Art Day 5. colors!

Day Five, Stayin Alive.

The day started out pretty flat.
The Struggles
I woke up too late, felt sleepy, and was wading through unfound feelings of doubt and slight depression. This is just an artist's lot. Its gonna happen. Thankfully I'm able to push through it eventually. D suggested I finally buy the big fish game I've been drooling over for days. And we finished watching season 3 of Sliders on Netflix. Such horrible scripts allowed me to laugh and get back into the swing of things.

First creative act:

The art I started with isn't anything finished. Its more like using my tools to make more tools. I just went crazy with colors on a piece of watercolor paper. I will use this in several ways. I will scan it in for digital textures to be used on other things, then I will either create something out of it, or cut it up and create several things out of it. Perhaps serve as background for some more ACEO works (2.5" x 3.5" artist trading cards) Its always good to do something mindless like this when I'm not feeling that creative.

Next I worked on a collaboration project. Something... narrative... graphic novelesque in the works. No details until it gets somewhere but here are some visual snippits.
A drawing of a building I did on yupo paper last year (aka, sometime last week) - today I added watercolors and re-drew over the pencil in ink. (005 micron pen thats wearing down).

On the 4th day of art...
I made some sloppy expressons in the sketchbook-project sketchbook and took some creative photos.






The text on the hand says "I am forced to wear ambiguous labels and fit into limiting CATEGORIES."

I also painted D's belly before he got in the shower, but I don't need to include a photo here. ;)

The rest of the day was dedicated to magic.
Every first Tuesday Dave and I attend a magic show on Theatre on the Square. I've been doing the programs for over a year now. Its a layed back gig and I get to experiment with my graphic design skills. I showed the latest one on the blog yesterday.
This one had a special guest couple doing magic and face painting in the lobby. I got my face painted - she did a beautiful simple red shading with black white and orange streaks around my eyes and addd glitter- but I forgot to get a photo!

Afterwards, we went to the Old Point Tavern. Never far from my camera, I decided to take a few creative shots - I am always fascinated by the red wash of color you get in the corner area by the neon lights.


I took this photo covertly - I always feel a bit strange taking photos of strangers but I wanted a photo of the colors, and she fit in perfectly. I would have asked her permission but people look so much more natural when they don't know their photo is being taken.


This is Pat Smith. He will be performing at next month's Indy Magic Monthly - Excellent magician, and wonderful to have as a friend. I find the mood here quite ambiguous. At first I thought the red wash made him look like a dangerous person, but now it feels more contemplative.

----
More Inspiration:
At he end of the day, I read a bit of Clive Barker's "Great and Secret Show".
In it, there is a special 'island' that gets described - like a dream place cathedral building, but more vast, complicated and strange than anything in reality - in a place where physics doesnt matter, and you can have 'towers as thin as reeds' etc. The full description isn't as wonderful as the images my mind was conjuring as I read. I would't be surprised if you start seeing more bizarre structures appearing. I could FEEL the images pasting themselves to my brain.

random creations day 3

After attending work at 8 am only to realize that my work starts NEXT WEEK, I had some extra time. So, when I came home I started looking at a library book for the Chelsea Awards (fantasy art) -But someone must have laced my book with a sedative, because I passed out for a few hours. So much for an early start to my day!

Next, I watched my boyfriend be tortured by the dentist. While I was there I did some sketchbook drawings. (These are for "The Sketchbook Project" - when I finish it in a few days, it will be sent off to be at a Brooklyn Sketchbook Library - Interesting idea, more opinions on it later)


(The text on the 3rd image says "The dental tools gained sentience and began to worship the sun". Also you can see the inspiration of teeth on the first image)

Next on the agenda (after some more 'inspiration' from a hidden object game from 'big fish games') I did the program design for Taylor Martin's "Indy Magic Monthly"

This is the front and back page (front page on the right) - I also did the inside and an insert. If you want to see the rest, you'll have to come to the show! Every first Tuesday at Theatre on the Square - Indianapolis, IN. Check the website link for more info. Doors at 7:00. Show up at 6:30 for extra stuff in the lobby!



---
I stayed up even later, and did one last minute sketch with color in the book:

The text in red pen on the left side of the page - something that just popped into my head. "She cut off a tiny sliver of her skin, to experiment with, to test, to gain power." "That was part of it. Blood, life, pain, + power." Wonder if I've been reading too much Clive Barker lately. heh. That mixed with the predetermined theme sent to me for this book 'Science project gone wrong'.
_________________

Thank you to everyone who left comments and/or critiques on the "G / GRIM" drawing!

Bizarre Alphabet = "GRIM" complete!

Today I finished what I started yesterday.

The Bizarre Alphabet = "GRIM"



(see a larger image of it Here)

I went over the pencils with bic pen, and added a few things I hadn't thought of before. (even after the drawing I took a photo of)
I then added acrylic - layers of light washes, like using watercolors.
This is perhaps the most complicated and cluttered piece yet, hard to imagine!
There are more than 60 possible words beginning with "G" - if you happen to make a list, feel free to find creative concepts like "GRUESOME!"

Here is the drawing before coloring


Dimensions: 7.25" x 7.25" x 1" (thick) acrylic and bic pen on wood.

Gotta go to be early tonight - 8:00 work day tomorrow! No 5:00 am craziness.

epic art day 1 - worked on Bizarre ABC = "Grim"

(posted in retrospective, as I did not want to post it at 5:00 am!)

