hello - first post after lurking
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Hi all - I've been doing SVS classes off and on - lately I've been off because I did the "how to stylize a portrait class" and ended up making a zine - but I'm (hopefully) back and I (hopefully) won't just lurk. I did like the portrait class but I'm not one for drawing pretty girls or cute things - I needed a bit more of a challenge I guess - so I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and channel my frustrated political self - maybe as a way to offset that frustration ? who knows ? Anyhow I ended up with 25 portraits of political figures that have been in the news for the past few years - and then I spent a week fussing about in photoshop figuring out the printing layout etc. I've never done a zine before and I have a feeling it may be addictive. While I was watching the news I was drawing from photos I found online - this activity may have made the news a little easier to digest. I also combed the internet for quotes from these people etc etc.... and it all came together (finally) and I bought one of those long staplers. I guess the thing is that I wanted to go past just making illustrations and posting them online or putting them in a portfolio. I wanted a physical thing. It's very satisfying. And it's something that is fun to do (if not a little frustrating at times) but a great way to learn as well. It's not at all what I expected to happen - it just happened and I kept on with it until it was done. I've actually sold a few already and I'm delivering a few more to bookstores in my neighborhood tomorrow. I just walked in and showed them one copy and they said yes - bring more. In some ways I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm getting ready to go back to city college in January (for illustration this time and and finish up with a degree finally) but even with just taking a few classes here I've improved my long rusted skills and did something with that I never even thought of a few months ago. So maybe this 'hello' post is about encouragement too. Maybe all these years I've just doubted myself too much, and thought I should wait until - until - until..... I guess I'm saying don't wait until - just follow your pen or your paintbrush - more than likely it's pointing in the right direction.
well - here are a few pics from the zine and some of the illustrations - terrifying drawings of terrible people. !!
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@JaneElliott27 Cool story! Wild how that project just sort of self-ignited.
Jay Douglas Rumisek
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@JaneElliott27 great to have you here.
I love how consistent your loose style is in your zine. Can't wait to see some of that style here!
-The Prairie Fox
https://www.instagram.com/theprairiefox
https://www.theprairiefox.com -
I love your style! The project looks really well done and professional. Welcome!
Website: www.tessawrathall.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tessawrathall_art/
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@CosmoglotJay Thank you ! it really took on a life of it's own - as if I didn't have a choice - driven partly by my political leanings and partly by my need to do art to 'stay sane' - an unavoidable combination !
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@TessaW Thanks much ! Style is something that I've always found to be elusive when you push on it or try to force it - I think when we let go and follow the pen or pencil - it begins to develop naturally. So much of our lives are rush rush rush - and because I watch the news at pretty much the same time every day I ended up drawing for that hour every day and the habit of doing it allowed me to relax and not feel the pressure of a deadline or a goal or anything but doing the drawing - I was very happy to see the consistency across all the drawings - - I guess that equals a 'style' - it wasn't something I was chasing - it just happened -
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@theprairiefox Thank You !! I hope to start participating in some of the monthly challenges. Life is a busy thing and it was good to take the time every night to just work on this - I like to work in series and I think that's one of the reasons we are all attracted to this school - to develop a story in pictures and see the consistency thru a project. Some days I think it took me far to long to get where I'm at but then I look at the progress after just a few classes and it's totally worth it !
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@JaneElliott27 Hi Jane. You might want to Google, 'The Sketchbook Project'. You purchase a little sketchbook from them, complete it and send it back. They keep a library of these for people to look at and can put a digital copy online if you like. I completed one this year (I also had to buy a long stapler, which is what reminded me of this
). I was so happy with it though that I haven't sent it back in. I included artwork and sketches going back several years, so it has become a treasure of memories for me. -
@deborah-Haagenson ooooh I will check it out ! I think I saw something else like that - it was a sketchbook library - it might be the same thing - - anyhow good suggestion. Also - I totally
my long stapler - it's got the power of She-Ra or something like that
