Posts tagged 'Drawing'

It’s Called “Moon”

Straight-away I was reminded of Jake Fried, but only in materials/process. It’s clear that Emanuele is also intuitively fleshing out the movement frame-by-frame as he goes but his work is unique in that there’s no figurative elements to recognize; only abstract geometry and form that, when quilted together, comes across as both familiar and foreign.

I’m reminded of the notebooks I used to fill with random scribbles while bored out of my mind in high school: I’d start with a stray line or a random shape and then try to make sense of it with the remaining paper, as if the choatic mess left by my pen was what I had intended to create from the beginning. It was a way to pass the time and entertain myself instead of blankly staring at the clock, fantasizing about the bell that would eventually set me free.

Thanks for passing this one along, Sam Lillard!

P.S. I recommend giving Jake’s work a look when you’re done here.

[ It's Called "Moon" ]

Bear Warrior

I like watching people draw, especially in time lapse. All great illustrators have a dance to their process; a flitting to-and-fro across the surface of their chosen medium, alternating between quick, broad constructive strokes and OCD-driven micro-adjustments of detail. My favorite parts in the above video are when Denman revisits something he’s already ‘completed’ – pay attention to his repeat attempts at the protagonist’s weapons and troll/orc tattoos in particular. He’s not only experimenting with different stylistic approaches but evolving the proportions as well, refining and adjusting until both feel ‘right’.

If you enjoyed the attached as much as I did then be sure to head over to Denman’s website to see more of his work or his Vimeo page which has lots more in-process videos. Enjoy!

P.S. ‘Bear Warrior’ was selected to be in this year’s Spectrum (#19, pre-order here). Whoa! Congrats, Mr. Rooke!

[ Bear Warrior by Denman Rooke ]

Smug

Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smug_one/6203765899/in/photostream/
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Taking part in a conversation about what is or isn’t art is the intellectual equivalent of masturbation; it’s probably fun for you but isn’t of much utility to anyone else. I obtained a four-year degree in art during my early twenties which means – beyond accruing an obscene amount of debt – that I’ve spent more than enough time locked in my own head, enamored with how wonderful my own thoughts were on the subject.

This is not something I’m proud of.

That being said, I’ve found that thinking intentionally about anything is rarely a waste of time, just as long as you don’t allow the procesc to transform you into a pretentious douche. The net outcome of my autoerotic cognitive fiddlings? Two things:

  1. I don’t see much use in categorizing things as art or not-art.
  2. I tend to appreciate anything that exhibits craft.

The first item above is self-explanatory but the second is why I instinctually dismiss performance artists, ‘found-object’ impresarios or anyone else whose manifesto over-leverages the word ‘exploration’ and tend to revere potters, illustrators, photo-realists and graffiti writers.

Smug is an exemplary example of the latter two. Anyone who has attempted to draft anything with aerosol will attest to how difficult it is to get it to do what you want it to. I tried my hand at it during my late teens and was instantly repelled, knowing immediately that I didn’t possess the patience to be competent, let alone great. Just look at the images I’ve collected above, marvel at their draftsmanship and the artist’s mastery of color – can you believe a human being is capable of this shit? Attached is just a small sampling of his work, hit up his Flickr for loads more.

Probably my favorite artist right now is Kid Zoom who we featured back in December. Click that last hyperlink if you know what’s good for you.

[ SmugOne ]

The Lullaby

This time lapse video of Joe Fenton drawing is a bit deceiving; since the lighting remains consistent and his wardrobe only appears to change a few times you might think he completed The Lullaby in a matter of a few days.

It took two months.

As I was watching full-screen – the progress bar and UI conveniently hidden away – I kept thinking the video was about to end; how much more detail could he possibly add? What else was there left to do? Just graphite on Arches would have sufficed but Joe pushes it to some next-level shit when he busts out the airbrush, white gouache and muted water watercolors to further enhance its three-dimensionality.

The backing music by his brother, Julian, is a nice compliment to the visuals: mysterious, ethereal and subdued. Full screen and headphones, y’all.

To see see more of Joe’s work head on over to his Behance page or website.

[ The Lullaby - 2011 - By Joe Fenton ]

John Kenn’s “Post-It” Art

John Kenn is an animator for children’s television shows in Denmark, but in his spare time he likes to draw these monster scenes on yellow stationary notes. They are very reminiscent of Edward Gorey, as I’m sure a lot of people will notice. It’s impressive that this is what this guy just does for fun. Check out his full gallery for more awesomeness.

[ Don Kenn Gallery via BuzzFeed ]

Irinia Vinnik is talented

Irina Vinnik: Abstract

I love this abstract drawing by Irina Vinnik. To see more from her sketchbook (including some excellent letter forms)  click here.

[ Irina Vinnik's Sketchbook ]