eklektos

2012 Klingberg Auto Show

2012-02-15T13:44:00.000-05:00

What better reason to finally publish a new post than to display the graphics for this year's Klingberg Vintage Motor Car Festival. This year will be the 20th annual show, which is a fund raising event for the Klingberg Children's Center.

Based on the design from last year's event, the cars featured in this year's promotions are a 1960 Buick Electra, a 1935 Ford Brewster, and a 1939 Ford Woody Wagon.

In the process of researching for reference material for the illustrations, I stumbled across some internet gold. Someone has put together a site (The Old Car Manual Project) containing thousands of car manuals and brochures. I was actually giggling (what a nerd!) poking through brochures and photos. A real feast for any car lover or for someone who wants to take a stroll down memory lane. Check it out.

Finding beauty in the details

2011-07-11T17:25:00.001-04:00

This past June I brought my camera to the Klingberg Vintage Motor Car Festival in New Britain, CT. While so many people were taking snapshots of the exquisite autos at this show, I became fascinated by the beautiful lines and shapes in the details. Standing just a couple of feet away from a fender, a young lady asked me what I was shooting. It reminded me of realizing how odd I looked standing inches away from a giant sequoia, taking pictures of the beautiful red bark. Hope you enjoy these shots... and are encouraged to look for beauty and design in the details around you.

Emma Sings Sinatra

2011-05-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

When Emma was born so many well meaning folks tried to comfort us with stories of how the pain of having a special needs child never goes away. In some ways that is true, but the joys of life with her eclipse the struggles. I often tell people that Emma doesn't know she is supposed to be limited by Down Syndrome. Donna certainly doesn't believe it, and she does everything she can to give Emma the hope and reality of a full life.

Emma has always liked memorizing movies and music and performing them for us, especially at dinner. So many times a phrase would come up in conversation that reminded her of a scene in a movie. She'd jump from her chair, quickly get herself in character, and perform the scene, often making up words as she went along (Friends, Romans, countrymen… let me in your ears!).

Luckily Natalie had a camera on hand for this one. This was not practiced. Friends Slate and Rachel Ballard had given everyone at their wedding a CD of their favorite music. "I've Got the World on a String" was one of them, and turned out to be a favorite of Emma's as well. This was recorded back in 2004. She was only 5 years old at the time. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

eklektos on Workbook.com

2011-05-18T13:57:00.000-04:00

Lately life has been very full with teaching, making plans for a school, working, hanging out with my family, and working with some folks to help me build a bigger client base. Part of growing the business now includes several portfolios on Workbook.com. So far I've been really pleased with their customer service... no taking your credit card number and then forgetting who you are. Let's see what comes of it...

The Little Man

2011-03-30T09:13:00.000-04:00

My daughter, Lydia snapped a great picture of Levi, my grandson, as he was looking out our kitchen window. "What a great subject for a drawing or painting" I said to myself. So here it is. Seven inches square on Arches hot press block, all in Winsor & Newton burnt sienna with #6 and #3 Kolinsky brushes.

I Love to Draw!

2011-03-04T00:40:00.000-05:00

After posting an old pencil drawing last week I decided to return to my first artistic love. No matter what medium I work with, when I draw I want to shout my own rendition of Eric Liddell's famous line from Chariots of Fire... "When I draw I feel His pleasure!"

This past summer, my daughter Natalie snapped some great photos at her older sister's baby shower. One of those photos was of Hannah, a young lady for whom both Natalie and Alayna were babysitters. Hannah's piercing eyes and focused expression were the perfect subject for this seventh portrait.

1983

2011-02-26T17:51:00.001-05:00

Teaching two classes and being very busy with work leaves me very grateful but with little time to finish a portrait a week. So, it's back to the archives.

1983 was a very productive year. I was hoping to make my way as a portrait artist, and that year I must have produced dozens of portraits in watercolor and graphite. I had a number of friends who were more than willing to let me draw/paint them or their family.

A friend from high school, Tom Brennan, moved from Hartford to a tiny town called Fletcher, Vermont — so small you had to go to the next town for the post office which was in a general store. Here is a graphite portrait I drew of him and his first daughter, Erin.
My signature style then was to have a rectangular background with the subject breaking out its frame into the blank page.

So, Can I Do It Without The Computer?

2011-02-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

That was a question I asked myself since I will be taking commissions for portraits at the Six Summit Gallery. I know some people might not want a print, feeling it was not an original. Technically, the print is the original since the file is a digital file. I don't think the digital vs traditional argument will ever be settled.

So, I set about finishing the portrait of Lydia by printing the outline I had drawn and posted last week. I printed it on watercolor paper and then painted and drew directly on the paper... no separate layers, no scanning and assembling.

