#I had to paint this scene in gouache immediately

[ghostbergara]

We could be us

[sorenflyinn]

IM BACKKKKK (i lost where my requests went 💔 send me new ones)

Tsuchigomori x GN!Reader

CW: mentions of blood

~~~

This..

As Tsuchigomori looked at the scene in front of him, it felt as if everything in his body froze, tears running down his face.

Is why I don’t have relationships with humans.

The face of his lover was pale, a stark difference from how they used to be. The blood that would rush to their cheeks from his teasing was now anywhere but their body. The car that had hit them drove off immediately, the driver not wanting to be responsible for the accident. Their eyes got more clouded as onlookers called for help, but he knew there was no way to get them back now. He had seen eyes like that many times before.

When emergency services arrived and he saw as they pronounced them dead, it was like someone covered his ears. The only thing he could hear were his ragged breaths and all he could feel was the strangling feeling around his neck as he held back his sobs.

Stumbling back into the school building and into his library, he finally let it all out. His sobs echoed throughout the bookshelves and he fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands.

The memories he made with them was all he had left.

The way they comforted him through his struggling moments, how they made him laugh, their own laugh. How, although a brief moment of shock, they still loved him after finding out about him being an apparition.

Pushing himself up, he looked up at a painting they made for him. He got up from his position on the floor and approached it slowly. It was a gorgeous gouache creation of lavenders, the purple standing out compared to the dull background, which they had intended. He remembers how their face was lit up when Y/N brought it to him, saying it was their best work yet and how they wanted him to have it.

That was a week before their untimely demise.

Knowing that they would no longer be there caused a nauseous feeling to fill him. He turned to his desk, his breath quickening before he started crying again, punching his desk over and over with the banging causing butterflies to erupt and flutter through the air.

~~~

Three Months Later

~~~

When Hanako, Nene, and Kou dragged him out of his library, he complained.

A lot.

He heard them talking about a new apparition they found, the hallway, and a supposedly haunted painting.

”And why are you bringing me with you?” He grumbled.

Hanako simply grinned and responded with his usual cheerful tone, “Because last time we found a new apparition we barely made it out, so we need adult supervision now according to Nene.”

“I am not about to become ghost chow!” She cried out, hands trembling at what this next one might contain.

“They’d go after you because of your daikon legs, not because you were there.”

The librarian watched as she slapped number 7’s arm, thinking back on how Y/N would tease him in a similar way before.

Kou, Nene, and Hanako bickered back and forth as they walked to their destination, Tsuchigomori taking out his pipe before pausing, putting it back in his coat’s inner pocket. Y/N hated whenever he used it, even after he tried to explain he was already dead and nothing bad would happen from him using it.

“Here we are!”

Looking up, they all looked at the huge painting on the wall that they hadn’t noticed before. It was as if it both existed and didn’t at the same time, only existing when the viewer wanted it to. The painting had dazzling shades of purple and magenta, the image of an arch drawing them in.

Reaching out to it, Hanako’s hand went through, the paint warbling around him as he walked through, lending his hand to Nene and pulling her through before she could protest. Kou and Tsuchigomori followed in, and as they did they heard something- no, some*one*, repeatedly hitting a wall which echoed through the huge empty white room. The only things that stood out were a multitude of paint buckets, beautifully painted landscapes - including the one they walked through - and a figure hunched over the bare floor.

When Tsuchigomori glanced around at the paintings, Hanako walked up to the figure, “You must be the new apparition we’ve been hearing about.” The apparition whipped their head up at his voice, “Although, you’ve been much calmer than most I’ve met.”

They looked at Hanako before their eyes trailed behind him and widening. Tears graced their eyes before speaking, “Is that you.. Ryuujirou?..”

His breath got caught in his chest after hearing their voice, his own eyes widening before turning to look. He gasped when he saw it was them.

Y/N.

They stood up, and as they walked they left behind a trail of different colors of paint. He walked closer to them too, and with just a few more steps to go, he used his other four arms to brace himself as they ran into his arms.

They held each other close as tears started streaming down their faces. Pulling back, Ryuujirou gently put his hand on Y/N’s cheek and caressed it with his thumb, staring lovingly into their eyes.

“I-” His voice came out strained, making him cringe a bit, “I’ve missed you.. so damn much.”

As they stared into each other’s eyes, they closed the gap between them with a soft kiss. Warmth filling them with a fuzzy feeling inside as they pulled away shortly after, resting their foreheads against each others as they simply held the other in their arms.

The students and the ghost watched on nearby, Nene whispering, “We should leave them be,” to which the boys nodded, walking to the portrait they came through before.

Ryuujirou and Y/N stood there holding each other, making up for lost time.

[lenarivo]

I did this one on location a couple of weeks ago in the port of O Grove (Spain). It was an early evening, 6pm or 7pm. When the sun starts going down the painting speed has to increase and the size of the painting decrease because the colors in the landscape start changing with every passing minute. When I finished this painting the colors in that scene had already become much warmer, so I immediately started another study that I had to paint at my maximum speed. Doing evening studies is always challenging but the beautiful evening colors make it worth trying 🙂 This is gouache on paper, 8x10 in. • If you have questions about my color palette or other materials that I use in painting with gouache please download my free 30-page pdf guide at the link in my profile. You can also download my 40-page e-book about my approach to plein air painting at www.lenarivo.com • My original paintings can be purchased at www.lenarivo.com/shop • Giclee prints of different sizes are available at www.lenarivo.com/prints • • • #gouache #gouachepainting #artwork #artist #art #contemporaryart #illustration #illustrator #artist #watercolor #watermedia #painter #pleinairpainting #painting #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #impressionism #instaart #fineart #artonpaper #dailypainter #watercolour #gouachepaint #gouacheartist #pleinair #allaprima #paintingdemo #landscapepainting https://www.instagram.com/p/CjF5qO8jCJz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[k00267000]

Studio Ghibli

Artist Research

as part of my artist research i decided to look at different studio Ghibli. This is an animation film studio situated in Koganei Tokyo. The founders of this studio are Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Tashio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. Movies by Studio Ghibli are some of the most well known movies, each one of them is hand drawn, the backgrounds often are gouache paintings. This gives each movie a very specific and beautiful style that makes them instantly recognizable. 

An element that is seen in nearly every Ghibli movie is food. It always holds some sort of importance in the scenes. Such as in Spirited Away, when Chihiro and her parents arrive in a mysterious town, the parents see massive amounts of irresistible food, immediately start eating it, which turns them into pigs. Or later on when No Face is given a long table of food, starts to eat it without ever feeling satisfied, and this led to the chase scene. Each of these scenes held great importance and had very terrifying effects for Chihiro. 

