Mind of an Artist

Dead, Dead, Deadski

2007-07-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not updating this blog anymore. For new stuff go to my self-named page here

PEACE

Detail

2006-09-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

This was inked with the scratch board tool in Painter 9.5
A fun way to draw. I like the range of line quality you get with it.
I got too carried away with the anatomy and rendering and so it looks much better at full size then it does reduced. A really strong piece would look good at any size.

More Art

2006-09-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

These are for Blizzard games Diablo and World of Warcraft

Also I've done some story boards and posted them on another blog

2006-09-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

http://blizzardboards.blogspot.com/

A link is also on the right

New Art

2006-09-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy. Here's some new art to prove I'm not a complete slacker.

Cute vs Crazy

2006-08-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is an example of my "easel" sketch. A sketch designed to please the customer, not myself. This is a distinction that some caricature artists fail to make, or fail to act upon. This is also a rare sketch of my girlfriend where I made her look cute. I was using her to attract business.

Some stuff I just started working on

2006-08-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Forgot one

2006-08-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

Oh yes and Heri also

Caricatures!

2006-08-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

I did these in response to some awesome one's of me over at thedrawingboard.org.

Busy

2006-07-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

This is the first finished charcoal I've done in a long time. It lost lots of subtleties in the halftones but it's too big to scan so I just took a digital photo of it. Actually this is the first anything I've finished in a while. I seem to have a very short attention span now a days.

More Environment Studies

2006-07-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

Not getting the look I'd like, I tend to over work and over render everything.

3D

2006-06-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm finally messing with 3D. This was done in Maya. It was a concept for a "Sculptural Malaysian Skyscraper". Realistic and current technology, nothing to futuristic. I have so many divisions in the main form when single polygon sides would be more efficient because I was going to draw (Trace!) over the screen shot and I didn't want so much trouble laying out the window lines. I'm also messing with zbrush but the interface is NOT intuitive. They need to redesign it or maybe I just need to let go of some preconceived notions about software interface and I'll have an easier time with it.

2006-06-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

And More

2006-06-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

More Art

2006-06-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

I'm posting more then usual because I'd like to put new art on my portfolio site but forgot how to update it. So this is easier. Some quick color environment studies. Messing with technique more then composition. I don't know what the rock guy is supposed to be. I did a watercolor and then tried to make it look cool in photoshop.

Draw-over for another artist

2006-05-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is a critique for another artist. I can't post to his site so...
I'll take it down after he sees it here. EDIT--- Actually I'm going to leave it here in case it may help someone.

Oh-Gabe, forgot to mention that I added other colors to the flesh. I created another layer on top and set it to 'color' and lightly airbrushed some red in the cheeks, greens along the calves (as if she were standing on grass or a greenish carpet)some blues on the tops of the forms...it's real subtle but put it next to the original. And I darkened a few values with the burn tool. Don't get too happy with the burn tool though, it looks 'burnt' if you go too far with it.

And some more art

2006-04-30T03:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the bad grammer and spelling-I'm an Artist! Not a writer.

I don't think...

2006-04-30T02:30:00.001-07:00

That's a statement that doesn't need to be finished, but I will continue: I don't think I'll ever be a good blogger. I keep forgetting my responsibility to update this site.

Just returned from a long night. Drawing caricatures at a prom for 5 hours. A 5 hour work day sounds like cake but it's really intense. 5 hours of drawing a new person every 3 minutes. So I drew about 100 faces tonight. It's like taking a math test where you have to finish each problem in 3 minutes. After 5 hours your brain starts not doing what you want. You stare at the person and nothing happens in your head like usual. Usually you make a dozen decisions without hardly trying, that's just how an artist's (one who draws people anyway)mind works (wow I just refrenced my site! I am so uncool) you look at people and measure everything. So when it doesn't happen you don't know how to make it happen for a few seconds. It catches you off guard. You actually have to ask the questions in your head--- " Is her face long or wide?" "Are her lips or her eyes bigger-relativly" (When capturing a likeness everything is relative). It makes for some seammingly long drawings. When I first started doing events I think I could maintain focus for about 2 hours. Now I'm good for 4 most all the time but 5 hours of steady concentration is tough. I try to do a solid, attractive drawing and capture a likeness on every face without letting one slip but most nights I don't succede. Receintly I was trying to train a very high level artist and I learned that much of what I do when doing quick sketch is intuitive and not really cognitive. Autopilot. Which brings me back to the title of this post----I swear I didn't plan that. This is supposed to be an artist's blog so here's some art. I'll explain any of the images if asked. Night.

