2008/09/29

Paul Newman



One more guy that personified cool leaves us...he definitely did not have a "failure to comunicate"!!!

*Updated post with a pencil sketch that's a bit more of a stretch and a more refined version of the "portrait"!
*Updated 10/08/08 with final version "Young Newman"...although I could probably finesse it's time to walk away.

2008/09/21

Audrey Hepburn



This one was done for the monthly "Lets Draw" thread over at the NCN forum...many terrific entries...another great reason to join!

Fear [S] of the Dark














FEAR[S] OF THE DARK

Animated Charles Burns...very cool!!!!
*video courtesy of Yahoo

Tekkonkinkreet

I originally came across this post about the background art in the anime film "Tekkonkinkreet" on the Lines & Colors blog. The links it provided had the most amazing stuff I had seen...the attention to detail was incredible!!! The book (books as I later found out) were not available in the U.S. so I went to Amazon Japan and was able to order them. Although the books are small in size the artwork on their pages make them well worth owning!!!
The book with the White cover has the finished color renderings and the Black cover contains the original pencil sketches that the later artwork was based on. I guess they could've combined both books but in any case they're both terrific. I'm not a big fan of anime but I will definitely rent this one just for the beauty of it's production art.














Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White

"i seldom do" Live Journal / Tekkonkinkreet

SOFTIMAGE|XSI User Profile: Studio 4°C TEKKONKINKREET

Studio4c

2008/09/07

NCN Caricatures and...




A couple of recent caricatures of NCN Members, the briliantly talented Pete Emslie and renaissance man Rock Cowles. I've also added two character studies for an updated version of a classic.

2008/09/05

Inspiration: William Dobell









I've been studying the work of portrait painters recently to see what elements I could bring to my own work. I happened to come across the work of Sir William Dobell, a celebrated Australian artist who I was totally unfamiliar with. What really caught my attention was the portrait he had done of fellow artist Joshua Smith which he entitled "Portrait of an Artist" and won him the Archibald Prize (regarded the most important portraiture prize in OZ).
Like Otto Dix and George Grosz, Dobell would exaggerate his subjects to the point where it became caricature and it seems that's what caused him a big problem with the Archibald.
Dobell’s Archibald win was contested by two unsuccessful artists who filed a lawsuit against him and the Gallery’s board of Trustees in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The main witness, J.S MacDonald argued that Dobell’s painting of Joshua Smith did not comply with the Archibald guidelines as it was not a balanced likeness of an actual person, but a caricature (which it clearly was). Although the award was upheld the ordeal left Dobell physically and emotionally scarred.
So once again caricature was considered a lower art form when obviously many of the "Masters" morphed their subjects attempting to capture their essence.