tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-215432512024-03-07T15:10:58.680-05:00- JOE BLUHM -Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.comBlogger303125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-55788237560937440922018-03-21T01:20:00.000-04:002018-03-21T01:20:04.699-04:00JoeBluhm.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gXsL74Se7Qc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gXsL74Se7Qc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Howdy!<br /><br />If you have been wondering what I'm up to or what I do nowadays, I've updated <a href="http://joebluhm.com/" target="_blank">JoeBluhm.com</a>!<br /><br />I
will keep this up to date with all the projects, books, and art that
I'm working on, and it will host my blog from here on out. I won't
squash this location, but updates and news will happen over there.<br /><br />And
my latest bit of work is available for pre-order on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Magicians-Secret-Zachary-Hyman/dp/177049894X" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> and
other online stores. You can request it at your local library or
bookstore as well, and I'm REALLY proud of this book! Here's a little
peek - tell your friends!Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-28986406627661811952017-06-21T13:04:00.000-04:002017-06-21T13:04:10.538-04:00Film, Animation, Picture Books, and WritingHowdy!<br /><br />I've been up to a lot the last couple years, including working on a crazy cool short film that will rock the world. My buddy has spearheaded a new approach to film and animation, and I'm lucky enough to have helped in a big way. They are continuing on their path and you will know about them soon enough. I can't wait!<br /><br />Another very exciting bit of news is that I've just completed illustration on a NEW picture book! It will be out by early 2018 and is a very personal and wonderful story, written by a talented dude in Toronto named Zachary Hyman (you may know him from the Toronto Maple Leafs as a record-setting left wing). I'll keep you posted on when you can pick it up online and in book stores and libraries, but for now here are a few little excerpts and details:<br /><br />
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At the moment I'm focusing on writing and starting up a few new projects. I'll be more active online now that I have home studio time, and you can find more stuff over on my Tumblr page, <a href="http://joebluhm-blog.tumblr.com/">joebluhm-blog.tumblr.com</a><br />
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Lastly, if you are looking for any inquires on work, caricatures, portraits, commissions, freelance story development or design, or anything else you can shoot me an email at joe AT joebluhm DOT com.<br /><br />Hope everyone is well!Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-72332812437890998642016-12-31T18:51:00.003-05:002016-12-31T18:51:53.933-05:00RIP ❤ Heather "6 feet of" Snow ❤<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyXLVDX1n2ratgjDVvrMTfLoMNfuuWLkZ6wydMDCDLB0l9_OPfU9-llvfs0z0-a7pliPUGlP-x25uy4z5GKzZM4lSDKVX5pGZahJIy3GhlyZKP6lkmFO9p2zDZjTHrSveGEMr/s1600/heather_snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyXLVDX1n2ratgjDVvrMTfLoMNfuuWLkZ6wydMDCDLB0l9_OPfU9-llvfs0z0-a7pliPUGlP-x25uy4z5GKzZM4lSDKVX5pGZahJIy3GhlyZKP6lkmFO9p2zDZjTHrSveGEMr/s640/heather_snow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /><br />A great person who I was fortunate to have known has passed away today. Many artists in the caricature community have been in the presence of the giant Heather Snow. She was tall, loving, generous, and funny as hell.</div>
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I got to know Heather while working at Sea World in Orlando, FL. Heather came down South like a lot of us snowbird caricaturists, trying to scrape some pennies from the winter tourists while keeping the rust off of our art knuckles. We met while working near "Shamu Stadium" at the slow stand, and I instantly knew she was as lighthearted as she was tall. Her wild eyes, infectious little joker smile, and self-deprecating humor drew people to her everywhere she went. An instant friend to all, always offering a hand and a cutting joke.</div>
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Heather was one of the first people who showed me that you can take yourself a little less seriously, and still do everything you want to in life... she was an artist, she said she'd like to be a comedian, among other things. She was incredible and flowed where she needed to flow, helping all around her see that you can have fun and still follow your dreams. And she achieved them:<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNfWp5ZMU7s" rel="nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNfWp5ZMU7s</a><br /></div>
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Heather was diagnosed with Leukemia over a year ago, and has been battling it ever since. She always has a smile on her face, and though I'm sure it was at times pure hell, worked her ass off for awareness, friends, keeping in touch, and still doing comedy.. and definitely spreading joy. We hadn't been in touch for years (just social media pings), when we started catching up in 2014. She was always happy and loved all, despite having time apart -- Once she was in treatment, she wrote out of the blue:<br /></div>
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<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=724235979" href="https://www.facebook.com/sixfeetofsnow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Heather Snow</a>: you easily queazy?<br />Joe Bluhm: oooooh... kinda?<br />Heather Snow: wanna see my bone marrow video? It's not that bad.</div>
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--<br /><br />(just so silly and open! )<br /></div>
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And through it all she kept doing comedy when she could:<br /></div>
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<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dh42Zcrl1o-o&h=xAQHSr3RuAQEbCSZrk2sKmnqv4potprfECSeMdoeujXASNQ&enc=AZM2OyJMXYoXIEVvybM2mVIe2g9rsy6fpQ3raKe1P6gPBKIv3NMmePWwnY9HFmPezK5pGO-MCGhOK7sTqaqbqfvVYzsM0cvcj3Ql_Ai5QoOM629ToPiYbASOZC6OglqOSpGrd1m7WAJcZgwYCPano24z_hqF4wrzs4ghZkB6cbG9bqEe1AZs1hw3FMBJfqcbM9k&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42Zcrl1o-o</a><br /></div>
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I wish I had more time with Heather while she was here. I'm also positive that everyone who knew her feels this way, even those who saw her every single day. But the time I did have working with her and being her friend, as a young artist in Florida, was an immense blessing."</div>
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A couple months back, Heather asked me to draw one more caricature of her, for her thank-you cards to send out privately, and wanted it to reflect her love of comedy, her physical state during treatment, and how she stands right up to it. I know this was for personal use, but I don't think Heather would object to me sharing it, as it was done with love, and we all will always love that big 'ol SNOW.</div>
