THE RECYCLE OF LIFE!

The first big sneak peek "The Recycle Of Life"  35" X 11" graphite on art board.  In the future of the Robot Industrial Revolution you will assemble your replacement.

I have enjoyed working with graphites and charcoals lately, getting down to the basic light and shadows.  The most important discovery is how different types of board and paper with take graphite and charcoal.   There were a couple false starts on this because the graphite would not get dark enough.  If you are in Telluride Aug 30 through Oct 1st check it out!

THE FUTURE OF THE ROBOT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!

Telluride Co Aug 30 at the Telluride Arts Gallery "The Right Tool For The Job"  Art about the future of the Robot Industrial Revolution.  Right now we are going through another industrial revolution, this time the robots will take all of our jobs and I predict in the future be just as unhappy and disgruntled as us humans.   The show will consist mostly of graphite pieces and one painting; "Talking About The Old Days." 33"X 20" Acrylic on MDF.

WHAT'S NEW FOR 2019!??

Ringing in the new year has always been a pensive time for me.  On the one hand a new year full of possibilities is rolled out in front of us.  On the other hand the anxiety of where will my next gig come from?  That is the new year tension that most freelancers can face, this was much more of a problem when I was starting out not so much now that I have been more established.

Making things happen is always the answer to these types of problems.  Immediately contacting potential clients about projects, and creating art for gallery exhibitions, being proactive is the solution.

This year I have a few things going on, I'm out pitching shows again.  I am working on the sequel to Back To School With Bigfoot, as well as prepping some gallery shows.  I will be doing an art exhibition in Telluride Colorado this August, In February I have the Plus One Show at Art Share LA, and will be participating in a group show at Space Gallery.

There are several personal book projects I am chipping away on, as well as little R&D art pieces I am working on as experiments or proof of concept.   One of the best gifts I received is the new Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars compilation art book from my step daughter.   Ralph was the first production designer I became aware of.  I was huge fan of Star Wars at 12 when it first came out and bought all the fan magazines that showed making of pics and articles.  Even then I was way more into how it was made then consuming the mythology of Star Wars.  Those Sci-Fi movie magazines "Starlog" "Fantastic Films" were my first glimpse into production design, creature sculpting, special effects.  At the time I didn't know that artist were a big part of making movies.  Looking at the early Ralph McQuarrie sketches and seeing how the work evolved into a finished character or environment turned the light on in my head about art & making movies.

Even now I find inspiration in those old drawings and paintings.  There's always some new inspiration out there!   Even if it's old.

Happy New Creative Year!
DP

IDEA TO OBJECT!

If you missed my Idea To Object Museum Exhibition this book is the next best thing!  A Beautiful hardcover volume with hundreds of photos covering the 21+ years of my work.  It is available at my website store.  Just in time to give as a gift for the naughty and nice people on your list!

WHAT HAPPENED TO SUMMER?!?!

Wow, in about 3 weeks the first day of fall will be here!  Where did Summer go?  This year I focused on the preparations for my show; Idea To Object for the Museum Of Art And History in Lancaster CA it is part of the larger Robot Show.  This was an amazing opportunity to have a retrospective of art from the last 20+ years all on display in one room.

Preparing all of the large scale sculptures was what took the most time.  

Fear of Failure Robot had to be hanging most of the time.  Even when resin coated the foam is a bit fragile 

Film Maker Patrick Nissim made an excellent documentary short about my work and philosophy about being a working artist.  Also thanks to many of my art colleagues who were willing to give their time and contribute to the film.  You can watch it here.

Next stop Designer Con in November we will be doing a mini Idea to Object display there.

SAVE THE DATE AUGUST 4TH 2018!

Very Exciting news; This August 4th is the opening of The Robot Show at the Museum Of Art & History in Lancaster California.   My solo exhibition in the main gallery is titled; “Idea To Object” it is a retrospective of my art works from the last 25 years.  The Show runs from August 4th to September 30th 2018.  My narrative of the show is to demystify the creative process, show a glimpse behind the curtain How did that drawing / painting / sculpture / animation come to be created?  As someone whose worked in all these mediums, I've had to figure that out a lot throughout my life. And that's the central question of my upcoming retrospective at MOAH: How does an idea become an object?

In addition to the art their will be a book and a documentary. Also I am recreating my home studio in the museum for the duration of the show It’s quite an amazing opportunity and an honor.  There are also many other talented robot artists in the other gallery rooms.
The opening reception will be Saturday August 4th from 2 to 6 PM Hope you can make it!!!

SHUT UP AND DRAW FIGURE!

