Color Theory in Action

Jason Dowd, an instructor at the <a href="http://www.lagunacollege.edu/faculty_bio.php?dept=5&facultyid=11&sub=4">Laguna College of Art</a>, asked his students to paint color wheels for his Composition and Color class. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJd2VXWznlIoGkDe9f9f4-Z_Pg_h3rtNYRS7v6KYS8qUpHdCLMmXA9ibmxAHYdaW5HxFMDD_yJIjx0_IzL7zipS_NNFFzlTE8j5le0OlSKMGKTu3nq41G_o8bJzzOsGb18YkcNdamd9w/s1600/Dowd_Class_LCAD.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJd2VXWznlIoGkDe9f9f4-Z_Pg_h3rtNYRS7v6KYS8qUpHdCLMmXA9ibmxAHYdaW5HxFMDD_yJIjx0_IzL7zipS_NNFFzlTE8j5le0OlSKMGKTu3nq41G_o8bJzzOsGb18YkcNdamd9w/s400/Dowd_Class_LCAD.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />They placed the high chroma colors on the outside edge, stepping down to gray at the center. They then explored the gamut masking method outlined in my book <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i>Color and Light</i></a> to generate color schemes and to analyze classical paintings.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GZ9BLMxyCTiShPolYn8TdAepNRY0S7s2gKD0w_6ic5fAYugpsrNqKnGwhrEftUXhgDeRFahy86ZKKOIeMTSIuQCe4xnaTiXi1p4DAwhUGu9qX1hUYOaWY6pqdlop9bf_l7NsBuZjJ4o/s1600/Bouguereau_Copy_LCAD.sm.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/AVvXsEg-GZ9BLMxyCTiShPolYn8TdAepNRY0S7s2gKD0w_6ic5fAYugpsrNqKnGwhrEftUXhgDeRFahy86ZKKOIeMTSIuQCe4xnaTiXi1p4DAwhUGu9qX1hUYOaWY6pqdlop9bf_l7NsBuZjJ4o/s320/Bouguereau_Copy_LCAD.sm.jpg" width="194" /></a>Isabelle Moore carefully considered the color gamut before executing this magnificent master copy of the "Harvester" by William Adolphe Bouguereau.<br /><br />If other instructors are doing class projects based on ideas in <i>Color and Light,</i> please send me photos (jgurneyart at yahoo.com) and I’ll share them on the blog. <br /><br />And if you want to assign <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i>Color and Light </i></a>as your course guide, please let me know. At the Dinotopia Store, we can offer you discounts on group orders, and I can sign them for each of your students.<br /><br />--------<br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Dinotopia Store</a><br /><a href="http://www.lagunacollege.edu/">Laguna College of Art (LCAD)</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/10/laguna-college-of-art-and-design.html">Previously on GJ: a visit to LCAD   </a>

Color Theory in Action

Jason Dowd, an instructor at the Laguna College of Art , asked his students to paint color wheels for his Composition and Color class. They ...

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The Art Department

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y4hC9T1Mc9LRB6BDu7_WLnZuAvqjtxhtlbrDLiBLyMuOwYSEi9mvdEwXGncd88bn-Ibbc7Vs8c-DX-nSPpZ3Q-20PP5IR9APJXT3B2eYghUmtjSl0A2zJscRK0K0V4mjNC9AF1VLWC0/s1600/Art_Department.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/AVvXsEg0y4hC9T1Mc9LRB6BDu7_WLnZuAvqjtxhtlbrDLiBLyMuOwYSEi9mvdEwXGncd88bn-Ibbc7Vs8c-DX-nSPpZ3Q-20PP5IR9APJXT3B2eYghUmtjSl0A2zJscRK0K0V4mjNC9AF1VLWC0/s320/Art_Department.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />Thanks to the internet, it’s now possible to get an art education without attending a brick-and-mortar art school.<br /><br />Many traditional art schools have added online components. But there’s one school that has really tried to deliver that elusive ingredient: a sense of meaningful real-time engagement with fellow students and instructors. <br /><br /><a href="http://theartdepartment.org/what-is-tad/what-is-tad">The Art Department</a> started in 2009, the brainchild of Jason Manley, founder of <a href="http://www.conceptart.org/">ConceptArt.org </a>(one of the leading online artistic communities) and <a href="http://www.illustrationacademy.com/JohnEnglish.htm">John English of the Illustration Academy</a> (one of the top professional summer programs).<br /><br />The Art Department, also known as “TAD,” has several different tracks. You can take classes completely online or attend face-to-face workshops. Students also have the option of assembling in “pods” in various locations, such as Kansas City, Missouri, Austin, Texas, and Richmond Virginia. When I visited TAD in person, they asked me to lecture about plein air painting, color and light and how I did the Dinotopia paintings.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1Gq9pbrF1m57PsGVJmLulRDeUhTgN8L0Hs_Xf86cQkOKcq-BsuhGhipIfXf_PZbiHzze6kIZroZLFUx_btPQdNxJQQPF3KCu60z1xFOdW_4fwtvvZ7jzDY0P4jOg1S-YAkix111dfUw/s1600/TAD_Sketchbooks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1Gq9pbrF1m57PsGVJmLulRDeUhTgN8L0Hs_Xf86cQkOKcq-BsuhGhipIfXf_PZbiHzze6kIZroZLFUx_btPQdNxJQQPF3KCu60z1xFOdW_4fwtvvZ7jzDY0P4jOg1S-YAkix111dfUw/s400/TAD_Sketchbooks.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Students checked in and participated from all over the world. Rather than just streaming the content in one direction, it was a two-way street. Students sent me questions as I talked and showed pictures. Afterward, (above), the students who attended the pod classroom looked through my sketchbooks.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdr3K6nvZA69rJOmtnkG3Mswj_SyS-4ytgtk39JWqBkCslCPzc81ozc1lXEG1P6OOllQ9uvmTl7eQhlySOjC5dfEIRhVH3AO1w5xwvA3nx7owTIJmHUV02FWRvrvIBIe1wUq5YyIAYH8/s1600/JamaJurabaevDrawing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdr3K6nvZA69rJOmtnkG3Mswj_SyS-4ytgtk39JWqBkCslCPzc81ozc1lXEG1P6OOllQ9uvmTl7eQhlySOjC5dfEIRhVH3AO1w5xwvA3nx7owTIJmHUV02FWRvrvIBIe1wUq5YyIAYH8/s320/JamaJurabaevDrawing.jpg" width="223" /></a><br />Above is a drawing by<a href="http://jamajurabaev.daportfolio.com/"> Jama Jurabaev</a>, one of the TAD Foundations students, done prior to declaring his major.<br /><br />TAD has a large number of scholarships being awarded right now for new students of merit coming into the Fall, 2011 program.  These include full and partial rides and are for artists worldwide. There’s more information on the TAD website.<br /> -----<br /><a href="http://theartdepartment.org/what-is-tad/what-is-tad">The Art Department </a>

The Art Department

Thanks to the internet, it’s now possible to get an art education without attending a brick-and-mortar art school. Many traditional art scho...

