Kvothe

For quite a while I've wanted to create a drawing of Kvothe from Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles. I want to use this summer as an opportunity to simply create what ever I feel like for fun. Not for class, and with no time restraints. I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to try to portray Kvothe: a portrait, a scene? I decided to use his entrance line "my name is Kvothe... you may have heard of me". He summarizes various myths and legends about himself in the "...". I decided to create a piece that was a portrait, but also had a scene. I thought about choosing a scene from the book, but decided against it. Instead, he is walking into a dark forest, looking back at you, while the blue flame of the Chandrian shines between the trees. I'm using colored pencil, and so far I have been working on his head, and outlining the lettering.

Some other interpretations of Kvothe...

http://thetwirlingdragon.blogspot.com/

http://toki-kuragari.deviantart.com/

http://nameofthewind.wikia.com/wiki/Kvothe

Wachusett and Breadth Part 2

The route

I ran in the Mt. Wachusett race last Saturday on the 28th. Last year I was participating in Art All State and I wasn't able to run it, so it wasn't until just before the race I found out that the course was different now. The old course was entirely on the road, 4.3 miles up to the summit. It was a tough race, all uphill - some especially tough climbs - and on pavement. I've always been a trail runner, and I certainly wouldn't call it a fun race, it was about the challenge. Now, the route covers 4.7 miles and the majority of it is on trails. Some areas were tricky because the trails were narrow, and it was hard to pass/ be passed. The steep uphill section about halfway through was the worst. It's very narrow with a lot of rocks and roots, the type of trail I often run on, but a lot of people decided it wasn't worth putting in the effort. I got stuck behind a large group of walkers, and I barely had the breath or strength to pass them. I managed to pass at least 20 people on that section. Many of them were obviously better runners than me - but they didn't even try to keep running, which confuses me. Sure, it's really tough, but it's a race, and you have to endure it and do your best to keep running!

Portrait of Inspiration
I created this for the assignment "create a self-portrait without your face." I chose to represent myself through challenges, and the "swirl" of inspiration I get from these challenges.

Salmon Boy
I created this illustration originally as part of my concentration when I was considering veering into the negative effects of glaciers' recession. People around the world depend on the melt-water from glaciers. A Chinese boy is watching, saddened by what he sees. The stream he depends on has retreated, leaving dry stream-bed exposed. The salmon that he also relies on are struggling with the lower waters, and some have died where the stream once was. 

Transforming
I created this piece in Studio Art, under the instruction to create a "self-warped-trait." I chose to illustrate my face mid-transformation into a creature. I actually went back to add more tentacles on the right later on, and I definitely like how it looks better than before.

Vases
I created this in Studio Art from observation. I chose a cropped view of a still-life my art teacher, Mrs. Tetler, set up. The floral background is actually a larger Chinese-flower print vase.

Violet Baudelaire
I created this portrait of Violet Baudelaire based off of the third book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Wide Window. Growing up, these were some of my absolute favorite books, I read and re-read them!

Positive Mass Balance and Pirates of Mars

Field sketch of Michael's Sword on Daniel Mountain
In the North Cascades

I did this field sketch last season with the NCGCP, it is the first piece in my concentration section I submitted for the AP Studio Art Exam. Some exciting news about the video, besides the promo that came out a while back, there is now a 19 minute clip of the film, which you can view here! Don't forget to type in the password "hotdocs" which it does let you know on the page. I can't wait till it's complete!

The above painting is titled, "Positive Mass Balance", and it was the last piece I created in art this year. It was originally going to be the last piece in my concentration, but when I arranged my 12 artworks before the exam, I ended up moving it back a bit. This painting comes after a series in which Mt. Baker's glaciers all gradually melt. I wanted to resolve what had happened to Mt. Baker. A girl is saving the mountain by literally painting the glaciers back on it. This represents my motivation to be involved with the glaciers and to stop their retreat. I'll post my whole concentration and breadth sections soon!

The first volume of Veronica Fish's and JJ Kahrs Pirates of Mars is out! Support Veronica by going to PiratesofMars.com to read the comic, and purchase it on Lulu!

Book Illustration & Boston Marathon

The Guest

I got this T-shirt from Threadless recently, I thought it was a very cool design! I think that the guest is probably the astronaut in this situation.

