Illustration Tutorials and Tips for the Traditional and Digital Artist - Monster Cutie

Elizabeth Gilbert on Nurturing Creativity

Jamie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:52:27 +0000

In her twenty minute TED presentation, author of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert proposes the idea that perhaps creative genius comes from some mystical external source rather than from within. Instead of a person “being” a genius, perhaps each of us “has” a genius.

It’s a surprisingly old idea. The Greeks believed that creativity came from muses, magical beings who imparted a fraction of their genius upon mere mortals.

This is a fascinating idea. In that Naoki Urasawa interview that I posted a while back, he says that when he draws something exactly the way he planned, he feels the “God of Manga is resting in my right hand.” It sounds like he came to the same conclusions as Gilbert.

I’ve been contemplating a number of projects that I’d like to persue and there’s been a lot of personal pressure built up. Will it be good? Will people resonate with my work? Will it be successful? Will it express everything I want it to? Can I keep up? What the hell am I getting in to?

Gilbert says to just show up and do your part. Don’t worry about all those pressures, that’s for the amorphous thing to worry about. My job is to draw pretty things so I will show up and do my part. And hopefully, if that thing is floating by and wants it to be successful, it’ll rest in my right hand for a time.

Rinpa Eshidan, the Art of Creation

Jamie — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:51:09 +0000

The Rinpa Eshidan performance art crew uses stop-motion video photography to document their work. This makes the process of creating itself a work of art.

At first, I found it difficult to not wince when they paint over painstakingly detailed work. But seen as a whole, I really love the transformative nature of their work. The canvass is transformed from a surface that records marks to a living, breathing, work of evolution.

And here’s a newly released clip off of their new DVD:

For more about their work and details on how you can order their new DVD, visit Rinpa Eshidan.

Sculpting With Monster Cutie

Jamie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:36:19 +0000

This week we depart from traditional illustration to talk a little about customizing urban vinyl designer toys and making your own with some sculpting materials.

We take a brief look at Super Sculpey, Paperclay, Milliput, and Magic Sculpt and how you can use them in your customizing projects.

Behind the Scenes With Naoki Urasawa

Jamie — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:33:44 +0000

Creator of such modern manga classics like Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto, Naoki Urasawa is considered by many to be a modern master of Japanese Comics and the only person worthy to step in footsteps of the legendary Tezuka Osamu. In this five-part documentary, we get to see how Urasawa brings his creations to life.

I’m absolutely amazed that it takes only seven days to complete a 24-page chapter. Of course, he has a room full of assistants which is something that I’ve rarely seen. But still, that kind of fast-paced schedule is insane, especially considering it takes an entire month for American comic artists to produce 22 pages. His attention to the slightest detail is fascinating. Truly inspired work.

Sing! Sing like Bob Dylan!

The woman interviewing Urasawa has the best expressions! OMG! I never seen a pen draw different weight lines!

Wow, even his grade school manga looks professional.

With such prolific output, I’m not surprised his body developed major pain. He’s sacrificing even his body to manga.

Ah, the eternal struggle between fan desires and creator’s vision.

I’m glad he ultimately chose to stick with his vision. In the end, that’s really what the fans want.

Learn How to Cast Your Own Toys With Tesselate

Jamie — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:06:50 +0000

To coincide with the upcoming release of his latest toy, Oakor, indy resin toy maker Tesselate put together a guide for making a two-part silicone mold to cast resin figures.

You can also check out a slide show of the making of Oakor all the way from initial 2D design, sculpting, and casting.

Tesselate also has an excellent guide for one-part molds and a fairly extensive and helpful list of resources if you’re interested in making your own toys. You can also purchase Tesselate’s homemade toys through his site, Tesstoys.

Artists Help the Homeless With Spare Paint

Jamie — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:57:41 +0000

San Francisco based artists David Choong Lee and Brian Barneclo offer their artistic talents to paint eye-catching cardboard signs for two homeless men in this two-part video series, “Spare Paint.”

I have to admit, I kind of teared up watching this.