Sketching at MCAD -- Part One

The oft-parodied nude modeling session is actually a great way to develop one's artistic chops. Drawing in public (coffee shops, etc.) is fun, but people move around so quickly that it's difficult to focus on anything but basic shapes. With a modeling session you can dig into the subtleties of light and shape, etc.

Britt and Danno invited me to a session at MCAD yesterday, and here are the results:

My drawing materials are similar to what I brought to last month's Opera Sketch Night:

- brown pitt brush pen [B] (the thick brown lines)
- brown pitt fine pen [F] (the thin brown lines)
- Pentel pocket brown pen (the black lines, thick and thin)
- Copic markers (the gray and tan tones)

We started out with some quick gestures:







Then we went to some longer 10 and 15 minutes poses:













For the longest (20+ minute) poses I twisted Danno's arm and stole his large drawing pad. I'll post those later this week after I get the big sketchpad back from Danno.

The session lasted four hours. In the final few minutes we switched gears and did some quick gestures to cool down. This first one looks like how I feel most of the time:







I fully realize I didn't really draw these correctly. You're supposed to lightly sketch in the full form as basic shapes in order to find the figure and then slowly build up the tones and detail. Unfortunately I'm too impatient for that, plus I really like the messed-up look of an oddly proportioned model, so there you go.

Not sure when I'll be heading back to MCAD in the near future, but I'll be hitting up the Bell Museum Sketch Day on Sunday. Looking forward to drawing some prairie landscapes!

"JUST ADD INK" Looking for Organizers

Art by Lance Ward

Every year, the kind folks at Altered Esthetics gallery in Northeast Minneapolis invite members of the local cartooning scene to curate a comics-themed show. Past shows include 2010's Lutefisk Sushi: Volume D and 2009's Big Funny, and Big Time Attic has been a proud sponsor of all of them.

This year's show is entitled "Just Add Ink" and will explore the crossover appeal of the comic arts and the culinary arts. Artists are invited to submit cartoons for a "comic cookbook" and will be encouraged to display their original art during the show itself (submission and event details forthcoming).

If you'd like to be included in the planning process, please come to Just Add Ink's first meeting, this Tuesday, March 1, at 9pm at Psycho Suzi's. If you can't make it, continue to watch the Cartoonist Conspiracy website. Shortly after Tuesday's meeting we will post the minutes along with details about the next meeting.

If you have any further questions about any of this, leave a comment below!

Sketch Night at the Opera

Last night I had the good fortune of being able to doodle during a dress rehearsal of the Minnesota Opera's Mary Stuart at the Ordway Center. I was invited by Tempo and the Black Hat Collective, and was part of a group of about fifteen cartoonists who tried to visually capture the opera. Our little group must have looked strange from the stage, fifteen dark-clad cartoonists scribbling madly under a haze of blue booklights, our rapt silence broken only by paper rustling or the occasional pencil dropping on the floor.

I haven't done any life drawing since college, when I spent a ridiculous amount of time drawing in coffee shops and around campus, drawing people who either didn't notice me sketching them or didn't care. This guerilla sketching style forced me to get used to drawing people who moved around a lot, resulting in distorted or fractured drawings like this one:


The actors in last night's opera, however, moved around significantly more than someone sitting in a coffee shop, so it was a major challenge trying to capture a pose. Because of this, my first sketches of the night are kind of a mess:

[ Click for larger versions of each pic ]





Realizing that I didn't want to end the night with a jumble of frantic half-drawn sketches, I decided to try a blend of life drawing and imagination. I took a mental snapshot of something that happened on stage and stuck with that pose, even while the actors were busy moving around standing in different positions. I also thought it would be fun to incorporate lines from the opera, translations of which were conveniently shown on a screen above the stage. So here's the result of the less-lifelike, more imaginative set:










A note on materials: These were drawn on 80 lb Strathmore drawing paper (the sketchbook with the brown cover) and I used sepia Pitt brush pens for the linework and Copic markers for the tones and color.

The only downside of the night is that I spent so much time focused on drawing that I failed to grasp exactly what was happening on stage. But whatever plot was lost to me was made up in a greater appreciation for all the little details in costume and background that I don't usually catch when watching a performance like this. All in all a terrific experience and I highly recommend that other cartoonists jump at the chance to do this should the opportunity come up again.

Thanks to Tempo and the Black Hat folks for allowing us to sneak in and draw for three hours. It was a blast!

Update: MinnPost's Max Sparber wrote a review of "Mary Stuart" and he even mentions our little sketch troupe and includes a photo of yours truly.

"Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth" Book Signing & Party

Zander and I will be signing copies of our newest nonfiction graphic novel, Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth at Big Brain Comics in Minneapolis on Saturday, February 12, 2011, from 4-6pm. Full details below.


[ CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE ]

Written by Jay Hosler, Evolution is an engaging and often humorous look at how life evolved (and continues to evolve) on this planet, as seen through the eyes of an alien narrator. This book is aimed at a high school and college level reader, but can really be enjoyed by anyone. Evolution was released in January to much critical fanfare, including Pharyngula celebrity blogger PZ Myers who wrote:

"Jay Hosler has a new book out . . . and I'm afraid it's going to be required reading for everyone, and you're also all probably going to end up buying multiple copies for gifts. Really, it's that good."

I like the "multiple copies" bit. Anyway, for more information about the book, including where to find two free chapters to read online, click the "Evolution" tab above or just click here.

FULL DETAILS
WHAT: Book signing & party
WHO: Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon will be signing Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth
DATE: February 12, 2011 (Darwin's 202nd birthday!)
TIME: 4-6pm
WHERE: Big Brain Comics, 1027 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN
WILL THERE BE SNACKS & BOOZE: Yes

Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth ... Goes Live!

At long last you can hold in your hands the newest nonfiction graphic novel from me and Zander. Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth is the sequel to The Stuff of Life and was penned by cartoonist, professor, and Office Hours star Jay Hosler.

To centralize things a little, we've created a home base for Evolution. We'll be archiving things like reviews and interviews there, as well as a few high-resolution preview pages so you can impress your friends. Eventually we'll get to all our books, and you'll be able to navigate easily using the tabs above. Oh, technology!

In the meantime, please enjoy these snapshots from a local Barnes & Noble, courtesy of my mom: