High Watermark

This marks my fiftieth post! I’m pleasantly surprised. I had a class at BSU that required me to blog regularly. It was very unnerving. I can speak in public without a moments notice; but ask me to put those same thoughts on paper, not only will it cause me to go into a complete tail spin, you will not see your paper for weeks. I’ve over come a great deal of that anxiety with this project, and accomplished creating a forum for my thoughts and art work. ~ So cool, here's to another fifty! Thanks for your support. I've posted a new blog header; among other things, Georgia's picture has got some bling!

Words and Colours

Ask anyone that knows me, I don’t spell well...at all.

I speak like English is my second language.

Oh, and don’t get me started on grammar and punctuation.

All that being said, I like words.

Words are like colors…there are millions of them,

and each have there own special place.

Here's one of my favorite words:

Bewilderment:

confusion resulting from failure to understand

Baffled, mystified, at a loss, or uncertain

"He sits in his car, lost in his bewilderment"

I think if today's word was a color is would be aquamarine.

New Favorite Lyrics

Hey, did you hear about the one that got away,
they say he looked left,

she turned right-meant to be together but not that night,

it's when fates running late,
we tend to make mistakes,

we go round and round from love to love

it's either way too much or not enough

Train ~ "I got you"

Say Cheese!

Art, in any form, is just a snapshot in time. It's but a brief layover for the artist as well as the viewer on their way to something bigger and brighter.

The Life magazine cover by Alfred Eisenstaedt of the sailor and the nurse kissing is iconic now. But he was just there at the right time. Did you know U.S. Navy photo journalist Victor Jorgensen captured another view of the very same scene? Each picture is taken at the same moment, but each still tells a different story.

I have a picture of me taken not too long ago. I was down in Joshua Tree, CA, visiting my friend Elena. She’s a very talented and accomplished photographer. You need to go see her work [www.elenaray.com].

The photograph is one she took of me in front of the hotel room where Gram Parsons died. ~ Creepy, I know, but it’s my hobby, [I have a picture of me with my oldest son at Jimi Hendrix grave]

I’m using the picture in front of the hotel door for my profile picture because Elena took it, and it represents a fleeting moment in my life were, a least in my head, I was in a very relaxed state. It’s nice to look at that picture, and think of that day and remember that feeling.

Elena said later, "It was truly your Jim Morrison moment."

"In this moment you were completely mentally and energetically free." She continued, "...and very much in touch with your mystical source, which enhanced your masculinity in an expression of presence and completeness. Notice the locked hands: strength and solidity, held close to your body center so it is not aggressive but more spiritual like a monk. The 8 at the door also signifies infinity. The doorway itself is a metaphor for your relationship to the unknown. The dark glasses are a paradox, they hide your eyes allowing you to see but remain unseen, though your gaze at the camera is penetrating."

Thank you Elena. Great insight.

Cleaning House

I would sit drawing at my desk as a teenager for hours. I would draw things mostly from my favorite album covers. That kind of stuff still comes out of me as an adult when I’m “cleaning house” trying to make room in my head for new ideas. These hand drawn logos are as rough as they were in high school, but they're leaps and bounds from then in how much more colorful they are. This is good!

Self Portrait No. 9

It always, mostly, starts with a phone call. The voice on the other end will say, “Dave…I have an idea.” Today it happen so fast I don’t remember what the original idea was, and what was my creative process, so if I mix them up, please forgive me if I sound too clever. The voodoo doll is always the object of someones anger. Sometimes the person’s so mad; the pins go in quicker than bullets through a target at a shooting range. But what about the doll itself, does anyone stop to think about his feelings? I’m drawing this thing, and it starts taking on all of these emotional traits. It was funny and sad at the same time! I though of all my old acquaintances, girlfriends, and stuff…just nailing me to the wall…and finally the last one just sticking this big fat sewing needle through my heart…the next words I heard out of my mouth were, “…Please, will someone just finish me off and be done with me?!”

I laughed so hard…I LOVE ART.

Can we do it? Yes we can!

I came to Brian with an idea some time ago, “I want to draw a piece with you and your guitar in the middle of a circle of nymphs! ‘Good’ he said, not even batting an eye. Wait I’m not finished ~ I want them all to be Rubenesque! ‘Even better’, he said and then he smiled”

I posted last month that I wanted to concentrate on poster size art. This idea would fit in well with that, but as things go, my muse had other plans. I still owe Brian the circle of nymphs; fortunately they found their way into his coffee cups. The coffee can design would feature one of the girls prominently on it, after we put a wedding dress on her.

The coffee can is Brian's baby; he knew 90% of what he wanted when he brought it to me. The other 10% was a series of fortunate events. This design is the visual center piece for promotional posters and t shirts.

Thanks for all your input on this Scot.

More is More!

