Work for Disney or not

My big brother used to say that I'd grow up to draw cartoons. He thought that was a put down. I'd love to draw cartoons, animation, claymation, rotoscopes, anything in the drawing field, cause I am a drawer.

Usually its pen and ink and then I fill in the color like you do in a coloring book.What's that called, inking? There are pencils every where in my house and usually poking holes in my purse. Felt tip pens and that good old rapidograph pen set from one of my jobs. I use markers and guache to add color. But I'm perfectly happy with black and white sketches.
This is my final blog, cause I still have other homework to do. I've really enjoyed learning how to blog, it can be addictive.

Can someone do something with this, someone sent it to me? Disney ABC Television Group,Phila, PA, Graphic Artist, part-time, requisition ID 233617 Broadcast Designer a highly motivated artist to join the creative. from PhillyJobs.com

The Eternal Elephant's Trunk

I've been working on this elephant's trunk for over a year. I want the puppet to say "elephant" by the way the trunk moves. Children should identify with the natural movement of the trunk, so its been redesigned and reconstructed many times. I love to see what other puppeteers and "constructionist" are doing. Let's not forget Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, the way her arms are designed, they move just like a trunk.

My inspiration is bizarre designs that you might find in Cirque Du Soleil. That show is unique on so many levels, it can't be described, you just have to see it for yourself.

Or maybe I can draw from the dolls from the Long Island, NY artist Valerie Bannell. All of them are different but she keeps with the same theme of using natural objects.

And I've been in love the the fabric contruction of Deborah Banyas for years. She and her husband have an unusual style all their own.



But the person who influenced me the most is Faith Ringgold. First with her totem people and then with what she is most famous for, her story quilts. She uses her family and their textile background as inspiration.

Shepard Fairey, Street Artist or Celebrity Artist

You know this guy, he posts is art on the street. Even even if you don't know his name, you know his Obama poster.


I know I'm supposed to write about things that pull me from side to side, head or gut. But there's only one way I feel about Shepard Fairey's work. I love what his style, its clean and crisp. I love that his work was posted on the street. I love that his Obama poster made such an instant splash. Yes, its a political art, but I see the excellent design. Poster art is supposed to be fast reading and to the point. His work has those qualities and more.

Is he now legit, I don't know, but probably. If you go to the following website, his interview puts his situation and motivation in perspective:

http://creativity-online.com/news/shepard-fairey-obey-obama/124743

We should all so lucky to have our work explode on the scene like Fairey's has.

Clarence Muse

I love this actor, who was born October 7, 1889, was 9 years older than my grandmother. I'd never heard about him until a film maker who did a documentary on Clarence Muse. He was in silent films and was "old" when he got into talkies, 1929.

I was so surprised when I saw him in the 1979 film, "The Black Stallion". Mickey Rooney was in it and I don't know any of the other actors, except for Clarence Muse. Its a wonderful picture and I'm sure some of the students saw it when they were little. I just saw the picture this past week.

Here's a quick bio, he was born in Baltimore, MD. The African-American actor Clarence Muse held a law degree from Pennsylvania's Dickerson University. Opting for a show business career, Muse appeared as an opera singer, minstrel show performer, and vaudeville and Broadway actor; he also composed songs and wrote plays and sketches. An actor since the 1920s, Muse was a member of the Lincoln Players. Unfortunately, Clarence Muse, passed away 10/13/1979 the same year that "The Black Stallion" was released.

I can't believe he was still acting at age 90. In all the photographs I've seen of him , he always looked old. He's one of those great actors you never really hear about. I'm so glad I finally got to see him in a movie. "The Black Stallion" will always be one of my favorite films and not because its a great story and not just because I love horses (which I do) but because it has Clarence Muse in a small bit part.

The funny thing he's been in movies that I love, but I didn't know who he was and missed him. Maybe I'll go back and try to catch a glimse of his performance : >

Jim Henson my idol

I just had to write about Jim Henson and the Muppets. I watched the 1st season of Sesame Street when my room mates, who were education majors, kept taking about this strange show with puppets. I fell in love with the Muppets immediately. I love the Muppet Show and Fragel Rock, too.



