Hartford

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NIKEplus political challenge run

  • Democrats v. Republicans - most miles through November 4.

The RNC Project

Bus sketches

Pages

  • Summer 2008: HARTFORD
  • Spring 2008: FT. WORTH
  • Fall 2007: PASADENA
  • Summer 2007: HARTFORD
  • Bus and train sketches
  • Portfolio

Candidate websites underline=digital >=print

  • >Barack Obama
  • >Hillary Clinton (out)
  • >John McCain
  • >Bob Barr
  • >Robert Kennedy
  • Ron Paul (out)
  • Ralph Nader
  • Fred Thompson (out)
  • Cynthia McKinney
  • Alan Keyes
  • • John Edwards (out)
  • • Sam Brownback (out)
  • • Chris Dodd (out)
  • • Dennis Kucinich (out)
  • • Duncan Hunter (out)
  • • Mike Gravel (out)
  • • Joe Biden (out)
  • • Rudy Giuliani (out)
  • • Mike Huckabee (out)
  • • Mitt Romney (out)
  • • Bill Richardson (out)
  • • Tom Tancredo (out)
  • • Tommy Thompson (out)

My sites

  • illogator.com
  • Political portraits (MFA thesis)
  • Studio blog
  • illoz.com
  • drawger.com
  • The iSpot
  • Gerald & Cullen Rapp
  • My portfolio site

Copyright

  • All content © James O'Brien
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Addendum: The RNC Project

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.

Solkerflag1_2

September 02, 2008 at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Conclusion

Well, as my "Whistle While You Work" song denotes, it is accomplished!* I still have to put together or more thorough conclusion but here again is what I wrote in my thesis:

Through this thesis project, I gained a 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 affects my visual intent.

And of course I taught myself how to screenprint, gained a better understanding of exhibiting work, and my approach to image making in Photoshop has benefited greatly from my rubbing shoulders with some great painters. So hopefully all this has improved my work, time will tell.

My life goals have been reduced another notch as well. Next up, learn guitar, write a novel, and become bilingual.

I've decided to carry this blog through to the election, not sure how closely I'll follow the race though. After the Democratic struggle, things seemed to slow down a bit. But with the conventions, things seem to be heating up again. And of course, we live just down the street from where the Republican convention is being held this September so hope to do some "man on the street" reporting.

*The song, It Is Accomplished is from Peter Gabriel's Passion.
(this post publication is dated to coincide with my graduation date)

July 25, 2008 at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Final checklist!

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.

Thesisbound1

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.

July 11, 2008 at 06:01 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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>SHOP< John McCain button

Mccainobrien_2
Title: John McCain button
Size (dimensions): 1.5"
Price: $2.00 plus shipping

July 11, 2008 at 05:58 PM in >SHOP<, John McCain | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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>SHOP< John McCain: screen print

Mccainfinalprint

Title: John McCain screen print
Size (dimensions): 22"x 30"
Paper: 90 lb. Stonehenge Vellum White
Number of colors: 7
Number in edition: 20
Price: $40
Shipping: $7

July 11, 2008 at 05:36 PM in >SHOP<, John McCain, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: FINAL DRAFT (rev.2)

(Some changes made after its initial review, added a paragraph about the program, brought back my biography, and added images for the artists cited in the text.)

INFLUENCE AND REFERENCE

INTRODUCTION
The inherent symbolism found in elements of an illustration, specifically
facial features, combined with observational references, define the impact of an
image. By repeating an influential style without understanding or considering its original inspiration, an artist can unwittingly affect his or her message.
Throughout my career as an illustrator, I have used a specific visual vocabu-lary when depicting faces. My vocabulary of simplified pictorial elements is gener-ally 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.

INSPIRATION
In my portrait work, I work from memory and imagination. I don’t use refer-ence. But could I? And if I did, how would it affect my work? Contemporary illustra-tors such as Christopher Brown (?), Anthony Russo (b.1949), and Cathie Bleck (b.1956) 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 ele-ments 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.
Art theorist and perceptual psychologist Rudolf Arnheim (1904-2007) pro-poses 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 func-tion, 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. The iconic aspects of a face can serve as a window for people to see, in a way that feels connected, more open and grand, more spacious and transformative. It is a way to distill our ideas and get to the essence of who we are.”
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 ele-ments—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 natu-ral or specifically historic setting. The face appears as if it belongs. Though the il-lustrated 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 in-troduction of primitive elements in the period between 1905-1906, as he sought an alternative to traditional Western art (Warncke 143). 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 ico-nography 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 individ-ual, 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 rec-ognizable 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?

PROCESS
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 proc-ess 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 digi-tal 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 accu-racy 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 photo-graph would seem an easier task, but I found that it was more difficult than draw-ing 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 (b.1935) by start-ing 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 distor-tions 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 re-duced the color palette and saved each color as an independent image file. For ex-ample, 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 collabo-rate 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 acci-dents 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 inten-tional, 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 im-age, so much so that I intentionally introduce accidents into my digital images and occasionally avoid correcting some of the unplanned mistakes. Working with a tra-ditional 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.

THE WORK
Fig.8  Barack Obama, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.9  Barack Obama, 2008, digital illustration
Fig.10  Hillary Clinton, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.11  Hillary Clinton, 2008, digital illustration
Fig.12  John McCain, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.13 John McCain, 2008, digital illustration
Fig.14  Ralph Nader, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.15  Ralph Nader, 2008, digital illustration
Fig.16  Bob Barr, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.17  Bob Barr, 2008, digital illustration
Fig.18  Robert Kennedy, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.19  Robert Kennedy, 2008, digital illustration
Fig.20  Ron Paul, 2008, reference sketch
Fig.21  Ron Paul, 2008, digital illustration

MARKETING
For thesis portraiture, I chose the 2008 Presidential Race and its list of can-didates (and, in addition, Robert Kennedy). 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 at-tention came when Digby, a well-know political blogger, wrote about my work , cit-ing 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, 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 on-line (in addition to the blog site) and will be marketed to art media as well as politi-cal media. Finally, prints and merchandise are available for sale and licensing.

