Three Dimensional Abstract

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4S7IYGUT3Yy7Fl2acWFxmcp1BPNZfSxbkOSYXeVnKeJbr0oEGFuUSAblrShLsWo4YBi3H0L8RiErnZ3vjAnh3b8K_eAmj1AiMgrHNxjszqJsksvo4X_FszEAfKEdJinVtESXz5SvEuE/s1600/Phoenix_WO_Ashes_Gurney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Usually abstract paintings are two dimensional shapes laid out on a flat surface. But you can also create abstract shapes in perspective, resulting in what I like to call a “three-dimensional abstract.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4S7IYGUT3Yy7Fl2acWFxmcp1BPNZfSxbkOSYXeVnKeJbr0oEGFuUSAblrShLsWo4YBi3H0L8RiErnZ3vjAnh3b8K_eAmj1AiMgrHNxjszqJsksvo4X_FszEAfKEdJinVtESXz5SvEuE/s1600/Phoenix_WO_Ashes_Gurney.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4S7IYGUT3Yy7Fl2acWFxmcp1BPNZfSxbkOSYXeVnKeJbr0oEGFuUSAblrShLsWo4YBi3H0L8RiErnZ3vjAnh3b8K_eAmj1AiMgrHNxjszqJsksvo4X_FszEAfKEdJinVtESXz5SvEuE/s400/Phoenix_WO_Ashes_Gurney.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Science fiction book covers are a perfect setting for such images, because it’s fun to contemplate strange forms whose function is a mystery.<br /><br />This wraparound book cover, which I painted in oil, has just been released from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2041343005">IDW Press</a><a href="http://idwpublishing.com/">. </a>It presents a starship interior going back into space. Like a child looking at the adult world, I don't know the purpose of each of the forms. I imagined that the forms were not so much designed by humans, as “grown” according to crystal-like rules.<br /><br />Some forms have luminous panels, but overall, the scene is lit from a warm inside source behind us to the left, along with a cool sun out there in space, half-hidden by the window.<br /><br />Read more about this deluxe edition of the novel by Harlan Ellison at <a href="http://idwpublishing.com/">IDW, the publisher's website.</a><br /><br /><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=gurnjour-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1600109322&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>

Three Dimensional Abstract

Usually abstract paintings are two dimensional shapes laid out on a flat surface. But you can also create abstract shapes in perspective, re...

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Cure for Middle Value Mumbling

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtw_TiEda0zjMLjKL_sPX9Gh4O6YydIF1XWqUF3Il1EyF1TFUSLZDQ7p6ms_Lnm83SiSYe8q-3wBiRv9DU_2EsxMBMGM3NTTHCAdufZMS8Q8rTl1zEGlsI29Bb-gSLnuN5hjG9Iokjgpc/s1600/IMG_2918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtw_TiEda0zjMLjKL_sPX9Gh4O6YydIF1XWqUF3Il1EyF1TFUSLZDQ7p6ms_Lnm83SiSYe8q-3wBiRv9DU_2EsxMBMGM3NTTHCAdufZMS8Q8rTl1zEGlsI29Bb-gSLnuN5hjG9Iokjgpc/s1600/IMG_2918.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtw_TiEda0zjMLjKL_sPX9Gh4O6YydIF1XWqUF3Il1EyF1TFUSLZDQ7p6ms_Lnm83SiSYe8q-3wBiRv9DU_2EsxMBMGM3NTTHCAdufZMS8Q8rTl1zEGlsI29Bb-gSLnuN5hjG9Iokjgpc/s320/IMG_2918.JPG" width="221" /></a><br />If your work suffers from “middle value mumbling,*” here’s a cure.<br /><br />1. Bring your sketchbook to a restaurant, bus station, lecture hall, or waiting room. <br /><br />2. Draw the scene very lightly in pencil, just to work out the shapes. You’ll erase these lines later.<br /><br />3. Choose a drawing tool that only makes black shapes, such as a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yasutomo-Calligraphy-Chisel-Tip-Markers/dp/B001DKLDL6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=arts-crafts&qid=1302709249&sr=1-2">wide calligraphy marker </a>or a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yasutomo-KWB09-Niji-Waterbrush-Small/dp/B000KNNKKE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302709204&sr=1-1-catcorr">water brush</a> filled with black ink. <br /><br />4. Define all the shapes as either white or black. If the scene is strongly lit, you can make the shadows totally black and the light areas white. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIz8ZgwRYRFZA9UZa0IsA64EsWDbTyqcvh4hXE9xhx3Ch3WyeyWpmY5YLXC7HophJG0aDe6svZGnNWwZPtb9GLt1AhvpyDo4O4mJpFRyEKeS2asCcgRxkzhz4k9GvKWfHzldsWQpmEh8Q/s1600/Bar_Stools.sm.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIz8ZgwRYRFZA9UZa0IsA64EsWDbTyqcvh4hXE9xhx3Ch3WyeyWpmY5YLXC7HophJG0aDe6svZGnNWwZPtb9GLt1AhvpyDo4O4mJpFRyEKeS2asCcgRxkzhz4k9GvKWfHzldsWQpmEh8Q/s400/Bar_Stools.sm.jpg" width="268" /></a><br />5. There are two rules: <br />    a. DON’T DRAW OUTLINES. Let one black area run into another. Let white areas merge together. Resist the temptation to draw boundaries. You can see I started to forget this rule and outlined the top of the head and the base of the stool at right.<br /><br />   b. The other rule is DON’T DRAW MIDDLE TONES. This is hard to do. I desperately wanted to put in halftones and transitions in the man’s back.<br /><br />5. Now erase the pencil lines. The result will probably look nothing like other drawings you’ve done. It might have a startling realism.<br /><br />The viewer will have no trouble understanding the scene. The mystery can work very much in your favor. It’s excellent practice if you’re learning to paint, because these grouping decisions are a key to good tonal composition. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZn8l719uSqdfTNpMSmub4BRcfpUEmDQWyg_gmpUVYCcpLeu7gGJ6lP5CCEvogyAqLGDM7oZ04H7_w3I1gbwdnCemUchHSgD3MSm83OBMK9aAMTXL4RrDKeG6rHQZ53u3k2BPGRg4GPs/s1600/cornwell_Hearsts_International.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZn8l719uSqdfTNpMSmub4BRcfpUEmDQWyg_gmpUVYCcpLeu7gGJ6lP5CCEvogyAqLGDM7oZ04H7_w3I1gbwdnCemUchHSgD3MSm83OBMK9aAMTXL4RrDKeG6rHQZ53u3k2BPGRg4GPs/s320/cornwell_Hearsts_International.jpg" width="295" /></a><br />It’s also wonderful for giving your work more punch or more mystery. Dean Cornwell (above) in his early career was very interested in this kind of thinking.<br /><br />*Middle value mumbling is the common tendency to mix all your colors in midrange tones, rather than pushing them to either the light or the dark. We all fall into this problem. It takes conscious effort to avoid it.<br /><br />Previously on GurneyJourney:<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/kryers-hip-hip-hurra.html">Krøyer's Hip Hip Hurra </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/10/high-contrast-shape-welding.html"> High Contrast Shape Welding</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/10/shape-welding.html">“Shape Welding”</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/concert-sketching.html">Concert Sketching</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://emptyeasel.com/2008/08/12/seeing-notan-how-to-make-stronger-compositions-using-lights-and-darks/">Related concept called "notan" explained at Empty Easel.com</a>

