Ninja June 17th, 2009
Here’s the ballpoint pen sketch that I completed last night. I hope this better illustrates the placement of the hole (over the heart). My previous sketch had some drawing flaws, especially in the face.
I’m still using this pen that I stole from my hotel room while staying in Australia. It’s my favorite ballpoint pen. It has really even ink flow and produces delicate, thin lines. I’m going to miss it when it finally runs out of ink.
Ninja June 16th, 2009
Yes, I want to see this movie! Come on, with a title like Ninja Assassin , parkouring, and Korean pop-star Rain, how could it go wrong?
And of course, the video of the Rain vs Colbert dance off:
Related postsNinja June 16th, 2009
Oy, I’ve been superbusy prepping for my first group show with Kaki King! Just to give you fair warning, this will be taking most of my time, and my posts will reflect this. Kaki requested process shots, and I don’t like to disappoint. I do hope that you’ll stick around for the ride. ^__^
What I want to do is to meet twelve amazing artists, give them each a blank guitar, and let them go wild, creating anything their heart desires. The theme of each piece would be the title of one of my songs, and my only artistic contribution would be to paint my fingers and play the fretboard (wherever it ends up) as I would during the song so as to create a visual representation of where my hands travel.
Everyone tells me that my playing is best witnessed visually—so this is one interpretation of that statement. At the end of this project we’re going to display all of the guitars in a gallery and throw a party with performances and perhaps the finalization of the last guitar.
– Kaki
When I first heard about the project, I was convinced that I would work around one of my favorite Kaki tunes, Happy as a Dead Pig in the Sunshine. Upon seeing the broken guitar, I opted for I never said I loved you off the record Until We Felt Red
I never said I love you, lipstick
I know I look like dork. Safety first, of course!
After striping the varnish, I sanded the face down to a smooth finish.
Then continued to sand with even finer sand paper (with the grain, naturally).
First coat of stain.
Tracing the body.
At one point, I was deluded into thinking that I could easily put this guitar back together. I had got uberstrong wood glue that wouldn’t swell and lots of clamps. Unfortunately, whenever I pinned one section down, another would pop and bow out. I even enlisted the help of my brother with no success. So there’s massive sloppy globs of glue all the sides of the body and back panel that I had to scrape off. I didn’t get it all off, but eh, I figure it adds character and texture.
Rough sketch.
Pencil sketch for the top of the guitar. I know it’s probably very obvious (or it will be once it’s painted)—I worked the portrait around the guitar’s hole (where her heart would be).
I am incredibly lucky to be working with my favorite Suicide Girl again—the lovely Miss Tanya Dakin. Thanks, Tanya!
Painting the back of the guitar with white gesso to give it some tooth. This back panel is not real wood, but some sort of laminate, which doesn’t accept paint too well.
I wanted the figure’s position in the back to mimic the pose in the front, both showing a 3/4 view of the face, hands clutching the body protectively, and expressing a bit of vulnerability/hurt.
I still need to fill up the front face’s cracks with some wood putty, sand it smooth, and add a few more coats of stain before I can begin painting it. Whew.
Thanks for reading!
Happy painting,
Ninja
Ninja June 15th, 2009
I swoon over Swoon! Upper Playground’s Walrus TV gives us a wonderful glimpse into Swoon’s creative process.
Related postsPenguin June 13th, 2009
Saw this list over at Deadline Hollywood Daily:
1. Change the title of your indie film to begin with an “A” or a number to get higher placement on iTunes.
7. Genre always makes a difference. Forget costume dramas and spoofs.
10. Financiers basically want a return on their investment. “I encourage indie producers to understand their film’s audience as much as they can. Understand what you mean when you pitch project. I want to support a film, but I care about capital and return on that capital. I just want to get my money back,” explained banker Hallren.
16. Build a fan base for an indie film before it’s even made.
24. Before an indie film gets to the marketplace, producers must know who the audience is for the film, counseled Dennis Rice, Founder of Visio’ Entertainment. “If you can’t market your film, you shouldn’t make it. If there’s no audience, you can’t get a return on investment.”
34. There is opportunity for indie producers as long as they don’t get hung up on a 35mm theatrical film release. Ira Deutchman, CEO of Emerging Pictures, explained: “With digital, we can begin to play around with release patterns.”
What I find really interesting about the list, is the emphasis on reaching the audience. From scripting to final distribution, it’s all about:
All these become easier and overlapping when you involve social media.
- Penguin
Related postsNinja June 12th, 2009
California native, Casey Weldon, is known for his whimsical visual wordplay and geeky cultural references found in his paintings. Casey spent his childhood reading and drawing comics. He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where he graduated with honors in 2004. He now lives and works out of Brooklyn, NY.
The AT-AT is classic!
He latest show (see below) is on the virtual walls of the interactive gallery, 88Point5—Gallery 1988’s online arm. All his paintings are going for $250 or less.
Purchasing links
+ Casey Weldon’s prints, $23.00 each
+ Casey Weldon’s paintings, about $250 each
Ninja June 10th, 2009
From time to time, I like to add to Penguin’s ever-growing library (his room has so many neat stacks of books that it looks like a stalagmite labyrinth sprouting from his carpet). Usually my selections are art-related like Richard Avedon’s Portraits
After some random browsing, I found The Story of God: A Narrative Theology
Purchasing links
+ The Story of God: A Narrative Theology
+ Restraint typeface by Marian Bantjes, $45.00
Limited edition lithograph prints. Signed + numbered.
