Sketchbook Thread of Spirit Dreamer

#761

THANKS…MR MU…Symmetry tends to kill motion, and contain the space…wanted the space uncontained, so the viewers mind would travel beyound what is depicted, into the realm of thier own imagination,…if that makes sense…plus just experimenting with composition…one of the biggest criticisms of Michelangelo’s Last Judgement fesco, was it’s centralised symmetry …at the time when he painted it …go figure…:scream:
…I think meaning trumps all else in this type of concept.:slight_smile:

THANKS …Ellie…Glad you enjoyed the symbolism, and the symbolic color also…:slight_smile:

THANK YOU …Frejasphere…a picture is worth a thousand words sometimes for sure.
Really glad you find meaning in this one…makes it worth the effort… :slight_smile:

THANKS…Intervain…Glad you enjoyed the colors…the symmetry…like I told MR MU…:slight_smile:
The overlapping figures…guess that is just a matter of personal opinion…they do look a lot better and clearer when viewed bigger, as they are posted futher above on this page…
What is your opinion of the the masses of figures in michelanglo’s last judgement fresco,…
just curious…:eek:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

A couple of flash backs from the past…still relevent today…unfortunitly…top one was one of the very fist digital paintings I did…used a mouse…:eek:

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The story behind this painting is personal.
When I was in the Navy, the Vietnam War was raging on and on, Nixon was bombing the hell out of Vietnam, and the cold war with the Soviet Union was getting hot. And in the middle of this ordeal I was on the Thomas Jefferson, a Polaris nuclear submarine, carrying 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles. Each equipped with 2 nuclear warheads, each being 50x more destructive than those dropped on Japan in WWII. On my last patrol we went up by the Soviet Union and patrolled 2 miles off thier coast line. Were chased numerous times by their attack submarines and destroyers. But luckily were never caught and destroyed. I opened the missle hatches about 20 times during a 90 day period and went through the sequence or count down to fire the missles on each occasion, not knowing if it was the real deal or not, only the captain knew, Each time I shut the missle hatches back up I counted my lucky stars, cried a little inside and wondered why and how the world ever got so screwed up. My job on the sub was launcher technician which is to fire the missles, destroy continents and essentially all life on the planet. Had my finger on the button to end all of life far too many times. Been a nightmare in my life for 35 years now. This painting is a self portrait of that experience I had many years ago. An experience that haunts me to this day and probably til the day I die.
Used a mirror to paint my own image. Not bad for being 52. Lol.
So, Have a great day. Because you never know if it’s going to be your last.
Take care
Glenn

PEACE OR PERISH …:slight_smile:

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#762

Glenn,

that is one intense memory/story and a well written one, too. Thanks for sharing that with us, I was totally thrilled and at the same time have the feeling I can understand your dedication and commitment(spelling?) much better now.

I talked with my daughter (5yrs) about your POLARIS painting (because she seemed to like it and asked who painted it) and according to her, there’s a trap in the center, albeit on second inspection she said it might be a way of some sort, too… I don’t know, but I think you got your message across…

thanks for a fresh dosis of surprise and intensity

#763

Hi Glenn :slight_smile:

This is the third time I try to post a reply to your last painting post :shrug: Trying to say something in response to the enormity of what you shared… somehow got the better of me!

Anyway, thanks for being brave enough to give an insight into your experiences and the background to your painting. Art is a vehicle of constant expression - gives us voices for what cannot be said in conventional ways… do keep that voice talking Glenn, and even if you keep having those nightmares, there are going to be sunny days too - and you are a survivor, both in the physical and spiritual sense! :slight_smile:

A quote that I really like and have kept coming back to over the years: “We have art so we do not die of reality” - Nietzsche

take care and :slight_smile:
a.

#764

dear SpiritDreamer/Glenn

unfortunately, your story is still very very relevant, but it’s a really good thing that you’ve shared it with us.

Personally, I try to avoid watching the news for example - trying to raise my kids in a positive environment - and your words and self portrait are an acknowledgement to me that I have no reason at all to start watching it at all.
Thank you. All the best.

