Motion blur in pen and ink

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2cT83gOB84-CcS8kNjhHsAUV0LG1EwVSchL36A0s0UXKgVQrvK7IDrDebq-Ql6JHc6ewL1WC5TwAeSsyS_gAkGqqhyphenhyphenn9jSbuFurDSyVwXLiCHPn-3Rwn8ZVR-H-rC-Nm4iTxCStcDKc/s1600/charles-dana-gibson-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2cT83gOB84-CcS8kNjhHsAUV0LG1EwVSchL36A0s0UXKgVQrvK7IDrDebq-Ql6JHc6ewL1WC5TwAeSsyS_gAkGqqhyphenhyphenn9jSbuFurDSyVwXLiCHPn-3Rwn8ZVR-H-rC-Nm4iTxCStcDKc/s400/charles-dana-gibson-s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Proto motion blur by Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944).<br /><br />Previously on GurneyJourney: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/01/motion-blur.html">Motion Blur</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dana_Gibson">Gibson on Wikipedia</a>

Motion blur in pen and ink

Proto motion blur by Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944). Previously on GurneyJourney: Motion Blur Gibson on Wikipedia

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Bert Untooned

What would <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_%28Sesame_Street%29">Bert</a> from Sesame Street look like if you kept his cartoon proportions but made him otherwise real?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA_EdoHSiEEzhbsvBLWzlCVSdx0ewdhbXgmAHMzFkFEGvzKG5hbOf16Ui9Y6JuPBZlPgnJjWG_VaWfcXKrWqkQYgR9fNk-RS67mwsvfIL4rJZNxu3iksWAzHAnJzwaDXptp4qk26uYto/s1600/WyethOnTheIslandofEarraid.det.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkT0XCliWUnE4qSXaEOXE8nPrGb1Nbef7ROjHjpP0XfI55npzst6oUKEpdeJmjeJaYW2UltFTqeKpO3CmKP-WcIuPSlRNl7xTpbRexEbiMD-PK6b-9O0vgkL9i1SQmGUPMYUMNx6r6VA/s1600/Bert_Untooned.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkT0XCliWUnE4qSXaEOXE8nPrGb1Nbef7ROjHjpP0XfI55npzst6oUKEpdeJmjeJaYW2UltFTqeKpO3CmKP-WcIuPSlRNl7xTpbRexEbiMD-PK6b-9O0vgkL9i1SQmGUPMYUMNx6r6VA/s400/Bert_Untooned.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />He’s still got those caterpillar eyebrows, bug eyes, top tuft, bulbous nose and wide grin. But when we see all his details and textures, he has an altogether different charm—or creepiness. <br /><br />“<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=untooning&oe=utf-8&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1089&bih=523">Untooning</a>” has been a hot internet meme over the last few years, and it raises all sorts of questions about verisimilitude.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA_EdoHSiEEzhbsvBLWzlCVSdx0ewdhbXgmAHMzFkFEGvzKG5hbOf16Ui9Y6JuPBZlPgnJjWG_VaWfcXKrWqkQYgR9fNk-RS67mwsvfIL4rJZNxu3iksWAzHAnJzwaDXptp4qk26uYto/s1600/WyethOnTheIslandofEarraid.det.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA_EdoHSiEEzhbsvBLWzlCVSdx0ewdhbXgmAHMzFkFEGvzKG5hbOf16Ui9Y6JuPBZlPgnJjWG_VaWfcXKrWqkQYgR9fNk-RS67mwsvfIL4rJZNxu3iksWAzHAnJzwaDXptp4qk26uYto/s1600/WyethOnTheIslandofEarraid.det.jpg" /></a><br />A face that has been abstracted can be just as real to us emotionally, maybe more so. Think of African masks. Character designers at CGI animation studios are also very conscious of dialing down the realism on human characters. Too much realism can drop us into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley">uncanny valley</a>. <br /><br />I think the same thing is true of storytelling paintings, such as this illustration by N.C. Wyeth from <i>Kidnapped.</i> It’s more of a mental image he was striving for. By not showing his eyes, Wyeth makes David Balfour seem more lost in the fog. <br />----------<br />Bert from <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/21/bert.html">BoingBoing </a><br />See Mario, Charlie Brown, and other Untooned characters at <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/04/untooned-cartoon-characte_n_410448.html?slidenumber=Z9ksyxqowJ0%3D&slideshow#slide_image">Huffington Post </a><br />Related GJ post about <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/12/face-detection.html">camera face detection </a>

Bert Untooned

What would Bert from Sesame Street look like if you kept his cartoon proportions but made him otherwise real? He’s still got those caterpil...

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Character Design Interview

I'm really excited to have been interviewed by the <a href="http://james-gurney-interview.blogspot.com/">Character Design blog</a>. If you scroll down to end of the chat, there is a portfolio of 35 drawings that I did of people, animals, and cars, mostly from observation.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr_cvjzxzyHB-t01ePw6OFXlwep7wJ67BpLjnSqsiZBJlvkCH3jASy47_u2BVElvAZgADDgetnI1yOYiLpsyUUI9iL4kLbJLQilnTnDzvx_JSlJeMEow5M91CoiHLNs6oNYcz7S0ekPk/s1600/Character_Design_Blog.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr_cvjzxzyHB-t01ePw6OFXlwep7wJ67BpLjnSqsiZBJlvkCH3jASy47_u2BVElvAZgADDgetnI1yOYiLpsyUUI9iL4kLbJLQilnTnDzvx_JSlJeMEow5M91CoiHLNs6oNYcz7S0ekPk/s400/Character_Design_Blog.gif" width="400" /></a><br />The blog has a very deep archive of interviews with artists who work for the most part in the field of concept art, character design and animation, such as <a href="http://nate-wragg-interview.blogspot.com/">Nate Wragg</a>, <a href="http://jason-deamer-interview.blogspot.com/">Jason Deamer, and </a><a href="http://kei-acedera-interview.blogspot.com/">Kei Acedera</a><br /><br /><a href="http://james-gurney-interview.blogspot.com/">Character Design interview with James G.</a><br /><a href="http://characterdesignlinks.blogspot.com/">List of all interviews on Character Design</a>

Character Design Interview

I'm really excited to have been interviewed by the Character Design blog . If you scroll down to end of the chat, there is a portfolio o...

