Mermaid on an Underwater Floating Island

Mermaid on an Underwater Floating Island

I think it came out pretty well.

Weeping Angel

So this is something different for me.  Instead of just an outline I actually shaded it.  Of course I wanted to do this study of a weeping angel statue because a weeping angel statue is a main character in a book I'm working on.  This one is based on a photograph on Wikimedia Commons which you can view here by pasting it into your browser: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WeepingAngel.jpg

Because Blogger had an update and the links don't work anymore.  Anyway I hope you like it.

Floating Islands

Another watercolor, this one is 9" x 12", and I think the larger size works better.  I did the original lineart back in October of 2019!

Floating Island Fairy

I got a fancy new printer so I can print my lineart on watercolor paper now, and it has a bigger scanner too.  This is super duper for doing watercolor illustrations, which is what I want to do for the stories I'm working on.  Now that I can just print out another one if I goof up I have a lot less hesitation about coloring everything in.  So you can expect to see more watercolors from me in the future.

Also I might not put up as much of the uncolored lineart from here on out, except for coloring pages.  I used to always share my outline drawings, partly because I had no idea if or when I would ever color them, but now I think I might as well mostly just put up the finished paintings.  I'm tired of putting up both, and I think it looks better with just the color ones, and anyway I don't like being so redundant with my creative output.  I'm sorry if you prefer to always see the lineart as well, I'm not intending to make people unhappy.

The printer is an Epson Workforce WF-7610.  I got it off of Walmart.  Here's a very useful youtube video by a gal that talks about this kind of printer with regards to printing on watercolor paper:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSlewmCiHRY

This was what put me on to getting this particular kind of printer.  The fairy painting above was printed on 7"x10" 98 lb. Canson mix media paper, which is kind of thin but I think its ok.  Some people use this printer to print on thicker paper but I don't know if I'll do that because it isn't rated for anything thicker than cardstock and envelopes.  I also bought a pad of the same paper in 9"x12" which I think will be a good size to work in.

Vandalism Is Bad For Art

Its still bad!  I mentioned back in August 2017 when the black live matter looters were vandalizing statues and monuments and that was on the news that I thought vandalism was bad for art, and I still do.

The fact that so many people who I thought would know better are supporting murder, terrorism and wholesale destruction to this extent under the flimsy pretext of somehow combating racism, (which it doesn’t) displays a level of air headedness that I would hardly have believed possible.

Take Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore in Minneapolis as an example:

Here are some reasons why burning down a bookstore might be bad for art and creativity:

1, Its burning books!  Books are known to contain lots of art and creative writing.  Also there were a lot of irreplaceable 1st edition books as well as autographed copies some of them by authors who are no longer with us.

2, You just set fire to a bookstore!  Bookstores are places where people can look through and buy books, making all that creativity and art available to the public.

3. Its hard to have a booksigning in a burned out building!  Bookstores commonly have social events such as booksignings which are fun for members of the community.

4. Now the authors and illustrators can’t sell their books their anymore, which means they can’t get paid!  Which is bad for authors and illustrators.

5. Its just bad for everyone!  Burning down a bookstore puts people out of work and is just all around bad for the economy which is also bad for authors and artists.

So if you’re feeling bad about supporting arson and terrorism (and being a tremendous air head), here’s a chance to support the owner and his efforts to rebuild it:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/let-us-help-save-uncle-hugo039s?viewupdates=1&rcid=r01-159106110191-60120bbd3a4a430d&utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_email%2B1137-update-supporters-v5b

Its probably better than bailing out criminals, and social justice posturing!

This is an art blog, not a political blog so I wouldn’t even talk about this except that it is relevant to art, writing, and creativity in general.

It might not seem like a big deal right now if they haven’t burned down anything you care about, but you or your loved ones could be next, because terrorism is like that.

DA is Trash!

The new version of deviantart is such absolute trash its phenomenal.  Its far worse than I ever expected.  The adolescent monkeys running it have destroyed any semblance of functionality.  I can’t find my art, or other people’s art, or the art in my group, or any submissions to it.  Its phenomenal!

And its not just me, the feedback they've been getting has been overwhelmingly negative.  It was a good thing for me for a while.  And for a lot of people.  A social media that let me connect with other artists and share beautiful art and encouragement, so its sad to see it go.

So basically all I'm saying is I'm not active on there and won't be for the foreseeable future.  The only places I have left to share my art are here, and tumblr:

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jpmorrow-art

Thoughts on the Virus and Stuff

My life is so much better now, I've got all this time off, I can work on projects, its great!  I know its hard out there and people are suffering, but there are some advantages.  Which begs the question, why can't I get time off work and sleep in and laze around and work on my own projects the rest of the time when there isn't a pandemic?  Why can't the world of freedom and opportunity among those of us blessed with 'non-essential' jobs apply to anyone whether there is a virus or not?  Certainly there are some people who don't want time off work, or from various social events, and they have my sympathy, but wouldn't it be amazing if people could take time off when they want to?  It is technically possible but in my personal experiences I find it constantly infringed upon.

I would like to introduce an apparently unrelated subject that is also relevant to what I would like to say.  I am here reminded of one of my lifelong goals which is to build a ruined castle and live in it.  Non ruined castles are wonderful in many ways, but a ruined one would have several advantages as follows:

• It would be crumbling and overgrown, with lush green foliage, and wildflowers, making it beautiful and picturesque.
• I only need part of a tower to live in, and some suggestions of foundations here and there, and it will look like it was part of a much bigger castle back in the day, and maybe even a great big city.  So I can suggest something much greater with less materials, time and effort than a conventional fortress.
•  It may look ruined on the outside, but the interior rooms will actually be quite well furnished and insulated, making it quite as comfortable as anywhere else.

And I could go on, but the point is ruined castles, and all sorts of ruined buildings are beautiful in many ways to a greater degree than their non ruined counterparts.  And yet all too often ruins are associated with disaster and neglect.  Perhaps their inhabitants died long ago of famine or wars or plague.  But my point is that it is possible to construct brand new ruined buildings to enjoy the ruined building aesthetic without the necessity of a disaster in the first place.

For another obvious but excellent example, the zombie apocalypse would have advantages too numerous to mention, such as:

• Not having to pay taxes, rents, healthcare, or student loans.
• Being able to just shoot your enemies in the face instead of being helpless while people are incessantly annoying and insulting.
• Living in a picturesque ruined hideout, of course.
• All sorts of adventure and excitement.
• A sense of purpose in life, from always having the task of killing zombies.
• Lots of wide open spaces and not too many people, (except zombies).

And I could probably go on, but my point is this.  I think disasters have many benefits that we should seek out and not have to wait for them to befall. Of course disasters should be prevented wherever possible and I am not in any way supporting the virus, the destruction of castles, or the rise of the undead scourge, and yet my point still stands.  What these benefits are and how they are to be achieved, I leave as an exercise to the reader.  But I think it an important thing to mention.  And the advantages of trial and hardship are as often mental or spiritual benefits as physical ones, such as discipline, work ethic, honor, and so on.  Yet these things too can be cultivated with peace and gratitude when there are no great trials to be undergone.

So those are my thoughts brought about by this regrettable, (and regretted) pandemic.  I will close with the standard reminder to keep your distance, stay safe, wash your hands and so on.

Thanks for reading,

-Johnpaul