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<span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;" title="heart emoticon"><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><3 span=""></3></span>We will miss you, Heather. Everyone do a shot of vodka and smile, share the stories of the times you had with her. My thoughts and sentiments are with her loved ones and family right now. Say a prayer, light a candle, think of them (whatever you prefer), in this tough time. <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;" title="heart emoticon"><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">❤</span><</span></span></span></div>
Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-44651300702765009242016-05-12T03:15:00.001-04:002016-05-12T03:22:17.058-04:00Digital Caricature Paint process - and WHERE have I BEEN?!Howdy!<br />
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It's been a great year and if you follow me on <i>Faceboo</i>k or <i>Instagram</i>, you'll see that I unexpectedly met someone wonderful last year (January 2nd), got engaged (May 2nd), and closed the deal with a wedding on March 19 of this year. We just had a wonderful honeymoon in New Zealand, and are super duper happy. Our lives have changed, our families are bigger, and we are on an adventure!<br />
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When it comes to 'work', I've been doing a lot of things in film, animation, advertising, writing, illustrating, painting, and more. Last summer I made the tough decision to leave my day job of 6+ years at Moonbot Studios, where I learned a ton and found some great friends. Having been there as the first employee, the head of the art department, and cutting my teeth with Art Direction and Directing, helping us win numerous awards, an Oscar, a NYTimes Bestseller, and all the great projects -- walking away was not easy. But I need to pursue too many things to not be out on my own, for now. The vehicle for this will be <b>Sweet Cloud</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpZkrvlS1O9mBpQDckLea-s4Jy4QmDXDyHswei5n3JtviCDylDbDyM-Vl6hPonBP4WJopxLyi8PZFj_kMVl5yFPIoMP20wxxvmWP_84AaGcXbO1g5AlvvFY3V0xQawCb89BlK/s1600/sweet_cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpZkrvlS1O9mBpQDckLea-s4Jy4QmDXDyHswei5n3JtviCDylDbDyM-Vl6hPonBP4WJopxLyi8PZFj_kMVl5yFPIoMP20wxxvmWP_84AaGcXbO1g5AlvvFY3V0xQawCb89BlK/s320/sweet_cloud.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sweet Cloud Studios is currently myself and my wife, Mary. We have many friends and connections to contact and contract if we need it, but we are building this venture as a storytelling house, doing all that we love and desire. I'll share more on that soon.<br />
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<b><i>ANYWAY</i></b> - In digging around some hard drives, I found lots of artwork that I haven't shared, and thought I'd start catching up for lost time. Here's the first splash in that effort: A caricature of the character ROGER STERLING from MAD MEN (played by John Slattery).<br />
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This was originally done for the International Society of Caricature Artists (ISCA) publication, "Exaggerated Features" about two years ago. I wanted to tackle the idea of doing something quick and simple, to talk about the creative decision-making process more than 'what brush to use' or 'how to exaggerate. It's a little dated, light and cheesy, but it's meant to get into the psychology behind a deadline and the insecurity of artists... I'll just let you read. Forgive how hammy it is, it was optimistic stream of consciousness.<br />
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Here ya go!<br />
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Let's get in our heads. It's GAME DAY!</h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Creating a caricature from scratch,
digitally, in under and hour, what that means, and what you could
possibly be thinking.</b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>-</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Caricature is tough, you all know that.
What makes it so tough (aside from the blatantly obvious artistic
skill requirements and problem solving needs) is the decisiveness of
it all. Making decisions. Decisions are a product of wants, needs,
experience, expectations, and perhaps the most heavy factor, taste.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Along with all these execution
ingredients, there is the EXPERIENCE of the artist. I once heard
someone (unfortunate that I can't remember who, I apologize) relate
that artists don't have a “game day”. It's true. Most don't.
Okay, there's the theme park or party caricaturist who entertains and
can succeed with a diving one-handed leap into the end zone as they
place the huge swoop of an underbite while uncle Phil spits his bear
laughing. And there are those lucky talented few like Dan Dunn and
Stephen Fishwick who draw live in front of the wealthy or a stadium
of fans, slinging paint on a portrait of Elvis for their third
“perfect game” this year. But most of us sit quietly and
contemplate every whim and decision with doubt as we move along our
path towards being 'sort of okay with' what we produce. Even the
rock stars have to do that in order to get to the stadium
paint-flinging thing! I know those punks spend weeks and months
perfecting their process. Not glamorous.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">So that's what I'm going to do – I'm
going to walk through my process in creating a digital caricature in
under an hour. This often-called 'speed paint' will be a vehicle for
talking about our decisions, choices, tastes, shortcuts, habits, and
whatever you deem worth reading between the lines and laziness (you
clever Freudian punk).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let's start. It's late Spring in the
year 2014. I am Joe Bluhm, living in Louisiana and working at an
animation studio. I have not done many caricature illustrations or
portraits in a while, so I'm excited to simply be doing one. But I
have to be excited throughout the process, because as I know from my
years doing editorial illustration, it gets very boring when you are
laboriously rendering an expression, face or personality which BORES
you. So, nothing boring. But what bores me right now? I don't
know. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not the usual celebrity! Let's start there. Hm. Who
looks interesting. Louis C.K.? He's one of my absolute favorite
filmmakers and comedians... No, I've seen a lot of him done lately.
Ummmm... Donald Draper (Jon Hamm from Mad Men). I just finished
watching the season!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">No... I've seen even MORE of him done. I
feel like it's an easy target at this point. Well at least I know
that I'm interested in the content of recent entertainment.
Television and good storytelling is something that's reaching out to
me lately, and I like the idea of the “character” within the
caricature, even if it's subtle, not just a portrait of the subject.