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Painting Workshop Announcement

I’d like to announce that I’ll be teaching a three day painting workshop this summer, from July 1-3 at the <a href="http://carriageart.com/">Carriage House Art Studios </a>in Newburgh, New York.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIxPssysu09302nBcCd1v70c64GwH25jbvkBn3v9iFVk8uqW7b03IprpPHmQhzCIkiJQEoj4j75Vw6D9SFwGhpt5YqQKp802_6L2pknmD_4PAFhAMRMhlubIbqwaACQdJ4hvQCHOQeR8/s1600/Color_Light_Workshop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIxPssysu09302nBcCd1v70c64GwH25jbvkBn3v9iFVk8uqW7b03IprpPHmQhzCIkiJQEoj4j75Vw6D9SFwGhpt5YqQKp802_6L2pknmD_4PAFhAMRMhlubIbqwaACQdJ4hvQCHOQeR8/s400/Color_Light_Workshop.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><b>The Workshop: “Painting in Colored Light”</b><br />We’ll learn how to see, understand, and capture the effects of colored light. This is vital experience for all landscape, portrait, and imaginative artists. If you haven’t painted under strongly colored light, I can guarantee that this experience will revolutionize your work.<br /><br />Beginning by studying white plaster casts under colored illumination, we’ll learn about additive versus subtractive color and the principles of visual perception. We’ll practice painting the nude figure and the  costumed model under a variety of combinations of colored light sources. I’ll start the morning session with explanations, discussions, and then you’ll work with my guidance in the afternoon. Plus, weather permitting, we’ll do an optional sunset painting expedition.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SlVZ78mSQZo_7lt-a-1v4NTNpidiYrZai067HBjLwut8e0-QJAdZt-v8AJ_g24SUSGXeybfTifczFD9rnqHUcOQUQlOUdb1N5LesZElhvxU-p5MY10C1QU6hFGwiOihRsBoNMsvHAi8/s1600/Model2.sm.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/AVvXsEj3SlVZ78mSQZo_7lt-a-1v4NTNpidiYrZai067HBjLwut8e0-QJAdZt-v8AJ_g24SUSGXeybfTifczFD9rnqHUcOQUQlOUdb1N5LesZElhvxU-p5MY10C1QU6hFGwiOihRsBoNMsvHAi8/s320/Model2.sm.jpg" width="285" /></a><b>Media</b><br />I encourage you to use oil, which I’ll be using, but other opaque painting media are acceptable, too. I’ll provide a materials list later. The workshop is intended for intermediate and advanced levels. Students should have some experience in both drawing and painting.<br /><br /><b>The Venue </b><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIxPssysu09302nBcCd1v70c64GwH25jbvkBn3v9iFVk8uqW7b03IprpPHmQhzCIkiJQEoj4j75Vw6D9SFwGhpt5YqQKp802_6L2pknmD_4PAFhAMRMhlubIbqwaACQdJ4hvQCHOQeR8/s1600/Color_Light_Workshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The workshop location is the <a href="http://www.carriageartatelier.com/">Carriage House Art Studio</a>, the spacious and historic studio and home of the noted mural and gallery painter Garin Baker.<br /><br />There are a few rooms to rent in Garin’s home (Jeanette and I will be staying there, too), nearby B&Bs and hotels. It’s a really congenial setting. We’ll sit around in the evenings looking at art books, sketching, and talking.<br /><br />The Carriage House Studio will also be offering other workshops by other New York based painters. Announcements of those workshops will come soon.<br /><br /><b>Sign-up Details</b><br />The price for the three-day workshop is $500. Space is limited to 15 participants, so please sign up soon if you want to do it. Spaces will sell out quickly. Please register directly with the <a href="http://www.carriageartatelier.com/">Carriage House Art Studios</a>, 478 Union Avenue, New Windsor, NY 12553, 845-562-7802. Email Garin at: gb@carriageart.com.<br />-----<br /><a href="http://carriageart.com/james-gurney-workshop-painting-in-colored-light.php">Link to official announcement, with links and more info for questions and signup.</a>

Painting Workshop Announcement

I’d like to announce that I’ll be teaching a three day painting workshop this summer, from July 1-3 at the Carriage House Art Studios in New...

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Academic Methods, Part 2: Russian Art Academy

There are several different approaches to an academic art education. Yesterday, Michael John Angel of the <a href="http://www.angelartschool.com/">Angel Academy of Art</a> presented his teaching methods and philosophy.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl6hIDN8kRe0L56mMyvjW_L0-Nex0pZe5qwn-rQ_Yamowmq-RqbYtDsZDF4JlAdpNepd4INHaYYE3ukJY05tXa1FhYznE109LRCroIEeqEn-GfnKLrECYhCf1XWAIeIOJRgaoO6xYFHU/s1600/Sergey_Chubirko.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl6hIDN8kRe0L56mMyvjW_L0-Nex0pZe5qwn-rQ_Yamowmq-RqbYtDsZDF4JlAdpNepd4INHaYYE3ukJY05tXa1FhYznE109LRCroIEeqEn-GfnKLrECYhCf1XWAIeIOJRgaoO6xYFHU/s400/Sergey_Chubirko.jpg" width="325" /></a><br />A somewhat different approach is offered by Professor Sergey Chubirko, who teaches at the Russian Art Academy, which is also in Florence, Italy.<br /><br />Rather than try to summarize Professor Chubirko’s method myself (I have not visited his school) or to presume to draw comparisons to other academies, I thought it would be helpful just to look at his drawings and to ask him a few questions about the thinking behind his work.<br /><br /><blockquote><b>Gurney: Do you draw what you see or what you know?</b><br />Chubirko: I try not to copy unconsciously what I see. The most important point about the model for me is that the model must be inspirational; it must provoke my imagination for the creation of an image. <br /><br />That is why I never start drawing before I see clearly the image, which I would like to show, through the model. Knowledge of anatomy and the laws of form are certainly necessary as they help me to work independently and to render my thoughts freely and quickly. <br /><br />Such knowledge must be automatic so that it does not distract, does not bound imagination and, at the same time, introduce independence to the hand. This is the automatic skill that provides an artist with freedom and fluency when he works. An artist should only care about “what” to express not about “how” to do it. </blockquote><br /><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkt1cYSXYJSEE_cNUs4bsaV5P7XUlFh1598VzB5w5sVUnaSi1Bu5S9umkeDjMjPtmZ5OUGke_lOwJu5UyCb1tlCa3k28gSQTFzkFKqfaAU2h25vEKNCIMgO9asrFTUO_DMozTXQPufE1I/s1600/Sergey_Chubirko_Portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkt1cYSXYJSEE_cNUs4bsaV5P7XUlFh1598VzB5w5sVUnaSi1Bu5S9umkeDjMjPtmZ5OUGke_lOwJu5UyCb1tlCa3k28gSQTFzkFKqfaAU2h25vEKNCIMgO9asrFTUO_DMozTXQPufE1I/s320/Sergey_Chubirko_Portrait.jpg" width="264" /></a><br /><b>Gurney: </b><b>How does the knowledge of anatomy shape the way you interpret what you see?</b></blockquote><blockquote> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSq7SNpUbsQhAtaoEKgWNYGDNj77ir0xP2Nhr7K8uvi_d1Ii_0FvG51vM0G6JftPx8KO7bUBaL2int_pQ_SFemo7WeQst8LQN-0p8fY2-qAg4DH9wxzaD14Bxkfhy6j5xwKNuyukG3y5g/s1600/artac01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Chubirko: For academic drawing, knowledge of anatomy and the rules of the form need profound studying at the initial stages of art education. Such knowledge should not be ignored as, for instance, knowledge of the alphabet cannot be ignored when one wants to learn to read and write. </blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSq7SNpUbsQhAtaoEKgWNYGDNj77ir0xP2Nhr7K8uvi_d1Ii_0FvG51vM0G6JftPx8KO7bUBaL2int_pQ_SFemo7WeQst8LQN-0p8fY2-qAg4DH9wxzaD14Bxkfhy6j5xwKNuyukG3y5g/s1600/artac01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSq7SNpUbsQhAtaoEKgWNYGDNj77ir0xP2Nhr7K8uvi_d1Ii_0FvG51vM0G6JftPx8KO7bUBaL2int_pQ_SFemo7WeQst8LQN-0p8fY2-qAg4DH9wxzaD14Bxkfhy6j5xwKNuyukG3y5g/s400/artac01.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br /><blockquote>When we learn to read and to write we start with A, B, C, after that we put letters into syllables; later we learn how to compose simple sentences, then finally – complex sentences. And, as soon as we have learnt to express ourselves freely in complex sentences, we do not need to go back to the alphabet again. We do not think about letters any longer because they are just tools for a very creative process of reading and writing; for expressing our thoughts and feelings.<br /><br />Same is in drawing. Knowledge of anatomy and the laws of form is just a tool necessary for an unlimited work of imagination and creation of the artistic images.</blockquote><br /><blockquote> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KipsGCIv5UE_RZ7oewOmbXN8zaWpuPdL9utJERsyS9GJQK8btyL2vsU36SlMavMVyAR8tkzdWMxOxb5xpoChtCJ5XIyP-ifOl8-4tySNkFUuBVfNoCvzAxMuByMGMjDJ4BXmiNvX7ts/s1600/Sergey_Chubirko2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KipsGCIv5UE_RZ7oewOmbXN8zaWpuPdL9utJERsyS9GJQK8btyL2vsU36SlMavMVyAR8tkzdWMxOxb5xpoChtCJ5XIyP-ifOl8-4tySNkFUuBVfNoCvzAxMuByMGMjDJ4BXmiNvX7ts/s400/Sergey_Chubirko2.jpg" width="246" /></a><br /><b>Gurney: </b><b>What do you change when you draw?</b><br />Chubirko:  Selection in drawing is very important and this is the artist who selects what to show and what not to. Any model always has in itself the essential and the supplementary, secondary things. <br /><br />The aim of the artist is to see what is really important and to emphasize it. The author’s selection in this case should be convincing for the viewer.  That is why when I am drawing a live model my personal vision as well as the image I would like to create is much more important than a model itself. Every model has its particular features, which, in fact, define artist’s choice of the main and the secondary points. </blockquote><br />_______
<br />I am very grateful to Sergey and Irina Chubirko and Dorian Iten for helping me to learn more.<br />For more information, check out the following websites:<br /><a href="http://artac.org/">Russian Academy in Florence</a><br /><a href="http://artac.org/faculty/chubirko/">Sergey Chubirko portfolio</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/03/academic-methods-part-1-john-michael.html">Academic Methods, Part 1: Angel Academy </a><br /><a href="http://www.atelierstockholm.se/index.asp?id=64&parentid=64&lang=1">Atelier Stockholm: Sight Size and its Disadvantages</a><a href="http://www.atelierstockholm.se/index.asp?id=64&parentid=64&lang=1"></a><br /><a href="http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=181642">More discussion and examples of Russian Academy & Repin Institute work</a>

