Annie - Animation Short Film - GOBELINS

As we wind down 2019 and get ready to launch into the new year (2020 - Can you believe it??!!) — I thought I'd share an animation that features a 2d looking style that I really respond to.

Annie - is a 2013 Animation Short Film put out by France's GOBELINS - School of Image — and features highly stylized characters and backgrounds.

The colors are vibrant and lean towards Adjacent and Analogous Color Harmony (purple/blue, green/blue/yellow, red/orange/yellow, etc) — while using contrasting colors (yellow/blue, orange/green-blue, etc) to highlight text/speech and so on.

Screen Grab From The Video Below

With almost anything from GOBELINS - the production ,animation, sound and music are all top-notch.

Best of all IMO — it tells a tale that most of us hopeless romantics can relate to.

From it's video description:

"Robin's girlfriend, Annie, leaves him because he can't express his feelings for her. With the help of his dog, he's prepared to do anything to get her back"

Enjoy!



Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon.....

Merry Christmas! Carols From The Petersen Family (Live)

It's hard to believe that we're almost through another year and 2020 is just days away.

Hope you have a wunnerful Christmas Day and all the best in the coming year.

Below you'll find a bluegrass take on two traditional Christmas Carols — O Come, O Come Emmanuel & Come Thou Long Expected Jesus — by The Petersens.  

The Petersen Sisters From The Video Below

From the video's YouTube description:

"The Petersens are a family band performing full-time in Branson, MO. The band consists of Katie Petersen on fiddle, Ellen Petersen on banjo, Matt Petersen on guitar, Julianne Petersen on mandolin, Karen Petersen on bass, and Emmett Franz on dobro.

Visit their website at www.petersenband.com to learn more about their family."

Enjoy!



Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Blessed Christmas!

See you again soon......

Beautiful And Moving 'Christmas Story' Video/Animation

While looking for something to share here for this Christmas season, I was happy to find a video/animation produced by Dan Stevers called The First Coming.

Published in November 2015, the two and a half minute video has a lovely music track under a rich and powerful voice-over re-telling the "Christmas Story" in poetic but unmistakable terms.

The colors are vibrant and the background and character designs are very stylized — and in the end the entire video is quite moving.

Screen Captures From The Video Below

As you'll note in the images above and in the video itself—there is a watermark in it indicating it is a "preview" — but in my opinion it isn't obtrusive or distracting.

The video's description on YouTube offers a link to Stevers' site where you can find out more about purchasing it along with his other work:

https://www.danstevers.com/store/the_first_coming

I've embedded the video from both Vimeo and YouTube below.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Have a Blessed and wonderful Christmas Season!!







Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon......

$120K Banana & $45K Gummy Bear! But Is THIS Art?

Recently a headline grabbed my attention—and when I read the article it sounded like a Twilight Zone episode or perhaps the plot for a wacky TV sitcom:

An "artist" taped a ordinary banana to the wall of an modern "art" exhibition using a strip of duct-tape.

Then, an "art" patron promptly shelled out $120,000.00 for it.

THEN—a "performance artist" came along and ATE it.

Yep—a regular old banana sold for $120K—and then someone ate it.  

A Photo Of The "Work Of Art" From A CBS 4 News Story About It

It doesn't seem right to give any of these "artists" publicity, so I've purposely omitted their names and the name of the "art" gallery—but because it's almost impossible to believe—here's a link so you can research it for yourself.

https://nypost.com/2019/12/07/the-120k-banana-at-art-basel-eaten-by-ny-performance-artist/

-----------------------------

The same day, I read another article about an "art" patron shelling out $45,000.00 for gummy bear sculptures.  (see photo below)

Yep, you read that right.

An "artist" has been making large sculptures of gummy bears—and people are spending thousands of dollars to acquire them.

I'm not exactly sure where the line begins to buy one—but if you have a lot of mad money laying around and want a gummy bear sculpture of your very own—here's a link so you can find out more:

https://pagesix.com/2019/12/07/art-collector-drops-45k-on-vandal-gummy-sculptures-during-art-basel/

Photo: http://www.fashionedits.com/blog/vandal-gummy-by-whisbe-at-wtc/

------------------------

It'd be easy to get off into the weeds and spend a lot of effort explaining the reasons why "art" like this is prized by certain people with a LOT of money.

But the late, raunchy comedian George Carlin may have said it best, "....it's a big club, and you ain't in it."

The video below is from one of Carlin's performances where he lays it all out: 

The people in power don't want you capable of critical thinking—they want you just smart enough to run their machines.  

And while he focuses only on America—it's the same all over the world over.

