A Quick Review of What I've Done Lately

'And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?' John Lennon in 'War is Over'

This poignant line was written decades ago.  And so here ends another year and I am still living in the USA.  With the second half of 2018, I spent a lot of time creating art and put music on the back burner.

While that may have not been the smartest thing to do, at least I kept busy and created a lot.  My artist website, www.lioravnidesignwriter.com is doing well in terms of views and viewers.  My plan for 2019 is to do a lot more music, and a lot more exercise, especially in exercises I enjoy, such as kickboxing, tai chi, and even matwork.  I am not to old for these types of exercises, I'm just slowing down and a bit out of shape.

I want to share with you, gentle blog reader, a video I created earlier today and posted on YouTube and Reverbnation.  It features my own song, my own artworks, and refers you to my artist website. 

If you click and watch the video, which is less than 2 minutes, you'll see my art has improved lately and I am maturing.  But I definitely plan on doing more music in 2019.  

I've also been improving as a blogger.  Instead of posting here, I post mostly on my artist website, which also features a blog.  But I have enough ideas to write in both places.

So here comes 2019, and I am ready.

Keep Trying New Things

I am adding here a charcoal drawing I did recently after seeing an image of a Japanese temple I found in a book about Japanese art.

It is simpler than most, but the unique thing is I don't often use charcoal pencils so this was kind of like an experiment for me.  That is why the name of the post is called 'keep trying new things'.  If you don't keep experimenting, you'll never make any progress.

'Temple in Japan'

This image is simpler than the photo it was inspired by, and it's far from perfect, but at least I could enter another area of illustration and still feel satisfied with how it looks.  I'm not even going to post it on my artist site for sale, I just want people to see it and see how one learns to create.

Everything's Alright

My new artist site is up and I've linked this blog to it.  In addition to uploading artwork to be sold, I can share my ideas here with no interruption. 

As an artist, I am constantly looking to improve my knowledge and skills.  One way is through continuing education courses.  Another is through projects.  And another is by looking back at old black and white illustrations and coloring them in.  I did that with 'young wrestler' recently.  I like the way it came out.

Now that I have an artist site, less important things fade away.  I can concentrate all my work into one place and be more time efficient.

To all the people who read this blog, I'd like to bring you along my journey.

New Beginnings

I've found a way to preserve this blog.  Pretty soon, I will be using my artist website exclusively, but I have the option to link an existing blog as well as my social media accounts to the new site. 

So nothing is really lost.  I will use this blog as a platform to spread my ideas, and the new site will be for the artworks and making sales.

I feel like my ability as an artist keeps growing day by day.  I feel more confident.  Maybe more complex works lay ahead.  Anyway, I hope you people who follow my blog stay tuned.  Peace.

War is Over...and so is this blog.

Well, maybe not completely.  You see, I want to start earning money through my artwork, and not just working for free.  This site gets hundreds of view per month and thousands since I first got serious about being an artist. 

Since creating my own artist website, which will soon be active at Www.lioravnidesignwriter.com. I have decided to focus all my attention on that site.  I will keep writing on this blog to share my views on aesthetics and truth, but i cant afford to give away visual art with no renumeration for me. 

This is a harsh world and art is my biggest skill.  I need money.  All in all, I've written some clever and useful knowledge here. 

I've even created new works that can only be seen on my artist website.  If you have a computer, an internet connection,  and some special skill or knowledge, you can form an online business.  The internet changed everything, and i wish you well just as i wish myself well.

Peace.

The One Worth Saving

"Chakras"

This is a rough drawing and upload I created while making a slide show video about Taoist Nutrition.  I don't care that much about Taoist Nutrition or making it the theme of my career, but out of 8 panels, this one was the most well done and intriguing.  So I'm posting it here.

It depicts a man seated in lotus pose, with the Seven Chakras highlighted.  Yogis have known for thousands of years that the chakras exist and are loosely tied to the glands that are located along and near the front line and dorsal line.  These captions explain the location of each chakra without the sanksrit name, since no one I knows speaks sanskrit.  

To understand human development, one must be aware that the root chakra, located between the genitals and the anus, is the most primitive, and deals with food, sex, and aggression.  The crown chakra, at the top of the head, deals with enlightenment and purpose.  So everything we experience is somewhere in between.

