TLC Workshops

TLC Workshops, a Washington based organization, recently announced their 2012 Professional Art Series. Consisting of short, but intensive, workshops that focus on one-on-one interaction, the group is hosting some really impressive illustrators, including two Muddy Colors members!



Aside from having some sensational instructors, there seems to be a lot of nice benefits to these workshops. Most notably is the class size. Each workshop appears to be limited to just 12 students, which is going to ensure that each student gets a lot of undivided attention. Also, the workshops are about 3 days each. As amazing as it is to attend the week-long IMC every year, not everyone's schedule permits such an extended time away from work. Typically running from Friday to Sunday, you can easily take a long weekend, and end up with a life-long experience to show for it. The shorter class length is also reflected in the tuition, which ranges from just $300 - $500.



The first workshop of the series will be by Justin Gerard.

Beyond Reference: How to Imbue your Characters with Character

with Justin Gerard

Fri-Sun, March 30-April 1



Good use of reference is extremely important in professional illustration, but overusing it can suck the soul out of a piece of artwork. This workshop focuses on the secrets of utilizing reference so that your image is believable without sacrificing the unique personality that you bring to your work. Limit: 12 students.









Greg Manchess will also conducting a workshop.

Plan Great Images, From the Ground Up

with Greg Manchess

Fri-Sun, Nov 9-11



This workshop concentrates on building compelling images with the human figure as the focal point. Using a book cover format, participants will start with initial thumbnails and work toward realizing the final sketch. We will focus on the structural elements of effective composition, value, dimensional depth and emotional content. Limit 12 students.







In addition to our 2 Muddies, our good friends Jon Schindehette (of Art Order fame), and illustrator/arm-wrestler extraordinaire Terese Nielsen, will also be conducting classes!

Idealized Realism and the Human Figure 

with Terese Nielsen

Fri-Sun, August 24-26



Prepare for an information-packed weekend as Terese shares her process of creating beautiful figures from the initial drawing stage, employing tips on idealizing anatomy, lighting the figure, and selecting reference to achieve the best results, including easy corrections of common mistakes. Via a mock Magic card assignment, she will also discuss her symbolic use of color, light and imagery and offer a peek into her masterful use of multi-media as it supports the central figure. Limit: 12 students.

Self-Promotion: the Portfolio and Beyond

with Jon Schindehette (Senior Creative Director at Wizards of the Coast)

Sat-Sun, Sept 15-16.



This workshop explores the strategies of portfolio building and self-promotion through a combination of real world exercises, review, critique and discussion. Jon will cover strategies globally and then address each student's portfolio and promotional materials, customizing and optimizing on an individual basis. Limit: 12 students.







As I mentioned, class size is extremely limited, so I highly doubt spots will be available for long for any of these classes. TLC Workshops offer payment plans, and you can secure your spot for just $50. For more info, click HERE.



I'm really jealous that I don't live closer! These classes would make for some amazing weekend getaways.

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New Video

-by Eric Fortune



After my last post on using the right brush for the right job, I took my own advice and used a larger than average brush (not the broom) and applied washes to build up the background value and color. My concern of heavy granulation in areas that I want relatively smooth keeps me from using washes that are too thick. So of course I'm still doing many thinner washes but the application didn't take as long. After getting some paint on the background I decided to jump into the main figure.



In this video some skin tones have already been laid down. But you can see the difference it makes to the flesh when I add in the warmer tones to the cheek area. It's the nuanced color in the cheek, nose, knuckles, and ears etc that really give flesh a sense of having blood flowing through it and being alive. So of course be mindful of your photo reference, and when in doubt use a mirror... or Google images.

I have a detail of the painting to post but blogger is acting a little weird. At least it seems that way. If you're reading this now I'll try to upload the image again tomorrow.

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ImagineFX #80

-Dan dos Santos

 



Imagine FX, issue #80 just hit stands in the UK today. For this issue, the IFX team asked me to produced an in-depth article about creating strong compositions. In addition to the composition workshop, there is a ton of other great stuff, including a step-by-step by uber-talented cover artist Aly Fell, an interview with Paul Bonner, and an article on Howard Pyle written by James Gurney.

 



The issue won't make it to US stores for another 3 weeks. For those who don't want to wait that long, a digital copy can be purchased HERE.

