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Flood Debris Part 3—Rubber Stamp Masking
From the 1980s until November 2016 I gathered a rather large rubber stamp collection. I used the rubber stamps for mail art and as art tools in my journaling and art. While I gave most of the stamps (and storage boxes and index) to a young stamper in 2016 (in a move I realize now […]
Brush Forensics
A few years ago I was asked to create an illustrated love letter for a show of such letters at a local gallery. At the time I wasn’t traveling much. For me a really good love letter requires time and distance to ferment. I chose instead to write a love note to Dick about the […]
What I Did During the Pandemic: Thinking about Frames
Of course one of the things I did during the Pandemic was to keep sketching and painting. There didn’t seem much point to stop, since it’s a life-long habit. But also I got to the point I couldn’t have stopped if I had wanted to because I started getting obsessed with gallery walls. The downsizing […]
A Cut Above—Wood Carving Competition Show
Spoiler alert, I’m going to write about who won “A Cut Above” season one. Don’t read if you want to watch a chainsaw-woodcarving composition and be surprised. First I just have to say I love Adam Beach. He’s a great actor and now we know he’s a great TV show host too—who absolutely […]
Jack Unruh Retrospective Show
I don’t draw attention to many upcoming shows, typically I just go to a show and then maybe write about it—like when I go to a show at Mia. But Jack Unruh is one of my all time favorite artists. His use of pen and watercolor is stunning and quirky at the same time. He […]
Breathing Room on the Page (or Page Spread)
One of the most important compositional tools you have in a visual journal or sketchbook is the breathing space on the page (or page spread). The negative space around an image helps define the image through silhouette, and shape recognition. The space will help you correct angles and proportions when you go off—or— if you […]
Additional Wizard Data: You Do the Math
Today I’ve posted a tabloid reference sheet about the most recent wizard. You’ll want to click on the image so that you can see an enlargement and read all the text. Because of course you want to keep abreast of all the details… You might also want an additional detail view of the image, so […]
Judging Your Own Art
It always surprises me which of my art pieces people seem to like the most. But I don’t believe we should be led by this—just interested in the perception. Obviously when you work commercially a client explains what they want. You then either execute that or have convincing reasons for how they really want […]
Getting Some Sketching Practice In
The other day I was writing about a friend alerting me to the fact that Amazon Prime is now carrying some of the seasons of “Portrait Artist of the Year.” I have loved this show from the moment I heard about it from one of my English friends. Here are a couple sketches I made […]
The Journal as Workbook
Below is a video which explains my view of the journal, and how I use my journal in my daily practice. Students in my “Drawing Practice: Drawing Live Subjects in Public” class asked me to share it publicly when I shut down my on-line teaching platform at the end of last year. They wanted to […]