tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32853103174531839412024-03-06T20:12:42.785-08:00Bret BlevinsAn illustrated diary of an artist’s working life and history--new creations documented in progress alongside past work shared and discussed as souvenirs of an ongoing quest to improve (and understand) my capacity for expression. Welcome to a journal of my art-making adventures!Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-48892082737529503292007-07-25T23:25:00.001-07:002007-07-25T23:31:41.294-07:00More Chalk Drawings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8VRKcrtk8puus0v6ngaA1VCJ_LDXhzl21hKX9rQtBr6bO9C0PzR77fb6Idza22MwrxE1EqZ_TkEZLlPBY1ateQfd6LM6Z7FJfrcVUUUYh-sGQO6Po4g10uhuDDp4w1EOYDtOSVhoBGIX/s1600-h/MK+Stdng.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8VRKcrtk8puus0v6ngaA1VCJ_LDXhzl21hKX9rQtBr6bO9C0PzR77fb6Idza22MwrxE1EqZ_TkEZLlPBY1ateQfd6LM6Z7FJfrcVUUUYh-sGQO6Po4g10uhuDDp4w1EOYDtOSVhoBGIX/s400/MK+Stdng.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091389380351134498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGcWUL6es1wY2KSZg9AuILRB7BYHoJC41wMehTIvXCwHZK7K24KUmMerCPdD9qrdASidYiw-u6oHJG3LJRQEa55Fet1CbCd0dWFj0NPeH21IZJzs6rerhFw-NkJMP0GX7_dnbHsOdLsvd/s1600-h/Gary+Drawing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic91FfKBUcxb5MCH4S8uU9flvFXYHZQjRdY87TT4LgnTia_TGtcpl0ak2XzjeFIt8iSIGOHwnr8Qf7v6vW2fWl-hlv-93KOCIHPvv939dQRPdg5mtOJ9sIxFxEeJfwaLDca2nRP0cNetEe/s400/Lauren+Ch+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388980919175938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc7RFkEcIgN3V4SZiLakzywDevuFIjj-gFSCUbkId2OeIL1t5P0fikV71AcTrk_T1G5Ri2P9JmxekFvWVBg0sJpCLZD0TLpdjbw5X9cFzsQf42-6NEf8LQc5GNltLiM7DgnUEbRTO1hx3/s1600-h/Lauren+CH+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc7RFkEcIgN3V4SZiLakzywDevuFIjj-gFSCUbkId2OeIL1t5P0fikV71AcTrk_T1G5Ri2P9JmxekFvWVBg0sJpCLZD0TLpdjbw5X9cFzsQf42-6NEf8LQc5GNltLiM7DgnUEbRTO1hx3/s400/Lauren+CH+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388998099045138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3lvEJyGoRLErTSYihQExBxPnN1gJ-h4VU3zG6eMjM-13yMc5MUIt8lAh1_zAnpZnIumQeXNVebzMiCEDeMQGx5tBA6f8loD7Teofd6jKZ0YD7bswJkV8zqr7Mfb6sJS5xUEIO2aZUljj/s1600-h/Lauren+CH+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3lvEJyGoRLErTSYihQExBxPnN1gJ-h4VU3zG6eMjM-13yMc5MUIt8lAh1_zAnpZnIumQeXNVebzMiCEDeMQGx5tBA6f8loD7Teofd6jKZ0YD7bswJkV8zqr7Mfb6sJS5xUEIO2aZUljj/s400/Lauren+CH+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388521357675202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlp5HC_SvvgwdZMkQp1RiNSyRKP9eFTLWw1-TZNiiOm5M19CtrbP9jFnC64GCWZTBDaojpTWYP3MM_34ejhYTXsgAQBkiiZNwX1fLWKSFIcLxIHCa7SxByxGKQhNrvzBX9YwvVBnBQ980/s1600-h/Lauren+CH+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlp5HC_SvvgwdZMkQp1RiNSyRKP9eFTLWw1-TZNiiOm5M19CtrbP9jFnC64GCWZTBDaojpTWYP3MM_34ejhYTXsgAQBkiiZNwX1fLWKSFIcLxIHCa7SxByxGKQhNrvzBX9YwvVBnBQ980/s400/Lauren+CH+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388521357675218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9ZbXy-dqW6uiOq4G-p8uu2P3oTwzl_FqcwR0XCWsvQ3luC4MUUjIbDkaFksSKyn8DcqIH7HhNXpLk5ikb9ZQ-2CVG2avV5wk6MoRBGjPhFRzi8dUHhoIaTzY-i9trUVPeoGIlUexdNiG/s1600-h/Lauren+CH+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9ZbXy-dqW6uiOq4G-p8uu2P3oTwzl_FqcwR0XCWsvQ3luC4MUUjIbDkaFksSKyn8DcqIH7HhNXpLk5ikb9ZQ-2CVG2avV5wk6MoRBGjPhFRzi8dUHhoIaTzY-i9trUVPeoGIlUexdNiG/s400/Lauren+CH+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388525652642530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQiOI8n7NbQEJfVvh5RaIU7Nbj2gFCaB5Y1kb2P0HEOcUFrjHA0OSnL3aM61E6PVTrZq2zNTQI9LshSKC9OABhPX-LwUE5dw6pz8J_QlDKhOll70K6q2E_K1rx0L30BVu2SojlLlTwoni/s1600-h/Lauen+CH+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQiOI8n7NbQEJfVvh5RaIU7Nbj2gFCaB5Y1kb2P0HEOcUFrjHA0OSnL3aM61E6PVTrZq2zNTQI9LshSKC9OABhPX-LwUE5dw6pz8J_QlDKhOll70K6q2E_K1rx0L30BVu2SojlLlTwoni/s400/Lauen+CH+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388220709964434" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnerwE1Ax1xVa19LydaSBB6edQAvUvVnGelDfIh7P2atBCmLFJ-ePr8eCr9fvqgyPLzo6-LLneJN72HK3HnFqi3PUjNyNBYGkxUgJHE0FUU6yd1Ii2xUUD9Ps9ypv8HxflpGOO-Dl56EZ/s1600-h/Lauren+CH+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnerwE1Ax1xVa19LydaSBB6edQAvUvVnGelDfIh7P2atBCmLFJ-ePr8eCr9fvqgyPLzo6-LLneJN72HK3HnFqi3PUjNyNBYGkxUgJHE0FUU6yd1Ii2xUUD9Ps9ypv8HxflpGOO-Dl56EZ/s400/Lauren+CH+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388225004931746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5hBge7a5mHUUKa17pMy_k9n0Sy5zMfoQiT1zEQ-5yKUUuktt1w5lTXY_eyBtpYxujym4dGfyBN8yc0g9fPSuNy4c4ZLWWmDuaYToNDA3-B184e7P649G8wmQduKch3jvoj3XOPGvvY3e/s1600-h/Lauren+CH+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5hBge7a5mHUUKa17pMy_k9n0Sy5zMfoQiT1zEQ-5yKUUuktt1w5lTXY_eyBtpYxujym4dGfyBN8yc0g9fPSuNy4c4ZLWWmDuaYToNDA3-B184e7P649G8wmQduKch3jvoj3XOPGvvY3e/s400/Lauren+CH+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091388229299899058" border="0" /></a>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com149tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-59751305801809663432007-07-25T20:28:00.000-07:002007-07-26T11:20:19.758-07:00The Aesthetic Invitation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5js9sVglPOQPRWggDrs6rh9pSwOIcltVmGzq3-FiPsKBT1ij1WLGWK_47_lUnvoSL5q0TSqdTpu7bh7Dbu6hrCvYAq1XHBfjVpllGbuPy_F3jSFlI5bDSFidcNqH7yflxqe21sJVHKyz/s1600-h/MK+Portr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5js9sVglPOQPRWggDrs6rh9pSwOIcltVmGzq3-FiPsKBT1ij1WLGWK_47_lUnvoSL5q0TSqdTpu7bh7Dbu6hrCvYAq1XHBfjVpllGbuPy_F3jSFlI5bDSFidcNqH7yflxqe21sJVHKyz/s400/MK+Portr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091386592917359234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDunYxFtlFthwQbqXj5tnuN2EqNh5IYyCtBuGJ5TZl-Iz_fR2ReGoUJZv4GJWNKMGrgEPQ1cxzBRDE-H4-QGnfA_61ayckrHCl3N1Yd08H2bSHKEQ2rMOiZ6F7NZALFmcNDEdWEG6Up-K/s1600-h/Gigi+Asnooze.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDunYxFtlFthwQbqXj5tnuN2EqNh5IYyCtBuGJ5TZl-Iz_fR2ReGoUJZv4GJWNKMGrgEPQ1cxzBRDE-H4-QGnfA_61ayckrHCl3N1Yd08H2bSHKEQ2rMOiZ6F7NZALFmcNDEdWEG6Up-K/s400/Gigi+Asnooze.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091385063909001810" border="0" /></a><br />For the last few weeks I've been preoccupied with the challenge of working through a change in my approach to making images, and have neglected the blog--I also owe responses to several of you who have been kind enough to comment. I apologize for my flighty behavior! I'll catch up to my ambitions of prompt and steady blogging soon--it's been an unexpectedly busy summer, not least because our son begins college in August. A big change for the family!<br /><br />The prior string of posts discussing the merits of life drawing coincided with a burst of intense and frequent sessions of working from the live model--more than I've done in years. Over the last several months of steady driving effort I've felt I was pushing beyond a plateau and within the last two weeks I suddenly (it seemed) reached the crest I was searching for. This continuous period of intentional and progressively more instinctive and intuitive experimentation gelled as I pushed, pushed, pushed through hundreds of drawings and dozens of paintings--and eventually lifted my efforts to a new level of awareness that I've been after (not always consciously) for many years.<br />This shift is difficult to describe in words and I haven't written about it here before now because I wasn't sure I'd climbed within sight of a new horizon I could hold in view, or merely struck a pleasant spell of heightened perception that would slip away from me when other schedule pressures and distractions began to crowd my time. (A regrettably familiar pattern). I'm confident I'm onto a new path though, after an unbroken chain of art-making sessions devoid of an unsure step--a delightful experience!<br />I've titled this entry "The Aesthetic Invitation" because that phrase best describes the new attitude that seems to be responsible for the fresh (and more importantly, consistent) energy and resonance I'm discovering in my work. I've found a way of shifting my mind toward a distinct, aesthetic assessment of possibilities that are evident in the subject I'm contemplating--<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">before</span> I put a mark down. This can be an almost intangible effect that is outside my habitual spectrum of observation; instead of immediately beginning to mentally measure proportions or locate the placement of contours, shapes and space relationships, I may decide to attempt a visual impression of the fleshy mass of a model's body pressing into the atmosphere around her or him--a subtle essence of a perceived quality that is more than just accurate observation of physical dimensions and form. Or perhaps I might focus on conveying, by means difficult to exactly label or describe, a sense of the person's mood, or an expression of languor, or contained nervous energy.<br />The resulting process is a flow of largely subconscious intimations that continuously suggests a series of spontanteous yet specific expressive marks; a twist or smearing of a line, smudge, tone or stroke that conveys the impression my mind is responding to, all building and coalescing in harmony as the work reveals itself. This is a real contrast to my familiar typical method of making drawings, or at least the method I'm usually conscious of as I work.<br />I see now that this semi-awareness I'm attempting to explain is responsible for every "especially good session" I've ever had, but in the past I had no reliable "technique" for "bringing the spell on"--accessing this mental zone of heightened acuity. I now possess an excited confidence that I've unraveled an old and difficult impediment, often described in many creative endeavors as the problem of "getting in your own way", "over-thinking", "trying too hard", and so on. Or more simply and poetically phrased, I've found a way to draw primarily from my heart instead of my head. Hard-won knowledge and skill are indispensable, but in art they must support emotion, not dictate or overpower it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">These portraits of my friend and fellow artist Fred Poore<br />are examples of the expressive intensity and clarity I've been<br />writing about--they are made with Cretacolor chalks, a medium<br />new to me that seems to be a perfect fit for my natural<br />inclinations. I felt a new and and wonderfully comfortable<br />"easy insight" as I drew these--I was confident of the merit of<br />my perceptions and was sure I could express them--a<br />working condition I am not accustomed to!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNaQSnwWbAv80dk0jEQimZKUrHNAtV5dyAVR-BvvgntLWO1KCW9FxbUFtbk3nMYMhlPPutRws50yg7_OR-_cb1MM_09KbZdjTQs2MiTRONziU1_FLYKNWCOfJV3PT0VQkNvX-8u4RrMLw/s1600-h/Fred+Portr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNaQSnwWbAv80dk0jEQimZKUrHNAtV5dyAVR-BvvgntLWO1KCW9FxbUFtbk3nMYMhlPPutRws50yg7_OR-_cb1MM_09KbZdjTQs2MiTRONziU1_FLYKNWCOfJV3PT0VQkNvX-8u4RrMLw/s400/Fred+Portr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091370980711238162" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtc6Le6PT_-xVToGHCNDKYEtpxFaGM_AhrjnKQXRXsEbV7-Typ5H4hVAPIy4NP0qMRSTxD1KhAjIoj8AJUmJe9BcQuUYOGMIDvAodEcykHf-Ay89bA386dMOOTmsl60ObXkoh1G1CpLOp/s1600-h/Fred+on+Gray.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtc6Le6PT_-xVToGHCNDKYEtpxFaGM_AhrjnKQXRXsEbV7-Typ5H4hVAPIy4NP0qMRSTxD1KhAjIoj8AJUmJe9BcQuUYOGMIDvAodEcykHf-Ay89bA386dMOOTmsl60ObXkoh1G1CpLOp/s400/Fred+on+Gray.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091374163282004530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPbUfcsYj0BQcRP6EUtSpnIzfy2BRT1CW-zxmXwsKtzy6AWx1hcbmKc_AaZldkEaJAjqzXBH-yN2VdstmxK06OImncvPVk8cx3I8nXV05ZhQnRgc468tf8e049zT5m251kGP126Nm75mz/s1600-h/FrdGlss.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPbUfcsYj0BQcRP6EUtSpnIzfy2BRT1CW-zxmXwsKtzy6AWx1hcbmKc_AaZldkEaJAjqzXBH-yN2VdstmxK06OImncvPVk8cx3I8nXV05ZhQnRgc468tf8e049zT5m251kGP126Nm75mz/s400/FrdGlss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091373978598410786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPbUfcsYj0BQcRP6EUtSpnIzfy2BRT1CW-zxmXwsKtzy6AWx1hcbmKc_AaZldkEaJAjqzXBH-yN2VdstmxK06OImncvPVk8cx3I8nXV05ZhQnRgc468tf8e049zT5m251kGP126Nm75mz/s1600-h/FrdGlss.