Pen and Ink (Plus a Franken-Creature Sequence)

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

Frank-in-Progress.

I'm smitten with pen and ink. Always have been. Nothing gets me to the state of 

total creative awareness like the zen act of making repetitive lines with pen and ink. 

Time stops, the outside world disappears, and I don't care that my studio is in chaos.

Really, most times the studio is pretty neat, 

but working towards a show deadline has me more 

concerned with production than clutter. Plus, it's not fair that in some 

past posts, the studio has appeared mostly organized.  

This messed up work-space brings me to the real point of this post: Pen and ink!

On the drawing table is this book:

This version, published in 1930, was found it in a used book store a few months ago, and it is stunning! My go-to volume when I want to explore and revitalize my pen-work. I've owned the newer edition of it (titled Rendering in Pen and Ink) since art school, but this old fellow trumps that one with more illustrations and thorough discussion.

Sorry about the phone pics, but I wasn't about to cram this onto my scanner.

Here are the end papers. Yes, admittedly, I am an old-book nerd. 

As a kid, fascinated with line, I studied Tenniel's illustrations for the Alice books, Dore's illustrations--especially those from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the works of John Leech. Like Franklin Booth, I mistakenly thought those engravings were pen and ink drawings. Unlike Franklin Booth's beautiful renderings, my resulting works are far from elegant and controlled. Random and spontaneous they are, and quickly drawn...

 ...like this detail shows.

Still, revisiting Arthur Guptill's book put me in the mood to explore, so the following 

Frankenstein's Creature-sequence shows a bit more self-control. Not that I like it any better, it's just different.

The extent of my thumbnail output for this one.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

An in-progress detail.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

Same detail with a warm acrylic wash and some highlight-lifting...

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

...and some strengthened highlights with white gouache.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

Finally, a bit of acrylic ink for color.

Granted, the ink-line application is only slightly less random and unruly than usual, but it was a blast to do, 

and I learned a lot.

Thanks--as always-- for reading!

Ruth Charlton's Ceramics

via www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Wall hanging by Ruth Charlton. Collection the author.

Ruth Charlton is an extraordinary artist. Little figures and faces are a great love of mine, and her versions affect me like winds blowing from the middle ages, heaving up memories I can't possibly have had (unless I'm remembering snippets of past lives).

No matter. What is important is the quality and the spirit of the works--always expressive and unique. 

I study them constantly and wanted to know more about them and their creator. 

Happily, Ruth graciously agreed to an interview. Her works, down-to-earth responses, and wisdom are a treat! (Links to her works and shop follow.)

Background:

Me: What, if any, formal training did you have that prepared you for the work you do?

Ruth: A foundation course followed by a 3 year degree course in ceramics at Bath Academy of Art

Work habits:

Me: How integral is sketching to your creative life? You drew before ceramics, do you keep drawing sketchbooks now?

Ruth: Sketching is not such an integral part of my creative life as it used to be.  I tend to sketch people when I am at craft fairs or away from home visiting museums.  I have always been more of a one for observational drawings rather than drawing from my imagination.

Me: Is art-making your job, or do you also relax with it? I guess I’m asking if it suffuses your entire life with enjoyment, or would you rather have a break from it (ie. gardening or hiking, etc.) on your free time?

Ruth: Making art is my job but it is such a rewarding and pleasurable thing to spend your time doing that it never feels like a job.

 

Me: Have you found social media useful for more than marketing and promotion? If so, can you elaborate?

Ruth: Living with my family in a fairly remote area of the UK, I have found social media invaluable and I love the direct feedback you get from customers and people who like your work.  Before the internet, people would buy my work from galleries or exhibitions and, unless you had a good relationship with the gallery owner, it felt quite impersonal. It is good to be more in control of the relationship you have, as an artist, with the public.

Me: Which social media do you prefer: Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, etc.?

Ruth: I know that I should be trying out different types of social media but I have only used Facebook so far.  I have thought about doing a blog but, to be honest, my day-to-day life is not really that interesting! I enjoy looking at things other people put on Pinterest.

Me: Do you teach classes/workshops? If so, could you describe your favorite types of workshops to teach?

Ruth: I run a weekly pottery class in a centre for adults with learning difficulties which is fun and not too stressful and they have a kiln on site.  I am always in two minds whether to run pottery workshops because, unlike other subjects, on top of the preparation they involve a lot of work outside of the teaching - lifting and carrying clay/finishing off the work/firing it at home and getting it back to people - which is a shame because I do enjoy seeing other people benefit from taking time out from their busy lives to work with their hands and create something.

