iLLustrator 247

Sketching to live jazz

2011-06-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

The idea is simple. Have live music, preferably jazz, but classical would work as well. Then, be with a group of artists and draw live models. That's it!

I did this for a number of years when I was living in Los Angeles, but have not done it since I've moved to Brussels. Well, we did not have musicians playing live, but we always had pretty good music in the background.

It would be a great idea to start this up in Brussels. Check out the following links to see how they are doing it in New York, at my most admired Society of Illustrators:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/26/nyregion/26sketch.html?pagewanted=1

http://www.societyillustrators.org/Events-and-Programs/Sketch-Night/Sketch-Night.aspx

Cheers!

2010-04-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

It has been a million years since I have posted anything on this blog. I still love illustration, but other very important things have taken priority in my life for the moment. The most I do now is look at illustrations, which really delights me. With the little spare time I have, I spend it on playing the piano, which I have always loved. I still hope to create illustrations that I enjoy in the future. For now, I am content to look at works from illustrators I admire.

illustration sketches for Artist Against AIDS

2009-03-03T14:18:00.000-08:00

There is a NGO (non-governmental organization) in Belgium, called The Comrads. Their mission is to help others fight against AIDS, primarily through medical research. They host an annual art exhibit aimed at raising money for AIDS research, and I am planning to submit something for that. I spent a few hours researching the history and origin of AIDS, in order to have some idea for what I will create. The whole deal is quite interesting, but do keep in mind there are several theories for how it began and spread.

The short and sweet version is AIDS likely began in the early 1920s in Africa, when the virus existed in a similar form (called SIV instead of HIV) in chimpanzees. The local people got the virus by eating the chimpanzees, and the virus was able to spread on a bigger scale in Africa first during the colonial periods and regions, where many Africans were put into forced labor. This is because the SIV virus has an easier time penetrating the laborers who were not in good health condition, and were further passed on to others through the prostitutes employed to keep the forced labor happy. With the advance of transportation vehicles and the expansion of international trade, AIDS was thus passed onto the areas outside of Africa, where it was advanced even further by a host of other incidents, most of which was possible due to the lack of awareness of the disease and how it works.

For my illustration, I want the idea that life is precious as the central theme, because that is the reason we are fighting epidemics such as AIDS. Therefore, most of my sketches have a baby in there, representing the preciousness of life. I also try to include the "globe" or a map of the earth in my sketches, as AIDS underscores the connectedness of the people who inhabit this earth. The evolution and story of AIDS underscores that fact. Everything we do affect everybody else, even if that effect is not easily or directly observable. As such, I try to include these "story" elements.

Cobalt Blue Light color chart

2009-02-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

So I have resumed doing the color charts from Schmid's book. This one has Cobalt Blue Light as the dominant color, and mixing against the following colors: cad lemon, cad yellow pale, cad yellow deep, yellow ochre, cad red medium. terra rosa, alizarin crimson, transparent oxide red, viridian, ultramarine blue. However, I use light oxide red instead of terra rosa, because I cannot get terra rosa at the local art store. I am drawn to this palette more so than the cad yellow series. It has a mysterious, dark and calming quality which I like. It is only doing charts like this that I see just how many different kinds of green and purple and blue can be created. It is wonderful.

Some sketches and thumbnails for the illustration

2009-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here a few of the sketches and thumbnails I did before doing the actual illustration. I referenced photographs for how these characters would look, and did sketches of them before I placed them in the illustration. It was fun to do these sketches, but I was in danger of not finishing the illustration and sketch on for eternity. I had to stop at some point and start working.

Getting there from Here

2009-02-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start doing this on a regular basis. Take an article that I like, and do an illustration for it.

I took about 10 days to complete this illustration. The article is from The New Yorker, and it is on how Obama should reform healthcare. The author, who is also a doctor, references the history of how other countries have arrived at universal healthcare, and suggests that the US must build on what it already has in order to get "there". Some of the sketches and thumbnails I did for this illustration will be posted separately above. Lastly, check out the link to the article if you want to read it.

