Cate Blanchett Portrait

Cate Blanchett: Academy Award–winning Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Blanchett appeared as the elf queen Galadriel in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator brought her numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blanchett's other films include Babel (2006), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Robin Hood.

5H, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 5b, 6B, 7B, woodless graphite 9B
Kneaded eraser, Pen eraser, Electric eraser
Blending Stump, Makeup Removal Discs
A4 (21x29'7 cm) (8,25" x 11,7")

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50. NEIL GAIMAN: Make good art

50. NEIL GAIMAN: Make good art:


Neil Gaiman (1960-) is one of the best fiction writers in the world in my opinion. His work covers novels, short-stories, children’s books, comics, film, television – pretty much the whole pop-culture gamut.
This quote is taken from Gaiman’s commencement address at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which was all over the internet last week. In an absolutely beautiful and inspiring speech, Gaiman shares the best tips that he wished he knew when he was first starting his writing career. It’s required listening for anyone passionate about the arts and I’ve bookmarked it so I can watch it whenever I lose my direction. Seriously, if you haven’t seen it, stop what you’re doing and:

 
I first read Gaiman’s work over 15 years ago, although I didn’t know who he was at the time. It was Spawn #9, which stood out from all the other Image, testosterone-filled comics I was reading because it was um … well-written. I kept reading the rave reviews The Sandman was getting but I wasn’t ready for ‘adult’ comics yet (I was 14 and hooked on the proportionally-challenged, gun-pouch-wearing superheroes of the new Image universe.) By the time my reading tastes had matured and I started university, I couldn’t afford to buy all of The Sandman collected editions. However, one of the (only) good things about my college was that their library had a comic collection, including all of The Sandman books. Reading the series over the course of a year (they were popular so it was difficult to loan them) was one of the highlights of my three years at university. The series lived up to the hype, opened my eyes to what comics were capable of and helped me score dates with goth girls. After that, I moved onto Gaiman’s novels including the hilarious Good Omens (co-authored with Terry Pratchett), Anansi Boys and the brilliant American Gods. He’s one of my favourite writers and if you see this Mr. Gaiman, thank you for not only making good art, but for making great art.
- Neil Gaiman’s official blog. I especially recommend this recent interview Gaiman conducted with one of my other favourite writers, Stephen King.

- Thanks to reader, Albert, for first sending me the link to the commencement speech.

- I’ve never liked using the term ‘graphic novel’ to describe adult or mature comics. I know Will Eisner created the term and who am I to argue with him, but whenever I hear people use it, it’s like they’re ashamed to admit that they read comics. I actually heard someone say “I don’t read comics, I only read graphic novels.” They’re the same thing, you moron!

via: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zenpencils/~3/dDz9eFI9iEs/

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Horses - Charcoal

Recently, I've been trying to improve my charcoal skills with some Horse studies. They are not the best in the world but you can still say that somewhat they resemble to a horse's shape and not a monkey, though I know there's still a long way to go:

I

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49. KURT VONNEGUT: The life of art

49. KURT VONNEGUT: The life of art:


This is my second Kurt Vonnegut quote (here’s the first one). He just had such a gift for expressing the joy of living and creating into a few sentences that I was always going to adapt more than one of his. I’m trying to avoid double-ups this soon into the website being online, although obviously not trying too hard since I’ve also done two Robert Frost and Hunter Thompson quotes.
Vonnegut’s words are so true – there’s a certain joy in just creating something … anything. Personally, to go from sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper then to having a completed comic is pretty cool. And then for that comic to be put online, be seen by thousands of different people around the world and for those people to relate or connect with it is really magical. And this happens all in the space of a few days! It’s amazing when you think about it.
- Thanks to Tristan for submitting this one.

