Posts Tagged ‘ art education ’

Quick Lessons: Get Some Perspective!!!

One of my current students has expressed an interest in architectural drawing. I am probably going to be bringing several source images to class for architectural studies. One thing I have not been shy about in my career as an art teacher, is directly addressing where I find gaps or a weakness in my own knowledge of my craft. I am primarily a figure/portrait and color guy, so this morning I busied myself finding, and then doing, a basic study in perspective. While my result today is by no means flawless, I did find the work relatively natural, and I remember more than I think I do. It’s been years since I’ve done many exercises in perspective, even if in my work it gets applied frequently.

The simplest exercise is multiple-point perspective is a cube. I found this image on a web-forum for game design, and you can see the image I used here.

I find it helpful with these studies to give yourself space to work. The largest paper I have readily at the moment is 11″ x 14,” so to create my horizon line, I worked with two pieces of paper taped together.

The original image is here (on the forum, scroll down) is here:   http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=16420.0

My study is here:

Study, cubes, exercise in perspective

Study, cubes, exercise in perspective

Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to add to this in coming days. If you do your own study, you can share your results in the comments. As this page gets rolling we’ll be taking on perspective studies of more complex architectural drawing and buildings. If you line a series of cubes up, larger and smaller, all meeting at 2 points relatively close on the horizon, you start to get what looks like a city street, that may be one of the places I choose to go in the coming class. Space them at far ends of the horizon, like in the cube exercise, that’s the basis for blue-printing a structure. Try it, see how yours comes out.

Wednesdays and Thursday afternoons I usually take my son to one of Albany’s public libraries. Today, I took off the shelf a book quite familiar to me (I’m sure I have checked it out multiple times by now) “Albany: The and Now” by local historian and author Don Rittner.

I have something of a fondness for art deco commercial buildings and design. The image I am using here was formerly the 1928 facade of the South East Corner of State Street and Pearl Street –then a restaurant and jewelry store. There currently sits in that corner a high-rise tower which is presently occupied by an M&T Bank on the ground floor.

Here is a 2-point perspective rendering of the 1928 building:

architectural study, Pearl Street and State Street Albany, from the book, Albany, by Don Rittner, used with permission.

architectural study, Pearl Street and State Street Albany, reproduced from the book, Albany, by Don Rittner, used with permission.

I have alternatively heard small-scale art-deco commercial buildings of similar style called “Moderne,” so that term may be more appropriate, but there does seem to be areas of overlap within the two design schools. This structure also is much larger than most examples I have heard described that way apparently without a great deal of the the decorative chrome heavily associated with the style. (An example is the former White Tower building on Central Avenue I have described in the commissions blog).

In coming days I will hopefully be adding a few more examples of particular buildings, and perhaps moving into street scenes.
Happy sketching.

Eleven Images: Featured Pieces of the Week

On this page, each week I will spot-light a different work that is for sale and not currently on exhibit. I’m inundated with a glut of work in my two-bedroom apartment. With that in mind, I will feature different pieces here each week discounted from what I have asked when the works were on exhibit.

For inquiries, contact at eaton.robertb@gmail.com.

I’ve always operated under the assumption that original art should be affordable to everyone. I am updating this page  to showcase my original work around $100 or less. I’m price-dropping a few to fit them in here:

New, bizarre stock photos and new sea critters:

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“Perplexed Older Woman Pointing a Gun,” graphite and mixed media on paper 9″ x 12″ $35.  

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“Nude Woman With Spaghetti in Her Hair” graphite and mixed media on paper 9″ x 12″ $35.  

Sea Critters:

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“Perplexed Oar Fish” graphite and mixed media on paper 9″ x 12″ $35.  

graphite and mixed media on paper 9″ x 12″ $35.  graphite and mixed media on paper 9″ x 12″ $35.

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“Bearded Armored Sea Robin,” graphite and mixed media on paper 9″ x 12″ $35.  

Added to the bizarre stock photo series, “Portrait of a Man with a Fried Egg on his Head” acrylic and graphite on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $40.

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Portrait of a Man With a Fried Egg on his head, acrylic and graphite on gessoed paper, $40.

