CrashOctopus Blog

The Hairdresser by Meg Lyman

8×10 colored pencil commission - SOLD

Commissions. The double-edged sword. They are often an essential part an artist’s living, but they can be so draining creatively. When someone wants me to do custom artwork for them, I am thrilled and terrified at the same time.

I am beginning to set myself up with a style - the more work I do for myself, the larger my portfolio, and the more likely I am to get commissions that I will like. However, there are always commissions that just suck it out of me. If I accept a commission about which I am less than enthusiastic, can I use it to practice a new technique or style? I’m at risk of providing the customer with a product unlike any of my others… and they hired me after seeing my existing work. If an experiment goes wrong, I’ll have to start over.

Luckily, this hairdressing cephalopod commission was right up my alley.

For the artists out there, where do you draw the line when accepting commissions? Do they have to interest you, or do they simply have to pay the bills? For the potential commissioners out there, how much leeway would you give your artist in terms of style?

Life of the Party by Will Bullas 

Over at Greywaren Art, Maggie posted a challenge to her readers: feature an artist you admire and let your readers know why. Spread the love!

There are a lot of artists I admire, but if I had to pick a favorite, it’d be Will Bullas. He’s been an artistic inspiration ever since I first saw his work. He’s creative, funny - no wait, hilarious - and cute. His technique is constantly improving and refreshingly unique. And the puns! Wine-ocerous? Crabernet? A man after my own heart!

I have these two prints above my bar. I love them dearly for their weird, clever, punny originality. And the drink theme, of course. And the ducks. Gotta love the ducks.

The Bar Bill

The Capybara Club

His bold use of flat color and wonderful texture are very appealing to me. He lets the subjects speak for themselves, using simple compositions, plain backgrounds, wonderful expressions, and witty titles.

Between the Sheeps (OMG funny)

Third Day of Christmas (I can’t stop laughing. Seriously.)

Vineyard

He can do realistic, serious work as well, and excels at it. But the best part of being a Will Bullas fan is snorting your coffee up your nose because you are laughing so hard.

I recently stumbled upon an interesting art-related article that I want to share it with you. There are climate change scientists out there searching old paintings for sunsets with vivid colors. They’re trying to pinpoint climate-changing events, like volcanic eruptions, through the painters’ depiction of sunsets (which become much more vivid after large eruptions due to the particles in the air).

It’s a fascinating project, but it’s also very much like scientists to try to objectify something like art. How do they determine whether the artist’s depiction is accurate? I am working on a sunset painting right now, and completely invented the colors and clouds. I hope nobody tries to decipher anything scientific from it. We’re artists, dagnabit… we paint things we see in our heads!

This article interests me for several reasons. First, I’m a nerdy engineer by trade, and science fascinates me. Second, I love nature - both being in it and painting it. An article that discusses both makes me happy. Third, I’m not sure if most artists have a “grand vision,” but I do, and it involves painting nature and technology together. I have many ideas planned out, and I hate to admit it, but the paintings I do now feel like practice for that big, important vision.

Let me know what you think of the article. Also, tell me if you artists have a “grand vision,” and what it’s all about! What motivates you?

Hey everyone! I’ve been quiet for the last week and a half because I’ve been at an art workshop. I went to Kentucky to learn oil painting techniques from the top-notch fantasy artist Larry Elmore.

This is the painting just before I had to leave. We took it from a photocopied drawing of Larry’s and a raw sheet of Masonite to here in 7 days. I still have some work to do on it, but even if I never finished it, it represents a butt-ton of learning. Remember how I said I hated oil paint? Well, I like it better now that I know how to use it.  :D

I met some fabulous people (Daniel, Rhea, Laura, and Erik) and reunited with good friends (Kelly and Ken) and had a blast. I’ll post this painting again when I get it finished up!