Me: What are your favourite types of workshops?

  

Ruth: Working with children.

Your art works:

Me: Most fascinating to me--your wonderful pieces seem to breathe with an other-worldly spirit. Is there a conscious effort to infuse this, or does the spirit they contain emerge spontaneously as you create them?

Ruth: The latter, I would say.

 Me: What pressures, if any, (from within and without) do you feel most when it comes to art-making?

Ruth: My main problem, in the past, has been fighting back negative thoughts. I have always worried that I should be doing something more socially useful and not so self indulgent. Once you overcome that hurdle, there is always the feeling that the work you make has to sell, or appeal to someone other than yourself, otherwise why are you making it? I overcome this one by making a range of work that has more popular appeal like the climbers, brooches and tealight holders (which I still enjoy making) and developing my one-of-a-kind pieces for my own satisfaction and if they sell that is a bonus.

Garden Sculptures drying

A finished Garden Sculpture

Inspiration:

Me: Which artists and/or artworks from the past and present are you most drawn to and/or inspired by?

Ruth: In the past -  Edward Burne-Jones. Giacometti, Durer, Hogarth, Rodin, Heath Robinson, Mad magazine, Marvel comics, Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ (I am ashamed not to have any women’s names in amongst this lot)

Present - Ron Mueck, Claire Curneen, Grayson Pery, Viola Frey, Aggie Zed, Sophie Favre and Jacqueline Hurlbert.

   

Me: Tough (maybe stupid) question, but what’s the single, most important well you draw from that stimulates your imagination--the thing you’d choose if you had to do away with everything else?

Ruth: That is a toughie and I am not sure I can get to the bottom of that one. I don’t know if I can say that the clay is my inspiration because of the way it moves under my hands.  I usually have some sort of idea of what I am going to make when I start but things just develop along the way.  It’s a bit similar to an author saying that the characters just evolve as they write and then they are surprised by the result. 

Me: Any words of wisdom you'd share?

Ruth: I think you’ve come to the wrong place for that!

Me: Haha--okay!  Ruth, have you had or do you have a day-job that supports your art? There seems to be a rather new, sort of pushy trend toward getting people to “quit the day job” especially on sites like Etsy, etc. What’s your take on this?

Ruth: Well, I have always had a bit of an alternative lifestyle.  I had jobs going through school and college but when I graduated there was a recession here in the UK and not too many full-time jobs for a graduating ceramics student. I lived in London for seven years working on a mural painting scheme and volunteering at an arts centre. I moved up to the Lake District with my partner in the ‘80s and was a stay-at-home mum bringing up our four children in a barn we have converted ourselves over the years as and when we could afford to work on it. While the kids were young, we made our income from selling climbers made from plaster. I made the originals, Kevin made rubber moulds and poured the plaster and I painted them. Since the youngest started at school, I have been making ceramics again and, with a bit of teaching and my husband’s pension, we manage to get by on very little which would not suit most people. 

Apart from it being fairly unrealistic to expect to earn a good living from selling art, especially at the beginning, I am not sure the lifestyle would suit everyone.  If you live miles from anywhere like us, you can get very isolated. I guess the ideal is to work part-time so that you have something to fall back on in the lean times and see have more contact with other people. It seems to me that the only people who can afford to give up the day job are people who have worked and built up a good pension or young people with a lot of energy and financial support from their families.

Me: Any advice for people considering a career in the ceramic arts?

Ruth: I am not sure if this is advice, but if you can afford the materials and the firing costs, the ceramic arts offer a diverse range of applications and art forms to explore.  After all these years of making ceramics, it is still exciting to open the kiln and see what comes out.  One thing it does teach you is patience - it takes a long time to develop your own style and be happy with the results.

Thanks Ruth, for taking the time to do the interview and allowing me to post this feature!

See more of Ruth Charlton's intriguing works at:

https://www.facebook.com/ruthcharltonceramicwork

Check out her art for sale at:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ruthcharltonceramics

All works shown are copyright Ruth Charlton.

Thanks for reading--I hope you enjoyed seeing Ruth's art and taking a peek into the mind of a master!

William Heath Robinson: Some Rare Images

www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Illustration detail from a battle scene by W. Heath Robinson. 

From The Monarchs of Merry England, by Roland Carse, 1907.