I'm pleased with the piece, but not ecstatic. I don't like the texture of the paper for drawing. I'll have to experiment on a hot press paper to see if I get better results. Also, the colors are not as dynamic as they are when printed on my Epson 7880. I'll keep plugging at this, and maybe even offer a client the choice.

Anyway, here she is... portrait number 5... my daughter Lydia.

To Dad, Christmas 1978

2011-02-12T17:31:00.001-05:00

Once again my week has gotten away from me. I'm grateful that I've been busy with design and illustration work. I also started teaching a class this week. I have a new portrait started, but won't get to finishing it until next week. So, once again, I dig into the archives. Today I'll share the drawing that was a turning point for me in realizing the drawing skills with which I had been blessed.

I don't remember who the subject was. It was from a photo I found in a magazine. But it looked like something my father might like. I'm sure I was pushing myself to impress my rugged, machine-shop-working father. He never said much, but the picture was always hanging right above his rocking chair in the den until he died.

I didn't know that there was such a thing as acid-free paper, or that there were other pencils besides your generic yellow number 2 model. But I was surprised and pleased with what I was able to do, and it started me on a path for many years creating very tight pencil portraits for myself and others.

By the way, here's the start of a portrait of my daughter, Lydia. Hope to post the finished piece next week.

Waiting for the J train

2011-02-01T22:48:00.000-05:00

In November of 2009, while in NYC for my MFA, I grabbed a photo of this young lady waiting for the train. Tired and cold, she looked like an Ellis Island immigrant.

I'm enjoying working in this loose/tight style. I'm open to any suggestions or any photos you want to toss my way for portraits. I've got a lot of ground to cover these next 50 weeks.

Creation of Adam

2011-01-29T11:55:00.001-05:00

OK... So I said I'd be posting a portrait a week. And hopefully I'll finish the piece I'm working on by tomorrow.

So there you are, rolling your eyes, saying to yourself,"He's slacking already!" But before you jump too quickly, the reason I'm late with this week's portrait is that I've been given an invitation to hang and sell my work in a gallery here in Connecticut. Other than my thesis presentation, I've never had a gallery show. I'll be posting more details about it later. Here's a link to the gallery.

In lieu of a new portrait, allow me to share an image I created for a book cover. The challenge was to portray God seeing Himself in His own creation. While taking a drive to get some coffee, clear my head, and find some inspiration, the thought occurred to me that Genesis tells us Adam was created in God's image, and that he was fashioned from the dust of the ground. I bought my coffee (priorities!) and headed off to the nearest Home Depot to buy a couple bags of potting soil.

Layering the floor of my studio with cardboard and newspaper, I emptied the bags, moistened the soil and began to sculpt.

I photographed the final sculpture and began to play in Photoshop. The final portrait below illustrates the creation story with the shoulder being formed out of the ground, the face taking shape and then turning to flesh after God breathed His Spirit into him.

I hope you find this portrait inspiring. And I promise to have my next image up soon.

A year of portraits...

2011-01-22T12:23:00.003-05:00

It's been 6 months since I graduated with my MFA. And sadly it's been at least that long that I've failed to pick up my pencils or watercolors. I've never been one of those artists who just draws all day long... I need a project with deadlines and some accountability. So I either go for years of counseling to dig into my past and find out why, or I just give myself a project and give myself a reason to keep my feet to the fire. Call me a coward, but I chose the project.

We were visiting friends last week, and I was talking about this with their daughter, Rachel– a lovely, gifted young lady who has the makings of fine photographer. She was pouring out the same lament to me, that working full time has kept her from challenging herself more. So, right there at the dinner table we committed to posting a piece a week on our respective blogs. She will post a photograph, I will post a portrait. If you ask me, she got the sweet end of the deal, but if keeping my commitment makes her better at her craft, then I'm up to the challenge.

Since I've never done a portrait of my youngest daughter, Emma, I decided that would be a great start. For those of you who may not know, you can click on the image for a larger version.

So here's my first of 52 portraits. I ask you, dear reader, to prod and push me as well. And please encourage Rachel as she endeavors to grow creatively.

Klingberg Auto Show

2011-01-20T14:46:00.001-05:00

I just completed a series of pieces to help promote the 2011 Klingberg Vintage Motor Car Festival. It was a tremendous honor and opportunity. The VP, Mark Johnson, is one of those delightful clients who knows when to give direction and when to let the artist play. And play I did, deciding to make use of Adobe Illustrator for almost all the art.

This is the second year that the show is running on Father's Day weekend, hence the father/son theme on the poster. The show is features rare and seldom seen antique vehicles, displaying about 500 antique automobiles from collectors in the Northeast. But more importantly, it serves as a fundraiser for Klingberg Family Center, raising funds for vital programs restoring and preserving families for children.

