Joe Mills

Tadashi Ura

Image courtesy of Tadashi Ura

Here I am back on my negative space kick. Yes, that was the main reason I was drawn to the work of Tadashi Ura. I also liked the use of perspective in some of her work. It is very clean. It is very simple. It uses just enough color to drawn you in so the negative space becomes something that you notice after you have already examined all the activity in her work. Once again, great balance…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tomer Hanuka

Image courtesy of Tomer Hanuka

I think the thing that I love the most about the illustrations by Tomer Hanuka is how he takes a style that I like and packs in so much emotion. I really like hard-lined illustrations with a strong graphic quality. That kid of style, though, can look very cartoony, very fast. That’s one of the reasons I like it. Yet, I can’t help but like the way Hanuka twists that style on its head and makes it look like a painting. I’m always torn between focusing on completely illustrative work and trying something more artsy. I think Hanuka has achieved that balance.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

One Man’s Trash

I learned about Dan Phillips from the Today Show yesterday morning. These are the types of shows you watch on Thanksgiving morning. Anyway, I’m glad I caught it because it is pretty amazing what he does. He takes discarded building materials and creates these amazing homes for people with low incomes. He sometimes takes items that are not building materials and uses them in homes. For example, the home above has picture frames in the ceiling. He also used bones discarded by a butcher for door handles in one home. He is not professionally trained, but he has a good idea how to make a home look good. On the interview, he discussed the importance of making junk not look like, well, junk. He talked about the importance of pattern and repetition. It is simple, but you can tell he knows his stuff. I also liked how he was trying to prove that you can make a living off doing something that is good the environment and helps people. He even purposely hires unskilled workers. I really wish there were more Dan Phillips in the world. Read more about him here.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Chicago 2010 Posters are Now Available

The Chicago 2010 poster is now available! I got them in the mail last week and they look fantastic. Buy one here, and I will ship it to you!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Negative Space

Yes, I like The Simpsons, but that is not why I like this. This is a book cover I saw at Urban Outfitters for skateboarding, and I love how they use negative space to make this an effective illustration. It gives a great feeling of energy without doing a lot to knock you over the head with that feeling…if that makes sense.  I almost feel like it was one bad decision away from not looking good which I think is part of its charm. It has sparked an interest in me using negative space. I’ve always loved negative space, but it has to be used correctly. You can’t just stick a thing into a gigantic space and call it an effective use of negative space. It has something else that draws you in. I think a lot has to do with the placement of your point of emphasis and how you use the space around it. We will see…I’ve already got some ideas…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Making Some Changes

I’m trying a little different style with my web page in preparation for selling posters. I’ve created a posters page that has the “Coming Soon!” title looming on it. I hope to change that in the coming weeks.

I am also trying a slightly different theme. Instead of my paint to pixel splash page, I am changing to a consume vs. create theme. This has been an over-arching theme to my reasons for even bringing the arts back in my life, so I felt that it was important to make that the first thing people see when they look  at my portfolio. Hopefully, people understand that I am not denouncing consumerism. It is more of a celebration of my need to create vs. my need to consume. Is that a little deep for a portfolio?

I’ve also added a couple new t-shirt designs. The cube man and a quote for a baby t-shirt.

Yes…I’ve been busy.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Francesco Masci

Image courtesy of Francesco Masci

I ran across Francesco Masci recently, and his artwork is surreal and oddly funny. I did not see the artwork above, but it does represent his work. He had done these food totem poles for a grocery store window display. It is not the normal place for an exhibition, but I think it fits with his style. I tend to make my work a little more realistic, but sometimes I wish I could go this surrealistic place…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites