Saturday, September 21, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
My Favorite Artist
Neal Adams
I remember
looking at some of Neal Adams artworks. His illustration inspired me to look at
the Batman comic book when I was young. I have collection of some of his old
comic books that he illustrated. His art style
is direct that shows realism and tension according to what strip he is working
on. I would recommend Neal Adams if you
are into comic book arts.
Born on June 15,
1941, Neal Adams an American comic book and commercial artist is well known for
helping create the definitive of DC comics character imagery; comic character
such as Batman, Superman and green arrow.
Nael Adams tries
to freelance for DC comic at start but he was rejected. Adam later did Archie comics;
he was a penciler and a background work on the Bat Materison strip. Later on would
take on advertising, storyboarding, comic strip job and animation. He was inspired by Bob
Peak, Bernie Fuchs and Al Parker. Later he would decide to go for DC a second
time. Nael Adams shows the ability to portray Superman and batman. He later
soon move on to working on Batman stories. His Batman works inspired many
illustrator of that character today.
Here is a link to
his website ..
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
What Creativity Means To Us
As any artist knows, creativity is crucial. But how often do you actually think about it?
What is Creativity?
Simply put, it is the act of creating something original and new. This was a popular answer, but definitely not the only one. Many of us see creativity as a form of self-expression while others see creativity as something synonymous to imagination. One student aptly stated, "creativity is breaking the laws of (life), by bringing your dreams and nightmares into reality and solving problems by asking 'Why not?'"It's a commodity (heartless, I know) in which the commercial value is only surpassed by its intrinsic one.
What tips would you share that you use to improve your Creativity?
We've all felt it at some point– the dreaded feeling of frustration and helplessness. But there are many solutions; perhaps one may just work for you. One student suggested "taking a road trip in your mind and allowing the most random things to pop up". Don't be too eager to stay stuck in your head though! The importance of learning and exploring the world is a common sentiment shared among us. After all, the more things you know, the more ideas you can come up with. Listening to music is another way to get the creative juices going. In fact, any kind of background noise is shown to increase productivity. And many of you cannot stress the importance of practicing on a consistent basis.
What hurts your Creativity?
A fellow artist warned that "a lack of new experiences or stimulants starves the mind of creativity." Another claimed that not getting any feedback hurt her creativity. An outside opinion should always be welcomed (if not considered). Ultimately, it seems that the biggest danger an artist faces is... self-doubt. An extremely inspiring student reminded me that "Failure is a part of the creative process... In life, failure is taught as a bad thing. In the art world, that's how you begin."
Pretty powerful stuff.
What is Creativity?
Simply put, it is the act of creating something original and new. This was a popular answer, but definitely not the only one. Many of us see creativity as a form of self-expression while others see creativity as something synonymous to imagination. One student aptly stated, "creativity is breaking the laws of (life), by bringing your dreams and nightmares into reality and solving problems by asking 'Why not?'"It's a commodity (heartless, I know) in which the commercial value is only surpassed by its intrinsic one.
What tips would you share that you use to improve your Creativity?
We've all felt it at some point– the dreaded feeling of frustration and helplessness. But there are many solutions; perhaps one may just work for you. One student suggested "taking a road trip in your mind and allowing the most random things to pop up". Don't be too eager to stay stuck in your head though! The importance of learning and exploring the world is a common sentiment shared among us. After all, the more things you know, the more ideas you can come up with. Listening to music is another way to get the creative juices going. In fact, any kind of background noise is shown to increase productivity. And many of you cannot stress the importance of practicing on a consistent basis.
What hurts your Creativity?
A fellow artist warned that "a lack of new experiences or stimulants starves the mind of creativity." Another claimed that not getting any feedback hurt her creativity. An outside opinion should always be welcomed (if not considered). Ultimately, it seems that the biggest danger an artist faces is... self-doubt. An extremely inspiring student reminded me that "Failure is a part of the creative process... In life, failure is taught as a bad thing. In the art world, that's how you begin."
Pretty powerful stuff.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
My Favorite Artist
Beatrix Potter. Obviously.
