I'm documenting the Republican National Convention taking place this week here in St. Paul. Mostly, I'm looking at how the convention is affecting my neighborhood and the immediate area around the Excel Arena (I live a few blocks southwest of the arena).
There is a link to the RNC Project page on the left or click here.
This page will consist of photographs and drawings with some notes written within the images. Here is the first sketch.
X illuminated pen (and bring iPod recorder)
still need to find one but have my recorder
X print promo materials (postcards, business card)
brought some postcards and may print more at school
X order shirts and mugs (Café Press)
didn't grab my Obama mug and may order from school
X finish and print the Ft. Worth piece
as usual, still need to finish this assignment
X pack
X print additional images for 8x10 glass (Thompson/Nader, bus sketches)
X order buttons (McCain and more Obamas)
X send Obama print package to campaign
X print and bind thesis, 6 copies
X send thesis to Lulu
X finish Ron Paul digital illustration
X pack McCain prints
X collect class assignment emails (and other emails)
X hanging supplies (L-hooks, push-pins, string, level, tape measure, hammer)
July 12: I've started the Hartford Summer 2008 page with photos and accounts of our two-week session, the last one for us graduates!
July 11: The 6 copies of my thesis have been bound, hooray! A Lulu copy has been ordered, hope to receive it in time to leave with the program.
July 8: I shipped off the glass with the Obama and Clinton prints including some extra copies. I will bring the McCain, Barr, Kennedy, Nader, and Paul prints plus some process images with me.
I'm flying out Saturday morning to Newark via Atlanta. Then I'm taking Amtrack from Newark to Hartford, scheduled to arrive in Hartford at 7:30 Saturday night.
My thesis paper passed approval although its lateness was a bother, understandable. In hindsight, I should have sent the rough draft on June 1st as I had intended to do and then spent the rest of the month editing it down into a more understandable version.
I'm still planning to order a Lulu copy of my thesis but will be bringing in simple-bound versions for my thesis defense, replacing them later with the nicer copies.
Here is the final print. The third blue collected and darkened at the edges of the paper mask. The stripe going up to the left of the face developed lighter bubble-like spots. Maybe too much ink? The ear tips got clipped but I think it helps keep the line work back with the other colors, allows the color to come through more, toward the front.
Almost forgot to document this color. I had printed the first section of the fourth color on all but this print, not the ideal example of this third color since the ink had leaked at the bottom left a bit and the alignment is a little too low.
I used pure Process Cynine for this color, the same blue I had mixed with white for the other two colors.
This is the screen with the mask underneath, ready to print the second color.
Above is the second color. Registration is a little less exact using this method. I played with the position of this second color but always ended up with a white sliver of paper somewhere. What I could have done for better trapping was print the lightest blue over all three blue sections, then print the middle blue over all but the lightest blue sections.
On the left is the print, on the right is the paper mask. I print out the digital file as black lines and then cut out the shapes for each particular ink. Each color gets a new printout since the ink deteriorates the paper too much to use it more than once. If a cut is a shared edge and is complex, I sometimes cut through two sheets at once, using one for each ink.
This blue is a little darker than I prefer so the next blue will need to be darker. The darkest blue isn't too dark to begin with so there will still be enough contrast between the colors.
Here is the digital illustration for the Robert Kennedy portrait. This will be printed using the same technique as the Bob Barr print. The color areas will be printed using cut paper masks and the line work will be printed using my Gocco printer.
UPDATE: My wife has told me that my 70's rock playlist is too loud (too many Bubblejacks I guess) at 1am so I've turned it down a bit. I've been playing with the color design a bit in anticipation of tomorrow's printing session, new image is at top (to Boston's "Something About You"). The challenge Monday is to get this work framed and shipped so that it arrives in Hartford by Saturday without costing an arm and a leg. Wish me luck. I think this RFK image though will be worth the effort. The only giclée print in the exhibit will be the Ralph Nader portrait, unless I decide to screen print it and bring the replacement print with me on the plane.
The top image would be printed using cut paper masks for the coat and background strips. The face would be Gocco printed so that blue will most likely be a little darker than the coat blue.
Here is the final color, the darker gray, although I still to reprint the light skin tone and fix the right eyebrow.
