Liveblogging Dec 2010 (Mammoth-Style!)

For those not familiar with the term "liveblogging," it's an event where the artist uploads images of a work-in-progress (WIP) live, as they work on it.

Over at ART Evolved, the next gallery features Elephants and relatives, so I'll be liveblogging my effort in creating a restoration of a woolly mammoth today and in the next few days.  I foresee a pen and ink sketch with digital colouring.

I will be attempting to add updates to this post in an effort to maintain containment.

Post 1- Dec 20th 2:05pm PST

Preliminary pencil sketch.

Post 2 - 3:02pm PST

Pen and ink pointillism begins.  Scanner scans only half of him = annoying.  

I promise the full guy next hour!

Post 3 - 4:45pm PST

And here the scanner cut off part of his right tusk, but at least captured his lovely legs!  The pen and ink stage continues, finding doing fur/hair with pointillism slightly challenging...

Enough for today! 

Post 4 - Dec 21 10:16am PST

Good morning!  Here is the final pen and ink version that I have scanned.  Now to import it into GIMP (my free Photoshop substitute) and begin the digital colouring.  Once the animal is coloured, the big question is should I attempt to recreated a background?  Or should I simply place the critter into a photograph of the appropriate habitat?  Thoughts?

Post 5 - 11:56am PST

Well, an hour later and all I've got done is import the mammoth into GIMP and isolate him into layers.  Not a lot to look at, but vital as I begin colouring!

For everyone's interest, here is the reference photo I used for this restoration.  Royal Tyrrell Museum's wonderful woolly mammoth mount:

(Young me for scale.)

Post 6 - 1:02pm PST

Time for lunch!  Here we have the first stage of base colour and shading done in GIMP with multiple layers.  This particular pachyderm will sport a black and dark brown fur coat.  No decision on the background as of yet... 

Post 7 - 2:39pm PST

More layers of colour and texture...  

We'll have to leave it there for today.  Will try to pick it up tomorrow!

Here is the final composition.  Big thanks to Craig Dylke for the background photo.

The final mammoth...

To Catch an Art Thief

Yesterday, ART Evolved banned together around one of our members, Dr. Manabu Sakamoto, to catch an art thief.  Please follow this link to read the whole story "The Art Thief vs. The Dinosaur Bloggers," masterly written and posted on ART Evolved by Glendon Mellow.

Here is a sample from the post:

Theft is going to get found out.

All of us on Art Evolved experienced a point in time where we made a decision to go online with our artwork.  It's a tough decision, and everyone frets to varying degrees about what will happen if our work is stolen.

• We slap copyright symbols on it, and some of us put obscuring watermarks on the images.
• We employ Creative Commons Licences, or rail against Google ImageSearch for making it so easy.  
• We vary on how much we protect our artwork, and how much we like to share it.  
• None of us is likely to know if an indie punk band in Vienna has downloaded our Diabloceratops for their gig posters.  

So if you're an aspiring artist looking to get into paleo-art or any kind of image, and you're nervous about making a big enough name for yourself online, here's some stuff you can do.

• Don't steal. 
• If it's a fan homage, say it is.  
• Don't re-post someone's stuff without asking.  
• If they have a blanket statement saying it's okay, make sure you link back to them and give them credit.   
• Always give artists, illustrators and image-makers credit. Always.
• Just ask.  Always ask if it's cool.  Most illustrators love feedback.
• Use the © symbol a lot. State what you want. 
• Blog.  Post comments elsewhere.  Reciprocate.
• Become friends and peers to others with similar interests. 
• If you can, be part of a network or group online. 
• "I got yer back" is one of the most heart-warming statements you can utter to a friend. 

If someone steals your work, 

• make a fuss. 
• Go through proper channels. 
• Be civil and intelligent when you dialogue. 
• Ask for help from your support network.  

I encourage anyone to put their artwork online.  And becoming part of a network makes everyone stronger than without it.

 Read the full post here.

I totally agree with Glendon when he says that becoming part of an online community is the best way to protect your art online.  Strength in numbers, we've got your back!

-Peter

October is Pink Dinosaur Month

Sorry for the recent absence folks, but I've been having too much fun with the Pink Dinosaur Cancer Fundraiser event that ART Evolved is currently running! 

