tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76156379421327260902012-01-09T09:49:16.541-08:00Process junkies, Process junkiesforeverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comBlogger11371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-76256448529859995352011-11-28T09:41:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.570-08:00

Illustration Forum in QuitoI will be back in the country of my birth for a gallery show celebrating the history of illustration in Ecuador. If you live in the area, come by the "Centro Cultural Metropolitano" this coming Saturday, it will be fun.Buy One Get One FreeAs my way of saying "Thank You" for your constant support, I have bundled my two remaining books: Confessions of a Process Junkie and

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-67920542408105061402011-11-23T02:24:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.571-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-38884939928578764352011-11-20T23:50:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.571-08:00

I have previously written about my admiration for illustrator / cartoonist Erich Sokol, whose brilliant work appeared in Playboy Magazine.  A collection of his work recently published by Residenzverlag includes some of his preliminary studies.Napoleon (preliminary study)Napoleon  (finished version)Sokol does not wait until the final image to worry about good design and composition.  They are

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-49124535663960532011-11-14T07:50:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.571-08:00

 I spent the past week in Prague where I was working on the World Forum on Governance.  Away from my books and art materials, I resigned myself to skipping this week's post.However, the cultural attache at the embassy shared with me the happy news that Alphonse Mucha's masterpiece, the Slav Epic, will go on display in Prague next year, just 84 years after Mucha donated it to the city.For those

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-37113319620310079232011-11-07T03:44:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.571-08:00

Award winning illustrator Sterling Hundley has come out with a collection of his art, Blue Collar / White Collar.The book melds Hundley's commercial illustration, his gallery art, and his thoughts on working "between the demands of  Blue Collar ethic and the ambitions of a White Collar aesthetic."  Readers may recall that I admire Hundley's talent, his enthusiasm for nurturing young artists,

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-9793577556078884862011-11-05T00:07:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.571-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-8099319588949168742011-11-03T10:31:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.571-08:00

You hardly ever see pictures of men carrying women in their arms these days, but once upon a time such pictures made up 71.5932% of all illustrations in women's magazines.  John GannamReaders of Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan and McCall's all seemed to love these pictures.Then, sometime around the middle of the 20th century, such illustrations became extinct.  Why?

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-85617606734787605632011-11-03T07:48:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.572-08:00

Haven't posted here for a while, something new I just posted at: The Art of Levi Hopkins

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-71493588469213081032011-10-27T11:16:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.572-08:00

kraken studios

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-71249453638036977692011-10-26T22:38:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.572-08:00

In my fantasy future, as in my personal life, touch interfaces are reviled as abominations.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-81030374177500332122011-10-26T21:53:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.572-08:00

This was done with Asus EEE Note EA800 which has 8 inch gray scale LCD, Linux based system , and Wacom Pen with pressure sensitivity.Sadly, ASUS didn't continue to advance this product which I though has a lot of potential, and it only costs 230 US Dollars. Current version the hardware was great, but the software support is weak.I did these drawings from last weekend when I visited Legion of

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-36587403397826918152011-10-25T00:22:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.572-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-81511030076490132752011-10-21T02:13:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.572-08:00

This woodcut by Lynd Ward scared the crap out of me when I was a boy: Ward (1905-1985) became known in the 1930s for his "wordless novels" comprised entirely of woodcuts.  (His first, Gods' Man, a powerful story about the corrupting influence of money, debuted the week of the great stockmarket crash in 1929).I discovered a battered collection of Ward's books on my father's bookshelf.  This

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-83455415757973504712011-10-14T10:45:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.573-08:00

I love the wildness in these preliminary sketches by illustrator Bernie Fuchs:They were done quickly, and with some violence:They look completely unfettered.  Not a traffic light in sight.    Yet, these are not random spasmodic brush strokes.  If you look closely, you can see the fruits of years of discipline and technical skill.Fuchs spent his first years out of art school working in a small

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-89931693780599566612011-10-05T03:52:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.573-08:00

This is the second-- and I promise, the last-- excerpt from my recent talk at the Norman Rockwell Museum.  I submit the following thesis for dispute and contradiction.  Next week I will go back to showing really cool pictures.  Over the years, many people have wrestled-- pointlessly I think-- with the difference between art and illustration.  The internet is riddled with silly theories on the

