Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with art

Your favorite art, animation and illustration blogs

Rinku — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:03:22 -0800

One of my absolute favorite blogs, Drawn, shut down this week. How do I replace it? What are other good blogs or websites that focus on illustration, cartooning, and animated shorts?

How to say "au revoir mon professeure" in a slightly more creative way?

kbar1 — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:44:03 -0800

This week, my daughter (a sophomore in high school) will be bidding adieu to her French teacher, who is is retiring. Daughter is artistic and has decided to make a card for Madame but is looking for inspiration. She would like to use imagery and a quote from The Little Prince but it's been a long time since either of us read the book and we don't have a copy on hand, so I'm asking for your help. Is there an illustration or quote that you think is especially apt for this type of card? She likes the picture of the little prince taking off with a flock of birds, but we don't have a quote to go along with it. She's open to ideas unrelated to The Little Prince as long as there is a French connection and imagery that would work well in a farewell card. Ideas? Merci! (I speak no French at all, so please excuse my French if I butchered the title question)

Help with project? Please list fictional cities !

ahtlast93 — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:39:55 -0800

For a project I'm currently working on as part of my graduation in Graphic Design, I wanted to compile something like an atlas of fictional cities. These may be from books, legends, stories, video games, advertisements, comics, really whatever... Even "real" cities but alternate versions, imagined or in some way deviate from their real counterpart are valid. The project started about a year ago, where it was a quick assignment that resulted in a book a of interviews and retellings of these fictional cities (I can post some images later). This one was more conceptually driven and people would tell me of cities on the go, without necessarily knowing the cities they spoke of, driven by the notion that if these cities are imagined, anyone could potentially imagine them again and alter them. Or something :D

This time I want to expand it and figured why not ask metafilter to help me out. I would greatly appreciate the help, and would gladly send a copy to anyone interested (it honestly isn't as boring as it's sounds, it's more of an active book with constantly changing content and layouts, not a novel or anything).

Cities I used for interviews were the City of Ceasars (from a myth), Zora (from Italo Calvino's invisible cities), Los Angeles (from Blade Runner) and an unnamed city from a manga by Tsutomu Nihei. So basically, anything goes. (i.e. your own imagined places are entirely valid, doesn't need to be sourced).

If you have an example, please list it, it doesn't need a name, but a description (if from a book for example) or an image, or both, would be very fantastic.

Thank you

I want to forget about her, but she's famous now

Anonymous — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:43:17 -0800

I wish I could forget about the girl who broke my heart when I was a teenager, but it seems the world doesn't want to let me, because she's famous now, while I'm struggling. How do I deal? Apologies in advance for the novella-length question, but with any luck there's enough angst within to keep you engaged. Anyhow, here's my tale of woe:

I am a 28-year-old man. Back when I was 12, I met a girl and fell for her hard. It was my first love. We had similar personalities and interests and creative drives. We were close friends for years, and she often confided in me and showed me affection, but she never wanted to be my girlfriend.

In my adolescent naivete, I thought that if I remained her loyal friend, she'd eventually decide she wanted to be with me and not the guys she was dating. But that never happened, and while we had some good times together, I remember our friendship primarily as a source of crushing disappointment and depression over the next 6 years. By the end of high school I was tired of feeling used and miserable, we had a falling out, and we haven't spoken since. Looking back now, I wish I had done a lot of things differently, spent my time on something more productive, and saved us both a bunch of drama and anguish, but I was a kid and didn't know better.

It's been 10 years since then, and I have grown and improved myself immensely. I've been in a great relationship with a wonderful, beautiful woman for the past 4 years, and we're very much in love. I'm very confident and happy with myself these days. But one of my primary aspirations remains, as it was when I was a teenager, to achieve recognition and success as an artist. (I was into acting back then -- I make music now -- but it's the same desire. I need to create and I need an audience.) And while I've managed to find a day job that pays the rent and gives me free time to work on my music; and while I've produced some material which I'm extremely proud of; I haven't built much of a following or a career to speak of, even though I've been trying for years and I feel strongly that my work merits it. And that's very frustrating, but I'm still young and talented, so there's nothing to do but to keep working.

