Interstizi

Got my copy of Interstizi magazine in the mail the other day! I did this a long time ago and sort of forgot about it. Pretty cool, even if they did spell my last name wrong. Interstizi is a themed art publication based in Italy that features the work of artists worldwide. The theme for this issue was "Ethereal."

Portland show!

I've been working on my zine lately and finally got it finished. It's my first one so I learned things along the way. I've decided I like Kinkos and their system with you using your credit or debit card. I'll post pictures tomorrow. I wanted to just give you all a heads up about the show I am in in Portland, OR this coming friday.

Here's the flyer:



This will be my first time showing work in Portland, but my second time in OR. I am excited because I know that there is a lot of great art being created there and some of my favorite artists working today live there. I hope it will be some good exposure for me to that art scene. I won't be in attendance but I can't wait to see photos!

I will post a picture of my piece for the show on here after the opening.

Stress-free drawing

India ink on old book covers

Just felt like doing something no-stress today. This is the kind of doodling I used to do in my sketchbooks. Haven't done this in a while, so it was really fun. I didn't know where I was going with this and I didn't care :)

Something new

"Man with Spear"
4 1/4" x 8" - graphite on found paper
2009

Just thought I would post the drawing I started last night and finished today. It's a graphite drawing. I haven't done one in many years, and never one like this, from my imagination. I was trying to see how my recent imagery would translate to another medium. For a first attempt I'm pretty happy overall (almost quit working on it though). Lots of room for improvement of course, but it was a fun experiment. Might try some more of these drawings with dark backgrounds. For a small drawing it ended up being more detailed than I expected. I noticed a few differences between this medium and the ink I am accustomed to using. First off, I don't feel quite as tense when I am working because pencil can be erased whereas ink can not. My hand also was not sore at the end of the day because overall I use less pressure with graphite than I do with ink. While the building up of tones is pretty much the same with both mediums, I noticed how much longer it takes with pencil. Not as much quick coverage like with ink wash. I do like the soft look the graphite creates though. There are things I enjoy about both mediums, and I look forward to more experimentation. I'm still easing back into color, but don't quite have the guts to tackle acrylic or gouache full on just now. Maybe soon. Also, I'd like to do some collage in the near future. It's something I'm familiar with, but haven't done in a while.

Dabbling

Yesterday I dabbled with some watercolors. Today I worked with graphite. I'll probably be doing more with that tomorrow. I haven't worked with graphite in a LONG time, at least not in a way that counts as rendering. I may have been in college the last time I really drew that way with pencil. Still not sure about the results, but this is all experimental. I'm rusty for sure, or maybe I just never improved with that medium. I bet if I keep at it I will become a lot more comfortable with it and it will eventually lend itself to the style of drawing I've developed. Too early to tell right now.

I still need to use those wood panels I have in a pile in the corner....

more later...

P.S. Got my work for the Portland show all sent out. Pretty excited to see how that goes. Not too far away.

quick update

Just wanted to post a quick update on what I've been up to lately. Well, I've been frantically working on my piece for the Launch Pad show in Portland next month. They are supposed to have the art by the 24th of next week, so you can see why I am hurrying. Don't forget, it has to get shipped across the country. Well, right now I am at the scanning stage. I think I am happy with the finished drawing. I painted a frame for it and am still trying to decide if I like the color I chose. It's much brighter and more vibrant than I would normally choose, but I figure this is a huge group show, and with my piece being black and white, it could use something to make it stand out a bit. I think I like it better this color than the hunter green I initially chose. Maybe my opinion will be different in the morning.

I was stressed out because the prep I had done on the drawing before I went away on my recent trip turned out to be a big waste of time. I spent a whole day and a half drawing the work out in pencil, thinking I could jump into the ink stage when I returned from my trip, but when I started to ink the other day, the lines bled badly. Must've been the paper. I was so annoyed. I ended up drawing the whole thing out again, practically identical on another piece of paper (I TESTED FIRST). That took a whole day. So basically I lost a day. I worked on the drawing for about 12 hours yesterday and about 6-7 hours today. I guess that's life.

Paper Girl Project Northampton (part 2)

Just came across these pictures on flickr of the Paper Girl Northampton Project. I posted a few pictures of the work being displayed a few entries ago, and thought I'd share some photos of the project closing and distribution of the artwork. These pictures were taken from the Paper Girl photostream on Flickr.


closing party


dividing up the artwork to be rolled




rolled up artwork


cyclists getting ready to ride and distribute art


precious cargo


lucky recipients!

My new fondness for Ebay

I have just received my first purchase won on Ebay and am ridiculously happy about it. Here's the story:

Before I moved from Baltimore several months ago, I bought 2 pen nibs from an art supply store in the city. After I moved, I used those nibs exclusively for pretty much several months. They worked really well. I must have worn them out though because after lots of constant use, they started to make broken lines when drawing. I resolved to get some more, but didn't know where. There are virtually no good art supply stores out here in suburbia. Aside from one privately owned store downtown, there is nothing. I went to this store to see what I could find anyway, since I was in dire need. All they had was speedball, and when I told the woman who worked there the brand name, she obviously had no idea what I was talking about. I bought a speedball nib anyway just to try it out, and when I got home I found that it did not work at all AND that they had accidentally overcharged me. So I decided to go online and see if I could find this brand of good nibs (Esterbrook). Well, I came to find out that Esterbrook pens was a company started in 1858 and was initially called the United States Steel Pen Manufacturing Company. The company made nib pens and later fountain pens. They were eventually taken over by the Venus Pencil Company in 1967, which was later taken over by Faber-Castell in 1973. Anyway, these particular nibs by Esterbrook are no longer made and are considered vintage, which makes me somewhat sad because they work so well. I ended up winning an entire sealed box of 144 nibs on ebay for $48. That's with shipping included. It's a bargain if you think about it because normally you buy a nib at an art supply for 99 cents. I'm sure the other people I was bidding against wanted the nibs for a collection, but it's nice to know that I will be getting use out of them and they won't just be sitting on a shelf somewhere. There are many many different styles of nibs by Esterbrook, and I got the #1000 SCHOOL (fine and firm) variety. The tip is not too bendy and allows for a good amount of pressure. The box they came in is very cool as well. Here are some pictures I took.

The Paper Girl Project Northampton

Here are a few pictures of a project I am participating in. Basically, the Paper Girl Project is based on a project of the same name that was implemented in Berlin. Artists are invited to donate original artwork which is then displayed in Northampton, MA in shops and restaurants for two weeks. After that time the work is divided up and rolled into cardboard tubes that are then distributed to random people on the street by cyclists throughout the city. I believe the distribution of the artwork is taking place tomorrow.

I found these pictures on the Paper Girl Project Facebook page. I donated 4 drawings and below you can see 3 of them.


My drawing is the smallest one in the middle of the top row.


The small vertical drawing in the middle is mine.


The bottom right drawing is mine.