Cure for Middle Value Mumbling

If your work suffers from “middle value mumbling,*” here’s a cure. 1. Bring your sketchbook to a restaurant, bus station, lecture hall, or w...

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Value Planning

An art student recently asked me the following question:<br /><blockquote> Dear James,<br />Some discussions I've been involved with lately have got me thinking about the relationship between color and value. Do you approach them as two different steps of a painting? For example some people see a well worked out monochromatic grisaille painting as perhaps the most important step in a painting, with the scumbled on color as an accentuating element. On the other hand some people have a more Alla Prima approach where they jump right into color, and create the illusion of "turning" surfaces and value directly through color mixing. How long do you spend on the monochromatic stage of a painting?<br />                    ---Pro Cedure.</blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAC81b3B18sVteT8fSnIIam1tws3Aeabe5FAfZVY46d862bwn0Vu4oHHfvFwkV0eInTspTBifyIypNOV7OKp4A3MFETDXZuN7a99vCehg3RXoeymwyi987yuIj3AqltbTX3Je9kHMQPyI/s1600/Rockwell_The+Ferry+Story.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAC81b3B18sVteT8fSnIIam1tws3Aeabe5FAfZVY46d862bwn0Vu4oHHfvFwkV0eInTspTBifyIypNOV7OKp4A3MFETDXZuN7a99vCehg3RXoeymwyi987yuIj3AqltbTX3Je9kHMQPyI/s400/Rockwell_The+Ferry+Story.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a>    <br />Dear Pro Cedure,<br /><br />You ask a very great question color and value. Yes, I do think about the value structure as a separate step in developing a studio composition. I tend to do that thinking as a preliminary step in the charcoal or pencil stage. As I'm sure you know, Norman Rockwell was the king of planning the value design first in charcoal before jumping into oil (above: "The Ferry Story" courtesy of Heritage auctions).<br /><br />Whether you plan the tonal structure as a separate study (as Rockwell, Cornwell, Lovell and many academics did) or whether you establish it on the final canvas as a preliminary stage of painting, either way it really is the foundation of a good picture. Color adds a lot, but it can’t save a bad value design.<br /><br />And even with a thorough planning, you can still turn forms with color temperature as you suggested in your question. Rockwell is a good artist to study for that, and I believe many of his instincts for impressionistic color effects came from his study with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Webster_Hawthorne">Charles Hawthorne.</a><br /><br />In my case with a fantasy or historical painting, once I have figured out the tonal design in two or three values as a separate step, I begin the layin or block-in. I don’t use a monochromatic grisaille but rather a limited palette of color, such as yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue. The whole step should only take an hour or two.<br /><br />My goal in the preliminary block-in is to establish not only the tonal statement, but also the big warm and cool relationships and the overall color mood at the very outset of the painting process. I stay well short of darkest darks, saving those for the finishing steps of the painting.<br /><br />When working on location, or when painting the figure in under two hours, I am under shorter time requirements. So I often dive right in with color, but sometimes I do a quick pencil thumbnail sketch to plan the value design.<br /><br />All the best, JG<br />---------- <br />Related post on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/two-streams-hypothesis.html">The "two-streams" hypothesis of visual perception</a><br />Recommended books: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hawthorne-Painting-Mrs-Charles-W/dp/048620653X">"Hawthorne on Painting"</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rockwell-How-Make-Picture/dp/082302380X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301411411&sr=1-1">"Rockwell on Rockwell"</a><br />I also cover this material in <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">"Imaginative Realism"</a>