But here's the stinger: The girl I was so heartbroken over back in high school, who I would be happy to never think about again, is well on her way to becoming a celebrity. And every so often, and I fear with increasing frequency, she intrudes into my life in various ways. I see articles and photos of her on web sites that I read; internet strangers discussing her talent and charm; mutual acquaintances assuming I want to chat about her latest doings; people digging out old photos to prove that they knew her (which photos might have me in them too, but who cares because I'm just some guy); etc.

This causes me some anguish. While I've matured and improved so much since high school, and hearing about her doesn't affect me as much as it used to, each time I do it re-opens those old wounds a bit. This is a person whom I associate with a lot of painful memories and negative thoughts about myself. And whenever I hear about her, it's about how successful she is in pretty much the way I am trying to be, but am not. Living well is supposed to be the best revenge, and I've lived very well; but when I hear about her I feel like she's lived even better, and I'll never catch up. And it seems like there's no way I can avoid hearing about her.

So my question, such as it is: What strategies can I use to try and cope with this situation productively? I know I shouldn't compare myself to anyone else; it's been a long time and I should move on; I should let go of my resentment. I wish that I could. I don't like to talk about this with people I know because I feel like it's such an old, tired story already. I doubt she's thought about me in years. I have this idea in my mind that I'll be able to truly let go only once I achieve a level of fame that causes my name to barge in on her world the way hers does on mine, which would somehow amount to vindication. I hate that she can still get to me from a distance without even trying, and there's nothing I can do about it. Sometimes that thought motivates me to work harder; I've written some truly excellent songs inspired by all these feelings. But when those songs don't make me famous overnight, it's like twisting the knife, so that source of motivation can be a double-edged sword.

Sometimes it feels like I'm living inside a script, like the universe is playing a prank on me, and I'm the only one who can see the whole narrative and appreciate it. I try to find the humor in all of it, but it's not easy.

Finally, a note on therapy: I've done it at several points over the years, including quite recently, and have discussed these issues at length. It's been a little bit helpful, but the basic issues remain. I may get back into therapy in the future, but I'm between health insurance situations at the moment, so that's not going to be an immediate solution.

I know there's no simple solution, but I'd appreciate any wisdom you have to offer.

Help me price my art.

merocet — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:11:25 -0800

I've always wanted to be able to paint so over the last year I've taken a couple of oil painting courses. It seems now that I can paint well enough that people are asking about buying my work and one person wants to try to get me into galleries he knows. Wow! That's where I get stuck. How on earth do I come up with a price? Do I ask them to make me an offer? Are there resources for this kind of thing? Has anyone on here done this? What did you charge?

10 dollar art mystery

bongo_x — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:40:08 -0800

Does anyone know what happened with the 10 dollar art mystery? It’s been a while and I can’t find a resolution. There’s the Wiki, but if it has any more information I didn’t see it.

Need practical advice on lettering a graphic novel book project.

markkraft — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:48:21 -0800

The illustrations have already been drawn on card stock and inked, for an actual, physical project inspired by this kind of handmade "star book" design... but now it's time to tackle the lettering. Are there any good, professional ways of doing it without hand lettering everything? If so, can you link to examples / tutorials? Or is hand lettering the only good option available? (Scanning the illustrations, adding lettering, and reprinting is not an option.)

Seeking documentaries about digital art

mortaddams — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:17:22 -0800

I am looking for some good documentaries about digital art. What do you recommend? Biographical movies about artists that make art with PhotoShop would be great. Movies about the history of CGI would be fascinating. Documentaries about art made for the internet could also be fun to see. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Buying art for good

rastapasta — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:55:30 -0800

I'm moving into a new apartment and want to decorate my walls with some art. I really don't have anything in mind, and I thought a good way to help me decide might be to find art coming from sources where the purchase benefits a good cause. Maybe something like art made from students where the purchase goes towards the school, or something else where the money I spend ends up doing more than just going to the art store or website I buy it from. Really open to any ideas here. I'm in NYC if that helps.