- 50% profits from this print will be donated to the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. There’s also free shipping worldwide on all prints until Sunday.
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Via:  http://zenpencils.com/comic/49-kurt-vonnegut-the-life-of-art/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=49-kurt-vonnegut-the-life-of-art

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Sir Charles Chaplin Portrait

Sir Charles Chaplin: English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I. Chaplin used mime, slapstick and other visual comedy routines, and continued well into the era of the talkies, though his films decreased in frequency from the end of the 1920s. His most famous role was that of The Tramp, which he first played in the Keystone comedy Kid Auto Races at Venice in 1914.From the April 1914 one-reeler Twenty Minutes of Love onwards he was writing and directing most of his films, by 1916 he was also producing them, and from 1918 he was even composing the music for them. With Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith, he co-founded United Artists in 1919.

Chaplin was one of the most creative and influential personalities of the silent-film era. He was influenced by his predecessor, the French silent film comedian Max Linder, to whom he dedicated one of his films. His working life in entertainment spanned over 75 years, from the Victorian stage and the music hall in the United Kingdom as a child performer, until close to his death at the age of 88.

Charcoal pencil hard, medium and soft
Willow charcoal, Chalk
Kneaded eraser
Blending Stump, Makeup Removal Discs
A4 (21x29'7 cm) (8,25" x 11,7")

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48. MUHAMMAD ALI: A true champion

48. MUHAMMAD ALI: A true champion:


Muhammad Ali series: PART 1, PART 2
By 1974, Ali had been back boxing for 3 years and had become ‘the people’s champion’ as popular opinion had turned against the Vietnam War and Ali was seen as a hero for standing up for his beliefs against the government. Although he had returned to boxing, he wasn’t the same fighter as before. He had lost his biggest advantage, his speed. However, he had proved he could take a punch. In his loss against Joe Frazier in the ‘Fight of the Century’, Ali was knocked down by an epic left hook that would kill you or me, but he got back up before the ref could even start counting. Ali was now winning his fights through smarts, endurance and sheer determination.
In 1974, Ali signed to fight the then Heavyweight Champ, George Foreman, and just like 10 years earlier against Sonny Liston, no one gave Ali a chance. Foreman had just annihilated two fighters that had beaten Ali, (Frazier and Ken Norton) – and was younger, bigger, stronger and meaner than the 32-year-old Ali. The fight was held in Zaire, Africa, was billed as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ and is now one of sports most iconic events. Leading up to the fight, Ali had told everyone he was going to ‘dance’ around Foreman, but during the bout he used a plan that was either the bravest or stupidest strategy in boxing history. In what was later named the ‘rope-a-dope’, Ali leaned on the ropes and let Foreman use him as a human punching bag. I repeat: Ali let the world’s strongest and most fearsome puncher go to town on him for 8 rounds. Do you know how crazy/stupid/brave/dangerous that was?? By the eighth round, Foreman had tired himself out. Ali took advantage and delivered a combination of punches to produce the knockout victory. Ali had finally regained the title that had been taken away from him seven years earlier. The fight was broadcast around the world and by winning, Ali had become the most beloved and popular person on Earth.
In a perfect world, Ali would have retired after that fight, but instead kept on boxing for another seven years. During these later fights, Ali took many brutal beatings (including the Thrilla in Manilla in 1975, where Ali and Frazier pretty much killed each other in the ring), and thousands of punches to the head. He now suffers from Parkinsons Syndrome, but even though his motor skills have deteriorated, his mental state is unaffected. He remains deeply devoted to Islam (he converted to the more orthodox Sunni Islam in 1975), and lives a peaceful life with his fourth wife, Lonnie Ali.
- The story of ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ is told in the brilliant, Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings. I highly highly highly recommend it – it’s free on YouTube so go watch it right now. Seriously, even if you don’t like boxing, it’s just a brilliant film.