Value Planning

An art student recently asked me the following question:  Dear James, Some discussions I've been involved with lately have got me thinki...

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Fractals, Reverie, and Biofeedback

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheto3xBpDK765rvBZraT0vTpLR4KLVuVBYfU9LGQa8PKKRT1FmyKguz2070Fb_tQPzs5gTpKp9kDf0BpYU32EJer5tBEXyfYeSBuKwo77UubCYEtWaqkCS5x-HBtzuKWhD0VjaBXx_lbY/s1600/Cave_Forms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3dTuxAdXMb9gEaHw2IpJF134kVuMt6ckIJk9yenBgOFEVOPk5kKRE-yzWSaMD4Iy5nZ4QEHsrUPSRfMvqgipb0qZSxpgRWTBPRqM58U5VFJ53fINeEmKc3ISo-qA6OaeNDuPJZgumI4/s1600/Ornate_Picture_Frame.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3dTuxAdXMb9gEaHw2IpJF134kVuMt6ckIJk9yenBgOFEVOPk5kKRE-yzWSaMD4Iy5nZ4QEHsrUPSRfMvqgipb0qZSxpgRWTBPRqM58U5VFJ53fINeEmKc3ISo-qA6OaeNDuPJZgumI4/s400/Ornate_Picture_Frame.jpg" width="333" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3dTuxAdXMb9gEaHw2IpJF134kVuMt6ckIJk9yenBgOFEVOPk5kKRE-yzWSaMD4Iy5nZ4QEHsrUPSRfMvqgipb0qZSxpgRWTBPRqM58U5VFJ53fINeEmKc3ISo-qA6OaeNDuPJZgumI4/s1600/Ornate_Picture_Frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>We humans are curiously attracted to abstract forms of an organic, fractal character. When you sit there looking at these forms it leads to a pleasant state of mind.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3akAoF-O-TkSsA_3whY2qz0FGGUd5VSuO9a8-nmjlFz9ykpLTTV1Zw-uTMsqgQQKUXd5v5A1IZzWe_bWkBkmV1AWpftPk4X2cBXDYRlGF5iar8B9I1qBZPMmZKAxUNGeYRcQ1yXhiz8/s1600/Marbled_Paper_Movie+Theater.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3akAoF-O-TkSsA_3whY2qz0FGGUd5VSuO9a8-nmjlFz9ykpLTTV1Zw-uTMsqgQQKUXd5v5A1IZzWe_bWkBkmV1AWpftPk4X2cBXDYRlGF5iar8B9I1qBZPMmZKAxUNGeYRcQ1yXhiz8/s400/Marbled_Paper_Movie+Theater.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Consider how fractal-based forms are associated with daydreams, fantasy, and even worship.<br />1. Marbleized paper in an old book of poetry (above left).<br />2. Ornate movie palaces from the 1920s (above right).<br />3. Cathedral architecture (think of Gaudi's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia">Sagrada Familia</a> cathedral in Barcelona).<br />4. Limestone dripstone formations (below).<br />5. Roccoco gold picture frames.<br />6. Bird’s eye wood grain or patterns in marble.<br />7. The fluid, languid smoke of incense or pipe smoke.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheto3xBpDK765rvBZraT0vTpLR4KLVuVBYfU9LGQa8PKKRT1FmyKguz2070Fb_tQPzs5gTpKp9kDf0BpYU32EJer5tBEXyfYeSBuKwo77UubCYEtWaqkCS5x-HBtzuKWhD0VjaBXx_lbY/s1600/Cave_Forms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheto3xBpDK765rvBZraT0vTpLR4KLVuVBYfU9LGQa8PKKRT1FmyKguz2070Fb_tQPzs5gTpKp9kDf0BpYU32EJer5tBEXyfYeSBuKwo77UubCYEtWaqkCS5x-HBtzuKWhD0VjaBXx_lbY/s400/Cave_Forms.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />In the absence of these forms, the human spirit can wither. Think of the bleak rectilinear spaces such as parking garages. Or prisons. These lack organic character, and are scalebound, that is, lacking the large and small forms repeating at different levels of magnification, one attribute of fractal geometry which can lead to a sense of worlds within worlds.<br /><br />What happens when these fractal patterns are set into motion? Nothing is more compelling than watching the flicker of firelight, the swirl of smoke in a still room, the cycling of ocean waves, waterfalls, rapids, or stream eddies. Time lapse has allowed us to see the mesmerizing beauty of a plant growing or a cloud forming.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m2BRegNtkjA" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />Computers offer new ways to experience such forms. Computer-generated music visualizers are getting better and better and doing what the Disney animated film <i>Fantasia</i> did by hand. Below, a still from from the open source visualizer program "MilkDrop."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B_TBUTknhNzoanXIdvaCe9Doml9NYPsogD3c0ZEyoaK4AgA86s_-AN0zVicIAab6Z5s3rfwwrBVNGfkHhhDMBS9LBbeNNCSfIxMlPklDBkYOdKrgKdGs5D9XBpX915n88Wz_3YcjuqM/s1600/Milkdrop_Screenshot_Mandala_Chasers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B_TBUTknhNzoanXIdvaCe9Doml9NYPsogD3c0ZEyoaK4AgA86s_-AN0zVicIAab6Z5s3rfwwrBVNGfkHhhDMBS9LBbeNNCSfIxMlPklDBkYOdKrgKdGs5D9XBpX915n88Wz_3YcjuqM/s400/Milkdrop_Screenshot_Mandala_Chasers.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br />I believe we’re on the threshold of a major new art form using computers to create visualizers as changing visual spaces into which we can project our consciousness. <br /><br />Imagine a “biofeedback <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_test">Rorschach</a>” system, where the computer monitors the brain response when we begin to see a face in a cloud, and then manipulates the forms to accentuate the effect. A computer could shift in and out between abstraction and representation, suggesting grass blowing in the wind or a figure dancing, or scary faces wired to our own unconscious fear response.<br /><br />Depending on the program, and the sensibilities we bring to it, it could bring us into the heart of dreams or nightmares, and give artists and digital filmmakers a profoundly powerful tool.  <br />--------<br /><a href="http://classes.yale.edu/fractals/">Yale website on Fractal geometry</a><br /><a href="http://www.miqel.com/fractals_math_patterns/visual-math-natural-fractals.html">Examples of fractal patters in nature</a><br />Wikipedia on <a href="http://content.lib.washington.edu/dpweb/essay1.html">Music Visualization</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MilkDrop">Wikipedia on MilkDrop</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia">Sagrada  Familia on Wiki </a><br /><i>Image sources:</i> <br />Frame via <a href="http://www.carversguild.com/our-mirrors/number/1030%20">Carver’s Guild </a><br />Movie palace via <a href="http://theclayboard.yuku.com/topic/31225">The Clay Board </a><br /><a href="http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=ad5c363c-6fb9-4536-a5fe-bb809669886b">Limestone formation </a><br /><a href="http://content.lib.washington.edu/dpweb/essay1.html">Marbled Paper </a>