Among my many influences, Heath Robinson's works have always been among the top three. 

The above detail shows not only his great skill as a draftsman and painter, 

but is as fresh and luminous as many contemporary digital illustrations. 

Now, I'm not one of those curmudgeonly critics who thinks good 

illustration ended with the Golden Age. I love it but 

am also fascinated by the amazing new works out there. 

Those will be for future posts. 

In the meantime, Heath Robinson's 

works deserve all the re-visiting they can get.  

Over the years, I've managed to collect some rare books that 

contain many of Robinson's lesser-known works. Seems a good idea to share a few;

therefore all of the pieces in this post are his.

Robinson's art is extremely eclectic, yet always retaining the stamp of 

his unique style and humor. Since I worry often about the variation in my own artwork, 

it's a comfort to see that Robinson's amazing talent and successful career 

was not damaged by his wide range of picture-making skills and interests.

Haystacks in the Snow

Since I've never seen this anywhere but in an old art catalog, not sure if it was a 

full color watercolor or originally done in black and white, but the piece is 

gorgeous nonetheless--worthy of Jean-Francois Millet.

This goofy little bird-man is from The Works of Rabelais 

which Robinson illustrated for Grant Richards in 1904.

I've always examined and learned from Robinson's full-color plates, 

but his pen and ink work is paragon, and his spot illustrations 

of goofy people burst with life and character.

This is a border decoration from 

the aforementioned Monarchs of Merry England...

...as is this jumping Medieval Scotsman.

This little piper kills me. He marches along on a 

sheet music illustration--the whole thing shown below:

This is a beauty--a stunning pen work full of tiny elves 

peeping out of the trees and faery folk cavorting in the air.

A Hag from Witches and Fairies

Collapsible Bishop's Hat, from The Bystander, 1920

A Very Tremendous decoration 

from The Water Babies, 1915

Also from The Water Babies

From The Bystander, lampooning a proposed 

tunnel under the English Channel, 1919

And last, another brilliantly lit watercolor...

The Black Prince, After Crecy, from The Monarchs of Merry England.

For more on William Heath Robinson visit http://www.heathrobinson.org/

Stay tuned for some future posts on some exciting contemporary illustrators.

And thanks for the visit!

Drawn Together: Preserving a Hand-Made Craft

http://www.2dlib.com/buy-4-2d.html

Animator Tony White's passion is hand-drawn animation, something that is fast becoming a lost art--especially in its native USA. So he put together a worthy project to "preserve, teach, and evolve" 2D animation. For more information on the project, and the book above, check out this link

http://www.2dlib.com/

For the book, Tony gathered the hand-drawn work of 222 artists, illustrators, animators, and fans. The book also contains each contributor's personal expressions of love for traditional animation, and an original animated cartoon by Tony White!

http://elwoodsmith.com/

The masterful Elwood Smith contributed this one!

Not a purist by any means, I've nothing against digital works. I love much that I see coming from this exciting medium. 

I do, however, dislike the predictable, fart-joke-ridden, big budget, digital Hollywood offerings. Shiny, plasticky, and bland; they offer little for my imagination--both visually and musically.

http://shardlowart.com/

 

One of my favorites from the book--this one by Paul Shardlow.

Like most artists, my own imagination as a kid was stimulated by the classic Disney films. Each one had its own visual personality. Whether it was the sinister, watercolored environments of Snow White, the dramatic, gouache settings of Pinocchio, or the brittle xerox-y atmosphere of 101 Dalmations, the films carried the distinct personalities of the artists.

Even more, the black and white Merrie Melodies of the 20s and 30s charged me with creative excitement. I plowed through reams of paper drawing my own personal characters, filmed my own stop-motion cartoon as a 16 year old kid, and continue my career in art as an adult. 

Beyond the Disney films, Merrie Melodies, or the thousands of relatively unseen, hand-drawn films, non-digital animation is bursting with the spirit I see contained in the original drawings, paintings, and illustrations in any art museum.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/

I'll leave you with my contribution to the book, and this:

My hat's off to Tony White and his ongoing quest to promote the value of this legendary medium. If you love the craft as well, and don't want to see it driven to extinction by corporate uniformity, please support 2DLIB and Drawn Together.

Thanks!

 

One of the Best Ghost Stories

www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com
Scrooge's Door Knocker. Mixed media on wood, private collection.

