Thursday, September 20, 2007

Pafa Week 3



The Grind! That's what this last week has been, basically from hanging my show at the AXD gallery, through teaching at DCAD (An extra class to help out my buddy Scott) and finishing my storyboard. This culminated in me literally pulling an all-nighter from Monday morning till I hit the sheets Tuesday night at 6pm. I sleep till 7 this morning and felt much better. I had to stay up to finish working on Draw! for a preview in Aletr-Ego mag, and do my painting homework of a pair for Doug Martenson's class. Luckily it came oiut ok, but there was a time where I was so tired and so frustrated I wanted to wipe it all off and snap the board in half like a ninja.

I rallied in school dispite the lack of sleep Tuesday, but by the afternoon I was seriously slagging...and my Art History class was the final blow. The room was dark and warm, a deadly combo. I sit in the front row, so with about 20 minutes to go I had to leave, or just fall dead asleep infront of the professor--which would have been rude. I really like the class and Dr. Richards and wish I could have hung in there.



This painting was done in Doug Martenson's class Tuesday after lunch so my energy bar was at abot 60% for a bit. It was painted on gessoed board, in a deep dark greenish prematura. next we knocked in drawing of the figure done by using ultramarine blue, and then the wipeout of the lights with a paper towel.

Next, still using the limited palette of quidnacrome red, cad yellow light, ultramarine blue and white, I went in and started adding clolor and trying to draw back in also. We had 3 sessions so we had maybe a bit over an hour it seems, maybe more or less. This was the same model we had last week.

6 comments:

J Gilpin said...

Mike,
The roughest part of art for me are those times when I feel like I'm standing still - not making any progress. But really, as long as your brain is functioning there is something happening - it might not be apparent in your work at the time?

When you are on that "plateau" or I sometimes like to call it "in a tunnel", it's dark and you can't see where you are or how fast you are moving...but your faith in yourself and what you are doing is what takes you through to the other side. Don't really think you needed a "pep talk" but wanted to share this observation.

Be well and take a pace for the long run - it's a marathon not a sprint! (Hope you take the preachy stuff in the manner in which it is intended!)

PS: I guess $20k/year is cheap - a cousin who just started at NYU is paying $47k/year - SHEESH!! How do you ever get out from that kind of student debt!!!

Best to you,
JG

Kelly said...

What can I say? You've got a great pear there Michael. I remember Echo's paintings from that class. You guys make it look easy. The figure is great as well--unfinished, I know, but a great job--planes of color, nice tonal range....

Mike Manley said...

Thanks Kelly. man, we haven't seen each other for a while now, I guess our Friday connection at school is out with our different schedules.

I'm having a blast though painting away. It's hard in some ways to get a lot in the classes at times as the class is huge, 23 -24 students, so the critiques are longer, then any questions---oops, the time melts away in a 3 hour class fast.

This week it's red apples on a green prematura.

Mike Manley said...

JG, Yeah, sometimes you feel the surge in ability and at times it's not apparent. I know I keep improving all the time because I can go back and look at older work. In painting I think it's easier to see than with comics as my comic work is so spotty, one issue here, one issue there, always completely different subjects.

To be honest, I'm more interested in painting now than comics anyway. But i know painting will improve my comic work as well.

masta shake said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
masta shake said...

Hey Mike, don't want to be a punk but the phrase is imprimatura. Its cool to see every days work, keep posting it