Creative Endeavors Blog by Bridgette Mongeon

For students about entering an art show, and Culture Shapers.

2009-11-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

A Great Judging Day at Culture Shapers

Everything was a buzz yesterday at judging. It is good to see the other judges, all in different field but seasoned professionals and some old friends. They all take their judging very seriously and everyone is impressed with the quality of work that comes to Culture Shapers each year. One new judge expressed his impressions over the well-run and very large process that is done by Culture Shapers.

If you think that seeing the final show is inspiring, you should see how much incredible work is there on judging day. There is so much work and many very incredible pieces that never make the final cut. You have heard me say over the years that judging is, many times very subjective. It depends on the judges and their personal likes, their background and training, etc. There were some pieces that I would have liked to advance but I could not.

Suggestions
I always try to add these suggestions to students.

Use the forms provided. Gives us information. Sometimes the information or description that is provided can change a judges view of a piece. For example, if you submitted something in photography and it was developed in a dark room, you should mention that. Or if you were trying to express a certain emotion or were inspired by something tell us!

Go to the extra effort and time in presenting. If you have a great sculpture and it is poorly mounted, it will show and may change our vote for your piece.

Don’t cut corners when creating. When you feel you are tired of your artwork, walk away and come back to it. Rushing through art shows in the finished product. It is better to give the art your full attention until it comes to completion.

It may be too late for you to use some of these suggestion this year, but do pay attention to them next year, and for all the shows that you enter.

Judging Process
For those not familiar with the process of judging here is a quick run down.

Each judge ( there are three judges) is given 20 yellow post-its. We walk around the show and place the slips on those piece that we like and that we think should advance to the next round. If another judge has put a post-it on a piece then I might not put mine there. Many times we agree on what should advance and then I hand in extra post-its. If it did not advance there are a few reasons.

It did not compare to the quality of work that we had seen.

You may have not done some of my suggestions that I mentioned earlier.

It got lost amongst the other work. I sculpture this happens a lot. I am so glad there are three judges. Smaller pieces or those that just happened to be placed in a dark area of the room might not get a judges attention.

It may be a part of school project and there are several pieces that look like yours. It is hard to judge these, unless it is spectacular and really stands out.

Then we are given five pink post-its. We can only place these on the pieces that have yellow ones on them already. Oh this year I walked back and forth between two pieces that I liked, one was with a bird cage and hand and the other was i think titled “Heaven and Hell.” I put it on one and I was so sorry I did not have two pink slips. It was then that I noticed that another judge had marked another one that I had liked. I asked permission to move my pink slip and that allowed me to advance both of these pieces.

Then the pieces are lined up. We are then given our slips of paper that we write our comments on. I must interject, if you have come this far your work is superior. The forms however give us a numbering system and the words “below average, average, etc.” I hate this and cross them off of my sheet. I wish Culture Shapers would delete them. For us judges it is just a numbering system and should not be called “below average.” As I said, if you have made it this far that term should not be used. Now this is my opinion and I hope one day to have those off of the forms. Anyway... We go through and look at each piece. I love this part. I get to sit down and become familiar with your work, to really examine it. This is where you can sway me by your quality, and words. Each judge hands in their numbered pages and we go to lunch and wait for them to add them up and them put them in numerical order.

We are not aloud to speak to each other until the final round- after all the artwork is lined up. This is an essential part of judging, especially in sculpture. Many times there are many different mediums. I count on my fellow judges to point out details, difficulties and intricacy in each of their favorite pieces. Pieces can be moved on this final table but only three spots. Usually judges agree. Sometimes they fight for their pieces- your artwork. But it is all still friendly.

In all I loved the choices. Of course in other categories there were some pieces that where last in the finals that I would have put first, but that is again subjective and my own opinion. There was a discussion between us artists if photographs should be used allowed to be used in the drawing section of the show. Some judges were passionate about not allowing photographs. I think they want students to draw from life. I however think using photographs is very good and I know many professional artists that would agree, in fact, both my husband in his work and many other illustrators and artists use photographs as reference. We often take our own photography so that we can get the proportions, lighting etc just right. I’ll even ask my husband, “ Can you strike this pose?” Or he will ask me. Can you hold this medical instrument. For us photography is part of the process. But again that tells how different artists and judges are.

I want to encourage each of you to continue working on your art. For those who want suggestions or critiques or whatever. Please feel free to contact me, but... do not send me anything that you think you might enter in the show in the sculpture category next year as it will have to be disqualified. You can find me on Facebook, check out my websites— Fine art , God's Word Collectible Gift Line. I have also started podcasting and have a new section of the podcasts called Creative Christians. We will be interviewing famous creative Christians. For those interested you can find a list of the podcasts here Or you can listen to them from the God’s word Collectibles Facebook Fans page.

Oh yes, be sure to check out my blog on my website, as I often post articles about Culture Shapers. Last year I also wrote an article about the winners at Best of Artists and Artisans column.

I’m a genius! 3D Printing of the Human Organs?

2009-10-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I’m a genius, or maybe my brain just thinks such radical thoughts that now and again I think like a genius. For those of you who don’t know, my graduate study at Goddard College consists of research that bridges the gap between the traditional studio and new technology. For a sculptor, such as myself, this technology is based on something that I call tradigi sculpting which utilizes both traditional and digital means to create artwork. My research is evaluating digital milling. Digital milling is taking my artwork, scanning it and then enlarging or reducing it to be milled out in foam, wood or stone. Digital printing is another resource and a technology that is quickly growing and changing. It is when a computer and a digital printing machine slowly prints, layer by layer, in 3d. What you end up with is a physical object. Yes, I know it sounds like the replicating machines on Star Trek, but this is not science fiction.

