Offhand Flourishing

Humans are capable of amazing things when a cool mind is connected to nimble fingers. Here are a couple of mind-boggling examples from YouTube:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XvG3IK-hzRs?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/XvG3IK-hzRs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="440" height="355"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvG3IK-hzRs">World championship yo-yo tricks.</a><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q6F-0rIpLJE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q6F-0rIpLJE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6F-0rIpLJE&feature=player_embedded">Radio control helicopter aerobatics.<br /></a><br />In the art of penmanship, the ultimate showcase of skill is called offhand flourishing. This combination of drawing and calligraphy was a natural outgrowth of decorations in pointed pen lettering. It was created at one shot without much in the way of preliminary drawing, which is where we get the figurative sense of the word “offhand.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlO5a1Dt7LYClz4xxYx7TUML7AFB_0dGjxKK61I9_A4UR9es8Cx5lvEru5Z7oCRoW4wmsw961nNJhpCJ5-sL7v2t5sZRuWebVgsNlz3R2vqOFbGEgfbBif13bo5bc4Cm5V-7n8BjImFk_/s1600/Offhand_Flourishing_Stag_Real_Pen_Work.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlO5a1Dt7LYClz4xxYx7TUML7AFB_0dGjxKK61I9_A4UR9es8Cx5lvEru5Z7oCRoW4wmsw961nNJhpCJ5-sL7v2t5sZRuWebVgsNlz3R2vqOFbGEgfbBif13bo5bc4Cm5V-7n8BjImFk_/s400/Offhand_Flourishing_Stag_Real_Pen_Work.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />(Click to enlarge the picture above, which is from an 1880 penmanship manual called “<a href="http://www.iampeth.com/books/real_pen_work/real_pen_work_1880_index.php">Real Penwork Compendium of Penmanship</a>.”)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdukkowYEqb7q_7VRvMp7oQYqlSzA_chK-fOBHM26YXIdOQProZeysHhijsfu5fd4TPCIyJW3A4a8oIqfj6mXMySh9ZYnX4pAZ3aOpeyexbUVnQswZuSibg162ISgGHxhIOuLVVB1-jHi/s1600/Offhand_Flourishing.p29Dennis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdukkowYEqb7q_7VRvMp7oQYqlSzA_chK-fOBHM26YXIdOQProZeysHhijsfu5fd4TPCIyJW3A4a8oIqfj6mXMySh9ZYnX4pAZ3aOpeyexbUVnQswZuSibg162ISgGHxhIOuLVVB1-jHi/s400/Offhand_Flourishing.p29Dennis.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />It may not look like anything more than squiggly doodles to the uninitiated, but pictures made from flourishes are incredible difficult. It takes deep practice, good breathing, perfect posture, and a clear mind. <br /><br />Here’s how master penman W.E. Dennis, in his 1914 book <i>Studies in Pen Art,</i> describes the challenge:<br /><blockquote>“It is doubtful if anything in penwork requires more real skill, sureness of stroke, delicacy of touch and absolute freedom of arm and hand than Off-hand Flourishing. Certainly none of the other work in this book offers the technical difficulties found in the flourished designs, the most difficult of all being the two swans facing each other. Lettering is more or less mechanical, but flourishing is quite the opposite. In this work the mind must conceive quickly the arrangement of harmonious, well-balanced curves, and the hand must reproduce them without hesitation. In addition to this, the penman should have in mind some harmonious design, pleasing in effect as a whole.”</blockquote>--------<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Studies in Pen Art, by W.E. Dennis,</a> available as a free PDF download.<br /><a href="http://www.iampeth.com/books.php">Collection of free PDFs from IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting) </a>

Offhand Flourishing

Humans are capable of amazing things when a cool mind is connected to nimble fingers. Here are a couple of mind-boggling examples from YouTu...

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Peeling Paint Letters

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bgb6jXuk0DzYv3APVuWZeL0tUqP4zK3bf1RCKSix2ctQeyuKuoKiX-1D4YHePk-kjYhWOqIODM-Nnf0QM3tu65YZjsKmEFTR5Gy3UV1-LRm1T1oti29fs5SLjvOqS87EqGIjYhk-Cpt7/s1600/Peeling_Graphics.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Note how the letter shapes of “SELLES sur CHER” alter as the thin blue material shrinks. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bgb6jXuk0DzYv3APVuWZeL0tUqP4zK3bf1RCKSix2ctQeyuKuoKiX-1D4YHePk-kjYhWOqIODM-Nnf0QM3tu65YZjsKmEFTR5Gy3UV1-LRm1T1oti29fs5SLjvOqS87EqGIjYhk-Cpt7/s1600/Peeling_Graphics.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bgb6jXuk0DzYv3APVuWZeL0tUqP4zK3bf1RCKSix2ctQeyuKuoKiX-1D4YHePk-kjYhWOqIODM-Nnf0QM3tu65YZjsKmEFTR5Gy3UV1-LRm1T1oti29fs5SLjvOqS87EqGIjYhk-Cpt7/s400/Peeling_Graphics.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Starting with the small peninsula-shapes, it delaminates and curls back. There’s a faint line remaining at the original boundaries of the letters. It would be fun to design a type face using this idea.