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Bold New Art in the White House

The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/arts/design/07borrow.html">New York Times</a> and the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/obamas-modern-art-photos_n_311958.html?slidenumber=2#slide_image">Huffington Post</a> reported recently that the Obamas have redecorated sections of the White House with prime examples of animation art from the Walt  Disney Company, based on a comprehensive licensing agreement that will also bring Disney art to Capitol Hill and the Pentagon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIEPvNz9f0hsSKm0HeUaTLtMEyNuEGq9v5i2U2FWuEd8jFnp9JX0JqAwMZCaELCKhW1FWW7VqOH1ENQAcKxm37SF-0LFFQk24ZncSBI3x8e9lr44K_b1nerUic5ECD6L1CHbqchgGDPk/s1600/redroom-whitehouse-interiors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIEPvNz9f0hsSKm0HeUaTLtMEyNuEGq9v5i2U2FWuEd8jFnp9JX0JqAwMZCaELCKhW1FWW7VqOH1ENQAcKxm37SF-0LFFQk24ZncSBI3x8e9lr44K_b1nerUic5ECD6L1CHbqchgGDPk/s400/redroom-whitehouse-interiors.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mhjTEtkpPydMs3KwziEO0OExWWT4cJEpC3eXkMP97njscwnsvTEl656Ltiz5mJtFh9IDOO3f-LdLIpUwBdfM-ENf7pKwprGfo6uCKmkxl80QyXHNryN437nYrc7T4Hl3f3GhdNkuu8A/s1600/redroom-whitehouse-interiors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Reporter Carl Vogel reports:<br /><blockquote> The Obamas’ taste in art includes works from "Snow White," "Pinocchio," "Lady and the Tramp," and four other Disney classics. Works from those films were among some 45 pieces that the first couple borrowed from the Disney archives to decorate their private White House residence and the West and East Wings, the White House press office announced on Tuesday. </blockquote><blockquote><div class="inlineLeft" id="articleInline"><div id="inlineBox"><div class="story"><div class="summary"></div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote>It is a big, wide selection of mostly background painting with custom animation cels created to fit within the historic frames that are part of the White House's decor.</blockquote><blockquote>In the weeks before the inauguration Michael Smith, the Obamas’ decorator, paid a visit to Disney headquarters to talk about what art he could borrow. </blockquote><blockquote>“We have one rule: We want to lighten the nation's mood right now. We think animation art is a good way to do it, and it's a vital American art form." </blockquote><blockquote>Mr. Smith, working with Michelle Obama and the White House curator, William Allman, made choices for the first family’s living quarters and office areas after perusing the Web sites of several motion picture studios. </blockquote><blockquote><br />“Michael Smith came to us with a long list of artists and asked me what was available,” Kerry Borvin, chief curator at the Disney archives, said in a telephone interview. “There are some very interesting figures. It’s more interesting and shows a greater diversity of art than I’ve seen.” </blockquote>-------<br />New York Times article: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/arts/design/07borrow.html">"A Bold and Modern White House" </a><br />Huffington Post article: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/obamas-modern-art-photos_n_311958.html?slidenumber=2#slide_image">"Obama's Modern Art" </a><br />Related Post from GurneyJourney (April 1, 2010) <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/dinotopia-themed-caskets.html">"Dinotopia Themed Caskets"</a>

Bold New Art in the White House

The New York Times and the Huffington Post reported recently that the Obamas have redecorated sections of the White House with prime examp...

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Posing in the Picture-Show

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCRa5H_zZ99mzxsmKx0RuIe9XLoJiVagB1G2291wYXILBA5KOVELn_f4fTlTWlxU9gJRTzSv4lntPnzf1v-tNBcXM6q08E1J1ltRTxDczS3T272ppBeT4p6sd-495MIBRWrTxUj5vW8/s1600/Shepard_PictureShow.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>In 1922, Punch magazine published the following E.H. Shepard cartoon:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCRa5H_zZ99mzxsmKx0RuIe9XLoJiVagB1G2291wYXILBA5KOVELn_f4fTlTWlxU9gJRTzSv4lntPnzf1v-tNBcXM6q08E1J1ltRTxDczS3T272ppBeT4p6sd-495MIBRWrTxUj5vW8/s1600/Shepard_PictureShow.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCRa5H_zZ99mzxsmKx0RuIe9XLoJiVagB1G2291wYXILBA5KOVELn_f4fTlTWlxU9gJRTzSv4lntPnzf1v-tNBcXM6q08E1J1ltRTxDczS3T272ppBeT4p6sd-495MIBRWrTxUj5vW8/s640/Shepard_PictureShow.sm.jpg" width="456" /></a><br />“To brighten the modern picture-show, could not people be persuaded to pose in front of their own portraits?”

Posing in the Picture-Show

In 1922, Punch magazine published the following E.H. Shepard cartoon: “To brighten the modern picture-show, could not people be persuaded to...

