Not • Quite • Final...

It's not QUITE final yet...

I still have tweaks to do to this but it's something I am so proud of - and two weeks form now will no doubt hate! Over the summer I had attended the Illustration Masterclass where one of our teachers had challenged me to do what I was REALLY passionate about (thank you Iain!). The thing I always found most fascinating about illustration was putting a face on the characters in my favorite books. I was always drawn to the faces of the people I imagined as I read and I spent hours trying to bring them to life. This painting is my answer to that challenge as well as being an assignment from the Smart School class with Greg Manchess I took over the fall.

I consider this just a stepping stone. I have already gotten some great criticism on this already (Thanks Marc!) and will be making some tweaks over the next few weeks and will post that when it is done. The difference a truly educated eye makes is fascinating and I am all too slowly acquiring that eye myself.

Okay - did I drop enough names? With good reason. I would not have achieved this much without their knowledge and generosity!

This is a painting of one of my favorite characters of all time: Menolly.

My early influences

This is one of the several books I own on Alphonse Mucha. Many artists I know are in love with this man's work and with Art Nouveau in general. It's the design, the organic quality, the beauty, the infatuation with nature as design, it's the whole package. Maybe fashion got tired of it but artists never get tired of it. Anytime I am working n new designs I look at this work for inspiration. 

This one was the big score for me in college - I got the LAST ONE in the US - it took about a month for them to hunt it down and ship it to me and it was a frightening $80 in 1988. I have treasured this thing all my adult life and it is definitely one of my desert island books. Seeing the prices for it on Amazon kind of blew me away but I will sell my Legos before I ever part with it. It was also one of the few books that had photos of his Slav Epic and they were only black and white. You can now see them in glorious color online - I believe they are on display now. This is such a treasure trove because it has just about EVERYTHING he did...

Had to post about this - it really is one of my biggest influences and the sheer desire to paint like this is what drove me out of the graphic design program I hated and into the Illustration program I wanted...

Progress...

Part of SmArt School was doing and redoing - most of us challenged ourselves to do this because we were learning so much so fast that within only a few weeks we would look at what we had done and KNOW all the things we needed to fix or change. These were done only about 4 weeks apart but the difference amazed even me!

I still want to do another one as I am still developing in a rapid fire way...

Where to begin

This is where I began as a young artist just learning how to describe the world around me with a pencil. When I was in ninth or tenth grade it was rather obvious I was an artist. I was so lucky to have a teacher who was interested in helping me develop and I have to credit Mr. Cauvel with introducing me to this book. I have pretty much every iteration of this book and I still come back to it from time to time to refresh what it is I learned in it. 

I can honestly say if it hadn't been for Mr. Cauvel (and all my other art teachers) I wouldn't have made it at all. This book was the first big step and personally I feel every artist should have it in their library - which most do. I know this isn't really news for most artists that this book is pivotal in learning but at least for me it is one of the most important - as in if I only had ten books on a desert island important.

If you are just starting out learning how to draw - this is the best place to start for anyone.

SmArt School assignments

SmArt School with Greg Manchess has been - what you dream art school would be. Starting with thumb nailing, then final sketch to final drawing, each step of the way he pushed us to design EVERYTHING, to love every bit of the image - teaching us how ALL of it needs attention and purpose - and how exhausting it can be to do it. 

You do need to develop stamina to do this! If anyone says art is all fun - well okay they are right - but it is hard mental work, it's concentration beyond what you normally use to get through your day, it's chewing on glass while sitting on poison ivy...

Best of all I am learning to love the PROCESS...

What I am learning from

I wanted to add some of my favorite books that have inspired and educated me over the years. Andrew Loomis has one of the most amazing series of books that are thankfully being reprinted in lovely editions. This one is a great one to start with:

Figure Drawing for All It's Worth

I have found that there are a LOT of art books out there but filtering through them does take judgement and an awareness of your needs and tastes. Having said that rather pompous statement, I have to admit I buy just about everything that is on the market. Before the internet it was hard to know what was out there unless it was printed and on a shelf in a bookstore or library. These days the bar is so much higher and there is so much more great stuff out there both old and new that it's hard to know where to start.

Start with the BEST. Start with what you love and what intimidates you. Don't buy an art book because it feels safe and you feel confident you can handle it. Buy it because it scares you and excites you.

I'll be sprinkling listings for books on this blog that have done this for me. I will try to add ones that aren't as obvious as the Loomis books (so many great blogs have these listed already).

One more word of advice on art book avarice - find a really good used book store. You can find AMAZING art books for FABULOUS prices at these national treasures. Often better than what you can find on Amazon (and usually close to a coffee shop too - can't get java while shopping on Amazon... unless you walk into the kitchen.)