O.K. Christina,
Here are some of my drawings from the Dr. Sketchy session on Thursday. Yeah there were alot of people taking digital photos of my work during the session. To tell you the truth - it kinda creeped me out. Who were all these people taking high res photos of my work and what were they going to do with them. Many times they did not even ask me if they could take a photo. One guy while he was taking a photo of my drawing said, "I hate you talented people." He said it in a joking way but still it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Hmmm... They have always asked me. I think they post them on the site to show off the sessions. I know they also asked if anyone wanted a piece in the calendar they are putting together-which one could decline.
ReplyDeleteI guess just tell them you do not want to be photographed... You did some incredible work Thursday though. It certainly got attention :) I still love the 4th drawing...
Beau travail. J'aime beaucoup le dessin de la petite femme et son sautoir...
ReplyDeleteI thought I asked if I could take a photo. I know Jay was also going around taking photos. If you see one of the people like me or Jay, we take photos to post up and also for scrapbook to show for the future. Yeah, just let me and Jay know if you don't want your sketches photographed and we won't. Then we will let other people know as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christina, they look awesome.
very nice work, David!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's good enough, Brennan. I think it's incumbent upon you to ask any artist for permission to take any pictures. Or else ask that artist to send you a scanned image after the session's over.
ReplyDeleteFrom David's post, I'm gathering that there were more than two people taking photos. I'm also assuming that many of the folks present at the session are not professional artists or even serious students. How many people are in there with cameras? What are the ground rules for photographing artwork? Or models for that matter? Brian had an earlier post where he mentioned alcoholic beverages. Is that still the norm?
My overriding concern here is that this blog started out as a forum for local professionals to share artwork and other announcements related to the profession. There has been an increasing number of posts dedicated to the promotion of one separate organization —one with highly circumspect standards of professionalism. I think we need to re-evaluate.
I do not think anyone means any offence Chuck. A lot of us just have gone to these.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, I have always had people ask permission. This is a bit of an artistic event and I knew what to expect going in.
But I do not want to discourage anyone from posting what they are working on. We were just having fun.
I think you misinterpret this group's intentions though.
The intention has never been to restict any posting here. It is all welcome. I would like people to post more, frankly. It gets viewing up.
If there was a landscape group around, other life drawing group, etc. No one would be more delighted than me if they posted more than one post.
Brennan,
ReplyDeleteYes, you and Jay always asked before you took a photo and as long as the photos are used to promote the Dr Sketchy sessions then I don't have a problem. There was another guy who made the comment and didn't ask.
Martine,
Thank you for the comment - that drawing is pretty sexy, after I drew it - I thought that it kinda reminded me of a spot illustration for Playboy magazine.
Christine,
I guess I should go look on their site do you know or URL?
David
Chuck,
ReplyDeleteI just read your post. I think you may be overreacting a little.
I would hate the blog to be restrictive in any way
David
I'm not suggesting in any way, that Christina or Ryan take the position of deciding what posts are worthy of publishing online and which are not. Yes, that would mean the end of the blog.
ReplyDelete"We need to re-evaluate" means that each of us individually needs to deeply consider each posting as a component of our public face to the non-illustration world, and decide accordingly if it's the best feature to project.
That could be said about what anyone does on any digital media. It is true that anyone with internet access can view this blog. Anything you show, anyone can see.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, when you post, be prepared for the fact that an art director, potential employer, anyone in the world, your aunt, your mom, can see it...
Surprisingly, that goes for Facebook too.
Even forums that you think of as private are not.
I have seen issues on forum boards rising especially from showing work they were not allowed to show yet. One should definitely think of the ramifications of anything you show as a billboard to the world.
Recently, I set up google alerts (after a discussion with Brennan about them). It really shows that you really never know what people will click on first. Sometimes it is your website, sometimes not :)
So yes, you are right Chuck. Best foot forward :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Chuck!
ReplyDeleteWho is the target audience of Cincinnati Illustrators Blog? Are you looking for buyers to frequent the site? Are you looking the blog to be a community of illustrators who like to pat each other on the back?
Answer the question why you started this blog and what you hope to gain from it.
To preface this answer, Ryan and I first discussed this as a way to show what is going on in the Cincinnati Illustration community since there is less media coverage than ever before (due to the death of newspapers, etc)
ReplyDeleteAlso, though many of us have personal blogs, they simply do not get much traffic. Why? Mostly because they are not updated that often. The blogs I visit the most update their content most often.