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Step-by-Step Satire

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5F889oE2GXNY5rsb4zvFz0Osa3CJ2Miy9B92vjgJ4BFJD_CSwVsInreWN0FPpSL2IUASpdNgGfQHZiilRn_MoWDdeKZGthO3S_iCitHrVM359-oUMv_1DGBVNqkv3ph_EalaZVTqW0gM/s1600/How_to_Draw_Circle.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5F889oE2GXNY5rsb4zvFz0Osa3CJ2Miy9B92vjgJ4BFJD_CSwVsInreWN0FPpSL2IUASpdNgGfQHZiilRn_MoWDdeKZGthO3S_iCitHrVM359-oUMv_1DGBVNqkv3ph_EalaZVTqW0gM/s400/How_to_Draw_Circle.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> How to draw a circle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLp1uFNxquMdDdGv_Ok9vZIv47PPEctIy4MxpAwJ5frZiS36f8FyiOPIwFAfQ8rBr3pM4r-AhqNt-7-YzpZPmW_ZCg2JEGNzpUIt-qL6HfFf4yq2fCW4jX7hmhAG11BTwm5QO4J4o9AE/s1600/How_to_Draw_Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLp1uFNxquMdDdGv_Ok9vZIv47PPEctIy4MxpAwJ5frZiS36f8FyiOPIwFAfQ8rBr3pM4r-AhqNt-7-YzpZPmW_ZCg2JEGNzpUIt-qL6HfFf4yq2fCW4jX7hmhAG11BTwm5QO4J4o9AE/s320/How_to_Draw_Owl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">How to draw an owl. Step 1. Draw some circles. Step 2. Draw the rest of the #%@** owl.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> ---------</div><a href="http://peewee.itgo.com/funpak/card15.html">Mouse / Circle from PeeWee's Playhouse</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cardesignfetish.com/2010/12/21/how-to-draw-anything-in-two-easy-steps">Owl from Car Design Fetish</a><br />Thanks, Matt Connery!

Step-by-Step Satire

 How to draw a circle. How to draw an owl. Step 1. Draw some circles. Step 2. Draw the rest of the #%@** owl.  --------- Mouse / Circle from...

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Mort Drucker Video

Stephen Silver has made a documentary about Mad magazine caricaturist Mort Drucker. The teaser does its job. I want to see more!<br /><br /><object height="285" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VseZYszrtjM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VseZYszrtjM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="285"></embed></object> <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VseZYszrtjM">Teaser on YouTube</a>

Mort Drucker Video

Stephen Silver has made a documentary about Mad magazine caricaturist Mort Drucker. The teaser does its job. I want to see more! Teaser on ...

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Elder Mad Man

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u_Yc3X-uo7xi6UGgwmj8gxAXptB6YcXCUTDWFbutMt61p6BkNxi2O9lZk7MYJEXRcip0PJumc_GUGYKYIH3B9svHi7XhShikikPOx6C2OyayGJ_yvr14rlntgcuZ10ZfBFd3cr6uhN6E/s1600/Mingo_Alfred_E_Neuman_1956.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Some artists of advanced age might feel that they’re too old to really make a mark in their field. The business belongs to the young, they might think. <br /><br />Consider the career of Norman Mingo (1896-1980), Mad Magazine’s most celebrated cover artist. A veteran of the World War One, he painted his first Mad cover in 1956 at age 60. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u_Yc3X-uo7xi6UGgwmj8gxAXptB6YcXCUTDWFbutMt61p6BkNxi2O9lZk7MYJEXRcip0PJumc_GUGYKYIH3B9svHi7XhShikikPOx6C2OyayGJ_yvr14rlntgcuZ10ZfBFd3cr6uhN6E/s1600/Mingo_Alfred_E_Neuman_1956.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u_Yc3X-uo7xi6UGgwmj8gxAXptB6YcXCUTDWFbutMt61p6BkNxi2O9lZk7MYJEXRcip0PJumc_GUGYKYIH3B9svHi7XhShikikPOx6C2OyayGJ_yvr14rlntgcuZ10ZfBFd3cr6uhN6E/s400/Mingo_Alfred_E_Neuman_1956.sm.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />And what a cover! It was the definitive portrait of the cheerful simpleton Alfred E. Neuman. Every Mad artist thereafter has been required to match Mingo’s version, and they agree: no one can top it. The painting sold at auction two years ago for more than 200,000 dollars.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZQ7idALnZfyCK3eKRNsreJYTSDC8wt48Y0gjdK99GXGIp1RkmR1pYFl1I_z4BfxqLW1qwLrt9iIHnGk61ckKKYOX6IfrkftJ5oqHnissMQ6Hl0RrzMmplKoZHDDNDu2esClfmU5jKCoz/s1600/Mingo_Mad_1968.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZQ7idALnZfyCK3eKRNsreJYTSDC8wt48Y0gjdK99GXGIp1RkmR1pYFl1I_z4BfxqLW1qwLrt9iIHnGk61ckKKYOX6IfrkftJ5oqHnissMQ6Hl0RrzMmplKoZHDDNDu2esClfmU5jKCoz/s400/Mingo_Mad_1968.sm.jpg" width="297" /></a><br />Norman Mingo went on to paint well over a hundred classic covers for Mad, up until his death in 1980. His influence on the current generation of American picturemakers is right up there with Frank Frazetta, Jack Kirby, R. Crumb, Chuck Jones, and Jim Henson.  <br />-------<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Art-Visual-Celebration-Magazine/dp/0823030806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291487674&sr=1-1">The book “Mad Art” by Mark Evanier tells the story of Mingo and the other Mad artists.</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Mingo">Norman Mingo on Wikipedia  </a>

Elder Mad Man

Some artists of advanced age might feel that they’re too old to really make a mark in their field. The business belongs to the young, they m...

