TheLegendsLeague

DAY TWENTY RESULTS:

Face Shape: The head shape is good, but the jaw is drawn too high and angular. The left ear is also strangely shaped.

Eyes: A little bit too big and too angled downwards. I’m not impressed with how I executed them at all. The likeness to my own eyes is minimal if present at all.

Nose: Pretty good. I took a lot more time to get some of the detailing into the bridge of my nose as well as the separate shadows on the underside. I think that the execution of the nose is pretty well done.

Mouth: The mouth shape is like mine for sure, but I drew it too small. There’s not much detail to it and the labret piercing looks like a fucking jawbreaker.

Details: The details in this photo, especially the nose and the shading around the eyes, far surpass yesterday’s 5 Minute Me, but still aren’t the most impressive I’ve done. I’m not one for excuses, but I didn’t have a sharpener, and the pencil was already dulling, which I think added to the overall poor execution of a lot of my features.

Final Thoughts: I actually missed a full day and had to draw this this morning, (August 09, 2008), rather than getting it done yesterday. I had a long fucking night, which I wrote about just after finishing this drawing. This is the first 5 Minute Me I have done without a sharpened pencil, and the worst hangover I’ve had while drawing.

DAY TWENTY PIECE:
Touch & Die: Friday Night Fights. (written in 3mins 19secs)

Got thrown out the fucking club last night.
My dudes started battling and a motherfucker pushed my boy back to give himself some room. I don’t know - from what I remember it was “Touch & Die”. So I pushed him back, got shoved, and grabbed the guy by his throat. Next thing you know I’m getting choked out by the bouncer and fighting with security and police to leave me the fuck alone.

I get it.

I’m a drunk. I’m a violent drunk when I’m drunk.
I see that.

And in the mess of the whole melée, I lost…
my favorite sunglasses.

be.
08.09.08

DAY NINETEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: Accurate, although the right jaw is a little too chiseled.

Eyes: Way too big and not alike to my own. They look like I was trying to be too precise, and in trying this, I got them totally off.

Nose: Zero definition, but the shape looks like it had potential to be pretty good.

Mouth: Again, no definition. There’s not much actually completed in the drawing of the mouth. Like yesterdays, there wasn’t enough time for me to get to the detailing of the mouth opening, the facial hair, or the labret piercing.

Details: This 5 Minute Me turned out to be pretty much a line drawing. There’s zero shading and the execution of each aspect of the face is done poorly. Seems like I’m getting worse rather than getting better.

Final Thoughts: I’ve been working on another illustration for work tonight and I am exhausted, hence the (missed midnight) on the date stamp. This is the first 5 Minute Me that I didn’t actually draw on the day I was supposed to in terms of the actual time I drew it. I got caught up in work and couldn’t get it into my schedule, and it’s clear in the execution of the drawing that I am unbelievably tired.

DAY NINETEEN PIECE:
Making Time. (written in 5mins 00secs)

I think they say,
“make time for yourself”.

I’d like to.

I’d like to take time for all aspects of
my life to take shape like a haiku..
make sense from all angles
and not get tangled in city wires like a kite do.

I need to take flight
and get a better jet fighter.

I’m on another plane..

that flies just the same,
but most birds don’t buy it.

I’m driven like I’m living with my shit on autopilot
but the landing gear has long been deployed.

These skies seem null and void of
“Time for yourself”.

I need not make it.

I need to make more time to not give a fuck
about “Their” schedules.

Safely I’ll soon be grounded.

be.
08.08.08 (missed midnight)

DAY EIGHTEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: Pretty out of wack. The chin and jaw are way too low.

Eyes: Neither of them resemble mine at all. The execution of them is poor and they look a little bit out of place.

Nose: This is probable the closest part of the drawing that resembles anything near the way I look. There isn’t a lot of depth in the bridge or the ball of my nose though.

Mouth: I ran out of time again on the mouth. You’d think I’d learn by now. There is no definition of the lips or the opening of the mouth, nor did I get to draw in my labret piercing or any of my facial hair.

Details: The details of this illustration are few. It’s arguable, but the most defined part of the illustration is the right ear. lol. The shading was done way too quickly without as much thought as the 5 Minute Me from Day 17. Overall this is one of the worst ones I’ve done.