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">This was the last pose of the session--Fred is holding</span></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">the model's timer, posing because our scheduled model<br />didn't show. I think this is the best drawing I did that day,<br /> as each piece fed the next and I grew simultaneously<br />more relaxed and focused with each pose.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"></span>Although the above drawings are accurate in form and contour, that correctness is not the strength of the images--an intangible quality of human consciousness, expressed here with a new (to me) confident grace and vitality is the appeal. I've been trying to consistently achieve this gestalt of <span style="font-style: italic;">seemingly</span> effortless spontaneity and emotional precision in my work for thirty years--I can't tell you how much fun it is to be so pleasantly surprised by these drawings when I stop my hand and take an objective look at what's emerged. It feels like the welcome end of long hard trek!<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPbUfcsYj0BQcRP6EUtSpnIzfy2BRT1CW-zxmXwsKtzy6AWx1hcbmKc_AaZldkEaJAjqzXBH-yN2VdstmxK06OImncvPVk8cx3I8nXV05ZhQnRgc468tf8e049zT5m251kGP126Nm75mz/s1600-h/FrdGlss.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"></span></a></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-31108009341785180592007-06-22T16:47:00.001-07:002007-07-20T08:03:35.885-07:00Why Draw from Life? (Part Three)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbwQPgF28DTIivLCTjx9vRpw8l9uA_yEx1abGxBrkSOlEbEhj0sg20KxxBrbRYT1DjhgGaHhJHwvf08sv3obzbsPxyCsOuQWmoBwlwfZDVmcrpFnJqH-HQ0u_iwsERvDgtf9I_RsfBzX1/s1600-h/BlevPainting@WhiskyRow+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbwQPgF28DTIivLCTjx9vRpw8l9uA_yEx1abGxBrkSOlEbEhj0sg20KxxBrbRYT1DjhgGaHhJHwvf08sv3obzbsPxyCsOuQWmoBwlwfZDVmcrpFnJqH-HQ0u_iwsERvDgtf9I_RsfBzX1/s400/BlevPainting@WhiskyRow+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079039866068739906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Photo by Bruce Fee)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9wbtKcfGHCYLHmauqCBk-Jr6VS1mp0Sp2eBcC_uMqVR2fhZczhmwIRVyR8CbKe6qYs-qNLAyI_SlN_4hsAlzRTk0TmlAnzMqmAedUA6AaFt4ikr2SApvi8c_9SF2qDPQs_ccbhaAw35N/s1600-h/WhiskRo+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9wbtKcfGHCYLHmauqCBk-Jr6VS1mp0Sp2eBcC_uMqVR2fhZczhmwIRVyR8CbKe6qYs-qNLAyI_SlN_4hsAlzRTk0TmlAnzMqmAedUA6AaFt4ikr2SApvi8c_9SF2qDPQs_ccbhaAw35N/s400/WhiskRo+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079039878953641810" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">The artist at work and the result.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br />Today I’ve posted more images drawn or painted directly from life, done in several mediums; pencil, colored pencil, graphite and Prismacolor on toned paper, oil paint, and the most charmingly spontaneous of all (to my eyes), watercolor touches over a simple fluid pencil contour line.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAT8lTIn_3jVAYWy7waG5k-6FNmKnAYxLweQCmavKcH0Ovqa4ZPxkvTKMRFtzJIU9t_12iWEwgu34EIQOmn7GG6glE9d8D5uh13c7_z1javfwPQ5wd87Fh-53YkMQ7toTmzWe4r6M_cOt/s1600-h/Blue+Nadia+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAT8lTIn_3jVAYWy7waG5k-6FNmKnAYxLweQCmavKcH0Ovqa4ZPxkvTKMRFtzJIU9t_12iWEwgu34EIQOmn7GG6glE9d8D5uh13c7_z1javfwPQ5wd87Fh-53YkMQ7toTmzWe4r6M_cOt/s400/Blue+Nadia+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079041214688470930" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Oil on canvas panel</span><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCQ87gkhRC0XoxiYvXo3vrEGirfTdBAkAnS5hWGHwLbYG2gBfcu8qOp5PmKBQ2vUR89ELP1PxJWRsaQYpAVwY2Otdp7m9I1bVYzeAFtsDXWNVmx18SCjp7ZJmEOwGyqIdcPnk5o3UdOzW/s1600-h/Jess+Brown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCQ87gkhRC0XoxiYvXo3vrEGirfTdBAkAnS5hWGHwLbYG2gBfcu8qOp5PmKBQ2vUR89ELP1PxJWRsaQYpAVwY2Otdp7m9I1bVYzeAFtsDXWNVmx18SCjp7ZJmEOwGyqIdcPnk5o3UdOzW/s400/Jess+Brown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079041197508601698" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Prismacolor on toned paper<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dUW71nE1Y8PYSL2k7ZjwXQBfJ0VnGwi-y0why1gGGlb95TGc6CZMz6LOkjnFr55sdml-juy3hX6ZDmTqCa-0Yy5VhcB7v0CbhdFHGW1tRZ8-6-7OkJ7cS20lpv3M8Epk4wJ5QicR3NfW/s1600-h/Sara+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dUW71nE1Y8PYSL2k7ZjwXQBfJ0VnGwi-y0why1gGGlb95TGc6CZMz6LOkjnFr55sdml-juy3hX6ZDmTqCa-0Yy5VhcB7v0CbhdFHGW1tRZ8-6-7OkJ7cS20lpv3M8Epk4wJ5QicR3NfW/s400/Sara+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079041206098536306" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Graphite pencil<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrKiICf36HKENhARSVXx0Ro78u329EqarWeKB_XKWNHbjM8MypxNTjrbB2rQMCtKmYZBPz1shqb9ZkHk4up6R9sOSgHfVezHuMs9SWGUlFipLoD45kgcvUH2xw5PdPGChCgfQhwzsoDLi/s1600-h/Iris+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrKiICf36HKENhARSVXx0Ro78u329EqarWeKB_XKWNHbjM8MypxNTjrbB2rQMCtKmYZBPz1shqb9ZkHk4up6R9sOSgHfVezHuMs9SWGUlFipLoD45kgcvUH2xw5PdPGChCgfQhwzsoDLi/s400/Iris+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079041206098536322" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Pencil and watercolor</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dUW71nE1Y8PYSL2k7ZjwXQBfJ0VnGwi-y0why1gGGlb95TGc6CZMz6LOkjnFr55sdml-juy3hX6ZDmTqCa-0Yy5VhcB7v0CbhdFHGW1tRZ8-6-7OkJ7cS20lpv3M8Epk4wJ5QicR3NfW/s1600-h/Sara+2.jpg"><br /></a></div><br />Many of these images may seem slight in technique and detail, but they are the result of over 30 years of serious effort toward mastering the art of drawing—at age 46 I’ve devoted more than three quarters of my life to an almost daily obsession with training my eyes and hand to express my impressions—and also anything I can imagine. This history is on my mind lately as I spend more and more time facing an easel and a physically present subject rather than hunching over a drawing table, lightbox or Wacom Tablet creating worlds directly from my imagination.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdkh98SRVrooLFEuGnUCJWbBJLmz_E4WZ5gZdo5cF1RzpOGh061M0KKdY8LMIkwjMOkYWksp4zaqW3afj2oG9V2Mq4NnqCQAaU98ls4mBdAHGIZVgeNETyKWG0vPlPmRZ6giaDj9HN0iq/s1600-h/JessBlue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdkh98SRVrooLFEuGnUCJWbBJLmz_E4WZ5gZdo5cF1RzpOGh061M0KKdY8LMIkwjMOkYWksp4zaqW3afj2oG9V2Mq4NnqCQAaU98ls4mBdAHGIZVgeNETyKWG0vPlPmRZ6giaDj9HN0iq/s400/JessBlue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079043641344993186" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFIP3ia4nUmHGzk7n9AGiCIAn4KmBpAqsX1ZbGOhTt79SB4aBdYtBtmvaQR3bafr1DAhQY07o9zfMJ-aBh57rWqBAbTcafWl5kq1EsHFktCcZgZUrZK8IhhNFI3d2idJmw6HGK0B4SwnB/s1600-h/Sara+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFIP3ia4nUmHGzk7n9AGiCIAn4KmBpAqsX1ZbGOhTt79SB4aBdYtBtmvaQR3bafr1DAhQY07o9zfMJ-aBh57rWqBAbTcafWl5kq1EsHFktCcZgZUrZK8IhhNFI3d2idJmw6HGK0B4SwnB/s400/Sara+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079043645639960498" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLC-utrtl9haqYFgezkWHH9s2W_csNN19qnjzEQORFvt7fF-rTdwWXlUJ8ouRDqYzRNRQhC3bVKuVzfTYHi9jl0mTusZXCqW3JOvqpmqNyDFhKUSsn0yzku9FFSoUpKJKEQ8ejQglLmT9/s1600-h/Iris+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLC-utrtl9haqYFgezkWHH9s2W_csNN19qnjzEQORFvt7fF-rTdwWXlUJ8ouRDqYzRNRQhC3bVKuVzfTYHi9jl0mTusZXCqW3JOvqpmqNyDFhKUSsn0yzku9FFSoUpKJKEQ8ejQglLmT9/s400/Iris+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079043645639960514" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhc9kVr3j44IrCDdMC4kgaqaz32rDLtUy3wZ4hxBh4TM2kPUYCtwX-g_MTgMJVEMMevL7gTIPPiQXT5vxqecVgCTuk90d3mhgy7qttkpK_3iENeSiEcmFvKtB0zIDRkXnL8QR1X847Hxp/s1600-h/Iris+II_C.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhc9kVr3j44IrCDdMC4kgaqaz32rDLtUy3wZ4hxBh4TM2kPUYCtwX-g_MTgMJVEMMevL7gTIPPiQXT5vxqecVgCTuk90d3mhgy7qttkpK_3iENeSiEcmFvKtB0zIDRkXnL8QR1X847Hxp/s400/Iris+II_C.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079043649934927826" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br />A few years ago I began to carve time away from my commercial deadlines and return to an idea of creating paintings for myself—an idea I had pushed aside when I moved into drawing comic books full time in 1981. I can’t say I intended to virtually abandon painting, but the demands of monthly comic book cartooning/illustrating soon reduced my non-hired art-making pursuits to private sketchbooks and occasional life drawing sessions.<br />I quickly grew to love the challenges of visualizing scripts or plots though, in both comic books and later animation storyboards—the demands are staggering, really—at least as I approached it. I know of no other art forms that are so demanding—you must be able to draw anything—under tight deadline pressure—that you or a writer can imagine, and possess an intricate understanding of drama, directing, staging, lighting, timing, cutting, editing, acting, set design, costume design, all the technical rules that make film storytelling work, in addition to the vast demands of visual art itself—composition, form, perspective, anatomy, etc…. the list goes on and on. Add the tenets of painting—color, value, texture, learning to handle various mediums—the challenges are literally endless.<br />I stubbornly kept my dream and ambition intact though—to become a great draftsman was always the distant gleam of promise that kept me slogging through the dreary bouts of exhaustion, frustration, failures, disenchantments, vast workloads, crushing stress of deadlines, and often indifferent and occasionally hostile reception to my work. (I’ve had my share of praise too, for which I am grateful.)<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZo2lTnTlfTI3pr7W2RJLi3ea4O4KITz_OFeQvV4PKxkuKMY_lhMkMPF5HMdtbIYEPBxGtjOF-mNyvAoXE_7BdTR-8Lz17pXD-chbClgkhdOCE3jvS16NTefuYfotGI7neUgl28SHq4SQ/s1600-h/Iris+II_A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZo2lTnTlfTI3pr7W2RJLi3ea4O4KITz_OFeQvV4PKxkuKMY_lhMkMPF5HMdtbIYEPBxGtjOF-mNyvAoXE_7BdTR-8Lz17pXD-chbClgkhdOCE3jvS16NTefuYfotGI7neUgl28SHq4SQ/s400/Iris+II_A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079045681454458898" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhC2eLPK0XjfU0OlEC7qjjQ6T9BGdcmF-1M6q8-you6qyN5Em6_NSpaSls78ydeK00j7ZzAPufTcAq5dmZdIbRU2Osc9GvVNSbvphyLCLKEAXHdNb8YQv3FFUZ05aeRUQzDU-u52monFn/s1600-h/Blue+B,+S+and+M.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhC2eLPK0XjfU0OlEC7qjjQ6T9BGdcmF-1M6q8-you6qyN5Em6_NSpaSls78ydeK00j7ZzAPufTcAq5dmZdIbRU2Osc9GvVNSbvphyLCLKEAXHdNb8YQv3FFUZ05aeRUQzDU-u52monFn/s400/Blue+B,+S+and+M.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079059906386143490" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I never worked for recognition though—I was after experience and knowledge, and used my assignments as a laboratory in which to test myself. I fought against developing comfortable habits and though I was often prompted by exhaustion to try, I was never able to devise effective “shortcuts”—I was compelled to stretch and push in some particular way on every assignment. This doesn’t mean I created an unbroken chain of masterpieces—far from it! The harsh deadlines forced countless compromises and constant all-night bleary-eyed coffee-soaked grind sessions to get a job out the door, but I held on to my ambitions to keep learning and growing, and now feel I’ve reached a harvest time.