Sunday, March 8, 2015

Jethro Knight [feedly]



----
Jethro Knight
// lines and colors


Contemporary British painter Jethro Knight takes delight in the sensual, visceral nature of thick paint.

His plein air compositions often have a soft, almost tonalist feeling at times, but are rendered with marvelously textural slabs of color that define his forms in terms of their direction as well as their color.

I particularly enjoy his subjects that involve reflections in water, in which he uses contrasts in texture, as wall as color and value, to emphasize the difference between the directly seen and reflected objects.


----

Shared via my feedly reader


Sent from my iPad

scificovers:Fantastic, August 1968. Cover by Johnny Bruck. [feedly]



----
scificovers:Fantastic, August 1968. Cover by Johnny Bruck.
// Hyperwave



scificovers:

Fantastic, August 1968. Cover by Johnny Bruck.


----

Shared via my feedly reader


Sent from my iPad

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop by boc0 [feedly]



Sent from my iPad

Eerie, Aged-Looking Illustrations Inspired by the Occult [feedly]



----
Eerie, Aged-Looking Illustrations Inspired by the Occult
// Brown Paper Bag

tin can forest

Tin Can Forest a moniker for the collaborative work of Canadian artists Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek. Together, they create sequential art, film, and books that are inspired by the forests of Canada, Slavic art, and occult folklore.

When I first saw their illustrations, I thought that they might've been produced years and years ago. They have an aged look to them because of the distressed texture that Tin Can Forest uses. It knocks all of their colors down in saturation, making it look like you'd find them in the pages of a worn-out (and well-loved) book.

tin can forestVĂ½hled the magician sunrise vanoce mavky Invocation the royal wedding la strada witch

The post Eerie, Aged-Looking Illustrations Inspired by the Occult appeared first on Brown Paper Bag.


----

Shared via my feedly reader


Sent from my iPad

New Murals by ‘1010’ Expose Hidden Portals of Color in Walls and Buildings [feedly]



----
New Murals by '1010' Expose Hidden Portals of Color in Walls and Buildings
// Colossal

1010-1
Installatoin view, Limbus. Hashimoto Contemporary

1010-7

1010-2

1010-3

1010-4

1010-5

1010-6

Over the last year or so, German street artist 1010 (previously) created several of his fantastic spray paint portals in locations around Germany, Panama, and the United States. 1010 brings surprising layers of depth to drab facades and blank gallery walls by painting concentric layers of color. The artist most recently had a solo show at Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francisco titled Limbus. You can see more over on Juxtapoz and on Facebook.


----

Shared via my feedly reader


Sent from my iPad

Barriers Every Art Student Must Overcome [feedly]



----
Barriers Every Art Student Must Overcome
// Artist's Network

I love being an art instructor, it is such a rewarding career. I'm a self-taught artist and thus have invested many, many hours in the trial-and-error process to learn to create my own satisfying works of art. Those hours pale in comparison to the self-satisfaction of creating art, and equally pale in comparison to the joy I experience when I get to bring students along on the art journey. Sharing my knowledge with students and explaining my processes are some of the most rewarding aspects of my life.Lee Hammond Art Instruction

Part of the year I live in Kansas and part of the year I live in Florida. Thus, I teach part of the year in Kansas and part of the year in Florida. It's always bittersweet when I prepare to leave one state to spend time in the other. It's sweet because I look forward to the new classes I have scheduled in the new location, but bitter because I have to say goodbye to current students. It's doubly hard when I see a student on the cusp of an artistic breakthrough. I help students through many struggles and having to leave when they're about to make a breakthrough is hard. As their instructor, my hope is that students diligently practice their art in my absence, forge ahead in their creative path without me, and build their own creative confidence.

Some of my students have come to me for more than 20 years, and since the average time students stay with me is 10 years, I must be doing something right. It's a joy to watch students succeed and I want my art students to continually achieve new levels.