I called this post 'the one worth saving' because it was the one picture out of eight that I felt was unique.  And people don't really need a nutrition lesson.  In the Hebrew Bible, there is a story of a wicked city called 'Sodom and Gommorah' where sexual iniquity and vice was brazenly done.  Lot was the one man worth saving in this city, and he and his family where the only ones saved from God's wrath and the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah.  He was allowed to flee the city with his wife and two daughters, but his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.  That is in the bible.  Later, Lot fathered the eastern race by being duped into sleeping with both daughters (on different nights) and created the ancestors Moab and Ammor.  These ones where the ones to claim to be 'the ones of pure blood.'

Can't Win Them All

This is a work I created yesterday, frustrated with how it looks, but I did the best I could to salvage it today.  I'm not experienced with landscapes, and yet I tried to recreate a photo I saw on the internet when I googled 'Mountains'.  For illustrative purposes, I will show both the image and site it was inspired by, and my work.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/habitats/mountains  click here to see the photo of the mountains that inspired this attempt.  It is part of the site for the San Diego Zoo.

'San Diego Mountains'

You can see my interpretation of the landscape implies a sense of depth, as in the trees in the bottom left are closest, the middleground of mountains behind them, and the atmospheric effect of the mountains in the distance being black lines and vague.

You can see my work is primitive, and yet if you look at both pictures, you can see how my interpretation of the image created a completely different image altogether.  That is part of what art and artistry is, the interpretation of one creative individual looking at the world in a different way.

Catching up with Art

Here below are two artworks I did recently.  I even posted them to facebook and to pinterest (which I just started using yesterday).

'Young Wrestler'

'Elephant Alone'

I did these two works in black and white for a plethora of reasons.  First of all, I like black and white art because it seems more 'real' (which is counterintuitive but true).  Also, I don't want to be tied down to Photoshop to make art.  Art should create a tangible result, not just an image on a screen.  And lastly, it's just too damn expensive to rent Photoshop from Adobe Creative Cloud monthly without a contract.  Maybe I should just buy the whole program, Adobe Photoshop CC upfront and forget about monthly subscriptions.

Anyway, these are two excellent pieces with a lot of potential.  Every design I make brings me closer to my goal, which is to combine cartooning, wholistic medicine, storytelling, and shamanism into one coherent entity.  

My current goal for the next two months is to create a comic book about shamanism and how food comes from the earth.  But it won't be easy.

The Serpent and the Rainbow

Even at high levels of academia, scholars and teachers overlook the significance of art, religion, and even the daily habits of people from central and south America as well as the Caribbean.  This part of the world is rich in culture and tradition, and has given the world a lot of art, music, and literature.

Even their diet and food customs have influenced those in the USA and through them to the entire world. 

Voodoo is not a system of black magic designed to harness ungodly forces and hurt people.  Voodoo is a religion, a syncretic one that combines elements of Catholicism and the original beliefs and myths of Western Africa, especially the Yoruba people.

I have always been inspired by the art of this part of the world, and I fondly remember reading a book on Haitian artists and their rustic, simple style.

There was a book called, 'The Serpent and the Rainbow' written by an acclaimed Harvard author.  It goes deeper than just a reference to a sea snake and light refracting into individual colors.

The serpent represents the primordial being from which all beings descended from, and the rainbow symbolizes the light, white light refracts into all the colors known to man.  That's all that existed in the beginning, the light of God passing over the primordial chaos (the waters) and the sea serpent, the first to live.  What I just did was harmonize the beginning of time according to the Hebrew Bible and to what people commonly know, that all life originated in the seas.

There's no better summary of what Voodoo practitioners believe than that.  'The Serpent and the Rainbow'.  Interestingly enough, I once had a job interview where I mentioned to the employer (who was educated and aware) that South America, Africa, and even Ancient China practiced shamanic culture from the very beginning until now.

There are some concepts and lessons of life that cannot be written or read from a book.  Some things you have to experience for yourself.  Direct experience of the divine is called 'mysticism'.  No human was there at the beginning, so no one can say for sure what really happened.  Only the Bible and other holy books indicate what happened in the beginning.

But to more clearly illustrate what Voodoo, or it's other variants in different parts of the Caribbean and Latin America are called (such as Macumba, Santeria, Candomble, and Louisiana Voodou) I will explain.

Voodoo believers believe in one high God similar to the God of Israel.  They believe that God created the universe,the world, and the human race.  However, God is so lofty and high above that he doesnt interfere much in the lives of mortals.  Voodoo people call God Bondye (Bon which means good and Dye or Deus which means God).Good God doesn't interfere with life on earth, so people have to think for themselves and rely on the intervention of the angels.

In Voodoo, there is a large pantheon of saints and angels who deeply care about humanity.  The main thing in Voodoo is that good luck and favor can be won by pleasing the angels and spirits (called Loa in most parts of the Caribbean).  This is very similar to Catholicism.

Voodoo people also believe in reincarnation, and that souls know each other birth after birth, and often reincarnate amongst each other generation after generation.  Your brother in one lifetime might be your grandson in another.

The primary practice of Voodoo is animal sacrifice, music and dancing, calling upon the Loa for spiritism and possession.  These seem barbaric and simple to us now, but the Ancient Hebrews did largely the same thing in the past.

My point in general about Voodoo is that not everything intangible is hogwash, we're all descendents of one divine being, that reincarnation is known by simple people let alone sophisticated people, and that there is a Creator God and a sense of justice in this life and the next.

So all in all, not much has really changed.

In future works, I will try to depict religious/spiritual/mystical beliefs in my art.

What to do with all this artwork and writing

I'm coming to a clearer understanding of myself and a more realistic world view.

First of all, most people are not enjoying their lives to the fullest.  Most people in this part of the world have full time jobs, spouses, children, and a ton of responsibilities.  That means, they practically have no free time to do something joyous, educational, or fun.

I on the other hand, enjoy a lot of free time and lead a very spontaneous, joyful existence.  I have no wife, no children, no full time job, and no responsibilities.  Buddhism teaches you that you can attain enlightenment and enduring happiness without money, women, status, and power.  To illustrate this point, there is a Buddhist saying, 'at the gates of the miserable millionare lives a contented beggar.'

Happiness comes from internal mind states, not external circumstances.  You have very little power to change outside phenomena, but you have total control over your mind, emotions, thoughts, dreams, and attitude.  Sometimes intangible things are more valuable than people or possessions. 

I've decided in regards to my creativity to focus mostly on visual art.  I have a graphic design diploma and so, I am well versed in art theory and aesthetics.  I also enjoy art very much, and I'd do it regardless of whether I'm paid for it or not.

My main priority is to stay healthy.  Health is the first thing, before money and a lover.  If you are not physically able and healthy, you really can't enjoy life.  And that is what God wants us to have, to have joy in everything we do, both in this world and the next.

I know I'll never make a killing in the stockmarket, so I'll never be rich, but on the other hand, I need income from my talents just to survive.  And so, the message is, I will reserve my best works for sale on etsy, great works I find more special than others on my portfolio, and less sentimentally valuable works for this blog. 

I hope you understand me, gentle reader, I am only doing what is best for myself.  That's natural to put yourself first. 

'Judgement in the Underworld'

This is a drawing I had in my sketchbook for years but only recently scanned it and colored it.  It has an Egyptian motif to it since it represents Osiris, the lord of the dead, judging a recently deceased soul by weighing his heart against the feather of truth.

Obviously, this is all primitive mythology and is not real.  There essentially is no hellfire or underworld, and the Creator doesn't want to judge or torture any of his children (you and I).  When I was young, I used to go to the library a lot and read young adult mythology. I quickly noticed some reoccuring themes in  mythology, and saw how even the JudeoChristian bible is essentially a myth that some people take literally.

This is the kind of work I consider good, but not good enough by my understanding to sell on etsy or include in my portfolio.  It is still a beatiful work with a rich story to it.  Enjoy.

A Look at the Dark Side

'Dead Trees'

This artwork is from a month ago, and I never shared it because I thought it was useless and unworkable.  But now that time has passed, I see the value of it and the value of dark, gloomy artworks.

Of course, we live in a society where practically all art and music created is dark and disturbing, and in comparison, my art seems naive and optimistic at times.  But that is part of the charm of this art.  It is otherworldly, simple, and benevolent.  

