Thanks for reading, and I bid you all a good day.
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
October 17, 2012
Showing posts with label bret taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bret taylor. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Ch-ch-changes.
One big change, really: I've migrated the blog over to my shiny new website. You can find all future blog posts right here.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
DINOSAURS.
For your consideration:
Facebook event page is here, and in case you're not on Facebook:
Whether you love the ferocity of the mighty T-Rex or the docile nature of the brachiosaurus, dinosaurs hold a special spot in most of our hearts. As a child we were fascinated by these ancient creatures and for many of us, the fascination never died.
It certainly didn't for artist Bret Taylor and he is celebrating them with an art show of earth-shaking proportion.
So join us on Oct 13th and celebrate all things dinosaur. The show starts at 2pm and is kid friendly until 8pm, at which point we invite the over 19 to stay and celebrate with us. There will be dinosaur art and dinosaur collectibles, you may even find a few snacks for both carnivore and herbivore. Non-alcoholic refreshments will be available and should you choose to indulge in an adult drink or two, you are more than welcome to bring your own, but remember that until 8pm this is a child friendly show.
For more information on the artist: http://howyadoingraphics.com
Kid and adult friendly show 2pm - 8pm
Afterparty (adults only) 8pm - midnight
Imagemaker Photographic Studio, 210-2075 Yukon Street, Vancouver
Thanks as always to my agent, who continues to amaze and astound me with her knowledge, skills and attention to detail.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
900 Days.
Yep, it's true - Saturday marked the 900th day of my Thousand Days Project. Since January 1st, 2010, I've drawn/painted every single day, without fail. That seemed like an almost-ridiculous goal at one point, but the end is definitely in sight now.
I didn't do anything special for Day 800, because I was well into Birthday Shenanigans Week. Day 700 was the 1st of December, and in addition to chipping away at the numerous paintings I was doing at the time, I drew a quick headshot of a beautiful blonde.
So with all that in mind, I figured that Day 900 needed something out of the ordinary - not a metalflake painting, not a dinosaur, not a sketchbook diary piece. But what?
Meanwhile, one particular illustration of mine has lain dormant for a long time - since September 15th of 2011, to be exact. This has been a long-gestating piece. I first started it in the fall of 2010, but it kept getting set aside in favour of other projects.
The first rough iteration of it looked something like this:
As time went by I slowly got closer to finishing it. In mid-September I did the blueline pencils:
This was scanned and imported into my Photoshop document, and the base illustration was set aside on my bar, waiting for me to do the final linework in ink. Anybody who's had a drink at my place since then has seen it sitting there, though oddly enough, I don't recall anybody ever asking about it.
I posted an in-progress picture online the night of the 15th, and walked off to a date with destiny. My whole world changed that night, and definitely without warning. Another story for my memoirs, I guess.
And I've seen that illustration almost daily since the fateful night, till it got to the point where it was just part of the furniture.
Until I was finally ready to finish it.
So without further ado (or cryptic remarks), here it is, the fruits of my labour of Day 900/1000:
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
I didn't do anything special for Day 800, because I was well into Birthday Shenanigans Week. Day 700 was the 1st of December, and in addition to chipping away at the numerous paintings I was doing at the time, I drew a quick headshot of a beautiful blonde.
So with all that in mind, I figured that Day 900 needed something out of the ordinary - not a metalflake painting, not a dinosaur, not a sketchbook diary piece. But what?
Meanwhile, one particular illustration of mine has lain dormant for a long time - since September 15th of 2011, to be exact. This has been a long-gestating piece. I first started it in the fall of 2010, but it kept getting set aside in favour of other projects.
The first rough iteration of it looked something like this:
As time went by I slowly got closer to finishing it. In mid-September I did the blueline pencils:
This was scanned and imported into my Photoshop document, and the base illustration was set aside on my bar, waiting for me to do the final linework in ink. Anybody who's had a drink at my place since then has seen it sitting there, though oddly enough, I don't recall anybody ever asking about it.
I posted an in-progress picture online the night of the 15th, and walked off to a date with destiny. My whole world changed that night, and definitely without warning. Another story for my memoirs, I guess.
And I've seen that illustration almost daily since the fateful night, till it got to the point where it was just part of the furniture.
