Hey guys!
Hoping you are all doing well and being productive. And escaping this heat! Oh my goodness. 5 years and I'm still not used to it.
Anyway, because there's an actual point to this post, I'm gonna get into it.
One of the great things about having a group of artists in an area are the awesome opportunities you get to not just hang out, but learn from each other! The time that I improved over the shortest amount of time was when I spent every weekend with a local group in the San Fran area called B.A. A.U. , short for Bay Area Artists Unite.
B. A.A.U. was just a group of artists, just like us, who shared a common interest in comics, cartooning, and animation. Some of them attended my school, others were completely self taught, and ALL of us loved hanging out.
We would sit in an open area of a mall in Japantown and, well...draw!
Doing this, we shared methods, taught discoveries and different ways to do things. Those who weren't in school learned things the art students learned in class, and we all encouraged each other to keep drawing. Essentially we taught each other to improve.
I think it was this group and doing things like this that I miss the most about California. I made lasting friendships and saw my skill skyrocket. Just because I was having fun!
I suppose the point of this long winded proposal (I can write novels sometimes), is wondering what you all thought about doing something like this?
It, of course, doesn't have to be every week, maybe once a month or once every other month. Doesn't mean there can't be any "unofficial" meets if people want to get together more than that.
The Hoover Library, where my boyfriend currently works in the Children's Department, has opened up their Plaza, which not only houses a quiet reading room, bookstore, and coffee shop, but also is a wonderful place to sit and do things, and has ample room for something like this. I spend a lot of time here just to get out of the house. :D
Now, we likely won't be able to reserve an area, but I also know that there is nothing that states we cant meet up on our own either. And because Josh works there (Hopefully I will be as well soon! Fingers crossed!) I will know ahead of time if there are any library programs happening in the Plaza, so we can figure out a time to gather where we wont be stepping on peoples toes.
I would have no problem gathering more information, as well as looking into things people wish to learn more about (like figure drawing and anatomy, or computer programs, or different media to work with).
This, of course, all depending on what you guys think and if it sounds interesting to anyone. So let me know! You guys have any ideas, too? Speak up! We've all got nothing to lose and a lot to gain!
Stay cool, 'Bamians!
left to right: Shaun Burnett and Tim Rocks. Shaun, it looks like you brought some art that I didn't even get to look at! Next time, we'll put all our stuff around the wall and on the table, then we'll all walk around and peruse our own little gallery show, so we don't miss stuff . . . Tim, you look hilariously surly! I know Tim, and I promise he's a nice guy. Check out his left (our right) hand. It's a quintessential cartoon hand, right out of a Mickey Mouse cartoon! His thumb is a perfect silhouette, with the classic jutting knuckle. And his pinky is sticking out a bit more than the other fingers, to avoid monotony!
If only we had a bigger table.
Rockin' wives.
Jamison Harper and Tim Rocks. It looks like an optical illusion wherein Jamie's a giant, but that's no trick photography. He actually has a gargantuan head.
Jamie: Heath, you're just going to have to do better. You're a complete disappointment.
