...whaaaaa?

I know I promised a sticky post with things I'm selling and prices, but I decided to just go ahead and set up an online store, so that will hopefully be up soon.

Critiques in my painting class tend to be a two day affair. This is both because my class is large (16 students, and most produce anywhere from two to ten paintings between critiques) and because we all have a lot to say. For me, these things tend to go well. I know that it's my paintings, and not my worth as a human being, that is being evaluated. Besides, the other students and the teacher are there to help and therefore never cross the line into downright cruelty.

That being said, I heard something interesting while one classmate was taking their works down and another was setting up:

"Oh, I forgot. We're not supposed to tell them what we like."

...what? I mean, sure, you don't want crits in which all the feedback is 'you're amazing!' because that isn't really a crit. It's actually pretty frustrating and useless. But at the same time if all you're hearing is 'don't do this' and 'that looks strange' and 'you should reconsider', that can be dispiriting as well.

The thing about changing and innovating in your work is that sometimes things don't work out, but sometimes they do, and either way you have to go on from there. The positive part of a crit provides an anchor for future innovation. If you leave it out, you're stranding your studio mate.

So I guess what I'm saying is: other people are people too.

SPACE 2011

It's late and I've just gotten back from SPACE 2011 and I wanted to put up a quick reaction post, both to say hello to any and all new readers who'll be wandering through and because I'm feeling pretty darn good about it and want to get this down before I start thinking too much.

First, some things I want to pat myself on the back for (because I almost didn't get them done): finishing The Adventures of Dirk Turbine: Attack of the Air Squid (authored by Leslie Anderson and illustrated by my very own self) and getting my business cards printed and cut this year. I forgot last time 'round and it made exchanging info much more difficult. This was good!

Compared to last year, the crowd was smaller and calmer, but then again the makeup of the exhibitors in general seemed less rambunctious as well. I got to actually talk to the other exhibitors this year rather than just waving hello and running away so that they could talk to incoming customers.

Although...incoming customers are always a good thing too.

I've got a lot of promotional material to sort through in the next couple of days, much of which I don't even remember how it came to be in my possession. I do know that plenty of them lead to webcomics, though, so that's good.

There were a surprising number of people (surprising only because no one asked last year) who asked if I had an online store. I currently do not, but expect a sticky post in the next couple of days with my currently available works (plus maybe some commission prices if you're in to that sort of thing), which should hold me over until I can actually set up a shop. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before that happens, unfortunately. Next weekend is taken up by a wedding, and the intervening time is getting eaten by ceramics uncover deadlines and painting crits.

Also graphic design stuff, too, I guess? Half the class doesn't even show up for crit days, so it's hard to determine how seriously I should be taking the assignments. Makes things less stressful, anyway.

In conclusion: SPACE good. SPACE next year: definitely happening. School is a thing that happens.

Anyone recommend other midwest cons for the going to? I think it's time for some adventure.

Last weekend

It was a goodly weekend. So I drew a picture so's I'd remember it.

Unfortunately, my tablet decided to get all glitchy in the middle of working on this. Fortunately, I was able to bring it back to life.

The bruises were from the underwater hockey tournament that was held by our club. They were well earned (...I think, anyway, but I'm a rookie, so who knows?)

Next weekend: the start of spring break, and the tournament held by UofI!

Winter: not my season

I just got back from the gym and was about to de-stink when my roommate hopped in the shower first, so I done did a quick photoshop doodle instead

These are all the injuries that I've built up over the semester, not counting scrapes, cuts, and bruises (most of which I know the origin of and when they will heal.) Some of them are older, but winter makes them come back.

On the plus side: the plantar fasciitis in my right foot from over the summer is gone!

African Art History Project

When I took history of graphic design last year, papers were par for the course. There were two papers, two tests, and four 'pop' quizzes, and I thought that this was both fair and reasonable. From comments made by my Modern Art history teacher (by which I mean that she out and out stated it; truly, her discretion knows no bounds) that not everyone thought that this was fair and reasonable and that papers are no longer to be assigned to the class in general.

So have fun with that, Art History students, I don't really envy you your extra workload.

