Who here creates art? (not music related)

[jrthebassguy]

Lately I've taken a break from playing music. No, not a permanent break, but sometimes after playing for extended periods of time I put my instrument down and focus on other things in life. Even though I quit my punk band way back last September, I've been so burned out from the load in/play/load out routine I haven't even considered being in a serious band again, aside from the occasional jam with friends and/or bedroom rock sessions.

That being said, I'm looking for other outlets to try to express my creativity when the inspiration strikes. I've never painted in my life, but I'm considering looking into something like that. Drawing as well (unless you consider drawing band logos on my notebook in 8th grade). Photography too.

So I was wondering if anybody here paints, draws, does photography, makes movies, or does anything else that would be considered "art." I know Bryan R. Tyler paints and Bad Brains does a lot of things with photography, but I'm sure there are others on the forum. What got you into that hobby? Any advice for a beginner in your specific craft? Links to your stuff?

Any/all help and info would be greatly appreciated.

[Fontaine]

im a drawer (sounds weird)...but in grade 12 i use to sell some drawings....in grade 9 i couldnt draw a straight line, its just something that hit me i guess.

But if your just starting out i would suggest staying away from those stupid books that try and teach you how to draw, they are worthless. Number one rule i learned from drawing is to "draw what you see, not what you know is there".

[kserg]

You should see art i made in my toilet this morning...

[Mon Rominee]

Yes. Charcoals. Love it.

Abstracts, landscapes and portraits. I also dabble in graphics and photo manipulations / mixed media.

[ryco]

I draw sometimes. My dad is a cartoonist so I kinda picked it up by osmosis.

I drew a lot in public school. Music and art are the only things that kept me in school.
Went to trade school and learned drafting. Was a mech and architectural draftsman for a few years.
Was a graphic illustrator for a year at Boeing BCAC.
Worked in a sign shop for a couple of years.
Moved here to the sticks a dozen years ago. Took drawing classes from the Comm College here.
Then stopped. Haven't draw in ten years now. I stop and start.

Would LOVE to learn to paint. Drawing is very time consuming! Maybe someday!

[Rumzini]

Yeah Charcoals inn my grill. I love to cook! Especially late night dinners for my wife and I. That's usually when the inspiration breaks out the wine and all of the other good ingredients to a good meal hits.

Otherwise I really want to take up some photography. We recently bought a cheap point and shoot digital and having a great time with it. I would like to make the jump to DSLR sometime soon.

Writing would be nice as well. I did a lot in college and would love to put some of my life experiences since then on paper.

Originally Posted by Mon Rominee

Yes. Charcoals. Love it.

Abstracts, landscapes and portraits. I also dabble in graphics and photo manipulations / mixed media.

[dhodgeh]

Photography here. I probably have more photo than music gear at the moment.

With digital, the sky is pretty much the limit. My current emphasis is on high dynamic range (HDR) photography. This is where you shoot a series of frames of the same subject, varying the exposure. You then blend the shots together to get a photo with expanded dynamic range.

A recent example:



fwiw

D

[Rumzini]

Wow...HD photography

[jonathan_matos5]

ive been starting to get into photography too. check out my lake thread to see my latest photos.

[The Lynchinator]

I draw and do B&W photography. I also did printmaking for a semester...I don't recommend it if you enjoy your sanity.


By the way, dhodgeh, that's an awesome photo. I really ought to get into digital someday.

[Mon Rominee]

Originally Posted by dhodgeh

THAT. IS. BEAUTIFUL.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Originally Posted by Fontaine

im a drawer (sounds weird)

Sounds weird because the word is "draftsman," not "drawer"

Number one rule i learned from drawing is to "draw what you see, not what you know is there".

