August

Artist Awareness.

The best and only thing that one artist can do for another, is to serve as an example and an inspiration.

The pictures above are only 4 of many, MANY sketches from this past August/September. I've recently set myself a goal of completing at least 3 illustrations in my sketchbook daily. This guarantees that I keep drawing and sketching. It keeps me in the habit of doing, even though I cant sit down to paint/print every day. Its a good habit to get into. I sketch no matter how dumb or idiotic the drawing may turn out. Atleast its an idea that has been documented that I can go back to later, or forget all together.

To be honest it wasnt easy at first. But than I got into a rythm and was able to draw more than 5 sketches a day, which was a great feeling! So if you're paralyzed with fear to start drawing, it's a good sign. It shows you what you have to do.

I like to sketch ONLY the basics of my fantasy world, which I call my "Clutter Cave." Its where my mind can literally take all the clutter which are my concepts/ideas and put them to use on canvas, board, and paper!

I like to keep my illustrations/sketches very basic. If I work it out too much in advance, I will either be disappointed with the finished product or become VERY frustrated to perfect it. I like the process of creation. It allows me to freely change things until I feel it is right.

I only see my finished product as "finished" when its ready to reach out viewers.

Awareness of the Strange.

I love the eccentric things in life. Im a huge admirer of unusual. I find it all to be completely fascinating. I grew up on 'bedtime' fairytales and fantasy movies. The dark and mysterious stories were always my favorites.

Global Awareness.

By unleashing everyday subjects in a uninviting way, I feel that I can really open the viewers eyes to topics concerning Global Warning. I want to hit home and wake them up a bit. I want to startle them. I want them to be the deer in headlights when the look at my paintings.

PLEASE KEEP CHECKING BACK.

Im going to be doing a lot of blogging and posting pictures of all my new work. Right now everything is a work in progress, but thats the best part! :) Thanks for Reading.

C.Dogg

Brilliant Minds Think Alike

Tim Burton.

Not only is he my FAVORITE movie director of all time, he too is my inspiration for my dark, quirky art. He is mostly a conceptual artist for live-action and animated films. He has produced films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Batman Returns, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, Corpse Bride, AND MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE EVER MADE.... The Nightmare Before Christmas.

He actually intended for The Nightmare Before Christmas to be a ryhming children's book. Which Im much more thankful that he turned into a film instead of a hunting book for children. Tim Burton also includes himself in his artwork mostly giving himself a small role within his movies or characters which is another thing i've picked up from him a long the way. I love including myself in my creepy world. I like the feeling of knowing I can be a part of something Ive created!

He is also soon to release his NEWEST film Alice in Wonderland which is set in a victorian era with his special touch of dark and mysterious. Im very excited to see the movie, I just hope I can pull something deeper and darker from it so I can have fresh ideas to work on!! :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Tim Burton at the MoMA!

November 22, 2009 - April 26, 2010.

Burton will be on exhibit at the Moma!! I CANT WAIT!!! The exhibit will include over 700 peices and will show the retrospective of his career.

"Following the current of his visual imagination from his earliest childhood drawing through his mature work, the exhibition presents artwork generated during the conception and production of his films, and highlights a number of unrealized projects and never-before-seen pieces, as well as student art, his earliest non-professional films, and examples of his work as a storyteller and graphic artist for non-film projects. The opposing themes of adolescence and adulthood, and the elements of sentiment, cynicism, and humor inform his work in a variety of mediums—drawings, paintings, storyboards, digital and moving-image formats, puppets and maquettes, props, costumes, ephemera, sketchbooks, and cartoons. Taking inspiration from sources in pop culture, Burton has reinvented Hollywood genre filmmaking as a spiritual experience, influencing a generation of young artists working in film, video, and graphics." -MoMA

Cult of Print

Everyone needs to start from somewhere.

And whether or not that means starting from scratch, or starting from day one of freshman year in Drawing I Class... You live, you learn, and you try really hard not to forget what you've learned!

For me; Art school taught me about the people who took HUGE chances and the origins of art. The ‘art history’ and the artists who took those chances have brought the creative world to where it is today. Now that I know the history behind the Modern Contemporary Art, I too can break the rules down, to help keep the ever-lasting art scene alive.

Westby.

In Westby, ‘Our Classroom is NOT a Lounge’. It was a gathering point of inspiring minds and INCREDIBLY gifted people. That’s what we as artists do, we collaborate. We bounce ideas off of one another. We suffer the same ups and downs of the art world together as a whole so we don’t have to do it alone. It was my perfect little world. Wake up go to class, share inside jokes during lunch, studio before afternoon classes, studio all night, sleep on couch in art building (Westby), and Repeat.

Although, I must admit I found that I struggled at Westby to find my own originality. And once I graduated and was unfortunately forced to move back home, I then found my raw, natural talent come alive. My sketchbook was finally filling quickly with raw material that was my own and not myself forcing to stick to the guidelines of another class assignment! AND that is a glorious moment for any artist. I called it my breaking point.