09/27/08 - Education - Living Arts & Sciences Adult Art Classes Fall 2008

I am thrilled to see more adult art education opportunities in Lexington this Fall. Besides the resurrected UK Fine Arts Institute (UKFAI) (classes have already begun - not sure if you can enroll anymore?) - we have the following classes offered by a venerable Lexington institution: the Living Arts and Science Center (LASC). I know several of these instructors and suspect as long as they have adequate resources for supplies and materials (a real issue for many of these classes - so always inquire) they will do everything in their power to help their students succeed! Remember to think of LASC when you are considering charitable giving - the Joseph-Beth Gives Back program is an excellent and easy way to help fund a tremendously under evaluated arts program that has served the arts and crafts education needs of Lexington's children, youth and adults for more than 30 years! Why, I even took a bird drawing class there, while a mere lad of thirteen (circa 1976?) - wish I still had those pictures or knew who instructed that class!

Teen & Adult Classes

Thursdays
October 2-30
12. The Silver Process: From Blank Film to Finished Print
Sarah Marie Miller
Discover the world through the eye of a machine: a 35 mm camera! You will learn to shoot a meaningful photograph, process your own film, and print from negatives. We will often work in the darkroom, so you’ll also learn to conquer your fear of the dark. Bring a snack and your own camera if you have one.
AGES..............Teens and Adults
LIMIT..............6 students
TIME...............5:30 - 8:30 pm
COST..............$150/160 (nm)

Thursdays
October 9-30
13. Beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving
Beth Rosdatter
We will learn how to plan our own individual design, how to ‘warp’ the loom, and weave our projects. The rigid heddle loom is a basic loom that will allow you to weave light work, such as placemats, dishtowels, scarves, shawls or fabric for clothing. The skills and techniques you learn using a rigid heddle loom are all transferable to other types of looms. Depending on your project choice there may be an extra cost of $15 to $25 for your yarn.
AGES..............10 yrs - Adult
LIMIT..............8 students
TIME...............7 - 8 pm
COST..............$40/50 (nm)

14. Realistic Drawing 101
Donna Eads
Develop powers of observation and analysis by learning to draw. Drawing is the foundation of art and just like a new language, it can be mastered. With a variety of media, students will expand their technical skills including realistic rendering, shading, texture, three-dimensional shapes and composition. This class is for individuals with no prior experience, and for those who wish to further develop their skills.
AGES..............Adults
TIME...............7 - 9 pm
COST..............$65/75 (nm)

Tuesday and Thursday
October 14 and 16
Two-Day Workshop
18. Creating Digital Art
Bruce Frank
An overview of the process of creating art using a computer. Included is an introduction to Adobe Photoshop (retouching, color correction, special effects) and using a graphics tablet with Corel Painter (drawing and painting with a computer). Students will have hands-on experience scanning images, creating an art piece, and printing it.
AGES..............15 - Adults
TIME...............6 - 8 pm
COST..............$45/55 (nm).

Saturday
December 18
One-Day Workshop
19. Multiculturalism
Christine Kuhn
Throughout history, religious ideas have motivated and inspired people and sometimes provoked war. In this class we’ll look at different religions and how beliefs are expressed in beautiful artforms. We’ll create some of our own beautiful images and shrines to express some of our own beliefs. CKCPJ
AGES..............Teens and Adults
TIME...............12 - 2 pm
COST..............$15/25 (nm)

Tuesdays
November 4-25
50. Photoshop: The Basics
Steven Littrell
Have you had trouble getting those photos off your camera? Don’t know to which format you should save your files? This class is just for you. We’ll go over the basics of Photoshop, how to manipulate photos and get them ready to print or upload them to the web. This class is great for artists who want to get their work into a digital format. If you have a laptop feel free to bring it with you.
AGES..............Adult
LIMIT..............6 students
TIME...............6 - 8 pm
COST..............$65/75 (nm)

Wednesdays
November 5-19
51. Intro to Oil Painting for Homeschooled Teens and Interested Adults
Frank Boyer
Oil Paint has very unique qualities that can produce beautiful effects. Learn the elements of good composition, color mixing, and techniques specific to oil painting. Materials will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own brushes.
AGES..............Teens - Adults
TIME...............2:30 - 4:30 pm
COST..............$80/90 (nm)

Thursdays
November 6 and 13, December 4 and 11
52. Scandinavian Holiday Crafts
Beth Rossdatter
Learn to craft decorations and gifts using Northern European traditional techniques. Learn how to craft charming Scandinavian holiday embellishments using straw, paper and foil. Note:This class will meet twice in November and then continue twice in December.
AGES..............10 yrs - Adults
TIME...............6 - 7:30 pm
COST..............$50/60 (nm)

Saturdays
November 8-22
55. Intro to Oil Painting
Frank Boyer
Oil Paint has very unique qualities that can produce beautiful effects. Learn the elements of good composition, color mixing, and techniques specific to oil painting. Materials will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own brushes.
AGES..............Teens - Adults
TIME...............12 - 3 pm
COST..............$95/105 (nm)

