Graphillustration

Star Mother In Progress

2012-01-11T02:24:00.001-06:00

If you have never read Star Mother's Youngest Child, you should. It's a sweet little Christmas story that I bought for my mother for Christmas this year. I was creating this painting [with acrylic ink & goauche for those who'd like to know] to go along with it--alas, I didn't get the painting finished as I was also doing a painting for my father. The end result, Star Mother still needs paint! But here it is currently:

[sorry for the pixels due to bad lighting and low res camera]

[close ups]

Star Mother

2011-11-16T23:49:00.001-06:00

Crop from a sketch* for a painting I am working on. The Tempest sketch actually helped this one along. I will give you more info when the piece is finished... What do you think so far?

*sketch = not finished :)

Starting Over

2011-09-28T17:07:00.001-05:00

I realized the other night that what I created for the Hope Project won't work and I need to start over. Why, you ask? Because I created those pieces trying to fit them to both my book and my grandiose vision for my BFA. In the attempts to fit both ideas behind the pieces, I realized my true artistic goal was never reached. Oh well! Things always are better the second time around, right?

And so this isn't just words, here is one of the pieces from Diabeasties:

Tempest Drawing

2011-08-22T22:55:00.003-05:00

A quick drawing I did a couple days ago in black acrylic ink on watercolor paper. It was a little experiment with my new style on a not-quite-full-scale-level. I really want to start using lots of flat colors vs modelling, plus lots of patterns--it's what really attracts me. (NOTE: For any who might care, I did miss a word on accident, it is supposed to read, "We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep." Whoops! Maybe I will make another someday.)

The concept was based on my thoughts of what we are, what we are capable of, where we are going, how we get there, what kind of drive it takes, etc. A lot of those "new beginning" thoughts and emotions have been my companions for these last few months during this transition from school to real life.

The Cake Adventure

2011-08-18T15:18:00.001-05:00

Everyone thinks that if you are an artist, you can do anything remotely "artistic" (even artists think this.) Well, it may be true to a point, but I have recently discovered that my calling is and never will be cake decorating (there goes that café idea!). I may make exceptions for certain people.

Here is how the cake turned out. (I did not make the cupcakes, but I did make the cupcake stand.)

I felt a little awkward taking a photo by my friend's wedding cake... can you tell?

My sister-in-law does a much better job at cakes!

The Proverbial Question

2011-06-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

"I'm a starting artist. Should I work for free?"

[click the link]

[hahahahahahahahahahaha. In reality, weigh the pros and cons. Sometimes, the pros do outweigh the cons.]

Coming Soon: Edible Art Adventure

2011-06-11T03:39:00.005-05:00

I have never made a wedding cake in all my life, but a friend is getting married and she was only going to have cupcakes to keep the cost down. I told her, "What!? I will make you a cake topper at least!" How hard can it be? I have watched cooking shows since I was a little girl (I actually preferred them to Saturday morning cartoons). I bake/cook all the time (mainly cook, but Matthew never complains about my baking, except that I don't do it enough to satisfy his sugar cravings :D).

What will the outcome be???

I like adventures. For Samantha's sake, I am sure this one will be perfect.

PS- Plein air didn't happen today. The weather sucked. Will try and make up for it next week.

Plein Air Friday Challenge

2011-06-10T01:28:00.005-05:00

A Brief History:
En plein air is a French phrase meaning "in the open air," and is a style of outdoor painting used by artists internationally. It began in the mid-1800s, when the importance of natural lighting was stressed in the artistic movements at the time (Impressionism & Barbizon School). Painting outdoors became more popular with the marketing of oil paint in tubes—previously, oils had to be made from grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil. It was extremely difficult to transport everything they would have needed out of doors, so most art, even landscapes, were created in a studio up to this point. Painting outdoors was crucial for the Impressionist movement (eg, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, etc)— among other things, "[the Impressionists] found that they could capture the momentary and transient effects of sunlight by painting en plein air. They portrayed overall visual effects instead of details, and used short "broken" brush strokes of mixed and pure unmixed colour—not blended smoothly or shaded, as was customary—in order to achieve the effect of intense colour vibration." [source]

Plein Air Friday Challenge:
Every Friday, I will be posting a new plein air painting. In his book "Color & Light," James Gurney said something to the effect that if you want to get better at painting, paint at least one plein air a day (I have been trying to find the exact quote and for the life of me can't. But check out Color & Light, it's AWESOME.) While I don't have the frame of mind to do one a day just yet, once a week seems doable. Every one is welcome to join in the challenge.

