bfowler.com

These things have been making the rounds all over the online artist communities and I am being fashionably late.  These are just the ones freshest in my mind as I am definetely forgetting at least 100-200 of my other biggest influences.  It’s odd what influences me. Sometimes it’s only one painting an artist does that really strikes a chord in me.  I’ll go search out the artist only to find I don’t really care for anything else they’ve done.  The biggest things that draw my attention are brushstrokes, emotional impact, and color harmonies.  Really good foundational drawing always perks me up too.  There are a lot of guys and gals I like that I wish would never finish a piece because the beginning has so much more interest.

Anybody who can name all the squares will receive either 500 dollars (in monopoly money) or a free sketch, my choice.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Every year at the Heroes comic book convention I wait in the weeds like a tiger stalking his prey for that one small moment when Superstar artist Brian Stelfreeze is alone.  Or at least a time when I can fight my way through the deluge of comic nerds, er, fans.  The man is the single best purveyor of wisdom in comic artdom.  This year I was on my way out Sunday, after the convention was over, when I spotted Brian packing up.  Ha ha!  Gotcha!

I ended up picking his brain for a good 20 minutes.  The bits of knowledge I squeezed from him would probably cost you about a semester’s worth of dough at your local art college.  Sometimes, Brian just really points home something I already knew but didn’t really take to heart and sometimes he blows me out of the water with something that 6 years of art college and 9 years as a freelancer has failed to instill in me.

My big thing this year and for the last few months as been edges.  To paraphrase Brian said edges are anywhere a value shape ends or begins.  That can be the side of an arm, the edge where a dark shadow becomes light, where the red blotch of a cheek turns to a more peachy tone.  If you can see the edge clearly, it’s a sharp edge.  If you can’t see it at all it’s a lost edge.  Intermediate edges are just regular edges.  Soft edges are just that, soft.  Paintings are really just a puzzle of these value shapes and how they interact is your edges.

There are two ways to soften an edge.  Sweep your brush through the two adjacent colors or (and this is what really stuck out for me), put a transition color between the two.  For instance in that example I mention with the red cheek and the peach skin.  To soften that transition without blending you could put a plug of reddish peach in between the two.  Awesome!

The other big thing Brian put to me is the skinny on color temperature.  I know the warm light = cool shadows and cool light = warm shadows.  It’s one of the closest things to gospel in painting.  But I still tend to confuse myself.  What about reflected light, secondary light sources, or just keeping which one I’m doing straight.  Forget all that, Brian says you can’t stray from the chick you brought to the party cause the party won’t end well.  (That’s my analogy, not Brian’s)  A useful way to keep your commitment is to lay all your shadows in at the beginning in that cool or warm color.  That way when your brain turns into mush, better know as rendering mode, you won’t be able to just blindly put down the wrong color temperature!

Brian also said I was awesome and DC should give me some Batman covers.

I did mention I was paraphrasing?  Didn’t I?

This past weekend was the Heroes comic book here in Charlotte, NC.  I had a fantastic time as this show is one of the best in the country.  It’s virtually the last big show that still focuses extensively on comic books and comic book artists.  Half of the entire convention floor is devoted to artists and creators.  The other half is guys and gals selling comics and comic related merchandise.  There was tons of fun, hanging out with old friends and meeting a few new ones.

I appreciate all those who came out and said Hi or bought anything from me.  Even that one really weird guy.  Yea, I’m talking about you.

Can’t wait until next year.

June 4-6.

The Heroes Con is this weekend!!!  I know, it always seems to take forever to get here and then, BAM, here is it is.  You’ve probably putting the finishing touches on your Spider-man or Ghost Busters costume.  You may be like a friend of mind who at one Heroes convention where Jim Lee was a guest brought every single comic book Mr. Lee had every done.  Not to get signed, just to prove to Mr. Lee what a fan he was.

In all this excitement don’t forget to come by my booth now firmly located at SP-22.  I’ll have tons of prints, mini-books of my work and more.  There is always “and more!”  I’ll be doing sketches, paintings, sketchcards and whatever else I can think of.

Here’s a few maps to help you along the way.  Heroes con isn’t middle earth but it can still get pretty confusing when you’re trying to find your way around.  Just think of me as Mount Doom and you’re bringing the precious!

<—Click there for a full map of the convention floor.

June 4-6 I’ll be at the Heroes Comic Convention here in Charlotte.  I’m not sure what space I’ll be in as the great folks at Heroes haven’t quite got all that worked out yet.  I’ll be sure and update my fan as soon as the information become available.  It’s a great convention and I love going every year.  Stop by my table and say Hi, you’ll be glad you did.

Frank Frazetta – February 9, 1928  May 10, 2010

I used to have a copy of this great Frazetta painting above my bedroom door as a teenager.  What’s to say?  This guy was a legend and his passing is felt throughout the art community.  He defined fantasy art more than any other artist.  I’ve linked to a trailer for his DVD “Fire and Ice” about his life and work.