:beneath the skin:

This past weekend I went out with my Holga camera again, but didn't finish the film roll in it, so I can't show anything from that yet. And I also went back to working on the Tiffany photos again, finishing another one last night. I'm pleased with how quickly I seem to be working now, or at least learning when to stop. I could've played with the various Photoshop layer modes seemingly forever, though. I am looking for a more "damaged" look again, but a lot of the modes leave very little of the original photos visible, and I am still proud of the raw originals, so I didn't go overboard.

I had an earlier version that I completely scrapped, so that's yet another reason to praise working in digital, as the original photo was never really "lost." Although believe you me, I make sure to have several backups of everything, and at least one print made of my artwork.

There are at least three photos layered here, with one chosen mainly for the watery texture. I usually go dark, literally, so this time I chose to fade to white.

In my continuing cleanup process of the boxes and such in my apartment, I finally ran across several folders full of old artwork, much of it from my years at MassArt. Much of it wasn't as embarrassing as it may have been at some point, but I'm pleased that I've improved much since then. Also related to our digital present, back then they had us creating most of our assignments by cutting up colored Pantone paper, which both was pricey and time-consuming. I'm sure they do most, if not all, of it on a computer screen now. Oh you kids have it so good, you have no idea.

:minor overflow:

After saying last week that I didn't expect to have much artwork to show this week, I instead have a lot more than I originally expected.

I did go to Dr. Sketchy's on Sunday as announced before. They were celebrating 9 years of doing this, plus, I guess, Valentine's Day. As is usually the case there, our model was a local burlesque performer, which certainly helps to emphasize that this isn't your typical life-drawing session, plus there are often entertaining stories as well. I did not always have the best vantage point this time, so instead of drawing detailed renditions like I tend to, I did a lot more smaller studies.

I've used my Holga camera a few times now, and I recently had some film sitting in it for months until I finished the roll. Part of the appeal seems to be the unpredictability of it, often coming from light leaks into the less than seamless, plastic body. Well. When I got this batch back, it clearly leaked a lot, as most of the roll got exposed, and I only got a few shots out of it. Good thing I wasn't depending on anything important from it. I got some interesting accidents out of what remained.

I recently won a GoPro camera, so we'll see what craziness can ensure from that one. I also have other photo accessories in mind for my tax refund.

I've returned to working on the photos I took of Tiffany from last summer. The last few I had altered to look like old pin-up calendar photos, but I'm running across a curious "problem" with these others: I'm finding that there's very little that I want to change on them. This is not a bad issue, I just found it to be a curious development. Of course it's an ideal situation to have the pictures to be as close to complete as possible in camera. It's just not something that I'm used to, so I'll take it as a good sign.

:layered:

Amongst other things that I have going on, like reducing my apartment clutter bit by bit, and an inexplicable pain in one of my knees, I'm still managing to get some creative time in, which is as it should be. Like the last piece that I created, I once again practiced working on some photos offered for use by someone on deviantArt. I'm finding it to be a different experience working on photos that I didn't take or am emotionally attached to, although I will return to those soon enough.

I'm still drawn to working in layers, making several photographs relate to each other in some way. I was instantly attracted to the skirts in these.

Also like my last piece, I wanted to add a texture over it all, and am torn between the two versions below. I'm sure I'll decide before too long, but once again I welcome any input. Or maybe I just want to see if the comment section actually works on here.

I've also been pondering making another Instagram account just for works in progress, even though that's what this blog is partially for, but there's no denying that that site/app gets more eyeballs than here. I also need to just get off my ass and finish my main website already. I just get frozen by the too many options available. I can always fine tune it later. So if I stick to that plan, I may not be on here as much if it takes up the time that I normally use to write here or create the artwork that I write about. But I also plan to return to the Boston chapter of Dr. Sketchy's this weekend, so I'll probably have work to show from that. Coincidentally it's on Valentine's Day, but I have no reason to celebrate that this year.

:borrowing:

In this new year thus far, I'm finding myself staying in more on weekend nights rather than wandering about as is my usual habit, although winter and the early sunsets tend to make it easier to stay in. Yet we did have a few nice ones this past weekend.

Part of the need to stay in is that I'm neither going to improve my art nor make the art itself if I'm not here to do it. Ideally I'd be going off to some separate, quiet studio to do this art, but if wishes were horses...I'd probably be mucking out the stables.

Speaking of the new year, it's now the Chinese New Year, and Year of the Monkey at that. Thanks to my birthdate I'm a monkey too, so one hopes that this is "my year" in some way. My flickr name is cuttingmonkey for that reason. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to chase the lions with my camera in Chinatown like I've done nearly every year. I believe it's on Feb. 14th this year, and I'm not yet sure of my other possible plans. None of which so far involve the other reason people celebrate that day. That said, plug plug plug for my Valentine Card on Etsy.

One thing deviantArt is known for is a large amount of stock photos and textures that people allow for use, and I can't recall the last time when I've used anyone else's artwork to any great extent, so recently I downloaded some just for something different.

I chose a few shots of and by a model/dancer who goes by the name of Mahafsoun, and I've certainly seen her photos pop up before. I wouldn't mind her in front of my own camera some day, but this'll have to do for now.

