Color studies 2: Prince of Egypt

Continuing with the theme of color studies I did a marker rendition of a color study that was used for the movie "The Prince of Egypt" by Dreamworks. I remember watching that movie and being amazed by the level of animation produced. I had at that point begun to become jaded by Disney animation and feeling that all those proclamations of "animation is dead" were true. This movie blew my mind and remember thinking "Disney is back" and then "Holy S#!% this isn't Disney!". I was blown away and pulling out this art of book after all those years just reinforced that idea. The art direction in this movie is amazing and more films need to be made with this level of dedication, details, and love.

Sorry to gush. I was really impressed.

Going back to color studies, I was using my limited palette of handy Copic markers. I usually try to buy a limited palette of them to carry with me. I sometimes feel having a full palette makes you lazy. Not think of how colors are created, how they look next to each other, how they can create different moods. I'm trying to think more about how I use color. I'm obsessed. And trying to draw my own subjects sidetracks me. I'm happy with the way this came out.

Color Studies

Last but not least last week was Color Studies. To start with after working 2 days on value studies, we had to switch gears to color. Using the same concepts of values, we had to color pick the light, medium, dark values of each area of the photograph to help us realize the shear amount of colors that a single object can have. I started with the image on the bottom and worked my way up, changing the way I not only picked the color, but also how I placed them in the image for easy access of review. The last (top most) image is a screen capture of an amazing artist names Craig Mullins. His photoshop paintings have so much depth, lighting, and variations, I had to try to break it down. It was amazing. You should try it yourself, with an artist that you like. You'll be surprised at what you can learn. I hope to post more color studies soon. 

Value Studies

In the Environment class from last week, I had to break images down into value studies. Using only 3 values I had to describe an exterior scene, showing depth and shape to tell the entire landscape with only those limitations. I had to do various versions, as you can tell by the image below. Some of the first ones weren't very successful, but after looking at scenes from Limbo I had a better idea of what needed to be done. (Side note, I need to purchase and play that game, it looks gorgeous!). Can you tell which ones came after looking at Limbo?

 The following day it was interiors, and we did the same thing with value studies, but he allowed us to work with 6 values this time around. I had even more trouble with those as I was lost as to the type, style, time of day, and lived-in-ness of each interior and that overwhelmed me. So I picked a photograph of an interior, desaturated it and worked off of it to create my own value study and add some of my own elements to it. On the bottom though you can see an image I created from my head that has it's merits. It's not completely successful, but isn't a bad start.

Overall I feel that what I really learned about all of this for me personally was that in the beginning I was both too wild and too timid with my values in creating the basic shapes. Eventually the whole image becomes one "muddy" medium toned bland image that has no interest (no matter how well designed and/or imagined the picture is), and only after I take step back can I see that I'm wasting all my schooling and I need to push it more does it come together and show it's true potential. Still have a lot of work to do, but it's nice to get back into the swing of things.

Another case of the midnight sketch

It always happens. I come home full of desire to be artistic but life gets in the way (and currently Star Trek TNG marathons) and so I head to bed and pull out my night stand sketchbook and draw. Right before bed. Right around midnight. I want to remember that incessant desire to draw I had back in HS. Did too many years of art schools wipe that desire out? Or is it because I've learned other techniques and realized that three dimensionality is my prefered medium, drawing feels cumbersome and to flat? No matter what you always start with a sketch so I must suck it up and continue drawing.

Always learning. Always improving (one hopes). You keep trucking away. Enjoy.

Cause I'm all about the midnight drawings

I think and think and think some more. But drawings are few and far between. I've been watching old sci fi TV shows and thinking about a project I've hinted at before. Here is another rendition of both. I realize that it's only late at night I remember this exists and if no one reads this... Well I'm OK with whispers in the wind. Enjoy. I know I do.

My usual

I went up a mountain really early on July fourth. No one was there and the morning mist still hadn't finished their caress of the trees and land yet. The sun was up but still hugging the horizon. I sat and enjoyed the view. Breathed deep and realized I'm made of mountain folk. Every time I'm in the mountains I feel refreshed, renewed. It inspired the need to create in me like I hadn't felt in a long time. Luckily I had my sketchbook with me and some colored pencils. I always carry them, but mostly they are just dead weight on my day to day. That morning I was greatfull that I had them. I did 2 quick sketches and enjoyed making them. Hope you do to.

Random sketches

Been trying to get back to drawing. So the first was from a couple of days ago and the latter is from this morning. Haven't lost it yet!

