The Drawing Club by Bob Kato : Book Review

The Drawing Club: Master the Art of Drawing Characters from Life by Bob Kato will help you change the way you think about drawing characters in 2D.  This is not just a book for professional artists but for anyone who is looking for inspiration and to benefit from the great advice offered in this book.

I was lucky enough to attend the Artist panel at Comic Con this year

Bob Kato  Karl Gnass  Mark McDonnell and  Dan Cooper

and get a chance to ask questions and talk to Karl Gnass,

Mark McDonnell,  Dan Cooper and

Mark McDonnell and Dan Cooper

Bob Kato.  I had a chance to listen to Bob Kato speak at the San Diego Comic Con 2014 show after

his panel presentation.  He talked about how at the Drawing Club the artists are given the opportunity to view and draw a costumed person while getting a chance to continuously develop their story telling skills.  For those who cannot attend one of the Drawing Club session, this book is a good opportunity to learn from such a gifted artist.

The Drawing Club: Master the Art of Drawing Characters from Life is not one of those "how to draw books".  The author wrote this for artists who can already draw and want to build on their skills.  He does not specify the skill level but offers great direction for even the inspiring artist to be able to gain some great insight on how to translate life from 3d to the paper (2D).  I especially love that the book includes a gallery of images from different artists that clearly displays how these different artists' personal perception allows for the character to develop their own unique personalities.

  

This is not a “step-by-step” drawing book but more of an inspirational book. Bob Kato provides some really interesting exercises in the book to help the artist develop confidence through the exercises by trying new things or looking at a project with a different point of view.  The book is set up to help the artist learn how to work outside their comfort zone to translate their character from 3d onto the paper and tell a story through their drawings.   

From reading this book I learned that if I want a drawing to evoke feelings and tell a story with my drawings then that can be achieved with style.  The book taught me the importance of using lines to show the mood of the character. If the character is angry, then I want to draw it angry but I also need the lines in my drawing to be crisp and sharp to evoke that emotion when the viewer sees my drawings.  

One of my biggest passions in life is going to costumed events and taking photographs of people at these events in their elaborate costumes; I am looking to branch out and start sketching from my photos.  While I don’t have the time to get out and sketch from life, I am looking forward to using the inspirations from this book to develop my personal style and try to start sketching from the photos that I have taken.

The Drawing Club book is an amazing inside peek into an aspect of the Hollywood World; many of the artists who attend are working professionals who just come to the drawing club to practice.  Don't let that daunt you.   You don’t have to be a professional to enjoy the experience of drawing people from real life and this book gives wonderful insight as to how to apply style, lines, and other aspects to your drawings.  The Drawing Club book is about drawing from life and learning to think differently so you can develop your own voice when drawing your character onto paper.  The book goes into how style, lines, atmosphere, anatomy, inspiration, and working outside your own comfort zone is helpful in developing your improvisational skills to tell a story with your drawings. 

Free Lion Brand Yarn Crochet Pattern Book for your kindle on Amazon this week.

If your looking for some simple crochet patterns, Amazon has a great deal on a kindle book from Lion Brand's New Fall Collection: 15 Free Crochet Scarf Patterns, Afghan Patterns, and More which has some great patterns that are fairly easy to follow.  The Kindle book is temporarily free as of 8/1/2014, so I would download it quickly before they raise the price.

If you are a beginner, then I also recommend going to YouTube and watching videos on how to easily read patterns and conquer new stitches.

101 Dog Tricks - Kids Edition by Kyra Sundance | Book Review

101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition: Fun and Easy Activities, Games, and Crafts by Kyra Sundance is a wonderful kid orientated dog training book that brings lots of fun to the job of dog training. Trying to get my kids to work with their dogs and train them has always been a chore. A friend recommended this book and we love it. 


The kids have found the dog training tips to be fun and easy to follow. This book does not have a lot extra facts that bore a reader. The author gets to the point and the book includes lots of step-by-step helpful pictures so that the kids can grasp the concepts that she is teaching. The book also has some fun crafts for dogs. We especially love the "Crinkle Dog Toy" that shows how to make a quick and easy toy for dogs. Our dogs love those and making them is so much cheaper than replacing the ones the dogs destroy in their play. We also loved the "Dog Walking Depot" project. We are always searching for the doggy bags, leashes and treats. Now we have one spot to put them all in. We loved this book and can highly recommend it for other families looking to inspire their kids to bond and play more with their dogs.

If you are interested in seeing more of Kyra and her amazing dog, check out the video below.

Labyrinth of Jareth 2014 Fantasy Masquerade Ball & Photos | Review

Labyrinth of Jareth Photos

The Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball offered a wide selection of entertainment and fun.  The Elementals (air, fire, earth, water) provided amazing dance performances throughout the venue.

The Elemental Dancers

There was also wonderful creative selection of costumes worn by both the guests and the actors.  My favorite entertainers were the goblins who provided quite a bit of light hearted comedy.

The fun loving Goblins in their kitchen set.

The Goblins entertained us throughout the venue and interacted all night with the guests.  I loved it when the Goblins (and their fellow entertainers) sang at the end of the evening.  Below is a very short clip of one of the closing songs at the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball.  I was getting jostled a lot so it is a bit shaky.



The Labyrinth Masquerade took place on July 4 and 5th at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California.  The hotel itself is an interesting location to hold an event.  The neo-gothic architecture at this hotel is stunning and is the main reason this hotel has been used as the back drop for many movies and television shows.  It is a great backdrop for this ball.