Okay, so I'm into these storytellers or story lines, so who could I
do that would hold my interest? OOH! Roger Sterling! He has
expressions, he is attractive, he is subtle, he has some lines in his
face! I'll look up some photos of the actor John Slattery,
portraying one of the more interesting story arcs on television in
the last decade.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Okay... Lots of great photos on Google. I
could grab a dvd and pause it, but I told myself this is a speed
painting, an exercise. No need to go that far.</span></span></div>
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Let's choose one. I could pick a dynamic ¾ or profile view – this guy has a GREAT nose and forehead – however his character is looking towards me on the show a lot. It's part of his character on Mad Men, and that's what drew me to him. Hmm... I want him to be recognizable, and I could try a profile, but I feel like his steely little questioning eyes are such a huge part of his character, and I don't want to lose the chance to illustrate that. Okay, I realize it's a bit less risky, and maybe less material for dynamic illustration, but I'm going to choose a front-view of this dude. Some great lighting here anyway. Here's my photo reference choice:<br />
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Now I'll keep the other photos up so I
can look at them from time to time, as the nuances and intricacies of
his face are not always obvious, and definitely get lost when staring
at one mid-res photo for an hour.</div>
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Okay, ready to go. I've been using
Adobe Photoshop almost non-stop for five years. My job demands it,
and the speed and efficiency of digital is very important to me, so I
am quite comfortable with it. I haven't been painting portraits or
caricatures as much with it, so it's a fun fresh thing, using it for
something that is not what I do day-in and day-out. So, Photoshop it
is, front-view of John Slattery as Roger Sterling, and I'm going to
go ahead and settle now on using a pencil-like brush to sketch, then
a painterly brush to paint. I'll stay in the comfort zone so it's
all about my decisions. Keep it simple, Stupid (that's me).</div>
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Dude has a tall head. Or a narrow one, at least. So I'm grabbing onto that. From there, I'm finding where the features lay... perhaps higher ears, implying his light head-tilt (I love how he nods his head forward slightly and stares a bit up with a skeptical look at... at who? Who knows... usually Don Draper). So I'll block in the shoulders, hair, ears, eye position, and general proportions of the face. From here, I go right into refining the drawing. I think of this as though I'm doing a technical drawing. Much of it can be done like a sketch of a new car or a transparent cube. Looking at the form and letting scribbles and contour lines define form and shape, even if they collide. This is good. The information is just a starting point, a record of a thought that will be refined later as I go. Every pass has something added to it, so it doesn't need to be perfect yet. I just need to know that I feel good about what decisions I see SO FAR.<br />
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Cool, I have the sketch and I'm happy.
I have been doing character design under the gun for years now, so I
have some fast ways of laying down form in Photoshop. Underneath the
layer of the sketch I'll block in just a few colors. Local colors,
just to give value to the overall piece and start my palette. Since
I want this to be quick and simple, I'll stick with the reference. I
sometimes use the eyedrop tool, but mostly I eyeball what I like
about the reference and go from there.<br />
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Colors are blocked in, now I'll start carving out the shadows. I like to put a “linear burn” layer (similar to “multiply”, but it brings out more saturated and darker tones) just above my colors and pick a very light muted flesh color – a sort of grayish tan around 5-10% value. With the same brush, I'll knock in shadows. This is easy, fun, gives a lot of form, and does a lot of the heavy lifting. Cool. It's already starting to look how I want.<br />
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Now this is really rough and almost
mono-chromatic (doesn't look like skin too much...), so I should
probably grab some color variations and paint on top of this. I'm
still under the 'pencil' drawing, and this makes me feel safe... it
keeps some of the form that I haven't painted yet, but that's cool,
because I'll keep lowering the opacity of that layer so I'm slowly
phasing it out. This will force me to define the 'paint' layers
rather than rely up on those scribbly lines. So I sample the color
of his skin and go rosier and a bit darker to paint his cheeks and
nose. Grab a little grayer to put under his eyes... a little
yellowier to... well, yeah, I vary it up. Look at the reference,
you'll see color shifts in skin. Skin isn't easy, but if you look
long enough you'll see trends and remember them. Then on top of
that, you'll see specifics on people and heighten them. I'm going to
do this for a few minutes. Just to give some color, nothing fancy.<br />
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Skin tone always eludes me. I know
some artists who learned very intuitively and accurately what makes
skin look like SKIN. From my time in animation and CG modeling and
texturing of characters, I understand the principles of subsurface
(subdermal) scattering, varying specularity, translucency and hue
shifts due to blood vessels... all that garbage. But I still have to
look extra hard at reference to make something believable. I bet
that never goes away. Oh well. <br />
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So we're ready to start
'painting'. By that I mean actually choosing values that are pushed