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCj1KRNyBY9Yg37f6FIlb7wqZc6DZoGpDBZNYBI2ogjgKg1pcDmw5IMahoo8wSgmAefW37gjtkCFPS_Fb0QRIeOGYckbJUPdyjQ6lPSsK-T4scHVnrxO25ZTvHfmuGa02gpLRKgDVLshW_/s1600-h/Iris+II_D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCj1KRNyBY9Yg37f6FIlb7wqZc6DZoGpDBZNYBI2ogjgKg1pcDmw5IMahoo8wSgmAefW37gjtkCFPS_Fb0QRIeOGYckbJUPdyjQ6lPSsK-T4scHVnrxO25ZTvHfmuGa02gpLRKgDVLshW_/s400/Iris+II_D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079046523268048930" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmejEIfl4P1w2_tYjFsX_7EyC4fvzVAnRynLCfxKlagPvSNP-JiFbC8muodXA9d3v3rC6zWIsV6tC3RCp0_i-zMpvjtthHBSV2WunrTTzCCe8sXORrp3m7vXP5aY8zQw_DsyGtLkAud7BZ/s1600-h/Cat+Bottle+and+Blue+Candle+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmejEIfl4P1w2_tYjFsX_7EyC4fvzVAnRynLCfxKlagPvSNP-JiFbC8muodXA9d3v3rC6zWIsV6tC3RCp0_i-zMpvjtthHBSV2WunrTTzCCe8sXORrp3m7vXP5aY8zQw_DsyGtLkAud7BZ/s400/Cat+Bottle+and+Blue+Candle+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079046527563016258" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfpJ3sDrf-c27BJZ6_0v8WEk36CLzB_cuWuI5OJBYuiHWXApJisibbDylJyQ55z9nPZTCUxgdBW9EnH525qpWkkfo-sEcTaYb6iRgLoESDACjpP6L3_SMcjgHyYeZKwIagyyLePygvjOm/s1600-h/Iris+II_E.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfpJ3sDrf-c27BJZ6_0v8WEk36CLzB_cuWuI5OJBYuiHWXApJisibbDylJyQ55z9nPZTCUxgdBW9EnH525qpWkkfo-sEcTaYb6iRgLoESDACjpP6L3_SMcjgHyYeZKwIagyyLePygvjOm/s400/Iris+II_E.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079046527563016242" border="0" /></a></div><br />Because I decided early on to treat my commercial career as an opportunity to educate myself rather than gain notoriety or use the subject matter of assigned work as a vehicle for personal expression, I can’t deny I’ve often felt lost in an avalanche of hired work that seemed a world away from my own nature and interests. In spite of this I’ve somehow made it to this point with all my enthusiasm intact, which rounds this ramble back toward my central topic; why draw from life?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOBOg7HNIZWb7waE0G5v6PfuXiJp98kgPrroappbNcl8mEkSJyi2adHGv3VjzmTsU1Gq8LNrs96Nn-0-8KglfBrUkOlkArQmcSaLYLj8cs8jxKORNa0aGQeY2U0BTex5BwpD2-NuCjXSG/s1600-h/Iris+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOBOg7HNIZWb7waE0G5v6PfuXiJp98kgPrroappbNcl8mEkSJyi2adHGv3VjzmTsU1Gq8LNrs96Nn-0-8KglfBrUkOlkArQmcSaLYLj8cs8jxKORNa0aGQeY2U0BTex5BwpD2-NuCjXSG/s400/Iris+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079047755923662930" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_PSsPS1BM2eH633gUp2BBBV9YEGm9RBOhFj3n5gTTu_r_HcBsdi9DvQ1xryltJ3hkJbr9c3UHSXgvWfWKmzFUjoaSzxdJEPV-7Wlu-Y77L5UIhYrRHkdFLy9cP4iMjb4IF2aXAAXtFV1/s1600-h/Iris+WU+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_PSsPS1BM2eH633gUp2BBBV9YEGm9RBOhFj3n5gTTu_r_HcBsdi9DvQ1xryltJ3hkJbr9c3UHSXgvWfWKmzFUjoaSzxdJEPV-7Wlu-Y77L5UIhYrRHkdFLy9cP4iMjb4IF2aXAAXtFV1/s400/Iris+WU+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079047764513597570" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzQ1oBePvGdAq19COqePgVPocqElO26disjbxjv3uXWJ4Q7TfAbW-U2ibApDg9phjFyw93KjU8VYVnUqC2E3x4NrKLIWlr7C18VsFhFKDGjdZSswaeL82mcvmcQMiTwATCceHOA6cWPfh/s1600-h/Iris+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzQ1oBePvGdAq19COqePgVPocqElO26disjbxjv3uXWJ4Q7TfAbW-U2ibApDg9phjFyw93KjU8VYVnUqC2E3x4NrKLIWlr7C18VsFhFKDGjdZSswaeL82mcvmcQMiTwATCceHOA6cWPfh/s400/Iris+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079047760218630242" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72bsq0QZjjWQu8Le86i8sfS9LHvyyKl6-FIEHCw2VAGW3UWsyIWYPVq8KWELXyH_XUJm4bt3KdvchvpfUsPGITRRpkR0lvVGJfk0B6vy1_AeXxZ5t3UT3pJDONHQcxHyaZwLRrukfA8KR/s1600-h/Iris+WU+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72bsq0QZjjWQu8Le86i8sfS9LHvyyKl6-FIEHCw2VAGW3UWsyIWYPVq8KWELXyH_XUJm4bt3KdvchvpfUsPGITRRpkR0lvVGJfk0B6vy1_AeXxZ5t3UT3pJDONHQcxHyaZwLRrukfA8KR/s400/Iris+WU+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079047764513597554" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The discipline of making thousands of studies</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">like those above lead to the ability to invent</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">believable fantasy characters with convincing weight,</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">gesture and anatomy such as these excerpted figures</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">from commissions in progress;<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLqPuFR8LXm6SEvc18oDZ9u1uPKxDqpSv1KTB1EyeHXtxc9RdUbvd_1uWlBFZIh_yb9xsHS33kNfWflu-tbmsBMoNzvcMtUaS0xPhFigDdGt2xVGNL4SyIqxCbWONS37r4PVc7q4-Ud6Y/s1600-h/C&D+Det.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLqPuFR8LXm6SEvc18oDZ9u1uPKxDqpSv1KTB1EyeHXtxc9RdUbvd_1uWlBFZIh_yb9xsHS33kNfWflu-tbmsBMoNzvcMtUaS0xPhFigDdGt2xVGNL4SyIqxCbWONS37r4PVc7q4-Ud6Y/s400/C&D+Det.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079050607781947602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSsV4tNTJbOOHNoCZzdY_2eXNxwlagxxsb-tICeZ4GA78z2GqiXOmZ38-5LhIvmV2H71YqL5dPFPq0UthXX4G-Qlyi3HRaWFksO32ktWyiUMcEgi7Kpbmk5B-iiMxwFRuB9gr1O9LZ5op/s1600-h/DJ+Det.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSsV4tNTJbOOHNoCZzdY_2eXNxwlagxxsb-tICeZ4GA78z2GqiXOmZ38-5LhIvmV2H71YqL5dPFPq0UthXX4G-Qlyi3HRaWFksO32ktWyiUMcEgi7Kpbmk5B-iiMxwFRuB9gr1O9LZ5op/s400/DJ+Det.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079050607781947618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOzlhZ9t91d2Vpd89KZJ6htbUHtvgSBAkgs1QmBPxML4SBW4cGwtMNpkHv279hN2ZL2k4lJDuBPIyElcVLe3pBFGcujV6TJVPsFQBI9cQJNWMcXhJ4uhjslijByeTHPdlSzRh9q61WQEk/s1600-h/Magik+Det.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOzlhZ9t91d2Vpd89KZJ6htbUHtvgSBAkgs1QmBPxML4SBW4cGwtMNpkHv279hN2ZL2k4lJDuBPIyElcVLe3pBFGcujV6TJVPsFQBI9cQJNWMcXhJ4uhjslijByeTHPdlSzRh9q61WQEk/s400/Magik+Det.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079050483227896002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br /></span></div>As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, since beginning this blog I’ve received numerous inquiries about the non-fantasy images—some flattering and enthusiastic, some perplexed and even disappointed. To many fantasy art fans, prosaic subject matter such as still lifes or realistic figure drawings are inherently uninteresting. I understand this reaction, but do not share it. After more than two decades of straining to render outrageous fantasy characters and environments believable and entertaining, I find I am now most excited by the prospect of capturing a subtle and honest essence of some aspect of the natural, real world I (and you) live in.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OEQEVS1NE1vETqe9-JnRSH0IoLww-zFky0ijNo8CgKbO8rAKdK_hozBqIjc-NsY8vffujhi_qJQCzJ1tBDU0akFATa4Wu2htJ1yy4rRjevGc8kUVVOSjamoFG6j3MuzRo-FDwSuXy1FB/s1600-h/Penguin+Orn+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OEQEVS1NE1vETqe9-JnRSH0IoLww-zFky0ijNo8CgKbO8rAKdK_hozBqIjc-NsY8vffujhi_qJQCzJ1tBDU0akFATa4Wu2htJ1yy4rRjevGc8kUVVOSjamoFG6j3MuzRo-FDwSuXy1FB/s400/Penguin+Orn+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079045681454458882" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Em7byNpTMf8uZQClsUyaASGFPO37i3SK-bxsRbhyphenhyphenaKhnRb95xPGDZEluhtWksQbZfrVWfMJ-TgVXX_F-FU8Ex6Wa1doE-Nay2_na88WhZjv3gWx235qmJbhrmaCvUHxIRVhYU7gJjdqU/s1600-h/Jess+A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Em7byNpTMf8uZQClsUyaASGFPO37i3SK-bxsRbhyphenhyphenaKhnRb95xPGDZEluhtWksQbZfrVWfMJ-TgVXX_F-FU8Ex6Wa1doE-Nay2_na88WhZjv3gWx235qmJbhrmaCvUHxIRVhYU7gJjdqU/s400/Jess+A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079049190442739890" border="0" /></a></div><br />I’m sure I will always love and invent fantasy, but my particular fascination is to create, by achieving a convincing portrayal of human (or superhuman) consciousness, an illusion of living, thinking, feeling personalities. The only source for this inspiration is the real thing.<br />So I find that I have been after one essential quality all along and throughout all my various endeavors as an artist—an illusion of life, animation, a spirit of reality that calls forth an emotional recognition in the viewer or reader. When I work from life, I want to convey the spontaneous empathy I feel with the model as a fellow human being—I don’t want to draw a body, an assemblage of anatomy—I want to portray a <span style="font-style: italic;">person</span>, always. When I paint a still life or landscape, the objects exist only as expressions of their use or creation by human touch, or as a place where people have lived, walked, worked, fought, loved.<br />As odd (even to myself, in certain moods) as it may sound, these days I am as incited to enthusiasm by the prospect of painting a stained broken teacup in a dusty shaft of light as I am by the challenge of portraying a horde of lost souls tumbling through an afterlife dimension into my wildest fantasies of Hell.<br />An artist’s life is full of surprises!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlLJKFLiU80JYfE9CzWR9TbpV8rcMOjdVX6idmbR_YMhZHwU2AU_2lVSRA9HlpTDpqDLanASkTx8c_MaNDetqOrxzhZxOqAhjLXV7f4dsjJF0FUv53Hsf5-IhVXnry36-lelY4EWjFyYM/s1600-h/Jess+Recline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlLJKFLiU80JYfE9CzWR9TbpV8rcMOjdVX6idmbR_YMhZHwU2AU_2lVSRA9HlpTDpqDLanASkTx8c_MaNDetqOrxzhZxOqAhjLXV7f4dsjJF0FUv53Hsf5-IhVXnry36-lelY4EWjFyYM/s400/Jess+Recline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079049186147772562" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDusRYzgq4vb49QyOrM_34BGkI_Q-n5vgUu2_wSNs45IK97k77xlotb1GspHqFc4hi0YZrNC_eGy01pZ4-z8tHzbFOXoyDW7Fvtj_jhrJgzrICeuFo1PdiwiepKeUHLGlbzgJtTuxePBfB/s1600-h/Sunday+Quiet+Lrg+Pr+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDusRYzgq4vb49QyOrM_34BGkI_Q-n5vgUu2_wSNs45IK97k77xlotb1GspHqFc4hi0YZrNC_eGy01pZ4-z8tHzbFOXoyDW7Fvtj_jhrJgzrICeuFo1PdiwiepKeUHLGlbzgJtTuxePBfB/s400/Sunday+Quiet+Lrg+Pr+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079052849754876146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxRkpnB9a2Q3mFxtihKd_kbGAaIsMM7vWB-rMR18LDNaEeiL0h5iYCSwYh0aad6dz6wWBCze9rFLO5Csc8HDbPQzQu-M9XuLKQSs7McvQKBUsPRN6eaOXm5FaTPw179_2dYQGkjPT1xKc/s1600-h/Sara+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxRkpnB9a2Q3mFxtihKd_kbGAaIsMM7vWB-rMR18LDNaEeiL0h5iYCSwYh0aad6dz6wWBCze9rFLO5Csc8HDbPQzQu-M9XuLKQSs7McvQKBUsPRN6eaOXm5FaTPw179_2dYQGkjPT1xKc/s400/Sara+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079049190442739874" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com79tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-64339721400463322742007-06-20T10:44:00.000-07:002007-06-20T16:33:12.954-07:00Why Draw from Life? (Part Two)I believe drawing from life with <span style="font-style: italic;">sincere</span> observation (not a mechanical, unmindful or borrowed procedure or set of expectations) will inevitably reveal a visual reflection of your distinct identity, or what is vaguely termed your "personal vision". It may take time to work through the difficulties of drawing on the spot under the pressure of time, and escape mannerisms you may have absorbed from the study of other artists, but the rewards of perseverance are worth the trouble.<br />It's true that not every artist is interested in making artwork that attempts to convey a realistic appearance--an abstract expressionist may find life drawing an inhibition, but many other non-literal forms of realistic image-making are deepened by accumulating a storehouse of natural-world observation drawing and painting experience. Constant recording of the reality around you trains your mind and hand to quickly discern the essence of your attraction to a subject, which filters down into your subconscious and creates a rich source of information that will help you invent convincing characters and scenes from imagination.<br />Here are a few recent quick sketches I made during a trip to Disneyland, in celebration of our daughter's 13th birthday. Occasionally I would pass on a ride, find a comfortable spot and relax by drawing for a few minutes, in a 5" x 7" sketchbook.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3chhaPck4N48saqPVoFVXpy40psFs7PlWM-3VGQyJ2oddNFP0G_Mqbz3iDI2oJLzZQeoZ3wPqGzcTojIo4aMG4HA8QRIy-nSCxeR8pnmuu98PVh9awo6pSUbrRA6yeWRjduc2efKLvzVq/s1600-h/Disney-Double-page.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3chhaPck4N48saqPVoFVXpy40psFs7PlWM-3VGQyJ2oddNFP0G_Mqbz3iDI2oJLzZQeoZ3wPqGzcTojIo4aMG4HA8QRIy-nSCxeR8pnmuu98PVh9awo6pSUbrRA6yeWRjduc2efKLvzVq/s400/Disney-Double-page.