drug-induced self portraits

Brian Lewis Saunders is an artist who did what some call the most creative artistic experiment ever. 

He took a number of different drugs and once the effects of these drugs kicked in, he drew a self portrait. Some of these are fascinating, while others are somewhat horrifying. 

To be clear, I do not recommend or advise anyone to do the same, but it is really interesting seeing how different substances can alter how someone sees themself.

Below are a few examples of the portraits.

To see a full gallery of the portraits and the substances used, please follow this link.

Hydrocodone/Oxycodone/Xanax

Brian Saunders

Absinthe

Brian Saunders

Adderall

Brian Saunders

the travel journal

Chris Buchholz is an artist that has created something that I would love to do some day - the illustrated travel journal. Rather than snapping photos, he sketches the scenery of the places he visits, creating beautiful and colorful journals from his travels.

I absolutely love this idea and I hope that someday I'll be able to create something similar. It puts a more personal touch on the images you create, unlike simply taking a picture with your phone.

Below are a few examples from his travel journals. I encourage you to visit his website at http://sketchbuch.blogspot.com/.

Chris Buchholz 

 Chris Buchholz

Chris Buchholz

personal project

For a long time I've wanted to go through some old sketches and create a newer, modified version of it. I've never really felt like I had the time, but now that summer break is here, other than a few classes, I'll be able to finally focus on this little personal project.

My freshman year of college I was working the lights and sound for a stage show about Elizabeth Bathory and while I was in the booth in between working the equipment, I was sketching the first picture you see. It's definitely not my best work, but this was a little over 6 years ago and you can't see very well in a dimly lit sound booth. I stumbled onto it a couple days ago and decided this would be the first sketch I would redo.

It's nice seeing my improvement over the years and that was my motivation and inspiration to start this project. I plan on posting more in the future!

Mindy Barks

Mindy Barks

a little more from me

I have a folder in my apartment that contains somewhere around 150+ sketches, some as old as 2004, but I don't think anyone would want to sit through a slideshow that long and I absolutely do not want to make a slideshow that long :) 

So here is a small handful of sketches from me, dated from 2007-2015

I definitely feel like I've improved over the years, and there are several drawings that I would like to revisit and redo. I hope to do that in the future sometime soon.

Enjoy!


All images are original artwork and photos by Mindy Barks

the ink evangelist

Johanna Basford

Johanna Basford

Johanna Basford is a Scottish illustrator who uses pens and pencils to create stunning black and white artwork. She has also created a best-selling adult coloring book, "Secret Garden" that is filled page to page with beautiful art.

More about the coloring book can be found here.

Johanna Basford

Johanna Basford

Johanna Basford

I encourage you to visit her website and check out more of her stunning work!

healing through art

"Art Therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the Art Therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem."

The Expressive Arts Therapy Program at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin helps patients and their families express their emotions through art. The program goes beyond arts and crafts and into the imagination for creative stimulation, communication and coping. 

To learn more about art therapy, visit http://www.arttherapy.org/

"When words fail us, art speaks."

tattoos-turning tragedy into beauty

I love, love, love tattoos. The idea that you can display art on your body is amazing to me.

While I won't deny there are awful tattoos out there, when done right, tattoos can turn something tragic into something beautiful. 

Mastectomies are often used as a treatment for breast cancer, and there are many women who get them as a preventative measure. While it can help reduce the risk of cancer, losing a part of your physical self is devastating. 

A growing number of women are using tattoos as a way to cope with the scars left behind after the surgery. 

Breast cancer affects about 1 in 8 U.S. women in their lifetime. To learn more about breast cancer, please visit http://www.breastcancer.org/

Below are a few of my favorite mastectomy tattoos:

ryot.org

ryot.org

ryot.org

ryot.org

ryot.org