On the contrary, in Howl’s Moving Castle a very memorable scene for me, and opposite to the menacing scenes from Spirited Away, this scene is rather heart warming and comedic. Sophie tries to convince Calcifer to allow her to cook, but he’s rather stubborn and will not lower his head. Then Howl enters, and Calcifer immediately complies as Howl takes over the pan from Sophie. This scene is the first time Howl meets old Sophie in his castle, and even though she is a total stranger to him and Markly, he still invites her for the meal and without directly saying it, allows her to stay in the castle. Ghibli is known for extensive research and direct reference to the photos and videos from real life, using them in their movies. This makes all these scenes so tangible and the food looks amazingly delicious as it’s easy to image it in front of us. Food in anime is a pretty large sub-genre, and has many pages and social media accounts dedicated to just that, such as @ anime_food on instagram, which was created in 2017.Food is seen as something that ties people together, and creates a bonding moment. which is something i think i can reflect in my future work.

[female-malice]

yesterday i did this gouache study of a fancy horse and it was so good. i felt like “omg yes... color! i am Getting it, i’m making all the right color decisions” like honestly its one of the best gouache things i’ve ever done. but then today i did a gouache study of like an empty field with a glowing portal. and it was murder 😭i think my first problem was i didn’t trust my gut the way i did with that horse. Like, i do these exercises where i have black and white references, and then I pick a color at random and work around it. so when i did my horse, i picked pink, and my gut was like “pink? ok. pink ears, pink eye lids, pink nostrils.” I painted those in as soon as i had that thought. Then from there i knew a blue background and green details on the bridle would work well. 

but when i picked bright blue for my empty field portal thing, my immediate thought was “blue portal!” but then i second guessed it. I decided the sky is “supposed” to be blue, the atmosphere towards the horizon is “supposed” to be blue, so i wimped out and went for a blue scene with a red portal. and from that point forward i made all kinds of weird decisions (red light from the sun too?? red in the foreground because it’s ‘supposed’ to be warmer?? realizing this kills the effect of the red portal and desperately trying to cover the red sun with green light?? violet-grey for everything else because that’s the color i use when i’ve Given Up). I was basically chasing my tail the whole time. 

I’ve done a few pretty successful landscape gouache studies from black and white reference, and the colors really worked out. but this portal i did had zero impact. that sort of wishy-washy decision making produces wishy-washy images. 

another thing challenging about this portal reference is it’s very plain. The other landscapes i did had interesting trees, lightening, stuff like that. this was just an empty field and a small portal. So, all of the interest has to come from the value and color choices. The annoying thing is I had a great value plan!! But the color just was not what i wanted it to be. I wanted it to be like Paul Lehr! He could color the hell out of a simple scene like this. He could make it fascinating! And its not like he did crazy james gurney trapezoidal color gamuts. Most of Lehr’s stuff is simple complements and it looks amazing. 

Another thing i might think about re: emptiness, I lavished in the detail of that empty field lol. Like, i do like my value scheme, but maybe it would’ve been more effective if i simplified it and leaned into the emptiness. Pick a few critical points along the eyeline for those rough earth details, but leave the rest of the field completely empty, not even a suggestion of rough earth. I did accentuate textures along an interesting shape that i found in the reference, but i also had a bit of texture everywhere else, so the shape i liked wasn’t quite standing out as much is it could have. Like i found my favorite shape, pulled it out, then kept on looking for more and more different shapes to pull out lmao. It’s probably best to just pick one shape and go all in on that one. 

anyway i finished it but i was too annoyed with it, cuz i knew my initial idea, blue portal in a red environment? i knew that was cool. so i scanned it into photoshop and tried it out, and yeah it would’ve been cool that way. I tried a few other color schemes that i’ve been thinking of for another project. It turns out this empty field with a contrasting portal is a great base for testing out how different color schemes work. There’s nothing cool or intriguing for bad color choices to hide behind. 

TL;DR i need to trust my gut, and i need to challenge myself with more plain empty images. Like all those spooky empty parking lots i save off of tumblr. Or like those fucked up fields from unplaces.tumblr.com. there’s something special and liminal about big empty places, but it’s a real challenge to get that across in a study

[hamletandthegang]

Cheering Up Marc: Part 1, Annalise

(TW depressive episode + slight mentions of suicidal thoughts. Also blood mention)

On a bright Saturday morning, Annalise sat on the little couch in the living room, listening to music through headphones, and sketching on her notebook. She looked up and slid off her headphones when she noticed Marc walk into the room. They were at the apartment alone, because Rosencrantz was working, Ophelia and Hamlet were doing something together (they hadn’t said what, but Anna guessed it was a date), and Guildenstern was in classes all morning. 

“Hey Marc,” she said cheerfully, “How are you doing today?” 

He forced a smile onto his face and turned to her, “I’m doing okay, thanks.”

Anna frowned, seeing through his expression immediately. But she hesitated to say something, and watched him walk to the fridge and grab his leftover chinese takeout from the night before. 

He warmed it up, glancing at Annalise who quickly bent back over her notebook to hide her staring, and began to walk back to his room.

Anna spoke quickly, “I was planning on finishing up a painting for my class next week, would you maybe wanna join me?” She could tell he was still feeling low, how could he not, and hoped doing something with his hands would help take his mind off it all.

Marc hesitated, having already reached the door, and turned back to her with a slight smile. “Actually, I think I do. That sounds good.”

Anna beamed, “Great! I can set up my easel and stuff while you finish eating. I typically paint out on the porch.” She added, putting down her notebook and standing up. Marc nodded, and sat down on a chair to finish his noodles. 

Anna walked to the sliding glass door, and walked out to set up two canvases, one that already had a half-finished painting on it.

Marc watched her through the glass. She buzzed around, gingerly setting up the easels and getting the paint out. She had simply bloomed here in England, far away from her parents, father especially. She had gone through things herself many times before, but her unbreaking smile shined through the heaviest of storms. Marc envied her. She waved awkwardly when she noticed Marc watching her. He waved back.

Truthfully, he was going through one of the worst depressive episodes he’d been through yet. He didn’t feel like he could do anything, and was wrestling nightly with the pros and cons of just letting it all go and jumping. He hated to admit it to himself, it made him feel so helpless and hard to handle. He knew that his friends were worried about him, and wanted to help him by taking him to England with them. Things were simply harder than he could handle. And he hated the thought of asking for help. The littlest things reminded him of Ben.

He finished his food and threw out the small box. He walked out to where Annalise was sitting on a short stool with dried paint on it. There was a similar seat next to hers, and she smiled and motioned for him to sit. She turned on some light piano music and gave him a small container for him to hold the paint in while he worked. He had taken quite a few art classes in high school, and had enjoyed it a lot until it had become too expensive for his family. 

“Gouache?” He asked, studying the paint she was using as she dabbed the canvas.

“Mm-hm,” She nodded, and he put some different colors into the palette in his hand. 

“I always liked the stuff- acts like watercolors but paints like acrylics.”

“Yeah, I think they give you more freedom.” She smiled, happy to have someone to talk about this with. “What are you gonna do?”

Marc looked around at the view off the porch, which was on the third floor of the apartment building. He pointed at a group of shiny buildings surrounded by trees and foliage, “Maybe that? I like landscapes.”

“Oh yeah! That’ll look great!” Annalise smiled, and looked back at her canvas, humming along to the piano music. Marc took a deep breath, and picked up a brush. 