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078221262481991362" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Drawn across two pages, from a shady spot near the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Indiana Jones Adventure ride. People were streaming</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">past constantly so I had to choose paused figures to<br />include</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"> and scrawl them down fast.</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8ZrBEfE_oDWdlaqiBFUR7EdV7IDJuAtedn96U6NY8WFHjuEdMyyijjrgtk_8H7GyOOxMj1L_0jaM-D3dwK3Pbxr3fhXVmJvwnABhB18oXxCX8pXMe08maKUeHd9KC7yzPxXUTMQDzyvT/s1600-h/Dis'-Big-Bear.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8ZrBEfE_oDWdlaqiBFUR7EdV7IDJuAtedn96U6NY8WFHjuEdMyyijjrgtk_8H7GyOOxMj1L_0jaM-D3dwK3Pbxr3fhXVmJvwnABhB18oXxCX8pXMe08maKUeHd9KC7yzPxXUTMQDzyvT/s400/Dis'-Big-Bear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078221271071925970" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">I sat out an early morning raft ride and drew this imposing</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">giant cartoon grizzly bear figure. I intended to include people</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">for scale but it was too early for much traffic, I guess. The wall<br />behind the bear in the lower left of the frame is around five or<br />six feet high. It's a BIG bear!<br /></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2WiJ2Ne8XsgSE_LWZGBvCc8DtvjIAgf5Vbxg76feZPFf10yefHXkEj1sm0sqA8UzDHXlZQMPl9LBUtuk2Pf6X_sXhzIJijYwf49pSF_2DYIOaP5SRe_i3h46vBADSnmL9WPO9jyfwFjJ/s1600-h/Dis'-Mask&Skull.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2WiJ2Ne8XsgSE_LWZGBvCc8DtvjIAgf5Vbxg76feZPFf10yefHXkEj1sm0sqA8UzDHXlZQMPl9LBUtuk2Pf6X_sXhzIJijYwf49pSF_2DYIOaP5SRe_i3h46vBADSnmL9WPO9jyfwFjJ/s400/Dis'-Mask&Skull.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078221275366893282" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">These two fellows are part of the decorations across</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">the walkway from the Enchanted Tiki Room.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8IOYhWC7ygPhmdkuH8gUHFANRTPpRZHbxMoyV4odCGWP3X1E4vk4pMssxGFtJPqWhUzimnVjrLyBvZ3QvFURxm3C2z6_KMLyQz5EaI-Gsf2f7k2NKcXe_OhiiBdW4jYwhmebkLSfBGiz/s1600-h/Dis-Bird.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8IOYhWC7ygPhmdkuH8gUHFANRTPpRZHbxMoyV4odCGWP3X1E4vk4pMssxGFtJPqWhUzimnVjrLyBvZ3QvFURxm3C2z6_KMLyQz5EaI-Gsf2f7k2NKcXe_OhiiBdW4jYwhmebkLSfBGiz/s400/Dis-Bird.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078221279661860594" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">This large bird was on the shore of a pond at the base</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">of the Thunder Mountain Railroad.</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4585HbDbScEQBOAGYNQZryadb3VxowNqjKVfaEZAIubrgrLOxzzcRbUXb7phxDHV99hXhZ_VByjDeG0E-1vnENDdS_nOOunSYJjvkhuPVLrnEcGofk3M2AaxO4UBnQIwdoNKyXTqi5nW/s1600-h/Dis'-Katy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4585HbDbScEQBOAGYNQZryadb3VxowNqjKVfaEZAIubrgrLOxzzcRbUXb7phxDHV99hXhZ_VByjDeG0E-1vnENDdS_nOOunSYJjvkhuPVLrnEcGofk3M2AaxO4UBnQIwdoNKyXTqi5nW/s400/Dis'-Katy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078221283956827906" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">This is a quick sketch of my tired daughter Katy</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">as we waited for the shuttle to run us back to our</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">hotel for a short late afternoon nap, to strengthen us</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">for adventures in Disneyland After Dark.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> I've done countless thousands of quick sketches like those above, which enables me to invent characters and scenes such as these;<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzXy27cWBKbwA1dk8r3Wnd86mLiIVcjW5d6uhc8-bNhWgcHaxtEi5-KoJsqcaUrK5TStWrJFWMSqpGHjBseh4iuUUnLJL8sI7eAy3ISjxNbNCHhIsk3I1ojql2W3RFePBuOqxs52vTr6V/s1600-h/Chinat+Charctr+Ruffs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzXy27cWBKbwA1dk8r3Wnd86mLiIVcjW5d6uhc8-bNhWgcHaxtEi5-KoJsqcaUrK5TStWrJFWMSqpGHjBseh4iuUUnLJL8sI7eAy3ISjxNbNCHhIsk3I1ojql2W3RFePBuOqxs52vTr6V/s400/Chinat+Charctr+Ruffs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078226394967910162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcObUt3C-MJL1cenc1KpjJ-OIdFjUeXWPsUKScftEbPLW7KwYGZY9i3VJ-kehIWPuk8ZjLG2uO3cT8sh8Z7tJ2I-uvGA1DGOXTXZ4NdwKonPjerrjP7JkMj2w4DgtdHDIAD0g0fHpibGzX/s1600-h/Chinatown+Penc+Pg+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcObUt3C-MJL1cenc1KpjJ-OIdFjUeXWPsUKScftEbPLW7KwYGZY9i3VJ-kehIWPuk8ZjLG2uO3cT8sh8Z7tJ2I-uvGA1DGOXTXZ4NdwKonPjerrjP7JkMj2w4DgtdHDIAD0g0fHpibGzX/s400/Chinatown+Penc+Pg+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078226399262877474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLMJfXQsgNCcD6XSWrhBDj6jGJlsalleU45fAbm9B0ZsXK8D2jtgvUAszAk_BuV2HZfH_7TKfNiqPRb_46pxaRL168qLHbPlGj9r2pTlZKpHFGuV3xa51hNhzx1FKXPS702SHlYH7RrIi/s1600-h/Chinatown+Pencil+pg+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLMJfXQsgNCcD6XSWrhBDj6jGJlsalleU45fAbm9B0ZsXK8D2jtgvUAszAk_BuV2HZfH_7TKfNiqPRb_46pxaRL168qLHbPlGj9r2pTlZKpHFGuV3xa51hNhzx1FKXPS702SHlYH7RrIi/s400/Chinatown+Pencil+pg+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078226425032681266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Without a large store of observed natural information to call upon</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">I could never have satisfied my ambitions here--most of the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">personality-revealing elements of the drawings are direct</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">caricatures or distilled, carefully composed exaggerations of</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">gestures and expressions I've logged away in memory.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> So I encourage anyone interested in creating believable personalities in their fantasy artwork to do as much observation drawing from life as possible. It's not only valuable, it's great fun--and making the practice a habit will develop an addiction you won't regret!<br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-53829986014958399592007-06-03T00:03:00.001-07:002007-06-10T16:18:20.008-07:00Babs and Lydia<div style="text-align: center;">I was knocked off my intended blog-posting schedule for most of May by<br />unexpected animation and illustration jobs, but they are coming<br />to a close and I'll be posting regularly again beginning next<br />weekend, and I should also have a completely revamped website<br />up by midsummer. I have many projects to share and many ideas<br />to discuss over the next few months--changes are rife for me lately<br />and almost all of them are welcome and long awaited!<br /><br />Below are two recent experiments; fantasy<br />portraits done with watercolor and casein, 5 x 7 inches.<br />I attempted to blend caricature, the spontaneous design of<br />a good sketch, an essence of personality, and a playful<br />treatment of the paint in these tiny images.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxYnPht2Zy9FCHLMIkf1khx8Ac5d6LH2YALSIwThY3C4YcnX8kxKC1kcTkUTeJ7lHscTbYQqsBBd1ldxIz1LZDs4OaXATBVnLRe6YuU0a6s1OZTgdq7bmkXDx9zN9zPICWbKMVTLhFlDw/s1600-h/Babs+and+Lydia+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxYnPht2Zy9FCHLMIkf1khx8Ac5d6LH2YALSIwThY3C4YcnX8kxKC1kcTkUTeJ7lHscTbYQqsBBd1ldxIz1LZDs4OaXATBVnLRe6YuU0a6s1OZTgdq7bmkXDx9zN9zPICWbKMVTLhFlDw/s400/Babs+and+Lydia+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071730378454590354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:130%;" >Babs</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);font-size:130%;" >Lydia</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-73834453681176426272007-06-02T23:56:00.001-07:002007-06-03T00:02:44.171-07:00More May '07 Life Drawings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpZES4P-Q8T_mASugoLmLzONlNzPBl2EXr1r2M0PqredRQzaf9BNq8bHK_PDWClpcSI8mjEbE8HS-NO_DcyyctKLKjnUBpLmq0f9c0T-ITJWjTU6m5g-sLebPZkwacH1vUqvl6UG_nW5O/s1600-h/Mark+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpZES4P-Q8T_mASugoLmLzONlNzPBl2EXr1r2M0PqredRQzaf9BNq8bHK_PDWClpcSI8mjEbE8HS-NO_DcyyctKLKjnUBpLmq0f9c0T-ITJWjTU6m5g-sLebPZkwacH1vUqvl6UG_nW5O/s400/Mark+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729669784986466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZilgt6VNtuVlFZxaYZUuaJF0rRH3TPdjBbi_hE7k7BuTSsN3NFfY8teWqzqf7S4DDIaJ6VaSouAZOtxlPyr9k1uAKxalFmDOZ0avx5bssRcqmdKxv5kxODDZvhqwhpY5NhtC6rqIo6LZQ/s1600-h/Mark+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZilgt6VNtuVlFZxaYZUuaJF0rRH3TPdjBbi_hE7k7BuTSsN3NFfY8teWqzqf7S4DDIaJ6VaSouAZOtxlPyr9k1uAKxalFmDOZ0avx5bssRcqmdKxv5kxODDZvhqwhpY5NhtC6rqIo6LZQ/s400/Mark+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729669784986482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBebiotUZGAdDucyagnAe6zOGRNeu2hN2h2hzSqq8KqPlsDA4NanhpW7glHTeWSxki25Nh6B6xnwQMwNB-yw6PRemX1Jo191w9vO5a11MFv9o80PcU3zYVjXIJ3jeoxr4X3pVcRik3f1KD/s1600-h/Mark+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBebiotUZGAdDucyagnAe6zOGRNeu2hN2h2hzSqq8KqPlsDA4NanhpW7glHTeWSxki25Nh6B6xnwQMwNB-yw6PRemX1Jo191w9vO5a11MFv9o80PcU3zYVjXIJ3jeoxr4X3pVcRik3f1KD/s400/Mark+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729674079953794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg8M4Oltsc6wOE_Fi5i6LfDaenmbqYPbOYpKbZzQyNldSxwR86V0uQZJZpJmJRDsGJ5NddBqNf19eonvRP7kNv0WXq1buzvkyv3OmeUgNgnoS4kbyPrYu4Of2ocN2XzJcrMSXaWZsQJiF/s1600-h/Mark+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg8M4Oltsc6wOE_Fi5i6LfDaenmbqYPbOYpKbZzQyNldSxwR86V0uQZJZpJmJRDsGJ5NddBqNf19eonvRP7kNv0WXq1buzvkyv3OmeUgNgnoS4kbyPrYu4Of2ocN2XzJcrMSXaWZsQJiF/s400/Mark+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729261763093266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zT1Dj3XIKdkXZ14KNy_kKx28CN6IXx4POOyY_G8t_YVp-ZhtU1UHVckoXoTdpI1OKYz4CcwhnTFt7J-jQTqiux3jwvHCJhATuD2gkIaFHvqV03FYCoqzfuCAlteAfqCYrOqk1nFYn7eH/s1600-h/Mark+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zT1Dj3XIKdkXZ14KNy_kKx28CN6IXx4POOyY_G8t_YVp-ZhtU1UHVckoXoTdpI1OKYz4CcwhnTFt7J-jQTqiux3jwvHCJhATuD2gkIaFHvqV03FYCoqzfuCAlteAfqCYrOqk1nFYn7eH/s400/Mark+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729266058060578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4e0YfvDD9etAE7mwj63GA2AHckeGcCB0PgWvDuaE7oY9y6MH6csC0B302Hm7CNf9mOetnUgEVXZVoxkBJSFX09AzlW20a0CWhvmbjGK_1j690e5mSuPe1uOcE8K8jWOAY8UHaKShoJyiL/s1600-h/Mark+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4e0YfvDD9etAE7mwj63GA2AHckeGcCB0PgWvDuaE7oY9y6MH6csC0B302Hm7CNf9mOetnUgEVXZVoxkBJSFX09AzlW20a0CWhvmbjGK_1j690e5mSuPe1uOcE8K8jWOAY8UHaKShoJyiL/s400/Mark+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729270353027890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMgii5Rlb4dOaxRcC1W-dOBY0Z8EtJGRBGQICeAGMSHSLbTmmnX3oNJ16ssziwdPyn-QJjH7_dBXvA8KFq_5NCGSHUkSjU_waz2F_rJ6MT5LSqS10fpMVkKFAahgebn6AhPWIY0U0-B2G/s1600-h/Mark+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMgii5Rlb4dOaxRcC1W-dOBY0Z8EtJGRBGQICeAGMSHSLbTmmnX3oNJ16ssziwdPyn-QJjH7_dBXvA8KFq_5NCGSHUkSjU_waz2F_rJ6MT5LSqS10fpMVkKFAahgebn6AhPWIY0U0-B2G/s400/Mark+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071729270353027906" border="0" /></a>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-8898701909167794272007-06-02T23:33:00.001-07:002007-06-02T23:55:28.140-07:00Why Draw from Life? (Part One)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6s-AN1tZNtrektWVoit5qrMwMuez9Fpa7lbQrNsgi2HFSMo6DbV6IScUDd70Ep4LCjPXqKgk-oYKisKuVnK0o59UuURXbb2ifTPAqpd-sBp6DQWzNDRSO34qU24oLYbopSG75MimoK4I/s1600-h/Nadia+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6s-AN1tZNtrektWVoit5qrMwMuez9Fpa7lbQrNsgi2HFSMo6DbV6IScUDd70Ep4LCjPXqKgk-oYKisKuVnK0o59UuURXbb2ifTPAqpd-sBp6DQWzNDRSO34qU24oLYbopSG75MimoK4I/s400/Nadia+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071727311847940818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMychLWjDddfoVEdGMxl9AqVyQf9DRayL44cKUskgPimJ5INilAX2z9Bk2zWzhngq_BfR2bFlz9B068wlklGvsqy_uxEifepSQg4W0y7FRW-bMaix237VyL1ItYLdI3QCO26Sm-Y3u7BaC/s1600-h/Nadia+Wrm+Up+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMychLWjDddfoVEdGMxl9AqVyQf9DRayL44cKUskgPimJ5INilAX2z9Bk2zWzhngq_BfR2bFlz9B068wlklGvsqy_uxEifepSQg4W0y7FRW-bMaix237VyL1ItYLdI3QCO26Sm-Y3u7BaC/s400/Nadia+Wrm+Up+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071727316142908130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0keytYAjJxqUhSS86UCGd9HyMgSkbH0zHRvp4HJJ8izAZmA6_vFdC6lUOzGn6lBLPZVZZ_RFmQ0YBNJlpFLfWPvAgXOeJFBFFBhMVWgQGvYZlxjXF1qiQoa-7T7YLTrDkbnmdi-S_UJi/s1600-h/Nadia+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0keytYAjJxqUhSS86UCGd9HyMgSkbH0zHRvp4HJJ8izAZmA6_vFdC6lUOzGn6lBLPZVZZ_RFmQ0YBNJlpFLfWPvAgXOeJFBFFBhMVWgQGvYZlxjXF1qiQoa-7T7YLTrDkbnmdi-S_UJi/s400/Nadia+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071727118574412482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I've received questions from several readers about the<br />purpose of life drawing in the creation of fantasy art, and<br />indeed this seems to be a common theme--over the years<br />I've been asked this many times, and some of these inquiries<br />have been from fellow fantasy artists, who see the realism of life<br />drawing as a detriment to flights of invented fancy.