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Stymied

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABkLnkxmhottnPH8hhByXbyyDl-rwLr4Wfc6oPOLgboFbpMhboK3heHl4yoj58012eRlS4HRxxTW9g3NH1ZBUuQDv39ngiNqT5uKRCEloPA2Os-Lks2dSafhNR3ZFfbubX790fmmZ-kBT/s1600/Stymied.Det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>“Stymied: A Cornish Sketching Tragedy” by Ernest H. Shepard in 1925.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW3dQodBke1Z-0YhvhzsSwPBqFLTw6zctBElISwmCdnSjjHzQF7c7-szjS7Ax6y0sNrde9Adp0yJWgjZdUDOzuIJrC7pTU7YFwFX8yC80wEiNk6r47xk17vGPkWkFMLalQHxEPUzGuv-U/s1600/Sketching_Tragedy.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW3dQodBke1Z-0YhvhzsSwPBqFLTw6zctBElISwmCdnSjjHzQF7c7-szjS7Ax6y0sNrde9Adp0yJWgjZdUDOzuIJrC7pTU7YFwFX8yC80wEiNk6r47xk17vGPkWkFMLalQHxEPUzGuv-U/s400/Sketching_Tragedy.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Shepard, better known for his Winnie the Pooh illustrations, was also a frequent contributor to the British humor magazine Punch. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABkLnkxmhottnPH8hhByXbyyDl-rwLr4Wfc6oPOLgboFbpMhboK3heHl4yoj58012eRlS4HRxxTW9g3NH1ZBUuQDv39ngiNqT5uKRCEloPA2Os-Lks2dSafhNR3ZFfbubX790fmmZ-kBT/s1600/Stymied.Det.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABkLnkxmhottnPH8hhByXbyyDl-rwLr4Wfc6oPOLgboFbpMhboK3heHl4yoj58012eRlS4HRxxTW9g3NH1ZBUuQDv39ngiNqT5uKRCEloPA2Os-Lks2dSafhNR3ZFfbubX790fmmZ-kBT/s320/Stymied.Det.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />There’s a lot of knowledge and experience behind those apparently scribbly lines. <br />-----------<br />Previous GJ Post about <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/07/eh-shepards-academic-studies.html">Shepard’s training in the Royal Academy.</a><br />From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FUN-FANTASY-DRAWINGS-ERNEST-SHEPARD/dp/B00194ES0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290955707&sr=1-1">“Fun and Fantasy,” Drawings from Punch, Methuen & Co. London, 1927.</a><br />For a good illustrated bio, see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-H-Shepard-Wisdom-Pooh/dp/0416867707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290955824&sr=1-1">The Work of E H Shepard, by Knox, 1980.</a><br />Thanks, Dave!

Stymied

“Stymied: A Cornish Sketching Tragedy” by Ernest H. Shepard in 1925. Shepard, better known for his Winnie the Pooh illustrations, was also a...

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Spectrum 17

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBid73t1N-QHUmoXE0fa2q34mxBZESYILwr7Y2N2KAb1aXZgWsYcaCLn7_MC11G8u3eH_TU56JNhM_B1mMq18fTsr_0hyphenhyphentsGWZ6oQ7BDtpF_7sybQbIiAlIi9JS9p_0u0A__8o01DOZYhQ/s1600/Spectrum_17_Fantastic_Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The new issue of Spectrum has touched down on store shelves and mailboxes. The oversize art book showcases 400 digital and traditional paintings by 300 artists in the field of contemporary fantastic art.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBid73t1N-QHUmoXE0fa2q34mxBZESYILwr7Y2N2KAb1aXZgWsYcaCLn7_MC11G8u3eH_TU56JNhM_B1mMq18fTsr_0hyphenhyphentsGWZ6oQ7BDtpF_7sybQbIiAlIi9JS9p_0u0A__8o01DOZYhQ/s1600/Spectrum_17_Fantastic_Art.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBid73t1N-QHUmoXE0fa2q34mxBZESYILwr7Y2N2KAb1aXZgWsYcaCLn7_MC11G8u3eH_TU56JNhM_B1mMq18fTsr_0hyphenhyphentsGWZ6oQ7BDtpF_7sybQbIiAlIi9JS9p_0u0A__8o01DOZYhQ/s320/Spectrum_17_Fantastic_Art.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />The categories include Advertising, Book, Comics, Concept Art, Dimensional, Editorial, Institutional, and Unpublished. <br /><br />In an essay at the beginning of the book, co-founder Arnie Fenner gives a health assessment of each of those categories. Even though times are tough, the artists overall have managed to produce some of the most striking, memorable, and ambitious paintings ever, making it clear that we’re living right now in the Golden Age of fantastic art.  <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-17-Best-Contemporary-Fantastic/dp/1599290448/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">Spectrum 17 at Amazon</a><br /><a href="http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/news.php">Spectrum News</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3YoLxeom8M&feature=player_embedded">Video Flip-Through</a><br /><a href="http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/full_content.php?article_id=1263&full=yes&pbr=1">Spectrum 18 Call for Entries</a>

Spectrum 17

The new issue of Spectrum has touched down on store shelves and mailboxes. The oversize art book showcases 400 digital and traditional paint...

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Rock Face

In the recent post on <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/08/scart-road.html">Scart Road,</a> we compared notes about the challenge of producing a topographically accurate drawing on location. <br /><br />But you may wish to start with a very different objective—changing what you see to match a mental impression. That’s what I did here with a sketch of a rock formation drawn while sitting high on a cliff at Mohonk Preserve in New York. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpIcVuKUmC_kjoq0oWhiIxRtDQZ-OJL59gnpiVKD5sKLcYCk2f2DEhlfJyCaHDJe3Kl3GQxPxMsTIbLzKaUR-PO1p-5vTAZ_2ogXJ20VOUTe9thGHd0pApMi7C_r34KdQjlxn3WbMt6H0/s1600/Rock_Face_Comparison.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507149553397340786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpIcVuKUmC_kjoq0oWhiIxRtDQZ-OJL59gnpiVKD5sKLcYCk2f2DEhlfJyCaHDJe3Kl3GQxPxMsTIbLzKaUR-PO1p-5vTAZ_2ogXJ20VOUTe9thGHd0pApMi7C_r34KdQjlxn3WbMt6H0/s400/Rock_Face_Comparison.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" /></a>What struck me about the formation was that it looked like an old man’s craggy face. In this case, I wasn’t interested in a literal interpretation. I wanted to exaggerate the forms just a bit to make my idea come across. Note the changes:<br /><br />1. Make face area larger, forehead area smaller.<br />2. Bring out chin.<br />3. Downplay peripheral areas of the scene and focus the strongest accents on eyes, nose and mouth.<br />4. Emphasize the the brow wrinkles and the creases on the bottom lip.<br /><br />You could do the same idea with craggy roots or robot-like mechanical forms.

Rock Face

In the recent post on Scart Road, we compared notes about the challenge of producing a topographically accurate drawing on location. But y...

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Portraitist’s Dilemma

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6depXsQL5Twt5fu0oBWA4epULxumBbNQujciNFvzFfUIgpsCUN0m9GcrPKrkk3cNsUNs3niTi-o7-CeiY43DVFL1SFbW9Ev3yQpf1MA0VZl3AYepAEJciBCUUZgGFMxoQuA5FMlsTCTH/s1600/sargent_caricature.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506794793360139986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6depXsQL5Twt5fu0oBWA4epULxumBbNQujciNFvzFfUIgpsCUN0m9GcrPKrkk3cNsUNs3niTi-o7-CeiY43DVFL1SFbW9Ev3yQpf1MA0VZl3AYepAEJciBCUUZgGFMxoQuA5FMlsTCTH/s400/sargent_caricature.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />A cartoon of John Singer Sargent from 1917.<br /><br />"Here's Sargent doing the Duchess X<br />In pink velours and pea-green checks.<br />'It helps,' says he, 'to lift your Grace<br />A bit above the commonplace.'"<br /> <br />From "Confessions of a Caricaturist," by Oliver Herford. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CQoPAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=confessions+of+a+caricaturist+by+oliver+herford&source=bl&ots=9K3SL1c3Ad&sig=wMUhFfmcnP2cfS_VbjC4v0bVIoI&hl=en&ei=IhFsTNSYEoP78Aao14mhCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">Available for download from Google Books.</a>

Portraitist’s Dilemma

A cartoon of John Singer Sargent from 1917. "Here's Sargent doing the Duchess X In pink velours and pea-green checks. 'It helps...

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Sinnott Visit

I paid a visit to Joe Sinnott and his son Mark yesterday. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kTQ6ONjElFyvrUGzz33luuW7DmeIEtYqC5Z1YGoymFRw_O4QjugDTtv9TmVHU0TZHBFsxiWtth_c1crfGfLEcIxrUbUhbk95Q6vpytiI5qlMfJdhFPNNV4segRpmqAONsOO6fRV1plXo/s1600/Jim_and_Joe.sm.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501931245300990002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kTQ6ONjElFyvrUGzz33luuW7DmeIEtYqC5Z1YGoymFRw_O4QjugDTtv9TmVHU0TZHBFsxiWtth_c1crfGfLEcIxrUbUhbk95Q6vpytiI5qlMfJdhFPNNV4segRpmqAONsOO6fRV1plXo/s400/Jim_and_Joe.sm.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" /></a><br />Joe told stories of living for a dollar a day in New York City when he was a student at the “School for Cartoonists and Illustrators” (later redubbed “School of Visual Arts”). Tarzan artist Burne Hogarth was one of his teachers. Later Joe inked most of Jack Kirby’s “Fantastic Four” for Marvel during the classic years. <br /><br />I gave Joe a printed-out version of the recent blog post on restoring school funding, so he could read every one of the wonderful comments you all made. Joe hadn’t seen the post because he doesn’t do computers: “Wouldn’t know how to plug the thing in,” he said. <br /><br />He still inks Spiderman Sunday comics at age 83, though he says you can’t get as good a sable brush these days. And he had to switch to a pen because they print the comics so small now.<br /><br />Previous post on Joe in <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/07/restoring-art-programs.html">"Restoring Art Programs."</a><br /><a href="http://www.joesinnott.com/">Joe Sinnott.com</a>

Sinnott Visit

I paid a visit to Joe Sinnott and his son Mark yesterday. Joe told stories of living for a dollar a day in New York City when he was a stude...

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Restoring Art Programs

Comic art legend Joe Sinnott grew up in Saugerties, New York. At age 83, he still lives there and he still works for Marvel. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcCmV7-ga1OWdNBCfexuLcvPd7rNgJw0B8GLTQCBf_3gRqfbIGiPXLPTBsaKckOVIwSkpSs6AmglSzaVN6qQ6tSXBUZ94uik_AevHs2XabE9DP9rnocu83qugr3njR4h7n9gMxiBUhkX9/s1600/Joe.Sinnott.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498974825275460194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcCmV7-ga1OWdNBCfexuLcvPd7rNgJw0B8GLTQCBf_3gRqfbIGiPXLPTBsaKckOVIwSkpSs6AmglSzaVN6qQ6tSXBUZ94uik_AevHs2XabE9DP9rnocu83qugr3njR4h7n9gMxiBUhkX9/s400/Joe.Sinnott.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 400px;" /></a>When the Saugerties school board decided to cancel the art program, he wrote a letter describing how he owes his career to the encouragement of art teachers.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6bMo_jHaJPNTkbXT0Z4psezpalgN0c53-DgEkAPyguYamXhzQU1qOOU-OdD7SPzdjKq7009mp53xHl9b6_9c_u4qlYAcsIfmCSC1MUTRkMp7rJNMaP_uZ7mMn5Sh4IVJtHMZhukC2VK7/s1600/Sinnott.Thor.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498976089473629042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6bMo_jHaJPNTkbXT0Z4psezpalgN0c53-DgEkAPyguYamXhzQU1qOOU-OdD7SPzdjKq7009mp53xHl9b6_9c_u4qlYAcsIfmCSC1MUTRkMp7rJNMaP_uZ7mMn5Sh4IVJtHMZhukC2VK7/s400/Sinnott.Thor.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 400px;" /></a><blockquote>“I know that today it’s much harder to get into art schools and colleges, and that it is a necessity to have high school art credits to apply to these schools. The creativity starts in the early years, and I have lectured for the children at Riccardi, Cahill, Grant D. Morse and Saugerties High School to enthusiastic students. …Art is not just a fun subject. It is a career choice for many. Without it, many talents will be wasted.”</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/07/27/opinion/doc4c48b456b39b4961242321.txt">Joe Sinnott’s entire letter.</a><br /><a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/07/12/news/doc4c3a7b818df2d317905303.txt">Report on hopes to restore the art program</a> at the Sauguerties School District<br />Image from <a href="http://www.wizards-keep.com/index.asp-Q-Page-E-joe-sinnott--61977786">Wizard's Keep</a>, which has more art and a bio of Joe Sinnott.

Restoring Art Programs

Comic art legend Joe Sinnott grew up in Saugerties, New York. At age 83, he still lives there and he still works for Marvel. When the Sauger...

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Akira at the Toonseum

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ9FZjdzO4lSN80XcZZYi5asyk0SmH17eEoz6PmdrIJMPPUaIXP6sjl7VNrhjDICsqvXUrWVJKun8ehKNnnRXVj0LwQC6E41_kXzziCXtYBFrFDktuZrBUTg9l2bEzIPFeK_eVBnjFJJC/s1600/akira.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488214927576843986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ9FZjdzO4lSN80XcZZYi5asyk0SmH17eEoz6PmdrIJMPPUaIXP6sjl7VNrhjDICsqvXUrWVJKun8ehKNnnRXVj0LwQC6E41_kXzziCXtYBFrFDktuZrBUTg9l2bEzIPFeK_eVBnjFJJC/s400/akira.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 377px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.toonseum.org/">Toonseum</a> is a new museum of cartoon art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is currently hosting an exhibition of art from the animated film Akira.<br /><br />Akira, set in twenty-first-century post-World War III Japan, was directed by comic artist Katsuhiro Otomo. Released in the USA in 1990, Akira was one of the last feature films created with traditional hand-painted cel and painted background technique.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJnnGa41LoP6WkMgO65K_7EWnGTljXSJi-x0CcSaoo64jU4DQ4_wtHrHKJbuvbeZ8uBIVU3y-yLnvHOqCh0xNgU3yPKXWBzWaNBJxHRUaz1_sypUpcDzKV9m51EqD-eYe9l-tnM-FAA_A/s1600/Toonzeum_Akira.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488211844538974802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJnnGa41LoP6WkMgO65K_7EWnGTljXSJi-x0CcSaoo64jU4DQ4_wtHrHKJbuvbeZ8uBIVU3y-yLnvHOqCh0xNgU3yPKXWBzWaNBJxHRUaz1_sypUpcDzKV9m51EqD-eYe9l-tnM-FAA_A/s320/Toonzeum_Akira.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 220px;" /></a>On display are stunning perspective layout drawings and renderings of science fiction cityscapes, as well as effects animation cels and character designs. All of the art comes from the collection of Joe Peacock.<br /><br />Toonseum is one of only two museums in the USA dedicated exclusively to art from the comic strip, graphic novel, comic book, and animated film. Earlier museums in Rye, New York; Boca Raton, Florida; and Northampton, Massachusetts are sadly no longer in operation.<br /><br />Toonseum is very small—the size of a gallery or shopfront, but it’s fun to visit because it’s run by artists. They encourage you to sit down and draw on an actual worktable from one of Disney’s early animators.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2Vw8h7Tt6paXSqc4_BvzuQEhrRKlGS5CIbhtP4xaDTG6e0wXrOjH2QkO5H90zhvLd_xBF-jNdvhVWXKRj-IJ7-jyoRDQwJn3aAVhRaENQg3mzDDT6e6svezWc-gXlM7T649pGF-PnqEY/s1600/Gurney_Gertie.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488214647808057330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2Vw8h7Tt6paXSqc4_BvzuQEhrRKlGS5CIbhtP4xaDTG6e0wXrOjH2QkO5H90zhvLd_xBF-jNdvhVWXKRj-IJ7-jyoRDQwJn3aAVhRaENQg3mzDDT6e6svezWc-gXlM7T649pGF-PnqEY/s320/Gurney_Gertie.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" /></a>They even granted me the geek dream of holding an original drawing from “Gertie the Dinosaur” by Winsor McCay.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3LydQO5t_Xf_gplEUxhqT0wwkCIncj3CClMbNCfNazc2IpIKekcZlVgnc_uHh1kmtIZbV_Qw4fEMUYUqrTDFN2P5xY5VQsYjOcmIFf1D1_0EfxKWNRkaEZdW6fnhcmlyF2E2-EHYoOTL/s1600/Toonzeum.SketchWall.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488211848705577554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3LydQO5t_Xf_gplEUxhqT0wwkCIncj3CClMbNCfNazc2IpIKekcZlVgnc_uHh1kmtIZbV_Qw4fEMUYUqrTDFN2P5xY5VQsYjOcmIFf1D1_0EfxKWNRkaEZdW6fnhcmlyF2E2-EHYoOTL/s320/Toonzeum.SketchWall.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 223px;" /></a><br />And they talked me into doodling on the hall-of-fame group sketch.<br /><br />Toonseum is located at 945 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. It’s open from 9 to 3 on most days, Wednesday through Sunday. The Akira exhibit will be on view through July 18.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.toonseum.org/">Toonseum.org</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.toonseum.org/about_us.html">Hours and admission</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.toonseum.org/about_us.html"><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:black;" ><o:p></o:p></span></a></p> <!--EndFragment--><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIZZoHF8VmQ">YouTube interview with Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo</a>