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-48167720633280317992011-09-27T10:33:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.573-08:00

Last weekend I gave a lecture at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge Massachusetts.  The following is an excerpt from what future generations shall call my NRM Manifesto (unless the NRM lawyers demand that I remove their name, which is quite possible):  Anyone with the courage to take a fresh look at the role of art in the 20th century might reasonably conclude illustration has played a

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-75823846430861667972011-09-22T02:05:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.573-08:00

Based off some cool MC Barrett Drawings

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-36897047969833613802011-09-20T11:21:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.573-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-85348567235748553262011-09-18T13:47:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.573-08:00

For those who live near the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the Museum was kind enough to invite me to come present my views on illustration.The museum is one of the premier resources for promoting "the rich visual legacy of American illustration art," so you can imagine how surprised I was to receive the invitation. My talk is scheduled for next weekend, on September 24th,

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-69801808097152825272011-09-14T13:54:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.574-08:00

Detail                                                                                         It is easy to become dazzled by Chris Payne's technique but you should resist the temptation.Payne's tight, crisp images are certainly eye-catching, and his technical skill stands out among contemporary illustrators. However, if you get too distracted by the skill you'll miss the larger artistry of

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-35203299459778814602011-09-10T22:31:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.574-08:00

Washing fountain pen inks with a waterbrush full of dilute walnut ink, Aquabee Super Deluxe sketchbook is super nice for this.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-31486589183155208942011-09-05T14:04:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.574-08:00

I love this drawing by Harrison Cady of a small house standing in the way of urban progress:from the Kelly Collection of American Illustration  (24" x  20")Cady was famous for simple cartoons of funny animals, but this large, complex drawing is a virtuoso feat of draftsmanship.  Note how Cady maintains total control of the value scale, from those faint buildings in the distance to the dark edges

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-68707038801294640592011-09-05T00:30:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.574-08:00

-Pencil on Masonite-

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-89346461473588746392011-08-25T07:48:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.574-08:00

Nobody talks much about Robert Riggs anymore, but he was once one of the nation's most highly regarded illustrators.As Walt Reed wrote, "Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame.  His work is in the permanent collections of

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-62553110359308558962011-08-20T07:06:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

Illustrator James Gurney wrote:"Yesterday I took my car to the shop because it needed an inspection. The rain was pouring down. There wasn't much space in the waiting room. So I sat under the awning out back between an old rusty engine and a forklift.While I waited, I sketched the mud puddle beside me. The rain streamed off the corrugated roof  and splashed the water, making big bubbles. The

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-58013544017731819082011-08-09T04:55:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

A superb new book about illustration, written by the well known expert Fred Taraba, has just been released by Dan Zimmer's Illustrated Press.An instant classic, the book describes the art and the working techniques of 41 great illustrators in loving detail. It provides a wealth of information you won't find anywhere else, including preliminary sketches, reference photographs and other helpful

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-46479120328662646542011-08-07T01:36:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

junkscape

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-2867402841304101462011-08-06T13:12:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

Every year at Comic-Con I check in at the booth of Craig Elliott, a talented artist who works for Disney and Dreamworks on animated films such as Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove, Treasure Planet, Shark Tale, Flushed Away, Bee Movie, and Enchanted, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Princess and the Frog.I like the strong designs in Elliott's visual development and layout work for the movies.But  I

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-89418264123649629762011-08-06T02:45:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

MARVELous ARTby J. Scott CampbellThis is the first art book/sketchbook produced by Brandstudio Press in partnership with Marvel Comics. First of many!! Hard cover, 8 3/4x12 3/8 inches, 48 pages, full-color, full bleed, sewn pages.Price: $24.95Click on Images below to enlarge. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:All images are copyright © 2011 MARVEL Worldwide, please don't reproduce without

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-84703783865368704482011-08-04T00:15:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

Ashley Wood's energetic pictures have spawned an entire industry.  He went from drawing comic books to multinational production deals with development partners and global media outlets who produce video games of his characters, toys, collectibles, movies and books.  Wood seems to be everywhere, from art galleries in China to movie studios in Hollywood, and shows no signs of slowing down.In his

