Native American Chief

Here we are a year later, trying to catch up on over 12 months of art progress.  Max drew this when he was 7, after studying some of George Catlin's paintings of the Mandan Indians from the 1830's.

Last drawings before the big journey across the pond ...

 Well, we're about to take off for our Big European Adventure (Griswold's ain't got nothin' on us!) so we figured we'd better put up another couple of drawings before Max's art takes another leap while we're away.  Who knows, when we get back, he may fancy himself a sculptor.

This is a portrait he did while in Steamboat.  It's actually got a little color (pale green) added to it now, but we don't have a picture of that version.  A little bit Modigliani again, no?

Max has  gotten a little zombie obsessed lately, so here's one of Albert Einstein if he was lucky (or unlucky) enough to come back from the dead. 

A favorite piece

This piece is particularly special, as Max not only branched out into a new style of portrait with more emotionality (we'd been looking at Modigliani's work at the Met), but also added acrylics into his graphite drawings.

Step 1, profile and frontal portrait.  Sketch only.

Step 2, add acrylic.   Voila!

I've been remiss! Art from the late spring .....

Max has been going crazy with his portraits.  This one is framed in the kitchen.  Notice the skateboarder on the t-shirt, and the portrait he is holding in his hand.  This was done in May, and most of the following were done in the late spring.  I'll post more recent pictures in the next post. 

Max at work.

The artist at his morning station.

Working on fists, one holding an axe.

Profile work.

Quick sketch portrait of mommy.

Head structure and shading.

Eye contours.

An example of a doodle page.  He was learning the anatomy of the head to understand what was under the skin and why a portrait would look the way it did.  Then lots of individual facial features.

Showing the steps to making a profile. 

Jedi in action.

Full body profile Jedi in action.

Trying a new style.

Leaps and Bounds in Portraiture

Max has recently been working on his portrait skills.  He's been learning a lot about noses, and the proportions of ears and nostrils.  He thinks a lot about shadows, and movement, and 3-D.  These are his most recent pieces of work.

Alaaka is a female animal in a native tribe.  She has brown fur except around her eyes and head where it is green.  She has no whites in her eyes.

Close up portrait of no one in particular.  Notice the eyes.

A relative of Darth Maul.  

Another anonymous portrait of a person who's hair is blowing in the wind.

We had been studying the art of Fredo, a 17 year old Chilean artist who does incredible work with 3-D and perspective.  Max decided to try his own version - this is of himself drawing a portrait.  Notice the 3-D easel on top of a 3-D table.  Also, the grip of the hand on the pencil.

Maxi Money

"This bill I did all with little markers.  The portrait is of Max the Jedi. And on the next post I'm going to show you the back."

"The back.  All of the yellow I made with highlighters. On the front and the back."

12 Year Old Girl

"The two pencils I used were a 5H and a 5B."

Newest and Best Jedi

"It took me 76 hours and 13 minutes to make this picture. It's of a Jedi Knight in an Imperial Starship.  I was 6 years old when I did this picture. Notice the shadow under the neck and the fist holding the lightsaber handle, inside of the cloak.  That was still not the hardest part.  The head was the hardest part.  I used all of my pencils.  I have different artist pencils, for an example, 6B." - Max

At the jewelry store ...

Got to spend time with Pop at his shop.  Chose two stones to bring home.  A garnet and an aquamarine.  Budding jeweler?

Maxi Cards

This is the beginning of a series of cards Max is designing.  He says there will be at least 25, and each card will have a new character that he has created and named.  These first two are Jupiter Junebug and Iceman. Also note his rather cool cursive signature.

New Jedi

"A new picture of a Jedi Knight.  And on the next picture it will show the back of him. I did a line so I knew where the mouth and nose and eyes went.  And first I did my picture in pencil and then I copied it after in pen. Notice the reflections in the boots.  Notice the lines in the clothing. And notice inside the arm sleeves." - Max

Storm Trooper

"Notice the shadow and how I shaded and erased the shading.  How I did it is I traced the outline, but just the outline.  All of the inner details I did on my own.  I got inspired by another picture.  I liked this process.  PS. Notice the laser pointing at you." - Max

Storm Trooper in a Starship

"Notice the details in the background." -Max

Dragon!

Battle Droid

"I got inspired from a Star Wars Drawing book.  Notice the tiny details and how I drew things and then erased them." - Max

Inside of a Laser Cannon

TIE Fighter

Detailed Flower

Flowers in Bloom

"Notice the tiny pebbles and look at how it's all black ink. I wanted people to see that there were some buds and some flowers." -Max

Forest Picture

"This is a game.  Look for all of the bugs, like: the ladybug, the two beetles, and the spider." -Max