Just DRAW...2nd Edition

The artistic mind...left brain/right brain mass of confusion...When the artistic mind has to sit down and 'listen' for extended periods of time we tend to shut down quicker than most people. But we have a secret weapon...we can DRAW!!! And by drawing we are able to activate both sides of our brain and actually pay BETTER attention than most...(WARNING: you may be called to prove this and it can make or break your case...if you are in class and a teacher asks a question you should be able to know accurately what is going on...same thing with meetings in the real world...and if you tend to daydream and get lost in your doodles and get asked a pointed question resulting in you falling out of your seat and saying 'huh?'...well, sorry but you best be using your drawing utensils for taking accurate notes...) And be careful if you have non-artistic neighbors sitting beside you...their snickers can get you on the hot seat so try to be somewhat discreet so as not to appear rude...

It may take some explaining and proof at first but give it a whirl and see which camp you fall in...and again...SAVE YOUR DOODLES SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW!!! You never know when something might come in handy (see my other blog Unmasked where the horse worked out!)


Sketches done during an Education class last spring...the topic for the evening...we discussed administration's role with regards to teachers in the classroom...Varied items including one of my coworkers that had a mullet back in the day and went to school where I teach...and he probably hadn't even been born in 67 but it seemed funny at the time...


Last fall a speaker squeaked a 45 minute presentation into 3 hours...the holder of knowledge of all things fire extinguishers...


Education class talking about cameras in schools...reminded me of my favorite big box store and a guy I used to know that regulated safety/security at one...I just kept getting goofier and goofier as I drew trying to capture the greeter of the future...

IF:Let Us Make Peace

Mistranslating the pre-arrival transmission as "Let Us Make Peas" made for a rather uncomfortable first meeting with the pod people from the DelMonte galaxy...

IF:Help...

A public restroom, an empty roll of toilet paper, a mime, and a desperate cry for help...(or 'why mimes should always check to make sure their paperwork can be completed before they make a big commitment')...

An acronym for the ages...

We have all heard the saying...By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail...and it is true. But a more colorful and attention getting way to say this is simply PPPEPPR...But what does it mean?

It means when you have a deadline looming it is important to follow the creative process to work out potential problems before you waste time...it means to pay attention to the message and audience so the problem is answered correctly...it means you need to not find a solution but to find the best solution...it means it is important to budget one's time to allow for adjustments to the product...it means to be self-critical to cut down on obvious mistakes in design or technique...it means putting forth focused effort to produce quality rendered items instead of mindless scribbling...it means that you are on display and what and how you do something says something about you...perhaps in no other field are you truly so judged by your work...and by not doing these things you produce bad work that will result in redo's, poor grades, a bad reputation, extra stress, or even firing if you should be in that position. (I'm also a fan of 'if you don't have time to do it right the first time you obviously have time to do it again...but it isn't nearly as catchy...)

So what does PPPEPPR mean? Poop Poor Planning Equals Poop Poor Results...funny, I know...but TRUE...and unfortunately, we as artists can tend to be scatter-brained procrastinators...but by developing good planning skills (and it does take effort on our part to do this) the majority of issues can be resolved in a much more stress-free way, making our art more enjoyable for us and more visually pleasing for the viewer...

IF: Mask

Uncle Melvin smelled so bad that he wore a skunk around his neck to try and mask the odor...maybe he should've tried for two...

WHAT THE?!?!

I have had several people contact me with regards to 'the process' and ask me some very good questions. I had never really intended for this blog to be an 'indepth process showing' area (partially because there are already so many great blogs out there with such great information)...it was meant to be a bit of a diary for myself as well as showing tips/tricks/tidbits for my students or others that might stumble upon it. I think other folks' blogs have shown a great deal of inspirational work that have helped keep my creative fire going.

In order to keep this blog 'cleaner' and to be able to show a strong indepth process from start to finish, I have started one more blog. This will help me to be more flexible with the work I can show here as well as to keep from breaking up the process too much, as I have no idea how long it will take to do what I want to do. On 'blankenstine unmasked' I will be attempting to show an entire process as well as doing the same illustration in multiple media.

As I use these blogs for teaching purposes and multiple voices can help the students to see how the real world works (both college and work), I appreciate any feedback you may want to leave...

And the pic? This was one of only a couple of shots from the zoo that had some personality (and no...it isn't me...)

Let it breath...

A good thing for an artist to be able to do is create strong mental images of what they are working towards. After this some people follow the process to refine the work and some (more of the fine artists) refine their work 'on the canvas'. Either way it is important to let your work give itself some of the direction. Never be 'married' to a piece so much that you are afraid to let yourself go and try new things. Usually when I talk to an artist about a piece I really like, I hear the same story...The core idea stayed...but as they worked, the image pulled them in different directions...and it always turned out better than their original concept.

Between working on the computer vs. traditional methods the computer does have one advantage. The undo button. Those working in more traditional methods are sometimes apprehensive about trying new things or trying to experiment on a piece that may get 'ruined' in the process. This apprehension can sometimes move over into the digital arena as well and the work can end up a bit lifeless and overly sterile. Recently viewing an item on IF people liked the sketch more than the digital work. This is because during the sketching phase the drawings usually seem to have more personality and life.

In this piece I had planned on continuing my traditional ways...I had everything laid out and ready to transfer to illustration board...I had a strong image in my mind of what and how I was going to do things...but my coloring hand was begging me to give it a rest. So I went digital. As I was going I noticed several things that didn't transfer well digitally...mostly the legs (but the heads had issues as well). No matter what I did they just didn't have that whimsy that I wanted, so I switched to the current version...I let the work 'breath' or dictate what 'looked' right in the given situation.

IF: Might...

Those pigeons might not dirty any cars...that dog might not wet that hydrant...that guy might not be Irish...and he might not be wearing a bad toupee...and she might not say,"No"...but I wouldn't bet on any of it...