My Idea To Object show is coming up in August, as part of the show I will be offering a 8 inch tall printed "Shut Up And Draw!" robot figure, Hand painted by myself and limited edition.  Also with it's own custom Staedler Pencil.

The figure is digitally sculpted by Phil Ramirez and produced by Pretty In Plastic.

Information on ordering this figure will be coming soon!  Also I am sculpting several large robots for the show, as well as a life size Shut Up And Draw! Robot.

There is still more finishing work to be done.   Looking forward to seeing everyone at the show!

THERE'S A BIG MUSEUM EXHIBITION COMING!

This August 4th The Museum Of Art And History in Lancaster California is having a big Robot Exhibition.  They asked if I would participate and create an exhibition for the main gallery space.  Quite an honor and a lot of work to be done, but I am doing it!  The exhibition will include a retrospective of my artwork form the last 20 years, as well as my theme of demystifying the art process, and showing how through learning technique and hard work anyone who wants to can pursue art.

I am sculpting large scale robots, and creating a custom printed robot in partnership with Pretty In Plastic.  The Shut Up And Draw! robot.  This will be an 8 inch tall printed robot that will come with a custom pencil, it will be a limited edition all hand painted by me.  There will also be a book of the show available as well as other special merchandise for the show that will be available at the museum.

For the duration of the exhibition I will move my home studio into the main gallery and work there on selected days. A celebration of whimsical robots It will be a fun time, more information on it's way!

CONJOINED 8 OPENS THIS WEEKEND!

This weekend at Copro Gallery Conjoined 8 With the Tribute To Astro Sloth sculpt.

Plus many other sculpted works by talented and amazing artists. 

A TRIBUTE TO ASTRO SLOTH!

"A Tribute To Astro Sloth"  The complete sculpture.  It finished nicely, I spend quite a bit of time painting and sanding the base to give it the antique finish look.

The Conjoined 8 3D Sculpture Exhibition opens Sat Jan 20th The sculpture will be there with many other talented 3D artists.

I won't be at the opening but it is a fantastic show that will be up until Feb 10.  Enjoy!

ASTRO SLOTH 2018!

Conjoined Sculptural Show January 2018 I will be exhibiting this Astro Sloth bust.  A full size head sculpt, cast in resin and Hand painted, it will be mounted on a pedestal wearing an actual high altitude pressure helmet ready to go bravely into new space adventures.

Sculpted with Medium firm Sulphur Free Chavant Clay.  The lager sculpt was based on the same proportions as the miniature full body sculpt.  

I had to keep checking the fit in the helmet, I would wrap the sculpt in plastic so clay wouldn't rub off on the inside of the helmet 

This is the final head casting next to the first "Trash Cast" on the right.  The trash casting is mostly to clean out the mold and test the batch of resin.  Also it then can be used for painting tests etc.

The final paint was acrylic brushed by hand.  Now I am fitting the helmet and building the base.  More pictures will be posted after the holidays of the finished piece.  

Cheers, and happy holidays!

SHUT UP AND DRAW!

Shut Up And Draw!  The cure for procrastination, as well as a creative call to action.  This pin makes a statement.  I am very happy to present my latest robot enamel pin creation just in time for the holidays.  Shut Up And Draw! will be available in my Dave Pressler Art Webstore this Friday, don't hesitate, buy two in case you loose one!

TIPS FOR INKTOBER!

It is here again Inktober is upon us.  Since I have not been making an ink drawing every day I figure I will share some tips and tricks for old school pen nib and ink drawing.  This type of ink drawing can be intimidating at first but if you practice and keep at it you will find you have much more control, and ability to vary line weight and shape of your pen stroke then most other ink mediums.  By no means am I an expert with these techniques!  There is always something new to learn, just check out some works by a master like Bernie Wrightson such amazing style and execution it makes me want to never pick up a pen again.  That said let's do it anyways.

First the tools I like to use, Hunt Artists Pen nibs, made by Speedball.  I like 104 size for almost all my work.  If you can swing it buy them by the dozen.  Even if you keep your tips very clean they will loose there smooth feeling over time, if it starts to feel scratchy load up a new one.  Experiment with different sizes, there are beginner sets that come with different size handles and pen nibs try them all.

Buy quality ink!  My preference is Super Black by Speedball.  Cheap ink will have inconsistent pigmentation, and flow something that may not be apparent at first but as it dries you will see variations in the density of the black.   This little ink bottle was a gem I found on eBay, it was salvaged from a WW2 German bunker outside of Leningrad, aside from historical significance I love the design, it has a built in grove to hold the pen, I bought a new cork for the top and now it's my go to for all my ink work.  Take that World War 2 Germans!

The piece I was working on is my tribute to Astro Sloth and his dedication to space exploration.

