Vector Basic Training

Vector Basic Training Book.

I want to apologize for the delay in my new blog being launched. It's been designed for well over a month but unfortunately the developer I'm using has dropped the ball so it'll be a while longer, but will launch within January.

In the meantime as a way to say "Thank you." to those who read my blog. I'm going to do a FREE giveaway of my newest book called "Vector Basic Training." (VBT) I'm already doing another FREE book giveaway on the VBT Facebook page and this one is specifically for my blog readers, but don't let that stop you from participating in both if you wish.

I won't bother posting all the details about the book here, you can read about that on my web site. All you have to do to be included in this drawing for a FREE copy of the book is to comment on this post. I'll than draw three winners this coming Friday and will list them at the bottom of this post.

B Level Acting Skills.

When I came up with the idea for the video intros I didn't think the publisher would take me seriously. But they did, and we had a lot of fun with them as you'll see below in this promotional plug for the book. You can view another video posted on my web site here.

So what are you waiting for maggot!? Post a comment now!



Winners of the FREE VBT Book Giveaway!

My oldest daughter Savannah drew names out of a hat and the following three people were chosen.

- Jeff (No Last Name) This Jeff.
- David Sizemore
- Ronda Couch

Each of you have 24hrs to claim your FREE copy by emailing your snail mail to info@vonster.com.

FYI: I'll be doing a workshop at the HOW Conference in Chicago this summer on "Vector Basic Training" so if you're planning on going I'll be demonstrating the methods I cover in the book.

Thanks everyone.

Holidays

MOLOKO, Part 2

My Birthday Flyer

Wow... I haven't posted in a really long time... Mostly because I've been either working series meant for publishing or on the sketchbook which I still have yet to scan. But here's a little doodle I did very quickly to make a party invitation.

MOLOKO

First spread for the Adventures of Milk. Work in progress. Right-hand corner is for type. Comments are welcome.

Publish or Perish

This piece is about the need for survival, for self-expression and responsibility to the audience that comes with a creative profession. By responsibility to the audience I do not mean giving them what they want, but the realization that visual communication, or perhaps, any mass communication that relies on emotion, in its technique is no different from propaganda. The same techniques allow open sharing of ideas and manipulation of thought, except the techniques that demand the audience to question and make their own judgments... although those can be mimicked as well of course.

I'm not sure that I was actually trying to relay all that in the image. That was just kind of the bundle of stress factors going through my mind as I painted it.

Hmm... now that I think of it, not only is hair always a signifier of free thinking in my book of symbols, but it is very very possible that a ponytail is a marker of responsibility. If that doesn't make sense, look up ElfQuest comic books. In them, the ponytail is a mark of a chief. And I grew up on ElfQuest.

On Illegal Immigration and Labor

I do hope that this piece is clear enough to not need explanation, but I'll explain it, just in case. The assignment in class was an illustration on any article related to the current debate about illegal immigration. I went through a number of ideas relaying the inadequacy of the legal system in meeting the reality of immigration: the generations, the families, the ties to the new land, the mistreatment. But instead of focusing on the problems of the system, I chose to bring attention to the contribution of the illegal laborers to our society that plenty of people consider negligible because it is a convenient thought.

I wanted to celebrate the physical act of making a city, in a way as a symbol for the life physically lived there--perhaps a life without rights, but an undeniable life.

The original version of the image had businessman-looking boots on the right side, indicating in one dimension the people who own (by standing on it) the city others built for them, and in another dimension--the juxtaposition of the immigrant hands to the city-owners' boots, that exposed the body language of social classes. Who hasn't got the right to own has got to kneel, even though they spend themselves to make what is owned.

This element was eliminated under the direction of my teacher, Sterling, who said that the boots standing on the city would destroy the credibility of the transformation of bricks into buildings. He is probably right about that. So this piece, rather than being about the contrast of classes, became mostly about the act of making, the physicality of maintaining an environment that makes you attached to it, whether you wanted to be a part of it in the first place or not. I attempted to bring that out by roughing out the texture of the bricks, bringing their physicality into focus.
I am not sure if I succeeded in delivering all these thoughts through the piece, but I hope that the thoughts gave it an emotional validity.

Any comments are welcome, as always.

Pinned-down Desires

On Advertisement Industry and the solutions it offers for our needs for freedom, security, independence, fulfillment, recognition, growth, acceptance, love, direction, health, strength, certainty, joy...

Concept Drawing Class Asignments

An artist-s backpack.
The Art Room in the Business Building.Don't Argue With a Fool, People Might Not Know the Difference.