For those of you who don't know what plein air paintings look like, here are some examples of Plein Air Paintings (NONE ARE MINE).

Jamie __?

Karen Winter

Kenn Backhaus

Nikki Basch-Davis

Jennifer Young

I Got My "Official" Badge On

2011-06-05T01:53:00.008-05:00

As the saying goes, since I am on FB now, I must officially be a real illustrator, right?! Guess I should get to work on making some real paintings to sell!

I also work as a graphic designer and am currently designing logos for Arctic Rescue, Utah Paw Power, and Alaskan Malamute Assistance League. If you have a job for me, be it illustration or graphic design, send me an email! I would be happy to discuss working with you.*

Click on the image to check out the new page (and LIKE it, please!):

*I apologize, but I do not work for free and only very rarely for trade.

The Promised Land

2011-05-29T17:26:00.001-05:00

My brother is starting a comic book based on scriptural accounts from the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Though he is doing it with children in mind to teach them scriptures in a fun way, these could honestly be enjoyable for all ages. Pass it on--the more people interested, the more likely it will become available for everyone!

Click on the image to go to the Promised Land's website.

Diabeasties: The Last Chapter!

2011-05-02T17:26:00.007-05:00

Show is up May 17-30, 2011
BF Larsen Gallery
Harris Fine Arts Center on
BYU Campus

All invited! Please come!

Sneak Peak @ the Show (which is still nameless HINT HINT)

2011-04-21T20:37:00.003-05:00

To quote a good friend, "While everyone else is graduating this is what I've been doing." The images for my BFA are printed and ready to go, courtesy of acrylic matte medium and my hubbins, who helped in the juggling of thin, wrinkled, and easily destroyed moist paper as I was getting them mounted on illustration board. I was going to show step by step progress, but got too caught up in pealing thick layers of matte medium off my skin to remember (by the end of the night, I even had it in my hair--that wasn't so fun to get out).

And at last, with roughly 20 workable days left till I have to be done, I have finally begun to paint. To stimulate dying brain cells back into semi-working state, I have been listening/watching the history of the English monarchy from the UK series aptly titled "Monarchy." I have made it from Aethelberht of Wessex (I can't remember where we started), to Albert the Great, to Cnut the Great, and am currently up to William the Conqueror, post-Hastings, 1044 AD. I encourage you to watch them, they are quite interesting.

Whilst I paint and delve into my historical nerdiness, I beg of you to pray, friends, and pray hard for me to finish. And come to the show!

Pictures for your perusal:

Blank board, pre-illustration. Check out my gallon of matte medium! That was full when I started.

The final part, after all the hassle of adhering them to the illustration board


This one printed out way too dark, and is going to be reprinted. Here is a brief size comparison to my, albeit, little hand; final image 17.5" x 35"

Much yellower than it really is, due to tungsten lighting

To see the rest, you have to come to the show. Be there or be square!

Entrenched

2011-04-15T20:57:00.000-05:00

I need help coming up with a title for my BFA show going up May 17-May 30. If you have ideas, leave a comment, please! The show focuses on illustrations I have created for a children's book written for kids with Type 1 Diabetes. It is part of the Diabetes HOPE Project mentioned a few posts ago. I don't really want to call it the "Hope Project" though, so was looking for a little verbal assistance.

Here is a black & white preview of one of my paintings (pre-painting, just a study):

Love

2011-03-29T13:28:00.003-05:00

Ever heard of Dogtown? What about Cat World? I know I hadn't until recently. Dogtown & Cat World are part of the Best Friends Animal Society based in southern Utah, the largest no-kill shelter in the nation. Not only do they have dogs and cats, but farm animals, bunnies, and wild animals as well. If you have a soft spot for animals, read some of the horrific and incredible events some of these guys have survived--hurricanes, hoarding, dog fighting, neglect, multiple gunshot wounds, etc. And most of them won't ever get adopted because either people don't know about them or don't want them because they are too old (fact: most people adopt puppies and kittens before adults). But even if you can't adopt, you can donate to the BFAS! You can give as much or as little as you can afford. God has given us dominion over all creatures--we are their caretakers. These animals--most of which have had serious cruelty done to them by the hands of those supposed to protect and provide for them--need your help!

Once I get things up and running, part of the proceeds from any images of mine sold with dogs in them will be sent to rescue agencies like Maren Gibson's Arctic Rescue and the BFAS. I will make sure to label them on my website. It will be a while before I am able to do this, but I wanted to let the word out now. I love dogs, and it breaks my heart I can't help them all.

Practically Mooing (and this one actually has some of MY art)

2011-03-24T21:21:00.002-05:00

I like my steak pink, flavorful, juicy, and tender (and preferably FREE). In cooking the perfect steak, one doesn't want to under cook it, because (honestly) I can't do bleeding food. It should be dead when it is handed up to me. Art is the same way. At least, it ought to be.

In the past I procrastinated assignments, then rushed myself, got fed up with the piece because I was tired of cramming it down my throat, then stopped caring altogether and once it was done enough to get an, "OK, fine," from a professor, it got put on the back burner with the all-too-familiar thoughts, "I never want to see it again," or "I'll finish it later. Much later." I have a huge issue finishing works that I have started! I was thinking the other day how I don't have any pieces of work I really care for in my portfolio and bemoaning my experimentalist self in college. However, looking through my ample collection of stuff, I realized I have a ton! Okay, well, several. Only none of it's done. The dirty truth: I am an over-achiever at never finishing. (Pray the BFA has better success.)

The good thing is, after being out of school almost a full year, looking back on some of these "rare" pieces I think, "Huh, I'd like to try that again. I can do that better," or, better yet, "Hey, that's not so bad, I really do want to finish that."

Here is a taste of some of my undercooked work:

The oldest. It's almost four years old.

A cover for a favorite book, The Perilous Gard (a gard is a castle). This depicts the main character, Kate, and in the background you can see the Fairy Queen, The Creature of the Well, and Christopher. Between 1.5-2 years old


I had a hankering for an Indian-goddess type figure and her tiger. I forget what type of bird I drew, but it's a native species of India (I think)... also about 1.5-2 years old

And there's more than this! Eek.

Drawesome

2011-03-18T13:15:00.002-05:00

Is the world of illustration dying, specifically the kind of illustration that created great men like Howard Pyle, NC Wyeth, Dean Cornwell and so many others I adore? I once wanted to be an illustrator because of them, because I wanted to have their skill and understanding, their greatness. I wanted to be able to create that kind of drama and bring to life stories with that kind of awe-inspiring sweep of paint on canvas. I think each of us as artists crave that kind of greatness. But does anyone want it anymore, at least in that fashion? It seems the in-crowd prefers smears of color on canvas to great works of composition and form, modern collages and design styles to the highly detailed and beautifully executed drama of the past. It makes my heart ache on what they are missing out on.

So let's take a moment to relish the greatness of our predecessors and savor their incredible, undeniable, ageless *drawesome-ness. Here is some work by two of my absolute favorites:

A Few Pieces by Howard Pyle, considered to be the Father of American Illustration:

detail of the previous image

A Few by NC Wyeth~ He studied under Pyle

*Drawesome is a term coined by... I forget Kristin, who did coin it?

BFA Rescheduled!

2011-02-28T13:16:00.001-06:00

The BFA is officially rescheduled for May 17-30, 2011. It will not be the original plan with illustrations based on poems. Instead, I have been working for the last couple months on the illustrations for "You Are Awesome, Little Possum" by Rick Walton & Kristyn Crow geared for children with Type 1 Diabetes (this book is part of the HOPE Project.) The illustrations are different from what I would normally do since the book is geared toward children around the age of five, so I made my style much more simplified. My show will go up along with Karen Sorenson's, a dear friend of mine. The shows will be separate in style and ideas, but opening night will be together.

