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:

The Net

The internet is a funny place. You put your work out there for people to see, but sometimes you forget they are looking...(especially people across the globe)

http://csbhagya.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/featured-artist-jon-macnair/

http://rassionmagazine.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/next-level-jon-macnair/

http://daycoloring.blogspot.com/2009/07/jon-macnair.html

A very long process

Today I got word from artist Paulo Barros in Portugal that he finally received the artwork I sent to him nearly a month ago in our art trade. I guess the package I sent got intercepted by customs control and was being held captive. They sent him a letter saying he had to write a document of commitment of honor and then wait two more weeks to receive it. Craziness.........

But he has it at last and we can BOTH stop wondering about it. And he likes the work, which of course makes me happy.

Brief Tuesday update

Just wanted to mention what's been going on lately.

sorry, it's bulleted.

-all my art got to Double Punch Gallery in San Francisco this week (one piece had broken glass) in reasonable shape. I am thankful it was not more.
-got some nice emails from people and some art purchase inquiries.
-Joined The Honeycomb. I was invited to become part of this arts collective or sorts. You can read more about it here:
http://inthehoneycomb.com/
-got some writing to do for an application. I hate writing about art, but it needs to get done. I have procrastinated far too long.

That's all for now. More later. I am going on vacation on Friday and will be gone about a week. As much as I love drawing, it will be nice to get away for a while.

RUBY MAGAZINE

The new issue (#38) of Ruby Magazine is now online and I am in it! I'm really excited to be part of this publication, which has showcased tons of very talented artists. A bunch of my more intricate, larger drawings are featured.



The other artists featured are:
Nick Van Woert (USA)
William Edmonds (UK)
Carolyn Monastra (USA)
Liang-Yin Wang (Taiwan)
Joe Penrod (USA)
Katharina Trudzinski (Germany)

http://www.ruby-mag.com.ar/site/index.html

More boxes and bubblewrap

I just sent two boxes (20 pieces) off to San Francisco today with art for the Double Punch show. They should get there in 3 days if all goes well, and hopefully all in one piece too. I will be uneasy for the next couple days until I hear from them and know there was no broken glass involved. Ugh. All the more reason to start painting on cradled wooden panels. I will try to be optimistic though. It is UPS after all and not the horrible regular usps. They just don't care at all. I sometimes feel like they purposely handle things labeled "GLASS: FRAGILE" as roughly as possible. I used all the bubble wrap I had and really tried to cushion everything really well, plus not everything had glass. 11 out of the 20 pieces I sent had plastic covers, not glass ones. Also sent an art inventory with all the info for each piece, labeled each piece on the back, and made a labeled exhibition layout (suggestion) for the art.

Still need to send then images for the website and a bio. After that it's t-shirt design, zines, and applications.

"Consulting the Wise One" SOLD!

It was a long haul but I got all the artwork for Faesthetic done. It took pretty much a week (the alotted time) nonstop to do it, but I am proud of what I am giving them so it's all worth it. It's an excellent chance to gain exposure and I wanted to make the most of it. Also, I shipped a piece off to NY today that was bought recently.

pictured below:







Kinda sad to see it go (it's one of my favorites) but I know it is going to a good home where it will be appreciated and taken care of. Geez, it sounds like I'm talking about a puppy or something. Anyway, now that these two things are done I can get back to working on stuff for the Double Punch show, which is rapidly approaching. I also need to finish up a t-shirt design.

Today was a long day of drawing. I think I probably drew for 10 or 11 hours. My eyes are shot for the night. Making headway but it's slow. More tomorrow.

Goodnight.

Double Punch Gallery Exhibition Promo

This is the flyer for the upcoming show at Double Punch Gallery I am excited to be part of this month. I'm very happy to have my work amidst the work of such great artists!

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the opening because I will be in Colorado. However, if you live in San Francisco, be sure to check it out!

My New Stapler

I know it seems stupid to post an entry about a stapler, but I am ridiculously excited right now about this PaperPro Long Reach stapler I just got. It's awesome. Now I can staple zines! When I hold it I feel like I'm holding a loaded weapon or something. The thing is BIG. They recommend not having it anywhere near your face when you staple because the staples come out with such force, you could take your eye out. Thanks for the tip!

Yes, it was expensive (for a stapler) but I consider it a necessary piece of equipment. It's an "investment" stapler. Haha. Definitely an improvement to the crappy little mini stapler I had before.

I've been working on three things today. The shirt design for the band Unholy, the drawings for Faesthetic, and gallery stuff for Double Punch. Last night I organized what I imagine my section of gallery to look like by laying the artwork out on the floor. I took some pictures and tried to make it look as balanced compositionally as possible. Kinda tricky. Sent some images to the gallery to use on the promo flyer today.

Things are going slow but steady with the art for Faesthetic. I almost have one drawing penciled out. This stage always takes so long because I'm really starting from nothing and not sure how it will look. A lot of erasing.

Discovered a nice post about my work today on someone's blog HERE.

also found THIS.

Okay, back to work.