Indulgence

2009-02-01T03:32:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to create complete drawings again instead of just doing sketches and quick studies. So I set out to create this piece even though I hardly have any more than an hour a day to draw. It took me about 5 weeks to do this, and there were one or two times where I thought I would never finish. But then as of yesterday, "voila", it was done. It was somewhat anti-climatic, but that is fine. I feel grateful for the result, and I have more confidence in my ability to stay focused and disciplined when working over a longer period of time. I shall now start painting, which is what I told myself I'd do if I had finished this piece.

Sketches of Classmate

2008-10-22T12:44:00.001-07:00

I did a few sketches in my French class today. Here are two that I liked.

Prenatal Exercise Drawings

2008-10-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

We have been going to these classes to prepare for the birth of our daughter. The teacher asked me to do a few drawings of the positions to get into when the labor / contraction starts. I had fun doing these; sketching them in class first as all of the would-be mothers are practicing, then adding a little more to the drawing at home later on.

Richard Schmid Color Chart: Cad Lemon Predominant

2008-04-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just finished it this weekend. I had been using my "student grade" lemon paint for the majority of this chart and have learned that it takes a ton more in order to not have the color be dominated by the other paint it is mixed with. Cadmium lemon, and especially the "artist" or "professional" grade is much more potent and have been much more desirable. I had trouble getting the cad lemon + cobalt blue light combo to match what Schmid had in his book. There were also a couple of other combos that I had trouble matching what Schmid had. Anyway, I am completely sick of Cad Lemon now and am glad its over. The difference in colors are so subtle that I am kind of bewildered by this right now.

Richard Schmid's Color Charts

2008-03-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have started to study colors (finally). I mean, I have been painting on and off for about a year and a half now. But whenever I paint, I have spent 75% of my time just trying to get the colors right, which means I am left with little time to paint my model or still life. It became apparent to me that its time to buckle down and study the colors. My friend Chris Page recommended the Richard Schmid book "Everything I know about painting" to me. It is a fantastic book; in the book, Schmid recommends you do the color charts in order to master them. So here I go.

These charts were done over the last few weekends. They take a fair amount of time to do, because it has to be just right. There is a total of 12 charts. With 11 colors, Schmid says you can create just about any color you can buy in the stores. This is exciting stuff to me, because I really want to master the colors. Here I have done two: the pure color charts (taking each of the 11 colors down to the lightest value in 5 steps), and a chart which has the cadmium yellow deep color pre-dominating the chart (while mixed against the other 10 colors, again doing the value scale in 5 steps).

My favorite illustrators

2008-03-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

These artists produce illustrations I enjoy tremendously. I hope I can be as successful in my art as they already are with theirs.

Rafal Olbinski (www.polishhomefoundation.org/events/Olbinski/gallery1.htm)

Yan Nascimbene (www.yannascimbene.com)

Greg Clarke (www.gregclarke.com/swf/greg_clarke_all.html)

CF Payne (www.rd.com/celebrities/artists/the-c-f-payne-gallery/article26393.html)

James Bennett (www.richardsolomon.com)

Jack Unruh (www.jackunruh.com)

Joe Cibere (joecibere.com/index.html)

Maxfield Parrish (http://parrish.artpassions.net/parrish.html)

Tomer Hanuka (www.thanuka.com)

Michael Gibbs (www.michaelgibbs.com)

Their art vary in style, subject matter, and "personality". But the common appeal for me is that many of them are humorous, and all are intriguing. A couple are serious and in the "fine art" world, but most are illustrators that live in the book, magazine, or poster world. Due to copyright concerns, I have only provided links to their websites. Its more than what I can post here anyway.