Hope to see you there!

Prettiness

2011-02-21T13:01:00.002-06:00

For the last six months or so, I've been obsessed with the haunting images this song creates in my head, not to mention the incredible beauty added by the vocals of Amy Nuttall. I tend to be inspired the most by ballads, which is a great explanation as to why I own every CD of Loreena Mckennitt's.

I haven't decided how best to put Scarborough Fair into a painting yet.

1000 Eyes

2011-02-17T11:55:00.000-06:00

I'm rather amazed that people have viewed this site 1000 times as of today. I know there are folks out there who have 10,000 views on their blogs, but it's kind of nice to think, "Huh, well, perhaps some of what I do isn't completely overlooked."

On to projects, the HOPE Project is going slower than I'd like. My computer charger died on Friday as did my computer battery (because the charger wasn't working) and we are waiting to get the new charger in the mail. In the meantime, I have (in)conveniently hi-jacked my husbands MAC and installed the drivers for my WACOM Tablet and the trial version of PS5. Poor man, he'll get it back someday.

My deadline is in 43 days for the illustrations and parent's book. I'm feeling a Bob-the-Builder theme song coming...

The Search for WondLa = LOVE

2011-02-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

If you haven't seen it on the shelves of Barnes & Noble, go find it. It's not only a wonderfully enthralling (and well-written, I might add) tale of alien nations, walking forests, giant telepathic water bears, and dangerous hunters, it is chalk FULL of beautiful illustrations. Dozens of them! Throughout the entire book! A REAL BOOK WITH LOTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS!!! That's how books ought to be. Tony DiTerlizzi, dear man, you outdid yourself on this one. Congratulations! You now have my deepest devotion.

Here is a preview of the main character, Eva Nine.

My one complaint, the story left a couple questions open that I am dying to know the answer to. I don't feel closure. I hope he makes another one to compliment WondLa. It really was a magnificent work of art, on so many levels.

'Kay, now go buy it. Seriously. Now. Right now. DO IT.

Work in Progress

2011-02-10T22:26:00.001-06:00

So far have a portion of the book done and five illustrations sketched out. Work is going well. Probably should pick up the pace... not too worried right now, though. BFA show is tentatively going to be late May or early June. Will find out in the next week or so an exact date.

Again, check out the blog post on the HOPE Project. If you know parents of diabetic children, let me know!

Otherwise, all is well in the neighborhood.

Another plea for help

2011-02-02T20:07:00.007-06:00

Dear All,
I have been working on this great project for children newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and their parents. I still need people to help me out! If you are a parent with a Type 1 diabetic child or are a Type 1 diabetic who was diagnosed as a child, please contact me via email (maria@mariamercer.com)! If you want to know what the devil I am talking about, click here for another blog posting with more information. THANK YOU! I'm not looking to change the world, the goal is to help out people with a changing life!

Sincerely,
MMA

Blog Facelift

2011-02-02T16:34:00.003-06:00

I haven't quite decided if the blog colors are an improvement, but I suppose they are better than plum. The title at least looks better... I didn't bother trying to fight with the stupid designer about what you can and can't do, so there are some design quirks about the color scheme I don't care for, but they are what they are. I need to learn about html, css, and all that other website jazz. When I have the time my website will be on the receiving end of a major reconstruction.

Eventually.

Decisions, Decisions...

2011-01-21T12:04:00.000-06:00

All the characters in the book I am illustrating are little animals (equivelant to a 5 year old child or thereabouts). Most of these animals I've been drawing have been able to stand on two legs naturally. Now, however, I am getting into the peculiar ones, like a gazelle, gnu, llama, and yak. How would you recommend illustrating them? Pulling a Disney Robin Hood and making them stand on two legs like humans or make them more realistic? It should be of interest that they will all be wearing clothes, Beatrix Potter style. What to do?

Gazelle

Gnu

Llama

Yak

Thought of You by Ryan Woodward

2011-01-06T14:39:00.001-06:00

Emotional and poetically drawn. I love the depth this piece has! It makes me want to draw!

