Red Ink Rising: Navigating the Perils of Public Debt

The article discusses global government debt and the inevitable collapse of government under the weight of this debt if something isn’t done to reduce it. The concept here is “poor leadership.” The shepherd (government) is surrounded by his flock of sheep (the economy) that have been almost entirely consumed and replaced by wolves (the debt).

Kuraka Bwana

As Its Economy Sprints Ahead, China's People Are Left Behind

No Figure Drawing Tonight!

Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be no figure drawing tonight at TAD RVA. We will also be taking next week off for Thanksgiving. Thanks for your understanding, and we'll see you after the holiday.

Hekima

Wafu

Ugonjwa

Shetani

Some Fellow Artists

In between working at the TAD studio, I sneak a peek at the other artists to see what they're working on. From where I'm sitting, I see guys like Jeff Love and Ben Sack working nonstop on some awesome pieces. If I ever need inspiration, all I have to do is look up and see these artists working hard.

Ua

Theluji

This is another piece from my side project of faces inspired by the photography of Hans Silvester. This one started off with no real direction other than technique. The face had more features, but I decided to obscure them with this scale pattern, which I’ll probably be using more. While working, it eventually gave me a feeling of winter-time, and with it already being close to freezing down here in Virginia, I thought it’d be fitting.

Buluu. Acrylic, Graphite, Digital, 8 x 10”, 2011

This piece is part of a self-driven side project of portraits. Visually, this series was inspired by Hans Silvester’s photography of the people of the Omo Valley in Africa. They decorate themselves with bright stark paint, flowers, leaves and fruits. I’ll be experimenting with my drawing, digital and painting sensibilities and trying to bridge them together. I already discovered a couple new ways to work with this piece which is the reason why artistic experimentation is a must for any creative that wants to stay motivated, fresh and unique. As I work on this series and build my visual library, I hope to get some of it into my final illustration work and the rest of the 12 portfolio pieces.

On a side note, Supersketch at Quirk Gallery last Wednesday was awesome and I can’t wait to do it again. Thanks to Emerald Grippa and everyone at Quirk Gallery for giving us good drinks and an open place to draw. To top it off, I sold a sketch that night as well.

I also just found out that I will be working on a comic project that will be out sometime next year. Once I know what I can and can’t share, I’ll reveal more details.

Oil Painting and Master Copies

Wow, I haven't posted anything here in a while!  I've been busy, but that's not an excuse!!

I changed my blog's name from "hodgeepodgee.blogspot.com" to "juliahodgesillustration.blogspot.com".  I also got a tumblr, but I have yet to figure it out.  It's at "juliahodgesillustration.tumblr.com".

I've decided that I'm going to post more of what I do, not just stuff I'm proud of.  I've had a ton of failures, but those failures are very important to me and I learn a lot more from them than my successes.  It's also an effort to be more transparent.

In the Fine Art and Illustration branches of TAD, the students have done a lot of master copies.  I copied these from copies that I got printed to size (makes everything so much easier, copying from a small screen to a large painting just doesn't translate for me), and then looking at the computer copy to get what I couldn't get from the print, mostly the colors.  

Supersketch at Quirk

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Supersketch event at Quirk Gallery last night! Fun times were had by all. I even sold a sketch! Check out these awesome photos of last night by the great Lauren Lyon.

From l-r: Chris Visions, Me, Eric Pfeiffer, Will Godwin, Jeff Love, Cathryn Hutton

Supersketch at Quirk Gallery

I will be participating in "Supersketch", a live drawing event, at Quirk Gallery (311 W. Broad St.) in Richmond, Virginia this Wednesday October 19th from 6 - 9 pm. I will be doing some strange things, so come on out and watch me try to salvage a drawing from the mess I make.

Richie's Introduction

I'm Richie Pope, a freelance illustrator from Richmond, VA. I'm part of the Career Mentorship program here at the TAD RVA POD (not enough acronyms). This semester I will be working on 12 editorial pieces as a basis to build my new portfolio. After that, I'll create a cohesive website, promo material and put my work out there. You can check out my new art blog here.

This piece was for the Honors Studio class with Sterling Hundley. The first assignment was to pick from two stories and create a half-page black-and-white editorial piece. The really cool thing about this is that the articles were from the Progressive and the AD, Nick Jehlen, was there for our class critique. No pressure, right?

The story I picked was The Fading Diary of the Human Race, describing how local governments are closing down libraries for budget cuts.

The author talked about frequenting the New York Public Library, so I used the imagery of the marble lions, Patience and Fortitude, being led away on a leash to symbolize the libraries being taken away.