But be forewarned if you view this video—it's filled with crudeness and profanity, and isn't for the faint of heart.



Thanks for stopping by.

If you want to purchase my latest work, "Dirty Cotton Sock," it's available for $532,000.00 (plus shipping and handling of course).

Just drop me an email for more info.

: )

Pastel Pencil Drawing And Its Original Sketch Concept

Pastel Pencil Drawing And Its Original Sketch Concept

Today, I'll share a pastel pencil cartoon I did using a "new" sketchbook that is larger and has a paper with more tooth than the type I've been using for quite a while.

I'd actually purchased the large sketchbook years ago when I was taking art classes, but just hadn't ever used it before for some reason.

Jerry Employs The Ol' Footwedge - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  After I sketched the original character concept for this one in my usual sketchbook, I decided I wanted to have more space to work in to add the background etc—so I dug around and found the larger sketchbook which is 14 x 17 inches.

My normsl "go-to" sketchbook has very smooth paper and is 11 x 14 inches—while this large one's paper is textured with way more "tooth."

Article On Understanding Paper Tooth

I'm really happy I tried this one out because the paper works a lot better with the pastel pencils I use.

Below you'll find the original sketch—which I redrew in the larger sketchbook, colored, and added an appropriate golf course background.

---------------------------

BTW—If you're a golfer you'll no doubt get this one's title:

"Jerry Employs The Ol' Footwedge."

If not, here's my brief explanation.

When I was young my dad was an AVID golfer and I took it up just to be around him.  He used to tell me to use the "footwedge" when I was learning—which meant moving the golf ball to a better position for your next shot.  It's not proper etiquette once you've learned the game—but I was a just a kid, ya know.  ☺

https://www.liveabout.com/what-is-the-foot-wedge-1564148

Jerry Employs The Ol' Footwedge (Sketch)
Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

Thanks for stopping by.

Look for more new artwork soon......

Excellent Video: The Making Of The Animation "TheTale"

Over on my Awesome-Stuff blog—I just posted an excellent video/animation, The Tale, from France's GOBELINS, "School of the Image."

(all links in this post open new windows)

After a bit of snooping I found the director Guillaume Arantes' Vimeo channel, where he uploaded a "Making Of The Tale" video—showing behind the scenes footage of musicians creating the music track, story-boards, character designs, rough animation passes and refinements, backgrounds, 3D visualizations, compositing, and more—and you'll find that video embedded below.

Screen Grabs — Scenes From The "Making Of The Tale"

-----------------------------------

If you're into art and animation like I am—I'm betting you'll enjoy this video too.
 




Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon......

Two New Sketchbook Pastel Pencils

Lately, I've been feeling pretty inspired, and much of that has come from seeing a lot of excellent 2d and 3d animations—and some amazing DIY craft tutorials put online by people who are tremendously creative.

Hopefully, I'll be posting some of my efforts based on ideas I got from them on down the road.

Until then, I'll share some more recent pastel pencil work from my sketchbook.

"Strato" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ On October 30th I posted an anime-style animation/video here called X-STORY.

https://artmusicpoliticsfaithhopeandlove.blogspot.com/2019/10/outstanding-short-animation-x-story.html

As I wrote then, I thought it was fantastic and the next time I sat down to draw, "Strato" jumped outa my cranium onto a page of my sketchbook—influenced in a large part by seeing that animation.

(Although his face reminds me a little of the old film actor James Dean)

Once I had the pencil sketch done—I whipped out the pastel pencils started in with them.

As mentioned in other posts—they're a bit hard to control and after a few layers it becomes more and more difficult to change things—but even with that concession—I was kinda happy with the final result.

I'll call this a "study" though because I might either digitally or "real-world" paint this in the future.

"Motherships" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

 

^ ^ ^  Someone uploaded a heavy-metal mashup with a Celine Dion song—and while I thought it was kinda interesting—there was a still photo of Dion used a backdrop for the video and I mused about how long her neck looked.

After scrolling through the comments, I found I wasn't the only one who noticed.

So I took a screen shot of pic and printed it out, planning to see if I could caricature her—and of course thinking that her neck would be a featured aspect.  ☺

IMHO, Dion has grown weirder through the years as well—so after I had the basic caricature—I added some other elements to represent that.

Again, this one was done with those pesky pastel pencils.

--------------------------------------

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Look for more artwork soon.....

Outstanding Short Animation: X-STORY - Vitaliy Shushko

I often think about ways I can use my character designs and artwork for animation—and in the past have even tried my hand at a few short animated videos using both 2d and 3d techniques.

So, I'm always on the look-out for outstanding and inspiring animations by others.

Fortunately—YouTube's "suggestion" algorithm has finally picked up on my interest and recently has been feeding my channel with a lot of new and interesting 2d and 3d efforts.

Today, YT suggested "X-STORY" by Vitaliy Shushko—and I must say this one completely pushed every button on my mental list of "must haves" for a successful animation:

Compelling characters, great color choices, awesome sound and music, fluid movement, tasty backgrounds, and an engaging story, to name a few.

X-Story has all that and much more—and throws in a satisfying plot twist at the end—and you'll find a video of it attached below.

Screen Capture From X-Story Attached Below

It's done in an Anime/video game style created in Japan—which I kinda over-looked while it became hugely popular with sooooo many young artists I know.

In fact, when I'm out sketching and they approach me and share their sketchbooks—you can see that influence all over their work.

Maybe I just didn't' get that style before—or X-Story just does it in a way that suits me—but either way I was engaged by this animation from beginning to end.

X-Story:  Screen Captures Of Various Scenes

A note before you choose to watch the video below:  

There is some cartoon violence and scenes that aren't meant for young peeps or others who might not want to be exposed to that kind of thing.  So please keep that in mind.

-------------------

OK—so you've read enough of my ramblings—let's get to the video!

Enjoy!




Thanks as always for stopping by.

Look for new original artwork soon.........

New Artwork: Pastel Pencils And A Regular Ol' Pencil Sketch

Hi,

My computer's operatin' system has informed me that my version will no longer be supported soon.

So I need to migrate everything to a new hard-drive/OS ASAP—and I've been deleting old unused files and programs, etc—both to make the migration process faster—but also so I'm not transferring a bunch of un-needed stuff.

It's amazing how much of that accumulates through the years—and it's been pretty time consuming.

----------------------

See News Update below. *

-----------------------

While in the midst of that—I've STILL managed a little drawing time, and today you'll find a few new sketches using both graphite and pastel pencils.

Let's get to 'em!

Rex And Molly (Study) - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ A LONG time ago I found a photo of a little girl and loved her expression and pose.

She was at some kind of event and was holding balloons—but she looked like she was NOT HAVING FUN!

I printed that photo out ages ago and have been carrying a copy around with my sketchbook planning to sketch it some day—and I finally decided to do a caricature of her recently.

Once I had her lightly sketched in using graphite pencil—I decided to expand my sketch—and at first just drew in the balloons she was holding in the photo.

I thought that her hand was already in a position that would make holding something else easy to do and quickly imagined her holding the leash of a BIG ol' dawg.

So, after searched for reference photos of dogs online—I combined several to create the final look of Molly's pal, Rex—and used some photo references to rough in a background.

I used to love watching the painter Bob Ross—and he often said that doing something to a painting was a "bravery test."  With that phrase ringing in my ears once I finished the sketch—I got out the pastel pencils and made my first dabs of color with them right on my drawing.

Once they're added—they're impossible to completely remove—so I knew I'd just committed myself to coloring this one (or having to re-draw it).

In the end though, I was happy with the final result—and am considering this a "study" for a larger version I hope to paint using oils some day soon.

BTW—I'd be happy to credit the little girl's photographer—so if you have any info please let me know in the comments below or shoot me one of them thar email-thingys:

jrcurt77@msn.com 

Heart O' Fire - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

 ^ ^ ^   Just having some fun with exaggeration and character design in my sketchbook.

Had a blast letting my imagination flow and making her YUGE feet/boots.   😎

Fazazz! - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  Though I'm putting this one last, Fazazz one was one of the first of my recent pastels pencils.

When using pastel sticks, unless you press too hard you can create layer upon layer of various colors—and you can make numerous corrections and changes as you go along.

With pastel pencils however, they tend to build up very quickly—and after just a few layers it gets harder and harder to adjust things.

So there'd be a lot I'd re-work on this guy if I could—but I'm calling this one "done"—although I may eventually paint a version of this with oils as well.

-----------------------------

* Additional News:  I have just completed another extensive update to my website adding a LOT of artwork I hadn't shared there before.

The lay-out on my website shows thumbnails of everything I've shared in different categories on a single page (ie: digital art, sketchbook drawings, etc)—and clicking on any image will take you to a link to a page with a larger view of it, and often a few words about it or how to find out more.

All links below will open a new window:

Jephyr.com

Jephyr Digital Art

Jephyr Sketchbook Drawings

Also—I edited my Honors and Awards page—making it easier to read IMO.

