Duking it out


The thesis is on the mat. I've got 90% of the examples in place. This gathering and arranging surprisingly takes a ton of time. I've got 3 tables of marketing information/direction (much of it in implementation). And, if I actually spread the copy out the "right way" (that is, by the silver book of how to write everything--from a length standpoint, I am there. So, today is cutting time and writing time with a whisper and hope that I can get this out tomorrow via Fed Ex to John prior to his going on vacation. Once that is done, I can get to the business of filling up the pound with dogs. Dogs with butterflies, dogs catching stuff, dogs showing their teeth, dogs smiling. Should be a ton of fun between now and August. Maybe I will even complete the turkey and do the hooded merganser for cash (ie showing to Sheldrake Point and seeing if they want to sell some).

More later>>breakfast und kinder await.

Back again while the coffee brews...now where was I?

Oh. So, it's been fascinating to look at the resources I have referenced and the string of influences I have cruised through in the last 18 months or so to see where I have ended up. Pretty much a refined path from the New York City images I did with a crude portrait of Henry Hudson and some very simple pigeons to the place I am today. The needle has moved. And, upon looking at the "slash" work, it was good..but very simple and almost naive in it's approach. It might be interesting to do a few now to see if just in the making of any picture, this new maturity would pull through with that technique. Somehow, I think it would.

The day awaits. Driving to Hungerford Hill to take the Baker folks another round of corrections and off to the marine tailor to see how bad the damage would be to slipcover some cushions for the neighbor's patio. Some interesting wine opportunities for me to tell you about...but not for now.

Springing


I want to sing the praises of a new website/community called Illosaurus. This is how they describe themselves: illosaurus aims to offer the illustration community a single point of reference for all its business needs. The site encompasses a unique list of resources and recommendations aimed at the freelance professional artist: everything from useful tools for self-promotion and workflow through to advice on tax and copyright.

And, though they are new and growing-- it feels as if illosaurus will be a great resource for all of us who love illustration and the world that surrounds it from the profession to the cool stuff we get to buy to do our work. The illosauri are looking for links to resources you have used or know of in categories from art supplies to type and much more. Stop by, say hi and leave a little calling card or a resource.

I figure anything the great Ape (the ape leader of The Little Chimp Society) is involved in will have good energy and be a fun place to visit.

Good response to the work in progress with the dogs. Psyched. Maybe something will evolve. Two clients are already talking about Christmas cards. Imagine. More good news--the presskit we designed for the Corning Museum of Glass for their new summer show, Botanical Wonders: The Story of the Harvard Glass Flowers won a first place in the Press Kit category for the AAM (American Association of Museums). The pullout copy on the AAM site said:

"The folder has a texture and pattern repeated throught. They thought through the branding from the inserts to the CD lagel to the postioning of the business cards. It has simple but beautiful packaging. We thought they were real--not glass--flowers."

Whoa. To think they could be so nice. That presskit was a real toughy as there initially were not many pictures and a bunch of drawings the Blashka's did in preparation and design of the pieces before the lampworking began. So, with a hodge podge of stuff...we took a scan of an ratty old piece of paper and began to start layering, sihouetting and moving the pieces all around to get the general look. The idea to continue the show brand to the enclosed CD and print pieces was obvious. Its always an interesting process as the presskit needs to be designed at least six months before the show opens and the Museum team is pushing ideas around..but there is no single image to work with. The presskit is the kickstart to the visual clues we will be working with in the pubs etc.

More later>>

Mother's Day Blueberry Muffins


Okay. Okay !I've only given you one recipe before, that of the everwonderful Cornell Chicken as it is part of the local culture. Here is another local culture thing. We take baked goods to any event imaginable from bake sales to school plays, to civic meeting to great big feedings (NYSMMA last weekend we fed around 1500 kids!!jeez!). Here is a good one for the masses out there and for the home team close by.

Blueberry Muffins
Makes 6 gigantic ones (I often double or triple the recipe)

No stick vegetable spray for prepping pan
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsps milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter or canola oil
2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 fresh blueberries (picked over, rinsed and blotted dry) or whole, frozen unthawed berries( I use teeny,weeny frozen or even wild, canned berries)
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon peel

topping
Granulated sugar

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 400˚F. Coat the muffin cups with cooking spray or shortening.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter (or canola oil). Place a sifter or sieve over the bowl and measure the flower, baking power, salt and sugar. Stir/sift the dry ingredients onto the wet. Stir just to blend; don't overbeat. Gently fold in the berries and grated lemon peel.

