31
Modern Trading / Re: Updated List of Everything
« on: September 24, 2005, 11:30 PM »
Updated 9/24/05.
Bringing Balance to the Force
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32
Fan Art / Re: Hunter S Thompson Prints
« on: September 1, 2005, 09:11 PM »
Hunter brings out the best in you Brad. Nothing to say except it's great! Too bad this isn't the definitive "Gonzo Journalism' site or "Fear & Loathing Fan Club". You could make a mint if you found the right target audience. I'd even suggest you try selling it on ebay or something. I'm sure if the price was fair you'd get plenty of customers...
Keep it up and I must admit that airbrush is a hell of a lot of fun, but I think I got rid of my Badger and air compressor due to the multicolored boogers I was blowing. I even wore a mask and still inhale enough to make me think twice about doing it. It was about that time (12 years ago) I was also inhaling a lot of illicit, psychotropic drugs. I guess I wasn't all that thrilled about inhaling something without the payoff. I wonder which did more long-term brain damage... The acrylic air brush ink I inhaled or the (censored to protect my stellar reputation here).
Anyway, good stuff Brad! Now go and listen to something different, classic and killer like: Cultasaurus Erectus and/or Extraterrestrial Live by Blue Oyster Cult. I also strongly recommend: 2112 and A Farewell to Kings (Cygnus X1) by Rush. These are musical experiences for all the senses...
Ciao!
Keep it up and I must admit that airbrush is a hell of a lot of fun, but I think I got rid of my Badger and air compressor due to the multicolored boogers I was blowing. I even wore a mask and still inhale enough to make me think twice about doing it. It was about that time (12 years ago) I was also inhaling a lot of illicit, psychotropic drugs. I guess I wasn't all that thrilled about inhaling something without the payoff. I wonder which did more long-term brain damage... The acrylic air brush ink I inhaled or the (censored to protect my stellar reputation here).
Anyway, good stuff Brad! Now go and listen to something different, classic and killer like: Cultasaurus Erectus and/or Extraterrestrial Live by Blue Oyster Cult. I also strongly recommend: 2112 and A Farewell to Kings (Cygnus X1) by Rush. These are musical experiences for all the senses...
Ciao!
33
Fan Art / Re: Bonnaroo Project - Critique's requested!
« on: July 25, 2005, 11:32 PM »
Why Brad?
1. Why do you feel that this needs to be so upscale in quality that you'd shell out $15 a pop? I know you work at a printing joint and they must be pretty tight. I guess the only way to cut the price, is up the print run, but you don't want 1000 copies sitting in boxes. How are you laying it out? Computer or just setting up pages and having them printed from the original art? How much do you save by binding (stapling) them yourself? I'd do a small first printing as a portfolio/promo piece for friends and family. If you have the right equipment, you could do it at home dammit! I know you know the business, but there have to be shortcuts you can take and still maintain the quality you want...
2. Why are you scared? Write a freaking © or ® or tm after your name and date it and you are fine. Send it through the mail to yourself and never open it. The post mark will serve as proof that you own the rights to your work. No one can mess with you. It's really far from complicated to copyright your work. If anyone wants the rights or for you to sign anything, tell them to blow off. Or find a lawyer and have them glance it over. Lucky me, I have a father in law. But as long as you signed it and put the © and date, you are fine. Just do not sign anything. Send copies with your copyright and do not worry about it. They can't steal it from you. We can talk about this further, but you should try to do whatever you can to get this thing in print and for as little scrill as possible.
1. Why do you feel that this needs to be so upscale in quality that you'd shell out $15 a pop? I know you work at a printing joint and they must be pretty tight. I guess the only way to cut the price, is up the print run, but you don't want 1000 copies sitting in boxes. How are you laying it out? Computer or just setting up pages and having them printed from the original art? How much do you save by binding (stapling) them yourself? I'd do a small first printing as a portfolio/promo piece for friends and family. If you have the right equipment, you could do it at home dammit! I know you know the business, but there have to be shortcuts you can take and still maintain the quality you want...
2. Why are you scared? Write a freaking © or ® or tm after your name and date it and you are fine. Send it through the mail to yourself and never open it. The post mark will serve as proof that you own the rights to your work. No one can mess with you. It's really far from complicated to copyright your work. If anyone wants the rights or for you to sign anything, tell them to blow off. Or find a lawyer and have them glance it over. Lucky me, I have a father in law. But as long as you signed it and put the © and date, you are fine. Just do not sign anything. Send copies with your copyright and do not worry about it. They can't steal it from you. We can talk about this further, but you should try to do whatever you can to get this thing in print and for as little scrill as possible.
34
Announcements / Re: Need a Checklist?
« on: July 25, 2005, 08:38 PM »
They look stellar JV8!!! I am in awe! Who did these? Must have taken forever!
Love the way you formatted them and that they are actually up after all these years!!!
Love the way you formatted them and that they are actually up after all these years!!!
35
Fan Art / Re: Bonnaroo Project - Critique's requested!