Until I was finally ready to finish it.
So without further ado (or cryptic remarks), here it is, the fruits of my labour of Day 900/1000:
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Hold On.
Had a very nice walk home through the West End via the quieter side streets last night. Felt like I hit a level of inner peace that I haven't felt in a long, long time.
Now as you may or may not know, the past year has been an incredibly tumultuous one for yours truly. Every couple months has been marked by another sea change - one dramatic shift in tone, content, mood, cast, dialogue, conflict, theme, plot, etc. after another. Bret Taylor circa August of 2011, for example, would be floored by the day-to-day (and especially night-to-night) life of the Bret Taylor from a mere month in the future.
And so it goes.
For a long time I got lost in all this, just struggling to keep my head above water. Maintaining any sense of perspective was an nice idea in the abstract sense, but an impossibility in practical terms. So I did what anyone would do: I tried to keep it on the path, and I adjusted my worldview as I went, based on the current day's data.
And ultimately? I failed.
You heard me. Failed. And miserably, at that - I lost my path altogether. Let some very (very) important people down, couldn't live up to heartfelt promises and blood oaths. I dropped the fucking ball altogether, if you must know. Paid an absurdly high price for that failure, too. And in the process lost more than I even knew I had to lose - more than I could ever handle losing again. But then, nobody said any of this was fair, right? I mean, fairness is great as a utopian ideal. But how many times have you actually seen it play out in front of you? Once? Twice?
Be honest.
So. This brings us to yesterday. The morning started out with disappointing news, albeit not the kind of news that could change a man's life (a cancelled date, if you must know). Yet that news hit me hard, out of all sense of proportion and in a way that left me off-kilter for most of the day. Even my old standby, paint therapy, absolutely could not snap me out of it (of course I publicly blamed paint therapy).
This has never, to my recollection, happened before. A real measure of how far adrift I am right now, you might correctly surmise. I had honestly thought the method to be infallible.
In the end I dragged my much-bruised and abused ego into the kitchen and focused my flagging energies on sustenance instead. Whipped up a mindblowing batch of meaty, chipotle-dominated chili. And when the bulk of that work was done and I was waiting for the mixture to reduce, I turned my attention back to the painting in question.
And goddamn, but everything flowed. Hit exactly the right marks when mixing my glazes - tone, saturation, volume. The highly-reflective silver bits (my trusty Tri-Art Liquid Mirror) drybrushed over the glass bead gel took the phthalo blue and alizarin crimson glazes perfectly. Ditto the more subtle highlights I'd carefully worked in over the past few days.
Then I went out to visit friends. Had a couple drinks, talked some things over, watched some TV. Y'know, everyday stuff.
And made that fateful walk home. And the rest you know. I guess the lesson here is, the therapy won't take when you're not receptive to it. But it'll work when you're ready.
Deep, I know.
Bret Taylor
May 6, 2012.
(Not to be confused with the Bret Taylors of September 2011 or January 2012.)
Soundtrack - "Hold On", by the Alabama Shakes.
Now as you may or may not know, the past year has been an incredibly tumultuous one for yours truly. Every couple months has been marked by another sea change - one dramatic shift in tone, content, mood, cast, dialogue, conflict, theme, plot, etc. after another. Bret Taylor circa August of 2011, for example, would be floored by the day-to-day (and especially night-to-night) life of the Bret Taylor from a mere month in the future.
And so it goes.
For a long time I got lost in all this, just struggling to keep my head above water. Maintaining any sense of perspective was an nice idea in the abstract sense, but an impossibility in practical terms. So I did what anyone would do: I tried to keep it on the path, and I adjusted my worldview as I went, based on the current day's data.
And ultimately? I failed.
You heard me. Failed. And miserably, at that - I lost my path altogether. Let some very (very) important people down, couldn't live up to heartfelt promises and blood oaths. I dropped the fucking ball altogether, if you must know. Paid an absurdly high price for that failure, too. And in the process lost more than I even knew I had to lose - more than I could ever handle losing again. But then, nobody said any of this was fair, right? I mean, fairness is great as a utopian ideal. But how many times have you actually seen it play out in front of you? Once? Twice?
Be honest.