Akira at the Toonseum

Toonseum is a new museum of cartoon art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is currently hosting an exhibition of art from the animated film Ak...

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Attack of the Tool People

On May 16, at the <a href="http://www.delart.org/prog_events/adult_prog/index.html">Delaware Art Museum,</a> I’ll be offering a workshop called “Attack of the Tool People.” We’ll be designing mischievous monsters that are part household tool and part human. Below: Henrich Kley <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyAAy-0qznH43mfY3CWYhc8nAaLRo9mhdcMSp69hOTUZRYpmCykFlw7au5t_M-YRyq7W6WieU9VximZa1hm7eikBhTZpoHT-7KUaVNWZ_E7-VRjZXf4DNtW1ZKe61YaZwg2NRTXvmnxuE/s1600/Kley.ToolPeople.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457460406894023186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyAAy-0qznH43mfY3CWYhc8nAaLRo9mhdcMSp69hOTUZRYpmCykFlw7au5t_M-YRyq7W6WieU9VximZa1hm7eikBhTZpoHT-7KUaVNWZ_E7-VRjZXf4DNtW1ZKe61YaZwg2NRTXvmnxuE/s400/Kley.ToolPeople.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" /></a>This workshop is for all ages and ability levels. If you come, you can also see the Dinotopia exhibition and the fabulous collection of Howard Pyle and Pre-Raphaelites. Below: Boris Artzybasheff.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAzcnDbTsFyfsmtm5XYHg8KOjSNXPeOHlCioSRoaXlYlaOqn0Lk6NA5yqla4t1Els2wQNgYLiFs4_dsyq_9CGq4vhM2Sun1TssN5EO4R6LbB2HMp5KG8q6nYiTKCzEetT1MYVyjXifd4y/s1600/www.cartage.org.lb:...:Artzybasheff.htm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457460412487481090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAzcnDbTsFyfsmtm5XYHg8KOjSNXPeOHlCioSRoaXlYlaOqn0Lk6NA5yqla4t1Els2wQNgYLiFs4_dsyq_9CGq4vhM2Sun1TssN5EO4R6LbB2HMp5KG8q6nYiTKCzEetT1MYVyjXifd4y/s400/www.cartage.org.lb:...:Artzybasheff.htm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 204px;" /></a>Here’s the backstory: Whenever your Do List gets more than 10 items long, a mysterious enchantment travels into the closets and drawers of your house, bringing a “Tool Person” to life. Tool people are impish superheroes that arise from common household objects. They want to help you with your Do List, but their way of fixing things is unorthodox at best and dangerous at worst. That’s why you want to keep your Do List short. (The Tool People are hammering and sawing in my house every night.) <br /><br />Here's information for those attending: <br /><br />Please bring:<br />1. A tool from the kitchen, art studio or workshop.<br />It should suggest a face or a head, but it doesn’t have to be symmetrical. It might be a wine cork puller, nutcracker, tea strainer, can opener, adjustable pliers, hammer, hole punch, pencil sharpener, drill, camera, or a few computer part. Bring a few other spare parts for components.<br /><br />2. An action figure or doll.<br />It can be any size. It doesn’t have to match the size of the tool. <br /><br />3. Your favorite drawing media. <br />Everybody should bring a couple of regular pencils and an eraser to get started with concept work.<br /><br />If you like, you can also bring markers or watercolors, but please no oils because a lot of people are sensitive to the fumes. I recommend bringing a set of water-soluble colored pencils. Caran- d'Ache Supracolor, Derwent Inktense, Prismacolor, or other brands are OK. Twelve or eighteen colors should be more than enough. If you don't want to get a whole set, you can buy about six or seven individual pencils. <br /><br />If you bring the water-soluble colored pencils, I also recommend bringing a water brush. This is a hollow-handled plastic brush with a nylon fiber tip, marketed under the name Niji or Kuretake and other brand names. Fill the handle with water from the tap.<br /><br />4. Sketchbook paper or card stock. <br />The paper should be fairly heavy and smooth. You can use watercolor paper in a separate sheet or a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook, which is perfect.<br /><br />Recommended for all ages and both beginner and advanced students. Those of you who came to the February workshop are most welcome to return, because we’ll be doing a different challenge this time. <br /><br />Sunday, May 16 | 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.<br />$55 Members/$65 Non-Members<br />On Saturday, May 15 at 1:00, I'll be repeating the talk I gave in February: "<a href="http://www.delart.org/prog_events/adult_prog/index.html">Fact and Fantasy: The Making of Dinotopia</a>," free with paid admission.<br />That's about it! Look forward to seeing you all at workshop. <br />----------<br /><a href="http://www.delart.org/prog_events/adult_prog/index.html">Delaware Museum Workshop information.</a><br />Previously on GJ: Drawing portraits with water-soluble colored pencils.<br /><a href="http://www.delart.org/exhibitions/dinotopia.html">The Dinotopia exhibit at the Delaware Art Museum.<br /></a>