<br />I obviously don't agree, and will have a lot to say on the subject in<br />upcoming posts--in the meantime here a few recent examples<br />from our local weekly sessions.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-8eDk-VOxNxjEbUdUyiany5HKyd54SWviA3rLUEKYv5LODSBVfL9V68YLGcNd3dxlot4JxMq97IJ-D79eG9BnwNapF6uYR_H5E_u61WYSmpyizbbf-9PjbaqbzRb5c7HHKhDRF_OnKrg/s1600-h/Nadia+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-8eDk-VOxNxjEbUdUyiany5HKyd54SWviA3rLUEKYv5LODSBVfL9V68YLGcNd3dxlot4JxMq97IJ-D79eG9BnwNapF6uYR_H5E_u61WYSmpyizbbf-9PjbaqbzRb5c7HHKhDRF_OnKrg/s400/Nadia+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071723021175612018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5KEjWV3IbpjpJZRLYBEl2-u5VhIKk2ROZlPRoiuq1JE0UJgB6nQPurJw0hwFr4G6duaTGJCMbNtj53vRDOJZrc7OsPw3lxAnbxvcSQcO6aZE_HjZBQ-SDBgOYBBB6cYCbjC9JSPYfTBj/s1600-h/Nadia+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5KEjWV3IbpjpJZRLYBEl2-u5VhIKk2ROZlPRoiuq1JE0UJgB6nQPurJw0hwFr4G6duaTGJCMbNtj53vRDOJZrc7OsPw3lxAnbxvcSQcO6aZE_HjZBQ-SDBgOYBBB6cYCbjC9JSPYfTBj/s400/Nadia+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071723021175612034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oXJhcw2B1kLHOP61mTGwG29xifd60cNTIUMkjIQNKfUlm-jkTz3pu_FNLl42VEiMYKFIr3gkKcR1PbjynyeupQK76mKRyvjcDkyvNPEpjkv9LW3PuKIh2yu_ez2jCa_pc4jVQ-uQWFFj/s1600-h/Nadia+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oXJhcw2B1kLHOP61mTGwG29xifd60cNTIUMkjIQNKfUlm-jkTz3pu_FNLl42VEiMYKFIr3gkKcR1PbjynyeupQK76mKRyvjcDkyvNPEpjkv9LW3PuKIh2yu_ez2jCa_pc4jVQ-uQWFFj/s400/Nadia+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071723025470579346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTS29f6Fd7oluxQadFDIcyDB8pOtsHTnSEGwReFogu0GtgUeRiZNEpXWN8a79iCPRUeKW2wuigZmJ4hHsXC2SbhLVAyjhSMQ6Hkf2cqeeSGEXlGvKqpLdX6g1sZjHT9OjokcuJH7gpvOp/s1600-h/Nadia+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTS29f6Fd7oluxQadFDIcyDB8pOtsHTnSEGwReFogu0GtgUeRiZNEpXWN8a79iCPRUeKW2wuigZmJ4hHsXC2SbhLVAyjhSMQ6Hkf2cqeeSGEXlGvKqpLdX6g1sZjHT9OjokcuJH7gpvOp/s400/Nadia+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071723025470579362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0sFwklNPX5uoSZxzLxH32JIXWgtFGOg6yGxPpF_uUYg4kF20dZphPHRNhicJf63-aDRVzzZkl8jhTKosJBSAZSd8h1nloIcr92-pHy-UW90aAG_Kg_vpg4H1QNQ-3wERIbIf7Ro92F_y/s1600-h/Nadia+Wrm+Up+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0sFwklNPX5uoSZxzLxH32JIXWgtFGOg6yGxPpF_uUYg4kF20dZphPHRNhicJf63-aDRVzzZkl8jhTKosJBSAZSd8h1nloIcr92-pHy-UW90aAG_Kg_vpg4H1QNQ-3wERIbIf7Ro92F_y/s400/Nadia+Wrm+Up+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071723029765546674" border="0" /></a>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com242tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-61332705209766007392007-06-02T23:09:00.001-07:002007-06-02T23:31:35.135-07:00New Acrylic Genre Paintings<div style="text-align: center;">Below are two acrylic paintings on matboard coated<br />with gesso. After many attempts to find a comfortable<br />method of working with acrylic paints I may have finally<br />found an approach that feels natural to me. I dislike the<br />behavior of acrylic over canvas--the semi-dry paint is<br />scraped from the raised weave too easily while the<br />work is in progress, and the vivid color is too bright<br />and flat compared to oil. In these pieces I obtained<br />a warmer, more subtle effect of color by building<br />up thin layers of glazing and scumbling over the<br />absorbant, slightly textured surface.<br />The images are fun cartoony stylizations created<br />especially for the Arts Prescott Co-op Gallery.<br /> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_adeHVglGAgSsBG_ZnDLUQpN7nieYo9qPmN3qgg3jP4byNNRzU2rua-INwtgSxlE5AlJZm8W-wzExd6cda2G1xOqKR5UQfbbefOz7sT7lF7dVomXrlQsmwoDuPSm4ergtuXH_n08oYmO/s1600-h/Pirate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_adeHVglGAgSsBG_ZnDLUQpN7nieYo9qPmN3qgg3jP4byNNRzU2rua-INwtgSxlE5AlJZm8W-wzExd6cda2G1xOqKR5UQfbbefOz7sT7lF7dVomXrlQsmwoDuPSm4ergtuXH_n08oYmO/s400/Pirate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071717081235841618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Percy</span></span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfNBGO9z84W4eK_3I_6rADlBma_QWDoY8IMtGTfEsdHegOTELeeGu-m6dHA2a11TbeDBvnj4jZWokIqBbYSs-XEGQTR2v3K2inM-rwAFYqmeEEMq50kd7ax7dYM-J2AWVURVKijlEs7de/s1600-h/Moonlight+Raven+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfNBGO9z84W4eK_3I_6rADlBma_QWDoY8IMtGTfEsdHegOTELeeGu-m6dHA2a11TbeDBvnj4jZWokIqBbYSs-XEGQTR2v3K2inM-rwAFYqmeEEMq50kd7ax7dYM-J2AWVURVKijlEs7de/s400/Moonlight+Raven+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071717085530808930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">MoonRaven</span></span></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-62160734417139442882007-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:002007-05-04T10:37:02.903-07:00Nudes with Cats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wJyNpiJHL28jVDRzIBvzjauZp-x2oGfTCEwRzdtDKW_71KgTVK17xTsfvilygGmNAZVoCM9SoBseE3GEXOWiudZFXXrp19DdzZCXYTKXEVgupg5btx4WXFued_98J_Vwo3fCreGHCNfx/s1600-h/Kest_Peaches+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wJyNpiJHL28jVDRzIBvzjauZp-x2oGfTCEwRzdtDKW_71KgTVK17xTsfvilygGmNAZVoCM9SoBseE3GEXOWiudZFXXrp19DdzZCXYTKXEVgupg5btx4WXFued_98J_Vwo3fCreGHCNfx/s400/Kest_Peaches+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060760851500871794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuaX04bcrF71IzY3SGPXITg-PLtyHFFVe2D60l0OcYNMk7NVBN1z6a2OkrOzXKJFBxiRByTHwJ25fTJ-M5q7X_BbAwtnkXY-V1AR0o5SI4o3mSLblj3azdjsnGQ8CP3cL4l__XnCiyY48d/s1600-h/Kest_Peaches+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuaX04bcrF71IzY3SGPXITg-PLtyHFFVe2D60l0OcYNMk7NVBN1z6a2OkrOzXKJFBxiRByTHwJ25fTJ-M5q7X_BbAwtnkXY-V1AR0o5SI4o3mSLblj3azdjsnGQ8CP3cL4l__XnCiyY48d/s400/Kest_Peaches+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060760855795839106" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I've been overwhelmed with work for the past few weeks (a storyboard for Warner Bros Animation), but have a store of images and ideas I'll be posting soon--in the meantime here's a couple of cute watercolors from a life drawing group. Our host Jody Bell's cat Peaches liked to get into the act with the model.<br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-64107272593594011452007-04-23T12:32:00.000-07:002007-04-23T16:14:57.264-07:00Sarah Study<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq9ixOlSoLPr2-0wRF6_2bFEdUa3t_zN6OHR74LZgJxLLDIWwM0QFWoLd1WSmaPvNP8SZ4v7nKYNw7C5qLSHfT9Ub7U8npYNaentXyWlTyKRKoqaKSrM_Bw50KDx0QUgccdEdEutw-Tp5/s1600-h/Sarah+Study+Stg+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq9ixOlSoLPr2-0wRF6_2bFEdUa3t_zN6OHR74LZgJxLLDIWwM0QFWoLd1WSmaPvNP8SZ4v7nKYNw7C5qLSHfT9Ub7U8npYNaentXyWlTyKRKoqaKSrM_Bw50KDx0QUgccdEdEutw-Tp5/s400/Sarah+Study+Stg+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056725438897923890" border="0" /></a>The painting at the end of the live session with the model.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m_hsy09UI-T94lzOOJDhUwD67GX71jRe1KvIzeseXi3nbzQVp4-2ePOcrmHV-IcuhpuvFqTtR4A5KbuD-QGE_e_4-tV5_XBsAm5L2D-_W_J4UZRQza1vwYpMoej5RTWwCJ-fPYZt3F8o/s1600-h/Sarah+Study+Final.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m_hsy09UI-T94lzOOJDhUwD67GX71jRe1KvIzeseXi3nbzQVp4-2ePOcrmHV-IcuhpuvFqTtR4A5KbuD-QGE_e_4-tV5_XBsAm5L2D-_W_J4UZRQza1vwYpMoej5RTWwCJ-fPYZt3F8o/s400/Sarah+Study+Final.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056725198379755298" border="0" /></a>The final image, finished and embellished from memory.<br /><br /><br /></div>Our return engagement of the pose seen in the prior post "Life Painting 4-15-07" took place yesterday morning--I chose another viewpoint and did a small study on a square canvas panel. I decided to try a quiet, flat decorative approach--this is really a colored drawing more than a rich layered oil painting. I don't know why, but I felt an impulse to make a pleasant design rather than strive for the intense optical observation of Sarah existing alive in space that I chose to pursue in the earlier life painting sessions of the front view of this pose.<br />I took a snapshot of the painting at the end of the modeling session, then worked on it from memory for another hour or two. I concentrated on the figure, and abstracted the background and chair into pleasant shapes. The result is a decoration image of slightly stylized forms, very light in emotional content.<br />It's odd how various your moods can be in almost identical situations, and surprising how directly the act of painting will reveal them. I didn't want to struggle with this piece, I wanted to relax and amuse myself--so I made a painting devoid of much psychological resonance. It's just a pretty picture, but there seems to be room in my personality for many levels of expression--in fact my head feels pretty crowded at times!Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-80149287028173751752007-04-20T18:12:00.000-07:002007-04-21T13:44:06.409-07:00Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9Exn2XvOb7P0wu_WzUDp7auqkT_Z2_32vW0bpU6veGPylVCxF1RWFLui-MF4-aP3p_fAIavNeqmVkXnhEHSte6p-AFYTWOr6mzQUAj1Lgi7O19tpSlTPcLEp-m28psb9UDUIqC_wNggi/s1600-h/Scarec+1+splsh+Ruf%26Col.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9Exn2XvOb7P0wu_WzUDp7auqkT_Z2_32vW0bpU6veGPylVCxF1RWFLui-MF4-aP3p_fAIavNeqmVkXnhEHSte6p-AFYTWOr6mzQUAj1Lgi7O19tpSlTPcLEp-m28psb9UDUIqC_wNggi/s400/Scarec+1+splsh+Ruf%26Col.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055702326148409090" border="0" /></a>The rough pencil and final color versions of the<br />introductory image that began the painted <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Scarecrow</span> series--the gallows was deemed a bit<br />too grim, so we replaced it with Scarecrow's<br />compatriot <span style="font-weight: bold;">Curlew</span>. These costumes are fun to paint!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnnsV00uSLVZFEmtMXnhsjnCJ5LjPPTgOsZ05E7CTK6dVWrEFg6QFB0vuOayj_PJgQ__ETI9CAwXon474pG37H1SbIZlB2Gxs6eZx_R_nwIxS2C81Icv8f9GHvLIzEF6PXaA-KBwwhg0K/s1600-h/Haunt+5%266+col.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnnsV00uSLVZFEmtMXnhsjnCJ5LjPPTgOsZ05E7CTK6dVWrEFg6QFB0vuOayj_PJgQ__ETI9CAwXon474pG37H1SbIZlB2Gxs6eZx_R_nwIxS2C81Icv8f9GHvLIzEF6PXaA-KBwwhg0K/s400/Haunt+5%266+col.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055702205889324786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkvWWFpax2fqWg9ULPhoaYI3Oj6-hJcVsI068sjnbdUonkGeAvi7PjgOV91AuOrdexhzGu5jEbKb15D2L82B6Z9GNBLE3AhlCAGhTDMWwJDlCkc31ehk6oh890m9QP9Ndj5Ev6CzPpYIp/s1600-h/Haunted+pg+5-6+Ruff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkvWWFpax2fqWg9ULPhoaYI3Oj6-hJcVsI068sjnbdUonkGeAvi7PjgOV91AuOrdexhzGu5jEbKb15D2L82B6Z9GNBLE3AhlCAGhTDMWwJDlCkc31ehk6oh890m9QP9Ndj5Ev6CzPpYIp/s400/Haunted+pg+5-6+Ruff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055701995435927266" border="0" /></a>On page six the first two panels have been combined into<br />one in the final art, which improves the clarity and flow.