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-82716623899883827442011-07-31T20:41:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.575-08:00

Cartoonist Chester Brown stood in front of a room full of people at Comic-Con and described his sex with prostitutes.  As he went through the details, he displayed drawings from his new book, Paying For It:Brown belongs to that class of oddballs and misfits with a fierce compulsion to share the most scatological, sexual and personal details of their lives.  After Brown showed us drawings of his

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-70671377900634259322011-07-29T19:18:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.576-08:00

 I have previously written about the work of Nathan Fowkes, a talented artist for DreamWorks Animation, a fine landscape artist, and an art teacher at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art. I ran into Fowkes at Comic-Con, where he was demonstrating charcoal drawing for an enthusiastic audience.I have always been impressed with how Fowkes works seamlessly between different media. He uses

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-23185040995044405242011-07-27T10:10:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.576-08:00

I just returned from Comic-Con in San Diego.  This week I will write about five of the artists I encountered there.One of the best things about Comic-Con is that when 43,000 teenyboppers stampede to the far side of the convention hall for a glimpse of some teenage vampire heart throb, you might be lucky enough to grab a quiet half hour with a legend such as Seymour Chwast.Chwast is

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-65515900525238244932011-07-22T08:09:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.576-08:00

Ever since civilization invented modesty, the fig leaf has posed special creative challenges for artists.One of Denis Zilber's typically fun solutions The awkwardness of Durer's early efforts......eventually gave way to more natural looking solutions by artists such as Harold von Schmidt, Al Parker and James Avati:  But the motivations remained the same: to make the censor's prohibition seem like

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-78840543417037524552011-07-18T23:49:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.576-08:00

Sandy Eggo, Here We Go Again!Another year, another Comic Con!! Time does fly when you're having fun. Now we're getting ready to go have more fun, so if you are in San Diego to attend the show, stop by and say Hello!Booth #1131 this time, if you forget, check the directory under Brandstudio Press. I will post the new books upon my return. Thank you for your patience and understanding.See you there

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-33901671661513638952011-07-18T20:53:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-14135181992687826082011-07-18T01:07:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-77254160999806402572011-07-11T09:17:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

Thomas Hart Benton was a serious painter whose allegorical pictures of slow country life showed skill and intellect:Thomas Hart Benton. PersephoneSo what in the world was he thinking when he tried to paint a rock n' roll party, with people dancing to "the Twist" by Chubby Checker?The Twist (1964)Check out those bongo drums.  Benton was so clueless, you have to laugh.  N.C. Wyeth was an immensely

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-84098134119682623742011-07-03T06:26:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

Illustrator Henry Raleigh had a thing for shoulders. Other artists loved to draw hands.  Al Dorne, Steve Ditko and Mort Drucker all emphasized hands in their pictures, building compositions around them and infusing them with significance.  Amedeo Modigliani's tastes were a little different; he seemed to have a thing for necks, extruding them to achieve the effects he wanted.   And Robert

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-53733353907016763462011-06-25T09:33:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

Artistic confidence is a valuable asset when it is warranted, but a terrible liability when not.Unfortunately, the nature of confidence is that it blinds us to whether it is warranted or not. Picasso's huge ego was an asset when it gave him the courage to break with a lot of traditions.  On the other hand, Julien Schnabel's ego did him no favors when it led him to claim, "I'm the closest thing to

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-84006893474298980332011-06-16T23:36:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

Hi fellas,Yes, I still art. Good work everyone. I am pretty bored here, no one to harass. ;-)high key sketch exercise

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-13884281695938242472011-06-15T22:33:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.577-08:00

Was going to a Life Drawing Session today, and turned out like this.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-72527072820333159172011-06-15T13:11:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.578-08:00

Once upon a time, the world's largest media companies bragged in full page ads about their upcoming illustrations:From the back cover of Life Magazine.  When was the last time you saw an ad like this?Magazines urged readers to spend more time studying illustrations:This was all driven by economics, of course.  The general public followed the work of top illustrators and made purchasing decisions

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-42735059330115883652011-06-08T11:10:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.578-08:00