I've always wanted to work on Sesame Street. Last year I traveled to Doylestown, PA to take Henson Workshops, with puppeteers worked with Jim Henson and on Sesame Street. It was great and really helped with a puppetry project I've been involved with for about 10 years. Some friends and I are working on a puppet show, "Anansi, the Spider and the Magi Rock". I got the meet the puppet maker who makes Miss Piggy's foam rubber legs. I attended a workshop given by the artist who designed the little fairy Muppet (what is her name?).

What to do...what to do? Go to school for puppetry or choose a major that has a job at the end of study? I can't quite justify getting a degree in puppety.

Fringe Festival 9/3/18/2010

Now for something a little more close to home. The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival/Philly Fringe. I love this festival and always stumble onto something so new, that it never even occurred to me.



I can go by myself or invite friends and family from out of town to attend the festival. I cna't be sure what's gonna happen, but something always happens.



Sometimes the event spills out into the street. You walk past a venue and it pulls you into a surprising event.



The catalog is what caught my eye the first time I heard about it and I've been saving them ever since.

Their history (livearts-fringe.org) is:
The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe were founded in 1997 by a growing group of experimental artists in Philadelphia who were manipulating traditional genres, redefining their crafts, and collaborating in ways that the greater art world had yet to see.

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe now present sixteen days of performing arts events each year, beginning on the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The origianl history is:
In 1947, European music and theater companies were invited to perform at the first annual Edinburgh International Festival. During that same week, eight uninvited theater groups descended on the festivities without warning, adopting and inventing venues that sat mostly on the fringes of the city's center, and thereby creating an unofficial festival of their own. And so the fringe was born. Today, the two festivals coexist peacefully. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe presents thousands of artists each year, and has inspired artists in cities all over the world to join the international fringe movement.

Stephan Strumbal

This artist made a head/gut decision



He started out doing graffiti and decided he was doing a New York expression thing. So he switched to art that was more of a reflection of his background. He's from the Black Forest in Germany . The quintessential symbol of the Black Forest is a cuckoo clock. He applied his graffitti spray painting skills to transform the clocks into street inspired pieces of art. (New York Times Weekly, February 22-28, 2010)

In 2006, his first show sold out. Now he has arranged to have his designs manufactured by Anton Schneider & Sons, a 6th generation cuckoo clock maker. The prices range from $1,200 to $35,000. The designs are based on traditinal models but are adorned with grenades and handguns and capture the spirit od the new Germany that accepts its cliches with the wink of an eye.



Here is an artist that followed his own path and has become very successful in doing it his way, kind of toungue in cheek.

Free Art - Art All Night Trenton 2010

I gotta do this before I to go to bed because tomorrow is class.

Art All Night is a 24 hour event from 3pm on Saturday, June 19 to 3pm on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Trust your gut on this one and just go.

You can submit one piece of art, no fee, and Art All Night will put it up and you can sell the art if you want and you don't have to give them a commission if you don't want to.

I know, I know it sounds to good to be true. Art is sold, you keep the $ and it's run by volunteers. What more can I say? I know artist who sell their work there and it's growing and people come from out of state.

I love it. Parents bring in their kid's art and artists submit works with price tags of $1,000s of dollars on them. There's all kind of art and artists there. There's performance art, videos, graffiti art, food and a general good time is had by all at this community event. You don't have to know anybody there, just go and have a wonderful experience.....which is free to attend with free parking.

It started a few years ago at Trenton Artworks with about 300 artists. The event had to move to a bigger venue in a giant warehouse. When I put in a piece 2 years ago, there were at least 700 artists, cause my # was 650. I didn't exhibit last year because I didn't have anything framed. Guess what, you don't need a frame. They will hang it with clips if that works. Remember people are submitting their kid's refrigerator art. I saw work by an artist as young as 5 years old, so you know families love it. This year I hope to have to be a volunteer.

http://www.artworkstrenton.org/artallnight/

doodle4google

Hey, where was this kind of stuff when I was a kid? Google sponsors a contest that taps into young artists' leanings to doodle. All school age students can enter and I think it's great.



All we had when I was young was a Levi's national contest to alter your Levi jeans. I went to their exhibit in San Francisco, CA. It had every kind of design you could think of. There were some designs that completely covered the basic jeans and it was difficult to find any evidence of the source jeans under it all.



