First post. Just getting used to and setting up the site etc.

Last Sunday, when I went to pick up Toddler from the church nursery, the room monitor seemed excited for me to hear something she had to say (apparently, she'd been saying it to every other parent who came to pick up his/her child).  So, I squatted down to Toddler's level to see the black piece of construction paper on which she'd colored a crescent moon with yellow chalk.  Then, she said, "God made--the dark!  See?  God made (pause) the dark!"  Grownups smiled.  Toddler smiled.  She handed me her proud creation.

When we got home, I carefully put her prized picture in the special place where I've kept all her other Sunday morning and preschool drawings--our master bathroom's trashcan.  I grew up with a packrat mother; while I may have similarities with other members of the rodent family, the packrat isn't one of them.

A few minutes later, Toddler went into our master bathroom to use her little potty.

Toddler:  "Oh no, Daddy!"
What Toddler Meant:  "You asshole!"

She pulled her drawing out of the trash and handed it to me.

"Here, Daddy."

Being the sentimental father I am, I naturally waited until she was asleep and tossed in into the kitchen trashcan.  It has a lid.

Ok, not really. Brittany looked like a ten-year old with baby doll eyes, Eleanor looked like she was twenty with baby-doll eyes, and then in the other one...Simon looked...well, like an over-sized two-year-old. Well, Simon and his mom were salvageable (if you didn't know Vinny was their birth mom...well, you just learned something new about The Chipmunks, so go watch the Chipmunk Reunion on YouTube...it's a wonderful episode!). The girls in the grotto weren't salvageable. So I did what's natural.

I took the carbon paper that's been sitting in my folder at school, put it between the screwed up page and a blank page, and then traced the parts I liked. So once I had what I liked copied, I fixed up the eyes as best as I could (I have to say, Jeanette looked very pretty with big eyes, but I had to shrink them down to be the same size as her sisters' eyes and now she looks cross-eyed ><) and finished up the out-line. So now all that's left is coloring those two and I'll put 'em up.

(I've finally finished my picture of the girls in their 'first' dressing room...I'll put it up on DA once I figure out what to call it. And as for my Simanette picture...that's gonna be called 'Part Of Your World', of course, because it's a spoof off of Ariel and Eric (Eriel? Ariec?...I say 'Simanette' picture because a friend of mine is called 'Simanette Fan' because Simon and Jeanette are both his favorite characters and his favorite couple. Anywho...I'll get that one up as soon as I actually go back to my computer...Right now I'm mad at it ><. It's too slow.)

Love Always,

Miss Cami

2007 Elle Milla

I decided to break my creativity vow for the 24-Hour deal.  I really want to go in being comfortable with a theme for time's sake.  After doing a practice page to gauge my drawing speed (something I've never done before), I realize that it's hard for me to draw quickly, and I'm gonna need all the time I can get.  Here's it is, and it took me about an hour and 40 minutes from concept to lettering.  (Not including the grey shading; I added that later.)  Bleh.

One difficult thing is using a brush.  I want to for the marathon, but I've only just starting learning with it, and it's hard to control.  I'm going to try another page tonight, hopefully, with less detail and more brush finesse.  Here's the first try, and it's dedicated to my brother-in-law JoJo, in honor of our cancelled all-day-Kung-Fu-movie marathon which I was super jazzed about.  It'll happen, dude!  It'll happen!

I was also thinking about Chinese landscape painting, and was fiddling around with cliff designs.  I liked how these came out, even though it kinda turned into Giant Melting Raisin Land.  After the main cliff crouping, I crapped out on the background; I wish I would have spent more time on it.  Maybe I'll revisit the theme later.  I need to practice up my fast-brush-movement nature-rendering skills; that'll be a nice bonus with using a brush for the Comic Day.  Asian art is great for that.

Um, for some reason Wordpress isn't wanting to make thumbnails.  Weird.

]]> http://midsouthblack.wordpress.com/?p=2045 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:01:50 +0000 midsouthblack http://midsouthblack.fr.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/preview-the-swann-galleries-african-american-fine-art-auction/ Preview the Swann Galleries' African American Fine Art Auction! Nigel Freeman Discusses Highlights of Swann Galleries' October 7 Auction of African-American Fine Art. The sale offers over 100 paintings, drawings, collages, prints and sculpture by notable African-American artists—from Henry Ossawa Tanner to Faith Ringgold. Many of the works are recognizable because they have been included in important museum exhibitions and illustrated in catalogues and monographs. The auction also features an oil painting by Chicago artist Ellis Wilson that was a favorite of presidential candidate Barack Obama when it was displayed in his Senate office. The circa 1941-44 painting, Machine Shop, celebrates African-American workers and their contributions to the war effort. For more information on this and other auctions please visit Swann Galleries online!

It's awesome to see the works of many of the African American Masters starting to get their just due!

