Satsuki

I was going to ask something interesting and honest, but when I scrolled down and saw Mr. Yuem's post, I about died of laughter.

lol, utility and virtue are sheepskin ugg boots.

EDIT: oh, someone deleted the spam and now I look like a doof.

Ok, you brought up your art. Do you thing it has evolved any? And have you gained any more influences?

Tits?

When are you coming to Chicago again~?

Hello Kitty stuff is cool. Wife is passing all the HK gifts I gave her to our daughter.

I'd read your blog anytime. I'd read it SO hard.

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon

Tits?

Seconded.

HAHAH yuem has the best comment...spam and all..

IP- thanks for the art question...I would say my thoughts on it have evolved. My style is *basically* the same as it ever was, I don't suck but I'm mostly drawing cartoons and pop culture manipulations. I have made some money on it, but like most artists - I've made the most money on the graphic design aspect, silly photoshops and logos, etc. Boring shit that is necessary, but not fun in any way shape or form. I just finished up a job for a construction company that was downright annoyingly terrible. But, I know this stupid stuff is necessary to get the cash to do the fun pieces I want. So long story short, my thoughts on professionalism when applied to art has changed. I knew it would be a compromise, but I really didn't realize how much of a compromise.
As far as influences...I am influenced by SO many things a day - it can be a photo, movement, a haircut I see on TV. Everytime I read a new book I gain some sort of new influence. As far as actual artists that have influenced me, it's very much the same few it's always been - Suehiro Maruo, Barbara Kruger, a couple of friends of mine who are not famous so it's not really worth mentioning their names, vintage anime, and 60s/70s psychedelic designs. As I said in that PM i sent you awhile ago, I'm perpetually trying to build a worthwhile site to showcase my stuff but i'm also perpetually lazy.

no tits guys, sorry ;__;

and Mzo, I want to come back to Chicago SO much, I've been thinking about it a lot lately because I was recently commissioned to paint a Chicago skyline. (A fun assignment, because I enjoy painting cities a lot.) I have to convince my bf that he should take time off work so we can travel to it ;o; i miss u

Happy BDAY ?!

You commented on one picture, a few months back, that you liked to draw things that were mean or scary looking, but were not scary or mean at all. A cartoon/pop culture style is probably really good for that. Both cartoons and pop culture icons are intended to be welcoming.

Your comments on "necessary work" remind me of walter inglis anderson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Inglis_Anderson

You might like him. He was "a character" and painted in a style that I would describe as a mix of water colors, Aztec art and maybe early psychedelic designs.
http://joeb-tallyho.blogspot.com/201...-of-ocean.html

You say your thoughts on professionalism when applied to art has changed. Has this had any impact on how you view other artist? I forget the exact words you used, but I remember a blog entry, maybe 5 years ago (?) about your own fandom of musicians. Has being pulled into the more serious and soulless part of art changed any of that? Or can you still look at other peoples art as you did before?

haha, i forgot about that...yeah. I forget where/when I post things from time to time. I think at the time I was reading through some Junko Mizuno comics, so I was in cutesy/scary mode. A lot of my work just has a fantasy element to it - i mean in the way that it's weird creatures and proportions, not dragons and magic (usually.) I have probably hundreds and hundreds of drawings I just keep together - i mean to scan them in or whatever, but a lot of them aren't finished or i'm unhappy with in some way. just sketchbooks full of things. I mean...most artists do...

but thank you so much for the link to this fellow's work. i always enjoy seeing new artists i am unfamiliar with....and it's very interesting that this fellow, who was educated at some of the best art schools in the country chose a life of an "outsider" artist. I think sometimes, from what I've seen with peers or myself - artists are a pretty spoiled lot. we can have the best support system, the best education, but we'll just tinker around with simplicity. Choose normal jobs (or no job at all) and just scrape by, when obviously our talents are greater than a life of hardship. But this takes discipline...many can't handle that. I struggle with it for sure.

And as far as your last paragraph, I have nearly no respect for anyone who calls themselves an artist. I can like their work visually, I can like them as people, but my respect for them as artists is nil. For instance, I have a really sweet friend who works at an art supply store - she is so likeable, and her art is not terrible by any means, just very girly - but she is shy about showing her work in a formal setting. This frustrates me and makes me not respect someone as an artist, because they are just basically saying it is a hobby and they would not like to take the next step to become professional. This is acceptable, but then I don't feel I have anything to gain from them as a whole - they are no different than some 16 year old posting their shit on deviantart. I see art I like on devart, but would it work outside of the internet, or do I have something to learn from them? Most likely not. This is a big problem I see with "photographers" as well - do you just have a photo blog or are you making a living off your craft? If you don't make money off it, it's just a hobby...it doesn't make you better or more knowledgeable than someone who has a hobby of antiquing or cooking. If you are making money off it, it means something about you is 'playing the game' or in demand. It does NOT necessarily mean your work is "good" or "likeable." But I don't have a lot to learn from people whose work is "good" or "likeable" - my work is both these things, I have it covered...my experience can be enhanced by those who have professional qualities - i can always learn more about business. This might sound bitter or close minded, but if i gave the time of day to every fellow artist i meet, i'll have no time left. So, I can look at art, I can appreciate it - but it takes convincing for me to respect someone.

Man, that first sentence of the last paragraph could be really taken out of context :3

I know what you're saying. On one hand it does sound a bit cuntish, because you are asserting that art must make money to have quality (which is a bold statement). On another, it is sounds like you have been humbled. That you realize that you are not the ultimate judge, and to gauge the real quality of art you must step outside yourself and look at how others view it. And the ultimate gauge of truth, and perhaps the easiest and quickest, is what are people spending money on.

art talk, wank wank wank, blah blah blah =D

Happy bidet! Why don't you post some art in the art forum?

Sats, you must post more blogs! That is all.

IP- well, yeah. I'm kind of a cunt in general...but I feel like I know art so damn well, and have poured so many hundreds of thousands of dollars into education, materials, schooling, etc (and will continue to do so, because I plan to go back to an art school eventually for a masters degree) that I can afford to be cuntish to someone who just uses their leisure time to draw anime guys in OpenCanvas. Like I said, I can like said picture of anime guys - but that artist has nothing to offer me. I would say one of the only exceptions that i consistently break in the art vs. money game is that I am a huge graffiti enthusiast and every tagger or street artist I meet is putting his or her life on the line constantly for their art, so if they don't make a fucking dime I still respect the shit out of them. That's sort of a different vein for a different blog, though. art wank: what I know best.

and thanks for the bday wishes, dudes....I'll try and get a thread together of artwork to show off. I've been working on a series of "sad girls in space" illustrations lately...so when that's going well i'll post some. also I'll try and blog here and there with some vaguely interesting things.