Blue's Sketch Book

Robot Sketches

2011-07-16T18:25:00.001-04:00

I was chatting with my roommate this afternoon and she mentioned that she's like to make a little robot for her next 3d modeling project. I ended up fooling around with the idea bit.

I had way too much fun with the little robots.

Robot Sketches #1

A lot of them ended up with little stories as I worked. The little guy at the top left is named "Puppy." He serves no useful purpose. Instead, he walks around the engineer's shop biting and chomping anything that gets too close. The head engineer keeps threatening to turn Puppy into scrap, but everyone knows he'll never actually do it.

The robot on the right is a crusher robot. He can flip his arms around to the front which allows him to pick up scrap, which he then places in his steal jaws to crush it down to a smaller size for storage. His tracks allow him to navigate large piles of rubble.

Robot Sketches #2

The top robot on page two is a magnet worker. His large magnetic feet allow him to walk up walls and on ceilings to preform tasks and retrieve parts otherwise inaccessible to humans. The joint at the top of the leg is also the hinge for his mouth, allowing him to open his "mouth" 180 degrees. This opening doesn't actually function as a mouth (he's unable to speak but excellent at following direction). Instead, it's a place for him to carry objects. By keeping parts and tools inside his head, he's able to keep both hands free for more efficient task performance. As you can see in the sketch to his right, he's also able to flip his head upside down for when he's walking on a ceiling.

Like I said... too much fun with robots! I may play around with these a bit more later. It felt really good to do some drawing. Photography has just been eating all of my free time lately, but I do love good old pencil and sketchbook work.

Couple of Drawings

2011-05-09T14:45:00.000-04:00

A real update! Who'd have thought?!?

Here are a couple of new drawings I did for an MSPCA art show and fundraiser. I haven't done much with charcoal in a while, and I'd forgotten just how much I love it. I generally start by working in powdered charcoal, adding and erasing until I get roughly what I'm looking for, and then I start adding in the darks with compressed charcoal. The last thing I did was add those highlights with white charcoal since the white just doesn't erase as nicely as regular charcoal does. With white charcoal, you pretty much have to get it right on the first try. This might be partly because I already have regular charcoal everywhere - all over myself, the floor, the walls, the red dog - by the time I get around to breaking out the white charcoal.

Labrador Retriever Portrait

I'm thinking about doing a series of these charcoal dog portraits (like the above portrait of the Lab). I really enjoy doing them and they actually go pretty quickly. This guy only took about 2 hours. The original Labrador Retriever Portrait is available so if you're interested in purchasing it, send me an email.

Beagle Sketch

Beagle Sketch is just a little 8x10 charcoal drawing that I did as a donation to the MSPCA Hair of the Dog fundraiser. Nothing special, just some more messing around with powdered and compressed charcoal. original is sold, but prints are available if you're interested.

New Website

2011-05-09T13:35:00.003-04:00

Between starting the pet photography business and getting laid off from my 9-5 last January, life has been a little hectic, to say the least. So things have definitely been slow on the fine art front.

However, I did manage to get a fine art website up and running.
Check it out:

Blue Amrich Fine Art - Flora and Fauna Painting and Drawing

Let me know if you have any feedback about the website! Also, I there are a number of originals for sale. If you see a price in the lower right corner, then that original is available. Even if you don't see a prices, prints are available for pretty much everything you see on the website.

This blog is the next thing that desperately due for a makeover!

Pet Photography

2010-08-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

I just realized I never "officially" announced my new website on this blog! In case you're wondering why everything has been so quite on the fine art front, it's because everything has been so busy on the photography front. But we're finally live!

Blue Amrich Studio - Pet Photography

Check it out, pass it along! Also, I'd really appreciate any feedback people have. It's still kind of a work in progress. There's definitely a few things I still want to add to the gallery section and I'm open to any suggestions.

