The graphic novel, Volume 1, Lost In Dreams: A Father’s Love, page 101. Digital, 2015.
I’ve done only one graphic novel. It was 104 pages long. In the 2 years (nearly) it took me to complete it, I learned that while I had a great deal of fun (and really became proficient at Photoshop), I wouldn’t (probably?) do another one. At least that’s what I say now. Never say never?
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For all you eager beavers…. xo
There are TONS of resources out there for self-initiating artists, and there are many venues to advertise and sell work. Here is a list of many of the resources I’ve used over the years— there are many more newer ones out there to discover.
Read MoreA post about a commission of a series of 4 paintings tied together thematically by the “seasons”, done in my usual botanical style and content. So that means the images will be overflowing with plants and animals, particularly bugs, flowers, etc. Everything jockeying for a place onstage, tumbling and vying to be seen, interacting with the environment, living in their niches…
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My painting, Natural History, 1999, oil on canvas.
In 2023, my keyword is commitment. It’s not a very flashy word inspiring a lot of boldness or risk, but one that speaks of quiet grit. It’s a word that really describes what I feel is an appropriate focal point for my current thought.
You see, I know what burn-out is….
Read MoreLike most kids in the 70s and 80s, I grew up with the traditional and practically obligatory art influences — Norman Rockwell, John James Audubon, Leonardo daVinci— seen as an old calendar page framed and hung on the wall or as a fancy coffee table book (right under the full-color glossy tome of King Tut’s treasures) but it wasn’t until…
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This Steve Buscemi meme is like the Giving Tree.
You know that fun little new avatar creator, the Lensa app, that’s exploding in popularity right now? It’s made your new favorite avatars on your social media, it’s cheap, and best of all, you can tell it to make up to 50 avatars in a variety of art styles. Is it just harmless fun?
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I’m excited to share with you that I’ve recently partnered with Ms. Jane Frank of Wow-Art agency , online gallery representative, to offer the original paintings for three of my books:
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Gruber Goofypot and his monsterpot cousins will be changing their address in 2023.
Say “SEO” and my stomach churns a bit and I feel a low grade anxiety, but I can’t place its source. It’s just a phrase that describes the rules that govern how other people search stuff online. According to web wizards like Neil Patel, how your product/ offering/ service is searched by the majority of us humans is the guide by which you should choose your keywords— and not how you would maybe categorize it or describe it yourself.
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Students, artists in particular, get frustrated with the seeming lack of speed on their journey to “success” (whatever that might mean). And I get it. I quit art school (the first time in the 80s) with one semester to go because I was offered a job “ghost” painting with a professional illustrator. I mean, the choice of go to school or make money and art….
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Just Doing My Job, 18” x 24”, oil on gessoed paper. 2013.
What is your wonderful art nerd superpower and gives you great joy in the doing? Do you have a lot of "shoulds" chattering away in your brain, telling you that you need to make one kind of art over another? Is it motivated by the glittery prospect of surface rewards that have nothing to do with the deeper satisfaction of actually creating the work?
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Ephemerata, oil 28” x 28”.
Style is where our ability bumps up against our ambition, so technically, we *always* have a style. That means too, that as our abilities grow and ambitions change, our style is always evolving…
Read MoreWhether you're looking at art in a gallery/ museum space or your own artwork, you want to be able to discern what the art is *doing* not just by the way a piece feels to you, but by some very objective and concrete observations that can be applied universally. Here are the components of objective critique of a work of art that I always used when I was teaching and assessing student work.
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Digital cover art. The 2023 Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar which can be found at your local ag center or big hardware store.
In 2003, I began doing the Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Calendars for Yankee Publishing and today …20 years later, I’m still at it, working on 2024’s calendar.
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“Letterlocked” (WIP detail), 36” x 24” oil on hardboard. 2022
Anyone interested in becoming a freelance illustrator first needs to develop a cohesive portfolio. If you’ve been making images for a while and are acquiring many that are showing a particular personal style and content, then choosing…
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