Category Archives: art

Art History and Frank…

Art History and Frank…

My family rendered in the style of Viennese Secessionst artist Gustav Klimt, a name I hadn’t really considered since sophomore year undergrad.

Full disclosure… as a young art student, I was not particularly fond of art history. I could never wrap my head around how any why the simple was forced to be complicated. How connections were connected by a million other connections that didn’t didn’t seem like they should be connected.  I memorized the names, the dates, the movements, the art… but it didn’t move me.  I was more concerned with the present and what I was making. I knew everything… and if I didn’t know it, so what?

Reason #286,951 why I’d love to go back in time and slap the hell out of my younger self.

As I got older, I got wiser (funny how that happens). And while not all art appeals to me on the same level, I appreciate the creation of it… even if I don’t understand it. I know what it means to stare at nothingness and make it into somethingness.

I’m STILL more concerned with the present and what I’m making… but I now know to create in the present, you have to have an understanding of the past.  It all connects. Inspiration doesn’t develop in a airless, space… it needs stuff. A MFA in visual communications and that’s the deepest I go?  wow…. friggin’ cartoonists, am i right?

The transformation of my FAMILY CARTOON STYLE series into an art history series is challenging me like nothing ever has… and really, I should just refer to the whole thing as an art history series. I mean, fighting the fight to put cartoons right up there with fine art is part of my life’s work… it’s not cartoon history and art history… IT’S ALL ART HISTORY!

I don’t know how much longer the series will go… and it really is wearing me out… but I’m enjoying brushing up on people, places and pieces I had long since packed away in an undergraduate storage container…

 

Categories: art

I had a moment…

It’s like meeting someone you’ve known for nearly 30 years for the first time all over again…

As you may or may not know, I’ve been doing a thing where I draw my family in the styles of different genres/cartoonists.

My process is pretty straight forward. I have a list of styles/genres I want to tackle and then I just pick one. Usually, the illustration is completed the morning of the day I post it.  So, the art is so fresh the dirt from where I pulled it out of the ground is still on it. (Or, other remnants of the places I’ve pulled it out of… I’ll just leave that one there).

This morning, I wasn’t in the mood.  These style drawings take a lot of time away from all the other stuff, Bob related or otherwise, that I would try and knock out on a daily basis. I’m actually getting up at 1:30 A.M. now. Seriously. Crazy? Sure. But when you’re an addict, you’re always chasing that first high you got.  In my case, it was my version of us as the Simpsons from earlier this year. That came out so good to me that I wanted more.

It took me a few months to get back into it, but when I did, I couldn’t stop. Since August 22… some have been great, some have been passable.

But this morning… I had a moment.

I decide to do Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame. He wasn’t on the list.  Not even on the radar. I just happen to look up and see my copy of The Revenge of the Baby-Sat and thought, “What the hell… I might be able to quickly knock it out.” Like I said, I wasn’t in the mood. Out came the bristol, and I set to work.

When I do a style homage, I start the illustration with me. It’s not an ego thing, it’s a style thing.  My rationale is that if I get ME right, the other parts will fall into place.  If they don’t, at least I can pass the style off and genuine if SOMETHING in the image resembles the style I’m trying to convey. With today’s image, I didn’t think that. Honestly, I didn’t think anything. This might sound like Friday morning bulls–t: but I truly believe I was reading and seeing Watterson’s work for the first time today.

Watterson’s brush line should be made the 8th wonder of the world.

The line art came together quickly:

And I had to stop. Did I just draw this? Holy hell… the art is really solid. Okay, Frank… this might be a good day…should not be in the mood more often.

Then I go to the color… using the standard colors I’ve used in all the family style drawings:

I added a half-tone filter in Photoshop to make it look more newspapery.  I’m still on a high… the color looks good. Piece is done. Pat my own back and schedule it to post later in the morning.

But I couldn’t stop looking at the line art. What if I added a Watterson-esque background? I already have the blank one saved. Why not.  And maybe add some other details.

I finished it. All the breath in my body got sucked out.  Wow.

This is the best thing I’ve ever drawn. If I draw nothing else, I have done something. Granted… in someone else’s style… but a style that was (and still is) so instrumental in what I do every single day. I hung out with my idol… all by myself.

Then I added color:

and… well, it’s as perfect as it’s going to get.  I’m still waiting for my breath to come back.

Moments like this are what we as creators live for. We go through reams of paper and tons of eraser shavings just to get to these few precious moments when everything… EVERYTHING clicks.

Yeah. I feel so good right now.  I know it’ll fade reasonably quick.  But the moment feels good.

Categories: art life process

History BOBS! – history begins with Bob

Starting on Monday, June 24, 2019, I will present HISTORY BOBS

HISTORY BOBS is a twist on the popular ROCK BOBS series of famous musicians and pop culture personalities I did from January to June of this year.

But now, instead of pop culture, I will attempt to recreate personalities of historical significance in Bob the Squirrel’s image. 100 people. Like ROCK BOBS, one new image will be posted every weekday morning.  Yes, it’s a TON of work… but the last series cemented my love of colored pencil work.  I want to get better with the medium… and the only way to do that is practice… and the only way to do THAT is to have a theme and a goal.

100 historical figures seems like cake, right?  It would be if I just randomly picked people. Not Frank. Nope.

One of the problems with ROCK BOBS was figuring out who to “bob-ify”.  I received plenty of suggestions from readers, and I apologize for not being able to fulfill them all. Sometimes determining the subject took longer than the actual drawing. So with HISTORY BOBS, I’ve already mapped out all 100 people. I made a list, that I only have to check once. I know who I’ll be drawing next Tuesday. All that heavy lifting is done.

SELF-IMPOSED GROUND RULES FOR CONTENT

  • 100 people. 50 male. 50 female. History is not one-sided, one gender.
  • All colors and races. History is not one color, one race.
  • No U.S. Presidents.  That would be too easy…but I have not ruled out a political figure or two. The point of this is to challenge myself.
  • Limit the number of actors/actresses… because picking 100 would ALSO be easy. If a person on the list is an actor, they’ve probably done something else as well.
  • These are people I consider significant. Some you know, some you may not. They may not be on your list… that’s why it’s my list.

PURCHASING ARTWORK

All images will be available for purchase. Instead of having to email me for a price, all pieces will be priced at $55.00 each. A Paypal button will appear under the image when posted to bobthesquirrel.com.

Categories: art history history bob