So. This brings us to yesterday. The morning started out with disappointing news, albeit not the kind of news that could change a man's life (a cancelled date, if you must know). Yet that news hit me hard, out of all sense of proportion and in a way that left me off-kilter for most of the day. Even my old standby, paint therapy, absolutely could not snap me out of it (of course I publicly blamed paint therapy).
This has never, to my recollection, happened before. A real measure of how far adrift I am right now, you might correctly surmise. I had honestly thought the method to be infallible.
In the end I dragged my much-bruised and abused ego into the kitchen and focused my flagging energies on sustenance instead. Whipped up a mindblowing batch of meaty, chipotle-dominated chili. And when the bulk of that work was done and I was waiting for the mixture to reduce, I turned my attention back to the painting in question.
And goddamn, but everything flowed. Hit exactly the right marks when mixing my glazes - tone, saturation, volume. The highly-reflective silver bits (my trusty Tri-Art Liquid Mirror) drybrushed over the glass bead gel took the phthalo blue and alizarin crimson glazes perfectly. Ditto the more subtle highlights I'd carefully worked in over the past few days.
Then I went out to visit friends. Had a couple drinks, talked some things over, watched some TV. Y'know, everyday stuff.
And made that fateful walk home. And the rest you know. I guess the lesson here is, the therapy won't take when you're not receptive to it. But it'll work when you're ready.
Deep, I know.
Bret Taylor
May 6, 2012.
(Not to be confused with the Bret Taylors of September 2011 or January 2012.)
Soundtrack - "Hold On", by the Alabama Shakes.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
For a Dancer.
Sometimes a painting almost seems to come out of nowhere and touch all kinds of people. Other times, the process can be a lengthy, involved one. In this particular case, it's a bit of both.
One night last summer I was chatting with a new friend and she happened to mention that she wanted a painting in hot pink. Further to that, she told me that she used to dance, and that she wanted art along that theme - feet and legs in pointe shoes. Time went by and we became much closer. But this idea stayed in my head. In November I drew a rough sketch of her legs and feet in the pointe shoes she'd had since she was a teenager. That original sketch has since been framed and now hangs on her living room wall:
By this point I could see the finished painting in my head pretty clearly. I started creating another of my metalflake paintings with the intention of giving it to her as a Christmas present. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the metalflake pieces take a lot longer to dry in mid-winter, because the shorter days and crappy weather mean a vastly-reduced amount of UV radiation (which speeds the drying process along).
In the end I bought her a Leonard Cohen book for Christmas, and the hot pink painting proceeded oh-so-slowly. A couple days ago I was inspecting the painting and noted that the thick, thick clearcoat was finally dry.
The end of this journey was finally in sight.
On Friday night I found myself at loose ends. I wanted to go do something social with friends, but any and all attempts to make that happen simply failed. So I mixed myself a strong Sailor Jerry's & Coke, and started masking the painting. The whole process came together pretty quickly, and with the encouragement of my Muse, the painting was soon finished:
So there you have it - the painting was a labour of love, and it's actually done.
Interestingly enough, I posted updates live on Twitter and then Facebook as the night progressed, and the response was stunning. So much support, so much praise, so many questions, so many people sharing the final image with friends and followers. So, I'd like to thank the people who made this so much easier: Meghan Low, Donna Jaggard, Kelly St-Laurent, Natalie Smith, Mandy Fisher, Nick Voikos, Mark Kretzschmar, Chris Hobrecker, Bruce Ng, Adé Win, Brandy Trudeau, Heather Prost, Liam Rines, Elaine Shiel, Leanne Corrigan, Tony Dunphy, Fiona Flowers, Nicole Crosby, Sean Parrack, Elizabeth Whalen, Jaime Purgavie, Melissa Hartfiel, Ceci Graber, Dale Deruiter, Vince Ng, Melissa Berg, John Lee, Dilara Litonjua, Cathy Browne, Risto Paalanen, Emily Brandt, Jackie McCaughan, Nick Routley, Amanda West, Christine Warner, Kathleen Ralph, Gary Hayden, Donna Jay-Crowe, Tina Power, Tom Van Hoose, Jackie Teel, Geoff Seymour, Winnie Huang, James Dickson, Marion Vincent, Sarah Merris, Katherine Bowes Pieters, Jewel Staite, Paulette Brown, John Bell ...
