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.

Shirt Design

Did this shirt design for the band Unholy. This is just a preview of what it will look like. The original design had a white background but was cut out to be put on a black shirt. I think it looks great! Can't take credit for the type, but it looks good too, and I think it fits with the image pretty well. They were very specific with what they wanted: A devil hanging upside-down from a cloud eating the entrails out of a creature with an animal head of some kind. I added the rest of the stuff, some for the sake of balancing the design. Shirts should be printed in October sometime. I will post a picture when I get mine.

This was the quick thumbnail sketch sent to me by the band. Original idea had the creature with entrails being held up by two floating skulls or a sun and a moon. These were later eliminated.


This is my sketch in pencil


This is my finished drawing after revisions


This is the preview of how the shirt will be printed

Next on the list....

Today I need to start working on my piece for the "Family" show at Launch Pad, which will be exhibiting at the beginning of October in Portland, OR. Only problem is I am going to Baltimore for 2 weeks very soon, which may cut short my time to work on this. I guess I can try to get it done in the next few days, or, try to work on it while in Baltimore, or just try to do it all while I get back. Either way, I should at least start sketching it out today. We shall see. I don't have my idea completely refined yet, but a lot of that happens during the sketching stage for me. Keep you updated.

Good vs Evil Blog

Got a little shout out today on the Good vs Evil blog site! Thanks Dan :)

http://goodvsevilzine.blogspot.com/2009/08/john-macnair.html

Today's small accomplishment

Today was one of those days where you just feel annoyed, but there is no one big thing you can pinpoint, it's a bunch of little things all added together that fuels this. Anyway, despite feeling irritated, I managed to get a lot done with this drawing I was working on. It's my submission to Belio magazine for their theme of "Back to the roots" (a pretty cool theme). There were a few times I didn't know how this would come out (that inevitably always happens) and as usual, it worked out in the end. I feel pretty happy with it, despite the minor struggles with decision-making.

"At the End of the Day"




Here's a few pictures of the working stages:

Got Gooo?

I was very excited to get my copies of Gooo Magazine in the mail the other day. I participated in issue #7 a while back and had been anxiously awaiting the release of it for a long time. The theme of the issue was "Witchcraft" and participants were encouraged to expand their interpretation of the theme as much as they liked. There are some really great entries in the book, some from people who you probably know like Nate Williams, Alexei Vella, and Fumi Mini Nakamura. While the majority of the artists were from Argentina (Gooo's place of origin), there were also some from Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, Mexico, Israel, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Also, can't say enough good things about the nice printing of the book. The paper is both matte and glossy with vibrant color printing.

Below is a picture of my entry:

Art and the great outdoors

Hey everyone,

I just got back last night from an 11 day vacation in Vermont. Also spent some time in New York, but was mainly in Burlington, and North Hero Island. So beautiful! I had told myself I would draw on this vacation, and I did ONE complete drawing. Not as prolific as I would have liked to be, but I did try a few times and it was just too hot in the sun. I'm posting a picture of the drawing I did while sitting at the picnic table behind the house on the cliff off the lake. I used charcoal since it's a nice quick medium. It was fun and surprisingly challenging drawing from real life again.

Much of my time was spent taking photographs. There was just so much to document everywhere I looked. I took over 700 pictures.

Video experiment

I thought I'd try a video/art experiment and make a short video of an old sketchbook (I've been seeing some sketchbook videos of other artists lately and thought it was a brilliant idea). This sketchbook was one I kept from May 2007-November 2007. Sorry this video is not the best quality. I wish I could have turned the pages slower, but I needed to fit the flickr video time limit.

The music is by Michael Andrews and was composed for the film Donnie Darko. I thought it fit the video and the length of the track was perfect. Just wanted to make it clear I am in no way taking credit for this great music.

You Thought We Wouldn't Notice

A very interesting site for artists and designers everywhere, although sometimes sickening to look at.

It really makes you think about the line between inspiration and plagiarism.

http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/

More sold art

Just shipped 5 sold drawings to Lori in Washington D.C.. They were all from 2007 when I kept a daily art blog.

"We Are Awake" pictures

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd post some pictures from the "We Are Awake" show I have some pieces in @ Double Punch Gallery in San Francisco. Regrettably, I was not able to attend the opening, but my friend Ellen drove down from Portland for the opening, and took some great pictures for me. I also am posting some pictures taken by the curator of the show Ryan, and (when I get them), some pictures my parents took. My parents just happened to be in San Francisco a few days before the opening, so they dropped in to see the gallery and got some pictures while they were doing hanging.

Art from the show is available for purchase HERE.

Here are some pictures from Ryan. A few were taken before the opening and a few during.










a few from the opening:



Here are a bunch of photos Ellen took at the opening: