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Taso and her marvellous mythical beast
On Friday evening, as part of the Comica festival, a group of kids, their parents and I got to watch three videos in the cinema at the Institute of Contemporary Art: Sweet Dreams and Story from North America by Kirsten Lapore and Bryum & Kapok 03: A Lilt by Overture. The DFC's Patrice Aggs slipped into the cinema with us before she headed off to do her Black Powers talk and we had a good giggle while watching Sweet Dreams when the cupcake starts getting jiggy with the butternut squash.
Sweet Dreams from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.
After we watched the animations, we went and drew pictures to music I'd picked out. Some of the songs had evocative lyrics and others had quirky instrumental bits I thought might give us ideas. I started off showing them some pictures from my Morris the Mankiest Monster book and said that while I'd been painting it, I'd been listening to a song called Hunnu by Egschiglen's Mongolian throat singers. It always makes me crack up because it sounds to me like a bunch of short men jumping around in the mud, which was just perfect for the book.
( More drawings and music links under the cut )
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 Blast from the past! The first promo postcard I ever sent out to art directors. I drew it when I was still a student. Over the last couple years I’ve gotten a lot of email from art students. Some of them just ask for advice on breaking into the illustration business, some of them ask if they can interview me for artist research assignments they’re doing in class. I myself have only actually been done with school for a few years now. I’m not super famous and I haven’t published any big books or anything (yet), so I’m always surprised when students want to do presentations on my work or think I might know all the secrets to success in the illustration world. I’m still struggling.
On the other hand, I remember writing to a lot of illustrators who were just a few years older than me for advice (I still do that), and I definitely remember having to do research and interview projects on working artists. If you dig far enough into my email inbox, you’ll probably find an interview with Kazu Kibuishi, who was nice enough to answer a bunch of questions and send me some books and posters to show off in class back when I was still a student. Talking to people who have been at it for a couple years longer than myself has been enormously beneficial to my career. The internet makes it really easy to communicate with and learn from other illustrators and cartoonists. It’s something I’ll always be thankful for! So I’m always happy to talk to students or illustrators who are just starting out, even if I still feel like I’m only half a step ahead of them.
Anyways, I was recently interviewed by an illustration student at SCAD, Liz Hallock, for a class assignment. She gave me permission to share the interview here. I hope others will find it interesting or helpful!
What are your methods of working? What are your favorite medias to use?
I mostly work with ink and watercolors. I do a lot of digital work too, but ink and watercolors are my favorite. There’s nothing quite as thrilling as putting ink on paper.
What is your personal style? When did you finally realize your personal style?
My personal style… I suppose most people would say that it’s loose and cartoony. I don’t really shoot for a particular style when I’m drawing, I just try to have fun and let the lines do their own thing. I really like drawing ugly, bumpy, hairy things. Even when I draw things like flowers or cute girls, I make them look pretty gross. I think making images that don’t look too labored over is very important. You lose the life and energy of a drawing if you refine it too much. Having fun while drawing is extra important. If you’re having fun, it’ll show in your work. I’m not really sure when I settled into my style… I think it’s the same style I drew in when I was 3 years old, it’s just evolved and (hopefully) improved.
Did you attend school? If so, where?
I did. I majored in illustration at Daemen College, which is in Buffalo, NY.
Do any of your family members work in the art field?
My mother is a doll maker, so she designs and sews tons and tons of dolls, which I think is pretty artistic. Both of my younger brothers are extremely musical and one of them writes a lot of fiction and used to draw comics too. The other brother is really into photography.
Who are some of your clients?
I’ve illustrated for King Magazine, Ani Difranco/Righteous Babe Records, Cosmic Pictures, Baltimore Magazine, Boston’s Weekly Dig, bp Magazine, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Moo Cow Fan Club Magazine, New Reliable Press, Top Shelf Comics, and tons of bands. And a bunch of other clients.
What are some of your current projects you are working on?
Right now I’m working on a big fat comic book. I hope to have it done sometime in the next hundred years. If it takes longer than that I’ll be very sad.
