Notes by Hai

Fundamentalsofpainting.com

Here is everything I´ve learned at THU 2016. During your artistic journey you might encounter
some struggles and this time I have learned from some of the greatest artists of our time,
including Jeremy Mann, Karla Ortiz, Nadezda, Jana Schirmer, Phil Hale and Alberto Mielgo as
well as Sparth and Robh Ruppel, who are both great teachers.
Most notes revolve around finding your own artistic vision.

The notes are very personal and relevant to me so please don´t share them publicly 
It is a token of gratitude for supporting me.

Sparth

Part 1:
Portfolio:
2 things:
-Be Versatile(be open for different style)
-Be Irreplaceable(have something unique)

-Aim of Composition is to have emphasis on the subjects and having visual flow
-do non-generic characters(the more specific the better)->Hyper-Design
-What is the narrative focus?
-Big, Middle, Small Shapes
-Readability first and then Rendering
-Triangulation helpful to solve compositions
-have most important subjects, then secondary subjects
-Use FG, MG, BG to create rythm
-making too many studies is a trap->work on your own concept
-3-second rule for readability

Literature: The Rules of Art

-Abstract Shapes+Narrative Intent

-Delete visual noise
-Flip canvas all the time for compo mistakes
-Primary and secondary(supporting) element
-Stiffness vs. Rythm
-Sense of storytelling
-More visual interest
-Structure of paintings
-Create slow paintings

-Cohesive approach of design, general view of objects, silhouette and shape, echoing of the
language, don´t see microdetails,
-Hard designers hard to find, play with rythm (french cuisine) - how you orchestrate the
food/design
-Add storytelling bits to make it more individual, be expressive
-Design by soul(from technique to soul)
-Unlearn structure to become instinctive with drawing

Talent and Diplomacy

-trust on attitude-consistent
-he expresses himself very well
-Most don´t do concept art

Part 3:
(Speedpanting-Composition-Design)
-What does speedpainting mean-list of negatives-
-Support from friends
Positives:
-Limit time to limit overrendering
-fresh, instantaneous, organize properties and focus
-stick to production constraints
-Do more pieces
-Less is more

Negatives:
-Not substitute for hard work
-By itself Speed is meaningless idea
-Can´t avoid the foundations

-Dark on Light
-Painterly vs Graphic
-Thoughtful and paint slow
-Composition(Pictorial Design) and Narrative(Story Design)
-Visual Flow
-Explain link between Fg-Mg-Bg
-Thought leaders find out new ways of doing things
-layering and complexing of simple ideas
-Meditate for Slow painting
(Long poses-thinking-meditation)
-Helped by computer-lighten-weapon
-Still has design language-same image
-Doesn´t like weapons bit likes designing weapons
-Painting to have fun
-Nail the sketch
-Don´t push sketch if unsure-feedback
-Has a lot of sketches he doesn´t show and forgets
Design:
-You can use lines-the concept matters
-Sketches Design-Lines
-Technique that is emotive- as much as you can
-Be good everywhere and be excellent in one field (companies want expertise-irreplaceable-be
the best somewhere)
-One doesn´t go without the other
-Design-we might go into more imaginative stuff because of evolution
-A lot of emails for invitation
-First person view counts in shooter
-Lines and flow for weapon
-Mental process of designing small bits
-Tweak because of requirements of gameplay

2 levels:
First level
-function(intentional function)
Second level
-everything works logically

Claire and Sparth-speak to yourself, ask questions about of design

->ask conscious questions, every bit is logical-conservation-mental friend
3D-too much noise->areas of rest-hierarchy-balance

Marc Simonetti

-For concept art create new world/design

Robh Ruppel

-don´t skip step, intent - process

-Matthieu Lauffrey
-likes to emphasize space
Design topology
-evoke emotion and use toolbox to achieve that; viewer engages with picture
-sketching to explore and try out ideas-come up with plot and explore
-think before "photobashing"
-tell the story with every decision

-Shape recognition-survival
-House analogy
-Proportional system in design, -graphic design, car design
-Face Rythm
-Muchas Proportion, diagram out painting
-Structure-scriptwriter,rearrange cards
-Checkerboard effect, hdri too much value range,
-Chaos no story
-Games-too much noise
-Structure for story
-Skyfall, Joseph Zbukvic
-Pattern Artists,
-Edward Steimgen
-Robh panted from Life before digital
-Robh thought his paintings are too boring->move things around-told bad story with structure
-Filmmaking takes 200% concentration, Paimtimg 100%
-move things around to find interesting story
-Sky-value system-sky, ground, slanting, trees
-Photochemical Darkroom-see values