He began drawing what he saw, filling in details and such. Annalise glanced at him slightly and smiled to see him so focused on the picture. He caught her eye and smiled back. 

“So, what have you been up to?” She asked, trying to make small talk.

Marc shrugged, “Reading a lot, I guess. Taking naps. Catching up on some stuff.” He looked at the canvas intently, searching for something to say. He dropped his voice, and Anna looked at him.

“It’s okay to be struggling. Whatever is going on is not something to be embarrassed about. If you wanna talk about it, that’s okay. If you don’t, that’s okay too.”

Marc forced a grateful smile, “Thanks, I think I just wanna paint for a bit.”

“Okay,” Annalise smiled, and continued dabbing her brush on her canvas. Her painting was a somewhat abstract yet thought provoking picture of what looked like the inside of a public bathroom. There were ugly green stalls flooded with the uneven sickly light from the obviously busted light above. The sinks were sitting to the right, with soap spilling over the plastic porcelain.

“What are you drawing?” Marc asked, perplexed by her choice. It was beautifully done, though a bit off putting. 

“Well, it’s actually for a class I’m taking. They wanted to test our skills for the first week, to see what we could do. So they gave us all prompts, and mine,” She hesitated, thinking of how to say what it was. “Well, mine was the most-recent painful memory you have. Some were a bit more optimistic than others, and I think the teacher thought I was all smiles and wanted to stretch my skills.” She laughed a bit awkwardly. “Little did he know, right?”

Marc was still confused, “Wait so, what does it mean?”

Annalise’ eyes widened as she remembered, “Oh, that’s right, you weren’t there. Um, this is the bathroom from the… the hospital. After we got back with Horatio, I was helping Ophelia wash the blood out of her clothes and…” she hesitated, and took a breath, “Well, it’s just kinda hard to wash your friend’s blood out of something, that’s all.” Annalise stared at the canvas, as if reliving that whole long week. Marc stiffened. He hadn’t thought about just how hard it had been on his friends as well as himself. Anna looked up, “Sorry, kind of a mood killer, I know. It’s also why I’m painting it out here. I don’t really want Ophelia to see it. I know it’ll just take her back there, and even though it’s therapeutic for me it probably wouldn’t be for her. Anyways,” She said, trying to shift the conversation from this topic, “I think it’ll be a bit of a shock to the class when I present it,” she laughed. 

Marc laughed too, imagining her standing up and telling them what the circumstances were, “Oh my god, they’ll be so confused. You have to tell me how it goes when you do it.” 

“Oh for sure,” Annalise said. They continued to joke and talk. Laughing about all the shit they’d been through was oddly fun. Anna and Marc hadn’t spent a lot of one-on-one time with each other until the whole France thing, and Marc was now glad that he had someone like her in his life. She was so positive, and yet so blunt about what she was going through. He appreciated that.

“This is fun, thanks for suggesting it,” he said when the conversation lulled. He was a fair way through his painting, it being a smaller canvas and less detailed. The scene was a very good likeness to the view around them.

“Yeah, no problem. You can paint with me whenever, I like the company.” Annalise smiled. 

The wind blew through their hair lightly, keeping them cool as they sat above the world below and talked. 

[drawmusic78]

"speechless, shocked" That was what I was feeling when first hearing the news almost four weeks ago. I opened my @upcrate box on that day and read the in the bottle post that the featured artist of this box, @neimykanani, takes inspiration from nightmare stories and games. Thereupon this scene grew in my mind and the sketch was immediately put down on paper. However it took me weeks to finish my heaviest piece so far. In general I finish my paintings in one ore two sessions. However this time I had to take a lot of breaks to do some happy painting in between. I also struggled a bit with the new medium of #acrylicgouache and the symbolic details I wanted to put in. I certainly could work on this more, but I call it finished. . . . . . #upcrate30 #upcratebattle #uncrateupcrate #upcrate #artchallenge #challenge #germanart #germanartist #instaartist #instaart #artistsoninstagram #artshare #gouacheillustration #illustration #gouacheart #gouache #gouachepainting #turnergouache #share_drawings #share_paintings (hier: Potsdam, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbaSBsGMs9W/?utm_medium=tumblr

[howtobangyourmonster]

Boris, Part 1

Since people seem to like Boris and there have been requests for a story, here it is! A bit holiday-flavored and late, but I hope you like it anyway. It’s just a big pile of awkward adorkable fluff.

Part 2(nsfw)

There's this great coffee shop in my neighborhood. It's trendy and bit hipster-ish, really popular with the college crowd. I don't actually like coffee, but I brave the early morning pre-lecture rush because they make the most amazing London Fog in the city.

I like Thursdays the best because that's when their cutest barista has the morning shift. I extra don't mind getting up early for my morning cuppa on Thursdays. I'm not the only one with that opinion either, because I swear there's a good fifty per-cent more customers on Thursday mornings than the rest of the week.

This Thursday it was pouring buckets outside, and I was grateful to duck into the cafe and warm up a bit. I guess the rain was dissuading some of the regulars because the line was shorter than I'd expected. Boris, the cute barista, smiles as I approach the counter. I always wonder how he knows it's me, he doesn't have eyes(at least not that I can discern). Maybe it's scent? Oh, god, I hope not, sometimes I don't have time to shower before I come in...

“Hey, Boris!”

“Good morning! Pretty bad out there today, huh?”

“Ugh, yeah, it's like monsoon season or something.”

“Your usual?”

“Yep! Thanks.” I swipe my card and take my receipt. Sometimes I try flirty banter with him, but I'm so bad at it and I think he must cringe at my sad attempts. He's always very gracious about it and laughs at my terrible puns.

I thumb idly through my instagram while I wait. He says my name with a smile, and our fingers brush as he hands me my cup. It might sound depressing, but our brief interaction is kinda the highlight of my week. I glance down at my cup and see the little doodle of a smiling raincloud he's drawn there instead of writing my name. It's different each week. I don't keep them, I'm not that far-gone, but I do have a collection of snaps of all the doodles that I like to look through when I'm having a hard time.

I sip my London Fog in my depressing cubicle at my soul-crushing job as a glorified code monkey. The happy little rain cloud on the cup cheers me up enough that I manage to slog through the day. Maybe I'll draw him something, Christmas is coming up, I could make him a card. I'm certainly not doing much with my MFA in this hellhole.

When I get back to my apartment, I pull out my pencils and gouache supplies and start sketching.

It's almost Christmas. I haven't had as much time to work on Boris's card as I'd like. Dad's getting worse and I've been spending a lot of time helping Mom out taking care of him. I can tell we're getting close to the end, and so can she. Most of the time, she's barely keeping it together. I'm trying to be strong, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I cried myself to sleep more often than not.

The coffee shop is packed, people filling the sofas and chairs and booths, the snow outside painting the city white and making for a picture-perfect holiday scene. I get in line and check my email while I wait. When it's my turn, I put my phone away and look up, and immediately have to suppress the giggle threatening to spill out.

Boris is wearing a red santa hat with a little bell on the end, and it makes him look so cute that I nearly implode. The red of the hat brings out the pinker tones of his violet skin. He's got a holiday sweater on, too, completing the look. His shoulder spikes poke through the knit fabric.