Thursdays
December 4 and 11
Two-Day Workshop

67. Essential Oils for the Holidays
Melinda Boyer
In the first week you will learn how to unlock the power of essential oils and put them to work for you. We’ll discuss the history of essential oils and aromatherapy, then we’ll delve into the properties and uses of 10 basic essential oils. The second week will present tips on blending and creating bath salts and bath oils. Everyone will put together their own bath salt, massage oil and a perfume blend. This class will meet in the Gallery in Bronte Bistro at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
AGES..............14 yrs to Adult
TIME...............6 - 8 pm
COST..............$55/65 (nm)

Tuesday
December 9
One-Day Workshop

68. Holiday Wreath Making
Melinda Boyer
You will craft a colorful and stunning, scented holiday wreath, using preserved evergreens, lavender, rosemary, dried strawflowers, larkspurs, and globe amaranth topped with German statice. All materials and plenty of expert guidance will be provided. Melinda will also have some add-ons for you to purchase if you wish.
AGES..............Adults
TIME...............6 - 9 pm
COST..............$50/60 (nm)

09/21/08 - Academic Art Instruction - Where Can I Get This?

Academic Art Instruction is all the rage now. Some call it the Atelier Method. The word "atelier" is French for "artists studio": which makes it obvious the roots of this movement go back to the French Academic movement (but much further back if you trace their inspiration).

...to be continued, hopefully by guest bloggers and collaborators!

(add to this blog post - email me and I 'll tell you how!)

09/18/08 - Art Instruction - Excellent Post and Comments of Gurney Journery about drawing from Plaster Casts

James Gurney is an amazing artist and has a great learning resource - his personal art blog Gurney Journey.



Here he talks about every imaginable aspect of art; from fine art oil painters technique from17th century Europe to building a maquette of a man riding a dinosaur. He is most well known for multi book series Dinotopia but here is a link to an interesting post he put up about the decline of cast drawing after iconoclasts destroyed many in the 40s and 5os. The post is good but the discussion it provokes is even better! Damn those iconoclasts - can't we all just get along?



IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE:

Contact me if you will join in on a campaign to try and get this marvelous speaker and artist to come lecture/demo for one of our area Art Programs (UK, EKU, BEREA, TRANSY? )- he has two speaking engagement openings in April if we can consolidate support and get a plan together!

09/17/08 - Professional - Job Links

Do what you love. Love what you do. No, not this: Money, Monyeyeee , Money. Do it for the LOVE.
This page should get a lot of updating. To do what you love you need to get paid for it - so the necessity for finding an employer who loves what you do! Please comment on how this should be organized or if you see ways to make it work better.

09/12/08 - Video Games
At his recent talk at Jo-Beth R.A. Salvatore explained that the gaming industry currently makes more money than the music and movie industry put together!

Company Name:
Wizards of the Coast
Industry:
Trading cards, Gaming, Novels, Guide Books
Employs:
Visual artists, writers, programmers
Website:
http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Jobs/
Submission guidelines (games, novels, art):
http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Submissions/default.aspx
Famous employee:
R.A. Salvatore, fantasy novelist, Sal Villagran, Lexington area painter

09/16/08 - My Trip to Frazetta Tribute thanks to the NCS

Somehow our little group got the attention of the Great Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonist Society. This is the crem de le crem of cartooning groups and was founded by the big boys in syndicated comics back when they were powerhouses of income for the newspaper industry names such as Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond and Mort Walker were well known around the country. An aside: Caniff is known to have outbargained Randolph Hearst when he dictated his own terms for his new comic strip Steve Canyon, Hearst knew he couldn't say no and lose such a bread and butter staple to his syndicates success.

A small group of us, John, Justin and I, jumped at the chance to attend the casual summer NCS luncheon in Lebanon, OH that Craig Boldman, chapter president, had invited us to. This was so that we could tell about our then upcoming LexArts/CCG comic art show. It was during the announcement phase of the meeting that I heard about the request for submissions to a Frank Frazetta Tribute Book Project that another NCS member was organizing and soliciting submissions for. After getting back from that highly enjoyable lunch meeting; I was filled with happiness - talking with so many knowledgeable grown-ups who shared my passion and interest in comics and cartooning had me feeling almost guilty with joy.

But the thought of getting to let Frank Frazetta know how much he had influenced my young artist mind was really getting me stoked up! I emailed Craig for the particulars soon after getting home. Upon getting the information - I was thrilled to see this endeavor included a luncheon where one could actually meet the living legend! Now I was on cloud nine! To make this story short - I was once again pleasantly surprised when my meager art offering was accepted by Jack Pittman for the the tribute book he was lovingly hand assembling to present to Frank.

Saturday August 30th 2008: My trip to East Stroudsburg and to the Frazetta Museum, was not without a few glitches and this made me miss the luncheon and getting to talk with many of the assembled NCS cartoonists - something I truly regret. But I did get there in time for the presentation to Frank of the NCS - Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

(Picture here was my art sub and Franks award) Which appeared to stun and touch Frank when his long time friend Nick Meglin presented it to him.

Frank turned eighty this past February and is still recovering from a stroke a couple of years back. He has taught himself to paint left handed nearly as well as he could before using his right hand. His originals are striking in their unusual quality for oils - very smooth - not much texture or impasto. He apparently loved baseball so much that most of his works were completed in under 24 hours - he would work through the night so he could go out in the morning and play ball. He is a very normal sort of guy other than being a savant artist (he could do all this when he was five years old!) But I was amazed at his friendly, down to earth demeanor - not what one would expect from a "living legend"!