- Hunter S. Thompson was in Zaire to cover the fight for Rolling Stone. Instead of going to the stadium to see the bout, he stayed at his hotel and got drunk in the swimming pool. He didn’t file any story.

via: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zenpencils/~3/Vf2EBLFuP-o/

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Black and White Warbler

Black and White Warbler: The Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) is a species of New World warbler, the only member of its genus, Mniotilta.[2] It breeds in northern and eastern North America from the Northwest Territory and Newfoundland, Canada to Florida. This species is migratory, wintering in Florida, Central America and the West Indies down to Peru. This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

5H, 4H, H, HB, 2B, 3B, 6B, 9B woodless graphite
Willow Charcoal
Kneaded Eraser, Electric eraser
Blending Stump, Makeup Removal Discs
A4 (21x29'7 cm) (8,25" x 11,7")
Reference by amazing:

 

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The Triplets (Brave)

The Triplets (Brave): Identical triplets Harris, Hubert and Hamish are adorable, redheaded, and always ready to stir up a bit of mischief, especially if sweets are at stake. They can communicate wordlessly with their sly smiles, subtle glances and rascally giggles. This troublemaking trio is particularly keen on sneaking through the secret passages of the castle, mysteriously appearing out of walls, and playing clever tricks on everyone, especially their father, King Fergus. They share an extra special bond with their big sister, Merida, who is among the few who can actually tell them apart.

4H, 3H, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B
Kneaded Eraser, Electric eraser
A4 (21x29'7 cm) (8,25" x 11,7")

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47. MUHAMMAD ALI: I know the truth

47. MUHAMMAD ALI: I know the truth:


Muhammad Ali series: PART ONE
When Cassius Clay became Heavyweight Champ in 1964 he was already disliked by almost everyone. American’s didn’t like the way he bragged, went on and on about how he was so handsome and the greatest boxer ever. Nobody likes a showboat, right? Even after he dominated Sonny Liston, people didn’t take it seriously because Liston quit and wasn’t knocked down. The fight must have been fixed they said.
The perception went from dislike to contempt when Clay announced he was a member of the Nation of Islam the day after his victory. The Nation of Islam was considered a black, extremist hate group that preached for African-American independence by any means necessary. At the time when Martin Luther King was fighting for integration, the Nation of Islam was for complete separation. Rumours were already being spread about Clay’s involvement with the Nation when their most public figure and probably the most feared man in the country, Malcolm X, was seen hanging around Clay before the Liston fight.
It went from contempt to pure hatred when, a few days later, Clay announced the Nation’s leader had given him a new name: Muhammad Ali. No one took Ali seriously and dismissed him as a joke. Everyone – journalists, sportscasters, fellow boxers – refused to call Ali by his new name and it took years before it was truly accepted.
What couldn’t be ignored however, was Ali’s brilliance in the ring.
From 1964-1967, Ali defended his title 9 times. He beat Liston in their rematch with his famous Phantom Punch in the first round. Again, the public weren’t convinced by the performance as Liston went down like a sack of potatoes from what seemed like an average punch. They were sure the fight was fixed. Even Ali screamed at Liston to get up because he knew that no one would believe it. But Ali proved himself over the next eight bouts with devastating displays of speed and power. These included what is considered his greatest display of skill against Cleveland Williams and the infamous “What’s my name?” fight against Ernie Terrell. Before the fight, Terrell refused to call Ali by his new name so Ali embarrassed and punished him during the fight, screaming “What’s my name?” between blows and deliberately prolonging the match over the full 15 rounds (here’s a great clip of their animosity towards each other and the fight itself).
Even though Ali was untouchable in the ring, things got much worse outside it when public perception towards him went from pure hatred to white-hot, murderous rage in 1967. That’s when he was deemed eligible for the draft into the United States Armed Forces for the Vietnam War. Upon hearing of this (after already taken and failed the Army entrance exam in 1964), Ali said his now famous statement that became news headlines around the world, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong … they never called me ‘nigger’”. Ali refused to be drafted due to his religious principles and claimed ‘conscientious objector’ status. He wouldn’t have actually had to fight in the war and could have just toured Vietnam and boxed in exhibition matches for the troops, but Ali remained firm on his stance. It came to a head when he was called up for his induction meeting. Ali’s name would be called out and he would have to step forward to accept being drafted. Upon not stepping forward the first time he was warned that refusing the draft was a criminal act and he could be imprisoned. Ali acknowledged and again refused to take a step forward. He was taken away, indicted and was considered a draft-dodging coward by most of the country. (Ali being interviewed about not going to war.)
Before he was charged of a crime, let alone convicted, the boxing commissions stripped Ali of his title and he was no longer allowed to box at all. Two months later, he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and fined $10,000. Ali appealed, and the case spent years in the court system, during which time Ali wasn’t allowed to leave the country or box.
In total, it was over three years before Ali was allowed to fight again in 1971. THREE YEARS! This would have been Ali’s prime as fighter – who knows what brilliance we could have seen from him in those missing years? During his exile, Ali made money speaking at colleges around the country and became a hero to the counter-culture and civil rights movements. (Ali speaking at colleges.)
During all this time from 1964-1971, Ali never backed down on his religious beliefs and never preached violence or hatred – just empowerment for his fellow African-Americans. He maintained his dignity and integrity while sacrificing the heavyweight title he worked so hard for and millions of dollars in lost fight money. He became bigger than boxing.
BUT there’s still more to the Ali legend, much more. Come back on Tuesday to read the final Ali post!
- Check out this funny routine George Carlin did about the whole situation.
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via: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zenpencils/~3/Fw6MVxmGD_M/