Another thing you will notice about all of these artists is that they are solid in their fundamentals (e.g. drawing, painting, colors). My teacher Glen Orbik says "how can you write a great book if you cannot even spell or put together a sentence correctly?". Drawing, values, edge, shape, anatomy, colors are all analogous to the "spelling and grammar" of art. I try to practice the fundamentals as much as I can, but I think that is all I focus on to the point that I forget what it is I want to create. In fact, I am not sure what to create at this point. Never fear though, I will just keep working on the "basics" until the vision comes to me.

Armani Girl

2008-03-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours last weekend and this weekend to do a drawing of a photo that I have liked since I was in high school. Its a beautiful photo of a girl sitting against the wall with the sun shining on her face. Its a pleasure to finally be doing this drawing. One aspect that I really liked about the photo is the colors of the clothing this girl is wearing. Dazzling colors. Perhaps I will do a painting of this soon.

Faschingsschwank Aus Wien. Op 26 Intermezzo

2008-02-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that I was inspired to sketch the pianist performing because I was watching some YouTube videos on various pianists performing this piece. Some performances were so powerful it moved me to tears. I have been practicing this piece on and off for the last few years. Its a difficult piece but I think it is manageable. I shall see how much I can advance given that I already have a difficult time focusing on my drawings. By the way, I have to thank my friend Adam for introducing to me this powerful piece. Up until now I think Claudio Arrau's version is still my favorite.

And I am back!

2008-02-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I have made posts to my blog. And for that matter, its been a a few months since I have been focusing on my art. Well, I am ready to get going again! I have been sketching here and there, but that is no way to keep going toward my goal of being published as an illustrator. Well, to kick start this, here are two sketches I did today, and one I did about a month ago. I will have my illustration portfolio from the past 3 years posted within a week. Cheers and good to see you guys again.

3rd Year (Jan to June) Studies

2007-08-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

During this period my focus is to take the drawings further in terms half-tones and edges. I also realize I really need to do more completed drawings. Perhaps more copies or from photos.

2nd Year (December) Drawings

2007-08-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

2nd Year (July to November) Drawings

2007-08-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

I began to take uninstructed workshops during this period, because I needed to be able to take the drawings further with the live models.

Look and you shall see

2007-08-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

I like the myriad of metaphors related to the study of drawing and its applicability to life in general. My teacher Glen Orbik, as well as the author of "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" taught me that drawing is about learning to "see". If you can see it, you will have a better chance of drawing it well.

Isn't that true about life as well?

If you know (or decide) what you are looking for in life, you will have improved your chance at getting it. How amazing!

2nd Year (Jan-June) Drawings

2007-08-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

These drawings were done at California Art Institute and Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, mostly from live models with anywhere from 1 to 2 hour sittings. The Lauren and Kobe portraits are done from photos, however. Photos are easier to work from because the visual information has already been two-dimensionalized. I used photos to do longer drawings than is possible with the live model. January through June 2006 was also the first time I felt the classical methods I am learning at these schools are starting to work for me for the first time.

1st Year drawings

2007-08-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

Here are my first year drawings from Sept 2004 toward the end of 2005. I took classes at Santa Monica College, Moorpark College, and the California Art Institute in Southern California. These drawings are from when I was attending those schools. I wanted to document my growth as an artist. This is where I began to apply consistent practice and focus to build the foundation I know eventually will get me "there".

My First Blog

2007-08-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

"Thank you" to all those who are visiting my blog. I am looking to connect with all of you out there. You know who you are.

Please come and visit often.

Love, Joy, Peace.

Dean 鼎

Mother's Portrait

2007-02-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

I tried real hard to do a classic portrait of my mother, but somehow this turned out comic. I think the head got a little too big.

Sword of Azeroth versus Helmet of Gorgon

2007-01-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

An unnecessarily complicated title, but for good fun. It is for my dear friend John, who had to cut back on video games once he became a father. I am trying to describe his love for video games. It is one of the truest loves I have seen: dedication, devotion, faithfulness. John has a real knack for video games and had many of us hooked for quite a long time.