He looked at one of my self rejected sketches for his tribute book and asked: "Who did that?" When I told him I had - he replied "..thats good!" I don't think I will ever forget those words of praise. Thanks Frank!

---------
Other Frazetta tribute posts: (send me your links if you want to be added!)
Ron Hill - Great Lakes Chapter of the NCS

09/16//08 - Location Sketching - Goddess Reunion Tour

Local art dynamo, Theo Edmonds, clued me into to this cool chance to draw and paint some wonderfully colorful people enjoying their lives and their art!

If you want to draw and be recognized for your efforts give Theo a heads up that you want to attend and participate. Then he can add your name to the list and give and get some improved internet promotion!

Here's the info straight from the tri-city visual arts list serve (thanks to Anna Brzyski at UK!):



EVENT NAME: GODDESS REUNION TOUR:

-a bold and funky outsider art happening

WEBSITE: www.coollifeky.com <http://www.coollifeky.com>

Producing Host: Theo Edmonds and Donna Ison

Type: Visual Art/ Poetry/Theatrical
<http://www.facebook.com/s.php?k=400000010&c1=5> - Performance <http://www.facebook.com/s.php?k=400000010&c1=5&c2=40>

Date: Monday, September 22, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: the old Heritage Antiques Building across from Dunkin Donuts
Street:238 East Main Street
City/Town: Lexington, KY

Description:
Usher in Autumn with a glam happening of art, poetry, theater, dancing, and drumming. Join us on the equinox for a party that is bound to release your inner deity.

Includes art show of several known and soon to be known Lexington artists. (that's us boys and goils!)

Poetry Performances by:

• Katerina Stoykova-Klemer
• Sumayya Rashid

And... the highlight of the evening... an original theatrical performance piece written by Donna Ison that will introduce the world to Myrtle... Jesus' own Auntie Mame and the Virgin Mary's twin who was written out of the Bible. Also included in the performance piece will be re-introductions to Mother Mary (the archetypal virgin/ good girl with all the pros/cons that entails) and Mary Magdalene (the archetypal whore/bad girl with all the pros/cons that entails).

The whole evening will be set to the music of Nina Simone and Freddy Mercury. So dress in your most glam goddess fashion and join in the drumming, dancing and divine fun as the equinox rises upon us.
Admission is free. Cash bar and catering provided by Mia's.


Setting: The Garden of the Goddesses (a kind of Vegas meets Eden).

09/15/08 - Location Sketching - East Indian Dance Performance

Update: 9/16/08 - this was a great event! Krithika Rajagopalan of the Natya Dance Theater of Chicago both instructed and entertained a small, but riveted group of students, professors and families from our local Indo community. Many thanks to her for sharing an art form she clearly holds dear.

Jump over to my personal art blog by clicking here to see some of my sketches (have to scan) and some photos from the event.

I am constantly looking for events or opportunities where local artists, including myself, can draw, sketch, or paint from life. This is in adjunct to regular life drawing sessions I attend throughout the week. These other opportunities are a chance to study the figure in clothing and in action - two aspects missing from standard nude life drawing sessions.

Today, Monday 9/15/08 (5-6:15 & 7-8pm) at the Recital Hall of the UK Singletary Center For the Arts, there will be a free event that should be great for lots of visual artists that enjoy/take advantage of the the benefits of LOCATION SKETCHING.

Bharata Natnam Performance. Lecture and demo. Performance follows after a 45 minute break. Sponsored by the University of Kentucky Asia Center and the University of Kentucky Department of Theater.

Today is a prime example of a great chance to study a number of items:

• the clothed figure and how wrinkles fold and drape
• the figure in an aesthetic and repetitive movement - dance
• an exotic and foreign culture to the standard American fare

If you go, be a courteous artist and keep a low profile, clean up after yourself and ask before assuming anything. I have not contacted the hosts to discuss sketching on site so please follow good etiquette and request approval before starting. I am hopeful that as long as we are low-key and not a distraction that there should not be any problems.

Tips for capturing the moving figure:

• Look for poses that repeat and that you will be able to view again. Try several at one time on your page - coming back to each as you see and learn more.
  
• Take a mental snapshot - close your eyes and hold the image of the figure in your head - then open your eyes and transfer to your paper.
• Share your tips with others - leave a comment on this blog. Look for links to my work or others.... here.
  

09/13/08 - UK Community Arts Group Gallery Show - Year TWO!

This is a project that I helped with and participated in last year (photo gallery of last years's show courtesy of Sung Ha Kang) and am really looking forward to doing so again for this year! Thanks to UK Art Department Chair, Ben Withers and rock-star Fiber Arts Professor Arturo Sandoval for their generosity and assistance in helping make this opportunity happen then and now!

Participation open for all for all current attendees of open life drawing sessions! See link at bottom to reserve your space.

Dates:

As provided by Arturo Sandoval, Barnhart Gallery Director, are as follows

• September 27-29, 2008 (UPDATED 9/16/08): Setup Dates. Group set up Saturday 9/27/08 in the time we usually draw - 9am to 12 (best time for all to set up) - I will simultaneously be doing digital acquisition of images to facilitate the Hub video wall show in November!
• October 1-10, 2008, Exhibition dates.
  
• October 3rd, 2008 (Updated 9/30/08): Friday 6-9pm Reception will have food and drink served. Sign up to contribute a dish here and check on what is already promised here.
• October 11th, 2008, Take down date.