So the black to white gradient in the background, and the dying trees, and the off color sun actually creates a gloomy mood but not too gloomy.  

Enjoy.

Back in the Saddle Again

What I mean by this post's title is that I've decided I should make art and drawing my primary thing.  Music and Writing has gotten me a little bit, but if I stay in my chosen field of design and art, good things might happen.

I have a degree in digital design, and so I have a thorough education about art, drawing, aesthetics, and the revisionist process.  I'll still keep writing and music on the back burner, but I know art will be my career.

When creating art of any kind as a business, remember, the work is for the audience not for you.  Do what the people want or need.

So I'm back in the saddle as far as drawing goes.  My two main products will be books that involve illustration, and YouTube videos that include my artworks and music as a slide show.

The prognosis is good.

Buddha Taught Compassion for the Animals

'Buddha and the Animals'

While I did kind of copy this depiction of the Buddha from something I saw online, I hope my message doesn't get lost.  Part of the lasting legacy that Buddha left behind was compassion for the animals.  If man sees himself as the pinnacle of evolution or creation, than he really is steward of the land.  That means, all plants and animals are for man's use, not for manipulating or abusing.

Some animals are for food, some are for pets, some are for work, and some are best left alone.  

Similarly, some plants are food, some are medicine, and others are poison.

This is how Buddhism and other spiritual paths concur with the bible.  Early in Genesis, God gives the commandment to 'be fruitful and multiply, subdue the earth, and replenish it.'

To further explain this drawing, the buddha is serenely meditating in the middle, to his left is the elephant, and to his other side is an eagle coming straight towards the viewer.  Maybe I could have put more work into it and made it a fancier design, but I think you get it even without much detail.

Taoism and the Creative Arts

A brief word about me, just so you'll know who is creating all this art and writing.

While I am from a secular jewish home, I have only been interested in eastern philosophy, lifestyle, and concepts.  Still, I know a lot of the Hebrew Bible.

I'm not a religious person, but I find that the wisdom of Tao and Zen really speaks to me.  One might not consider Taoism a religion, it's more like a philosophical lifestyle, or, a cohesive world view.  Tao encourages you to be spontaneous, compassionate, minimalistic in everything you do, and touches on subjects other religions or systems don't dare talk about.

The Taoist lifestyle includes not only scripture and meditation, but encourages individuality and innovation.  There is no aspect of life that Tao does not touch upon.

Nutrition, Sexology, Martial Arts, Cooking, Socializing, Exercise (such as Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and Taoist Yoga) are not taboo. 

Taoism started in Ancient China, but by now, is known worldwide.  The good Taoist looks upon the world with detached amusement.  And I heard a quote somewhere, 'When it comes down to the Tao, being at ease and at peace, not many people are really interested in it.'

That about sums it up.  People like excitement and pleasure, but not so much peace and tranquility.  It's a good lifestyle.

Many Ways to Do the Same Thing

'Perfect Girl'

In Illustration, and in Photoshop, and in life in general, there are many ways to do the same thing.  I'm learning new things everyday, and part of it is knowing that there is more than one way.  This is a phenomena that can be seen everywhere, deep study and practice of any art leads to a deeper understanding of human existence.

Art has Value

I got this quote from a guy who has a Youtube channel about how to get your writing published and make a living.  When he said, 'art' he means all types of creative work.  Art has value.  In other words, don't be shy or ashamed to ask for money for your art, music, writing, or anything else. 

In this era, making a living from creativity, or at  least having a side gig in creativity is more possible than ever.  That is a great thing about America, it may be cruel and harsh, but if you have talent, you can make it.  It's a lot like the jungle.  It's completely neutral like sport. 

The reason I am writing this post is to inform the people who read it about what I'm doing.  I will still post free works here on this blog, but I will also sell newer artworks on Etsy.  I've given away so much art, writing and music that its not right.

Art has value, and no one should work for free unless there's potential to be paid later.  So if you like, look at my stuff here.  But be aware I will soon be posting new works on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LiorAvniDesignWriter

Lior

Poems in Pictures, and Pictures in Poems

I have an endless supply of inspiration because there are always more photos on the internet.  Just Google your chosen subject and look under Images, and you will find dozens of photos to use as a guide to your drawings.