Dog Flight

2006-10-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with the "Holiday Pets" illustration, that I wanted to do it in color. However, this illustration turned out to be different from its original black and white version, and I cannot remember why anymore. I entered this one into Communication Arts illustration competition, but was not chosen for their illustration annual. I was disappointed, because I worked quite hard on this. Looking back, I still like what was created, though I know there is much more for me to improve on. For example, being loose is important, aside from just sheer mileage.

Illustrator in Shiny Armor

2006-01-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

This illustration is meant to be on a self-promotion card of some sort. "Illustrate" literally means to illuminate in Latin, which gave me the idea for this work.

Holiday Pets (Dec 2005)

2005-12-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

This was illustrated with the purpose of putting it on the cover of a pet magazine, and have a holiday spirit of some sort. I made up fake articles to go with it, such as

"How to have a lively party with depressed, aggressive, and over-weight dogs", or

"Mixed drink choices for dogs recovering from alcoholism", and

"How to get a date for the Christmas party with no grooming."

Arabian Nights (2005)

2005-11-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

These are 4 of the 8 or 9 illustrations I did for an assignment that called for my own adapted version of a well-known story. I chose Arabian Nights because of the number of stories involved it and the fun I thought I can have with it.

The Arabian Nights is a story about a king who was betrayed by his queen, and subsequently became vengeful. He married a new queen each day and killed them the subsequent morning. A young girl heard about this and decided to do something to change this. She offered herself to the king as queen, and was able to delay her own death sentence by telling the king a story each night.

In my illustration, the king is made an artist as well. He is cursed by his evil queen and the lost ability the draw and paint. He meets an array of classic portrait subjects but cannot summon the ability to do a superb painting. He eventually meets his savior M. Lisa and regains his master artist abilities.

Halloween in Iraq

2005-10-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

This illustration is a commentary on the Iraq War and done at around the time of Halloween. I tried to incorporate elements of Halloween into my commentary on the war. (Oct 2005).

Struggle for Eden

2005-10-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

If there was one book that explained to me all of the problems in the world (including my own) as well as the solution to those problems, it is a book called "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. The concepts discussed in the book is shared by the major religions of the world (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism...etc). I attempt to describe the contents of this book with this illustration (dated around October of 2005).

Gemini

2005-08-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

This illustration is on the astrological sign that I have come to know quite well.

The Swimmer (August 2004)

2004-08-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

This drawing was done from a photo of the olympic medal gold winner that year. I was really into it, trying to get every detail down. I really liked the result. Posting here reminds me of what I was able to do with my limited drawing skills 3 years ago. It also gives me encouragement to move forward. I hit a bottleneck when I stopped drawing 5 months ago. Now I must approach that bottleneck again and try to surpass it.

Self-Portraits

2004-02-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

As one of my teachers suggested, you are your best model: cheap and always available. (one was done in 2003, the other end of 2004)

First illustrations - This is Where I want to Be

2003-10-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

I had a strong desire to draw something or some place that describes where it is I wanted to be emotionally and spiritually. The colored pencil version is the first one I did (october 2003), then later I did another one for a class assignment at Moorpark (may 2005) in pen and ink. In the imaginary scenery, I feel myself melding into the quiet starry night, resting along with the sleeping animals on the vast expanses of the grass fields. What a wonderful feeling.

Childhood Ambitions

1999-02-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

This is from the computer graphics class I took back in 1998 or 1999. I am convinced everyone is born with an innate skill or the capacity for that skill, which is discoverable by paying attention to one's desires and interests. When we express those desires as children, such as "I want to be ABC when I grow up", we feel there is no reason as to why we cannot achieve or be that thing. In a ways, we are already that thing. However, in the effort to pursue and satisfy our superficial desires and/or others' expectations of us, we often lose sight of the very simple things that made us feel alive. None of what I am mentioning are original thoughts I am sure. However, I don't feel this sentiment is expressed and accepted often enough by the average person, leading to a life of chasing meaningless and unrewarding activities.