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Rabbits - Drawing

Rabbits: Recently, a couple of wild rabbits decided to build a burrow on the orchard in order to increase the family. It caught my eye how easy was to confuse the bunnies with the ground, I think it's amazing how nature can create animals so well camouflaged in the environment.
Inspired on them with an old wallpaper reference.


5H, 3H, HB, 2B, 4B, 5B, 6B
Kneaded Eraser, Electric Eraser, Mars Rasor
Blending Stump, Makeup Removal Discs
A4 (21x29'7 cm) (8,25" x 11,7")

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The Feynman Series

The Feynman Series is a companion project of The Sagan Series working in the hopes of promoting scientific education and scientific literacy in the general population created by damewse

Episode I: Beauty



Episode II: Honours



Episode III: Curiosity



Episode IV: The Key to Science



[The Feynman Series | Richard Feynman Picture: BigStockPhoto]

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Simple Beginnings

Simple Beginnings:

-By Donato

"...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

-Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species 

Gandalf - Defeat at Caradhras   11" x 14"   2002

Although Darwin was speaking of the evolution of species, I find the quote quite appropriate when discussing the flow of ideas and inspiration within the context of my love of drawing.  



For years the creation of oil paintings had relegated  drawing to that of mere process - stages to pass through while on the way to creating a final solution in color and paint.  Much of the drawings for my commercial projects were created on the back sides of manuscript paper, never really intended to be preserved nor seen to have worth or value.



The  exception to this was my love of creating full sized cartoons for the oils.  I gathered all the references together to produce a highly detailed and rendered value study which, for all purposes, was only created to ease my progress in the final oils.  As soon as I had transferred the drawing onto my board, the drawings were cast aside, shelved and lost in storage.



This all changed when I began to attend conventions.



Suddenly my art had value beyond its commercial uses as covers or trading cards.  There were collectors out there who loved to purchase oil paintings, and if they couldn't afford oils, then they were willing to settle for...drawings!  All those sketches on manuscripted pages now had worth and I began to create all preparatory drawings on fine, archival papers.

Voice of Saruman   14" x 17"   2010

 A major change came in 2002 when I began to create drawings for the shear pleasure of just drawing.  Sure, I had created drawings before in my youth and college years and did hundreds of nude studies at life drawing in New York City over the years, but never before as a professional had I taken the time to enjoy the exploration of pushing around pencil and chalk as a final end point to the process. I had always thought about what the image would need in color, resolving lighting, atmosphere and background complexities.  I rediscovered drawing and  could now stop worrying about the final color solution in works like these- it was liberating!