“You're looking very festive today!”

“Yeah, 'tis the season, and all. Hey, I'm sorry, but I ran out of earl grey earlier, I sent Sasha out to get more, but...”

My heart half-sank. “Oh, that's okay, um, I can just have...”

“Actually,” he interrupted, “I've been wanting to try something, if you're up for it. You kinda inspired me.”

I'm a bit taken aback by that. I inspired him? I have to tell inner-teenage-me to calm down. “Uh, I'm game!”

“Great.” Boris grinned, showing off his tusks and sharp teeth. “I picked up this orange gingerbread chai at the import market this weekend, and it immediately made me think of you.”

He turned and busied himself with the tea, glancing over and smiling at me every so often. Truth be told, my heart was pounding and I felt like I was in tenth grade again and Jake LeSalle noticed me. Boris picks up his sharpie and scribbles on the side of the cup. He hands me the drink and I don't know if it's my mind playing tricks on me, or if his fingers linger a little longer against mine as I take it from him.

“Uh, wow, it smells great!” I take a sip. “Mmmm, oh, wow, that's really good. This definitely needs to go on the menu board.”

“Yeah?” his grin widens. “Ah, I'm so glad you like it!”

“Yeah, totally, I love yo-this, I love this, that you made, I love that you made this for me.” Oh, for fucking sake...

Boris half-smiles and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “Ha, yeah, you're welcome, I guess...well, have a good day!”

Oh god, he's embarrassed for me. That was so bad. I can never come back here. “Thanks,” I reply, “you too!”

Turning to hide my shame, I glance down at the coffee cup in my hand. Instead of the usual adorable doodle, it's a phone number. A phone number, and a little heart. Oh...

My face is on fire and I glance back up, but Boris is talking to the next customer and I can't catch his attention. Instead I push back through the morning crowd and toward the door. I need some air, even cold snowy air.

It takes me all week to work up the nerve to call him. And of course he doesn't answer and I get his voicemail instead. I panic and hang up. Then call back.

“Hey, sorry, it was me earlier, the hang-up message. Sorry. I already said that. Sorry I didn't call sooner, god I'm apologizing a lot. Um, I guess you're busy, so...call me back when you can? Okay, uh, bye.”

I hang up, groan, and bury my face in my hands lest the objects in my apartment witness my shame. I jump as my phone suddenly rings. “Hello?”

“Hey, hi, it's Boris.”

“Oh, uh, hi!”

“Hi.”

Awkward pause. Why isn't he saying anything? “So...”

“Uh,” I hear him clear his throat. “So, I was wondering if you'd maybe like go ice skating with me Saturday? At the Pavilion?”

“Yeah, yes, I'd love that!” Stop saying 'love' so much!

“Great! Want to meet me at the shop, say 7? We can walk together?”

“That sounds perfect.” I try to keep the elation in my voice in check. “I'll see you then.”

“See you then.” I can hear the smile in his voice, though.

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

I hang up, and sit for a moment, the blood rushing in my ears. I have a date. I have a date with Boris. I have a totally romantic ice skating date with Boris the hot barista. Not even my shit job can kill my buzz. I realize I still haven't finished his card, and pull out my paints. It's pretty simple, just a study of the coffee shop from the outside, in the snow, though a violet figure can be glimpsed through the window. I just hope he doesn't think it's childish, a homemade card.

Boris is waiting outside the shop for me when I walk up. He has two cups in his clawed hands, steam rising from them. He has a wool peacoat on over his usual sweater and jeans, though this one seems to have been made for him. His shoulder spikes don't poke through. Boris hands me one of the cups.

“I know you don't like coffee, but how about hot chocolate?” He smiles at me over the thick scarf wrapped around his neck.

“I love hot chocolate! Thank you.” I smile back at him as I take the cup. “Shall we?”

We start slowly strolling along the sidewalk, the crunch of snow under our feet. The trees that line the street are decked out in string lights and everything feels magical. I love this time of year.

“I've been wanting to ask you out for a long time, you know.” Boris is looking straight ahead, but he has a little smirk on his face.

“Yeah? What stopped you?” I have to admit, I am curious.

“To be honest, I wasn't sure if you were into me or not. I mean, we flirt and I draw pictures on your cup, but I couldn't tell if we were just friendly flirting or flirting flirting, you know?”

“Wait, don't you draw pictures on everyone's cups? I just thought that was something you did?”

“No,” Boris looks down at me, his expression warm and affectionate. “Just for you.”

He reaches over and takes my hand in his, long claws resting lightly against the back of my hand. I swallow, thickly.

“Oh.” is all I can manage.

We walk in silence for a ways after that, my hand in his. His skin isn't rough, but it is firmer than mine, and surprisingly warm. The Pavilion comes into view ahead of us, lights and festive garlands all over it, the sound of the carousel music wafting out at us.

Inside, there is a modest ice rink next to the antique wooden carousel. I haven't been ice skating since I was a kid, and I tell him so.

“Neither have I, actually. It's okay, we can support each other.”

Boris and I pick up our skates from the counter and lace in. He's already steadier on his feet than I am, but we're both pretty slow and careful as we step onto the ice. We sort of shuffle along slowly, me clinging to his side like a barnacle. It's pretty nice, almost like cuddling.

After about an hour of clinging to each other and falling down, repeatedly, we decide our egos and knees are bruised enough. We grab some food at one of the food trucks outside the Pavilion and settle onto one of the benches near the carousel.

We chat over steaming bowls of rice and bulgogi and I learn he has an older sister and a younger brother, but both his parents have passed. I talk a bit about my dad, but I don't go into details, too heavy for a first date. Boris is a really good listener. We discover we share a love of terrible horror movies.

“Yeah, my great-uncle actually played the monster in that one.”

“You're kidding!” I gasp. “You're related to Chneya Szim?! I looooove 'Horror From The Deep'!”

“Ha, he'd have loved to hear that, he was such a ham. That whole side of my family was big in the industry back in the '50s.” Boris grins, fork in hand. I'm always amazed at how expressive his face is, even without eyebrows or eyes. The folds on the upper half of his face are much more flexible and pliant than they seem at first glance.

“How'd your family get involved in that?”

“Well, my great-great-grandparents were first-generation extradimensionals, back when the tears were uncontrolled, they just kinda fell through. My great-great-grandpa was working construction on a backlot when some character actor quit and they needed someone fast. The director saw him, and let's be honest, we're waaaay scarier than the foam and rubber suits you humans were wearing back then in the movies.” Boris looks a little sad. “He didn't really like playing monsters in movies, I guess back in our dimension he was some kind of professor, but work was hard to find and he had kids by that point, you know?”

“I'm sorry.” I have a sharp stab of guilt about my earlier enthusiasm for basically ex-ploitation flicks.

“Hey, it was the '50s, right? Anyway, it kind of became a family business, and my great-uncle really took to it well. Thus spawning the 'Horrors' franchise.” He grimaces. “The whole disco-phase in the '70s embarrassed the hell out him, though.”

