… no amount of shading, color, or detail will ever hide poor structure. Often the problem when working from reference photos is that they are loaded with “shading, color and details”! So how do you look through all that “finishing stuff” to get to the “starting stuff”, i.e. the structure beneath? Block your artistic ears […]
Perhaps it’s because I’m a “seasoned” artist (an old guy with a nearly all white beard and wispy hair) that I am often asked to speak at art clubs and jury art shows. I could and probably should write a book on some of the “artistic oops-ies” I have observed over the years. While jurying, […]
With reference to artwork the term “abstract” was in the early 1900’s beautifully defined as “a smaller quantity containing the virtue and power of the greater.” ( (Johnson) I have never liked what I think we all think of as abstract art. You know those child like paintings of a one eyed, three breasted nude […]
“No amount of shading, color, or detail will ever offset poor structure or poor cropping” … Me. So here you are, about to draw a portrait, and with your reference photo and pencil in hand you find yourself starring at the photo that’s loaded with colors, values, lines and shades. Next, you look at your […]
There is no doubt that the many stages of creation can be and are different with every artist. For me, there seems to be five stages. INSPIRATION. Sometimes I will hang-on to an idea for months or years before the idea is revisited. One example is my sculpture, “Corvus”. I saw a huge, black […]
ABOUT ONE MILLION LITTLE MIRACLES! Did you ever have a sore toe? At first you think, “No big deal, it’s just a pinky toe” Soon you notice your whole body reacts as you begin limping around. If you limp long enough, your other leg or back will react and probably begin hurting as well. Ever […]
As an artist/sculptor/set designer/book illustrator/prop and miniature builder, I have been very blessed to make a good living at what I love to do. Some people might look at professional artists and think, “Man I wish I could do my art for a living.” The key words in that statement are “my art,” and the […]
Every artist, sculptor, writer, photographer, poet, songwriter, or film director knows what “Artistic License” is, and when to use it. Let’s take an example of how it may be used. The human body is usually between 7.5-8 heads tall. Fashion art is illustrated at about 9-12 heads tall. I most always elongate my sculpture figures […]
A HERCULEAN EFFORT It is with great pride and immense satisfaction to say that I have had the great pleasure of illustrating 10 children’s books, and have won dozens of awards. It is a production much like opening a new business. When I opened my first art store, I was amazed at the effort that […]
“It’s just pencil“, an often dismissive comment made about graphite. I love graphite drawings. Some are soft and run the full gamut from lightest light to deepest black, and yet others are hard-edged and can almost be mistaken for a pen and ink rendering. I no longer ink my cartoons or book illustrations. When scanned […]