At the same time, I'm a bit offended. We live in an age of unparalleled written communication. No generation before us has written or read more than we have. And someone on high thinks we can't do research? Can't put together a reasonable argument or coherent paragraph?

I don't know, maybe I'm the odd duck here. Lord knows I enjoy writing more than a great many people and that it's gotten me into a little bit of trouble now and again*.

Anyway, this was mostly just to introduce how my African Art History teacher got around the no-essay thing. Besides having us post blog entries I mean (which I did on a separate, private blog, thankyouverymuch.) We were given a 'creative project,' which could pretty much be anything within reason (including a paper if so desired.) Our subject was to be something of our choosing that we covered before the midterm. I chose the adoption of plank masks by the Bwa of southern Burkina Faso.

When I first started this project, I wanted to do three different pages, showcasing the perspectives of each of the major players as we learned about them in class (the French invaders, the Bwa themselves, and either the Nuna or Nunuma, from whom the Bwa either bought, copied, or traded the masks depending on the mask or family)

It was always going to be a silent comic with abstracted forms for the people to highlight the nature of the masks, but as I started doing the research I realized that the normal layout wouldn't work. Which was really too bad: I had wanted to print it off as a freebie for SPACE. Ah, well, posters work as well and will actually earn me some spendables maybe.

Obviously, I wasn't careful with my panel shapes or outlines. I didn't want to lay them out on a grid while I drew them so that I could get more freeform shapes. For the most part, I think this worked out fairly well. On the other hand, the gutter spacing (it's soooooo huuuuuge) really bugs me. But that's the thing about experimenting: not everything works.

In summary: super awesome project. A++, would draw again.

*I was once accused of plagiarism because, among other things, my vocabulary was too good. This was back in 7th grade, when I was still naive enough to believe that I was being asked to stay after class so that the teacher could offer me praise, as if such things happen. It was one of the most shaming experiences of my public school experience, and I never even received an apology. And that is why I never seriously pursued creative writing. Also why I avoid the word 'albeit.'

New ID

I was going through some of my old favorites' galleries on Deviantart and decided that I really really REEEALLY wanted to do a new ID picture.

So I did.

As always, I'm still playing around with digital stuff. This time, I decided to go digital from start to finish. I know I said I was going to play more with textures the next time I opened up photoshop, but, well...I'm sleepy?

Yes, very sleepy. To that end: good night.

Every so often there'll be a fellow student in one of my art classes who is not an art student. And then there will be the one who is Not An Art Student, lemme tell you all about it.

On the whole, I get along with both of the above types. They're fun and not as afraid of failure as the artsy kids because, let's face it, it doesn't matter as much to them. Which isn't to say they don't work hard. They do, even when they signed up for the class expecting an easy A and found out that it wasn't is going to be as simple as they thought.

For my electronic arts class, I'm currently doing a project with one of these Not An Art Student types. He's a cool dude* and we share a several Completely Nerdy interests; also he speaks Geometry and I speak Calculus, so our dialects overlap a little bit.

So we get to talking as we're working (he's drafting, I'm hunting down materials on the internet) and at one point he says 'Y'know, I've noticed that most of the people in here have very in-your-face personalities.'

Which is...true? I guess? I replied that it was because if we weren't like that, who would notice us? The odds of getting 'discovered' are so dismal that, well, it doesn't really bear thinking about, does it?

But the question kept niggling away at the back of my mind. This guy was really only familiar with the people in the electronic arts class, and I had been finding the other students to be frustratingly retiring and unassertive. It's probably that none of us are all that familiar with the media that we're learning, but the projects have mostly seemed to be lacking in daring, despite the fact that our teacher keeps saying things like 'art is meant to challenge.'

So does this say something about me, that I expect more from these people? Or does it say something about the world outside the art school walls, that they expect less?

I think that this article at Psychology Today helped clarify some of it, but I don't know that I can see enough of the situation from where I am in the system to be able to give any definite answers. Maybe that aren't any. Chalk it up to weirdness.

*This is actually one of my highest compliments for a friendly acquaintance, but I realize it could sound a little odd over the internet. Probably in real life, too. Doesn't stop me.