Academic Methods, Part 2: Russian Art Academy

There are several different approaches to an academic art education. Yesterday, Michael John Angel of the Angel Academy of Art presented hi...

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July Lecture in the Catskills

This coming July 8th at 7 pm in the Catskill Mountains of New York, I’ll be a one-day guest lecturer at the <a href="http://grandcentralacademy.classicist.org/workshopslandscape.html">Grand Central Academy’s Summer Workshops</a> for a presentation on color and light.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XrW7JXKAZtsI0JIh99CpLsJ2eyR1-6bjZ_hc9zh113WbyzQ_3BV8s8CkW8XaqEAlsT0pZ9JXNMKVx1rSEeWhR5phItxKhjRaTDYtv3uVpRBIiDBEibYHVf-L5hIioc8tj9Jjhs-kyzI/s1600/Tom_Kegler.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XrW7JXKAZtsI0JIh99CpLsJ2eyR1-6bjZ_hc9zh113WbyzQ_3BV8s8CkW8XaqEAlsT0pZ9JXNMKVx1rSEeWhR5phItxKhjRaTDYtv3uVpRBIiDBEibYHVf-L5hIioc8tj9Jjhs-kyzI/s400/Tom_Kegler.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />I’ll give an evening lecture during the workshop of Senior Hudson River Fellow, <a href="http://www.thomaskegler.com/">Thomas Kegler</a> (above). His week-long course called “Field Study for the Studio Landscape Painter.” Tom’s work has the rare quality of being closely observed and poetically inspired, and he could have held his own with any of the traditional Hudson River School painters (Kegler's "Buffalo Creek Dusk," below).  <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_ETptH3bSuPFud3EZb0DxEW6TPJXrj3qFYbxVBwDZDej6bILVm0h56wVtaaWBf2-czyA_okZ_iQcQQkXOgh4IY-r_M6yvfTpoJuS2BTrjUz5iCyQKQ3UZYDWq7ai7BN9_5YyyanNdzE/s1600/Kegler.landscape.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_ETptH3bSuPFud3EZb0DxEW6TPJXrj3qFYbxVBwDZDej6bILVm0h56wVtaaWBf2-czyA_okZ_iQcQQkXOgh4IY-r_M6yvfTpoJuS2BTrjUz5iCyQKQ3UZYDWq7ai7BN9_5YyyanNdzE/s400/Kegler.landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />My lecture will cover material from the new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=pd_ts_b_16?ie=UTF8&s=books"><i>Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter, </i></a>geared for plein air painters who want to explore the methods of the pre-impressionist Hudson River School Painters. Besides the digital slide show, I’ll have original paintings to show and books to share. If it’s like last time I visited, there will be plenty of opportunity for camaraderie and shop talk.<br /><br />The full course will go from July 5 - 17, 2011 (10 instructed days, 1 free uninstructed day). The tuition is $1350, which includes Mr. Kegler’s instruction, park fees, 2 group meals, and my lecture. The class is open and is now accepting registrations.<br />-----<br />Previous GJ Posts on the Hudson River Fellowship.<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=pd_ts_b_16?ie=UTF8&s=books"><i>Color and Light</i> on Amazon</a><br /><a href="http://grandcentralacademy.classicist.org/workshopslandscape.html">Grand Central Academy's Summer Workshops</a><br /><a href="http://www.thomaskegler.com/">Senior Hudson River Fellow, Thomas Kegler</a>

July Lecture in the Catskills

This coming July 8th at 7 pm in the Catskill Mountains of New York, I’ll be a one-day guest lecturer at the Grand Central Academy’s Summer W...

