"Pardon me, my friends, I have ventured to paint my happiness on the wall." ~ Nietzsche

2009-02-26T22:45:00.002-05:00

Good Lord, I forget to update so often. I'm such a shameful blogger.

I've come to realize that as soon as I discuss an idea I'm all jazzed about on here, it then ceases to happen. As such I'm just going for the gusto and internalizing my ideas, only to unleash them upon the unsuspecting masses.

Artistically I've got a decent bit going on. Working on a handful of commissions, which are going interestingly. This was precursored by selling a chunk of my theoretical portfolio, which was exciting by itself. Past that, I got nothin'. There's new stuff up on Flickr, but I'm not in the mood to paste them over. So here's the link.

2008-11-08T20:51:00.002-05:00

A few words and then an apparent massive flickr pasting.

Unfortunately my scanner seems to be still out of commission and now serves as little more than a shelf. Though I think the point and shoot camera is doing a mildly better job at not obliterating all the colours.

As somewhat usual I'm in the process of undertaking a new project, though hopefully this is a project that comes into fruition. It stands a moderately better chance as it is a multi-person ordeal. With a decent bit of luck and a lot of hard work I hope to be able to present you all with a nice little art zine come March 2009 entitled 'Cephalopod Party Quarterly.' I shall keep you updated on that as things happen, though as it comes into fruition it'll get it's own blog as well. If you're at all interested in participating/contributing to the zine just let me know.

And now the deluge of flickr paste-ness.

2008-10-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

The scanner has had enough of my mess or so it seems. It turns on and all that, the computer even recognizes it for a few moments. Then nothin'. I dunno.

I did get one last thing scanned.

I love love love Winged Victory of Samothrace. (that's what that the painting is of, if you were unaware) Something about the idealism and established terms of beauty is comforting. I dunno. I long to see it in person, though I may have. But going through the Louvre at age 5 didn't leave me with many specific memories.

Since the great scanner crash of last week I've made one more painting thing. It was done in a wonderful blur of spur of the moment type drawing.

I'm so pleased with it. Other tossed around tag lines were, "Beards: Making your moustache less creepy" and "Beards: Making you more awesome since puberty"

Those took up too much space so, I'm fine with what I've got.

And finally, today I make the first "entries" (?) into an artbook exchange type deal with this awesome person here. I'm all kinds of excited. All kinds.

Start to Finish

2008-09-28T19:22:00.004-05:00

Bird Skull on a cut out page. Gesso and watercolours.

Gesso is a new beast that is a joy to tackle. Usuaully I sketch it out, outline what I want in india ink, and slap on some watercolour. Now, I have to sketch it out, apply several layers of gesso, wait almost a day, then apply the first bit of colour. After all that some more gesso goes down and the waiting begins anew. With all that time I actually end up thinking about the end product a bit more. Who knows where that'll lead.

Elephant Graveyards

2008-09-20T16:08:00.002-05:00

Finished another drawing, but only maybe. Every third drawing or painting ends up feeling incomplete for long periods of time before I figure out what the missing piece of the puzzle is.

I almost stuck a blank speech bubble on there, but it didn't feel entirely right. Plus, the weird sponge applicator for the liquid paper doesn't allow for the total accuracy I'd want for such a thing.

In Which He Ceases to be Lazy... Sort of

2008-09-19T20:28:00.001-05:00

Basically my brain exploded for a long period of time (till about April to be perfect) from the torture of a poorly run Colour Theory class, a Graphic Design class that did most everything except graphic design, an Art Crit class that had amazing potential then got weird and I stopped waking up, and finally a directed study that crashed and burned kind of quickly. It's an unfun long story of which I'm still dubious of the final portion. Regardless, I eventually pulled myself out of the colour theory busy work and actually did stuff I wanted to do. Here we go.

So that's everything that was scan-able from the past several months. I have a couple paintings in the works, but my scanner is more than a bit too small for them and my camera more than a bit not too good. And in theory some holiday cards for sometime next month.

Week One Exercises

2008-01-09T19:04:00.000-05:00

Exercise 1.1

Using my sketchbook and a pencil or pen spend 3-4 minutes drawing a car. Then start over and draw it in 2 minutes. Then 1 minute. Then 30 seconds. Then 15 seconds. Then 5 seconds. Repeat with four other objects: a cat, a castle, a telephone, and a self-portrait.

2008-01-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it took longer due to sheer laziness on my part. Anyway here we go.

While looking around Bookpeople in Austin, I came across Comic Art Annual vol 9, a rather thick and well designed magazine with huge articles about comic history and what have you. I also took note of a little book that it came with. Anyway, I bought it and looked at the little book on the way home. It was by the illustrious Ivan Brunetti and was titled Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice. Inside is about a 15 week course, shaped after a class he teaches at Columbia. My goal/project/whatever is to actually make it through the whole thing. Each week I'll post the exercises I have to do and if you, I suppose mainly and possibly only Kellyn, will bug the crap out of me until you see the end products up on here that'd be quite helpful. I need to buy a new sketchbook first, otherwise I'd have started already.

The first week focuses on spontaneous drawing. I've never actually timed my drawing speed, but I'm going to have to do most of the drawings in under 10 seconds.

The point of all this is to force my self to get used to making comics and drawing and what not. Also so I have something to do all semester, and sadly/awesomely this might be more rewarding than the two directed studies I've taken so far which together cost me over $5000. Such is life. Check back tomorrow for the first week's exercises.

2008-01-04T05:38:00.000-05:00

With all the best intentions a new project shall, depending on my ability to wake up later today, began sometime later today. If I weren't extremely tired I'd type it all up now, but bed for now. Just check back later.

"My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go." - Last words of Oscar Wilde

2007-12-09T18:42:00.000-05:00

I don't know if anyone else suffers from this, but every couple of months or so I completely lose the ability to draw. Well draw with satisfaction of the end product. It just surfaced again last night while attempting to sketch out a picture of Oscar Wilde for my next painting. Hopefully I'll overcome it soon enough, especially since I need four or five more paintings by this Friday so I can get a decent grade in directed study.

Also, thanks to the unleashing of free American Elf archives I kind of feel like thinking about starting a journal comic again. We'll see how long that idea sticks around. I plan to acquire a box of markers over Christmas break and begin sketching out that one dream/comic idea I had like two years ago during that Sigur Ros show. My aim is to work on it next semester during directed study and submit them to the Flight forums in hopes that the editors of Flight take a liking to it and consider putting it into an upcoming volume of Flight.

I love almost nothing more than this song. Sigh.

30 paintings, sort of.

2007-12-01T01:57:00.000-05:00

This was a rather ambitious project I attempted to tackle last Wednesday at 10 PM before I went to sleep. That didn't happen so much, but I was able to do a large volume of paintings with in a few days time. I'm pleased with most all of them. I plan on doing the final 10 sometime this week, but I also have a large-ish research paper for an english class so it'll have to be balanced with all of that.

So, here we go. Also, as a side note of sorts. If you see these and like them and would like my services as an illustrator for most anything other than bringing about the end of world, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me email-wise at (toastman18@gmail.com)

One More Cup of Coffee

2007-11-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

New stuff, oh yes. A children's book, written (to some extent) and illustrated (entirely), by me is very much so in the works. I'm excited.

Reboot ... was a pretty great show

2007-09-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

I'm painting again and it is a most joyous occasion. I had a direction I was heading towards for my senior show and what not, but for this semester at least that has been skewed. Anyway, I like the current direction. One painting is done and will go on the flickr soon. Another is on the way.

Printmaking is my favourite class yet. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. The work is sometimes extra tedious, but it is still incredibly fun. I think I'll be printing next monday and those will, of course, be on here shortly after that.

This coming Sunday the first several Halloween Cards will be made. They will basically be more amazing than a dancing piece of slice bread at a ho-down.

Finally if anyone wants to buy me this shirt I will be very much so obliged. (I wear size Medium...)

Moleskine action!