That's actually not always a good rule to follow, particularly when it comes to figures/anatomy. What you see may not translate well to the two-dimensional plane, and informing the drawing with cues from the three-dimensional world that help create an informed representation that the artist may not have actually seen is something you'll see in nearly every good life drawing. That's not to be confused with cramming every line and bump of the human anatomy into a drawing

[Fontaine]

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

Sounds weird because the word is "draftsman," not "drawer"



That's actually not always a good rule to follow, particularly when it comes to figures/anatomy. What you see may not translate well to the two-dimensional plane, and informing the drawing with cues from the three-dimensional world that help create an informed representation that the artist may not have actually seen is something you'll see in nearly every good life drawing. That's not to be confused with cramming every line and bump of the human anatomy into a drawing

always worked for me.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Originally Posted by Fontaine

always worked for me.

Worked for you, sure- worked for your drawings, maybe not If you pursue it, you're going to find a lot of what holds true for you at 18 to not work so well when you have a better sense of what constitutes good artwork. I used to think my stuff was great in my senior year of high school. I'm pretty embarrassed to show it now.

jr, the best advise I can give for getting into any artistic media is to realize that you're probably going to suck for a long, long time. Don't listen to what your friends or family say unless they're selling their pieces regularly in galleries. Find people that are making the kinds of art/movies/etc. that you like and listen to them. Grow a tough skin and try to get just as excited about critical reviews of your stuff as you would compliments- you'll learn more from them than you will compliments. And try to be as technically skilled as you can- you don't have to show off all of your skills in everything you do, but the odds that your creative ideas will translate to the public are greatly improved when you have the skill to express them.

[Fontaine]

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

Worked for you, sure- worked for your drawings, maybe not If you pursue it, you're going to find a lot of what holds true for you at 18 to not work so well when you have a better sense of what constitutes good artwork. I used to think my stuff was great in my senior year of high school. I'm pretty embarrassed to show it now.

jr, the best advise I can give for getting into any artistic media is to realize that you're probably going to suck for a long, long time. Don't listen to what your friends or family say unless they're selling their pieces regularly in galleries. Find people that are making the kinds of art/movies/etc. that you like and listen to them. Grow a tough skin and try to get just as excited about critical reviews of your stuff as you would compliments- you'll learn more from them than you will compliments. And try to be as technically skilled as you can- you don't have to show off all of your skills in everything you do, but the odds that your creative ideas will translate to the public are greatly improved when you have the skill to express them.

people who buy it like it, and an artist told me that, hes in his 30's-40's.

[K_Shizzle]

Photography and poetry from time to time.

[redfish]

i admire anyone with any kind of creative ability. You're so lucky to be able to express yourself. Bass and dancing are the only kind of creative things I do (just beginning learning both), and I don't know if I have any talent, so fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by dhodgeh

Photography here. I probably have more photo than music gear at the moment.

With digital, the sky is pretty much the limit. My current emphasis is on high dynamic range (HDR) photography. This is where you shoot a series of frames of the same subject, varying the exposure. You then blend the shots together to get a photo with expanded dynamic range.

A recent example:



fwiw

D

That's a really interesting photograph, I want to touch it - the textures are so pronounced. What's it of? When I saw the first couple of cms i thought it was a sheaf of paper, but is it a rock structure?

[Bryan R. Tyler]

That's cool. As for the artist, his idea doesn't quite hold up to all of the draftsmejn whose works fill up the museums around the world, as it's contradictory to nearly all of them. Remember that what you see isn't what the viewer of your artwork sees- all they see is the art, and you need to make that art work as best as it can, which almost always involves added unseen information (or subtracting seen information).

[redfish]

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

Sounds weird because the word is "draftsman," not "drawer"

Is it? You're probably right, but it sounds like a more "technical" term, more for plans and schemes etc. Does it also apply to sketches - like landscapes and portraits etc?

[Mon Rominee]

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

That's cool. As for the artist, his idea doesn't quite hold up to all of the draftsmejn whose works fill up the museums around the world, as it's contradictory to nearly all of them. Remember that what you see isn't what the viewer of your artwork sees- all they see is the art, and you need to make that art work as best as it can, which almost always involves added unseen information (or subtracting seen information).

Yup.