In about half an hour, I’m heading out to see the new Dark Knight movie.  After all these rave (and raving) reviews, I hope I’m not expecting too much.  I realize that this flick is a financial juggernaut, but praise has been a bit over the top.  Of course, after I see it and right a review, maybe my praise will be over the top too.  Or, maybe not.  We’ll see.

I saw Hellboy II: The Golden Army last Friday.  Review is coming tomorrow, and it will not be over the top.

Las night we saw local legend, great friend, and consummate performer David Ackerman in concert.  The show also featured old friends John Stinchcomb (guitars), Pamela Ackerman (backup singing), and Mark Flight (backup singing, bass), as well as a stellar band.  It was a fantastic show, played for an appreciative audience, and the band sounded simply top notch and professional in all ways.  I’ve known most of these folks for a quarter of a century, and it was hard to leave them at the end of the evening.  In my heart, I wish I could spend much more time with them.

Yesterday, at the Indianapolis Art Center, I got out my watercolors and did a few pics that I plan to finish up on my own time.  I’m thrilled to announce that after several years of practice, I believe I’m ready to take my watercolor painting skills to a new level.  Painting nudes is all well and fun, but I’m ready for some more challenging subject matters.  More to come as this develops.

Take care!  Scott.

A new week is upon us, and my poor brain is a-whirl with the possibilities!  Or, maybe I’m just dizzy . . . sometimes it’s hard to tell.

I went to the Indiana State Fair yesterday, and I marched around for about six hours with a Johnny Saturn t-shirt on.  This might have once seemed a bit odd to me, but then I saw a multitude of people wearing shirts with Batman or Superman or Green Lantern emblems, and a host of other DC or Marvel licensed likenesses.  Well, I had Johnny Saturn on, so I get all the cool, Indie cred!

There were a lot of groups displaying what they do and how to join them in the “Our Land” building: “Our Land,” of course, meant “Indiana” in this context.  I was less than delighted to find they had cockroach racing, live veterinarian demonstrations neutering live animals, and some crazy sculptor making a two-ton cheese sculpture.  At first, I wondered why the Indiana Web Cartoonists didn’t have a table there, but then I figured they couldn’t possibly compete with live operations on a dog.  (No, I did not stay and watch the operation.  Once the vet drew an incision line on the dog’s shaved belly, I was out of there!).  I can also say that I was uncomfortable with the wastefulness of the ridiculous cheese sculpture, even though the artist claimed that it would all be re-processed as a binding agent for animal feed.

Anyway, Benita and friend Sandy sat spinning and promoting the benefits of the fiber arts in the “Our Land” pavilion for four hours.  They had good crowds, and educated the public on what they were doing.  Modern people are a long way from the farm, and seeing people spinning, weaving, or practicing any of the other traditional crafts is a new experience to them.  According to Benita, one fellow didn’t know what a sheep looked like, and attempts to tell him simply further confused the matter.

In the Family Arts Building, I had the chance to wonder through the art entries at leisure.  It seemed that a reasonably large percentage of these works were done by artists associated with the Indianapolis Art Center, and I recognized many of the names of people I knew as well as many of the models I had often drawn in the pictures themselves.  It had never occurred to me to enter work in the state fair, but apparently I was somewhat unique in that oversight.  Still, because of the subjected nature of judging this type of event, it seemed that many works of stunning beauty or powerful artistic statement were overlooked.  I guess this is how it often is, but still…

Yet, I wonder, isn’t that subjective nature representative of the artist’s life?  Once we put our work out in the public eye, we can’t control how the public perceives it, or what it does or does not mean to them.  There’s some deeper wisdom to found in this observation, I’m sure of it, but it escapes me at the moment.

Scott.

Sunday, Benita and I had a lovely day. After eating breakfast, we spent a few hours at the Indianapolis Art Center. Benita brought her spinning wheel, and I brought my watercolors, and we enjoyed the beautiful light and moderate temperature in the formal gardens out back. The feelings of peace and wellbeing were wonderful, I must say!