UPDATE: I've run out of white ink so have to wait until Saturday or possibly Monday to reprint the lighter skin tone.
UPDATE: I decided to leave it as it is.
Moving along fast, four colors yesterday, two so far today. My daughter is helping me get some natural lighting, her patriotic skirt fits the theme. The gray is a little too dark, I think I'm hurrying this one too much. Next up is a darker gray and then some cleanup work.
This color is just a bit darker than I prefer but still has enough contrast I think to stand out from the mid-tone. I also noticed I clipped the nostril (fourth color) with my paper masking. I may go back and try to add the eyebrow top, which was also clipped, after I print the two gray colors.
UPDATE: This highlight color dried darker than I prefer. It also has remnants of some extender which is making it a little transparent. So I may go back and ink over it with some transparent white just to lighten it up a tad.
This color went much more smoothly, maybe because it's made up of smaller areas. I forgot to tape off the fifth color, the light skin tone, the forehead lines and the nostril line. So I had to mask them with cut paper which worked fine except for the slight trimming of his eyebrow on the right, didn't notice it until I was pulling the last few prints, maybe only noticeable to me.
So four colors in one day, I'm a bit tired out. Again hope to finish tomorrow, three more colors. This last color was done with the 1980 Flash Gordon movie playing in the background, soundtrack by Queen.
I think I prefer printing during the Winter, it is so hot and humid. The screen again easily filled if I didn't apply enough focused pressure while pulling the print. I had even added some retarder to the ink, more than I had with the previous colors.
This third color is a large central area so again the paper began sticking to the screen. I hurriedly applied some tape to the table to hold down the print, working quickly so the ink wouldn't dry on the screen. The tape helped but it may have left a texture mark, wrinkles pressing up through the paper as I pulled the print (you can see it reflecting the light a bit above). I won't know until this ink dries. Most of these turned out fine though, just exhausting having to work so quickly; I should have an assistant.
Am I becoming a better screen printer? In some ways I am but in others I still need to plan better and improve my working area. I realized I needed to continue printing in my studio rather than use the school facilities I had gained access to. I didn't think I had enough time to accustom myself to a new work area plus the time it would take to drive to the campus would make my printing schedule a little less flexible.
Much better contrast in this one although I think this photo has a bit too much contrast. My studio is in the basement so lighting is an issue often with these pictures.
UPDATE: I retook the picture using outdoor light. Contrast is more accurate.
The ink was a little too thick for this one and began drying too quickly because of the heat. I'm going to wait until it gets a little cooler this evening to print the third and fourth colors. Hope to finish this print tomorrow.
Here is the first color for the second edition of the John McCain print. This one will be seven colors with no tints and slightly smaller than the first edition (same paper size, smaller image area).
I mixed about two cups of a medium red and needed nearly every last drop of it. Today is very hot and humid. The ink filled in the screen for about a five prints but I was able to pull a run of forty. Out of this there will hopefully be an edition of thirty.
I'm experimenting with the Ralph Nader print using my Gocco printer. It won't follow the digital version precisely but will rather use parts of it; again it's an experiment. So here's the first color, section one (bottom) followed by section two (top).
This first color is in two sections so there is a little bit of overlap and misalignment with the dot pattern. In the middle photo, you can see a couple of bad prints where I dropped the Gocco stamper onto the print causing some ink to get on it and transferring to the next print. This is starting as an edition of twelve, maybe ten now with those two flubs.
I printed the top of the head too low. Below is the plan for the print and what the print will look like with the lower head top.
UPDATE: Below is an alternate plan for the print although I may have to start over printing the light blue first.
INFLUENCE AND REFERENCE
Throughout my career as an illustrator, I have used a specific visual vocabulary when depicting faces. My vocabulary of simplified pictorial elements is generally more of a distillation of influences from other contemporary illustrators and artists than a use of reference. This thesis project explores the role of reference and simplification, especially in my own artistic process.
In my portrait work, I work from memory and imagination. I don’t use reference. But could I? And if I did, how would it affect my work? Contemporary illustrators such as Jeffrey Fisher, Anthony Russo, and Cathie Bleck have influenced my use of generalized facial features. I was attracted to the simple approach of these artists when rendering faces with simple shapes, lines, and minimal visual elements. I liked how these simple elements contrasted with other shapes within the compositions, and the natural beauty and calm their faces projected. I aspired to bring that simplicity and calm to my work; elegant beauty with a natural, unadorned appearance.
Rudolf Arnheim proposes that an image always has one of three functions: a picture, symbol, or sign (Arnheim 135). Does an artist need to be aware of a reference image’s original function, whether it is merely a picture or if it serves as a symbol or sign representing a deeper content?
Can a simplified “primitive” almond-shaped eye merely be a “picture” of an eye or does it possess inherent symbolism, perhaps stemming from an original source, even if the overall image has no connection to this original source? If this primitive almond-eye is used in an image of a modern-day person for example, what message does it convey? Does it de-modernize the person? Does it make the overall image look less contemporary? What purpose does it serve other than an arbitrary style choice? And if it has been used arbitrarily, can an inherent message obscure the intention of the image?
I asked illustrator Anthony Russo how he treats the face in his work and his portraiture: “Many of my illustrations use the face as a central image. The face can be used as an icon, a mirror of ourselves. By using the iconic aspects of a face it can then serve as a door for people to see in a way that feels connected, more open and grand, more spacious and transformative. It’s a way to distill our ideas and get to the essence.”
Russo’s goal is to “strip the face of cultural or personal qualities to create a more everyman feel.” This expression—anonymity through the use of primitive elements—evokes a deeper spiritual expression and connection to times other than our own. These are essential to my own artistic process of simplification.
The everyman aspect I bring to my portraits is, in part, a separation—more unconscious than conscious—from present-day man. Generalizing facial features contributes to this, since anonymity in a face renders it timeless when set in a natural or specifically historic setting. The face appears as if it belongs. Though the illustrated face is simplified, or perhaps because it is simplified, it can adopt the character of its original reference more easily, even pointing to another time.
When a face is generalized, the rest of the image, including the pose, color, composition and other symbols, becomes more prominent. Generalization of the face pushes the figure back and minimizes its personality and role in the concept of the piece.
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) transformed his own portrait work through an introduction of primitive elements in the period between 1905-1906, as he sought an alternative to traditional Western art (Rubin 36). Picasso’s interest in Iberian art was wrapped in his appreciation for its purity and directness. Yet rather than using these works as direct visual references, Picasso began to recreate Iberian iconography within his own work, transforming the facial features of his subject into mask-like Iberian visages.
I am likewise attracted to Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Picasso’s filter more than the pure primitive source. Without Matisse and Picasso’s re-interpretation, these primitive elements seem too direct, too pure, and pointed too directly to their sources.
If an image is a portrait of a specific individual, their features should not be too generalized, as there must exist some visual connection to the specific individual, some representation of the reference. As an example, though a particular nose shadow in a reference is more complex than I would like it to appear in my image, the nose shadow shape I use must be believable, both in terms of the light source as well as alignment with the suggested form of the nose and cheek. To achieve a recognizable likeness, stylized simplification must still conform to a representational depiction.
Common practice is to stay true to your reference. The challenge for me is to let reference inform the process more than define the image. Could I integrate reference into my process. Could I use reference as a starting point yet still arrive at a generalized, stylized portrait? Can I really translate what I observe into a flat graphic image without considering works I have previously seen? Would I merely be reinterpreting Picasso, Matisse, Russo, or could I go further, mixing the reference and influence up into something new?
The goals of my thesis project were to work from reference, work big, and create art prints rather than merely digital printouts of ethereal art files. My process came in three stages; first was the sketching, using reference to create a portrait of the subject. Second, the portrait was digitally designed and colored using the sketch as a reference. The third stage was the screen printing stage, where the digital image was printed as a limited edition serigraph.
I have not practiced observational drawing since undergraduate school. Once I moved into my own stylized approach, working from memory and imagination, I left behind all thoughts of using reference. I would occasionally look at houses, trees, and other objects, even people, but not to reproduce, simply to check my accuracy or maybe for compositional inspiration.
For my thesis project, I first needed to find out how rough my drawing skills had become. I began drawing during my bus rides, usually the back of someone’s head and their profile. Fortunately, I found I retained some good observational drawing skills (when it came to faces, heads, and hands at least).
I also began to work from photographs: an unmoving subject like a photograph would seem an easier task, but I found that it was more difficult than drawing from a live person. I tried turning the photograph upside-down, a technique I had seen demonstrated online by another artist . This method forced me to look at the photograph more intently as shapes rather than facial features.
I also used a technique used by the illustrator Jack Unruh by starting my pencil line with one eye and drawing out from that point. This creates some odd relationships between the features and introduces distortion. Employing these two techniques as well as recalling my drawing tutelage helped me create some fairly representational drawings using photographs as references.
The digital stage had two parts. First, I adjusted the sketch to reduce distortions just enough to clarify the likeness. I cut and pasted different parts of the sketch and moved them around into a more accurate depiction of the reference. Then, I used this adjusted sketch as the reference for the digital image design. This is where the generalization, simplification, and graphic translation of the reference occurred and was the critical point. How far into a “style” should I go? How far do I depart from the reference? My goal was to land somewhere between the reference and my usual stylized approach, using reference merely to inform the design of the image and not drive it too directly.
Once the digital image was finished, I adapted it for screen-printing. I reduced the color palette and saved each color as an independent image file. For example, all of the red elements were saved as one file and all of the blue elements were saved as another file.
During the screen-printing stage, I was taken out of my usual method and brought into the unpredictable and accident-prone activity of producing tangible, physical pieces of art. This loss of control allowed for some unexpected adjustments to occur to the screen prints, making each print unique. Conversely, ink-jet prints are, for the most part, identical copies of each other.
When I work digitally, I have control over accidents that affect the image. I can choose whether to keep them or correct them. Screen printing however, as in other traditional media, has no “undo” command. The process and medium collaborate to help me define the final image. Misalignments and other inherent screen-printing errors are what make a printed image interesting to me. But which accidents are assets and which ones are just obvious errors? I welcome the occasional misstep, allowing the process to play along, but these errors need to look intentional, or at least appropriate and not too distracting. They should add to the image and be a record of the process rather than be merely a mistake.
This lack of control is frightening yet essential to my development of an image, so much so that I intentionally introduce accidents into my digital images and occasionally avoid correcting some of the unplanned mistakes. Working with a traditional medium has allowed me to better understand where control should give way to accident and when the unpredictability of the process can help determine an image’s final form.
Through this thesis project, I gained a better and clearer understanding of the inherent symbolism found in original primitive elements, specifically facial features. This has helped me to incorporate these elements more appropriately, combine them with elements taken from observational references, and to recognize when an inherent message obscures the intention of the image. Repeating an influential style without understanding or considering its original inspiration, an artist can unwittingly mask or miss the message within that original use.
For thesis portraiture, I chose the 2008 Presidential Race and its list of candidates. Along with the archival quality screen prints of the portraits, I created other merchandise using the images; buttons, t-shirts, and mugs. For this, I’m using web-based merchandising service sites.
I created a blog to document my thesis project, including research and work in-progress as well as occasional observations of the political race. Unexpected attention came when Digby, a well-know political blogger, wrote about my work , citing the two prints I had completed at the time; Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. To my astonishment, comments from her readers were harshly critical of the work, mostly due to, as Digby described it to me by email, “an overall state of negativity in the blogosphere.” I tried to brush it off and move forward with the realization that this thesis project, since it was being published in-progress at my blog, was being seen by a larger audience than just my advisor and classmates.
At the project’s completion, I will issue a press release about the body of work with support from a local public relations contractor. Citing the Hartford Thesis Exhibition will encourage press coverage in at least two media markets, as well as via national political media. A portfolio of the finished portraits will be available online (in addition to the blog site) and will be marketed to art media as well as political media. Finally, prints and merchandise are available for sale and licensing.