Fractals, Reverie, and Biofeedback

We humans are curiously attracted to abstract forms of an organic, fractal character. When you sit there looking at these forms it leads to ...

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Kazuo Oga

I’ve probably put way too much emphasis on American and European artists, overlooking painters from other great traditions. So let’s take a minute to appreciate Kazuo Oga, the painter who helped create the forest in Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp9PDj_zb1k"><i>My Neighbor Totoro.</i></a> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVmh4bM1C6QoYBkJ206aP2ipw5Pj4MX12zDefkBdAghihrDHjrCuYw67mK8bm8nplprsa5JMxCpV7w001fOtW4CNj3rGGdkhO6z_C8UHOq_b8hBVwnT9w_ixmvhKdErzB20b1Yb_8CxE/s1600/oga_kazuo_umigame_1b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVmh4bM1C6QoYBkJ206aP2ipw5Pj4MX12zDefkBdAghihrDHjrCuYw67mK8bm8nplprsa5JMxCpV7w001fOtW4CNj3rGGdkhO6z_C8UHOq_b8hBVwnT9w_ixmvhKdErzB20b1Yb_8CxE/s400/oga_kazuo_umigame_1b.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />On ConceptArt.org, Mr. Oga said: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Basically, I use poster- color. Because as we have to paint much, we can't use expensive paint. Poster colors can show brightness or depth of color and, above all, it is easy-to-use."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>In the landscape below, I love the way he alternates empty areas, such as the sky, with busy areas, such as the hanging laundry. He also alternates the parallel stripes of the cultivated areas with the wild shapes of the foreground.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxw8EHZiux791duOy-Z51MEqa2K-p2-dQ8eEDN_DzztpRRfBMmGFdWlMSPJzgTfJCXHJxB0j_EUMpGa7rjf6C-8OFGIaPEq-yC6lRwkxI9seC1do4UX6Gu7xCgq8uECL4KU450ib1VQc/s1600/Katzuo_Oga.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxw8EHZiux791duOy-Z51MEqa2K-p2-dQ8eEDN_DzztpRRfBMmGFdWlMSPJzgTfJCXHJxB0j_EUMpGa7rjf6C-8OFGIaPEq-yC6lRwkxI9seC1do4UX6Gu7xCgq8uECL4KU450ib1VQc/s400/Katzuo_Oga.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />Look at how he builds gradually toward the mysterious dark under the tree. He keeps the grouping of far trees in the center of the picture close in value.<br /><br />The result, for all its complexity, is quite simple in tonal and coloristic design, an important consideration for animation backgrounds, which must be understood quickly.<br />------<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp9PDj_zb1k"><i>My Neighbor Totoro </i></a>trailer on YouTube<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli">Studio Ghibli on Wikipedia</a><br />Background painting from <a href="http://my.opera.com/opera%20kanta/blog/2007/10/20/kazuo-oga-1">My Opera.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.onlineghibli.com/films.php">List of Studio Ghibli Films</a><br />Photo and quotation from <a href="http://monisawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/ponyo-kazuo-oga-and-poster-paint.html">Monisawa Blog</a>

Kazuo Oga

I’ve probably put way too much emphasis on American and European artists, overlooking painters from other great traditions. So let’s take a ...

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Jacob’s Questions

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3KzQlxqMSui8axCoDvWaVQKh_iaKI0jFbKrWHT8nBJRnPmWKgnW6uBh2o6kT9NdMHJgJ-w7rKjZMbyFsAPtO3Jzy-gnSXK-zivj7PUZJtDOXAqEdjcMYLnBwNJsMfFfRlNUabQ9c-Ks1/s1600/Ear+Studies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>I’m not usually able to answer art-related questions that are emailed to me offline—there just isn’t time. But once in a while, I can tell someone has really been grappling with a challenge. He or she has read the books and blog material, and they still have some interesting questions that others might relate to. <br /><br />So here are the questions of Jacob Cook, a high school student, along with my answers. And I’ll bet you get more answers and resources in the comments.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq8gv8bB1EaRCqtbmQFZcvCFfZY1Qz8D9wh1u47NQ1bkUuFwu28Hhxqh3f1KHc8jcM5zXfFQ17Wm7DfXpjNo7O84Us0E9lSrHcPC0FxDQzeCkZqEVJTmI0GsscLYBrg3M6WgAzVwk8Er4/s1600/warrior-woman.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq8gv8bB1EaRCqtbmQFZcvCFfZY1Qz8D9wh1u47NQ1bkUuFwu28Hhxqh3f1KHc8jcM5zXfFQ17Wm7DfXpjNo7O84Us0E9lSrHcPC0FxDQzeCkZqEVJTmI0GsscLYBrg3M6WgAzVwk8Er4/s320/warrior-woman.jpg" width="216" /></a>1. I know from your books and your blog that you make use of photographic reference in your large-scale paintings that involve humans - for example, this type of painting: "<a href="http://jamesgurney.com/warriorwoman.html">Warrior Woman.</a>" But of course, that's not the whole story - to make a painting like that requires that you place the figures in an invented space, and do it convincingly. How do you approach that task? How do you give your figures a sense of weight and dimensionality within a scene?<br /><br /><i>The key to making multi-figure scenes is to practice drawing compositions from imagination and observation, so that when you need to create a large-scale painting, you can take it pretty far entirely out of your head. After you’ve done that, you can call in the models and use photography if you want. (“Warrior Woman” was done from life studies but no photography.) Either way, let your imaginative idea guide the process. </i><br /><br /><i>Getting weight in figures comes from thinking about the force of gravity when you do your figure drawing. Take the pose yourself, and you’ll know things you miss when just looking at it. Dimensionality comes from a solid understanding of perspective, form modeling, and optics. </i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3KzQlxqMSui8axCoDvWaVQKh_iaKI0jFbKrWHT8nBJRnPmWKgnW6uBh2o6kT9NdMHJgJ-w7rKjZMbyFsAPtO3Jzy-gnSXK-zivj7PUZJtDOXAqEdjcMYLnBwNJsMfFfRlNUabQ9c-Ks1/s1600/Ear+Studies.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3KzQlxqMSui8axCoDvWaVQKh_iaKI0jFbKrWHT8nBJRnPmWKgnW6uBh2o6kT9NdMHJgJ-w7rKjZMbyFsAPtO3Jzy-gnSXK-zivj7PUZJtDOXAqEdjcMYLnBwNJsMfFfRlNUabQ9c-Ks1/s200/Ear+Studies.JPG" width="187" /></a></div><br />2. How much anatomical knowledge do you possess? Do you have what could be called a working knowledge of the body, or have you learned about the body at a deeper level, like the names of the bones and muscles? I ask because I'm getting to be very interested in the technical details of the human body. I've been filling sketchbooks with studies of the skeleto-muscular system, and I even bought a life-sized model skeleton to study from. I'm wondering how much of that sort of thing you've done.<br /><br /><i>I’m not really an expert on anatomy compared to some of my friends. But when I was a student I went through the standard figure texts: especially Bridgman, Peck, Vanderpoel, and Loomis. I copied a lot of the plates and learning the names of the major bones and muscles. Doing copies is a good path to understanding. The next level is to sculpt a figure from the skeleton outward, muscle by muscle. Some of the academies, such as Grand Central Academy, offer such training, and that way the knowledge really gets into your hands. <br /><br />I was like you as an art student. I bought a miniature plastic skeleton, a real human skull, and a bunch of plaster casts. I also recommend purchasing a couple good ecorché figures and placing them near you in your studio when you’re puzzled over something.</i><br /><br />3. If you're making a quick sketch of a human figure, which elements do you make sure to draw first? Which parts of the figure are essential in conveying the action of the pose? Is it the head and spine? The ribcage and pelvis? Some combination, or something I haven't thought of? Is this even the right question to be asking?