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Shrunkenheadman Club

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaqZ2WDcdERniMl0ViIG2mraQlhJAM_hLYcRUqYMTkE4XQZg3Dm77OfqXS_U29VtalFDOUmsMB_LADYdHTtjC6J28chwxzx8ARJYfKelkuqqQGfnKTspdnGHKBR7GO1ui1s6f42x6pRtY/s1600/Shrunkenheadman_Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Someone spilled paint on a stool in an art school in San Jose, California. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaqZ2WDcdERniMl0ViIG2mraQlhJAM_hLYcRUqYMTkE4XQZg3Dm77OfqXS_U29VtalFDOUmsMB_LADYdHTtjC6J28chwxzx8ARJYfKelkuqqQGfnKTspdnGHKBR7GO1ui1s6f42x6pRtY/s1600/Shrunkenheadman_Club.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAaqZ2WDcdERniMl0ViIG2mraQlhJAM_hLYcRUqYMTkE4XQZg3Dm77OfqXS_U29VtalFDOUmsMB_LADYdHTtjC6J28chwxzx8ARJYfKelkuqqQGfnKTspdnGHKBR7GO1ui1s6f42x6pRtY/s400/Shrunkenheadman_Club.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The blob of paint ended up looking like a shrunken head. Student David Gustlin (now a faculty member) looked at that shrunken head shape and sketched the guy that he imagined it belonged to.<br /><br />A myth was born. <br /><br />The art students at San Jose State University knew they had the perfect mascot for their  campus organization. They called it the Shrunkenheadman Club.<br /><br />The Shrunkenheadman  Club was formed in 1995 to to create a sense of community among students in animation and illustration. The club arranges for figure drawing sessions, visiting lecturers, and an annual costumed draw-off known as “D-Day.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtlB09WcKDUa6wdrYw6aQUUVPvRr3qBxRSys99AO0YHeaZ3xV7fjuz-r1qSbBDh0rvQeBhhVApio1-GTGki5kbtdnqh9Yf0TqQdSky5hUhexlRMtH7JdKWZjxEpinwWvDLKvagBH4g0mI/s1600/Gurney_Fleskes_SJSU.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtlB09WcKDUa6wdrYw6aQUUVPvRr3qBxRSys99AO0YHeaZ3xV7fjuz-r1qSbBDh0rvQeBhhVApio1-GTGki5kbtdnqh9Yf0TqQdSky5hUhexlRMtH7JdKWZjxEpinwWvDLKvagBH4g0mI/s320/Gurney_Fleskes_SJSU.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />They sponsored me to give my <i>Color and Light</i> lecture a few weeks ago in October. That’s me and my buddy John Fleskes standing out in front of the school. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24eQJlLDcn_zbxuf2ivRH_JPxoXIZ8UwoAMo4x2_01i6-SmJY8GpKFW4_2G1pc0uuzTovxO8ABFdGKM2C6e_6xm4nujUCTHR3lsawP3QyZ7NFLPhqFsiB-Gp4-PYQIYEEwyTVkPZoILV6/s1600/Signed_SJSU.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24eQJlLDcn_zbxuf2ivRH_JPxoXIZ8UwoAMo4x2_01i6-SmJY8GpKFW4_2G1pc0uuzTovxO8ABFdGKM2C6e_6xm4nujUCTHR3lsawP3QyZ7NFLPhqFsiB-Gp4-PYQIYEEwyTVkPZoILV6/s320/Signed_SJSU.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />The students at SJSU ordered 65 copies of<i> Color and Light,</i> which I signed for them today and put in the mail. To make the books extra special, I made a custom rubber stamp using the club mascot. The stamp is made from craft foam glued to a wood block, and then stamped using a rainbow-colored pigment stamp pad.<br /><br />If another art school, game company, or movie studio would like to put together an order for 40 or more books, I’ll be glad to come up with something equally customized. <br />------<br /><br /><a href="http://www.shrunkenheadman.com/p/home/history">Shrunkenheadman history / Official site</a><br /><a href="http://www.shrunkenheadman.com/p/home/program">Shrunkenheadman program</a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Ordering signed "Color and Light"books from the Dinotopia Store</a><br />Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/12/san-jose-state-university.html">San Jose State University Art Program.</a><br /><a href="http://fleskpublications.com/blog/">John Fleskes blog</a>

Shrunkenheadman Club

Someone spilled paint on a stool in an art school in San Jose, California. The blob of paint ended up looking like a shrunken head. Student ...

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The Angel Academy of Art

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8A2oc-4W0spl_O_grozip3xfGDDA3KShwA588KFfqQbp9dO2kS4kGd8UFYYittKHHeg4iWH5dBZ_gDTQgD2b-kQtChdVqjhRkZumwIzAgqYy9EQg7aeBR-Hh-rfw2wyA1zeIL8DnUumM/s1600/Angel.Academy.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The three great domes of Florence were shining in the morning light yesterday.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmRWQlh6slYVXoPzbFmcEXsui3OglkZZ4ZsyMXMfXTgk35MrBatRsxbLquZ1sTNnKtb7f-Kz_ks47sLCFPPjUuWEIijM6pisMONwuFp6umLWTezS6wUpyefdggztDjUpCS3_If2tb0WLS/s1600/Three_Domes.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmRWQlh6slYVXoPzbFmcEXsui3OglkZZ4ZsyMXMfXTgk35MrBatRsxbLquZ1sTNnKtb7f-Kz_ks47sLCFPPjUuWEIijM6pisMONwuFp6umLWTezS6wUpyefdggztDjUpCS3_If2tb0WLS/s400/Three_Domes.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />On the left of the picture is Jay Blums and on the right is Martinho Isidro Correia. Both instructors are originally from Canada. We're standing in the Angel Academy of Art, one of the world’s leading centers for academic training. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8A2oc-4W0spl_O_grozip3xfGDDA3KShwA588KFfqQbp9dO2kS4kGd8UFYYittKHHeg4iWH5dBZ_gDTQgD2b-kQtChdVqjhRkZumwIzAgqYy9EQg7aeBR-Hh-rfw2wyA1zeIL8DnUumM/s1600/Angel.Academy.sm.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8A2oc-4W0spl_O_grozip3xfGDDA3KShwA588KFfqQbp9dO2kS4kGd8UFYYittKHHeg4iWH5dBZ_gDTQgD2b-kQtChdVqjhRkZumwIzAgqYy9EQg7aeBR-Hh-rfw2wyA1zeIL8DnUumM/s320/Angel.Academy.sm.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />The school was founded by Michael John Angel, known as “Il Maestro” by his students. Mr. Angel was a student of portrait painter and muralist Pietro Annigoni (1910-1988).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0fGwvmsJLat8QAI4a_APykLJzto_YpALmXHEbeeIbjbgX37S0uyu_-bH47TrAsA3Cxux1uAtpVWcYYu51mPMrp08gEmiAH3JbopxT5X9Xtbk6mL2WDnWEg_olDTJY_h902MeE5Md01_M/s1600/dorian-guliano.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8A2oc-4W0spl_O_grozip3xfGDDA3KShwA588KFfqQbp9dO2kS4kGd8UFYYittKHHeg4iWH5dBZ_gDTQgD2b-kQtChdVqjhRkZumwIzAgqYy9EQg7aeBR-Hh-rfw2wyA1zeIL8DnUumM/s1600/Angel.Academy.sm.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />The school consists of two buildings near the center of Florence, where 60 students from 29 countries follow a focused curriculum. The method is based on traditional realistic painting methods that Mr. Angel has painstakingly researched.<br /><br />Students begin by carefully copying plates from Charles Bargue’s 19th-century drawing course. Then they proceed to portraying the plaster cast under artificial light, using "sight-size" procedures, first in charcoal, and then in oil.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0fGwvmsJLat8QAI4a_APykLJzto_YpALmXHEbeeIbjbgX37S0uyu_-bH47TrAsA3Cxux1uAtpVWcYYu51mPMrp08gEmiAH3JbopxT5X9Xtbk6mL2WDnWEg_olDTJY_h902MeE5Md01_M/s1600/dorian-guliano.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/AVvXsEi_0fGwvmsJLat8QAI4a_APykLJzto_YpALmXHEbeeIbjbgX37S0uyu_-bH47TrAsA3Cxux1uAtpVWcYYu51mPMrp08gEmiAH3JbopxT5X9Xtbk6mL2WDnWEg_olDTJY_h902MeE5Md01_M/s320/dorian-guliano.jpg" width="200" /></a>They graduate to working from still life subjects and to drawing and painting the living figure. <br /><br />The entire regimen has taken as little as two years for a few very precocious students. More typically it takes three or four years. A single oil or charcoal can take several months. People move to succeeding steps in the curriculum depending purely on their readiness.<br />-------------<br /><a href="http://www.angelartschool.com/">Angel Academy of Art</a><br /><a href="http://www.angelartschool.com/mja.html">Michael John Angel</a><br />Cast drawing at left is by<a href="http://www.dorian-iten.com/"> Dorian Iten</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Bargue-Jean-Leon-Gerome-Drawing/dp/286770166X">Charles Bargue Painting Course</a> (Book from Amazon)<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Annigoni">Pietro Annigoni on Wikipedia</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atelier_Method">Wikipedia on the Atelier Method & Sight-Size Drawing</a><br />Related GurneyJourney posts:<br />    <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/search?q=toronto+realist+academy">Academy of Realist Art, Toronto</a><br />   <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/grand-central-academy.html"> Grand Central Academy, New York</a><br />   <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/en-loge-competition.html">En Loge (Prix de Rome) Competition </a>

The Angel Academy of Art

The three great domes of Florence were shining in the morning light yesterday. On the left of the picture is Jay Blums and on the right is M...