 

During my travels about, I found a crow’s skull in a grassy area near my home. Naturally, I took it home to do some studies of it.

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Crow’s skull, study, charcoal on paper, 9″ x 12″ $40 (inquire about framed price)

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Crow’s skull, study, graphite on paper 9″ x 12″ $40 (inquire about price framed)

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Crow’s skull, study, gauche and charcoal on cardboard, 9″ x 12″ $40 (inquire about price framed)

 

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Crow’s skull, study, gauche and charcoal on paper, $40 (inquire about framed price).

For those who may be interested, I have also added the Crow’s Skull Woodblock prints A single print (two colors) are $40. Prints can be ordered in custom colors of your choice.

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The Pair, Woodblock print on paper 9″ x 12″ $65.

 

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Crow’s Skull, Woodblock print, 6″ x 9″ $40.

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Crow’s Skull, Woodblock print, 6″ x 9″ $40.

 

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Crow’s Skull, Woodblock print, 6″ x 9″ $40.

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Crow’s Skull, Woodblock print, 6″ x 9″ $40.

 

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“The Murder” Woodblock print on paper, 18″ x 24″ $95.

 

Two new plant studies (gauche and graphite):

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Echinacea study, graphite and gauche on paper, 9″ x 12″ $40

 

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Dandelions, study, graphite and gauche on paper. 9″ x 12″ $40

 

 

A couple new works on paper:

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Risperdol Pill, graphite and gauche on paper, 9″ x 12″ $40

 

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(New!) Chambered Nautilus, casein paint and mixed media on gessoed paper, $40

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“Frilled Shark, graphite and gauche on paper 9 x 12” $40.

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Vampire Squid, graphite and gauche on paper, 9″x 12″ $40.

New sea critter, also, experiments in a new medium (gouache):

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Octopus, gouache and charcoal on gessoed paper, 18″ x 24″, inquire if you want framing.

A couple new pieces::

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Domesticated Cat skull study, mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $40

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Big Red Jellyfish, mixed media on gessoed paper, $40

 

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Copper shark, skull study. mixed media on gessoed paper, [SOLD].

Octopi and a cuttlefish, $40 each, ask about framing.

 

More sea critters:

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Dumbo Octopus, mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $40 [sold]

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Sea Toad, mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ [sold]

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Abstraction, mixed media on gessoed paper 9″ x 12″ $40

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Squid Worm, mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $40.

 

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Tetragrade (waterbear) mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $40

 

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Flap-jack Octopus, mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $40.

Latest works on paper,  $35 each, inquire about custom framing:

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Plague Doctor, mask, mixed media on gessoed paper 9″ x 12″ $35.

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“Defiance” mixed media on gessoed paper 9″ x 12″ $35

 

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Study, cucumber flower, mixed media on gessoed paper, 9″ x 12″ $35.

Decided to do something a little weird. These images are all based on the weirdest stock photos I could pull up on google.

$30 each (inquire if you are interested in framing)

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Baby in a Shipping Box, mixed media on gessoed paper $30.

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“Child Smelling a Cactus” mixed media on gessoed paper. $30.

 

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“Woman Holding  Slice of Bread” mixed media on gessoed paper $30.

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Dispatches from the Life-ruiner’s Club, graphite and acylic on canvas 8″ x 10″ $45

 

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“It’s Not that Way it’s Over Here” Oil and graphite on canvas, 11″ x 14″ $115 (price reduced!)

 

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“Not All Wolves,” graphite and oil on canvas, 10″ x 10″  final. $85

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“Bedhead” graphite and oil on canvas, 10″ x 10″ $65.

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“Starvation” 11″ x 14″ oil on canvas, Was $60, now $45 (already reduced!)

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“Uneasy Chair” oil on canvas, 12″ x 12″ Was $115, now, $95

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“Something Like Purity”oil on canvas, 8″ x 10” $45

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“Mother of Crows” acrylic on canvas 16″ x 20″ $100 (price reduced!)

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“Something Like Purity (portrait Emilie Flöge)” oil on canvas, 8″ x 10″ final $75.