I didn’t get to finish my watercolor, but I included the “in-progress” piece with a photo of the structure I was painting. Clearly I have many more hours of practice ahead of me, but that’s OK: I simply enjoy the act of painting in watercolors, so a long learning period is just fine with me.

This last piece, which is not representative of my normal style, is something I drew in open studio later that afternoon. I kind of like it, to be honest. It’s a bit surreal, but that’s a nice departure for me.

Hi, Folks:

As many of you know, I’m a big supporter of life drawing as a way to improve your drawing ability. Drawing from anatomy books and photos has its place, but nothing is as good as having a live model holding a pose for you while you draw or paint. Maybe it’s so much better because that’s a real person in front of you, one who is making an effort to hold a pose. Maybe it’s because the person exists in 3D space, and is not flattened into a 2D graphic. Whatever the reason, life drawing is the way to go.

After a few years at this, usually every Sunday at the Indianapolis Art Center, I know there are a few ways to make the most out of life drawing.

1) Most sessions open up with gesture drawings, yet many students fail to understand what is expected. The model does warm-up poses, often for about two-minutes or less each. This is your chance to loosen up your arm, draw in big sweeping motions, and get the primary action line and rough placement of anatomy. It is not time for you to start a large, finished drawing that fills up a whole sheet of paper and gets truncated after two minutes.

2) If you start to get bored, or it becomes ho-hum, change mediums. I have used graphite, pen & ink, watercolor, colored pencils, ink washes, and even (ugh!) pastels. As soon as I feel things are getting stale, I try a new medium. Today, I started using chalk pencils on toned paper.
3) Go into each session with a goal. For example, focus on proportion, or musculature, or dynamics, or skin tones, or whatever you feel you need to work on. You need to develop a critical eye for your own work, and always be striving to improve on your artistic weak points.
4) If the class monitor says it’s OK, rearrange the spot lights for interesting lighting. This is not always encouraged, but it’s cool when you can do it. Try multiple light sources. Try colored lamps. Get some contrast going.
5) Props may enliven the session. Sure, the model is probably going to use chairs, stools, pillows, and the like. But, how about a walking stick? A cane? A Grecian urn? The possibilities are endless here.
6) Study proportion. Also, use your pencil held out in front of you to divide the model into equidistant areas. Familiarize yourself with human proportion based on the head’s dimensions. Find parallel landmarks on the model to better line elements up.
7) Fill your paper. Don’t be timid and draw on the corner of a piece of paper.
Remember, the model’s exterior outline is more important than his/her interior details.

Most colleges and universities have figure drawing sessions open to the public (for a fee, of course). You may have to call around, but chances are that there is a figure drawing open studio near you. If you have to drive a long way, it’s worth it. I knew one avid figure artist who drove almost three hours each way for his open studio. He wanted it, and knew it was imperative to his growth as an artist, so that was that.

Scott

This sketch was the cover of the “2006 Special Edition Scott Story Sketchbook,” and that’s the only time it’s seen print.  I was well into taking open studio at the Indianapolis Art Center, and I was more than a little influenced by the inspirational pen & ink stylings of my friend, Paul McCall.  My pen & ink get’s more refined as I go forward in my sketchbooks.

Benita and I had a nice weekend, but I’m completely pooped.  We went to Indianapolis Art Center yesterday, and model was quite good, but I was so tired that I lost my focus and found it hard to draw.  I hate that, because I love going to the Art Center and drawing, and leaving early seems so wasteful.  Ah, well.

I’ve caught the first two episodes of the cartoon “The Brave and the Bold,” and I love it!  I had no use for the weird, anime version of Batman that had been running for some years, with its ape-like, barefoot Joker, so this new take came as a pleasant surprise for me.  By “new,” I guess I should say “retro.”  The art is a mix of Dick Sprang’s Batman, Alex Toth’s “Superfriends” Batman, and the Adam West Batman show from the 60’s.  From what I’ve seen, Batman plays something of a father figure to younger, learning heroes.

