In the beginning of October, I announced an ambitious project I titled 31 October Portraits. The concept was to produce one watercolor study/exercise every day in October featuring a horror icon. Each piece would be an exploration in painting technic and realistic lighting. These exercises are important to me because I make a living as a cartoonist drawing and painting what is in my head. It is beneficial and necessary for my growth as an artist to put the cartoons aside and focus on realism. I had the month of October completely open and thought this goal was plausible, even with a 3-month-old baby. But as I was exploring reality in my art, reality smacked me in the face. October not only is the month of Halloween, but also the birthdays of my wife and myself. Then, my wife took on a design job visualizing a compelling retail space which involved me making this vision a reality, helping with construction, renovation, painting and set dressing. Halfway through the month I fell behind on my portraits and even worked myself to the point of illness that befell on my the morning of Halloween.
I had planned on releasing all 31 portraits for sale on November 1st. But the deadline arrived and I only had fifteen pieces done. It was a good attempt, but when it comes down to it, our bodies are only machines, not avatars, and inevitably we do break down. I had so much fun producing these studies that I’m going to carry on and try to finish the 31 portraits by the end of November. I will be releasing these paintings for sale weekly, on every Friday starting next week. In the meantime, the first fifteen are currently available for sale on my webstore until the end of November.