2007-08-03T04:08:00.000-05:00

I was pleased when I found out that Moleskine journals aren't made with the skin of moles. So pleased that I got my very own for Valentine's Day and have on and off again filled it with drawings and sometimes words. Here are some drawings. The scanner does not take kindly to my use of pencil thus some of the scans are not so good. All the same enjoy!

Cricket Press

2007-05-13T23:27:00.000-05:00

I really need to work for/with these people. I'm 100% certain I'd fit right in, just look at some of their stuff.

Maybe after printmaking this fall I should contact them? I mean they are right in Lexington.

The all important Why

2007-05-02T08:32:00.000-05:00

After sitting in this past monday night's art critique, I began to realize I'm missing the "why" factor of making art. Well, not missing it necessarily, but at least not being sure what it is. So I'm going to spend a good bit of time with my Creative Call book this summer as reading about other people's "why's." Even if I can't figure out the why this summer it should be a good growing experience all the same. Oh the joys of being a budding artist type person.

Here they are...finally

2007-04-30T08:20:00.000-05:00

^Cardinal Cardinal

^Holy Roman Emperor Penguin

^Sir Knightingale

The Long Awaited (by me at least) Bird Series

2007-04-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

The first three birds in the Bird Series are all kinds of done. I tried to say that several days ago, but I think I managed to delete the post as I published it. A rare feat to be sure. Any way, here is the link type business to the album of all the birds on flickr. Yay. Okay, well the internet still hates me so for now here is the url, woo: http://flickr.com/photos/laikadreams/sets/72157600128974188/

The actual images will come at a later date, guh.

"Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad." ~Dalí

2007-04-17T07:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the complete lack of art type things or even not art type things. The past week or so has been one of crap drawings no matter what I did. I think this week shall be different, I hope. I'm not a fan of falling into drawing slumps and turning out crappy drawing after crappy drawing. But such is life and are eventually overcome usually with great results. Anyway I have a few things that should be up by the end of the week, once they get scanned:

This absurd watercolour series of birds I've been doing. Everybody likes it thus far, so we'll see.
Too many drawings of vampires. I just finished the Historian the other week and have been in vampire mode ever since.
Photos from class last semester as well as new ones. These will probably show up randomly as I feel like it, maybe.

So stick with me dear friends and soon enough we'll have grand results. I hope...

2007-03-21T07:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Leslie and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and were delighted with many great works of art. The whole reason we went was because of this, if you're going on the Asbury Art Department New York Trip you will find a severe lack of works by Monet and other impressionists at the MET. That's because they're all here. We spent most of the day in that exhibit but made it to one about ancient arms and armor, another about latin american art which was quite amazing, and then saw this strange digital art piece which seemed delightful and happy and at a random point had decapitated heads and the like. All in all it was a wonderful day. I got to see Claus Oldenburg sketches as well as one of his large sculptures, a big white soft fan or Ghost Fan. I also almost tripped on the guard rope than was mid-shin in height and knocked over several thousand year jar. Yikes.

Today, Leslie and I should be going to the Okay Mountain Gallery in downtown Austin. Sadly we weren't here Saturday or else we would've seen Peter & the Wolf there along with other quite fun musical acts. Ah well, it still looks pretty good.

[Edit]
We never made it to the Okay Mountain Gallery. We did however make it down to South Congress to see the Avenue Gallery, a darling little (really little) gallery in between two much larger stores. I got it mixed up with a near by store and almost passed it by. Thankfully Leslie didn't. We found some rather amazing things inside. I got a piece of original art by Sam Hunt. It was pretty awesome.

Art Blog Lemming

2007-03-17T09:34:00.000-05:00

I couldn't help it. Maybe you could've stopped me, maybe not. Either way here is the art blog of a one Samuel P. Ellis. It seems like a friendlier enviroment than deviantart and anybody can comment. At any rate enjoy what is to follow. Granted there will be one update today and then nothing for a week or so. Yay for spring break. For now I just leave you with my ink monster series I did a while back and am continuing to do.

(Also, does anyone know how to make pictures clickable links? That'd be so many kinds of useful. Thanks.)