-Plane change is hue change-spark of life,

-Clear hue changes-the painting
-Good physics- we like the familiar(color Bleeding)

-Vector based approach-move things around

-Same thinking-color balance-move things around
-Design choices not influenced by model
-Design-make stuff up
-Sight-Size fast and accurate(Sargent)
-Good image-making not about the tool
-Train eye to make decision
-Control and Design
-Something is missing if it doesn´t work
->why are there pictures that are better?
-Readons behind images
-RGB-hue vibration easily
-Medium does´t matter

-Commercial work-good design and light

-Design->Structure-organizing-film
-His artistic(intuition) and rational side
-Why 2 values important? Found out later
-Woodshedding-isolation one idea for 2 years
->be unique to you
-Just copy for a while but then find own voice->woodshedding and find own voice

-FR Gruger
-Honest-
-School of thoughts
-Try it out, if it sticks it´s you
-6 hour pose-refine and keep idea alive
-Beautidfully designed shadow shape
-Bouguereau layed out all colors
-Sculpt form in light, shadow and halftones

Jeremy Mann

-preparation first to make painting easy

-no uninspiring setup(simple setups are boring)
-experiment with analogous cameras-chemistry and lenses
-think of other ways of getting references, that speak to you
-3 things important: forms, shapes, atmosphere
-create own references and experiment with effecrs
-don´t do what everyone does
-medium doesn´t matter->develop own voice
-master your own tools
-have balls to be expressive
-get inspired by your own references
-be yourself and think yourself
-develops own photos and makes photos similar to Whistler´s paintings
-painting is always there from young to old
-go from conception(it´s super important) to painting
-experience things!(emotional experiences)
-go 100%
-learn things so you don´t have to do it
-your art is you
-do something your love
-get influence by music
-get inspired by abstract shapes
-get life experience
-trust what you love
-do whatever and experiment

-Do things different, go from right to ref

-Find your own things you like
-experience, go out do things
-Models awkward first->friends, perfect motifs
-Canvas speaks to you
-Went to school to do learn the hard parts
-Studied from life to transpose, likes to paint from photo
-Likes grungy stuff
-Do what you think is right
-Travel to unusual places, slowakei, poland etc.->different, unusual->friends
-He agrees and loves fine art,
-Canvas speaks back
-Do what you love
-Traditional more hands-on with tools
-showing beauty of human figure
-Color harmony undertone
-Grid for accurate drawimg is faster, then go crazy
-Color mixing etc. Learning takes time
-Never straight out of the tube

-draw the most intrigued first

-Small paintings easier
-Mixing->muscle memory
-Camping-pleinair
-Tiny Paint box
-Darkest dark first, structure
-Be hard on yourself-critique
-Free with tools, develop personal style
-Personal is personal->"ref influence" doesn´t matter
-Art and the whole process is very personal
-And the little things
-Collect things you like
-Whistler on Art-called people out
-A lot of people in art school shouldn´t be artists,
-Artists had their place in time, now its the current time
-Demo is 20%, Preparation is 80%
-Draw whatever/interesting things

Karla Ortiz

-distance from model to canvas short

-Model+Friends works
-intent and proportion

Nadezda

Part 1:
-models who have understanding of art helps
-moodboards help in visualizing the photoshoot, think like a director+prop master
-have mystery in depiction
-storytelling is everywhere(fine art, business etc.)
-storyteller vs. storyreceiver(neurocoupling)->synchronizing
-inspiration for story: how you feel
-moodboards great for clients(fast for clients
-personality of characters: focus on face and hands
-every mark undermines or improves work
-suggest more than is required(for concept art)
-sell the story and present better
-in keyframes, figures should have distinct characters as well
-push and direct models(prepare moodboards etc.)
-no need to combine, do both

4 steps:

1. Moodboard
2. Conception
3. Setup
4. Paint
-be honest and trutful

Assignment:
-draw models with attention to how their hands and face convey character

Part 2:
-shapes only work if it´s combined with storytelling
-chaotic shapes are stressful(bed analogy->bed is a place to rest)
-life and art is what you are
-also look at contemporary art for inspiration
-have time for yourself->no distration->be secluded from online
-measuring should be accurate->100h drawing in Italy teaches discipline
-she is a character person
-ellipses are more complex
-get as much experience as possible
-in seeing shapes imagine them as animal shapes
-find objects in shapes->character
-use shapewelding
-occlusion shadow->abstract shapes
-portfolio, costume design
-No internet at home
-Selective about what she puts into his mind
-Self-Branding
-Rodger Dekins
-Common problems of other artists even if high-profile

Resouces:
Finding Vivian Maier
Larry Fink

-Jar of you.
-Secluded and find what you like
-Secluded from outside influence (internet)
-Safehouse, Academy
-Work was
-Put yourself out there
-Art Spirit- the you from the inside is you, know yourself, learn to know yourself-jar of yourself
-What do you love to do? Write it down
-Its all about knowing yourself and knowing what you like to do.
-She´s secluded for 4 months to find herself, doesn´t take jobs
-Favourite book for one year-
-What like to do most->you jar
-Didn´t know what to do after game and film work

-emotional intelligence-what you feel?