Peeling Paint Letters

Note how the letter shapes of “SELLES sur CHER” alter as the thin blue material shrinks. Starting with the small peninsula-shapes, it delami...

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Grafitti

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKubNoa1-WecBAt8bg6cM2H9gPBCNo-A7sZ0MWaYy03Ph3dT2HgfHnrPhtp72PD2xCnWN8D6VTwNKjfURoFcnBQGIfcBV5S4odGkPD9MWVhua9K8O3jTuTD9IyW83xamaBWa_OPiWJ6d8F/s1600/Grafitti.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKubNoa1-WecBAt8bg6cM2H9gPBCNo-A7sZ0MWaYy03Ph3dT2HgfHnrPhtp72PD2xCnWN8D6VTwNKjfURoFcnBQGIfcBV5S4odGkPD9MWVhua9K8O3jTuTD9IyW83xamaBWa_OPiWJ6d8F/s400/Grafitti.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Master graphic designer Leslie Cabarga regards graffiti writers as the “scribes of our day” and says: “I see graffiti as symptomatic of a culture that, at the leadership level, has little use for art or artists and relegates those of us with the most meager means to virtual outlaw status.”<br /><br />from Cabarga's book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Logo-Lettering-Bible-Leslie-Cabarga/dp/1581804369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288045489&sr=1-1">Logo, Font, and Lettering Bible.</a>

Grafitti

Master graphic designer Leslie Cabarga regards graffiti writers as the “scribes of our day” and says: “I see graffiti as symptomatic of a cu...

