So graphic and web design portfolio has been moved here, and I will be working to re-post my fine art and illustration to the main site here.  This may take a while, since I’m focusing more time and energy on my design work, but it will happen.  In the meantime, this site will look a little barebones and unfinished, with the blog content at the front while I work out  the details of pulling together a great looking portfolio.

Thanks for your patience and understanding while I work to get everything in order!

Initial drawing for piece I’m working on.  This was actually drawn from a collage, which is a method inspired by Colette Calascione, but is something I was toying with in the back of my mind even before I read about her process.  I’ve played a lot with collages before, and it’s a wonderful way to generate ideas (in much the same way as a cut-up).

Here is the collage I started with:

The main pieces were cut from paper print-outs and photo-copies (I have a large stash), while the leaf portion was scanned from a copy and pasted in using Photoshop.  Some more pieces were also added for balance after I saved this version.  Much like my collage work, I didn’t start with much of an initial idea.  I just chose a photo I liked and built imagery around it with a few vague concepts in mind.

In the meantime, I plan on posting a few updates to the blog, since I know I’m way behind on this.  I may also be unable to retrieve my old posts, so some reposting will be in order.  The last month or two has actually been fairly busy for me.  I’m collaborating with a couple of friends on a zine titled Undercurrent, focusing on Kansas City, and have been busily putting together my first grant.  I haven’t been drawing much or writing, but I have been reading a great deal.  I’ve been posting plenty of reviews on GoodReads.

Obviously, my old film blog, My Life in Movies, is down. I do not plan on getting it back up, since I stopped actively posting in early 2011. I have, however, already upload the contents to WordPress.com as a sort of repository. You can view old entries here. I have updated my page on the AFI 100 series I started on some 3 years ago and may continue to update little odds and ends in the future. I’m not sure if I will ever start posting again, though. It’s nice to just enjoy watching movies and feel no pressure to write about them.

Anyway, more to come soon…

First off, I’m not an expert when it comes to books about drawing. I read a few of those “how to draw ____” type books as a kid, which do teach you the basic fundamentals in a fun sort of way. But I was an obstinate kid and preferred to draw the way I wanted to draw, so after doing all the exercises with shapes would just go back to outlines. Took me years of drawing classes to break that habit. A lot of what I know about drawing comes from that instruction, and I can happily report that drawing eggs for heads is no longer a boring/stupid chore.

Now, The Artist’s Complete Guide to Drawing the Head is more advanced than these books, and if you’re a total beginner (like me at 8 years old) you might struggle a bit, but those with an understanding already of basic life-drawing principles (me at 16) should find it pretty helpful. I’m actually very experienced as far as life drawing goes, but there are particular areas in which I’m less experienced. I’m trying to improve my understanding of anatomy and am working especially on my approach to the human head, so that’s why I got this book.

I probably should have done more research on the content before doing so, because while Maughan does deal a bit with basic anatomy of the head, this book is really about a particular method of drawing the head. More specifically, using only chiaroscuro (light and dark) to model the head in pastel or charcoal, a method that goes back as far as the Renaissance. Even though he is very specific on medium, the basic method and principles can be adapted to other mediums, making this a worthwhile book for me and any artist working with the head. Not only does he cover the method and explain the principles, he demonstrates the application of the method/principles quite well through photos, etc. The book is a good size for the content, and the reproductions of the work are top quality. Additional bonuses include a section on applying more creativity by using multiple photo/life references in your work, and a detailed section on applying color theory to the previous lessons.

The only criticisms I can think are: 1) Maughan repeats a couple points a lot and 2) some sections are almost too detailed and take a while to grasp. Regarding #1, Maughan does this mainly to emphasize the basic principles of how light and shadow work. Drawing teachers often have to hammer at the same point repeatedly while demonstrating said point to change thinking and habits of students. Yes, it can get annoying, but it works. #2 mainly applies to the section on color theory (admittedly not a strength for me) and gets rather complex as regarding harmony, temperature, and analogous schemes. Nonetheless, it made me more interested in exploring more color pieces.

I definitely recommend this book if you’re wanting to get a stronger grasp of drawing the head. It does cover some basic anatomy and most important gets you to think in terms of light/dark and volume, rather than contour. Just be aware that the focus is a wee bit more specific than title implies, though thankfully broad enough that anyone in any medium can learn a thing or two.

This is a back-dated re-post of a book review that was originally posted on GoodReads.

Starting Your Career As an Artist is a book intended primarily for emerging artists, but as someone who’s a little past that level but hasn’t had the exposure/experience to consider themselves quite mid-level, I still found it useful and chock-full of valuable information. What I especially liked were the interviews with working artists, gallerists, non-profit workers, etc. about the business they do, along with the advice they gave. It’s easy to tell young artists and students what to do, very hard to show how these concepts and methods actually function. The interviews fit perfectly with what is the primary goal of the book, spelled out early on, which is to dispel the myths about making and selling art, to get emerging artists to think outside the old closed systems and pursue the best venues for their work. Then the best way to produce that work, to talk about it, to connect with the art community. While a lot of the information here is not new, it is compiled in a concise, straightforward manner that is easy to read and take in. They focus a lot of attention on pursuing alternative venues, co-ops, residencies, working with non-profits, stuff that many young artists still aren’t being encouraged to think about as potential venues or sources of support. It also encourages artists to consider whether teaching or grad school are necessary for their growth. Another bonus is the inclusion of online resources, which are so necessary in this day and age.

However, this book is not without its problems. Those seeking out alternative venues like local/regional art fairs won’t find much of use here. Miller and Wojak mention fairs as a potential venue, recommend another book to read, and pretty much leave off there. Also, while they try to push the artist to expand their thinking beyond large art centers like NYC and LA, the majority of interviews are with those working/living in New York City. I realize that as professors at Parsons, this is probably what they know best and what was most readily available to them, but I would have liked more coverage of other regions, at least some attempt to include those working in “flyover country” and rural areas. I live in a Midwestern city with an active, vibrant art scene, and I’ve met successful working artists in rural areas, so it’s not like it would be that difficult. It seemed to me that Miller and Wojak were working in a particular aesthetic milieu, which colors their thinking. Which is to say that the world of academic fine art often ignores or doesn’t deeply touch on the worlds of regional art, the art fair circuits, working portraitists, etc. This is not to say that the bulk of information covered is not useful to all artists (or even crafts-persons), but it does mean that certain readers are not going to get everything they want from the book.

But overall, I think this is a fantastic book for helping the emerging or slightly more experienced (but still baffled) artist navigate the sometimes tricky issue of making, selling, and sharing their work. It’s probably also useful for mid-career artists to uncover new venues and sources of revenue, or just make better use of internet marketing, resources, etc. It will certainly be keeping a place on my shelf for years to come.

This is an older review I posted to GoodReads back in October 2012.  It was never posted to this blog, but I’ve decided to make a backdated version available.  Hopefully, readers out there will find it was useful as I found the book.