Objectivity

Sometimes I stare at a piece so long that it becomes hard to be objective. So I do the traditional things to get a different perspective: flip it upside down, take it to the mirror. Sometimes it helps to take it a little further. Here I took an in progress photo of my painting to compare to the color comp I've worked up. Now I can do a side by side comparison to see more clearly the changes that need to happen. I've also have swatches of color to compare the two. The left column is the color comp sampled from top to middle of the piece. The second column is the same from the painting as is. This is helping me while painting a little more opaquely.

Progress Shot

Taking my time and having some pretty good results so far. I picked up the small brush to start adding detail to the hand. However, it's still early in the piece and I don't want to get too caught up in details too quick. Tomorrow I'm going to try and use a larger brush to get back into the background and bring the entire piece up to par.

I'm basically using the same technique of thinning out my oil paints and glazing in layers of paint. Every now and then I'll take a large soft brush to smooth out the brush strokes a bit. Part of me likes the strokes and doesn't want it to look too blended.

Hi Fructose Interview

Last year I had the honor of being interviewed by Annie Owens over at Hi Fructose. In case you didn't see that interview I thought I'd share it here. It's the 13th volume of the magazine.



• What kinds of things are you exploring right now in your work conceptually? I know you said the four new paintings in your “Daughter’s” show was decidedly feminine – what brought you there?

My work is definitely narrative. But I'm playing with how much of a narrative some of the paintings are. I think some have more of a story and some are more iconic imagery. A few things lead me to doing feminine pieces for my recent show at Roq La Rue. Artists have been inspired by the female form for a very long time. I'm no different in this respect. Another factor was the theme of the show I was going for. In some respect I wanted something related to the idea of Mother Nature. Also, and I feel strange admitting it, but one of the things I sometimes struggle with is the unseen pressure from what I think collectors and people in general like or want to see. I think people like imagery of beautiful women. And that's great because I love painting them. However, I don't want to pigeon hole myself into being an artist that paints only one thing for the sake of making money. So I try to stay true to what I like to work on and experiment with. However, I also realize I need to sell work and pay bills so I can continue painting. Having a show is nerve wracking. Having work not sell can mess with your head and you start asking yourself "why isnt' this selling". Even if you're quite pleased with how the work turned out there's that unseen pressure that may lead one to second guessing their self and their direction. One good thing I’ve noticed is that with every piece I finish I gain a little more confidence in myself. And that allows the evolution of my work to progress a little more freely.

• What are some of the things you’ve learned transitioning into galleries from work as an illustrator?
Right now I’m still really enjoying the artistic freedom I have. With illustration one often gets a deadline that’s two or three weeks away. It’s easy to get started and stay busy because the deadline is right around the corner. External deadlines are major motivators. I’m still learning how to deal with a different and distant deadline. I experimented with working on several pieces simultaneously. I think this is great for learning and growing from your work. Anything I learn from painting “A” I can can instantly apply to “B,C”, and “D”. It helps to do all the research and prep work for all the pieces at the same time. This way I don’t lose my momentum as previously I would finish a piece and then start over with all the prep work again. It’s also been helpful to switch up on paintings every few days to keep from getting burned out on a single piece. Previously I would finish a piece, scan it, email it, and be done. Now I’m also adjusting to the extra time I need to get reproductions, framing, packaging, and shipping. Unlike many illustration deadlines there isn’t normally any flexibility to a gallery opening. Another difference is the amount of work you do. In the gallery scene I’ve learned it’s possible to over saturate the market. That can devalue your work. Especially if you still have a lot of unsold work. In illustration I’m not sure that would be a bad thing.