<br /><br /><i>Yes, it’s definitely the right question, but I don’t think there’s a hard and fast answer to any these questions, and I don’t follow any single system, because sometimes I try to think like an animator, sometimes like a painter, and sometimes like a caricaturist. Different schools of the figure will give you different approaches, and I think you should learn them all. </i><br /><br /><i>Some schools concentrate on the movements of the spine and skeletal frame, others look for rhythmic gesture lines running through the whole pose, others look for contours which sweep inside the form and pick up other contours. A painter who thinks primarily tonally will look for movement and linking of tonal shapes first and foremost. If there’s a general principle, it’s to start with the big and the simple, and progress toward the smaller details. </i><br /><br />4. In the People chapter of Imaginative Realism, you show examples of preliminary life drawings next to the finished product. But they're never exactly the same; some limb is in a different place, or the head is turned a different way. What does it take to do that with confidence? Knowledge of anatomy? Prior experience drawing such poses?<br /><i><br />The figure studies in that chapter are works in progress--that’s why they’re not overly finished. They’re like a rough draft. You can’t get married to any idea at that stage. Often when it comes to placing a figure into the final composition, there will be a problem with how the figure overlaps with another element in the scene. Sometimes you might simplify the drapery or you might exaggerate the pose a bit more. Everything gets changed and revised all the way to the finish. Drawing the figure as a means to an end rather than an end in itself is incredibly liberating. It gives a drive and a purpose to figure drawing that guides all of your choices.<br /><br />Great questions, Jacob. They show a lot of thought on your part, and I wish you well.</i><br /><i>---------</i><br />Previously:<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/02/ecorche.html"> Ecorche, </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/06/anatomy-of-ear.html">Anatomy of the Ear</a><br />On Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Human-Figure-John-H-Vanderpoel/dp/1607963035/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291913924&sr=1-1">Vanderpoel</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-All-Its-Worth/dp/B000NNFLWQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291913986&sr=1-2">Loomis</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Human-Anatomy-Artist-Galaxy/dp/0195030958/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291914039&sr=1-1">Peck</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bridgmans-Complete-Guide-Drawing-Life/dp/1402766785/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291914074&sr=1-1">Bridgman</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq8gv8bB1EaRCqtbmQFZcvCFfZY1Qz8D9wh1u47NQ1bkUuFwu28Hhxqh3f1KHc8jcM5zXfFQ17Wm7DfXpjNo7O84Us0E9lSrHcPC0FxDQzeCkZqEVJTmI0GsscLYBrg3M6WgAzVwk8Er4/s1600/warrior-woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>

Jacob’s Questions

I’m not usually able to answer art-related questions that are emailed to me offline—there just isn’t time. But once in a while, I can tell s...

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Tangencies in Real Life

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGd7Q1bzRmazvZZoqMZNbnlg1KH2vTAGuwUtGRRUMCQK_mJ4D5ZMOlf7ILUnAj6XzLsyRK3fA1wsrA3DV0ni_KQCB-enkR-3neFyurB33DSKnNUTu8lORnRBzbEJndsSwIaMJtOXyHzBx/s1600/Tangencies.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>A tangency happens when two objects in your drawing touch instead of overlapping. This can attract attention where you don't want it and confuse the sense of depth.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGd7Q1bzRmazvZZoqMZNbnlg1KH2vTAGuwUtGRRUMCQK_mJ4D5ZMOlf7ILUnAj6XzLsyRK3fA1wsrA3DV0ni_KQCB-enkR-3neFyurB33DSKnNUTu8lORnRBzbEJndsSwIaMJtOXyHzBx/s1600/Tangencies.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGd7Q1bzRmazvZZoqMZNbnlg1KH2vTAGuwUtGRRUMCQK_mJ4D5ZMOlf7ILUnAj6XzLsyRK3fA1wsrA3DV0ni_KQCB-enkR-3neFyurB33DSKnNUTu8lORnRBzbEJndsSwIaMJtOXyHzBx/s400/Tangencies.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Sometimes a real scene is full of tangencies, as it was in this airport sketch. Normally you’d want to change the viewpoint or move elements around. But just for fun, I drew it the way I saw it. It’s so awkward I sort of like it.<br /><br />Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/05/tangencies.html">Tangencies</a>

Tangencies in Real Life

A tangency happens when two objects in your drawing touch instead of overlapping. This can attract attention where you don't want it and...