lighter and darker, to start defining the final value range and hues
of the painting. How dark do I want to go? How bright and
saturated. Time to start making some choices. I'll stick to what I
see in the reference... I'd love to play with color more and go
different places with it, but for this one I feel the need to plow
through it. Like a practice piece to get brushed up rather than a
show piece... I'll stay away from risks right now (I know, I'm a
wuss).</div>
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So we paint. We paint darks above the
eyelids, we paint hilights on the forehead. This forehead is tricky,
and I made mistakes in my drawing. I would like to go back and place
the brow wrinkles where they “should” be, but I will see how this
turns out. I want to treat this like my game day. Did I fumble the
ball? Maybe... kinda... We have to live with that. I'm going to
hope I can make it back some other way in this piece.</div>
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Paint paint paint. The brush strokes
are a bit loose and haphazard. They are also a little uniform, as
this brush is based in a rectangle shape. This is okay. My buddy
Court Jones once told me that “calligraphy” in painting is
important, and I'm still trying to get better at that, so I'll
consider those obviously digital strokes with perhaps
too-small-a-brush to be a foul or penalty or something. It doesn't
look good, but it's not horrible, and I can still win the game.<br />
<br />
From here on out, I wish I had more insightful things to say about what is being done. I am painting. I am painting on TOP of the pencil layer now, slowly phasing it out, entirely. I am getting closer and looking closely at one feature or landscape at a time. How does the brow meet the cheek, and the cheek meet the bags under his eye. How much texture or contrast should there be. Do we need more saturation. These are the little decisions being made for about 20 minutes, piece by piece, over the entire face. This is the zone. This is where I am not planning, not contemplating too much, not taking step by step, but rather sprinting and pushing. For me this is zen. This is relaxing and rewarding. I am happy and at peace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vn6VZKlMIBzVih05-MlrGXmKQZ7A1gwFbKEr46zWH5HSCuwBLZniNMS9YOXliRMaHSSF_o0rKDcVx86oOn8GP-zyP1WJNnGe9aWhzjDwVRTfEba3M_RYkffJl8Kwth7ddeHy/s1600/art_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vn6VZKlMIBzVih05-MlrGXmKQZ7A1gwFbKEr46zWH5HSCuwBLZniNMS9YOXliRMaHSSF_o0rKDcVx86oOn8GP-zyP1WJNnGe9aWhzjDwVRTfEba3M_RYkffJl8Kwth7ddeHy/s640/art_detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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OH CRAP, an hour has gone by and I'm about done. It feels a little stiff and straight-forward, so let's add some painterly flair. If we brush some softer edges here and there, add some color shifts in the background, and a few other fun brushy tricks, we can make this feel a bit more painterly. That should be enough to cap this off at just over an hour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzbpU9PXeqpxfF5B_pCVN1MtXG5a-Tzfxt4CCcgUBokYzSsLFSSnwGm0cqkYbHWDWHIxgXy7GYiigHixdl1-RYf4kKg7Grwq3ylL59ra0BooluC6SL2A9tBV_XMca6JNw0If6/s1600/art_hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzbpU9PXeqpxfF5B_pCVN1MtXG5a-Tzfxt4CCcgUBokYzSsLFSSnwGm0cqkYbHWDWHIxgXy7GYiigHixdl1-RYf4kKg7Grwq3ylL59ra0BooluC6SL2A9tBV_XMca6JNw0If6/s640/art_hero.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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So how does it feel? Does it feel
good? A friend walked in as I was putting the finishing touches on
it, and said “that's XXXing cool!” so that felt good. I don't
know if that means it's good, but I'll take it. I think I learned a
little about what I need to do to get better with the next one, and
that's all I can ask. It felt like a little victory, but who knows.
It was fun, and I got something out of it.<br />
<br />
Phew... time to
wipe our forehead, take a shower, and rest. See you next gameday!</div>
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<b><br /></b>Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-105154389371241812016-01-02T16:24:00.000-05:002016-01-04T18:49:54.621-05:00A Tragedy - please help a friend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBr9d5hzGPCripo8AXhu0Ofhf_QdB-e0mr9Vbk4vgLxOuGllGZGw79ydHzs24Cr18D1mqFbZC7_QRIRUnpDuo1gVqT5F9wSm82U20CsDPtN_lZpJOf5t3JK_IZZAGAZUvdNEjU/s1600/glenn_drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBr9d5hzGPCripo8AXhu0Ofhf_QdB-e0mr9Vbk4vgLxOuGllGZGw79ydHzs24Cr18D1mqFbZC7_QRIRUnpDuo1gVqT5F9wSm82U20CsDPtN_lZpJOf5t3JK_IZZAGAZUvdNEjU/s400/glenn_drawing.jpg" /></a>Today is a sad day.<br />
<br />
On January 1st, most likely while you and I were still asleep from the previous night's celebration, my hard-working enthusiastic friend was setting up to work at Universal Studios ISLANDS of ADVENTURE, drawing caricatures. He loves art, he loves life, he loves animals, he loves his wife and friends, and he definitely loves making people laugh with his wonderful drawings, every day for over 25 years.<br />
<br />
On this morning, however, Glenn did not get the chance to share his love with others, as an angry and disturbed (former?) coworker arrived, chased Glenn, then stabbed him multiple times with a pair of scissors. Glenn was taken to the hospital and the other person was apprehended (is now facing the most severe charges possible).<br />
<br />
Fortunately Glenn is alive today (at the time this is written). Unfortunately, he had his brain pierced, and underwent hours and hours of very delicate and difficult surgery. The latest news is that they will keep him sedated until swelling is down, and it is only a matter of time before we know the extent of permanent damage. <br />
<br />