• Your work appears to be more psychological and emotional in nature rather than say, political or social commentary. What are some things, interests, hobbies, thoughts outside painting that wind up feeding the content of you work?
It could be anything really. Random things will trigger an idea that I’ll have to scratch out quickly before I forget. Though my work tends to be cathartic and my relationships tend to filter into the work subconsciously. I think that’s fine. I don’t always know what something means as I’m doing it. I’m not sure it has to mean anything. I also don’t want to over do a painting conceptually, as it tends to come off too contrived. I have an artist buddy who will comment on my paintings as I’m working on them. He’ll give me his unsolicited interpretation that goes something like “this is you. That is a projection of so and so..” etc. And I’ll nod and say “maybe, I dunno”. A few days later I’ll look at the work and it’ll hit me “Damn, I think he nailed it. I am a robot.” These are always personal paintings never commissioned jobs. It can be difficult to be objective about your own work especially as you’re working on it. But I’m learning to trust my gut and intuition a little more.
As far as other influences. Perhaps the fleeting moments in our daily lives. Someone waiting or seemingly lost in thought. Sometimes these moments can be quiet and yet dynamic and revealing. This is a little different than the work I’ve just completed but it pertains to ideas on the back burner I plan on revisiting.

What else do you like to do there in Columbus besides paint?
I think I’m a pretty average guy. When I have free time I like to go out and have a drink with friends, sketching at coffee shops or bars. I have a lot of plants at my house that I like to take care of and I also love bon fires in the backyard. That may be a small town mid-west thing. I think like many other artists I can sometimes get caught up in the studio for weeks. It’s not until I’m out having a drink and relaxing that I realize I really needed to get out of the house. This may also strike people who only know me from my work as unexpected. I grew up surrounded by hip-hop. I used to break dance not so long ago. I think it’s a great form of expression. I was never into battling however. And I love a good MC battle. Clever word play right off the top is great. Plus who doesn’t like a little shit talking and some mama jokes? So I guess after a major deadline if I could have a sketch pad at a bar where people where breaking and battle rapping I’d probably have a pretty good night. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of venues for said activities here in Columbus. So most of the time you can find me in my studio.

Not again...

Yessir, I'm trying my hand at oils again. I apologize to all the oil painters in advance. For warm up I watched Dan Dos Santos' dvd tutorial. I'm currently finishing up Donato's dvd. Thanks guys! Some problems I had with my first experimentation several months ago was the consistency of the paint. I think I was starting out way too thick and it was rather difficult to control. I started with some quick acrylic washes to do a little shading and to fix the drawing so that it wouldn't smudge. I'm not painting as thick and I'm also using a second soft yet firm(oxymoron? it's basically your average house painting brush) brush to spread the paint thin while blending out unwanted brush strokes or not quite blending them out if I like them. It's moving fairly quick and is remarkably.....fun. Actually, it's quite fun. Who knew? All the oil painters I assume.

Painting more thin in this manner and gradually adding in darks and colors is not too different than how I normally paint. It feels familiar. The extended blending time is awesome. I do however, wish I could flash dry the paint as I finish blending. I'm sure I'll run into some problems but currently feel good about the progress and process. I plan on documenting this piece a little more than previous paintings. To see the first vid click here. I'm currently uploading the 4th vid. Hopefully, it will be done by the time you read this. Tips? crits? I'm wide open.

Is Art School Worth it?

In case you haven't seen my post over on Muddy Colors. I think this is an important issue to consider. There are also some great comments to read. Would love to hear your thoughts.




First off, I'm not downing formal education. I'm just asking if it's worth getting into $120 thousand dollars worth of debt not to mention the interest for four to six years of college. Especially in our current economic state.

So what does school offer us? Hopefully, teachers and peers who can assist in pushing us to be better than we are(ultimately we have to be our hardest critic). There's also access to facilities and opportunities to produce and experiment in. But these are really just opportunities the student can take advantage of not. You can't force someone to get better. It's a choice to pursue, a decision to push ourselves, to be on time with assignments, to stay after class to finish the still life or do extra reading etc. There's an intrinsic incentive for us to master the craft of our choice. We all know of self trained painters, illustrators, and musicians who are amazing at what they do.

Today we have more access to information than ever before. Let's list some:

- illustration tutorials on dvd that deal with technique process, business aspects etc
- illustration workshops like "Illustration Masters Class" where you may pay a fee for a professional ass kicking and intensely constructive experience.
- art books, the library is free
- video demos online( learned a lot about Photoshop from CMYKilla)
- all types of online art forums where one can get critical feedback from the art community of the world(take everything with a grain of salt}
- art blogs, personal and collective... I'd list some but I'm blanking out right now.
- attending conventions, lectures, and demos to observe, ask questions, and get feed back from professionals
- taking advantage of museums and galleries to view original works
- online classes such as "Schoolism"
- private internships
- You can also find the contact information of your favorite artist and ask some specific questions. I try to answer as many as I can fit into my schedule as well as email others for advice.