Divide the baatter among the muffin cups, filling nearly full. Generously sprinkle granulated sugar over the top. Bake 20-25 minutes (in the case of the monster muffins--35 minutes), until the muffins rise and are golden brown on top, a cake tester inserted in te center should come out clean. Cool muffins on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Summer is coming and so are the berries!

Let's turn it on it's ear


I love that phrase. So wierd. What does "turning something on it's ear" come from? What took it from an eccentric phrase to something eeeeeeveryone uses without context etc.

Let's turn Mother's Day on it's ear. Make the moms lay some guilt or thank their kids for letting them be mothers.

Here's a card. Imagine a robust mom with grey meat hair (the frightening perms that make your hair look like the swirly ground round you can see in trays at the butcher counter at your grocery store...in our case, Wegmans or the Tburg Shur Save). This mom with the hair has some poor Dennis the Menace kid smothered in her chest. The poem might read:

The Pill, Hysterectomies and in Vitro Fertilization,
I am sure glad you are my self- realization!

Thanks for letting me be your mom.

Think of the poems with smothering, hovering etc. Or the ever popular ditties on driving carpools or waiting up late for the phone to ring. The favorites around nagging and "you wouldnt be passing English if it weren't for me". Or the old song around picking up, laundry and the world of "your room". Imagine the possibilities.

----
Enough of this silliness. Worked on the marketing of the thesis work...all in a Microsoft table which in 10 pt. takes up a full page plus...and I am not done. But closing in on all fronts.
___
I am celebrating Mother's day working on my thesis and made some pretty photoshooty blueberry muffins as a quiet way to say that I am glad I am K and A's mom. They, of course, will not get it. But, because of them, I am a pretty good bake sale queen. Who would have thunk?

Very cool idea....


You all know how much I admire Steve Brodner. He is a very smart, well read and wonderful illustrator whose work is best recognized in the New Yorker for his very schmarty pants pictures he does focusing on the home team in Washington. He is also the author of the book, Freedom Fries,an overview of his work and viewpoint. He spoke to the SU folks in NYC--and I must admit, he was one of the singular people who spoke and dissected his approach to his content and work. He actually reads and outlines the galleys that are presented to him before working on the image. Imagine! I would say rare. And, he has a point of view. No kidding. He is also a teacher and discussed his techniques of communicating the import of sketching and drawing, essentially talking to yourself prior to submitting a sketch to the client. He does a version of the CF Payne, Teacup/Teapot project...only his is with the three bears and Goldilocks. So, get to the point, Q...!

So, Steve Brodner has on his Drawger homepage, a place to click to sign up for his "person of the day" (which he does anyway). It takes you to a Constant Contact page that you enroll on. Essentially, he is sending emailers daily to an established and growing list. He is creating his own new list and he is getting his work out for between $15-$50 bucks a month depending on how big his list is. Plus, the dude already does the picture daily anyway. Cut, paste, click, touch the customer or other illustrators daily. DAILY. This might be an approach the Academy of Fine Arts may want to employ on a monthly basis...too easy.

From April 12,2007 Steve Brodner on Drawger--Caption reading:
MARINE GENERAL JACK SHEEHAN. At least three candidates have turned down the White House as it searches for a “war czar” (as, I suppose, Bush, Cheney and Gates are otherwise occupied). One of the three, Gen. Sheehan said, “The very fundamental issue is, they don’t know where the hell they’re going. So rather than go over there and develop an ulcer and eventually leave, I said, “No thanks”.”

Back to the Doghouse


This Boston Terrier is the beginning of a new body of work on dogs. Happy dogs, leaping and snarling dogs, play on words dogs, playful dogs, faithful friends. Canine confusion. Canine cacaphony. There is a world of opportunity to this content and I am psyched. This head is from a dog I am working 24' x 36" and found I was getting way too tight. This final image is 13" x 19" with the detail still holding. I started with black and worked in the midtones and highlights and have questioned this approach, but I like how the black makes a lot of decisions for me...and I can really block and tackle with the highlights and midtones in a very simple way. So...you will see this evolve. There will be a sidebar blog to the Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts relating to this body of work...showing work in progress. Look for A Pound of Rongovia to see the work progress.

Clicked to this interesting site from The Little Chimp Society called Illosaurus. This is a british site whic is "the brand new listings and information portal for illustrators, cartoonists and image makers". There are links to AOI (Association of Illustrators) and other big british sites for illustration, cartooning etc. They have some sketchy vendor lists (feels brand new--I am hopeful this will expand)-- with a cool link to a teeshirt vendor in California, Ape Do-Good Printing. Not clear on the printing but they talk about Pantone colors, special colors and have templates in Adobe Illustrator to download to comp the designs for designers. Very proactive. They also print posters. I will call to find out if the posters are screenprinted etc. Right attitude. Right tools. Cool blog to point to their cool friends and customers.Could be a nice supplier for all of us to have.

