New Stuff

Here's some stuff from my sketchbook and a preview for my Folk Bloodbath illustrations.

Visual Essay 1

Visual Essay 1...this I turned in today, but I'm going to work on it more for Friday.

Visual Essay 1

I'm going to write a bit about my idea behind my Visual Essay in Illustration. This post will get pretty personal, but I feel it's necessary to explain my intended results, and gather all of the information I have accumulated in my experience with the disease.

My proposal is as follows: I am trying to convey the effects of having Rheumatoid Arthritis on daily life. I'm taking specific moments that resonate in my life so far that have particularly been cumbersome, and turning them into Illustrations that try and show that dispute between what is natural, what is not, and the pain/despair/hopelessness encountered with it.

One thing that needs to be known about the disease is that it is pretty much a lifelong thing. It is a strange condition where a person's immune system begins attacking itself, causing the joints (and organs) to inflame and start to possibly deteriorate if not kept in check.

It is not treatable, only manageable, and another natural/unnatural element behind it (besides something as natural as the immune system acting in an unnatural manner) is the fact one has to be heavily medicated to appear/feel remotely normal. This can also cause many more side effects creating discomfort.

On a personal level, I am taking up to 5 650 mg Darvocet tablets a day for pain, 2 5mg Prednisone (steroid) tablets a day to keep the inflammation at a manageable level to where I can function/move around, and 8 2.5mg (or so, I don't have the bottle on me) tablets of Methotrexate, which is intended to be the drug that (once a proper dosage is figured out) will put my Rheumatoid Arthritis under control to a point where I won't have to take the first two drugs to feel normal.

Another problem with this is that the Methotrexate isn't working, and the first drug I took, Hydroxychloroquine did not work either. Instead, the first one caused me to drop about 40 pounds in the period of less than a month due to how sick it made me. The Methotrexate seems to be doing the same, causing me to sleep up to 20 hours Friday night, Saturday night and sometimes even Sunday night due to the fact my body gets extremely exhausted from processing the medication. If these 8 tablets (already increased from 2 to 6 to 8 from lack of success) do not work, I may possibly have to start giving myself weekly injections to help it along, as my Rheumatologist doesn't want me to try another drug yet (since the side effects of the other two available drugs are even worse than the previous two I have tried).

Aside from the struggle with pain and general function that is evident by simply clicking the first wikipedia link, it is also just hard to function mentally with this some days. I have, for the most part, gotten over the unfairness of this diagnosis and the fact that I will inevitably live with it for the rest of my life (pending some "miracle"). It is still a problem, however, that this extremely negative part of my life can overtake all of the positive things going on. Sometimes, when I can't turn a doorknob or open a bottle, I get extremely depressed and feel helpless and dependent on those around me.

I'm hoping that I can remain positive and keep working on my artwork, and that the negativity of this experience doesn't drag me down. I've been doing well so far. I tend to schedule my work schedule around when I know I will be in pain (mornings, half the days on weekends) and I continue to get my work done on time, and well. I've even risked applying for a job on the weekends.

This all leads up to the big problem of having this disease: having to limit what I'm doing. I'm not able to exercise, walk long distances, stand for long periods of time, or even stay in one position (be it sitting, laying down a certain way, etc) for a long time without experiencing pain or swelling. I have had to learn to regulate my day. A good explanation of this experience is located here. It is a lengthy story by a woman who has Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, which is a similar disease to Rheumatoid Arthritis in how it effects the body and how the pain experienced is not always visible to those around a person diagnosed with it. She tells about how she has to schedule her day around the disease by relating it to having a handful of spoons, and how each activity chosen to participate in requires one (or several, depending) spoons to accomplish, and when you run out your day is done and your body is exhausted/unable to perform.

Overall, I'm hoping to use the previous method of displaying a human form disfigured in subtle ways intertwined with natural imagery to show this duality of the interplay of the natural becoming unnatural and the unnatural being natural to certain people, as well as the overall struggle of dealing with this disease.

I'm hoping to accomplish these images traditionally on illustration board in a similar manner to my previous "What's Missing" illustration. These need to be detailed, engaging, and filled with subtle hints to the body falling apart. The viewer needs to be able to interact with the body and search for these irregularities to convey how it is not an obvious disease, but more of a silent constant in a person's life.

A new direction with my art.

"What's Missing" Progress Shot #2

Debating if I should fill in the framing branches with black...Sorry that this is hard to see. It will be scanned when it's finished.

"What's Missing" In Progress

I think I'm about 5-8 hours in...using only a .005 micron and 01 micron...it's hard to tell all the detail with my crappy phone camera, but trust me...there's a lot.

Illustration 5 Post #6

1. What sort of an illustrator are you?
One that tries to draw entirely from my imagination and tries to focus on the whimsical, fantastical and brutal as much as possible.

2. What sort of career do you want to have?
I want to be a concept artist for just about anything, but preferrably video games. I also would like to do illustrations and graphic novels on the side.