Diamonds in the haystack

Iridic — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:30:49 -0800

I'm looking for the unexpected, overlooked masterpieces hiding within conventionally marginal artistic genres: novelty Christmas music albums, mass market cowboy novels, direct-to-video action movie sequels, etc. This question was prompted by a glowing review of Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. If Ignatiy Vishnevetsky's to be believed, this direct-to-download fifth sequel to a 1992 Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle "grafts an art-horror movie on to the rootstock of a violent action flick...The two films it brings to mind are Lost Highway and Videodrome."

I love it when this happens - when a creator or creators, working on the shortest rations of time, money, attention, and respect, manage to bring forth insightful and even transcendent art in the last place you would expect to see it. As so much of art is context, so much more vibrant is its flower when it blooms in the middle of cash-in mediocrity.

But how many of those little miracles have I passed over because they sprang up in the most unlikely places? There exist resources for finding underrated mainstream and art house movies, or underrated pop and indie albums. But I don't know of any compendiums of the most disquieting direct-to-video actioners, or of the Halloween haunted house sound-effect albums that look to say something new about the human condition.

I'm not necessarily looking for deconstructions or denials of genre, or for works that are fantastic through-and-through. But if you've encountered anything like a mid-series Babysitter's Club book that slipped in a quietly devastating portrait of a suburban marriage, or a Young Indiana Jones tie-in novel which examines Georgian nationalism in pre-indepence Tiflis, or a made-for-TV holiday movie which charts the depths of a father's regret, I'd very much like to hear about it.

Cheapest place to print digital to canvas in Denver area?

snap_dragon — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:30:34 -0800

Technically I live in Parker, CO. Friends and others have started buying my digital art doodles that I print locally on glossy cardstock. I've seen some artists have digital canvas prints but not sure where to go for a reasonable rate as I want quality but don't have a lot of money. I'm not even sure how it is done but have the CMYK files at a good resolution and am ready to go. I would like to try a few and see if I can sell them. Thanks for your time. It is nice for people to like what I draw but I want to give the best quality as it is not yet a living but a hobby.

Who is this painting by?

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 05 May 2013 10:44:18 -0800

Hi yall! I got this painting about 12 years ago in Baltimore as a gift. Who painted it? I can't remember much about the artist except I believe it was a He, and it is one in a long series of record covers painted on wood (this one is of the Ted Nugent record Great Gonzo). I remember there being significant local buzz about him in newspapers, maybe the Baltimore City paper, but can't find any of those now. The initials in the corner seem to say SK. Thanks y'all!

Art framing question - drawing a blank.

cellura p — Sat, 04 May 2013 16:17:56 -0800

What are those plastic clips called that are used to hold together a very simply framed photo or drawing? There's a simple and inexpensive way to frame art that doesn't actually require a frame. It is possible to use little plastic clips that I believe are attached by tension with string to the edges of a piece of glass or plexiglass. It's possible to sandwich a photo or drawing between a piece of mat board and the glass, then hang the piece on the wall. I'd like to shop for those little clip things online. I have no idea what they are called or what this type of framing is called and my google searches aren't getting me there.

Do artists often get scammed into projects?

picklenickle — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:45:18 -0800

When I get an email from someone asking if I'm interested in doing a big long-term project, how do I know if they're legit or if it's something worth my time and effort? So I've always been a small-time digital artist doing personal commissions as they come, usually by people I know or individual strangers over email. Usually the commissions are just one or two pictures and I have a nice system to prevent fraud and such.

But recently I did a little side project that got a lot of attention, and now I'm getting emails from people asking if I'm interested in doing large paid projects, like illustrations for books and graphic novels and such. They would presumably be temporary projects but that require a lot of full-time work. I've never had experience doing anything like this. Do artists often get scammed into doing stuff only to never see a penny? I ask this because, when doing those little individual commissions, there have been times when I'll explain to my client how I work (I send them sketches, and then a full picture with a watermark and don't send them the un-watermarked image until they pay me), and sometimes they'll lose interest after hearing that, presumably because they were planning on taking the picture and not paying.

So, when I get an email from someone saying "Hey I saw your art and really liked it. I need an artist for [some big, long-term project]. Are you interested?" how do I know if they're legit or if it's something worth my time and effort?

