© Jeffrey Alan Love |
Monday 16 May 2011
Eowyn vs. Nazgul... The line up!
Sunday 15 May 2011
Tips and Tricks and your suggestions #3 - Workstations
In the previous installments of “Tips and Tricks” we’ve covered Brushes and Palettes.. There were some great suggestions/ input on palettes provided by the readers of this blog. Thanks for your tips. Next in the chain is the “workstation”. I’m not talking about your studio per say but the immediate area surrounding your painting or illustration. In my early days I had a small drawing table that my parents purchased as a gift. My youngest son, Kit, is currently using it. While they were well meaning, the drawing table was not what I was looking for. It was not very well made. Trying to adjust the height and angle was difficult to say the least. It also had the annoying trait of swaying like a drunken sailor on a weekend binge. I did use it for a number of years in art school until I could afford to purchase one that fit my requirements... My side work table was a narrow metal shelf that I found in someone’s garbage. It was sturdy but never quite held everything I needed to have on hand. Purchasing good equipment is essential to your work flow. Just like having good brushes and paint to produce professional results, having an area that enhances your work flow makes it easier to concentrate on the creative side, not to mention completing a piece more quickly. You’ll know you’re a candidate for purchasing a workstation if you are always looking for and / or rummaging through countless shelves, boxes. Worse yet, if you have to get up and endlessly hunt for an item. Trying to afford good equipment can be difficult, especially when beginning your career. Quality is never cheap, but rest assured that it will pay for itself in the long run. Even if you have to delay your purchase hold off until you can get the quality piece you’ve always wanted. The years of service a quality piece provides will out weigh what you paid for it. in the long run. The list can be daunting.... taborets, side carts, drawing tables, easels, paper shelves and general storage will all be required. It took me several years to acquire my studio furniture. Pacing my purchases put less strain on my wallet. Knowing when something is a good deal and jumping on various sales, closeouts and garage sales are helpful strategies to save if your on a budget. If your lucky the occasional estate sale can produce a beautiful piece of antique art furniture for your studio. While I’ve done my share of dumpster diving there’s nothing like unwrapping a brand new piece of studio furniture. Knowing it’s exactly what you’ve dreamed of and was selected after careful research in regard to your requirements.
Here’s my general setup - Work Area #1: Drawing table in the center, two side work/ supply surfaces with multiple drawers. Palette on the right side (left if I'm feeling lucky). My small flat panel television patched into my dvd player and cable tv, stereo speakers mounted on the wall behind the drawing table. One of the work units contain brushes, paint, and mediums and the other holds mostly dry art supplies... pencils, chalk, various angles, mechanical compasses and french curves etc... This is what works for me. Since I mostly sit while I work the “U” shaped configuration of this setup is fine. When I stand to paint, another configuration is required. The side units are made by Studio Craft and can be custom configured to your needs.
I’d enjoy seeing and sharing some of your setups on Muddycolors. Please send your jpegs to: muddycolorsjjp@yahoo.com Note: RGB jpegs @ 72dpi - no more than 500 pixels on the longest side I’ll try to post some of them in the next installment of “Tricks and Tips” Til then - Happy painting!
3-D Art Ready to Print ...Awwwwesome
No he didn't... Yes he did!!! This is amazing. For more on this piece of awesomeness see article and vid Here
Another article with more cool vids on 3D printers is featured in The New York Times Here
The cool thing is some of these printers can replicate most of their own parts and you can give it to a friend or neighborhood illustrator ;) ;)
Deadline!
Friday 13 May 2011
A Question of Paper
"Hello Eric, how are you? I'm trying to make more traditional stuff, but i must confess i'm having a hard time! Thats why I want to ask you a quick simple question: Which paper are you using to make water basis painting? Is it hot pressed? your paintings are soo smooth i hope you mind mind sharing this info, but if you do, i totally understand, no hard feelings :) Thanks in advance and keep it up the awesome stuff!"
I think one must spend a lot of time becoming very familiar with any medium they are working with as well as the surfaces that they are working on. The quality of materials an artist uses can make a difference. However, I personally don't think that if you get the best paper and best paint with the best brushes the quality of work will just appear if the hours and hours of practice aren't there to back it up.
As for my own paintings, I get smooth transitions by using various methods ie wet on wet application, scumbling, dry brush etc. You can see some of my videos on youtube for tutorials. The thing that really connects all of these techniques is the time it takes to achieve the look I want. It doesn't happen on the third pass or even the seventh. It often takes long hours and multiple, multiple layers of paint to get a look I want. And after so many years of doing this I feel fairly competent that I could do it on just about any watercolor paper surface.