I hope you know of a budding artist that would love to enter this contest. I am going to put this information at the Arts4Teens exhibit so teachers can get their students involved next year.



www.google.com/doodle4google

Untangling puppet strings

I make puppets, and I'm sure it has to do with the fact that my father was a
creative person. He didn't work as an artist, but he shared us his love for art, invention and adventure.

As children we all got puppets one Christmas. I was the who was always able to untangle the strings. The knots in the strings never stopped me, I just patiently traced the strings and threaded my way thru till the puppet hung right once again.

Today I enjoy figuring out how new kinds of puppets work. I make puppets for a group and have conducted puppetry workshops. This confidence and interest has provided a path in life that I love.

Now I wish to apply those same skills to computer graphics. I want to figure out how to get my work done with the same curiosity and patience I applied to puppets. Figuring things out for myself or troubleshooting is invaluable and will put me on a successful path, I hope.

euromaxx

euromaxx is one of my favorite shows. Its a TV magazine about the current European art scene. The show is in English and I learn something new every time.

http://www.dw-world.de/euromaxx

The design sense is different from the US. I've always liked German magazines and poster designs, and have used them as inspiration. It's a refreshing to see what other artist are doing with their work and their unique use of materials. Recycling in Style: Scrap metal instruments; Shoes from kimono silk; Art made out of trash.

There's the Art Cologne is the world’s longest-running fair for contemporary, modern and post-war art. The 2010 director Daniel Hug says, "...it's probably the most comprehensive look at the avant-garde from the last hundred years, or the last 110 years, in one place. The Art Cologne is really two fairs. On the ground level we have a more conservative, blue chip, secondary dealer fair of galleries that present modern art, post-war art. And then upstairs we have the second fair which is really a contemporary art fair. Very few of the collectors from either fair cross over. But a few do, so the crossover is kind of nice."

It's nice to know that Daniel Hug also wants, "to focus not only on the classical modern and the post-war... but also to work and support a new generation, the young generation that's maybe shifting away from Berlin, that wants to have its own identity, that's not necessarily getting into the other fairs.

A visitor to Art Cologne passes an artwork by artist Katrin Mayer.

Do homework vs having fun

Well here I go again. There was a program I wanted to attend today...but I wouldn't go till I caught up on some homework. Boy, am I glad I made that contract with myself. It motivated me to work on a complicated family history piece which then freed up my afternoon.

The program was an awards ceremony for middle and high school poets. The main speaker was the person I really wanted to go and hear. The program was nice and the poetry was great. I even got a chance to talk with the main speaker.

The best part happened after the program because I saw old friends and caught up on their news. I was able to talk with people who could help with some family history research. Then I was introduced to a person who may be a relative. Plus she's a member of a geniology organization in Philadelphia. All of this helped with my own project research.

I'm glad I decided to have some fun today because it also helped me with my homework.

Obama Goes with Head decision-making, not Gut

When describing his executive style, President Obama goes into Spock mode, saying, "You've got to make decisions based on information and not emotions."

This is deffinitely a person who makes decisions with his head and not his gut. I don't know of a better example. Reading this article was the reason I named my blog "headvsgut". Read on.

Stephen Wayne, Georgetown University, said: "He's not an instinctive decision-maker as Bush was. He doesn't go with his gut, he thinks with his head, which I think is desirable" Referring to the Afghanistan decision, Wayne said, "I don't think he is an indecisive person, I just think this is a tough one."

According to Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, 11/25/09, states of his critics, "Obama's prolonged Afghanistan review suggests weakness rather than wisdom....Liberal have zinged him as being too cautious, too much of a compromiser. Some of his supporters would like to see him show more fire in the belly and recapture the energy that propelled him to victory."

Obama told Chip Reid of CBS news, "I think the American people understand that my job here is to get it right, and I'm less concerned about the perceptions, about process, than I am at making sure that once a decision is made everybody understands it,,,and we're able to move forward..."

I still am torn between head and gut decisions. Friends say follow your bliss, I say serve your passion. I'm also glad that I don't have to make Obama's decisions, but I like the fact that he thinks about everything before he decides.

Procrastination vs Doing what we love

I admit it, I'm a procrastinator. I need a deadline to get things done, like making dentists appointments or paying bills. That's what I like about Graphic Design, it's all about the deadlines.

I also delay doing things I like to do, waiting for the perfect time or opportunity.