I still have quite a few odds and ends to tie up before I'll feel like the photography stuff is running smoothly. But I might take tomorrow off to work on painting. The koi painting has undergone some dramatic changes - it doesn't even look like the same piece!

xkcd Highlight

2010-06-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this isn't my own work but it's a very timely strip from xkcd. Something I need to remember while I'm trying to get some of my own projects off the ground.

My "To Do" list is longer than my "Done" list, something it's time to reverse.

Quick New Orleans Update

2010-05-06T23:05:00.001-04:00

Just a quick single image from New Orleans. The other photos I've been working on aren't quite ready to make a public appearance yet.

New Orleans - Part 1

2010-04-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I traveled to New Orleans to visit my sister. She's there working in the public school system and recently got accepted into the teachNOLA program. Congrats Jill!!! Her students are an amazing group of kids.

Expect to see a lot of New Orleans in the coming weeks. I'm in the process of editing roughly 300 photos (not all will make the final cut!) so it will be a bit-by-bit process. Photos will be posted in roughly chronological order.

And now on to the Big Easy.

Jazz City

On the first night there, Jill took us to the Napoleon House. A perfect into to New Orleans. The 200 year old landmark was meant for Napoleon although he never actually make it there.

You don't get too much more "southern" than these two characters. The city is filled with street corner musicians.

St Louis Cathedral

As always, all images are © Melissa "Blue" Amrich and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission.

Open for Business

2010-04-28T19:44:00.000-04:00

I have a couple of (potential) freelance jobs coming up in May, so suddenly I needed to get myself organized. Honestly, it's something I've meant to do for a while. But between my regular full-time job and the red dog who's like a second full time job, I just haven't found time to get my stuff together. I haven't found time to do much of anything else, and hence the silence on this blog.

The good news is that these projects are forcing me to get my butt in gear and get a little freelance business going. I've been working late putting together contracts, order forms, price lists, business cards, and a quasi-website.

I'm pretty pleased with the business card and should be getting them in the mail next week.

I almost went with the version of Iris lying on her back decided it didn't work as well small.

I also really needed a place to organize my "professional" photographs, so I ended up organizing them in a blog format: Blue Amrich Studio. Basically, I needed a quick fix for a website and I think that was the fastest. Also, I'm pretty impressed with the new "Blogger In draft" layouts. Ultimately, my goal is to create a polished website for my photography business and then combine this blog and that one. For now, this one will stay as my work-in-progress catch all, and that one will be reserved mainly for professional work.

And for the shameless plug, if you're in the area (Eastern Mass. or Southern New Hampshire mainly, although I will do some travel) and are looking for a photographer, feel free to email me at blueamrich@gmail.com. I do portraits and events, with an emphasis on pet portraits (although I have quite a bit of experience doing weddings).

xkcd

2009-07-31T19:47:00.000-04:00

I'm a huge nerd, so I've got a whole list of webcomics that I follow. This xkcd comic just made my day:

(Click on image for larger view)

Koi Pond WIP 2

2009-07-19T23:32:00.000-04:00

Here's an updated photo of the Koi painting. I'd really like some critique on it, especially regarding the composition. Although at this stage, I'm open to just about any feedback.

There are a few things I see that need to be changed, but I'm really interested in what other people have to say. I'll probably add my thoughts in later, but I don't want to influence other opinions yet.

In case anyone is interested, here's the photo I'm using as my main reference right now. I shot it at the gristmill when there was still ice on the ground. It was not taken specifically for this project, but it's working pretty well as a rough reference.

Koi Pond WIP 1

2009-07-06T22:16:00.000-04:00

I recently started this painting, so it's a very early work in progress (WIP). It supposed to be an overhead view of a koi pond. The canvas is 44" x 18".

I'm still trying to work out the composition. The right side especially isn't working for me. Looking at the spacing now, the yellow area is the same width as the light blue below it, and also the same width as the two green lilly pads below that. That whole area is going to get reworked next time I work on it.