Fig.22  Examples of online marketing.
Top left: < http://jamesobrien.typepad.com/hartford/2008/02/order-your-bara.html>
Top middle: < http://jamesobrien.typepad.com/hartford/2008/02/barack-obama-bu.html>
Top right: < http://illogator.com/jamesobrien/?section=browse_gallery&gallery_id=443&item_id=4541>
Bottom left: < http://www.cafepress.com/obrienart>
Bottom right: < http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10549944>

PROGRAM
I initially recognized the importance of an advanced degree when pursuing a full-time teaching position. Although my skills as an illustrator had matured, there were some skills I could only strengthen through a classroom environment.
My goals coming into the program were many. I wanted to improve my teach-ing credentials, not only by achieving a higher degree, but also by working closely with my classmates and experiencing alternative teaching methods employed by my instructors. I have also gained a clearer understanding of what my own students experience in a classroom. This has helped me improve my coursework and commu-nicate more effectively.
In the Hartford Art School Low-Residency MFA Program, I discovered the opportunity to try something new and test my skills using an unfamiliar medium. In my art practice, my work is generally small and is created digitally. The HAS program has allowed me to find a method for creating large tangible artworks using a new process that still aligns with the methods I have refined during my practice.
I have challenged myself and my process, expanding it into a new exciting di-rection that I hope to unite with my usual professional practice.
The marketing assignments also have strengthened my business sense. They have reminded me of the many strategic marketing choices that are available; which ones are most effective and which one to avoid.
The history of illustration is a topic of growing interest and one I hope to in-tegrate more fully into my teaching. I have found it fascinating to chart the influ-ences and connections between the historic figures. Studying their techniques and methodologies has been enlightening and revealing.

CONCLUSION
Through this thesis project, I gained a 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 affects my visual intent.

WORKS CITED
Arnheim, Rudolf. Visual Thinking, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969.
Warncke, Carsten-Peter. Picasso, Köln: Taschen, 2002.

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>

July 09, 2008 at 01:14 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy: final print

Rfkprintfinala

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.

July 08, 2008 at 04:12 PM in Final:Print, Robert Kennedy, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy print: color four (section one)

Rfkprintcolor4a

July 07, 2008 at 09:25 PM in Process, Robert Kennedy, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy print: color three

Rfkprintcolor3a

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.

July 07, 2008 at 09:07 PM in Process, Robert Kennedy, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy print: color two

Rfkprintcolor2a

This is the screen with the mask underneath, ready to print the second color.

Rfkprintcolor2b

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.

July 06, 2008 at 11:25 PM in Process, Robert Kennedy, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy print: color one

Rfkprintcolor1a

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.

July 06, 2008 at 10:02 PM in Process, Robert Kennedy, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy: digital illustration

Rfkdigital1b

Rfkdigital1

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.

July 04, 2008 at 12:12 AM in Digital, Final:Digital, Robert Kennedy, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print 2: seventh color (final print)

Mccainprint2color7a

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.

July 03, 2008 at 06:42 PM in Final:Print, John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print 2: sixth color

Mccainprint2color6a

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.

July 03, 2008 at 02:09 PM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print 2: fifth color

Mccainprint2color5a_3 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.

July 03, 2008 at 10:52 AM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print 2: fourth color

Mccainprint2color4c

Mccainprint2color4b

Mccainprint2color4a

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.

July 03, 2008 at 12:48 AM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John Mccain print 2: third color

Mccainprint2color3a

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.

July 02, 2008 at 10:14 PM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print 2: second color

Mccainprint2color2b

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.

July 02, 2008 at 06:59 PM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print 2: first color

Mccainprint2color1a

Mccainprint2color1b

Mccainprint2color1c 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.

July 02, 2008 at 11:35 AM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Ralph Nader print: first color

Naderprintcolor1b_2

Naderprintcolor1c


Naderprintcolor1a

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.

Naderprintplan1

Naderprintplan2

UPDATE: Below is an alternate plan for the print although I may have to start over printing the light blue first.

Naderprintplan3

July 01, 2008 at 05:51 PM in Process, Ralph Nader, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: FINAL DRAFT

Titlegraphic3

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

June 30, 2008 at 08:56 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr: final print

Barrfourupa

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.

Barrfinalprintline

June 27, 2008 at 02:12 PM in Bob Barr, Final:Print, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: fourth color (fifth section)

Barrcolor45a

June 27, 2008 at 12:39 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: fourth color (fourth section)

Barrcolor44a

Just one more section to the top right. The red coat will remain as it is with no line work.

Barrcolor44b

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.

Barrcolor44c

June 27, 2008 at 11:00 AM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: FIFTH DRAFT

INTRODUCTION
Throughout my career as an illustrator, I have used a specific visual vocabulary when depicting faces. This vocabulary of simplified pictorial elements came more from a distillation of influences from other contemporary illustrators and artists than from the use of reference.

This thesis project explores the role of reference, simplification, and my own artistic process.

In my portrait work, I work from memory and imagination (cite Picasso?). 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 these artists took when rendering faces with simple shapes and lines and minimal visual elements. I liked how these simple elements contrasted with the other shapes within the compositions, and the natural beauty and calm their faces projected. I wanted to bring that simplicity and calm to my work and elegant beauty, a natural, unadorned appearance.
[NOTE: Greek idealism – describe this here, as a stylistic choice Greek artists made and how that is connected to the time, e.g., perhaps timeless, and perhaps glorification of man as a whole, not specific persons, e.g., democracy – is this a spiritual connection or is it anti-spiritual?  Is there a connection between Greek ideals and philosophy and the ways in which your political portraits are manifest?]

Rudolf Arnheim proposes that an image always has one of three functions: a picture, symbol, or sign (Arnheim, xx). 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 an 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, does an inherent message obscure 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.

When a face is generalized, the rest of the image, including the pose, color, composition and other symbols, can drive the piece. Generalization of the face pushes the subject back, and minimizes the subject’s role in the concept of the piece.

I asked the illustrator Anthony Russo, one of my influences, about 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. I guess it's a way to distill our ideas and get to the essence.”

Russo explains that his goal is to “strip the face of cultural or personal qualities to create a more everyman feel.” Combined with my own artistic process of simplification, it is this expression—primitive elements that allow me to make my figures anonymous, and bring with them a deeper spiritual expression and connection to times other than our own—that this paper explores.