... and Tess McCann, without whom this would never have even been conceivable.
One night last summer I was chatting with a new friend and she happened to mention that she wanted a painting in hot pink. Further to that, she told me that she used to dance, and that she wanted art along that theme - feet and legs in pointe shoes. Time went by and we became much closer. But this idea stayed in my head. In November I drew a rough sketch of her legs and feet in the pointe shoes she'd had since she was a teenager. That original sketch has since been framed and now hangs on her living room wall:
By this point I could see the finished painting in my head pretty clearly. I started creating another of my metalflake paintings with the intention of giving it to her as a Christmas present. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the metalflake pieces take a lot longer to dry in mid-winter, because the shorter days and crappy weather mean a vastly-reduced amount of UV radiation (which speeds the drying process along).
In the end I bought her a Leonard Cohen book for Christmas, and the hot pink painting proceeded oh-so-slowly. A couple days ago I was inspecting the painting and noted that the thick, thick clearcoat was finally dry.
The end of this journey was finally in sight.
On Friday night I found myself at loose ends. I wanted to go do something social with friends, but any and all attempts to make that happen simply failed. So I mixed myself a strong Sailor Jerry's & Coke, and started masking the painting. The whole process came together pretty quickly, and with the encouragement of my Muse, the painting was soon finished:
Feels very weird to have the painting finished now, considering it's been in my subconscious since August, and it's March as I write this. And of course, my world is a vastly different place than it was during that late-night conversation waaay back in August - I couldn't even begin to chart the changes. I'm a whole new human being, really.
So there you have it - the painting was a labour of love, and it's actually done.
Interestingly enough, I posted updates live on Twitter and then Facebook as the night progressed, and the response was stunning. So much support, so much praise, so many questions, so many people sharing the final image with friends and followers. So, I'd like to thank the people who made this so much easier: Meghan Low, Donna Jaggard, Kelly St-Laurent, Natalie Smith, Mandy Fisher, Nick Voikos, Mark Kretzschmar, Chris Hobrecker, Bruce Ng, Adé Win, Brandy Trudeau, Heather Prost, Liam Rines, Elaine Shiel, Leanne Corrigan, Tony Dunphy, Fiona Flowers, Nicole Crosby, Sean Parrack, Elizabeth Whalen, Jaime Purgavie, Melissa Hartfiel, Ceci Graber, Dale Deruiter, Vince Ng, Melissa Berg, John Lee, Dilara Litonjua, Cathy Browne, Risto Paalanen, Emily Brandt, Jackie McCaughan, Nick Routley, Amanda West, Christine Warner, Kathleen Ralph, Gary Hayden, Donna Jay-Crowe, Tina Power, Tom Van Hoose, Jackie Teel, Geoff Seymour, Winnie Huang, James Dickson, Marion Vincent, Sarah Merris, Katherine Bowes Pieters, Jewel Staite, Paulette Brown, John Bell ...
... and Tess McCann, without whom this would never have even been conceivable.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 30/31.
And the shotglass project has almost drawn to close. Here's the penultimate drawing:
Ink, Photoshop. One more left...
Ink, Photoshop. One more left...
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 19/31.
Souvenir of San Diego ComiCon, either 2004 or 2005:
Ink, Photoshop.
Ink, Photoshop.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Bret's Big Art Sale.
So yesterday's sale was a smashing success. I commandeered the studio at Imagemaker Photographic Studio, lots of good, fun people showed up, paintings and prints were sold, and a good time was had by all. The show wasn't even started before several prints were already sold, and with the guidance of a few friends, the momentum kept going as we turned the sale into a bit of a Twitter event (#BretsBigArtSale).
(Photo courtesy of George Smeltzer - GSCameraworks)
I was really touched by how much effort people made to promote the sale. Plenty of mentions, retweets, photos and link sharing on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Right off the bat, I should thank these fine people:
John & Chrissy Watson, George Smeltzer, Lori Kittelberg, Patti Catroppa, Ceci Graber, Brandy Trudeau, Jeff Hornby, Donna Jay-Crowe, Adam Carlson, Ned Tobin, Nikki Cruickshank, Nicola Rueschmann, Richard Finch, Adé Win, Vincent Ng, everybody at Cosca and Novo, Nicola Rueschmann, Yvonne Milroy, Matty Sadorf, April Trasy, Valarie H., Kimli, Stephanie Insixiengmay, Anthony Wittrock, DaDe Art & Design Lab, Vancouver Vantage, Carly Fryer, BC Berrie, Lora Jean, John Bell, Jenn Ashton, Lola Frost, Louise Perrin, Ashley November, Steve Kubien, and of course my family.
Sold a set of 6 bourbon prints, a Jack Daniel's print, the Crow's Funeral painting I did in tribute to my good friends Lisa and Paul in Mojave, etc. etc. I was sort of sad to see this one go, but at least it went to a good home:
(Photo courtesy of Brandy Trudeau)
In the midst of all the wining and dining and wheeling and dealing, I managed to get a little sketching in:
(Photo courtesy of Tess McCann)
And of course, adult beverages were provided to keep spirits up (see what I did there?). There's still a bit of wine left in my fridge, but the tequila didn't survive:
After 6 hours we packed up the paintings and called it a night. Only thing left to do at that point was celebrate with vodka and poutine.
Thank you one and all for a stellar day. Let's do it again sometime soon.
P.S. Thanks to everyone who put up with my twitchiness and general neurosis on the days leading up to the sale. Apparently I'm always going to be a bit of a mess right up to the point where a sale/show starts.
(Photo courtesy of George Smeltzer - GSCameraworks)
I was really touched by how much effort people made to promote the sale. Plenty of mentions, retweets, photos and link sharing on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Right off the bat, I should thank these fine people:
John & Chrissy Watson, George Smeltzer, Lori Kittelberg, Patti Catroppa, Ceci Graber, Brandy Trudeau, Jeff Hornby, Donna Jay-Crowe, Adam Carlson, Ned Tobin, Nikki Cruickshank, Nicola Rueschmann, Richard Finch, Adé Win, Vincent Ng, everybody at Cosca and Novo, Nicola Rueschmann, Yvonne Milroy, Matty Sadorf, April Trasy, Valarie H., Kimli, Stephanie Insixiengmay, Anthony Wittrock, DaDe Art & Design Lab, Vancouver Vantage, Carly Fryer, BC Berrie, Lora Jean, John Bell, Jenn Ashton, Lola Frost, Louise Perrin, Ashley November, Steve Kubien, and of course my family.
Sold a set of 6 bourbon prints, a Jack Daniel's print, the Crow's Funeral painting I did in tribute to my good friends Lisa and Paul in Mojave, etc. etc. I was sort of sad to see this one go, but at least it went to a good home:
(Photo courtesy of Brandy Trudeau)
In the midst of all the wining and dining and wheeling and dealing, I managed to get a little sketching in:
(Photo courtesy of Tess McCann)
And of course, adult beverages were provided to keep spirits up (see what I did there?). There's still a bit of wine left in my fridge, but the tequila didn't survive:
After 6 hours we packed up the paintings and called it a night. Only thing left to do at that point was celebrate with vodka and poutine.
Thank you one and all for a stellar day. Let's do it again sometime soon.
P.S. Thanks to everyone who put up with my twitchiness and general neurosis on the days leading up to the sale. Apparently I'm always going to be a bit of a mess right up to the point where a sale/show starts.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 11/31.
Just a quick drive-by post. Stressed out to the max about arrangements for the art sale on Saturday, and nothing else seems to be calming me down any, so I figured maybe drawing Stewie Griffin would help.
The verdict is still out.
Ink and watercolour.
The verdict is still out.
Ink and watercolour.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Big Art Sale.
So I've been talking a lot lately about this upcoming Closing Time show I want to put on. And of course, the first painting's already done, but if I'm gonna put on a full-fledged show on the scale I want, it'll take some funding - I'd like to put together a book (via Blurb) of the initial sketches of my Muse and offer that for sale at the show in addition to the paintings. And really, having copies of my Hey Ladies book available couldn't hurt.