Help:

Volunteers are needed to help with the following:

• Reception setup and coordination
• Registration and division of gallery space for individual artists
• Distribution of promotional material, posters and show cards

General Information:

The show will be "salon style" there will be a 4" wide black paper mount wrapped around the gallery walls - this is your display area (exception some may request one of three or four floor stands for objects or booklet display). Space will be allocated based on total number committing to display. Last year everyone had approximately a 10' x 48" area to display in (enough for several images - bring more than you need to hang so we can be sure and fill the walls). See photo gallery of last year if this unclear.

You will also need to:

• produce a short artist statement (to fit on a letter size page (max) & mount with your art
• sign and turn in the simple release form before displaying your work

Online Sign Up:

Reserve your space for Community Arts Group display!

• in Barnhart Gallery (October 1-11, 2008) and/or
• digital video wall display in the Hub @ WT's (November 1-30, 2008). Click here to see a video about the Hub - a new concept in library space for the University.
  

CLICK HERE to SIGN UP.

See who is already signed up (or check you reservation).

Contact info:

Community Arts Group

• Anthony "Tony" Roccanova - Associate Professor, School of Architecture - 859.519.8231 - rocca@uky.edu
  
• Jason Lambert - eralin@yahoo.com
• Jonathan Gilpin - Visual Communicator - 276-5528 (h) - gilpin.jonathan@gmail.com

UK Department of Art

• Arturo Sandoval– Alumni Endowed Professor, Fiber - Room 104A, Reynolds Building #1 - 859-230-9635 (cell) - aa.sandoval@uky.edu
• Benjamin Withers - Professor and Chair - 203 Fine Arts Bldg. - 859.257.2727 - bwithers@uky.edu

UK Libraries

• Stacey Greenwell - Head of Information Commons - B-67, south wing, basement, Young Library 40506-0456 - (859) 257-0500, ext. 2002 - stacey@uky.edu

09/12/08 - ScareFest - Horror & Paranormal Convention Starts Today!

Don't know much about this but it looks like it could be lots of FUN! Serious paranormal advocates mixed with nerdy horror buffs - what's not to love!

SCHEDULE
& EVENTS

The Scare Fest will be held September 12-14, 2008

Friday from 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm ( Early Entry: 3PM )
Saturday from 11:00 am - 8:00 pm ( Early Entry: 10AM )
Sunday from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm ( Early Entry: 9AM )

Here's the link to their site:
http://www.thescarefest.com/POSTERANDPROGRAM.htm

09/10/08 - Joseph Beth Guest Author Talk - Danica Novgordoff Discuss her Graphic Novel

Updated:9/12/08
CCG folk: we may be having a special event with this author/cartoonist - please contact me if interested!

Online RSVP form

Check your input & see who else is coming.
-----------------
Another post straight from Jo-Beth's calendar:

Danica Novgorodoff, this young woman is an Eisner Award nominated cartoonist and a graphic designer for First Second Publishing. She worked on Matt Madden and Jessica Able's excellent College Text for Cartoonists: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures. I hope to get her to speak to the CCG gang while she is in town - stay tuned for more! Apparently she has some Kentucky connections or roots?



DANICA NOVGORODOFF
discusses and signs
Slow Storm (review)

Sunday, September 21st at 2:00 pm

Ursa, firefighter in rural Kentucky, searches for her place in life, struggling to meet her own expectations. When a tornado hits her town, the ensuing chaos brings her world into sharp focus, somehow making everything clearer, and Ursa finds that she just can't stomach the way her life is going. It is then that she meets Rafi, an illegal immigrant whose life isn't going the way he'd pictured it either. Their encounter is the catalyst for Ursa and Rafi, who take different roads to the realization that wanting your life to change isn't enough to make it happen. A new and exciting graphic novel set in Kentucky!

JB Lexington Directions & Hours

Joseph-Beth Booksellers
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503
(859) 273-2911

Store and Bistro Hours:
Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Friday and Saturday, 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

Directions to Joseph-Beth in Lexington:

From I-75/I-64:
Take the KY-922 exit- ext 115- toward BG Parkway/Airport/Lexington; Merge onto Newtown Pike/KY-922 S toward Lexington/Airport/Keeneeland; Merge onto W New Circle Rd/KY-4 W toward BG Parkway/Airport; Take the Nicholasville Rd/US-27 exit- Exit 19- toward Lexington/Nicholasville; Turn Right onto Nicholasville Rd/US-27; Turn Right onto Lexington Green Circle

09/10/08 - Joseph Beth Book Signing R.A. Salvatore

This event comes straight from the Joseph-Beth calendar.

(Now defunct) CrossGen comics and (still around) Checkers (I think?) and others have published comic adaptations of this fantasy authors works. Worked for TSR, now Wizards of the Coast - has a very strong and loyal fan base; most likely from his frequent involvement in his online reader community and advocating good fantasy stories suitable for the broad market (as examplified by his body of work).



R.A. & GENO SALVATORE
discuss & sign
The Stowaway: Stone of Tymora Bk I
Friday, September 12th at 7:00 pm

Tickets are required and available with the purchase of this title.

Nearly two decades ago, R.A. Salvatore introduced the world to Drizzt Do'Urden - a character that has since become a fantasy icon. Now, for the first time, Salvatore partners with his son Geno to craft a brand-new saga just for young readers, featuring a cameo from the most beloved fantasy character of all time.