In “The Brave and the Bold,” we learn a few things.  For example, Batman can fly whenever he wants, because he has a folding jet pack, and (like the recent movies) he can make his cape solid and use it as a glider.  He also apparently has enough fuel and good enough insulation in the bat-suit to fly from the ground into outer space, and there tackle an incoming asteroid.  Yikes!  Talk about suspension of belief!

Cartoons often take tremendous liberties with physics.  There was that scene in the Batman/Superman animated movie where Batman leaped about 30’ feet straight up while fighting giant battle-bots.  Neat trick.

Well, however you look at it, Warner Brother’s new “Brave and the Bold” cartoon is excellent!

Scott.

It’s time to resurrect the long unused Art Talk. Here we go!

Today I began penciling page 1 of Johnny Saturn issue 10. As usual, I penciled the first panel, realized it wasn’t good at all, and thoroughly erased it. I always have problems beginning a new issue, or a new project! It never fails! Today was no exception.

Why do I have this difficulty? Well, I didn’t do any warm up sketching, for one. Many of the Silver Aged artists would do warm ups for up an hour before beginning their main job. John Buscema used to draw on the backs oh is original pages, and fill up stacks of typewriter paper. Gil Kane devoted an hour every morning getting into top form.

Now in my fifteenth year of actively cartooning, I have never made warm ups part of my daily routine. This year is different. In my figurative work, Benita poses for me and lets me get warmed up before I go the Indianapolis Art Center and draw live models. I want to get the most for the experience, and coming in cold doesn’t help that.

What should one draw during these warm ups? Excellent question. In earlier times, I would have limited myself to photos of dancers, athletes, or nudes. Since I go to the Art Center, I really don’t see the point in drawing from 2D photos like I used to. Lately, I have taken to copying the work of figurative master Andrew Loomis, as seen in his classic, criminally out of print book “Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth.” Let me be clear on this: Loomis was better than Burne Hogarth, who wrote those popular and useful books that are so well known among the community of comic artists. Burne was good, and I may well get around to studying his books again, but Loomis is the master.

You might wonder, why would I study the work of another artist when I’ve got photographs I could work from? Well, studying the techniques of the great masters is a tried and true tradition, is it not? Plus, trying to replicate a master’s drawing line for line gives you a bizarre insight into the mind of that master. You begin to see the world from his perspective, how he perceived his subject matter. This can be enlightening, to say the least, and perhaps even transformative to the artist.

What am I going to do in the morning? Warm up, of course.

Scott.

I really like trade-paperbacks.  I do not like single issues, which now cost $2.99 to $3.99.  As far as I’m concerned, the economics are way against collecting the floppies.

Dick Grayson makes a fine Batman.  Is it really important to the franchise that Bruce Wayne returns?  Sure, I know it’s only a matter of time before he’s back, but does that make for a better story?

Norman Osborn is a fascinating character.  I love the way Brian Michael Bendis’ mind works, because the Dark Reign stuff makes for a compelling read.  This is one of those cases where the villain makes a lot more sense than the heroes, after all.  I love villain-centered stories, and I wish I had dreamed this up first.  Alas, I did not.

Digital comic distribution seems to have arrived.  As usual, the way was paved by the pirates and all their file sharing.  ComicsXP is my favorite of the new digital distributers, and you can watch an excellent presentation about it here.

Does comic coloring seem darker and more dingy than it used to appear?  Overall, I’m tempted to say “yes.”  It seems to me that the current technique in widest use, coloring from dark to light with lots of screen effects, is the cause.  Many of these colorists, very talented in their own right, seem to have forgotten the need for clarity and contrast.

In my opinion, Freddie E. William’s book “The DC Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics” is perhaps the most important book on cartooning written this decade.  I like “how to” books, but most of them cover the same time-tested material again and again.  William’s book is something new, a new way to cartoon.

I’ve been reading Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America.  It’s easy to see why he won his Eisner’s.  Because of the rich supporting cast and super writing, the book has continued on for several years with the main character dead.  I haven’t read any of the Rebirth material yet, because it’s not collected into trades, but I have high expectations for that too.

