Time for Another Post

Well, yeah, it's been about a year so it's time for another post. In my last post I asked, "What do you do with a degree in visual design when you are already over 50, impaired vision, and no experience?" I answered my question with, "Nothing, that's what!" I might have been a little too quick to answer. I guess I was just feeling frustrated. When I am in my better moods I have a different answer which is usually something like:

Having some knowledge about design helps me to understand art and, well, just about everything around me that is visual. It helps me understand how I see things. What can a person do with that? Lots! Understanding the elements of art and the principles of design gives me greater creative freedom to express myself and greater understanding of other people's creative expressions. So maybe I'm not making a lot of money but I'm having more fun. That should count for something. My life has more meaning and purpose and that is always a good thing. I have a solid foundation for learning more about making art and I do love making art.

So now that I have made my yearly post I can go back to making art and, who knows, maybe if I can find my way back here again I just might post some of my work. But right now I have to walk the dog.

See you next year!

I keep forgeting that I have this blog.

 But I still find my way back here every now and then. This is a pic of me back in 2008, I think. Just before I graduated, finally, from college. I was trying very hard to look happy here, but I was really very depressed. Can't tell, can you? You know what they say, practice makes perfect.

So, yeah, I have got this degree in Visual Design and I haven't done a thing with it. What does a person do with a degree in Visual Design when they are already over fifty, impaired vision and, no experience? Nothing, that's what!

Value

the artist can never hope to replicate the many tones,values, and colors of nature which are infinite. we must be content to represent nature with the meager means available to us. In the case of graphite pencil that means reducing nature's glory down to a finite number of tones. the darkest value you can make with the pencil to represent the darkest value you see in your subject and the white of the paper to represent the lightest value you see in your subject. Typically, ten values are considered, ten being the white of the paper and zero being the darkest tone you can make, but you can use any number of values you wish, say three for example.

the darkest tone is made by coloring a square with the softest pencil in your set and then using a harder lead to go over that. the harder lead will press the softer lead into the paper making it darker. be sure to keep your pencils sharp and don't press so hard that you flatten the texture of the paper.

A camera, although not essential, can be a handy tool for the aspiring artist or designer. A quick snapshot can serve as a note or reminder of an idea for a project. A good photograph, as an element of design in a print or web project, can establish the mood and tone as can an illustration. If you make art, you should take a picture of your work as soon as it is finished to keep a record of your work and progress.

With so many affordable point and click cameras available one would think that taking good pictures would be easy. Instead, taking a lot of bad pictures has become easier. A few simple guidelines will help improve the quality of your photos.

Lighting

• Natural lighting is the best. Filtered sunlight (clouds, and evening or morning light) is less harsh. Harsh, bright sunlight can wash out natural tones and leave dark shadows in all the wrong places.
• Keep the sun out of your pictures unless you are trying to capture ghostly orbs.

Background

• Eliminate distracting clutter.
• Watch out for things like lamp posts, telephone polls, trees or branches that seemingly come out of someone's head.
• If your subject is white or mostly white, don't use a white background. If the subject is black, don't use a black or dark background. If there is a lot of white in the picture, or a lot of dark, you can adjust the white balance. Also if you are shooting in artificial lighting.

File type

• Most digital cameras will let you choose the level of quality you want for your pictures. To print or crop and enlarge, you will want the highest setting (RAW or NEF). You can always downgrade the quality in a graphics editor, but you can not increase the quality.
• For the web or to view pics on your computer, JPEG will be fine. 

Motion

• If your subject is moving you can move the camera with the subject just like if you were duck hunting or shooting clay pigeons. This will help prevent motion blur but might require some practice.
• Conversely, if the subject is not moving but you jiggle the camera when the shutter is in operation, you will get a blurry picture. Hold the camera with both hands keeping your elbows close to your sides to steady your camera.

There are many photography websites and many more pointers on how to take good pictures. So what are you doing here? Maybe you just want to know who I am or maybe you want to see some of my pictures. So ==>here<== they are.

painting simplified

Max Beerbohm, when asked to define painting said, "Its the spreading of colors on something with the hair of an animal fastened to the end of a stick." That definition would include everything from house painting to putting on make-up. I expect he was trying to be funny. Then again, that's as good a definition as any. I mean, how would you define painting? Can it be defined? I just went to Wiki and their definition was basically the same.

"Art" is another word that is difficult or maybe impossible to define. I wonder why that is. Maybe it just too subjective to define. After all, one man's trash is another man's art. It's all a matter of personal taste. To each his or her own. Live and let live. And all that jazz.

It just seems strange to me that you can take a class on just about any subject and the first thing they do is define that subject, unless it's an art class. Well, if "art" is so difficult to define, then what is an artist? One who make art! LOL If art can be anything, then anyone can be an artist. Ahhhh! This is giving me a headache! I think I'll go spread some color on something with some animal hair tied on the end of a stick! Sounds simple enough. I think I can do that.