Regret

I've been told that sometimes when I do a sketch off of a reference photo or image, I'm too derivative. It's too obviously a copy. I've been told that I need to take the ref image as a starting point and do my own thing with it, tweak it and add more of myself into it. But usually if I pick a ref image there is something about it that speaks to me, an emotion, lighting, color that moves me to enjoy looking at it. And it is that that makes me want to replicate it. I want to capture for myself that which inspired me in the first place. So here it was her back. The long line if spine curving into the blackness of her dress. But I moved her. Twisted the shoulders, rotated the head, gave her an emotion that wasn't part of the original photograph. The emotion that I felt was best for her was regret. Sadness. A loss of something we as a viewer don't know, but can hopefully feel from her...

Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't. But I need to move on with my art, and though mimicry can help, it only helps to a point. I need to go beyond that. I need to find that well of unstopable images I had as a younger artist but with the skills the years have given me. Here's to hoping that that is what I am doing.

Enjoy.

Colored sketch of a doll

This sketch is based off a photograph of a hand made doll. She had a lot of beautiful coloring and materials and I loved the delicacy of her posing as well as the twist of the torso. I tried to capture as much as I could of the eclectic textures and colors while at the same time not loosing the feel of the paper and the colored pencils on it. I do know that I need to get back to doing more original pieces not based off other people's photograph and art, but I also feel that I haven't been doing enough general art on a consistent basis to feel comfortable doing that. Maybe I'm just scared (common enough in artist) and am using that as a crutch. But I do feel that skill wise I am getting better and I should try to incorporate a bit more my own "visions" into my art and not just repeat and repeat and repeat. When should the dancer stop basing her moves solely on choreographed work and start moving to the music on instinct?

Knitting, knitting and more knitting

I've been working on a couple more knitting projects. Trying to design a nice little crop top and more shrugs, since LA is too hot for proper sweaters, but I still gotta knit. This is the beginning of a sleeve for a crop top that will be knit in 2 sections sewn together off center in the front and back. There is a lot of math going on here, but I didn't want to make the same mistake I did for the previous shrug in which I had to frog the back portion at least 3 times since I didn't take notes, or stop and truly think about it while I was knitting. That one is still not perfect so I won't show it to you until after I "fix" it properly. Here's to hoping that I've learned something from the last one and this one is not only easier, but looks better as well. I may possibly type up the patterns of both of them, but I have to see if I like then first.

Now in Technicolor

So I promised a while ago that I would color her and post her up. Well I didn't then, but I'm doing it now. Took me a while to remember how to color in Photoshop (especially since we have a newer version than before), but I think I did ok. Hadn't really given any thought on the overall color scheme, but I feel she worked out well. The umbrella is still off, which upsets me a bit more now, but I am happy with the hands and feet. And I really feel like my coloring really gives her more dimension than my line work alone did. I've been told I need to work on that, can't rely solely on color for depth and dimension, but I gotta start somewhere right? I'll scan a couple more preliminary sketches of the skulls soon so that you can see what a couple of hours of Google Imaging various mammalian skulls can do to my concept of 3 Dimensionality as it relates to skulls.

Hope you like this and all that is to come.

Maya Animation and the story of heartache...

As you know by now I took a course on Maya essentials. For said course I had to do a 10 to 20 second animation, based off a toy that I choose. I picked the "Gazillion Bubbles Bug" and proceeded to hate every minute of staring at him and my screen to get even half of his details right, while learning the program. I screamed, I cried, I bitched at the screen, program, on FB and to my husband. BUt I got not only a decent resemblance of the toy, but also a 15 second animation out of it. Just for point of reference on how... hopeful... naive... enthusiastic... and over-acheiving I was at the beginning of class, I am also going to show you the original story boards for what I had conceved as the animation I was going to do.

But first the Animation:

And now my SB's:

Melting Man

I guess this pic has something to do with the over 100 degree weather we had today, but also cause I felt a little drained right now as well. I feel like it looks a little like a Picasso, but I can't remember which... The Guitar player perhaps? Let me know. Either way, another quick sketch on the computer. I think I may get to liking this drawing on the computer thing after all. I can "undo" "markers" which is great. Maybe I'll finally splurge and get Corel Painter, but we'll see. Hope you like.