At the same time, since it was built in 1925, it does lack proper air conditioning.  So if you plan to go next  year, take that into consideration when planning your costume.  The folks who put on the show do rent air conditioners but you still need to consider the fact that it is always warm in July and there are a lot of people in attendance.  We usually wear costumes that can worn in layers so we can check our coats/cloaks if it gets too warm.  The only complaint I heard during the ball was the heat.  It is California.  For the past few years, it has been held in July which is always a very warm weekend.  Plan accordingly and you will be able to make the most of the event without suffering from being overly warm in your costume.  A note:  the event does provide an inexpensive coat check and if you forget your mask, they have a mask vendor present with a great selection of masks at a variety of price levels and styles.

Below are just a few photos of the various costumes that I saw at this years event, hopefully they will inspire you to create an amazing costume of your own for that event next year.

As a person who enjoys making and photographing costumes, I really love this event.  I am continually amazed at the creativity by those who attend.

All Masquerade attendees must have a costume or be dressed in formal ball attire with a masque (or make-up that reflects the character).

This maintains the illusion of the masquerade and offers the other attendees a chance to participate in a fun event.

More Goblin Fun

The event offers a great assortment of entertainment throughout the different ballrooms and other areas.  These actors are amazing and stay in character throughout the event.

In back outdoor area there were aerial artists performing their amazing show for the guests.

In the garden area, they had a mermaid, who interacted with the guests.

This year we bought tickets for the pre-show, which allowed us to go in early.  I enjoyed the entertainment offered during the pre-event and the light snack menu that they served the guests.

The Elves

The pre-show is held outdoors so guests can enjoy the beautiful California weather and the well decorated garden area.

Choir

They had a two choirs who performed that were fabulous. One of which was a wizards choir.  I love the leather headpieces that each of these actors are wearing.

The Masquerade Ball Labyrinth of Jareth 2014 Fantasy Masque Event is truly a spectacular event.  The entertainment is first class, the performers interact with the guests throughout the event.  Since many of the guests are also actors and/or entertainers, they are also a lot of fun and tend to perform in the role of the costumed character they are representing.  If you love costuming, have an extensive collection of costumes you want to show off or just love a good party, then give this a try.  It is an experience like no other and a lot of fun.

Indoor Shooting Photo Tips

Since I am attending so many indoor events, getting a decent photo has been quite a challenge.  So I spoke to a few photographers that I know and I got this tip from my friend Cory (who is an amazing photographer).  He recommends shooting indoors with a   Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital DSLR Camera lens.




Here is a pic of an indoor photo using my current lens 15-100 Nikon. It is obviously not good for indoor, low light shooting.

The Sigma 17-50 mm lens is supposed to let in a lot of light.  It is a wide to standard zoom with a fast aperture and lets in a ton of light.   I ordered this lens and will let you know how well it works for me. Hopefully I will get better results than I am currently getting with my other lens.

Fearless Drawing by Kerry Lemon : Book Review

Fearless Drawing: Illustrated Adventures for Overcoming Artistic Adversity by Kerry Lemon
teaches a new way to look at the world and gives tips on how to draw it through your own eyes. I love when Kerry Lemon (author) explains that she is Absorbed in the process of creating art and not a camera.  She states that her work is not a carbon copy of the world. Instead each drawing she does is a representation of her perspective of what she sees.   I have taken many drawing classes where I was expected to duplicate what the instructor had drawn.  I found the author's approach to be refreshing.




She later goes on to explain that she created this book to help people discover their own style. The book is set up so that the reader can actually draw right onto it. The supply list is simply. The first lesson is how the way you hold a pencil affects the type of line you create. She makes the process fun. 

I would recommend this book for anyone who has a fear of drawing or needs to learn some drawing techniques in a non-threatening manner. The upbeat tone of the author really enhances the experience of completing each adventure (chapter). This was a fun read for both my daughter and myself and we highly recommend it. As the video will show, there is no fancy artwork. Instead there are a lot of great lessons and tips to define your own drawing style and interpretation.  The book is designed so that the reader can work on the section of his or her own choice and pace.

Route 66 Treasures by Jim Hinckely: Book Review

Route 66 Treasures: Featuring Rare Facsimile Memorabilia from America's Mother Road by Jim Hinckley is a treasure trove of memorabilia, as well as offering a colorfully styled book that features some great photos of Route 66 Icons, Menu Reproductions and more.




If you are fan of Route 66 Memorabilia, then you will enjoy this book. I have made a short video of what is in the book to give you a better idea of some of the great photos, signage and more that is included in this hard cover book.




I initially got it so my daughter could use it to do a report on Route 66 for school. The books we looked at were kind of boring and more historical in nature, which is good but try getting a kid to read one. As you can see from the video, this book is colorful and full of cool reproductions of ads, restaurant menu's, photos and more from iconic sites on Route 66. There is also a small map included as well as some fun post cards. My daughter really enjoyed flipping through this book and using it as a great historical reference for the visual part of her report.

What sold me on this book is that the editors presented the material with such flare in their choice of page designs, as wells the representation of the signage, architecture and interior design of the many landmarks in Route 66. There is also an envelope in the back with reproduction ephemera that my daughter was able to use for her report. After she gets the pieces back, I can use them to incorporate into my mixed media art projects. This book is a great coffee table book and/or a gift for the Route 66 fan in your life.