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That’s right. On August 8th I unveiled 3 brand new paintings of Casita Del Pueblo’s Annual Summer Collective Art Show in their wonderful Uptown Whittier Gallery. The theme was “Celebration of Music through the times.”
And there you have it kids. The Mona Lisa in 32 seconds...now you try it!
I was doing a lecture at the Whittier Library along with Jim Lujan and Javier Hernandez who had set it up. We were talking to kids about drawing and the many ways it can enrich your lives. During which a young lady in the audience mentioned how impressed she was with my work. It turns out she is related to Casita Del Pueblo Gallery owner Yolanda García. My wife Hortencia met up with Yolanda, showed her my portfolio and I was in!
Self inflicted picture. Not bad if I do say so myself.
I’m very fortunate to have such a beautiful and supportive wife who is willing to do the bulk of the leg work and networking that is necessary for me “get my work out there”. She loves my paintings, drawings, and sketches so much that she squirrels all of them away.
Erika Cabrera from Casitia del Pueblo and my wife Ortie taking in the art.
Ortie displays the pieces of her choosing in our home and for the longest time never wanted to sell any of it. She organizes and stores it meticulously. Better than I would! I call her Madame Curator. Though she has found it difficult to part with any of my work, ever since the electroshock therapy and Thorazine treatments she has recently shown signs of improvement. She gave my nephew a post it note that I had doodled a dragon on.
I don’t even worry when Ortie is on the case. Besides being stunningly beautiful, she’s smart, fun, creative, and is the kind of girl that gets things done. Plus she is a dynamite cook and quite the fashionista. I love a lady that enjoys getting dolled up. These days walking in heels is a lost art. Not for my lady.
Thanks to her incredible devotion and support, I get to maximize my time creating! Did I mention how beautiful she is?
Can she light up a room with her smile or what folks?
So here are the three paintings I entered into the show.
The traditional Mexican serenade or serenata.
“Serenata Pa’ mi Chatita.”
(Serenade for my small nosed girl.)
Acrylic on 12X16 canvas board
(A chatita is Mexican slang for a girl with a small or snub nose, always used as an affectionate nickname.)
Pedro Infante sings and makes the ladies swoon.
“Cien Años”
Acrylic on 12X16 canvas board.
a portrait of the legendary Mexican singer and actor Pedro Infante. His song “Cien Años” is considered to be one of the if not the most romantic and beautiful songs ever made.
Eydie Gormay and Los Panchos
“Sabor a Mi.”
Acrylic on 16X20 Stretched Canvas.
In the early sixties Eydie Gormé teamed up with the Mexican Trio Los Panchos and recorded the album, Amor in Spanish. “Sabor a mi” which literally translates to “The taste of me” is one of the signature songs. It is a message to an ex lover saying no matter how far away you are or how much time passes you will always carry “The taste of me” on your lips.
They are currently for sale and on display at Casita del Pueblo 6738 Greenleaf Avenue Whittier CA.
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Okay so you’re with me this far.
That’s good. It means you are serious about becoming a better artist.
Well here is your chance.
This is the first in a series of exercises for you to do. I dug into the old tome “10,001 ideas for silly drawings” and found this gem.
Draw Frankenstein’s creature and the Wolf man playing one on one basketball.
Here’s mine. I did it with Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and my Wacom Tablet on a PC.
So grab your favorite pencil or pen and a sheet of paper from your printer and draw your version of the prompt in under ten minutes.
Draw smarter not harder! That’s the way a pro does it!
When you are done, email me a copy or post it on Flickr and send me the link. I’ll then post it on Man vs. Art to chart your progress. I’ll answer any questions you may have. Then every month or two I’ll pick the artist who has made the most progress and he or she will win a killer drawing of themselves drawn by me. Here is a sample of portraits I have done.Thanks for dropping by. Keep those pencils and brains sharp!
And most of all have and artful day!
Raul
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Hello Everybody.
Welcome to another episode of Man vs Art.
On today’s show I am going present a little drawing exercise my eccentric 7th grade Art teacher Mrs. Smith used to work into the beginning of each class. With this simple 10 minute exercise 4 times a week I guarantee your drawing skills will improve.
Lookin' totally rad in 1985
The year was 1985,
My collar was flipped up on my alligator shirt,
the sleeves rolled up on my members only jacket,
and my pants were cuffed tighter than a Cholo who fit the profile.
Mrs. Smith had a plaque on the wall with the words “ten minute drawing“ engraved across it. Every day she attached an index card with a humorous prompt directly below the plaque.