Just got a postcard from City Colors(??anyone know them)who are big and cheeeeeeeeeeeeeap. Here's a "for instance"--500 postcards, 4/0 ($45), 500 postcards 4/1 ($50). These are good prices. I will need to get a business card printed from them (4/0) 500 qty for (yes, folks, what's wrong with this equation) $15. So, I owe you something on that.

We had the happy Festival of Flowers today in Tburg. Visited the new Main Street Art Pharm, a group of artists who have studio space and a shared gallery with an enterprising woman who makes lovely natural cosmetics. Best wishes to all of these engaged artists. Rumor has it that the old Holton pharmacy space is being divided to be a used bookstore and in the other half, an optician with glasses. So, more services and more retail on Main Street. Volume Records, our used and new music store has moved down to the Commons in Ithaca--and that space is being taken by a sweet shop. More novelty. Ran into all sorts of fun people in my travels. It was energizing to be amongst the tribe.

Thumbtack Press: So Hip It Hurts


Cheese Head by Bob Dob, Size: 14" x 8", (artist website)

Every print from Thumbtack Press is a gallery quality print on heavy bright white stock. We use only archival inks utilizing a professional 8-color process. The final print is trimmed to size and protected in an acid-free polyurethane cover before shipment in a board-backed, water resistant envelope.

I bumped into the Thumbtack Press during the daily surf for what is cool, what can help me market my work and get it "out there", and for just plain good ideas that gets the grey matter to jump a little. Essentially, it is a juried site that one submits work to, and if selected-- they post, print, ship and collect the money for your work. The artist gets 50% of the proceeds--and if the work is framed, the artist gets 10% of the proceeds additionally. The Thumbtack Press says the upsides are:

* It's free
* We want you to make money
* You're too busy
* You don't have to build or manage a “store” or know any webcoding
* Make us your store (you can direct link to your work only)
* You don't have to print, ship, or advertise
* We get tons more traffic than you do
* You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain
* No obligations, and opt out anytime

Most prints range from around $15. to $45. and they range in size.

Pretty cool eh? I like it that the Thumbtack is pretty clean and not setting it up as a "very special" experience, but a regular place to get original work from a great collection of illustrators and artists. Very fresh and seemingly open organization...
Check it out>>

three thumbs up for Noodlers!


wonderful pictures and article exerpted from NYTimes>> The original>>

" Noodlers reach into submerged holes, often several feet underwater, and wrestle out catfish that can weigh up to 100 pounds, with no hooks, rods or nets involved. It's called noodling because the fisherman wiggles his fingers like wet spaghetti to entice the fish to bite. When it does, the noodler sticks his arm down its throat and grabs it by the gills."

Wiki says about noodling:

"Noodling is the practice and sport of fishing for catfish using only one's bare hands. Noodling may be called catfisting, grabbling, graveling, hogging, or tickling, depending on region. (Kentuckians call it dogging, while Nebraskans prefer stumping). South Georgia writer Harry Crews, in his autobiographical novel A Childhood, uses the term "cooning" to describe the practice. Despite these colorful names, noodling is better explained by the name handfishing; however, this term is less popular among those who participate in noodling. Only four states in the United States have laws explicitly permitting handfishing: Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Missouri has an experimental noodling season in 2005 on sections of three rivers, from June 1 through July 15. Noodlers Anonymous argues that the season is doomed to fail, though, because these swimming pool sections are too dangerous, too crowded, or otherwise not desirable for the sport.

The term "noodling", although today used primarily towards the capture of flathead catfish, can and has been applied to all hand-based fishing methods, regardless of the method or species of fish sought. Noodling as a term has also been applied to various unconventional methods of fishing, such as any which do not use bait, rod & reel, speargun, etc., but this usage is much less common."