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Jeffrey Watts

Jeffrey Watts is the founder of the Watts Atelier near San Diego, California, which he runs with the help of his wife Krista. I gave three digital presentations to a sold-out house there last Friday, and then did a 25-minute portrait sketch demo using water-soluble colored pencils.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDEPWnL86rbabiB9qL5LPGdWD9D0u-q8SZKtyqQhKSxnQl9Gdkg78hfrud1iuFeEyzUGMLwp4eyYKLMuWHY9s7ClwIr98Ih7k-FrqzZ7smztmMcr0FB2QmW4OLenbyRjRtqG_nri752EP/s1600/Gurney.Watts.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDEPWnL86rbabiB9qL5LPGdWD9D0u-q8SZKtyqQhKSxnQl9Gdkg78hfrud1iuFeEyzUGMLwp4eyYKLMuWHY9s7ClwIr98Ih7k-FrqzZ7smztmMcr0FB2QmW4OLenbyRjRtqG_nri752EP/s400/Gurney.Watts.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />The atelier is a large room in a professional building, lined with skeletons, drawing casts, copies of Sargent and Fechin, and figure and landscape paintings by Watts and other instructors.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd6PIvu7hcsw7hdR4lHqILwhMhrK4la6DhEw6_ZW-JFsbw5x3B9hpelUzaYzr9o0G_KH5C9MtOGnur32mZrDMhYUI4DcOEYjG2rvos-9PO0tPPE-mlR5MR7Z1HbsUPvYujyCCnbkdFMEu/s1600/Jeff.Watts.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd6PIvu7hcsw7hdR4lHqILwhMhrK4la6DhEw6_ZW-JFsbw5x3B9hpelUzaYzr9o0G_KH5C9MtOGnur32mZrDMhYUI4DcOEYjG2rvos-9PO0tPPE-mlR5MR7Z1HbsUPvYujyCCnbkdFMEu/s400/Jeff.Watts.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Watts started the atelier in 1992 when he was just 22 years old, and now has about 250 students with a faculty of 10 instructors. His approach combines rigorously accurate drawing with a painterly handling that he describes as “controlled chaos.” He brings to his art the same the discipline that he learned earlier in his life when he was training to be a professional cyclist. <br /><br />According to a September, 2006 article in American Artist, his students begin with a thorough experience of drawing, then progress to a grisaille palette, and then to a limited “Zorn” palette of titanium white, ivory black, cadmium red light, and yellow ochre before graduating to a full palette.<br /><br /><object height="345" width="430"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AaTtPA_HvXA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AaTtPA_HvXA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="430" height="345"></embed></object><br />In this video sample, he shows his own approach to painting a “gesture portrait,” and explains some of his suggested palettes.<br />-----------<br /><a href="http://www.jeffreyrwatts.com/">Jeffrey Watts.com</a> <br /><a href="http://www.wattsatelier.com/org/WattsAtelier/cms.aspx">Watts Atelier</a>

Jeffrey Watts

Jeffrey Watts is the founder of the Watts Atelier near San Diego, California, which he runs with the help of his wife Krista. I gave three d...

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Atelier Marchant October 10

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYfaD94zZXscIvtS9bWGuVYkL-cf3ihpoyxejtX53D56AgeUGlWO0MP4MzEXTZCaozKn0-vOsuXjK2HeFuzoevbFmH7er67vdIk-Om045Xp1oWWrrFSEpRcAf7wD_xZnwVKiGt5LXm7hr/s1600/Atelier+Marchant+Template.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519760957721764338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYfaD94zZXscIvtS9bWGuVYkL-cf3ihpoyxejtX53D56AgeUGlWO0MP4MzEXTZCaozKn0-vOsuXjK2HeFuzoevbFmH7er67vdIk-Om045Xp1oWWrrFSEpRcAf7wD_xZnwVKiGt5LXm7hr/s320/Atelier+Marchant+Template.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" /></a><br /><br />For those of you in the northern Los Angeles/ San Fernando Valley area, I'll be doing a three-part lecture series October 10th, 2010 from 1pm-5pm at the Atelier Marchant.<br /><br />The lectures include "Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist" at 1:00, "Color and Light: Tools for Mood and Atmosphere" at 2:30 and "Plein Air Pioneers: Tradition and Technique" at 4:00.<br /><br />The fee is $30 for each lecture or $65 for the entire day. Call 661.350.1579 or email marchantatelier@gmail.com to register.<br /><br /><a href="http://ateliermarchant.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-workshops-for-fall-2010.html">Marchant Atelier Blog with more info.</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/09/upcoming-california-workshops.html">Earlier GJ post about other upcoming workshops in California</a>

Atelier Marchant October 10

For those of you in the northern Los Angeles/ San Fernando Valley area, I'll be doing a three-part lecture series October 10th, 2010 fro...

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Upcoming California Workshops