I am writing this to implore that you do what you can. Glenn is part of (and one of the most admired and loved members of) the International Society of Caricature Artists (ISCA), where he has won nearly every award multiple times, including the 'Golden Nosey', the artist of the year award. Glenn served the organization with myself and others, as Vice President for many years and with many different Presidents. He could have been President, and was implored to do so, but it is one of many testaments to Glenn's character that he chose to play 2nd fiddle, the entire time. He knew where the hard work was needed, he knew that attention and title didn't matter, and all he wanted was to give back, plan conventions, help elevate and expose the artform to the world. There are SO many good examples of how giving and kind a person Glenn is, but I'll just share one personal story:<br />
<br />
Glenn and his wife, JoAnn, also let me into their home. Over 10 years ago, over a personal matter, I was asked to leave my friend's house, where I lived. I had no place to go, no car, little money, and two jobs to keep. Glenn and JoAnn generously offered for me to stay in their spare room, going out of their way to prep it and help me get what I needed. Glenn let me use his drawing table and supplies while he used the kitchen table. They fed me, drove me to work, helped with my bills, and were patient when I put dirty tuna cans in the garbage, without cleaning them (haha, sorry JoAnn).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMxn_JAhfPKCjfQqrxzVnRT1iRPNAjWN0I33a2BVEX5lhCNjvh6g1598AXL72O-cxxLhdeCorhqyXwDc_Zxj9YtwzTSn23_jPCzOKl6_G0UDIPJjKZJU2oRC8HlM3NfAj0kRp/s1600/glenn_home.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMxn_JAhfPKCjfQqrxzVnRT1iRPNAjWN0I33a2BVEX5lhCNjvh6g1598AXL72O-cxxLhdeCorhqyXwDc_Zxj9YtwzTSn23_jPCzOKl6_G0UDIPJjKZJU2oRC8HlM3NfAj0kRp/s1600/glenn_home.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Glenn and JoAnn opening their home to young artists as they often did. Here, we gathered to watch an inspiring documentary which we all wanted (but were poor) and Glenn procured for the group.</span></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
---<br />
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I want to say it again, because my heart aches today; they asked for NOTHING and gave me EVERYTHING. I have no doubt they've done this for MANY others, over many years.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Now they need help. </b></div>
<br />
If you can take a moment and donate what you have to offer, it will be appreciated more than you can imagine. Between lost income on the road ahead, medical bills soon to come, and other setbacks which we don't yet know -- they need a loving hand right now. And this is also a couple who offer such karma to the universe that I feel they deserve all the help and love there is to spare. And if you are a praying person, they could use that right now. I think of what I will spend money on in the coming months: a meal out, some clothing, a new pair of boots... I can go without those, and then some. Glenn needs it much much more.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading. I hope you all hug your loved ones and spread love and peace. <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">❤</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/GlennFerguson"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.gofundme.com/GlennFerguson</span></a></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5j25F0afYAO-ejxMph50cemWgIsqrnri8JAJiekjsupz0rCoeGyPNsBKKAORuUVyN92KkL3tU3oMHlIbck3CjU11I_P_uL3ojHtCcnRZiFKFsUD0AfzjFsUK4XrFMZKD-SqR/s1600/glenn_and_joann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5j25F0afYAO-ejxMph50cemWgIsqrnri8JAJiekjsupz0rCoeGyPNsBKKAORuUVyN92KkL3tU3oMHlIbck3CjU11I_P_uL3ojHtCcnRZiFKFsUD0AfzjFsUK4XrFMZKD-SqR/s400/glenn_and_joann.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-31189380362033180302015-01-18T20:28:00.000-05:002015-01-18T20:28:02.496-05:00Satellites - A comic anthology KICKSTARTERI'm super stoked to say that the KICKSTARTER for our Anthology book has launched! Just a short 30 days to see if we can get the funds to make this incredible and unique book. Please check it out!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/714698348/satellites-vol-1-a-comic-anthology" target="_blank">SEE OUR KICKSTARTER!</a></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/714698348/satellites-vol-1-a-comic-anthology" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOin5SqKaXMYUOYqWcJMODFcS61zpLiutgMN-vB6WkYlk4hUyDTbt5tJb29ofkGdpAOGOxLafaLaYdJ8-UpwJmFQKAEt0XJNx_Gwr4iNlwtHBKoKxkACbX3mGidQLzrohUr_O/s1600/satellites_kickstarter_cover_image.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-58436064975770253912014-12-03T19:05:00.001-05:002014-12-03T19:05:59.376-05:00Drawing - Passing the Knowledge<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vUYSztrRDNc" width="480"></iframe></div>Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-2581181707911714272014-08-14T11:54:00.002-04:002014-08-14T11:54:52.852-04:00Happy Birthday, Hitch<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alfred Hitchcock was such an influential filmmaker and artist. He is still churning minds to this day, and I'm still digesting his work anew, each year. He was born on August 13, 1899 and I wanted to do a quick ink piece for him. Happy Birthday, Master.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB2Jql-qQLpCrbC1rkGRvxB4Hxkraq4-nd_tBUZOQW_bdLJQ6VedL0W4MQ0Jt1f_zRmgfKydsFgebUxi7Avp9OKwXPnM8ds_6Mfcbx7uNmxtOZQfqjV4KlyKPbcEMB9RY3-ub/s1600/hitchcock_birds_ink_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB2Jql-qQLpCrbC1rkGRvxB4Hxkraq4-nd_tBUZOQW_bdLJQ6VedL0W4MQ0Jt1f_zRmgfKydsFgebUxi7Avp9OKwXPnM8ds_6Mfcbx7uNmxtOZQfqjV4KlyKPbcEMB9RY3-ub/s1600/hitchcock_birds_ink_joebluhm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-41659344742367471102014-07-15T11:14:00.000-04:002014-07-15T11:14:00.460-04:00DrawringCoffee after 8pm sometimes keeps me working late. This time, I wanted to practice traditional media and approaches that I can improve upon. Had some fun, lots more to come.