This heightens my fear of fish with teeth lurking in the water ready to take a chunk out of me in fresh water. However, Noodler's ink with a picture of a catfish on the face of it's bulletproof black in makes the link. My goodness. I have loaded up my fountain pen and used a brush and this stuff is glorious, matte black, dense enough that I do not need a second go round on the black. Goes on smoothly, dark and in a single shot. Works well in the fountain pen initially and later in the day. I highly recommend this ink to try in your own work.

starting in the doghouse


New body of work started! Dogs! Trying to keep a very brief and simple palette--translating out detail and color. This dog is 24" tall...and I am working in this size which, I must admit, I am slightly regretting as the mid size--12" x 18" or thereabouts works better as I can work very fine and it blows up really well and holds better if I reduce the image...So. There is something new. Also, am using the new black (per blog last week) to see if this changes the epson output (as it really works with CMYK/ standard, non-adjusted, cheapie printing).This French Bulldog is the first shot in the works. Still resolving and working with him--and will continue to post. As this body evolves, I will put a sep. page up (like the birds and burkas) to post the work to.

In the eighties here. The forsythia is in full bloom. Beginning to see little leaves. Down in Corning, the cherry trees have burst. We are just that little bit cooler, that we await the cherries and apples. This weekend is the Trumansburg Festival of Flowers with talks and walks and face painting (K is scheduled to help). I wish they had a skateboard parade...Hmmmm.

More later>>

Yee-Haw Industries


Very cool people doing very cool letterpress work out of Knoxville, Tennesee. Check them out here>> Its a great way to get your own work out there in great style and unlike many other illustrators.

Yee-Haw Industries specializes in original art-like products - from letterpress posters promoting special events, music acts and theatre shows to handmade, woodcut, fine art prints. Our work is custom-to-order, designed, set, and pressed by hand.

I love their rough and ready style and sense of type and color. Looks like its been around forever without it being slick and overproduced. The Evil Kneival is a jewel. They were at Merlefest and plans in place for the NY Stationery show.

puzzling over prints


I am trying to understand what constitutes an edition of prints..artists proofs and how one establishes,maintains and develops editions of prints. I sent a note off to my contact at Syracuse to see what he knew or if he knew someone I could contact about this. All the really basic reading I have done is about prints and printmaking surrounding an ink contacting a stone,a wood block, or a metal plate. With that sort of
print making, something wears out (besides the artist)--and it self limits. However, now that we are making prints or giclees from a tireless printer that needs some care and feeding, cleaning and ink cartridges replaces, the ability to make endless numbers of prints--all consistent and consistently excellent--the whole making process has changed albeit by creating a limit to print editions adds value for the end buyer and limits the artist from going haywire with quantities. Can anyone out there point me in a direction to get the low down on this?

Where are the smelt?


Last night, we strolled to the Sheldrake Point Winery for dinner at Simply Red with our friends and neighborfrom the Silverstrand Bed and Breakfast. Dinner was asevery Monday promises with Samantha Izzo serving upcornbread and cole slaw, ribs or catfish or her honey stung chicken, everyone's favorite (but mine as theconcept of sugar being a prominant component with the savory does not rock my world). Music this week was Mac Benford (from the celebrated Highwoods String Bandand from Upsouth playing the guitar), John Hoffman(fiddle) and Randi Beckmann(piano)(Long John and the Tights). So music was great as was the food.On the way back under a very starry sky, we noted a fellow fishing with scant results. SMELTS! When Istarted at Corning way in the early 80s, smelting was the sport at this time of the year, when folks went out after many pitchers of beer and netted hundreds ofthese tiny fish that were quickly fried and eaten all in one piece. Now with the zebra mussels, they are a rare thing....to all of our sorrow. But according to locally famed arborist "I'm a tree man", Don Hair, after a chat about the good old days of scooping out the smelt with nets--they are coming back. We can only hope!

Looking forward


Quick drive back and forth to Corning to get A.'s railroad tracks off his teeth. Big move. Its been about 4 years of teeth stuff from the "bionator" to railroad tracks to rubberbands and so on. Big move. Big change. He is relieved. We are going to have to beat the girls off with a stick.

Got about half of my postcard in the mail. If any one of you would like a set, please feel free to contact me and I will drop a packet in the mail to you. PSPrint did a nice job and the black tip I gave you last week really is nice and dense and deep. It works, for real.

I am doing these funny little drawings like the dragon above..all pointy and inspired by the Brownies of the 20s. More to come.

Urg. The thesis


Slugging away. Not hard...just I have a tendency to go verbose when I don't need to (no duh!) . Plus, I have the marketing plan pretty much done and in action and I seem to be over embellishing this part that should be simple. Deep breath. One more time. The gumdrop at the end of this rainbow is that I can get back into real picture making....and setting some goals to accomplish by the October fest of the two weekends for the Ithaca Art Trail fest. I am psyched about this small thing as it will 1) plunge me into the local culture and art buying public; 2) I may actually have a chance to sell some work and get first hand reaction to what works, what doesn't; 3) give me an alternative way to show design work as well in a very controlled setting. Plans are afoot to do a body of work each on:
--dogs/cats
--portraits (one of K. A, and one of each set of triplets we know and a few local celebrities--not Whoopi)
--translating some of the leger, tigerstripe illustration to finished stuff
--ink up and finalize some of the "high on life" type skulls/day of the dead work. Take it someplace in photoshop.
--more birds
--more flowers
--some hindu inspired ideas.