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjfucBY-UDzkJbbaMxm5g9NieequEYJ-BWG_ZvzF4BhYl3y9TUhLua7DZI4jd-jEqTm5-151fwiz-TnM18t2GR_IRugge_iMccnp19pcGJH4aVNBdY-1fP8u7lSmUFyt_eOP-94kyzM4e/s1600-h/Haunt+3%264+col.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjfucBY-UDzkJbbaMxm5g9NieequEYJ-BWG_ZvzF4BhYl3y9TUhLua7DZI4jd-jEqTm5-151fwiz-TnM18t2GR_IRugge_iMccnp19pcGJH4aVNBdY-1fP8u7lSmUFyt_eOP-94kyzM4e/s400/Haunt+3%264+col.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055701754917758674" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wFm2opaouNwWOJy8AOJ_EIfvuLxUGAqLTFUtct_mJQ-Iekmsw7Bc_H1QG5ViPh-VNEkPj0tzVKQAxofJIriTAJKLAwgQVEg_olvIVN5OmNCGh2IRxw96oUXiwTKsgX_Zv3d3_1RaKQdU/s1600-h/Hauntd+pg+3-4+ruf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wFm2opaouNwWOJy8AOJ_EIfvuLxUGAqLTFUtct_mJQ-Iekmsw7Bc_H1QG5ViPh-VNEkPj0tzVKQAxofJIriTAJKLAwgQVEg_olvIVN5OmNCGh2IRxw96oUXiwTKsgX_Zv3d3_1RaKQdU/s400/Hauntd+pg+3-4+ruf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055701664723445442" border="0" /></a>I strengthened the watercolor and gouache with Dr Martin's<br />Tech Inks on this story--evident here in the intense yellow<br />around the candle flame.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMoWJvtoqKLWpD_GFtpNZKJRiLbBPsX9rSi5Go1l5HrthvhyphenhyphenA4cC4WXhLiSZcQi6esOi5YyokMN0pUf71hxMrCk6mUuXNlyCmCPkHfdAcbuGXbPGptboRNqwBHYSZoK-1R6nCgDKS6mFl/s1600-h/Haunt1&2+col.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMoWJvtoqKLWpD_GFtpNZKJRiLbBPsX9rSi5Go1l5HrthvhyphenhyphenA4cC4WXhLiSZcQi6esOi5YyokMN0pUf71hxMrCk6mUuXNlyCmCPkHfdAcbuGXbPGptboRNqwBHYSZoK-1R6nCgDKS6mFl/s400/Haunt1&2+col.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055701540169393842" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpSQo3aal2WgNSfb-4GuvWWkhyEB1thSe1Dbag2GjK1ZJT2fUB9TSMsnHGHLE-OPS_27Lro-TmDwCWWCzYuaQUy40EdENkeCOOiStqhp7iF5ImWYuIS3QVqmVDYTSopGzSQTDuXR74q2b/s1600-h/Haunt+pg+1-2+ruf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpSQo3aal2WgNSfb-4GuvWWkhyEB1thSe1Dbag2GjK1ZJT2fUB9TSMsnHGHLE-OPS_27Lro-TmDwCWWCzYuaQUy40EdENkeCOOiStqhp7iF5ImWYuIS3QVqmVDYTSopGzSQTDuXR74q2b/s400/Haunt+pg+1-2+ruf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055700758485345874" border="0" /></a>As you scroll up, the small pencil layouts for each<br />page are followed by the final painted art. I changed<br />the splash (first) page considerably from the rough<br />layout because the shape relationships seemed too<br />static--the contour of the Scarecrow's shoulders is<br />too similar to the horizontal lines of the house and cliff.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9rKcTtALXVeSsQ2vDzVpoq4DgMxtLcPV3ClYZ27RjqGT5tsLAyfzUvl-v5HSfWHCEQzouqTejNziDdfPHPxDCV-ON22603PFmvVKPBpK0-e7bIiTjbNmTO1BYsKlXQXWVM5OLEbBCLq5/s1600-h/Finish+Line+Snapshot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9rKcTtALXVeSsQ2vDzVpoq4DgMxtLcPV3ClYZ27RjqGT5tsLAyfzUvl-v5HSfWHCEQzouqTejNziDdfPHPxDCV-ON22603PFmvVKPBpK0-e7bIiTjbNmTO1BYsKlXQXWVM5OLEbBCLq5/s400/Finish+Line+Snapshot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055698993253787138" border="0" /></a>A snapshot of the story pages near completion in my studio.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />A few years ago <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://disney.go.com/disneyadventures/">Disney Adventures Magazine</a> comics editor Steve Behling approached me about illustrating Pirates of the Caribbean stories, and I began collaborating with writer Michael Stewart on one of the delights of my career as a visual storyteller. We created a string of a dozen or more short stories full of rollicking adventure laced with humor, featuring everybody's favorite pirate Jack Sparrow. Michael never failed to strike just the right balance of wit, whimsy and excitement in these little gems of entertainment suitable for comic readers of every age.<br />Along the way I suggested we bring another colorful Disney swashbuckler into our Jack Sparrow adventures--the marvelous Scarecrow of Romney Marsh as portrayed by Patrick McGoohan in the terrific three-part television series from 1963, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow</span>.<br />We introduced the Scarecrow into our Sparrow storyline just before a decision was made to generate all Pirates of the Caribbean comic book material from European studios--but thanks to the determination and efforts of Steve and fellow editorial true believer Jesse Post, Michael and I were soon reunited on new Scarecrow solo adventures. My affection for the character demanded a special treatment to present him to a fresh audience--I realized I had to paint the pages! Steve indulged me and it's been so much fun visualizing Michael's inspiring stories, I still find it hard to believe Dr Syn and his heroic alter ego are looking back at me from my drawing board--it's a lucky project!<br />I've scanned the layouts and final art from one of the stories, along with the splash page from the first story of the series.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com114tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-13835455017290477682007-04-15T15:22:00.000-07:002007-04-15T16:02:39.176-07:00Life Painting 4-15-07 (Part 2)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJswr0CzwFPFgyuMC_t4uhA1Bgye-aLS8MC37NRS8YwFtWg9E-Isj9oN-fsmvZzU_2otL86QUhpadOwjxq8lHYnHbFjMNBf2Bwt6yPErSDL-7yPVtlrtmfG3vnAYCLus1uiAGUcf4KC2zC/s1600-h/SA+4-15-07+Stg+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJswr0CzwFPFgyuMC_t4uhA1Bgye-aLS8MC37NRS8YwFtWg9E-Isj9oN-fsmvZzU_2otL86QUhpadOwjxq8lHYnHbFjMNBf2Bwt6yPErSDL-7yPVtlrtmfG3vnAYCLus1uiAGUcf4KC2zC/s400/SA+4-15-07+Stg+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053785624646574386" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Here is the final stage of today's session. The<br />painting isn't finished, but I have repositioned<br />her right foot and refined the forms, color and<br />tone over most of the figure. The group is meeting<br />again for the same pose next Sunday, but I may add<br />a few final touches to the above painting in my<br />own studio, choose a different viewpoint next<br />week and start a new painting.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQb-CmmFJ7XOWQXN-P7yQec8ZWAEPjhjsrg5zke7bvTuNHuJXlZsYrCisJy_YsQrGwB1whUFEm3wCrTicwmNZ9zCO5cAAVBGVbeauopXOlugcVLImWt0cUAiPCwCBhW5CoynEYjR2Ugb6/s1600-h/Sa+4-15-07+Stg+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQb-CmmFJ7XOWQXN-P7yQec8ZWAEPjhjsrg5zke7bvTuNHuJXlZsYrCisJy_YsQrGwB1whUFEm3wCrTicwmNZ9zCO5cAAVBGVbeauopXOlugcVLImWt0cUAiPCwCBhW5CoynEYjR2Ugb6/s400/Sa+4-15-07+Stg+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053784142882857250" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I worked on her left leg, right arm and face<br />for about three quarters of the session today<br />and then remembered to take a snapshot<br />of the progression.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">We met this morning at Whisky Row Artist's Trio for another three hour painting session of this beautiful figure pose. I was a little slow hitting my stride at the outset but after 30 minutes or so I began to feel engaged, and am pleased with the results. It always difficult to return to a painting in progress--your mood, focus and energy have shifted and you must decide if you will attempt to preserve the feeling and attitude of what you've already put on the canvas or follow your fresh mood and discover what direction the painting will take. I usually choose the second path and did so today.<br />I did quite a bit of work with the palette knife, though I applied the paint thinly, creating a syrup-like consistency by dipping the knife in walnut oil and stirring it into the paint on the palette. By using knives of various sizes it's possible to paint a very smooth finish and create soft edges this way, dragging the paint along the canvas and pressing it into the surface to obtain a flat application.<br /></div></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-63086507297326740472007-04-14T15:01:00.000-07:002007-04-16T15:13:33.295-07:00Life Painting 4-14-07 (Part 1)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWtnFdOulNXyFboKSedA4Q5HMT98xBp27o2bS7NQoGsX4oO2y9_xE949_sN-tVgK0sZTs2vHTAG80TOP5KNUOGKDMIidXIiXOBWqTow1WXCSwwXDZ1AO9JxVdGrOKUYUoKrH8uks6bTdf/s1600-h/4-14-LD+Prog+CU.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWtnFdOulNXyFboKSedA4Q5HMT98xBp27o2bS7NQoGsX4oO2y9_xE949_sN-tVgK0sZTs2vHTAG80TOP5KNUOGKDMIidXIiXOBWqTow1WXCSwwXDZ1AO9JxVdGrOKUYUoKrH8uks6bTdf/s400/4-14-LD+Prog+CU.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053413963946582290" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">A snapshot of the painting so far--this<br />state represents about </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">two hours of<br />physically moving paint on the canvas. </span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGR3J5nlhC8b5IpABVCK8ENeSs-6D8P52IYo8a39QfgTN4HNa_0MHaMVuCl8Lewle8BdI2qMd9GYqVmYoiVW5Pev_xGHrufdGYFbrdrMdJcnEQsZ5qISr858Fgwdt56DstPwGxgjb0Odn/s1600-h/4-14-LD+Prog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGR3J5nlhC8b5IpABVCK8ENeSs-6D8P52IYo8a39QfgTN4HNa_0MHaMVuCl8Lewle8BdI2qMd9GYqVmYoiVW5Pev_xGHrufdGYFbrdrMdJcnEQsZ5qISr858Fgwdt56DstPwGxgjb0Odn/s400/4-14-LD+Prog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053413212327305474" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">A snapshot of the painting-in-progress<br />and studio/model stand setup.<br /><br /></span></div> I began an oil painting from a model today at the atelier of three fellow artists, Bruce Fee, Fred Poore and Gary Melvin, known collectively as the Whiskey Row Artist Trio. One of our favorite models curled into a lovely pose she recreated from an earlier gesture/short pose session held months ago. I brought in my original drawing of this pose to use as a guide, every artist attending today found a viewpoint they favored---and away we went!<br />I started this piece slowly, using burnt umber to streak in large masses of tone, then wiping them back out and restating the large shapes until I felt both the gesture and the composition were working well. I then mixed a batch of a cool blue-tinted gray on my palette and blended this as needed with the warmer colors to lower the tones and keep the hues quiet and harmonious as I began refining the forms and light and dark shapes. After painting for several years with student grade Daler Rowney Georgian oils, I've switched to artist's quality M. Graham Oils, which contain much finer and stronger pigments. The unaccustomed strength of the Graham paints requires careful mixing on the palette to control the tonal values of the colors and avoid an (in this case) unwanted circus poster intensity. The rich luster of the Graham pigments aren't muddied or dimmed by this mixing though, they retain a subtle radiance even in very low tonal harmonies.<br />We meet again tomorrow morning for another three hour session--I'll post the results.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-53316404570287491402007-04-10T08:01:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:18:55.066-07:00Adam & Eve Progression<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkADq3UYUbBbkptMBgiNtLBFW6mmxEdKJzV6txmfaOkAniwy1amDMM2xaz-aRck6EhyphenhyphenFWZehRzVssiRYAhevaTuIQCHECCscn8CnUxpAWIewcUIlLIVluJ4XViV0R2rXFMiVS0eQtj37NT/s1600-h/A&E+Ruff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkADq3UYUbBbkptMBgiNtLBFW6mmxEdKJzV6txmfaOkAniwy1amDMM2xaz-aRck6EhyphenhyphenFWZehRzVssiRYAhevaTuIQCHECCscn8CnUxpAWIewcUIlLIVluJ4XViV0R2rXFMiVS0eQtj37NT/s400/A&E+Ruff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051821334238650546" border="0" /></a>After a few doodles,this composition sketch<br />seemed to express the idea best.