One day it was “Draw a chicken arm wrestling a duck in an old west saloon.”
The next day “Draw a hippo blowing out the candles on his birthday cake aboard a UFO.” and so on.
Fun and imaginative situations the kind you see in kids books.
Everybody in the class groaned about having to do a stupid drawing, everybody that is except me. This was the only part of school that didn’t bore me. I friggin’ LOVED it.
This ten minute drawing did two things.
- It loosened and warmed up my drawing arm. Which translated to smooth and flowing drawings. A good drawing is rarely rigid and labored.
- It also got my creative juices flowing so to speak. When I began my “real” drawing there was no lag time. My brain was already in full creative mode. It was go time!
For an Artist, having your hand warmed up and in sync with your brain greatly improves the odds of your next drawing being good if not awesome. It made me feel confident and prepared for whatever wacky assignment Mrs. Smith had cooked up for class that day.
I have devised a simple yet effective drawing regimen consisting of a series 10 minute sessions at least 4times a week . The goal being to quickly translate themes of varying complexity into a clear drawing. This is an extremely valuable exercise that doesn’t require a lot of time or fancy gear. Just your favorite pen or pencil, any paper you want and the desire to draw better.
It might not be a bad idea to get a sketchbook, and do all of the warm up drawings in there. That will certainly help keep you organized and you’ll be able to chart your progress.
I suggest a moleskin sketchbook. They are by far the best in terms of quality and their coolness factor is beyond epic.
I am going to make the 10 minute drawing a regular feature on Man Vs. Art. because I need to practice with my Wacom tablet.
Years ago while rummaging in my grandparent’s attic I found an old leather bound book with gilded pages. On the cover in golden script it said “Ten thousand and one silly drawing ideas.” I am going to take one idea every few days and post it for everyone to try. Along with it I will post a video demo of myself drawing out the prompt with my Wacom tablet.
Everyone is encouraged to participate. The only rule is that you limit yourself to no more than ten minutes. Doing this will condition you to make quick decisions and draw smarter not harder! The way a pro does it!
When you are done, email me a copy or post it on Flickr and send me the link. I’ll then post it on Man vs. Art to chart your progress. I’ll answer any questions you may have. Then every month or two I’ll pick the artist who has made the most progress and he or she will win a killer drawing of themselves drawn by me. Here is a sample of portraits I have done.PArt 2 of the 10 minute drawing series, the video demo will be following this post. Thanks for dropping by. Mi studio es tu studio. have and artful day! Raul
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This will be the first of many posts I make about the trip my wife and I took to Europe in the summer of 2005. I did A LOT of sketching through the entire trip and learned quite a few things about art and about myself. Today I want to present this little pen and ink sketch I did of Le Arc De Triomphe in Paris.
Man Vs. Art and wife visit Le Arc De Triomphe
I agreed to an ENTIRE morning of non stop shopping up and down the Champs-Elyséeswith my wife Hortencia (I call her Ortie for short) on one condition. I got to choose where we had lunch.
Ortie in her natural element doing what she does best. Shopping.
In true geek form I wanted to pay homage to Pulp Fiction by having a " Royale with cheese" at the local McDonalds down the block.
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You know that little voice we all have in our heads that warns us when something is a bad idea? Yeah well at that moment mine was out taking a whizz. Eating at Mcdonald's was a decision that I would soon regret. The fool that I was.
We left Mickey D's and continued down the Champs-Elysées. Ortie stopped to admire a some shoes on display in Boutique's window. All of a sudden I doubled over in McPain with a horrible McCramp in my McStomach followed by an uncontrollable urge to McHurl.
The French consider Americans to be uncultured boors. They don't really like us. And here I am on the verge of committing what the French call a Faux Pas, a social blunder. I was about to "Tarantino" my Royale with cheese all over the sidewalk." I was definitely not "Lovin' it." I made a beeline for the nearest trash can and braced for the imminent onslaught. Then just as quickly as it came, the gut wrenching pain was gone. The royale with cheese had decided to stay put.
I pulled my head out of the trash can and there before me was the perfect view of Le Arc De Triomphe in all its monumental glory. Perfectly framed, complete with a strong light source and no obstructions.
It was perfect! Perfect I tells ya!
The entire morning I had stared at Le Arc de Triomphe with the desire to draw it. I just couldn't find a decent spot to plop down and do it. Now I had this perfect spot to draw from! As an added bonus there was an empty bench right in front of me! Joy!
It was go time!
Half an hour to 45 minutes later I had executed this sketch using pen and ink with a little wash.