-----------------------------

That'll do it for today.
Thanks as always for having a look.

See ya again soon.

New Artwork Soon - Until Then An AWESOME VERY Short Animation - EVE!

Hi!

As mentioned in my last post, I dusted off the pastel pencils and have been working with them in my sketchbook (along with a pencil or two as well of course : ).

One has expanded from a quick pencil drawing into a more involved pastel pencil image—and although it's taken a bit to do—I'm having a blast with it.

----------------------------

A Screen Grab From The Video Below - EVE

Until I can finish that off and scan and post some of the new schtuff, I have another AWESOME very short animation to share with you from France's Gobelins - "School of the Image."

https://www.gobelins-school.com/

I love what Gobelins' students are doing for projects—and many of their animations include excellent and creatively designed characters, interesting lighting and color choices, and fluid, dynamic movement.

If I had the time and the bucks, it'd be awesome to go there (if my lack of speaking French wouldn't be a problem : ).

Anywho—the animation below is called Eve and is only about 45 seconds long (if you don't count the credits at then end) but has a story that I found engaging and thought provoking—and is a tribute to animator Evelyn Lambart, who collaborated with Norman McLaren on groundbreaking animations/films for the National Film Board of Canada.

A 2015 student piece, Eve appears to be hand drawn and uses creatively simplified characters and backgrounds—so from an artist/animators standpoint it's very interesting to consider those choices.

Hope you enjoy this too!





Thanks for stopping by.

See you soon with some new artwork.......

Cool Animation: Sturgill Simpson - Sing Along

I've been using pastel pencils again and am working with them on an somewhat involved piece I hope to share here soon along with some other new artwork.

Until then.....

I ran across a cool animated music video by Sturgill Simpson — for his song called, Sing Along—and have embedded it below, along with the lyrics underneath it.

A Screen Grab From The Video Below

While I'd change some of the words to better reflect my tastes and beliefs—the anime/animation in the video is pretty engaging and the music track adds to the imagery.

I've been wanting to do some animation of my own that would have this look and style.

Anywho—have a look/listen—and as mentioned above—check back soon for some new Jephyr artwork!

--------------------------

—Please note:  While not explicit—this video contains some brief scenes of cartoon/animation violence and implied sexuality/nudity .





Sing Along - Lyrics

Words can stab as deep as night
And cut like razor thorn
Bitter air and winds of spite
Like the cold of winters scorn
Leaves may fall on sleeping ground
But the wind sweeps them away
Like hurt lovers in the final round
What once was in now decay

I can't go on living alone now that you're gone

A single strand of spider's weave
Just dancing in the sun
Please don't turn around and leave
You are my only one
Compromise is made out of peace
But history is made out of violence
After the war of words has ceased
All that's left is the deafening silence

I can't go on living alone now that you're gone
You done me wrong so here's your song
Now sing along baby

Well, I know you know that you're killing me
But its worth it just to see you smile
Tell em' to carve my name in the barstool baby
You know I'm gonna be here a while

A single strand of spider's weave
Just dancing in the sun
Please don't turn around and leave
You are my only one

I can't go on living alone now that you're gone
You done me wrong so here's your song
Now sing along

-----------------------

Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon....................

AMAZING Digital Speed Painting - Marc Brunet

Video Below

---------------------------------------

When I studied art history and took several drawing/painting courses a few years ago—it was interesting to hear about famous artists traveling from one city to another to study work by other masters.

Because of the great costs involved with travel—I must admit I was a little jealous that I wouldn't be able to follow in their footsteps .

Even though it was only 10 to 15 years ago—the internet was more in its infancy—and it was more difficult to find tutorials, speed-paintings, and large scale master-werks to study back then.

What a difference a few years have made.......

Just today, I watched an amazing time-lapse of Marc Brunet painting his piece, 'The Titan's Tomb."

Marc really has a great understanding of human anatomy, composition, and lighting—and although most of it goes by very quickly—I learned a ton from watching it.

A Screen Grab From The Video Below

It's like being able to stand at a master's elbow—and see them create a painting from early concepts to completion!

So check it out for yourself if you have a sec—and be prepared to be amazed.

☺

Please be advised:  This video contains artistic renderings of nude figures.
 





Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon......................

New Artwork 10-3-2019

Several non-art projects have kept me busy—but I have managed to slip away and do some sketching as well.

☺

So, today you'll find three new drawings from my sketchbook—all in the cartoony direction I've been exploring with my character designs lately—although admittedly, the last one is a bit "darker" in mood and tone.

Let's get to 'em.

'Song Bird' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ This silly sketch was begun way back in June before my surgery—but I only just got around to finishing it.