-She wrote down what the sketchbook means to her
-Know yourself helps on many different levels
-Art-Painting means to an end
-Sketchbook as a tool of inspiration
 Phil Hale

-photographs are great for experiments->no technical aspects of painting

-Art can´t be explained(?)
-build library of images->collage
-do things you are interested in first and only then commercialize
-paint from collages
-paints are real things
-meaning of words are too gimmicky and have no place in painting
-extraction and processing
-he thought his ideas were boring so he combined interesting things that already existed
-corporate world determined "what we should do"
-Art is Art, no need to explain->creative process

Alberto Mielgo

Assignments:
These exercises are exercises in seeing and were drawn from a live model

#1: Draw without looking at the paper->learn to be allowed to draw anything, don´t be shy
#2: Don´t use brain(only 10%)->synthesis->brain for looking and placement; draw forms without
looking at the paper(only look shortly for placement)
#3: Kill icons, draw in your imagination and only hover pencil above the paper
#4: Draw only the negative shape(environment); the positive shape will form itself
#5: Normal Drawing->Trust your eyes, respect what you see; if you close your eyes you will
notice you are the center of universe->abstract exercise

Confessions

-Protect painting time

-Frame-painting=work

-Won´t make money what you really love

-Digital art vs traditional (phil/alberto)
-Best work should exist in backyard
-Phil creates art art/don´t deny information/restriction
-Judging doesn´t matter, same people criticize/their problem
-Work on the same problem
-Close people you show the art too
-"Company culture" artificial
-Art art has no restricting influence
-Mistakes get feedback, find missing puzzle pieces
-Conversation talk with yourself
-Free to think whatever, inside it´s us no need to judge, allowed to think whatever
-Everything inside
-Get more experience->aware and new
-Develop the idea-sticky
-Bravery
-At the gallery I have the honest artistic influence as opposed to the corporate facade- honesty
is more important than anything else

Sketchbook Critique

-Copy Bridgeman
-Atmosphere and Interest-Jeremy
-Looks awesome from far away

-Strong Statement-Karla
-Why did you do it-Nadia
-Focus on strongest medium-Jeremy
->vs practice medium
-Show what you are confident and good at->then expand
-Favourite Medium->explore subjects and possibilities
-Short and Long Poses-Short for loosen up
-THU for growing not holiday
-Too much party not too much talk about art-disappoint-nadia
-Film good
-Color Harmony
-Do what you resist doing to grow-nadia
-Activate interest areas-nadia
-If it´s done then it´s done no matter how long the pose
-Let others just look at it, you deaw for you not others
-Highlights closest to you and lost edges atmosphere
-Model nothing to do with the mood
-What is the mood? Line or Light
-Atmosphere and pull out space
-Share from Friends
-Why do I like the most favourite piece?
->my most favourite painting
-Sometimes negative shape work better
-Jeremy-use fine art approach to concept art,think about atmosphere and impact on character---
-Nadia-subtleties invisible for regular person
-Art Spirit for concept design
-People might not come again-Nadia
 Ruan Jia

-3D mind
-Design considerations? Make sense
-People ask about the design and there are many approaches to design
-Color Grouping!!!
-He needs reference
-Think light beforehand
-Local Color+Light+Transition Color for Design
-Atmosphere Space Edges
-Personal-Just likes drawing and painting (more fun)
-Enigna-Rembrandt
-Ruan-life and learning is ongoing experience and journey
-Detail->focus areas for breath
-He likes soft hue changes
-Detail Level and Perspective for sense of space-background line
-Traditional Training helped a lot
-Color references-local color wirh little variation
-Think about design story
-For work hard to find new ideas
-Try to get fast without photo and 3D
-Fast-every day a painting
-Doesn´t get tired by painting
-Stays home and works

MrConceptart:
-Create own path
-Be visionary

-Happiness is a choice
-Finding magic is an inside job

Shelly Wan:
-Control bounced light saturation
-Light atmosphere fall off very important
-Be very careful with lighting for space
-One lighting simplicity and less flatter

Scott Ross:
-take risks, people are all very human
Shuzo Shiota:
-connect the dots

Franklin:
-Fried egg chef analogy(there are many ways to fry an egg; can you do it like a chef?)