Dogs (2022-2023)
Charcoal and Pastel Pencil on White Paper
22 x 30 Inches
In 2022, I was commissioned to make three portraits of dogs for a family friend. This project represents my first time trying to draw animals in a realistic manner, so the whole experience was an opportunity for me to experiment rendering more detailed objects such as fur and grass. Each of these illustrations also feature an abstract color background based on a range of blue-green colors that the client recommended using. For the third picture, the photo I was using as a reference originally included the client's son, but I was told to omit this detail for the illustration, hence the black that frames both the dogs.
Projects from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)
Analogous Zoom (Fall 2020)
Paint on White Paper
18 x 24 Inches
This painting was made for my Principles of Design class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2020). The guidelines were that we had to create a composition that utilized analogous colors (i.e. colors that appeared right next to each other on the color wheel). My composition prominently features a series of Star Wars toys that I own in order to create a unified theme to the composition (that, and I am a big fan of the franchise) . To give it a more sci-fi aesthetic, I used the analogous colors of blue, violet, and red-violet throughout the composition.
Water and Glass (Spring 2020)
Charcoal Pencil on Light Gray Tone Paper
22 x 30 Inches
This piece was part of a still life project from one of my drawing classes at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2020). I consider this piece to be a massive upgrade from a previous still life I had done the previous semester due to how I rendered the light shining through the glass. This image also displays much more dimension than in my previous still life attempt with the inclusion of a curtain backdrop and the surface of my desk. Most notable about this piece was that it was featured as a fine art submission at the 2021 Horizons Design + Art Collegiate Exhibition at Marymount University (Arlington, VA).
Reflective Color (Fall 2020)
Pastel Pencil on Paper
22 x 30 Inches
This piece was part of another still life project I did for my Principles of Design class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2020). Shown here are two wine glasses with varying levels of water, along with an apple and a lime. This was also one of my first attempts at rendering a still life in color. Like in Water and Glass, I think the glasses were the best rendered of the objects used in the composition.
Creative Color Wheel (Fall 2020)
Acrylic Pencil on Paper
18 x 24 Inches
This piece was another project from my Principles of Design class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2020). We were each tasked with creating a composition that incorporated all 12 colors of the color wheel, along with their respective shades and tints, and the gray scale. For my painting, I chose to represent the main colors as a pill-shaped object navigating through an abstract void represented by the grayscale. The shades and tints for each respective color on the color wheel are represented by orbs accompanying both sides of the central pill.
Abstraction Still Life (Fall 2020)
Pastel Pencil on Paper
30 x 22 Inches
I made this still life during my Principles of Design class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2020). For this project, we were supposed to create a still life that utilized abstract colors so that our choice of objects didn't match their respective original colors, thus creating a more surreal composition. Much like in my Autobio project, this piece features a variety of pop culture paraphernalia that defines who I am as a person. The Baby Yoda piggy bank on the right exhibits how I have an interest in movies, particularly Star Wars. The Xbox controller in the center displays my passion for playing video games. The Watchmen comic book that supports the aforementioned Xbox controller represents my affinity for comic books and related media. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) caboose on the left side presents my passion for railroading and trains. Finally, the ceramic jar on the top left (a late high school project) relates to my skills as an artist in different mediums.
Autobio (Spring 2020)
Prismacolor Pencil on White Drawing Paper
30 x 22 Inches
This piece was another still life project from one of my drawing classes at Northern Virginia Community College (Spring 2020). The guidelines for this project were that we had to create a still life that visually expressed what kind of people we were (i.e. hobbies, interests, background, etc.). As you can tell from my composition, much of my personal identity is tied to my interests in most things pop culture. The stormtrooper display and The Incredibles t-shirt exhibit my passion for watching movies. The Mario mushroom on the right side shows how I enjoy playing video games. The army helmet in the back (a relic from my grandfather) shows that I am passionate for history, and the toy train in the bottom left corner serves to show that I have a lifelong passion for trains and railroading.
Sweet and Sour (Spring 2020)
Pastel Pencil on White Paper
22 x 30 Inches
This was another drawing project I completed for my Drawing 2 class at Northern Virginia Community College (Spring 2020). Here, I made a custom still life using a lemon and a lollipop arranged on a table cloth.
Creed Handheld Object (Spring 2020)
Pencil on White Paper
22 x 30 Inches
This was a drawing project I completed for my Drawing 2 class at Northern Virginia Community College (Spring 2020). Here, we were each told to find a handheld object which we would redraw 10 different times as realistically as possible and from different angles/positions. My handheld object is a plastic clip used to seal plastic food bags.
Still Life with Reflective Surfaces (Fall 2019)
Charcoal Pencil on Gray Paper
12 x 18 Inches
This was another still life project I completed for my Drawing 1 class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2019). This time, unlike my previous still life attempts, I would be attempting to render glass and how the light is reflected/refracted off of it. This piece was also featured in the college's 2020 Student Fine Art Show (Feb 16, 2020).
Self Portrait #1 (Fall 2019)
Charcoal Pencil on Gray Paper
18 x 24 Inches
This was my first attempt at a self portrait for my Drawing 1 class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2019). I had several different positions in mind for how I wanted to present myself, but I ultimately settled on this one as I felt it made me look more intellectual. This project would also be my first attempt at realistically depicting the human form in a professional art piece.
Creed Human and Animal Skull Drawing On White Paper (Fall 2019)
Charcoal Pencil on White Paper
18 x 24 Inches
This was a class assignment I completed for my Drawing 1 class at Northern Virginia Community College (Fall 2019). Much like in Creed Still Life with Boxes, the professor had set up a still life in the middle of our classroom and we were told to draw the still life as it would've appeared from our position in the room.
Creed Still Life with Boxes (Fall 2019)
Charcoal Pencil on White Paper
18 x 24 Inches
This was my first attempt at a still life for my Drawing 1 class at Northern Virginia Community College (2019). Here, the professor had set up a quick composition using discarded boxes and paper bags and we were each told to recreate the composition based on our individual perspective.