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Irish Signs

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ng-Y8SfHEbOiNtFuRUP27ajlRhaY0bJnavmdJMv_2b7_uyAyL1E-F80w4Y0KPBNy4YxKmqYAPeIfzlxjego2wCV-2XEVVle21rESjR3Q_nRPbs5wglm95i6o_37lwbHcrJoVECaAe3dh/s1600/Herrick_Signs.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504613822724917970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ng-Y8SfHEbOiNtFuRUP27ajlRhaY0bJnavmdJMv_2b7_uyAyL1E-F80w4Y0KPBNy4YxKmqYAPeIfzlxjego2wCV-2XEVVle21rESjR3Q_nRPbs5wglm95i6o_37lwbHcrJoVECaAe3dh/s400/Herrick_Signs.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" /></a>Most shop fronts in Ireland still have hand-painted signs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvqY-DCOzuEyf2JR5Cd4He1J1sceG1rOgQTFmAlPCrhyphenhyphenMEN51hThENoNJUC7WyfyycIEnTTNfxrd4Z_RVrrLHKpMe02Emf3x63ppwjE6Xxor-6_Mbad6K0MD-V2lKjGNZdl0ilps73Y2M/s1600/Signs_Instruments.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504614456120990434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvqY-DCOzuEyf2JR5Cd4He1J1sceG1rOgQTFmAlPCrhyphenhyphenMEN51hThENoNJUC7WyfyycIEnTTNfxrd4Z_RVrrLHKpMe02Emf3x63ppwjE6Xxor-6_Mbad6K0MD-V2lKjGNZdl0ilps73Y2M/s400/Signs_Instruments.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 400px;" /></a>John Herrick’s sign shop in Galway is down an alley next door to an instrument maker. Like most sign painters, he is also an artist and he offers art lessons.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM3Q001VIrFzl5ZD_lpp7e2_QgAqe_i4eDV-SgfXSbaO1r24bfvy4vi3rvihCTx3xQrnzLw8B2BIgnAG4-yUInpqiIX-IiLcOJMQP0XIj82Y58IXmPIfiJhfWuUdcYyXVeWsqRK7kcIxm/s1600/Ma_Murphys.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504614452157584066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM3Q001VIrFzl5ZD_lpp7e2_QgAqe_i4eDV-SgfXSbaO1r24bfvy4vi3rvihCTx3xQrnzLw8B2BIgnAG4-yUInpqiIX-IiLcOJMQP0XIj82Y58IXmPIfiJhfWuUdcYyXVeWsqRK7kcIxm/s400/Ma_Murphys.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" /></a>Ma Murphy’s pub in Bantry shows the architectural setting—a fairly typical Irish facade, framed with pilasters, scroll corbels, and a dentillated cornice. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyVTBcehVZ2UathbyVYZLXybufUlbNtuKrTRj3wHUxeUCczHkWZBG4oQDCnpYjxY8tiN6gt7ERnddXoQAPsFiQukXwyckb21Jyrx0QBRtt379L2pd6GGN0WHoUBYlKJt39kKb1WT8UkYR/s1600/Lobby_Bar.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504613830109230754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyVTBcehVZ2UathbyVYZLXybufUlbNtuKrTRj3wHUxeUCczHkWZBG4oQDCnpYjxY8tiN6gt7ERnddXoQAPsFiQukXwyckb21Jyrx0QBRtt379L2pd6GGN0WHoUBYlKJt39kKb1WT8UkYR/s400/Lobby_Bar.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 192px;" /></a>Curving baselines, shadow lettering, and Nouveau flourishes give distinctive touches set this sign apart from cheap computer-generated plastic signs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB51rxIjiTyQS2H0A2_JV7a2JZRlwtngc5nKJiELfBgeIa-QczYiTDtXUzB1g57EgS_F3u3Xh_jNaeLPFQhqbttjnp0OJeBQNYj0xkcKYLBGgS2QzgK6Kjffsb9dbeWC6SpcK4SROMk_ym/s1600/Irish_Letters.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504613826747885426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB51rxIjiTyQS2H0A2_JV7a2JZRlwtngc5nKJiELfBgeIa-QczYiTDtXUzB1g57EgS_F3u3Xh_jNaeLPFQhqbttjnp0OJeBQNYj0xkcKYLBGgS2QzgK6Kjffsb9dbeWC6SpcK4SROMk_ym/s400/Irish_Letters.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 184px;" /></a>The illusion of dimensional lettering on a flat surface is often created with five premixed tones: light side, shadow side, dark accent, highlight, and cast shadow. Such work takes specialized brushes and brush skills, and it’s a dying art in many other countries.<br />---------<br />Previously: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/hand-painted-signs.html">Hand-Painted Signs</a> (mostly North African).<br />There are several Flickr groups devoted to this subject:<br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/handpainted-signs-of-the-world/">“Hand-Painted Signs of the World.” </a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/folktype/">“Folk Typography”</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/signpaintr/">“Signpaintr,”</a> dedicated to the lost art of hand-lettering<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/cambodiansigns/">“Hand-Painted Signs of Cambodia.”</a>

Irish Signs

Most shop fronts in Ireland still have hand-painted signs. John Herrick’s sign shop in Galway is down an alley next door to an instrument ma...

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How to Refill a Fountain Pen

Some Waterman fountain pens come with a refillable cartridge. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6Kz1ONQRS5gpmOvaRo39AQXMVH0zrQ2QJZKwQTTK8pW3iwZrU3R7Bej8UPW1SwavpF4pPcOA4bk9sTJLnQRHaR0YhBhgMo1G4nH4VRW7pJJS0RL_dS-aGx14y6EnODu9T0Lvm73IRWdN/s1600/DIY_Pen_Refills2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490812954089802306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6Kz1ONQRS5gpmOvaRo39AQXMVH0zrQ2QJZKwQTTK8pW3iwZrU3R7Bej8UPW1SwavpF4pPcOA4bk9sTJLnQRHaR0YhBhgMo1G4nH4VRW7pJJS0RL_dS-aGx14y6EnODu9T0Lvm73IRWdN/s400/DIY_Pen_Refills2.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 364px;" /></a>By submerging the end of the cartridge into a bottle of water-soluble ink and twisting the little knob, a piston will draw the ink up into the cartridge. This way you can use whatever color of ink you want, such as a brown or gray. <br /><br />Gray and brown are no longer generally available as standard disposable cartridge colors in Waterman pens. But it must be water-soluble ink formulated for fountain pens, not India ink.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0AG60zB6moeQBw8SD4O9O4h0yU9Vy4OTkhwpadqM-mYDD1Kw6k9dyOYylTWUdUajZJiTrjEXXqHaLpMeqDb-WpYkry_eZNu5PBjz9v2QmLK4865jtaUyWdM86H-tq0f3EbYuW5hBq-e9/s1600/DIY_Pen_Refills.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490812948804223138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0AG60zB6moeQBw8SD4O9O4h0yU9Vy4OTkhwpadqM-mYDD1Kw6k9dyOYylTWUdUajZJiTrjEXXqHaLpMeqDb-WpYkry_eZNu5PBjz9v2QmLK4865jtaUyWdM86H-tq0f3EbYuW5hBq-e9/s400/DIY_Pen_Refills.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />You can refill any fountain pen, even if it doesn’t have one of those special refillable cartridges. A hypodermic needle works perfectly for injecting ink into spent cartridges. Here I’m refilling a Schaeffer calligraphy pen. <br /><br />I got my hypodermic needle in a kit for refilling printer cartridges.<br />------<br />Step by step from <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Refill-Your-Fountain-Pen-Cartridges-and-Save/">Instructables</a>, using different tools.

