Week 7 - Lorem Ipsum Dolor II: In Monte

This week is the next track on my album focusing on the army from the mountain.  Here is my first sketch!

Got the background colors all done.  Now to add the army!

Here is the final! I decided against the trees in the background as well as some of the army stuff but you get the idea!

Week 6 - Lore Ipsum Dolor I: Urbem

Here is the first track (actually the 2nd track but this is the first "themed" track.)  In this track, we hear the theme of "the city" that was in last weeks art piece.

Here is the background all colored and ready!

The final!  I decided to leave out all the people because I didn't want to ruin it. i.e. I CAN'T DRAW PEOPLE :)

Week 5 - Pugna Lux Et Tenebrae

So this week is very special for me.  I recently completed a new orchestral album as well as my first "symphony."  I needed some album artwork done for the album, so I decided to do an album cover as my art-of-the-week.  The album is called "Pugna Lux Et Tenebrae" and this picture encompasses the whole album.

Here's my preparation for this piece.  I was working with lots of colors as you can tell.

Here's the final!  The city on the left, the bird army up top and to the left, the mountain army, and the beast behind the mountain army.  I will be doing a piece for every track on the album over the next 11 weeks!  Stay tuned!

Week 4 - Through Him, We Are Saved

So this week, I wanted to try something more religious (because I'm a very religious guy) and I've always liked the image of the cross protecting a person from all the harm of the world.

This was my first watercolor test.  I have never done watercolor up until this point.  I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

As you can see, I changed how the person is on the ground from my original draft.  I'm not sure how I feel about this piece.

Week 3 - Home

So after last week's creepy piece, my fiance told me to do something "less" creepy.  So this was my draft for her.  She said if it wasn't creepy, we could hang it up in our room. Score!

After getting the background done, I had to let it dry.  I used tissue paper and newspaper on this one!

And here it is!  Colorado! Home!  AND it's in our bedroom :)

Week 2 - Destroyer

So for this week I wanted to get back into my creepiness that I do through art.  Here's my first sketch:

...And here is my finalized piece!  I love how it turned out!  I'm gonna keep trying to experiment with more color stuff these next few weeks!

Week 1 - Civilization

So here is the finished piece for week 1 of my new project this year.  As I showed you in a previous piece, it was based off a piece I did last year for my 365 days project.  This one is on canvas so I can actually hang it up! The background was made using newspaper and matte finish.  Then I applied the charcoal and white charcoal. Sprayed it down, and repeated the process a few more times until I got it to where I wanted it.  So here it is!

First Sketch

Here we go 2014!  Remember this piece from last year?

Oh here's the one from 2013:

I'm going to make it bigger, more defined, and a little darker.  Wish me luck!

-Ian

So What Will I Do Next?

2014

If you've been following this blog over the last year, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.  It truly means the world to me.

When I graduated high school in 2008, I wanted to keep pursuing art.  I had a lot of supplies, sketchpads, and imagination.  Then I got lazy.

I stopped doing art.  I made up excuses.  And I hated it.  So in 2012, I decided I was going to do an art piece or a sketch or something every day in 2013.  It was a rough start, as I didn’t know what to do.  I hadn’t worked with color.  I had never touched charcoal.  So I made it a goal to myself to work on all those.

Then, the ideas started flowing.  I was coming up with stuff left and right.  And finally, I started working with charcoal.  That changed everything.

It became my favorite art medium.  Then I started doing color, which was rough at first, and then it got better.  Then I did strictly pen and ink (which was originally my favorite medium.)

Over the year I tried to develop everything I was learning.  Then came the last 1/3 of the year.  Wow was it tough to keep up with art every day.  Sometimes I didn’t want to do it, but I pressed on.  And I got lots of encouragement from friends, coworkers, and family.  Without them, I never would’ve finished.

And here we are in 2014.  And I can say that I completed my goal of 2013.  I truly believed I grew as an artist and as a person because of it.  Art finally became an escape from everything rather than a void for boredom.  And what started off, as a chore quickly became my favorite time of the day.

So what to do now.

I thought about it a lot in December.  I decided that “1” day to work on a piece of artwork was not enough time.  There were times when I rushed pieces.  And some took many hours.  So I had an idea.

Rather than continuing an “Art of the Day,” I am going to now pursue an “Art of the Week” challenge.  This way, I will still get my art fix but it will be more relaxed.  And in the end, I will have 7 days to work on 1 piece rather than 1 day for it all.  This way, my piece can be more developed and look better and I can push myself to do bigger and better things.