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Conan Commission, part 4

by Petar Meseldzija




Talking about change…

Here are the new progress shots of the Conan painting.
A few days ago I somehow managed to bring the painting to the edge of disaster,
when I tried to paint the background. I needed to define the color and the
values of the background first, in order to know how to tackle the rest of the
painting.  It just did not work out. I
got more and more desperate as I started to realize that my initial intention to
paint the background  lighter than the
foreground, was not a good idea after all. So, at the end of the exhausting day,
I finally decided to make a radical change and to rearrange and repaint the
background.

The painting looks still quite messy and far from being
finished, but at least now I know how to proceed with it. 

Some paintings are destined to have a relatively
smooth and more or less clearly defined path. Others are unpredictable and have
a stubborn character. The paintings with the less “tamable” character tend to
cause some headaches and sleepless nights, never the less, they often help us to
transcend the dusty and established routes, and our cliché-thinking, that from
time to time  need to be shaken a little,
in order for us to grow and to bring our work to another level. I guess that not
everyone like the turbulences that the change often brings with it, but if we
want to be completely honest, we have to admit that the change (together with the
transience) is the only permanent and certain thing in Life. It will never
disappoint us by its absence. So I say, don’t be afraid, embrace it instead, as
much as you can.

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Changes

by Donato

I'm moving through some changes,  I'll never be the same.

-YES

Change is a good thing, especially when improves a painting.  I am part of a small and wonderful group of talented artists and professionals with which, through the use of email, we share projects, ideas, business dialog, criticism and most importantly, ART!  One of the cherished aspects of this email group is the posting of works in progress, whether they be at the beginning in the rough sketch phase, half way into the color final, or posted as 'finished' with a little wriggle room left for feedback and critical evaluation.



I have shared all forms of painting stages with my friends, and thought I would post a few examples of how changes have drastically improved an image after posting what I thought was a 'finished' work.



As I respect all of the artists within this group, I value and listen carefully to all they have to say including ideas I think could enhance my image as well as those that I disagree with - for all the comments have a context within which they could be seriously justified in pushing my painting towards.



Many times after spending weeks on a painting, I am hesitant to undertake another round of reworking.   But given enough distance from the act of creation, and a little time to distill the comments, I invariably find that the changes only make the work better, and thus are happy to implement them.

Search for Mother

48" x 36" 

Oil on panel

2012 

'Search for Mother' has gone through a series of changes. Just when I think I am done, a few days pass and/or I post the work to the group, and a fresh set of eyes points out a way to improve the work.



The first image is the painting in progress, the mermaid, child and rocks near completion.

After sharing online with my group, I revisited the child's legs to better clarify the anatomy and add a weight of gravity and intent to shift momentum of the child into one attempting to halt, which played into the theme of the work better.

The final stage was produced after being away from the painting for ~ 5 months and receiving further feedback from another artist and a gallery director to 'obscure the mermaid more'.  I reworked the raking sunlight, surf at the man's feet, and obviously buried the mermaid beneath a mound of seaweed.  All which further enhances the work.  For now the painting is 'finished' until it comes back into the studio again!

In the beginning of this process, I undertook a small study of the mermaid to get a feel for the color and contrasts I was chasing after in my minds eye.  While the results were successful, an addition of a small slash of light from one of my fellow online buddies (Jon Foster) added the killer moment to the scene which took the work up another notch.

So often as we work upon a painting, too many issues are flutter before our eyes - rendering, anatomy, edge control, color balances, etc- obscuring what should be plainly obvious as an improvement.  Yet just as often, an extra set of eyes and mind can open the path to another way of tackling the work which brings about its holistic completion.



I wish you all success in this journey to find a contentful resolution to your work!

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Upcoming Appearances and Events

-Dan dos Santos



February is a particularly busy month for me, and I thought some of it may be of interest to you guys as well.



This Friday, February 3rd, I am headed to the Society of Illustrators to attend their Annual Book and Editorial opening. This is one of the Society's largest openings and showcases the year's best work in those categories. The event is open to the public, and is jam packed with your favorite artists. Aside from being really fun, it's an amazing opportunity to see hundreds of original works of art.

On display will be the original art for 'White Trash Zombie', which is the first time I have shown it publicly. Tickets for the event can be purchased HERE.

Next week, on February 7th, I will be giving a lecture at Western Connecticut State University. The lecture is open to the public, and is free to attend. I plan show the early beginnings of my works, and outline my path to becoming a professional illustrator. More info HERE.