3. Does your present body of work reflect your aspirations? Could it do so more strongly?
For the most part I feel like it does. I could probably use a few more plainly brutal and detailed images...something that shows the amount of DETAIL I can do, which I like to do but often don't have the time to do finished images of with schoolwork. I feel like I really like brutal imagery, but I fall back on fantastic/childish/friendly work for my schoolwork since it is a faster way to produce something that still is high in quality.

4. List ten images/themes/techniques/subjects/formats that your portfolio needs in order to become more in line with your aspirations.
-Brutality
-Detail
-Attention to detailed linework
-Watercolor
-Painting
-Graphic
-Contrast
-Atmospheric elements
-Spooky/less happy and quirky
-Metal

Illustration 5 Post #5

I apologize in advance for my post being slightly late...blame Justin not taking me home and playing pool instead. Seriously. Elliot was there.

AHEM.

1. If you had to spend the rest of your life illustrating one book, what would it be? Why?
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. They're my favorite books in the whole world, and if you read them you would know how heavy they are in imagery and opportunities to illustrate dynamic images.

2. If you could go apprentice with any two artists in the history of the world, who would they be?
James Jean and Florian Bertmer. They are two of my favorite artists and I admire their painting skills and lineart.

3. If you were banned from the art world and could have any career, what would it be?
I'd be a Crime Scene Investigator, because that was my other career option and I chose Illustration instead.

4. A) I would do a series of fancy lady and animal paintings on wood. I would do five, and split them up evenly throughout the month.
B) I would do a graphic novel with lineart inked traditionally and finished digitally that would include several short stories, one per month.
C) I would do a long graphic novel executed the same way as the series of short stories.

Illustration 5 Post #4

1. List ten illustrators whose work you admire, or whose career you would like to emulate.

-Florian Bertmer-


-Kentaro Miura-


-John Baizley-


-Bryan Lee O'Malley-


-Lois van Baarle-


-Chris Sanders-


-Alphonse Mucha-


-Shane Prigmore-


-Scott C.-


-Vera Brosgol-



2. Who are their clients? What sort of work do those clients look for?
Video game concept artist-needers, people needing advertisements, character designs for movies or games, comic book authors needing artists, bands needing t-shirt designs/album covers...

3. Find at least 10 magazines that you think you could work for. Record the names of the art director and any assistant art directors listed, and their contact information.
Some of the magazines listed don't necesarilly show a lot of artwork, but are filled with content I feel like I would enjoy illustrating.
-Game Informer-
(Andy McNamara)
-PlayStation Magazine-
(Gary Steinman, Ken Bousquet)
-Spin Magazine-
(Ian Robinson)
-Wizard Magazine-
(?)
-Time-


4.If you were starting your own magazine and your livelihood depended on it selling well and your sanity depended on it being something you wanted to spend all your time on, what would it be? What sorts of writers and artists would you hire? What subject matter would it deal with? How would you want it to look?
I would want to do a magazine on video games or comic books, like many of the magazines I listed above. I don't really read magazines, so I had a hard time coming up with 10 I would like to participate in...it is definitely an industry I'd like to work with, but I don't really have any specific preferences...a job is a job. I think I'd put a little bit of myself into any subject I was given to illustrate and have fun with it no matter what it was...or at least I'd try to. I'd like to think my artwork would appeal to buyers at bookstores and they'd want to pick up whatever I'm making based on its visual appeal...no matter what the interior holds. That's how I look at magazines--if the cover is interesting then I'll pick it up, no matter what the title is or what its about. If I'm promised a really good visual experience, I think it's worth it.

5. List ten non-magazine clients you'd like to work with. Why are these dream clients?
-Pixar-
Because I want to do character design for movies, especially kid friendly ones.
-Dreamworks-
For the same reason...
-Disney-
Same...
-Blizzard-
To do concept art for video games that I enjoy, like World of Warcraft...
-Valve-
Same as with Blizzard, more video game concept art and character design...
-Dark Horse Comics-
So I could do comic books.
-Marvel-
Same...
-DC-
Same...
-Square-Enix-
Another video game one, but this one would be pretty impossible.

Illustration 5 Post #3

1. Describe your typical creative process, from getting an assignment to finished piece.

I don't think I have an explicit creative process. I typically just doodle until something comes out that I like, and then finish it and ink it. For class projects, I'll do a few thumbnails (or the required amount of thumbnails) and then choose the best and finish the image. I don't plan too much, I try to go with whatever comes to mind and not look up much reference and I try not to draw ideas from other artists while I'm working.

2. Describe what you think your creative process should be like.

I probably should plan more with my personal pieces, and even more for my schoolwork. More thumbnails, more sketching, more thinking in general would be a good idea for my work. I think it would benefit from me spending more time thinking what the finished product will be rather than taking it second by second and developing the image as I go. (Sometimes I get really good results that way, but I think I would get even better if I thought it completely out beforehand.)