Even though I'd quickly scribbled in most of the bird's pose and entire body—I was feeling dis-satisfied with it.

Then while sketching at a coffee house recently, a young artist approached me and said she liked this one—and that encouraged me to keep working on it.

Within minutes of speaking to her, and on a whim, I added a smart phone and ear-buds.

Then I added the high-wasted, nerdy pants, and shirt complete with a tie and pocket protector, along with a city background with a hunched character skulking in the distance (his posture/mood contrasted with the 'Song Bird's')

A few notes swirling around the bird's head completed the composition and then all I had to do was tighten the whole shebang up..

It's pretty light-hearted sketch I admit—but the world needs a bit more of that IMHO.

'Union Sundown' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ This one was another loose scribble started eons ago—probably before my surgery as well.

I try to finish every drawing on every page in my sketchbook rather than leaving a bunch of stuff half-realized—so periodically I'll flip back through my sketchbook looking for something to work on—and recently decided to see what I could do with this one.

The basic shape of the eagle was already there (with a rough idea for the flag/background)—but I didn't like just having the eagle just sitting around doing nuthin'—so I was trying out different ideas for it's right-side weaponry—still trying to decide in my mind what it was holding or doing.

Then, when I sketched a claw/talons that looked like they were grasping something—and added a candle that had just gone out in it—the character/pic began to feel like it had something more symbolically going on than just being a cartoony sketch of an eagle.

After that I tidied-up everything up—and could finally call this one DONE.

Aspasaurus - Copyright - 2019 - Jephyr! -All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ While still a little cartoony—creating this "darker" feeling character/creature was challenging and fun.

Way back when—I'd scribbled some of the basic concepts—and as I mentioned about going back through unfinished drawings above—I decided to finally finish this page up one recent afternoon when I was out sketching.

Initially, I had the head and torso and tried to add stubby, lizard-like legs onto it—and worked with several ideas in that direction—but nothing I came up with was very satisfying.

So after a bit I gave up on legs—and erased them and roughed in a snake body—and when I swept some quick lines around the body indicating its tail—everything FINALLY began to "feel" right.

☺

Creating hands I was happy with was another hurdle to get over—and although I had some loose concepts sketched in—I took several photos of my own hands in various positions and used those as references to get the look I was after.

------------------------------

Anywho—that'll do it for today.

Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon.......

In-Shadow - A Modern Dystopian Odyssey - Animated Short Film

Video Below

---------------------------------------

I'm getting ready to post some new artwork that needs to be tidied up a bit and then scanned etc—so until I can make that happen I thought I'd share a TRULY amazing animation, 'In-Shadow.'

It features the VERY creative artwork of Lubomir Arsov—who is also its writer, director and producer.

Artwork From The Video - Lubomir Arsov

His amazing paintings and video challenge our modern world—from chasing after all it's empty promises—to the people pulling the strings behind the scenes and profiting off all the misery they create—funding violence and terrorism, swaying us with their fake media and propaganda, pumping us full of chemicals, drugs and alcohol, driving us into blind consumerism, and sending us off to fight in unnecessary wars—ultimately leading into isolation, as far too many hide behind masks in loveless hook-ups/relationships and meaningless empty lives—all while soul-less education and entertainment, smart-phones and technology, and so on, replace true authenticity and intimacy with one another.

Arsov's art is brilliantly animated, with compositing by Sheldon Lisoy and Hiram Gifford—and reveals a very dark, dystopian world—but by ripping the veil off of it—Arsov reminds us to "reset" and break free from its many chains.

Artwork From The Video - Lubomir Arsov

-----------------------------

The only downside to this video IMHO is that the soundtrack is very grating—but I have a solution:

I've embedded 'In Shadow' to begin at 18 seconds in—and have also embedded the 'music-only' video of Pink Floyd's - Another Brick in the Wall parts 1, 2, 3 (goodbye cruel world).

So if you start both videos at the same time and then mute the audio for 'In Shadow'—the Pink Floyd track will sink up perfectly with the animation—and I really liked that way better.

Some may prefer the original soundtrack of course—and if so, that's fine—or you can just mute it and pick your music.  < duh Jephyr : )

----------------------------- 

Either way I loved this animation so much I wanted to share it—so check it out and see if you don't agree.

Please note:  While not explicit/graphic—there are images depicting cartoon sexuality and violence in this video. 

Artwork From The Video - Lubomir Arsov

BTW—'In-Shadow' is an entirely independently funded, not-for-profit film.