The following day, February 8th, following a class lecture a SVA, I will be a guest on Sam Weber's radio show 'Your Dreams, My Nightmares'. The show airs at 8pm, and you can listen live on WSVA's website. The interview will later be available as a free download via iTunes.

Photo © Marcos Chin

Shortly after, on Saturday February 11th, I will be partaking in Last Rites Gallery's Art Fusion Experiment. Similar to Art Out Loud, this event consists of dozens of artists collaborating to create a single piece of art. A lot of top names in the pop/surrealism gallery scene will be there, and if you aren't familiar with Paul Booth's gallery, it's a sight to behold! Drinking, drawing, and ton of talented folk. It should be really fun, and is totally free to attend.

Last, but not least, I will be Artist Guest of Honor at this year's Boskone, a SFF convention in Boston. The convention runs from February 17th-19th, and will be full of art, lectures and painting demos. I will also be displaying more than a dozen original works of art, probably the largest number of my paintings to be publicly displayed in one place to date. More info HERE.

So if you're around any of these areas, please pop in and say 'Hi!' It's always great to meet fellow Muddies.

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Ambush

By Jesper Ejsing



I have been wanting to paint a painting just for me, for a very long time. Last year I did a small painting for the MicroVision Expo, and that little image sparked a lust in me to do some more of that kind. As my professional life is, I constantly fill my schedule with charging monsters and epic battle scenes. But if I really ask myself what I would do if I had totally free hands, is a question I rarely have had the time, opportunity or even reason to ask…until now. I secretly have envied Justin his images that he do out of pure joy and when I lastly saw his troll and Boar painting I showed the drawing I was doing away and started on a personal painting that has been rummaging in my mind for a while.



Here goes: I want to share it with you during the progress. I will confess; I am not even sure it will ever be finished, but I hope it will. The idea is this: An old warrior protecting a young female. He is their escort through the wilderness. As the “camera” opens up, we are looking at them descending down a slope. Cliff-walls on both sides prevent them from going anywhere but down. Behind the cliffs and rocks, a group of troll/orcs are hiding ready to ambush the not- knowing hero.





Top thumb, was one of the first versions where the trap was out in the open. The hero was midway in drawing his sword, sensing danger ahead. The story was not as tense as I had imagined it. They could escape by riding back. The heroes chance of survival was greatly improved since he already knew something was up. The second one was exactly what I wanted: I always try to capture the scene, the moment before everything runs amok. The moment where the spectator does not know how the story is going to end. You have to imagine one outcome or the other, and I will of cause give clues in either direction. If the hero was on guard, we, by instinct, feel he can overcome anything. So it became important to me that he was unaware. If his horse sensed something, it would be the same. Instead I made it so that the female and her horse, was more aware. Perhaps they heard something making them turn the head, but they are in the back and might not be able to warn him in time. The idea of adding a baby to the female was to make the whole outcome more precious and horrible. I toyed with the idea of having the woman breast-feeding the babe, but thought against it. It would be very difficult breast feeding on a horse and a bit corny too. It would look like an excuse to show some breasts. And hey, bare breasts would draw the attention away from the theme. Ordinary I wouldn’t shy away from a chance for some nudity, but today I made an adult choice.

So, as always, I sketched each figure separately on a very large piece of paper. I cut out a very large piece of Watercolor paper ( About a meter by 60 cm ) This is going to be my biggest painting yet. I made a lot of different sketches. I might scan some later to show you all the wrong turns I made down that road. The hardest part by far, was doing a horse riding down. Seen a bit from above. I used some toy animals, but they didn’t help at all. What I ended up with was a sketch with the heroes horse seen too much from a standing viewpoint. So I made a new horse, but am still going to keep the rider. The trolls, was so fun and came out quite effortless. Bulky anatomy just seems so much easier than horses.

I tried to put the sketches into the thumb in Photoshop and while I was in there anyway I sloshed some digital colours at it, to see if I could capture the light I had in my head. I did not succeed. There is something better about the thumb, and I need to get the horse of the hero perfect. The colors I think needs to be lighter and less contrasted to make room for the figures. I still want to keep the idea of the hero riding out into the sun light and the female still in shadow ( hiding, safe ). At this stage I would happily hear from any of you out there who have thoughts or suggestions as to how I could improve the clarity of this painting. You can do a paintover in photoshop or just write the words if you like. I will try to address the problems before my next update.

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