Now I read in the New York Times Weekly, January 4-10,2010, delaying gratification is another form of procrastination.
"Once you start procrastinating pleasure...you fixate on some imagined nirvana. The longer you wait to open that prize bottle of wine, the more special the occasion has to be."

Dr. Suzanne B. Shu, who conducted marketing research at the University of Chicago, said,
"People can become overly focused on an ideal. Even if they know it's unlikely, they get so focused on the perfect scenario that they block everything else."

Here's an example of procrastinating 'till I missed the fun I'd been waiting for. I saw Whoopie Goldberg in her debut one-woman-show on Broadway, before I even knew who this 'Whoopie' person was.(You do the math, it was sometime in the 1980's) When she revived the show 20 years later in Philadelphia, I was wanted to go because now she's one of my favorite persons. I delayed getting the tickets thinking I was being responsible and taking care of more pressing matters.

I missed her show. In fact I missed a lot of things that year that I reeeeely wanted to see trying to be the more responsible person. Well not anymore. Now I just go to the event I want and don't wait for the perfect time or money.

I'll still procrastinate when it come to doing little things like the dishes, but I work hard to ignore "the strange impulse to put off until tomorrow what could be enjoyed today" (N.Y.T. 1/4-10/10)

Crusader Rabbit

Crusader Rabbit was the first cartoon show I can remember. As it turns out it was the first TV cartoon show. Alex Anderson had the idea of taking cartoons out of the movie theaters and putting 'limited animation' on this new-fangled thing called television. Jay Ward (who went on to produce other shows like Rocky and Bullwinkle) produced 5 minute black and white shorts. Anderson wrote the scripts and each show ended in a cliff hanger As the studio grew other talented artists were added, gifted animators, wonderful voices and talented writers, which really made the cartoon what is was.

I won't go into the legal battles over the control of the 'toon'. But the two men responsible for the creation of Crusader Rabbit lost control of their property. They were the pioneers of TV cartoons and somebody else with head not heart bought them out.

The version I watched was produced by 'TV Spot' later in1957. I still remember Crusader Rabbit ever since I was little. When someone finally gave me a copy of the cartoon, I was shocked how little motion was actually in the animation. There was a lot of zooming in on still shots. But my little 6 year old eyes must have filled in what wasn't there and changed the memory into this marvelous animation. I love that cartoon, the music, the story and the animation.

Talking about YouTube - Crusader Rabbit Crusade 2 Episode 20

Learning from Other People's Experience

This is a week of learning about what I can and cannot do. I'm enrolled in 'Intro to Small Business' and it's like learning a whole new language. Knowing about business is important if you want your art to make money. Years ago, I tried going into business for myself as a graphic artist. I thought "hey, my work is good, let me try to make some money". So much for following my gut instincts. With no prior business experience, after 6 months I ended up losing money. I had no idea how to price my work, or what the market would bear. Eventually I got a job with a printing company doing graphic design and practically tripled my income. Wow. I still do freelance on the side and maybe eventually I will try starting a business again.

Meanwhile, taking this small business class sounds like the smart thing to do. I read a blog by the author, Alfred Edmond Jr., the editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com. His blog is http://www.blackenterprise.com/blogs/2009/04/14/the-best-teacher-is-other-peoples-experience/ He recommends reading "My Biggest Mistake...And How I Fixed It: Lessons From the Entrepreneurial Front Lines" by Marcia Pledger. She writes, "the best teacher is not experience, but other people's experience." This advice in her book is from the experience of other entrepreneurs. I think I'll get the book.

Knowledge vs superior knowledge

Going back to school, I'm amazed at how much my classmates know and how much I don't know. Sometime it's hard to keep up. The other day a classmate gave me an answer when I was stuck. I won't say that person's name but I'm thinking of an number between 1 and.... I'm thinking of a letter that's between..... It doesn't matter who it was. That person had knowledge and when the knowledge was shared I think it became superior knowledge for me. The classmate may never how I appreciated the info. It may seem like a small gesture, but to me it got me unstuck and I could move on and keep up with the class.

One semester, I sat in the MAC lab and stared at the screen for a long time, not knowing what to do next. A student rolled his chair over to my computer and simply said, "push that key" and rolled back. His gesture was so low key as if he didn't think anything of it. Magic!

