Man vs. Art

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Plus The 2009 Man vs. Art Christmas card and more!

But first Geo Brawn IV

In today’s podcast I present you guys with part two of my chat with my friend and esteemed colleague Los Angeles Indy Comic Creator Geo Brawn IV.  We get down to brass tacks about Geo’s technique and approach!I learned for example he uses  Tuxedo Black Acme Bic markers.  A pretty common pen you can pick up at any office supply store for your drawing needs.

Keep it simple with BIC!

BIC Mark-It Permanent Markers, Ultra-Fine Point, Tuxedo Black.
Ideal for small spaces and detailed crafts. Textured rubber grip is engineered for comfort and control. Marks on glass, metal, CD’s, coated paper, photos, plastics. Long cap-off life. Vivid, quick-drying ink resists water.

Holy Crap what a wonderful pen! Too bad it’s gone!

I was a Victim of Circumstance!

It’s a good idea to use a common type of drawing implement. I unfortunately got hooked big time on these wonderful disposable fountain pens from Pentel way back when I was at Film Roman in 2003. These are AWESOME! They give you a consistent Crisp thin line that you can make thicker by applying the slightest pressure.

When I was wrapping my short Hero Heights at Nickelodeon in the summer of 2006 I discovered the pen had been discontinued! The Horror! I couldn’t find them anywhere anymore.

One day I walked into a local Mom ‘n’ Pop Art Supply store near my home in Downey California and asked the guy if he had any of those pens. He opened a drawer and there were like about FIFTY of them! I was happier than a poet on pay day! I bought them all and have been using them since. I’m down to my last dozen or so and need to ween myself off of them like real soon!

So let that be a lesson. Be careful of what tool you choose for drawing. You don’t want to wake up one day and find out they stopped making them.

Anyway……

How about taking a gander at a couple of Olivia’s  beauties!

Sweeeet!

Hellooooo nurse!

The famous Pin Up artist Olivia, who’s wonderful illustrations of beautiful women have been gracing the pages of Playboy and Heavy Metal for years!  Well, as it turns out, she is a big influence on Geo.  I can see why! I mean wow!  Just look at how stunning her pieces are! Wonderfully executed works of art that really capture the beauty of women that we all love so much!

Ahooogah!

Big Guys of the world UNITE!

Geo and I share many things in common. Besides the whole artist writer thing we are both also big intimidating looking dudes with deep voices. We look like fugitives from a Wookie convention. We get crap from people all the time. The cool thing is when we get tired of it we just squash the little runts. Most guys like us are bouncers, cops and hired muscle not artists! So we throw people off everywhere we go. I like that.

Geo by Raul

Remember in the last podcast, we found out people mistake Geo for being Samoan! That’s a group of folks famous for their size and ferocity!

So the next time you a see a huge goon. Be careful. He might draw your picture.

Sheila called.

If you check out the podcast you’ll hear me taking some calls from the audience.  We had a great call from Sheila from West Hollywood.  She runs a “petite” girl’s boutique on Melrose called “The Girly Cue.”

Man what a crazy broad!

What’s on Raul’s desk?

I thought I would share with you guys what I’m currently working on.

First up is a character design for a show I created called Cuddles King of Congo Island.

Meet Dr. Gideon G. Granola.

The Old New Age Guy

Dr. Gideon G. Granola

He’s  the eccentric , some say senile, gazillionaire philanthropist, extreme environmentalist, militant vegan, pacifist, wildlife expert, Dr. G. Gideon Granola.

A relic of the sixties now pushing seventy. His family owns the famous Granola Discount Freight Company and with the profits from said company Dr. Granola funds his crazy expeditions.

And why not? He is after all the world’s top authority in Eco- Biology and officially holds the title ” World’s Oldest Tree Hugger.” If you want proof there is a picture of him at the Smithsonian hugging General Sherman, the world’s oldest and most gigantic Sequoia Redwood, when it was only a sapling! He is into all things hippie and new age and has a strange but very Zen way of looking at stuff.   Meditation is a big part of his life, and he does it often,  both on purpose and otherwise. He goes in and out of “Zen” like trances and after a long,  sometimes uncomfortable pause says…….. “What?”

He is mellow for the most part but gets really really excited about nature! I mean really excited.  He loves nature and everything about it! Even the stuff that could kill you. All the bugs, plants, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals are all equal in his mind. On the other hand if sees someone harming nature  it becomes personal.

His eagerness and spirit have not diminished in his old age. Dr. Granola likes being in the field where he can make things happen, and where his flatulence is less noticeable.

He is forgetful and a little flaky. Did I mention his gold medal in “funny old man Tai Chi?” Its true!

World's oldest tree hugger.

When he announced he would be leading an expedition to find the fabled “Congo Island” everyone laughed and called it folly. But he knew better! Now that he’s found it,  he plans to study and catalog as much of the island’s wonders as he can.  Secretly Dr. Granola is searching for “The Fountain of Youth” Yes that one! He has reason to believe the fountain is on Congo Island and he’s going to find it.

From Fartsy to Artsy. A fine art commission.

This is the charcoal value study for a portrait I have been commissioned to paint. I just finished the drawing last night and am priming my canvas right now.

value study for a portrait commission

Sketching as a performance?! No really I swear!

And here you will find something really really cool that I got involved with  Lily Feliciano at The Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood runs a  Sketch Theater.com. A celebration of the process of sketching! Sketch Theater invites professional artists and films them from above as they draw. Then they speed up the footage and add some cool music making a performance video out of sketching!

Recently I went in to be filmed and Lily just put up my first video!
Check it out!

And now a moment of reflection for the Holidays.

Las posadas by Raul Aguirre Jr.

Each year I make a Christmas card for my wife and I to send out to our friends and family. Here is this year’s card for you Man Vs. Art minions to enjoy. It depicts the Mexican Christmas tradition called Las Posadas or “the inns”

Las Posadas is a yearly neighborhood tradition for Catholic Mexicans that symbolizes the hardship Mary and Joseph endured before finally finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born. From December 16th to the 24th each family in a neighborhood sets up a nativity scene and acting as innkeepers will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home. The neighborhood kids portray pilgrims (peregrinos), who seek lodging by going house to house singing a traditional song.

All the pilgrims carry small lit candles in their hands, and two kids carry small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, on which Mary is riding. At each house the resident sings a refusal for lodging until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter.

Once the “innkeepers” let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray the rosary.Then it’s time for a good old fashioned Christmas hoe down Mexico Style! Children will break open piñatas by striking these colorful paper-maché (traditionally terracotta) objects with sticks while blindfolded to obtain candy hidden inside, and there will be a feast of tamales, buñuelos, and atolé!

Isn’t tradition awesome!

We here at ManVsArt.com would like to wish every single one of you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season and thank you from the bottom of our hears for making Man Vs. Art your choice for art related shenanigans and fun!

Raul and Che.

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