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwn7q4Fr7f6832LRGnMInWgqnSZQX0lxm4ncgopjCXHeSD1HBGE9puCWFRQTpdVQrR0U2SWh0lla3B9WN0neRwa33MVF4qrrZ7uYF8j2roaP6PGlGEYpxVeVx3kJwNHCskpih/s1600/legs_cig_joebluhm_pen_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwn7q4Fr7f6832LRGnMInWgqnSZQX0lxm4ncgopjCXHeSD1HBGE9puCWFRQTpdVQrR0U2SWh0lla3B9WN0neRwa33MVF4qrrZ7uYF8j2roaP6PGlGEYpxVeVx3kJwNHCskpih/s1600/legs_cig_joebluhm_pen_sketch.jpg" height="594" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7SkB1U3twA4f3btyoH7lmUqQUa-7z8bp3nCmvdx-h7nbniCl-bkK3gnmyQ7LG0gkJKBW8fHUcbaTHIWrs-AvjLQYSRns9unbarO4NabSjNuAQDh3hNT3g3fV-iDR84BXbJPi/s1600/pussy_cat_lady_joebluhm_pen_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7SkB1U3twA4f3btyoH7lmUqQUa-7z8bp3nCmvdx-h7nbniCl-bkK3gnmyQ7LG0gkJKBW8fHUcbaTHIWrs-AvjLQYSRns9unbarO4NabSjNuAQDh3hNT3g3fV-iDR84BXbJPi/s1600/pussy_cat_lady_joebluhm_pen_sketch.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-67028629510823227562014-07-11T10:24:00.002-04:002014-07-11T10:25:34.655-04:00Tank Girl warmup<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm using brush pens at work today, and it seems increasingly important to warm up with the medium. Sometimes the warmups end up looking alright, so I'll share them. "Sketch Dailies" is a great venue for a different topic every day (I don't participate enough!) - so here is my TANK GIRL warmup sketch:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeDpJqBRwffbtaw0L2VEx8ogLyY4iA8ls1Ye73fZr79UYSCgQVsmWLz0HCUCG3WjAzW-MNTkREdB07NrmRMZcydb3hOndkusYpPfUpU32cwObj96TdcOYzoimyYLB1TzpqglV/s1600/tank_girl_warmup_sketch_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeDpJqBRwffbtaw0L2VEx8ogLyY4iA8ls1Ye73fZr79UYSCgQVsmWLz0HCUCG3WjAzW-MNTkREdB07NrmRMZcydb3hOndkusYpPfUpU32cwObj96TdcOYzoimyYLB1TzpqglV/s1600/tank_girl_warmup_sketch_joebluhm.jpg" height="640" width="396" /></a></div>
Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-79335392792789832992014-07-08T12:00:00.002-04:002014-07-08T12:00:39.151-04:00Playing with Ink on Paper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjvto0NihfJss0uoqe8ex4SnsplAO5e8gF3TnVShxgkp7RA6ssni0_iz41ItNUvKej2SYgbGvLJ9EWHqHUDXsuuUqvL3iQQ1pHt-Y5vHVLbbkKM8kmdsmONGjtXik_FndYh8W/s1600/dirt_bike_blog_ink_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjvto0NihfJss0uoqe8ex4SnsplAO5e8gF3TnVShxgkp7RA6ssni0_iz41ItNUvKej2SYgbGvLJ9EWHqHUDXsuuUqvL3iQQ1pHt-Y5vHVLbbkKM8kmdsmONGjtXik_FndYh8W/s1600/dirt_bike_blog_ink_joebluhm.jpg" height="594" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-72397893957874540062014-06-24T18:12:00.001-04:002014-06-24T18:12:19.513-04:00Cool down sketch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDZnhaYrv9JxfBueGdHtbEIUGm7PNzEd_YDJmlIHqCFtvaVp6yY50IbTAJf06hldX367b4zHgr8eFflXoO0xjCPPqa89SXLUphIK8hJJ0yZrdMPUf_b392ZWHiwj80r7ufFcQ/s1600/pinup_gal_head_watercolor_ink_joebluhm_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDZnhaYrv9JxfBueGdHtbEIUGm7PNzEd_YDJmlIHqCFtvaVp6yY50IbTAJf06hldX367b4zHgr8eFflXoO0xjCPPqa89SXLUphIK8hJJ0yZrdMPUf_b392ZWHiwj80r7ufFcQ/s1600/pinup_gal_head_watercolor_ink_joebluhm_sketch.jpg" height="640" width="534" /> </a></div>
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Playing with digital techniques, speed, and subject matter that I don't always do (trying to get better every day!)<br /><br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-42783319593945029452014-06-21T15:06:00.000-04:002014-06-21T15:06:10.218-04:00Trying to loosen up with digital paint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6jJ_otpdATRtsTSZFYOZ5sLBHe1WmP72ePH_IM3DqI4EyAgxXuGTioZTHF2VZNVXmloPzDqVCCJZhMQZutgrJ-Pa6qt5ryAChuHYRcEePbqERCa_XYMpfMyBrwHYpn5wS3HH/s1600/woman_warmup_painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6jJ_otpdATRtsTSZFYOZ5sLBHe1WmP72ePH_IM3DqI4EyAgxXuGTioZTHF2VZNVXmloPzDqVCCJZhMQZutgrJ-Pa6qt5ryAChuHYRcEePbqERCa_XYMpfMyBrwHYpn5wS3HH/s1600/woman_warmup_painting.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-67769983784283008012014-06-18T19:20:00.002-04:002014-06-18T19:20:44.961-04:00Sketching some more<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMv00zege1oU3P5DMCjM4WqZuOA_-ZE_fIInJhQgh8wnEUzu4LdDYv9yqzn4qFEmztU4B_CFbdkP_-P9PyQ_f89FJRasRDVZKHD_PRof4ohzUZEa7cvCmLxxJEmKnQzxiIBAi/s1600/girl_hair_down_ink_joebluhm_digital_sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMv00zege1oU3P5DMCjM4WqZuOA_-ZE_fIInJhQgh8wnEUzu4LdDYv9yqzn4qFEmztU4B_CFbdkP_-P9PyQ_f89FJRasRDVZKHD_PRof4ohzUZEa7cvCmLxxJEmKnQzxiIBAi/s1600/girl_hair_down_ink_joebluhm_digital_sketch.jpg" height="640" width="594" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-49586249809918338032014-06-17T18:42:00.003-04:002014-06-17T18:43:14.975-04:00Sketching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's 2014 and I'm sketching away. Here are a couple little grabs from a lunch the other day:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvebIww9Y8RtSTA3teU6qCCoBTX3miN2p-jwL9-UzjgHpiMNAFprrryimefqQfXeU9uqgJyf-g8YHtryHzBHw3cV9K9re6noQn4HjHzYP6T7BFB07c8C9NvHEXMGEGyX2VDIHj/s1600/just_readin_ma_book_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvebIww9Y8RtSTA3teU6qCCoBTX3miN2p-jwL9-UzjgHpiMNAFprrryimefqQfXeU9uqgJyf-g8YHtryHzBHw3cV9K9re6noQn4HjHzYP6T7BFB07c8C9NvHEXMGEGyX2VDIHj/s1600/just_readin_ma_book_joebluhm.jpg" height="400" width="190" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4MmP-RBMXkMqok0PXqZj83RQudS9H3naoXsX6DD5fohVqqZSGu4agzV40ZEiuVOH_9YYWFb9JYmxP2MohOtAVqhXzR0vJopjI2eZyjkEHn1FlPcRRPMBoQQBqOR7kAU2Y-us/s1600/dizzy_scruffy_volker_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4MmP-RBMXkMqok0PXqZj83RQudS9H3naoXsX6DD5fohVqqZSGu4agzV40ZEiuVOH_9YYWFb9JYmxP2MohOtAVqhXzR0vJopjI2eZyjkEHn1FlPcRRPMBoQQBqOR7kAU2Y-us/s1600/dizzy_scruffy_volker_joebluhm.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
