Final watercolor painting

Many of you may not realize that I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Animation back when few schools offered it. I graduated at the top of my class, not because I had the greatest animations but because I integrated my watercolor paintings within a 3D environment. My work was different and bold and was demonstrative of a wee bit of creative rebellion. I did not follow any portfolio model, but rather I set out to create my own. The result was winning “Best Digital AND Print Awards” and subsequent work in production as a conceptual designer. Those years forced me to work fast and furious—I had to crank out 2 concepts a day and did it with great enthusiasm. I haven’t thought much about animation in the decade since, but then one day I had a hankering to play around with stop-motion.

These are not well planned—as a matter of fact, they’re not planned at all. The stop-motion antics just kind of evolved in a stream of consciousness, somewhat like the painting. It has been a matter of playing around with a kneaded eraser and a skull in between paint strokes. I never want my stop-motion play to interfere with the intensity of the painting process. But at the same time, they serve to help balance my fever-pitch (and potentially emotionally draining) applications—giving me pause, a breath and a little comic relief to lean on. This was especially helpful while painting Battlefield Ghosts, given the dark nature of the subject matter. I hope you enjoy watching the video as much as I did creating it. My mother is very happy to see me animating again having sent the following note: “Saw your clip on facebook. What a painting–I got a big charge out of your animation. Great Lisi, are you rediscovering those talents? I hope so. You were good, remember?”

Thanks, Mom.
And a big thank you to my talented husband Kort, who came up with the idea of time-lapse photography and the final video animation.

And for those of you who haven’t seen this, U.S. Games Systems Inc. who is supporting the Ghost & Spirits Tarot deck’s publication, just posted a lovely (sneaky) word association/interview. I had no idea that Kort was answering questions about me behind my back. haha! But his answers are fascinating because they allow me to see my own artistic process through objective eyes (I’ve also learned a thing or two about the dynamics of our relationship). And yes, that is the latest photo of me on my new wheels–trying to do my part by driving less and biking more. My friend/fellow author Celeste Heldstab suggested I name my bike “Gaea”.  I kind of like that.

Lisa on her new TREK

Here’s the link to the U.S. Games’  interview:

The Fool’s Blog “Lisa Hunt Off the Canvas”

Thank you for your continued support, friends!

~Lisa

While working on this, I wrote down all kinds of words (as you can see on the paper hand rest in the video) that flooded my mind. Here is a list of the unedited stream of consciousness I jotted down between pencil strokes. These are unedited and reflect what I was feeling at the moment and not how I necessarily feel all of the time.

To be courageous in art, one should not censor the psyche

Don’t be afraid to expose the unseen

Art is part logic, part insanity

Some art requires courage to execute

Art reveals pain

Art speaks without verbalizing

Art is the unadorned soul

Art is menacing

Art reveals that which is not obvious

Art exposes the ineffable

It’s courageous to draw that which you fear

Art can be ugly

Art is 2% creativity, 98% intuitive impulse

Courage + Art= Penetrating

***
Thank you for watching.
~Lisa

Here’s the finished painting

The final Psychopomp painting

The final outcome of a painting is always a mystery. But that’s what makes the whole process continually fresh and exciting, even after so many years of tireless creative exploration.

~Lisa

I hope my demonstration helps to shed light on my process. These days, I do not over-plan an image. During my early years when I was an insecure artist just learning my craft I would plan out every facet and detail. But these days I know my voice and feel rather confident as a technician (though, one can never stop learning!). I draw from heart and soul and just let the art take over.  With that said, I do some anatomical studies (I am a self-proclaimed anatomy geek) and sometimes will draft a good drawing on tracing paper to trace down. But the majority of the art is done with a spontaneous vigor that allows sequences from within the depths of my psyche to help determine an image’s outcome. It is raw creativity that channels through my being without interference and it is the perfect method to employ while working on a project like Ghosts and Spirits Tarot! I’ve opened the chambers of my mind wide open and am enjoying meeting all the spirits milling about there.

