[Alucard]

Thanks Enazwo (genius, eh? that has a nice ring to it). . . but I have no way to display any of this stuff. I can do it online via links, but in my town the only art shows are for schools, and I have never survived long in art classes. To date, none of my art teachers have liked my stuff, and since I have the ability to do realism, they say that I'm wasting my time on my abstract stuff. I always try to argue my case, but it never works and I end up getting poor grades. *shrugs*

So if there were some way for me to crawl out of my hole, I would, but since I don't have an outlet, I just do it for myself. And I'm trying to do this writing thing anyway, so maybe it's a good thing that I don't have any distractions . . . or maybe not :)

[shadowgirl]

hardly ugly at all.. i quite like your style.. specially with the finger painted ones.. it's got a style you'd see on magazines (You should look into that) like the covers and such.. it has a life of its own.

[shadowgirl]

OH.. and as a recent graduate from college.. here's a secret.. DO NOT let the teachers tell you what to do. listen to the public, because they will be the ones in the end to judge/buy your work.

the teachers are there to just add to pressure and give you -some- advice you should pick through with a comb.

there's nothing wrong with being able to do both abstract and realism.. it's a skill i wish i had.

[Rumfuddle]

Hello Alucard
the fingerpaintings are excellent; very fresh and alive. Your use of colour is subtle and wise where it could very easily have gotten out of hand. Good man!
I don't like the computer stuff, do you like them yourself? I'm a predjudiced and bitter old luddite tho' ; I finished my final year at art school last week and four out of the five days all last year were at the computer. Agh!
And I'm still a thick fingered oaf.
My vocation was a frustrated one (be warned ) for many years. I then got my act together . Drew drew drew. Got wings. Then to get my diploma I had to spend a year fiddling with the mouse.
It would be great to see more original, edgeier (does that word exist? supposed to mean : more edge) artwork in sf and fantasy. THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION has book covers from the 50`s and 60's that had more style and art to them than so much of what you see nowadays.
Don't just post your work here. Bring it places. House it in a web page of it's own.
And yes, careful with the art teachers, for they are all too often sad and jealous malcontents ..... you know a good one when you see one tho'.... they exist too
Keep up the good work!

[Alucard]

Thanks for the comments, Rum and Shadow. A little confidence booster never hurts. And in answer to whether I like my computer stuff--yeah, I do, but I realize that it does not have much in terms of widespread appeal. But drawing on a computer is fun, because it doesn't take any time outside of developing gradients, and drawing with a mouse and its lack of control is both interesting and frustrating. And I can tell you, after trying to draw with a mouse, it's gives me an entirely new appreciation for the standard art utensils.

But, I posted some more pics the other day (I found a few more that could fit onto my scanner). So for those of you who are interested:

Something I drew while in a diner a year ago with the pens, pencil and marker that someone had left on the table:
http://groups.msn.com/TheWritersAssociation/alucard.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=36

A picture of an elderly face:
http://groups.msn.com/TheWritersAssociation/alucard.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=37

A picture from yet another failed comic book:
http://groups.msn.com/TheWritersAssociation/alucard.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=39

A pen and ink from the same failed comic book:
http://groups.msn.com/TheWritersAssociation/alucard.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=38

Weeee.

[Rumfuddle]

Regarding not scanning pictures because they're too big.
Have you tried scanning the work bit by bit? - so long as it's on paper or something flat ofcourse and not canvas mounted on a wooden frame!
With photoshop, for example, you can scan different parts of an image, each one onto it's own document. Then create a new document in which they'll all fit and piece 'em together like a jigsaw puzzle....... you can get rid of the separation marks with the eraser at 20 or 30% intensity. It works well.
Maybe you knew this already, but just in case....

I like "From the painting " alot. Very raw and genuine, struck a chord in me. Thanks. That's alot of what arts's about....

[Alucard]

Yes. I know about puzzle piecing the images together, but most of my stuff isn't on paper. When it comes to painting, I mostly use plywood--anywhere from four to eight feet in either direction--that I find in the dumpsters of construction sites (for acrylics, at least). I don't really have any money anymore, so canvases are out of the question . . . and because of the size and material I use, so is most scanning. But I did sell one of my paintings once because it was out on the front lawn drying, and some guy that drove by offered me 75 bucks for it. So plywood isn't all bad, I guess (though, finger painting on it will give you some nasty splinters :)).

But thanks for the suggestion and comments, Rum. I appreciate it.

[Kirby]

Please don't call it ugly ugly art - I didn't look at this thread for so long, I thought that if the artist didn't think much of their work, I'd better not look or comment!

I'm glad I did, it's got personality all over it. (a good thing)
I like the peanut audition one.
:)

Know what I think? You're an artist who is an illustrator. Some "art teachers" refuse to see that as viable art. But they're just artholes! :D
The "Is illustration Art?" is an ooooold old argument. (I say "yes" it is.)

I had the same battle with my teacher. And he carried his grudge against my apparant stubborn-ness (I was confused by him), onto my brother's work as well - how bad is that?!!!
Put me off art for at least a year after I left school.
And my brother didn't start drawing again until he was about 22. (He does great graphic ink art)

Yeah. Just call them artholes - they're so deep in themselves, that they can't see anything
Your art is cool.

[IaNo]

Alucard: Great work. In my opinion, the paintings are by far the best. The pen and ink show a lot of skill but are generally not as interesting and the computer art is not that good at all. It's wierd, I'm also an aspiring artist, but my forte is the computer art and I struggle to be able to draw by hand what I can draw on the computer that looks like it was drawn by hand. It seems like you're doing the exact opposite, trying to use the computer when you are more adept with real materials. I wish I had that skill because it feels much more rewarding than staring at this damn screen all day getting carpel tunnel (however you spell that.) Seriously though, the paintings are great, and just the style I like to see. I would suggest that you find some competitions to enter and also get a good portfolio together (if you haven't done so already). I think its fine that you call your work ugly ugly art. Most good artists have low self esteem and don't value their own work because they always strive to do better and are perfectionists that will never reach their goal. That's why they keep creating. It isn't your job to get big headed about it and sell your own work, it's your humble agents job! Where you from?

[Ogier]

Well, if you really want my opinion... I think that your drawings may be ugly, but they're still quite splendid. That's what I think. The lantern was the best. Those paintings you did with computer I didn't like so much, but the others, I think, were nice. That guy with a cigarette was also really good :)