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHmacjmHZqhLovlgr1g1lhGU78yqXaEPOp7Cv2AdRg5soxjYHB-_pqeqRGwH-5er1pEzgeRHtueSetXEhy0u7Bc9X2hMz9uRG8ZGyur1y_YwHaNaN8m5QZKKkFe_FGPfX4zG3GlOLWufS/s1600/ConceptArt_JG.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517541076524871778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHmacjmHZqhLovlgr1g1lhGU78yqXaEPOp7Cv2AdRg5soxjYHB-_pqeqRGwH-5er1pEzgeRHtueSetXEhy0u7Bc9X2hMz9uRG8ZGyur1y_YwHaNaN8m5QZKKkFe_FGPfX4zG3GlOLWufS/s400/ConceptArt_JG.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 136px;" /></a>Two upcoming California workshops:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. October 7, San Francisco</span><br /><a href="http://www.theartdepartment.org/">The Art Department</a>, also known as TAD, is an art school—both online and actual—specializing in imaginative drawing and painting.<br /><br />TAD's online program uses streaming technology to webcast to students in remote classroom "pods." The pods are in San Francisco, Kansas City, Richmond, Austin, and London. Orange County, San Diego, and Amsterdam will be starting pods in January, 2011.<br /><br />I'll be at the San Francisco pod on Thursday, October 7, meeting with students in person. The live webcast will also be available to enrolled students in other locations, who will be able to ask questions and give feedback.<br /><br />TAD is closely associated with ConceptArt.org. Founder Jason Manley did a nice introduction with a portfolio on ConceptArt <a href="http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2846590">here.</a><br /><br />Enrollment has begun for the Jan 2011 semester with part time, full time, and single classes available, and that scholarships (full, half, or quarter rides) are available for students who apply now. <a href="http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22">Link for the classes.</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9-DXJ7qJVXnUUYqNDUl06ggvb9nIVA9hZ4HEXpOPkFFUKQ-kQ0ybt3ZJBfZDLv-4nsPSEISO5508Nmjv0E7qC7OgHJz3auy35zDX73BjYqD0dzqHTHFE3-zdvvOtBcgO_KnLDHqhBNWD/s1600/Portrait_Colored+Pencils.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517541127736827778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9-DXJ7qJVXnUUYqNDUl06ggvb9nIVA9hZ4HEXpOPkFFUKQ-kQ0ybt3ZJBfZDLv-4nsPSEISO5508Nmjv0E7qC7OgHJz3auy35zDX73BjYqD0dzqHTHFE3-zdvvOtBcgO_KnLDHqhBNWD/s400/Portrait_Colored+Pencils.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. October 15, Encinitas (near Carlsbad) California</span><br />Come join me for a special half-day workshop at the <a href="http://www.wattsatelier.com/Home/Home/cms.aspx">Watts Atelier,</a> founded by academic master Jeff Watts. I’ll be offering an information-packed afternoon with two lectures and demos, and lots of discussion and Q and A.<br /><br />Lectures include:<br />“Plein-Air Pioneers.” History and modern practice of plein air painting and sketching, with detailed illustrations of my oil, watercolor, and oil set-ups.
<br /><br />“Color and Light.”An hour-long illustrated talk covering the key concepts most useful for realistic painting. I'll have an advance copy of the new book, but sales copies may not be available quite yet.<br /><br />Plus, a portrait demo using water-soluble colored pencil sketching and water brush technique.
<br />The fee is $45.00. Space is limited and quickly filling, so be sure to sign up soon. Watts Atelier can be reached at (760) 753-5378.<br /><br />Links:<br /><a href="http://www.theartdepartment.org/whoweare.shtml">The Art Department</a><br /><a href="http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2846590">Concept Art / James Gurney</a><br /><a href="http://www.wattsatelier.com/Home/Home/cms.aspx">Watts Atelier</a>

Upcoming California Workshops

Two upcoming California workshops: 1. October 7, San Francisco The Art Department , also known as TAD, is an art school—both online and actu...

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Restoring Art Programs

Comic art legend Joe Sinnott grew up in Saugerties, New York. At age 83, he still lives there and he still works for Marvel. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUy0nyePOrZ5Gm8JbaQxFYQAApM1FtAlCtLZL3kkosfqZlRQ6kxWmHo4KrgXBaoZIHNWj3z_IbmEhoB7sqIsRfF5NUdP7FltF1z78i3kBDSP2Kvx60RW2idPdhyk9HArihfl5dZO3ps5q/s1600/Joe.Sinnott.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498974825275460194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUy0nyePOrZ5Gm8JbaQxFYQAApM1FtAlCtLZL3kkosfqZlRQ6kxWmHo4KrgXBaoZIHNWj3z_IbmEhoB7sqIsRfF5NUdP7FltF1z78i3kBDSP2Kvx60RW2idPdhyk9HArihfl5dZO3ps5q/s400/Joe.Sinnott.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 400px;" /></a>When the Saugerties school board decided to cancel the art program, he wrote a letter describing how he owes his career to the encouragement of art teachers.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF87QapQHkMw2wAtK1G_KBPGAKAMyqDvmy5kzBTb_q_0SutlPqKBVVoVtfP7oH7mizLd3KBfONOWEMWM5WPz7x6hTPnKVEsCl4CQUR8ccet9S5Ky6g-iN91QVkvAumt_IwKZHaNIR5yzN/s1600/Sinnott.Thor.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498976089473629042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF87QapQHkMw2wAtK1G_KBPGAKAMyqDvmy5kzBTb_q_0SutlPqKBVVoVtfP7oH7mizLd3KBfONOWEMWM5WPz7x6hTPnKVEsCl4CQUR8ccet9S5Ky6g-iN91QVkvAumt_IwKZHaNIR5yzN/s400/Sinnott.Thor.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 400px;" /></a><blockquote>“I know that today it’s much harder to get into art schools and colleges, and that it is a necessity to have high school art credits to apply to these schools. The creativity starts in the early years, and I have lectured for the children at Riccardi, Cahill, Grant D. Morse and Saugerties High School to enthusiastic students. …Art is not just a fun subject. It is a career choice for many. Without it, many talents will be wasted.”</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/07/27/opinion/doc4c48b456b39b4961242321.txt">Joe Sinnott’s entire letter.</a><br /><a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2010/07/12/news/doc4c3a7b818df2d317905303.txt">Report on hopes to restore the art program</a> at the Sauguerties School District<br />Image from <a href="http://www.wizards-keep.com/index.asp-Q-Page-E-joe-sinnott--61977786">Wizard's Keep</a>, which has more art and a bio of Joe Sinnott.

Restoring Art Programs

Comic art legend Joe Sinnott grew up in Saugerties, New York. At age 83, he still lives there and he still works for Marvel. When the Sauger...

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Tool People Report

Here at last are some images from the “Tool People” workshop I conducted at the Delaware Art Museum a little while ago. <br /><br />This four-hour creature design class had a sold-out attendance that included people of high school age and older. Each person brought a tool from the workshop or kitchen and an action figure or a doll (One high school art teacher brought a whole backpack full of GI Joes to loan out). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKWupw9UTKn0cXdB5czhLGP9AxPqKYK4XCc_gwuQkGWCOmIdYxNwoT91DtRrBDoav_p_hmQLOGaFigu0B-uQ7byr46ABsfMXN8tOM3yJ355ppMRb0zu-Z9WubX8JoJVaHu0P9pjV-kCJV/s1600/TP_Class_Photo.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497496848108946738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKWupw9UTKn0cXdB5czhLGP9AxPqKYK4XCc_gwuQkGWCOmIdYxNwoT91DtRrBDoav_p_hmQLOGaFigu0B-uQ7byr46ABsfMXN8tOM3yJ355ppMRb0zu-Z9WubX8JoJVaHu0P9pjV-kCJV/s400/TP_Class_Photo.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 213px;" /></a>The students set up around the long tables and started by accurately sketching the objects they were going to morph. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tRj_gXrfFIZK7mpYGwugLyx_DtHKMvEUMDZomuGwYyQ2x2AKlmiGAFqfZbGiyh05sGrM7OlOhXihyphenhyphenuFRQlm7AEqLwXdTyBHfkGJRPnSJwWc8YUse4DNfNIWvPKPMQIPPgZTT0wkI2c-t/s1600/Tool.People.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497496842115765106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tRj_gXrfFIZK7mpYGwugLyx_DtHKMvEUMDZomuGwYyQ2x2AKlmiGAFqfZbGiyh05sGrM7OlOhXihyphenhyphenuFRQlm7AEqLwXdTyBHfkGJRPnSJwWc8YUse4DNfNIWvPKPMQIPPgZTT0wkI2c-t/s400/Tool.People.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 178px;" /></a>Then they came up with character concepts such as the “Scissors Bunny” and the “Lemon Squeezer Guy.” People experimented with bending, squashing, and stretching rigid forms to make them come to life. Some developed backstories and “frontstories” for their characters, and some even started generating a series of graphic novel panels right on the spot.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi898tlsonk3WyVMFIKLyvjbcxnGkixRNFFoDVc6YXMRTvZ6Fyd9AvdxChRmV8Egd45_HGxjVFCDhvWKWsexDsUXyhsdClnrrqfsrVDNXQeXthgeo3EguMOKRc-5g2ufqVEHW6OPjh1kRU6/s1600/Tool_People_Outside.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497496834000255762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi898tlsonk3WyVMFIKLyvjbcxnGkixRNFFoDVc6YXMRTvZ6Fyd9AvdxChRmV8Egd45_HGxjVFCDhvWKWsexDsUXyhsdClnrrqfsrVDNXQeXthgeo3EguMOKRc-5g2ufqVEHW6OPjh1kRU6/s400/Tool_People_Outside.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" /></a>In high spirits we posed outside the museum for our class photo. Thanks to everyone who attended! It was great fun to meet you and work with you.<br />-----<br /><a href="http://www.delart.org/exhibitions/dinotopia.html">Delaware Art Museum</a>

Tool People Report

Here at last are some images from the “Tool People” workshop I conducted at the Delaware Art Museum a little while ago. This four-hour creat...