While in school working on my Bachelors several years ago I signed up for a life drawing class. The class had thirteen students gathered around nude male and female models. If you want to learn how to really draw a human body you have to be able to see what you’re drawing.

My kids are going through my backpack, and start looking at the text book for the class. “OHHH does MOM know you have this?” They had a lot of questions. As I remember it, I went through how my text book wasn’t a Playboy, and how Mom signed me up for the class, so yes she knew there was going to be a “naked” lady in the classroom.

Drawing the human body is fascinating. It’s the way the light falls on the muscles. It’s the lines and shape the skeleton forms. So fascinating that I even forgot the model was nude one time. I was talking to her about one of the kids being sick. She was studying nutrition, so the conversation went on and on about vitamins, and my son’s health history...
...until the teacher shut us up!

It was only then that I remembered I had been talking to a young woman with no cloths on!

It is one thing to draw thin-ish models, and quite another to draw someone like me. I have about one hundred pounds on those classroom models, which makes it harder to render a figure like that right. Now, women that weight that much are even more difficult to draw. I'm liking the idea of that challenge. These promotional pieces are drawn without models. I haven’t found a good way to approach a “big and beautiful woman” and asking her to let me draw her naked!

To be honest, I don't thing there is a right way. Here are the pieces.
I’ll fill you in more later about the things I've learned from this project.

Geek Quote of the Week

"Net boy, Net girl

Send your impulse 'round the world

Put your message in a modem

And throw it in the Cyber Sea" ~N.Peart

CafePress.com

Here are the first six pieces available on CafePress.com, the link is just right there. We can all talk about it later. This is the kind of project I've always wanted to do. "Thanks to Ian, for in his own way, he got this thing rolling." Thanks to all of you, for your support, and for buying the designs. If you buy something, take a picture of it! Give me a copy and tell me what you thing of cafepress's quality. Cheers!

Top Five - List No. 4 ~ Fav Album Covers

With all this reminiscing about album covers; I can’t help but post another Top five list of my favorite album art. Thinking about what gets the art in the list I think it’s as much about the spirit of the piece as it is the technique. I’m glad the memory of the Snow White album came up, because it has the essentials elements of great album art. It begins by pulling you in, you pick that one out of all the others, and you hold it and study it, and finally, weather you buy it or not, it has made a lasting impression. Here are my top five picks for favorite album art. Sorry each has its own story, so it’s going to have to do giving you the record store I associate with it.

No. 5 Love Gun ~ Kiss ~ Sears [Barstow, Ca]
No. 4 Sgt. Peppers ~ The Beatles ~ Barstow Music [Barstow, Ca]
No. 3 Physical Graffiti ~ Led Zeppelin ~ Barstow Music [Ca]
No. 2 Evolution ~ Journey ~ City One Stop [Los Angeles, Ca]
No. 1 Yessongs ~ Yes ~ The Record Exchange [Boise, Id]

Art of The State (Continued)

After my Snow White post the other day I got sent pictures of old SW album covers. Thanks for thinking of me. Here is the one I was talking about. I love the Internet. The album is as cool as I remember it. If you need more info read - Sunday, May 30, 2010 "Art of the State" I'll talk more in depth about this album.
By the way, Disney re-released SW in 1967; that is when my sister took me to the drive-in to see it.

Here is what was posted with the artwork:

ST-3906, 1962
Songs by L. Morey, F Churchill
Music from the soundtrack of the motion picture

This is the Magic Mirror storyteller LP, originally released in 1960. The first version was released in 1957 as the "round cover." It isn't a read-along, though the album cover does fold out to reveal a full-size storybook. I can't find it mentioned anywhere on the album or the cover, but the Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933-1988, a pricing guide, lists Annette Funicello as the narrator.

To Tattoo Or Not To Tattoo

People have come to me lately and asked me to design tattoos for them; which I have, and it reminds me of a story. I was asked by a friend of mind some time ago why I don’t have any tattoos. One reason was I didn’t know what I wanted; the other reason was, if I came up with an idea I would probably come up with more, and then turn myself into a coloring book.

So as soon as I said that ~ there I was with the best idea. In “that is so me” form. I decide I want a sleeve; thousands of dollars, hours of time, and in the end something that I don’t really need. I wanted something that reflected me and my kids, and because I always love Maurice Sendak’s artwork, I wanted his art work. My design has eight characters from “Where the Wild Things Are,” seven monsters to represent the kids and Max to represent me. I had two tattoo artists in mind, but time, and money, and pain being what there are, I have put this design on something a little bit more practical.

I’ve been living in my Mom and Dad’s house again and I’ve reconnected with it. I've taken one of the doors and painted the design on it. This way I can take a piece of the house with me when I go. Mom and Dad are both gone now, and their house will be sold eventually. There are so many memories associated with the house. My sister was six years old when they bought the house in 1956; I was brought home from the hospital to it. Now I've got the hall door, and I'm taking it with me. I'll probably have it for another 50 years.I think that is a better idea then a tattoo.

