some recent artwork

T

Travis Fry

Well-Known Member
Most of you guys know me as a knife maker, which I am, but I do other stuff too. Most importantly (and my favorite) I'm a dad and husband. I'm an accountant for my day job.

I also draw some. I've always had a knack for it but never really tried to learn to do it well. I decided to change that and put forth some effort toward educating myself, and below are some recent results. I've got a long way to go still, but I'm happy with my progress so far. Let me know what you think.

This first is a longhorn cow in pen and ink. The original is going to my father-in-law for Christmas.

Longhorn.jpeg


Next is one in pencil of little boy I saw on the side of the road in Tanzania, where I used to live.

TZ-Boy.jpg


Here's one in charcoal and white chalk of a lion I saw at Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, which is perhaps the most beautiful place in the world.

Ngornongoro-Lion.jpg


Finally, my 3 year old daughter Abigail, also in charcoal and white chalk.

Abigail.jpeg
 
Wow! Those are amazing! And you're foolin' around with knives...why???? ;) Please, PLEASE keep sharing your art with us!!!! I especially like the pen and ink stuff. You also did an outstanding job of capturing your daughters expression. That takes talent!
 
Thank you for sharing these with us. You have a lot of talent! I especially
like the way you've captured the expressions on all of them, not just the
portrait. They look like real people or animals, not cleaned up and idealized.
 
Looks like you got it figgerd out!
Very good work, keep it up and please keep sharing it with us here.
I guess schrimshaw would be the next logical step, huh?
 
Wow. I thought I was talented because I can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Those are just out of this world. We need to see more.

Robert
 
Thanks guys, your comments mean a lot. I'm really just getting started at drawing for real (the TZ boy is my first "real" drawing, and I did it mid November), and I'm pretty excited about the potential. When I look back at some of these pictures I'm honestly a little surprised that I could draw them myself, which is scary, creepy, and kinda awesome too. I didn't know I could do this! I don't want drawing to replace knife making, but I do like it and I think I'm actually better at it. I honestly think knife making takes more skill than drawing (seriously, I'm not kidding), but people will pay more for a picture than for something they can use. Go figure.

Right now the economics of knife making are better than they are for art since I've established myself somewhat with knives and haven't sold a single art piece yet. Knife money is funding my art habit for now, though one picture sale would bring me back even. Also, the top end of the art market is also a lot higher than the top end of the knife market. I'm a long way from either though, so in the meantime I've got to figure out how to fit another hobby into my already limited hobby time.
 
Travis, your drawings are amazing, especially the one of your daughter!!! Portraits are very hard to do but you do them so very well. Scrimshaw, as I'm sure you know, would be one way to combine both of your talents/hobbies.
 
excellent work Trav! shana wants to know when the drawings of the boys are coming. May have to work out a trade of some kind.
 
Great work, Travis.

I love to paint also. It gets expensive to frame them, then run out of wall space to display them.

I'm happy to see another knifemaker/artist is around. :s12205:
 
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