Yaardvark by Meg Lyman

It is often said that if you like the art you produced a year ago, you aren’t learning anything. But not liking last year’s art doesn’t necessarily mean you’re learning, either. I rarely like what I produce. However, it recently occurred that I wasn’t doing anything about it. It took outsiders to show me how to break that cycle; how to improve and grow.

Dragon*Con is one of the largest fantasy/science-fiction conventions in the country. Nerds from around the world converge on Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, geeking it up with costumes, gaming, seminars, and art. This was my second year attending, and the first year I tried to get into the Art Show. I found out a few months ago that my “work does not meet the criteria” for the show.

I was sad at first, but became more and more determined to figure out why. The three art show jurors were top-notch fantasy artists and fabulous people; all three agreed to take the time out of their busy days selling art to give me portfolio critiques. I also weaseled critiques out of some of the excellent attending artists.

The short version: Ouch. They tore me a new one.

The awesome Larry Elmore says individual artistic knowledge progresses in stairsteps. One day you’ll be happy with your art, and the next, you’ll read something or talk to someone… and BAM! you’ve jumped up a step, and your work is suddenly full of flaws. It’s true. The bad part about that is the ego bruising. The awesome part is the motivation. Once you see that next step, you know you can get there.

In the hour I spent with these artists, I jumped several steps. They made me think about things I’d never even considered. Being a chronic overachiever, the ordeal made me feel sheepish and small. But they were right. And I came home full of humility and motivation, along with the realization that I hadn’t been pushing myself enough. Not liking my results was a good first step, but it wouldn’t do me any good unless I did something about it. I had been trundling along, satisfied with mediocrity.

The painting above was the first I completed after the convention. A lot more thought went into it than my previous ‘varks. I still don’t like it, but it tells a better story.

Get critiques whenever you can. Forget the ego bruising - bruises heal quickly, and the lessons will last you a lifetime.

My short absence has not been idle - I was on beer vacation! It was planned as a regular family reunion, but unexpectedly turned into a beer vacation, which is perfectly fine with me.

Day 1: Meet with Casey Klahn of The Colorist, who has the most beautiful backyard ever. Got to see some of his originals and his awesome new studio-in-progress. He has cute kids and gave me beer. Thumbs up!

Walnut Brewery Old Elk Brown Ale: a nice red beer, tastier by far than Killian’s. Ratings for a non-dark beer… M: 7 N: 6.5

Day 2: Family reunion in beautiful Leavenworth, WA. Found out that I have the same birthday as this handsome fellow, my great-great-grandfather the horse-wrangler.

Also found out that I’m related to an excellent botanical artist, Catherine Watters. My family rocks.

Leavenworth is a Bavarian Village, and has tons of good beer on tap. Here’s what we drank:

Big Sky Brewery Moose Drool Brown Ale: chocolatey, mild, complex, and dark for an ale. On tap at Gustav’s, which makes kick-ass cheeseburgers. Non-dark beer ratings… M: 9 N: 8.5

Boundary Bay Imperial Oatmeal Stout: served room temp, it’s dessert-sweet and rich, like a mild black russian. On tap at Ducks and Drakes. M: 9 N: 9

Elysian Perseus Porter: complex, better than Guinness. On tap at I forget which beer garden. M: 7 N: 7.5

Hales Brewery Sleeping Maiden Porter: deep, rich, tasty. On tap at, and made exclusively for, Gustav’s. M: 7.5 N: 7

Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter: smooth and mild, a typical porter. On tap at Gustav’s. M: 8 N: 7

Day 3: Drove to Dayton, WA to visit my grandmother, a 96-year-old firecracker with a 20-year-old sense of humor. Visit Palouse Falls. Successfully take photos without falling in.

Day 4: Visited Little Goose Dam and its fish ladder. I’ve never seen salmon so big.

Day 5: Dinner at Skye Book & Brew in Dayton. It’s an awesome little mix of cafe, coffee shop, and bookstore. Their brewmaster makes excellent beer that is only available on tap at this restaurant. They have $1 pints on Monday night. ONE DOLLAR. I love this place.