I remember getting a collection of Beatrix Potter stories and illustrations when I was about seven or eight. I practically ate the thing. I loved it, it was so magical. Her style of illustration is the perfect blend of scientific and believable, and whimsical and relatable. Which I think is a hard combination to get right. I never noticed that mice cannot wear clothes and it never occurred to me that hedgehogs do not make tea.
I bought it. I bought it all.
I still do.
Born in 1866, Beatrix Potter never experienced all the animated and illustrative popular culture that we do now, and even I in my modern, fully-realized, well-informed pool of reference cannot master the powerfully simple and impossibly timeless illustration that she breezed through as if she invented whimsy itself.
Her scientific education and silly childhood imagination have come together so perfectly and delightfully that I have decided that you (readers,) must become more familiar with her work.
Here is a link to a specific page in her dedicated website, showing her chops as a story-teller and lover of nature.
Everyone, take a moment to appreciate childhood.
Thank you.
I remember getting a collection of Beatrix Potter stories and illustrations when I was about seven or eight. I practically ate the thing. I loved it, it was so magical. Her style of illustration is the perfect blend of scientific and believable, and whimsical and relatable. Which I think is a hard combination to get right. I never noticed that mice cannot wear clothes and it never occurred to me that hedgehogs do not make tea.
I bought it. I bought it all.
I still do.
Born in 1866, Beatrix Potter never experienced all the animated and illustrative popular culture that we do now, and even I in my modern, fully-realized, well-informed pool of reference cannot master the powerfully simple and impossibly timeless illustration that she breezed through as if she invented whimsy itself.
Her scientific education and silly childhood imagination have come together so perfectly and delightfully that I have decided that you (readers,) must become more familiar with her work.
Here is a link to a specific page in her dedicated website, showing her chops as a story-teller and lover of nature.
Everyone, take a moment to appreciate childhood.
Thank you.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Great Resource: Pictograms
The design of clear and iconic figures of visual communication benefits from the study of Olympic Pictograms. The 1936 Berlin Olympics and 1948 London Olympics saw an early attempt to represent each sport as a drawing, yet that effort reached its most legible and streamlined form with the pictograms of Otl Aicher for the 1972 Munich Olympics.
A good pictogram should look like what it depicts, but it should not look like anything else in order to avoid confusion or other meanings. In other words, mere visual resemblance, as in tracing a photograph, is not enough. In addition, the design must exclude all other interpretations. To achieve this, the artist must seek the most representative pose and camera angle, as well as the most stereotypical shapes and proportions to capture the essence of the subject. Once these decisions are made, the artist rigorously removes all the unnecessary details and keeps the critical few. As Milton Glaser said, "just enough is more." The last steps entail a style-check (making sure all the pictograms look like they were drawn by the same hand) and balancing the composition.
A well-designed pictogram meets a high level of universality. For instance, in a pictogram of a soccer player, the depicted athlete could be any person, as opposed to a specific soccer player. Likewise, any observer familiar with the game of soccer, regardless of his language and level of literacy, would recognize the sport of soccer in the pictogram.
This approach to illustration sometimes goes by the label of "reductive illustration," because the artist reduces the amount of visual cues to the absolute bare minimum, in an effort to reach the essence of the design.
More resources on pictograms and related topics:
A good pictogram should look like what it depicts, but it should not look like anything else in order to avoid confusion or other meanings. In other words, mere visual resemblance, as in tracing a photograph, is not enough. In addition, the design must exclude all other interpretations. To achieve this, the artist must seek the most representative pose and camera angle, as well as the most stereotypical shapes and proportions to capture the essence of the subject. Once these decisions are made, the artist rigorously removes all the unnecessary details and keeps the critical few. As Milton Glaser said, "just enough is more." The last steps entail a style-check (making sure all the pictograms look like they were drawn by the same hand) and balancing the composition.
A well-designed pictogram meets a high level of universality. For instance, in a pictogram of a soccer player, the depicted athlete could be any person, as opposed to a specific soccer player. Likewise, any observer familiar with the game of soccer, regardless of his language and level of literacy, would recognize the sport of soccer in the pictogram.
This approach to illustration sometimes goes by the label of "reductive illustration," because the artist reduces the amount of visual cues to the absolute bare minimum, in an effort to reach the essence of the design.
More resources on pictograms and related topics:
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