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The Cal Arts Story

<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11955096&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11955096&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11955096">The CalArts Story</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3877010">Christine Ziemba (CalArts)</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p> The cultural life of Los Angeles seemed like such a glorious dream when Disney produced this video promoting the planned Hollywood campus for the CalArts art school. The voice is Sebastian Cabot, aka "Bagheera" in Jungle Book.<br />------<br />Previously on GJ: A visit to CalArts Animation.

The Cal Arts Story

The CalArts Story from Christine Ziemba (CalArts) on Vimeo . The cultural life of Los Angeles seemed like such a glorious dream when Disn...

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IMC: Last Day

The two large classrooms became galleries yesterday as students at the <a href="http://illustrationmasterclass.com/">Illustration Master Class</a> displayed their final work produced during the week-long fantasy art workshop in Amherst, Massachusetts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdBaIYfpBXgfD_KnGDfmKppJ0J1Wsiibr8Gb4Q7uUe_miVYqk2V2Jt4N1lOUSwYN0yE4Qm0iwpfTeYL6j8r8FtlCiZbRQABrOvuNrjuJSVGBCdMMbxw6H4olvFygX3mFiAE6Cz62EjgDQ/s1600/IMC.2010.last+day.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484425833488718898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdBaIYfpBXgfD_KnGDfmKppJ0J1Wsiibr8Gb4Q7uUe_miVYqk2V2Jt4N1lOUSwYN0yE4Qm0iwpfTeYL6j8r8FtlCiZbRQABrOvuNrjuJSVGBCdMMbxw6H4olvFygX3mFiAE6Cz62EjgDQ/s400/IMC.2010.last+day.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" /></a> From left, <a href="http://www.kfillustration.com/">Kristen Freeborn</a> with a variety of reference surrounding her painting of "Beauty and the Beast;" <a href="http://winonanelson.blogspot.com/">Winona Nelson </a>shows the kit-bashed maquette she used for her interpretation of the "Jet Cycle Getaway;" <a href="http://www.imaginistix.com/">Boris and Julie</a> with Jim and Jeanette; and a visit from <a href="http://www.jbmonge.com/">Jean-Baptiste Monge with Margo. </a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJOvCekhyphenhyphen2jCvar1PqazbywCxk9Yw1eGd3vtI5wX7Z9iuc265gvY88YJHbu3yuiUOfqrE1Xa1cHZuczDgKYtSdWysKqPwu965nSWWzvm3mlN1CnBYmcvYeKE0PjQkQpc_OgkryqFc5Xp0/s1600/IMC.2010.Class.mf.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484425899521486066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJOvCekhyphenhyphen2jCvar1PqazbywCxk9Yw1eGd3vtI5wX7Z9iuc265gvY88YJHbu3yuiUOfqrE1Xa1cHZuczDgKYtSdWysKqPwu965nSWWzvm3mlN1CnBYmcvYeKE0PjQkQpc_OgkryqFc5Xp0/s400/IMC.2010.Class.mf.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 102px;" /></a> (Click to enlarge) The whole class of 82 students assembled in the lecture hall to thank <a href="http://www.rebeccaguay.com/">Rebecca Guay</a> and her team for making this unique event possible.

IMC: Last Day

The two large classrooms became galleries yesterday as students at the Illustration Master Class displayed their final work produced during...

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IMC: Demos

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyPN6CVb5FHQSgUwpnoNphm2dLB3oEbFG9eRMOfIWaPnDsPYH5Wb5zi92JUa_j_zRhSVCzBRvHvT7DkvkwqPYyNyQOJpSqyYHSaPGswERIzX526-RauQofuYvH3npBiRXM2V-29ZhWFo2/s1600/Manchess.IMC.sm.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483360922417512754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyPN6CVb5FHQSgUwpnoNphm2dLB3oEbFG9eRMOfIWaPnDsPYH5Wb5zi92JUa_j_zRhSVCzBRvHvT7DkvkwqPYyNyQOJpSqyYHSaPGswERIzX526-RauQofuYvH3npBiRXM2V-29ZhWFo2/s400/Manchess.IMC.sm.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" /></a> Last night at the Illustration Master Class in Amherst, Massachusetts, Greg Manchess began his oil painting demonstration of "Beauty and the Beast," entertaining the rapt audience with stories from his martial arts training. <br /><br />He gave a lecture a few days ago debunking the myth of the DNA gene for talent. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvHGVBlLXHcEhzbIp3E-zPjsoIHWVdfYS4TYtw1cvGR1iOcHPWUBeI_LwEWKpNjFIhh9xFQwf9ETrRux8hob83yqWqXnH_wwedl4mCRH1lcPRmscjD5sV6lKDeey2DArXjtZ5-h8qy_Vv/s1600/Manchess.Demo.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483360916222320946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvHGVBlLXHcEhzbIp3E-zPjsoIHWVdfYS4TYtw1cvGR1iOcHPWUBeI_LwEWKpNjFIhh9xFQwf9ETrRux8hob83yqWqXnH_wwedl4mCRH1lcPRmscjD5sV6lKDeey2DArXjtZ5-h8qy_Vv/s400/Manchess.Demo.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 400px;" /></a> Mastery, he said, comes from steady practice, the willingness to embrace failure, and a positive attitude. <br /><br />Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell talked about their creature design inspirations, and Scott Fischer led us through the process of composing the digital/traditional cover for an upcoming Robert Jordan "Wheel of Time" cover.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5VkgJWJp5Apq6aHISzNKmY1_ACnIE38hBAt2GgFJ3bImf4qbaoK-svWG5Kuxf-TyyhmoigWPS37MOq_SS26TDSnW2Fs_PY6Qik4XmYIul4Gs8y8l8RlKnicgQfrkGGP3TrmAp_0xgxLm/s1600/Gurney.IMC.demo.sm.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483360929427034674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5VkgJWJp5Apq6aHISzNKmY1_ACnIE38hBAt2GgFJ3bImf4qbaoK-svWG5Kuxf-TyyhmoigWPS37MOq_SS26TDSnW2Fs_PY6Qik4XmYIul4Gs8y8l8RlKnicgQfrkGGP3TrmAp_0xgxLm/s400/Gurney.IMC.demo.sm.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 232px;" /></a> I was scheduled to do a demo after my "Color and Light" talk. So I asked Ken, one of the students (and a college archaeology professor), to pose next to our school mascot, Flynn, the Icelandic ram skull.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kovcv4wV-0ojCRQyXGusuob3ichWIu_5KE_cSJr4UY0OOv-5ctuqBygJhdPkDonP77BwlX52pCss8iuDcwaNoJfDUqzE2ML29618DqZ5IAN2YgWLkcxD2xI9sKa9AlcY01quz_fqHy4o/s1600/Viking.Satyr.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483360923779849506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kovcv4wV-0ojCRQyXGusuob3ichWIu_5KE_cSJr4UY0OOv-5ctuqBygJhdPkDonP77BwlX52pCss8iuDcwaNoJfDUqzE2ML29618DqZ5IAN2YgWLkcxD2xI9sKa9AlcY01quz_fqHy4o/s400/Viking.Satyr.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" /></a> Ken is of Norwegian ancestry, so I tried to morph the two faces together into a sort of "Viking Satyr."<br /><br /><a href="http://illustrationmasterclass.com/">Illustration Master Class</a><br /><a href="http://www.manchess.com/">Gregory Manchess Art</a>

IMC: Demos

Last night at the Illustration Master Class in Amherst, Massachusetts, Greg Manchess began his oil painting demonstration of "Beauty a...