“What disco-phase? Everyone knows 'Return to the Deep' was the last 'Horrors' film.” I reply, gamely.

“Oh, of course! I'm mistaken.” he laughs. “What about you? Other than your latte order and your penchant for horror movies, I don't actually know a whole lot about you.”

“Uh, what do you want to know?”

“Everything.” His face is so open and earnest. I swallow my discomfort.

“Well, I got my MFA at XSU a few years ago, and I do web design for some local corporations, I work mainly at an office share downtown, but I do some stuff from home. It's kind of soul-killing, to be honest. When I graduated, I thought I was gonna take over the world, you know, and instead I'm grinding away at a 9-to-5 in a cubicle, well, more like 7-to-6.”

“You don't do any of your own stuff anymore?” Boris asks.

“I do a little, when I have time, but between work and helping out at home, I mean at my folks' place, there's not a lot of energy left over for my own art. I do miss it though, creating something just for the joy of it.” I dig around in my purse. “Actually, the last thing I made of my own is for you.”

I hand him the card in it's red envelope. He turns it over slowly, examining it in some way I can't understand. “This is for me?”

“Yeah, I hope you like it.” I bite my lip, very nervous.

Boris slices the envelope open with one claw and pulls out the card. On the front is my watercolor of the coffee shop. After a moment, he opens the card and appears to be reading, his brows coming together. I had tried to keep my message simple and not too romantic, in case the date went badly.

“This is...beautiful. Thank you.” he looks back up at me. “You painted this?”

“Yeah, it was nice to flex my watercolor muscles. I'm glad you like it.”

“It's really good. Why don't you show your work in galleries? There's that art walk every first Friday of the month, we always hang up local artists' work in the shop.”

“The gallery scene in this city is ridiculously hard to break into, unless you know someone or you get 'discovered' I guess.”

“You should let me hang some of your work up in the shop, there's a gallery guy who comes in all the time. I'm sure he'd love your stuff.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “That's really sweet, but I don't want to get you in trouble with your boss...”

“I am the boss.” Boris states, flatly.

I blink. “What?”

“I own the shop. It's mine. I live in the apartment above it.”

“Oh, I didn't, I feel silly for assuming you just worked there, now.” I reply. I guess I never thought about how old he was, extradimensionals don't really visibly age, I assumed he was close to my own age and just working in the coffee shop. “How old are you? Just, I realized I don't actually know, and-”

“And you suddenly worry you're out with a 50-year-old guy?” he jokes.

“Not that that's bad, or anything!” I try to recover, in case he really is 50.

“I'm 32.” he responds. Oh, well then.

“And you own your own business, nice.”

“Don't be too impressed, I inherited it from my folks. Tycha, my sister, wasn't interested in running the shop, and Zloan went into film like Dad's side of the family. Except he's directing instead of acting. So it's me.”

“Do you like running the shop?” I ask.

“I do. I really do. I love the sense of community. I grew up here, you know, and while I've traveled my fair share, I always knew I was going to come back here to stay.”

“Well, I'm glad for that, you make the best London Fog in the city.”

“Ha, so I've been told.”

Our walk back to the shop is easy and slow, our conversation drifting back to horror movies, then to horror novels, books in general, the writing-a-novel-at-the-coffee-shop trope, and some amusing stories about his regulars. He walks me the extra distance to my place, after asking if it's okay. Apparently he had me meet him at the coffee shop in case I didn't want him to know where I lived, in case the date went poorly. Turns out we're both pragmatic realists. Or pessimists. Whichever. I do not mind him knowing where I live.

“I had a really great time tonight, thanks for inviting me out.” I say as we pause at my door.

“I had a really great time, too. I'm really glad you called.” he smiles down at me, hands in his coat pockets, as he leans against the wall. “Eventually.”

He's teasing me. I deserve it.

“Yeah, well, I had to work up the nerve, you're intimidatingly handsome.” I toss back.

He ducks his head down and chuckles. “Well, I'm glad you think so. Can I see you again?”

“Yes, absolutely. If you want, we can stay in and watch terrible horror movies, order some delivery?”

He straightens up and gives me a satisfied half-smile. “It's a date. Can I kiss you goodnight?”

“Absolutely.”

We both lean in to the kiss, his hand brushing my cheek as I stretch up on my tiptoes because he's just so damn tall. After a few moments I feel his tongue brush against my mouth and I part my lips slightly. Boris deepens the kiss, his tusks ghosting over my skin. I sigh into his mouth as we part.

“That was a hell of a first kiss.” he remarks, sounding a little breathless.

“I have high hopes for the second one, too.” I can't hide my smile as I open my door. “Goodnight, Boris. See you Thursday.”

“Goodnight.”

[hancollinsart]

Plein Airpril - Day 3/30 Day three was by far the windiest and my paint started drying almost immediately after I put it on my palette, so I had to use a spray bottle every few minutes to keep it usable. Even so, it was difficult to get the right consistency and coverage. I wasn’t satisfied with my first painting so I re-painted the scene with a few embellishments once I got back home and was much happier with the second attempt. The first image is the one I painted from home. The remaining photos (swipe left to see) are from my original attempt outdoors. This post is for #PleinAirpril, organized by @warriorpainters and sponsored by @blickartmaterials @procreate @strada.easel @huiontablet @winsorandnewton @heavypaintapp @cottonwoodartsbook @schoolismlive @gallerynucleus #CreatewithBlick #stradaeasel #WinsorandNewton #WNOil #cottonwoodarts #NoPleinNoGain #GlimpseofNature . #gouache #gouachepainting #landscape #landscapepainting #art #artwork #nature #clearylake #mnpainter #mnparks #paynesgreyclub (at Cleary Lake Regional Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNNnSrZBrJv/?igshid=1dujv7d8c9ojt

[caveartfair]

The Dealer Using Instagram as an Auction House

Courtesy of See you Next Thursday.

In the popular imagination, art auctions typically involve a room packed with people—nattily dressed and presumably rich—raising numbered paddles while a motor-mouthed auctioneer pushes prices into the stratosphere. While scenes like this certainly play out at major auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s, a growing number of platforms are attempting to democratize the art auction experience. One of the newest is the cheekily named See You Next Thursday (SYNT), an Instagram-based initiative that makes collecting art as simple as commenting on an image.

“It’s the number-one social-media platform everyone is using—dealers, artists, curators,” said Calli Moore, the artist and independent curator who founded SYNT in 2018. “We’re all using this platform to share and connect in the art world, so it made perfect sense to also use it to sell work.”

The concept is simple: Every Thursday evening, at least one artwork launches on the account, having been teased in advance via preview images and Instagram stories; bidding kicks off at $85, and unfolds in the comment thread over the course of the following week.