Here is a picture of the project do far.
Go check out Maurice’s illustrations. He did more than just children’s books.

The Art of The State

I was a little, little kid, like five, and I can still remember going to JC Penny’s to look at albums; my how things do not change! I saw a Disney LP for Snow White. The cover was beautiful. My mom would not buy it for me. I don’t know how soon after that, but I do remember thinking, “Well fine. I’ll just make my own.” I took out the scissors, the stapler, the cardboard, the crayons, and pencils. I made my own! I can remember thinking how cool it was going to be to listing to this. Did you already see this coming? Well, much to my disappointment, I looked into the sleeve; mine did not have the record! Never the less, this was my jumping off point for my love of album art. I would go through the seventies, eighties, nineties, and well into the new millennium before I would get to do real album art and much to my disappointment everything had gone to the smaller CD jewel case format. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worst. It did. With the switch to Internet download music, album art work has been reduced to postage stamp size art. So with all of this being said, here are two of my most resent pieces. Go to iTunes and cd baby and search for Brian Bateman. You'll like the music, and you'll see my stuff "in the rack". The project is a little bit bigger than a postage stamp here. I thought you would appreciate that.

Time To Try Something New

A friend gave me the idea for this watercolor. I do very much little traditional watercor painting, so I was surprised when I liked how it turned out.

Griffin's Sketchbook Art

Griffin is my fifteen year old that I’ve told you about; he’s the one that could draw since forever. When I heard he was giving away sketchbook art, I made sure I got some. He’s going to be the guy his friends hold on to his stuff waiting for him to be famous. Well I’ve got one in my pile of kid’s stuff that he did when he was three! I’ll have to show you later, because I don’t know how to explain it now. Here is some of that sketchbook work; great storytelling and character development. Go see more of his finished stuff at two of his websites. Cheers.

http://soulfirebang.deviantart.com/
http://fourth.covenantunderground.com/

Ian's Penguin Poster

I was talking to my son Ian on Monday. You know him; he’s my son with the 3D glasses in May 10ths post. He loves Penguins! I get messages on my phone, “Hi dad, it’s me Ian. How’s the penguin book coming?” On Monday he said, “I wish you would draw some more penguins, maybe one playing the flute or piano.”

Immediately an image popped into my brain!

Quick back story;

Every time we were going to have a child, Jennifer would bring me her proverbial hat full of names. Some times I could tell you from the get go what I thought, Ian was one of those. Up until that time, I only knew one person named Ian, Ian Anderson; he was the flute playing leader of Jethro Tull.

So when that was one of my picks I thought, “Great name. I want a son named Ian.” And now I do. So the picture I saw in my head is what you see in front of you. I had my backgrounds done. I knew I wanted a rock hopper penguin, and he was already standing the way he should, so it was just a matter of getting the image out. I’ll show you the process.

This is what Ian Anderson and a Rock Hooper penguin look like. Finally, the steps I took to render Ian’s penguin. Note: I generally don’t draw with pencil, but for this time, because I was extra shaky, it was easier to ink then paint.

So without further delay, Ian here is your flute playing penguin [also named Ian] love, Dad.

Self Portrait No. 11 and No. 12

A portrait that is forever part of a greater whole. This was part of a piece that started out just for fun, but has become kind of a signature piece. One is a rough draft; the other one you're more familiar with. See how this stuff can develop and change.

[Self] Promotion Poster

I created this { self }promotion poster as an exercise in butt kicking. I took this picture of Ian for a photography class some time ago. It was always one of my favorites. I decided to make it a concert poster with a future date to help me visualize myself playing the gig. I'll let you know how well it worked.

Don't You Worry Bout A Thing ~ No. 3

All the boys were at school still. G-G and I went to Sonic for a banana split. She has grown so much since I was there last; She's learned English! It was so MUCH fun. I had to go back to the house and put my head down. I had thrown up the whole way from Barstow to Las Vegas. Well, I wake up and she's right there. She had gotten a toy medical bag and was giving a Goofy doll the once over. She smiled at me and gave me one of his shots to my head ~ "Here Dad, you need this!" I wish we could separate all the good things and bad things that come together, and just have the good by itself. Not to get too philosophical, but that probably isn't a good idea.

Don't You Worry Bout A Thing ~ No. 2

So I lived through my panic attack getting to the airport, and the the hail storm. Now I am faced with two more heads of the beast that has become this trip [so far]: Time & Distance. The first, I don't have enough of; and the latter, I have way too much!

Watercolor Splotches

I've recently discovered that there's a market for some of these simpler pieces.
I'll give you more information, where and when it becomes available.