If you'd like to support the artist, DONATE here (click 'donate' tab):

https://www.inshadow.net/







Thanks for stopping by.

Look for new Jephyr artwork soon......

New Artwork And A GREAT Old Song

Hello,

Today I'll post a couple of new sketches/character designs—and an excellent old song that's related to the second drawing.

Let's get to it!

"The Shepherd" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ I went out to draw one afternoon and as I drove I prayed that God would help me come up with something that would serve Him.

While I'm not exactly sure how this sketch fulfills that—I definitely felt inspired as I drew it—and enjoyed the process a lot.

BTW—I also asked God to open doors with people—and as I finished this up several employees where I went were really engaged by this character (and were complimentary and encouraging)—and that led led to some enjoyable conversations about their interests and lives.

"Fat Food" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  I prayed before starting this one too—but had a bit more of a struggle to bring it to life.
I started with my world famous, and patented "Scribble Technique" ™ ☺—and after a bit—began to "see" the GIGANTIC...ummm..."well-fed" character emerging from those lines.

As I put more detail into him, however—I was left with a large open area on his shirt that looked far too empty.

Since a lot of people walk around giving free advertising to corporations etc—I mused for a bit about who/what this character would happily advertise for—and then a light-bulb went on.

I've seen first hand the terrible health costs of our processed "convenience" and fast-food diets—such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint issues, edema and skin disorders, sleep apnea, heart-attack, stroke, depression, and social isolation, etc.

In fact—a few years ago, I lost a friend who was just in his early forties—and his death certificate listed his weight as a contributing factor to his early departure.

So, as a protest of sorts—it felt "right" that this...ummmm....large character would be wearing his corporate "master's" advertising on his shirt—while simultaneously advertising the effects of their poisons (oops...I mean products) on his body.
☺
---------------------------------

Even though it's about another vice—smoking cigarettes—Randy Stonehill's 1976 tongue-in-cheek, Lung Cancer, seems appropriate to include with this post.

It's fun and light-heart but has a pointed message too.



BTW—while smoking cigarettes has decreased—the use of vaping and e-cigs has now surged—and there are over 400 illnesses and and as many as FIVE recent deaths being attributed to them.

In this first link, it reports the US Center For Disease Control (CDC) "said 450 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses in 33 states and one territory are now under investigation by state and federal health officials."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/five-vaping-related-deaths-confirmed-another-under-investigation/ar-AAGV7FB

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7432983/California-man-diagnosed-respiratory-failure-placed-medically-induced-coma-vaping.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7433569/Teen-18-claims-nearly-died-vaping-starts-campaign-hospital-bed-ban-products.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7432067/Second-person-dies-U-S-lung-illness-linked-VAPING.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7408783/Vaping-cost-college-athlete-20-lung-family-says.html

Update (7pm - 9-10-2019):

Since publishing this post a sixth person's death has been linked to vaping.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7448731/It-time-stop-vaping-Kansas-reports-6th-U-S-death-linked-mystery-illness.html

Update (9:30am - 9-11-2019):

Today—another article on a serious vaping related illness and hospitalization.  A twenty-one year old man is "fighting for his life on a ventilator after developing a lung-related disease" after vaping for six years.

Minnesota student hospitalized with vaping-related lung injuries and SIX US e-cigarette users die | Daily Mail Online 

---------------------------------------

Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon.......

Excellent Analysis For Artists—Scale And Framing In Jurassic Park Vs Sequels

Quick Note:  Just updated my "sketchbook" page on my website—so now all my select/favorite images from various sketchbooks through the years can be found on a single page—with links opening larger views of them and (sometimes) a few words about 'em.

I'd love to have you check it out!

Jephyr's Sketchbook < opens new window

------------------------------

On to today's blog-post:

------------------------------

"What does an image say—and how does it make you feel"

------------------------------

You'll find an awesome video below—and while it may be considered simply an analysis of the excellent "scale and framing " in Steven Spielberg's movie master-piece, Jurassic Park—contrasted with the less successful efforts in sequels—there is definitely a take-way for every one of us trying to improve our art-work.

Screen Capture From The Video Below: Jurassic Park's "Scale And Framing"

---------------------------------------

The video discusses aspect ratio (or canvas size—if you will), and placement (and movement) of cameras and characters—and why one approach creates a greater impact on the viewer—while another may not.

Towards the end of the video—it is all summed up nicely by the narrator who says:

"Cinematography isn't (just) about the beauty of an image or the dynamic nature of a shot [but] really boils down to two things:  'What does the shot say—and how does it make you feel?'"