S. McTaggart Scottish Ale: dark, complex, and earthy with a hint of cocoa. Non-dark beer ratings… M: 9 N:9

Pataha Creek Porter: light for a porter, smooth, complex, and bitter. M: 7.5 N: 7

Tucannon Honey Wheat: not dark beer at all, but Grandmother liked it, so I had to try. Sweet and tasty.

Startin Starveout Stout: I had this on my last trip to Dayton, and it was delicious. They aren’t making it right now. Shame.

Day 6: Pick wild blackberries. Dinner at the Weinhard Cafe. Awesome food.

Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout: full, smooth, thick, nutty, and sweet. M: 9 N: 8.5

Day 7: Had beer on tap at Squatters Pub Brewery in the Salt Lake City airport while waiting on a layover.

Squatters Polygamy Porter: mild, smooth, with a small bite. M: 7 N: 5

Squatters Captain Bastard’s Oatmeal Stout: complex but verrry bitter and sour, smells like coffee. M: 6  N: 5

That’s it! Hope you enjoyed my beer vacation as much as I did.

Flying Ace by Meg Lyman

Pencil doodle

Hey everyone, I’m back from Anthrocon! It was a lot of fun meeting people I met online. I talked to a bunch of great artists, traded sketches, doodled a lot, bought art, and sold a few things. I only moved 2 prints, one commission, and 3 originals, but one of those origials (the Cuddlefish) got 8 written bids, which sent it to voice auction. Yay! I have to wait until August (when they send out checks) to find out how much it went for, since I had to leave the auction early.

I met, bought art from, or am otherwise promoting the following great artists:

Ursula Vernon

Bloodhound Omega

Tamen

Louvelex

Kitsumi

Nevar

Cassandra Rising

I think I am coming down with a cold. It’s either “con crud” or something I got on the airplane. Oh well. Time to go make art before my nose starts leaking on everything.

I’ve always loved drawing and creating and plumbing the depths of my imagination. As artists, haven’t we all? But until the day I started painting, I didn’t realize the extent of the influence my favorite artists have on my muse. Some of them have indelibly stamped themselves into my brain. I think many of us have a few artists that really dig at us. In my case, those artists not only inspire me, but seeing what they could do made me plunge from the world of greyscale into the extra dimension of color. That fateful day was less than a year ago, but since then, I have learned far more about myself as an artist (and about my muses and influences) than I did in all the preceding years of drawing.

In the upcoming weeks and months, I’ll highlight some of those artists who have been hammering at my brain, with hopes that you’ll find something in their work to help motivate and teach you. I love these artists passionately, have their works on my walls, and drag all my houseguests around showing them the amazing concepts and brushwork, their eye-rolling notwithstanding.

Today, I’ll introduce you to Will Bullas. One of my first loves, Will was introduced to me by the Wenaha Gallery in Dayton, WA, my dad’s hometown. We visit each year, and when I was fairly young, we found Will’s “Duck Tape” in the gallery.

Duck Tape, Will Bullas

Is that not hilarious? I think they only had that one work at the time. Now Will has books and figurines, too… and has expanded his hilarity to all corners of the globe. His clever use of puns, ingenious use of expressions, and delicate technique (especially with watercolors) have never ceased to make me giggle with delight. He also makes my grandmother giggle, which pushes his esteem even higher in my book.

Get a load of some of these titles: Between the Sheeps, Crabernet, Even My Hare Hurts, Peanut Putter, Polar Beer, Rump Roost, The Nutquacker, Wine-oceros… the list goes on! And he has a few “serious” works, which are just as high in quality, if not giggles.

The Bar Bill, Will Bullas

(I have this print on my wall - he personalized it and signed it!)

When I started painting, people who knew me well noted that my concepts reminded them of Will Bullas. His influence on me is tremendous, and I think that will always come through in my painting. I’m not sure whether holding “A Fool and His Bunny” as the highest standard is noble or just silly, but I refuse to have it any other way.

Who influences and inspires you?