"One of the most enduring Christmas traditions is the telling of ghost stories and the most famous of all frightening festive tales is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol originally published on the 19th December 1843. It tells the story of miserly business man Ebeneezer Scrooge and his life-changing encounter with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future one creepy Christmas Eve night and has been filmed many times over the years. Perhaps the most creepy of all the adaptations is the 1971 animated ABC-TV special starring Michael Redgrave as the narrator and Alastair Sim as Scrooge. Indeed, this version was held in such high regard that it was eventually released to cinemas and won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 1972. With its emphasis on death, gloom, ghosts and horror this short film is a real treat for classic horror fans particularly during the festive season." *

Quoted the above because I couldn't have said it better.

I loved it then, I love it now. Here's the film in its entirety:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6IMZFwY50

I'm sure the movie's version of Marley's Ghost influenced me as a youngster, and I attempted this version a few years later, in art school.

But the film's artwork--in fact the whole film--is amazing!

Thank you for following my blog. I hope you enjoy this Holiday Season, and my best wishes for a contented New Year!

*http://www.classichorrorcampaign.com/2012/12/10/a-christmas-carol-scary-seventies-cartoon/

 



Objects, and the Thingness of Them, etc.

www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com
Special Rum. Mixed media.

Two, related subjects: The importance of being bushwhacked, and the importance of a "thing".

First subject: I'm constantly sucker-punched by new art discoveries. I admit to then getting easily sidetracked. But it's a wonderful thing! This past year I was blindsided by some amazing still-life works by French artist Guillaume Mongenet*.

But as I wrote in my previous post, I've not been one to happily draw objects myself until recently. Mongenet's approach to objects is an example of what a creative person can do with them--taking them far beyond mundane studies.

An example: Lantern (used in Mongenet's catalogue above) now hangs in my studio. I was thankful it was still available. It is beyond visual; it is tactile, filled with spirit, and it inspires me to try harder.

Look at this detail of Mongenet's Lantern--gorgeously haunting. What use of mixed media, and what a cool treatment of Object!

Now I've also been recently blindsided by object art digitally created for video games. Many of those artworks are wonderfully rich, with the same appeal as the objects drawn for classic Disney animated films many years ago. Between Guillaume Mongenet's objects, and game-artist's objects, I'm hooked on making a bunch of my own.

Here is Special Rum, prior to the addition of color. I am enjoying drawing objects immensely.

Second subject: I thrive on actual objects. One-of-a-kind things; vintage objects with wear and tear and age have always attracted me, and art objects have the same attraction. Both types are things, but special things that enrich my living space and my life. For me, neither objects nor art need to be expensive or large--they simply have to have a soul.

Now I am not one to dismiss digital art, and never will. Art is art, period. I admire and am intrigued by so many great people who create amazing artworks via digital media.  But I will always want the "thing"--the one and only, made-by-hand, piece of art. So while I'm incredibly inspired and in awe of digital art, it could only sit there on my computer screen, or come to me as a print. And a print hasn't got that "thingness" that will breathe its spirit into me.

This view of Mongenet's Lantern gives you an idea; the achingly-marvelous, tactile surface of the original. No print can affect me like this--the real, handcrafted thing.
 You can accuse me of being elitist or a materialist. I don't think I am. Art is art--it doesn't need labels or corrals in order to be legitimate. But for me, the unique piece with the hand of the artist or craftsman stamped on it is essential.

*And check out more works of Guillaume Mongenet!
http://art-comtois.fr/artistes/index.php?p=mongenet

Thanks for the visit!



The Fine Art of Ice Breaking

Old Man Winter, maybe? Artist unknown.

 

I love this time of year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eg5-4Pn444

 

 



Snow Scenes--A Couple Favorites

via www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Bird Trapper. Jean-Francois Millet

 

A few subjects really stick me hard in the gut. Some snow scenes seem to do it, and this is one of them.

 Sometimes I'm not sure if it's because of a memory or a dream, but whichever, the feeling stirred is deep and profound. Is it really only the light--the verisimilitude?

 

via www.tomsarmo.blogspot.com

Snow, Real Snow. Honore Daumier

 

Here is another work that hits my sweet spot. In this case, the light again is perfect and stirring, and that goofy fellow in the nightcap? He's Everyman.

 

I know it's not officially winter, but it is snowing hard right now in Denver. It's quiet and still, but the view out my window just doesn't measure up to those masterpieces.

 

Nonetheless, a peaceful day to you--and thanks for stopping by!