Sincerely
Johan

#765

October 18, 2006
THANK YOU…MR MU… …Just figured that it is good to speak with your art,and heart… of the times and events that make up your world,…on occasion, and leave behind something personal,that will maybe speak to the future about what shaped our world at this time.
Kind of the way Goya left behind a piece of his times in his personal works… :slight_smile:
Funny about your daughter…innocence has the keenest and purest vision of all…:thumbsup:

THANK YOU…Frejasphere…Just trying to leave behind something worthwhile and honest.
LOVE that quote that you posted above…never heard it before, but will always remember it now, thanks to you. …THANK YOU for shareing that…:thumbsup:

THANK YOU …NR43…You are corect to keep YOUSELF AND YOUR KIDS away from the TV.
Hard to get the truth, when all you are presented with is a onesided view of the world,made negative,…which is a form of propaganda designed to decieve, if ever there was one.
I for one, prefer to think for myself, to keep my mind and spirit free…:slight_smile:

THANKS for the feedback EVERYONE…:slight_smile:
TAKE CARE
Glenn

Playing around with facial expression, and lighting…Z BRUSH…created with primative sphere… referenced from imagination

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#766

Hi Glenn…
Great start on the head…

The grave experience of your youth moved me… Its so unfortunate that the most intelligent species of this world should massacre one another and tear this beautiful planet apart… I started reading “Freedom at Midnight” the other day and was deeply saddened at how people in my country too cutdown their brothers in millions at the very eve of a hard-earned Independance… seems like we humans are unsurpassed in our extreme senslessness as well as our superior intelligence… We can only wish with all our hearts that such things dont repeat. As for your living with that experience, I can only imagine… Your sharing of it is greatly appreciated.

#767

Glenn, hugs
I am always encouraged by your energy and verve. Keep it up.

#768

HI Glenn :slight_smile: I think you have a point with Michaelangelo there LOL - touche! well perhaps it’s just that yours seems to me more monochromatic and hence the feeling it’s not as clear…

I can hardly say the next ones are monochromatic though :eek: CRAZEY colours - cool!! I"m a complete chicken when it comes to colours… :applause:

#769

Oct 19, 2006

Hi…Anandpg…THANK YOU, and THANKS for stopping by…I quess BOB DYLAN said it pefectly in his songs…BLOWIN IN THE WIND, and MASTERS OF WAR…Some things seem to never change…I quess that as long as there is a profit involved, or books of beliefs to kill for and over,… it will continue…seems to be the nature of POWER…:eek:

Hi…QueenSOUL…:wavey: Really nice to hear from you, been awhile… Glad that I have had a positive effect on you, with all my ramblings…just trying to provoke thought, an artist best friend…or if need be weapon…for positive change of course…:thumbsup:

THANK YOU …Intervain…I agree with you about those figures…can only do so much on a small screen…give me a fifty foot tall wall to paint on, then we’ll see…clearer…LOL…:scream:
About your fear of color…just jump right in, the waters great, someone will catch you, if you start to drown,…that’s what this forum is all about…:eek: :bounce: :scream:

THANKS for the feedback EVERYONE…:thumbsup:
TAKE CARE
Glenn

Started my second experiment using the z sphere’s in Z BRUSH…Going for a female this time.
Got as far as blocking in some of the muscles today…will have long hair, blowing in the wind, to enhance motion…lots more work to do on her…only refference…imagination, and memory…:slight_smile:

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#770

Hi Glenn…
Nice start on the new ZBrush figures… I was watching Zach Petroch’s Gnomon video on zbrush sculpting, and I thought of you… Its a great video if you can get it. His work flow involves Maya to an extend, but he has a lot of Zbrush techniques that will help you.

#771

October 20, 2006
THANK YOU…Anandpg…I will have to do a search for that DVD…Sounds good.
THANK YOU for the tip, and the visit.:thumbsup: :slight_smile:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

A little more work all around on this figure…Will have to make her arms a little longer maybe

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#772

Hi Glenn!
Great to see more complete bodys of you, not only the heads :smiley:

You should also work on the hands and feets because most people forget to draw/model them … this is not good. You should also practice hands and feets, they are very important!

Keep it up :slight_smile:

#773

I take it these are supposed to be highly stylised figure sculpts?
The problem is that it’s hard for others to judge them, because only you know what they are supposed to look like.
Whatever criticism is level at them can be fully and accurately rebuffed with ‘it’s supposed to look like that’’
It’s probably a better idea to stick to realism in digital sculpting until you can sculpt it near perfectly, so then everyone can judge it fairly becasue they know exactly what it’s supposed to look like, , and also have the knowledge that you can do it ‘properly’ before doing it your own way. It means there’s nothing to hide behind. That’s very important to me. Once you have that accomplished, then go on to stylisations and caricatures.
To me,they suffer from the almost ubiquitous problem of the novice zbrush sculptor, in that they look like formerly detailed ice sculptures that have melted a little.
The sense of movement and poses are nice though.
THe way I’ve found of getting sharper details wihtout insane poly counts (my centaur figure is only 250,000 polys minus the hair) is to use a small brush to cut in the muscle shapes, then use a larger brush to pull out the bulk of the shape itself, and then smooth the edges cuts. You have to keep smoothing and repeating that quite a lot though.