The presence of primitive elements evoke a spiritual message, also suggestive of another time period. The everyman aspect I bring to my portraits is, in part, a separation—more unconscious than conscious—from present-day man. The generalization of facial features contributes to this, since anonymity in a face renders it timeless regardless of its context: when set in a natural or specifically historic setting, the face appears even more as if it belongs. Though the 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.

Pablo Picasso transformed his own portrait work in the period between 1905-1906, as he sought an alternative to traditional Western art. Picasso's interest in Iberian art was wrapped in his appreciation for the purity and directness of primitivism. Yet rather than using these works as direct visual references, Picasso began to recreate these Iberian artifacts within his own work, transforming the facial features of his subject into these mask-like Iberian visages.
[NOTE: Why was the Iberian art graphically simplified?  Is there a relationship between Greek and Iberian art] (Greek features of beauty, check the book I have open on my desk)

One of the presenters during my Syracuse classes advised us to “stay true to your reference” or some paraphrase of that. The challenge for me when using reference is to let it inform the more so than define the piece.

If the image is a portrait of a specific individual, their features cannot be generalized too far. There must exist some visual connection to the specific individual, some representation of the reference. As an example, even though a particular nose shadow in my reference is more complex than I would like it to appear in my image, the nose shadow shape I use should be believable in terms of the light source as well as aligning with the suggested form of the nose and cheek. To achieve a recognizable likeness, any stylized simplification must still conform to a representational depiction.

I wondered if I could integrate reference into my process. Could I use reference as a starting point yet still arrive at a generalized, stylized portrait?

But can I really translate what I observe into a flat graphic image without considering works I have previously seen? Am I merely reinterpreting Warhol, Glaser, Cronin or mixing it all up into something new? And does it need to be "new" to appease me or the viewer? Does the viewer care?

In the end, I'm more interested in my response than the response of anyone else. I know when I'm challenging myself and stretching and when I'm not; that's the measure.

Without observational reference, style can simply be a repeat of other works, the styles of other artists, mixed into a new soup. This can become limiting without new influences. I could repeat Anthony Russo or Matisse for years but the work would feel stagnant and dull. What part of the work is mine? What am I bringing that is new? Recognizing and accepting an accident is one new element (unless I am accepting it merely because it reminds me of another work) or a remix of observed works can bring about a new resolution.

PROCESS
The goals of this project were to work from reference, work big, and create art prints rather than merely digital printouts of ethereal art files.

My process for my thesis project came in three stages; first was the sketching stage, using reference to create a portrait of the subject. Second came the digital stage, where the portrait was designed and colored using the sketch as a reference. And third came the screen print stage, where the digital image was printed as a limited edition serigraph.

SKETCHING FROM REFERENCE
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 this 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 still 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 (http://www.dannygregory.com/2007/03/portrait_688.php). 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 with one eye and drawing out from that point. This creates some odd relationships between the features and introduces some distortion. Employing these two techniques as well as recalling my drawing tutorage (fix that) helped me create some fairly representational drawings using photographs as references.

DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
The digital stage had two parts. First, I adjusted the sketch to reduce any unnecessary 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.

SCREEN PRINTING
Once the digital image is finished, I adapt it for screen-printing. I reduce the color palette and save each color as an independent image file. For example, all of the red elements are saved as one file and all of the blue elements are saved as another file.

During the screen printing stage, I was taken out of my usual method and brought out into the unpredictable and accident-prone activity of producing tangible, physical pieces of art. This loss of control allows for some unexpected adjustments to occur to the screen prints, making each print unique. Ink jet prints conversely 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. For me, this lack of control is frightening yet essential to the 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. 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.

CONCLUSION (needs editing)
A return, a better appreciation of my previous work, it had not been simple surface design, compositional play with a limited visual vocabulary.

Picasso needed to cleanse the primitive elements, westernize them to strip away their primitive qualities (cite source).

I am more attracted to Matisse and Picasso’s filter than the pure primitive source. I liked the primitive elements as they had come in through Matisse and Picasso’s filter. Without their re-interpretation, these primitive were too direct, too pure, and pointed to directly to the source. After becoming westernized, these primitive elements took on additional references that I wanted my work to reflect.

I gained a better and clearer understanding of the inherent symbolism found in the original primitive elements. 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.

MARKETING PLAN (needs editing)
For a thesis portraiture subject, I chose the 2008 Presidential Race and its list of candidates. For portrait subjects, I wanted to follow the 2008 Presidential Race and create portraits of the candidates. Along with the screen prints of the work, I created other merchandise using the images; buttons, t-shirts, and mugs. Not only did I want to produce larger-scale tangible art objects (screen prints), I also wanted to place the image on merchandise and create additional products. For this, I’m using Café Press as well as other service sites.

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

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rand, Ayn, The Art of Nonfiction. Plume, New York. 2001
André Malraux, Picasso's Mask, trans. June Guicharnaud, with Jacques Buicharnaud (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1976), p. II.
http://users.telenet.be/african-shop/picasso_back_to_africa.htm
http://www.moma.org/collection/conservation/demoiselles/index.html
http://artnetweb.com/guggenheim/africa/
Murrell, Denise. "African Influences in Modern Art". In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aima/hd_aima.htm (April 2008)
Russel, John. The One True Picasso. The New York Times: Arts. published March 3, 1991.
Sweeney, James Johnson - Picasso and Iberian Sculpture - The Art Bulletin, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Sep., 1941), pp. 191-198
Golding, John - The 'Demoiselles d'Avignon - The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 100, No. 662 (May, 1958), pp. 155-163
Baldassari, Anne. Picasso and Portraiture: Representation and Transformation. MOMA, 1996.
Rubin, William. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. MOMA, 1994.
Rosenblum, Robert. Cubism and Twentieth Century Art.
Flam, Jack. Primitivism and Twentieth-Century Art: A Documentary History. University of California Press, 2003.
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/african_studies_review/v050/50.2kart.html
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/modernism-modernity/v010/10.3gikandi.html
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-141859914.html
http://www.randafricanart.com/Fang_an_epic_journey.html
http://www.randafricanart.com/Fang_style_comparison.html
http://www.drloriv.com/lectures/african.asp
http://www.brainwavez.org/culture/features/2006/20060420001-01.html
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/exhibita/stories/2006/1629386.htm
http://johnmolyneux.blogspot.com/2006/08/picasso-and-african-art.html
http://www.eyeconart.net/history/cubism.htm

June 25, 2008 at 11:45 AM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: fourth color (third section)

Barrcolor43c

Barrcolor43b

I decided to keep only one without any more line work and changed the line color to brown to avoid the flatness that the all-blue lines seemed to be creating. So this brown gives the image a little more visual bounce and points toward the red coat causing more eye movement through the piece.

June 24, 2008 at 08:17 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: fourth color (second section)

Barrcolor42a_2

Barrcolor42b

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).

June 24, 2008 at 07:12 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: fourth color (first section)

Barrcolor41a

Barrcolor41b_2

Barrcolor41c

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.

June 24, 2008 at 03:13 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: third color

Barrcolor3b

Barrcolor3a

June 24, 2008 at 01:04 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: second color

Barrcolor2d

Barrcolor2c

Some obvious gaps from an old screen and the ink drying too quickly, adding a little retarder to the ink would have helped.

Barrcolor2e

Above is the cut paper stencil for the skin tone.

Barrcolor2a

June 22, 2008 at 03:10 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr print: first color

Barrcolor1b

Barrcolor1a

June 21, 2008 at 11:42 PM in Bob Barr, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr: digital

Barrdigital1
Barrdigital1b 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.

June 20, 2008 at 06:10 PM in Bob Barr, Digital, Final:Digital, Process, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain: new screens

Mccainnewscreen1
Mccainnewscreen2
Mccainnewscreen3 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.

June 20, 2008 at 06:01 PM in Digital, John McCain, Process, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print: third color

Mccainprint5

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.

June 20, 2008 at 10:56 AM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print: second color

Mccainprint3
Mccainprint4

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.

June 18, 2008 at 07:31 PM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain print: first color

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.


Mccainprint1

Mccainprint2

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).

June 18, 2008 at 01:18 AM in John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr: sketches 2

Barrsk6
Barrsk5
Barrsk4
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.

June 18, 2008 at 01:15 AM in Bob Barr, Sketches, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Bob Barr: sketches

Barrsk1
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.
Barrsk2
This is the sketch after combining the front and back of the heads together and removing the gray values (Image>Adjustments>Threshold).
Barrsk3
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.

June 17, 2008 at 02:03 AM in Bob Barr, Sketches, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: FOURTH DRAFT

INFLUENCES AND REFERENCE
Throughout my career, I have used a specific visual vocabulary for portraiture, and believed that these elements came from my memory of influences, not from any use of reference.  Yet repetition from an influential style without understanding or considering its original inspiration can unwittingly mask or miss the message within that original use.

Through my thesis work—an exploration of artistic influences, the role of reference, simplification, and my own artistic process—I find resonance within my own art to a spiritual undercurrent represented by primitive elements within that work.  Combined with my own artistic process of simplification, it is this expression—primitive elements that allow me to make my figures anonymous, and bring with them a deeper spiritual expression and connection to times other than our own—that this paper explores.

In his book Visual Thinking, Rudolf Arnheim suggests that an image always has one of three functions: a picture, symbol, or sign.  Do we need to inquire of the reference’s original intent or meaning in order to use it knowingly?  Perhaps the reference was originally a symbol, a totem, or a magical object of luck or fortune.  As our visual culture moves forward in time, how do changes in the function of an image also signal changes in the function of one’s art?  In my portrait work, I work from memory and imagination (quote Picasso). I don't use reference.  But could I? And if I did, how would it affect my work?

My portraiture, especially my use of generalized facial features, was influenced by other artists. During college, I admired the work of Jeffrey Fisher, Anthony Russo, and Cathie Bleck, among others. I liked the simple approach they took when rendering faces with simple shapes and lines and minimal visual elements. I liked how these simple elements contrasted with the other shapes in the compositions, and the natural beauty and calm their faces projected. I wanted to bring that simplicity and calm to my work and elegant beauty, a natural, unadorned appearance.
[NOTE: Greek idealism – describe this here, as a stylistic choice Greek artists made and how that is connected to the time, e.g., perhaps timeless, and perhaps glorification of man as a whole, not specific persons, e.g., democracy – is this a spiritual connection or is it anti-spiritual?  Is there a connection between Greek ideals and philosophy and the ways in which your political portraits are manifest?]

Within my work, primitive elements evoke a spiritual message, also suggestive of another time period.  The “everyman aspect” I bring to my portraits is a separation—more unconscious than conscious—from present day man.  The generalization of features contributes to this, since anonymity in a face seems timeless regardless of its context: when set in a natural or specifically historic setting, the face appears even more as if it belongs. Though the face is simplified, or perhaps because it is simplified, it can adopt the character of its reference more easily, even to another time.   Russo captured this characteristic when he noted, “The more we are able to utilize a vocabulary that relates to our collective unconscious the more we are able to, kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

Within the face, elements also come into play.  An almond-shaped eye is an old shape used by many primitive cultures, but it is as yet unknown how this shape came into use in art and in illustration.  Can a “primitive” and generalized almond-shaped eye merely be a “picture” of an eye or does it possess an 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, 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, does an inherent message obscure the intention of the image?

When a face is generalized, the rest of the image, including the pose, color, composition and other symbols, can drive the piece.  Generalization of the face pushes the subject back, and minimizes the subject’s role in the concept of the piece. 

Years ago, I was introduced to a person who was familiar with my work. “I thought you were African-American,” she said studying me, seemingly shocked. I did not fit her preconception. My own image did not fit my image work in her mind.   It seems as if the elements of my work led her to believe that I had a deeper connection to African Americans, more than just an artistic choice of style.  [NOTE:  Draw a conclusion here to make this relevant.]

In our interview, Anthony Russo noted that he also tries to “strip the face, or images of people, of cultural or personal qualities to create a more everyman-woman feel, freeing the image to resonate on a timeless deep level. The deeper this emotional level the more transcendent the message can be.  By tapping into (this) emotional vocabulary the illustrator-artist can reveal the universal themes that go beyond cultural and time specific issues and reach deep into the core of who we are.  The more personal and emotional is the vocabulary, the more universal the impact.  Picasso and Matisse explored the primitive aspects of expression that tapped into a raw emotional style.  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.  I guess it's a way to distill our ideas and get to the essence.”