That being said let's get into the materials I actually use.
Watercolor Paper: I mostly use Arches 300lb Hot press. I like the heavy weight and the surface though smooth isn't too smooth. I find 300lb Cold press to have way too much texture for my liking. I feel it disrupts my imagery too much by casting deep shadows on the surface. When working on lighter paper like 140lb I think cold press is quite nice. The texture is much more subtle compared to cold press at 300lb. 140lb hot press is nice as well but almost too smooth for my taste. I've tried Fabriano brand paper previously and it was fine. There were often scratch marks that I wouldn't notice til I put down my first wash. This sucked because by then I've already spent the time transferring and finalizing the drawing. It may have been the store's fault. Not quite sure. So now I hold each piece of paper I buy up to the light and check for faint scratches before purchasing. If there's a scratch and you're cool with it you could probably ask for a discount:)
Brushes: I buy Utrecht brand brushes mostly. They are affordable and fairly good brushes. I inspect each brush I buy to make sure it's in good condition. Every now and then I get home and the brush is a little off. I use scissors or a fresh x-acto blade to make necessary adjustments if possible. Because the brushes are fairly inexpensive I don't feel too bad when they eventually get ruined by the accumulation of acrylic residue. I am however, very good about rinsing my brushes periodically during my painting session and then cleaning them with warm water and soap when done for the night. Don't forget the right brush for the right job. I used to paint with only a tiny round brush because that's what I was comfortable with. I ended up wasting a lot of time. Experiment with different brushes and different sizes.
Paint: I have mostly Liquitex paint. I heard Palencar uses Liquitex so I tried them and liked them. I've also tried Golden, and Utrecht brands and even had to use some student grade acrylic in a pinch. I have to admit they all seem to work just fine to me. It may have to do with the fact that I water them down so much.
Set Up: As you can see I have a small tupperware container that I use to keep my paints in. I put a paper towel at the bottom and spritz it with water every not and then to keep them wet. This helps the paints to last longer so they don't go to waste. I have a scrap piece of water color paper near by to test my mixed colors on to make sure it's right before applying it to the actual painting.
I hope this helps.
Eric
P.S. Donato is awesome. He always welcomes other artists to stop by and chat or look at some art work. On a trip to NY a few years back I contacted him and did just that. It made my day! Most of the artist I know are super nice and if they aren't too busy will answer questions and such. If you live in or around Columbus and would like to visit the studio for any questions or feedback etc. feel free to contact me.
Wednesday 11 May 2011
Career Choices
by Donato
Christopher Moeller had a wonderful post two days ago about what it was like to begin his career in the arts after school. I thought I would follow it up with advice I have given to artists seeking direction on the path of learning, before they get to school. A bit late for those of you just graduating this coming month, but hopefully still applicable in the developing years after...
I just graduated from high school and I'm wondering about college and such. Is it worth attending an expensive university or should I just go to a smaller school? I'm very serious about my art and I'm very dedicated... I want to be an illustrator. I want to do everything from magazine covers and book covers to concept art for games or movies.Is it possible to be in debt and be an illustrator?
These are some very tough questions which could take a life time to answer. My Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University (and previous three years in the arts and electrical engineering at the University of Vermont) was very important in laying the foundation in developing my character and beginning my career, but equally important to this education was the drive to be creative, prolific and open-minded.
It has taken many long years of practice, patience, and devotion to attain the level of quality now found within my work. I am sure you have all heard this before, but it is the truth.Every artist must seek their individual path to success. The paths I took cannot be duplicated, nor should they! - like dropping out of engineering classes mid semester, or losing detailed sight permanently out off one eye two weeks before I was to move to New York City to begin my career as a visual artist, or moving to New York City and finding work at the Society of Illustrators as a coat-check boy (ok., that one can be duplicated). All of these events, and more, contributed to the drive and insights I developed to become a successful creative individual and challenged my assumptions about who I was and what direction I was determined to take as an artist.
Pursuing the arts is an admirable and challenging goal, but you have to be willing to make great sacrifices along the way to achieve those ends.
One of the greatest changes I struggled through was learning to detach myself from the hobby work, drawings, and paintings I had loved to create in my youth. To take art seriously I learned to study and find validation in all art forms. I am the artist I am today because of my ability to shrug off the old subject matter (comics, realism, and science fiction and fantasy) and embrace something new which my teachers and professors were exposing me to: abstraction, post-modern theories, deconstruction, gesture drawing, impressionism, surrealism, cubism, sculpture, print making, digital media, etc...Without stepping into the unknown, I would have never truly challenged myself nor experienced anything new. I would have never learned what it felt like to fly, content to spend my time walking. I see many artists who, while technically proficient, are grounded far too much in their youth and the content they find comforting there.
