"The Dream Chaser" by Sherwin Long

medium: charcoal, ink pen, and marker

size: 3ft x 6ft 

This drawing was one of my favorite things I have done because it pushed me to work to a level that I never have. I always limit myself in how much time I give myself to work on something. This drawing represents my journey to becoming who I am today. The children on the left represent see no evil, hear no evil, think no evil. The angel represents blind faith and hope. The elephant is my spirit animal/totem. The car represents my fire burning passion and classic style. I just wanted to pay homage to those people I look up to, All these people  inspired me and others are my temptation. I enjoy drawing things that are metaphorical because they allow me to say all the things I feel in a subtle way. 

"Tyler the Creator" by Sherwin Long

property of SJLart

medium: charcoal

size: 8"x11"

I enjoy drawing celebrities because they have some interesting traits that artist can exaggerate.  He is a unique rapper and has a weird aura about him. I wanted this drawing to be him caught after doing something awkward, lol. I have a lot more coming....stay tuned.

"Not afraid to be real" by Sherwin Long

medium: charcoal pastel

size: 8x11

In this self portrait I just wanted to show my sad side  because I think its a side of me that I have yet to explore.  In my future work I will show more of my internal self.

"Maria" by Sherwin Long

medium: charcoal pastel

8"x11"

Maria is one of my best friends.  She is one of the few people that know me and can make me laugh.  My favorite part of this is the eyes, and the highlights because they capture her character very well.  She is very light hearted and free spirited so I wanted to choose some lively colors to articulate that feeling.

"Jill" by Sherwin Long

medium: charcoal

8"x11"

This portrait is a part of a series I did for class.  I like using charcoal because I can be messy and free.  The best part about this is the hair for I guess...because of the level of subtly and detail I balanced. She is a mystery to me and I wanted to capture the emotion of curiosity and intrigue in her gaze.  Its easy to get lost in I guess.

"Fortress of the Oracle" by Sherwin Long

stage1(mapping the composition on the wood)

medium: Charcoal, Acrylic Paint

surface: wood

11"x 9"

This is the first stage of my painting process.  I draw the composition on the surface in charcoal pencil, and mark where the highlights will be.  Then slowly do washes of acrylic paint on the wood to build up different color variations.

stage 2 (The Finish)
medium: Spray Paint, Acrylic, Charcoal

In the 2nd stage I spray painted the background red. Then added the stencils in.  This is the hardest part to me because I have to decide where the symbols and letters will go to make a effective and appealing composition.  This piece is about the home of the oracle in my dreams.   

"Elvis" by Sherwin Long

medium: Charcoal

surface: wood

size: 2.5"x 3.5"

I wanted to try something new so I started drawing on wood and realized how much I liked the retro look it gave my work.  So I did  about 20 more wood blocks.

"ROAR" by Sherwin Long

medium: Charcoal
18"x 24"

This is the first self portrait that I actually worked really hard on.  The most difficult part about drawing anything is getting the proportions right, so that's what I focused on. The bigger the drawing the easier it is to add details so I had a lot of fun drawing the hair and mouth.