« on: July 25, 2005, 05:47 PM »
What kind of quote is that? You are being ripped unless you are planning to do some kind of glossy cover. Crap Brad, you could do it yourself and staple it and save a lot of money. I think the quote you are getting is ridiculous and you should shop around. The other thing you could do is look online for art grants and submit it to get a grant to print it and publish it. That's how Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve) got his stuff going before Drawn & Quarterly picked him up. But, do not pay $15 a book to have it made.! You can get around the printing costs if you are as creative in getting it done as you are in your writing and drawing. Do not rush into it just to have it done. Get it done right and get it done so it doesn't set you back too much. While I like you and your art, I probably would not shell out $15 for a copy. Not that it isn't worth it, but more due to the fact that I know you could get it done for less. Let me know if I can help you find some resources and I'll start digging. You could also look into submitting it to different edgy literature rags and fishraps and see if you can get it published in a collective book or something. There are also plenty of independent comic and magazine publishers that are always looking for something fresh and risky like this. DO NOT PAY $15 A BOOK!!! You can do better!
36
Fan Art / Re: my sculpture
« on: July 5, 2005, 10:26 AM »
Yeah, the typewriter ball I found and used had Greek letters on it. Omega is the biggie for me. I had a dream once that I was in a math class and there was this huge problem on the board and everyone that went up was getting it wrong. I went up and wrote the omega sign and the teacher told me I was exatly right. I was seeing a dream therapist at the time and she prompted me to look into the symbolism. Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, but the Greek alphabet is circular, so it also preceeds the first or new beginning. So it represents rebirth. I adopted it and actually use it as my signature.
38
Fan Art / my sculpture
« on: July 5, 2005, 12:14 AM »
here's a casting I did several years ago that I thought I would share. I have done a lot of pieces that are found object sculpture and I will post some more of them when I can.
39
Fan Art / Re: Bonnaroo Project - Critique's requested!
« on: July 5, 2005, 12:12 AM »
and another...
40
Fan Art / Re: Bonnaroo Project - Critique's requested!
« on: July 5, 2005, 12:08 AM »
here is a little hell...
41
Fan Art / Re: Bonnaroo Project - Critique's requested!
« on: July 4, 2005, 11:07 PM »
I'd lose the Nazi stuff. If you want to be offensive, then keep it. If you want to be artistic and creative, then fill it with demons, skulls, skeletons and hellish creatures. Make it offensive because you have exposed sex organs or details of maggots and flesh dripping... Nazi stuff is useful for historic purposes or if you are coming from a Jewish perspective, but not just to whip out and use as an image that reflects hell. While they were evil, it isn't a very artistically responsible move. I actually have a few pictures I did of my Black Diz concepts that used the swastika. I think I used it as the 'S' in Disney. But it was more for shock value and to create controversy than anything and I dropped it because I thought it was more tasteless than cutting edge. I myself am of Jewish heritage and while I am not a practicing Jew, I have ancestry that endured and died in the holocaust. Sorry to preach, but I think you can come up with something that is a bit more expressive of HELL considering all you've been through. Make the imagery more personal than general. That's what made your first batch so effective and unique!
The other thing I would suggest is to drop the 'drop shadow'. Create vertigo and insanity behind you with detail, shading and texture that pushes and forces your figure forward dramatically. I like that you used several different drawings. I just think being quick is one thing, but don't sacrifice the element of emotion when you are.
If I was looking at you and on a bad bad acid trip (not that I necessarilly would know what that is like...), I would think that you would look like you are being sucked into a vortex or dripping into the abyss or being engulfed by it all, swallowed by the fire, crawling with creepy things, half of you skeletal and leaking brain worms and grubs.
I want to post an example of what I mean, but I am having a heck of a time currently. When I can, you will see a drawing I did in 8th grade (I think) and have worked on the color since that time here and there. Hope you understand my points and take them the way I intend them to mean.
The other thing I would suggest is to drop the 'drop shadow'. Create vertigo and insanity behind you with detail, shading and texture that pushes and forces your figure forward dramatically. I like that you used several different drawings. I just think being quick is one thing, but don't sacrifice the element of emotion when you are.
If I was looking at you and on a bad bad acid trip (not that I necessarilly would know what that is like...), I would think that you would look like you are being sucked into a vortex or dripping into the abyss or being engulfed by it all, swallowed by the fire, crawling with creepy things, half of you skeletal and leaking brain worms and grubs.
I want to post an example of what I mean, but I am having a heck of a time currently. When I can, you will see a drawing I did in 8th grade (I think) and have worked on the color since that time here and there. Hope you understand my points and take them the way I intend them to mean.
42
Fan Art / Re: Bonnaroo Project - Critique's requested!
« on: June 30, 2005, 03:25 AM »
Being the fan I am of the 'Bad Craziness' Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman works, I'd say this direction is appropriate and good for you. I'm not sure what to say other than I admire your courage to use media that is new for you and to express your perceptions and observations in such a raw, humorous and freeform way. These are by far the best things you've done. Why? Because they are you. Pure, raw, expressive, insane, intense and also light-hearted, fun, free and at times very simple and playful. I think this is exactly what you needed. An opportunity to just create and express without feeling like you need to impress anyone but yourself. You are finally revealing your artistic essence. While you are doing things that are similar to some established art and artists (Steadman and I also think of the Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' art and the art in 'Pink Floyd: the Wall'), you are reaching something within that I am not sure you even thought was there.
