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A Graduate Speaks
Posted by Robert Hunt at 12:16 pm on May 27th |
illustration by Ashley Benham |
My former student Ashley Benham, who graduated from CCA with a degree in illustration two weeks ago, wrote a letter regarding the Orphan Works bills before congress which was published in yesterday's New York Times.
Go Ashley!
(text of the letter is as follows, as the letter is now only available to subscribers to the NY Times online):
Re “Little Orphan Artworks,” by Lawrence Lessig (Op-Ed, May 20):
Two weeks ago, I graduated from college with a degree in illustration — a profession I have dreamed of pursuing my entire life, and one that would be ruined by the orphan works bills. Instead of hiring an artist or a photographer to create a unique image, the orphan works bills would allow a client to simply farm the Internet or other sources to find, and effectively steal, artwork.
In this situation the artist is denied both the payment he deserves for his hard work, as well as the ability to keep practicing his vocation while sustaining a living.
These bills would destroy not only the careers of many talented artists, but also the quality of the arts in our culture.
When it is easier to steal and reuse old ideas and artworks to the point of obsolescence, who will encourage the search for beauty and innovation?
Ashley Benham
San Francisco, May 21, 2008
Do something yourself!
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WE ARE NOT NEUTRAL
Posted by Robert Hunt at 1:22 pm on May 7th |
The future landscape in which illustrators work is being decided right now. As has been pointed out here, some organizations are strongly against the Orphan Works bill, some remain "neutral".
If the bill is stopped,know this: it wasn't stopped because of those who remained neutral. Are you neutral? I am not.
Please consider what defacto decriminalization of copyright infringement will do- not just because of piracy of your work will become unenforceable, but because the value of original work to clients will be greatly reduced, because it will be worth less as property to them, and they will no longer have the motive to commission new work to indemnify themselves against infringement claims.
Write your congressman. Don't be neutral!
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Barbara Bradley 1927-2008
Posted by Robert Hunt at 8:10 pm on May 3rd |
Painting by Barbara Bradley, 2008 |
Barbara Bradley, the beloved drawing teacher of generations of illustrators, passed away yesterday following a tragic automobile accident a day earlier. This terrible news comes on the one year anniversary of her being awarded the 2007 Distinguished Educator of the Arts award from the Society of Illustrators.
Today is an incomprehensibly sad day for the hundreds of former students she infused with a love of drawing over her fifty year teaching career, which she began after many years working at the Cooper Studios in New York. Many of her students have gone on to become noted illustrators and teachers themselves.
Lief Peng posted a beautiful, eloquent tribute to Barbara here.
Barbara sent a jpeg of the above painting to me just a week ago. She said "I'm still not doing enough painting but find it fun to do a few little things, especially as Birthday or thank you cards. Attached is what began as a rough but one I rather liked. Began in watercolor and switched to guauche. Daffodil Hill on a misty day in March. I like the intended-to-crop-but-didn't-edges best"
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Brave New World: Orphan Works
Posted by Robert Hunt at 11:01 am on April 24th |
Do you like being an illustrator? Do you aspire or dream to become an illustrator? If you have any interest in the future of our field, you should be aware that legislation is about to come back before Congress that contains proposals which seriously threaten the future viability of our profession. Everyone who creates intellectual property should be informed about this issue...
From the Illustrator's Partnership:
"Today the House and Senate sent us draft copies of the new Orphan Works Act of 2008. They haven’t officially released it yet, but we’ve been told the Senate will do so this week. A quick analysis confirms our worst fears and our early warnings. If these proposals are enacted into law, all the work you have ever done or will do could be orphaned and exposed to commercial infringement from the moment you create it.
A Webcast interview with Brad Holland about this bill is now available at:
http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html. The warnings in this interview have now been confirmed by the advance drafts of the bill. Learn what artists groups are doing and how you can help oppose this radical departure from traditional copyright law and business practice. "
More information about the bill can be found in the Orphan Works Resource Page for artists.
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Cleaning Brushes: How To, Or Not
Posted by Robert Hunt at 1:34 pm on April 19th |
Ivory soap, Mineral oil, Flea comb, WD 40, and a pressure washer. Why not? |
I once read that paint brushes are the artist's little friends, a friendship which must be reciprocal for one's brushes to perform up to par. I admit that I really don't keep up my end of this friendship very well. Although I ask for a lot from my little friends, I tend to leave my used brushes sitting in jars and cans for months before I get around to cleaning them. Who has time? For those who only clean their brushes semi- annually, here are some tips on industrial grade artist's brush cleaning techniques. Disclaimer: It is much better to take care of your tools and wash your brushes every night. Don't try this at home kids!
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some dirty brushes. I havent cleaned any brushes for months, Im beginning to run out....time to clean them. |
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brushes with dried paint are soaked in mineral oil. Surprisingly, letting paint dry in a brush helps it keep it's shape... |
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brush is washed with ivory bar soap until dried paint loosens. |
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I use a flea comb to get out the dried paint now. Then I wash it again with soap until most of the pigment is out... |
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Things get a little unorthodox here. I spray the brush with w-d 40 to loosen up any residual pigment. |
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...Then I blast each brush with a pressure washer! This gets out all traces of soap and paint. One must be careful doing this. And don't try it indoors, kids! |
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...after the better part of two days, I've brought hundreds of my little friends back to life, ready once again to get down to business. Again, it's better to clean them as you use them. Someday I'll try that. |
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Down to Alphaville
Posted by Robert Hunt at 4:08 pm on April 3rd |
Washington Square Suntan |
A day in New York
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Olive Tree Cafe |
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Grandmaster |
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6th Ave Basketball |
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World Trade Center site security guard |
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Celluloid Heroes
Posted by Robert Hunt at 12:50 pm on January 23rd |
Daniel Day-Lewis, Oscar nomination 1/22/08 |
"Everybodys a dreamer and everybodys a star,
And everybodys in movies, it doesnt matter who you are.
There are stars in every city,
In every house and on every street,
And if you walk down hollywood boulevard
Their names are written in concrete...
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Heath Ledger, found dead NYC 1/22/08 |
"...You can see all the stars as you walk down hollywood boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that youve hardly even heard of.
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Everybodys a dreamer and everybodys a star
And everybodys in show biz, it doesnt matter who you are.
And those who are successful,
Be always on your guard,
Success walks hand in hand with failure
Along hollywood boulevard."
-Ray Davies, Celluloid Heroes
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First on Everest
Posted by Robert Hunt at 10:44 pm on January 16th |
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa |
With so much attention paid this week to the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary, I thought it would be interesting to point out that he reached the summit of Mount Everest with another man. Tenzing Norgay, who had come within 800 feet of the summit the previous year, accompanied Hillary to the summit on May 29 1953. The two men made an lifelong pact to never reveal which of them stepped first on the peak. Neither broke the vow.
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Sir Edmund Hillary |
Hillary not only acknowledged his debt to Tenzing and the Sherpas, he spend much of the rest of his life working to improve their living conditions, building schools and medical clinics in remote sites in the high mountain villages.
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I have always had a fascination with mountaineering, though I have never done it on any level. But I have always felt that the real hereos of these adventure stories are the Sherpa people for whom mountain climbing is a job fraught with danger.
Note: In 1978 Rienhold Messner made the first ascent of Everest without supplemeentary oxygen, and in 1980 reached the summit solo, the first (and as far as I know the only) climber ever to summit without Sherpa support.
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