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Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-27765920938444699932014-06-06T18:40:00.002-04:002014-06-06T18:43:00.348-04:00Paintings!My friend Adam Volker and I held an exhibitions of new traditional paintings a few months back. It was really fun creating all new artwork last year, and the paintings are now <a href="http://www.objectartshow.com/" target="_blank">here</a> to view, ask about, or purchase. I've included some detail shots, since many of them are very large scale. I hope you enjoy them. <br />
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<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-51409623249316438972014-06-04T14:31:00.001-04:002014-06-04T14:31:43.476-04:00Jack White still rulesI saw <a href="http://jackwhiteiii.com/shows/shreveport/" target="_blank">Jack White live at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium</a> this week. It was incredible. That's all...<br /><br />Here's an old illustration of a band I love:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QRox-D9yjXK_XDI9xI_qZkULcMRlbWoIrVHMNEY0e68d7BY5t6Ee3JWfw_LT-QdvKwH44eFASW5vS46oD6s4FQfrsG6nGAWJ8O3WW1Ht0mIKTRqFlJhUkpT9l7m2OkrphyphenhyphenvA/s1600/white_stripes_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QRox-D9yjXK_XDI9xI_qZkULcMRlbWoIrVHMNEY0e68d7BY5t6Ee3JWfw_LT-QdvKwH44eFASW5vS46oD6s4FQfrsG6nGAWJ8O3WW1Ht0mIKTRqFlJhUkpT9l7m2OkrphyphenhyphenvA/s1600/white_stripes_joebluhm.jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-89798554533247492952014-05-27T13:31:00.000-04:002014-05-27T13:35:40.571-04:00A Comic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We call these "comics", but they are often not comical or humorous. I
enjoy the idea of stories or anecdotes, and they hold just as much
impact when somber or serious. I'll be working on some visual stories -
some funny, some not - from time to time. They are works-in-progress, and I'll clean them up over time. I hope you enjoy them. This
one is true:</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(click <a href="http://blogspot.joebluhm.com/2014/05/27/jogging_thoughts_short_comic_joebluhm_v01sm.jpg" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see it larger) </span></i></div>
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<a href="http://blogspot.joebluhm.com/2014/05/27/jogging_thoughts_short_comic_joebluhm_v01sm.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="http://blogspot.joebluhm.com/2014/05/27/jogging_thoughts_short_comic_joebluhm_v01sm.jpg" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMAvJyJ7SuaPUhDMHGXauSBe9DnskT0A3R7hT3ZIJBi1ynL6aBg5UI2b5u6HNtzro-Nesk_cJlAXStCx4NpwYte74gC3i9mBrM0v1yijTYGBvQSYeAkBD0bfT5-CJ8GoRjbam/s1600/jogging_thoughts_short_comic_joebluhm_v01l.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-38855272033344563772014-05-16T14:55:00.000-04:002014-05-16T14:55:54.325-04:00More SketchingThis is an older page from a sketchbook, but I don't think I've shared it. I really enjoyed exploring this style, and want to work on it some more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExKikhvsmu8OYsg3FbHjTXv2olEOn3h1oBFET4H_GSfmPDH7RIDSRfXbOJstJCvSYdlGjHpQUXh9HhJFnllZQpNxoTe2yeoB3YKkpo2oT_vgAEIa_RcFzEy68r8Arr0es09Rl/s1600/joebluhm_sketchbook_robot_ink_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExKikhvsmu8OYsg3FbHjTXv2olEOn3h1oBFET4H_GSfmPDH7RIDSRfXbOJstJCvSYdlGjHpQUXh9HhJFnllZQpNxoTe2yeoB3YKkpo2oT_vgAEIa_RcFzEy68r8Arr0es09Rl/s1600/joebluhm_sketchbook_robot_ink_blog.jpg" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-26865815893642119122014-05-15T10:15:00.002-04:002014-05-15T11:13:32.008-04:00traDigital Sketching<div style="text-align: justify;">
The very talented <b>Kyle T. Webster</b> has many abilities, and one of those is to generously create and offer very interesting and fun <i>Photoshop</i> brushes. His work is stellar, and you'd think he often works traditionally, but that is usually testament to his attention to detail in crafting digital brushes and tools which look like natural media.</div>
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I've been playing around with his brushes, and they are impressive. I still keep a small stable of old reliable brushes, but when you want a semi-dry brushed ink, watercolor drops, wet edges, or a scratchy pencil... they are damn close to the real thing.</div>
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He has revitalized my interest in trying new techniques in digital art, and I'm grateful.<br />
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Thanks, Kyle! Check out his work and PS brushes <a href="http://www.kyletwebster.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV0e9tdHGlkjAYOwMUAThGlgttOKJxumrkDE1sWPOPTfzR5eW-csb21TnkW_C7el4JVE8t9fJi7Vym0Nb1iWCr7gAWwpHoJJQiNw5qOb8JAD3Bb688AXC9981El8wRIJOFwZs/s1600/dog_ink_digital_joebluhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV0e9tdHGlkjAYOwMUAThGlgttOKJxumrkDE1sWPOPTfzR5eW-csb21TnkW_C7el4JVE8t9fJi7Vym0Nb1iWCr7gAWwpHoJJQiNw5qOb8JAD3Bb688AXC9981El8wRIJOFwZs/s1600/dog_ink_digital_joebluhm.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-85288447585822021762014-05-07T10:53:00.001-04:002014-05-07T10:56:28.080-04:00TCAF 2014This weekend will be the first time in two years I've been to Toronto! This town is one of my favorite places in the world, and I have met way too many cool, kind people to believe that it even truly exists. Each year there is a great little event called <a href="http://torontocomics.com/" target="_blank">Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)</a>. I've attended it for years and made great friends.<br />