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Threshold Filter

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME2qNs-3QG36dvUop4Upk07Iy3gbusPe0-7eITyvo41J0efu-DuqujKxMZ5bbG8_nHAA_lgZmVmvwE1cLUWxNSUTxnopqNmCKnOJVBFyXBad10DSjp3HHdwBjNqDhdDtPrAuRkgJnlztT/s1600/Posterize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>If a painting makes sense in pure black and white, it will also be effective in the full range of values and colors. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME2qNs-3QG36dvUop4Upk07Iy3gbusPe0-7eITyvo41J0efu-DuqujKxMZ5bbG8_nHAA_lgZmVmvwE1cLUWxNSUTxnopqNmCKnOJVBFyXBad10DSjp3HHdwBjNqDhdDtPrAuRkgJnlztT/s1600/Posterize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhME2qNs-3QG36dvUop4Upk07Iy3gbusPe0-7eITyvo41J0efu-DuqujKxMZ5bbG8_nHAA_lgZmVmvwE1cLUWxNSUTxnopqNmCKnOJVBFyXBad10DSjp3HHdwBjNqDhdDtPrAuRkgJnlztT/s400/Posterize.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Put a painting through the “Threshold” filter in Photoshop (Image >Adjustments >Threshold) and see what happens.<br /><br />William Liebl’s painting <i>Drei Frauen in der Kirche (Three Women in Church)</i>, 1882,  benefits from a strong and simple value arrangement. The book and the hands of the young woman fuse into the light of the near girl’s apron. The dark elements (dresses, head scarves, ceramic jug and carved pew) are all shape-welded together and kept in a mass. <br /><br />The result is that this painting would speak across a room of a gallery. Its meaning would be clear even from a great distance. <br />-------<br />See this and other images from the <a href="http://underpaintings.blogspot.com/2010/11/more-paintings-from-exposition.html">1889 Universal Exposition on Matthew Innis’s blog "Underpaintings."</a><br />Previously on GurneyJourney: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/10/shape-welding.html">Shape Welding</a>

Threshold Filter

If a painting makes sense in pure black and white, it will also be effective in the full range of values and colors. Put a painting through ...

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Chasing the Story

In the October issue of Ranger Rick, an article on ancient sea monsters starts off with a giant pliosaur swimming right toward us.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-GIhlzU_7_L2nrg_SAkK-wya3KIBPTT1YhGZvFIy_b1gnVeS8SmZVkHMHWVz_ttb1FX0yu5LKPo_wlTYq7BAkgGoXr7-Pv1L2g7Jze3JhuMvyMC5G567N-iKYvJQIr_K9eJ0CkP4Wu3t/s1600/Pliosaur.Sketch.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-GIhlzU_7_L2nrg_SAkK-wya3KIBPTT1YhGZvFIy_b1gnVeS8SmZVkHMHWVz_ttb1FX0yu5LKPo_wlTYq7BAkgGoXr7-Pv1L2g7Jze3JhuMvyMC5G567N-iKYvJQIr_K9eJ0CkP4Wu3t/s200/Pliosaur.Sketch.sm.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />Here was the first sketch for it, drawn in water-soluble colored pencils. The big sea creature is chasing down a bunch of squid-like cephalopods, who are scattering in the foreground.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5d4Ask4Nz_s0rstp3QIjYbZAGUsOMjqLbXySZuwvNzvrbxdv2KXFMk3IT9lRxPKSANCTjlOvHPUC1t0OEI_J5vYJpbM2uevp3U9861Aw9KilrzMY6U5Tp9iQn9hFiAt0NKTTKXMpGf5a/s1600/Pliosaur.Study.vsm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5d4Ask4Nz_s0rstp3QIjYbZAGUsOMjqLbXySZuwvNzvrbxdv2KXFMk3IT9lRxPKSANCTjlOvHPUC1t0OEI_J5vYJpbM2uevp3U9861Aw9KilrzMY6U5Tp9iQn9hFiAt0NKTTKXMpGf5a/s320/Pliosaur.Study.vsm.jpg" width="239" /></a><br />Before going to the finished painting, I did two small oil studies to give the art director some latitude for layout. But even though I got the green light to go to finish, I wasn’t feeling excited enough about the picture. <br /><br />It wasn’t the design or the color that bothered me. The problem was that I didn’t care enough about the situation, because it’s hard to identify with invertebrates.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYj-gJAGtJGZLubFmIF_AasuGr-W_UFc6dL5dl7KsnEwz1Hyzzt8kMHSIuYEDdrDuJ8Xeg1er-Susv9WfblKHKlTZ9clmGPWYjtv7OmgfToLml6dirgi2IyckFDk8j8ECzbxL78iTW_p2c/s1600/Pliosaur.vsm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYj-gJAGtJGZLubFmIF_AasuGr-W_UFc6dL5dl7KsnEwz1Hyzzt8kMHSIuYEDdrDuJ8Xeg1er-Susv9WfblKHKlTZ9clmGPWYjtv7OmgfToLml6dirgi2IyckFDk8j8ECzbxL78iTW_p2c/s400/Pliosaur.vsm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The solution was to show the big predator chasing a pair of sea turtles instead. We can feel for sea turtles, and we know from the fossil record that pliosaurs ate them. Framing the scene with big coral stands instead of open blue water also helped the drama. <br /><br />The take-away point is that design alone isn’t enough (at least for me) to drive a picture. The story is just as important. If anything, the story should drive the design. And sometimes it takes sketch after sketch to nail down the story.<br />-------<br />Previous post on the Tylosaur,<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/10/sea-monster-part-1.html"> Part 1</a> and <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/10/sea-monster-part-2.html">Part 2</a><br /><a href="http://www.nwf.org/kids/ranger-rick.aspx">Ranger Rick magazine</a>

