I forgot - if there's one publication that reflects "most people," it's the Times Style section.

This blog post has the best picture of Romney I've seen: [link]

I forgot - if there's one publication that reflects "most people," it's the Times Style section.

That's why I could totally relate to their "If you can't afford a $4m penthouse on the UWS, move into a $2m brownstone in Park Slope!" feature in the real estate section a few weeks ago.

That said, I'm pretty sure our nanny does make more than me because she's paid under the table by 2 families. But she also works 12 hours a day taking care of 3 kids under 5, so I'm pretty sure she deserves to get paid more than me.

So some idiot in my neighborhood is putting out squirrel poison. Several dogs have already died from eating it.

WTF? Does this person have no common sense? Or just doesn't care?

Crazy squirrel-phobic bastard....

I forgot - if there's one publication that reflects "most people," it's the Times Style section.

Blargh!

What a fraught topic. I won't preach to the choir, but, yikes!

Anatomical Heart Necklace

My art teacher showed us some of his work yesterday. This was my third class with him, and I had no idea of his style or talent or anything, and I was just blown away. Because what I do is an attempt at literal, and probably the poorer for it. I don't feel like I'm expressive, and I don't feel that I have a style.

His is boom! Style. Not anatomically correct, but the diversions were all purposeful, and with impact. And the amount of form conveyed with his lines, and the expressiveness, and the diverse things he pulled together to say what he was saying...

I just draw a picture of the thing in front of me. I'm only just coming to the bit of exercising discretion about what to include and what not to include.

It was really depressing.

I know it's supposed to be inspiring, but I don't know how to be inspired. I don't know how to get the metaphorical stuff out of me, and I don't know how to put it into a picture.

But yesterday he told me to decide on a focal point. Pick somewhere in the picture to draw the eye, and use some sort of method to make sure the viewer's attention kept coming back there. Now, I'll do that when I'm taking a picture, deliberately, through choices made with focus and composition. But I rarely do it in drawing, where I theoretically have so much more control.

And half the ways he told me to do it sounded scary and like they'd definitely mess up the picture, but I stuck my tongue out and picked a focal point, and worked it, and 20 minutes later he came back and said "Is that your focal point?" And, lo, it was. So...something took.

Maybe next time I'll work out what's a *good* focal point, and what are good ways to create focal points, but...baby steps.

My friend Dave Nelson (from my Fantagraphics days) had a dynamic drawing style, so expressive. He was all about having the drawing be almost the record of his sparring match with the paper with his charcoal. (He was a kickboxer too.) His style was a lot like what you'd imagine Bill Sienkiewicz's pencils might look like.

With Jaime Hernandez I'm always aware of both the fluidity and the weight of his line. With somebody like Crumb his cross-hatching can seem exactly like his personality - sort of obsessive and cranky, neurotic and raw.

Sienkiewicz sketch cards.

You should come and visit me in Brooklyn, David.