot of mostly her face and probably neckline and shoulders with her eyes all done up in cried on makeup but with no crying expression. I have to make sure the lighting is done right though and that there's enough contrast. When I really envision it, I feel like it could almost be a really wonderful lightly toned painting, with soft blues and green, but for now I'll stick to the original idea.

A fresh start...

2009-11-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

A portrait of Eliza Dushku I finished last week or maybe it was two weeks ago?... I haven't been feeling too well so I've lost track of time unfortunately. It's a simple charcoal piece a little less than 14"x 17". I'd really love to do more black and white charcoal portraits; however finding people to use for reference when I'm never really around people anymore is just difficult. Celebrities are good practice but in the end unknown people are better; they actually hold some sort of mystery I believe that makes people want to know more about them and look harder at the picture in attempts to figure something out...

Underwater Image Update

2009-10-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

An updated image of the underwater picture I've been working on for some time now. At least the whole surface is covered at this point; however there is still so much work for me to do... I'd like to make the entire back round darker in order to make the diver pop better. Defining the trailing bubbles a bit more would probably help too. Ah well, off to draw more!

A little slice of progression...

2009-10-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

I added in the bathing suit pieces and many more bubbles. The bubbles trailing the hair are nowhere near done and require much more definition. Contrast in the back round needs to be stronger but I am going to revise that later on... and the hair definitely needs to be fixed.

The most peaceful place I know...

2009-10-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

If I could miraculously grow gills, trust me I would... No it's not mermaid envy or some sort of childhood fantasy related crap. Honestly, being underwater, in water, even around it is such a relief; like any weight from stress and life in general is being lifted.

With that said.... I added the image above to show my newest W.I.P.... My aim was not to create another self-portrait, even though I remain the easiest person to use for reference (which I'll need to change). Luckily my face isn't apparent so there's no need to focus on the who but rather the what... A dive into the water is one of the only abrupt actions involved in voluntarily being in it, once you're under though the rest of the world doesn't exist, it's quiet, even thoughts are silent for those few moments. Actual peace... I can't wait 'til this piece is complete, but I refuse to rush it which may take some patience and restraint =)...

2009-09-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Sooo here are my W.I.P.'s of my "Aviator Dreams" piece. It's 12x12 and definitely reflects my recent obsession with water! As of right now I'm happy with it, although I like images with much more contrast; I've come to terms with the fact that this particular one doesn't call for any darker or blackened areas so this level of contrast fits...

Currently I'm working on an actual underwater image that Tommy took with an underwater disposable I bought... I need to find more people to use for reference images. I'd love to have more diversity when it comes to the portraits I create and would very much prefer to not actually have a portfolio of self-portraits. Luckily there's no view of the face in the next one. =)

Back Piece Portrait

2009-09-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

I created this affected self-portrait as an experiment. At first, I simply wanted to see what I would look like with an angel wings back piece; however as I drew the piece became more of an experiment of of contrast and gradient control.

It's been FAR too long since I spent my time drawing pencil or charcoal portraits and I intended to create some things that are more self-expressive than anything I've been exploring for classes. After all this time I've finally reverted back to what I first fell in love with drawing, this will be my direction...

Not entirely sure if this piece is done. Aside from merely having perfectionist and self-doubt issues, and although I'm very pleased with the contrast, I think the detail in the feathers needs work. There isn't enough.