Some of my favorite artwork is illustrations in books, I have always loved Brett Helquist's work, particularly in A Series of Unfortunate Events. He has a distinct style, and uses a lot of diagonal lines and crosshatching 

I also love Keith Thompson's art in the steam-punk (Clanker) vs. animal hybrid (Darwinist) series, Leviathan. 

The Boston Marathon was an exciting watch the other day, of course I was cheering on the more well known Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher, but I was extremely excited to see Michigan's Desiree Davila place second! It was an exciting race for girls and guys, and of course a new men's world record (hopefully it isn't discredited!) of 2:03:02, incredible! Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya pulled ahead of fellow countryman Moses Mosop to win by .03 minutes and get this time!

Mosop and Mutai

Davila

Hall

Goucher

The Wise Man's Fear

Well worth the 3 hour wait in line to get Patrick Rothfuss' signature, his books are absolutely amazing.

"There are three things all wise men fear; the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
I just finished reading The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, the sequel to The Name of the Wind. It's tough knowing that it's going be years before the third book in the trilogy comes out. I have to say, these are two of the best books I have ever read, and I'm a huge reader. It's a fantasy novel, but whether not you are a fan of the genre, I highly recommend reading these, the story is incredible, as are the characters, especially the main character, Kvothe.
1st PASSAGE:
     Then I played a song that hides in the center of me. That wordless music that moves through the secret places in my heart. I played it carefully, strumming it slow and low into the dark stillness of the night. I would like to say it is a happy song, that it is sweet and bright, but it is not.
     And, eventually, I stopped. The tips of my fingers burned and ached. It had been a month since I had played for any length of time, and they had lost their calluses.
     Looking up, I saw Vashet had pulled my shaed aside and was watching me. The moon hung behind her, and I could not see the expression on her face.
     "This is why I do not have knives instead of hands, Vashet," I said quietly. "This is what I am."

The Wise Man's Fear: The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss

2nd PASSAGE:

     And there it was. Like the name of an old friend that had simply slipped my mind for a moment. I looked out among the branches and I saw the wind. I spoke the long name of it gently, and the wind grew gentle. I breathed it out as a whisper, and for the first time since I had come to Haert the wind was quiet and utterly still.
3rd PASSAGE:
     The Waystone Inn was his, just as the third silence was his. This was appropriate, as it was the greatest silence of the three, wrapping the others inside itself. It was deep and wide as autumn's ending. It was heavy as a great river-smooth stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.

TRY THESE BOOKS!

Waiting for the end

The work station

I'm pretty sad that all our snow is being melted by sudden warm weather and rain... I'd prefer it slowly melted, and that I could continue skiing! I'm going to Sunday River to ski all weekend, it'll be one of my last times downhill skiing this winter! But I am excited for track season and practicing the hurdles again, and I am getting slowly closer to graduating!

I have so much to do for AP Art and AP Calc that I'm not able to post as often as I'd like! But, here are a few new things

Snow girl.. up close (in progress)

Peltonens through snow

Beginning stages of Violet Baudelaire

Violet Baudelaire complete (secret eye symbol in corner)

Snowbasin & The Name of the Wind

This evening I'm flying to Utah for a 3 - day ski trip to Snowbasin in Utah. It's going to be an awesome experience, my first big-mountain ski (although Sunday River is pretty big)! I've never done the kind of skiing I'll get to do there, I've never done any powder skiing! I'm very excited, I'm sure I'll get lots of great pictures!

I finished my Violet Baudelaire interpretation from The Wide Window, so I'll post that sometime after I get back!

On March 16, I'm going to go to Boston to meet Patrick Rothfuss and get a signed copy of The Wise Man's Fear, sequel to his incredible first book, The Name of the Wind. His first book is probably second in line as my favorite, behind only the Harry Potter series. I've bought quite a few comics and books lately, so I'll post about others soon!

Violet Baudelaire

"what does VFD really stand for?"

I love A Series of Unfortunate Events. I read them throughout elementary and middle school, but I would read them again now. In fact, I might re-read the series this year! I love the sense of complete mystery it creates, it makes you feel like you couldn't possibly understand what's going on, that there's more to life than you think. Anyway, since I'm feeling a little stuck with my AP concentration lately, I decided to work on a breadth piece, so I am painting a portrait of Violet Baudelaire, my version of her. I used the the artist of the series, Brett Helquist, version of her, along with some picture references of features, but I'm not going for a realistic look. It's been fun painting a big face like this!