Weekly Sketch # 12: Wolverine

I'm done with exams, done with school for now... and winter break has begun, what does an artist do at this point? He does what he loves!

I am just getting down to business, drawing and painting! I have started working on my Works in Progress again, shuffling between three at the moment. The other ones I have put aside for later. I mentioned I was redoing the layout or redoing a certain, significant portion of it... that's why.

The sakhi of Guru Gobind Singh ji in Machhiwara has always touched me, and I am sure it has a place in the hearts of many other people. Although I was not particularly fond of my speedpainting of it, several close friends and family encouraged me to work on it, and so I did. It turns out that its almost complete. I am looking forward to sharing that with everyone soon. However, I won't be posting any updates of it instead I will continue with my weekly sketches.

Also, my Hari Singh Nalwa speedpainting has been getting quite a lot of attention. This was another piece that lacked that "bang" for me. Nalwa was a true Sardar, he had high moral character, and a commanding presence. He was a powerhouse, which is why he was given the title Nalwa. So while I was busy figuring out what I could do to create that impression. A buddy of mine from DeviantArt, Cap-art, almost in a casual manner, solved my problem. He's a great artist, with a special talent for speedpaintings in particular. He quite willingly painted over my picture and showed me how I could improve it. I feel quite grateful to him for his enthusiasm and help and also, because now Hari Singh Nalwa is starting to reach its full potential. One can see the sardar in a powerful, majestic posture with a hardened face of a warrior but with the calmness of an elite, with his hand resting on a long sabre, and his face lit with a soft candle light. It is looking finished now even though a lot of detailed work must still be done. Again, I won't be posting any updates for this painting because it looks quite finished already, and the final won't make as big an impact.
Those were two success stories; two paintings that worked out quite nicely. However, the third painting I am working on, I am having some trouble with. Akali Phula Singh's turban has been a handful. I have tried different Dastar Boonga styles but currently none of them seem work. I haven't been able to identify what's bugging me. Maybe I should just stick to what I have and refine it... I don't know, perhaps something will work out as I work on it.

Anyways, a very Merry Christmas to all. Celebrate it as you would do anything else.
Hmm other notes... I should be available now to answer any inquiries about my paintings. Use the FAQs page on my website to ask any questions. Also, you can either subscribe to my blog or my website to keep up with releases. The news updates on my website will then be emailed to you. Often my releases are in the middle of nowhere, disconnected from any gurpurbs or other events, so it's a good idea to sign up.

Old Sikh Warriors - Two New Art Pieces

Hey guys, it's me - the science guy - who loves to paint! It's been heck of a month so far! So many tests and assignments - all at once... but this month's not over yet. The rest of the month, year even, will be just as busy so I'll still be absent from the blog for a while.
Many of you have probably seen my newly released painting, Akali Nihang General. I released it a while back but did not have any time to blog about it. I could either spend time painting or blogging, and I chose to paint. Not a bad idea considering I recently put together some concept art for a future piece, Hari Singh Nalwa. ;) The finalized painting will probably be a chaotic battle scene like Battle of Chamkaur! I have got some ideas for it but like always... "we'll see how it goes".
Anyway, It's on my website now, so be sure to check it out! And check out Akali Nihang General if you haven't done so.
Hmm... what else? Oh, yes the Diwali Sale went well! Not sure if I will have something like that again any time soon, though.
There was a poll up on my Works in Progress page. Many people have voted, and your votes have helped me take another look at my paintings. Mai Bhago one is doing just horrible at the moment. I will probably be scrapping that one and replacing it with a another composition. Udasis of Guru Nanak is on par with Banda Singh Bahadur at 25%, so that tells me that I must improve their compositions. I had already started doing that actually ;), they hadn't been updated as my skills became better. They are like windows to my past! ;)
The winner is Akali Phula Singh, and I have planned to release it next summer! Some of you are wondering, next summer??? DUDE, what about this Christmas?! ... hehe, I have another painting that's ahead of Akali Phula Singh, both in history and in completion...

I put up the poll because I didn't know which ones to work on, and spend more time on, and I have gotten my results, thanks to you guys!

Weekly Sketch# 11: Dinosaurs and Sikh Toons

What do Dinosaurs and Sikhs have in common?
Think about it... I'll give my answer later in the post.

University started a while ago, it's crazier than it has even been. But not the homework... not yet ... it's some of the other little projects, I am working on. Trying to shuffle between them and the school work is a daily chore. Not only that but I'm releasing yet another painting. Right now, I'm getting critiques, adding finishing touches and so on. It'll be a while before, I can put it up.