3. Research and describe a professional creator's creative process.

My favorite artist right now is Kentaro Miura. An interview with him is located here. He seems to have a process of not really knowing where he wants to end up as well, and kind of takes his ideas one step at a time to get to his goal. (Much like I try to do). He also, however, mixes this spontaneity with a lot of research. He uses a lot of picture reference for his ink drawings and draws from western ideas of fantasy for his manga. Berserk, which is well thought out and very grounded storywise required a lot of reference from western cultures, and lots of research from his side.

Illustration 5 Post #2

1. Of all the work that you've done, what is your favorite piece?

Why do you like it?
I like it because of the line quality, the concept, and the mouth! I don't know, it was a really good combination of a lot of things that I really like, so I still love it to this day and I want to redraw it and make a shirt out of it and do so much with it! I even based my personal site in Web Design 1 after it.

2. What piece do others like the most?

I feel like I got a lot of positive responses to this piece.
Do you agree?
Yeah, I really like that one. I like the textures, how the colors worked with the textures, the concept, and the shaky line quality I got from erasing away at the linework.

3. What piece surprised you the most?
Like Alex said, I don't really understand this question. I don't feel like my own artwork can SURPRISE me, because I planned it out and created it. One that I am particularly proud of and satisfied with the results of and learned a lot from in retrospect is my entire "Eska" comic from last semester.


4. Choose five doodles or sketches that you like as much as any of your finished work.

Illustration 5 Post #1

1. What media do you like working in?
I like working in ink mostly. I'll sketch something and ink it with either microns or a brush and ink. I'm still getting the hang of digital work but I also like working in photoshop. I also like painting, but I'm not very good at it. (Acryllics).

2. What media do you hate working in? Why?
I don't think there's anything I "hate" working in, I'm pretty much willing to give anything a try...but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be good at it.

3. What media would you like to try, but haven't?
Oils and gouache. I've seen people do a lot of really awesome artwork with both of those but I've never tried either.

4. List 3 non-Illustration classes that have influenced you and/or your work positively.
Life Drawing helped me with human forms and focusing on the fact they have mass and movement. Art of Mexico influenced me a lot because I REALLY liked the imagery and drew from it a lot when drawing and designing monsters. I can't really think of a third, but I can tell Text and Image is going to influence me creatively. One of the stories I'm writing for it I've already drawn a lot of illustrations based on.

5. How has the work of your peers influenced you and your work?
I feel like everyone else's work challenges me to try harder and get better...for example, Alex and Marie's paintings (digitally and traditionally respectively) encourage me to try and paint more. I think the friendly competitive nature in classes between the students really helps everyone's work, as well as the opinions and helpful comments.

6. What sort of subject matter do you like to create work about?
I like whimsical and fantastical subjects. Children going on magical adventures, monsters and mythological beasts, etc. I also like brutal excessive artwork like on album covers. (Some of my FAVORITES are Baroness album covers, as seen below:)

That album cover also includes decorative elements and fancy ladies, which I also like to create work of.

7. What sort of subject matter do you like to read about?
I like fantasy novels like His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and ANYTHING by Diana Wynne Jones. I also like autobiographies and anything in general about peoples lives and the things they've experienced and grown from. (I read Dolly Parton's this summer).

8. What kind of music do you like?
I like metal and indie music mostly, but I'm not too terribly picky. My favorite band of all time is GWAR. I also really enjoy Between the Buried and Me, Against Me!, Josh Ritter, Ryan Adams, Andrew Bird, Feist, Iron and Wine, mewithoutYou, The Smiths, Son of Aurelius, Job for a Cowboy, Electric Wizard, and many more...I like all the music I listen to because it appeals to me with its sound. Above all else though, I like songs that tell stories. A good example of that is ANYTHING at all by Josh Ritter:

I like songs that tell stories because I like to tell stories myself.

9. What non-art related interest/hobbies/skills do you have?
I play lots of video games. I like RPGs and MMORPGs like Final Fantasies and World of Warcraft as well as games like Gears of War, Left 4 Dead and Borderlands...I like being immersed in stories, and I love the different designs of characters and environments. I feel like video games are art.

10. What is something you like that nobody else likes?
I really doubt there is one thing I like that no one else in the whole world does, but I guess something I like that I get a lot of shit for is WoW. World of Warcraft gets a lot of negative opinions attached to it because of its general fanbase and people not having lives while playing it, which is a shame because it's REALLY AWESOME and I highly recommend it.

11. If you had the run of the world's museums, what three works of original art would you like to own??
I don't know if three original pieces I would like to own would necessarily be in museums...I prefer contemporary artists. BUT:

"Wave" by James Jean

Untitled sketchbook piece by Coey Kuhn

And I'd like to own pretty much anything created by Florian Bertmer (artist of the three-eyed wolf shirt.)