What or who are some of your best influences?
A million things have influenced my work over the years. Growing up, I think everything Jim Henson did had a big impact on me and the way I drew. Newspaper comics like The Far Side. Cartoons like Ren and Stimpy. These days the big ones would be illustrators and cartoonists like Ben Shahn, Ronald Searle, Andre Francois, Joann Sfar, Gipi… Films have influenced my work a lot too, especially my comics. Movies like Delicatessen, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Shining, pretty much anything by Alfred Hitchcock. The biggest influences have probably been illustrator/cartoonist friends of mine.
Your opinion on the current illustration market?
It’s awful! I was doing really well last year, but I can count the number of jobs I’ve had in 2009 on one hand. I had a big deal to illustrate a series of children’s books fall through earlier this year as a result of the economic situation. I’ve had a few other big opportunities seemingly slip through my fingers recently. It’s been a tough year.
Was it hard to break into the market? how did you go about it?
The difficult thing is that it takes a long time. You’ve got to be determined and you’ve got to be patient. I started sending postcards out to art directors and promoting my website pretty heavily online as soon as I finished college. Eight or nine months went by before any illustration work found it’s way into my inbox. And then the first assignment I was offered ended up falling through and not happening. Things did pick up eventually and I was getting work on a pretty regular basis, but things came screeching to a halt about a year ago when the economy crapped the bed.. I’m hoping things will pick up again soon, but It wouldn’t shock me at all if it happened very slowly, almost as if I were starting at square one again. Anyways, I mostly went about breaking into the market by sending out postcards to as many art directors as possible. I updated my website on a regular basis and used the down time to bulk up my portfolio. Relentless promotion, determination and patience are important.
I’ve been told that it’s possible to work anywhere in the world as an illustrator. is this true?
It is true. I currently live in Syracuse, which if you don’t know, is a small city in the middle of New York state. There isn’t much going on here, but I can survive on a lot less money than if I were someplace like New York City or LA. I’ve worked with clients all over the country, all from the comfort of my extremely affordable apartment in upstate New York.
Where’s the best place to start?
I always tell people to aim for editorial work when they’re starting out. That’s where I’ve had the most luck. Newspapers and magazines are typically more willing to give new illustrators a chance. Once you’ve got a bunch of editorial clients under your belt, the bigger fish might be a little more willing to bite.
Are you happy with how your career/ life has gone so far?
I suppose that for someone who’s only been at it for a few years, I’ve had a decent amount of success. I still feel like I’m really struggling, but I’ve got friends who are still waiting for that first job to fall into their lap. I get really bummed out sometimes because I’ve had a few really big opportunities that have come my way and then not worked out, but the fact that I’ve even had these big offers in the first place means I must be doing something right. I’m still pretty young, so hopefully the future will bring some good things.
Originally published at Marvelous Mustache Factory. You can comment here or there. |
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Orson and ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) r_dart in the studio. You can see from what she's drawing there on her animation disc, that he's totally her little muse.
A corner from part of the house reserved for toys, crap, and dvds -- which considering our condo is only 700 square feet... means that part takes up about 90% of the place.
I love seeing peoples junk in photos, because I always want to see how much of the same stuff I have! haha, do you see anything familiar from your own accumulation of possessions? |
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Hunt was, frankly, pretty damn pleased with his personal situation. Sure, he didn’t have solar or gas and lived by the candle, plus he had just the one goat. But he had a hell of a garden and a bioswale just a couple of blocks off, with the river just beyond, if he needed it. There was none of the push-shove you got living right along the river, which was perfect. Hunt liked to keep to himself.
That was another plus to the whole thing. There were only a couple dozen families in a five-block radius, living a happy limbo between the clannish western hills—with their lumber and salvage—and the weird, half-dead downtown. Even after everything, one thing held true about folks: despite the various pros to a neighbourhood, only trashers and the young wanted to live under the god-damn interstate.
