Thank you!

Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes   Gettin old~

I thought I'd answer a question I get asked in bulk about timed head sketches. : )

I spend 4 sets of 30 min on them.  Sometimes I add an extra set to simplify them.  I paint them as I paint other things.
The reason I time them is so I make clear design choices. 

My design choices vary.  It depends on what I like or want to communicate with each piece.  It's very difficult to explain
this if I don't know what level you're at as it can really confuse you more.  I can only give you a general answer. 
When it comes to design ideas in art; the ideas themselves are not very difficult.  It's just really difficult to execute.  The key to
executing them well comes from strong understanding of drawing and painting basics; as well as a lot of mileage.

My main influences.  Although my mark making looks similar to Leyendecker's that was not my intent.  I was after his design sense.
Once I began to understand what he was doing, some of the brush strokes came naturally.  He's not the only artist I look at though.
I do a lot of master studies.  Each artist I look at has qualities that I admire and since they've all passed away I try and study the
work they've left behind.  Once again foundation knowledge is the key to understanding what they're doing.  Luckily I had amazing instructors
who taught me a tried an true process.  Basically a lot of what I know originated from the Jerome Academy. ( This is what a lot of my
instructors have informed me in school )

Anyway I look a lot at Fortunino Matania,  Howard Pyle, Marriano Fortuny, Mead Schafer, Harvey Dunn, Dean Cornwell, JC Leyendecker,
Alma Tadema, Norman Rockwell, Arthur Mellville ( Scottish artist; not the writer ), Nydia Lozano, Micheal Dolas, John Asaro, Andres Zorn,
Nikoli Fechin, Dutch and Spanish impressionist art.  These are the artists I'm looking a lot at, at the moment. 

Hope this helps