JB Lexington Directions & Hours

Joseph-Beth Booksellers
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503
(859) 273-2911

Store and Bistro Hours:
Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Friday and Saturday, 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

Directions to Joseph-Beth in Lexington:

From I-75/I-64:
Take the KY-922 exit- ext 115- toward BG Parkway/Airport/Lexington; Merge onto Newtown Pike/KY-922 S toward Lexington/Airport/Keeneeland; Merge onto W New Circle Rd/KY-4 W toward BG Parkway/Airport; Take the Nicholasville Rd/US-27 exit- Exit 19- toward Lexington/Nicholasville; Turn Right onto Nicholasville Rd/US-27; Turn Right onto Lexington Green Circle

09/10/08 - Jockey Life Drawing Session - Secretariat Horse Festival

Salina Ramsay, a local equestrian, teacher and artist, brought this exciting event to my attention. And I think all of us Kentucky based artists could some practice drawing on the wonderful horse racing tradition of our commonwealth.

To assist and support this event I created a PDF flier specifically for the drawing/painting (which runs from UPDATED again! 9/18/08: new time: 1:00am - 3:00pm) portion of the event.

Use this Google map link to get directions - it is called Bourbon Park, 30 Legion Street, Paris KY 40361

09/10/08 - CCG BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL!

This will be our 2nd Annual BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL!

• The date is Sunday September 28th.
• The times are 1:30pm - 4:30pm.
• The location: Updatded: The new Northside Branch Library - Multi Purpose Room.
• Bring your work to have reviewed
• Bring your basic drawing/writing - journaling supplies for creative exercises
  

Come join us for a celebration of the:

1. comic form, comic strips, gag and editorial cartoons
2. illustration and graphic design
   
3. traditional animation and 3-d animation
   
4. and conceptual art for film, gaming and industry

EDUCATION - COMMUNITY - NETWORKING

Our group is a professional and amateur member association open to any (middle school age and older) candidate - those with experience or just a desire to learn. This special meeting is targeted at returning High School and College students coming back for another exciting year of learning. We want to be part of that and can offer assistance in many aspects of the developing artist. We are looking for students to sponsor school chapters of the CCG in their home institutions.

We welcome Art and English teachers to come visit or contact us for assistance in comics based curriculum.

Stay tuned for more information or email us at lexkyccg@gmail.com if you have any questions!

09/09/08 - Gallery Show - Woodcuts by Wesley Bates and Other Works

Local Illustrator Laura Lee Cundfiff sent me this and I thought it looked pretty interesting!

You are cordially invited to the opening and artists’ reception for the Gallery Exhibit at Elk Creek Vineyards [in which I will have a few pieces].

"Carved Surfaces"

Featuring the works of Wesley Bates, Jennifer Zingg and Bob Gibson.

This exhibit honors the collaboration between Wesley Bates and Larkspur Press.
Also on display will be the work of a few of the students he has inspired over the years here in Kentucky including Laura Lee Cundiff.

Saturday September 20th 5pm - 7pm

The exhibit will be on display through October 31st where a closing reception will be held. (Note: Wesley Bates and Juanita Wilkins will be here, and Juanita Wilkins will perform at the closing reception.)




Click here to see the invitation on the Web and to get directions:
http://www.etab2b.com/elkcreekvineyards/Carved_Surfaces.html

Note: Google, mapquest and yahoo all map the location incorrectly.
Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would like to come!

Laura Lee Cundiff
Www.lauraleecundiff.com

CG Hub

This is just a quick blurb on my part. I found a link to a place called CG Hub tonight. As best as I can tell at just some cursory skimming, it's a site to get artists connected with entertainment companies (i.e. Blizzard, animation studios, games, etc.). I felt the need to share it with you guys.
http://www.cghub.com/ Check it out when you have the time.

8/21/08 - B***p**** S***** Magazine - Can you believe?

Original post of 8/21/08 removed on 11/19/09 at request of subject.

Comments and input are as always requested and desired.

08/08/08 - LexArts/CCG Comic Art Show OPENS - Watch for More!

Well what do you know? We had a GREAT show opening Friday August 8th 2008 at ArtsPlace, 161 North Mill Street, Lexington KY 40507. Thanks to our Juror and Lecturer, SCAD - Atlanta, Sequential Art Program Professor - Shawn Crystal!

I met Shawn a little over a year ago and felt an immediate connection, if you meet him you I'm sure you will agree he immensely personable and approachable! But my professional impression of him as a cartoonist and teacher still continues to grow! What a joy he has been to work with and learn from these past several days!

Shawn, please know you are always welcome here in Lexington by the CCG and yours truly! I'm sure Nathan and LexArts feels the same way!

Thanks to the UK Library Conservation and Preservation Department folks: Becky, Kazuko, Cliff and Shel.

Thanks to the www.comicrelated.com and (B****p**** S***** reference removed 12/13/09 at request of subject) magazine (look for more on this groundbreaking forthcoming publication soon!) for the media coverage.

Thanks to all the artists who bravely submitted and laid themselves out for the world to see - you guys literally made the show!

The workshop today was a great time and hopefully the start of a series of high quality/low cost comic art workshops in Lexington! Thanks to Nathan Zamarron and James Clarke of LexArts for providing a wonderful venue for the training today and all your guidance and help throughout setting up this show and this weekends related programming.

