Things that are Great: Influential Artists

This time on 'Things that are Great' we visit five artists that continually influence and inspire me as a designer.

Good ol' Clive

"We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man."

- C. S. lewis, Mere Christianity

Fun with Gold Leaf

This is a little portrait of Amber. She's pretty special. Also, gold leaf is a bear to work with. I've wanted to experiment with the stuff since learning how the old masters used it. I even went through the trouble of using birch board and applying copious layers of gesso to (try to) conceal the woodgrain. I even applied a coat of bright cadmium red to produce as authentic a substrate as possible to simulate the traditional gold technique.

Applying the leaf was a dual practice in patience and not needing to breath. But most of my readers who are experts in reattaching sun-burned skin flakes to the tender shoulder with a slow-drying glue and brush-on sealer would have little trouble mastering the art.

The unframed piece is 17x30cm oil and gold leaf on board and resides upon my desk at work. Poor-quality image was produced with uncontrolled natural light and a Casio Exilim EX-Z200.

Another Iteration

Here's that same old swimmer in another outfit. This will be used for the cover of the Summer Issue of 'The Science Teacher.'

Summer Job

We've already wet our beach-loving feet with the summer issue of The Science Teacher.

Intellectuals, the ones who bathe in public, do so in only the modest of swim wear.

Latest Work

This is pretty much a shout out to Mr. Brooks and a hearty thank you for an awesome illustration class. So here's to lessons from great teachers that stick and skills newly sharpened.

Blog Move

A while ago I posted about a blog that I spend a great deal of time checking and rechecking daily. Dailey Crafton's professional blog about print design and all things awesome. You should know that The Graphic Style of Everyone Else, formerly of www.daileycrafton.com fame, will soon reside at www.daileycrafton.net.

I hope that you continue to read and contribute. Dailey also takes submissions of print design from the public at large. If you would like your print design work featured or if you know an artist/designer whose work deserves some public attention then email a sample of the work (or portfolio website, or what-have-you) to Dailey at dailey@daileyandmichelle.com.