How to Refill a Fountain Pen

Some Waterman fountain pens come with a refillable cartridge. By submerging the end of the cartridge into a bottle of water-soluble ink and ...

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Ozymandias

The painting on the cover of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara shows a convoy of dinosaurs and people crossing the desert, passing huge statues from one of Dinotopia’s ancient civilization. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLflxoy0VQA_U0DuSnbTXHT2lWzV8AfFJ6U4KgNdODLvX02n6sQggp3jety6clrBTHyPnqMFOxpp7ruz2JjnS3CW6SVUM-futsMGIesdCwhIDaWsh5F4O82xHDSanq53GnuhBaHysqMQw/s1600/Desert+Crossing.Face.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478875089706978738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLflxoy0VQA_U0DuSnbTXHT2lWzV8AfFJ6U4KgNdODLvX02n6sQggp3jety6clrBTHyPnqMFOxpp7ruz2JjnS3CW6SVUM-futsMGIesdCwhIDaWsh5F4O82xHDSanq53GnuhBaHysqMQw/s400/Desert+Crossing.Face.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 314px;" /></a>As I painted the fallen stone face on the right side of the picture, I was thinking of Percy B. Shelley’s 1818 sonnet “Ozymandias,” which describes a traveler’s encounter with a colossal ancient statue in the desert: “Near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAqbqdrhNLVfx-LGCkI7ovgUDzfcq8POW3zOV4pIi3SlZ5VAiZIMLc35FE1I9hqcN9R3v1sbGfX8jjRrv25Wjzfzd03K24DuS37Wa2vDKsa1Z7NxBC-N0O6K-4MDlxtxolVaS8D1Ff4f0/s1600/Desert_Crossing_Detail.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478875092330519362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAqbqdrhNLVfx-LGCkI7ovgUDzfcq8POW3zOV4pIi3SlZ5VAiZIMLc35FE1I9hqcN9R3v1sbGfX8jjRrv25Wjzfzd03K24DuS37Wa2vDKsa1Z7NxBC-N0O6K-4MDlxtxolVaS8D1Ff4f0/s400/Desert_Crossing_Detail.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 357px;" /></a>The inscription on the stone at the lower left echoes Shelley’s theme of the mute arrogance of a vanished civilization. The phrase says “EVERLASTING DOMINION” in Dinotopian footprint alphabet, ancient Greek, and Aramaic (written with Hebrew letters).<br /><br />The features on the fallen face in the painting are based not on Egyptian forms, but on casts of Michelangelo's David.<br />----------<br /><br />Links:<br />The painting is on view in <a href="http://www.norton.org/Exhibitions/Future/Dinotopia/tabid/436/Default.aspx">"The Fantastical Art of James Gurney"</a> which opens at the Norton Museum tomorrow.<br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">The Dinotopia online store</a>, where you can order a signed copy of Journey to Chandara.<br /><a href="http://dinotopia.wikia.com/wiki/Footprint_alphabet">Dinotopia Wiki on the Footprint Alphabet</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias">Wikipedia on the poem Ozymandias</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/09/plaster-casts.html">Previous GJ post on using plaster casts, including the David casts.<br /></a>

Ozymandias

The painting on the cover of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara shows a convoy of dinosaurs and people crossing the desert, passing huge statues...