Pablo Picasso transformed his own portrait work in the period between 1905-1906, as he sought an alternative to traditional Western art.  Picasso's interest in Iberian art was wrapped in his appreciation for the purity and directness of primitivism. Yet rather than using these works as reference, Picasso began to recreate these Iberian artifacts within his own work, incorporating their poses and features.
[NOTE: Why was the Iberian art graphically simplified?  Is there a relationship between Greek and Iberian art]  (Greek features of beauty, check the book I have open on my desk)

In today’s world, especially during a presidential election year, there is no more ubiquitous image than that of the candidate.  Not only does a candidate need to be a chameleon, blending into the hopes and aspirations of each potential voter, s/he must also reflect the ideals of today’s society.   For a thesis portraiture subject, I chose the 2008 Presidential Race and its list of candidates.

One of the presenters during my Syracuse classes advised us to “stay true to your reference” or some paraphrase of that. The challenge for me when using reference is to let it inform the more so than define the piece. So even though the nose shadow in my reference looks different and more complex, the shape I use should be believable by pointing toward the light source as well as aligning with the suggested form of the nose and cheek. The stylized simplification still must conform to a representational depiction.

But if the image is a portrait of a specific individual, their features cannot be generalized too far. There must exist some direct connection to the specific individual, some representation of the reference. (the Gertrude Stein portrait) I wondered if I could integrate reference into my process. Could I use reference as a starting point yet still arrive at a generalized, stylized portrait?

PROCESS
My process for my thesis project came in three stages; the first was the observational drawing stage, using reference to create a sketch portrait of the subject. The second stage was the digital stage, where the image was designed and colored. The third stage was screen-printing, where the digital image was transformed into a large-scale, a tangible art object: big, graphic poster prints of the candidates.

OBSERVATIONAL SKETCHING
Drawing from the model is a practice I have not done since undergraduate school. Once I moved into a stylized approach, working from memory and imagination as Picasso had in (check this time and cite source), 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.
I needed to find out how rough my drawing skills had become. I began drawing on my bus rides, usually the backs of people's head and some profiles. Happily, I found I still 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 by another artist (http://www.dannygregory.com/2007/03/portrait_688.php). Turning the photograph upside-down allowed me to see and draw the shapes and not just draw the face the way I thought a face should look like. It forced me to look at the photograph more intently as shapes rather than facial features.
I also employed a technique used by Jack Unruh (explain who he is) by starting with one particular feature and drawing out from that point. This creates some odd relationships between the features and introduces some distortion.   Even so, these two techniques helped me create some fairly representational drawings using photography as reference.
The approach I took with the Barack Obama sketch was to graphically interpret the reference. Doing this, I arrived at a stylized drawing. The other sketches however were done as direct observational drawings.

DIGITAL DESIGN
This second stage comes in two parts. The first is where I adjust the sketch to reduce the distortions just enough to clarify the likeness. The second is where the sketch is used as the reference for the image design. This step is where the generalization, simplification, graphic translation occurs. And this step is the critical point; how far into a "style" do I go? How far do I depart from the reference?
The goals of this project are to work from reference, work big, and work messy creating tangible art objects rather than printouts of ethereal art files.

I've adapted the drawing reference to make the image more graphic.
This [Fred Thompson] is actually a freehand Illustrator sketch from memory, which was also interesting step forward for me in this reference journey. Again, a beginning and maybe not the end result. I would still prefer to be somewhere between this and my more stylized approach, this still feels a bit too married to the reference, for me anyway.
This also feels a little too close to the reference, not stylized enough. But that's my balancing act, using reference just to inform my stylized approach, not to drive it too directly.
a more organic feel to the edges though
Also considering integrating the line work in the print
A couple of texture spots are here [John McCain] but just not sure if I want them to be vector as they are here or if I want to bring this into Photoshop and create the texture parts there.
This [John McCain] is nearly ready for separations although it has a subtle gradient in the face that I will need to flatten first.
halftone gradations
focusing more on the digital process while keeping the screen printing process in mind, trying to find a middle-ground between the two. When I allowed the screen print part to determine the image, it resulted in too simple graphic shapes.
a softer look, less graphic, and with a hint of texture.
It's like a puzzle at times
the more I work on this one [Ralph Nader], the closer it gets to the reference. Still, it is stylized but closer to a reference than the way I usually work; this again is the point of this body of work.

SCREEN PRINTING
Once the digital image is finished, I adapt it for screen-printing. This involves reducing the color palette and separating the elements into separate images.
The first step between the final digital file and the screen print is to order the film positives used to expose the screens. To do this, I change all of the color to black (keeping the whites as white to knock out the color) and group the colors into multiple files. This grouping allows me to use one screen for multiple colors, a choice born largely from cost.
During the final stage, the screen print, I am taken out of my usual method and brought out into tangible art-making. This loss of control allowed for some unexpected adjustments to occur to the screen-printed image.
The moments of paper interrupting the color alignments is what makes a print interesting for me so I need to find a middle ground between alignment and poor registration.
Screen printing is very physical at this scale and quantity.

So I'm looking at these accidents and wondering which ones are assets and which ones are just obvious errors. I welcome the occasional mis-step, allowing the process to play along, but they have to look intentional or at least appropriate and not too distracting. They should add to the image, be a record of the process rather than a mere mistake.

The other part of this whole process of course is how the reference drives the image. In the Obama portrait, reference has played a smaller role than it has in the Clinton piece. If the Obama piece counts as say 60% reference, then the Clinton piece would be closer to 80%.

Where am I comfortable? My previous use of reference has been minimal. I can get close to 100% (which I guess would be a photograph or photo-realism) but is that really my intention? I think the point is to feed my brain with more ingredients to add to the stylized approach I've used in my work. Without observational reference, style can simply be a repeat of other works, the styles of other artists, mixed into a new soup. This can become limiting without new influences. I could repeat Anthony Russo or Matisse for years but the work would feel stagnant and dull. What part of the work is mine? What am I bringing that is new? Recognizing and accepting an accident is one new element (unless I am accepting it merely because it reminds me of another work) or a remix of observed works can bring about a new resolution. But can I really translate what I observe into a flat graphic image without considering works I have previously seen? Am I merely reinterpreting Warhol, Glaser, Cronin or mixing it all up into something new? And does it need to be "new" to appease me or the viewer? Does the viewer care?
In the end, I'm more interested in my response than the response of anyone else. I know when I'm challenging myself and stretching and when I'm not; that's the measure.

The color contrast turned out about right but still darker than I expected. And I thought I may have erred too far on the light side for this second pink. To test these two colors, I made an ink-jet print and dabbed some of the mixed ink color right onto the print to see how close it was to the ink-jet color when it dried. This also helped me measure the depth of contrast between the two pinks.

CONCLUSION
A return, a better appreciation of my previous work, it had not been simple surface design, compositional play with a limited visual vocabulary. (expand this)

MARKETING PLAN
Using the political race to market screen prints, and reproductions of the artwork on merchandise such as buttons and t-shirts. (expand this)

June 15, 2008 at 10:43 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: THIRD DRAFT (Introduction/Influences/Graphic Simplifications)

INTRODUCTION/INFLUENCES/GRAPHIC SIMPLIFICATIONS
If an image has one of three functions as Rudolf Arnheim suggests in his book, Visual Thinking, is a "primitive" and generalized almond-shaped eye a picture, symbol, or sign. Can it merely be a "picture" of an eye or does its inherent symbology stemming from its original source communicate, even if the concept of the overall image has no connection to this original source? If, as an example, this "primitive" element, an almond-eye, is used in an image of a modern-day person, 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, does its inherent message obscure the intention of the image?

(When an artist’s style is influenced by the style of another artist…)

To repeat an element or expression from an influential style without understanding or considering its original source of inspiration, an artist can unwittingly miss the message within that original use.

Primitive elements evoke a spiritual message. They also suggest another time period.

I found that what the everyman aspect brought to my portraits was a separation from present day man, not only through a generalization of the features, but also through the introduction of another time period. Not only is the face anonymous, but it looks timeless in its context. If this archaic face is placed in a modern setting. If this face is set in a more natural or even specifically historic setting, it appears even simpler, as if it belongs. So even though the face has been simplified, in a juxtaposed setting, it takes on an additional character because of its reference to another time. This contrast adds interest.

When depicting faces, an artist either uses reference to closely represent the person or stylizes the features. This stylization can be representational or generalized, meaning the face is nonspecific.

The style is arrived at through a distillation of a variety of influences enhanced by the artist’s personal explorations.

My use of generalized facial features came initially from the influence of other artists. During college, I admired the work of Jeffrey Fisher, Anthony Russo, and Cathie Bleck among others. In there work, the way they depicted people, I liked the simple approach they took when rendering faces. Simple shapes and lines, a minimal amount of visual elements. I liked how these simple elements contrasted the other shapes in the compositions. I also liked the natural beauty and calm these faces projected. I wanted to bring that simplicity and calm to my work and elegant beauty, a natural, unadorned appearance. (Greek idealism)

Why is a style or distinct way of visualizing features... why is it important for an artist to understand the reasoning behind their stylistic choices? consider the deeper meaning of the iconography, the earlier reference.

Years ago, I was introduced to a person who was familiar with my work. "I thought you were African-American," she said studying me, seemingly shocked. I did not fit her preconception. My image did not fit my work in her mind. The primitive elements in my work led her to believe that I had a deeper connection to them, more than just an artistic choice of style.

Rather than repeating a visual style that has been filtered by another artist, is it important to find the earlier source or find the reasoning behind the artist's use of the original source. To find the deeper meaning...

But where did these artists find their influence? Where did this simplification come from?

In my work, portrait work, I work from memory and imagination (quote Picasso). I don't use reference.

But could I? And if I did, how would it affect my work?

First, I wanted to find out what my drawing skills were, how rough they had become. I began drawing on my bus rides, usually the backs of people's head and some profiles. I found I still retained some good observational drawing skills when it came to faces, heads, and hands at least.

When looking at how I wanted to graphically simplify the facial features in my portraits, I began to wonder where exactly the influence impetus for this approach came from, not just the obvious initial influence, but through to the original use. I knew that, as an example, an almond-shaped eye was an old shape used by many cultures but what I didn't know is how this shape came into use in art and in illustration.

(this is the only part edited for this draft)

June 14, 2008 at 11:26 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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John McCain: print separations

Mccainscreens

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.

June 12, 2008 at 03:31 PM in Digital, John McCain, Process, Screenprint, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Ron Paul: Photoshop in-progress 2

Paulinprog4_3

June 12, 2008 at 12:16 AM in Digital, Process, Ron Paul, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Robert Kennedy portrait

Kennedyrobert1web

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.

Forty years ago, as he was celebrating his victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. To mark the occasion, Op-Ed editors invited his children to share their memories of him.

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.

June 06, 2008 at 10:04 PM in Robert Kennedy, Sketches, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Ron Paul: Photoshop in-progress

Paulinprog3

Paulinprog2

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.

June 06, 2008 at 07:37 PM in Digital, Process, Ron Paul, Thesis:Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: SECOND DRAFT (Introduction)

INTRODUCTION
If an image has one of three functions as Rudolf Arnheim suggests in Visual Thinking, is a "primitive" and generalized almond-shaped eye a picture, symbol, or sign. Can it merely be a "picture" of an eye or does its inherent symbology from its source communicate, even if the concept of the overall image has no connection to the original source? For example, if this "primitive" element, an almond-eye, is used in an image of a modern-day person, what message does it convey? Does it de-modernize the person? Does it make the image look less contemporary? What purpose does it serve other than an arbitrary style choice? And if it has been used arbitrarily, does its inherent message obscure the intention of the image?

I found that what the everyman aspect brought to my portraits was a separation from present day man, not only through a generalization of the features, but also through the introduction of another time period. Not only is the face anonymous, but it looks timeless in its context. If this archaic face is placed in a modern setting. If this face is set in a more natural or even specifically historic setting, it appears even simpler, as if it belongs. So even though the face has been simplified, in a juxtaposed setting, it takes on an additional character because of its reference to another time. This contrast adds interest.

When depicting faces, an artist either uses reference to closely represent the person or stylizes the features. This stylization can be representational or generalized, meaning the face is nonspecific.

In my work, portrait work, I work from memory and imagination (quote Picasso). I don't use reference.

But could I? And if I did, how would it affect my work?

First, I wanted to find out what my drawing skills were, how rough they had become. I began drawing on my bus rides, usually the backs of people's head and some profiles. I found I still retained some good observational drawing skills when it came to faces, heads, and hands at least.

June 05, 2008 at 02:42 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: SECOND DRAFT (Influences/Graphic Simplifications)

INFLUENCES/GRAPHIC SIMPLIFICATIONS
The style is arrived at through a distillation of a variety of influences enhanced by the artist’s personal explorations.

To repeat an element or expression from an influential style without understanding or considering its original source of inspiration, an artist can unwittingly miss the message within that original use.

Primitive elements evoke a spiritual message. They also suggest another time period.

My use of generalized facial features came initially from the influence of other artists. During college, I admired the work of Jeffrey Fisher, Anthony Russo, and Cathie Bleck among others. In there work, the way they depicted people, I liked the simple approach they took when rendering faces. Simple shapes and lines, a minimal amount of visual elements. I liked how these simple elements contrasted the other shapes in the compositions. I also liked the natural beauty and calm these faces projected. I wanted to bring that simplicity and calm to my work and elegant beauty, a natural, unadorned appearance. (Greek idealism)

But where did these artists find their influence? Where did this simplification come from?
Why is a style or distinct way of visualizing features... why is it important for an artist to understand the reasoning behind their stylistic choices? consider the deeper meaning of the iconography, the earlier reference.

Rather than repeating a visual style that has been filtered by another artist, is it important to find the earlier source or find the reasoning behind the artist's use of the original source. To find the deeper meaning...

Years ago, I was introduced to a person who was familiar with my work. "I thought you were African-American," she said studying me, seemingly shocked. I did not fit her preconception. My image did not fit my work in her mind. The primitive elements in my work led her to believe that I had a deeper connection to them, more than just an artistic choice of style.

When looking at how I wanted to graphically simplify the facial features in my portraits, I began to wonder where exactly the influence impetus for this approach came from, not just the obvious initial influence, but through to the original use. I knew that, as an example, an almond-shaped eye was an old shape used by many cultures but what I didn't know is how this shape came into use in art and in illustration.

(Russo mentions Matisse; explain the Matisse and Picasso part here.)

(shorten this a bit and check with Anthony)

  Picasso and Matisse explored the primitive aspects of expression that tapped into a raw emotional style.  By tapping into this emotional vocabulary the illustrator-artist can reveal the universal themes that go beyond cultural and time specific issues and reach deep into the core of who we are.  The more personal and emotional the more universal the impact.
     I too, try to strip the face, or images of people, of cultural or personal qualities to create a more everyman-woman feel, freeing the image to resonate on a timeless deep level. The deeper this emotional level the more transcendent the message can be. The  subjects we illustrators deal with have a specific  time and cultural relevance but also have universal implications. The more we are able to utilize a vocabulary that relates to our collective unconscious the more we are able to, kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
     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  grander, more spacious and transformative.  I guess it's a way to distill our ideas and get to the essence. -- Anthony Russo

My first interest in this type of face was through the work of Anthony Russo. But I also recognized this type of eye in the work of Matisse and Picasso. And looking at how Picasso transformed his portrait work from 1905-1906, I decided to look into that moment in his work and find his inspiration.

(Picasso and Matisse stuff)
Picasso's search for an alternative to traditional Western art opened his eyes up to the influence of "primitive" art. This art consisted of Iberian, Egyptian, and Asian art. Picasso's interest lay more in the spiritual aspects of Iberian art (find a source for this). He saw asian art as... and mistakenly thought that Iberian art predated Egyptian art.

What interested Picasso was...

Rather than using reference, Picasso began to recreate these Iberian artifacts within his own work, incorporating their poses and features.

Why was the Iberian art graphically simplified?

Was I interested in the primitive aspects of this type of face? Or was I interested in just what I saw as the beauty of the features.

(Greek features of beauty, check the book I have open on my desk)

June 05, 2008 at 02:42 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: SECOND DRAFT (Using Reference)

USING REFERENCE
What is the true nature of the reference? what was its original intention, meaning, symbol? or if this can't be answered, what was the art object's original use? a totem, a symbol of fertility or medicine or celebration? a magical object of luck or fortune? who did the personage represent? a god? the person possessing the art object? or possibly a generalized all-person, anyone. a non-specific person, a "John Doe."

Throughout my career, I have used a specific visual vocabulary for my portraits. These elements come from my memory of influences, not from any use of reference.

My question when starting the project was, what would using reference do to my work? Can I work from reference? Can I actually make a representative portrait?

For subjects, I chose the 2008 Presidential Race, the list of candidates.

Why graphically simplify and generalize facial features? Style? What is the reference, does this connect the image to previous works the artist admires? Does the artist feel connected to, ally themselves with the other works, or a spiritual connection to the works, or a tribute.

Or does the artist use the reference as a constant in their approach to image-making. The concept than can be driven by the rest of the image, the pose, color, composition, other symbols. The generalization of the face then pushes the subject back, minimizes their role in the concept of the piece.

But if the image is a portrait of a specific individual, their features cannot be generalized too far. There must exist some direct connection to the specific individual, some representation of the reference. (the Gertrude Stein portrait and Self-portrait with palette are good examples for this, also follow the Obama sketch and McCain sketch through to the final images; the sketches are truer to the reference and the art is more graphically simplified).

One of the presenters during my Syracuse classes advised us to "stay true to your reference" or some paraphrase of that. The challenge again for me when using reference is to let it inform the shape I make more so than define it. So even though the nose shadow in my reference looks different and more complex, the shape I will use should be believable by pointing toward the light source as well as aligning with the suggested form of the nose and cheek. The stylized simplification still must conform to a representational depiction.

Drawing from the model is a practice I have not done since undergraduate school. Once I moved into a stylized approach, working from memory and imagination as Picasso had in (check this time and cite source), I left behind any thoughts of using reference. I would occasionally look at houses, trees, and other objects, even people, but not to reproduce what I was looking at but just to check my accuracy or maybe for compositional inspiration.

When I entered my grad studies, I was reminded of the history of using reference and saw that most of the faculty as well as a number of the students worked from the model. And I've also noticed some of my students moving in this direction as well, inspired by such artists as (check this).

Seeing this, I wondered if I could integrate reference into my process. Could I use reference as a starting point yet still arrive at a generalized, stylized portrait. I knew if could be done by others of course, but the question was, could I do it.

June 05, 2008 at 02:41 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: SECOND DRAFT (Process: Sketch)

PROCESS: SKETCH
My process for this project came in three stages; the first was the observational drawing stage, using reference to create a sketch portrait of the subject. The second stage was the digital stage, where the image was designed and colored. The third stage was screen printing, where the digital image was transformed into a large-scale art object, a tangible piece of art, big, graphic poster prints of the candidates.

First, I wanted to find out what my drawing skills were, how rough they had become. To find out, I began drawing on my bus rides, usually the backs of people's head and some profiles. I found I still retained some good observational drawing skills when it came to faces, heads, and hands at least.

Next was to see how this worked when drawing from photographs. Even though drawing from an unmoving subject, a photograph, would seem an easier task, I found that it was in fact more difficult than drawing from a live person. To help with this, I tried turning the photograph upside-down, a technique I had seen demonstrated by another artist (http://www.dannygregory.com/2007/03/portrait_688.php). Turning the photograph upside-down allowed me to see and draw the shapes and not just draw the face the way I thought a face should look like. It forced me to look at the photograph more intently, to focus on just the shapes within the face rather than the individual features.

I also employed a technique used by Jack Unruh (explain who he is) by starting with one particular feature and drawing out from that point. This creates some odd relationships between the features and introduces some distortion.

These two techniques helped me create some fairly representational drawings using photographs as reference.

The approach I took with the Barack Obama sketch was to graphically interpret the reference. Doing this, I arrived at a stylized drawing. The other sketches however were done as direct observational drawings.

Alex Toth…

June 05, 2008 at 02:40 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: SECOND DRAFT (Process: Digital)

PROCESS: DIGITAL
This second stage comes in two parts. The first is where I adjust the sketch to reduce the distortions just enough to clarify the likeness. The second is where the sketch is used as the reference for the image design. This step is where the generalization, simplification, graphic translation occurs. And this step is the critical point; how far into a "style" do I go? How far do I depart from the reference?

The goals of this project are to work from reference, work big, and work messy creating tangible art objects rather than printouts of ethereal art files.

I've adapted the drawing reference to make the image more graphic.

This [Fred Thompson] is actually a freehand Illustrator sketch from memory which is an interesting step forward for me in this reference journey. Again, a beginning and maybe not the end result. I would still prefer to be somewhere between this and my more stylized approach, this still feels a bit too married to the reference, for me anyway.

This also feels a little too close to the reference, not stylized enough. But that's my balancing act, using reference just to inform my stylized approach, not to drive it too directly.

a more organic feel to the edges though
Also considering integrating the line work in the print

A couple of texture spots are here [John McCain] but just not sure if I want them to be vector as they are here or if I want to bring this into Photoshop and create the texture parts there.

This [John McCain] is nearly ready for separations although it has a subtle gradient in the face that I will need to flatten first.

halftone gradations
focusing more on the digital process while keeping the screen printing process in mind, trying to find a middle-ground between the two. When I allowed the screen print part to determine the image, it resulted in too simple graphic shapes.
a softer look, less graphic, and with a hint of texture.

It's like a puzzle at times
the more I work on this one [Ralph Nader], the closer it gets to the reference. Still, it is stylized but closer to a reference than the way I usually work; this again is the point of this body of work.

June 05, 2008 at 02:39 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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THESIS PAPER: SECOND DRAFT (Process: Screenprint)

PROCESS: SCREEN PRINT
Once the digital image is finished, I adapt it for a screen printing process. This involves reducing the color palette and separating the elements into separate images.

The first step between the final digital file and the screen print is to order the film positives used to expose the screens. To do this, I change all of the color to black (keeping the whites as white to knock out the color) and group the colors into multiple files. This grouping allows me to use one screen for multiple colors.

During the final stage, the screen print, I am taken out of my usual method and brought out into tangible art-making. This loss of control allowed for some unexpected adjustments to occur to the screen printed image.

The moments of paper interrupting the color alignments is what makes a print interesting for me so I need to find a middle ground between alignment and mis-registration..

Screen printing is very physical at this scale and quantity.

So I'm looking at these accidents and wondering which ones are assets and which ones are just obvious errors. I welcome the occasional mis-step, allowing the process to play along, but they have to look intentional or at least appropriate and not too distracting. They should add to the image, be a record of the process rather than a mere mistake.

The other part of this whole process of course is how the reference drives the image. In the Obama portrait, reference has played a smaller role than it has in the Clinton piece. If the Obama piece counts as say 60% reference, then the Clinton piece would be closer to 80%.

Where am I comfortable? My previous use of reference has been minimal. I can get close to 100% (which I guess would be a photograph or photo-realism) but is that really my intention? I think the point is to feed my brain with more ingredients to add to the stylized approach I've used in my work. Without observational reference, style can simply be a repeat of other works, the styles of other artists, mixed into a new soup. This can become limiting without new influences. I could repeat Anthony Russo or Matisse for years but the work would feel stagnant and dull. What part of the work is mine? What am I bringing that is new? Recognizing and accepting an accident is one new element (unless I am accepting it merely because it reminds me of another work) or a remix of observed works can bring about a new resolution. But can I really translate what I observe into a flat graphic image without considering works I have previously seen? Am I merely reinterpreting Warhol, Glaser, Cronin or mixing it all up into something new? And does it need to be "new" to appease me or the viewer? Does the viewer care?

In the end though, I'm more interested in my response than the response of anyone else. I know when I'm challenging myself and stretching and when I'm not; that's the measure. But recognition has some value. Why else would I keep tossing a few hundred dollars at these competitions each year?

The color contrast turned out about right but still darker than I expected. And I thought I may have erred too far on the light side for this second pink. To test these two colors, I made an ink-jet print and dabbed some of the mixed ink color right onto the print to see how close it was to the ink-jet color when it dried. This also helped me measure the depth of contrast between the two pinks.

June 05, 2008 at 02:37 PM in Thesis:Paper | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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  • I said, "Saul, are you gifted?"
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