Dyslexia by Sherwin Long

medium: Acrylic and Spraypaint
size: 14"x17"

This piece is about a boy that is made fun of because he has Dyslexia. I been working on this for two years. I made the surface out of gesso and matt medium which gave it a cool texture. I wanted this to have a lot of layers and implications that the audience could decipher on their own. I am happy with this piece because it covers a serious topic and is an anti-bully piece. I like doing editorial work becasue I can use my art to make a social commentary.

"enlightened mind" by Sherwin Long

 medium: Acrylic

 

 

 

 

size: 6.5" x6.5"

This piece about spiritual enlightenment through dreams. The bird represents a type of liberation from everyday life. The character is wearing a mask as a metaphor for the mask we wear to fit in to society. I had a lot of fun working on this piece. It didn't take very long to make and I enjoyed doing the intricate linework with the paintbrush. I never did lines this thin before, but I think I did ok. This will be on sale apart of a series called "An Altered Perspective". Stay tuned.

"She got SWAG" by Sherwin Long

medium: graphite

size: 8"x11"

This was my first fashion illustration and I wanted to do something that was elegant and sexy but professional at the same time. I want to do a lot more of these because it allowed me to experiment with different lines to create illusions through consistency of the direction. 

Villain 1: Mastadon

I enjoy doing concept drawing for villains in my graphic novel because it allows me to explore different styles and line works. This is ones name is Mastadon. I named him that because he is big like a Mastodon and the name is a play on words "Master Don"... I thought it was cute. Each character I would like to have associated with a personality of someone I have met in real life. This guy is not the top villain but he is still very strong because his power is he manifests your fears into imagery and illusions. So with his greed and endless lust for power he challenges another villain (Namelis) to a duel and loses his life. I have like 20 sketchbooks and I want to fill them up with as many ideas as I can while I'm young,passionate, and inspired so I can look back on my progress as a thinker and artist. As a poet I am use to putting words together to make form imagery but now I have to figure out a way to mix that with my drawings. 

"Sing to me Billy" by Sherwin Long

property of SJLart inc.

medium: Acrylic Paint

size 11"x14"

What inspired me to do this painting was that I didn't feel I painted enough classic women that embodied the strength and confidence a real woman is known for. I usually draw women looking seductive but I wanted her to look like she was contemplating something important. I also wanted to stay true to my style and have fun in the process of making such an intricate piece. I think its hard to find a lot of women that still have the composure that woman back then portrayed, but maybe thats because the chivalry has dissipated as well. Billie Holiday is looked up to by performers,singers,visual artist, and aspiring black women around the world because she was able to put so much passion and emotion into her music that you could feel her pain.  

"Lublu" by Sherwin Long

medium: Acrylic on wood

size: 12"x20"

This painting is a metaphor for how I interpret love. Love inspires me and keeps me motivated because it gives me passion and a new energy for life.  When you find that special somebody they can make you feel like anything is possible so it allows me to push myself past my limits. In a "good" relationship you and your partner should grow together and work to eliminate each others weaknesses. In the image I made my girlfriend into an Acacia tree growing from my heart and sprouting lilacs which are the flowers of new love, when you develop trust. I will be doing more paintings that are poetic and have some trippy visuals to express my emotions.  I wrote a poem that goes with this image and when the project is finished I will be releasing a graphic novel and poetry anthology when I get back to being productive.

"Elephant Warrior" by Sherwin Long

property of SJLart inc.

medium: scratchboard

8"x11"

This is my first piece using scratchboard! I was so excited to get started on this one, but before I started carving into the surface I had to decide on a concept. Spirituality was a subject that I was interested in so I became interested in rendering what my spirit looks like. I read many books regarding personality traits and different aspects of life that determine the spirit animal that each person represents. My spirit animal is the elephant, having an elephant totem gives you ancient wisdom and power to draw upon. They are the embodiment of strength and power. People with this power animal often have a very strong sex drive. Through using fragrances and incense, elephant can take you to new energies and power. Generally speaking elephant people are very affectionate toward family, caring for the young and the elderly. They also usually have an inborn knowledge about plants and roots. Elephants give us insights into our inner power. 

The process of making this was interesting because had to use a knife to carve into the black surface and then the white shows. So the harder I carve the brighter the white is.I decided to use a cross hatching method to imply depth and brightness for  the light source.I enjoyed doing this and will be uploading a new more complex image with a landscape.