For more info about the show, visit www.KlingbergAutoShow.org.

The car featured on the front of the flyer
is a 1939 Delahaye Type 135M.

I couldn't resist drawing a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado
for the interior spread.

I had a lot of fun with the poster.
Designed for 3 formats, this one is 11" x 17".
The car is a 1914 Locomobile Berline Limousine.

Create elaborate patterns from a single flower

2011-01-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here's an easy way to create some beautiful patterns that could be used for fabrics, scarves, or just plain fun... all from a single image of a flower and some Photoshop magic.

For this demonstration I chose a photo I have of a pansy, one of my wife's favorite flowers.

Isolate the image of the flower and place it on a separate layer in a new document. Drag guides from the top and bottom to mark the center of the document.

Fill the background with a color. I happened to choose green because... just because. You don't have to get deep and technical about this. You can play with and change colors to your heart's content. Then change the blending mode of the flower layer to Difference.

Duplicate the flower layer 4 times, creating 5 identical layers. Select the four top layers, select Edit => Free Transform, and drag the center point of the selection to the center of the document, at the intersection of the guides. Rotate the selection 72 degrees.

Repeat this process with the 3 top layers, then the top 2 and finally the remaining top layer. Create a group from all the flower layers.

Duplicate the group. With the new group selected, select Edit => Free Transform, rotate the group 36 degrees, and scale and move the selection until it covers the background area.

Now for some fun. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer above the background and play with the hue.

To take it a step further, experiment by changing the blending mode of the groups. You can see the variations by just changing the blending mode of the top group.

Each flower you use yields a unique image. Here's a sample of a pattern I created using an image of a snapdragon.

Have fun! If anyone decides to use this tutorial I'd love to know how and where you applied it.

Views from the Second Floor

2011-01-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of the latest snowstorm here in Conneticut... taken from the safety of my studio and bathroom! Haven't seen it like this in years. Click on pics for a larger view...

Yes, Virginia... we have an 18 ft. Christmas tree!

2010-12-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, my daughter, Natalie, started a bit a of a tradition. Never one to do what is small, easy, or what everyone else is doing (yes, she reminds me of me), she wanted to see how big a tree we could fit in our home. This year is probably the biggest at around 18 feet!

Coming out of my studio,
I am greeted by this marvelous sight...

Making my way around the balcony
toward the stairs
(that's my studio door behind the tree)...

Looking up from the landing...

And finally, the view from the dining room!

Balsa Gliders at Barnes and Noble

2010-11-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

There's never a bad time for some shameless promotion. If you visit your local Barnes and Noble (or if you want to drive to visit one far away) and visit the bargain section, you will find a display of kits on sale for Christmas (or "the holidays" for those who are easily offended).

Amongst the piles of boxes you should find kits for making balsa gliders. Not those cheesy, styrofoam, poor-excuse-for-a-glider kind that most kids today have played with.

And here comes the promotion part... ready... I designed and illustrated the box cover! Honestly, I've been a designer/illustrator for over 30 years and I still get jazzed when I see my stuff in print.

So buy one or two or three for the kids in your life and tell them, "I know the guy who did this!" I don't get any royalties, but you'll have the audacious pleasure of boasting to your friends that you know someone minimally famous.

Strata 3D for 99 cents?!?

2010-09-16T13:44:00.003-04:00

Here's a great opportunity for anyone who has had the slightest desire to delve into the world of 3D graphics. Strata 3D, the 3D software I use for most of my 3D work, is offering SE, their entry level version, for only 99 cents! I feel like I should be talking in a radio announcer's voice and offering some free steak knives if you act now. Click here to view the offer.

Stop by StrataCafe.com to view work in Strata by a host of artists. And while you're there, take a look at some of the work I've done with Strata.

Welcome, Levi!

2010-08-31T08:53:00.006-04:00

Last night, my oldest daughter, Alayna, gave birth to a son, Levi Justice Wetherhead. For all the ladies, he came in at 9lbs 2.5oz, 21in. I could wax philosophical or blubber on and on, but suffice it to say he's beautiful, I'm so proud of my daughter and son-in-law, and Donna and I are excited to be grandparents. I love my family.

Levi Justice Wetherhead, 3 hours old.

Ryan and Alayna, exhausted but happy mom and dad.

My wife, Donna, and Alayna.

Glad (and gorgeous) grandma.

Aunt Lydia

Aunt Natalie

Auntie Emma (not sure yet what to do with a crying baby)

Natalie taking a pic with her iPhone.

And, of course, Papa.