View this post on Instagram

BIDDING IS CLOSED BIDDING STARTS AT $85 BID IN COMMENT SECTION! Moody Rose Christopher "Can't sit still life (well aren't you clever *cough dick *cough)" Acrylic and glitter on canvas 12 x 16 inches 2018 @moodyrosechristopher

A post shared by Calli Moore, Girl Boss (@seeyounexthursday) on Oct 25, 2018 at 5:00pm PDT

One impetus for SYNT, Moore said, was hearing from artist peers who were slightly fed up with being “hustled on price” during studio visits with prospective collectors. “The selling process can be very delicate, and I feel like artists shouldn’t have to take it on by themselves,” she explained. “It can be uncomfortable. For me, I’m kind of all business, and I work in the art world. I know how these conversations should go.” (In addition to being a working artist, Moore has a day job as the inventory manager at Lehmann Maupin in New York.)

See You Next Thursday streamlines the art-buying process and cuts out its intimidating gatekeepers. Moore said she was inspired by similarly populist initiatives like Got It For Cheap, which sells original works for a mere $30; SYNT also has something in common with Drawer (formerly Flat File), which offers works on paper at manageable price points. But the immediacy of Instagram adds an interesting wrinkle, since bidding is temptingly easy; tellingly, the platform is in the midst of exploring its own potential as an e-commerce site.

“We live in a generation of ‘I want it now’—no one is patient these days,” Moore said. The $85 entry point for bidding also makes for a sticky, addictive user experience. “I think they see that number, and it’s not $100, [so] they jump a lot higher—from $85 to $200 or $250, immediately. If it started at $100, I think bidding would be a little bit slower. It’s this weird psychological thing: ‘It’s only $85! I’m going to put down $200.’”

So who exactly is selling—and buying—on See You Next Thursday? The programming is “very geared toward artists who have a very large outreach, but are not represented” by a brick-and-mortar gallery, Moore said. That includes rising talents like Lauren Whearty, Sophie Larrimore, and Sarah Slappey. Unsurprisingly (given the need to capture Instagram eyeballs), colorful, figurative paintings feature prominently, offset by the occasional photograph or sculpture. Bidding may begin at $85, but it quickly escalates, though many pieces have sold at modest price points. An oil-on-paper still life by Paul Gagner went for $210 in February 2018; a tiny scene of two figures in the ocean by Nicholas Cueva went for $335 last July. The highest price thus far has been $1,700 for a haunting watercolor-on-paper by Kim Dorland. (Artists receive 70 percent of the sale price, with SYNT taking a 30-percent commission; winning bidders pay shipping costs.)

Portrait of Calli Moore. Courtesy of See you Next Thursday.

“Better to have the work in the hands of a collector than sitting on a shelf in my studio,” said Andrew Prayzner, whose 8-by-10 inch Ed Ruscha–esque painting—a sunset overlaid with the word “ethos”—went for $300. “Having a third party facilitate that makes it much easier to do than directly contacting prospective buyers,” he continued.

Sculptor and painter Shona McAndrew had participated in an auction prior to See You Next Thursday, but found the experience “quite anonymous,” whereas SYNT “felt personal and much more intimate.” One of her works, an acrylic-and-gouache-on-paper depiction of a woman shaving her legs, went for $400, while a 10-square-inch acrylic-on-panel painting achieved $500 (with another prospective bidder jumping in via the comments—too late—with a counter offer of $700).

“I felt quite pleased with my prices,” McAndrew said. “Two wonderful women walked away with my paintings, which is exactly what I want for my work. Both reached out to me, which has led to new, great relationships, and I walked away with just as much money as if I had sold them through a gallery.”

The experience has not been a home run for every artist. “I would have liked a slightly higher price—I believe I would have been able to get more if I sold it out of my studio,” said Sophie Larrimore, whose acrylic-and-Roll-a-Tex painting of an abstracted poodle sold for $630. “But I was glad to be with several other artists being offered at the same time, and it was worth the lower final price.”

View this post on Instagram

BIDDING IS LIVE! BIDDING STARTS AT $85 BID IN COMMENT SECTION! Anna Valdez “Shell With Tropical Print” Oil on Canvas 10 x 10 inches 2018 @missannavaldez

A post shared by Calli Moore, Girl Boss (@seeyounexthursday) on Aug 9, 2018 at 4:59pm PDT

Other past participants noted that the prices their pieces achieved weren’t the only consideration. While painter Sarah Slappey said she was content with what her works earned—such as $390 for an oil-on-paper rendering of distended fingers poking through a window pane—“the exposure was probably more valuable,” she said.

Moore put me in touch with a few of SYNT’s recent successful bidders, including Jackie Goldstein, senior director of commerce at Vox Media, who said she’s been collecting art for around seven years via traditional channels. Her introduction to See You Next Thursday came through the artist Dan Schein, whose oil-on-paper painting of a skull with a halo she snagged for $275. Lexi Bishop, a New York–based specialist in Christie’s post-war and contemporary art department, was the winning bidder for the aforementioned work by Slappey.

“It is absolutely, wholly addicting,” Bishop said of SYNT’s format. “Bidding in the comments section on Instagram is so entertaining—it is transparent and collegial, everyone is cheering you on. My colleague and I are almost always bidding against each other.…To have an auction on this platform feels less institutional, less corporate, and more democratic, fresh, and just an overall new experience. There is no buyer’s premium, no hidden costs; you don’t have to create an account or forfeit your private information.”

Indeed, for all its flouting of convention, one of the things See You Next Thursday replicates surprisingly well is the camaraderie and competition of outbidding fellow art-lovers in a semi-public forum. Nevertheless, Moore is also interested in bringing her virtual community of artists and collectors together in the real world. This May, she’s opening a group show in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn; while the works will hang in a physical gallery space, bidding will still take place on Instagram. She’s also launching a partnership with Artsy’s online sales platform around the same time; See You Next Thursday will soon be staging online exhibitions on the site. But overall, Moore is excited to stay on the path she has helped pioneer.

“I want to keep it very simple,” she said. “This model works.”

from Artsy News

[stevensalerno]

"Gadgets, Gizmos and Guitars -The Story of Leo Fender" -my 31st illustrated picture book...

MY LATEST PICTURE BOOK

This post briefly describes the various stages involved in creating all the sketches & illustrations for my 31st illustrated picture book, Gadgets, Gizmos and Guitars -The Story of Leo Fender, written by Michael Mahin. It is slated for release in Spring 2021 by publisher Christy Ottaviano (Henry Holt & Co,/Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of MacMillan Publishing).

THE PICTURE BOOK PROJECT

Back in July of 2019 publisher Christy Ottaviano (Henry Holt & Co,/Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of MacMillan Publishing) offered me another wonderful picture book project -to illustrate their upcoming title, Gadgets, Gizmos and Guitars –The Story of Leo Fender, author Michael Mahin’s jaunty, insightful story of Californian Leo Fender (born in 1909), who as a kid on his parents produce farm was fascinated with all sorts of gadgets and machines. As a teenager Leo immersed himself in studying electronics –initially radios, and then as an adult in the 1930’s during the Great Depression he opened his own electronics repair shop -which included installing sound systems, and repairing electric amplifiers and electric lap steel guitars. Through trial and error Fender eventually began experimenting with designing his own electric lap slide guitars and amplifiers… and also began developing his own prototypes of slim, solid body electric guitars. By the early 1950’s his unique innovative guitar designs were well on their way to becoming the most successful mass-produced electric guitars in history, intrinsically linked to the emergence of the budding new American music genre, Rock n Roll. Musicians around the world all know the iconic names of FENDER guitars: Telecaster and Stratocaster. The story & illustrations follow Leo from a 6 year old kid, all the way through his creative design career and into old age, with Leo always still thinking and tinkering -exploring new ways to improve upon his famed guitar designs.