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cXURqnfqOafsXUFz7y_HkvdP-5Cwa677de60L01hoGtt9jaxq5FfsGeEL2SKRB7sEauuCsr3s8jwdQ-trXnKoTEmclyr60b9_lzQXlqbhpB31GfVxfClcdS4sK7oOLASeIncD_nQtKvq/s1600-h/A&E+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cXURqnfqOafsXUFz7y_HkvdP-5Cwa677de60L01hoGtt9jaxq5FfsGeEL2SKRB7sEauuCsr3s8jwdQ-trXnKoTEmclyr60b9_lzQXlqbhpB31GfVxfClcdS4sK7oOLASeIncD_nQtKvq/s400/A&E+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051821338533617858" border="0" /></a>In the initial block-in I drew the figures, tree and background<br />with loose washy strokes of diluted oil paint, over a canvas<br />panel pre-toned a cold turquoise blue . The main goal here<br />was capturing the telling attitudes and gestures of the "actors"<br />and arranging the shapes of the composition effectively.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZULaGU-r1xwUxiU4e02YbbQni16pUj7juSWqGCZqeqfCHdP2to8cgT08hPTSIG0OirzFuBVjapMF9feY2gccbLAmdUJpulhoDtj0NuTRNUyZ4Y7KAy3_eLhhHmEwSuwR1A4cYVpwsaW5l/s1600-h/A&E+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZULaGU-r1xwUxiU4e02YbbQni16pUj7juSWqGCZqeqfCHdP2to8cgT08hPTSIG0OirzFuBVjapMF9feY2gccbLAmdUJpulhoDtj0NuTRNUyZ4Y7KAy3_eLhhHmEwSuwR1A4cYVpwsaW5l/s400/A&E+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051821342828585170" border="0" /></a>Here details of form, structure and modeling have been<br />added--the snake's gesture has been sharpened, and a bit<br />of anatomy built up in the figures. The tree structure is<br />vague, and the color and tonal scheme is still undecided.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikokJt-P0Bv7YIWL9hFVv8jJ-4Bci5VNii-npcz66p2I8C81sl9-iKjT6gSJw4q-u5yyauyvxeivn87-WtoO63FVRqC9UPw0YkatEwjpyxCe1tKh2Sp5_n1x8ya1O2nsV4MUZOUuLW-ahT/s1600-h/A&E+3+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikokJt-P0Bv7YIWL9hFVv8jJ-4Bci5VNii-npcz66p2I8C81sl9-iKjT6gSJw4q-u5yyauyvxeivn87-WtoO63FVRqC9UPw0YkatEwjpyxCe1tKh2Sp5_n1x8ya1O2nsV4MUZOUuLW-ahT/s400/A&E+3+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051821342828585186" border="0" /></a>Now the entire picture has been lowered in tone and the<br />contrast heightened to focus attention on the characters,<br />especially Eve and the Snake. I've adjusted details of acting,<br />anatomy and pose; the snake's hands and body, Adam's right<br />arm, Eve's face and hands, and I've repositioned Eve's legs<br />slightly. The structure of the tree is better. One more good<br />painting session may finish this piece--it needs a final pass<br />to harmonize tones and color, and add subtle finishing details.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>A while ago I was invited by my friend <a href="http://www.williamwray.blogspot.com/">Bill Wray</a> to join him in a show of cartoony humorous animal paintings at <a href="http://www.lunarboygallery.com/">Lunar Boy Gallery</a> in Astoria, Oregon. I did seven pieces (view images <a href="http://www.lunarboygallery.com/Artists/Blevins/BrettBlevins.html">here</a>), but didn't complete this Adam and Eve picture because I decided to exclude human animals from this set of paintings.<br />Above are snapshots of this fantasy image in progress--I need another session or two to finish it, I'll post them as I proceed.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-61923717420317730362007-04-09T15:26:00.000-07:002007-04-10T09:12:07.875-07:00Casein Still Lifes of Dolls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOt0facgoVbach3kzMDwqfDPxyAyOrPovWzNbQnsK-W4Aivx7OERgs7CLfp3VXzw3vH_Zedb9_WGoBfmbJRILg2sl2GEPjk2rWgVhlXJ3DyH2Pqf7RgucUTaC-vFtUxNDhqh0S7Lg3uW5x/s1600-h/October+Jack+Adj.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOt0facgoVbach3kzMDwqfDPxyAyOrPovWzNbQnsK-W4Aivx7OERgs7CLfp3VXzw3vH_Zedb9_WGoBfmbJRILg2sl2GEPjk2rWgVhlXJ3DyH2Pqf7RgucUTaC-vFtUxNDhqh0S7Lg3uW5x/s400/October+Jack+Adj.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051562962956422002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bQH7cMuSzgX3d2Y4HAGjsFHrqTa_JlXAUFY0a07joGviEp9Hgg6Aw0ks3TeUzIHbgZVar5z3F3ljAqy9xjjw5sMPeG6kKmMADl7s_BonCXKxf7r55vs55ph4F1-I7OWeZFN5LxpIXoXs/s1600-h/Green+Jack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bQH7cMuSzgX3d2Y4HAGjsFHrqTa_JlXAUFY0a07joGviEp9Hgg6Aw0ks3TeUzIHbgZVar5z3F3ljAqy9xjjw5sMPeG6kKmMADl7s_BonCXKxf7r55vs55ph4F1-I7OWeZFN5LxpIXoXs/s400/Green+Jack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051562962956422018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMldkzD4zIzjZ1CjCr23ymQZ-_pu_FRI3l44gA8D5jRTsldCRJow5sdJCCQ-ImsuMpwenhGxVAShb4SbnnQ1BNqV_bY4AXPS8DHBSogkFWJgOeZoTfwCqeEPqUAUJ4Dl8yswXQ8ZU_YwH-/s1600-h/Emily.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMldkzD4zIzjZ1CjCr23ymQZ-_pu_FRI3l44gA8D5jRTsldCRJow5sdJCCQ-ImsuMpwenhGxVAShb4SbnnQ1BNqV_bY4AXPS8DHBSogkFWJgOeZoTfwCqeEPqUAUJ4Dl8yswXQ8ZU_YwH-/s400/Emily.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051562967251389330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9akf11r05I_OU3mWBBjtNW92pQiCWcXyqlfQw7gixuleHNBuldBAyFm-GpWzZ242nE6oeNqHsjrEkfWFvR2jzfAWcXj9Ckg4Y374iFDkXn903MRN6UE4f0PN34soMh7pGrCnp39lPXMJN/s1600-h/Jack+Portrait+Print.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9akf11r05I_OU3mWBBjtNW92pQiCWcXyqlfQw7gixuleHNBuldBAyFm-GpWzZ242nE6oeNqHsjrEkfWFvR2jzfAWcXj9Ckg4Y374iFDkXn903MRN6UE4f0PN34soMh7pGrCnp39lPXMJN/s400/Jack+Portrait+Print.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051562971546356642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3VjKiSmiBNqDs5Gs27WAzObQKMzxuzkkU2F5dbAClWP24Kgnm-Q2St272J-N5OSymCAYSbWJ_Gv77XB53eo7WsZHjHmVEXMMP-_ADyrskZnNdbVHB9UxyUjh0mbPf41bHllHNJZnFSsU/s1600-h/October+Sally+300.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3VjKiSmiBNqDs5Gs27WAzObQKMzxuzkkU2F5dbAClWP24Kgnm-Q2St272J-N5OSymCAYSbWJ_Gv77XB53eo7WsZHjHmVEXMMP-_ADyrskZnNdbVHB9UxyUjh0mbPf41bHllHNJZnFSsU/s400/October+Sally+300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051562391725771602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyg_TUY1JZ6xO5lqnvOfXTbF0iarKFSblXgiy2Yeu0WklnKLy5-ZxPBN8oCy5l9-xWGx47_sixORXDfHzpAQLm4N9_Y-FrMqrKmuWH1ZmDFOSXtwOZlH1eU5s1rFIKCRemkvmjlFp02a0/s1600-h/Sally+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyg_TUY1JZ6xO5lqnvOfXTbF0iarKFSblXgiy2Yeu0WklnKLy5-ZxPBN8oCy5l9-xWGx47_sixORXDfHzpAQLm4N9_Y-FrMqrKmuWH1ZmDFOSXtwOZlH1eU5s1rFIKCRemkvmjlFp02a0/s400/Sally+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051562396020738914" border="0" /></a><br />In my studies of the history of illustration I often saw casein paintings, including many originals in the cavernous attic of my friends Walt and Roger Reed's old Illustration House headquarters on Water St. in Norwalk , Conn.. I was eager to try this milk emulsion based medium, but it was obsolete and could no longer be found in art stores by the time I came along.<br />Recently this medium was reintroduced by the Jack Richeson Co. under their Shiva brand, and I immediately purchased a set of colors and began to play. I love the peculiar handling characteristics and warm matte surface of this medium!<br />For the past several years I've done an image or two of spooky character dolls for the Halloween window of the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.artsprescott.com/">Arts Prescott Co-op Gallery .</a> I love the designs of the Tim Burton stop motion characters from <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Nightmare Before Christmas</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Corpse Bride</span> films and usually paint still lifes of one or more of the articulated dolls I have. Above are a few of them.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-86318101036649554312007-04-09T15:07:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:25:41.028-07:00Watercolor Life Drawings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKEuW2WZIuovibOAwvvJvl5H0djshmX8n4hd1iGYMT59GuowGgA1P9NzuovSViy1BP0jwqq_j0PZIkgHJhSOzQffvMLBI6ho6BUUQ_X23AHGfozG_3QvSJod5y7FasS4zrW4nrfxtiDSI/s1600-h/Sitting.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKEuW2WZIuovibOAwvvJvl5H0djshmX8n4hd1iGYMT59GuowGgA1P9NzuovSViy1BP0jwqq_j0PZIkgHJhSOzQffvMLBI6ho6BUUQ_X23AHGfozG_3QvSJod5y7FasS4zrW4nrfxtiDSI/s400/Sitting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051557907779914562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtJh8_E6a-TKtfC96268AqEeDnX3zqP1DelIREeYB2FkhaM3vHRBnPHBcPlOFL2vYSuNtdpAqUlZrBykJmVHlAg2GefPGX9K1Vu0rD7C9dYMyTcvVNeUp5BSok-odN560FW-a_Goa3Sqc/s1600-h/Graceful+Angie+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtJh8_E6a-TKtfC96268AqEeDnX3zqP1DelIREeYB2FkhaM3vHRBnPHBcPlOFL2vYSuNtdpAqUlZrBykJmVHlAg2GefPGX9K1Vu0rD7C9dYMyTcvVNeUp5BSok-odN560FW-a_Goa3Sqc/s400/Graceful+Angie+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051556855512926962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0so-rzRB6iR1JMbLssYygqB80zww2ycRv254k1KhMahgodkh17Iusi-sZ_ep3HjCc-IWKhCrWEk0K6J49lGoP_9dalhOmtAnvegY746nHGgG-ldD5lb5_LwPVqDUk1D-yfPEI3MZGdZX1/s1600-h/Jen+Sketch+1+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0so-rzRB6iR1JMbLssYygqB80zww2ycRv254k1KhMahgodkh17Iusi-sZ_ep3HjCc-IWKhCrWEk0K6J49lGoP_9dalhOmtAnvegY746nHGgG-ldD5lb5_LwPVqDUk1D-yfPEI3MZGdZX1/s400/Jen+Sketch+1+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051556859807894274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_tLlreVgXyhEL8Akltc78snLPF6hkh-WtmGJqRO5c-psxX1Rjt4nyddIS9A2Qj9CAV-w38dEgNfZXvuC04dLfRXycjFRZx5gXPCcSE92JnQk75nGwoIjQCyLMl7pg8lph2qWQWLtbXVx/s1600-h/Kestrel+Sling+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_tLlreVgXyhEL8Akltc78snLPF6hkh-WtmGJqRO5c-psxX1Rjt4nyddIS9A2Qj9CAV-w38dEgNfZXvuC04dLfRXycjFRZx5gXPCcSE92JnQk75nGwoIjQCyLMl7pg8lph2qWQWLtbXVx/s400/Kestrel+Sling+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051556864102861586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMa8__NVWpx_TD6LeDIRq8-VPvyaaB5W3u5qbPzmjXUXsp6u4TLfM1aVBc0L0P7QXTpAORaamtNzNKMGbxaTrOSUXytx7MJ8HI4lRBQ5ZUFMBqsbroDpGfXYbo0GrW7F6xfm63Vk3zShm/s1600-h/Very+Thin+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMa8__NVWpx_TD6LeDIRq8-VPvyaaB5W3u5qbPzmjXUXsp6u4TLfM1aVBc0L0P7QXTpAORaamtNzNKMGbxaTrOSUXytx7MJ8HI4lRBQ5ZUFMBqsbroDpGfXYbo0GrW7F6xfm63Vk3zShm/s400/Very+Thin+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051556864102861602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7m6ZQne-JLQLyS__aED6QvLvKHyqgeWofyGtAeU9gjgtcjbT6kM3o4EIsQoxvsxBQcMbSpkG-xmOGcqWhKFQ6vH4CY5lSCU1DzjGW7jEFTIkzDjFW0z7iuISXJ_LbZqSpCO-TIXvb-Nc/s1600-h/Jess+%231.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7m6ZQne-JLQLyS__aED6QvLvKHyqgeWofyGtAeU9gjgtcjbT6kM3o4EIsQoxvsxBQcMbSpkG-xmOGcqWhKFQ6vH4CY5lSCU1DzjGW7jEFTIkzDjFW0z7iuISXJ_LbZqSpCO-TIXvb-Nc/s400/Jess+%231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051556868397828914" border="0" /></a><br />I returned to semi-regular life drawing in the late 90's after a dry spell of about ten years--I began with dusty mediums--graphite, charcoal, prismacolor pencils--but eventually I wanted the speed and flow of wet media. This urge prompted my first real exploration of watercolor--I started with a cheap children's craft set of cake watercolors in a tin, then a fellow artist I met in the class suggested I invest in a set of M. Graham's beautiful watercolor paints and buy sheets of actual watercolor paper. (Before that I was painting on the pages of an ordinary sketchbook).<br />The results were rejuvenating! I became enamored of the glorious spontaneity inherent in watercolor and have since painted hundreds of life sketches in this delicate medium. Above are a few examples.