Calling All Retro Junkies!

2010-08-26T10:28:00.005-04:00

My dad had one of these. I remember it being a light tan. And I also remember how much he hated it! He never bought another Ford again.

Pardon my reminiscing, but I'm sure you will too if you visit Plan59.com.

What a find! I can't believe I had never seen this site before. It's a great place for reference material, sparking the old creative juices, or just strolling down memory lane (at least for us gray-hairs).

Oak Bluffs Gingerbread

2010-05-17T22:08:00.002-04:00

Our kids gave us a gift certificate for a weekend away to a bed and breakfast. We decided to go to Cape Cod. Yesterday we spent the day at Martha's Vineyard. Had some fun taking pics in Oak Bluffs.

Sketching on a Napkin

2010-05-14T09:12:00.006-04:00

In the short period of time I worked for Tom Fowler, he instilled in me the importance of serving your clients. As much as you might want to scream and yell, the customer is the one who makes the final decisions and pays the bills. Nothing was ever impossible for Tom, and he believed you could create something good for your client no matter how tight the deadline.

That ethic served me and my clients well when I worked at Union Carbide as their Senior Designer. I would often have to create publications for employees on a very tight deadline.

I found this two color booklet created in 1994 to announce a new employee medical plan. I hate using clip art, and the booklet needed spot illustrations. I remember grabbing a felt tip pen and a napkin and sketching some quick, small images and then scanning them in at high resolution. I liked the feel of the images, the communications department was happy, and the employees got something more than just a booklet full of copy.

Never say never. Where there's a will there's a way. Don't give up the ship. I think you know what I mean. When we get pushed we can either give up or get creative. Be thankful for the people that push you to be and do your best.

Purple Paper Petals

2010-05-12T09:17:00.005-04:00

Here's another image I dug out of that old portfolio case. I went through a period where I loved experimenting with colored pencil on colored papers. Being a designer at a corporation, I was always receiving samples from paper manufacturers. I still have several drawers full of papers, many that aren't milled anymore.

My wife has a beautiful garden in our back yard, and every year I look forward to the purple and white irises. They are such regal flowers. I sketched this from a photo while sitting on a beach in Cape Cod... probably about 15 years ago or more. One of these days I might actually get around to framing some of this stuff.

Like a Bug on a Windshield...

2010-05-07T13:51:00.004-04:00

I was cleaning out an old portfolio case and found a bunch of black and white drawings I created while working at Union Carbide. I found the timing interesting. I have just finished my thesis, and one of the remarks I made was how liberating the MFA program has been for me, especially with regard to my thesis project. Here's the excerpt:

"There also were influences that I had to overcome in order to fully embrace this project. From 1985 to 2001, I was employed as the Senior Designer at Union Carbide Corporation. I was often asked to create characters for announcements, newsletters and invitations. I continually played with a host of styles, finding personal satisfaction in the work, even though the majority of my clients viewed the drawings as fun but unimportant. To keep my skills fresh and to stay awake during long meetings, I sketched caricatures of the speaker or the creative staff. But because of client feedback, I never saw them as something to be taken seriously."

So, here's one of those old assignments. I created an illustration of bugs smashed against a windshield for a product ad. It's fun to look back, especially with new eyes.

The Miracle Worker

2010-05-04T10:10:00.003-04:00

In July 2008, Vin DiFate gave a presentation on several genres of illustration, including science fiction, movie posters and pulp fiction book covers. Guided by DiFate, we were directed to create a poster in our own style for one of our favorite movies. I created a poster for the 1962 classic, The Miracle Worker. I studied a number of screen shots of the film and created a 3D model of Anne Bancroft, who played the role of Annie Sullivan, instructor and companion of Helen Keller. I photographed my daughter, Emma, to represent Patty Duke, who played the part of young Ms. Keller. Bancroft’s large scale represents the enormous influence she had on Keller. The field in the foreground was created with several Photoshop brushes made from grass stalks drawn in Illustrator.

Breakfast at Mary's Diner

2010-04-21T08:45:00.002-04:00

For years, a family tradition has been to set aside Wednesday morning for one-on-one breakfast with Dad. Starting with Donna, and then my daughters, oldest to youngest, we have a number of places we've visited over the years. One of them is Mary's Diner, a typical neighborhood breakfast haunt that may not make the greatest coffee but offers a cheap but good special... as long as you get there before 8 am. When I go with Emma, we usually take her Doodle-Pro (see April 4, 2009) and sketch a few faces after we're done eating. Of course, I flip over the place mat and sketch a bit while we're waiting for our order. Here's today's gallery. The two characters in the middle at the top are Emma's favorites, Mr. and Mrs. Fitz. Emma's the cute one on the lower right.