(note: Gadgets, Gizmos and Guitars -The Story of Leo Fender is my 31st illustrated picture book, and my 3rd nonfiction picture book for publisher Christy Ottaviano. My previous other two nonfiction picture books for Henry Holt & Co,/Christy Ottaviano Books are:

The Fantastic Ferris Wheel -The Story of Inventor George Ferris (2015) written by Betsy Harvey Kraft & illustrated by Steven Salerno. (Henry Holt & Co,/Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of MacMillan Publishing) see the illustrations

PASS GO And Collect $200 -The Real Story of How MONOPOLY Was Invented (2018) written by Tanya Lee Stone & illustrated by Steven Salerno. (Henry Holt & Co,/Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of MacMillan Publishing) see the illustrations still

MY ROUGH THUMBNAILS & SMALL PRELIMINARY ROUGH SKETCHES

Once the publisher’s offered contract terms are negotiated and it is officially signed, I then commence with creating my very rough thumbnail sketches some drawn directly onto the text manuscript as a read it over and over again. They are followed by rough, small preliminary sketches (about 3”x5”). And as with all the other nonfiction picture books I’ve illustrated I’m also sorting through thousands of potential period photos to choose perhaps one hundred photos I’ll end up actually using as specific photo reference that helps me correctly reflect the time period described in the story -which starts in 1915 when Leo was only six years old, and goes up through to the mid-1950’s when Leo first released the design of his iconic FENDER Stratocaster guitar…

These initial stages of early rough sketches are for my-eyes-only and are not shown to the editor and art director. It is only after I have developed a stage of intermediary larger sketches to the point of confidently knowing my intentions with the images that I then complete my full-sized final sketches which are then formally presented to the publisher for their review and valuable feedback.

Below, are samples of some of the initial rough thumbnail sketches & rough preliminary sketches…

LARGER, MORE REFINED SKETCHES

After I spent 2 to 3 weeks exploring image possibilities via these many tiny thumbnail sketches and many small rough sketches I’ve slowly formulated a concrete plan for all the final illustrations. I then feel confident enough to start a series of next level larger, more detailed sketches which are about 5.5” x 8.5” in size…. and essentially are a storyboard of how the entire picture book will look, including the approximate blocking of where the text will be positioned relative to the art images.

Below, are some of these next level larger, more detailed sketches…

FINAL SKETCHES FOR PRESENTATION TO THE PUBLISHER

After I’ve completed all the larger sketches (seen above) which confirm exactly what my image intentions are for the final illustrations… next, I enlarge them in Photoshop to the actual full size that the illustrations will appear in the printed book and refine them even further to create my FINAL illustrations to officially present to the editor and art director.

The publisher (consisting of the editor, art director and designer) will carefully review all my final sketches and offer me their expert comments and suggestions -which are invaluable and can help me in refining some of my image concepts & scenes to make the final illustrations the very best they can be.

Below, are some of these FINAL sketches…

These final stage sketches are created with pencil and crayon, then scanned into Photoshop -where they are further modified and refined as well as adding digital color sparingly to indicate some possible color direction. In this final sketch stage I usually do not lock myself into indicating specific colors -which allows me more flexibility when creating the actual final illustrations..

PROCESS OF CREATING THE FINAL ILLUSTRATIONS

To create a final illustration for this picture book I first draw the main characters and objects with a dark sepia crayon on paper (using my final sketch as my guide). I also paint various background textures with gouache on paper -then scan all these various elements into a hierarchy of layers within Photoshop where I compose the final illustration and also paint color digitally. Typically one of the final illustrations created this way in Photoshop is comprised of about 25 independent layers. Of course all these layers which build each final illustration are then flattened before I provide the final digital file to the publisher.

Below, are views of some of these DARK SEPIA CRAYON DRAWINGS which are at the core of the completed final illustrations…

THE COMPLETED FINAL ILLUSTRATIONS

To create a final illustration for this picture book I first draw the main characters and objects with a dark sepia crayon on paper, using my final sketch as my guide. I also paint various background textures with gouache on paper -then scan all these various elements into a hierarchy of layers within Photoshop where I compose the final illustration and also paint color digitally. Typically one of the final illustrations created this way in Photoshop is comprised of about 25 independent layers. Of course all these layers which build each final illustration are then flattened before I provide the final digital file to the publisher.

Below, are cropped detail views of some of the completed FINAL illustrations created in Photoshop.

PROJECT TIMELINE

So from August 2019 through November 2019 I worked exclusively on creating all the necessary SKETCHES for Gadgets, Gizmos, and Guitars, making my official presentation to editor Christy Ottaviano and art director Patrick Collins at the end of November 2019.

Once all the sketches were fully approved in December 2019 I then immediately began work on creating all the final illustrations, based on the approved sketches. So, from December 2019 through March 2020 I was working diligently every day on the final illustrations for Gadgets, Gizmos, and Guitars. And by the third week of March 2020 I had completed about 80% of the final illustrations…right on track with my deadline schedule. However, unfortunately I then suddenly contracted the Covid-19 virus -which stopped me from working. In fact it stopped me from doing ANYTHING for about 60 days! In brief it was hell… I got pneumonia and I literally could not do anything for about two full months and then began to slowly feel better. To put it in perspective I was very unlucky to have contracted the virus, but then I was VERY lucky being able to fight off the virus and recover at home and did not have to be hospitalized! So, by the end of May I could begin working again, slowly at first in short work sessions, then longer and longer sessions as the days went on.

By early June I had finally completed all the inside of book final illustrations, and submitted them to the publisher. Whew! Now I just had to create the final art for the front cover and the endpapers, which traditionally I always do not address until I have first completed all the inside of book illustrations.

A PEEK AT THE PROCESS OF CREATING A FINAL ILLUSTRATION IN PHOTOSHOP

As I have described earlier in this post, to create a final illustration for this picture book I first draw the main characters and objects with a dark sepia crayon on paper, using my final sketch as my guide. I also paint various background textures with gouache on paper -then scan all these various elements into a hierarchy of layers within Photoshop where I compose the final illustration and also paint color digitally. Typically one of the final illustrations created this way in Photoshop is comprised of about 25 independent layers.

Below is a step-by-step look at one of the final illustrations. This illustration actually had 24 Photoshop layers… but for purposes of brevity for this step-by-step view I condensed things to appear as if the final illustration was created in Photoshop with just 6 layers… however, this condensed peek will still give you a basic concept of how the illustration was constructed. This particular illustration depicts a scene where young Leo is working on his parent’s produce farm when one day he slipped off the back of a truck bed and hit his eye on a fence post… and the accident caused him to lose his eye! Poor Leo!