I use to LOVE Ben10 that was shown on Cartoonnet Work (>.<).  I remember drawing this....last year? -ish... I don't really remember...haha.  The whole thing took me about 5 hours to finish (pretty fast if you think about it) and it turn out pretty great for my first time using the tablet (^.^).  

The Sketch took me 2 hours and the coloring took me 3 hours (first time using tablet...hehe)

Here's the Sketch. 

"Occassionally the model intimidates the client.  Then faith must be stronger than understanding, and only a vague intuition allows the work to begin favorably.  But it is difficult for the client to understand the vision of the artist.  Envisioning the finished work is not always easy for the architect, and it is almost always impossible for the client.  Unlike the painting to be bought, or clothing, food, and the many other choices available to people - choices made on the basis of finished materials - the decision about the new house lies in the future, is based on credit, on the model (drawings), on agreements.  The finished product is a surprise.  Only faith can reward the client.  After that critical moment is overcome, sometimes what emerges is the satisfaction of finding smooth solutions and natural resolutions to every uncertainty.  The room responds to the client's way of life."

Renzo Mongiardino, Roomscapes

We were recently completing a large estate project for some wonderful clients in the Mid-Atlantic area, and after nearly four years of work I came across this quote from Mongiardino.  It lead me to think about the beginning of the project and the role that drawing and imagination play in the work with our clients.

I made many sketches at the outset of the project exploring ideas for the estate and for the main house, some of which encapsulated ideas that remain visible in the built work.  Before our first formal meeting however, I made a series of presentation sketches in plan, elevation, and perspecitve to illustrate the proposed design.  One of these drawings became - more than any other - the touchstone for the project (illustrated above).  As we proceeded to design and build the project all of us referred to this drawing at different times and for varied purposes (in conversations and decisions over the selection of building materials, design features, character, etc.). 

As the project was nearing completion the owner told me that the thing he had found most satisfying about working with ARIEL was our ability to capture in sketches not only what the final result would look like, but also what it would feel like.  He referred in particular to this drawing as the one that best exemplified this ability.  "It looks and feels exactly like the house," he said. 

There are actually many points of difference between this presentation sketch and the final building:  the roof is a different color; there is no half-timbering on the gatehouse drawing - as there is in the final building; and many details are different or were refined.  However, the thing I believe the client intended to say, which was central to the success of our working collaboration, is that the sketch looks like what he and his wife 'imagined' the house was going to look like, and so in retrospect that fantasy house, and the house we built are in some fundamental agreement.  This is why the sketch embodied not just the look of the house for them, but also the feeling it would have.

We were very lucky to have such wonderful clients with whom to work on such a large and long project, and the fact that they had that faculty of imagination was among the greatest gifts.  Yet if there is a fundamental message I drew from the experience, it is this:  when we sketch as designers, we dream, and we convey those dreams to paper.

The work of architecture that is in our head is transferred directly to the paper in an almost unconscious way.  This is not to suggest that it is unstudied or that years of training and experience do not go into its making, but the hand-eye communication that translates to what the Beaux-Arts would have called the 'parti' is direct and at its best captures the fundamental features and character of a design.  In the best cases this is shared by everyone involved and acts as a guide to the project as it comes to fruition. 

One of the reasons we draw everyday at ARIEL - and that we draw and sketch by hand specifically - is to practice and refine this ability.  However adept we may become in the digital realm, this basic skill will continue to underlie the most successful designs and will always create the most productive working relationships with our clients.  This is the fundamental principle that we continue to rely upon as we continue to build our design practice - capturing the essence of our designs for our clients with hand-drawn sketches.

~ Richard W. Cameron, 18 September 2008

Reference: 1213870259

ERS have a client seeking to appoint Mechanical Engineers that are required at all levels up to Principal Engineer to work in the nuclear projects engineering team to design special purpose remote operation machines for handling nuclear fuel.

Location

Warrington

Salary

According to experience

Job Responsibilities

Design or specify equipment or supplies that meet or better the target cost.

Design/Cost reviews.

Maintain good communications with internal and customer staff.

Health, safety and environment issues.

Responsible for ensuring the correctness of their own designs.

Principal Engineers may be given specific appointments as Lead Engineer with technical responsibility for an engineering contract or project.

Preparation of Design Requirements Specifications.

Use of AutoCAD to prepare concept designs and details design scheme drawings.

Performance of design reviews and design verifications.

The analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Tel: 01454 203 460

cv@energyrs.co.uk 

To discuss this or similar posts, please telephone ERS on 01454 203 460, or to Register your interest, register a CV with ERS, or to apply for this post, please Contact ERS on 01454 203 460, or e-mail cv@energyrs.co.uk. Thank you. http://www.ersjobs.co.uk

Reference: 1213870259

ERS have a client seeking to appoint Mechanical Engineers that are required at all levels up to Principal Engineer to work in the nuclear projects engineering team to design special purpose remote operation machines for handling nuclear fuel.

Location

Warrington

Salary

According to experience

Job Responsibilities

Design or specify equipment or supplies that meet or better the target cost.

