Halloween Painting

So one of my more favorite holiday is coming up, Halloween. So this year I've decided to paint a witch. To do this also I've decided to try and do it using a collage of reference images instead of doing a photo shoot (also because my camera just died). First I need to develop the idea so out with the sketch pad.

Here is the first drawing I did last year. An ink drawing colored in Photoshop.



This is a nice drawing for a side image, the right arm going down to the broom is a good strong visual image, but for a 3/4 viewed image it is bad because it will close off the body of the witch. So new drawings will be needed.



The first drawing is very rough, but all the general ideas are there.



Still very rough but I'm liking the idea of having a lantern of some sort instead of a cauldron or wand. Also I think a hooded lantern instead of an open one thus controlling the light better and the viewers eye. Also with the moon behind the witch could create some interesting negative spaces.



Further refinement of the elements of the painting idea. It's time to go and do some research into dress styles. I'm thinking perhaps victorian although I want to see whats hip in perhaps Vogue. I'll keep you-all updated.

Drawing Cartoons

I've often been asked how do I go about drawing one of my cartoons. For a bit of background, I've always doodled. But when I was around age 11 I came across a cartoonist and TV show called, "The Draw Squad" with Commander Mark. I was hooked, I suddenly wanted to become a cartoonist not an artist (as if it were an either or choice). Soon after becoming a young-and-angry teen I vented my anger into political cartoons. I was on my high school paper as a cartoonist, with many of my political cartoons getting rejected for being too political. But over time the desire to be an artist crept back into my life so cartooning went back to being just a hobby (although a good friend of mind would like me to do an online comic with him). Now onto the drawings (which is really why you are all here and enough with my bad ramblings).



When I start just about every cartoon I start with a loosely drawn circle. I the case of this drawing I started with two. One for the Dragon's body and one for the lower part of the dress for the princess. Then I just stitch together the rest of the drawing with really loose lines and very basic shapes. As I am doing this I can see for the most part already in my mind how the finished drawing will look plus I can also start to see it on the paper too.



As you can see I further pencil in more details, but still very rough. The pencil lines are just guides to the pen and ink part. The next step after I'm confident I've got enough general pencil guides down, is to start inking. The amount of pencil by the way just comes through practice, it really can't be taught, it's a feeling kind of thing for me. Now with inking first a side note on the kind of pens I use. I've used all kinds over the years. From simple ball point pens to the higher end Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pens that come in various sized and have their own inkwells that require refilling often and are $40 a pen, they also require a lot of hand holding in the way of they leak and they need to be taken completely a part and cleaned in an ultra sound cleaner every hundred miles or so. But lately I've been using the 99 cent fine sharpie pens. They are cheep and easy to use and they are cheep. Did I mention they are cheep? Also if they get moody I just simple throw them away.
Now when I'm inking in a drawing I try to work from the front to the back, that is I draw in the objects that are in front that will be over lapping the objects in back so I know where to end my lines for those things in back.



So that is why the dragon was drawn in first, then the top part of the princess. Now a short message on mistakes. This drawing like all of my drawings are full of them. Norman Rockwell once said, "if you're ever in the presence of a mistake, you should get down on your knees and thank God for it". One of the reasons he said this is that a mistake is a challenge that pushes you to over come it or in most of my cases I use it. I make slight adjustments in my plans with the drawing and continue going forward. Also they hep you see you drawing in a new light or in a direction you never would have considered before. Plus no one except you knows what your original plans were so no one is going to see your mistakes.



Here is the finished drawing, just before I erase the pencil and thus leaving only the ink. At this point I may just leave it or in the case of this drawing. I can scan it into my computer and color it using Photoshop. I know there are easier and cheaper programs for doing this coloring part, but I've just got old version laying around so I use what I've got. and the finished drawing colored looks like this.

The Sketch Book

The sketch book is one of an artists most powerful tools. Above is just a small sample of a few sketches from one of my sketch books. Each drawing takes only about 10-15 minutes to complete, from idea rough in with pencil to final inking. I carry this sketch book around with me everywhere. Because you never know where an idea will come to you. Some of these drawings with find there way into paintings. This is how I deal with the fact that I have so many ideas, more then I'll ever have time to produce in one life time. Plus often ideas will seed more ideas, thus creating a series. In fact the bottom left drawing is being made into a painting today. I'll be posting the final scan of it on this blog as well as on of course my print site.

Conservative Fantasy?

When I do a general Google search under fantasy art, what I get is a screen full of partially nude to nude women with wings. If sex sells then fantasy artist must be making a killing. Is there place in this carnal fantasy art world for conservative fantasy artists? Perhaps as I work towards maneuvering my art into the art market at large the uniqueness of my conservative style will help to aid me in standing out in the crowd. Although I have from time to time been told by galleries that my art is too creative and that they and there collectors wouldn't know what to do or think of me. At times like this I find myself in a small way relating to the early impressionists and modern artists. A reaction that is difficult to work with. One that is neither good nor bad, just confused and bewildered.