So, the Black Widow is the new Captain America’s (James Buchanan Barnes) girlfriend.  Natasha has been around the bend a few times, also having had relations with Hercules, Daredevil, Hawkeye, and Iron Man.  There are probably others, but I just don’t remember them.  She doesn’t rank as the most sexually active Marvel character, though, because that seems to be a long-running contest between Tony Stark and Matt Murdock.  Those dudes get around!

I’ve got an interview coming up in the new ComicsXP magazine, available free at http://www.comicsxp.com.  This magazine has not been released yet, but the interview is by John Wilson, and some of my answers may surprise you.

After coming to the conclusion that I have no place to sit in and read in our house, I have taken it upon myself to remodel our guest bedroom into a hybrid bedroom/den.  I have idyllic visions of myself, sitting in my grandfather’s easy chair, drinking coffee or perhaps tea, and reading in a pleasant, well-lighted environment.  I’m only about halfway done clearing out the room, however, because I’ve managed to hurt myself several times working on it, and most recently I sprained my drawing hand.  I remain undaunted.

I have taken it upon myself to create a master Photoshop resource file on my computer, one that includes all the brushes, textures, tool presets, custom shapes, custom paths, filters and patterns that I’ve either collected or created myself.  This file also contains my photographic morgue, as well as Sketchup files I use regularly.  I backed this file up a few days ago, and it took two DVDs to hold it, and would have taken 9 CDs.  Yikes.

Lately, when I do watercolor, usually at the Indianapolis Art Center, I’ve foregone drawing the subject matter in pencil and gone straight to watercolor.  I’m so used to using a brush that this is not that difficult for me to sketch in color.  Yay me.

Over at the Webcomic Planet Collective forums, I’ve been given two sub forums to run, one on Photoshop, another on Sketchup.  These will be collections of resources, and advice, and initial reactions to these are positive.

Scott.

Working on turning the guest bedroom into my den is continuing right on track.  Today I cleaned out the glass cabinet of Batman goodies I stored there.  Handling this collection again made me smile—I mean, there are Batman bandages, Batman chicken & noodle soup, Batman cake toppers, a Batman night light, Bat signal projectors, Batmobiles, Batman Easter Egg set, etc. etc.  In my defense, most of the stuff in this collection was pretty low cost, all the Batman Pez dispensers, Batman tooth brushes, Batman suckers, Batman pencil toppers, etc.

But, back to my future den.  This is going to be my secret hideout, with a wall of shelves holding all my graphic novels, prose fiction books, and art glass, and maybe some upper end action figures.  When I’ve got it done, I’ll post pictures.  My grandfather’s easy chair is going in there, as well as my Alan Lee framed print.  Soon, we’ll paint the room (this room has never been painted, and still has primer colored walls) and tear out the nasty old carpet.

Today, at the Indianapolis Art Center, I enjoyed a three hour pose with a model dressed head-to-toe as a Roman Centurion.  The costume is impressive.  I kind of blew it, because I got in a hurry and didn’t take the time the picture deserves.  But, that’s OK!  I’ve got pictures, and I will pain this to my satisfaction.

Last night, I watched the video of Dr. Steven Greer’s speech to the exopolitical crowd in Barcelona, Spain.  The show was about an hour long, and it had some very intriguing moments.  I’m not sure what to think of Dr. Greer, to be honest; he is vain, self-impressed, and a name and innuendo dropper, yet he also seems to believe what he’s fighting for.  Much of the disclosure that has happened is a result of Greer’s pressure in the higher levels of government.  He is a showman and a committed believer at the same time, so I find him perplexing.