Flickr and then some

So I've been looking into getting myself a new camera. Mostly for Stop Motion, but also for regular photographs. I have a friend who has been quite encouraging with said goal, to the point of lending me his (quite out of my price range, but only if I DON'T win the lotto) camera. With that and my old one I have been putting up a lot of pictures up on Flickr. I had actually opened that account a while ago, but now I'm finally putting it to good use. I'm not sure if I want to use it to showcase my other art, that's why so far it's just my photographs. The good news about all this is that it's been helping my eye in framing. I feel like now I can get a better idea of framing any of my shorts so that they don't look too much like a stage play with wireless puppets and more like an engaging narration. That, I think, is sometimes the hardest thing to learn. The camera is a narration tool, and using it wisely can make or break your story. With that in mind I'm also taking a course in Maya (finally right!), which I know is like going over to the dark side for stop-mo. But basically I want to be able to use my skills in the widest range of mediums to better the animation. Ultimately that is what we all want right? To be better animators or artist or whatever it is that you do and want to be good at. I guess I just take a more wholistic approach which also usually means a longer more round about road. Now without further ado here is a sample of my photos as well as the link to see my Flickr gallery.

Next!

This painting I started a couple of years ago in Ireland. I got frustrated half way through it because I had purchased a cheap beginners acrylic paint set and the colors kept washing out. Basically not enough pigment in the tube. So I brought it home with the hopes of finishing it here in NY, but it never happened. I just placed it on my easel and ignored it.

Today I am setting up my work space (which a while ago became more of a cluttered storage space than an art space), so that I may finish it. I will be painting again, and building again, and animating again. I vow to no longer ignore this art of mine. I think it was the drive to digital that did it for me. I LOVE the smell, feel, and touch of paint and pencils and paper and canvas. I love ending the day covered in plaster, or paint, or glue, or with tiny little cuts from xacto knives (well maybe not the cuts, but glue gun burns, how I laugh at thee!). I am physical! That is why I couldn't finish my computer animation courses. I didn't want to do my art in only the theoretical sphere of virtual images. Where the only proof of a long day at work, was sore eyes, sore neck and back, and a wider derrière. Where walking down the street people know you only by the slumped walk and the hollow eyes of a computer nerd....

But I digress. I know it's not like that. And with Cyntiqs and faster and better computers, well I can see how much faster and better it can be. But you can't take away the joy I get from walking into an oil studio and smelling the paint and turpentine. And so I paint. And build. And continue to animate in the physical realm. That is my joy, and hopefully it's partly yours too.

Don't worry boys and girls, more to come very soon. Until then, go get dirty and have fun doing it!

First painting 2011....

So I haven't painted in years as you can tell. And on top of that I decided to do a portrait... self-portrait. It's BAD... REAL BAD. But I thought that maybe you can see the progress over time. My nose is off, the eyes not only off but cartoony, among other things. I'm hoping that in the next couple of days to "fix" it, that way I can "remember" my painting technique.

I'm using acrylics on paper and I love the texture the paper gives. I know that by the time I am done all that texture will be gone, but that's the nature of plastic, which is as we know all that acrylics is. I almost wish I had brought oils with me to be able to work the paint better, but acrylics are more forgiving (not going muddy so fast and keeping their pigment longer). Also I can wait a day and practically start over.

Tonight I will draw the basic portrait lines of eyes/nose/mouth, and start painting over this one. I feel like you can see that I have an IDEA of what I need to do with this one, but obviously technique is not yet there. That and I may need better and smaller brushes for some of the tiny details.

I actually can't wait to see how this progresses. And then maybe do some more. The acrylic paper pad I brought with me has 10 sheets. I have 2 weeks left. Here's to hoping that the pad is complete by the time I get back. Finger's crossed.

Do artists read other artists blogs?

Or do they just go to look at the pretty pictures and either marvel at the audacity of amazing talent or mock the un-initiated "to the realities that is ART"?

I was looking at all the blogs I follow, and thinking of all the blogs that I have had recommended to me from friends and I noticed a pattern. Both in me and in their recommendations. They tend to only recommend things in which they believe will help round out, embellish, inspire, and continue my own art, usually with styles either very similar to my or their own work. I, on the other hand, look for weird blogs that don't look a thing like my own work, have a load of writing and usually use materials that are different from my own. I also seem to look for artists that are not from the states, not because I don't like them or think they have nothing to contribute, but more because I see american art everyday. How often can I see what Europe, Asia, or South America (I still haven't found many African or Middle Eastern art blogs, suggestions?) is doing?

Now I am also new to the whole "blogosphere" as well as to virtual connections thing (yes this blog itself is a couple of years old, and I did have another blog before this, but wait for my point) so I have not made many friends online, nor many connections. I am old fashioned that I like to be able to shake someones hand, look them in the eye and spend an evening chatting with them, before trying to be too friendly online. There is a decorum that I do not posses, and my constant annoyance at some peoples inability to use full words and phrases probably doesn't help with my need to connect. That being said I've noticed that there is a shotgun affect going on with your work in the virtual world. Try to get it on as many sites as possible to get more traffic, and thus more connections. What about the quality of those connections? I am not looking to have the highest number of "friends" around, I am looking for a nice thick hand full of fellow artists that I can show with, possibly collaborate with and generally mutually inspire. Is that unheard of in this day and age?