oops

2006-04-30T02:30:00.000-07:00

Been a while

2006-04-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't been that busy, just lazy and forgetful. Here's a few environment designs I've done recently.

More Droooorings (Say it with an English accent)

2006-02-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

These are more drawings made for the Lord of the Rings convention a few weeks ago.
Charcoal on ledger paper and bristol.

I'm editing this post because I realized I hadn't mentioned the LotR convention before. The previous images in gouache were also for the convention. Not such a big turnout as last year I heard, but the buzz from the movies has faded. I did meet some nice people from Canada and Japan and all over California. Some were risking their jobs or finacial ruin to be there.

1 hour paintings

2006-01-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

These are 1 hour gouache paintings I did in preperation for a contest. Putting aside the foolishness of an art contest, it was useful to me to push myself and try to get something interesting done in one hour.

The Last Unicorn Writer in Legal Battle

2006-01-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I met this guy over the weekend http://www.conlanpress.com/youcanhelp/index.html real nice guy.

He wrote "The Last Unicorn" and has never received a dime from the animated film. He wrote the screenplay also! I donated $5 to his legal fund to help him sue a multibillion-dollar company. In the spirit of " As a fellow creative person I hope this sort of thing never happens to me" would you please check it out.

Thanks,

Don

Here's the image for below

2006-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Bad Idea

2006-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

This picture is a digital image done from life about a year ago. I was taking a digital portrait class in San Diego and after the drive and a for whatever other reason I was real tired when I got there that night. I started trying to sketch the model but kinda fell into doing a caricature because it's so familiar to me. So I went with it and did a not so nice image of the guy without thinking that he would get upset. I've been doing caricatures for years professionally and don't even remember what it was like to get upset when someone drew me really ugly. All the artists I've worked with have a thick skin now because it was an ongoing contest to see who could draw the worst looking picture of each other. Anyway the model was getting up at the break every half hour walking around the room looking at what everyone was doing and must have been getting more and more upset until the end of class. So when class was over he asked if he could talk to me and walked to the back of the room. I followed him thinking he's either mad at me or wants a copy of it. Well he didn't want a copy. I hadn't noticed before because he didn't really talk but he was gay and flamboyant. That only matters because he was acting like a girl who was insulted and felt justified in striking back. I don't think a male personality would have made such a show. So he was upset and I apologized for doing it without asking and tried to explain that that was my profession and I ment nothing by it. But he would have none of my explanations or excuses. So I felt bad until he tried to make it a racial thing, saying I just made his lips big because he's black and that I should be ashamed. I took offense and realized I was taking a really aggressive stance, with my arms back and my chest and head thrust forward, so I tried to act more submissive so he'd calm down but he still went on and on...I tried to explain that the drawing was just based on his face, that I draw my girlfriend with big lips too, that I didn't mean to upset him...it didn't matter what I said. So after about 10 minutes I just turned away from him and started packing up my computer. He stomped over to his stuff, collected it and left, all the while still bitching and calling me a racist and saying that as an artists I should be trying to make things better not worse. The instructor Ron looked at me and said something like "Man I never saw anything like that before." The next week the owner of the school jokingly said "Causing trouble huh?" and then told me he's had problems with that model before and that he wouldn't book him again. So then I felt bad again for doing the drawing without 1st asking if he would be okay with it. I think he tried to make it a racial issue because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to justify being so upset. And he had the whole class (3 hours) to sit up there perfectly still and stew. But the moral of the story for me is I have to be more sensitive to the fact that not all people are able to laugh at themselves so I can't just go nuts and draw really exaggerated pictures of them without warning.