Are traced photos the future of comic book penciling?  I’m starting to wonder.  I understand that the minimum threshold is much higher now than it was, say, in the 1980’s.  I really became aware of this trend when Greg Land went public on his technique—the controversy has raged on to this day!  Well, as you can imagine from my work, I prefer hand drawn and inked comics, but traced comics, if done well, can be quite beautiful too.  Here’s the crux of it: If the traced photos are stolen from other media and photographers, that’s bad; if the penciler took his own photos and traces from those, that’s good.  I don’t really care for comics traced from Poser figures, either, but I reserve judgment on whether the artist can make it look fluid and good or not.  So far, my experience has been “not.”

I haven’t read any of this Blackest Night event at DC.  When the trades come out, I will probably read the main series, but skip most of the supporting series and crossovers.  I’m looking forward to it, though, because the concept is cool and Doug Mankes’ art is really impressive.  I’ve been a fan of his since the Seven Soldiers’ “Frankenstein” mini-series.  To be honest, I also hope they use Blackest Night to return some of their cooler dead characters to life.  While I was still buying the monthlies, it seems DC comics were all about death, death, and death, and it was getting me down.

What change will Disney’s acquisition of Marvel have on the content of their books?  I’d like to think “none,” because many of their titles (Captain America, Daredevil, Avengers (whichever title) are outstanding.  In fact, with this current group of writers, including Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Ed Brubaker, Greg Pak, and Matt Fraction, this has been the richest time in Marvel comics since the 60’s.  Needless to say, I’ve been bowled over by their books in the last few years.  Let’s hope Disney doesn’t mess this up.

Have I rambled enough?  Let’s say yes.

Scott.

When my visualization abilities are at full charge, I tend to go right to the art board and draw the pictures there directly, skipping thumbnails altogether.  At all other times, I draw the picture on a separate piece of paper, make changes in the computer, and trace it onto the art board.  I wish my visualization abilities were always at full charge, but stress or illness or fatigue can sideline them.

When I mention life drawing from reference pictures in my mind’s eye, I mean that I am using the same skills that I would use to draw a live models, props, or settings. Visualization and concentration are among the artist’s most powerful tools.

I have changed paper, inking supplies, pencils, and other tools often over the years.  Sometimes I’ll hand draw backgrounds, sometimes I’ll use Sketchup to build the background.  At one point, I cut and formatted all my own art boards, but now I use Blueline Pro paper exclusively.  When it comes to inking, the mix of brush, crow quill, fountain pen, and technical markers in my art has changed regularly.  These changes are based on my mood, but no one has ever noticed or pointed out the change, because my art looks like my art no matter how I did it.  (It’s the artist, not the tools!) For years I drew with 4H pencils in lead holders, and now I’m partial to 3B in lead holders and draftsman’s mechanical pencils.  I should be more consistent, but it’s the mood I’m in, and the availability of tools, and the tooth of the paper that makes up my mind more often than not.

I used to collect toys for reference.  I have a drawer full of realistic looking squirt guns, for example, that have shown up as real guns in the comic again and again.  If I am having trouble drawing a character from a sharp angle, I will often use my Art S. Buck plastic models posed correctly, or perhaps my old GI Joes.  The older, large GI Joes are fantastic models, because they are well jointed and capable of almost any pose.  I also have tons of vinyl animals, and lots of vinyl dinosaurs, but the latter rarely get used as art models, primarily because no dinosaurs have shown up in the comic.  I love drawing and painting dinosaurs, so maybe it’s time for a Jurassic invasion of Spire City.

When drawing or inking, I am often in “the Zone” for hours on end, a higher state of consciousness when the pencil seems to guide itself, everything I do is gold, and I feel and overwhelming sense of joy.  This is really a wonderful state, and the brain releases endorphins like crazy when I’m there.  Like my visualization abilities, illness, emotional turmoil, and fatigue all have the ability to keep me out of the zone.  I wish I could bottle this state, and take a swig whenever I needed it, but I cannot.

Despite have drawn tons of stuff over the last fifteen years, I feel confident in stating that life drawing at the Indianapolis Art Center’s open studios has increased my ability, and my visualization powers, by ten-fold.

When I revisit this subject, I will go into some detail on how to develop and make use of visualization in art.

Scott.