If you have used pen and ink before some of this might be pretty 101 basic stuff, hopefully I can impart some new wisdom for the beginner and experienced inker.  Dip the pen tip about half way then on scratch paper drag a few lines to prime the tip and get rid of any extra ink, the worst thing is to have a big heavy drip of ink hiding on the back of the tip waiting to drop down on your art and ruin everything.  Keep paper towel nearby! 

A very basic exercise make small lines start with more pressure and lighten it quickly to get a nice tampered line.   Controlling your line thickness with pressure is the key to dynamic line weight in your art.

You can get an idea of the combination of thin and thick lines as well as tapered lines to add light and shadow.  Also for some of the very thin lines I will turn the tip slightly so it is more on the edge for a very thin line.

The manner that you hold the pen is crucial to the result.  The way I do it is to kind of lock the pen into my natural wrinkly hand grooves.  Click on the pic to get a better view, the angle of the pen tip to the paper helps, not too high and straight down, more of a low angle, then of course pull the line.  Turn the paper to get the best direction to pull the line or to use the natural curve movement of your hands natural pivot.   Repetition will help you find your most comfortable position.

You can see the varying line weight, and the use of ink cases to pull out the shadows.  The lettering I did free hand, I wanted it to look a bit rough around the edges.

Using guides can be tricky.  The fluid tension of the ink will make it grab on to the guide edge and cause dripping.  Make sure your guide has the bumps to raise it off the paper, the little air gap helps prevent clinging.  Try and drag / pull your line in one confident movement, if you stop and start you might get some uneven line weight, hold the guide down nice and firm, show it who's the boss!

For longer lines if your guide doesn't have bumps tape pennies close to one edge to raise it up.  Practice pulling your lines on a separate sheet of paper before you go for it with the real art.  Always wipe of the edge after every line.

Ink washes!  A tray for Sushi is my preferred ink wash dish, a bit of water and you can always see how light or dark it's going to be.  I use a fine water color brush after the ink line has dried I do a light wash to punch the shadows.

There we go, I hope there were some useful tips here, the best way to learn is just start doing it.

Happy Inktober everybody!

POUR SOME GAS ON THE PROBLEM!

New in the online store now enamel robot pins!  "Pour Some Gas On Then Problem" A robot solution for our modern day issues.  This highly detailed enamel pin is 1 inch tall and 1 inch wide with a shiny brass butterfly clutch back.  Produced by Britt Markey and the Telluride Arts HQ Gallery these pins are sure to go fast.  There are only 10 in stock!  Price includes free shipping.

                                     

ASTRO SLOTH AND THE EXPANSE!

Astro Sloth has a new home the writers room at "The Expanse" the hit show on Syfy Network.
I couldn't be happier that he has found another incarnation as a muse for such a talented team!

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BIGFOOT AVAILABLE TUESDAY!

The day is almost here Back To School With Bigfoot is available this Tuesday June 27th!
It is available at book sellers everywhere and of course Amazon.  Also for those of you in the Los Angeles area all three of us, Samantha Berger, Martha Brockenbrough and myself will be doing a book reading / signing event at the Barnes & Noble at the Grove Mall in August more info soon!

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BIGFOOT!

June 27th 2017 is the official release date of Back To School With Bigfoot written by Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough.  This is my first picture book that I have illustrated so I am very excited to have teamed up with Sam and Martha to create a fun take on back to school anxiety.

The process I use to create the illustrations is a combo of digital and drawing with pencils and paper, best of the old and the new.   Earlier this year when I was in the middle of the job I went over some of the techniques in DRAWING THE LINE

The final drawing before I scan them and color in Photoshop are done with Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencils 3B is my preferred lead.  There are small prints of the previous pages so I can have reference to the characters and layouts I have drawn for previous pages.  An old school light table is my preferred method to get the roughs I made in Photoshop to a final pencil drawing.

The pencil line on paper has an energy that I don't feel that I get from drawing on the 

Wacom Cintique.   Just a personal preference.

Drawings drawings everywhere!  I don't work in a tidy manner.

And here we have it!  In the next post I will do a bit about how I color the pages in Photoshop.

You can pre-order Back To School With Bigfoot on Amazon.

NEW PICS COLOR ASTRO SLOTH!

Better Pictures of the finished Astro Sloth with his name tag and mission patch; 

"First In Space, Last To Leave."

THE COLOR ASTRO SLOTH!

The original Astro Sloth was made with a faux bronze finish, the mini edition of 20 will finish off with 2 special hand painted color editions.

Number 19 and 20 ready for exploration.  They will be available in my webstore the first week of September.  Only 2will be made, hand painted signed and numbered!