see kyle draw

January 10, 2005

[a master at all that he SURVEYS] ^{9:48 PM}

I just bought a little plastic table that I can paint on. I can get it however messy as I want, and it won't matter, because it's my plastic painting table. I've also been taking advantage of some sales around me and snagging a lot of canvases to work on, but I've reached a very odd space in my head: at the moment I'm currently unemployed and have all the time in the world. I'm living off a small amount of saved up money wanting to work on beefing up my portfolio before I begin psychotically tracking down work.

Thing is, I kinda hate my portfolio. I'm sick of looking at all of it, and I've inadvertantly put a lot of pressure upon myself by saying "this blank peice of paper here, when I'm through with it, will represent me as an artist and a person."

Since I'm completely non-objective about my own work as it stands right now, I thought that while I slave away on new projects, that you, my infinitely fun reader, could help me review my old work. Generally a portfolio is about 10-12 of your best pieces, and since I have about 40 posted online, I figured asking for help wouldn't be the worst idea. If anything the results should be interesting.

If you've got some time, hop over to here and here and tell me (via a comment or email) what your favorite pieces are.

Thanks Kids!

1. Natural Ink
2. Bipolar
3. Vroom No 32
4. The boys in the band (set)
You also posted a Painting around Halloween that I don't see here that I liked a lot. Good Luck with the portfolio. You are always your own worst critic.

Posted by: orbicon at January 10, 2005 10:39 PM

Silent Sigh is very moving. You really captured a sense of lonliness in this on.
A Rush of Blood to the Head moves me.
And
Nature Boy because it is really sexy.

Love your stuff! Good luck with the job hunt.

Michael
trynottopanic.blogspot.com

Posted by: Michael at January 10, 2005 11:44 PM

Hey Kyle, welcome to the west coast. These ones I think are the most commercially appealing:

the boys in the band
low pressure system
world on fire
blood drive
tousled
fear itself
vroom No. 32
aerodynamite
bipolar
davey jones' locker

tousled seems like it could belong in a line of illustrations for hair care products. The others are all strong drawings or I could see them on a product or advertising something.

Hope that helps!

Posted by: Chris T. at January 11, 2005 2:22 AM

Rather than chime in with a list (mine would be a long one) I thought I'd point out that setting out to create a representative masterpiece is just about the most frustrating and depressing thing you can do to yourself. What I've found with my own history of drawing and now of photography is that you're rarely aware you're creating a master work at the time. It's only later that you look back with bemused wonder at the Thing you Created. Of course, that's a little frustrating in itself. I have zero doubt that you will succeed, my friend. So don't sweat the details. You'll get there just by going out there.

Posted by: mischiff at January 11, 2005 3:22 AM

'Forty Miles from the Sun', 'Silent Sigh' and 'Ponder' because they echo with my soul. 'Hazardous' because I think I've dated him too many times now... Wish I'd been watching and bought some of the above - are you going to start selling prints again soon? Greg

Posted by: Greg White at January 11, 2005 6:34 AM

Ok, I taught college graphic design for a while and what I always wanted to see in a portfolio was breadth, not just "my best works" (which is difficult and depressing to try to figure out, and kinda dumb, because everyone has faves.)

Breadth can be stylistic, topical, "serious/fun/commercial", medium, size, color. Unless you're targeting your portfolio at just one genre, you want some of each. So here are my picks, in no particular order:

Virginia Woolfe
40 miles from the sun
Natural ink
either Boys in the Band or the halloween series (as a set)
Nature Boy
Bipolar
Daddies
Hazardous or Ponder, or maybe both
Mr. Bloom
Burn
A couple other things you *love* with your heart, not your head.

Think of it as making a mix CD. Look at everything from a distance. And good call getting other people who love you and your work and who don't live inside your head to do some of this for you!