Screen Capture From The Video Below: Example From Jurassic Park Of "Scale And Framing"

---------------------------------------

For an artist creating a still image many of the same ideas still apply:

• What story is being told or what emotions are being conveyed?  Is a viewer meant to feel awe and wonder, or terror, or.......?

• What size canvas (aspect ratio) will best frame the scene?

• What placement of characters, creatures, and other elements will give your image the greatest impact?

So—if you are interested in learning more—give the video below a look.

Hope you find it as beneficial to your art as I did.




Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon......

Just Updated My Website "Sketchbook"

Hi,

I just finished updating my jephyr.com website's "sketchbook."

See images of that update below—(although they're smaller than what appears on the site).

---------------------------------------------

Now—thumbnails of select sketchbook work can be found—all on one page—with links that will open a new window with larger views of them.

There is still a bit more work to be done to that page—and I plan on updating all of my other website pages as time allows.

But for now at least my digital art and sketchbook drawings pages on my website are more complete and up-to-date.

Please check 'em out—and eagle-eyed visitors—please let me know in the comments here if you spot typos, or broken links, etc—and you will have my deep gratitude!

Thank you—and see you again soon........

The Top Of jephyr.com Website's "Sketchbook" Page

↑ This page continues below ↓

Middle Of jephyr.com Website's "Sketchbook" Page
Several Images/Links Extend Below What Is Seen Here

Four New Sketches - Nearly 100% After Surgery

Howdy,

As you may know by reading other posts here—I had a lover'ly surgery about 2 months ago.

The recovery process took a while and when I first started trying to create again I had absolutely nothin' in the ol' tank.

Finally—slowly but surely—I've climbed back into the real world—and have been creating some sketches that feel worthy of posting.

In fact—now that I'm thinking about what to say about them—I actually began all of them BEFORE my surgery—but was already feeling some pain (that made the surgery necessary) and was stressed about going under the knife—so I had NO energy and felt COMPLETELY uninspired, and got no where with them until more recently as I've felt way better.

Anywho—on to the sketches and a few words about 'em:

'Love Struck - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^ Regular visitors here will know I start most of my sketches by lightly scribbling on the page and looking for ideas from those lines.

With the pic above—I went out before surgery and scribbled around a bit and "saw" this figure in my scribbles almost immediately—especially those big feet and YUGE out-stretched hands.

After my surgery when I was feeling much better—I worked on refining all that in a local coffee house one day—and had most of the body including the animal skin wardrobe—but was struggling with getting the face right (and understanding in my own mind what in the heck the character was doing).

☺ 

I'd been in a bit of a grumpy mood—and was trying to add a surprised/scared or angry expression to the face (most likely as a result of my negative disposition)—and was imagining our stone-age friend reacting to a BIG dinosaur or something—but WHAT??

As I struggled, a young woman who worked there walked by, and smiling down at this image, said simply that she liked what I was doing.

I laughed and thanked her, but added something about not knowing how to finish it.

That quick exchange with her, however, lifted my spirits, and when I started on his face again it reflected my improved mood—and after adding a few hearts circling over-head—our "love struck" cave-man was born.

--------------------------------

The next time I went to that coffee house, I showed the young woman the drawing and thanked her again—and told her she had helped me finish it.

She seemed to like the final sketch, and even asked if she could take a picture of it.

'Professional Stick Pony Championship Rodeo - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

 
^ ^ ^  Another sketch began with some scribbles.

I "saw" the cowboy with his boot in the air almost immediately—but before surgery just didn't have the energy to finish it up.

One day when I started feeling better—I turned to this one and began working on it again.

Once I added the "stick-pony"—everything else practically drew itself.

I hope anyone riding in the Professional Stick Pony Rodeo Circuit will feel I captured the spirit of this exciting and challenging sport.

☺

'Super Rick - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  I scribbled some lines before my surgeryfor this one, and "saw" the elongated legs right away—but also a torso with the body thrown backwards and the arms and the hands way back over the head.

When I started working on this one again post surgery, I tried and tried to make that pose work—and somewhere along the way he sprouted GIGANTIC feet (which amused me)—but making the body look and feel "right" was definitely eluding me.

One night in frustration—I erased the entire upper part of the image and experimented (with some light lines) by moving the body and arms forward.

After a few attempts in that direction, a body and arms began to emerge that I felt suited the character a LOT better.

I then created a city skyline background—and "Super Rick" made his first appearance in the world—dashing over the roof-tops—lookin' for baddies to battle and bring to justice!!

"The Surprise Party - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved

^ ^ ^  This one is actually the first sketch I finished after my surgery.