Blue Collar/White Collar

Blue Collar/White Collar

October 14th, Society of Illustrators New York, lecture with Sterling Hundley.

Join us for an evening with the award-winning illustrator Sterling Hundley as he discusses his impressive career with such clients as GQ, Communication Design, Inc., Entertainment Weekly, HarperCollins, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Tor Books, Texas Monthly, The Village Voice and many more.

Sterling will also be introducing his new book Blue Collar/ White Collar. This retrospective monograph is embellished with process while showcasing Hundley’s commercial work and fine-art career. Hundley employs materials from traditional (printmaking, oils, acrylics) to digital, in creating his idea-driven solutions. The result? Work that lies between a blue collar ethic and white collar aesthetic.

A book signing and cocktail reception will follow.

Tickets

$20 Non-Member $15 Member $10 Student

So Far, In The Art Department

It's about time that I introduce myself to you all! I'm Allison Smith, and I'm currently in The Art Department's one year career mentorship program. I hope to have a career in visual storytelling through comics and animation, two loves of mine for as long as I can remember. Since August, it has already been an incredible experience, from attending the Kansas City summer workshop to churning out art 24/7 at the Richmond POD. This year, I'm set on working as hard as I can, posting my work and progress on this site, and meeting fellow (and future) TAD students like myself.

To start off, I've been enjoying our weekly figure drawing sessions. I can see the difference in my work just from doing these exercises. Drawing from life gives me the most inspiration.

Because the career mentorship program is very self-driven, I've been working on an ambitious but exciting project. Here's a teaser of my work-in-progress. I can't reveal too much, so more will be revealed soon...Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this post!

Allison Smith

Okkervil River (richmond)

Here is a new poster I designed and printed for Okkervil River.  I haven't screen-printed in a couple years, so it was a fun challenge to bust out over 100 of these things.  2 colors at 18" by 24", all signed and numbered.  There are a limited amount that I have for sale for $20, so shoot me an email if you would like one.
It's always a pleasure to work with a group of stand-up people that create great music that I respect.  They also put on a terrific live performance, so check them out if possible.
Below is the original drawing, done on location at the Main Street Train Station here in Richmond.  Also, some close shots of the prints.

People's Blues

A new poster for some friends.  Great live show, so if you're in the area, check 'em out!

Landscape Painting at Maymont

Ally Hodges, Josh George, and I went out to Maymont early this morning to do some landscape painting and drawing. It was nice to get out of the studio and hang out/draw/paint with some great friends on a beautiful day in Richmond.

No Figure Drawing 9/1/11

TAD RVA will not be holding figure drawing tomorrow as we will all be at Ghostprint Gallery for Josh George's show, which you should go to. Thanks, and we'll see you next week!

Poster for sale

If you're interested in purchasing my limited edition Okkervil River poster, you can do so from their website, HERE.  Get em while the gettin's good!

big & rich

Sterling Hundley at Baltimore Comic-Con

Sterling went to the Baltimore Comic-Con on Sunday to promote his new book "Blue Collar/White Collar" from Adhouse Books - for more info go to the Adhouse Books website.

Figure Drawing Thursday August 18th

Figure Drawing at TAD RVA has started again - come join us this Thursday from 7-10 pm for only $5. That's right, for the old price for 2 hours you get one hour free!

trace adkins, easton corbin poster

A Sort of Goodbye

As I have completed the Career Mentorship program at TAD RVA, I will no longer be posting my artwork on this blog - you can follow my work at my blog, my website, or my twitter. In my new role as studio assistant for TAD RVA I will be posting news and events relating to the studio here.

This past year has been an extremely transformative one for me. The goals that I set myself at the beginning of the program, to have a consistent, professional-level portfolio and to make a living from my art, have been successful in ways that I couldn't have imagined a year ago. I would like to thank Sterling Hundley, Josh George, Edward Kinsella, Leslie Herman, Andrew R. Wright, John English, Brent Watkinson, everyone from the Illustration Academy, and TAD for their guidance and support. And a big thank you to you, our readers, for following my work over the past year and all of your encouraging words. I couldn't have done it without you.

Best,

Jeff

1708 monster drawing rally

 Be the freak that you really are.
This painting was for 1708 Gallery to use to promote this year's Monster Drawing Rally.  It will be on all of their PR material having to do with the event.  So keep an eye out for poster and postcards around town.  The event is a really great time, so if you're around Richmond, come check it out and particiate if possible!  Here is the press release for the event.
Below is my piece from last years rally.