The skate park is a great place to capture a lot of quick gestures! Thanks to @Pentallicart for sponsoring my Urban Sketching demo at Lenz Arts on Nov 4. Come on by, it's free!

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Breakfast sketch. I love the way this guy was framed by this little wall. Come see me at Lenz Arts on Sat. Nov 4.for a Free Urban Sketching Demo sponsored by @Pentallicart, where I will share some of the techniques that you can use to make a sketch like this! Hope to see you there.

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vision 1

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vision 1

18 10 2017

since my new book will go into printing in about 2 weeks I want to give you some more information about it. the title is VISION – COLOR AND COMPOSITION FOR FILM. my co-author is SANATAN SURYAVANSHI, will soon tell you some more about him. my first plans for a book about film-design go back about 10 years, after the publication of DREAM WORLDS. during all my lectures I realized there was a need for some guide where to start with the design process in films, and to explain more about the VISUAL LANGUAGE.

after I had met sanathan in 2010 we discussed the idea to work together on this book, because it seemed to be a bit overwhelming. it was a lot of fun, extremely difficult and time consuming. until now the book was over seven years in the making. we did probably one third of the book twice, reworked chapters, threw complete sections out and developed new ideas. for me, and I guess for san as well, it was like going to school again. I learned a lot, and of course it helped to improve my lectures at the university immense. since I concentrated mostly on the illustrations after a while – there a over 700 in the book – I needed to develop a style for the illustrations that would fit the content and was not overloaded with realistic detail.

another problem that had to be solved was the layout of the book, we did not want to make the mistake of most books I remembered from school, where the huge amount of text and a boring layout was not inviting you to start and work with it. I wanted the book to look like a magazine, where you could search for interesting spots and get hooked to read more.

I probably created about 100 test pages, where I experimented with different combinations of typography and images. some of those ideas went into the final book layout. because I learned so much about all different aspects over these years I went back and forth changing many pages. you will probably feel that evolving process when you look at the book, what makes it a real text-book – I learned from it as well.

following are some of those test pages to give you an idea

© bilderfabrik

James Montgomery Flagg

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Have You A Good Skull? (1934)

youtube 

James Montgomery Flagg

Michal Jasiewicz

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Michal Jasiewicz is a Polish architect whose avocation and passion is painting in watercolor.

Like other artists trained in architecture or architectural rendering, Jasiewicz’s work is characterized by a foundation of solid draftsmanship that allows his to apply his colors freely without losing the sense of underlying geometric strength.

I particularly like that characteristic of his work as well as his skilled contrast of hard and soft edges.

Jasiewicz conducts workshops in Poland and elsewhere, including an upcoming one in Valencia, Spain, 13 November – 17 November, 2017. (There are additional examples of his work on the workshop info page.)

There is a brief interview with Jasiewicz on Art of Watercolor.

 

10 Things About Visual Storytelling

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Tomorrow, October 24th

, my novel,

Above the Timberline

, is

officially released!

Many of you have followed along while I built this approach to storytelling, from thumbnails to sketches to final art.

Once you read it, or even if you're just excited about it, please write a review on Amazon. (After 50 reviews, their algorithms recognize the interest generated for a title.) I appreciate all your help and support! But most of all, I hope you enjoy it!

To celebrate a little on Muddy, I’ve prepared a new “10 Things” list below about important aspects for building your own visual stories. I hope we, as creatives, can encourage more publishers to produce works like this.

10 Things About Visual Storytelling 

Character first.

Start with a character. Write something about them that you find intriguing. It’s likely a reader will, too. Put the character in a scene and move them through it. Make them speak. What they do and how they talk will give you boatloads of information about who they are. Don’t ‘discover’ them by including too much description in the prose, learn the character and then edit to a succinct description. As viewers we already project character onto people.

Now thumbnail out the sequence. How do they move? What’s their body language? It's

what

they do and

how

they do it. Get that down to a three-thumbnail sequence. If you can, reduce it to a moment in a visual, and rearrange images for sequences. Maximum impact for less.

Do this over and over again. That’s what I did for ATTL.

The Zero Draft.

Before I understood how to write a good First Draft, I learned about the

Zero Draft

. Put words down on paper as much as you can as intuitively as you can. Get it all out, no matter how sloppy or disjointed, how poorly structured or convoluted, bad grammar or none…get it down on paper before your inner-critic puts the kibosh on it.

Now go back and rework it. All good writing is rewriting. Over and over again until it’s just like you want it. Like a painter putting finishing touches to the canvas.

Keep in mind, if it sounds like writing, cut it.

Temporal shifts.

Sequential stories are becoming less linear. Film uses a linear format because it’s compressing time. But we start and stop all the time: a book, podcast, movie, audio books. A clip of music is enough to remember the whole song. Film audiences have learned to flow with disjointed timing as culturally we change our viewing abilities. Our minds go forward and backward in time everyday, remembering, dreaming, conceiving future events. We can use this in storytelling.

Through-line.

Your characters need something, and the reader needs them to move to get it. A three-act story is a classic approach to storytelling because it’s basically setup, failure, resolve. (Sounds like life doesn’t it?) Or it could be setup and reveal, setup and reveal, setup and resolve. You need a clear line through the story to carry the reader. Best to start with the end in mind.

Format.

Format telegraphs your intent. I got around this by removing panels so that it wouldn’t be assumed to be a graphic novel. Word balloons were the first to go. They instantly project to the viewer that it’s a comic format. Nothing wrong with that, but I didn’t want the preconception; didn’t want the reader to assume what they were in for. It’s a different kind of read and I took the risk to tell it that way.

Visuals.

It’s important not to merely illustrate text. “Say it and see it” is for children’s books. Pull the reader along through curiosity. Curiosity can be built by setting up the reader to expect one thing and revealing or showing them something else they hadn’t expected afterward. That’s the payoff. Say something on one page and pages later reveal it visually with a slight twist, or unexpected point. 

Show what you can’t tell; tell what you can’t show.

In most writing it’s better to show than to tell, but this is changing, too. In visual stories like ATTL, I focused on showing story in the visuals--things that took too long to describe in words. And I told story in the prose-- things I couldn’t get across visually: emotions, smells, etc.

All good writing is rewriting. Over and over again, until it’s just like you want it, like a painter putting finishing touches to the canvas.

Less is more.

You’re an artist. You’re already thinking visually. Your visual stories

are

stories. But remember to create curiosity for more. Don’t attempt to explain everything. Nobody cares.

Simple impact.

Less is more is a good guide for most creative work. Keeping things simple is key. Even in complex visuals like a crowd scene or a battlefield, the viewer must be walked through the composition to give impact. To guide the eye through a picture the composition must build a pathway for the viewer to follow characters, figures, or elements.

It’s storytelling. Too much visual information will stall the impression. Too much description in prose is needless. Though, you can use dense information to slow a sequence down on purpose, asking the reader or viewer to see something small, or point to something insignificant yet important. One must learn when to use these effects, but in most cases, it’s best to be direct and honest.

You are asking the audience to come along. They’ll appreciate a sincere approach.

Stay with it.

Remember every writer starts from the same point: word education. NO ONE is born gifted in language. It must be learned. Certainly, some people learn words faster than others. So what. Speed has nothing to do with it. It generally takes decades for a writer to mature and many great writers were much older before they wrote their renowned works.

Forget this pressure. There are loads of great books on how to write or even create great sentences, just like there are books about how to draw well. You can learn to put words and images on paper in a way that stimulates readers.

Painting Newport's Shipyards

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Thomas C. Skinner (American, 1888-1945) painted the worker's world of shipbuilding.

A couple of weeks ago, when I visited the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, Jeanne Willoz-Egnor, Director of Collections Management, took me behind the scenes to see some of Skinner's paintings. This giant oil shows the workings of the forge hammer shop.

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, December 19, 1948: "Shortly after the Mariners’ Museum was founded in 1930, Mr. Skinner was appointed its staff artist. By a happy stroke of fortune he was assigned studio space in the heart of the shipyard where he could paint from life all phases of modern steel shipbuilding." 

"His studio did not possess the conventional quite decorum. Riveting hammers provided a continuous tattoo, and his floor shook with the vibration of heavy machinery."

Thomas C. Skinner, preliminary study, courtesy Mariners' Museum

"But he learned in a matter of moments to set up his easel and start sketching a damaged tanker being warped into a big drydock. The result has been that his unposed paintings are bold, colorful, and almost noisily true to life."

This 1933 gouache shows the Mallory Line freighter Mallemak in dry dock, getting a paint job. 

In the shipyard's heavy machine shop, he depicts the special tools used to refine the shapes of the forgings and castings.

The expressed intent of his project was "to promote prosperity during the Great Depression and celebrate America's industrial might."