Obviously I have revisited the passions of my youth and mine them deeply for the art I now create. but I could never have become the artist I am now without seriously sidelining the content of what I thought was a direct pathway to creating the art I wanted to. Only through the passage into other venues could I discover what was truly in my heart.
I can tell you I am very happy with my career and would not trade it for another. I make a comfortable living, being able to support my family and travel and vacation when I wish to do so. But on the other side, if I had know how few artists actually make a living at this, I might of had second thoughts about pursuing this career. The burdens of financial debt weighs heavier on this new generation than they did on mine. I have taught at schools in New York and lectured at a dozen others across the country. Of the hundreds of students I have known, few are practicing in their chosen field as successes. Many of those artists/students were excellent, hard workers, but have not made it yet, or more likely, will not ever. The visual arts is a highly competitive field with only the most driven and talented surviving to make a career of it.
My suggestions are, if you wish to pursue this career, you must take it very seriously and be willing to work seven days a week. I’m not kidding here. You have to love it down deep - really deep - as in the reason for existence is to express yourself through art. Next is to take many courses and nurture interests outside of the requirements of the art major - history, philosophy, sciences, etc.... If you don’t learn about life, what will you have to say in your art? Many of the greatest minds in art were not ‘educated’ in art classes, the schools were a kind of ‘polishing’ wheel to their minds which helped them learn how to express themselves. This is not to say you cannot learn great things in an Art college, just realize there is a much greater world to embrace than what is in the class assignments. Most importantly chose a major which focuses upon content, not just technical skills. While almost all commercial art programs teach worthy technical skills, you can learn much of those skills through a few additional classes with hard labor, practice and perseverance on your own, or through an apprenticeship with another professional, or at a multitude of Atelier studios across the country.
Learning a specific technical skill to become an illustrator now is like learning to use a whip and spurs to get around town; the needs of the industry will be different by the time you graduate and in the decades after, change is constant in the freelance marketplace. What you want are classes and teachers that open your mind to another way of seeing and interpreting the world, these skills can be used across media and fields, not limited to illustration. Major Universities have programs and offer classes far outside the traditional arts fields and supply your mind with a well rounded and stimulated education. The art I create stands out because I attempt to provide a different view on the characters or places involved in the stories, something not typically found in science fiction nor fantasy, something from my life experiences.
This advice may not address the issue of finances directly (none ever can), but hopefully it will provide a way to justify and motivate decisions in your best interests.
I love what I do and I wish all of you luck in the pursuit of your dreams. As Chris as mentioned, it is worth it! Finally, my studio door is always open to those who wish to visit and learn (just call first!) If you happen to be in New York City the weekend of June 4th and 5th, I am hosting an open studio both days from 1-6pm. Stop on by!
http://www.donatoart.com/news.html#artwalk
Sincerely,
Donato
Road to Legend
Today I want to continue down the path I was a couple of articles back, The encountering monster road. This illustration is for the cover of Descent – Road to Legend by Fantasy Flight Games. The cover on the box is changed slightly compared to the acrylic original. What I share with you is the painting version that has not been altered too much in computer.
The description was very simple: “Heroes vs Monster outside somewhere”.
I did a bunch of sketches but in the end we settled on a lonely female figure fronting a dragon.
The sketch that lead up to this choice is the one with the female and the demon. As you can hopefully see, most of the sketches up till the final one lacks a lot of drama and dynamic. That is what I try do capture while doing all those thumbs.
Here is the common problem for a fantasy artist doing battles of heroes vs Monsters: You always twist and turn and shuffle the figure around so that all is seen from the front all the faces are clear and everything is equally cool. It has the tendency to be a little styled or too staged, I think. What I really really like about his illustration is that the Chief,
Inspired by Angus Mcbride´s MERP illustrations I gave her a small cat-like creature as a friend. The mountain is actually added afterwards at a request from the art director. I found some mountains from a cover I did years ago for a Norse Mythology book and more or less copy pasted them in. “Thank you Photoshop”.
I tried 4 very different colour themes. I loved nr 1 myself. Grey sky and all grid and brown, but I felt quite sure it would be out of line with what FFG wanted for a cover. I had just painted a bunch of very colourful illustrations and the bright sunny day of nr. 3 just felt like something I had never done before, so I went with that one. Ironically the cover was changed for the final box to be bluish/grey like a cloudy day. Had I just followed my instinct I think this cover could have been so much more.