One Fair-Enough Question, and an Answer to Another

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I'm often asked, "Where do you get your ideas?"

It's a fair question to which there are many answers. I read a lot of folk and fairy tales and fiction, and I look at a lot of old and contemporary illustrations. Those stories and images 

inform--semi-directly--a lot of the works I create. But...

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...sometimes the artworks arrive from my unconscious/subconscious being. When sketching for relaxation, figures and characters just work their way from my brain and heart down my arm and out the fingers that hold the pencil; or in this case, the brush. I liken it to the old-style darkroom experience, when the paper was placed into the developer and the image magically appeared onto the photo paper. There's no pre-visualized image; I put the drawing implement down and let the image happen. And it is magical, and I never tire of the experience.

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This work-in-progress happened like that. After some unconscious sketching of figures that really did not resemble this fellow, I dipped a paintbrush into black ink and drew directly onto the primed canvas. To be accurate, I painted the outlines freely with a #3 round brush, allowing the figure and the objects to stay undefined. 

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Then I looked for references for the clothing and the objects, adding the details as I saw fit. Because I'd primed the canvas with a reddish-orange ground, I was able to paint over and adjust the initial, loose lines and clean up the parts of the drawing I wanted to preserve.

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Above are a couple of detail crops of the finished piece. 

Still haven't a title for it, but it's 12" x 30", and will be in an upcoming show.

***

I got an email yesterday inquiring about my "average painting process".  I sort of use an average process but it does vary a bit with each artwork. Here then is the process sequence I used for this piece:

1--Coated the gessoed canvas with a reddish ground (in this case a mixture of Art Spectrum Fine Tooth Colourfix Primer (Terra Cotta) and Maimeri Polycolor Yellow Ochre

2--Painted the outline using a brush and India Ink (sometimes I use thinned, black Polycolor, but I like the smoother flow and value of India ink a bit better)

3--Fixed the ink with clear acrylic spray varnish (otherwise the application of subsequent acrylic washes will cause the ink to run)

4--Touched up and corrected the initial brush drawing with the reddish ground and black Polycolor

5--Mixed four values of grey-green Polycolor (dark, medium dark, medium light, and light) in sealable, plastic cups

6--Painted the shadow areas--keeping the grey values accurate to the local value of each area

7--Painted the lighter grey areas

8--Added highlights with white Polycolor

9--Added tinted glazes to punch up the green hue in the character's eyes, and some white tinted glazes  to soften some of the highlight edges

10--Varnished with a coat of acrylic gloss medium. When that's dry,  added final coating of Soluvar (which gets rid of the "tackiness" gloss mediums often have, even when dry).

I'm open to all the questions folks ask--they are a sign of interest in the work I create, and much appreciated.

Thanks for checking this out : ]

Mischievous Death

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Skeletons and skulls have been an intermittent subject for me. The idea of "memento mori" appeals for certain, but many death-images have been swirling up from my unconscious mind since last September for some reason.

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While death is a serious subject, and I sometimes treat it as such (see previous post ), the idea of a mischievous personification intrigues me. Hence this work-in-progress.

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The first two photos above are drawings done on slightly textured, brown toned paper. I began this one on 300 lb. watercolor paper (because watercolor was to be the main media). I like to sketch out the picture using red pencil.

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I fixed up the red sketch with a fine brush dipped in india ink...

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...then toned the paper using Quinacridone Gold watercolor. Next, highlights with white acrylic paint. All the cross-hatching followed with a crow-quill pen and ink, and blue-green inks accented the skeleton's eyes and pin.

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Sometimes but not always, I sketch out little ideas first.

So much for death--I'm not one to delve into much philosophy in this blog; save that for quiet conversation over a beer :)

Thanks for checking out my art!

Goofy Goblins in Pen and Ink

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I'm working with pen and ink lately, and pretty much exclusively. Always have loved it, and am enjoying every minute of my studio time.

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Much of the works are goofy goblins, but I've done a few creepier pieces recently too, which I'll post next time.

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Many of these are pieces for larger, more complicated works-in-progress, and I'm excited each time a new one flows out onto the paper.

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They are all done on the same brown paper with the same colored pencil, brushpen, and pen and ink. They just look different depending on the light under which they're photographed.

Thanks for reading--hope you'll check back as the works progress!

Nahcotta Gallery: Enormous Tiny Art 23!

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On the Path. (Pre-colored detail of the larger, now-finished work.) Pen and ink plus colored inks.

Pleased to announce the opening of the Enormous Tiny Art Show (23) at Nahcotta Gallery in Portsmouth, NH

And I'm excited to have eight works in the show--including On the Path!

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The Hatter Before the King (detail crop). Pen and ink plus colored inks.

Even though the opening is not until March 2, you can read a bit about me and purchase art now online here:

Tom Sarmo's Art

And see all the sweet artworks by great artists here:

Enormous Tiny Art Show (23)

Thanks for looking and supporting art and artists!

A new Goblin-in-Progress

It's been awhile since I've been able to do some off-the-top-of-my-head sketching. There have been--and still are--a lot of projects in the hopper, but I had an idea for a new work that couldn't wait.

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If you've visited before, you've seen some of my wood cut-outs for a spiritual gallery; I want this fellow to be a cut-out too, and he's going to be two-sided!

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The initial red pencil under-drawing gives the pen and ink a bit of color, which I like a lot. After the red penciling, I outline the whole drawing--fixing it up as I go--with a Pentel Brushpen. That gives me a good variance of line. Then the highlights go on with a Signo white pen. The crosshatched values go in next, with a lot of layering to blend the tones.

