Collection prone

I filled out my collection of Copic markers the other day, I still have a few from the warm scale on order that should be coming in by September.  Anyhow, I use the back page of my Frosst sketchbook as a palette so I know the colors an their relationships. As you can see below, I have quite a nice collection started. I will add more subtle hues as I need them. You can see the missing warm gray scale on order in the bottom right. The color guide in the pocket is by Copic, a great way to keep track of what you have and what you need.

These markes are the shit, in my opinion way better than Prismacolor. For one they don't smell nearly as bad. You can refill them, and change out the tips. They are made in Japan with quality and care taken with each pen, they are even guaranteed not to dry out on the shelf for 3 years. Good investment for anyone who likes to draw and have bold permanent colorful markers!

Cant leave empty handed....

I have an obvious addiction to Art Supplies. I should start Art Supplies Anonymous.

I went back in to my favorite art store (Inglewood Art Supply) to visit a my friend Fay Moose - who will be at this weeks market collective selling her fantastic creations.  While I was there, I usually rifle through the clearance section for anything that may be useful. At the back of the store there was a bunch of canvases.  One had serious water damage and was all bent outta shape. The rest didn't seem to have much wrong with them at all, a few holes in two, but I bought an entire bolt of canvas so it can be replace with a little elbow grease. So I decided to buy them at the discounted price. I can re-stretch them and use them as examples for my upcoming Canvas Stretching workshop for Aboriginal Youth in partnership with USAY, The Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth.  Here is the discounted treasure that I just couldn't leave the store without...

Cant leave empty handed!

I'd like to send a shout out To Ryan S. who clumsily dropped the plastic wrapped stock briefly in a puddle, thanks buddy you saved me money!  7 canvases,  for $110. Can't beat that price! Sure some of them need work........ but my labor is cheap!  Now for ideas =;)

frog and a bird but no bees

There is something to it, look again.  Warty skin. Lick this frog and you'll get.........

high, sick and pregnant.

While watching a movie, I usually pull out my sketch book an barely pay attention, instead I like to draw cool stuff. (The film for the frog drawing was 'Elegy' in this case, with Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz followed by the bird and UFC 21 which was by far more engaging.)  I colored these in with Copic markers, The colors are what makes it exciting for me, I am addicted to them.

Tadpoles look like sperm, or do sperm look like tadpoles? 
Either way, I think it is rather silly, visually ;)

I actually drew these on the same page but scanned them separately. I was inspire to draw the bird based on the color match possible between the two drawings, I think they make a nice pair together. But you cant breed a bird and a reptile ;P

It was really great attending the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo yesterday. I picked up a bunch of books to inspire my artistic pursuits, met some rad people and decided to purchase a booth for next year. I am excited to be part of the event and to get some new exposure. And I have a whole new direction and desire to get more colorful markers, prints and portfolio work done in the upcoming year. Yeah!

Planning sketches (in COPIC color)

Here are two sketched I did on a velum like pan sheet for an epic animation idea I am developing. The images are lightly drawn in pencil and filled in with some of my Copic markers. One is based off the Pilsner can and the other off of the Ol Dutch potato chip package, respectively.

Pirate Page - Frosst sketchbook

"Yo, Ho, Ho, and a bottle of Rum, it's a pirates life for me!"

I drew this sketch with my Copic multi-liners and then colored it in with my Copic markers. I can't prove that art is magic, but the next day (yesterday) My NY style Salsa class was moved, so I ended up going to see the Pirates of the Caribbean instead. I really enjoyed the film, plus it was "cheap night"at the theatre.  I realized through the process of making this drawing, I didn't have any brown or earth tones of copic markers. So today, I went to Inglewood Art Supply and visited my lovely friend Ola where I picked up a few new colors.  I was with a friend and she said: "I've never seen anybody, be that happy and jump around, including a kid over crayons".  What can I say ;P

Colorful Insects

Insects are really interesting. On a page that had some bleed through from my Dinosaur page in my sketchbook, I sketched some very colorful leaf beetles.  They tend to be very brightly colored and I tell you my rendition in Copic is not far off int he land of artistic license.

The Malayan Frog Beetle (Sagra buquetti) Above uses it's large hind legs to clasp its mate.
The South American Species(Doryphorella langsdorfi) Below is much smaller and lives and feeds on leaves.

