Re-do Morphing Assignment - Part 1 (of 4 Parts)

This is so cartooney to me . . . but how do you get around it with this assignment? Here is my new rendition. (I don't know what the (brack & white) brack fern has to do with this and neither does anyone else it appears. We'll find out today I think.)

One artist suggested that the crab enjoys the bugs collected on the front grill...clever thinking! Wish I'd thought of that.
Here is the link for the on-line lessons and the other artists' results on the Ceninni Forum. Quite clever.

http://forums.studioproducts.com/showthread.php?t=28619

UPDATE: Rob wrote on the forum today: "Wow! You guys are really warming to the subject and I'm impressed with all of them. They are absolutely individual. This three-part exercise was in preparation for illustrating a serious story about transmogrification. I will post that story later in the day and you'll see why I created this exercise. This sort of thinking will stand you in good stead for the coming assignment." (I did not post my drawings on the forum, so Rob's response was to what the other forum member artists work that was posted.)

Forum Homework Assignment

The following is an AUGUST assignment from art forum.

FORUM HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: "We'll begin with two drawings, one of a taxi (I always think of those New York Checker Taxis of the Dick Tracy era but you might have a different vision). The other drawing will be of a crab. As you know, I have quite a history with paintings those critters, so bear in mind that I will be looking at your crab with a
practised eye." -- ROB Howard (Moderator of Ceninni Forum)




CLUE # 2: Taxi-Crab. Brack and white. -- ROB



CLUE # 3: "Some of you made a joke about a taxi-crab, but that's where we're going with this. No, the final image will be about something else (and with a great story attached to it). What this evolution will be about is to take the salient parts of the taxi and those of the crab and combine them to make a new creature that shows the parentage of both (kinda like crossing a piranha with a bowling ball to produce Rosie O'Donnell). Make this new creation something that will work...something that will combine the qualities of a taxi along with those of a crab. Give it personality. I'd like to see the sketch on Friday morning. I hope that you are looking forward to this Taxi-Crab as much as I am." -- ROB

Two problems. I sort of went off on the Rosie example ... and missed the real assignment to "Make this new creation something that will work. i.e. a taxi-crab" ---ooops, hummm. Back to the drawing board for me....again. However, I did get a chuckle over this as my imagination went a little wacky. --- PAD



To see how all the other forum artists works on this assignment -- go to:
http://forums.studioproducts.com/showthread.php?t=28619&highlight=assignment

A Sketch Study a Day

A pencil study - Monsieur Marcotte by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Ingres is one of my favorites. He is just amazing.

That is my goal. A detailed pencil sketch a day surly will be beneficial to my skills.

On a Mission to Learn

Alsatian Girl by Jean-Jacques Henner (French 1829-1905)
This is the second study of profiles. How do you protray emotion in a profile ... that is the mission. I have learned that the profile changes least over the years. If you want to portray a person's likeness over their lifetime, do a profile but one must create the essense and energy of the person and that is a challenge.

I'm working on it.

HOW TO?

Painting: Franco-Flemish School (Early 15th Century) - Profile Portrait of a Lady

The black and white pencil sketch (below) is a study of this painting examining the edges and tones of the lady's face.


So far, scanning seems to be the best method though not as good as I would like.

Unfortunately, the scanner recorded the skin tones rather coarsely. The digital versions are unacceptable so far. When trying to adjust this in photoshop, if I lighten or soften the highlights, the dark values wash out and then all of the fine skin tones are lost.

I also have problems photographing my paintings in color; they go dark and when I lighten them in photoshop it never looks like the original painting.

I need to be able to make good digital black/white and color photos. What am I doing wrong? My photography is usually exceptional.

Can anyone offer some help?

Lion Changes Mind

The Lion is the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority Mascot...this was painted for my daughter's room in the house at Oklahoma State University fall of 2007.


How could painting a lion possibly change my mind. Well the lion actually didn't do it but my association with it did.

My daughter -- my independent thinking, never following the masses daughter, do everything her way daughter went through rush last spring and joined a sorority. (Say what?) Now the lion is the the sorority's mascot. Out of the blue, she asked me to do an oil painting of the lion mascot for her room at the house. I was shocked and very flattered.

This little project, this lion project led me to repentance (in the Greek "metomia" is translated repentance actually means to change the mind; change one's thinking) on some attitudes I have always held for the campus Greek life and cheerleaders and what I considered silly nonsense for a university.



I admit it. In college, I was a very serious art student and career minded. My little group of art students called these sorority girls "bow" heads and looking for "beaus" and the frat boys were "beau meat." Back then girls all wore cute little bows in their hair and at Baylor these rich girls had their nails and hair done every single week, all perfect figures and perfectly groomed every single day. They only wore clothes from Sachs 5th Avenue on Franklin Avenue. Now I was a very broke college student but had I the $$ maybe I would have attempted to join one. So it was a little class warfare in play on my part. Couldn't join 'em, make fun of them. (I repent.)

My observations of my daughter's soroity has exploded that image for there are girls of all sizes and all backgrounds. Maybe times have changed.

No serious women who are career oriented would never spend their time on such nonsense, I thought. In my life, I have found that every single thing or person that I have passed judgment on has come back to make me eat my words (a biblical principle of reciprocal judgment). And that is what is happening today.