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IMC Days 2 and 3

The second and third days of the Illustration Master Class have been filled with steady work in Studios 101 and 201 here in Amherst, Massachusetts. Each big studio room has about 40 students working on fantasy and science fiction illustrations for the remainder of the week.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrVCZZl498L5D0qCCJFmcpo-cfqvHZXDmmLY1B85BwfNWqgkQ7_sTVkzoxEV3prBC0hVCvubXQ9NjvyBwrToY53iblp2NX23en3Y6OIFQxmXQ9cZp1rO2D8o0AcEYCmSQIxg6Lx6SnssT/s1600/IMC.Day2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482968011409735698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrVCZZl498L5D0qCCJFmcpo-cfqvHZXDmmLY1B85BwfNWqgkQ7_sTVkzoxEV3prBC0hVCvubXQ9NjvyBwrToY53iblp2NX23en3Y6OIFQxmXQ9cZp1rO2D8o0AcEYCmSQIxg6Lx6SnssT/s400/IMC.Day2.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" /></a> From left to right: Sam Flegal showing scrap for "Warrior Priest," John Deininger with a color swatch chart getting ready to begin the painting, Eugene Young with a Sculpey maquette for Beauty and the Beast, and me and Grant Cooley with his incredible steampunk-kit-bashed jet-cycle maquette.

IMC Days 2 and 3

The second and third days of the Illustration Master Class have been filled with steady work in Studios 101 and 201 here in Amherst, Massach...

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IMC Day 1

Illustration Master Class began its first full day yesterday in Amherst, Massachusetts. Eighty-two students from as far away as Australia, England, and Calgary, Alberta assembled in the red-brick building called Fayerweather Hall on the college campus.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBCv1Tx52OzgpGFYq8QQ_GlznvcajrrZj5enjQT5YeQS1cy7z4LZlDA8QJA3HyoTeZMo7Vo7foHbFYRrlrtoPSAU2PGz62sxw8JYU3pIZ7di03dN_hp0V_Qr0KdAQSfqf5u4BHueWBB8o/s1600/Faculty.Supper.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482249687618431090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBCv1Tx52OzgpGFYq8QQ_GlznvcajrrZj5enjQT5YeQS1cy7z4LZlDA8QJA3HyoTeZMo7Vo7foHbFYRrlrtoPSAU2PGz62sxw8JYU3pIZ7di03dN_hp0V_Qr0KdAQSfqf5u4BHueWBB8o/s400/Faculty.Supper.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" /></a><br /><br />The faculty consisted of, from left to right, Dan Dos Santos, Donato Giancola, Irene Gallo, Greg Manchess, Scott Fischer, Me (with Jeanette), Rebecca Guay, Jeremy Jarvis, as well as Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell (not shown).<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDwV6Ssaiw8jQe1uW3cfAqCn2LzrY6NRZm5cDNDlc6jFNXnqUTdYBlNdBvksG-oYzDpfRhqrwmdy6zS6klzkrLeYjlL968a4c9keDg1flBsORQIs1Y-H-L8LLHMAzvKMwFzVEkAMILngp/s1600/Critique.Session.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482249682917276322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDwV6Ssaiw8jQe1uW3cfAqCn2LzrY6NRZm5cDNDlc6jFNXnqUTdYBlNdBvksG-oYzDpfRhqrwmdy6zS6klzkrLeYjlL968a4c9keDg1flBsORQIs1Y-H-L8LLHMAzvKMwFzVEkAMILngp/s400/Critique.Session.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" /></a> Students prepared preliminary drawings based on the themes of Joan of Arc, Beauty and the Beast, Warrior Priest, Jet-Cycle Getaway, Paranormal Romance, and Frost Titan. <br /><br />From about 11:00 in the morning until 11:00 at night, faculty and students divided into two large classrooms, with the sketches posted on a large wall. We went through each of the drawings to suggest ways of improving the compositions, usually using tracing paper overlays. <br /><br />We had brief breaks for meals and for presentations on art materials safety and how to shoot photo reference from models.<br /><br /><a href="http://illustrationmasterclass.com/">Illustration Master Class</a>

IMC Day 1

Illustration Master Class began its first full day yesterday in Amherst, Massachusetts. Eighty-two students from as far away as Australia, E...

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WCSU Masters of Fine Arts Exhibit

Western Connecticut State University has a Masters of Fine Arts Program presided over by noted illustrator <a href="http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/artalumni/Professors/echevarria.html">Abe Echevarria</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOL6zqV3oeMlBQq-XfrRcZvTcsYhXXeRLyMeZUsQTFVioScKsBo8TAbcitU_uYbkCSK7Wt0F3nqgnwcj59d6ulM5EAbdQVSxdi_zLYo1fCD8LECbJYSnI3e24UwAeIvbnxbkNMem-joJXp/s1600/obeestudiocorner.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458534204192130290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOL6zqV3oeMlBQq-XfrRcZvTcsYhXXeRLyMeZUsQTFVioScKsBo8TAbcitU_uYbkCSK7Wt0F3nqgnwcj59d6ulM5EAbdQVSxdi_zLYo1fCD8LECbJYSnI3e24UwAeIvbnxbkNMem-joJXp/s320/obeestudiocorner.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" /></a> Here's a painting from one of last year's MFA students,<a href="http://www.wcsu.edu/artalumni/highlights.html"> Perry Obee</a> "Studio Corner with a Reflected Painting" oil on paper.<br /><br />I had a chance to visit the school in November and tour the downstairs cubicles where the small and congenial group of illustration MFA students worked on a variety of themes, from zoo posters to paper sculpture.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRetHtVbGBo78GgyU4MGq3zN67EqL6B_0RU2CSD-k2VXEgurr6RCY-V_jFRiP25pvjVoqIEMVo0UP_uyZb1yHC-IW6v0mWMktZuU80otjVkk5-xSt2MzSI1QLByqbnF8iv76rQxxL8X7i/s1600/WCSU_Visit.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458532481656424274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRetHtVbGBo78GgyU4MGq3zN67EqL6B_0RU2CSD-k2VXEgurr6RCY-V_jFRiP25pvjVoqIEMVo0UP_uyZb1yHC-IW6v0mWMktZuU80otjVkk5-xSt2MzSI1QLByqbnF8iv76rQxxL8X7i/s400/WCSU_Visit.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" /></a> Now you can see the fruits of their labors at the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Thesis Exhibition, featuring the paintings and illustrations of WestConn M.F.A. students. <br /><br />It is currently on display from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays through Friday, April 16, in the Higgins Gallery in Higgins Hall on the university's Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury, Connecticut. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, call (203) 837-8881. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.wcsu.edu/newsevents/event.asp?event_id=14876">WCSU Events</a><br /><a href="http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/newsevents/westconnection-flickr.asp?setID=72157623787190534">Pictures in the exhibit from this years class.</a>

WCSU Masters of Fine Arts Exhibit

Western Connecticut State University has a Masters of Fine Arts Program presided over by noted illustrator Abe Echevarria Here's a pain...

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