The mudman is amazing and I think your writing is fine. You don't have to be a writer to make sense or to get a point or an idea across with the art that you are putting with your words. You seem to have stripped your writing and artistic approach down to the bare bones and put down on paper what you felt. It's beautiful Brad and I really think it is a big step for you and could be a breakthrough for you. Keep tapping into that part of yourself when you do any art and see how it relates or comes out in other contexts. I m really impressed and proud of you for taking such a large risk. I have nothing critical to say because this is the most personal art I've seen you do and I am only an observer respecting your choice to share this all with us. Thank you and we will talk soon.
The mudman is amazing and I think your writing is fine. You don't have to be a writer to make sense or to get a point or an idea across with the art that you are putting with your words. You seem to have stripped your writing and artistic approach down to the bare bones and put down on paper what you felt. It's beautiful Brad and I really think it is a big step for you and could be a breakthrough for you. Keep tapping into that part of yourself when you do any art and see how it relates or comes out in other contexts. I m really impressed and proud of you for taking such a large risk. I have nothing critical to say because this is the most personal art I've seen you do and I am only an observer respecting your choice to share this all with us. Thank you and we will talk soon.
43
Fan Art / Re: Aayla Secura & Clone
« on: June 28, 2005, 10:51 PM »
Nice Brad! But...
It's too damn soft!!!
Get rid of the blender for a whil and play with some clean, graphic and hard edges. A balance is important! Aayla's nose seems flat and blurred. A clone is in a suit that demands some very hard lines. Save the blending for the shadows after you have penciled in the hard lines and details. I really think it will make an incredible difference in how well-rendered your drawings are.
It's too damn soft!!!
Get rid of the blender for a whil and play with some clean, graphic and hard edges. A balance is important! Aayla's nose seems flat and blurred. A clone is in a suit that demands some very hard lines. Save the blending for the shadows after you have penciled in the hard lines and details. I really think it will make an incredible difference in how well-rendered your drawings are.
44
Fan Art / Re: Sidious Sketch
« on: June 28, 2005, 10:47 PM »
Pretty good Brad. Not going to pull punchs though...
Sidious needs to be more grotesque. A wart here or there, some more dramatic wrinkles and anger lines in the eye and mouth area and maybe even a trace of spit or saliva at the mouth or reflective circle or 2. The strongest part of this is you gradation from the dark hood and out to the borders. Your lightning needs to look less jagged and more fuzzy (blend your edges and use a really sharp and light pencil for some fizzle. And the finger should be fragmented shadows of his boney hands. They don't show in the scan well.
Your composition sense is amazing and it's powerful, but needs some spit and polish. Good to see whatever you have though Brad. I miss being in contact with you more and hope we can connect again soon!
Sidious needs to be more grotesque. A wart here or there, some more dramatic wrinkles and anger lines in the eye and mouth area and maybe even a trace of spit or saliva at the mouth or reflective circle or 2. The strongest part of this is you gradation from the dark hood and out to the borders. Your lightning needs to look less jagged and more fuzzy (blend your edges and use a really sharp and light pencil for some fizzle. And the finger should be fragmented shadows of his boney hands. They don't show in the scan well.
Your composition sense is amazing and it's powerful, but needs some spit and polish. Good to see whatever you have though Brad. I miss being in contact with you more and hope we can connect again soon!
45
Fan Art / Re: X-Wing Pianting
« on: June 28, 2005, 10:41 PM »
For your age, it is a nice painting. A bit loose in the finer details, but overall quite good! Acrylic is a great media and oils are over-rated. The other thing, is acrylic is much more forgiving and faster. Don't be afraid to keep working into this painting and add more details, clean up your edges and maybe work a bit on your perspective. What is the size? It look fairly large and that is also to your advantage. The one tip I have for painting is always spend money on high quality brushes. The acrylic paint is all pretty much the same and the quality is important, but the tools you actually apply the paint with are vital. A nice detail brush can cost a lot, but it's worth it. Painting with a brush that frays or falls apart quickly sucks. The more you spend on a brush the longer it will last because you will want to take care of it. A good brush cleaning soap is very important to maintain a nice tight point and make it last. I ink with brushes that average $30 per brush and I still use the first I bought about 5 years ago. And it still gives me the fine point and flexibility I demand.
The other thing is don't be afraid to by acrylic gel mediums, extenders or liquifying agents/mediums. Do not use water and acrylic unless you want a watercolor effect or to clean your brush. For details, the water just makes the paint more transluscent. But preliquid (airbrush) acrylic for detail purposes and you never have to worry about the strength of the color or opacity of the paint.
Keep up the painting and continue to share with us!
The other thing is don't be afraid to by acrylic gel mediums, extenders or liquifying agents/mediums. Do not use water and acrylic unless you want a watercolor effect or to clean your brush. For details, the water just makes the paint more transluscent. But preliquid (airbrush) acrylic for detail purposes and you never have to worry about the strength of the color or opacity of the paint.
Keep up the painting and continue to share with us!