Posted by: Emily at January 11, 2005 9:42 AM

I'm sure I'm like everyone that comments on your Artwork, but I love it all. If I have to pick favorites the list is:

1. Valentin (all time fav)
2. the last one of the night
3. Somedays I feel like Virginia Woolf
4. Vroom no. 32
5. First Snow
6. Nature Boy
7. Romeo
8. Bipolar
9. Daddies
10. Velvet Mafia
11. Behind the Red Curtain
12. Ponder

I know its more then you wanted. C'est La Vive! I'm A) glad to see another fellow DC escapee settle in Southern California, and B) now that your closer I can't wait for a show in a gallery.

Okay enough sucking up for now .

Posted by: Fred at January 11, 2005 11:23 AM

Great work, it's difficult to make a selection, but here my attempt:

Natural ink (my favorite),
Nature boy,
Bipolar,
World on fire,
Virginia Woolf and
aerodynamite

Good luck

Posted by: Steven at January 11, 2005 12:10 PM

If I were gonna choose 3 just for portfolio's sake, I'd haffta go with the vampire/ambulace pic, the Homosexual wedding cake, and the guy with the 10 on his arm. To me, all 3 of these would work in "real world" publications. The rest, while great, dont "sell" me anything. To me, the portfolio should sell itself. Good luck in the job market waistlands!
ooo
Joseph

Posted by: Joseph Patrick at January 11, 2005 1:50 PM

Some of the ones that have sold have GREAT paint techniques, like:
Rolling Rock
Natural Ink
On Target

I love it when you let the paint do what it wants and give up some of the control.

The more graphic directions are good too, like:
Vent
Taking the cake

You sound kinda burned out on your direction...

What about combining techniques? Paint a texture, scan it in or cut it out and contrast the graphic, clean nature of the composition with the texture of the paint? You kinda cut out things on some of them, but rather hid the seams a bit. Use 'em!

Also, you can get some great textures painting really wet gouache over gesso and sanded acrylic. *(Then Crystal Clear it heavily before continuing on to keep the paint there)

What do you think of Joe Sorren? or Natalie Ascenecios? I can totally see you going thicker with the acrylic and producing yet another direction of kick-ass stuff.

Posted by: m@ at January 11, 2005 9:47 PM

actually: the happy holidays snowman you had in December. sell those as xmas cards next year and i'll buy.
silent sigh, wedding cake, davey jones locker and the first snow/little Prince

best o' luck in the land of autographs and sunglasses

Posted by: sean at January 12, 2005 9:09 AM

some of my favorites are valentin, rolling rock, behind the red curtain, and david x. there are some that were posted on sparkology that you haven't put on the new site that i really loved too, but i can't remember their names. anyway, i hope that helps you. good luck!

Posted by: hampton at January 14, 2005 12:31 AM

Glad to hear you're settling in to the West Coast and that things are happening and phones are ringing.

In no order
Vroom 32
Last One
Mercury Mars
Fear Itself
Escape Artist
Boy Blue
World on Fire
Davey Jones's Locker
Captian Awesome and the Wonderfriends whoops :)

Posted by: Kenneth at January 14, 2005 9:49 AM

Kyle, I have to concede with a lot of what was said here. After having bought a few prints, the one I get the most comments on are "World on Fire" and "There There." However, something you don't have on the new site that everyone has always really loved (and are my personal faves)were your superheroes collection.

Posted by: freddy joss at January 14, 2005 11:20 AM

natural ink
tainted love
nature boy
forty miles from the sun
world on fire
aerodynamite
silent sigh
fear, itself
ponder
david x

you'd think with how much loving i do of your stuff that i'd own at least a print. i'm a bad bad person. and mostly just waiting until i can afford to buy a whole bunch and save on shipping costs.

moral of the story - paint more originals and have discounts on postage to australia and you'll make me a very happy girl.

Posted by: meep at January 18, 2005 11:34 PM

January 10, 2005

[a master at all that he SURVEYS] 9:48 PM

[a master at all that he SURVEYS] ^{9:48 PM}