ILLUSTRATORS VERSUS FINE ARTISTS

Why is there an ongoing battle between illustration and more traditional drawing or painting? Throughout my studies in college I have had some teachers who criticize students for drawing in a more illustrative manner. I understand in the educational scenario that students should work on anatomy and realism while we have the model in front of us. But there are plenty of artists out there today that are getting many commissions and sales as an illustrative artist.

Now, there is a difference between illustrative drawing and cartooning. Cartooning is typically when the subject matter is making a statement or story with the figures not being correct anatomically. Cartoon in the Fine Art sense actually refers to the full design or plan drawn out for a full scale painting or drawing. Illustration in the art world can me two different things as well: illustrating can refer to decorative or explicative images that compliment text, or it can refer to simplified and outlined figures that are anatomically correct.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Henri_de_Toulouse_Lautrec.Troupe_de_Mlle_Eglantine.JPG)

Illustration has changed a lot recently and is now becoming a more popular art form. But Artists like Henri Toulouse-Lautrec were known for their illustrative works in the late 19^th Century. Some people still consider his artwork paintings or printmaking, but I see it still consider it illustrative because of the forms in the drawings.

A more current artist, Felix Hemme also has an illustrative style that he sometimes uses in a more abstract manner. 

(http://www.felixhemme.com/medias/album/bord-du-lit-1-jpg)

I think illustrative art is becoming more and more recognized as a fine art form. To be honest, I don’t know why people would be upset if illustrative artists were considered fine artists. I admire their work and find it inspiring. So we need to stop being such snobs and start admiring our fellow artists. Let’s try and work towards not being the stereotypical snobby artist like people think of us and work as a team to extend our borders. 

+Let me know if you guys have any suggestions or things you want me to talk about or artists to write about!+ 

DEBATABLE: SKETCHBOOKS

From my experience, teachers of art classes try to ingrain in their students that having a sketchbook is necessary and crucial to success. Having a sketchbook on you at all times = success in the art world. I understand how this works because there have been times where I am about to fall asleep and had a great idea to write down or sketch out and my sketchbook is down by the TV. But then again I know many people who don’t use any sort of a sketchbook and don’t write anything down. Now these people are still successful so can we really relate that back to whether or not they use a sketchbook? 

Yes I agree, it depends upon the person. I am very forgetful so I have my sketchbook at hand (almost) all the time. But then again, I rarely draw in my sketchbooks instead, I write things out. Like I said in my mini bio, it helps me understand things better and I visualize everything in my head so a small detailed description is all I need to remember.

Some people use their sketchbooks as if they are their brains, scribbling everything down and constantly doodling mini masterpieces. I honestly wish I could be one of those artists. But are these people always going to be more successful than people who just write words down or people that don’t even own a sketchbook? 

Let’s look at some examples.

-Claude Monet used his sketchbooks to draw, often times whatever surrounded him or inspired him. http://www.clarkart.edu/exhibitions/monet/sketchbooks/

-Mexican director Guillermo Del Torro uses his sketchbooks for mainly writing things down but he also includes some sketches

http://flavorwire.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sketchbook11.png

(For further pictures of famous artists sketchbooks heres a good group I found this interesting post: http://flavorwire.com/232810/inside-the-sketchbooks-of-famous-artists)

I guess it comes down to personal preference. My boyfriend is very successful at his art but because his work is all electronic he finds that he doesn’t need to write anything down. In my opinion, he should still write down the process and therefore he can easily duplicate processes or fix them down the road. But, for him, it works.

What do you guys think?

CALLING YOURSELF AN ARTIST

Let’s face it, most people struggle with identity their entire life. Some people deal with it by writing songs about it (Think back to Neil Diamond’s “I am… I Said”, or for all of you Disney fans Christina Aguilera… er I mean Mulan in “Reflection”). Even some hugely talented artists don’t consider themselves artists. In my Senior Seminar class we discussed how important it is to call yourself an artist and own it. Many people believe the opposite, that calling yourself an artist means you’re not a real artist (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070104073418AAOLVvD) This is related to the stereotype of calling yourself an artist being a horrible and stuck up thing to say. Every artist experiences the critic who will deny you just because you’re an artist. Whether their reasoning is because you aren’t intelligent because you “doodle all day” or because “you’re career path is going nowhere”. These people are idiots. Let’s think about it for a second: we draw all day because it’s our passion and passions are what drive us to keep going no matter what. One of my teachers once told me that our passion as artists is so amazing because we’re willing to work anywhere just to be able to work on our art. Plus let’s face it we deal with critics all the time, why should this critique hurt us? Well yes this one is not just about our artwork but about our lives, and for some people art is why we wake up in the morning or the only time that our minds calm down. So I say stay own it.

No matter what career path you choose you will find people who fake their way into it, it’s just life. But genuine artists shouldn’t be looked down upon for calling themselves artists or believing in themselves and what they do. Art is a passion. Passions are things that people cannot take from you. Calling someone a fake artist just because their art isn’t what you would consider art doesn’t mean it isn’t art. There are plenty of different types of art, it isn’t just painting and sculpture anymore. There has been pop art, architectural art, outsider art, sand art, glitch art, you name it. Not considering Nam June Paik an artist is like not considering Ma Rainey a blues singer.

If you’re an artist, own it. Believing in yourself and what you do is only going to make things easier. People don’t need to understand what you do, hell I don’t understand why someone would want to be a doctor, but we need doctors. Artists see the world in a different way, calling yourself an artist doesn’t change anything for anyone else, it only changes how you see yourself. When I was writing my mini bio in the last blog entry I felt so weird writing that I was an artist. But whether I think my stuff is good enough to be considered an artist doesn’t matter, it’s in my mindset and it’s my passion.

EVERYONE'S GOTTA START SOMEWHERE

Have you ever thought about how things have started in your life? How you first met your significant other? Your very first class at college? The first time you used your laptop? Watching the first episode of your favorite TV show for the first time? It’s always a very contemplative moment. Whether it’s followed by excitement or nerves, everyone still is very unsure about things for the first time. That describes trying this whole blog thing for me right now. Yes, I write for myself sometimes but this is going to be totally different. This is also for you, whoever you are, wherever you are, I hope to inspire you (cliché, I know). So I guess we should get on with it…

This blog is going to be about art. I’m going to bring up debates and spark conversations. I am going to rant, and share my opinion. But I want to have it be a shared experience and not just some random-ass writer talking to you through a computer screen. So let’s start with a mini bio:

I’m Aisling and I am currently in the last semester of my senior year in college. I major in Studio Art and have always been more visually inclined. I consider myself a drawer (not the kind that holds clothes) but I also paint and experiment with installation. Besides creating, I also am very much interested in the history behind artists’ lives, the many movements, and the techniques things are created. I feel that as an artist it’s important to surround yourself with not only information about a specific piece but the history behind it. I have many interests other than art as well that may or may not leak into this blog like video games and feminism (I also have an impressive Peter Pan collection). 

In general, writing things out has always been a way for me to understand myself and situations I find myself in. But, writing for myself is only half of it, the other part is interacting with you, I really do find what I am learning fascinating and I know there are other people out there that will find it interesting as well. I have a lot of issues and questions with the art world, so hopefully we’ll have a conversation and you can help me out as well. And whether or not you’re a closet art lover or you wear it on your sleeve, I hope we all gain some insight into the arts.