Kneeling in his tomatoes, with their summer-warm smell, Hunt looked up at the beautiful eyesore of an overpass. It was too big, too much for even the blackberries and ivy to entangle. It would exist forever, like the Roman aqueducts, a symbol of civilisation past. Unlike its predecessor, however, the interstate would not remain unused and beyond common man, mocking his decline. The Five Cities were going to put their stamp on it, building a sort of welcoming district for émigrés from the eastern desert.
There would be shops, inns, entertainment (of the skirted variety, Hunt presumed) and city quarters up there; with plenty of space for carts and people on both levels. Hunt was proud of the whole thing in a vague sort of way, like when the Hives won a basketball game. He might personally have nothing to do with the achievement, but it was his people doing the achieving.
Peering, Hunt could just make out black specks of a construction team leaning on the barriers for a smoke. Hunt was prevented from further expansive meandering by a glance at his watch. He had a date and that tail would not wait.
( Read the rest of this entry » )Originally published at something or other. You can comment here or there.
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Nov. 7th, 2009 @ 02:03 pm
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I had been going home so often over the past 6 weeks that instead of feeling like a vacation like it usually did, it had become more of a chore. Now I'm finally at school for a weekend (my second time here for a weekend since school started? Maybe third?). It feels like THIS is the vacation. I feel like I have much more time to get done what I need to since I'm not traveling everywhere or have a ton of shit to do.
Going to be a nice weekend. I already started it off right last night. Oh and on the walk home at 4:30 am, it was completely silent outside and completely empty. I stumbled upon a police standoff! They had assault rifles drawn and a block cordoned off. It was dead silent, I could only hear slight mumbling and the officers were completely still. It was more eerie than anything, like I had come across another world that was frozen in stillness and silence. I stood and watched for a few seconds, but it just felt so strange and awkward that I had to leave. It definitely wasn't like the movies, where there's helicopters circling around, people shouting, 20 reporters talking at once, crowd screaming. This was intense.
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Have the Snow Leopard + CS3 problems been resolved? (If not, I'm guessing they're not going to be.) I'm on 10.4 still, so to get to Snow Leopard I have to upgrade to 10.5 first ($?) and then I'm planning to buy the $129 (Amazon price) box set, and then I won't really have money left to throw at Adobe, even for the educational version. |
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The scene means a lot to us. To that end, we are offering a free development service to webcomics only. If you are an independent professional, you can apply at the URL below to our open beta for a chance to get your very own free app. Best of all? There is absolutely no catch. It really is free.
Click HERE. |
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The startup disk on my MBP filled up completely over the last day or so. It was getting up there, but on Wednesday *the last time I checked* there was 14 GB free. When I woke the old boy up this morning, I was greeted with the "Startup disk is almost full" message.
Poked around but I must confess I am not really sure what I should be looking for. Or how to, really.
But I looked around found a few redundant files, moved them to the trash, emptied it. The disk size briefly fluctuated and almost immediately went to zero KB available.
I haven't got a clue what is going on here.
What should I be looking at or for?
X-posted |
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Sometimes you have to unspool a little... it helps you get all untangled from yourself.
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I may get tweeted by the Obscure Ref on this one.
Keep the questions coming, I am using them to make a fort. |
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Hi, I've posted previously to ask about being a Math major at UCLA :]
My goal is still to transfer to UCLA as a math major, but the dilemma I have right now is whether I should apply to transfer next fall. [I think I'm going to apply, just in case.] I'm still trying to decide between applying as a Mathematics or Mathematics for Teaching major.