I have a chance to share my knowledge about fine arts and exhibiting. This year, I was asked to be art mentor and critique high school student's work entered in a contest. I didn't want to do it because I've got school and no time. Besides I think that I don't give a good critique. I've seen other artist that teach at many different levels of school and they have great things to tell the students about their work.

That classmate, who may not think the info is much, believe me it is, taught me a lesson. The info I share could also make a difference in a high school student's work. It may not seem like a big deal to me, but when a young person comes up to you with their artwork in hand, they really want to get feed back. Maybe my little bitty knowledge can become superior knowledge for someone else. Thanks to that classmate and other classmates who say something.

Initial reaction vs Instinct

"Initial reaction vs instinct" is a note that has been on my refrigerator for years and reminds me to stop and think before I react to situations. I don't usually stop to think before I open my mouth. If I had to count to ten....well I usually only make it to one.

My father used to say "keep it down to a low roar" when we kids would make too much noise. Once my big brother said "on the count of three, we'll all roar. One..." And then I said "roar"

If someone said, "look a snake, nobody move or you'll get bit". My brother always says that I'd be the first one to get bit, and I would.

But this time my gut reaction is a guide to something good. The Brothers Quay are a very unique animation team. I won't say anymore about them except look them up and trust your initial reaction.

I first saw their work at the Philadelphia Film Festival and spoke at the University of the Arts during that same festival. You've never seen anything like it. They were influenced by Jan Svanmajer, please check out his work too. You'll be surprised who else was influenced by Jan S........

Trust me, and I never trust anyone who says that : > you won't be bit. Here are some links. I hope I will soon learn how to make a direct connection within this blog, does anyone know how to do that? Bye and remeber to keep it down to a low roar.

1. Brothers Quay
The Brothers Quay are two identical twins, Stephen and Timothy, and ... The Brothers had gone to art school but hadnt explored animation until they were 32 years ...
cbg15.tripod.com/quay.htm - 7k - Cached
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1. Quay Brothers
by James Rose - profile of the Quay Brothers ... In the ever-shifting fictional realities of the Brothers Quay, madness takes on both emotive and creative potential. ...
archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/.../quay_brothers.html - 51k –
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1. JanSvankmajer.com
One of the great Czech filmmakers, JAN SVANKMAJER was born in 1934 in Prague where he still lives. ... Svankmajer made his first film in 1964 and for over thirty years has ...
www.jansvankmajer.com/bio.htm - 8k - Cached
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Ten best animations of all time according to this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2001/apr/27/culture.features1

Zeitgeist the spirit of the times
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=quayretrospective&mode=filmmaker

How to use your head and not get a ticket

The correct choice, head or gut depends on the situation. I read a news article "Tips from a Police Officer" and just in time, too, cause, this morning on the way to being late for class(again)a policeman pulled me over.(hhtp://autos.aol.com/article/what-to-do-when you-are-pulled-over#comments) "Officer Tom" not his real name, who wrote the article, had a few simple rules to make the situation less unpleasant and to avoid a ticket.
1. First pull over to a safe place for you and the policeman. If it's unsafe for him to get out of his car, he will use a loudspeaker.
2. But, if you coast along passing up safe spots, he's going to think you're up to something, trying to stash something or drunk.
3. Keep your hands on the wheel.
4. Don't even think about getting out of the car.
5. Don't disrespect the officer.
Of course today, when I saw the red flashing lights, my 'gut' reaction was to coast to a safe spot because of heavy traffic and the policeman pointed out that I didn't stop soon enough. My 'head' told me to be extra polite at that point. Because my 'gut' told me to get out all my ID and be ready for the officer, oops, didn't have my hands on the wheel, when he came to the window, but it was okay, he was a nice officer. I don't think he thought I was doing anything dangerous. He took my ID, etc and said I was speeding in a school zone. We had a nice talk and I showed respect (again 'head' was doing the thinking here) and explained about being late for class. He let me off with a warning about speeding but instead gave a ticket for driving with my head lights off and my wipers on in inclement weather. My 'gut' wanted to argue the point that I didn't have my wipers on, but it was better than getting the points and a ticket for speeding. Whew!

Hi, this is my very first blog. The title of the blog is "Head vs Gut" 'cause I always get stuck on making decisions that are either head or gut based.