This week the DART Summer Invitational, Pimp Your Sketchbooks, resumes temporarily with a few pages of mine, while we await the next round of Q&A's. Some years ago while I was writing a 12-book series entitled Looking at Paintings (Hyperion, 1992-1996), I spent many summer afternoons perched on a hill overlooking the lake in Central Park, sketching. This was my summer studio (above). … Read the full Story >>
Women’s Soccer “Forever” Stamp With two World Cup titles along with Olympic gold medals to its name, the U.S. national women’s team is considered among the best in the world, and the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which continues through August 20 in Australia and New Zeland. Growing up, illustrator Noah MacMillan was a devoted fan and player … Read the full Story >>
Q: Originally from New England, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in Brooklyn? A: I tend to say that I am from Philadelphia but in reality I was born in Connecticut, then lived almost equally in Texas, Philly, and now Brooklyn. There is a great art scene, galleries, and museums and all that, but meh… talking to friends in their … Read the full Story >>
"If you're not able to sketch a man who throws himself out of the window in the time it takes him to fall from the fourth floor to the ground, you'll never be able to produce great paintings." –Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) For artists committed to keeping a sketchbook—perhaps even more so for those who struggle in this—the current exhibitions on Eugène Delacroix at the Metropolitan … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the brush or the pen? Giovanni Alberti: First of all, the pen. That’s how I instinctively give shape to my first thoughts or feelings. Drawing with the pen allows me to highlight the most important aspects of the image, then I can use a brush to give greater depth, or to better convey the idea of substance. PR: How did … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Being asked to create 40 drawings for the New York magazine cover for the “Reasons We Have Loved New York” issue must be a New York artist’s dream assignment. All in one week. What were you doing when the call came in? Jeanne Verdoux: I had come to Bordeaux in September for a sabbatical semester from Parsons. The goal was to … Read the full Story >>
“Which came first, the brush or the pen?” The first question in the long-running series, In the Studio with… has steadily drawn readers to its pages. This week, DART celebrates artists who have taken up the brush to make their mark. Whether the brush in hand is a kolinsky sable or a special digital brush for their app, the artist’s impulse for the … Read the full Story >>
“Which came first, the pen or the brush?” The first question in our long-running series, In the Studio with… has steadily drawn readers to its pages. This week, DART celebrates artists who have taken up the pen to make their mark; even when much of the art is finished digitally, the artistic impulse for a sharp nib is evident. We start with … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pen or the brush? Calum Heath: The pen definitely came first. I do love painting, especially the feeling of applying paint can be really satisfying, but drawing has always been the driver for my work. A lot changed for me when I started using brush pens, I love the varied weight of line and heavy ink. PR: Please … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the brush, the pen or the tablet? Giovanni Alberti: Generally, my works are born from a pen-and-in sketch on paper. But sometimes I make the first sketches directly with the ink brush and it can even happen that the first drawing is the best of all. I usually use digital techniques only at the finishing stage, especially for adding color … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the brush or the pen? Grace Danico: The pen. It's the tool I've been using the longest! I started writing and drawing at a young age, and the pen has been my trusty companion throughout life. I've actually graduated to using brush pens these days, so it's the best of both worlds. PR: I noticed that you often make … Read the full Story >>
Q: Originally from Hong Kong, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in the UK? A: I was born in a concrete forest and now a place with no trees (the Shetland isles). I feel very exposed in the vastness of the land and sea, the winter is long and harsh, there is nowhere to go, the best thing is … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pencil or the pen? David Cruz: First came the pen. At elementary school I use to populate my history books with ink drawings, and I also liked to delete some words to change the meaning of the texts, which made them more fun. My notebooks were always full of drawings from my imagination. PR: Please describe your work … Read the full Story >>
Corrections have been made to yesterday's post Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pen, the brush, or the tablet? Julia Breckenreid: The pen, the brush. No tablet! I use my finger on my trackpad in Photoshop. It is a bit ridiculous. PR: Please describe your work space and how it figures in to the way you work. JB: I had rented shared studio spaces … Read the full Story >>
Q: Originally from the Northeast, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in the Bay Area A: Now I’m in San Francisco, where I am blissed out by the food, people, politics, and panoramas. Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? What is the balance between art you create on paper [or other analog medium] versus in the computer? A: Yes. … Read the full Story >>
Just when I was wondering, “where are the latest DART Q&A replies,” I received a message from long-time subscriber Anthony Freda, wondering if I was still looking at sketchbooks. Ha! Problem solved—here’s what Anthony sketched and wrote: I often write in my sketchbooks while listening to interviews on radio talk shows. I write down their thoughts in real time, hence the lousy penmanship. Some … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pen or the brush? Veronica Miller Jamison: I love this question. Right now, for me, the brush comes first. I love putting down large strokes of color and the challenge of communicating objects with just a few passes of the brush. The way color behaves as you move the brush from one side of the page to the … Read the full Story >>
Q: Originally from New York what are some of your favorite things about living and working in the Big Apple? A: I grew up in the Seaport, when it was a very smelly fish market, and I still live nearby, which is either a sign of the utmost uninventiveness or total security. Because my family and so many of my friends are here, from … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pen, the brush or the tablet? David Cruz: I started with the pen during my school days, constantly scribbling in my notebooks. I was interested in exploring human anatomy, insects and animals. Currently I like to alternate between these three tools, since I have always liked the effects I can get quickly sketching with a pen and with … Read the full Story >>
Peggy Roalf: Which came first, the pen or the brush? Chemin Hsiao: The brush. In Taiwan, where I grew up, it was customary for children to learn how to use the brush to write calligraphy in elementary school. It was considered an honor back then if you could write beautiful characters. I was among the kids who had to practice diligently and followed the … Read the full Story >>
