if any of you ever wonder why it is I don’t post very often and then I post a rash of things, it’s because of my daily and nightly dealings with the creations of my mind and fingertips….

During my Figure Drawing class I was assigned this skeleton. Real. Donated. Male. ( I think?) And necessary to understand prior to drawing the human figure naked and then clothed.

Although his gaze is direct, he doesn’t have much to say. However, during my hours of observation, imbibing of wine, and one-way conversations, I got to know him quite well.

I must say, I’ve never met a man with such attractive knee-caps.

I must be honest…the mood lighting did everything to influence me and to lend an otherworldly look to my idea…

And as I began, I made mistakes. As everyone does in a relationship…but rather than completely erase or cover them up, I allowed them to remain, to bear testament to the prior ghosts of mistake and apology and then to lend credence to the fact that everyone can begin terribly but end superbly.

The progression in such “slo-mo” is never as impressive as seeing the very first compared to the very last. However, these close-ups enable one to see how even an odd color such as turquoise can lend depth and value that one could only see in person with extreme lighting.

This particular paper is quite large, nearly four feet tall and yet I still managed to create the skeleton larger than life and I couldn’t manage placing the skull where it belonged without cutting off necessary bits.

But who’s to say where things belong? Especially when one is creating a creature of no precedence while drinking too much wine and watching the X-Files for the very first time?

Yeah, I’m 35. And until last month I’d never seen any of the X-Files, shows or movie. Don’t doubt for a moment that I haven’t caught up.

From this last photo to the next couple of photos you can see how I layered in colors and shading, using pencil pastels and charcoal on the best paper I’ve yet to touch. To feel. To smell. To massage. To….wait, that’s TMI…

Yes, I have a problem to which I readily confess. I’m a papyrophile. I love all things paper. This particular muse, however, is more than just paper.

It’s 100% rag. And no longer available for purchase by my professor through this particular maker.

And it is divine.

Each finalized angle and bone juxtaposition led to re-positioning of previous lines and angles, but they fade into the background as the glowing planes of bone draw the eye to what is most important.

And this is how I turned in the assignment…all of the basic essentials required were included. And yet….

Mr. Bones requires more. He deserves more.

And he sits here, next to me, staring at me as if waiting.

This is my view to my right, every day and every night, as I work on other projects.

Poor neglected Mr. Bones.