11.30.2007

LA City Beat

Great Art Director. There's a lot to be said about that.



For this illustration, I used Prismacolor Art Markers and Prismacolor colored pencils (both by Sanford) on pastel paper. I used the less textured side of the paper, so I have a bit smoother surface to work on, only because I was working at print-size, which I normally don't do. The background is done with acrylic paint.

11.18.2007

In-Stock*

Rejects is now available on Amazon.com!


*(ignore the 4-6 weeks shipping, that's old news... it's now IN-STOCK!)

If you have yet to purchase the book, know that you get a free postcard-sized print when you buy from
RejectsTheBook.com, as well as supporting the arts more directly, and helping artists like myself have the capability to publish another book (wha?... hint hint).

If you have already purchased Rejects, be a pal and sign in at Amazon.com to leave your feedback and rating for my book! The more feedback it gets the more exposure the book will get, and the more support you will be giving to the art of caricature, illustration, cartooning, etc. I know it sounds sappy, but give it a shot!

11.17.2007

Getting Mail

I often get emails from artists asking about caricature, illustration, exaggeration, or my book. Often, they are the same questions or similar questions. They're not bad questions at all- quite the contrary. Usually very good inquiries come in, and I've decided it would be good to share them with anyone who may visit this blog. I may go back to some archived emails and post them here.

I'll start with the email that I received today, spawning this choice. It's from a chap named Peter who recently purchased my book, REJECTS, and had some questions about live caricature:

.=====

Q: Do you always start with a real loose rough, like you show in your book, and then move to a fresh piece of paper? And also, you seem to work from the inside out, beginning with the left eye...Is this true?


A: I do typically start with a rough sketch. A good practice is to let your EYES do that, and don't let it be a tool until you know how to properly do it quickly. Many people start doing this, but they essentially draw the caricature twice, and it ends up being very simple and boring. I use this sketch only when I want an interesting composition, when I want to do something extreme, exaggerated or bold, but don't want to sacrifice too much time. The "pre-sketch" (as I call it) actually will save me time, when used properly. It can be seen as a bad habit, but can be a good one when used infrequently and at the right times.

I don't like the "inside out vs. outside in" argument, and I'd say that I typically start with what seems to anchor the drawing. If it's a pair of glasses, if it's a big nose or the eyes, then yes... but drawing from the outside-in usually limits your capabilities and can cause an improper placement of features and spacial relationships. When starting with the facial features, you can eyeball the spacial relationships and place the 'outline' of the face better. This is my opinion, and has more to do with exaggeration and choices than speed or convenience of habit.

The most important thing to remember is to draw UNIQUE lines each time, and don't just change the size and positioning of the same lines. When drawing live, a lot of artists find a "generic stamp" that they find works. They can quickly sketch this face in just a couple minutes, and it is easy to appropriate spacial relationships to fit the person in front of you... with the right hair and other elements (glasses, earrings, etc) you can fool anyone into thinking it's "them", when it's not really a unique drawing. Each face is unique, and the biggest mission of a caricaturists should be to pay that respect to the individual, and NOT to fix them nor to focus on the common elements of all faces.



I hope this helps. Keep sketching, and write any time.

.

11.01.2007

National Caricaturist Network


This is a preview of a documentary being created on caricaturists. There is not a set date for release or completion, but this trailer has been made available. I get quite excited when I relive this convention, even if only for a few minutes. There is nothing quite like the inspiring NCN conventions.

www.Caricature.org