Final Thoughts: I tried to approach this illustration with the same technique as Day 17, but clearly fell well short of the results from that 5 Minute Me. I’m not sure what it is, but I felt very thrown off while drawing this one out.

DAY EIGHTEEN PIECE:
A Real Challenge. (written in 0mins 49secs)

It’s a different world right now.
A real challenge.
I hope we make it.
I really do.

be.
08.06.08

DAY SEVENTEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: Bang on.

Eyes: Eerily revealing and indicative of what was going on while I was drawing this. The face that I didn’t draw the left eye adds to the drawing.

Nose: Not the best execution, but still very much a good depiction of my nose.

Mouth: Could use more detail, but is still a good representation of what my mouth actually looks like.

Details: The method I used to tackle this 5 Minute Me was based on attacking the shadows first, and to my partial surprise it worked out eerily well for the mood I was in during this illustration. The details of the rest of the drawing aren’t exceptional, but the detail in the look in my eye is what does it for this 5 Minute Me.

Final Thoughts: This, all around, is my favorite, most honest, most heartfelt 5 Minute Me. It was hard getting through the written portion.

DAY SEVENTEEN PIECE:
Oh Dear Anxiety. (written in 4mins 48secs)

Oh Dear Anxiety.
thank you.

thank you for doing this to me.

for making me afraid

to leave the house.

afraid to see my
friends

get a job

and live like a

regular person.

thank you for
debilitating me to a

person without choice

and making me want to be

right back in the hospital
they swore I belonged in.

thank you for
ruining

my weekend,

damaging my meetings

and helping me lose
that job,

never get that other job,

not make it through

that interview,
and that one too.

thank you

for helping me never

take that acting role,

never leave my house
without

a hat,

and helping me

cry on this

fucking
page

so that I can’t

write out

how much I
mean,

fuck you.

you’ve helped
me ruin
my
own life.
and i hate
you for
it.

be.
08.05.08

DAY SIXTEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: A little short, but that comes with the perspective of the drawing.

Eyes: Proportionately too big, but I like how the reflection in the eyes looks. My right eye does tend to stay a little more open than my left. You’ll notice this when I’m chugging beers or brushing my teeth for some reason, so it is actually quite possible that it was a little more open while my left eye was squinting.

Nose: A little too big on the left side and not enough definition altogether. It doesn’t match my nose, but it does resemble it.

Mouth: Once again, I ran out of time. I think that it would have been a good representation of my mouth, but I just took too much time on the eyes and didn’t have enough left for the mouth.

Details: I felt like I needed to draw in the top line and my shoulder line to show that I was sitting in a car, peering at myself in the rear view mirror of the drivers side to get this illustration done. The actual physical facial details of the illustration aren’t that good, but the eyes and the depiction of me obviously in a foreign environment outside of the regular 5 Minute Me’s is pretty good.

Final Thoughts: As soon as I stared out the window to draw this one, I was shook. It’s weird how much I was used to drawing myself at a particular angle with a particular type of lighting. Once I had to step out of that, my whole order of drawing the 5 Minute Me had to switch up and it was difficult to capture the likeness of myself as quickly. Although it doesn’t necessarily resemble me, I think that this is one of my favorite 5 Minute Me’s thus far.

DAY SIXTEEN PIECE:
Global Equality. (written in 4mins 39secs)

New found.
I choke like telling bad jokes,
a noose sound.
Proud of land.
A man,
guess I’m still partially moose bound.
It’s glory.
A mime with a mind can only tell a half a story.
A man who talks is still inside a box.
This is liberty.
East and West exist inside a toppled state of symmetry.
It’s ugly face doping any chance for a fair race.
“One of these days
we’ll all be of color”,
said my brother.
“You better marry a nice white girl”,
said his mom.
Dear Lady Love,
My faith in you
is gone.

be.
08.04.08

DAY FIFTEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: Too long and too wide at the bottom. I look like Kanye post-crash.

Eyes: I really like the eyes in this 5 Minute Me. I drew this in the morning and you can tell by the way the light shone in through my window and reflected off of my eyes versus how it is in the rest of the 5 Minute Me’s. I always tend to pay a little more attention on the right eye (left), as was the case again in this one.

Nose: The nose is too long and too narrow. There isn’t enough definition around the bridge, and it was just poorly drawn.