Last week the Society of Illustrators opened a wonderful exhibition of pulp magazine covers from the 1930s and 40s.  The show includes nearly 90 paintings of scantily clad damsels in distress, hooded fiends with elaborate torture devices, and futuristic space heroes.  This is probably the most emotionally uncomplicated art you will ever find: big, juicy paintings with the open heart (and

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-28535356296126125732011-05-24T11:37:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.578-08:00

File name says it all, I think.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-67475158070762522092011-05-21T04:30:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.578-08:00

Jeffrey Catherine Jones struggled with battles that other painters never had to face.  His fragile nervous system supported his great talent the way-- in the words of Bob Dylan-- a mattress balances on a bottle of wine. As a boy, I loved the beauty and elegance of Jones' work but I didn't understand the true scope of his achievement. It was only after I made contact with him later in life

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-53814865151836542042011-05-19T16:09:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.578-08:00

I like the combination of power and sensitivity in this lovely drawing by Kent Williams.His composition is fearless; look at how boldly he plants that figure in the center of the page, perfectly balanced as if by a Zen master.  No need to hedge his bets with wispy lines implying a background.  His primeval "L" shape is a design so basic and timeless it might as well have been etched into a cave

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-8647384020494406502011-05-16T07:16:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.578-08:00

Is there such a thing as background?  Or is everything really foreground?Illustrator Robert Heindel once said about his hero Bernie Fuchs, "Look at the things he does.  Who else would paint a tree with the sun behind it?  I would never attempt it."But a painting of a tree with the sun behind it is also a painting of the sun with a tree in front of it.  Your eye has no choice but to start with

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-91255143771152845712011-05-11T22:39:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.579-08:00

This was on my Facebook wall recently, if you have seen it, close your eyes, I'm posting it here for achival purposes and for those who could care less for FB.I will be attending the Calgary Expo in a couple of weeks and "Heroes" in Charlotte, North Carolina by the end of the month. Hopefully I'll see some of you there!Cheers!—A

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-61749565896303754292011-05-10T21:57:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.579-08:00

In September 1940 Hitler began his blitz campaign of dropping incendiary bombs on the major population centers of Britain, hoping to burn the civilians into submission. Night after night for months, London was set aflame. After a particularly vicious bombing run on December 29, Winston Churchill ruefully cabled Franklin Roosevelt, "They burned a large part of the city of London last night."

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-10052551323671212022011-05-03T23:20:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.579-08:00

Augustus John on the cover of Time Magazine, by Boris ChaliapinIt's difficult to think of an artist, or a human being, who made a bigger, noisier mess of his love life than Augustus John. Raised in a strict religious home, he rebelled with a life of free love and anarchy.  He proudly crowed, "Without much thought I act on the impulse of the moment."John impetuously eloped with a fellow art

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-58359648568822787872011-04-27T12:38:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.579-08:00

A real loose sketch demo, process breakdown at: The Art of Levi Hopkins

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-35268873802182401602011-04-22T09:28:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.579-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-34901752185281891122011-04-22T07:03:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.579-08:00

The traditional recipe for a mural requires:One (1) person wealthy enough to own a big wall; and one (1) person talented enough to paint on it.Unfortunately, these two ingredients don't always mix well.  The reason for this probably dates back to ancient Babylonia.  The cruel and powerful King Belshazzar, worshipper of gold and merchandiser of the souls of men, had conquered all his neighbors. 

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-35716485112210925002011-04-15T16:29:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.580-08:00

Because contrast is a game of extremes, it gives an artist license to cast aside nuance and embrace all kinds of lurid and gorgeous combinations of color and form.Frank Tenney JohnsonGeorge InnesCarl SpitzweigStill, it's not true that the farther apart the elements, the greater the contrast.  On the contrary, contrast has to remain confined by a common set of rules or it becomes less effective. 

