Computer Schtuff

I'm just curious... What platform and OS and software do you use?

I'm on PC, since I'm a cheapskate and have fanoodled together every computer I've used. I'm still running on Windows ME. Photoshop 6. Seven year old Mustek 11 X 17 scanner.

A couple months ago I bought two monitors for 25 bucks through a government auction site. Turned out one of the monitors was one of those all-in-one computers. Cool deal! Worked, but had to change out the lcd power inverter. So I'm using it now and it's nice because it takes up so little space.

I've gotta upgrade my OS soon. I've had Photoshop CS for two or three years and haven't used it yet because it'll only run on Windows 2000 and above. It has a much wider brush selection and better tools for digital painting.

I also purchased a non-working tablet pc on ebay. I couldn't resist, as I got it for just sixty bucks, and they sell for around $500 even for this old model. But it's just a question of whether it will cost me more to fix it than buy one that works.

When I'm president, I'll probably go ahead and switch to a Mac.

Cover, I think.

I had fun with this dummy. I'm working the kinks out with some of these, but it's a rewarding process most of the time. My next one is about a little girl, a giant and 12 sea monsters.

This Week

Things that have been on my plate this week. Mostly educational projects.

My official endorsement of Ted for President. (see below)

I'll end all the speculation that I'm doing this because Ted is a fellow illustrator. I'm endorsing Ted because of his high moral character. I also see a LOT of potential personal benefits of having a friend in that office. So yes, my reasons are personal. Ted for Pres. Thank you.

Announcement

I, Ted Dawson, would like to use this venue to formally announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

I will be running as an Independent Illustrator and as a write-in candidate. Early polls show me as a spoiler in a race that everyone is already bored with.

My platform consists of doing away with all but two of our six thousand nuclear warheads, using executive order to pass through the Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act, taking back all the newspaper JOAs and re-establishing competition among newspapers, revoking all 53,000 presidential pardons issued in the past, establishing an Interstate Sidewalk System, and letting children eat free at all public restaurants. I will also eliminate congressional elections and establish a lottery for appointing citizens to the Senate and House of Representatives.

I will accept no donations, nor will I use any of my own money to run, as I don't really have that much. Therefore I will be the only uncorruptable candidate. I will also be doing no campaigning, as I have a family to support. I am willing to take this professional drop in stature because I love the potential my country has and, as president, would make more money than I currently earn.

My stance on some so-called Hot Button issues:

War in Iraq: War does not create Peace
Universal Health Care: How about Global Health Care?
Anna Nicole Smith: Get Over It
Intelligent Design in Schools: Just the facts, ma'am
Global Warming: Will actually make the world colder, which is weird
Gas Prices: Eliminate fast-food drive-thrus

Thank you for your vote. Now back to our regularly scheduled illustration blog.

Kernel

These are samples that Cobblestone magazine asked me to do a while back, when they were looking for someone to take over and revamp a serial. I didn't get the gig, but I like these and thought I'd post 'em.

Beginning to Dig.

Another rough. Ed is a dirt miner. I should draw more jewels and treasure that he's passing up to get to the dirt reservoirs deep in the earth.

Maybe not though. As a kid, I was always disturbed/distracted at the end of movies where they have all the money just floating around as the protagonist comes to grip with one of life's great lessons. I felt like standing up in the middle of the scene and saying "There's thousands of HUNDRED dollar bills just floating by you, Get a grip and hug later, Dumbass!!!"

-Wes

Leaf Impression

Just a simple spot illustration, but I like it for some reason. Brush pen, and just changed the leaf impression color in Photoshop.

The Toughest man in the World.

I think this is the title for a book dummy I'm doing right now. We find out through the book that Big Ed isn't so tough after all. It's a fun book to write and draw and that's good enough for me right now.

I can't explain why, but i like to draw on cheap inkjet paper lately (500 for $6). Maybe it's the scratchyness of the coating they put on it. It's strange that I would even care.

Early Reader

This is from an early reader book I did. It wasn't the most exciting material in the world, but I kinda like the funky look of the street and houses. This was on Arches 140 lb, with Van Gogh watercolor tubes and my old two-dollar set of kids watercolors that I started out with about four years ago. I usually work by wetting the individual areas right before I paint them, working wet-in-wet. It's easier to blend and fix things that way, and gives me a little more time. You have to work pretty quickly with watercolor, but then wait for some drying time, which is kind of sadistic when you think about it.

Self-portrait

Cowgirl

Let Sleeping Dragons Lie

I seem to be on a dragon kick lately. I'd like to watercolor this but probably won't have the time for a while.

This was a morning loosen-up sketch that I worked on a little further. I liked the idea of a big ol' dragon sleeping curled up like a dog.

Inspiring Art

I have a question which I hope many of you will have some time to answer. What five (or more) works of art do you find most inspirational? We home school and as she prepares to introduce our 5- and 8-year-old to Art, my wife asked me what my top Ten would be. It's a difficult question.
Thanks!

Big Ed again.

This fella took 4 hours to do on hot press watercolor paper with watercolor pans.

I lay down light pencil first then a light wash of color and then thicker details with some colored pencil and a tiny bit of acrylic for accents. Inking is then done with a 10/0 nylon brush that I've cut down to half it's original size. On mixing colors, I find that mixing colors on styrofoam plates works great and then I keep the (now dry) plates stacked up, so when I need to find a muddy or a flesh tone it's there. A few touches with photoshop and I'm on to something else.

Wes

Flotsam

You have to read David Wiesner's Flotsam! It is pure storytelling genius! It's small wonder that he won his third Caldecott Award with this book. Just awesome.

This is another wordless picture book from Wiesner. His previous winners were Tuesday and The Three Pigs.

Pile it on

I tried something new. I set out to watercolor a complete disasterous mess. And it worked.
I piled paint layer on top of paint layer until I had muddy chaos and if that wasn't enough, I crosshatched the smithereens out of the drawing.
Since I didn't care how it turned out, I was able to try new things without worry.
It's pretty fun making a mess.

7" x 10.25"
Watercolor and India Ink on Aqvarelle Arches, Rough, 100% Cotton

Read a book

7" x 10.25"
Watercolor and ink on Aqvarelle Arches, Rough, 100% Cotton

Girl and Dragon

Watercolor that I spent most of the day on yesterday. Parts are okay, parts I don't like. The background is a mess and I'd re-do that if I could. But might be a story idea here.

Artist Retreat

I just got back from my "Artist Retreat," an early birthday gift from my awesome wife... a couple of days at a cabin in the Smokies. I managed to do one watercolor piece and do a little thinking.

The pics of me working were taken via camera timer, and of course I'm not really painting. I also don't really smile (yes, that's a smile) when I'm working. Apparently I usually look ticked off when I'm drawing.