Design/Cost reviews.

Maintain good communications with internal and customer staff.

Health, safety and environment issues.

Responsible for ensuring the correctness of their own designs.

Principal Engineers may be given specific appointments as Lead Engineer with technical responsibility for an engineering contract or project.

Preparation of Design Requirements Specifications.

Use of AutoCAD to prepare concept designs and details design scheme drawings.

Performance of design reviews and design verifications.

The analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Tel: 01454 203 460

cv@energyrs.co.uk 

To discuss this or similar posts, please telephone ERS on 01454 203 460, or to Register your interest, register a CV with ERS, or to apply for this post, please Contact ERS on 01454 203 460, or e-mail cv@energyrs.co.uk. Thank you. http://www.ersjobs.co.uk

Reference: 1213870259

ERS have a client seeking to appoint Mechanical Engineers that are required at all levels up to Principal Engineer to work in the nuclear projects engineering team to design special purpose remote operation machines for handling nuclear fuel.

Location

Warrington

Salary

According to experience

Job Responsibilities

Design or specify equipment or supplies that meet or better the target cost.

Design/Cost reviews.

Maintain good communications with internal and customer staff.

Health, safety and environment issues.

Responsible for ensuring the correctness of their own designs.

Principal Engineers may be given specific appointments as Lead Engineer with technical responsibility for an engineering contract or project.

Preparation of Design Requirements Specifications.

Use of AutoCAD to prepare concept designs and details design scheme drawings.

Performance of design reviews and design verifications.

The analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Tel: 01454 203 460

cv@energyrs.co.uk

Reference: 1213870259

ERS have a client seeking to appoint Mechanical Engineers that are required at all levels up to Principal Engineer to work in the nuclear projects engineering team to design special purpose remote operation machines for handling nuclear fuel.

Location

Warrington

Salary

According to experience

Job Responsibilities

Design or specify equipment or supplies that meet or better the target cost.

Design/Cost reviews.

Maintain good communications with internal and customer staff.

Health, safety and environment issues.

Responsible for ensuring the correctness of their own designs.

Principal Engineers may be given specific appointments as Lead Engineer with technical responsibility for an engineering contract or project.

Preparation of Design Requirements Specifications.

Use of AutoCAD to prepare concept designs and details design scheme drawings.

Performance of design reviews and design verifications.

The analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Tel: 01454 203 460

cv@energyrs.co.uk

Reference: 1213870259

ERS have a client seeking to appoint Mechanical Engineers that are required at all levels up to Principal Engineer to work in the nuclear projects engineering team to design special purpose remote operation machines for handling nuclear fuel.

Location

Warrington

Salary

According to experience

Job Responsibilities

Design or specify equipment or supplies that meet or better the target cost.

Design/Cost reviews.

Maintain good communications with internal and customer staff.

Health, safety and environment issues.

Responsible for ensuring the correctness of their own designs.

Principal Engineers may be given specific appointments as Lead Engineer with technical responsibility for an engineering contract or project.

Preparation of Design Requirements Specifications.

Use of AutoCAD to prepare concept designs and details design scheme drawings.

Performance of design reviews and design verifications.

The analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Tel: 01454 203 460

cv@energyrs.co.uk

I have the bad habit of assuming that everything from my childhood is kind of universal to all childhoods.  Since moving to the States, I've found myself blabbing away to completely blank stares more than I wish to admit.  Apparently, sticking maple keys on the bridge of one's nose is not, in fact, universal (believe it or not).  And, I was surprised to find that the term "maple key" is not necessarily known (they're also called "helicopters," "whirligigs," "polynoses (??),"  and, more technically, "samaras," btw).  Huh.  While I'm at it, might I complain about Americans not really having a suitable word for "touque/toque/tuque"?  What's that all about?

PS - I have no idea what kind of creature this is.

Thats basically my German 101 class today. I had been doing well in this class, then today came. For some reason, I fell behind. I don't know how either. I wasn't the smartest guy in this class, but I knew what I needed to get a good grade. Its bad enough already that our teacher thinks that he is teaching English and he doesn't understand that most of us do not already know German. One guy does (above). I honestly don't know this happened.

There really is a bird that lays its eggs in this manner. It's called Kildeer Plover. This drawing sold on my Etsy shop Makepeace Arts. I have more large Pen and Ink drawings available like this one titled: Sleeping Beauty:

So, I decided to revisit the drawing and redesign it. It was actually pretty fun, since I haven't done a "concept drawing" in a long while; most of my drawings now consist of anime junk, real life observations, and other stuff.  So, it was fun rethinking the initial drawing.

Preliminary sketch:

More sketches under the cut.

A more finalized version:

So, what do you think?  I'm not that great with sci-fi concepts, so it was a bit of a brain challenge for me.  I guess that's all I have to say.

Anyways, check it out. If people like it, maybe it will encourage me to keep making it.

Here it is...

The GIF Files