At least 20 portraits

I wanted to tell you about how I learned to draw the whole process since  some people have reached me and they were interested to know. 

So when I started out drawing. I did it with an intent to be able to send things to my family. 
I was inspired by a cellmate I had who was very good at drawing, and mind you the only drawing utensils I had were pen and paper. not even a real pen either we are talking just the inside ink tube of a pen with a piece of rubber around it. ya really primitive. that was the environment they were called flex pens. 

At first I made a stick figure look bad. I had no concept for depth. and my shapes were way off. so I spent hours and hours, weeks turned into months and I finally was able to do some basic stuff roses and flowers and skulls. the shading were hard for me to figure out and with an ink pen it is no small task. I put a lot of hours into it I started to practice for 4 5 sometimes even 6 hours a day until i had confidence and was able to really put down something that i liked a lot; by the time that I got to a place were I was able to buy art supplies I got into doing pencil work charcoal and still ink pen because it is so crisp and clean i like it a lot. then i started to mess around with portraits a bit because it was something that I always wanted to do. 

When I first started with portraits I sucked at it, my eyes were crossed and my proportions off. It was much harder than I had thought it would be. I really didn't have much help, I got a few pointers long the way, however the guys that I knew only a couple that are very good at them would hold tight to there secrets; I got a couple of books and little by little figured it out, I spent a good six months working on eyes to really make them the focus and I think that they are what really draws a person in and is the focus and what brings the life into the picture. Don't get me wrong the other features also are very important but the eyes are the key; Once I got it down, i started to do a lot of portraits and I  spent a few years doing nothing but portraits, I could say that I have done hundreds of them by now. each one is different presenting challenges of there own, as we are all unique in our own way. 

I strive to deliver a better piece of art each time, to breath life into the paper, creativity is such a wonderful thing. Doing portraits takes so much patience and hours. 

Recently I was giving somebody some art lessons and they just want to know the magic formula to get how to do them like I do. He thought that it looked so easy and then when he gets down to actually implementing the stages and steps of the drawing it is seen in a whole different light,  as I was able to do things with precision and work the led around the paper he just could not. I told him what I tell everybody:  it takes hours and hours of practice and  it will take you at least 20 portraits just to figure it out, 50 to really get good,  hundred and you will know what you are doing. 


By now I understand the dynamics and fundamentals and  I would consider myself an expert, but I have put the hours in. they say that it takes 10,000 hours to master something and I am close to that; I would say that roughly 15-20 hours per portrait but that also depends on how big it is, personally for me the bigger the better, you can achieve more detail and realistic image if you go big. however it definitely takes more hours. 

When working on a portrait generally i will do the layout of the features first, a sketch outline, then I start with the eyes and shade those in, then the nose down to the mouth. then go around to the cheeks the jaw and chin, then up to the forehead, hair and after that I go back and refine the areas darken then shadow and use my eraser to highlight the light spots, and then move down to the close and rest of the pic and background. 

It takes a lot of time and focus to get these portraits done with accuracy, not to mention all the years of drawing practicing training the eye and hand to work together to create realism from nothing. 

Thank you for listening to my story and maybe this can give you some more insight into how i learned how to draw and what goes into it, as a lot of people think that it is something that just comes so easily.

It is up to me

What I am doing in my life.

Time fly's when you stay busy, so I am doing several things to stay occupied and productive.I love to produce and learn new things and grow as a person, often times in this environment of prison especially, but in life also people get complacent and therefore don't move forward. and we are constantly in motion so if your not moving forward then your moving backwards. I am challenging myself to be successful despite my life in prison sentence that I currently have I won't use that as a crutch to be complacent and let my life rot away. I have faith that my life has purpose and meaning as do each and every life. and I am determined to live up to that and be successful in fulfilling God's plan for me. 

This is what a typical day looks like for me, 

I wake up around 6:45 am and then get ready for the day and start out doing Spanish studies until breakfast. 

After breakfast I go to work and get done around lunchtime, after lunch I practice piano I have a keyboard in my cell and am learning music, it is very fascinating. when I learned to play guitar a little bit it wasn't formally by any means just how to play some chords and I just went from there learning timing and whatnot but on the keyboard I'm learning everything and there is definitely a lot to it. I am attending a music class which I attend once a week also. 