Commissioned original art, art may not be original. Help?

Anonymous — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:43:21 -0800

I work for a non-profit organization. We applied for, and received, a grant to commission original artwork for our building. We chose an artist who proposed a mural. The contract is signed with the agency that is providing the grant, and work is set to start on the building soon. Problem is? One of the members of the Board found a very similar mural online, painted by a different person. Help. We commissioned a mural in a very specific artistic style. For the sake of argument, let's say in the style of this WPA mural. Instantly recognizable, but very suitable for our building and our non-profit's mission. The artist who won the commission did so by proposing a mural of, oh let's say a man standing in front of a local landmark, carrying a shovel. Great. We were thrilled. It's perfect.

Today, one of the Board members found a picture online that made my heart sink. It is of a man standing in front of a building that kind of looks like our landmark, carrying a shovel. He's standing in the same position and holding the shovel in exactly the same way. His hands are cocked just so, the way his jacket is waving in the wind is exactly the same.

There are differences: his clothes are a different style. He is a young man in our picture, and an old man in the one on the internet. Our mural has the local landmark in the background, the background of the one on the internet has some basic shapes that are very similar to our landmark. The style - the very specific artistic style - is so similar that it could have been done by students of the same teacher.

Some more info:

I don't know where the internet picture came from. I don't know if it is original to the era or if it is a modern interpretation.

It's not really a shovel that the person in our mural/our online doppelganger is holding; but it is a common-ish object that looks exactly the same in both. The way the object is being held by the hands, the tilt, the colors, the shading, everything.

The grant is being administered through a third party. The contract has either just been signed or it is about to be signed. Like, TOMORROW.

If we do not go with these artists, we forfeit the grant. The date for having a contract signed is May 31st, and we do not have the time to re-open the search. We did not even have a second- or third-place choice, we were so enamored with this one.

Question time:

I've contacted the members of the Board, but none of us are artists. I worry that we won't know what is "inspired by" and what is "ripped off".

What should we do?

Is it common for artists to be inspired by a historic work to the point that they're similar enough for an artistic dunce like me to see the similarities? There are more than a few WPA murals and murals in the style of the WPA of men with shovels. But this one is so dead on exact that it makes me wonder.

Can one break a contract over this? I know you haven't seen the contract, but would this sort of falsehood be grounds for dismissal?

I'd love to hear from people who work in the arts. I don't want an obvious ripoff on the wall. Time is running out, and I can't decide what to do. Help.

If you have specific questions or want to see pictures of the actual artwork (the proposed mural and the one online), please let me know at helpmemetafilter@gmail.com.

(Really, nobody's taken that name before now?)

Cartoonist seeks opportunities

jayCampbell — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:33:28 -0800

My DrawSomething addiction has coaxed out of me a desire to illustrate without getting bogged down by a writing process. My recent draws are cartoonish, bright and friendly, and other players keep asking if I'm an artist. Where can I find cartoon or childrens book writers in need of artwork that might tolerate my lack of portfolio and professional experience?

What music should I try on Spotify?

jsturgill — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:39:39 -0800

What bands and albums should I listen to now that I'm finally able to stream almost anything ever made? Extended information as to my taste preferences inside. I like strings, particularly violin and cello, particularly in a rock or folk/southern/bluegrass context but also in modern compositions.

I like noisy music, such as the Velvet Underground and Neutral Milk Hotel.

I like grating vocals that are borderling a-musical but that very much work--the above two bands, the Decemberists, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Leonard Cohen, etc.

I like talk-singing, like in Mother Country by John Stewart and $87 and a Gulity Conscience by Richmond Fontaine.

I also like clear voices from talented singers, mostly often women. Joni Mitchell, for example, or the amazing Laura Gibson. It helps if they are strong lyricists.

I would love to find smaller bands, current or past, with interesting sounds and/or stories that I could get obsessive over, like Tim Hardin or Munly.