The Diabetes HOPE Project

2010-12-27T15:03:00.007-06:00

First off, I am a Type 1 Diabetic who has lived with this disease since I was 9. I am obviously not the first child (nor have I been the last) to be diagnosed with this disease. Nor was my family the first or last to be dealt these cards and thrust into a foreign life. Living with diabetes changes us out of necessity.

Sometimes, even for the better.

This life-altering event lead me, in October of 2009, to apply for a grant at my university called the ORCA Grant. The project I proposed to work on was to create two books based on children who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes--one for the child diagnosed, the other for their parents. The point of these books is to help others through the initial shock. This project was created to provide support, humor, and hope to families confronting diabetes by giving them down-to-earth, useful information on how to deal with every day situations that involve a diabetic child. In a neat turn of events, I was put in contact with author Rick Walton, who, along with Co-Author Kristyn Crow, had already written a book for children that needed an illustrator. Being a trained Illustrator, it fit perfectly into the project--I no longer had to write the children's book, I would illustrate it. But that still left the book for parents, which is where you come in.

I need help providing others with stories. Your stories.

My one voice and my one experience aren't enough to give other families help. If you know anyone who was diagnosed as a child (12 and under) with Type 1 Diabetes or if you are friends with the parent(s) of a child who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, I could use the connections. I need more information. I have already tried contacting people and no one has really responded. Please help! I am not spamming you looking for personal information. What I want is merely stories on what it felt like to be diagnosed (or have your child diagnosed) and how you (or your spouse or family) have personally learned to cope since the diagnosis with things like blood sugars, vacationing, school, and life in general.

Providing inspiration and hope to families in need is the whole goal of this project.

Please help me, and together we can help others!

Contact me at maria@mariamercer.com

True Confessions

2010-11-07T23:51:00.001-06:00

I have done almost nothing related to my art in SIX (yes, SIX) months except two cards and a handful of sketches.

Ouch.

Maybe it will get better after I get married. Hopefully?

Inspiration, anyone?

Put On a Happy Face

2010-09-29T21:03:00.000-05:00

I could use some hardcore artistic pick-me-ups right about now.

Double Dipping

2010-08-27T12:23:00.002-05:00

So I have been combining some sketching with making cards for family members. I have also been on a learn-how-to-use-watercolors phase. They are really quite fun... I messed up with the Merlin, I made him too dark to begin with, and the scans have made all of them darker still. Ah, well. C'est la vie! The outlines are in black acrylic ink... the ink, I adore! The watercolors are taking me a bit to slow down with. I have a bad habit of rushing when painting, and paint is not something that enjoys rushing when you are accustoming yourself to it.

Let me know what thou thinkest, O Great Web World.

Black Bear Cub

Merlin


Scarlet Ibis

Richard Hull

2010-08-24T13:12:00.001-05:00

School is beginning soon and it hit me the other day that I will not be returning to the hallowed halls of the Harris Fine Arts Center. Ever. Again. (Well, as a student). So good bye Brigham Young. I will not miss you, but I will miss the people you put in my way.

One such person is Richard Hull. For all of those who know him, Richard is a truly spectacular BFA adviser and has become a great friend and mentor. I am very grateful for all the classes I got to take with him and the opportunity I have had over the years to get to know him. I will never view food in the same way again, and if I ever become a professor, I will torment my night classes with dreams of delicious cuisine as much as he did. I'm certain he enjoyed it too much.

I hope your last year at BYU is wonderful Richard!!!

The Sketchbook Project

2010-07-30T01:19:00.002-05:00

Looks like fun! If I can find the cash, I'd like to do this!

BFA Show: A Sneak Preview

2010-07-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

Here is a sneak preview of one of my pieces for my BFA show. As some of you may know, the theme of my show is based on poetry. This is just the beginnings of a line drawing for one piece (it's very incomplete) but you get the idea... this will be finished in oils.

The poem that goes along with the image is Red Hanrahan's Song About Ireland by William Butler Yeats

THE old brown thorn-trees break in two high over Cummen Strand,

Under a bitter black wind that blows from the left hand;

Our courage breaks like an old tree in a black wind and dies,

But we have hidden in our hearts the flame out of the eyes

Of Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.

The wind has bundled up the clouds high over Knocknarea,

And thrown the thunder on the stones for all that Maeve can say.

Angers that are like noisy clouds have set our hearts abeat;

But we have all bent low and low and kissed the quiet feet

Of Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.

The yellow pool has overflowed high up on Clooth-na-Bare,

For the wet winds are blowing out of the clinging air;

Like heavy flooded waters our bodies and our blood;

But purer than a tall candle before the Holy Rood

Is Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.

This Made Me Laugh So Hard I Snorted...

2010-07-12T19:57:00.006-05:00

Luckily no one was there to witness it but my parents' dog, Desi. A friend who is a website designer showed this to me and I had to post it, because... well, it explains itself. Most of us have been here, be it illustration, graphic design, web design, etc. There should be a medal for that. :P

How A Web Design Goes Straight to HELL.

A Contest! Who Gets to Win?

2010-07-03T04:54:00.001-05:00

OK, so it's not really a contest in the traditional sense where you physically win something, but you get the chance of having the coolest idea! As many of you know, I have recently chosen to postpone my long-sought-after BFA show in lieu of getting married to my wonderful fiance Matt Adams (who blogs about as well as I do, hehe). However, I realized that I am incapable of remembering the last time I drew something for sheer fun. I am so embarrassingly incapable of remembering WHEN the last time I drew for fun was that I don't even remember WHAT I used to draw for fun to begin with! I was hoping for some suggestions... got any?

It's Way Too Late [Early?] to Be Awake....

2010-07-03T04:25:00.003-05:00

Instead of writing in my journal as I intended when I turned on my computer at 5 this morning, I've been piddling around with this new design part of Blogger, and it's kind of fun. Some of the templates are irksome from a design standpoint, but overall I sort of like the control they lend.

Anyway, I got bored with designing and decided to change my blogs name, which I have been meaning to do for some time, only to find myself in the midst of a debate: How to define graphillustration? In my head it seemed fairly easy: graphic illustration, a combination of graphic elements found in modern graphic design with the story telling and sometimes elaborate elements of illustration... but that seemed too wordy, so I began to research words like "graphic," "illustration," "design," and "illustrator." I ended up giving up on the definition entirely when I became unexpectedly stumped by this....

il•lus•tra•tor
[il-uh-strey-ter, ih-luhs-trey-ter] –noun
1. an artist who makes illustrations: an illustrator of children's books.
2. a person or thing that illustrates.

Anyone care to explain that one to me?

I Love That I Get This...

2010-03-10T00:51:00.005-06:00

I can't express the joy this brings me :)

[want more? click here]

Well, that's news...

2010-02-16T07:26:00.001-06:00

I swear, at some point I will actually post artwork here... in fact, despite the fact I haven't finished the mechanimal Owl's leg, I will post it RIGHT NOW. And yes, it is the Anti-Valentine. But a cute one, I hope.

Anyway, on to further news. Apparently my brother changed his blog without telling anyone... or at least I didn't get the memo. Funny what you discover by accident, eh?

So Sad, But True

2010-02-15T17:12:00.004-06:00

Mirrormask

2010-02-14T02:05:00.007-06:00

I've seen this movie 3 or 4 times now and I still love its zany crazy artistic atmosphere. The screenplay is written by Neil Gaiman and the set designs/drawings in the film are from/influenced by Dave McKean and Ian Miller (more Dave McKean than the latter from what I could tell by the styles). SO BEAUTIFUL. And creepy. Ugh, jealousy.

Seriously though, watch it. It's an awesome trip with a great moral to it.

I'm Not Good with Blogs

2010-02-11T01:10:00.000-06:00

I have an issue with blogging, mainly because I have to update it. Now, if they made it easier, say, created a mind blogging tool where you attach a cord to your head and all your thoughts tidily organized themselves into words on the screen, then your image uploaded itself, I'd think I'd do better. Alas, Alas... V-day image coming up. I am going to do better with this blogging thing. Scouts Honor.

