NoDa Bridge in Charlotte, NC

I was just flipping through some facebook photos, and I stumbled across these from my CouchSurfing trip to North Carolina last year. I was just randomly wandering the streets after hitting up a delicious bakery, and I came across this guy painting this epic mural underneath an underpass. He stopped and talked to me for a few minutes, telling me a little bit about the history of Charlotte that led to this public-funded art work, which he came up with on his own. He said it was a year-long project meant to beautify the area and educate passers-by. It's now completed- hit up the link for more details.

NoDa Bridge

Peach's Neet Feet

I recently stumbled upon a cute non-profit organization while checking out other shoe artists. Madison "Peach" Steiner is a talented shoe artist with a soft heart, and this has led her to start Peach's Neet Feet, where she paints a custom pair of sneakers for a child living with disabilities, or fighting a life-threatening illness.

"What began as a love of art and giving has turned into a massive network of fighters and their supporters. Since 2011, hundreds of people from all walks of life have come together to donate shoes, time, and money to bring a personalized pair of shoes and a smile to children who are struggling. It all began with one young woman painting a pair of shoes, then another. Her acts of kindness inspired others to give of themselves, and enabled PNF to give even more. This community of kindness welcomes you, as we continue growing, one sole at a time."

Well done. You can read more about the organization, and make donations, at the website here:
Peach's Neet Feet

Shaun Tan- Advice For A New Illustrator

I read an essay by illustrator Shaun Tan that I thought was really great, especially since I am always looking for clues from established illustrators on just how to do what they did, to get where they are. I'll share some of my favorite snippets with you here, or you can read the full essay at the link below.

Advice For A New Illustrator by Shaun Tan

Firstly, a good thing to keep in mind:
"That’s the first thing to be aware of, especially when either giving or receiving specific advice – every artist’s experience and circumstance is different."
So take this advice how you will.

I'm amazed at the way Shaun can create light with just a pencil.

"Enjoy what you do, to the extent that it is a pleasure to go beyond the call of duty."

"It’s very important to pursue personally challenging work, and small jobs can be just as significant as high profile ones for that reason."

"A good artist is (I think) an eternal student, and even when most confident, never feels like a master. They are forever pottering in their backyard spaces, trying to explore their craft with modest integrity."

"Communication is very important, even though so much time is spent working alone on what can otherwise seem an introverted profession. You need to be able to talk and write about everything you create in a clear and explanatory way to help others understand your ideas, especially when they are not immediately visible, especially to non-artists and certain folk who are, for all practical purposes, aesthetically blind."

"As long as you are doing something, even if it isn't successful, you are not wasting your time."

"Most people who do get published are very pleased, but not terribly surprised as if winning a lottery, because they've already done their homework and understand their surroundings. They have put themselves to some extent in an editor's shoes."

And if you're interested, you can see Shaun's website here:

http://www.shauntan.net/

Through the Looking Glass- Train

Second page is done! It's not actually the second page, but I see no reason to paint them in order. What I really should do, however, is lay out the text and then show you the painting with the finished text as well. I have the story written, but I feel as though the layout will go smoother if I have all of the pages finished first. Though I suppose there is no problem with laying out the text on the sketches. Very well then, that is what I shall do. Perhaps the next post will be a revision, and you shall catch glimpses of the story.

Through the Looking Glass- Humpty Dumpty

Here's the very first page of my children's book adaptation of Through the Looking Glass, from sketch to finish! One more finished, I'll be posting it soon enough. I actually finished this probably a few weeks ago. Been busy with holiday work, but once things settle down I'll be diving back into the pages of Looking Glass.

Significat

I found some beautiful wood carvings while browsing Etsy the other day. Here's a blurb from the owner and artist:

 "At Significat, I offer quality laser engraved signs with fun and meaningful designs, most of which can be personalized with family names, wedding dates, first names, and more. Each design is my own creation, though you will find many plaques inspired by pop culture, movies, or literature. Other themes include Bible verses, hymns, and other Christian content, kitchen decor, coffee, wedding/anniversary date mementos, family name plaques, and baby's room decor.
Thanks for stopping by!"

Check out the store, and other sites, if you're interested:

Significat Webstore

Facebook

Blog

Catapult Art Mag

Catapult's new issue is out, and you can read it online for free! (At least until the next issue is released). It's really worth a look, so check it out at the link below. You'll see some great modern artists.