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Anyway, this time I'm not exhibiting or selling books or sketches, but I'll just be hanging out... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vyLRM59D2q3lPBJloSgke9uqsT-ugFPVbG7LC1iX1vY_KA-aAWXeN13ICNs6EMEMTr4wphz2pr6g3ISPK2Orl2-aHww9dObSCjaJbzqfmcAsBusJDlbHbSK3PZqV2zgSktOu/s1600/2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vyLRM59D2q3lPBJloSgke9uqsT-ugFPVbG7LC1iX1vY_KA-aAWXeN13ICNs6EMEMTr4wphz2pr6g3ISPK2Orl2-aHww9dObSCjaJbzqfmcAsBusJDlbHbSK3PZqV2zgSktOu/s1600/2007.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>This is little Joey Bluhm in 2007, at his first TCAF. This was the debut of my first book, REJECTS. It was where I met many of the great Canadians I know and love today, when they welcomed my art and myself with the warmth only Toronto can bring. (thanks Sam!!!)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlajimaCdnD2iw06NcWX7hvuxAEsbSFPziKqUHmlxM6DGX9mthZeGgamXZhEL3SD74svjfusZgb_HGVpdJXQ-XdUkT1vxUWkz1upjK386kEOkDfbhkHWZMKpP8oMAP-MBLzbPD/s1600/2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlajimaCdnD2iw06NcWX7hvuxAEsbSFPziKqUHmlxM6DGX9mthZeGgamXZhEL3SD74svjfusZgb_HGVpdJXQ-XdUkT1vxUWkz1upjK386kEOkDfbhkHWZMKpP8oMAP-MBLzbPD/s1600/2009.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>This is 2009. I was a bit spunkier and cranked out as many extreme caricatures as I could, making even more friends. I think this is the year that Manale started copying me and drawing ugly portraits... he does it way better. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJPCUEWV0L_GKnsoPyuwWsPNi5XxFNM3tW2m3AQNhLz6bqAWPJR0yZi0NrPP1KuMWeri7bUOhrLd8vUel-imHtQ9sP7rHaBxbP6CN8Dl_Rog40aA4nlDm19Z9pY6qw037fd1e/s1600/2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJPCUEWV0L_GKnsoPyuwWsPNi5XxFNM3tW2m3AQNhLz6bqAWPJR0yZi0NrPP1KuMWeri7bUOhrLd8vUel-imHtQ9sP7rHaBxbP6CN8Dl_Rog40aA4nlDm19Z9pY6qw037fd1e/s1600/2012.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Here is hair-parted-for-who-knows-what-reason Joe in 2012, my last time in Toronto. I decided to shake it up and paint Victorian / Edwardian era portrait commissions for about half the price I should have. I don't know why... it was fun. I still owe one person their commissions (sorry Ray! One left to go, I'll see you in a couple days!) Manale cut off a finger to prove he is 'more extreme' with his penny caricatures. I still am not impressed.</i></div>
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In contrast to last year, keeping my head down with acrylic paints on wood for 40 straight hours, I'll be very excited to fraternize and have a drink with all the amazing people in Toronto. No work for me, just seeing great people and enjoying and purchasing great art. </div>
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For those who are looking to check it out, it's at the Toronto Reference Library, it's free, and it's my favorite 'convention' (comic festival) of the year. Make sure you find the amazingly talented <a href="http://vrdelrey.com/" target="_blank">Vanesa R. Del Rey</a> and scope her work, it's incredible.<br />
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Hope to see you there!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicErJ8wjpsQoNUc18VB6738Va1CIgf4co_hV2Q2ybUgO3nHbMqU_EtNtpODV5WOHLgOXYjHXwLc3m0U0SIZf2CHcLt9qEIU_G2LruoGoh7fmOz9ao1Gw1Ca9vrLKlmYw6-qMC3/s1600/michael_deforge_tcaf_2014_poster_1000px1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicErJ8wjpsQoNUc18VB6738Va1CIgf4co_hV2Q2ybUgO3nHbMqU_EtNtpODV5WOHLgOXYjHXwLc3m0U0SIZf2CHcLt9qEIU_G2LruoGoh7fmOz9ao1Gw1Ca9vrLKlmYw6-qMC3/s1600/michael_deforge_tcaf_2014_poster_1000px1.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div>
<br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-10882392219640173252014-04-27T22:49:00.001-04:002014-04-28T10:26:11.929-04:00Paintings, coming soon...<div style="text-align: justify;">
Coming very soon is an update to <a href="http://objectartshow.com/">ObjectArtShow.com</a> - full of original art for sale.</div>
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Nearly a year ago, Adam Volker and I decided to put on a fine art show here in Shreveport, and it was a blast. We kicked out an entirely new collection of traditional paintings in a matter of months. We now want to offer the paintings for your enjoyment and possible ownership. </div>
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I'll let you know when the website is updated and the art is ready to be seen. Here's a little preview:</div>
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Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-72207448914544959072014-04-05T15:34:00.000-04:002014-04-05T15:34:25.236-04:00Fargo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-57292626956952904612014-04-04T12:47:00.002-04:002014-04-04T12:50:07.912-04:00Brad Bird interview<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Quality is the best business policy."</b></span></div>
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This is an old interview with Brad Bird, around the time of Pixar's release of the film that inspired me to move into animation, "Ratatouille". Brad Bird's sensibility and talent focus has aligned with mine since I've heard a word from him, and his films and work have consistently hit me with a resounding sense of 'correct'. He inspires me and has an artist's sensibility, yet understands the function and commitment of teamwork and 'big picture' needs. This is a great listen. </div>
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Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21543251.post-28204029459573764852014-03-04T15:37:00.000-05:002014-03-04T15:55:08.788-05:00A lucky photograph<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today I snapped this photo of the smallest bird I have ever seen! At first I thought it was a brightly colored dragonfly, but when I crouched down I saw it had feathers. It was flapping around, but didn't seem too scared, so I extended my hand and it eventually hopped onto my thumb! Thankfully, I had my DSLR with me, but even that couldn't produce a very good photo, as the wind was blowing and I didn't have it in the right macro setting.</div>
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What do you think -- have you ever seen a bird this small before?! (click photo for larger version)<br />
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<br /><br />(did I get ya?) <br /><br />Joe Bluhmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13692984513316936715noreply@blogger.com4