Monday, January 28, 2008
CafePress Cards
A few of you asked me if I am going to print The Son of Man Anti-Valentine card. I'm not going to do a full print run, but if you really want a copy I've made them available on demand at CafePress. Note: the CafePress print quality will not be the same as the printer I normally use, but it should be good enough for this purpose.
A few of you asked me if I am going to print The Son of Man Anti-Valentine card. I'm not going to do a full print run, but if you really want a copy I've made them available on demand at CafePress. Note: the CafePress print quality will not be the same as the printer I normally use, but it should be good enough for this purpose.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Legs!
My daughter's tadpole is starting to grow legs. I have already disclosed that I am not always good with pets. Hopefully this pet will have a happier outcome.
My daughter's tadpole is starting to grow legs. I have already disclosed that I am not always good with pets. Hopefully this pet will have a happier outcome.Thursday, January 24, 2008
Heart Throb Show
I am participating in a group show. Here are the details:
Where: Gallery 128
I am participating in a group show. Here are the details:Where: Gallery 128
128 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
212-674-0244
When: 2/11/08 - 2/16/08
From 1 - 6 PM daily
Reception: Valentine's Day, 6 -8 PM
Reception: Valentine's Day, 6 -8 PM
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Resurrection Pictograms
I came across this sign while researching my Ten Commandments project. Here is the original post. I guess I'm not the first to use pictograms to illustrate religious doctrine. (Well, I knew I wasn't the first.)
Toilet Museum Moves from Worcester to Watertown
My friend Heather forwarded me this article. There is apparently a museum in Massachusetts entirely dedicated to toilets. Here is the link. Also in the Boston area are the Museum of Bad Art, the Museum of Dirt, and the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. I think I'll have to make a trip to Boston soon.
My friend Heather forwarded me this article. There is apparently a museum in Massachusetts entirely dedicated to toilets. Here is the link. Also in the Boston area are the Museum of Bad Art, the Museum of Dirt, and the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. I think I'll have to make a trip to Boston soon.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Idea
For my next project, I have decided to illustrate the Ten Commandments using pictograms. This one will require some research, but I think it should be fun. My most immediate challenge is finding the right sized circle guide to draw the red "NO" circles. I was hoping to find a stencil, but so far the only stencil I've seen is 26" x 26", which is too big for my purpose. I'll probably end up using one of our dinner plates.
For my next project, I have decided to illustrate the Ten Commandments using pictograms. This one will require some research, but I think it should be fun. My most immediate challenge is finding the right sized circle guide to draw the red "NO" circles. I was hoping to find a stencil, but so far the only stencil I've seen is 26" x 26", which is too big for my purpose. I'll probably end up using one of our dinner plates.Saturday, January 19, 2008
Anti-Valentine
This is my entry for SCBWI's Anti-Valentine illustration contest. Bob is the model, in case you were wondering. I am disclosing this information now to avoid centuries of speculation.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Finished!
My digestive system piece is now complete. I am actually quite pleased with how bad this looks. Hopefully it will meet the discriminating standards of the MOBA.
My digestive system piece is now complete. I am actually quite pleased with how bad this looks. Hopefully it will meet the discriminating standards of the MOBA.Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Picasso Digestive System
I drew the last digestive system as one of Picasso's single line contour drawings. Picasso did a series of these drawings (see below examples). The single line works well for the digestive system, since the alimentary canal is a long, continuous tube. I drew this by following the natural flow of the digestive tract.
I drew the last digestive system as one of Picasso's single line contour drawings. Picasso did a series of these drawings (see below examples). The single line works well for the digestive system, since the alimentary canal is a long, continuous tube. I drew this by following the natural flow of the digestive tract.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Magritte Digestive System
I drew the third digestive system in the style of Rene Magritte. I could have done the standard "Ceci n'est pas une gallbladder," but I didn't know the French word for "gallbladder," and I wanted to make it more subtle. I mislabeled the organs instead, much like Magritte did in his Key of Dreams series.
As it so happens, I used up my warm grey colored pencil about half way through the drawing, and had to switch pencils mid-background. The new pencil was a different brand, and was a slightly different shade of grey (see detail). This type of mistake would normally drive me insane, but since this is supposed to be bad art, the mistake was actually quite opportune. (You can't see it well in the photo, but it looks terrible in person.)
I drew the third digestive system in the style of Rene Magritte. I could have done the standard "Ceci n'est pas une gallbladder," but I didn't know the French word for "gallbladder," and I wanted to make it more subtle. I mislabeled the organs instead, much like Magritte did in his Key of Dreams series.
As it so happens, I used up my warm grey colored pencil about half way through the drawing, and had to switch pencils mid-background. The new pencil was a different brand, and was a slightly different shade of grey (see detail). This type of mistake would normally drive me insane, but since this is supposed to be bad art, the mistake was actually quite opportune. (You can't see it well in the photo, but it looks terrible in person.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Modern Classics Alphabet
Joel Pirela from Blue Ant Studio made an alphabet of designers for his daughter Isabella. This concept is similar to my ABCs of Art poster, except he used the names of designers, and I used artists. He originally designed the letters as blocks, but he now has posters available here. (Mine are available here. Or here.)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Teeth
Mitchell Lichtenstein's new movie Teeth looks, um, interesting. Here is the official website for the movie. I was equally amused by Mitchell Lichtenstein's Wikipedia entry, which could use some additional research.
