Started a new series on how to see and appreciate beauty in film. In this first episode I analyze one of the most gorgeously crafted films of all time, In the Mood for Love. See how this master craftsman infused so much purpose and intent in this still frame. Beauty is harmony, harmony comes from purpose, and this frame has lots of it. @Takeshi Takama thank you for inspiring me to go in this direction. What do you think of this video? I want to start teaching aesthetics in this way. I think it could be really helpful to non-artists.

@Chris Legaspi @Subham Sharma @Janet Abrahams When I first started with Ron Lemen, he asked me how many years I had been drawing. I told him: “Ten years.” He looked at my work and said, “You’ve been doodling for ten years — not learning for ten years.” That hit me hard… but it also changed everything. So I rebuilt everything from the ground up: - Learning structure and armatures - Learning perspective for real - Drawing from life every day - Training my eye instead of relying on shortcuts - Slowing down and actually studying, not just “drawing cool stuff” And now, 1.5 years later, here is my before/after: These improvements didn’t happen because I’m “talented.” They happened because I finally stopped doodling and started learning. @Chris Legaspi advice helped a lot also as it correlates with Ron Advice as well ⭐ If you’re in this group and you’re struggling, remember this: You are NOT behind. You are NOT slow. You are simply early in the real learning process. Once you commit to fundamentals, everything starts changing. Not instantly — but steadily, noticeably, permanently. Keep going. Stay consistent. Study deliberately. And give yourself the time and the humility required to grow. If my work can transform like this — yours absolutely will too. Wishing all of you massive progress this year. Let’s get better together. 💪🎨 First three images are before the rest are after

I started this painting with the intent to communicate the word/feeling of "victory", or 'triumph. I wanted to tell a story about nature overcoming the modern/harsh/city world. If you notice the design of the drawing, there are lots of "V"s in the shapes. There are even "V"s in the details which is all intentional. Actually the entire design is one giant "V". This is something Nathan Fowkes emphasized. This is how he gives his environments more impact and power and emotion, by creating a purposeful, unified design in all the elements. I've talked about this for years when it comes to figures and portraits. Now that I've spent time with Nathan, I'm going to practice this concept more and more, especially in compositions and pictures. Give it a try. Thank you @Natasza Zurek for guessing the message :)

I realized I almost never do a redraw. So decided to change that: draw over of the figure drawing sketch from my last crit.

Straight from the master's mouth to you. I didn't invent these exercises. During the 4 workshop days, Nathan emphasized two things A LOT: 1. Emotion 2. tonal abstract sketching I know most of us are working on figure and head craft, but for those who are making pictures or those who want to unlock their creativity (@Subham Sharma give these a try) this simple exercise is very useful and fun imo :) It's a perfect warm-up to your art and practice session if you're feeling a little 'flat'. Personally, this came at the perfect time. I've been in a comfort zone (form and academic rendering mode) for years and didn't even realize it. As a student, whenever a master artist I admire advises to do something, I go all-in and obsess over it until I fully absorb the knowledge and the core philosophy the master is trying to pass on to me. Nathan has been my hero and a HUGE influence for over a decade so I am trying my best to fully absorb what he taught us/me. This video is raw, no audio. I will make a proper version with commentary. If you have questions about the process, please comment here.