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-68808567499544134502011-04-13T03:43:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.580-08:00

Contrast is like those bad boys your mother warned you to stay away from but you just couldn't help yourself.When you first encounter a picture, your eye is irresistibly drawn to the points of greatest contrast.    Other parts of the picture-- the largest shape, the prettiest color, the darkest or lightest form-- may strive for your attention but there's something about contrast that always

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-39080598203979543412011-04-12T17:15:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.580-08:00

Some unfinished speedies, more at: The Art of Levi Hopkins

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-39636289078659035222011-04-11T20:44:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.580-08:00

When Alex Raymond drew the comic strip Flash Gordon, he often used  smooth, tapered lines that flowed seamlessly from light to heavy, from narrow to wide.They were dazzling.  However, as he matured as an artist, Raymond no longer worried so much about blending the two extremes.  Instead, by the time he drew the strip Rip Kirby years later, he would contrast light, airy pen strokes with thick,

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-55131345094700888732011-04-10T20:45:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.580-08:00

Artists have experimented for centuries with visual techniques for contrasting opposites.  However, it is difficult to think of an example which has benefited from so much enthusiastic experimentation as the contrast of something small, pretty and vulnerable with something big, mean and scary:Let's see if we can tiptoe around some of the murky reasons people enjoy pictures of women in peril and

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-51353813098201610362011-04-09T20:34:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.581-08:00

Saul Steinberg was an artist of insatiable intellectual curiosity.  His imagination overflowed with fresh, orthogonal views of the world and he came up with so many connections and comparisons that he sometimes had to stash long lists of them in imaginary cabinets and closets.  Sometimes he went beyond words, and diagrammed the meeting of two concepts:The juxtaposition of these concepts is plenty

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-80825782984998305642011-04-09T17:59:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.581-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-80146628135957848482011-04-08T20:47:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.581-08:00

Peripheral vision may be our greatest weapon against ignorance.  Your eyes don't need to stray more than an inch before they might bump into a view of reality that is startlingly different from your own:Matter and antimatter coexist in this catalog of classes from the Learning AnnexOf course, we can't always rely on our peripheral vision.  Sometimes we have to seek out contrasting views.   For

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-77444739294013077022011-04-05T00:59:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.581-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-9579889590230652002011-03-30T01:22:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.581-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-38722733028433417812011-03-29T11:31:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.581-08:00

 Benicio is one of the most talented and well-known illustrators of Brazil. This book shows his illustration work for covers for pocket books and some advertising, as well as sketches and preliminary art for several works.60 pages hardcover format 21.5 cm x 30.4 cm. full-color, full bleed, sewn pages.Price: $29.95 PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER:

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-81432504944605956302011-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

The artist Pavel Korin centered his life around one grand ambition: to paint a masterpiece about the impact of the Russian Revolution. Preliminary study for "Farewell to Rus" Korin worked for 42 years in preparation for his painting, developing sub-themes, experimenting with  various compositions and painting detailed sketches.  He researched the science of art conservation to make sure

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-37228325574795964432011-03-23T13:22:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

God separating light from darkness in the book of Genesis (Michelangelo) Illustrations can enhance words, but not everyone is interested in having their words enhanced.  In fact, translating words into pictures sometimes provokes people to violence.  This reaction is a tribute to the power of illustration (although many illustrators, given a choice, might prefer the second prize).   Some 

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-81662210203659110832011-03-18T00:14:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

6x6 wood panel, paper, acrylic

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-46319273505664022152011-03-16T17:21:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

I am reposting these here pics from FB. Drawn by Yours Truly, (Top) painted by Su Haitao, (bottom) painted David Dunstan AKA "Loopy Dave".BRANDSTUDIOPRESS.COM STORE V 2.0Many thought we wouldn't last (including myself) but we were wrong! Last week Brandstudio Press celebrated its 4th Anniversary. We didn't throw a party, instead we launched a brand new website. Check it out, buy some books for

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-24795612422285663222011-03-16T11:12:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

Check out our new online course. Eight artists, eight weeks, streaming LIVE workshops with review/feedback forums available to attendees for the duration of the class. More info HERE, it's filling up and space is limited!

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-54205515306889740872011-03-14T22:36:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

The Art Blocks for Ghana auction is now live! Part of the auction proceeds will now go to Give2Asia in response to the mega tsunami which hit Japan last week. You can also donate directly to Give2Asia. You can find Doug's piece here!You can find Tsveta's piece here! You can find Phinney's piece here! You can find my contribution here. 

