Um... I'm still here :D

I'm still here, just "burnt out", as some friends have kindly insisted. My brain, which still thinks I'm in college, says "go go go make art draw paint!!!" and my body says "oh but I'm so tired..." Then when I actually do get around to wanting to make something, it just doesn't happen because I've run out of ideas or creativity or something. I know it will come back, but for now I feel kind of hopeless.

However, I did paint two of my friends' Facebook pictures with their permission, just to make sure I still even know how to paint. (please excuse the shitty PhotoBooth pics; printer/scanner won't let me scan because I'm out of one of the CMY inks - will replace later)

This is my former co-worker Gina. I really liked the lighting/shadows she had going on in her photo and also the red beads she was wearing. Considering this was a "speed-paint", I guess it's pretty good! I only made this with two brushes because I wanted it to be a quick paint, so there are no fine details.

This is my friend Rachel. I liked this picture because of the soft, natural  outdoor lighting, her hair decoration, and her big eyes. I had a more difficult time with this painting because of the angle of the face. I also had trouble with the noses for both Rachel and Gina. But with this one I added a lot more "weird" colors such as greens and purples to her very white-pink skin, and I think it turned out okay. Like Gina's picture, I wanted this to be a speed-paint, so I only used a few medium-sized brushes, thus the lack of details/small lines. 

Are these paintings "my style"? I am not sure. I still enjoy outlining things and prefer working on colored backgrounds. I guess this could be my painterly/fine art stuff, versus my cartoon/'illustrator' style. I think if I keep painting I will be able to properly merge these things someday. All I need is a burst of energy and motivation, and some ideas. I hope it comes soon, because I want to update my sites! :)