OK so the point of this blog was to question the reason artists blog. Why do they put their work out there? Is it for fame? exposure? inspiration? connections?Are artist inherently both exhibitionistic and voyeuristic? But also to question why artist look at blogs. I've heard of some artists spending the first couple of moments of their day (whether it be minutes or hours) looking at other blog before moving on to create their own art. Is that ow you use your blog time?

But for those of you who only look at the pretty pictures.... here you go:

It's the New Year Extravaganza Post!

The last quarter of last year had a lot of changes for me. I think I am only getting used to them now. I started a new job, as you may have guessed. Working in a local NYC animation Studio that does stop-motion. Within that work environment I have seen some well needed changes in me that were a long time over due. For one, I feel more inspired to do my own work. On my daily commute I see things that though they may have been there the entire time, feel more available to me for inspiration.

I have a start of a series of sculptures that I may be posting sketches for soon, but at currently only 2, don't feel like they are enough. Besides I should make small scale mock-ups so that you may better understand what is in my head.

I have also reconnected with an old HS friend that still feverishly creates work. We have been trying to plan an Art Jam (a la music) in which we paint for 1 hole day together and feed off each other's artistic vibes. That still hasn't happened but again it has been pretty hectic.

Interestingly I have been both drawing more and yet less. More in the sense that I will feel compelled to pull out my sketchbook at various times, yet less because with the drawing classes that I had been taking, the number of pages and drawings were greater.

I also realized I neglected to post up pictures of my knitting. Why is this relevant you ask? Because this blog is supposed to be about whatever I make with my hands creatively. Knitting is one of them, as well as I want to incorporate it more into my art and sculpture. Besides this past summer I made this shawl/sweater thing that if I do say so myself looks great. I have to add sleeves and turn it into a proper sweater for me to be able to wear it, but the pattern looks really good.

This turn for more work production in my life makes me think back on the those old HS/College days, in which we had to create everyday and by connecting with classmates you helped each other through the dry spells and rough spots. Even when you felt you got bad critiques from teachers it still helped build this sense of creativity that seems to get lost sometimes when you leave and go out in the big bad world. Though I know not everyone will agree with me, I feel a youthful drive of inspiration that was sorely lacking in the past couple of years, once you had to start worrying about rent, food, and bills. And yet with this pause that I had in my creative life, I feel as if my work has grown more. The themes though similar feel they have a maturity and depth that I was striving for in my younger years that can actually ONLY be brought about through life, experiences, and change.

I hope that everyone that looks at this blog can see the difference, or I may just need to post a HS/College/Now comparison post to see.

Hope the new year has been good to you so far. More pictures to come soon. So keep coming back!

UNC: Minds on a Mission

So this is the spot that the globe was created for as well as various other props.

UNC: Minds on a Mission.

I also helped the animator out by being his hand model and all I learned from being animated myself was amazing. I had doped that this year I'd have some of my animation on this blog ready for you all to see, but alas that has not come to pass. I have a week off, so that i may animate, and i will be posting an "End of the Year" post soon, with a lot of interesting insights into this past year in art.

For now, enjoy some animation.

2 In 1 week, WOW!

So Life drawing started up again this week, and I got some interesting poses done. Our model was a flamboyant dancer with an awesome kimono and a hot pink jacket. His poses switched from overly pretzely to static and simple. The first 2 are during the one minute poses and I made myself draw in pen so that I couldn't cheat: just draw what you see quickly. The pencil ones are from the 2 minutes, when I felt I had warmed up some. Later I may post up some color sketches from the longer 3-5 minute poses, but for now enjoy these.

Its been interesting to see how I develop as an artist lately. Trying my hand back at painting, seeing the things I make by hand come to life and actually taking time to develop stories that occur to me as I go about my day. I've also begun to notice age playing a part in it. It's sad to say that though I may have lost some of my youthful vigor, I feel the final outcome of the few pieces that I do produce are of a much better quality than before. Besides, I am no longer obsessed with this hollywood/stylized ideal of what it is to be an artist. Most of my pretensions, I am happy to say, have been lost along with my youth. I sound like I think I'm and old hag, but I definitely don't feel like a kid anymore. What can you do? Your only as old as you think you are...