But wait - the show will be up through September 6th. Please visit the show soon and often. You may find that we add features to the display throughout it's run - can you say KY Comic Reading Room? Comic creators please contact me if you would like to have a reading copy of your comic in our gallery reading lounge.

But wait, ...AGAIN! Sunday August 10th we will close out our opening weekend with a free presentation by Herald Leader Cartoonist extraordinary, Chris Ware!

Chris' work is like what you would expect from a national magazine like Time or Newsweek - really incredible!

He will be showing his working process for converting a pencil drawing to a print ready color piece (Photoshop Coloring!!). Chris's demo is free and open to the public from 2-4pm at ArtsPlace, 161 North Mill Street, Lexington KY 40507.

Bring the kids down for the show! This should be an enlightening and interesting program for the whole family!

06/22/08 - Lexington Comic Art Show - Call to Artists!

Comics, cartooning and illustration works are commonly thought of as being inferior to the fine art typically displayed in art galleries. With this misconception in mind it is with a great deal of excitement that I want to announce this joint project between LexArts and CCG that we have been working on for the past several months. Thanks to Nathan Zamarron, the Community Arts Manager at LexArts, for involving the CCG in the genesis of this event. Our goal is to have submissions representative of the entire commonwealth and therein to document the talent, diversity of voice, and artistic commitment of our graphic storytellers.

The window for submitting is somewhat short - so don't delay! The show is open to all ages with under 18 and 18 and over age categories. Comic pages, comic strips and single panel humor or editorial cartoons are all fair game for this show.

Look for more posts about this gallery show and associated events including possible lecture(s) and workshop(s). Follow this link to find the call to artists with all the information you will need to submit to the show.

The Mike Wieringo Scholarship

Mike Wieringo Scholarship "The 'Ringo" Announced
Wieringo's Friends and Family to Host Special Fundraising Booth at HeroesCon

When Mike Wieringo abruptly passed away last August, the comics industry lost more than a great artist and creator – it lost a friend. Now, Mike's family has teamed with the Savannah College of Art and Design to create The Mike Wieringo Scholarship or "The 'Ringo" to help keep his spirit of generosity alive.

Created by Mike's brother Matt and his sister-in-law Suzanne, the 'Ringo is designed to help provide similar help to artists at the Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD. Domestic and international students with have a minimum 3.0 grade point average who demonstrate financial need and display a serious interest in pursuing comics as a career are eligible. The scholarship will take effect in the artist's second year of classes, and is renewable for up to two additional years, provided the student continues to meet the criteria.

The recipient will be chosen from three finalists determined by the college in a portfolio review by Matt and Suzanne Wieringo, along with a rotating group. The ultimate goal for the 'Ringo is to raise enough funds so that it can cover a full year's expenses at SCAD, approximately $30,000.

Toward this end, a table staffed by Mike's family and friends will be set up in his traditional spot in Artists Alley at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. Heroes was a big part of Mike's life and career, and was the industry event he most looked forward to every year.

The table will raise funds through donations and the sale of remaining copies of Mike's sketchbooks, copies of comics featuring Mike's work, selected pieces of Mike's original artwork, sketches by Mike's friends in the industry who will be appearing at the booth, and items donated by other comic professionals. Pros appearing include Jeff Parker, Rich Faber, Craig Rousseau, Todd Dezago, Mark Waid, Richard Case and more to be announced.

"SCAD is one of the most impressive programs in the world to focus on the medium of comics," says Jeff Parker, creator of The Interman and Agents of Atlas, who worked with Mike at Artamus Studios. "I'm pretty sure Mike would have loved to have attended such a place in his student days. It would make an excellent legacy for him if we can grow the Ringo scholarship into a launch pad for the future greats of comics."

Despite his success on such books as The Flash, Fantastic Four and his own creator-owned Tellos, Mike Wieringo never forgot what it was like to be a struggling creator. For many up-and-comers, Mike served as a mentor and friendly voice, whether it was providing free covers, advice, or just the encouragement to keep going.

With your help, the Mike Wieringo Scholarship can continue to grow and help a new generation of creators get the training and connections they need to start their careers. Mike's talent, enthusiasm and generosity inspired many in the comics industry to be their best as both creators and as human beings. With your help, Mike will continue to be an inspiration for creators in decades to come.

05/08/08 - May Events at OSU Cartoon Research Library

We are very fortunate to be located so relatively close to a such a great comic and cartooning resource. Just a couple of hours drive north of Lexington is the Columbus OH campus of Ohio State University - this is where the OSU Cartoon Research Library is located. I have posted about this facility and their events in the past - last October they celebrated the centennial of the birth of their benefactor and famous OSU graduate Milton Caniff.

This month they will be hosting several excellent programs with world famous comic creators - I hope many of you will try to attend!

Saturday, May 10th 2pm - Jeff Smith and Scott McCloud in Conversation

Join Bone-creator Jeff Smith and comic book artist and theorist Scott McCloud for a lively conversation about Smith’s career and each artist’s view of the practice and future of comic book art. McCloud is the author of Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and Reinventing Comics and the creator of the comic Zot!

Thursday, May 15th 7pm - Terry Moore

Best known for his epic and unpredictable comic Strangers in Paradise and a key figure in the self-publishing of comics, Terry Moore is one of the most influential artist/writers working today.