 

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“Dissolve/Dissolute” graphite and oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″ $115

 

 

 

I am restocking on supplies this month! A selection of work on paper, many more to choose from. Sale price, $35:

A few new pieces:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Small Works Progress Administration, “Skeleton Keys,” (set of 3) mixed media on cardboard, (size approx 5″x9″ each) (set $65)

 

Older: (these are for sale at the prices listed)

Had some pieces come off exhibit this week:  $35-$40 each. If you have your own frame, make an offer.

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Empire State Plaza, mixed media on paper, 8.5 x 11, $35, or make best offer.

 

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Study Cabinet Photo (Old Man), mixed media on gessoed paper, 11″ x 14″ $40, or make offer.

 

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Study, Alley in Troy NY, graphite and acrylic paint on gessoed paper, 11″ x 14″ $40 or make offer.

Featuring one of the larger pieces, –also– price drop.

 

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“Horror-Skeksis,” acrylic paint on wood panel, 11″ x 16 and 1/2″, was $200, now $180

The exhibit “Impressive” at the Albany Barn has come down. Thank you everyone who came out to see my work and work by other great area artists featured in the show.

I have four of the wood-block prints, here. I would like to sell them as a set, but I will entertain offers for the individual pieces as well:

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“No One Who Wanders is Truly Alone”, woodblock prints (set of four) recently exhibited at the Albany Barn, $45 each.

 

This week, some work in mixed media on paper. First, some weeks ago I took a bus down to the river-front and did this study of “The Livingston Ave Train Trestle”

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“Livingston Ave Train Trestle, Albany, NY. mixed media on paper, 8 and 1/2″ x 11” $35.

and this:

from a 35mm photo, a study of the The Richardson-Olmstead Complex (former Buffalo State Psychiatric Center), viewed from the rear of the administrative building.

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The Richardson-Olmstead Complex, study, pencil on paper, 11″ x 14″ $30

And lastly, this:

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No One Who Wanders is Ever Truly Alone” oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″ (2016) $205

For those keeping track, This painting was the source imagery for the wood-block prints I did, that are currently being exhibited at the Albany Barn as part of their “Impressive” exhibit.

 

Some older features here:

 

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“In Cold Spirals” graphite and oil on canvas, 16″ x 24″ was $165, now $150

 

Lastly, I had a person interested in a photo, so I made two 8″ x 10″ copies, This is the second, framed, $30.

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Washington Park Lake, 8″ x 10″ print, Olympus OM-1 35mm camera. Framed, $35

 

Also, I am selling prints of my photo’s of St Patrick’s Cathedral (Watervliet, NY, now demolished):

 

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Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, (2011) Olympus OM-1 35mm camera. 4″ x 6″ print $30

 

Some new featured images for this week (2). Also, message me about the other (past) featured images. The first work –at its sale price– is part of a series of smaller inexpensive works in oil, titled “Uneasy Chair.”

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“Uneasy Chair,” oil on canvas, 10″ x 10″ $95

Also, in honor of today (4/24) being the day in 1990 that the Hubble Telescope launched on the space shuttle Discovery, this image (“In Cold Spirals”) was inspired by images of spiral galaxies which have become inspiring and familiar to those who follow the current era of space exploration:

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“In Cold Spirals” Oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″ $165.

 

This week’s featured piece is one I did for a themed show that was, sadly, not accepted for the show. The work is acrylic on two wood panels re-purposed from an abandoned table-top I commandeered. The image is based on a nineteenth-century headstone I photographed in Amherst, Massachusetts. The sale will include a print of that photo.

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19th-century Death’s Head Wings. Acrylic paint on gessoed wood. 2 wood panels 14″ x 35″ each. $185.

 

Image of artist with the work:

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[Items below are on sale]

Brand new, finished up over the weekend:

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Aphasia (blunt-force) oil and graphite on canvas, 16″ x 20″ $90

Some older featured works, –now at reduced prices for the duration of the sale. “Body at Rest” I love his little guy so much, and I’d like him to have a home.