Before they sliced me up, I'd scribbled the basic idea for it—and when I started to have some life back in me I began working on it again, and while her pose didn't change much—and I just refined what was already there—when I added the balloons and purse it finally began to feel complete.

--------------------------------------

Well—that'll do it for t'day.

Thanks for looking in on my little corner of the world.

See ya soon and God Bless!

First New Sketch Since Surgery

Hi!

As I've mentioned recently, I had a surgery about a month ago.

Recovery has been a LOT more difficult than I imagined—and I barely felt like even leaving the cave since they sliced and diced me.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried to go out and sketch but just sat there just doodling and had no energy or desire to do anything.

Then Saturday night, I went out to sketch and finally was strong and well enough to feel like I was enjoying myself—and just last night, I went out and put the finishing touches on a colored-pencil sketch I started Saturday.

It's been really nice—at long last—to feel well enough to rejoin the world again.

☺

Anywho—here's the sketch—done with graphite and color pencils.

I used several photos and references so it's kinda a photo study mash-up with my own "sci-fi/fantasy" elements thrown in.

Selvan Z4 - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved

Thanks for lookin' in on my world.

See you again soon......

Jephyr In Surgery Recovery Mode

Awesome Video Below

Hi all.

I had a surgery around 2 weeks ago—and wasn't able to do any art leading up to it—or at all since then.

Fortunately—recently I've begun to improve and have started to feel up to doing a few things again—including this update.

--------------------------------

Since I don't have any new artwork—I thought I'd share a cool video I just found.

To give some background:  I've always said to people, "I like dogs and all kinds of animals, but I LOVE cats."

Though—I'm well aware that there are a lot of people who really HATE cats—but I think a lot of that comes from just not understanding them.

Years ago, I sang and played guitar with bands and we ended up rehearsing at my place.  At that time I had two cats and one day during a break my little female tabby, Shasta, wandered into the room.

Our drummer made a snarky comment about cats and added "they don't even come to you when you call them."

I was laying back on a couch and said, "Oh, really?" and patted my chest a couple of times while looking at my kitty, Shasta.

She was all the way across the room but immediately bounded over to me and right up onto my chest and immediately laid down.

I have to admit even I was a little amazed—but the normally tough groups of doods in the band all just silently stared at her in disbelief.

☺

--------------------------------

Shasta also loved to ride around on my shoulder—and both of my cats made ample use of me every time I sat or laid down.

When I'd go from room to room or do work in my yard they would follow me around—keeping me company everywhere I'd go.

A neighbor (who'd confessed to me that she didn't care very much for cats) couldn't help but notice how they always stayed near to me while she and I would chat out on the sidewalk in front of our houses—and laughingly admitted she'd never seen anything like it.

--------------------------------

The key with cats that many people don't know is that they give ample amounts of the same attention they receive back.

So—if from the time they are kittens—you talk to them, allow them to cuddle up to you, lavish them with your time and attention—including a liberal dose of chin/head and back rubs—they will in turn lavish you with their time and attention, want to be around you, and even come when you call.

While I freely admit that most cats are much more wary of strangers and will keep their distance initially—given a bit of time they will usually warm up to whoever is around as well—IF of course they feel welcomed.

---------------------------------

A Screen Shot From The Video Below:  Dean and Nala Bike Around The World

Anyway, the video below shows a guy who is traveling around the world by bike—and found a stray kitten along the way that he adopted.

He ended up falling in love with the little cat who now accompanies him on his continuing journey.

It's a lot of fun to see their amazing bond—and hear about their travels together.

Hope you love this as much as I did.






Thanks for stopping by.

See you again soon.....

Great Niece And Nephews Coloring My Sketches

Hi!

Not long ago I was sketching in a local coffee house and a young woman seated near me and I started chatting. Our conversation turned to what I was working on—and when I showed her that day's drawing and a few others she commented that they looked like they would be great for a coloring book—something that had occurred to me as well.

A bit later, I spoke with my niece who has three young kids—and asked if it would be OK to print-out some of my sketches and send them to her for her kids to color.

She agreed—so I printed out 3 copies each of a bunch of my recent drawings and sent them off to her (along with a box of crayons and colored-pencils).  A few days later, she let me know through an email she had received my package and included some sweet photos of her kids.

It made me very happy to hear that my great niece and nephews are enjoying what I sent—and with their momma's permission—I'll share a pic of her kids coloring three different drawings from the group I sent.

The Three B's Making Artistic Magic On Their Great Uncle's Sketches

------------------------------

Thanks as always for stopping by!

See you again soon.......

God Bless!