Tuesday, May 20th 7pm - Paul Pope

One of the most eclectic talents in comics, Ohio State alumnus Paul Pope works in such diverse genres and styles as superheros, erotica, and manga.

Besides hosting wonderful talks and lectures the Cartoon Research Library presents gallery shows of relevant comic art and holds a large and diverse archive of comics and comic art available for viewing, including some digital albums available online.

Louisville Comic Show

May 31, 2008
Louisville, KY

Clarion Hotel and Conference Center
9700 Bluegrass Pkwy
Louisville, KY 40299
Admission only $1.00 with the Wizard ad. Early buy in at 9:30 am for only $3.00 with the Wizard ad.

Special Guests:

• Jay Leisten (Amazing Spiderman)


• John Dugan (Grandpa from Texas Chainsaw Massacre)

Buyers will be at the show with cash to buy comics, toys, Star Wars, magazines and other collectables.

Click here for link to show organizor's page.

Autobiographical Comic Strip Workshop!

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Funny Feelings:
Comics as Autobiography
with Kenn Minter

•Sunday, April 27, 10am - 4pm
$75 - LAL Members; $90 - Potential Members

Kenn Minter, University of Kentucky’s Art Director of the Creative Graphics & Web Design team and popular Lexington cartoonist, will share his cartooning and comics techniques to those eager to learn in a master class environment. For anyone interested in expanding their knowledge in the art of comics, this class is a must!

All classes are held at the Loudoun House (209 Castlewood Drive). For more information, to register for classes or to RSVP for ARTalk email Julia Curiel @ jcuriel@lexingtonartleague.org or call 859.254.7024!

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Famous Wildlife Artist Wilhelm Goebel comes to Lexington

Gallery B will be hosting an artist's reception for Wilhelm Goebel April 4th from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Fly Fishing Clinic sponsored by The Sporting Tradition. The show will also be up during the upcoming gallery hop on April 18th.

Wilhelm Goebel has been a popular and internationally renowned Wildlife artist and Illustrator for many years. He specializes in Bird art and is a skilled replicator of nature and anatomy and holds a degree in Biology. This excerpt from his website outlines his accomplishments:

"Goebel's artistic accomplishments are numerous; he was chosen as the 2004 National Wild Turkey Federation Stamp Artist of the Year, 2002 National Wild Turkey Federation Artist of the Year, the Grand National Waterfowl Association 2002 Artist of the Year, and in 1995 won wildlife art's most prestigious award, the Federal Duck Stamp contest. His entry entitled "Surf Scoters at Barnegat Lighthouse" graced the 1996-97 Federal Duck Stamp. He has also designed numerous state duck stamps for Alaska, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia.".

Gallery B (http://www.galleryblexington.com ) is a leading Fine art Dealer Showroom located on 145 W. Main Street. They Specialize in landscapes, still lifes, portraits and other realistic paintings, prints, other media, and occasionally a few sculptural works. They represent some of Lexington's greatest oil painters and have a very large selection, especially after their merger with Dogwood Galleries and relocation into it's previous location. Please take some time to view great Nature Art right here in your hometown and a chance to meet a man who will most assuredly become legendary in the world of Avian Art. A true master in the sense of Audubon.

03/12/08 - Lexington Comic Show 2008

In case you haven't heard; there will be a Comic Show in Lexington on Saturday April 5th 2008. This is the third year running for this event! This one day show runs from 10AM to 4PM and is being hosted by Comic City Comics out of Nashville TN. Here is a link to their site with more info about the show.

Show guests (always subject to change) include - Lexington comics writer, Robert Kirkman, Lexington cartoonists, Kenn Minter, and Mark Kidwell.

Look for us, the Lexington Comic Creators Group (or CCG) to have a table at the show! Please come by and say "Hi", meet some of our members and learn more about our group.

Here is a link to the hotel (UPDATED) where the show will be held:

Ramada Conference Center of Lexington

2143 N Broadway

Exit 113 I-64 & I-75

Lexington, KY, 40505 US

Phone:	859-299-1261
Fax:	859-293-0048

E-Mail:

ramadainnlexky@aol.com

03/12/08 - 2008 Gem City Comic Con in Dayton

Wow, two local comic conventions in one weekend!

Besides the Lexington Comic Show on Saturday April 5th 2008 there is second convention (luckily the next day!) that weekend in Dayton OH. The Gem City Comic Con is having it's third annual event Sunday at the Student Union at Wright State University, Dayton OH. Here is the link to their website.

Scheduled guests include popular Image comic artist, Billy Tan, and famous Marvel and DC comics writer, Marv Wolfman. A rare chance to attend a convention so close to home!

Street Fighter Tribute!

Udon Entertainment has announced an open call to illustrators and artists to submit artwork in a contest for the new Street Fighter Tribute artbook. Udon is a Canada-based art collective, affectionately dubbed the "Udon Crew," that has been around since 2000. Their artwork appears in magazines, table-top RPGs, collectable card games, and numerous official Capcom artbooks and comics. (That's just to name a few.) Their artbooks always include such diverse artistic styles that even if you're not familiar with the franchises they illustrate for, you can still find joy in the work found in their pages.