Actually I can't seem to upload the image. I'll try later.

2005-12-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Back from the Holidays. Not that I was away really. I actually stay home and do nothing, making my friends and family feel bad for me but I'm very happy to be alone. I'm not a person who needs much social interaction anyway and the holidays are an excuse for me to be home and in my studio but not work. So I play video games and draw whatever I want to, not what I need to.

This is an unfinished gouache and waterecolor comic cover. It needs lots of little tweeks. At this point I scan it and work on it in Painter.

2005-12-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

I must beg the forgiveness of anyone who may have seen the image from the last entry and tried to learn from it. I had previously asked a photoshop guru why the yellows seemed so dark and I now have my answer. It's because I did it all wrong. You can't just desaturate in RGB mode because um...I'll just paste what he said:

"When you desaturate in RGB, the value changes. This is because value
data is stored across 3 channels, Red Green and Blue. In LAB mode,
value data is stored only in Lightness, and the A and B color
channels have no value data. When you desaturate in LAB mode, you
are only affecting the A and B color channels. The Lightness channel
is not affected. But in RGB, it doesn't work smoothly because you
have to equalize the R, G and B channels to make gray, so the
conversion changes values chaotically in all three channels to
compensate. This information is Photoshop nerdiness of the HIGHEST
order. Don't let it get around town that I know this kind of thing. ;)"

Very sorry. Here is the corrected version.

I'm a bad B-logger

2005-12-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

Seems like yesterday I was just here, not 4 days ago. Finished 2 more freelance jobs and worked 3 events this weekend. I have lots to bitch about but I won't. It seems like this is where I vent and who wants to listen to that?
I have a meeting planned this week with a like-minded artist named Dave from LA. I haven't seen him in years but talking to him recently was very motivating. I've tried over the last few years to organize sketch nights and get-togethers for the artists I used to work with but it is almost always a disappointing turn out and basically just a waste of time. Most everyone I know is just not as motivated as I am or as I’d like to be. The opposite really, they just want to hangout and bs and it’s really de-motivating. They talk about what they want to accomplish but it’s not goals at all, just some nice situations they hope to stumble into. Talking to this guy Dave from LA made me realize I need to hang out with other types of artists or other types of people. There is a saying something to the effect “ You become like those you associate with” so my advice is to associate with those better then you at whatever it is you do. Or at least near your level so you can interact in a way that makes you think.
I guess it’s also important to identify those you shouldn’t associate with. That might be the hard part. I didn’t realize it till recently. Give it a thought right now.

The image attached is my trying to learn the concept that all colors have a value. It's one of the most important things when using color but it's hard to get an eye for. So I look at the strip of colors and try to estimate how light or dark it is then look below and see it as just a gray tone and see if I was fooled by the pretty color. I think I'm being fooled a lot by this exercise...

Monkey Woman and Jungle Boy

2005-12-07T01:07:00.000-08:00

Just finished a freelance job. Time to Party!! Actually time to start the next one. Freelance work is almost totally unsatisfying for me but unfortunately I’m not in the position to turn down the work. I need to at least get into doing the type of freelance I’d enjoy like game art or comic covers. So I need to do some sample pieces specifically for those types of companies. One piece will take about 20 hours in the beginning and maybe 10 to 15 when I have a bit of a working process nailed down. So a month or two of work to send in about a dozen samples and then hope for the best. It’s not easy being an artist and always looking for work but it beats coal mining or proctology or about a million other careers that other people suffer with.
Dealing with freelance clients is a skill in itself and I’m much better then I used to be but still not as good as I should be. I used to take every comment as an insult and get really mad about all the work required to make their “few changes”. Now I realize everyone except for me is a freaking idiot and they have no idea what good art is. I’m not jaded. Actually I don’t get angry much anymore because I realize that everyone has different tastes, artists and non-artists, and I don’t take it personally. If I am getting mad it’s almost always because I’m letting them take advantage of the working relationship. They want more and more changes and more of my time and I’m letting them control the situation. I don’t let this happen as much anymore but I’m still too nice in general when handling business and it almost always bites me in the ass. I’ll start a job without getting a contract signed and then I end up doing more then I was planning. Also unless it’s a job I’d really enjoy or I’m desperately broke I quote double what I think its worth. I’m not completely ripping them off; I just know myself and how badly I estimate the time and effort it takes to finish a job. I’m usually estimating best case scenario and also not taking into account all the time on the phone or emailing roughs and delivery, etc. Also, like I said, I don’t get much satisfaction from freelance work so I need to make it worth the (seemingly Herculean) effort it takes to work on someone else’s idea.