Portrait Portfolio

2010-04-16T10:00:00.007-04:00

Two years ago I taught an evening illustration class at Paier College of Art. One of my students, Magge Gagliardi, is a very talented young illustrator. I am pleased to say she is planning on getting her MFA from University of Hartford. Last night, while having dinner with our family, she offered to take samples of my portraits to a gallery where she is showing some of her work. I decided to put together a flash presentation of portraits... a single place where I can direct people who want to see the work.

Gertrude Ederle, America's Girl

2010-04-08T12:41:00.005-04:00

After each of our sessions together in the MFA program, we are given an illustration assignment. Normally the theme of the assignment is based on the location we have just visited. However, with our summer sessions in Hartford, the assignments take on a whole new flavor.

Murray Tinkelman gave an excellent presentation of American illustration in the 20th century. During one of his lectures, he told us we needed to pick an illustrator from 1900 to 1950 who was included in his presentations. He told us to choose a publication from that era as well as a person who was famous at the time. We then had to create a cover featuring that person in the style of the illustrator of our choosing.

I chose to emulate C. Coles Phillips. He created a style called the "fadeaway girl" that was more than a gimmick. He used the Gestalt principle of reification, also known as closure, where the eye will perceive a whole shape in an incomplete space by filling in the missing information.

The more I read about Getrude Ederle, the more I became fascinated with this strong, independent young woman (much like my wife and 4 daughters!) who was bound to not only swim the English Channel, but to also break all previous records in the attempt.

I took some liberties with the English and French coast lines in order to create the watercolor portrait of Ederle in the Phillips style. I then ran the scanned image through the color halftone filter in Photoshop to simulate the screening and muted palette that would have been used in publishing in the 1920s.

Pasadena Project

2010-03-31T10:37:00.006-04:00

After an extremely busy fall and winter with work and focus on my thesis project, I'm finally making my first 2010 post. In November of last year the Hartford MFA team traveled to Pasadena for another memorable trip. Our assignment was to create an illustration that “screamed” of Southern California.

After nixing a number of ideas, and getting inspired by looking at Doug Johnson's incredible airbrush album cover art, I did some poking around the web for images of an art deco theater. I found a number of wonderful images of the Regency Lido in Newport Beach. My thanks to Dangerghost and Bugcer on Flickr for these two images, among many others, that I used to recreate a 3D model of the theater in Strata.

I got the idea to change the name of the theater to reflect the illustration program, calling it the Hartford MFA. No rocket science inspiration there, but it worked well. Once I rendered my original idea, I decided to see what it would look like rendering it at different times of day. I ended up creating dawn, midday, dusk and evening versions.

I got so excited about the way the 4 images turned out I decided to go a step further and create an album cover, down to the dust sleeve and record label. The final was very well received during the critiques of our work in Fort Worth.

Braggin' on Lydia

2009-08-24T11:01:00.005-04:00

All my daughters are gifted young women. Alayna's cooking expertise, hospitality and organizational skills are second to none. Natalie can write and perform music that can grab the attention of the noisiest venue (plus she's a mean car mechanic and landscaper!). And Emma can quote and act entire scenes from her favorite movies (as well as overcoming any obstacle facing her with Down syndrome).

Lydia, my 12-year-old, is expressing her creativity through writing and sculpting. She is enthralled with the Lord of the Rings, both book and movies, and has been sculpting some of the figures. Her latest piece on Gollum blew me away.

Young Catbird

2009-08-17T17:03:00.002-04:00

Lydia ran over to our picnic table at the lake. She said she had something I needed to see. There, sitting on the lawn was a young catbird, obviously sick or injured. She begged to take him home to see if we could nurture him back to health. Unfortunately the poor critter didn't make it through the night. However, he did get an opportunity to be immortalized on paper.

Breaking Free

2009-07-26T20:26:00.004-04:00

With each trip we take as part of the MFA program, we are required to create an image based on the place we last visited. Our March trip to San Francisco was especially important to me. It inspired me to start this blog, to create and experiment, to develop a new portrait style, and most of all freed me to return to watercolor and graphite.

The first lecture in SF was given by Kazu Sano, an extremely talented and prolific illustrator. When I saw the portrait that is pinned to the wall above the cage in my image, I was inspired and challenged to push my portraiture. He also talked about creating an image a day, which spurred me on to do the same.

The left half of the image is entirely digital. While the likeness of me is accurate, it is stiff and without expression. The chain morphing into butterflies is an obvious metaphor for this newfound, or rather re-found communication. I look forward to what is ahead.

No, I'm not...