I really want to give this painting a more complex (sophisticated?) composition than the last couple things I've done. No subject in the center of the canvas this time. I'm hoping to get the general composition tacked down later this week. We'll see. The dogess has class for the next couple of nights, so I won't get a chance to work on it until later this week.

Tiger Portrait Finished

2009-05-23T10:55:00.001-04:00

I finished this guy a few weeks ago but never got around to posting a photo of him. Here's the in-progress shot for comparison.

I'm not completely happy with his nose/muzzle but it was time to call him done and move on.

Crop or Not?

2009-03-20T23:23:00.001-04:00

Here's the original shot without any cropping. It's not my favorite shot. I was playing around with the depth of field and didn't quite get what I was going for.

But, here's my late night solution:

Yup, it's the same photo, just cropped into a vertical. I think I like it better. At the very least, it definitely fits in better with my recent work. Cropping might be a crutch for not shooting well enough to begin with, but it is a good tool for figuring out exactly what it is I'm going for before I go out to shoot next time. Besides, if I hadn't included the original photo here, who would know?

Tide

2009-03-16T22:33:00.001-04:00

More Beach Fun

2009-03-15T12:14:00.001-04:00

Still playing the a sort of abstract, flattened space. I'm not really sure if it's something I'll keep working with or not.

There should be a few more beach photos up this week.

Ocean

2009-03-10T00:04:00.000-04:00

I took my Aussie dog to the beach last weekend mostly to get some new photos of her but also to get out and play with the camera a little bit. The theme of the day seemed to be flattening space. It seems funny - in painting I feel like I'm always trying to create a 3-dimensional space. For some reason, right now I really want to flatten space in my photographs.

There are a few more photos from the shoot that I'll put up as I get them edited. Also, I plan on putting the whole series of Iris photos on her blog.

Tiger

2009-01-16T21:37:00.001-05:00

I said this would be a work-in-progress blog, and then haven't posted anything in ages. So, he's my current project.

He needs more work, especially in the highlights - the top of his muzzle, forehead, and cheek mostly. That dark spot right next to his nose has to go. I was going for sort of a complimentry colors thing with the orange highlights and blue shadows, but I'm note sure if it comes across enough. I might need to push the blue in the shadows a little more. Or maybe bring it up into the orange a bit in the stripes?

Critique is appreciated!

New Favorite Photographer?

2008-09-07T18:36:00.000-04:00

I love this photographer: Erin Vey. Need I say more?

Also a solid reminder that I need to get out and shoot more.

Celtic Tree

2008-08-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

A friend commissioned banners of three celtic symbols a few months ago - tree, fire, and wind. I designed them, and painted the originals. In an attempt at learning Adobe Illustrator better, I decided to try and clean the designs up a bit. I believe this is the first art I've ever made on the computer (not counting photography). I take some comfort in knowing this design started as a pencil sketch and then was painted before it became digital (in real paint! Acrylic even. None of that Photoshop fake digital stuff some people call painting. Stealing perfectly good terms for your evil computer things). I need none of that fake computer art! Now time to go hide from my digital artist friends and their well paying jobs.

Line art done in Adobe Illustrator, color and background added in Photoshop

Rosie the Labradoodle

2008-06-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

Here's a couple of my favorite photos of Rosie from a shoot I did a few weeks ago. Her eyes are easier to see in larger versions. First, some typical portraits:

This one is actually my favorite:

Job Change

2008-05-20T18:33:00.001-04:00

Completely not related to art, but I'm writing about it anyway. I have a new job! I'll be working for EveryScape, a company that makes virtual tours of cities, hotels, etc. Initially, I'll be doing QA for the city tours and then (hopefully) getting moved to studio. I pretty much will sit in a cubical all day and work on a computer. Yeah, I know. Not really my style, but it's a more stable schedule than weddings, frees up my weekends for various activities, and is a steady paycheck.

I'm still working on putting together my own little photography/painting business (photos from this weekend coming soon), but in the meantime I can't really complain about a steady paycheck. This job will give me more time during the summer to work on my own projects than if I was doing weddings.