Don't You Worry Bout A Thing ~ No. 1

There's a funny story behind all this.

My trip last week gave birth to this new series of drawings. A lot went right during the trip, but a lot went wrong too. "A picture can paint a thousand words", so I'll just let them do that. One of the mornings after I got to Boise, I woke up and I had Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", going over and over in my head. It was appropriate on so many levels, so it has become my new mantra.

It really did hail & rain while I waited for the bus at the Las Vegas long term parking lot. No cover! Once in the airport for about a half hour someone took a look at me, and asked if is was really raining that hard.
"...Yeah! and HAIL!"

Top Five - List No. 3 ~ Road Trip!

Going back the the old standard, "If you were going to be stranded on a deserted island what music would you take?"
Mind you, we live in the days of the series "Lost", where it seems anything is possible, so don't worry about "the hows", "the wheres", and "the whys". If it makes you feel better let's plan a road trip! I'm leaving for Boise in the morning. I hope to get a job, talk to B.S.U, but most of all spend as much time with the kids as possible. So here is my top five: "If I was going to be stranded on a deserted island what music would you take? or road trip albums list to go see the kids!

No.5 Nick & Norah's Infinite Play list [ OMPS ] (2009)
No.4 Jazz [ Queen ] (1978)
No.3 Yessongs [ Yes ] (1973)
No.2 Physical Graffiti [ Led Zeppelin ] (1975)
No.1 All Things Must Past [ George Harrison ] (1970)

Happy Trails!

My Oldest Favorite Word

Determination

[de·ter·mi·na·tion]

–noun

the quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.

"It is by sheer determination that I got this far"

The Man Who Minds The Moon

The piece you see above you is James C. Christensen's "The Man Who Minds The Moon". He is one of my favorite artist. He's pretty closed mouth about what his pieces are about, fortunately his art has a lot to say for itself. - "I'm OK on my own James" - What I like best, is to find out what gave him the idea in the first place. He taught at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT for twenty years. During that time he taught one of my professors from Boise State, Bill Carman. Prof. Carman was my teacher for most of my illustration classes. Look them both up. You'll be glad you did.

Sun On The Moon

Reflecting on the time I created this sun design from the hand prints of my six sons , I realized I put a lot of time and love into this. Their names are over each of their hand prints in elvish text. As the fingers reach towards the circles and the circles reach towards their names, all of it becoming one enormously large ball of light; or something like that :)

Thank you; Spencer, Griffin, Harrison, Cooper, Ian & Leo.

Looking forward to seeing the kids, and starting a new design with new hand prints [ including Georgia's]

Stripped

I was inspired after looking at my son Griffin's comic strips to start my own. Though are influences are way different, the way we think about things, put things together, is dead on the same.

Batman Vs. Mickey Mouse

I’ve always wanted to be a superhero; not like Batman, though he’s by far my favorite. I would want to be the hero that has the ability to go anywhere I want - and take a friend. The place I would go the most would be Disneyland. I kind of have that ability with an annual pass. This last time I went though, some friends of mine rescued me. Wait. I have to back up a little. For almost as long as I have wanted to be Batman; I’ve wanted to work for Disney. However, given the opportunity right now to live in Burbank or Boise, I choose Boise and being with the kids. Getting to my point, I was in California Adventure and given the opportunity to draw Mickey Mouse! The five year old in me was having the time of his life! Here’s the picture.

“Ugly Baby God”!

When I’m an Art teacher, I’m going to assign a project like “Ugly Baby God”! We were to find the strangest subject and then put it in an even stranger environment. Georgia had this really scary ugly baby doll that was one of my first choices. When I took it to class so everyone could see it, the ugly baby was a hit. Early sketches had the doll in an “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” thing, as an Aztec chief sacrificing another ugly baby to the gods, and finally an ugly baby in the “Thinker” pose, its own head in hand, contemplating its self. All good ideas, but I opted for making ugly baby a god standing on its own creation “created in its own image” looking into infinity. It was a fun project! I hope my students like it too.

Coming Sooner or Later

I’ve always wanted an English bulldog ~ ALWAYS! Daisy will be three years old on the 25th. I got her as an early graduation gift when she was just a pup. We came down to California in September of 2008, and since Dad passed this last August, it has just been the two of us. It’s a joke to tell people she talks to me, [in a non ~ Son of Sam way], sometimes they don’t get the joke! After one too many of those reactions, I decided I should find a better place to put this energy. The comic is going to be that place, and a new exercise in the creative process. I will be putting it together more than free handing it like traditional comic strips. It’s already become more than I imagined, things that worked out well, and things that blew up in my face. I’m still working on the first piece, because it’s taking longer than I thought. So here’s the title panel, and I’ll just say “Keep looking for it, and trust me. You won’t be able to miss it.”