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Body at Rest, oil on canvas, 10″ x 10″ $175

“Mother of Crows”

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“Mother of Crows” acrylic paint on canvas, 16″ x 20″ $70

“No One who Wanders is Truly Alone”

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No One who Wanders is Truly Alone, oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″ $150

Also, “Uneasy Chair.”

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“Uneasy Chair” oil on canvas, 10″ x 10″ $95

 

Keep checking back as I’ll be featuring different recent pieces in this space. There’s a few more if you scroll downward that are also on sale.

 

 

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“Do Hearts Find Jagged Edges?” 16″ x 20,” oil on canvas, $125.

 

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“No Lover Isn’t a Noose in Time” oil on canvas, 12″ x 12″ $65

 

 

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“Lullaby for a Castaway” 8″ x 10″ oil on canvas $55

 

 

Please email inquiries or offers to eaton.robert@gmail.com (see the about section for details). As I said earlier, I have a whole lot of work that has recently come back to me. The following works were all included in The Art on Eight show. The show was put on by the New York State Office of Mental Health to spotlight the art work of artists who receive services through the Office of Mental Health. (Some of the previous show have been included in OMH’s Art on Eight Flickr gallery.

 

Several of the small works together that were recently in the show.

Several of the small works together that were recently in the show.

You can see more close up shots of the works as you scroll down (all these works are framed –you will probably wish to use another frame, it was a temporary solution for display purposes) These works are all $25, use the contact information in the about section of this blog: The following pieces are all approximately 8′ x 10″.

Fedralsburg, acrylic on cardboard

Fedralsburg, acrylic on cardboard [sold]

Study (Manet) The Old Musician, acrylic on Cardboard

Study (Manet) The Old Musician, acrylic on Cardboard

Figure Study, colored pencil on paper

Figure Study, colored pencil on paper

Trinity Church, acrylic on cardboard

Trinity Church, acrylic on cardboard

Young Mother and Child, acrylic on cardboard

Young Mother and Child, acrylic on cardboard

Dread locked Cow-girl, acrylic on cardboard

Dread locked Cow-girl, acrylic on cardboard

Figure Study, charcoal on paper.

Figure Study, charcoal on paper.

Mini-lesson: The Ten Minute Sketch

It wasn’t that long ago I was teaching in a classroom 40 hours a week in a subject matter that was unrelated to fine art. The simple reality for a lot of creative people is that a great deal of our days are spent doing things other than create art to pay our bills. So, with that in mind, the single greatest block on an artist’s creativity can be the simplest of stumbling blocks: “Do I have time for this?”

With this in mind I thought about ways that creative non-professionals and even professional artists can kick-start their process. I’m calling this example the “ten minute sketch.” It involves sectioning a piece of standard 8 x 11 1/2 sketch paper in your sketch book into four sections (the sections will be roughly the size of 4 x 6 note cards I was taught in high school to use to take notes for research papers).

Generally, I have encouraged my past students to “scale up” (ie: increase the size of their drawings and art) and to use a full sheet of paper for each piece. However, –this time around and in the interest of time– the idea is to create a smaller image that can be done more quickly as it will require less detail. Since this is meant for a sketch book exercise, it’s ideal for pencil or charcoal. Those who wish to may choose to work in color, but if you want to keep to the time limit (a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule by any means) you will simplify your drawing by working in one color, or with a limited palette.

Here is my example from last evening:

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My partner, Muse. Pencil on paper, 3” by 5”, from my sketch book.

Bare in mind, this is an exercise designed to help get the blood flowing. You need not agonize about small works not intended for sale. With the small size you will want to keep your details simplified.

I choose portraiture for the topic of this sketch. The planes of the face are generally simple enough to sketch in this small a size. Subjects that are more intricate and have a great deal of detail might take a great deal more time.

Whether or not you work in areas unrelated to your art, the most important key to being happy creatively is good time management. Set time aside each day to be creative. Whether your ten minute sketch is done in ten minutes or not is not important. The important piece of doing this exercise is getting over the notion of being “too busy” or, “not having time” to be creative. This is a mental trick more than anything else.

Get out there, have fun and create!