Henry Wenry

2008-05-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

Just a couple photos I sent to my sister for her Birthday. Henry is really Jill's dog. First, here he is looking handsome.

This one is Henry looking more like himself. Beagles aren't very serious dogs.

Weave Poles

2008-04-30T17:07:00.001-04:00

This is the shot that I wanted.

This is the shot I got first. Because why would I ever play with weave poles without the Aussie? She's helping.

Textures

2008-04-23T18:24:00.001-04:00

Just playing with the new camera. Nothing in particular.

Playground Series

2008-04-17T22:41:00.000-04:00

I uploaded the whole playground series on DeviantArt. It's another old project (old as in about 3 years ago now), but it's an idea I want to revisit. I've got DeviantArt arranged in roughly chronological order, so it's a bit toward the back now. Here's the series in case you can't find it on there.

Bridge
Over Under
Perspective
Tunnel
Turning
Arches
Slide

I really like how abstract the colors and shapes on the playground can become. It started out just as an experiment with the idea that you can't really see a whole space in just one photo. So I started combining multiple images or trying multiple exposures. This series was the end result, which became much more abstract in some instances than when I began (and probably more so than any of my other work). If I go back to this project, I'd like to try using a much more shallow depth of field. I'm not sure what I could use as a subject other than playgrounds or if I even need to switch subject. Agility equipment is in the running, which I guess is a sort of playground. Go ahead and throw out any ideas. I'd love to hear it.

Moss

2008-04-03T23:39:00.000-04:00

I actually did play with the new camera today! Since my life is governed by the demands of a little red dog, we ended up at the state park.

It's taking a while to go through today's photos because I decided to shoot all in RAW. Since I've never done it before and it's a time consuming process regardless, I've finished one. That's right, one. If it looks like crap on your monitor, I'm blaming this monitor. My better monitor bit the dust last weekend (or hopefully, just its power cord).

Drawing Process

2008-04-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

I got a new camera, so I should be playing with that but my muse (who is an angry bluebird, by the way) decided that I must draw now. So I figure I'll go with it, but as a compromise I'm taking photos of the drawing as I go along. If nothing else, I think it will be cool to have a record of how this thing evolves. It's not a complicated drawing. I'm still trying to build up a pet portfolio, so that's what you get. I make no excuses for the quality of the photos. I'm just to lazy to obsess over color-correcting and adjusting the in-progress photos. The final one will look good. The rest, well at least you can see what I'm doing, right?

Here's the initial drawing, done in compressed charcoal on colored paper. I tend to use charcoal very much like finger paint in the beginning stages. Also, the chamois is an essential tool.

Throw in some darks. It's starting to get a little more form.

The whole thing doesn't always go well from start to finish. This an example of it starting to go bad. Really bad.

Now the drawing is starting to get better. It's getting a little too tight though.

I loosened up the face a bit and started to add some white for the highlights. It's too soon for the white. It's really not working. Her head is a little big for her body too.

That's all for now! I'll add more to this post as I go along.

Peepers

2008-04-01T23:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes photos just don't capture it. I'm not much of a writer, but some moments just deserve words.

I took the red dog for a walk tonight. It was a perfect, still night. No stars. The air was heavy and humid with a wind blowing high though the trees, too high to feel but strong and loud all the same. We walked through the stillness until we reached the top of the hill. It drops down again into a wet, still marsh and there the peepers were deafening. The first peepers of the year are always significant. They sing to spring and of warm summer nights. These guys made no small entrance. I don't remember ever hearing them so loud. Interesting, they kept to one side of the road. On the other side, where the water was moving, it was silent. It was like wearing headphones with one broken ear piece.