Not bad but it was missing what the french call Je ne sais quoi.
It was okay, but I felt strongly that it needed figure or two in the foreground. Of the dozens of people that walked by me not a single one felt right. I wanted to put someone cool in my drawing.An esteemed representative of Paris you know? Like a wealthy Parisian Dowager walking her poodle,
Hey Frenchie!
Or a scraggly Jean Reno guy leaning on the street lamp and lighting up a smoke.
I don't think he's Janet's brother though.
Isn't Paris supposed to be the friggin' city of romance for crying out loud?! Well, c'mon Paris do your thing!
It was getting late and we had a tight schedule to stick to. But the blasted drawing felt incomplete. I was disappointed and frustrated to say the least. I sighed and muttered as I gathered up my things to leave. That's when the miracle happened.
A big white limousine pulled up. Then a really short French guy in a tweed jacket holding a big camera oompa loompaed his way out of the limo. He looked very stressed and the whole time was chattering a non stop stream of French gibberish (to moi) in that comical "short guy" voice. I considered but quickly dismissed the idea of drawing him. The French ambassador of the lollipop guild just didn't fit in with what I wanted. I could have gone for the obvious Napoleon joke with mini me and Le Arc, but that's too easy. Only posers and hacks go for the easy joke.
Then, just like movie stars arriving to a red carpet event a young Asian newlywed couple stepped out of the limo and right into the empty spot in front of me. I swear this is true!
The groom looked totally GQ in his Tux. And the Bride? Sweet Tonata! Can you say princess? Mr. Frodo was snapping pictures like crazy and I realized they were having their wedding portrait taken with Le Arc De Triomphe as the backdrop. I remember thinking what a cool idea it was.
I couldn't believe what was happening. It almost felt like I had willed them to into existence! I know it sounds silly, but as an artist, feelings like this are very empowering and totally conducive to kicking the quality of your work up a notch! With renewed vigor I grabbed my pen and sketched the newlyweds while Harve Villaichez photographed them.
This is how the final sketch turned out.
The wedding Couple was exactly what I needed in my drawing. They tied everything together nicely.
Folks, I ask you, isn't that the sappiest, most romantic cornball thing ever? I couldn't have asked for a better subject. That was certainly a special moment I captured with my pen and I feel very fortunate to have been at the right place at the right time. I was the second happiest guy in the whole world. The first happiest guy in the world was of course the groom who was grinning from ear to ear the whole time!
It all happened so fast! I wanted to thank them for giving me my "magical Paris moment", But by the time I looked up they were leaving. I watched the Limo slowly pull away from the curb and then disappear into the afternoon Paris traffic forever.
I put my arm around my wife and we walked back to our hotel.
Maybe someday the Asian couple might find this blog or podcast. I'm sure they would love to hear this story as well as see the drawing. Heck I'd give it to them. I'd tell them to consider it a wedding gift. Hey. I just realized Art is the gift that keeps on giving! Ha!
This taught me a valuable lesson. Whether it be good or bad a little luck can make or break a work of art. A poser will always fail to take advantage of things like luck, because he fails to act in time. He spends his time reacting. By then it's too late. It's what makes poser work look lifeless and contrived. In order to properly draw what you see, you need to learn how to "see" first.
A great artist is aware of his surroundings and is always ready to adapt to any sudden change in circumstances. Part of Art's appeal, at least to me is spontaneity.
On that day in Paris years ago Man had accepted Art's challenge, and Man won!
But only with luck.
Thank you Paris France for giving me such a memorable experience.
I hope to come back real soon
Now where is my wine and cheese.
Shameless Plugs!
This Saturday August 8th from 3 to 9 pm I will be exhibiting some new paintings at the Casita Del Pueblo Gallery at
6738 Greenleaf Ave in the city of Whittier California.
I am extending a VIP invitation to all of my readers and listeners. There will be food drinks and plenty of art! So come by and say Hi!
FREE ANIMATION FESTIVAL!
Also my good friend and fellow artist Jim Lujan has put together The Edge Of L.A. Comic-Con Animation Fest on Saturday August 15th. at the Claremont Packing house 532 W. 1st street Claremeont CA 91711.
Bring the kids! Admission is Free so be sure to tell the guy that you are a friend of Man vs. Art and get 1/2 off the price of admission
Following the screenings there will be a Q and A discussion with the creators! So animation students are encouraged to check it out!
You can see more of my work at my official website www.studioraul.com,
Thanks again for joining me and I hope you have an artful day!
Man Vs Art copyright 2009 Raul Aguirre Jr.
