Finally, back

Finally found a computer I can post from freely. My home computer had a costly demise, anywhere from 120-400 to fix. It's not that much in the grand scheme, but I'm debating whether or not to fix it. Would be nice, though...

Anyway, this is more of my "suspect your food" series.


Both done in black and white acrylic only.


Drawing for the final piece in the series. Because it took me so long to make this post, I've already finished this painting. It'll be in my next post.


These guys are color studies for my comic, which I have renamed once again as "In the Red Forest." "Fallout" is a videogame name.


This is my formed Chupacabra. Upon the advice of several people, I've decided to make a few to sell in the Holiday Bazaar. He's (or she's) a huge hit!


An acrylic painting done for the Bazaar. My love of chickens knows no bounds.


A better picture of my design project. This, too, has undergone revisions, and the newest will be posted next time. Can't wait to see it on stage and packaging!

Well, since Blogger is being difficult today, this is the only picture I could upload. I'm trying to help my friends' band Molten Sphinx by bettering their logo. This particular image is much too dark for some unknown reason, but you get the idea.

Sorry for the delay in posts. I'll have to try another time.

Food and figures

So this is what my desk looks like right now. I spend about 70% of my time working on my Nine story hotel story. I was thinking about calling it "Fallout," but now I'm leaning toward "In the Red Forest." Sounds less like a video game that way.


These next few are from my "suspect your food" series, looking at the integrity of labels such as organic, free-range, and hormone-free. They're being made using acrylic on multimedia paper. I start with a wash, which ends up mostly covered by the end by black and white. Then I plan to use a few, thin color washes over the featured animals. This is a pig in the back of a police car.


I plan to add more specific characteristics to the breeds of chicken in this one, not to mention a more dynamic angle than straight on.


This one is almost ready for paint. Just got to adjust the woman's arm and the height of the desk surface.



Here's an in-depth look at the technique. These guys are salmon, and all they need is the thin color layer now.


This little fella is going to be a goat-sucker, more commonly known as a "chupacabra." We're creating sock creatures for sculpture. Leave it to me to pick the weirdest option. Anyway, he's got pleather legs, felt arms, corduroy belly, and a knee-high body. He will be stuffed later, of course. And he will have two white fangs. Stuffed animals are a love of mine, and I'm really a sucker for this project. Ha. Now I'm going back to my day job of making art, not jokes.

Do not concern

from text edit. i really hope something works. poop poop poop

apparently blogger likes text edit, rtf, only.
this has been a test.

Work in Art

Janet Koplos gave a lecture at our school on Thursday night. Since Koplos is an art critic, she brought many examples of artists' work, which really helped her presentation. Had she spent too much time on a few pieces—or worse, a single piece—the majority of the audience would've passed into a coma.


After her introduction, we watched a video of a man who would walk into a room with a wood sculpture in it. He proceeded to kick the sculpture, and it of course fell down with a pleasant crashing sound. This event repeated several times, with differently shaped sculptures built from the same wood pieces.


Her main point was that in some art, the work done to create the piece is a part or the whole of concept. Koplos showed us slides of works that made us wonder if the artist had lost his or her mind while creating. In cases, this was half-true, as she stated a few of the masterminds behind these pieces were checked into mental institutions. Because the artists checked themselves in, they were allowed to create art and have assistants come in to work, as well.

Just a few of the people she spoke of: Jackie Winsor, Adolf Wolfli, Yayoi Kusama, Gary Lang, Wolfgang Laib, Ralph Bacerra, Josiah McElheny, Martin Puryear, Tara Donovan, Tim Hawkinson, and Tom Friedman.


I agree with the point she made; I've always been an advocate of good art that maybe doesn't have a universal, political, complicated, outside-of-itself concept. I believe that work can be great on its own.

Looking back

I suppose that underneath it all, I'd like to be a jack-of-all-trades with a comics specialization.
Preferably, I'd have my own comics published, though I'd be open to creating comics for someone else. Drawing comics all day long is a dream for me, and I'd be okay with having a day job while I create my comics. But eventually, I'd want to live off of my art.

a page from Selene, my comic about sirens

My current body of work doesn't directly reflect this, but it's due to the fact that MCA doesn't have a "comics" concentration (major). The school is heavily fine arts-weighted. Still I think that my fine arts roots will help me be a better comic artist. Plus, I'm working on my 13 page comic that I've decided to rename "Fallout," so that will definitely aid in fleshing out my portfolio.

A few semi-random things my portfolio could use:
lettering (for phylacteries)
inking (for the traditional divided labor in the comics industry)
collage (because I've never done it)
more comic pages in general
more "Sunday paper" strips (haven't done many)
politically charged work
scratchboard (because it's awesome)
some Bible scenes
children's book material
wax resist (will be in soon, as "Fallout" progresses)

Yeah, it is a little scattered, but I like doing it all. And that's what counts.

Still dreaming

Well, if I had to spend the rest of my life illustrating one book, it would have to be the Bible. Kind of a cop-out because it's such a large and varied book, but I'm a Christian. And I would never get bored.

As for my dream mentors:

I would love to be an apprentice to Bill Watterson. The man is brilliant, yet private and quiet. And he looks a little like my dad. Watterson is a master of drawing and philosophy; how great would it be to study under him?


I think my other choice would be Mary Cassat, who was one of the first famous women artists. Her skill is undeniable, and her paintings beautiful.

Squeaky
But, if I were ostracized from the art world forever, I would start an organic chicken farm for eggs. My chickens would roam freely, be very happy, and lay delicious eggs, much like my pets back home. And if the egg farm weren't pulling in enough, I could always find a day job to help out, like maybe cashier at a book store, or something. I'm not picky.

If I had one month and a thousand dollars for art supplies, I would make a giant, paneled painting, probably of chickens, or something else that I really enjoy. Of course, the money would go to buying canvases or making cradles. Working in phases, I'd start with penciling the general layout over all the pieces, then the painting process. Finally, the panels would be hung in a gallery or on the side of a really big building.

However, if I had six months and ten grand, I'd make a frikkin' sweet comic book. The money would be spent on supplies to create the pages, and the rest spent on publishing the sucker. The schedule would be very similar to the one I'm using now for my independent study: do all thumbnails, then pencil and color as I go. The finished piece would be a mass-produced copy with that wonderful new book smell. Mmm-mm!
Stella: a character from my upcoming comic

With an entire year and a hundred thou, I would probably go crazy. In all actuality, I'd continue from the comic I made with the ten grand, and just keep making more comics until I ran out of dough. It's what I enjoy. With lots of chickens!