I was going to stop at the end of the neighborhood. It was late, and we'd avoid traffic by turning around. Iris believes that cars need chasing, and sticking to the neighborhood usually means seeing no cars. It's a good compromise. But I could hear the peepers down by the pond, and the pull to go down there was strong. It meant a longer walk, and Iris was happy to go along. The night was so peaceful, there seemed no reason to head home just yet.

We got to the beach and the gate was slightly ajar. It's a public beach, but it felt like we were intruding on the stillness of the place. We padded softly inside and across the sand. The water is high and deep. The peepers called out from down the shallow end of the pond. Clouds covered the stars but the wind rippled the water and caused the lights to shimmer across the surface. I stood listening, while the red dog explored the scents on the sand. We left as quietly as we'd entered.

As we past the old airport field, an airport than doesn't see planes anymore and half the buildings have been torn down, Iris started to walk down the path. I was thinking the same thing, little girl. The wind continued to rumble above us. Even without the moon, it was light enough to see in the field. We only made it about 3/4 of the way down when Iris spotted something. A raccoon? A fox? I could see the shape but not close enough. He started to move away from us and then circled back and into the path ahead of us. Iris was straining at the leash. She wanted to tussle. I think he just wanted to head for the treeline. We left him to his hunting.

As we walked toward home, the wind changed from a rumble to a roar. Lightning flickered, but without thunder. The air still hung heavy around us while the wind tugged at the tops of the trees making them creek and groan. We left the water behind us and the silence returned. One more spot of marsh, this time it was filled with wood frogs. They sound like ducks. Iris wasn't convinced.

And there was one last lonely peeper calling as we walked back up the street and slipped inside before the rain.

Louie the Goldendoodle

2008-03-26T11:30:00.000-04:00

Trying to build a portfolio for pet photography.

Naturalis

2008-03-19T10:20:00.000-04:00

So definitely not something new, but I did (finally!) get the Naturalis series up on DeviantArt. I think it only too me 2 years of procrastination and three tries at photographing it to finally come up with hafway decent pictures of it. Just in case anyone hasn't seen it yet, it's over there.

Spring?

2008-03-16T22:39:00.000-04:00

Here's one sign of spring... maple syrup! Or at least the beginnings of it. I seem to be losing intensity in the greens when I save these ( or upload them? Somewhere along the way). I'll have to play around with it a bit.

Salem

2008-03-16T22:26:00.000-04:00

Photos from the Salem Wax Museum

State Park

2008-03-11T22:30:00.000-04:00

I took the red dog over to the state park for a walk this afternoon, and I actually remembered to bring my camera since I wanted to try and get some nice photos of the Dogess in nature. I think we found the last bit of ice still hanging around.

Iris Sketch

2008-03-08T16:29:00.000-05:00

Just a quick sketch for a larger drawing I'm working on. I'm trying to come up with a "mascot" type image for my website. Originally, it was going to be a wolf, but since I was making Iris pose so I could get the front legs right... I guess you can't go wrong with "cute dog." I might tilt her head a little less for the final.

Deer

2008-03-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

Iris was in the other room raising quite a ruckus (as usual) and when I went to quiet her down, this is what I saw:

The deer went back to munching on the bushes as soon as Iris quieted down. First there was one deer, then there were two, and then they just kept coming...

Project 365

2008-03-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

"Project 365" is an idea of doing something, anything really, once a day. By far the most common theme is a photo-a-day. I've seen this done for illustration, writing, and self portraits, so it's not a new idea. But it's new for me (well, relatively).

I tried starting this project on Livejournal a few months ago and really didn't keep it up. I like the Blogger format better, so the project has been moved to here. If you've wandered over from Livejournal, that page will not be updated, so bookmark this page!

Right now, I'm trying to get all of my old work scanned and organized so I can put up a website. That's been taking away time from making new work (I know, excuses excuses)! I'm not planning on doing exclusively a photo-a-day. This will be more of a combination of photos, drawings, paintings, and whatever else I end up working on. If you're interested in seeing my work-in-progress, this is the place! Right now, my finished work can be viewed at DeviantArt.