Thankfully, there are scholarships to help kids with paying for school. I could be wrong but I would assume the kids who get the scholarships are the same kids who are drawing and producing art even when they don't have to because they want to get better.

Even if you were interested in a Masters Program you could look up the list of professors that you would be learning from and read up on literature written by said professors.

My point is there is an abundance of information out there. You have the same options you have in art school. You can take it or leave it. The choice is yours. We all know people in school who didn't take the time to do the work. School is only as good as you make it. Going to the best art school doesn't make the best artist.

Is staying at home or even with some of your art buddies and learning/practicing via these alternative methods(the same methods artists use even after graduating college)as good as going to an art school? Maybe not. Maybe so and it's just a different learning experience minus the debt. Again, it depends on how much the individual is putting into mastering their craft. The art school environment is great and if art school wasn't so expensive I wouldn't be writing this blog post. Can you get educated for a lot less than it cost to attend art school? What are your personal school experiences/regrets? Would you do it differently if you could?

A Question About Rates...X Rated

Hi Eric,

My name is X and I'm a recent XXX grad working in X. We've met a couple times before and I was wondering if you might be able to answer a question for me. Since graduating I've mostly been doing work for various collectible card games and board games which tend to dictate up front just how much they're going to pay you. But I have a sci-fi publisher (XXX Books) asking how much I charge for cover work, and the question has thrown me off a bit. If you don't mind my asking, what do you charge for cover work? I'm certainly not looking to compare my work to yours, but I don't want to lowball myself or undercut the market either. In any case, any light you could shed on the subject would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance and have a great day!

Sincerely,

X
--
X X
Professional Artist and Illustrator
123 X St., Apt X
X, X 43202


Hi X,

Publishers usually pay somewhere between $1500-4000 for a cover. Depending on how interested you are in the job, how much artistic freedom you get, how quick the turn around is, or how much exposure you'll get(is this a well known publisher?), you may feel inclined to charge more or be willing to do it for less. I'm usually willing to work with a lower budget if I get the opportunity to have some freedom and do a really strong piece for myself. Hopefully, you can do the good work and get paid top dollar.

An art director will usually give you the info when they inquire about your availability ie budget, deadline, size etc. If they don't give you any of the info don't be afraid to ask.

"Hi Art Dir X,
Thanks for contacting me. I'm looking forward to working with you on this project. Could you please provide the synopsis, deadline, size, and budget for this job?"

Something simple like that or however you want to address it. But getting the information is a must before signing on to a job. That way you can make the most informed decision.
Also, I would take the "Professional" out of your title. It is assumed that you are already a professional. You don't want it to look as if you're overcompensating for lack of work. I'm not sure you need to give your addy or phone # either unless asked. I like it nice and simple. Just my opinion. You should also make your website a live link so it's easy for anyone to just click on it as opposed to copying and pasting.

Hope that helps,

Eric

Any other tips? please post them:)

Beginnings & Endings

Leading up to my recent show at LeBasse Projects I had been working around the clock to finish up the paintings. After coming back from LA it was straight to Altoona, Pa for Illux Con. And currently, I'm house/dog sitting in NY for a cousin of mine. I have been doing nothing for the passed few weeks but absorbing other peoples art; galleries in LA and NY, amazing work at Illux Con. Taking a lot of it in and letting it marinate.

Normally when I travel I bring all my supplies: fold up art desk, desk lamp, paints, palettes etc., and I work. These recent travels have been interesting, because I only brought pencil and paper. I wasn't even worried about art making really, mostly trying to get inspired for my next body of work. Exposing myself to as much as possible(in an artistic context). About two days ago I woke up thinking about my work and busted out ten sketches almost effortlessly. That never happens. I'm kind of excited about these so I thought I'd post a few of my early morning chicken scratches. The beginnings of what you may see fleshed out in the months to come. I'm also posting another beginning and the detail of an ending to recent previous months of work.

The next step from here. refine sketches, value/color studies, photo ref, transfer, paint. We'll see what happens.