Coincidentally, I'm also trying to strip a lot of excess baggage out of my life these days. Being a packrat is a real flaw of mine, so I'm determined to cut some of this extra crap away. (Why no, it's not a midlife crisis at all.)
Killing two birds with one stone, then: I'm hosting a sale this weekend, and almost all my paintings prior to the Metalflake show in October are going, going, and hopefully soon to be gone. It'll free up a ton of wall space and hopefully raise the cash I need for the next big show. Prices are being slashed as if I were some crazed, fez-wearing carpet-warehouse owner.
What's on sale, you ask? Well, you can download a catalog of the show right here.
So stay tuned, and if you're in Vancouver, please come by the show. Relevant info is as follows:
Saturday, January 14th, 2:00PM - 8:00PM
210-2075 Yukon St., Vancouver, BC
Thanks, and please spread the word.
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
January 2012
Coincidentally, I'm also trying to strip a lot of excess baggage out of my life these days. Being a packrat is a real flaw of mine, so I'm determined to cut some of this extra crap away. (Why no, it's not a midlife crisis at all.)
Killing two birds with one stone, then: I'm hosting a sale this weekend, and almost all my paintings prior to the Metalflake show in October are going, going, and hopefully soon to be gone. It'll free up a ton of wall space and hopefully raise the cash I need for the next big show. Prices are being slashed as if I were some crazed, fez-wearing carpet-warehouse owner.
What's on sale, you ask? Well, you can download a catalog of the show right here.
So stay tuned, and if you're in Vancouver, please come by the show. Relevant info is as follows:
Saturday, January 14th, 2:00PM - 8:00PM
210-2075 Yukon St., Vancouver, BC
Thanks, and please spread the word.
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
January 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 10/31.
Saw this one at the Muse's place tonight, and just had to draw it:
Ink and watercolour. Only artistic license I used was in colouring the skull red to give it more emphasis.
Ink and watercolour. Only artistic license I used was in colouring the skull red to give it more emphasis.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 06/31.
For tonight's entertainment, I proudly present with:
Ink, watercolour, coloured pencil.
Ink, watercolour, coloured pencil.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 04/31.
Another shotglass offering tonight. This one's from Busch Gardens, another place that I've never been:
Graphite, watercolour, gouache.
Graphite, watercolour, gouache.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 03/31.
Day three:
Souvenir of (duh) a trip to L.A. in 2004. Picked it up at LAX on the way back to Vancouver.
Watercolour, graphite.
It occurs to me that the number of blog posts this year will obviously be jumping pretty drastically.
Souvenir of (duh) a trip to L.A. in 2004. Picked it up at LAX on the way back to Vancouver.
Watercolour, graphite.
It occurs to me that the number of blog posts this year will obviously be jumping pretty drastically.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 02/31.
I'm probably late with shotglass number two, given that the holidays are over. But here it is anyway:
Coloured pencil, ink, watercolour, gouache.
(Got this particular glass from my folks, if I remember correctly. I've probably only got about 60 or 70 shotglasses, so I guess that for this project to go beyond that point, I'll have to either invent some shotglass designs or buy more.)
Coloured pencil, ink, watercolour, gouache.
(Got this particular glass from my folks, if I remember correctly. I've probably only got about 60 or 70 shotglasses, so I guess that for this project to go beyond that point, I'll have to either invent some shotglass designs or buy more.)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Shotglass-a-Day Project, Day 01/31.
Happy New Year, folks. Yes, it's a whole 'nother year, and so I figured I needed a new art project.
'Cause all the existing projects just weren't enough, of course.
The new idea is, I draw a quick sketch of a different shotglass every day. Day in, day out, for the whole 366 days. (Yep, 2012 is a leap year.) Trying not to go into it with too many preconceived notions, so I'm not putting any hard-and-fast rules into place. I might do these in charcoal, ink, coloured pencil, watercolour... whatever floats my boat on that particular day. It's as much a disciplinary exercise as anything else, although hopefully it'll help mantain my drawing muscles as well.
So without further ado, may I present you with the inaugural shotglass of the day:
Coloured pencil and charcoal.
Stay tuned for more, every day of 2012.
Cheers,
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
January 1st, 2012
EDIT: After a month I'm realizing that I just don't have 366 shotglasses in me. So, it'll be shotglasses in January, dinosaurs in February, etc. etc.