Am I a Fan Snob

I’ve wondered lately, what is it really that bothers me about fantasy art fans and why do I care so much? I’m not talking about the average fan. I’m talking about the hard core fans. You know the ones who dress up in bad costumes and speak in even worse British accents. I wonder as a side thought, do the British fantasy fans run around using bad American accents? So why is it when I am around or even see one of these people, I feel embarrassed? Isn’t it the same as a football fan who wears the jersey of his favorite football player? The football fan isn’t a pro player as the fantasy art fan isn’t an elf. But for some reason one is normal and accepted and the other is embarrassing and ridiculed.

As I have pondered this I’ve wondered if it all goes back to how I have developed emotionally. Carefully building up my emotional confidences based around social architectural plans. Drawn up and built first in school then onto adult life. Plus I think it has to do with me secretly wanting to do it as a kid but not having the means to do so and thus hiding the pain of this with ridicule and mockery. Are not those who do these things the brave ones, despite going against the carefully developed social architectural plans? Am I not therefore the coward for secretly looking down on them? And is it not this devotion and loyalty that I seek as an artist in the core fans of my art? I think it is high time I take a hard look at myself and stop judging people based upon whatever they choose to devote themselves to. And instead admire the dedication, loyalty and the imagination of these individuals.

Traveling to HavenVale

It all begins with a keyhole. The type of medium doesn’t matter. I like to use chalk, but you can use anything. To make the keyhole, all you need to do is draw a circle, color it in and a then draw a line straight down. Its size and dimensions really don’t have to be that exact. The next part is the hardest part. You must do this with solid conviction and faith and a dash of imagination. You must say the magic words to activate the keyhole. They are ancient and some of the most difficult words for most people from the world of reality to say. They are, “I believe”. It doesn’t matter what language you use only that you truly do believe in HavenVale. The slightest doubt and chances are the only result you will get is looking the part of a fool. Now lack of faith can be made up with increased amounts of imagination. But this too in the world of Reality is increasing in short supply.

You will know it works because the keyhole will light up with a green light. If by chance the light is red, it means that the traveling network is either down or the Sentinels are blocking it in your area, usually because of smugglers.

When the keyhole light is green then you insert a key. Any key will do, but mind you make sure that the corresponding door that the key goes to is big enough for you to fit through. You will see why in a moment. Once you insert the key you must think about where it is you want to go holding it in your imagination. Then you simply say aloud the name of your destination as you turn the key in any direction. You can say simply HavenVale, which will most likely take you to the next available exit location or you can say a more precise location. Like, the Twilight Baron’s home in HavenVale. Another option is to say the address of a location if you know it.

Once you do this the really magical part happens. First a doorknob will grow out from the keyhole, then from the doorknob the rest of the door will grow out from there. The appearance of the door will be based on the type of key you use. If you use your own house key, the door will look exactly like the front door of your house, right down to the smallest details. This is why it is important that the key you use goes to a door that is big enough for you to fit through. Once in a hurry a young friend of mind, Mars pulled out an old car door key and the door to that old car appeared. He found it less then comfortable crawling through the doors opening to his destination.

Now that you have a door, remove the key and open the door, pulling it towards you. It use to be when you opened a door you opened it pushing in. But it caused all kinds of problems like people running into the sudden opened door on the other side. Once you open the door simply walk through the doorway to your spoken destination. Pulling the door closed behind you is polite manners. Failing to do so can lead to unwanted attention from the Sentinels. HavenVale or where ever it is you’ve chosen to come to is not paying to heat or cool from where ever it is you came from. Plus unwatched doors can lead to accidental migrations, whether inconvenient or dangerous. As Patrick found out one day when a small Fire Bear wandered through one of his left open doorways to Mars’ bedroom. The Fire Bear got frightened by the TV in Mars’ room (having never been to the world of Reality) and belched fire on the TV. Destroying it and almost the whole pool house with it. Luckily the fire marshal ruled the fire was caused from the sudden, unexplainable explosion of the TV. Needless to say the Fire Bear fled back through the doorway when all this happened, leaving Patrick with a mess to explain to the Sentinel and more importantly to Mars.

When you close the door behind you it will quickly fade away. If you don’t want the door to fade away, you can place the key back into the keyhole of the door turning it locking it in place. This is not encouraged either. Leaving doors like this can lead to adverse affects to both sides of the door. From Reality leaking into the other location and perhaps Magic or Spirit leaking into the world of Reality. Plus it will also lead to a thickening of the barrier that separates all the Worlds and Realms, thus making it harder to travel. And once again, the unwanted attention from the Sentinels.

The Twilight Baron

When I first met the Twilight Baron it was raining heavily outside. So he pulled this rickety old cloth-less umbrella out and opened it up. Naturally being in HavenVale I expected it to be some kind of magical umbrella thus not needing any sort of cloth cover. But to my surprise it didn't keep the rain off at all. I pointed this out to him and he simply said, "well of course not, there's no cloth cover on top." Despite this, he continued to use it in the rainy downpour. So when i returned to my study I recorded this image in my journal.