To that end, the blog has developed just as I imagined it. The amount of posts has increased.
So, What is it for?
-to show off anything you are working on for print or personal pieces...
-to announce anything you want people to know about: signings, shows events, classes, lectures, new releases, your own blog, website... (I wish there were more of this-people seem a little shy to toot their horns)
-to discuss illustration oriented topics, the market of illustration and so on...
-to show off the cool community of illustrators our city offers-so that can include critique discussions, methods, process and so on. Also, some people who cannot attend the lunch regularly can keep in touch more easily.
Will art buyers look at it? Maybe... That is more of a tertiary effect but not the main focus.
I am fairly new to this blog, but I think you had it partly right Scott. It's about creating a community of people who share a common interest. It's a way to connect and get feedback - good or bad.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents.
I agree with Christina and Nessy. I see the blog as a sort of virtual lunch meeting. The target audience would be - illustrators and their friends who are interested in illustration. It is a good way to show work and get feedback or keep in touch or share new techniques or developments in illustration.
ReplyDeleteScott,
I don't think we are looking for a pat on the back.
Chuck,
I agree that we need to always remember that this blog is public and can be seen by anyone. I can choose to upload my photo in any resolution with any type of digital watermark or tracking info. However that is not true when someone takes a digital photo of your work - this is also possible whenever you have a show at a gallery or any other public place. Ha! just another thing to consider
Community is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteCincinnati Illustrators, who do you want in your blog circle? Are you OK where you are at?
Keep the dialog going. Something good will come out of it.
Scott, you raise challenging questions.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm feeling a bit self-conscious. Do I want to post only my professional work here? Or do I want to use this blog to share with my fellow artists?
I'm mid-way through an update of my Web site, and it's SO much easier to add new work that the site will be for my pro work, while the blog will now be for my experiments.
Today's post at my blog is an example of a color experiment I did. I was about to post it here to share, and now I haven't, thinking about how I want to present myself here.
If the blog is for keeping in touch, it's working-but not as well as Facebook.
ReplyDeleteIf it is for getting honest, serious feedback on artwork, it has worked once or twice —tops.
If its primary reason is to present our work to the outside world in the absence of other media, that requires a certain amount of professionalism, mutual cooperation and sometimes self-censorship.
I think Christina and Ryan's original rationale for the blog is a good one. Together we can get more hits and funnel the traffic to our individual blogs thru our posts.
I don't have a problem with Dr. Sketchy per se, but with these postings the emphasis of the blog has seen a strong shift from Professional Illustration to Cincy Nightlife and I'm wondering if the Dr. Sketchy posts wouldn't be more at home on a Dr. Sketchy blog.
Or if a general rule of thumb could be agreed upon by all: balance each image of life-drawing (or sidewalk art or holiday decoration or piece done by a hero) with two or three pieces done specifically for a client.
Well, I forgot about Dr. Sketchy's again this month!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff David, Christina and Paula. Looks like a fun session.
I have to say, everything that's been posted from the Dr. Sketchy sessions has looked pretty professional to me. It's an alternative take on life drawing and speaking for myself, the kind of approach that would benefit me most for what I do.
I doubt if anyone outside the illustration community looks at this blog. I've not seen anything posted that I feel is an embarrassment or a detriment to our profession. And if anyone in the non illustration world gets their feathers ruffled over some folks in costume I can't be worried about it.
They simply don't understand the many forms illustration can take.
Actually, I think Chuck's idea of a separate "show off" site for Dr. Sketchy's is not a bad idea-or a place to show our work and view some of the pieces other artists we do not know do as well.
ReplyDeletePerhaps many of the photgraphy issues would be removed if people posted their own stuff to a site of some kind after the group met.
Brian, there is no reason to feel self conscious. Do you have a link to your color study on your blog?
ReplyDeleteChuck, Facebook is more effective at some things than the blog and less at others.
ReplyDeleteI think it is more accessible than FB which is a bit of an unfocused cacophony in many ways.
Ultimately, we hope it is more informative.
Nice work. Very expressive. Good use of toned paper.
ReplyDeleteI always just looked at this blog as a way for a very small, enthusiastic group of illustrators to post about anything and everything illustration related. No holds barred, participate if you like kind of place. Just a blog to go to for inspiration, conversation and just general illustration/art posts. Never thought of it as having any specific reason to be.
ReplyDelete