A reminder that this day in September, being a 1st Friday, on the fifth, is the fifth Demo Day, all day downtown at the News-Miner in their front lobby. This'll be the last one for a while, as I'm still taking a break from all extracurricular activities - no more freelance, shows or signings. Going from eight exhibits down to just a couple (soon to be just the one obligatory faculty show) was a good call, as I'm considerably less stressed. Plus given the slight bump in panel output, the theory that diverting time + energy towards creating cartoons is already earning dividends, especially amidst the escalating demands of full-time teaching. Another benefit will be making these sorts of special events, well, more special by making them relatively rare: overproduction and constant hype sometimes results in indifference, because nothing cheapens the value of something than overexposure. cough, cough Which is why I'm stopping the silly cartoons, and henceforth shall focus only on Fine Art, and will now only make a couple paintings a year.
But seriously, now after a few practice runs I've settled the basic design questions: beady little eyes or googly? And open or closed? (turns out a wee little wink will do); angular ears or more oval-y? How much texture fer the fur? How much of a cast shadow + gradation to enhance volume and depth? Singing with an open mouth or just a musical note? Which one and what color? Plus background elements like sky, trees, grass make for a better composition, but ain't got time for that!
This is also the very firts time for one of these gigs I'm prepping dozens of these well in advance, so guaranteed I'll at least be able to cover all employees. And not that I'm gonna become an animator anytime soon, but there is a certain zen-like state that is reached whilst in the zone, drawing the same exact thing over and over again. And yet each and every one is an original unto itself, with many little differences making them all individuals with their respective personalities. So far I'm only averaging one pen & ink drawing every five minutes or so (1-minute pencil + 4-min ink), with an additional five more minutes watercoloring it after it dries. Long as I remember to keep it small & simple, and the number of requests are reasonable, I ought to stay on top of things. As opposed to the usual sketches done over the years, which were knocked out in only a few minutes and using decidedly non-archival Sharpies, these are instead rendered with dip-pen, India ink and Derwent water-soluble pencils, all on mixed-media stock, which makes for an extra-special original piece of art. A follow-up will be posted sooner than later, but in the meantime, come on out, drop by to say hi - be good to see ya.
*UPDATE: First come, first served! Found a handful of leftover walrus (what a totally Alaskan thing to say) from last year's gig. Also it has been duly noted that the musical note emanating from the Singing vole is frequently depicted backwards. Well (clears throat and hitches cartoon mansplaining pants) for those of our viewers keeping score at home, this particular species, Microtus miurus, is known for frequently employing a rare vocal technique known as pharyngeal resonance, or backwards placement. Also, while they are shown reading copies of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, they actually don't inhabit the Interior, as their range technically is in the higher alpine areas of tundra. So they probably read either the Nome Nugget or the Anchorage Daily News.
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