Mouth: Looks really rushed. I was probably running out of time as I usually do when I get to the mouth. It does look like my mouth though, just a poorly executed version of it.

Details: There aren’t a lot of details in this 5 Minute Me. It’s pretty bland with the exception of the seriousness in the eyes.

Final Thoughts: I was anticipating having to draw this 5 Minute Me during the day because I was leaving to go up north with my lady later on in the day. I think since I’m not a morning person I wasn’t alert enough to get this illustration to a point of detail that I would have liked it to be at. There’s been some regression from day 14 for sure. And where the fuck is my right ear?

DAY FIFTEEN PIECE:
Let’s Have A Man To Mom Talk. (written in 4mins 45secs)

You’ve lied and tried to make up for it in sweet Hallmark remarks and Christmas gifts and cards. I hope you know I see right through it.

A friend told me that if you had just come down those steps to see him beating me with belts, naked, face down on that wooden table, it would be too real for you. So you stayed upstairs and kept it out of your mind.

I wonder how it feels to lie so consecutively that they cross one another over. You’ve X’ed your place in my heart with a red flag for tainted love. I see your name and maybe should change it. And I know you’re happy I’ve made it.

I’m also happy that you tried in the way that you did.

Kanye and Pac make me feel like I should praise you. I thank you for paying all the doctors and youth centers to raise me.

I’ve been a grown ass man.

Don’t
Call
Me,
“baby”.

be.
08.03.08

We’ve been experiencing issues with our server and haven’t been able/allowed to upload any of the 5 Minute Me’s from the last 3 days. I’m personally pretty pissed off since these last 3 have been really heartfelt and yesterday’s in particular has one of the best illustrations yet. Not only have I not been able to post my 5 Minute Me’s, but there are a few submissions from ya’ll that I would love to put up as well.

As soon as all the problems are rectified, you’re gonna be in for a treat.

My/our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused in your daily consumption of fine inspiration.

With Love&Respect as usual,
be.

DAY FOURTEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: Pretty accurate. I’m getting used to the way my jaw falls and now have a system to getting my eye placement in relation to my forehead accurate.

Eyes: I really like the reflections in my eyes on this 5 Minute Me, and am happy with the right eye (left). The left eye (right) is a little bit too closed, but I feel like they’re both drawn really well.

Nose: This is one of the best noses I’ve drawn for the 5 Minute Me. I noticed that I wasn’t paying enough attention to the bridge of my nose and the area between my eyes enough in the past, so I took a little bit more time today to refine the nose and it’s parts a little more clearly with shading.

Mouth: I’m sure my lady and a bunch of my friends would love it if I only had half a mouth. Half the time to talk shit, and half the time to complain. Whoops, that’s actually a quarter of a mouth. Well change all the “half”s in my comment to “quarter”s then.

Details: I tried my best to pay a lot of attention to detail in this 5 Minute Me, and I feel like it best displays how much contrast there is on my face with the light that I use for this project. I really wanted my eye sockets to have more definition as well as my nose and the area between my eyes, so i took the time to shade them in properly, even if it meant sacrificing the rest of the illustration.

Final Thoughts: After getting really drunk last night, I wasn’t looking forward to drawing this 5 Minute Me, or writing the piece. I just wanted to clean my house and relax. But after going for all day breakfast and getting some inspiration to write my piece, I was eager to head home and get this done. Everyday I seem to look at the 5 Minute Me and say, “This is the best one yet”. On both fronts, I feel totally comfortable in saying that once again.

DAY FOURTEEN PIECE:
All Day Breakfast. (written in 4mins 49secs)

The crackhead ask for some water
Didn’t get it.
She had a joint
Also had a daughter she regretted.

Copped crack rock by the cops
Bad investment.
Bought some snacks
At the cornershop
Forgot a breath mint.

I’m sitting by
Eating omelets with a bacon side.
She’s benching with the trench lady,
Tryina stay alive.

I guess they’re just tryina plan
How to stay alive.
Looking for change.
I ask my waitress,
“Can you break a five?”

Walk by,
Outside,
Stooped on the stoop.
Reach in my pocket bottom,
Feeling for a two.

I admit
A kid just tryina be thoughtful.
Then from the bottom of the bench,
I saw a wine bottle.

be.
08.02.08

DAY THIRTEEN RESULTS:

Face Shape: hair and jaw are misshaped, face is a little smaller than it should be.