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com94tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-82086822341322833702007-04-09T14:53:00.000-07:002007-04-23T14:05:59.670-07:00Portraits of Exhaustion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV4__B_5-V5fxC8ZFwDZNsUfMdMzC8HTFem7viK4aoMi2uVLwdO9nN0cy94h271h-dbyUbRZCgqE5Dx0zYxCMf0e89oIAPNKDB2DFD__3gvds6t4NCtA-EPFdV6FHJzUjJUNpdHGRe0ix/s1600-h/SP+Exh+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV4__B_5-V5fxC8ZFwDZNsUfMdMzC8HTFem7viK4aoMi2uVLwdO9nN0cy94h271h-dbyUbRZCgqE5Dx0zYxCMf0e89oIAPNKDB2DFD__3gvds6t4NCtA-EPFdV6FHJzUjJUNpdHGRe0ix/s400/SP+Exh+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051552904143014610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthKUznFfNU6V4saPsMBBHfEU1mmK49anmW9xRC2qEVDBbCqEk2OndUWHaZ1aNsJcvlZEbm0ujxHQ67rotByOKwDFnssykK0oNP3F_qvUJMzZv7IsGGZvKiDp2Eoc9QPSytWen79DkYhol/s1600-h/SP+Exh+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthKUznFfNU6V4saPsMBBHfEU1mmK49anmW9xRC2qEVDBbCqEk2OndUWHaZ1aNsJcvlZEbm0ujxHQ67rotByOKwDFnssykK0oNP3F_qvUJMzZv7IsGGZvKiDp2Eoc9QPSytWen79DkYhol/s400/SP+Exh+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051552904143014626" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The two self portraits above were painted<br />in March as a release from several months<br />of nearly unbroken grinding effort to finish<br />print projects. The gaunt bleak-eyed visage<br />is an accurate portrayal of the state of spent<br />energy I was suffering from. I painted it the<br />day after I'd worked a continuous 36 hour session<br />to finish a project. I'd slept about six hours<br />and decided to capture the dead stare of the<br />zombie I saw in the mirror. Its not a very<br />pleasant painting, but it's certainly honest!<br />The second smiling portrait was an attempt<br />to nudge my attitude back toward my usual<br />cheery demeanor. ( I think the eyes still<br />look exhausted though.)<br /></span></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-58267212436164859662007-04-09T14:46:00.000-07:002007-04-09T18:48:15.928-07:00Dead Rose Tea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbYZYJJrE8YzA-AVWN-qdJFnERWobHawGpUMv0HZ0-2lw-MzLBLPLXFKXNPjt8YAN2cWDv3bfmnrVFqS_b9_1lCqsel_tesW-VAj86ItPRy_dy1rboXDOyObbsu49E_gnZAjIMlVIHNs1/s1600-h/Dead+Rose+Tea+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbYZYJJrE8YzA-AVWN-qdJFnERWobHawGpUMv0HZ0-2lw-MzLBLPLXFKXNPjt8YAN2cWDv3bfmnrVFqS_b9_1lCqsel_tesW-VAj86ItPRy_dy1rboXDOyObbsu49E_gnZAjIMlVIHNs1/s400/Dead+Rose+Tea+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051549635672902338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">My wife ordered a pair of these Jack Skellington<br />mugs through some sort of coupon promotion<br />that accompanied the film's original release.<br />They took so long to arrive (nearly two years!)<br />that we'd forgotton about them until the package<br />came. I gathered some withered roses from<br />our front yard and tackled this still life<br />with thick paint and palette knife.<br /></span></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-61788639413211833652007-04-09T14:35:00.000-07:002007-04-11T17:50:36.889-07:00Popeye Still Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrj3JsFijBo21peMkbBfH-zzzOfm27_JnGIMbRHUywQZmV_mV-7XOl3aoIPG39tp7q_fSSku4luK4aCdv2jjMy7kU0E6ZL4mES5w1Tw6tbdfgzKlIj_pJNyia8OsB2EtJG-l-d2Sn2u7l/s1600-h/Popeye+Print+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrj3JsFijBo21peMkbBfH-zzzOfm27_JnGIMbRHUywQZmV_mV-7XOl3aoIPG39tp7q_fSSku4luK4aCdv2jjMy7kU0E6ZL4mES5w1Tw6tbdfgzKlIj_pJNyia8OsB2EtJG-l-d2Sn2u7l/s400/Popeye+Print+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051547174656641714" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I began this painting as a demo in the co-op</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">gallery I belong to,</span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.artsprescott.com/">www.artsprescott.com </a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I used mostly palette knife except for the anchor</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">tattoos and the lettering on the spinach can.</span><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-45855651577395568772007-04-09T14:27:00.000-07:002007-04-09T16:19:39.749-07:00Blue Tea Cup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-uLK5hjLQkPW8DUjBKLz_iOUNlPs5f5zNjXhzVEBbVmNHmZ6fYXXTg6KMPWHlV1uzf7S5qhOyZJCnF9cbRSFv_uhMEXEZKH11xyPQxfftpAD6ndmmOveBH95I7q6B9z1Ar1hM7rNPUB_/s1600-h/Blue+Teacup+LoRes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-uLK5hjLQkPW8DUjBKLz_iOUNlPs5f5zNjXhzVEBbVmNHmZ6fYXXTg6KMPWHlV1uzf7S5qhOyZJCnF9cbRSFv_uhMEXEZKH11xyPQxfftpAD6ndmmOveBH95I7q6B9z1Ar1hM7rNPUB_/s400/Blue+Teacup+LoRes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051544490302081698" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">This painting is a favorite of mine--it seemed</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">to<br />complete itself while I watched from an interior<br />distance and the mood it evokes is a </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">genuine<br />reflection of the emotions that inspired</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> its creation.</span><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-87121846566920443472007-04-09T14:21:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:30:58.634-07:00Still Life with Curious George<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPskOxsGCidJgs6GBd42vcoGsDlCPJwjqwOR0PYbEra_2OW2p9c1qjzU6xVaWDEV0MlfFRiR4xdb1q4Zr1GShl5LGbH1W3Ky6jobRBqDsQ76J7YCq0N0jTC64ClUOouu4V2QW-OQnzBugP/s1600-h/Curious+George+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPskOxsGCidJgs6GBd42vcoGsDlCPJwjqwOR0PYbEra_2OW2p9c1qjzU6xVaWDEV0MlfFRiR4xdb1q4Zr1GShl5LGbH1W3Ky6jobRBqDsQ76J7YCq0N0jTC64ClUOouu4V2QW-OQnzBugP/s400/Curious+George+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051542918344051346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">My friend <a href="http://www.drawman.blogspot.com/">Mike Manley</a> and I both painted this still life<br />set-up while he was visiting Arizona after attending the San Diego<br />Comic Con a few years ago. I was fascinated by the various textures<br />of the different objects--especially the wavering lamp flame!<br /></span></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-89451184555108694902007-04-09T14:10:00.000-07:002007-04-09T14:20:55.463-07:00Dead Jay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhIi4b5_DVs3EcQCt7Fjs8p_Be68zPUaIgOrkwucIQX0_rwhGFiuSO7TgWtj00wKbSBGne81aiactgiP7vgKCQPx0x6ag5dbmaDZFugc5k9qzJZMYgscXPCl3gXfQWwAVbTa8XlQUsy5m/s1600-h/Dead+Jay+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhIi4b5_DVs3EcQCt7Fjs8p_Be68zPUaIgOrkwucIQX0_rwhGFiuSO7TgWtj00wKbSBGne81aiactgiP7vgKCQPx0x6ag5dbmaDZFugc5k9qzJZMYgscXPCl3gXfQWwAVbTa8XlQUsy5m/s400/Dead+Jay+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051541436580334210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I discovered a still-warm jay in my driveway one </span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">morning as I was taking out a bag of trash--other </span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">than a missing tail the bird seemed whole and unmolested.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">He inspired this somber little thanatopsis.</span><br /></div>Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-36726853849526799602007-04-09T11:56:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:33:36.696-07:00Recent oil paintings<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiHuqSrCCmi_FYxVteNIMqOSOsdSl0neLLs75bi3pAO5jOUddcfj1qhv5ATg-y35FGSoiYtosMQdn1DBt2iri-nykDt73KkwD1tgNLQY174jKtyigdJ94cIoSfEwOHvft5DD3h_e3Na-U/s1600-h/Clown+oil+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiHuqSrCCmi_FYxVteNIMqOSOsdSl0neLLs75bi3pAO5jOUddcfj1qhv5ATg-y35FGSoiYtosMQdn1DBt2iri-nykDt73KkwD1tgNLQY174jKtyigdJ94cIoSfEwOHvft5DD3h_e3Na-U/s400/Clown+oil+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051536767950883442" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Made In China</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The severe expression of this small clothed doll</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I found in a thrift shop captured my fancy--I imagined</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I could feel the resentment of the assembly line</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">worker forced to paint an endless stream of these</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">small masked portraits.</span><br /><br /><br /></span></div>Although I've been a complusive sketcher since childhood and have always drawn from life at every opportunity, over the last few years I've made time to paint for no other purpose than to express my own spirit. I've been fortunate in my illustration career to earn a living as a visual storyteller, and I love to bring a narrative to life through artwork, to animate and understand characters and explore their emotions and behavior in myriad situations. I expect to tell stories with artwork for the rest of my life, but I can't deny the intense pressure of creating vast amounts of intricate drawing under deadlines--often unreasonable ones--has lost the appeal it held in my eager adrenaline-charged youth. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m choosing projects carefully and arranging the rest of my affairs and responsibilities to allow me to give my best at a pace I can enjoy.<br />This improved schedule is also driven by the desire to draw and paint as a window to my intimations, to make visible my reactions to stimuli and experience free of the specific parameters that shape hired work.<br />The pictures above were painted from life over the last few years, usually during a brief respite from a pressing deadline. With each painting I am more amazed at the subtlety that can be expressed with oils—the medium draws forth ever more sensitive perceptions as you paint because it is so responsive to every whim and observation. Although I love watercolor and casein for the unique results possible with each, oil is the richest medium for the painter.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-47647911785950693802007-04-09T11:47:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:35:21.093-07:00Pencil and wash studies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqC-IwRA4weYr6A6WwWEPdxzGSC0nqGkSoOwbKFKpmrCDNpPLHupKF3B8wAe23JrC5Be-IkPtk0e7zZEsp_VFqtVr_O0MVDkZwnJR3nGyHlicxPMZvmVGsHvMexiL_hXF0xPJDRiVlJhwu/s1600-h/Sarah+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqC-IwRA4weYr6A6WwWEPdxzGSC0nqGkSoOwbKFKpmrCDNpPLHupKF3B8wAe23JrC5Be-IkPtk0e7zZEsp_VFqtVr_O0MVDkZwnJR3nGyHlicxPMZvmVGsHvMexiL_hXF0xPJDRiVlJhwu/s400/Sarah+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051503297270745682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXezsacGeXyvZHOTNRrpje4q5556KWMwGYesS07nsCXEKy5IHaD5diHhgToM1PvE_NuIeiEcruaDa_ERsopyPn09ANgY_gyVHoNoWb6KM_eT7zR9q3j0Cw1B-k1uOOc__iyrsSjedYzXF/s1600-h/Sarah+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXezsacGeXyvZHOTNRrpje4q5556KWMwGYesS07nsCXEKy5IHaD5diHhgToM1PvE_NuIeiEcruaDa_ERsopyPn09ANgY_gyVHoNoWb6KM_eT7zR9q3j0Cw1B-k1uOOc__iyrsSjedYzXF/s400/Sarah+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051503301565712994" border="0" /></a><br />Two other studies from the same session as the prior post--the leaning pose is strengthened with a bit of black watercolor wash.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3285310317453183941.post-1607701418819954422007-04-08T18:49:00.000-07:002007-04-08T18:57:33.790-07:00Two Pencil Studies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mipu442qayg_ghw9jDmAtconGK_xYGEVrWyPGSmcudjhO6Nagc2CsbCD1xHFZ4mbEmY5mHTvkuSp2sFFvA-bgzXO1RkmJRAxn_PFduq0CHMqEcVIxoMkEb0Vc1Gdtijz6zbV2exYgjCt/s1600-h/S+F+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mipu442qayg_ghw9jDmAtconGK_xYGEVrWyPGSmcudjhO6Nagc2CsbCD1xHFZ4mbEmY5mHTvkuSp2sFFvA-bgzXO1RkmJRAxn_PFduq0CHMqEcVIxoMkEb0Vc1Gdtijz6zbV2exYgjCt/s400/S+F+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051241639273138754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyttWnVwwff253fiwvgxtYf56JZzaaoFJgQStAPd6bA_UgtmR0SZBvzIxJ1qsdLQ53fAwlhshO1zkMmM4DfSOccQOxTsc9gorttCt1_JnW7HlMMpG7oLKYR_DI6gyYLZJESyHNLQ_dI-t/s1600-h/S+F+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyttWnVwwff253fiwvgxtYf56JZzaaoFJgQStAPd6bA_UgtmR0SZBvzIxJ1qsdLQ53fAwlhshO1zkMmM4DfSOccQOxTsc9gorttCt1_JnW7HlMMpG7oLKYR_DI6gyYLZJESyHNLQ_dI-t/s400/S+F+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051241493244250674" border="0" /></a><br /> These two drawings were done several months ago--late 2006 I believe. This model is a favorite of our life drawing group--she's gifted with an inherent grace that inspires a beautiful image from every pose.Bret Blevinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08236807280282275728noreply@blogger.com3