What is Pink Dinosaurs, you might ask?  Go here to read an overview about what the event is.  Send in a drawing of your pink dinosaur to artevolved@gmail.com and I'll post it on ART Evolved!  Send in as many as you like!  Each pic I post, AE will be donating $1 to the Canadian Cancer Society.  If you don't feel you have the necessary mad skills to scribble a pink highlighter on the back of today's newspaper and email me a pic, then you can also go directly to the event site and donate there!

The response so far to Pink Dinosaurs is simply amazing.  It has been promoted all around the paleoblogsphere (most notably here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) and we already have 25 posted pink dinosaurs.  If we get more than 50, then my initial predictions will have been surpassed!  The submission rate has increased now that it is October, and I am loving seeing all the amazing artwork!  Paleo-art for a difference!

The event officially ends at the end of October, but if people keep on sending in pink dinosaurs, I'll post them through November and December!

With Fawlty Towers rehearsals in full swing and Zorro stage design due, my time is busy with acting and tutoring and teaching.  I will need to sit down and create my own pink dinosaur to add to the growing group of spectacular art!

Pop-Cutlure Gallery Submissions

Ghostbuster vs Zombie Dinosaur (2010)

Godzilla Contemplates Vancouver (2010)

Burning Man Bound

(image link)

I will be away for the computer for the next two weeks, with the plan to head down to Burning Man for the first time!  If you don't know what Burning Man is, check this out.  Unfortunately, I'm typing this as I am actually heading out the door (for the drive from BC to Nevada).

Preparation, planning, packing, and now off.  See you in a bit, with stories, photos, and sunburn!

ART Evolved is evolving into a Network

Our little ART Evolved Network has evolved with it's own RSS Feed! You can subscribe to it by clicking on the icon above (or at the top of the left sidebar), and follow all 20 or so fascinating blogs from one place!

The network and RSS feeds are designed to put ART Evolved, and everyone involved with it, more exposure and hopefully more opportunities for freelance gigs and jobs.  One step always leads to another!  Big thanks to Glendon for putting in the R&D time to make this happen!

Fawlty Towers Poster Design

design © 2010 Peter Bond

Something non-paleo this time:  Here is the final version of the poster that will advertise the upcoming SMP show, Fawlty Towers.  In the show, which will be made up of two of the television episodes, I get the honor of playing Basil Fawlty.

Yes, him.

While learning John Cleese's many ad-libed lines, I have also thrown together a smaller, bookmark-sized advertisement for easy distribution.

So if you happen to be in the North Vancouver area during late October, stay for a spell at Fawlty Towers and see this amateur artist make a complete fool of himself!

A Return to Blogging about Art

Ode to a Tyrannosaur (2010)

a portrait of Traumador the Tyrannosaur

Well, it's been a while!  Hi!  I have a blog!  After two months of inactivity, I shall now remember I have a blog and begin posting again.  (Blog apathy passing...)

The above painting was a gift to Craig, the author of The Tyrannosaur Chronicles.  It captures his title character between the depths of deep time and the heights of outer space, a truly living fossil.

Inspiration comes from all around and I got an intense paleontological dose on my recent trip to Calgary and Drumheller, home of dinosaurs and full of old friends...

Inspiration indeed!

Reef Painting WIP (1)

The combination of a burning image from diving in Cebu and a gaping space above my fireplace has brought about a new painting.

There is a moment when drifting towards the edge of the reef, floating slowly towards the abyss, where the colourful reef plunges straight down towards darkness.  I remember the moment precisely, floating towards and then past the edge, thinking "I must paint this."  Has this happened to you?

So, with a wish to create something a bit less prehistoric, I began this sketch.  It incorporates aspects of the few photos I took while diving in the Philippines.

My plan is to paint the background coral reef, full of colour, then add all the multitudes of fish, arthropods, bivalves, mollusks, and cute nudibranchs (sea slugs) I saw! 

I also want to add a Hawksbill sea turtle, along with a silhouetted reef shark (even though I never saw one while diving!  Cheating?)

Last Saturday was a marathon painting day.  I am beginning to realize my art style: that I tend to work in spurts of intense creativity...