----

Read more

Shipbuilders' art, painter's art meet

Main page for Mariners' Museum 

This is their page on Thomas C. Skinner 

Thanks, Jeanne.

Sometimes urban sketching can happen right in your very own home! Come see me at Lenz Arts on Sat. Nov 4.for a Free Urban Sketching Demo sponsored by @Pentallicart, where I will share some of the techniques are used to make a sketch like this! Hope to see you there.

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It is fun drawing scenes like this mother giving her son a civics lesson while eating pizza. Come see me at Lenz Arts on Sat. Nov 4.for a Free Urban Sketching Demo sponsored by @Pentallicart, where I will share some of the techniques are used to make a sketch like this! Hope to see you there.

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Jaw meet floor. Bravo Maestro @gmanchess 👏👏👏 #AboveTheTimberline #GregManchess

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Godzilla ate my homework! ...

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Dave Zeltzer gave a great presentation to a crowd at Book Shop Santa Cruz @bookshopsc

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Saw these two people having lunch together, and made a quick sketch.

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You know what's awesome? Free art supplies! Thanks to the good filks at Lenz Atrs for hooking me up! Preparations for my upcoming Urban Sketching Demo! Nov. 4th!

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Video Portrait of C.F. Payne

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American illustrator and teacher C.F. Payne is the feature of a new hour-long documentary called "C.F. Payne: An American Illustrator."

Payne is known for his award-winning Time covers, MAD magazine caricatures, and children's book illustrations, which he has produced over a span of nearly four decades. "It's not a race. It's a marathon. You just keep working."

His whimsical and affectionate portraits of celebrities and sports stars usually start with sketchy drawings. Many of his editorial assignments have to be completed under extremely short deadlines. 

In the documentary he talks about the pressures of a freelance lifestyle, and we also get the benefit of hearing the perspective of his wife and two sons. 

One of the themes that runs through the documentary is Payne's love of baseball. He paints a giant cutout of legendary player and commentator Joe Nuxhall to decorate the stadium of the The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields. 

The film lets us see over his shoulder as he produces some of his multi-media paintings. But this isn't a technique video, and we don't really get the details of his materials or working process, nor does he explain his specific approach to caricature. 

However, if you buy the bundled version, you get a couple of demo videos along with the main feature. In those demos, C.F. Payne goes in detail about his process. 

 C.F. Payne: An American Illustrator is a portrait of a regular, hard-working guy, a good video to share with a young person who might be contemplating a career as an illustrator.

Payne is committed to drawing every day and always improving his ability. "I drew all the time as a young person," he says. "I love making art. It's the place I love to be."

Teaser for "C.F. Payne: An American Illustrator" from Tony Moorman on Vimeo.
Facebook page for the film
C.F. Payne: An American Illustrator is available on Vimeo for $4.99

And now, Introducing Rosemary’s Comber Brush

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The second interesting brush Rosemary offered me, was their Series 2250 Flat Comber.

The gimmick here is, we have a flat, with tiny serrations along the edge. Giving you rake-like marks – a series of parallel lines.

I do this with a pointed round by grinding the brush into the palette so that the tip splays out into a jagged fan. But that’s kind of a grim way to handle your brushes. It’s nice that Rosemary’s created this serrated flat, to give you a similar effect.

It’s a “Golden Synthetic” – which I can only assume is a kind of nylon. So it’s not a soft brush, or exceptionally thirsty. But, you wouldn’t want that, as it’s made for this kind of dry brushing.

I was using the Comber in combination with the Pyramid Brush. They do seem complimentary. Both brushes offering a unique kind of mark making. Supporting a calligraphic kind of drawing.

Or at least, that’s what comes naturally to me, when you give me these tools :)

 

Readings from Ruskin

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(Link to YouTube) Here is a vintage recording of readings that I did from the Victorian art critic John Ruskin, excerpted from his famous works "Modern Painters" and "The Elements of Drawing."

The recording is from a cassette tape which circulated by mail in 1985 among a group of art friends called "The Golden Palm Tape Network."

Topics include:
1. Greetings to Ron Harris and James Warhola.
2. Discussion about audio line mixers
3. Readings from Ruskin:
• painting open water
• advice to students
• gradation
• atmospheric perspective.

Note his point at around 20 minutes in that cool colors don't necessarily recede, and warm colors don't necessarily advance.

You can still get copies of Modern Painters in print at Amazon. The other book I quoted from is The Elements of Drawing