Should keep me busy. So, I need to get this paper nailed down, edited down, and get the pix in place. Get the big prints ordered and framed. Our class of five have the same space as last years class of about 15...So big may work...and more than one may be shown. I am going 12-15 pieces @ 24"x36" and they will show what they will...and I will be ready for The Art Trail festivities.

Also need to start thinking about submissions for the Ithaca Art Bar --due in July :

"Inspired enjoyment from the first US chocolate company to offer Fair Trade Certified chocolates! Art Bars are certified organic, Fair Trade Certified, exquisite Swiss chocolate bars that feature an art reproduction on a collectible card inside the wrapper. 10% of profits support art education."

John Thompson is pushing for me to enter all these shows... I need to get them onto my calendar so I don't miss them. i want to enter them too...I just can't find out the day before I go out of town.

Cayuga Lake is glorious today. K turns 15 today. Having the fam for a little dinner complimented by these frighteningly huge, marshmallow "hamburgers" and the "magic 13" candle that is said to dispense good luck. Daffodils by the handful. Cleaned out the birdfeeders. Saw a brilliant gold finch and a hooded merganser swimming and tipping/upending himself to dive for the frigid fish that seem to be moving around. Chet, the man of the lawn, alerted me that May 1 was the first day of Turkey Season (I guess there are more than one seasons for turkeys per year). Run turkeys! Run!

Frost advisory tonight!

Picture is of Turbo,jr. alert and his wigged self in the sunlight.

Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts Invitational


The Director of the Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts
is pleased to announce

THE FIRST ANNUAL INVITATIONAL
SKATEBOARD DECK ILLUSTRATION SHOW

Artists will be selected from the local Rongovians and others
who choose to submit portfolios or concepts. Please contact
the director directly through this document or otherwise.

Twelve, eight inch, primed skateboard blanks will be distributed to
the said selected individuals for their illustration and handwork to have
them completed by a determined date. A show of these skateboards will
be held either at a public place or that of a very select, private art gallery
with the said boards to be available for sale. A portion of those proceeds willgo towards supporting the proposed PMZ Memorial Skateboard Park, place to be determined, Rongovia.

(boards on order)>>

chicken barbeque saturday


Every corner of Tburg is covered with Cornell Chicken franchises: the Fairgrounds (with the promised Cow Plop Bingo (missed the picture taking, sorry!), to The Episcopal Church (combined with a flea market--we got a full set of golf clubs with bag and wheelie job for $35 to set A. up, I got 2 Dragonball figurines for $.25 @, and a tray for $.10), To RonDons featuring a "racecar" with neon lettering and a sporty windfoil and finally at the Historical Society with another sale. Lots of talk amongst the management of the Academy about rethinking parking and driveways and exhibition space. There is a concept brewing that you, dear readers, will be the first to know...having to do with an invitational event amongst our students and fellow artists a the Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts. More later>> chores await.

Okay, here's the thinking


Rob is NOT into this. I am. A. is. All of A's 13 yr old boy pals are. So its 90% yes and 10% no or something like this. A. is into skateboarding. I am into illustration and cool stuff that you can market with illustration on it. So, we want to do a skateboard deck. There are these places on line you can either buy blank boards and directly decorate them or even better, you can do a 2 color board, minimum quantity is 20 pieces for about $15. a shot (translates to about $300.). No. We are not going to get rich with this but the cool factor for the thirteeners and for me (the looking at fiftiers) is about the same...and it could be a fun project...kind of like Junior Achievement. Do they have Junior Achievement any more...? Lemme look....My god! they do. We had it at our school and it totally was the lamest thing in the universe. It truly made me want to run away from making and selling products as fast as I could. The stuff they had us make was so tasteless and dumb no one ever wanted to buy it...and the idea of business plans and profit margins at a middle school/ high school level was presented as such dry fare, I am surprised that anyone grew up and engaged in the market at all.

Here are the resources the Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts sponsored junior achievement project may use (and you might want to, too):

ABC Boards>>
Academy's first choice: Mimic Skateboard Manufacturing>>
Skatepaige>>

There. No more secrets. For now, that is.