In the midst of all that, I do my usual "city-reading", whenever I would walk to Union Station from the core of downtown. City-reading is when you walk around the city by yourself, observe people and buildings... maybe even youself in the mirrors haha... observe the textures - of the roads, cracks, bricks..., the atmosphere, the breeze, the humidity, the temperature, the sky - if it's not too bright... the clouds, the reflections on the buildings, the smoke... and just take every sensation in. It's strange but entertaning when you have no company. It seems like a lot but it calms you down. Well, that's how it works for me. As an artist and even as a scientist, one must learn to observe, one must learn to look at things from a new angle, and one must keep an open mind.

Anyways, back to that question I asked at the beginning of the post. What do Sikhs and Dinosaurs have in common?
Well, ignoring the common ancestry and the similar molecular structures of the subjects, both have been the giants of my world - they have been of great interest to me. I used to go to the library and would pick up books just to look at paintings of the dinosaurs. I wondered how we had come to know such things, how did such big "lizards" came about... it went as far as wanting to be a paleontologist, at one point... My interest in Sikhism came 3 years later...

Sikhi Art: Diwali Sale

Happy Diwali people! I know it's a bit early but I am having a Diwali Sale (20% OFF), so I thought I'd let everyone know. The sale includes Paper Prints (no posters) and Canvases. The prints currently available for sale include Battle of Chamkaur - Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Baba Deep Singh and Mata Bhag Kaur.

The sale ends on October 17. For any questions, you can comment here or use the website's (confidential) comment system to contact me. I'll make myself more available until the sale ends. i know I have been slow in replying to comments on this blog, and that's because I wouldn't know when someone commented. Now finally, blogger has done something about it, they have enabled notifications. This should make replies come much faster.


I know I haven't uploaded any weekly sketches lately, but I will be doing that soon, sketches from this week and from previous weeks. So keep an eye out this week...it's gona be a big one.
I have also been looking into T-shirt designs among various other things. One such design is available here. Check it out, buy the T-Shirt if you wish. It's going to be available for $25, at the moment. And please, make sure to leave feedback.

Weekly Sketch #10: Green-Eyes Nihang Singh

It's that time again, summer break is about to come to an end. It's time to head back to university for another exciting but hectic year. When you really think about it, it creates a blend of feelings inside. You're nervous to enter the uni again but excited about doing so; happy to get back to science yet sad because you've got to leave most of your art behind... and there are other feelings, which beyond my vocabulary. No, really, my vocabulary is THAT small.
The summer was awesome though, I painted almost everyday! I didn't go out as much because I was really into it. The result of which is three finalized Sikh history paintings (BOC and
other two will be released soon), more progress in other projects, and a ton of acquired skill and experience!
For this week's sketch I again went back to Charles Meacham's photos. As a result of my previous sketches of his work, he contacted me and we met up over MSN. Check out his blog, he explains it well.

Weekly Sketch #9: Mutants

Wow, I didn't realize that I hadn't updated in a long time. I was caught up in other work-related things, and when I did get a chance to blog, I became too lazy to do so. Yesterday, someone remided me of my duties so I just had to do it!

I've also been updating things on my website, adding info pages and stuff. I am also looking into giving it a new appearance. Maybe that should come with a new release (which I was hoping to finish a week ago but oher things sprang up).

Ok, I have also activated to allow for anonymous comments, so if you wanted to comment but you couldn't... well, now you can.

Weekly Sketch #8: Young Sarbloh

Been busy the past few days with other projects. I spent most of today working on one of my Sikh history paintings. The plan is to finish it by the end of next week but we'll see how it goes.

This week's sketch is Young Sarbloh in the Anti-Sikh Riots. It's actually last week's sketch but I got lazy and busy... ??? ... busy lazying... haha, and so never posted it.
It's just a quick speed painting of young Sarbloh. I was doing a face study while learning Painter, when I got the idea. I know I kinda rushed the background but...meh... my focus was the emotion anyway. haha

The 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms were triggered by the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination itself was in retaliation for Operation Bluestar, in which the Indian Army attacked Sikh militants hiding in the Harmandir Sahib, the holiest Sikh shrine. Over the next four days, as many as 3100 Sikhs were killed in retaliatory attacks. The most affected regions were neighborhoods in Delhi.
from wikipedia, July 23,2009

His whole family gets killed in the riots. When Sarbloh finds out, he gets pissed, and goes on a bloody rampage...

At the time, he couldn't "turn into metal" but he could still gain the offensive capabilties, which he wouldn't normally get without his dense protein exoskeleton( AKA metal skin).
He does however, get this reddish colour and glow in his eyes (which is why everything around him is red). This partially obstructs his vision, making everything look greyish, reddish and blurry.

Other Sarbloh concepts:
http://prince911.deviantart.com/art/Sarbloh-Wallpaper-81988078
http://prince911.deviantart.com/art/Sarbloh-77927150