ASA TREX does magic with Twosday drawings

I met with Les of the Artist Society of Alberta on Friday to discuss details of their upcoming exhibition 'Animate delight'. They did a mock up of some of my original drawings to be framed and wanted my 'OK to proceed. It was so cool to see these drawings which were gifted to my late friend Chris J. Melynchuck( Click his name for my blog entry about him), organized for presentation.  I am really impressed in how professional they go about things an am super amazed by what they came up with for the exhibition. Not only that they frame the work and build really effective travel cases for the exhibition. Below is a photo from my iphone of the mock up before the matte is cut and frame built. Needless to say, I am very happy with their work.

They turned what was once just a stack of papers use to make my animation 'Twosday' <--(you can see it on you tube by clicking here.

It really helped in enlightening me on some aspect of the art business, that I wasn't really that aware of. I am thankful for the opportunity.

Positive Feedback keeps me on track

I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on my show. It was really great that I had another large group come thru the gallery today.  One of the lovely ladies, Soliel (3yrs old.) and her mom baked me delicious cookies to share. One notable quote I asked permission to include below:

Jerald Blackstock 

Posted this on Fast Forward about your show:
I studied Tibetan Buddhism through the use of thangkas and the Saraswati Hindu iconography (Tara in Tibetan) for 2 decades through a teaching institution of Yasodara Ashram.
And art at ACAD. So coming to Brians work from that combined background, gives me licence (I hope) to say, holy crap Brian is this ever cool.
I love the approach using of cartoon/animation visual language, of flatness and lack of surface that when printmakers paint, well it's what they do, and usually call them paintings, which they aren't usually, they are these illustrative things that seem to be unaware of the 800 years of history and tradition of western European painting.
When Brian uses that visual language to re-interpret Eastern art, in my opinion he is using exactly the right language for the right subject...knocking the ball right out of the park.
AND at the same time he is saying, I'm an artist, I can do anything I want, which an artist absolutely must say, in order to be creative and not some knock off of somebody else who is creative.
Way to go Brian, congratulations all around!

I cant wait to get back into the studio and begin creating new works influenced by my previous body and new experiences.

Fast Forward Article = Awesomeness

Now you may remember back in January I was published as a "Your Face Here" personality, because I was co-marshal for One Yellow Rabbit's Chinese New Year Parade. Well today I received an email for the Editors Pick of Fast Forward Weekly Picks June 9 - 15. They did an article (Page 58 if you have the physical paper at hand) on my recent solo exhibition 'Sacred Images' at the Untitled Arts Society Gallery.

Click here for a link to the full story.

I'm the first Arts story an right after the Best of Calgary. I'm told that this is the biggest and most read Fast Forward of the year. Sweet.

I particularly like that me and my first solo show are "full of peculiarities." I am always surprised what writers pick up on and decide to focus the story. It wouldn't be the first time f I half jokingly said  “My mom thinks I must be a reincarnated Japanese man because I am interested in all things Asian.” I also like that she explains how I "set out to re-create these painstakingly laborious and elaborate images that demand tremendous attention to detail and a careful study of Buddhist scriptures." This is true, it is also true that I start in tradition then I move into my unique way of applying paint, my "process is methodical and highly unconventional." I love it!

The final statement will hopefully spark some commercial interest and/or sales: “My paintings are never finished until someone buys them,” he says. “And if you were to decide to buy one, my response would be, ‘OK, now I’m going to finish it.’”As a thoughtful gesture, he will think of the person who is buying it for the rest of the painting and add a personal touch."

No press is bad press but good press is?????

New FROSST sketchbook

I got another new sketchbook. Yay!!! This one is extra special! Got it at FROSST Books, John Frosst ordered a few custom sketchbooks with his image on the front from the UK. If you don't have one and want one better rush down the Inglewood and grab one before they're gone. The paper is super nice, heavy, slightly cream in tone and has a great tooth for drawing. The book folds completely flat so you can work like you would with a spiral bound, only much better and there is a pocket in the back like Moleskine have.  Here is a scan of the metallic gold front cover, it doesn't do it justice, but it gives you an idea.

FROSST BOOKS - "We sell Books"


 It is a good idea to write your name and contact info or a way to get a hold of you in case you leave your sketchbook somewhere.  Its also a good time to test your markers to see how much they bleed. Unfortunately my Copic Markers bleed thru even this thick of sketchbook paper, I have yet to find a sketchbook that doesn't bleed when I use my Copics =;(  Here is the first drawing of my new sketchbook, over time I will continue to add to it and test my various colors like a palette here.

 
Whoa Mario!!!