The Devil's Three Gold Hairs

2008-03-28T23:08:00.000-05:00

This was the piece I did for our class exhibit, which is currently up in the library at school. Our class split up a fairy tale into different parts and each person illustrated a different scene of the fairy tale (we did "The Devil's Three Gold Hairs.") You'd have to read the tale in its entirety to understand it fully, but here is the excerpt I illustrated:

"At last the child of good fortune was able to return home to his wife, who was heartily glad to see him again and to hear how well he had prospered. To the king the youth took the devil’s three golden hairs, and when the king saw the four asses laden with gold his greedy nature was stoked and he said, “Now all the conditions are fulfilled, and you can keep my daughter. But tell me, dear son-in-law, where did all that gold come from - this

is tremendous wealth.” The youth said mischievously, “I was rowed across a river on my way to Hell and got it there, for it lies on the shore at the mouth of Hell instead of sand.” The king clapped his hands eagerly. “Can I

too fetch some of it?” he cried, and he was quite giddy about it. “As much as you like and more,” answered the child of good fortune. “There is a ferryman on the river. If you but let him ferry you over, you can fill

your sacks on the other side.” The greedy king set out in all haste, and when he came to the river he beckoned for the ferryman to come and ferry him to the other side. The ferryman came and bade the king get in. When the king stood at the prow of the boat, the ferryman placed the oar in the king's hand and sprang over the side, laughing gleefully. From that time forth the king became the ferryman for the river to Hell. Perhaps he is ferrying still."

This style is based on Arthur Rackham's work. I wish I had taken more time to emulate Rackham a little better

Eve in the Garden

2008-03-18T11:36:00.000-05:00

This was a piece I did based on the style of Gustav Klimt for my computer illustration class. I think it could have turned out better, but it's not terrible. This work is for sale, if you are interested. The largest you can have it printed is 13 x 6.25

The Many Faces of Meg

2008-03-04T18:56:00.001-06:00

My roommate, the angelic child that she is, posed for my final project in my photo class. I used the photo in the middle. I got an A-, but only because I didn't focus in on the highlighted eye (I thought I had, but oh well). Isn't she great?

Mike, white background portrait

2008-02-23T15:06:00.000-06:00

This was the first portrait I ever took. It's of my brother, Mike.

My final for my 2D class, Fall 2007

2008-02-07T19:38:00.001-06:00

My favorite is Somnolence, the green lady. This picture was heavily influenced by Alphonse Mucha--in fact, you might say it's a tribute to him. He's a famous (or perhaps, the most famous) art nouveau artist. She is pictured in BYU's Inscape magazine, "a journal of literature and art." She didn't make it to the front page, sadly. She is on page 18 instead. The blue face was a rhythm project for class. There isn't much rhythm, in my opinion, but it definitely reflected how I felt at the time... which was a little nuts. The third is two paintings of my friend Bruno. he looks like he's in pain, but in actuality he was laughing. They were supposed to be studies of high value paintings (right) and middle value paintings (left). Lastly, the girl in the red jacket was my final project for the class. I ran out of time, so the face, hands, hood, background, and sleeve were all very hurried, which resulted in a terrible image. The part that bothers me the most... well, never mind about it. I spent the most time on that blasted pattern on her jacket (it's very nice btw. It's of a firebird, surrounded by a sun, moon, and star). What did I learn from this experience?

FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT THINGS!

Ask me if I remember this lesson in a month, eh?

VA 134, Winter 2008

2008-02-07T18:52:00.000-06:00

For want of something else to place on my blog, here are some of the photos I took for my VA 134 class. It's a required class. Though I like taking pictures, I don't believe I will ever take another photography class. It doesn't suit me.

What these photos are: 1) the one with lots of white in it is called a "high key" photo. It just means you have lots of colors close to white in it. 2) the dark one that looks like fungus is a the texture from a copper statue. This is supposed to be a "low key" image. It means it has a lot of colors close to black... this is also not the best example of a low key image. 3) the blue boat is a "panning" photo. It means the subject is moving and the photographer moves with it to accentuate the movement, which means the background gets blurred. 4) This one is of a clerk at the Bookstore (shh--apparently we aren't supposed to take photos in there...who knew??? ;0] ) This is a blurred motion, or something like that. Those blurs in the background are people (it's supposed to look that way. :D)