Most of the artists can be found on Deviant art through Udon's postings, and being able to get your work published under Udon is almost garaunteed recognition and great exposure. I recommend browsing them to get a feel for what they might be looking for in an artist. For full contest details, go here: http://www.udonentertainment.com/blog/?p=87

03/05/08 - Blue Line Pro Charity Event this Saturday

One of the few art supply companies catering to the comic book market is actually headquartered here in Kentucky! Blue Line Pro has been making comic art boards and selling specialized art supplies for more than 15 years now. They are also the publisher of one of the top How To magazines targeted to comic creators: Sketch Magazine.
Their home base is located in Florence, KY where they share their building with a comic store - Comics2Games. This Saturday, March 8th, Blue Line Pro and Comic2Games are hosting a Sketch Card Gallery Show and American Cancer Society Benefit Auction. The Show starts at 10am and runs till 5pm. There will be artist appearances running from 5 -8pm (see the Comic2Cards website for who might be there). The online auction will start at 5pm and run for one week on E-bay. Here is the link to the store's page about this event, with complete information and directions to the store: http://www.comics2cars.com/sketchcardshow.htm


Let's support all the creators participating in this worthy event by making a strong presence at this Saturday's show and auction. Post a comment here or send an email if you are interested in attending, have more questions or want to inquire about ride sharing from the Lexington area.

03/03/08 - Lexington KY setting for Syndicated Comic Strip

Did any of you know Lexington was the setting for a nationally syndicated comic strip? I know I was pleasantly surprised to find out about this strip and the "discovery" of another great artist from the past!

From 1948 to 1959 Francis "Frank" Godwin drew "Rusty Riley" a wonderfully rendered comic strip. The title character is a young orphan boy who finds work as horse groom... where else but in the horse capital of the world! Frank Godwin was influenced by two famous contemporaries: James Montgomery Flagg (artist of the the "I want you for the US Army" recruitment poster with "Uncle Sam") and Charles Dana Gibson (the Gibson Girl artist). All three are consummate pen and ink men. With Godwin adding the brush to his tool set to produce black and white art that managed to create a great deal of of tone with just the use of line.

Godwin produced editorial art , commercial advertising art, illustrated stories and novels as well as drawing comics: most notably for the ground-breaking "Connie" about a strong, independent woman in the working world (1927-1944) during a time this was not the common portrayal. (The Art Lortie Connie site linked and mentioned on www.bpip.com as being comprehensive is no longer active apparently?)

Thanks to Jason Lambert (monitor for Sunday UK figure drawing sessions) for this post idea.

2/18/08 - Colors!

We all know the vast potential of computer tablets and such programs as Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop in the creation of digital paintings and drawings. Those of us that drool over the next big thing in digital art know all about the delights of the Wacom Cintiq and tablet PCs. But, what we probably wouldn’t expect is that a Nintendo DS could be turned into a portable digital sketchbook.

Colors is a homebrew program designed for use with a capable Nintendo DS or DS Lite. By capable, I mean you likely need an R4 Slot-1 Solution for your DS and a micro-SD flash card. You download the program to the root menu of your SD card, plug it into the R4, and put that in Slot 1 of your DS unit. Once you open the program, you find that it really is like a very simplified version of Painter. You use your stylus as the brush pen and paint using the DS touch screen. You toggle to the color selection screen, and there you’ll find you have settings for either a hard-edged brush or a soft edge. You can also change the opacity and brush size, as well as set those attributes to be pressure sensitive. There is a zoom option for creating more intricate illustrative details, and you can even play back the finished product from start to finish.

Once you’ve made your painting or sketch, getting it to your PC is a simple matter. Just remove your SD card and pop it into a card reader. The files are stored as .PNG’s with a fairly decent resolution. It really leaves little excuse for doing sketches on the fly if you have no paper or pencil, but have your DS on hand. It does take some getting use to, though. You’ll be toggling constantly to and from the color/brush selection and zooming. But because there are so few features right now, it’s easy to just jump right in. The only thing it lacks is an undo or eraser feature. So, in that sense I think the lack makes colors a great learning tool for those of us who need to hone their more painterly abilities. Any mistake you make either has to be worked back over, or become a part of some new evolution in the painting. It makes you think ahead and problem solve when programs like Photoshop have the handy Ctrl+Z and the problem goes away. I recommend everyone with a compatible DS give this program a try. It’s, at least, a fun way to while the time away.

Colors can be downloaded here: http://www.collectingsmiles.com/colors/


View the Colors community gallery here: http://colors.brombra.net/

Credit to "Moatdd" and "Tsenzen" for the illustrations found in the Colors gallery.

02/17/08 - Happy President's Day

Here's a little Photoshop painting to commemorate President's Day. I've been recuperating from a lengthy sick spell so I've had time to work on my digital painting skills. Word to all you interested in this - I hope to set up some get togethers and or workshops covering digital art in the coming year. Let me know if you want to participate or know more.

02/14/08 - Coloring Tutorial

Lisbon, Portugal creator Ginmau serves up an interesting mini-tutorial on coloring within Photoshop. By reading his primer I picked up a few tricks for working with images and I'm sharing as it's an interesting approach.

Check out the full tutorial over on Ginmau's Deviant Art page located here. (Click the image when you get there to see the full size image of the tutorial.)

Also, for a fun visual drawing tutorial check out Draw Like a Ralph from the drawing board of Brian Ralph. It's a great little toon that can be found here.