Mitchell Lichtenstein's new movie Teeth looks, um, interesting. Here is the official website for the movie. I was equally amused by Mitchell Lichtenstein's Wikipedia entry, which could use some additional research.Thursday, January 10, 2008
Keith Haring Digestive System
This is the second quadrant of my Museum of Bad Art submission. I left most of the organs white, but I decided it was important to make the gallbladder green. Keith Haring seems a natural choice for this project, and I would love to animate this one if I could figure out how. (Ahem, Nadia.) Here are some examples of real Keith Haring animation.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Dexter Comes to CBS
So it's official - Dexter is coming to CBS! The first season will air on Sundays at 10 PM, starting February 17th. The episodes will apparently be "edited to meet broadcast television standards." I'm not sure how I feel about a sanitized Dexter, since the blood and inappropriate material are in my opinion essential to the show, but I will give it a try. (Hat tip: David.)
So it's official - Dexter is coming to CBS! The first season will air on Sundays at 10 PM, starting February 17th. The episodes will apparently be "edited to meet broadcast television standards." I'm not sure how I feel about a sanitized Dexter, since the blood and inappropriate material are in my opinion essential to the show, but I will give it a try. (Hat tip: David.)
Monday, January 07, 2008
ABCs of DADA
I came across this video while doing a Google search for my website. Here is the original post. I love the intro.
I came across this video while doing a Google search for my website. Here is the original post. I love the intro.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Seurat Digestive System
I started working on my submission for the Museum of Bad Art. For this piece, I will draw the digestive system in four different artist styles. Why, you may ask? My inspiration was actually the knitted digestive system, which I wrote about as one of my holiday gift picks for 2007. I don’t know how to knit, but I can do the next best thing and make pastiches.
I drew the first digestive system in the style of Georges Seurat. I used colored pencil, not paint, but it looks basically the same (see detail). This one took over a month to do, which is far too long for a joke, but once I got started I had to finish. In retrospect, I should have used Matisse’s cutouts instead.
I started working on my submission for the Museum of Bad Art. For this piece, I will draw the digestive system in four different artist styles. Why, you may ask? My inspiration was actually the knitted digestive system, which I wrote about as one of my holiday gift picks for 2007. I don’t know how to knit, but I can do the next best thing and make pastiches.
I drew the first digestive system in the style of Georges Seurat. I used colored pencil, not paint, but it looks basically the same (see detail). This one took over a month to do, which is far too long for a joke, but once I got started I had to finish. In retrospect, I should have used Matisse’s cutouts instead.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Raining Iguanas
This story is a little weird. It also reminds me of Edmund, who was my pet iguana when I was in my twenties. Edmund was an interesting pet for a while. He ate salad, which was easy, and was especially attracted to brightly colored foods, such as cut up mango and acorn squash. I let him walk around my apartment when I was home, and he would sometimes try to eat my chalk pastels, which I guess to him looked like food.
One day, while Edmund was exploring my apartment, he climbed behind the refrigerator. I tried to coax him out, but he was skittish and wouldn't come to me. I let him stay there for a bit, but then I heard a frantic rustling, and realized that he had climbed into the wires. Fearing he would be electrocuted, I tried moving the refrigerator to save him. I didn't save him. Instead I crushed him, like a bug.
I knew Edmund was dead, but I still couldn't reach him behind the refrigerator, so I used a yard stick to fish him out. And because he was cold blooded, rigamortis set in almost immediately. He was too big to flush, and it was winter, so I couldn't bury him. I ended up throwing him out with the trash.
At work the next day, I told my boss Marie what had happened to Edmund. She responded flatly, "Maybe next time you should get a turtle."
So that is the true story of Edmund, my pet iguana. I don't think I'll illustrate this one, but maybe I'll use him as a character sometime in a less tragic story.
This story is a little weird. It also reminds me of Edmund, who was my pet iguana when I was in my twenties. Edmund was an interesting pet for a while. He ate salad, which was easy, and was especially attracted to brightly colored foods, such as cut up mango and acorn squash. I let him walk around my apartment when I was home, and he would sometimes try to eat my chalk pastels, which I guess to him looked like food.
One day, while Edmund was exploring my apartment, he climbed behind the refrigerator. I tried to coax him out, but he was skittish and wouldn't come to me. I let him stay there for a bit, but then I heard a frantic rustling, and realized that he had climbed into the wires. Fearing he would be electrocuted, I tried moving the refrigerator to save him. I didn't save him. Instead I crushed him, like a bug.
I knew Edmund was dead, but I still couldn't reach him behind the refrigerator, so I used a yard stick to fish him out. And because he was cold blooded, rigamortis set in almost immediately. He was too big to flush, and it was winter, so I couldn't bury him. I ended up throwing him out with the trash.
At work the next day, I told my boss Marie what had happened to Edmund. She responded flatly, "Maybe next time you should get a turtle."
So that is the true story of Edmund, my pet iguana. I don't think I'll illustrate this one, but maybe I'll use him as a character sometime in a less tragic story.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
War Bond Posters
Some of you already know that I collect War Bond posters from WWI. For the rest of you, here is a slideshow of my collection. You may notice that some of them look like they are bleeding from the bottom corners. This is because our apartment is so incredibly hot that the brown foam pads on the backs of the frames melted and dripped down the wall. Either that, or the walls really are bleeding. You decide.
Some of you already know that I collect War Bond posters from WWI. For the rest of you, here is a slideshow of my collection. You may notice that some of them look like they are bleeding from the bottom corners. This is because our apartment is so incredibly hot that the brown foam pads on the backs of the frames melted and dripped down the wall. Either that, or the walls really are bleeding. You decide.
