Tag Archive: “art”

Weekend Artifact 6: Play-Doh Bust

I need to do more of this. Very fun.

(Scale: about two inches tall.)

Posted on Saturday, March 10th, 2012.

Weekend Artifact 5

Update: I have chopped and channeled this portrait to ameliorate a case of artist-induced horseface. See if you can find the seam!

Posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2012.

Weekend Artifact 4

Painting with pencil on a graphite canvas.

I like to draw faces in profile. It’s easier, yes, but I think there’s another reason as well. My doodles are often based on photographs trawled from the web, and it seems the camera is more likely to capture a candid expression when the subject isn’t looking directly at the lens. Almost everyone affects an expression when they know they’re posing for a picture, be it serious or hammy or coy. Those faces are a lot of fun, but I am more interested in unfiltered appearances. Even a face in repose can convey some feeling or story – perhaps that’s what the artist reveals.

That’s getting a little too artsy fartsy for my taste, though. Just look at the pretty pictures!

Posted on Sunday, February 26th, 2012.

Weekend Artifact 3: Spider Plant

Posted on Sunday, February 19th, 2012.

Custom Kindle Screensaver Images with kite

The Kindle comes with a set of “screensaver” images that appear on the screen when the device is asleep. Most of the images are portraits of famous authors; a few are images of other artwork. All are appropriate choices for the cover of a reading device – but I’d rather use my own images.

Out of the box, it isn’t possible to customize the Kindle screensaver. However, there are couple of unsupported tools that can enable this feature. I tried installing one called kite and was pleased to find that it worked as described. So I picked out some old drawings and now my Kindle’s got some fresh new faces:

Continue reading for a step-by-step setup guide…

Posted on Thursday, February 16th, 2012.

Weekend Artifact 2

Posted on Sunday, February 12th, 2012.

Drawing the “Hairy Mango”

Here is a portrait I did of Matthew Sanborn Smith, SF author and host of the hilarious bite-size bizarro podcast Beware the Hairy Mango. Matthew recently put out a call for fan art (“fart”). Coincidentally, I’ve been kicking around the idea of a portfolio of podcast host portraits, so I took the opportunity to practice taking a drawing from sketchbook doodle to finished composition, such as it is. At right is my sketch (based on Matthew’s Twitter icon) and at left is the digital version. The background colors are based on the podcast’s website color scheme and the rest of the palette is, of course, mango-colored.

I hope to continue doing more art projects. Help establish the habit and follow my new Weekend Artifact series!

Posted on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012.

Weekend Artifact 1 for February 5, 2012

Let’s start a little series. I’ll feature some creative artifact here each weekend. It won’t necessarily be a drawing, but that’s most likely. Here’s a sketch to get started:

Your comments and constructive criticisms are welcome.

Posted on Sunday, February 5th, 2012.

Art on Anarres

This quote from Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed resonates strongly with me:

“No distinction was drawn between the arts and the crafts; art was not considered as having a place in life, but as being a basic technique of life, like speech.”

(As with art, so with science.)

The quote is an excerpt from a description of the egalitarian culture of the protagonist’s homeland.

The book is a dialectical dissection of ideas about culture and society and belonging and belongings, told through the device of the main character’s attempt to bridge two very different but intimately related worlds. From my vantage point halfway through the book, the central question is whether the two peoples will be reunited – or whether the reuniter will ultimately find himself without a people. The title underscores that risk, and reminds me of the challenges faced by all who would seek compromise.

Posted on Sunday, April 3rd, 2011.