July 2nd, 2010

Lawnmower Guy

Lawnmower Guy

Old men are the best characters without even trying. Case in point, Lawnmower Guy. Every day, Coworker and I see him driving around in his lawnmower-mobile. I think he uses it as his main source of transportation. Whether or not that is true, he is awesome. All I can do is picture him racing or jumping jumps with it and then immediately telling a story about the way things used to be back in his day.

July 1st, 2010

Crazy Cat Lady

Chilling with my Gnomies

Chubs is one for discussing the finer things in life with his gnomies.

Canadian Chubs

A finely crafted suit of armor.

His Royal Chubliness

Perched on a ledge of doom, His Royal Chubliness surveys his domain.

June 29th, 2010

2010 Hodag

SketchPreliminary sketch of “Pioneering Hodag Frontier.”

Start to FinishHe wears a brave face from start to finish. 5′ tall by 7′ long, coated mostly in outdoor acrylic house paint with a hint of a clear sealant on top.

Hodag 10 HoursAfter 10 hours, most of the body is painted and images are blocked in. The spikes are done after the darkest green color on the body is on and dry. The 3 and 2 inch brush start to fade away in favor for something smaller.

Hodag 15 HoursMore detail work, the figures become more confidently shaped in. Hopefully everything is where it is supposed to be at this point. The bridge is redone for the second time. Many guesstimating angle checks are performed.

Hodag Final - 20 HoursWork continues more on the city side. The horses are redone a few times. Involved detail on the downtown main street area progresses. Highlights and dark areas are intensified. Also, a color wash over the 4 main scenes intensifies the grays. Ideally, another 10 hours would have been nice but there’s nothing that says I can’t vandalize my own artwork, right?

June 28th, 2010

Tools of the Trade

Not an particularly groundbreaking post but this sums up my particular art supplies and experiences.

Paint Tools

Acrylic paint is easier to clean than oils and paints like a watercolor or an oil depending on the amount of water or additives. There isn’t much time to blend but that’s what layers and foresight are for. The watercolor brushes I use with acrylics might be screaming in agony but they get they hold more paint! When painting on metal, I’ll throw down a layer of Rustoleum and carry on normally. Someday I’ll find out that that was the worst possible way to go.
• I use watercolors as loose shading or a background in combination with a drawing because I am not patient or learned enough to be detailed with watercolors on a regular basis.

Drawing Tools

Mechanical pencils will always hold a special place in my heart because I don’t have to sharpen them and they already have an eraser attached. Someday I’ll appreciate the value of graded pencils and a kneaded eraser. Today is not that day.
Charcoal or pastels are great for capturing the big picture rather than details, good for quick drawings or expressive moods. Plus they are a little messy which is the perfect condition for happy accidents.
Colored pencils are like painting with a brush that takes up more time and effort. However, the results of colored pencils on dark paper are usually impressive. They work great in combination with pastels and watercolor.

Digital Tools

• Ctrl+z is the biggest perk of digital art. Forgetting to save is the biggest downfall. With all the brushes and settings and tweaks it reaches a skill level that is just as detailed as traditional art. The tablet is our friend in all it’s pressure sensitive glory.
• My flash drive also gives me peace of mind in knowing that if/when my computer does crash (hang in there) I should at least have a few files left over!

June 25th, 2010

Somebody’s Got a Case of the Fridays

Combo Turtle

A full Friday with nothing on the agenda = Let’s fancy up a post-it note! Hopefully it’s evident which side is which.

June 25th, 2010

We’re Kind of Hardcore

Hodag Clark

2010 Hodags on Parade brought to you in part by Downtown Rhinelander Inc means it’s time for our Hodag-Christmas family portrait number two! Let’s show ’em what we got!

Posted in Family | No Comments »

June 23rd, 2010

Whidly Whidly Whidly WAAAAA

A dismal preview of what’s to come from this beautiful mind.

Posted in Random | 2 Comments »

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