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-33868450433949479352011-03-13T23:55:00.000-07:002011-12-06T04:21:42.582-08:00

Strathmore Visual Journals, they have super sturdy covers and come in several varieties of filling. I'm using the smooth bristol version, with pigment liners and Copic markers. I want to make it a super neat little book of drawings to let people flip through, no messy sketches and doodles here.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-50668703170160289442011-03-11T09:00:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.583-08:00

Just some quick sketches. I'll be posting more throughout the weekend on The Art of Levi Hopkins.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-4511528585269658332011-03-06T12:03:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.583-08:00

This lovely, delicate drawing was the best way that Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) knew to kill his enemies.After the Nazis invaded his native Poland in 1939, Szyk took refuge in the United States.  There he learned that the Nazis had killed his brother, then turned their loving attention to his mother: [M]y beloved seventy-year-old mother, Eugenia Szyk, was taken from the ghetto of Lodz to the Nazi

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-9355361013943564772011-03-05T11:35:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.583-08:00

http://thurstonroscoe.tumblr.com/Print #5

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-37990754295883114932011-03-04T11:08:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.583-08:00

Thurston Roscoe print #4http://thurstonroscoe.tumblr.com

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-19643480962855783032011-03-04T09:17:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.583-08:00

Finally created a blog with new works and will be updated more than once every 5 years.My Blog: The Art of Levi HopkinsYou can also find my work at CGHUB: http://levi-hopkins.cghub.com/

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-49833512646597391502011-03-03T09:58:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.583-08:00

Thurston Roscoe print #3http://thurstonroscoe.tumblr.com

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-90579338000228702262011-03-02T10:24:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.584-08:00

Thurston Roscoe print #2, will it blend?! http://thurstonroscoe.tumblr.com

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-15635167415324461332011-03-01T10:44:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.584-08:00

Trevor Howell and I started a new project: http://thurstonroscoe.tumblr.comWe will be selling art prints at this year's Emerald City Comicon. We will unveil a new image each day this week as ECCC approaches. Stop by table H13 and say hi!

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-5358940088990901412011-02-27T11:00:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.584-08:00

Joe De Mers (1910-1984) illustrated women's magazines in the 1940s and 1950s, a market characterized by simplified pictures of pretty girls against plain backgrounds.Later generations would look down on what Robert Weaver ridiculed as "candy box" illustration. Jim Silke accurately noted, "that style was derisively called the 'big head school of illustration,' a name derived from the fact that

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-9250714048816574612011-02-25T17:42:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.584-08:00

It's been a while...And yes I still art.peace!

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-73604457002785572052011-02-25T00:05:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.584-08:00

Rawr! Tres is my third sketchbook. It's got 243 pages of sketches drawn during 2010. Available online here Also, I will be at table L-09 at the Emerald City Comicon selling books and prints as well as the few remaining copies of last years Rawr! Dos.Come by and I'll draw you some kind of critter. :)

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-65311366450802198552011-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.584-08:00

some sketchbook from France

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-25483458189497048212011-02-21T04:35:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.585-08:00

In 1894, Scottish artist James Pryde teamed with English artist William Nicholson to create posters under the pseudonym "the Beggarstaff Brothers" (a name they found on a torn sack of grain in an old stable yard).Pryde and Nicholson brought very different perspectives to their partnership. Pryde was tall and heavy, while Nicholson was short and thin. Pryde grew up in a noisy, eccentric household

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-57255218135361817762011-02-18T22:52:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.585-08:00

The new book is done! I've placed my order and it's now in Lulu's hands, but I think I got this fired off earlier than last year so I'm confident I'll have my stock in time for Emerald City Comic Con. At the show, I'll be in the lobe of Artist's Alley immediately to the left as you enter the door, table C-17. Go see the sales page now, though, right here if you don't want my germs on it.