Attack of the Tool People

On May 16, at the Delaware Art Museum, I’ll be offering a workshop called “Attack of the Tool People.” We’ll be designing mischievous monst...

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Modern Stone Age Furries

Last weekend I drew the t-shirt design for Anthrocon. This year’s theme is “Modern Stone-Age Furries.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidu2MLzWpOrMliMRy7wU1SFq2nn1_rIWDHkgv_7TSZX3GFUCfN7WYBUDf1IGi9yg21gYXJXhDb3xFy2ITcaRtCyzHHR1ByIwMN6XWppsUT6k4zwSZs4Rp-7iOKALitwkG-Pd0GMnyS7SB/s1600/Anthrocon-furries.sm.W.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454821849067588482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidu2MLzWpOrMliMRy7wU1SFq2nn1_rIWDHkgv_7TSZX3GFUCfN7WYBUDf1IGi9yg21gYXJXhDb3xFy2ITcaRtCyzHHR1ByIwMN6XWppsUT6k4zwSZs4Rp-7iOKALitwkG-Pd0GMnyS7SB/s400/Anthrocon-furries.sm.W.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />I'll be giving three digital slide lectures and a technique demo.<br /><br />But the big event will be the fursuit parade. This is one of the largest events of its kind, with over 600 participants. All the costumers don their fursuits, which are handmade and often very elaborate. They’re mostly based on anthropomorphic cartoon animals.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C-DAFayvybA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C-DAFayvybA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />According to an insider's description:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Fursuits, similar to what athletic team mascots wear, are constructed of fabric, not fur or animal skins. While in a fursuit, a furry walks upright. <br /><br />Some furries superimpose human clothing on the fursuit; for example, a snow leopard diva may wear a red cocktail dress and a big yellow dog may wear blue jeans.”</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.anthrocon.org/"><br />Anthrocon Official Site</a><br /><a href="http://www.anthrocon.org/about-furry">What is Furry?</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furry_fandom">Wikipedia on Furry Fandom</a>

Modern Stone Age Furries

Last weekend I drew the t-shirt design for Anthrocon. This year’s theme is “Modern Stone-Age Furries.” I'll be giving three digital slid...

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Mouth Shorthand

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyd4IDH5qcVUhNdJUaeJj-KvbOf1HNv401YvjTk_u6epNLqXHGSUmJVTaiD3qn9M6t2inI6tMPchsVSMttrucuCChVbsaNdRTzfU4_UTbBL7LWqpHXmtDUyXhXIMBTHAJ6771gv1ihJ0n/s1600-h/Caniff+mouth+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436594418890269106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyd4IDH5qcVUhNdJUaeJj-KvbOf1HNv401YvjTk_u6epNLqXHGSUmJVTaiD3qn9M6t2inI6tMPchsVSMttrucuCChVbsaNdRTzfU4_UTbBL7LWqpHXmtDUyXhXIMBTHAJ6771gv1ihJ0n/s320/Caniff+mouth+1.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 169px;" /></a> Here's a mouth drawn in the style of American cartoonist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Caniff">Milt Caniff.</a> According to artist and comics historian Ron Harris, "Drawing the lips too round or too full can detract from the "man's man" look realistic artists usually strive for. Impressionists Noel Sickles and Milton Caniff circumvented this potential pitfall by drawing a thin upper lip in shadow, reduced almost to a line, while indicating the lower lip only by the shadow it casts on the chin."<br /><br />Ron's blog post <a href="http://smurfswacker.blogspot.com/2009/11/technique-talk.html">"Mouthing Off"</a> has a lot more examples of ways the great comic artists simplified the mouth for maximum clarity and expression.

Mouth Shorthand

Here's a mouth drawn in the style of American cartoonist Milt Caniff. According to artist and comics historian Ron Harris, "Drawi...

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FlipFlap Animation

<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IMqFhRCD1fU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IMqFhRCD1fU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Here's a cool new way to deliver animation. You kind of have to blur your eyes to see the continuity.

FlipFlap Animation

Here's a cool new way to deliver animation. You kind of have to blur your eyes to see the continuity.

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Mort Drucker

<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zCDxaiYZXaU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zCDxaiYZXaU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mort_Drucker">Mort Drucker</a>, the artist who did many of the classic movie satires for Mad Magazine, features in this short video from <a href="https://www.schoolism.com/">Schoolism.com.</a> In front of his drawing table is a bulletin board chock-full of faces.

Mort Drucker

Mort Drucker , the artist who did many of the classic movie satires for Mad Magazine, features in this short video from Schoolism.com. In ...

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