Monday, August 24, 2009

Day 9: Punk'd


Larger idea = larger canvas. This is a 12”x9”

I’ve always loved Spiderman. I think of all the superheroes, he’s the most likely to be embarrassed in this way. The reason Spiderman has been so popular -- apart from having cool powers, a cool uniform, and he shoots freakin’ webs out of his hands – is that he is human. Not a caricature of a human, but real problems. Bullied at school, misunderstood, can’t pay his rent, his boss is a jerk, and nobody really knows how awesome he is because he hides it. He’s a hero with low self-esteem and a fantasy life that isn’t a fantasy.

But he’s still prone to being pantsed by green goblins.

An artist friend critiqued some of my work yesterday, for which I’m thankful because I’ve seen her work and know she has a good eye … she pointed at this one and indicated some minor compositional issues. I have a good sense for focal points, but if I’m not going to break an edge with an object, I should steer clear of that edge. Spiderman (and his shadow) are a bit low by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Not awful, but a good tip to hear about early in my project and something I'll definitely keep in mind.

It makes me happy to be at a point in my development where I can admit I don’t know it all. I spent many years not wanting advice because it might show I was – I don’t know, incompetent? – and now I realize if you say, “I don’t know,” many people are happy to teach. Some even know what they're talking about, but I find the BS artists can also be a source of inspiration.

I can’t say I’m completely without ego about my art – I really do like my stuff -- but it’s liberating to know I can always improve myself and others are willing to help me do so.

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