What I have learned is this. Every single person has different needs. Not everyone would benefit from Greek life but some do. I have come to see that my daughter "needs" what an association of girlfriends can do. It is kind of like the education of the lion's pride. This "pride" ... the group can teach each other and help a very shy girl come out of her fears. In the days ahead she will learn how to work in and for her group -- team work. She will learn how to talk to and sell herself to strangers and the imporance of personal image. All of these skills are vital in the business world.

How wonderful it must feel to be a part of a group who really is committed to developing lasting relationships. That is really a good thing. It is okay to conform so long as you don't lose your soul. In fact, non-comformity in the extreme is as damaging as total-comformity. The secret to living well is balance.

Make no mistake, where there are human beings gathered together, there will be relationship problems and many challenges but for my daughter I see that this is absolutely needed, and I am really thankful that she joined.

I'm learning a thing or two too. I'm learning to be softer and more tolerant. I'm learning to be less serious.

As the girls are going through the rigors of fall rush and in all the excitement, to my daughter I say -- "you go girl!" -- I'm 100% behind you!!!!

Starting Over

Today I am starting a painting over for the third time. I've been fighting this hoping that I could salvage this stupid bluebonnet painting but I simply do not know what to do and the advice I got sort of nailed it for me because there is nothing you can do with a poorly conceived painting.

Today, however, after accepting what I knew in my heart, I am sort of getting a new energy. I have a challenge. Can a produce a bluebonnet painting that is actually a good piece of art and not a typical amateurish picturesque effort? Now I like that challenge. We shall see.

What would a professional do? First stat with a good plan, research, sketch, work-out the tones, temperature, composition, finalize the plan, and execute. I didn't do that on the previous attempts. I tried to work from memory and that usually never works for me. Anything I can see, I can successfully draw. To be honest, I didn't want to put the work into it. That thinking is now no longer allowed in my brain.

In fact, I'm wasting time trying to fix a bunch of old unfinished ill-conceived paintings in my studio. It's time to get the gesso out. Now I am on the right track!!!

Wow, that is almost theropeutic.

Committing

Getting to the point to actually commit to do something radical and challenging is difficult especially when it takes one out of one's comfort zone. (It does take faith in God; faith in self is feudal and time will bear that out. I'll talk about faith in another blog.)

In my career, it was always, "Oh yes I can do that" when I had not a clue. I just had this confidence that I could do just about anything in advertising graphics if I put my mind to it and that bore true over 30 years in the business.

Since I had to teach myself just about everything, I read lots of books and asked lots of questions and just plain figured it out. I was and am a very good problem solver.

Growing up my mom was a "can do" kind of parent. "Everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time" and "No one has the right to play god." I really did believe that. I know my intellectual limits. I would never go into science or math projects but come to think of it, I did write a lot of scientific copy (out of necessity) for my clients on such things as Asphalt Slurry manufacturing process once. The engineer read my copy and threw it down on his desk and said, "When you said you would write the technical copy, frankly, I really didn't think you could possibly do it but you did and it is very clear." I told him the reason is that if I couldn't understand the process, neither could your market. I got a very nice account as a result.

Then there was USA Airifix toy manufacturer. "Can you air-brush?" "Oh sure," I said. What I didn't tell him was how little experience air-brushing I really had. So I got a good air-brush, a manual, and produced a bunch of packaging for their toy products flying by the seat of my pants for which my client was very pleased and thus I learned how to air-brush. "Can you produce a multi-media six projector slide presentation?" Oh sure, I thought it takes a script some visual slides and a good story board. So I did my first one with six projectors which turned out to be so successful it was transferred to film for the sales force. "Can you shoot us some commercials?" Sure. On and on my whole career flying by the seat of my pants teaching myself. Now, had I really had a good strong education and training maybe I would have done something significant by now in the world. (Now this all sounds big but the only person it was "big" to was me. Hope no one will take this as bragging for I really have nothing to brag about. However, I've always performed above my true ability which I give God the credit for. He has been gracious to me.)

I'm older now and not so anxious to take on big projects. Experience makes you wiser and less of a risk taker and the older you get the less opportunity presents itself. For the first time in a long time I have an opportunity.

However, I made a move today that was very difficult for me. I committed to change. It is probably the most challenging move I have ever made. ("No guts no glory"...I keep telling myself.) I always wanted to go into the professional fine artist arena but in this case self-training can't get me there. Just drawing well won't get me there.

Now is the time to see if this is the direction for the rest of my life and the smartest thing I've realized that I have to have help.

I've committed to attend an artist technical boot camp in November in Boston organized and taught by a master artist (Rob Howard) who is phenominal in his knowlege and work (see link below). He is a consumate professional trained in the classical tradition of the old masters. I am confident that he knows what he is doing which is the requisite of a master art teacher.

There are three boot camps for artists -- Technical Boot Camp, Artists Boot Camp, Portrait Boot Camp. Lord willing I plan to go to all three. (If I can hack it.) Artists who have attended rave about these workshops.

It is do or die for me. . . as an artist. So I am putting my ego in the garbage can (good place for it), and mustering all the courage I can, but I am going to go and do the best I can. Fear and nervousness are not usually part of my personality but I am feeling it now.

I shall walk in faith and trust and go for it. It is not faith in self or tursting self; rather I am faith-ing and trusting One who is in charge of my life.

As I go along, I will blog my progress.

To see the work of Rob Howard go to:
http://forums.studioproducts.com/showthread.php?t=25788&highlight=%22rob%27s+paintings%22