Onward

Things are still moving forward with "Molly Kite" being published. Not a lot of details to posts but we did develop another character for a possible future book in the series. Her name is Nana Wacky. She is like a hippy grandmother that is filled with wisdom and is a ton of fun.

McDonalds contacted me this week about doing some artwork for them which is always fun. The deadline is tight but that is the norm for their turnaround. Other projects are coming in as well. Still working on an animated piece for a client that is both fun and educational. I have a couple of logo projects in here as well. One is for an Autism website so I have been doing a bit of research for that one.

Last night I began sketching in my sketchbook for the Brooklyn Art Library's "Sketchbook Project Tour 2011". The theme that was assigned to me is "figuring you out". I have a bunch of ideas for it but need to find the time to really dive into the book. The sketchbooks are due back at the first of the year. Afterwards they will go on tour around the country, including Portland, Maine. You can keep track on how many times your book is being viewed. The sketchbooks will stay in the library's permanent collection. It will be nice to have something in a collection.

Speaking of sketchbooks, here a couple of pieces that I scanned in to share with you. The first one is just a series of doodles. As you can see if you look closely, they were done on a hotel note pad. There is something about drawing on notepads that I find makes drawing easier. I guess it might be that the paper is already tarnished with ink so you cannot screw it up. The second sketch is just something silly. It is pretty typical of what a boy would do. The thinking, or lack thereof, would be "HEY! I can use this fishbowl as a space helmet!" Of course we would forget to dump the water out or remove the fish.

Until next week, I will leave with this quote:

"It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character." Camille Pissarro

Another week has come and gone

Another week has come and gone. I took some time off this week. We had friends come up from Pennsylvania for a visit. It was wonderful to see them and be able to hang out. Lots of lobster, scallops, and mussels were consumed.

I purchased a couple of books to help improve some of my skills. The first book I bought is How To Cheat At Flash CS5 by Chris Georgenes. This is a must have book for those with some Flash capabilities. It provides easy-to-follow explanations of various Flash workarounds. It is geared towards animators but it also has some ActionScript tutorials which are very helpful for someone like me who has tried doing some ActionScripting but just cannot get a handle on it. Chris is also very helpful if you have any questions regarding Flash. He is very down to earth and willing to share information. His blog is http://www.keyframer.com and website is http://www.mudbubble.com.

The second book I purchased is Traditional Oil Painting by Virgil Elliot. Ever since my oil painting workshop last month, I have the bug to paint traditionally. I figured that I needed a refresher since it has been years of my last studio class. I read some very good things about this book. Having read the first few chapters, I can say that the reviews were spot on. The book provides samples and details of how various masterpieces were painted. Plus the author provides demostrations as well. If you are thinking about reading up on oil painting, this is the perfect book to get you on track.

I bought a couple of new sketchbooks so I am ready to do some drawing in them. After reading An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory, I have been inspired to draw for myself. The book shows samples from various artist's sketchbooks and has them talking about why they work in them.

Well this coming week is going to be very busy. Hopefully I can post some samples.

"A critic in my house sees some paintings. Greatly perturbed, he asks for my drawings. My drawings? Never! They are my letters, my secrets." Paul Gauguin

Friday the 13th

Hello one and all,

Sorry for not posting last week. It seems like the weeks just come and go so quickly this summer. With all of the projects I am working on, time is flying by. Sorry I cannot post images of things that I am working on but when you sign NDAs, you have to keep things under wraps for a while.

I thought this poster/flyer was brilliant! It seems to capture what we creatives are going through these days. I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked to work for free or have seen job postings asking the same thing. Why would anyone think we are willing to put hours into something for exposure? Do they offer that to a doctor, plumber, carpenter, etc.? I think not. We offer a specialized skill and should be paid accordingly. Bravo for whoever designed this poster.

Lately I have been kicking around the idea of character licensing. Spoke with a close friend today about it since they have the capabilities of selling characters to merchants and franchises. We will see where this goes. I know I need to get back to my book idea as well. I really just need to get the words down so I can then really write the thing. Hopefully something will come out of the story that is worthwhile. Speaking of books, nothing new to report on Molly for now. Fingers are crossed.

I ordered a bunch of sketchbooks this week so I can start carrying them along with me when I leave the house. Hell, they may make me get out more often. I also ordered some additional painting supplies and have lined up a model for another painting session in October. Looking forward to that. An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory is a great book about artist and their sketchbooks. It inspired me to get back to using them and to draw for myself again.

We are having some friends come up for a visit next week so I must get some cleaning done around the house this weekend. I better get to it since it does not want to clean itself. So I will leave you with this:

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things. When I was fifty I had published a universe of designs. but all I have done before the the age of seventy is not worth bothering with. At seventy five I'll have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish and insects. When I am eighty you will see real progress. At ninety I shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself. At a hundred I shall be a marvelous artist. At a hundred and ten everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who are going to live as long as I do, I promise to keep my word. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign my self 'The Old Man Mad About Drawing." Hokusai

What a week!

Sorry for the delay in posting this week but it has been one very busy week. Worked on several logos, some character development, a couple of websites, and various illustration projects. I feel the need to do some work today just to stay on top of things. It is good to be busy. I hope everyone who follows the blog and FB page are busy as well.

The BIG NEWS this week is that the book I illustrated, Molly Kit Has Faith, has ben picked up by a publisher. I do not have a lot details right now but it could lead to a national release plus other books in the series and possible dolls from the characters.

Nothing on the later is set in stone but I did get the news about the book being picked up.

I did a workshop last weekend which we drew the figure in oil paint. It was so much fun to actually paint again. I love oil paints and their flexibility. Now I have the bug to paint some more and hope to do that really soon. The above images are a couple of the studies we did. The time for each one ranged from an hour and a half to 2 hours. The photos are a bit crappy but it gives you an idea of what we did.

Well this is going to be a short post but I will make up for it next week.

"Drawing is . . . not an exercise of particular dexterity, but above all a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods." Henri Matisse.