Sorry if I'm repeating info in this post! These are the classes I've planned for this academic year:
<lj-cut>
Fall- current semester
1. MATH 32A & MATH 32B: Calculus of Several Variables
2. CHEM 20A: Chemical Structure
3. Japanese
Winter
1. Computer Science
Spring
1. MATH 33A: Linear Algebra and App
2. PHYSICS 1A
3. COMPTNG 10A: Introduction to Programming
or
3. MATH 61: Intro to Discrete Structures
===========================================
Summer
1. LIFE SCI 1
Fall
1. MATH 33B: Differential Equations
2. COMPTNG 10A
or
Spring
1. MATH 61 [it's only offered in Spring] </lj-cut>
I have a few questions about transferring, thanks in advance if you can help :]
This is currently my third year in PCC. If I apply this year, I'd have three lower division prereq classes leftover that I'd need to take for my major: LifeSci, Math 33b, Math 61/Comp. Prog.
a. Should I finish them at PCC, and apply next November to transfer? I wouldn't mind staying another year, since I can always use the time to take art classes and work. However, I'm not sure I want to stay at PCC for four years, when most people are completing their bachelors, then transfer and take another 2-3 years.
b. Or should I apply this month, and if I transfer, finish them there? Is it hard to get into good classes at UCLA for those lower division subjects? Are they really difficult?
c. It would be ideal if they accept Spring Transfer applications...Is there any way I can defer enrollment for a semester, and finish those classes? |
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Wow, I'm tired. I think I'm going to sit here and watch Dawson's Creek.Current Music: Belle and Sebastian |
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Nov. 6th, 2009 @ 08:42 pm
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Another school thing. I'm quite happy with how it turned out.
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I told you. I told you all. The Dog is the Enemy of the Human. But you wouldn’t believe me. Now look.
…dogs have a greater eco-footprint than gas-guzzling SUVs.
See? SEE?
(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.) |
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LUNCH!
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Nov. 6th, 2009 @ 01:03 pm
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I fell off the dieting thing a bit today and had a fucking amazing lunch. We made jalapeno cheese corn bread with lox and an over medium egg. That is a grilled tomato on the left.
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- Oldest American artefact unearthed : Nature News
"The tool shows that people were living in North America well before the widespread Clovis culture of 12,900 to 12,400 years ago"
(tags:history )
- Brazil crime wars: Spiderman’s story of drugs and Jesus in Rio’s slums | World news | The Guardian
""If you add them all up I control 15 communities," boasted Spiderman as his shiny 4×4 hurtled through the narrow backstreets of western Rio de Janeiro. Behind the wheel was Juarez Mendes da Silva, 28, one of the Brazilian capital's most wanted drug lords, better known by the nickname Spiderman. The words "Jesus" and "Christ" were tattooed on to his forearms in black. In the boot his pet dog, Bloodsucker, shared space with an M-16 assault rifle."
(tags:crime drugs pol )
- Detroit: Urban Laboratory and the New American Frontier | Newgeography.com
Not a lot new for Detroit watchers, but I love the phrase therein: "urban prairie"
(tags:cities )
- New podcast: Shift Run Stop ? Roo Reynolds
Roo says: "I?ve been working with Leila Johnston on a new thing. It?s a fortnightly podcast called Shift Run Stop and as she explains it?s ?an ambient soundscape sort of production, an undulation of chatter and noise, ideas, games and food?."
(tags:podcasts )
- re-inhabited circle-k?s - mammoth // building nothing out of something
"photographer Paho Mann documents the diverse array of stores that re-inhabit the empty shells abandoned by the national corporation Circle-K; the current lives of Circle-K's include "a dry cleaners, a couple of florist shops, a tattoo parlor, a tuxedo rental place, several mini-marts and dollar stores, and Bridgett?s Last Laugh Karaoke and Fish Fry." "
(tags:architecture culture )
- The Psychedelic Review Archives 1963-1971
"MAPS has posted PDF scans of The Psychedelic Review Archives 1963-1971."
(tags:magazine history drugs )
(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.) |
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I'm adding a new feature for Typo Friday posts. When ever I see some lettering or signage that strikes my eye around Portland, I will try to snap a picture of it if I can and share it with you folks. For the first one, I thought it appropriate to start with one of my favorite signs in town, and a favorite store as well, the Portland Outdoor Store on SW 3rd. It's a huge store, and you can still buy all manner of western and outdoor wear here, in fact I just bought a new belt and shirt when I stopped by to take these pictures. Enjoy!
The store has been around for a while and the original painted signage on the building is starting to fade a lot.
Close up. |
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