WORKS CITED
Arnheim, Rudolf. “Visual Thinking”, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California. 1969
Rubin, William. “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”. MOMA, New York. 1994
ENDNOTES
*By Danny Gregory. July 1, 2008. <http://www.dannygregory.com/2007/03/portrait_688.php>
**Hullabaloo. July 1, 2008. <http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/political-portraits-by-digby-artist.html>
BIOGRAPHY
MFA Illustration, University of Hartford, 2008
MA Illustration, Syracuse University, 2006
BFA Graphic Design/Illustration Minneapolis College of Art & Design, 1989
James O'Brien is a nationally recognized illustrator who's client list includes: American Express, Bank of America, Colgate, Rand McNally, Microsoft, Delta Airlines, Sears, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, McGraw-Hill, Scholastic Press, Smithsonian, Business Week, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Newsweek, US News & World Report, Computer World, PC Magazine, Interactive Week, Entertainment Weekly, Wine Spectator, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times. His work has received numerous awards and recognition from American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, 3X3, PRINT, SBS Digital Design, AIGA, and SILA.
His work is created using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator along with found and hand-made elements. In his rare free time, he enjoys running marathons, reading important novels, and collecting/creating music.
Represented by Gerald & Cullen Rapp (212) 889-3337
email: james@obrienart.com
studio: (651) 291-0426
websites: http://obrienart.com
http://jamesobrien.typepad.com/obrienart
http://www.theispot.com/artist/obrien
http://illoz.com/jamesobrien
http://drawger.com/jamesobrien
Here is the final print, four versions. Top left is without the sixth section of line work, top right is with the sixth as well as a seventh section (lower right blue), bottom left is with the sixth section, and bottom right is the same with the uncropped second section (lower left blue). This print also has a mis-registered second color. The paper slipped somehow just before I lowered the screen.
The above print is an edition of nine plus two artist proofs. Below is the line-only print, an edition of three.
Just one more section to the top right. The red coat will remain as it is with no line work.
I may add another section to the lower right here to fix this fade. The Gocco system uses two flashbulbs to expose the screen and occasionally, one bulb is a dud and doesn't flash, resulting in an underexposed screen on one end. I think this is what happened here and I just didn't catch it. Usually, I notice if one of the bulbs didn't flash since they discolor and crack when they flash.
I masked off the red coat limiting the line work to the skin color area. I think I like the print the way it is with just enough line detail to create the likeness. There are nine color prints so I will take half of them and add more line work as well as finish the three line-only prints (one is on the left side of the bottom image).
I decided to make this a "pure" print using my Gocco printer for the line work rather than my ink-jet printer. The Gocco printer image area is only about 6x4" so I have to print the line work in five or six sections and hope that they all line up. I'm using pieces of Post-it notes to mark where the screen lines up. The above print is the paper I sat the screen on when I added ink. This step actually makes a print. In addition to the twelve four-color prints, I've made an additional three prints of just the line work.
Here is a color design for a Bob Barr print I'm planning to do tonight using a cut-paper method. Each color will be screen printed using a mask cut out of paper. After the three colors are screen printed, the line work will be ink-jet printed onto each screen print. I've tried this method in the past and the one tricky part is how the ink-jet ink sets on the screen print ink. Previously, it worked well once and not well the next time, not sure why. I'm thinking that it may have to do with the color of the screen printed ink, maybe some colors will accept the ink-jet ink better than others.
Here are the separations for the new screens. I'm grouping up colors again to reuse the screens, save some time and money. The top image is a group of four colors (dark red, light skin, dark skin, dark gray), the middle is a group of two colors (light red, light gray), and the third is just one color (middle skin) since it touched everything. I did separate the light red from the light gray a bit in the middle screen, introducing a white stripe between them on the left side of the image.
I did the third color on this edition even though it was a failed print to start with. But it will be a good source for future reference if I ever decide to try a tinted print again.
I've ordered new screens to redo this one as a seven-color print, the way it was designed, rather than try another tinted edition. The image width will be 16" rather than 17" placing it further away from the edge of the screen.
I considered manually making tints with the halftone technique I used for the Nader digital image but wasn't confident enough with the percentage choices.
This second color worked better since it was farther away from the edge of the screen frame. But the halftone areas still began clogging up in spots. Plus, the contrast wasn't strong enough between the darker skin tone and the middle skin tone. The skin color was supposed to be warmer but I had no yellow. I mixed brown, red, and white to get to this hue. Also added some extender to see if it would help with the screen clogging, didn't help.
A bad start, just some quick notes about this messy beginning:
- dropped and dinged the paper, they all have a bend in one corner that I may be able to cut off.
- the white tape that I use to mask off the edges of the screen keeps tearing when I try to peel it off the roll, annoying.
