Thanks Norm

-By Tim BrucknerI haven’t any formal training. No academy, college or diploma (Mayor of Simpleton/Oranges and Lemons/XTC). But that doesn’t mean I’m entirely self taught. I’ve had some great teachers over the years; Ben Cellini, Johnny Bernini, Art Gilbert, and many more. One of my favorite professors was a scrawny, pipe smoking guy from Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Norman Percevel Rockwell was born in New York City in1894. He entered the Chase...

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Stories Within Stories

Look at this wonderful painting by Carl Gustaf Hellqvist, entitled "Valdemar Atterdag Holding Visby to Ransom, 1361".  There are so many wonderful compositions going on within the confines of a single greater composition.  I'm sure the original must be a sight to see, spanning more than 10 feet in wid...

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Schoolism Interview with Bobby Chiu

-by Eric Fortune I recently had the honor of being interviewed by Bobby Chiu for Schoolism. Though I've been a fan of Bobby's work for years we met for the first time at Spectrum Live.  He's a super nice guy and we had a great talk.  Hopefully, there are some insightful nuggets you can glean from the conversation.  Listen to the interview HereThis painting is several years old now.  But I thought I'd share a decent sized...

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Guest blogger - Bill Carman

-By Petar MeseldzijaBill Carman is an artist, a very fine Fine Artist. He is an illustrator, too, a very unique one. He is different, strange, sometimes a little weird; he is funny, but at the same time he can be deadly serious. No matter whether he is creating pictures for a gallery show, or for a children’s book, he is always the same, whole, recognizable, himself and brilliant.As far as I am concerned, his work stands for honesty and being yourself,...

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"The Cairn at Slater Woods" Progression

-By Eric FortuneThis piece just went live online so I thought I'd share some progress shots.  As always I highly recommend getting decent photo ref for your art.  The reference I had taken had some pretty interesting folds.  But these didn't really reflect what I had in my head so I took what I liked and made up quite a bit.  I hate it when fabric doesn't obey my wishes.  I have to give props to Irene, the Art Director at...

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10 Things I Remember...About Portfolios

-Gregory ManchessIf you were drawn to this post, you’re probably serious about developing your portfolio. Let’s be honest. You’re already thinking about how to sell your work, not stumbling over what many artists fear: that promoting one’s work considered artistic prostitution.Lighten up. This is about getting work and keeping clients. This is a fundamental part of any artist’s career: their portfolio. The thing that says, ‘this is what I do’ and,...

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Billy Bones Character Design Process

-By Justin GerardPencil Drawing, Watercolor, and then Watercolor and DigitalThis was a brief experiment in working more opaquely than I usually do. (Both in the watercolor and in the digital.) The digital work is very minimal. In CS5 it is just one Color Balance layer and a few normal layers. Usually I will use hundreds, nay thousands, of multiply and screen layers to finish even a simple character when I am working over a much lighter watercolor.As...

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Pictogram Mystery

A few days ago, I watched an Indonesian action film called 'The Raid' (which was excellent, btw). Prior to the film starting, what I assume is a warning screen popped up. Normally, I wouldn't have made much note of it. But on it were a series pictograms, including a depiction of Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', which immediately caught my eye.Upon closer inspection, I came to the conclusion that these pictograms were ratings devices, indicating...

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