New Stuff!

Not all of the two pics are going to be of the new stuff, but I can still talk about them. First up is a new composition, one that isn't quite finished just yet.



There is only a slight outline of the tree found in this pic, so sorry if you can't see it right but this is a hand holding a tree on its side. I just thought of this off the top of my head.
I've been drawing trees a lot lately. Refining my technique, drawing gesture sketches, figuring out how to make the leaves with the pencil, etc. Great fun! plus, I've got a new book about drawing techniques and media. Most of the techniques are shown individually in the composition, so it's a bit simple compared to what I'm aiming for, but the book makes use of them fairly well.
Gesture sketches are explored a lot in the book too. And those little things are pretty interesting. You can use a combination of either crude lines or shapes to map out a figure, or you can leave it aloen and imagine the possibilities!
Anyways, here comes a new book review!



So, I've reviewed the first book in this series, The Alchemyst, and so with the completion of this one I wanted to contribute my thoughts to my blog.
Nicholas Flamel and the Newman twins arrive in Paris, and the action picks up from there. This book moved along so fast that I was thinking the author had split in the first one in two. In some cases, that's a bad thing, but for the most part, I loved it. The author, Michael Scott, provides such details that makes every turn of these stories enjoyable. He switches perspectives and locations fast enough that you never know what's going to come next. It also makes it somewhat easy to peer into various characters' personalities.
The fantasy aspects of this installment were broadened, introducing various characters from history, fierce creatures, and an all new form of magic. It's a must-read for fans of fantasy, and quickly brought the series to become one of my favorites!
Speaking of fantasy, my next post(tomorrow) will feature my review of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. But on to other matters. The new Leonardo DiCaprio movie, Inception, knocked Sorcerer flat on its back. I hate that statistic, but Inception DOES look pretty freakin' cool! You can add that to my list of movies I want to see, I guess.