After that I draw I love to draw and paint I have a passion for creating something from nothing. I love art in all forms. it is such creative expression and a way to release your emotions in a healthy way and share yourself as a piece of me goes into every work of art in which I produce. 

Also, each day whenever my gym time is I go and lift weights I enjoy exercising, and also eating good. so whenever my gym is I squeeze that into my schedule. 

I also talk with my wife several times a day which is the highlight of my normal days. 

Dinner is between 5-530, after that have a couple more calls with wifey, then I go and do home work and study, 

Also, I am enrolled in college, and am working on a bachelor's degree in Theology and I enjoy more and more the study of God. 

On Monday evenings I go to the law library, and do research on my case working towards a relief from this erroneous conviction, and throughout the week I pull my legal work out and read and study. 

On Thursday new nights I assist in teaching a painting class it is satisfying to be able to share my knowledge with the next person so they may share my passion for arts and enjoy the struggle and process of learning.

I don't watch much TV, I watch a few shows here an there. I have been watching tyrant recently, although I am getting somewhat bored with it. I watch some of the political soap opera and see how it unfolds with each new piece of dirt that comes out on both candidates that are running for president it is unreal that these are the people that we put up to be president. 

Anyways this is an overview of what my days look like, thought I would share with you.

Light upon darkness

I would like to take this opportunity to connect with you, share my thoughts and  reflections as well as create an opportunity for some of my pairs to share a bit of there story,

A lot of people have a certain set of views towards people in prison "criminals" so to speak, as consequence, we the "criminals" end up falling into a hard category to overcome, of course, there are always plenty of examples of those who continue down the same path elevating there criminal acts as they progress. Those examples are everyday available at the media (called Television, Radio and Internet) , to which the media, government and DOC exploit to push their propaganda. They say: "We need more money, more cops, more security, let's lock em up and throw away the key. take away their privileges and programs, lock em in the cell". Sadly, this only multiplies the problem in a continuous cycle of negative behavior.

What the people don't necessary hear about  is all the positive things that are happening in this dark cold world of chaos and criminals.  There are plenty of men who have made changes, grown up and  have improved their behavior and  arranged their priorities in life. Many men I know personally entered the system at a young age convicted of serious crimes that generated life sentences or an outrageous number of years that constitutes defect life, myself included, but I have changed,  after an in depth look into my personal situation: what I have done and what I want to do now based on my experience through being locked up, what I mean is that rehabilitation is possible and not all of us are the same person that entered the prison 5, 10, 15 , 20 or so years ago.

My intention through this platform is share a message, and that message is that there are many of us who through this struggle through these horrible choices made,  there is light at the end of the tunnel. And just because there is darkness about darkness cannot cast shadow upon all the light, and we can speak out to be heard. There are people who can make a difference. It is people like myself and others who are on the same path or similar with me, who can possibly reach the youth of america, or the next generation of criminals , to tell them that there is hope, and there is a good life for all who are willing to work for it.

So thank you for listening and we plan on providing much more content as we are able to, hoping that there is an audience who is willing to listen. Please check out http://www.tomtaylorsfineartplace.com/ to see what I do with some of my time. Until next time take care

Tom Taylor

Out of the Prison's Cycle

In this world of evil, I walk a fine line to good in a bad place. Like walking a tight rope.
Everyday there is a new challenge whether it be from an asshole cop who thinks there job is to make our lives in here a living hell, or it be some jerk in here who has something to prove or is stock in the cycle of prison politicizing that he can't think outside the box. Thinking outside the box is what I have to do. As most are so limited with what they feel they can do. No able to expand their thinking.

Prison can definitely do that to a man if you let it.  Become a victim of the cycle. Wake up go to breakfast, and sit around playing poker or pinnacle talking bad about this guy or that guy, or who's the toughest, waiting or gym and yard to come, then go to gym, yard and back to cards, and watching T.V. then the cycle just keeps going until they get in trouble for whatever doing drugs, fighting, whatever it maybe.

So instead I keep myself busy from the time I get up till later at night then relax, I want to make something of my life. I realize who I was and I don't like that kid. But the man I've become has learned from those mistakes and grown to become talented skilled and to fulfill my place in life. Just striving for another chance in society. The time will come of that I am certain, with God in my heart and the most amazing woman by my side I know I will see the light of day. Until that day comes, I've got to stay strong and keep marching forward, a lone soldier to the beat of my own drum, not letting my negative environment pull me down.

Tom Taylor.