So here is where we are with this Coral Reef painting.  Kinda looks like an empty aquarium, ready for some citizens.

Basic background? Check!  Ready for fish? Double Check! 
Destroyed by oil spill?  NEVER! :(

Happy Crawlin' Canada Day!

a Canadian Trilobite: Olenoides serratus of the Burgess Shale 

 - see this and a lot more trilobite art at ART Evolved.

Trilobite WIP(3)

FINALLY figured out how to separate and select only the black pencil/ink lines!  Yes!  This is something I've been trying to do forever, and I'm sure it was such a simple thing!  Also started to do some detail and blending with the background. 

T-minus 8 days to ART Evo's  Trilobite Gallery, and Canada Day!  Speaking of which, stay tuned for another in my Canada Day Flag series!

Trilobite WIP(2)

Started on the colours.  I'm thinking red-brown with green eyes...
Lots more to do...

Trilobite WIP

With the ART Evolved Trilobite Gallery a short scurry away, it was really time to get something done for it.  I started with a quick search for an interesting Moroccan specimen and found this, the lovely Dicranurus monstrosus.  After grabbing the black uni-ball pen, this is what I came up with:

Next is to throw this into photoshop and digitally colour him, with hopefully some sort of background for this little critter!

I'm Back with more Blue Whale!

A month-and-a-half?!

Yes, it's been a while since I last posted.   I've been a bit busy; with end-of-the-year substitute teaching and privately tutoring ten students, the only art I've been able to produce is set painting for a Hamlet show and a coral reef painting I've started.  With all this, and the depression surrounding the oil spill, I haven't been up to posting.

But I'm back, and with an update on the new Beaty Biodiversity Museum at the University of British Columbia here in Vancouver!  Check out my previous post on the announcement and backstory here. 

Yesterday, I had some time off and decided to go check out the full Blue Whale skeleton in person! 

Unfortunately, the museum wasn't open yet!  Aak!  So instead of smashing through the glass and swinging from the bones, I decided to wait until Fall 2010.   But check out these photos of the mammoth whale, in full feeding pose, below!  Also, check out these official Flickr pics for more...

sooo big!

Click to enlarge!

Now to go work on my trilobite for ART Evolved's July Trilobite Time Capsule and my answer to the Philofossilizing question, "What is Palaeo-Art?"

Oh!  And I'm borrowing my sister's drawing tablet (Wacom Intuos 3) and trying to get my head around it.  Any insight or advice for tablet owners?

Cheers,
Bond.

Liveblogging: Ichthyosaur Edition! (Part 5)

In an attempt to liven up the piece and give it some more movement, I've started to add a bunch of squid for my mixosaur to pester.  The squid are completely drawn, coloured and copy-pasted digitally.

I can't decide if I need way more squid to make the school effective or not.  Comments and suggestions are truly welcome!

Liveblogging: Ichthyosaur Edition! (Part 4)

...add some shading and skin texture, and the mixosaurus is starting to emerge from it's ugly faze.
Time to add more underwater detail...

Liveblogging: Ichthyosaur Edition! (Part 3)

Added a simple background...

Ask a Biologist is BACK!

Hi all!  Be sure to check out the NEW version of Ask a Biologist!  It's swanky and fresh and full of verve!  So, ask that biology question you always wanted answered!  Check out the new blog!  Meet the scientists!  All Around Yay!

Liveblogging: Ichthyosaur Edition! (Part 2)

This is Mixosaurus!  Say hi!  As you can see above, he's been given a basic blue colouring.  This is only the beginning...

Liveblogging: Ichthyosaur Edition! (Part 1)

Without a full day to dedicate to liveblogging (aka doing art for 15 hours consecutively in one sitting!), this edition of liveblogging will be an ongoing event where WIPs will be posted often.

For this edition, an ichthyosaur is the subject (to be included into May's ART Evolved Ichthyosaur Gallery!)  While teaching Math yesterday, I managed to throw down a quick sketch of an ichthyosaur I kinda liked.

I like how droopy his snout is - he looks very Muppet-like.  And, yes, his tail is completely wrong!  He was sketched in pencil, then the brightness was digitally lowered to give him an inked look.  From here, I plan to digitally colour him and place him in a created environment.

Any guesses as to his name?