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TUTORIAL TUESDAY – CONVENTION CONVENTIONS, OR TIPS FOR TABLING AT ARTIST ALLEY
We’re going to do a little jump again – Partially because I need to focus my thoughts in preparation for the first of many conventions this summer. So here we go! CONVENTIONS AS AN ARTIST: WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW? SHOULD YOU KNOW THINGS? LET’S FIND OUT! 3 TIPS FOR ATTENDING ARTIST ALLEY 1. GET THERE EARLY I recommend arriving at the convention AT LEAST an hour before the doors open. I can’t tell you how many times I arrive at my table, only to discover my table placement will require...
TUTORIAL TUESDAY – COMPOSITION, PT 1.
EMPHASIZING THE SUBJECT For the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about composition. And to help, I’ve brought along a couple assistants: Hobgoblin and Nobody. When thinking about composition, there are three aspects to consider: The Emphasis, or Subject The Structure, or Environment The Balance, or...uh...Balance. Today, we’ll be focusing on the first, and most important, of the three aspects of composition– The Emphasis. When talking about the Emphasis, I often think of it as the Subject of...
TUTORIAL TUESDAY – COLOR, PT 2.
USING YOUR PALETTE Since the interruption from the previous post has been taken care of, let’s talk about how to use your palette, shall we? One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was trying to work directly in color. I “knew” an apple is red, so if I’m painting an apple, I just need to paint red, right? You could, I guess. But there is a better way. What would you say if I told you the best way to paint with color is to not use color at all? The little owl is right, old-timer with the...
TUTORIAL TUESDAY – COLOR, PT 1.
CREATING A PALETTE Working on a digital canvas means one has access to a near unlimited range of color. Though this seems like it should be freeing, it’s the opposite. A blank sheet of paper can leave a writer paralyzed, searching for the perfect word. A blank canvas can leave an artist paralyzed, trying to find the “right” color. But creativity thrives under constraint. This is why I use a palette. Using the same few colors in every piece creates a visual unity across pieces. Also, a limited...
TUTORIAL TUESDAY – DRAWING AND PAINTING
When making a piece, this is the step most people usually jump to directly, myself included. However, it is important to know that concept and composition are very important steps that shouldn’t be skipped. That said, when it comes to drawing or painting, it is a simple two-step process: 1) Sketch ideas until a viable concept appears. 2) Build the drawing/painting on top of that foundation. If you wanted to add a third step, it could be... 3) Repeat Step 2 as needed. ...but then we expose the...
TUTORIAL TUESDAY: MASTER POST
As it can be difficult to find any specific post as time goes on, this Master Post will act as an index for all the Tutorial Tuesday posts. It will provide direct links to each post listed below. Links will be added as posts are made available. PRE-PRODUCTION CONCEPT COMPOSITION - PART 1 COMPOSITION - PART 2 COMPOSITION - PART 3 PRODUCTION TOOLS DRAWING & PAINTING COLOR - PART 1 COLOR - PART 2 BRUSHES POST-PRODUCTION PRINTING PRESENTATION...
Tutorial Tuesday: Pre-Production for “Robins of Spring”
For me, making a piece of art is like writing. Before anything else, I ask myself what it is going to be about. In this instance, I knew I wanted it tied to the season of spring. A recent conversation with a cousin involved my grandmother and spring robins. So I also wanted robins involved. I have memories of visiting my grandparents on the farm. In spring, the crabapple trees were lush with pink blossoms. Too soon did the pink petals fall from the trees. But during that brief window of time,...
A Fun Fact…
Despite its name, the Panda Ant is a type of wingless wasp. But why am I sharing this fun tidbit with you? Consider the Panda Ant as your first look at one of the new portraits from Atypical Animal Book, my upcoming work featuring some of the most interesting and unusual animals from across the world. I’ll be writing and illustrating this child-friendly introduction to weird and wonderful animals you never knew existed. This activity is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts...
October Scareathon
It has never been much of a secret that I love Halloween. Zac Gorman did a great comic that explains my reason why. Anyways, this year, I ran across an article listing 31 horror movies for horror newbies1 and decided to have myself a month-long, scary movie marathon, or "scareathon". Whereas the original list of movies was not in any particular order, I decided to rank to rank them and add notes where I thought necessary. This is in no way a form of legitimate film criticism, or a "best of"...
The 12 Months
Over the past couple years, I've noticed that some of the holiday traditions that I've enjoyed for years are slowly disappearing. The thought was at first a little sad, but more recently I realized it meant the opportunity to create new traditions. Last year, in an attempt to adopt a new tradition, I started sending out holiday cards that featured an illustration that I had also used as a component of the more typical gift giving. This year, I decided I would like to continue the...