'Cause all the existing projects just weren't enough, of course.
The new idea is, I draw a quick sketch of a different shotglass every day. Day in, day out, for the whole 366 days. (Yep, 2012 is a leap year.) Trying not to go into it with too many preconceived notions, so I'm not putting any hard-and-fast rules into place. I might do these in charcoal, ink, coloured pencil, watercolour... whatever floats my boat on that particular day. It's as much a disciplinary exercise as anything else, although hopefully it'll help mantain my drawing muscles as well.
So without further ado, may I present you with the inaugural shotglass of the day:
Coloured pencil and charcoal.
Stay tuned for more, every day of 2012.
Cheers,
Bret Taylor
Vancouver, BC
January 1st, 2012
EDIT: After a month I'm realizing that I just don't have 366 shotglasses in me. So, it'll be shotglasses in January, dinosaurs in February, etc. etc.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
A Christmas Story.
Gather 'round, children, and I'll tell you a tale of happiness and Yuletide joy. Once upon a time there were a boy and a girl who fell in love. And they both loved art, which is a good thing, 'cause otherwise this would be the end of the story.
Now this couple (let's call them, oh, "Dan and Donna") already had several paintings by a local Artiste (let's call him, oh, "me"). And they wanted more. So "Dan" contacted the Artiste in question and asked about commissioning a portrait of "Donna". The Artiste, of course, was quite enthusiastic about such a project, because he loved painting (and truth be told, he was also somewhat fond of financial remuneration).
So Dan and the Artiste struck a deal, and work began. And shortly thereafter, the Artiste heard from Donna, who wished to purchase a painting called "Ace of Spades" as a present for Dan.
This pleased the Artiste to no end.
(An amusing side note: after the deal was struck with Donna, Dan contacted the Artiste again, this time to inquire about purchasing the Ace of Spades painting. The Artiste expressed sympathy and apologetically told Dan the painting was already spoken for.)
The Artiste was understandably amused by all this subterfuge, and with uncharacteristic restraint, only told a couple of people.
Okay, a whole bunch of people. But not Donna or Dan, which is key.
Meanwhile, work continued on the portrait of Donna:
And time passed, as it usually does. The painting and the Artiste found themselves disagreeing from time to time, but with the help of the Artiste's lovely and talented Muse, the painting was finished with an entire day to spare.
On Christmas morning, paintings were exchanged, Donna and Dan were happy, and there was much rejoicing throughout the land.
And they all lived happily ever after.
The End.
Now this couple (let's call them, oh, "Dan and Donna") already had several paintings by a local Artiste (let's call him, oh, "me"). And they wanted more. So "Dan" contacted the Artiste in question and asked about commissioning a portrait of "Donna". The Artiste, of course, was quite enthusiastic about such a project, because he loved painting (and truth be told, he was also somewhat fond of financial remuneration).
So Dan and the Artiste struck a deal, and work began. And shortly thereafter, the Artiste heard from Donna, who wished to purchase a painting called "Ace of Spades" as a present for Dan.
This pleased the Artiste to no end.
(An amusing side note: after the deal was struck with Donna, Dan contacted the Artiste again, this time to inquire about purchasing the Ace of Spades painting. The Artiste expressed sympathy and apologetically told Dan the painting was already spoken for.)
The Artiste was understandably amused by all this subterfuge, and with uncharacteristic restraint, only told a couple of people.
Okay, a whole bunch of people. But not Donna or Dan, which is key.
Meanwhile, work continued on the portrait of Donna:
And time passed, as it usually does. The painting and the Artiste found themselves disagreeing from time to time, but with the help of the Artiste's lovely and talented Muse, the painting was finished with an entire day to spare.
On Christmas morning, paintings were exchanged, Donna and Dan were happy, and there was much rejoicing throughout the land.
And they all lived happily ever after.
The End.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Hottest?
Apparently I'm in good company today. Franziska San Pedro has included me in her list of 15 hottest male artists:
Thanks, Franziska.
You can read more here.I am not going to define “hot” in detail here but here’s a list of artists I have met online and I think the stuff they make is smokin’ H.O.T.
Thanks, Franziska.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