For the first day of my epic art year, I decided to solidify my "G" drawing.
I have been working on an ambitious "Bizarre" alphabet series, all on 7.25" x 7.25
blocks ofwood - each piece gets more and more elaborate - up to and over about 60
potentialthings in the latest pieces - There is a lot of planning - I had created about
3 listsand about 3 drawings corrosponding to the letter I was working on. G has been
themost frustrating so far, because there is so MUCH I wanted to do and I couldn't
decide on a basic layout.
This is the first time I've decided to make the preliminary drawing digitally - by
scanning in some of my drawings so far and using stock images to get things in
place before I draw them. Normally I wouldn't show this, but I'm interested in expressing
behind the scenes here.



I worked about 6 hours on this. It doesn't look like it (most of the time was spent
finding images and placing them), but at almost hour 3, it got deleted on accident,
and I had forgotten to save. ACK!

Then I did the drawing in pencil on gessoed wood. No tracing, no transfers, just eye to brain to hand to pencil.



After today, I will go over the pencil with bic pen, and then color with acrylics.
----
Insirations for this stems from my childhood interests in artists who tamed the
alphabet in their own artistic way - such as Edward Gorey and especially Mike
Wilks's "Ultimate Alphabet" - of which I *think* I have the book but if not, I
definiely have the game "Scrutineyes". (unfortunately, no good pics here)
_______

Lastly -
-Pay attention to the world around you:
Learn to recognize those things you don't see every day.
Record it in someway so you can remember. Otherwise,
your brain might eat the experience. It's exhausting trying to
recall little morsels of joy if you have a memory eating brain like I do.



(snapshot from an errand earlier)

__________
Um... One last thing. some last minute inspiration.
The last song I was listening to at 4:50 am on my last.fm player was a Paradise Lost song from the 'Draconian Times' album.
I noticed the album cover art and had to find the artist.

The artist is Holly Warburton. Her website is in construction, but a little google image search will show a few more samples.
That is all. I don't think tomorrow will be as full!
_________
Dont hesitate to comment, make suggestions, requests, and/or recommendations!

Re-Purposing my Blog for 2011 - Massive Art Extravaganza!

Okidokie!!
extraveganza
I am getting excited about 2011, and I want to embark on an epic art making experience.
I did a LOT this year, but I didn't blog nearly as much - I found no real point to it.

I kept personal journaling in my sketchbook where I briefly detailed what I did that day, mainly art related. I updated things online on occasion.

For 2011, I want to move that daily record online. It will be for myself, and anyone who wants to follow along. Hopefully it will motivate me to do something even when I don't feel like it. Perhaps I'll even inspire others to find more self drive to do what they dream of doing.
I will also mention any big inspirations that come along on my journey.

New Life in my Art

(re-posted from my other online bloggish places for those of you who watch me everywhere, sorry!)

So - I'm finding new life in my art

Inspired by my friend Steven talking about his new years resolution to make ridiculous amounts of art.

I couldn't wait for January. Last night I ignored my normal evening activities of winding down after dinner by getting online and/or watching something interesting.

Instead I played music and created art until about 7:00 am and then (still awake) I read in my Clive Barker book (The Great and Secret Show) for 1/2 an hour before I felt satisfied enough to ... take a nap.

But what did I create?

First of all, I have a new medium. About a week ago, I purchased a sewing machine because of some crazy idea I have about using string in my work and making bags. I have used a sewing machine maybe twice in my life , the last one being in England (freehand stitch) help create ripped paper + art 'foliage' in an installation. I was hooked after that, but was still scared of the sewing machine. Not anymore!! I've been making embroidered patches on paint rags, and have started making bags.

SO, thats one thing I worked on during my art spree...

The other was a breakthrough in my drawing style.
There are a few things leading up to this.

People have always been interested in the way I draw in my sketchbooks. I made a few attempts at doing work inspired by my sketchbook when I had my studio at the Stutz, but I had other larger experiments I wanted to try, and I was still playing with painting on wood.
Now that I'm at home and don't really have room (or the warmth, or money) to work on large-scale work- I'm back to small.

I REALLY LOVE working on paper but have always had the dilemma of not wanting to pay for frames, plus I'm not a fan of putting my work under glass. So, I've avoided making paper art while I could, and I mainly stuck to panel and wood and the occasional stretched canvas for my 'fine art' pieces.

I also don't have my 10" x 10" seawhite of brighton sketchbook anymore, I need an outlet for my art on paper -

THUS... I decided to just start having fun on the paper I have. My acrylics are in the basement where its freaking COLD, but upstairs I got out my watercolors, sumi ink, colored ink, colored pencils, graphite, pens and had a blast!

at about 4:00 am I was awake and didn't want to stop so I kept going!!
I ended up with three 9" x 12" creations, one 5" x 7", a little graphic design piece for a friend, and two embroidered pieces from earlier in the day.

YEAH!
I am extra excited because I believe I can take this to higher ground. I really enjoy doing it and would like to start offering my services more for design work and illustration (if people want a messy splattery dreamy quality) - I don't mind taking this style into commercialism because I know where I stand with the style - usually my work is so schitzo, that as soon as I start working on a project for someone else, I want to change styles - but THIS is the kind of stuff I do anyway - I think my 'sketchbook art' has finally found a more professional and public place in my life.

Here are the 3 big pieces from that night.
Click to be taken to a larger picture at deviantart.com



I'm going to keep trying to make art daily and see where it takes me.
Stay tuned for my occasional updates and plans for conventions in the new year!
(So far, Horrorhound Indy and Days of the Dead, also Indy!)