Over the years, I've noticed some barriers students allow to hinder them from reaching their next level of success. I want to get these destructive little habits out in the open so you can avoid doing them. My hope is that if you're aware of these bad habits, you'll be able to catch yourself and STOP!

Barrier 1 - Fear of Failure: Being afraid to fail or to make a mistake is normal when you're learning something new. However, if you don't try something, you will never learn. What's the worse that can happen, anyway? You need a new piece of paper? I have thrown away many things, and with each one tossed, I learned valuable lessons. Fear not, just go for it!

Barrier 2 – Waiting to be Told What To Do: This is also normal when you're a beginner. However, part of learning is trying to figure stuff out on your own. Too many students sit helpless until I get to them, rather than making an attempt. I'm always happy to guide students, but you will become too dependent if you don't learn to analyze your procedures and work through problems. You must push yourself to work independently.

Barrier 3 – Ye Who Practice Not: Once a student has learned a new technique, they often seem to forget it by the following week. It is essential to practice a "segment drawing notebook" as I call it in my books. I see the benefits when a student actually practices. However, many students don't want to, so the level of their artistic growth is not as good as it could be.Lee Hammond Art Instruction

Barrier 4 – Acting As a Human Copy Machine: I can see it on the student's face when their art doesn't turn out exactly as they intended. Many art students get way too caught up in making their art identical to their reference. It's important to be an artist and own your artistic liberties. After all, if your reference photo is so great, just frame that! Being an artist is about being creative and a reference photo is just that – a reference.

Barrier 5 – Addiction To Learning Without Applying it to Actual Art: I've had some students that are chronic question askers. Now, that is a good thing, but some get caught up in the learning process, and do nothing but read about it, ask questions, watch the demos, take copious notes, and do nothing more. What they end up with is a notebook full of wonderful advice and suggestions, but they don't draw anything. You must apply the knowledge.

Barrier 6 – Not Paying Attention During Demonstrations: Wow, is this a hotspot for me! Art Classes with Lee HammondAdmittedly, it's frustrating to try to guide an art student and not have him/her pay attention. I have been hard at work showing someone how to improve an area in his artwork, only to turn around and find him off talking to someone else two tables down, checking a text message, etc. I love being an art teacher and will always show art students how to do something better, but you must pay attention in order to learn. Always remember that your teacher is sharing thousands of hours of learning with you, to make it easier for you.

Barrier 7 – Allowing Outside Influences and Opinions Stunt Your Growth: One week the art student is elated with her progress, only to return to class the next week telling me, "He thinks this looks funny" or "They said this needs to be done differently." While I welcome some outside commentary simply due to the fact that art is subjective, it's frustrating when that opinion matters more than mine. I've seen some pieces never finished due to an unkind remark or criticism from an outsider. That is unfortunate. I've seen artwork finished with pride, and then placed under the bed because it wasn't received as well as the student had hoped. I've seen commissioned pieces rejected and my students crushed when the client was dissatisfied. It's all a part of the process, my friends, and you must toughen up. Be proud of your work regardless of outside opinions. If your happiness is hinged on the reaction of others, you will often be hurt. Love what you do and do your best. Please yourself first.

Thank you for allowing me the honor of being your teacher and for helping me fill the world with beautiful art. Together we are an awesome creative team! I hope this blog post explains a few things so we can come together to create a better learning experience. Art students, remember how lucky you are to have a mentor. Keep smiling, and stay creative.

With art, the world is a better place!
Lee


Edited by Meghan Norton, eMedia Production Coordinator, ArtistsNetwork.com

Lee Hammond has been called the Queen of Drawing. That may not be fair these days, since in addition to providing the best drawing lessons, she has also created fantastic books and videos filled with the same easy to follow acrylic painting techniques, colored pencil techniques and more. Click here to see all of the instructional books and DVDs that Lee Hammond has to offer!

The post Barriers Every Art Student Must Overcome appeared first on Artist's Network.