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Studio Shot in ImagineFX

<a href="http://www.imaginefx.com/">ImagineFX</a> magazine asked me to take a picture of my studio (click to enlarge), and to add a few comments about the work environment:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdqxgUAAgWsUc47ThzF7M58R_IT7KA5vcBV4Ehps9t_nzddPGERzTDBiO8xFeaxsqYNa19VltKW_jzdkOqtzswdCV6nYmSjP9-8iygPIWgguNsFQFI7VgfUGQvrOoTKudoeCc69-Uv_vs/s1600/IFX.Studio.Shot57.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470374570621220850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdqxgUAAgWsUc47ThzF7M58R_IT7KA5vcBV4Ehps9t_nzddPGERzTDBiO8xFeaxsqYNa19VltKW_jzdkOqtzswdCV6nYmSjP9-8iygPIWgguNsFQFI7VgfUGQvrOoTKudoeCc69-Uv_vs/s400/IFX.Studio.Shot57.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" /></a>“I specialize in painting realistic images of things that can’t be photographed. My imagination only takes me so far, so I sculpt 3D reference maquettes. In the foreground is a butterfly ornithopter, an elf alien, a BoarCroc, and a satyr.<br /><br />The day starts with a few cups of strong coffee, or sometimes tea from the pot I found on a research sketching trip to North Africa in 2008. Not all of my sketching junkets are so exotic. I also sketch in fast-food parking lots and farmyards. Some of the oil sketches on the back wall are from observation. The cloud study was painted on a July day. The two head studies come from a figure drawing class.<br /><br />Beyond the Alladin’s lamp is a set of dip pens. I began my art life as a calligrapher, and I still love to write letters in the Copperplate style. Maybe it’s a reaction to the blandness and transience of email. <br /><br />The human skull on the counter is a drawing aid and a memento mori. Behind it are architectural maquettes made of cardboard and Styrofoam. The hand-painted color wheels and optical illusions are for my upcoming book called <a href="http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/products/?isbn=0740797719">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter,</a> a companion volume to <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Imaginative Realism. </a><br /><br />The dinosaur painting is surrounded by skull photos, sketches, and a reference maquette. The premixed strings of oil colors on the freezer paper palette help me control the mixing gamut of the color scheme I want.” <br /><br />Pick up a copy of ImagineFX at your local bookstore, and check out their website at <a href="http://www.imaginefx.com/">ImagineFX.com</a><br /><br />More about that painting of the dinosaur on the table: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/gryposaurus-part-1.html">Gryposaurus Part 1</a>, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/gryposaurus-part-2.html">Part 2</a><br /><a href="http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/">Interesting post on artists' studios</a> on David Apatoff's blog Illustration Art.

Studio Shot in ImagineFX

ImagineFX magazine asked me to take a picture of my studio (click to enlarge), and to add a few comments about the work environment: “I spe...

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The Saint John’s Bible Project

The Saint John’s Bible is the first hand-lettered and hand-illuminated bible commissioned since the invention of the printing press five centuries ago.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGlg0CAxHvzvE5n64hMG7rwCRxBLCalGyq-ZXmlAfk4zTqkJIae3-0UH4UBfEdWjmIS7DZWBjycJtmHP6pfg83OC9DKOXDMUXq4hpki8lVWdEIBhpzG4vHki_nCzt6k4eRVfg0wxfr0o/s1600-h/SaintJohnsBible.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310787797264053154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGlg0CAxHvzvE5n64hMG7rwCRxBLCalGyq-ZXmlAfk4zTqkJIae3-0UH4UBfEdWjmIS7DZWBjycJtmHP6pfg83OC9DKOXDMUXq4hpki8lVWdEIBhpzG4vHki_nCzt6k4eRVfg0wxfr0o/s400/SaintJohnsBible.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" /></a> The Bible is being written with feather quills on lambskin vellum. The final work, dubbed the “Sistine Chapel of Calligraphy” will require 1100 pages of lambskin.<br /><br />The project has involved the talents of many artists and calligraphers, spearheaded by by Donald Jackson, working with a team of master calligraphers in a scriptorium in Wales. The illuminations range from decorated capitals to full-page botanical drawings, made with hand-ground inks and gold leaf. <br /><br />Far from being a revival of historical styles, the design of the book reflects a contemporary and eclectic vision. The project was commissioned about ten years ago, but it is not finished yet. As each section is completed, a full-color printed facsimile becomes available for sale. The last installments, expected in 2010, are the Historical Books and Letters and Revelation.<br />------<br />Wikipedia article, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John%27s_Bible">link.</a> <br />Official website, <a href="http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/why/tools.htm">link. </a><br />Catholic News Service article, <a href="http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801836.htm ">link.</a><br />Photo courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum, <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/21501-popup.html">link.</a>

The Saint John’s Bible Project

The Saint John’s Bible is the first hand-lettered and hand-illuminated bible commissioned since the invention of the printing press five cen...

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