How to create speech bubbles that look like they came from an iPhone?

sevensnowflakes — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:22:33 -0800

So I'm looking for a tool that will allow me to create text bubbles that look like they came from an iPhone. However, I don't want something like Fake iPhone Text, as that creates a picture of the entire phone background plus the text bubbles. I only want the text bubbles, disembodied. Does this exist? I'm sure if I had Photoshop I could probably create something, but I don't, and I'm not willing to shell out that much cash. Plus, I don't have any experience in image creation (and I'm not digi-artsy), so I'd greatly prefer using a tool that does the hard part for me. That said, I'd be willing to play around with some kind of free or low-cost image creation software if I absolutely had to.

I need an in depth example in each of the 6 major art forms

lite — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:17:15 -0800

Hello, I recently had to write a dissertation in class arguing whether the state is concerned with artistic creation. The prof criticised me for limiting my examples in literature and poetry and recommended me to have at least a solid example in each of the 6 art forms. They are:
-Architecture
-Sculpture
-Painting
-Music
-Literature, poetry
-Dance

I have the literature and poetry covered but I seriously lack knowledge in the other arts. Can you recommend me a philosophically significant example that can be used in as many domains as possible in the other art forms?

Could there be an artist more philosophically worthy than Michelangelo? He is a painter, sculptor and an architect. How about Da Vinci? I can't afford the time to spend on multiple artists except if there's a good resource that you know analysing them. Should i go with my classical music taste and choose Bach? Could Beethoven be a better choice? Finally I'm completely ignorant about dancing, I need your help on that one.

I've tried googling but couldn't really settle on the example for each art, that's why I turn to the taste of mefites.

In person affordable San Francisco wall art buying.

ClaudiaCenter — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:40:51 -0800

I want to buy some art in San Francisco. The kind in frames that you hang on the wall. My budget per piece is about $75.00 to $400.00. I like to buy original artwork or prints by local artists. I like old maps and old prints. I like color and modern art. I am periodically looking at Craig's List. And I try to visit "open studios" when they happen, and coffee shop exhibits. I check out galleries sometimes but the prices are too high (e.g. $1200). Suggestions?

Independent art in Berlin

devnull — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:28:23 -0800

I'm in Berlin on Saturday, and I'd like to look at, and maybe buy some art. Where should I go? I'm looking for the equivalent of London's Spitalfield Art Market. I also know of Kunst Supermarkt, but there isn't one in Berlin at this time of year.

Is there something similar I can visit in Berlin, this Saturday?

Where Do I Find On-Line Volunteers For Art Project?

goalyeehah — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:01:33 -0800

I am doing an art project where I am asking people to send in photographs of their feet with a positive sentiment written on top. The project is entitled "Perfect Imperfection" or "Happy Feet" It was inspired by my sweetie realizing that her body is perfect in it's imperfection. I need to expand my reach outside of my own circle of friends to help complete the project. Is there a site I can go to online where I can ask for volunteers?

Is there an online map of visual art?

cellura p — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:59:53 -0800

There's this for literature and this for word meanings. Is there such a site that connects related visual artists? For example, if I were to type in "Egon Schiele" I could expect "Gustav Klimt" and "Oskar Kokoshka" to float around.

Seeking recommendations for films about Jewish art and architecture

mortaddams — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:22:43 -0800

I am looking for some great movies about the history of Jewish art and architecture. I am most curious to learn about ancient and medieval Judaica, but if you know of treatments of modern Jewish art and architecture that would be good to know about too. Any recommendations would be most appreciated.

Need Suggestion for Photographer of Women

brynnwood — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:37:51 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions for a contemporary art photographer who's spent time photographing women of different ages and and sizes and shapes. I'd simply like to view the work online or buy a book if the work has been published. I once saw a series of photographs someone took of women in bathhouses in Eastern Europe and it was amazing and wonderful how different each individual body was. I can't recall the photographer's name or find her work by searching online Ideally, I'm seeking non-nude photographs, maybe beach scenes where a variety of different female (the photos don't have to exclude men entirely, but I'm mainly interested in women), body types is on display.

This is for my own personal enjoyment. I may use the photos as inspiration for drawings or paintings, but may not.

Thanks much for your suggestions.