Here is something I made today.  I know it's simple and imperfect, but it's mine.

Some more where that came from...

I actually did 3 artworks within the last 24 hours.  The village scene I had done a couple of years ago in my journal, and now that I've made a full size line art, I realize how similar it is to the work from August 27 2018.  Its as if the image was in my subconscious, and now I have two eerily similar works.

Here is an image of a holy man meditating.  I drew it from imagination.

The lines emanating from him is spirit power.

I hope people who see this blog appreciate my art.

The Essential Education

When most people think about physical education, they remember high school and being really bad at basketball or volleyball.  And when most people think about combat or self defense, they think about karate and MMA. 

But Judo is special.  It is both a system of self realization, a type of exercise or recreation, and useful in different self defense situations.  It really is a -do (like Dao in China, the Way) and yet it is the foundation of everything else.

Here below is my interpretation of something I saw in a google images search.  Enjoy.

Back in the Saddle

Lately, I've been obsessed and thinking back on my years training judo (and some sambo).  Sambo, which to the uninitiated is a sport that combines elements of wrestling and judo, has always gripped my imagination ever since I first saw it.  My dad said, sambo is Russia's sport tradition.

I created this art work because it makes me happy.  The only thing I didn't realize is that my scanner didn't pick up on the colors, so it is in grayscale. 

I figure, if I'm not in shape to be an athlete, I can still explore my obsession with martial arts through drawing. 

Where am I?

I haven't been posting on this blog for the past week and a half because I haven't been doing art.  My inspiration will return, but for now my well is dry and I'm trying to get over this artist's block. 

I realize what I got to do in life and now I got to put the theory into practice. 

By the way, I've found that online courses are cheap and you can learn new skills quite easily.  It's not the degree that matters but rather the skills you have. 

Keep your eye on my blog until I start creating again.

Trying something new...

I did a nice work earlier today. 

By the Aqueduct

It is based on a work done in 1806 by an artist named John Sell Cotman.  My rendition is different enough to consider it one of my own.

Unlike most of my works, this one shows the beginning of shading and light and even a watery reflection.  Hope everyone who sees my blog is entertained and informed by it.

I'm constantly trying to improve my drawing skill and I've made progress over the summer.  And there's always inspiration everywhere.

Indian Summer

It's been almost a week since posting something on this blog, so here are three works I both feel proud of and have been uploaded elsewhere at sites like facebook and instagram. 

Home in Argentina

Charlie on Sofa

Back Door

The last one has been posted already, it was the last one I uploaded in the month of August.  But the one of my dog on the couch I did as an interpretation of my own environment over the weekend.  The first one, of the Home in Argentina, I did based on a photo I saw in a Google search.  

The thing is with art and design, you're always learning and you're always seeing new things with the trained eye of an artist.  Like a quote from Shakespeare, 'there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy.'  That means to me that reality will always beat fantasy, and there is beauty everywhere but not everyone sees it.

Finishing off the Summer 2018

Here are a couple of images I created over the course of this week.  I just want to end this summer on a good note.  I was very productive this summer, as far as design, music, and writing is concerned.

Spaceship

Back Door

See you in September!

Here is a simple graphic design, and an explanation on how I did it.

I did this artwork with great diligence, and yet, at the same time I was having so much fun drawing and inking it that I didn't pay attention to time.

Street Scene in Village

I know it's only black and white, and you can still see some faint vanishing lines towards the horizon, but overall I am satisfied with this composition.  First, I made the background, a street in a small village, and then I made the pedestrian separate.  I uploaded the two images in Photoshop and placed the character over the background design.

Notice that this image uses single point perspective, something I learned in art school, and that things get smaller as they get farther away.  Hope you like my work, and this is only the first of many complete compositions. 

Influences

The only artist I can think of off the top of my head is Roy Lichtenstein.  I've seen some of his works in art history books and then I purchased a book exclusively dedicated to him at the bookstore.  What I like about his art was how he elevated comics and scenes that look like comics to a higher artform.

My visual style and aesthetic comes from my unique look on the world, and the overall simplicity is because I am fundamentally a youthful spirit inside an aging body.

Here are two works I've posted before, both based on something I saw in a book.

Jet Fighter

Sunrise

I need to move on and develop my own style, which is slowly happening anyway.  But the mood I am trying to evoke is one of simple beauty and purity of minimalism.

Keep It Simple

I came to the conclusion that not every art design needs to be done with a digital program like Photoshop or Illustrator.  For ease of use and peace of mind, simply take a pencil and paper sketch and ink it with a black marker.  That's how I created the two works below.

The first one I call, 'Robot Invasion' and the second one I call 'Tree of Life'.  Both were just pencil sketches I inked with a black marker.

What's been going on lately...

Lately, I've been exploring many different creative avenues, besides just drawing and illustration.  But it seems like my music is getting stale and my writing focuses on the same subjects over and over again. 

Physical exercise is important for everyone, but for me, I find it essential to keep motivated to create more work.

I've decided to not show all my works here on this blog, but rather just a select few based on what I am doing at the moment.  I don't have to show my whole catalog online for free.

Here is one I call, 'Yoga Man' and it is actually a reworking of a previous design.  I know the yogi is a bit off center to the left, but that is fine by me.  Flaws and imperfections make someone more beautiful, not less.

An updated version of one of my recently published works

In the design business or industry, one must make many revisions to each design before it is a complete and final work.  Also, every designer must constantly strive to improve his skills as an artist and designer.  That's what I'm trying to do.

Previously Unreleased

Lately, I've been laying off the art and concentrating on the music.  However, there is a couple of pictures I've never shared before.  Here they are.

Lions

Good Food

The Pugilists

A link to some of my music

Beneath the Summer Moon

As well as being an artist, I am a blues musician.  I created an album recently and I think it's pretty good quality music so here above is a link to hear some of the clips from the album.  There's even a link to purchase the album or download tracks by clicking on the CDbaby link.  Hope you enjoy my sound.

My Lesser Known Works

My New Video on Youtube

Today I've created a new video that showcases my best works lately and have a soundtrack of one of my songs from reverbnation.  Hope you like it.

A revision of one of my earlier works

'Lions of Judeah'

I felt unsatisfied with a very important work (at least to me).  I felt the lion on the right wasn't big enough, and the whole composition was off center.  So I used Photoshop to correct these flaws.  Hope you like it.

Yesterday's project.

In a sketchbook from two or three years ago, I found a collection of drawings of farmers and fieldworkers wearing yellow hats.  I isolated this drawing and colored it in a very simple way.  I definitely see a style emerging in my works from then and now and I like how this pic captures the motion of a man in the field chopping down vegetation at the corner of a field.

A Couple of Recent Works

A Couple of Recent Works

Some Basic Yoga Poses

'Lions of Judeah'

A Couple of New Pictures

This one is extremely minimalistic but it continues in my style of sketching, inking, and coloring.  I call it 'Dusty' because that was the nickname of my favorite and most influential musician, Robert Johnson.

This one is called 'Food' or rather, 'Food comes from the Earth.' It also has a tangible style that is just my own.

A glance at my artistic development

This simplistic, somewhat abstract drawing is loosely based on 'Promenade' by August Macke.

This is an original sketch on a uniform green background I call, 'Man and Dog.'  It is really more like a character design of a caveman with his dog. There's not much detail in the solid color background, but this work is more like an idea caught in a jpg and not a finished work.

My Most Recent Works

These two images I did recently with pencil and paper sketches scanned into the computer.  I used Photoshop to ink, color, and otherwise adjust the artwork.

Both designs are loosely based on works by Roy Lichtenstein.

A Slide Show of my most recent works

Here is a link to my most recent artworks for sale on etsy.com 

If you are interested in purchasing any of my work, please click on the link below.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LiorAvniDesignWriter

A link to Etsy to purchase some of my digital art

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LiorAvniDesignWriter

If you like my art work on this blog, please take a look at my Etsy shop and purchase a design.  Thanks!

Lior

Art Work Promotional

A Piece I Call 'Solitary Boxer'

This is a work I did on my own based on a sketch in my journal.  It features more embellishments than my previous works, However, my artistic style keeps developing and evolving, so each work is more valuable than the last.

A Recent Piece

I recently took a look at my old sketchbook and found a work that would be interesting to scan, ink, and color.  I'm just putting it up on the internet so people can get a feel for what I do.