Changes

2005-12-07T00:57:00.000-08:00

Just changed the look of the site when I looked at it with tired eyes and tried to read the white text on Black background. Looks cool but just not as user friendly

Weekend is over, looking forward to the week.

2005-12-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

Eye-yi-yi . Or I-yei-yei.. Or however you spell it. Tired. Worked lots of parties this weekend. My brain is fatigued. It’s kind of nice though, my mind usually won’t stop buzzing when I try to sleep. Now I fall asleep in 2 minutes instead of an hour.

No focus to draw anything real tremendous right now so I’m doing paperwork and cleaning and other stuff I won’t want to be bothered with when I am inspired to create. Need to be more disciplined with my schedule or I’m not going to get all my stuff done. Thanks to a visit with No One Nowhere I’m a bit more motivated, just too busy to really get going on projects just yet. Business first. And then more business really, but the kind I enjoy, creating something.

The IRS called me the other day. They want their “civil penalty” from 2002. Those guys are really on the ball. I started a letter writing exchange with them over a year ago contesting the penalty. I sent the last letter about 8 months ago and they never replied so I had a tiny hope they were befuddled by my debating skills. I felt like the 8 year old who replies “Because why?” every time the parent says “Because I said so.” They took almost 2 years to tell me I turned in some papers late. Then couldn’t explain (in english) why only 12 out of the 18 1099’s, that I sent them all at once, were late. I never really thought I’d get out of it but at least they know they can’t fine ME without explaining why and speaking real slowly. The lady on the phone was real nice. She probably has a nickname like “The Closer” and has the highest success rate in the department. So I’m gonna bend over to the great buggering bureaucracy and send them a check.

Momentary Loss of Memory

2005-12-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is rough art for an interview with an Australian casino game company. I never made it to the interview though because I lost the tiny slip of paper I wrote the address on and I only had email contact with them. The day of the interview I was stuck. I never bothered to email them and apologize, I figured they wouldn't want to deal with such a loser anyway.
Normally my brain works well with my chaotic type of "organization". I have probably 10 such pieces of paper floating around right now with little scraps of information and I can find them if needed. But one slipped away showing me the failings of such a disorganized practice. Not that I'll change yet. Actually I found the paper the next day, between a few pieces of paper I thought I'd looked through.

My Studio

2005-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

It takes up a very small one-car garage. I never used it for a vehical anyway because my truck never fit and even with a small car you can barely open a door to get out. I wish I had more air circulating but sometimes I raise the door a foot or two and turn on a fan. Then I have to watch for stray cats .
Worked an event at Universal City Walk today. Nice people but I really have to insist to be placed away from the DJ. I didn't think it would be too bad but I was wrong of course. I can't imagine anyone wants the music that loud, I heard "What?! I can't hear you!" many, many times. DJ's are deaf or trying to impress everyone with their equipment, or both. The kids were holding their ears.

2005-12-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start with some old art and sketches. Eventually I hope to have the disipline to upload a new sketch every day. This is a crop of me as a fantasy character. Before I cut my hair and when I was thinner. And better looking but grumpy about something. And apparently I had this power to shoot a white light out of my left eye. I need to change that.

1st post

2005-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm creating this at a friends suggestion. We'll see if it proves to be more then a typing exercise.