Chasing the Story

In the October issue of Ranger Rick, an article on ancient sea monsters starts off with a giant pliosaur swimming right toward us. Here was ...

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Gravestones as Chess Pieces

Painting is easy. Thinking is hard.<br /><br />As we’ve seen in a couple of recent posts, the thought process always comes before the painting. Everything depends on your initial thought or feeling. You may decide to go for photographic accuracy, or you may want to caricature the form, as we saw yesterday.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsyOBl8vgN4H70Fh6WleNob_iqJ8zx0hyphenhyphenf8DkvdRXZdiLfhjJcFrrkT00b1cmZY4xwksJz4Zw21TEiVOkobA2tQJeH1jiVMfhzdyzql5_3fM9ph2sv4FsMMI8zj8-Gp1bc29pAn-e5nDV/s1600/ChurchyardComparison.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507547812097069938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsyOBl8vgN4H70Fh6WleNob_iqJ8zx0hyphenhyphenf8DkvdRXZdiLfhjJcFrrkT00b1cmZY4xwksJz4Zw21TEiVOkobA2tQJeH1jiVMfhzdyzql5_3fM9ph2sv4FsMMI8zj8-Gp1bc29pAn-e5nDV/s400/ChurchyardComparison.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 174px;" /></a><br />One guiding thought is to rearrange the elements to convey an idea. I showed you this painting of an Irish graveyard <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/west-clare-graveyard.html">a while ago</a>, but now I want you to see what the actual view looks like. <br /><br />I returned to the same churchyard on our recent trip to Ireland.<br /><br />For the painting I was inspired to express something deeper emotionally (which I can’t put into words) and I had to move the gravestones around like chess pieces until they stirred up those feelings. <br />------------<br />The painting will be in the upcoming book <a href="http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/products/?isbn=0740797719">“Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter,”</a> (November, 2010), which is now at the printer. <br /><br />The graves belong to the Corry family of Kilnaboy, County Clare: Michael (d. 1965) and Delia (d. 1970), Regina (d. 1980) and Tom (d. 2005); Patrick (d 1915) and Ann (d. 1961) Corry and their niece Nanette O’Regan (d. 1950).

Gravestones as Chess Pieces

Painting is easy. Thinking is hard. As we’ve seen in a couple of recent posts, the thought process always comes before the painting. Everyth...

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Flag That Head

The upcoming June/July edition of <a href="http://www.international-artist.com/iam/current.aspx">International Artist </a>magazine has the latest installment of my masterclass series. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7Qc5OZBd1UMgxu_6hu5sy7wgZ5mhFMV0_8okV2-glmOAnHvXelkBsRvzOmt6EKGt8C_aUGHyXsDNMbdMx34ddOBpJNF4CeOoFkEBX28zFzgt7moVSKBxfq99dqUGCye9wIpjai2PCFA3/s1600/Flagging_Head_IA.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472993029085228818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7Qc5OZBd1UMgxu_6hu5sy7wgZ5mhFMV0_8okV2-glmOAnHvXelkBsRvzOmt6EKGt8C_aUGHyXsDNMbdMx34ddOBpJNF4CeOoFkEBX28zFzgt7moVSKBxfq99dqUGCye9wIpjai2PCFA3/s400/Flagging_Head_IA.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" /></a>The topic is “Flagging the Head,” a compositional strategy <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/05/flagging-head.html">introduced on this blog </a>and in<a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"> Imaginative Realism. </a><br /><br />The magazine feature includes some art and photos not included elsewhere. The issue also contains fascinating features on artist’s studios and on travel sketching on the Arabian peninsula.

Flag That Head

The upcoming June/July edition of International Artist magazine has the latest installment of my masterclass series. The topic is “Flagging ...

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