#774

HEY …oDDITY:)

Like I just told Siju…BEAUTY TRUMPS ACCURACY EVERY TIME…:slight_smile:
Your words sound like they are coming from someone who is very insecure in thier own work,
and find it necesarry to belittle other peoples work to strengthen thier own ego and insecurity.
Perhaps you should build up your own selfesteem, before you go about trying to tear others apart.
I have six years of art schools behind me , have been tutored by Burne HOGARTH, HAVE STUDIED ANATOMICAL DRAWING under some of the best teachers in the world, and have sold a hell of alot of my works in gallery’s and to private parties over the years. when you were still in diapers,…And I am still going strong.
…I think you are in DIRE NEED OF AN ATTITUDE AJUSTMENT MY FRIEND, and if you were in front of me right now,…YOU WOULD SURELY GET ONE…:slight_smile:
TAKE CARE
Glenn

#775

I wasn’t talking about your art skills, I was tlaking about your budding zbrush skills, hogarth didn’t teach you that, and you weren’t doing it before I was born.
You say I’m insceure, but it sounds like your the insecure one, in that you can’t take the slightest amount of criticism without going beserk and threating violence.

Like I just told Siju…BEAUTY TRUMPS ACCURACY EVERY TIME…:slight_smile:

That’s a very nice seniment, the sort of thing they teach you at art school no doubt- that everyone’s a winner etc, but while accuracy is a tangible thing that can’t be fooled, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and has no real meaning - who is to say what is beuatiful and what isn’t?
Therefore, while you can hide behind personal ideals of beauty, you cannot hide when it comes to accuracy, it’s open for all to see and judge.

Anyway, I see you’re the type who likes to give criticism but can’t take it, since YOU were TAUGHT by HOGARTH etc, etc,so we’ll leave it as it is.

#776

HEY…ODITTY…GROW UP… IS THE BEST ADVICE THAT I CAN OFFER YOU.

MY RECORD ON THIS FORUM SPEAKS FOR ITSELF…:slight_smile:

TAKE CARE,…AND TRY TO HAVE A GOOD DAY…DON’T KNOW IF THAT IS POSSIBLE WITH YOU,
BUT TRY ANYWAY…:scream:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

#777

THANKS …Trunks…hands and feet COMING UP…Anandpg just sent me a demo on how to do them corectly with Z BRUSH, WILL TAKE ME A FEW DAYS TO GET USED TO DOING them THE WAY THE DEMO SHOWS, BUT I’LL GET THERE…:slight_smile:
THANKS for stopping by Trunks…Always nice to hear from you…:thumbsup:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

#778

Hi guys,

Just wanted to step in here - I hate to see antagonism on this forum, so I’d like to say a few words which hopefully put a conclusion to the bickering.

Glenn / SpiritDreamer is a really valued member of our community here, and I don’t wish to see him denegrated in a personal way. We all have our different points of view and we need to respect them. There are ways to critique work that come across in a less offensive way, and certainly when things get to a personal level of critique, then things have gone off topic and beyond the point of helping each other out as artists.

Personal bickering is not welcome on this forum, from any perspective or from any member.

From a neutral perspective, I don’t think that oDDity’s initial comments were meant to be particularly antagonistic, though I think you, oDDity, have a bit of a brusque writing style which may be offputting to some - though I don’t think that your criticisms were really meant to be overly harsh, I think that they were meant to be helpful and honest.

At any rate - take it easy guys, I think everyone’s points have been made and it’s best to just agree to disagree here. :slight_smile:

Cheers,

-Rebecca

#779

THANK YOU…oDDITY…GREAT IDEA YOU HAD THERE…ICE SCULPTURES…Think that I will make a whole series of them…Should sell pretty good, in the area where I live…Boston.
Every winter, there is a big contest by artist who do ICE SCULPTURES…really BEAUTIFUL works,…they look even more BEAUTIFUL,when they MELT…:scream: …
THANKS…oDDITY…FOR THE GREAT INSPIRATION…:thumbsup: :slight_smile:

THANKS…Rebecca…At my age, WHO CARES…:scream: …LIFE IS TOO SHORT, FOR SUCH NONSENSE…:slight_smile: …I just do what makes me happy when it concernes my art…not here to prove anything to anyone…just here to learn, and maybe help a few other people to learn
what I have learned along the way…:slight_smile:

TAKE CARE and THANKS for the feedback…EVERYONE…:thumbsup:
Glenn

MELTING ICE SCULPTURE …#1

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#780

Hey, SpiritDreamer. Trying to depict a melting ice sculpture? Should look amazing with your style. I like the thing that you always have a thought behind your pieces. Knowing what you want is really what matters. Creating not what you can, but what you want. A pleasure to watch. And waiting to see that ice shader, hehe :thumbsup: