03 Jan 2005
A critical eye is an essential tool for an artist; it’s perhaps as important or more so than mastery of craft, or skill with the medium. A critical eye is what tells the artist he or she can improve, and when a piece is complete. But it should never detract from the enjoyment of a piece. It can help critique a piece, finding flaws that could be fixed to make a piece better, but more importantly it should be used to enhance the experience of a piece of art.
A critical eye should be used to tell you what the artist was trying to convey and accomplish with a piece, and what elements of the piece are used to further that goal. In other words, just as a critical eye will tell you what was done wrong, it will tell you what was done right. Try to disregard flaws that are tangential to the artist’s message. And understand that some shortcomings may be intentional – if the flawed aspect was unimportant to the artist, it may have consciously been neglected to better focus on what was important to the artist.
20 Dec 2004
I should be getting ready for my flight… I need to finish packing clothes, figure out what I’m bringing with me other than clothes, make sure everything’s in order… Finish the painting I’m working on. If I have time (after I’m finished wasting time typing this) later, I should scan the last couple sketches I did. I’m not gonna bother putting them all up, but some of them are worth showing. I’ll probably leave that for tomorrow or so, however. Scanning them needs to be done today, so that I can leave that sketchbook here, and just bring my new one.
I’ve been miserable as hell the past couple days, and not sleeping well. I’m looking forward to seeing my family & friends; giving myself a chance to distance myself from what’s bothering me & what I can’t change. Enough god damned moping, already; I need to get away from things, distract myself, hopefully get some work done, renew my spirits… All I can hope that things will change on their own.
What I really need to do is throw myself back into my work. I’l hoping that once I’ve digested all this crap, it’ll be easier to do that. Several projects on the burners that are screaming out to be finished… and I’m too busy w/stupid stuff to give them the attention I want to devote to them.
Like collaboration. I’m actually trying to give that a shot, but I need to hammer out the foundation & clarify for myself what exactly I want, so I can clearly communicate to my collaborators what I want from them. I’m pretty close to being able to do that, and that’s probably what I’m going to focus on while I’m visiting my family.
I’m sick of being stupid.
12 Dec 2004
yeah there’s more stuff up. I skipped a couple (they’re in my sketchbook, I just didn’t scan’em). here they are. Want to do the three wise men but I haven’t been able to find a good image of them.
06 Dec 2004
But it’s not up yet. I’m keeping up w/the drawing a day I started … if I counted the drawings I’d know how long ago. But I’ll wait ‘till there’s more before I do that.
I’ll put the new ones up soonish.
05 Dec 2004
ah, not much to say, really. Did another sketch of Reivel last night. Need to do another; it probably won’t get up ‘till tomorrow. Not like it matters. Thinking of jumping mythologies again. But it’s with the sketches again. Same routine. At the bottom.