- the ink came through in one big glop through the screen, too much ink? the screen is a mess on the bottom.
- image is again too wide for the squeegee, my mistake obviously, should have double-checked.
- the halftone dots are too fine, they're filling in, need to be coarser and maybe a bigger difference in percentage, 70% rather than 80%?
So, I decided to stop this one before it got too messy. Tomorrow, I'll check with Northwest Graphics to see what advice they may have. I will need to have the separations redone and the screens recoated, a further delay and more cost.
I should also look at getting more paper. Meanwhile, I may do a cut-paper print of Bob Barr.
UPDATE: I think there are two problems; one is that the image is too wide which probably accounts for the globbing ink, and second is that the halftones are too fine.
UPDATE: (Wednesday morning) I think the issue was the screen not making contact with the paper. This allowed the ink to flow through the screen to heavily. So I need to use more pressure, like I did with the Obama print. I also need to do the background red in two passes since the squeegee isn't wide enough. This morning, the halftone area seems to be distinct (better lighting). I wanted a subtle value difference and it is subtle, maybe just a tad too subtle. But I'm going to go ahead and try the background red again today.
UPDATE: (Wednesday afternoon) decided to only print 20 since the ink was still goopy. The important lesson learned here is to keep the image area 3" away from the frame; this image is 2" which I think was the same for the Obama print. This extra distance will help avoid the goopy ink and the empty spots that occasionally show up. The other issue with this print is that the halftone areas filled in too easily. I had to wipe them out a few times and finally decided to stop fighting it and just do this short run. I just hope to get one good print out of it for the show. Later today, I will print the second color, the face. If that session goes well, I may print more than 20 (I have 50 sheets total for this one).
This sketch was done using the upside-down reference technique (also flipped the reference). Bottom is the original sketch, middle is with the Threshold setting, top is the final adjusted sketch.
This is the adjusted sketch, correcting the elongated forehead and the jutting chin. The brow may be too heavy, looks a little like a uni-brow.
This is the sketch after combining the front and back of the heads together and removing the gray values (Image>Adjustments>Threshold).
This is the sketch scanned from my sketchbook. The back of the head was sketched on another page so I placed them together in Photoshop. I've also added a sepia tone; originally sketched with graphite.
It was late and I forgot to draw this upside down but I don't see too much of a difference in accuracy between this one and the upside-down sketches.
This will be a three-color print using tints, my first try at it. I'm looking for some guidance from my screen-making people as to the tint percentages. The contrast on a computer display is stronger than it appears in the film positives.
Just got back from Northwest Graphics where I made and adjustment to the tints:
Red 1 (100%)
Red 2 (80%)
Skin 1 (100%)
Skin 2 (65%)
Skin 3 (45%)
Gray 1 (100%)
Gray 2 (80%)
I've ordered a third screen as well. I hope to begin this print next Tuesday and finish it by the end of the week; an edition of 40.
Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of Robert Kennedy's assassination. Today's NYTimes had an op-ed section of essays written by his children. The essays feature nine illustrated portraits of Kennedy done by Leanne Shapton, Andrea Ventura, Tina Berning, Vivienne Flesher, Thomas Libetti, Laura Carlin, Paul Davis, Brian Cronin, and Isabelle Arsenault.
Feeling left out and a little somber on the anniversary, I decided to have a try at it using the same observational process I'm using for my thesis. I think I used the same reference as Andrea Ventura.
I was 6 when Robert Kennedy was assassinated. There is this foggy memory of me sitting on the floor in the living room in front of the TV watching the news. I could feel that my parents were sad, maybe they were crying (my mom anyway, my dad never cried). I've always connected this memory to John Kennedy's assassination but I was not quite 2 at that time so maybe it was Robert Kennedy's death.
Here is Ron Paul in Photoshop, incorporating texture and line with large flat areas of color. I want to keep the detail within the white body shape to a minimum so not sure how much more line work I will add. I do want to bring in a leg line to suggest he's stepping forward. So, leaning back, hunched shoulders, moving forward.
UPDATE: added a leg line and angled the white shape to suggest forward movement.
J O'Brien: artist and instructor (and father), currently finishing up my MFA at the University of Hartford.
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