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Here's the initial red-pencil backside. It was a good challenge to figure out the back of his feet and hands--they had to match the silhouette of the front view.

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Here's a collage shot of the completed rear that I posted on Instagram, and I'd appreciate it if you'd follow me there, as I add work regularly.

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And here's the front. I'll add color with acrylic inks, then mount the drawings on wood prior to the cutting.

Thanks for checking this out!

Little Guys on Cardboard

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Been experimenting--trying out some glazing techniques I want to use on a project this coming spring. These two fellows are painted on some cardboard rolls I'd stashed under the table in my studio.

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Painted the cylinders with a mixture of ochre and sienna, drew the guys with a brush and black acrylic, then painted them in grey monochrome.

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Followed that up by using tinted glazes to add subtle color variations. 

I have a few more I want to work on--good thing because it's pretty fun.

Thanks for checking it out!

Angry Goblin Process

A bit of a sequence to this artwork with some less-than-steller iPhone photos.

The drawing began with red colored pencil--Verithin Poppy in this case. White highlights added with a Signo white gel pen. Crosshatching was next.

The finished ink drawing is lightly sprayed with acrylic gloss coating, then color added with transparent acrylic inks.

I like the way the red pencil shows in the final work, and also how the acrylic washes 

soften the india ink lines.

(A follow-up to last week's post: Still experimenting with zero Facebook (outside of keeping up with local events). Continue to feel much lighter and have slept incredibly well this past week. That may be a coincidence, but nonetheless I have no desire to go back to Fb. Not posting on Instagram, but am keeping up with those I follow. IG doesn't seem to bug me as much as other social media, maybe because it's mostly photos of art.)

Thanks for the visit!

My Art Book (and a Sticker Pack)!

My artwork from the past three years, compiled in a really nice, 96 page volume!

This past year brought a solo exhibition for me at Helikon Gallery. Along with the show, the gallery director and illustrator, Cayce Goldberg, designed this 96 page book.

I got to watch--and add my thoughts--as he worked on laying out the covers and pages. It was a fascinating process, and I've nothing but admiration for Cayce's skills as a writer and designer.

 

 Many of the page layouts feature the finished work along with the initial sketch and process photos...

 

...along with pages that show close-up details of my drawings and paintings (with my short commentaries about technique, or process, or thoughts about influences).

 

There are even great layouts of my sketches (and a few "portraits" of my friends) designed consistently by theme...

...including pages that deal with my fascination with Alice's Adventures.

It's a volume that pretty much covers my work and process, and I'm very proud of it.

 

The gallery even created a companion sticker pack to go along with the book and exhibition!

If what I create happens to resonate for you, both book and sticker pack are available here:

My shop

 

Your purchase helps me continue to make art, 

and I very much appreciate your interest and support--thank you!

Animal Parameters at Valkarie Gallery!

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For the third year in a row, I'm excited to be part of a fall show at Valkarie Gallery!

Animal Parameters is coming soon, and my works will join the amazing art of

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Karrie York

http://www.mikiharderart.com/

and Miki Harder 

Please click on their names for links to their sites and more of their art!

Here's a little preview of a few of my works which will be in the show:

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For folks who like fantastic creatures, here's a Lava Monster! A few illustrators and I were discussing how to create a stone creature who oozed lava from cracks in its hide, so I tried my hand at this fellow.

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I love owning sketches by artists, so I make many of mine available to collectors. And I gotta have a few Cranky Birds in every show.

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My animal works are most often images that spring from real animals but end up imaginary creatures.

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And dragons are animals, right?

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So I hope you will join us for Animal Parameters!

Here are the particulars:

 And be sure to check out Valkarie Gallery's current show Elements and Curiosities, featuring the works of Valerie Savarie and Sharon Eisley!

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Also, Innate Tapestries: The Endless Stage--a 96 page book full of my paintings and sketches--will be available for purchase at Animal Parameters. I hope you will grab a copy!

 Thanks for reading, and for supporting us artists!

Origins and Processes

 

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 A Meeting, detail crop. 

Toned paper, plus (in order of use) Verithin colored pencil, Pentel Brushpen, Uni-Ball Signo white pen, Maica Pilot Hi-TEC-C pen, transparent acrylic inks).

Visitors to my studio often ask from where my ideas come. They come from many sources; books I have read or am reading, past and current experiences, conversations with fellow illustrators, and dreams. This one definitely came from a faceless voice--in a otherwise forgotten dream--that exclaimed "We meet ourselves!" Kept hearing that in my head all the next day

 so I started sketching the alligator-like creature, and the rest of the drawing emerged. And yes, I know that the image is weird as all get-out.

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Didn't take the time to take many in-process shots, but you can see

 the red Verithin pencil under-drawing here. At that point I put the drawing away.

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Had a bunch of acrylic paint that I'd used for a previous painting. Not wanting to waste it, I sketched out a similar image onto a cradled hardboard using charcoal. Refined that using a brush and black acrylic, then painted this version (detail crop).

But the previous drawing kept calling to me, so I returned to it and finished it after a lot of cross-hatching :)

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Here are both artworks for comparison. Other than creating pieces based upon a dream-exclamation, I'd wanted to explore the effect of light shining from within. In this case it was coming from within the creature-tail. 

They're each 8" x 10", and will be among many works for of a three-person show at Valkarie Gallery this October! More about that soon.

Thanks for reading!