National Pig Day

Don't Crash Away All!- Acrylic, 19" x 13"

In honor of National Pig Day (I'm not making this up). I thought I'd post this piece from my book "The Barnyard Night Before Christmas" in which the pig plays prominently. Actually, he is the brave hero in the climactic action sequence as you can here in a previous post.  No animals were harmed in the creation of the book. Begun in 1972 by two Midwestern sisters, the goal of National Pig Day is "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals". I agree. I think I'll celebrate tonight by having a tasty pork burrito at Cafe Rio. 

Swarm

Spread from Winter Lullaby- 10.5" x 21" , acrylic

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "Swarm". I admit, I rarely have time to create something new specifically for Illustration Friday, but I enjoy participating in the forum. If you are not familiar with the site, you should check it out. It's an excuse to be creative and share with other artists and fans. There is a different theme posted every Friday and hundreds of artists contribute to it each week.

Detail from Winter Lullaby

This piece is the second spread from my picture book Winter Lullaby. Written in question and answer form on alternating spreads, the text simply and poetically explains where animals go in the winter. The opener poses the question "When the breeze blows the petals off the flowers, where do the bees go?" Turning the page, this  particular painting illustrates the answer, "inside their hives 'till spring arrives". It's a quiet bedtime story  for young children that happily is still in print. You can find it here.

Creating Visual Balance

Back cover for Jack Black and the Ship of Thieves- 8" x 8" , acrylic

Finding balance in your composition can be a tricky process. One rule of thumb that is helpful to keep in mind is the fulcrum and lever principle. Once again I pull a page from  Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis to illustrate the concept. The value of creating appropriate distance between compositional elements is evidenced in his sketches. A basic rule is to have the larger heavier object nearer the center of the composition and the smaller object further away from the "balance point".  If the two objects are of similar size and shape then overlapping the two forms can add interest to the composition.

From Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis

In the back cover spot illustration at the top, I  used the smaller scale of the plane to balance the larger forms of the ship's smokestacks. I broke the "keep the larger elements toward the center" rule in order to add drama and keep the plane the center of focus. The simplicity of the smoke and sky shapes against the complexity of the plane also provides a nice visual counterpoint. Obviously no rules are set in stone, but if something looks wrong or out of balance to me, I look at changing the scale, spacing or location a bit until things look right.

To the Desert Again

West of Cedar Fort - 10" x 8" , Oil 

Yesterday afternoon I took off to paint in the desert again. Richard Hull, David Meikle and I ventured out into the sagebrush west of Cedar Fort, Utah about an hour from my house to paint for a bit. It was a bit frigid at around 33 degrees but stretches of sunshine and breaks from the biting wind made things bearable.

The View west of Cedar Fort, Utah

There is really nothing that can substitute for what you learn painting out of doors. I didn't really understand this until I started doing it, but I think it has to do with being forced to observe from life and then respond to that immediately in paint. You have to make decisions regarding composition and color in the moment. You are compelled to either change a painting based on fleeting shadow patterns or stick with your original impression.

The picture in progress

I changed up the lighting patterns in my picture about halfway through because I liked the simpler shapes on the mountains to the right of my composition when they fell into shadow. This would not have happened if I had simply been working from a photo and I like the painting better as a result. This painting was done in a bit under 2 hours. I'll work on it a little more in studio to finish it up. Can't wait for the next chance I get to go paint outside.

Layer Cake

The "Worst" Cake Ever - digital

This piece is for a magazine story in which the dad teaches the importance of following instructions and how some rules in life (as well as art making) never become obsolete, such as like look both ways before crossing the street. The object lesson was to make a cake without a recipe. Everything went OK until the dad decides to add Worcestershire sauce at the end. I am sure that additional ingredient would add a layer of flavor nobody would enjoy. Of course all ends well when out came the cake that had been previously baked. This lesson reminds me of how important it is to learn and use the basic rules of good picture making as we create our art. Just like a trained chef, if we know the rules, we can mix and match and come up with art making recipes that are new and tasty. This one continues my explorations into Photoshop as a painting medium.

C.F Payne Visit

Yesterday I had the privilege of watching yet another demo and presentation by the incomparable C.F. Payne. For those not familiar with his work. Chris Payne has been a fixture in the illustration world for decades. He has won multiple awards from every notable illustration and design institution you can think of. He is perhaps best known for his 4 1/2 year run creating the back cover art for Reader's Digest called Our America.

I first met Chris in 1994 when I was just about to launch my freelance career. I attended a design conference in Park City, UT where he was a guest presenter and he was gracious enough to review my portfolio and give me welcome encouragement. We continued to cross paths every few years at conferences and drawing retreats and became friends. Chris and his son even slept on my pull out couch during their 2002 Winter Olympic trip to Salt Lake. Most recently, I had the pleasure of having him sit in on my MFA thesis defense at the University of Hartford. Yesterday I got to watch Chris in action once again as he did a demo painting for a room of over 50 students (including my class) as well as interested visitors at Brigham Young University. I've seen him do his thing several times over the years, but it never ceases to entertain and amaze me. Chris is quite simply a master at his craft. Rather than go through a step by step of his process, I'd just like to share a few nuggets of wisdom I jotted down from yesterday's presentation.

"You are only as good as your reference material- get good reference." 

"The only one taking a risk here is the illustration board" - in response to a student who claimed to have been taking a risk. 

"The work is the fun of it- just get to work. It's where you want to be- there is only pressure when you are not working." 

"You are a steward of what you are doing" - in response to why he got into teaching. 

"It is all about DESIGN- how you communicate an idea and make it make sense." 

"To design a picture, you have to see shapes. Look at the space and design the picture- don't get so caught up in the details. 

"Don't work in isolation. Communicate with other illustrators- network." 

"Experiment! Make a whole bunch of bad art and learn from it. Remember your mistakes."

Wise words from one of the best- thanks Chris!
Check out Chris Payne's portfolio here.

Crayon Dog

Crayon Dog- Acrylic- 7" x 11"

Sometimes I feel like I am seven again-drawing with crayons. If you have been following this blog, you know I have been increasingly creating work using digital technology (Photoshop in particular) and in many ways I feel like a little kid. Sometimes I'm like a kid all excited to crack open that brand new box of crayons and see what's inside. Other times I'm like a frustrated kid whose drawing didn't quite turn out like he wanted but knows there must be a way to make it better, if only he knew how. Then there's the kid who comes home and finds the dog with his crayon (when I have computer issues). Anyway, this picture goes way back and is done in acrylic, but I have always kind of liked it. I am thinking I may go back and colorize it in Photoshop and see what it looks like. If I do, I'll post it again later.