How to be an Expert?

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Numbers.

I read somewhere that one has to put 100,000 hours practicing a skill in order to become an "expert" at that skill. First, that seems sort of a random number. Second, I'm not certain if that means in general--for example, one would be an "expert artist" if one completed 100,000 hours drawing, painting, and sculpting; or if it means in specifics--100,000 hours painting from the model, 100,000 hours painting still lifes, 100,000 hours drawing goofy characters, etc.

I don't know what the author meant, and it seriously is kind of a dumb thing to try to quantify.

Most of the illustrators/artists I know are many years my junior, and they are more skilled than I.

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I've put years worth of hours into practicing art, in many different forms. Even conservatively, my figures still get me to 160,000. I'm not sure what that author's definition of expert might be, but I'd be hard pressed to label myself as one.

Don't get me wrong; I know a lot about art--both art history and art techniques, and am confident in many of my abilities. But I'm maybe most confident in my ability to learn. By practicing. And that's all I really care about.

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So I continue to hit the Life Painting sessions at Helikon Gallery (where I mostly life draw), and get outside to paint, and draw and paint in my studio--and anywhere else it's appropriate. My aim's not to become someone's definition of an expert, but to keep getting better at it all; including the ability to share what I've learned--of the abilities I have at any given time--with others.

If I'd have liked numbers, I wouldn't have become an artist in the first place.

Thanks for reading.

The Old Witch, Part One

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The Old Witch (detail).

This is the second image for a recent project. I'm in the middle of the third, and The Creature http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/2014/08/httptomsarmo.html  was the first. I love drawing Frankenstein--same with witches--so heading to the studio has been a true pleasure lately.

Witches and apples in fairy and folk tales seem inextricably paired. And what's a magical person without a familiar? In this lady's case, it's a slightly tilting, crabby owl!

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Disorganized (I am getting better), my prelims usually end up scattered in random sketchbooks and drawers. I know there were more, but these are some preliminary witch-head studies. The thumbnails for the composition elude me at the moment. 

The idea of The Old Witch has been with me for years, probably beginning with an old Aurora model I built as a kid, and...  

http://www.lambiek.net/artists/i/ingles.htm

...the amazing Graham Ingels' Old Witch! 

Growing up, a tremendous amount of images got seared into my brain thanks to the barber shop's comic book collection. This is only one of those pictures that scared the pants off me, thus never forgotten.

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Dug up some more prelims--early versions of the venerable sorceress, and an idea for the text banner.

Once the witch's pose was settled on, a hand-selfie with apple was necessary.

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But I'm getting ahead of the post.

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I also worked on the border. Here it took on a Celtic spin...

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...but changed my mind in favor of a cauldron. That doesn't last either. The bird skull finally takes shape here though.

Well that's it for Part One--more next post--and

Thanks, as always, for checking out my blog!

Of Haunted Clocks and Clockwork Monks

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

Old clocks have been a passion for years. Like most vintage objects, they were crafted 

with the artistic care that doesn't exist these days, in modern clocks at least. This particular 

beauty--not working and pretty beat -up--was found for me by my brother. 

As creepy-looking as it is, this is not the haunted one.

Still, I like it--tend to like the inside as much as the outside.

I'm not an horology fanatic, but I readily admit to being a clockworks nerd, so I can't 

imagine these gears being uninteresting to anyone.

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Now this fellow--in working order and the best time-keeper I own--is my absolute favorite. 

And it's haunted. I'll get to that.

But first--the aesthetics! Look how the wood grain in the twist still glows--even though the finish is checked and worn. The scratched and rubbed face shows that it was well-used and wound for years. And the ghost-story?

When I got this clock, it worked right away, ticking along like clockwork. But when brought to 

my studio, it stopped and refused to run. I took it to Jake, my clock repairman, who got it ticking right away. Still, I had him clean it and keep it for a few days to make sure it was running well.

Took it back to the studio and it stopped again, not a tic nor a tock to be heard.

So back to Jake's shop, where of course, the clock started right up.

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"There's nothing wrong with this clock," he said, matter of fact. Then, raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Is there another clock in your studio? 'Cause if there is, I'd try taking it out. Bet this one will work then. Seen this kind of thing before. You know clocks, they got wound and touched a lot by the owners, so they get haunted quite a bit. And sometimes they don't much like any competition."

Not a skeptic when it comes to that sort of thing, I removed an old clock--not a favorite--that I'd had ticking in the studio for a few years. And after that, you got it: This great old stubborn and haunted clock 

has been working fine ever since!

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But speaking of haunted, this is the guy that I'm sure initiated my itch for the clockworks.

I snapped this photo when my wife and I, as a young couple, visited the Smithsonian and saw it in 

a case there. I wanted it so badly!

Here are a few more views from the internet, and a video of the ancient monk walking around. Made in 1560, this eerie automaton still works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycyj76VPOtc

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The best I can do, since I can't have the monk, is collect and draw old clocks. It sort of 

scratches the itch, so that's gotta be enough for now.

Thanks for reading!

Art Resources: Books vs the Internet

Yes, still hacking away at new color stuff, but gave in this morning and took a book break.

The studio at 8 am.

  

I like books best for resources and inspiration--they fill more than four bookcases around the house--three of which are stuffed into the small studio where I paint. That collection might seem excessive to some, but I turn to it every day. Yeah, I have a computer downstairs; definitely use it for an instant resource or answer, and have thought hard about a laptop for the studio, just as a convenience. But nothing seems to replace the information from my books.

Best of all, when my head is crazy with art/internet/business, or is overwhelmed by a new experiment in painting, grabbing a book, my chair, and a cup of coffee guarantees total peace. I never get that from a screen.

I suppose my reliance on (and love of) books dates me fairly, but does anyone else prefer books 

over the web for art resources?