~Lisa

Final drawing of the spirit Kuei

In a recent Facebook post of my pencil rendition of Shellycoat, several FB friends suggested I do a time lapse of the art progress; a sort of artist-at-work video. Having been a former art teacher who had engaged in demos routinely, I like the idea of sharing my process in this suggested format. I will definitely be looking into it. I’ll see if I can employ the talents of my husband as head camera man while I paint. haha. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I did manage to document my painting of the spirit Kuei via multiple scan passes between paint washes. It wasn’t easy as I’m the type of painter who has a hard time stopping midstream once I get going. But somehow, I managed to pace myself in a manner that allowed me to let the image dry between scans.

You can see that I always start with a solid drawing of the figure before letting it morph through the painting process. Having worked with watercolor for 25 years, I paint fairly quickly now, but I never shy away from experimenting and/or taking risks. It’s all part of the fun and it’s what hopefully helps to keep my work fresh.

I slowly build up the detail

The closer I am to finishing, the less water I use

Now to finish up the textures with a dry brush

And here’s the finished piece:

~ Lisa

Connor with his conceptual drawings

As the summer vacation winds down, so will Connor’s long drawing sessions in the studio. I don’t teach Connor how to draw–he just sits at his desk and lets bustling creative ideas flood onto paper. He is insatiable with paper and pencil. Once in a blue moon he’ll ask me a question such as “Mom, how do you draw a woman (cyborg influence, of course)?” or “Mom, how do you show a spaceship from the underside as it stretches into a blackhole?”. I don’t know how much help I can be aside from an impromptu perspective and/or anatomy lesson. But he does ask me my opinion with each passing drawing.

"Robot City Ship" (Don't mind the typos!)

Given that I don’t draw or even think like Connor, pretty much everything he sketches seems complicated to me. As an artist, I don’t tackle subject matter that entails the contemplation of blasters, the cockpit, the shields, the exhaust system etc….as much as I love sci-fi movies et al, I don’t draw with a mechanical perspicacity the way Connor does. It’s fun to see him flourish in ways that are alien to me, literally.

And what does Connor want to be when he grows up?

“I want to be a robotic engineer, a graphic novelist and be the next George Lucas”. I wonder if there is a way for him to bundle his interests up into one creative vocation. If anyone knows, please tell me how I can steer Connor in the right direction.  For now, all I can offer him is my enthusiasm and support, something that he offers me in return and together, the energy in the studio is off the charts.

Stay tuned! ~Lisa

Connor at his desk while his sister admires his work

Mermaid picture by Kyra age 6

I have always loved going to museums and am lucky enough to live in an area where there is plenty to see. This past Spring we treated ourselves to an M.C. Escher show at the Boca Museum of Art. A few hours through the labyrinth of amazingness resulted in a season full of creative inspiration. There is something so penetrating about seeing art in person. In my opinion, the visual sensation of viewing originals has yet to be captured in print or virtual media. In my own home, I myself am not a huge fan of prints. I prefer to hang actual drawings and paintings when possible (though I have some treasured signed prints from friends, of course). Perhaps it’s the experience of interacting with art face to face. I think original artwork has its own energy, imprints of the artist’s soulful touch that exudes from an aura of magical energy. Anyone who has seen original artwork in a museum and/or gallery knows what I’m talking about. That is why these institutions remain timeless in a world constantly in flux. A virtual tour of a museum cannot touch the experience of being there.

This past weekend, we went to see a wonderful exhibit at Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach called “Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney”. I first saw and actually met the artist back in the 80s at a Boskone sci-fi/fantasy convention (my first!). He was exhibiting his first Dinotopia paintings (I don’t think he had sold the book at that juncture). As an eager art student barely in my 20s, I remember feeling my jaw literally drop when I first eyed his elaborately detailed scenes. He stole the show–a modern day N.C Wyeth;  an incredibly gifted artist who was barely in his 30s at the time. I was mesmerized and knew that this was a master on the threshold of worldwide fame. I think everyone sensed this about James Gurney and everyone was right!

Zoom forward to 2010–my second encounter was no less dazzling and in fact I felt a deeper sense of awe as I tried to digest all the detail-packed paintings that comprised the Dinotopia series. The show was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The ability to look at the rich colors and detail in person was transforming. For a little while, my family and I felt like we were walking through Dinotopia and it was an exhilarating place to be.

After spending hours through the Dinotopia wing, we did go through the rest of the museum. For some reason, while we were perusing the George and Valerie Delacort Gallery I felt compelled to whip out my pocket-sized sketchbook to doodle eyes from works of the masters. I was looking into my own eyes as I studied the nuance that swept through these important windows to the soul. I quickly sketched little studies with pen. The process helped me to connect with the image in a deep way–it was as though the people portrayed in the paintings were communicating with me. In between, I wrote down quotes that the museum has tastefully displayed between exhibits. One of my favorite quotes was: “Art seems to me to be above all a state of the soul.”~Marc Chagall

~ Lisa

Here is another painting for Ghosts & Spirits Tarot. This is a water spirit who is a shapeshifting seducer. He offers a cool drink and a splash in the refreshing water. It felt great to paint this. Here’s an abbreviated journey through the painting process.

The finished watercolor painting

Some of my fans, friends and colleagues have expressed interest in me doing an art instruction book. Having been an art college teacher for several years (before settling into full time studio life), I’ve toyed around with the idea. It wasn’t until a recent lunch date with my old college buddy Pam (who is a charismatic high school art teacher) that I realized how exciting a project like this could be.  So after our riveting chat, I am giving the idea some serious consideration. I’ve always loved to teach–I love sharing my techniques and enthusiasm for the drawing and painting process with others. I hope this has been obvious on my blog, facebook and twitter pages. Creating a helpful art book is shaping up to be my next venture. What do you think?

*** In other news ***

Here’s Kyra painting animals. Recently, Kyra sent a picture to one of her favorite artists, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. Much to her delight, Stephanie posted her “Stephanie with Elephant” picture in her recent SF Zoo blog post.  This, of course, is a big deal to an aspiring 6 year old artist. Hmmm, I wonder how much this kind of validation from a professional artist can affect a young child–I suspect Kyra will be painting pictures for a long time. Thank you, Stephanie. It meant the world to Kyra.

~Lisa

This drawing is for Rose Vanden Eynden, author extraordinaire

With that said, I must keep this short and sweet, my friends. Here are some images of the Ghosts & Spirits project in progress. And of course, I’ve included a few pictures created by my afternoon studio companions, Connor (9 years) & Kyra (5 years). Sorry, as amazing as Timmy-the-Cat is, he has yet to pick up a pencil. Instead, he has mastered the art of power napping.

"Black Dog" detail of pencil drawing in progress

Paintings in various stages of progress

Kyra loves to draw animals. There is so much joy in this piece!

New York in the future. Connor's drawings tend to have technical leanings.

And while we're working our tails off, whose been sleeping in Kyra's bed?

~ Lisa

ps. The Fantastical Creatures giveaway ends soon, see my previous blog entry for detail on how to enter!

What can I say? He’s got the art bug and his current goals include an application to a special Middle School of the Arts program in West Palm Beach. It would be an arduous journey via car, rail and bus, but it is his “dream” to go to art school and engage himself in drawing intensives.  He has a list of portfolio requirements he has to meet before the big interview day and it’s serving as a powerful force of optimism. I hope to chronicle is portfolio journey in subsequent postings. So stay tuned!

*And yes, he still has his padawan braid. It is something that will be ceremonially cut when he takes (and hopefully passes) his Tae Kwon Do black belt test in December 2010. His school classmates tease him incessantly about it, but he doesn’t care! He knows who he is and what he wants and I’m proud of him for that.