----

Shared via my feedly reader


Sent from my iPad

Vintage Treasures: Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny [feedly]



----
Vintage Treasures: Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny
// Black Gate

Damnation Alley hardcover-small Damnation Alley Berkley Medallion-small Damnation Alley Movie tie-in-small

Roger Zelazny is one of my favorite authors. He wrote a wide range of fantasy, from Hugo-winning science fantasy (the brilliant Lord of Light) to a wildly original epic (the ten-volume Chronicles of Amber) to Sherlock Holmes-Lovecraft pastiche (A Night in the Lonesome October). Only one of his novels has ever been adapted for the screen, however: his post-apocalyptic adventure Damnation Alley, first published in hardcover by Putnam in 1969 (above left, cover by Jack Gaughan).

The book follows Hell Tanner, a condemned murderer, who's offered a pardon if he will attempt a suicidal run across the blasted terrain from L.A. to Boston to deliver a plague vaccine. Tanner faces radioactive storms, 120-foot-long snakes, killer bats, giant mutated scorpions, and desperate human survivors as he traverses the thin habitable zone zig-zagging across the nuclear-scarred ruins of America.  The movie, which barely rises above the level of camp, was expected to be a major blockbuster. But it had the misfortune to be released the same year as Star Wars, and it sank without a trace.

The movie did a lot of things wrong… but one thing it did right was to focus much of the marketing on Tanner's sweet ride: the Landmaster, a gigantic, grenade-throwing, nearly impenetrable all-terrain vehicle. It was custom designed for the film. Only one was every built — at a staggering cost of $350,000 in 1976 — and it still survives today. That's why it pays to get the extended warranty, especially during periods of nuclear armageddon.

Ever since the film was released, the Landmaster has become the defining image for Damnation Alley, showing up in one form or another on the cover of every single paperback edition. Here's an assortment of covers spanning nearly a decade, from Sphere in 1983 (below left, art by Chris Foss), Tor in 1984 (below middle, Alan Gutierrez) to Sphere again in 1990 (below right, art by Chris Foss again).

Damnation Alley Sphere-small Damnation Alley Berkley Tor-small Damnation Alley Sphere 1990-small

[Click on any of the images for bigger versions.]

I enjoy surveying cover art, but I also like to see how the marketing copy changes over the years. Here's the cover and text to the very first paperback edition, from Berkley Medallion in June 1970 (art by the great Paul Lehr):

Damnation Alley Berkley Medallion wrap

I like Lehr's Berkley cover, even though he totally forgot to put the Landmaster in there. The first to do that was Sphere Books, for the UK paperback edition in April 1974 (art by Eddie Jones):

Damnation Alley Sphere 3-small

But my favorite back-cover copy comes courtesy of the movie tie-in, published in November 1977. Paul Lehr painted the poster — featuring the Landmaster, naturally — and it was reused for the paperback.

Damnation Alley Movie tie-in wrap

Finally we have the Tor version, one of my favorite Damnation Alley covers. You don't know how often I've longed to have a Landmaster during my morning commute.

Damnation Alley Berkley Tor wrap

Damnation Alley has been reprinted a handful of times in the 21st Century. Below left is the Gollancz SF Collectors' Edition (Oct 2003, art by Chris Moore); in the middle and right is the wraparound cover for the 2004 iBooks edition (art by Dennis Calero).

Damnation Alley Gollancz-small Damnation Alley ibooks-back-small Damnation Alley ibooks-small

If you're interested in seeing the movie — and it does have its moments — it's currently available in both DVD and Blu-ray.

Damnation Alley DVD

Damnation Alley was first published in paperback by Berkley Medallion in June 1970. It is 157 pages, originally priced at 75 cents. The cover was by Paul Lehr. It has been out of print since 2004, but digital editions are available.

See all of our recent Vintage Treasures here.


----

Shared via my feedly reader


Sent from my iPad

Fwd: Slow-mo ink


-nate


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Grantisimo <grantisimo@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 12:59 AM
Subject: Slow-mo ink
To: Nate Marcel <greatseamonster@gmail.com>


This is a good video about injecting ink into an aquarium that came out today. http://youtu.be/gzkB574jivA