I'm trying to get back into layers and textures this year, so I used this as some practice. Nothing too complex, just combined the photos into one, to make a triple goddess of some sort, and I named this after Hecate, who I believe fits that description.

I went through my various own photos for a background, and a texture to go over it. I've gone back and forth over which version I prefer, leaning more towards the top one. What do you think?

:like it, love it:

The last week was spent more working under the hood, as it were, than working on any new artwork. Still trying to chart my path in this silly creative life that I've chosen, or rather that's chosen me, no sense in denying that. But I have been posting my "calendar" photos, so far just on deviantArt, and did so one per day as opposed to all at once.

Sometimes it seems to me that "likes" are replacing actual currency for artwork (although I'm pleased that I have sold a few copies of my Bowie piece), which can be flattering up to a point. On a site like deviantArt, however, you can both see who liked your work and also what other artwork that they'e added to their "collection," and, well, it doesn't always seem like an appreciation for art so much as it is one for women in various state of undress. I suppose beggars can't be choosers regarding who likes your artwork, though, regardless of the reasons.

I still puzzle through finding a way to make my work more desirable, or more accurately sellable, without drastically changing what I create, or why. I honestly don't do what I do with dollar signs in mind, but it is a nice bonus. And of course seeing others succeed makes one think that you can do it as well. I think that's partly what's freezing me on my website redesign, I want to get it just right.

For the time being I still have prints and such available through the afore-mentioned deviantArt, Fine Art America, and a few through Etsy. On the latter site I have available once again my Valentine's Day card design.

:ashes to ashes:

As stated last week, David Bowie's passing both stunned and inspired me. I had the ripples of some artwork idea at the end last week's blog entry, but it suddenly came to me while in traffic on Friday morning, of all time and places. Another reason why I always have something with me to write or scribble on.

It's not too difficult to see that outer space was often an inspiration or subject matter for a lot of Bowie's work. I had that on my mind, plus the not uncommon quip from some people that he didn't die, he just returned to his home planet. So it wasn't far from there to see him as evolving like Dave Bowman (whoa - is that name a coincidence??) at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey (of which the title of his breakthrough song "Space Oddity" played on).

By far the easiest way would've been to just make a digital photo collage of the elements, but I wanted to actually create it from scratch. I drew the Earth directly in Photoshop, using my underutilized Wacom tablet. It was hard to stop from drawing more clouds at one point.

At first the biggest obstacle in choosing a Bowie reference was which look to use, as he was inventive with his appearance to say the least. But I ended up looking for a shot that at least had a profile that fit into my concept.

I wasn't confident enough with the tablet to draw it onscreen as well, so I went back to pencils. I chose to do white on black, the opposite would've worn a black pencil (and probably my hand) down to a little nub.

I combined the elements in Photoshop and added some effects. I'm pleased with how it came out, and how quickly it was done as well. Of course I could continue to work on it indefinitely, but as ever I have to learn when to say "enough."

I didn't create it with sales in mind, but a few people so far expressed a desire for copies of it, so it is now available as such (and other ephemera) on my deviantArt page.

The sad event inspired me to create, but it also inspired me to keep on doing so. It seems apparent that Bowie was well-aware of his limited time and worked right up until his exit. We should all aspire to be so dedicated with our lives, even if we don't know when our actual expiration date is.

:serious moonlight:

Any news this week has pretty much been eclipsed by the unexpected (to us) death of David Bowie. Mere days after his 69th birthday and the release of what is now his final album, he succumbed to a long battle with cancer that the general public was unaware of. He had actually been away for the better part of a decade, with all the public rumors and fabrications sure to go along with such an absence, then from out of nowhere he releases two of his strongest albums in years, which go on to become his epitaph, even more so now, and we listen to the words and look at the images of his last videos and think, now, well of course. For example people are theorizing that the dead astronaut in the "Blackstar" video represents Major Tom, which brings us to a conclusion from his first major hit song of decades ago.

I've pondered why one should be so affected by the death of one who's not a relation or even anyone I had ever met, but someone online today put it into focus; "we don't cry because we knew them, we cry because they helped us know ourselves." His life itself was art, and now even his death proved to be so, with the music, lyrics and images he left for us at the end. I can only hope to leave such a legacy or make such an exit.

It of course also reminds one of mortality. I still have so much to do. I am pleased that I pretty much spent the Sunday before I heard the news either working on writing or photography. As near as I recall I've never done any artwork of or inspired by Bowie, but ideas are swirling about. The fact that he so often referenced space and the moon is at the forefront of my mind now.

The aforementioned photography was shots from the late summer photoshoot that I was a part of. Again I think the shots as they are now stand fine on their own, but this year I want to get back to textures and such that I used to work with before on my photos.

The first half of the shoot took place indoors in a garage area, and it brought to my mind the old pin-up calendars that were most likely to be found in auto repair shops. For all I know they still make them. But I wanted to make my new ones look like the old ones, with faded colors and some damage. I'm guessing most calendars aren't treated as high art, least of all in a garage.

So I searched down some old images online, and used the match color adjustment in Photoshop. I also hunted down some damaged paper texture to overlay over them as well. You can see the before and after below.

Appropriately enough I chose twelve images to work from, here are a few more.