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-54748876390244677762011-02-14T20:06:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.585-08:00

SEATTLE 2011I'll be attending The 9th Annual Emerald City Comicon on March 4th - 6th, 2011 at The Washington State Convention Center, downtown Seattle, WA, along with my friends: Andrew Wilson, Wade Schin and Mark Behm. As per usual, if you live in the North West (Washington, Oregon, British BC or Alberta) and you are planning to come to the show make sure you stop by our booth/table. I will be

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-69906818489593231852011-02-13T21:35:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.585-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-87631814309294550622011-02-10T14:15:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.585-08:00

The newest volume of the Classic Comics Press reprint of Leonard Starr's comic strip, On Stage, has just been released and publisher Charles Pelto was kind enough to invite me to write the introduction. I am a huge fan of the strip, and the period covered by this volume (1966-1967) is one of my favorite periods.In honor of this 8th volume in the series, my introduction lists the top 8 reasons

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-83420569009549436122011-02-08T11:22:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.585-08:00

sketchbook drawlings-bus people

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-68509181027531124632011-02-07T15:00:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.586-08:00

Illustrator Bernie Fuchs standing behind President Kennedy at the White HouseOnce upon a time, kings and pharaohs sought the most talented artists in the land to serve as court painters. In an era before photography (and often before literacy) royal patrons of the arts knew they would be remembered by the images of their accomplishments.Akhenaten's distinctive face was immortalized by his royal

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-82720058873342859662011-01-29T12:18:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.586-08:00

The illustrator Harry Everett Townsend (1879-1941) was born on a small farm in Illinois. As a young boy he showed early talent, painting signs for local farmers on the delivery route for his father's peddling wagon.But farm life was too confining for Townsend. As a teenager, he struck out on his bicycle for the big city and when he got to Chicago, enrolled in the Art Institute where he studied

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-13093728071673669812011-01-23T20:05:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.586-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-52987010056568744002011-01-23T12:08:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.586-08:00

At long last, a book devoted to the life and art of the great illustrator Robert Fawcett has been released by the art publisher, Auad Publishing.It is a hard cover 9x12" book with a dust jacket, 182 deluxe pages, and a special foldout for Fawcett's well known Civil War panorama. The book was a labor of love for the publisher, who selected and edited the numerous color and black and white images

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-33722368255773593462011-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.586-08:00

What topic has been more intriguing for artists than the sympathy of mortal flesh for mortal flesh?From the beginning it has been Topic A: "Always Interesting."Prehistoric kiss, 3500BCENefertiti's kiss, 1350 BCEJohn Gannam, Good Housekeeping 1954While the ballet between living organisms continues to fascinate, the more recent relationship between organisms and machines has emerged to command the

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-9054798669622973212011-01-13T02:43:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.586-08:00

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-77896524583469751232011-01-02T06:33:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.587-08:00

[Blogger reports that today is my 300th post. I never expected to take this blog past 50, but what started as a fun way to highlight some under-appreciated artists, tell a few truths in support of those who already know them, and share some good stories became an unexpected source of stimulating dialogues and rewarding acquaintances. Many thanks to all who have participated, and happy new year to

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-50028817951290179832010-12-27T06:55:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.587-08:00

It is a fine thing to view the world with the fresh eyes of a child.FrankenthalerThe colors are brighter and motives are purer.OlitskiNo wonder Goethe's Faust was ready to trade his soul to recover his lost innocence: Give me back youth's golden primeWhen my own spirit too was growingWhen from my heart unbidden rhymesGushed forth, a fount forever flowing;The world was shrouded in a hazeThe bud

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-49198523309827781702010-12-26T17:14:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.587-08:00

I am both , ashamed and appalled at the way I have neglected this here blog. I will make it my business in 2011 to update this sucker at least once a month. That much I promise, and you know I don't like to throw the "P" word around lightly :)Update: Benicio's book was misprinted in its entirety and will be reprinted, I'm sorry to inform you this bit of sad news, we were expecting to have this

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615637942132726090.post-87391840420365460972010-12-19T17:16:00.000-08:002011-12-06T04:21:42.587-08:00

The National Gallery of Art reports that "For several months in the winter of 1816-1817, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld vied with his friends, brothers Ferdinand and Friedrich Olivier, in making precise drawings of dried leaves."Julius created this tiny pen and ink drawing as part of their competition:What a blissful way to remain warm: rubbing your impressions of nature up against each

foreverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362847529180475795noreply@blogger.com