I think my favorite is Maria Morales, starting on page 93. Those colors!

Catapult Volume 16

Rave Reviews

With the holidays just around the corner, I've been busy creating a bunch of customized gifts. I received such a nice thank-you the other day, I wanted to share it.

"I just returned from a trip to LA and just got home to find my shoes waiting for me at the door. These are, without a doubt, the most incredible shoes on the planet. Normally I'd use an exclamation point to express my opinion, but since the previous sentence is simply an empirical fact, I have no use for such punctuation. No shoes have EVER balled this hard. EVER. Thank you SO SO much for your time and efforts into these beautiful pieces of art, and for your sweet note! More shoes to come your way for SURE. You're the greatest."

Sure, I KNOW I'm awesome, but it's nice to hear that someone else thinks so too ;)

The One Where Alice Gets On A Train

Next sketch that I am painting for Through the Looking Glass. I actually finished Humpty Dumpty already, I will post pictures when I get it scanned. Everything's starting to pull together!

Through the Looking Glass

I've had the idea in my mind for a while that I wanted to do a project on Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass", and I've actually tried a couple of different times, but lost interest. This time, I am adapting it to a good old-fashioned picture book.

I've been wanting to update the appearance of Alice since I started, but I think I was getting too far from the original in some of my previous attempts. I want this to feature a more modern-day Alice, so I'm giving her a denim jumper and a new hairstyle (though sticking with the blonde this time!)

Kind of going out of order, but here is the sketch for the first painting I am actually starting, when Alice meets Humpty Dumpty:

Pictures of the painting will come, when I can get back to it!

Snow Sculptures

In honor of the first lasting snowfall being dumped on the North Country, I found these awesome pictures of snow sculptures from around the world. I can't even make a snowman without it being lumpy and deformed!

Now go and create!

Star Wars Snowflakes!

If you're looking for some awesome DIY decorations this holiday season, I have found the coolest thing ever! Who wouldn't want to be surrounded by some Star Wars cheer?

Star Wars Snowflake Patterns

Artist: Oscar Ramos

Got a pretty funny artist feature here, what do you think?

Portfolio on Behance

Funny Art Quotes

Alright, maybe I couldn't find any silly things artists say (though I know they're out there), but I did find some good quotes about art.

Painting: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic.
-Ambrose Bierce

Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.
-Jules Feiffer

The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?
-Pablo Picasso

And before you go:

Things Clients Say

I thought a little light humor to start out the day would be nice. Often times creative professionals get frustrated working with non-creatives: it often seems as though we're speaking a different language. Sometimes there's just the problem of the client not knowing how to ask for what they want (and not knowing how possible/labor-intensive their requests are). We've all been there, and this poster series sheds a little humorous light on the subject.

Crazy Things Clients Say

Next let's see if we can find some crazy things artists say ;)

Catapult Art Magazine

I almost forgot to post something regarding this, but two of my paintings have been featured in this month's Catapult Art Mag.

Catapult website

You can see the cover here, and purchase the magazine as well. Its a very cool magazine which I hope has much success.

Mission:
Catapult is showcasing this untapped talent along side others that share the same passion, the artist we know, admire and love, that are willing to stand for the purpose and mission of Catapult…LOVE OF ART ABOVE ALL.

Catapult is about the mechanic that has a stack of drawings that are mind blowing that lay stacked up in the closet because after all they don’t pay the bills. WE SEE YOU.
Catapult is about the single mom that doodles on the napkin on her lunch break to gather herself in her thoughts. WE SEE YOU.
Catapult is the teenager that escapes to his bedroom to draw away all the stress of the day…of life. WE SEE YOU.
Catapult is the older lady that finally has time to lay the brush to the canvas after years of dedicating her life to her family. WE SEE YOU.

WE SEE YOU.
Let us all encourage, inspire and recognize each other in our shared love of imagination, creativity and talents, to every degree.

Here's a rough idea of what my spread looks like^

NCAC Pics Round 4

NCAC Pics Round 3

NCAC Pics Round 2

Some interesting performance art:

NCAC Pics Round 1

Photos from Friday night's opening at the Dulles State Office Building in Watertown. It was a great turnout! Tried to get some pictures of my art hanging, but it was pretty dimly lit in there and many of my pictures didn't turn out great. Enjoy the ones that did!