Again, the step-by-step view seen below has been condensed from the actual 24 layers in Photoshop down to just 6 layers, in order to very briefly show the basic method in which the illustrations are constructed:

The above illustration actually had 24 Photoshop layers… but for purposes of brevity for this step-by-step view I condensed things to appear as if it was created with just 6 layers… however, this condensed peek will still give you a basic understanding of how the illustration was constructed.

This particular illustration above depicts a scene where young Leo is working on his parent’s produce farm when one day he slipped off the back of a truck bed and hit his eye on a fence post… and the accident caused him to lose his eye! Poor Leo!

FRONT COVER & ENDPAPERS ART

With every one of the 31 picture books I have illustrated thus far, I always fully complete the inside of book illustrations first. Usually though, at some point during the process of creating the inside of book illustrations I do also submit a flurry of tentative cover sketches, because the publisher’s marketing department needs to begin to see the possible cover concepts beforehand, so they can begin their marketing strategies for the picture book.

So, by the time I have completed all the inside of book final illustrations the publisher has also sharpened their thoughts on the various cover sketches I had already submitted -and chosen one of them as their preferred approach for the cover art.

Below is a look at the final cover sketch, and my subsequent completed final cover illustration…

The very last piece of original art I needed to create for this Gadgets, Gizmos and Guitars picture book project was the endpapers art… Note: Not all picture books have endpapers art, so it is a special feature when they do.

If you want to view other endpapers art I created for some of my previous picture books, click here. Below is a the final endpaper art…

Now that I have successfully completed all the work for the Gadgets, Gizmos and Guitars picture book project…. there is no time to relax, as I am now fully engaged in the sketches for my next picture book project:

The Secret Code Inside You -written by Rajani LaRocca, a non-fiction picture book title for publisher Little Bee Books, scheduled for release in Fall 2021. A whimsical, fun and informative introduction for young readers on how your DNA and genes make you uniquely into you!

To view my many other fiction and nonfiction picture books, as well as my illustration work for advertising and magazines, etc… visit stevensalerno.com

[chocolateheal]

Seven Various Ways To Do Artists Similar To Jackson Pollock | artists similar to jackson pollock

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The adventure sounds like article out of a blur noir brought to life.

Abstract Expressionism – The Art History Archive – artists similar to jackson pollock | artists similar to jackson pollock

It has every aspect of a acceptable mystery: a socialite who spent her canicule assortment with New York’s best and brightest, a absent painting begin years afterwards in an abrupt place, and — conceivably best conspicuously — a abeyant $15 actor amount tag.

So aback a attenuate Jackson Pollock painting was begin in an Arizona garage, addition out its origins wasn’t aloof about allegory besom strokes. Like any acceptable mystery, apprehension the painting’s history took tracking bottomward the bodies abaft it.

‘God, that looks like a Jackson Pollock’

The abstruseness began with a active L.A. Lakers poster.

When a Scottsdale, Arizona, man was headed to a retirement home, a acquaintance allowance with the move begin the collectible in the barn and appropriate contacting an abettor to adjudge it.

Josh Levine, buyer of the bargain abode who was alleged to attending at the poster, estimated the active Lakers memorabilia would be account about $300. But aback they went to the man’s garage, what they begin could be 50,000 times added valuable.

A accumulating of several avant-garde paintings were amid the man’s accouterments — one of which featured an amalgamation of splatters and swirls agnate to Pollock’s abreast style.

Artists of the Zodiac | Betina Bethlem – artists similar to jackson pollock | artists similar to jackson pollock

“As we’re activity through the assemblage and we’re bottomward to this aftermost allotment … I was like, ‘God, that looks like a Jackson Pollock,” Levine told CNN.

The paintings seemed out of place. In a arena area best homes are abounding with acceptable southwest art, the aberrant shapes and abstruse capacity were “really weird,” Levine said.

Levine brought the artwork aback to his office, area it sat for three months. He struggled to acquisition the articulation amid a man from Nebraska and his little accumulating of avant-garde New York art.

The socialite connection

When Levine contacted the owner’s attorney, he bridged the gap amid the Arizona barn and New York’s avant-garde art scene: a half-sister, Jenifer Gordon Cosgriff.

Gordon Cosgriff, a New York socialite, was advised the “black sheep” of the family, Levine said. While the blow of the ancestors ashore to the Midwest, Gordon Cosgriff spent her time abrading amateur in the 1950s with aristocratic associates of the art association on the east coast. She ran in the aforementioned amusing circles as notable art analyzer Clement Greenberg, avant-garde artisan Hazel Guggenheim McKinley … and Jackson Pollock.

Learning about Gordon Cosgriff’s history and relationships was a axis point in Levine’s research. The allotment that had aboriginal seemed evocative of Pollock’s assignment now had a believable affiliation to the artisan himself.

Painting found in garage could be work of legendary artist – CBS … – artists similar to jackson pollock | artists similar to jackson pollock

When Gordon Cosgriff died in the ’90s, her brother arranged up her accouterments — including her art accumulating — and put them in his garage, area they would abide until January 2016.

The cher authentication

But it would booty added to prove the painting’s origins than a claimed affiliation amid Gordon Cosgriff and Pollock.

For about 18 months afterwards apprehension the painting, Levine spent tens of bags of dollars aggravating to accredit the piece.

He fell bottomward a aerial aperture of analysis into Gordon Cosgriff’s life, poring over her belletrist and hiring a clandestine investigator to help. His ultimate goal: to clue Gordon Cosgriff’s area bottomward to a Pollock assuming area she analytic could accept acquired the painting in question.

Once he accepted her appearance at his showings, Levine brought forensics experts into the mix to assay the painting itself.

“All I was absorbed in was, was it accomplished afore Jackson Pollock was dead, afore 1956?” Levine said.

The Masculinity And Art Of Jackson Pollock – Return Of Kings – artists similar to jackson pollock | artists similar to jackson pollock

After analytical the affectionate of acrylic used, the forensics address accepted what Levine had hoped: The painting was acceptable one of Pollock’s missing gouaches, a specific appearance of painting application baptize and a bounden agent, from about 1945 to 1949.

“I absolutely acquainted weightless,” Levine said. “I was absolutely affectionate of afraid I was accepting a agitation advance or something.”

Restoration for a new home

The painting is heavily damaged and needs to be restored, Levine said. The darker, cream-colored swirls throughout the canvas would accept originally been a brighter white.

Levine said the accident comes from the artwork spending years in a abode with abundant smokers, which was not abnormal for the mid-20th aeon aback it would accept resided in Gordon Cosgriff’s home.

Restoration, a action that involves charwoman the painting by duke over a brace of weeks, could amount up to $50,000.

Despite the damage, Levine’s aerial aperture is accepted to pay off. Afterwards actual out of the accessible eye for years, the untitled Pollock allotment will be auctioned off on June 20.

Abstract Expressionist New York | MoMA – artists similar to jackson pollock | artists similar to jackson pollock

Bidding starts at $5 million, but Levine expects the final amount tag to be anywhere from $10 actor to $15 actor — far before the estimated $300 amount of the active Lakers poster.

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