2009-07-24T07:49:00.004-04:00

Just like last last year, the incoming students were asking if I was related to Jean Tuttle. I made a t-shirt to help clarify things. Jean got a big kick out of it. So, before anyone else asks... no, I am not...

Night of the Hunter

2009-07-23T22:53:00.003-04:00

So this week we spent time in the digital world with our instructors Jean Tuttle and Nancy Stahl. Our assignment was to create an image of a person from Connecticut using 3 programs: Illustrator, Photoshop and Painter. I had not used Painter before so I tried to do most of the work in that program rather than just lean on what was familiar to me. I decided to do Robert Mitchum (he grew up in Bridgeport), specifically his film The Night of the Hunter.

I was delighted with the watercolor effects I could get for the background and the ability to keep it all on separate layers, like Photoshop, so I could tweak, change or eliminate what I didn't like without having to start over. Also, having worked with Payne last week, I was free to create a caricature of Mitchum rather than produce an exact, photographic likeness. I'm not totally satisfied with the image of the woman on the bottom, but I had to stop the endless noodling. I may still play with it to get it right.

Looking forward to coming home and beginning the process of creating the body of work for my thesis. It's going to be a busy year.

Maple Man

2009-07-16T23:16:00.003-04:00

What a great week it has been here in Hartford. First of all, getting back together with so many creative folks is electrifying. Second, to be under the tutelage of two illustration greats like C.F. Payne and Gary Kelley has been such a privilege. And third, I feel like I've really hit my stride. So much has seemed to come together in these past four days. It has also encouraged me to put this style to work for the Lady Who Swallowed a Fly book that I comped up last year. And best of all, I'm having a ball. What's better than that?

Getting ready for Hartford

2009-07-08T20:54:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have been complaining about staring at a salt and pepper shaker for the last two months, here's a pencil drawing of yours truly that I've used as an element in one of the pieces I'm bringing with me to Hartford next week. I'll be in classes for two weeks for my Masters and will be half way to my degree! As my sister so affectionately noted, "who's the old guy?" I'll post the full image when I return... If I'm not too ancient to remember.

Enjoying the new studio. What a difference to have some sunlight!

Salt & Pepper

2009-05-20T11:36:00.003-04:00

So, after making a quick model of a salt shaker for yesterday's entry, I couldn't resist creating its complement and running a render while working on my paper for my MFA. Love being able to bounce back and forth between the digital and the traditional.

When It Rains...

2009-05-19T17:48:00.006-04:00

Just got the check from insurance to replace the carpet. We've been rearranging 3 rooms in order to get my studio upstairs... finally out of the basement into the light.

In the process, I've been pushing through some pretty severe neck and back pain... numbness and tingling in my arms no less. Makes for some difficulty in trying to get things done while working and living life. Starting PT Thursday.

One bright spot... I might have a real commission to do a children's book!

A wise man once wrote: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." Looks like I'm in for another round of character building. Bring it on!

More issuu...

2009-05-07T11:07:00.002-04:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More book

Another issuu document, this time from my publishing portfolio.

Carpet's being ripped up... worse than we first thought. Might just move the studio to an empty bedroom upstairs.

Water, Water Everywhere...

2009-05-06T11:36:00.004-04:00

So, it's Wednesday already, and where's my post? My only answer... life happens!

We've been busy getting my Dad's house ready to go on the market after some pretty extensive water damage from burst pipes. In the midst, we've been helping my oldest daughter and her husband get their new condo ready and getting them moved in.

Of course, at a most convenient time (is any time convenient for this?) my carpet in my studio is soaked from a leaking water pressure gauge. You know, one of those pinhole leaks that keeps spitting a small, steady stream, enough to soak the padding before it starts to show up in the carpet. Needless to say, I'm a little preoccupied.

So, no, I'm not slacking.

discovering issuu

2009-05-01T20:03:00.002-04:00

Discovered issuu.com this week...

Booker T Washington

2009-05-01T14:56:00.004-04:00

Another of Teddy Roosevelt's firsts was being the first president to entertain an African-American to the White House.

First Phone

2009-04-28T16:59:00.005-04:00

All this drawing and painting made me thirst for some 3D modeling (what a geek!). Anyway, in researching Teddy Roosevelt, I found that there were a number of "firsts" associated with him and his presidency, one of which was being the first president to have a telephone in his home.

I did some research on phones in that era, recreated it as a 3D model in Strata, and then drew the image. Here they are, the model and the drawing, side by side.

Beginning Teddy Roosevelt

2009-04-23T23:01:00.005-04:00

Started on the image of Teddy Roosevelt today. Gosh, how I love working with pencil.