The first drawing which broke this new ground was Gandalf - Defeat at Caradhras.  It was a pleasure to create and surprisingly the image quickly sold to a collector.  I immediate began to explore other portraits and characters in this new found method.  Within a year, the toned drawings were a regular accompaniment to the oils at all the conventions I was attending.  The greatest thrill in creating these drawings is that when the inspiration hits, out comes the paper and pencils to create art almost anywhere - at airports, on planes, in cafes, around convention commons, in doctors waiting rooms and even in the subways of New York.  Try doing that with oils!



Over the years, as this body of work has grown, a few of the images began to gnaw away at the painter inside and I had to exorcise the oil demons and render a handful in full color.  Below are some of my favorites.   And while I love to take a few of these to a more formal color finish, the love of drawing is what originally fueled the fires of creative desire and will continue to explore this format  for hundreds of drawings to come...



Enjoy!



--

Legolas in Mirkwood was one of those first drawings created as I explored the medium.  It took nearly seven years for the demons to come out and demand oil paint as a sacrifice.   It took less than a day for the painting to be picked up by a collector upon its first showing at IlluxCon.

Legolas in Mirkwood   11" x 14"   2003

Legolas in Mirkwood    oil on panel   24" x 30"

This image of Red Sonya grew from a small head shot I found in a fashion magazine while flying over the Mid-West on my way to the San Diego Comic-Con that year.  The face was all I needed as I then resolved the body from imagination.

Arnie and Cathy Fenner fed me to the oil demons a few years later when they asked if I would be interested in taking it into a final color.  It is one of my best portraits ever.

Red Sonya    9" x 12"  2006

 

 Red Sonya    20" x 29"  2009

Another Red Sonya. Again while at Comic-Con Arnie leaned over my shoulder while I was working on this drawing 'Is that for anyone??' The Fenners are oil demon lovers!

Red Sonya- Lovers Quarrel    11" x 14"   2009

final oils 24" x 30"

Have I ever mentioned I love to paint hands...

Lastly a special peek at an image who's demons (almost literally here!) came to the surface immediately after I executed this drawing in one of my Limited Edition Middle-earth books.  I was so excited about the idea that I rushed into the final color, dropping all other projects.  The oil painting will be on display for the first time next weekend at SpectrumLive in Kansas City.

When the demon fires of inspiration run hot...you must feed them.

'...I threw down my enemy.'    2012     8.5" x 11" via: http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2012/05/simple-beginnings.html

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Everything is a Remix

The genes in our bodies can be traced back over three-and-a-half billion years to a single organism, Luca, the Last Universal Common Ancestor. As Luca reproduced, its genes copied and copied and copied and copied, sometimes with mistakes — they transformed. Over time this produced every one of the billions of species of life on earth. Some of these adopted sexual reproduction, combining the genes of individuals, and altogether, the best-adapted life forms prospered.

This is evolution. Copy, transform and combine. Great project by Kirby Ferguson.

Part 4



Part 3
The act of creation is surrounded by a fog of myths. Myths that creativity comes via inspiration. That original creations break the mold, that they’re the products of geniuses, and appear as quickly as electricity can heat a filament. But creativity isn’t magic: it happens by applying ordinary tools of thought to existing materials.



Part 2
Perhaps it’s because movies are so massively expensive to make. Perhaps it’s because graphic novels, TV shows, video games, books and the like are such rich sources of material. Or perhaps it’s because audiences prefer the familiar. Whatever the reason, most box office hits rely heavily on existing material.



Part 1
Remix. To combine or edit existing materials to produce something new

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Bill Murray Portrait

Bill Murray: Quick charcoal of this american actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), and Groundhog Day (1993). Murray gained additional critical acclaim later in his career, starring in Lost in Translation (2003), that earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination, and a series of films directed by Wes Anderson, including Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).

Charcoal pencil hard, medium and soft
Willow charcoal, Chalk
Kneaded eraser

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