So as I sit here with my brand new sketchpad and my sketch materials, I am officially starting the “52 weeks of art” challenge.

Please, continue with me on this journey.  I am so excited to continue sharing my art with you all.

And again.

Thank you all so much for believing in me.  You guys and girls are the best.

Thank you.

And God Bless.

Sincerely,

Ian Michael Krug

Day 365 - 365

I want to thank all who followed me on this journey of art for a year. It has been a wonderful project and I'm so glad I followed through all the way to the end. Happy New Years everyone. Tomorrow, I start a new journey through art. 52 weeks of art. I will start doing a weekly art rather than a daily art. That way I can spend more time on my pieces and really try to make the best art I can. Stay tuned. And again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.

-Ian Krug

Music:
Artist: August Burns Red
Album: Rescue and Restore (My album of the year)

Day 364 - 1 Day Left

Well, here we are.  Only 1 more piece to do before the year is over.

Music:
Artist: Colinfornow
Album: Steeze in the Knees

Day 363 - I Don't Even...

Another collab piece between my stepsister and I. These are fun.

Music:
Artist: Everything in Slow Motion
Album: Phoenix

Day 362 - Broken City

I love this city ones.  My favorite's to do.

Music:

Artist: My Epic

Album: Behold

Day 361 - Random Creature

Here's one featuring my stepsister.

Music:
Artist: Rush
Album: Hold Your Fire

Day 360 - Four....dot

I don't... even... wow.

Music:
Artist: Norma Jean
Album: Meridional

Day 359 - Too Much Mickey D's

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Music:
Artist: Los Lonely Boys
Album: Forgiven

Day 358 - Matt. 2:2

Look it up.

Music:
Artist: My Morning Jacket
Album: Circuitral

Day 357 - Happy?

I can't even tell.

Music:
Artist: All That Remains
Album: A War You Cannot Win

Day 356 - Pull Me Out!

He's drowning in a sea of his own.

Music:
Artist: Dream Theater
Album: Falling Into Infinity

Day 355 - Suffocate

This guy is suffocating.

Music:
Artist: MuteMath
Album: Spotlight EP

Day 354 - Four Legs

A strange creature this is.

Music:
Artist: Jesu
Album: Pale Sketches

Day 353 - Tree! Again.

Here's another tree. I love trees.  This one is from a winter setting.

Music:
Artist: As I Lay Dying
Album: An Ocean Between Us

Day 352 - Portrait Man

Just a face portrait man thing face.

Music:
Artist: 2CELLOS
Album: In2ition

Day 351 - Dead Flower

Slight color in this one but it's mostly dead.

Music:
Artist: Dismember
Album: The God that Never Was

Day 350 - Octoman

It's all in his mask.

Music:
Artist: Gorelord
Album: Force Fed on Human Flesh

Day 349 - Strangle

Kinda looks like a trash bag

Music:
Artist: DC Talk
Album: Jesus Freak

Day 348 - Face Blue Red

Just a face in multiple shades.

Music:
Artist: Buckethead
Album: 3 Foot Clearance

Day 347 - Empty Man

Love this guy for some reason.

Music:
Artist: Fairyland
Album: Fall of an Empire

Day 346 - Field

Here is a colored field.

Music:
Artist: Chris Tomlin
Album: See the Morning

Day 345 - Bubble Smile

Doesn't he look so frickin happy?

Music:
Artist: Goodie Mob
Album: World Party

Day 344 - Snipe

Here is that guy again.

Music:
Artist: Craig Armstrong
Album: As if to Nothing

Day 343 - Destruction

Was a little inspired by the recent Godzilla trailer that was released.

Music:
Artist: Parkway Drive
Album: Deep Blue

Day 342 - Snipe Live

This guy is huge in my second book I'm writing.

Music:
Artist: Paramore
Album: Riot!

Day 341 - Coming Over

He's over the hill and coming over.

Music:
Artist: Kerry Livgren
Album: The Best of Kerry Livgren

Day 340 - Hidden

A rough chiseled face.

Music:
Artist: LOUDPVCK
Album: RE UP

Day 339 - Dome

I love drawing planets.  This one was fun.

Music:
Artist: Lou Reed and Metallica
Album: Lulu

Day 338 - The City of Birds

I had so much fun with this one.  Color is gettin there for me.

Music:
Artist: Goblin
Album: Tenebre

Day 337 - Look Into My Eyes

And it's easy to see.

Music:
Artist: Erik Satie
Album: Piano Works Vol. 2

Day 336 - Head Bursting

His head is coming out of his head.

Music:

Artist: Rush

Album: Permanent Waves