Eyes: Surprisingly inaccurate. I would expect my ability to draw arguably the most telling portion of a persons portrait, the eyes, perfectly by now. I seem to be really hit and miss with the eyes and have trouble with both the detail and the shape of them. These aren’t the worst, but they’re definitely close to the bottom of the pile for the 5 Minute Me.

Nose: Not a lot of definition here. The nostrils are too small and there isn’t enough detailed separation between the front of my nose and the nostrils. The bridge has little definition, making my nos seem to pop out of nowhere. The detail that I like best is the bow shaped line just under my left eye (right) showing the side of my nose.

Mouth: This may be the most accurate part of the illustration, but it’s poorly drawn, which says a lot about this 5 Minute Me attempt. I tried to draw in the vertical lines on the lower lip for texture, but didn’t have enough time.

Details: The best part of the details in this illustration may be my mustache and the corner of my right eye (left). The shading on the left side (right) is so rushed and too uniform to show any depth. The eyebrows are poorly drawn. The entire thing looks and feels rushed, even though I only have 5 minutes.

Final Thoughts: I’m really starting to feel a sense of anxiety about the 5 Minute Me. There’s a lot about putting your raw, unedited work out for people to see and critique, that’s a bit nerve racking. There’s a level of refinement that an artist wants to see, hear, sense, in his/her work before exposing/debuting it to the world. I’m finding that want for refinement is creeping up on me everyday, and you can see it in this 5 Minute Me, and sense it a bit in the writings from the past 3 days.

DAY THIRTEEN PIECE:
9 to 5ers. (written in 4mins 20secs)

It’s been more than a year since I’ve been off of work before the sun went down. I find myself wanting to rest as much as I want to enjoy the weather. I’m not sure how much of this time is gonna be spent recovering from my old work schedule, but I do know this… I plan on getting some sleep in now that I can. When I was working two jobs it didn’t seem like the most difficult thing in the world. 60 hour weeks and 60 hour week type paycheques can’t piss you off too, too much. But what I’m finding now is that I can actually take a second to enjoy life how regular people enjoy it. I can eat dinner at a table. I can go to bed before I’m tired. I can enjoy the sun. I never thought I’d say this - but thank god I’m back to a 9-5.

be.
08.01.08

DAY TWELVE RESULTS:

Face Shape: If there was a word for the accuracy of my face shape in this illustration, it would be - wonky. My left jaw (right) look like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, if it was televised.

Eyes: Surprisingly accurate. I’m starting to get a lot more used to drawing them and what defining features helps me create more of a likeness to myself when working on these self portraits.

Nose: A little small and very crooked. I think that I still managed to make the bottom portion look similar to how it actually does in real life though.

Mouth: Looks a bit too animated, but as I’ve found with the eyes, I’m learning what parts to draw in order to increase the likeness to myself.

Details: There is obviously no real shading in this 5 Minute Me. I wanted to try something different and do a contour drawing, but as I was doing it, I realized that it didn’t jump as much as I wanted it to, so I trailed back over and filled in the eyes, brows, and nostrils. I still didn’t lift my pencil off the page for the duration of the illustration.

Final Thoughts: I am exhausted today. I’ll admit that this one was actually pretty trying. Knowing that you’ve gotta do something everyday for the sake of your own projects and commitment to yourself and others really helps you realize how much you can bring out of yourself even when you’d rather not perform. I know it’s just a drawing, but I think that the 5 Minute Me project has brought me back to the dedication of The Beer Weight Experiment, and although in most cases this is far easier than the BWE was, there are still similar difficulties in commitment to my word to gut through it that I’ve found myself facing. No pun intended.

DAY TWELVE PIECE:
The Others. (written in 4mins 49secs)

I’m tired of being appeased and appealed to
by those who I can see through
and peel right by.

My speed may lie in my will to stand still;
see this cliff for the challenge of it’s hill
and not be too concerned with jumping at the end.

It’s easier to think like this when you
just recovered from the crash down.

The majority of new casualties didn’t know me past now
or before this year.

They seen me ordering 12 beers and asked for a sip.
I watched them act like an ass and never asked them for shit.

I got knife wounds like worms and one I actually stitched.
They got it hard.
What I see is what I get,

Softy.

be.
07.31.08