Dennis Nolan

2009-04-22T20:55:00.004-04:00

Last night I went to the University of Hartford to meet with Dennis Nolan, a wonderful watercolorist with the heart of a father. We talked for 2 hours about paint and palettes and chroma and value and all kinds of other fun stuff. Dennis was a real encouragement to me in the beginning of the MFA program. He knew that my real satisfaction would come from going back to my traditional roots. How right he was.

Dennis gave me some great feedback on the direction in which my work has been going. The mentoring I received last night will really take things to another level. He and my thesis adviser, Bill Thomson, another amazing illustrator, have suggested I create some portraits of recognizable and/or historical figures so that any audience viewing my work will see that I can faithfully render their likeness. So, rather than pump out something for everyday, I'm going to be working on an illustration of Teddy Roosevelt. I'll be posting my progress.

While we're revisiting...

2009-04-21T14:51:00.003-04:00

Took Q's input about pulling back the color in the background on the image of Riley.

Liyah One More Time

2009-04-21T14:32:00.004-04:00

Your comments are truly helpful and welcome. Taking one more shot at the image of Liyah, I desaturated the color, darkened the background a bit so that the face stood out more, and added a little color to her lips and cheeks. Still a moody piece, but a far cry from the murderous first attempt from a couple weeks ago.

impressionistic tissue

2009-04-21T14:11:00.005-04:00

I was cleaning up my studio and started unfolding a piece of tissue I used to dab my watercolors. I scanned it in, made a seamless tile from it and started playing in Photoshop. I ended up making these Monet-like impressionistic patterns. Don't know what the heck I'm going to do with it yet, but it was one of those happy accidents that comes from entertaining oneself with paint-soaked kleenex.

Riley

2009-04-17T16:09:00.004-04:00

Since deciding to work together with Ken and Lois Wilder I feel that rush like when I used to be a bike rider... when you come downhill and keep your cadence as you go up another. Having their photography, and the heart that comes with it, available to me has been a blessing and a half.

So ends my third week at this blog. I am so pleased with the progress from that first lip-biting shot with the lupe on my desk. So much more to learn...

More Color Adjusting

2009-04-16T12:45:00.003-04:00

While I'm in this color scheme frame of mind, I thought I'd play with the image of the Thai farmer. Unlimited possibilities.

Liyah Revisited

2009-04-16T09:36:00.007-04:00

Now that I've done a few of these images, I'm understanding more and more the impact of color. I know that sounds like a "duh" moment, but I was so caught up with working the new style that I didn't think so much about what a slap to the eye that red can be. I've had a number of comments about the image of Liyah. Sure, if I was illustrating an article about someone who had been murdered or their heart broken, the original color scheme would work well.

Thank God for Photoshop. Since each of the images is built in layers (pencil drawing, watercolor, photo) I can go back in and play with the hues. What a huge difference.

Keep the comments coming. Like I said, I can get a bit myopic (a sophisticated way to say "blind"). Your feedback has been helpful.

Thai Rice Farmer

2009-04-15T22:12:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I visited Ken and Lois Wilder and we discussed how we might work together. They shared some of their photos with me, especially portraits.

Last year, Ken went to Thailand and shot some wonderful images of people working in rice paddies. I fell in love with this image.

First collaboration

2009-04-13T13:51:00.003-04:00

One of the joys of being in a creative field is the friendships that grow with other gifted folks. One of these friends is Ken Wilder. Ken is a great photographer who works in concert with his wife, Lois, who is a fine artist.

Ken and I have breakfast every Thursday morning, and this past Thursday we decided to try a joint effort combining his photography and my portrait experiments. So, this is the first of hopefully many Wilder/Tuttle images. This is a portrait of one of Ken and Lois' granddaughters.

Dandelions

2009-04-09T23:44:00.004-04:00

Okay... enough with the portraits. Playing with watercolor, photos and 3D. Click on it to see more detail.

Alayna

2009-04-08T15:03:00.004-04:00

Finally, a portrait of my oldest daughter. The last picture I drew of her was over 22 years ago. Bad daddy!

I tried a different paper for the pencil work. Not very happy with it... I had less control and it made the image too blotchy. What I do like is the very directional swash of the paint and the addition of the typographic swash. I also tried to keep to a much more limited palette than with the previous portraits.

Now, off to work on some more marketing materials...

Homemade Light Box

2009-04-07T22:06:00.004-04:00

I was working on another image today when I started coveting a light box. When I worked at Union Carbide we had a beautiful light table... had to be 5' x 4'. Tried to get it when they were emptying out the offices after the Dow acquisition, but it got lost in storage somewhere and I never saw it again.

So, I decided to build my own. It's nothing like what I could buy at Dick Blick, but it hardly cost me anything... a mongrel mix of stuff in my workshop and some items from Home Depot. Yeah, I know... it's got hot spots, but for what I need, it's perfect. You know, you have those days when you just gotta make somethin'.

Working on an image of my oldest daughter, Alayna. Should have it up tomorrow.

Donna

2009-04-06T06:20:00.002-04:00

I've loved the photo of my wife, Donna, that this image is based on. The setting, however, left a lot to be desired. So, why not create a portrait?

Because of the tedious nature of the way I used to handle traditional work, I ran from it. I may not settle on this approach, but what I love is the ability to create an image in less than a day... and be happy with it!

I know when I started the Masters program I really wanted to mix traditional and digital media together, but wasn't quite sure how. I'm enjoying this immensely.

Took some photos of my oldest daughter, Alayna, over the weekend. She spent the day with us while her husband, Ryan is in Germany. Apply this approach or discover a new one?

Nightly Doodle-Pro

2009-04-04T20:24:00.002-04:00

Busy day yesterday... started another image but didn't have time to finish. So, I thought I'd post one of my nightly Doodle-Pro excursions with Emma.

Liyah

2009-04-02T19:53:00.005-04:00

Here's portrait of Natalie's friend, Liyah. She sang with Natalie on Tuesday. An incredible voice!

I'm enjoying this portrait style. Will keep playing and experimenting... maybe even incorporate it into my Masters thesis.

Natalie at The Space

2009-04-01T22:11:00.002-04:00

My 18-year old daughter, Natalie, is a very gifted musician. I went to see her play last night at a venue in Hamden called The Space. I was blown away at how much she is maturing as an artist. Her song writing has improved greatly, and she always shines playing live.

I really liked the style of the piece I did of Lydia last week and decided to try it with a photo of Natalie. I think I'm on to something. I like it anyway.

A Break at the Park

2009-03-31T17:38:00.003-04:00

Today was one of those glorious spring days, and Donna and the kids were heading to the park. I grabbed my sketchbook and went with them. The girl on the swing was so aware that I was sketching her... she didn't know whether to be embarrassed or show off.

Fretting Fly

2009-03-30T18:23:00.003-04:00

Been busy today putting together a promo, so I pulled a sketch from my book. Another image for the children's book I'm working on.

It's a kick working on these characters. Like anything else, it's important to know how the real thing looks before you distort it.

My youngest daughter, Emma, and I draw characters on her MagnaDoodle every night before she goes to bed. I split the screen, create a wacky face, then she creates one of her own. It's now part of her evening ritual.

It started with a pansy

2009-03-27T08:58:00.005-04:00

Been messin' around with patterns using silhouettes of flowers. Here's just 4 examples of patterns from an image of a white and purple pansy. Playing with hues and blending modes produces an infinite number of patterns.

Lydia too

2009-03-26T16:43:00.003-04:00

Another image of Lydia, this time watercolor and graphite. I've done better... the hair is really muddy. BUT... I'm glad to push myself through another piece. I suppose the liberating part of all this is being able to put on display something I'm not happy with. It's all a work in progress.

Lydia

2009-03-25T15:48:00.005-04:00

Decided to experiment with mixing several different media. Took a photo of my daughter Lydia, created a small pencil drawing to keep the lines fairly coarse. Scanned the pencil drawing in, ran it through a couple of filters in Photoshop (underpainting and poster edges), scanned in some watercolor splashes, and went to town with layering and masking. I really like the effect. Need to try it with other images. Would love some comments.

Scaredy Cat

2009-03-24T14:24:00.009-04:00

Had a great chat with Q Cassetti today — great artist and even better coach. I'm letting myself get too bogged down by this whole thesis thing. This daily blog right now is my kick start. No pressure, just what's flowing from the brain through the fingers today.

I've dusted off the children's book I sketched out in Hartford this past summer and decided to work on the character of the cat being chased by the old woman. After poking around at a bunch of cat pics online, some of Peter de Sève's work and a few Disney characters, I came up with this fella. Having fun.

Take a deep breath, and...

2009-03-23T07:06:00.007-04:00

So, after more than a year of hemming and hawing, I'm finally posting. This past week's trip to San Francisco with so many incredibly talented illustrators inspired me to take the plunge. So here it is... the first of many daily paintings (or drawings, or whatever). I admit I'm not very impressed, but this is more of an exercise in experimenting and loosening up than in noodling and fretting over technique.

I'm currently earning my MFA in illustration through a limited residency program with the University of Hartford (www.hartfordillustrationmfa.org). In the 30 years I've worked as a designer and illustrator I've never been challenged as much as I am now. I've spent too much time as the big fish in the sea. It's humbling, demanding and stimulating to suddenly find yourself a guppy in a tank full of angelfish.