Recently I uncovered the work of both Sebastien Dion from the Center for Applied Technology at Bowling Green University in Ohio and Solheim Rapid Manufacturing Laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle. Both have been researching and printing in ceramic. Solheim has even printed their ceramic “recipe” in the Ceramic Arts Daily, February 1, 2009, article “The Printed Pot.”

As my research continues, I thought, “It appears that 3D digital printing is all about having the right “recipe”. It is just coming up with the correct binder and the correct material to fuse.” This is where my brain started to go into genius mode and my research landed on what I’m about to share. I know that Science is using 3D printing to help them visualize scientific data. For example space physics simulations or molecular models that help scientists visualize proteins. This allows scientists a way to examine information in a physical way that has never been available to them prior to 3D printing. (http://www.ualberta.ca/CNS/3DPRINTER/project.sampler.html)

Science is also using 3D printing to print a medical implant that fits perfectly with a patient. The reason is that it is created from MRI scan data of a patient. ) Surgeons can also use 3D printing to help them with their surgeries. By having the physical replica of a patient they can practice surgery or see complications. 3D prints are also used in education. How about printing skin in a 3D digital printer? Just think what this would mean to a burn victim. Or how about replicating a bone with 3d printing? And doing so out of bone material to replace a patient’s own shattered bone? Because our bodies are symmetrical a left arm bone could be recreated by using images of the right arm.

If all of this technology and 3D printing is not fascinating enough, I thought, “If it takes just the right binder and recipe, is it possible to print organs?” I was afraid to even say it out loud to my husband, a medical illustrator, who I knew would at least hear my crazy idea and not laugh too hard. But with further research, I turned out not to be so mad after all. Indeed 3D organ printing is happening or at least being studied. Here are some journal articles and videos to prove it. This is absolutely fascinating! Just check out the video with Dr. Gabor Forgacs, University of Missouri-Columbia. He talks about how the bio printer prints out living cell clusters drop by drop that fuse together to create tissue structures. Have a damaged organ? One day they will be able print out the organ needed and do it using your cells! Perhaps the printer will print within your own body cavity. Yes, there is still some headway to be made with this technology, but the technology is here and on it’s way. My crazy thinking is actually genius!

Learning new information to share with others.

2009-10-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy working on the Mudbox book. I have also pitched a second book all on my graduate studies of 3D digital printing, milling and scanning as it pertains to the traditional art studio. I'll let you know as soon as the publisher bites. Meanwhile it is on to finishing the Mudbox book and continuing my studies and research. I have found some great videos on a wonderful site called Guerilla CG. I would highly recommend it.

The Polygon from The Guerrilla CG Project on Vimeo.

Since I am now working on retopologizing and writing about that huge word. This video was important to me. As you will learn, quads are better than triangles when it comes to sculpting or animating. So I am learning how to take my artwork that is scanned and retopologize it so that I can change it in Mudbox and then print it out. I have an article about the scanning process that should be coming out soon on my Best of Artists and Artisan's Sculpture column. I'll be sure to put the link here when it comes out. Now back to research.

Our Interviews with Creative Christians.

2009-10-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know, besides sculpting and writing I also create a podcast that is sponsored by my God's Word Collectible gift line. Inspirations/Generations has added a new segment called Inspirations Creative Christians. We are interviewing creative Christians to learn about their faith, process, inspiration and other things. You can find all of our podcasts on the God's Word Collectibles website . Or on our God's Word Collectibles Facebook Fans page.

Here is a description of our first Creative Christians podcasts. If you would like to listen, just click on the links.

October 2009
Creative Christian Interview- Brad Stine Part 2
Christian Comedian Brad Stine talks about his creativity as a child, his creative process and the importance of creativity in the Body of Christ Part 2 (Inspirations_Creative Christians 0045 45 minutes)

Creative Christians Interview- Brad Stine Part 1
Christian Comedian Brad Stine talks about his creativity as a child, his creative process and the importance of creativity in the Body of Christ Part 2 (Inspirations_Creative Christians 0045 31 minutes)

September
Creative Christian Interview- Strand of Pearls
Kellie Copeland Swisher has been a creative Christian her entire life— working at Kenneth Copeland Ministries, making movies, developing children’s curriculum and her recent creative endeavor of Blue Grass Gospel singing group Strand of Pearls. In this interview she shares her thoughts on creativity and her inspiration. (Inspirations_00043 55.47 minutes)

July
Creative Christians- interview with actor, speaker and award winning author Donna VanLier
This is the first podcast of a new series called Creative Christians. Here we will interview many different individuals on their creativity process, their faith and the struggles and inspiration. The first creative Christians Segment is with Donna VanLiere Speaker, actress and award winning author. (Inspirations_0037 43 minutes)

3D printing in ceramic! So cool!

2009-10-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

Too cool 3D printing in ceramics! Yes. I love this idea. I love where the technology is going. Check out Ceramic Arts Daily article The Printed Pot. Solheim is on my list for interviews.

3d printing in sand and metal!

2009-09-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

I was invited by Bob wood to the proMetal shop here in Houston. We have another engagement for Bob to come to the studio as soon as my schedule frees up a bit.

I was thrilled to be able to see the process of printing in sand. Yes, there you have it... 3D printing in sand! As usual this technology was first developed for manufacturing as you see by this casting of this fly wheel thing.

The sand is like the investment cast on the mold. and it is printed in this huge machine that Bob wood and I are standing in front of. If this process can be perfected to get smooth surfaces it can really take over the investment casting of bronze casting. The lost wax method would literally be history, and there would be no more storing all of those molds! YEAH TO THAT! plus once the art is computerized it could be made to fit piece to piece. In other words, the seams would be put together like a puzzle. in the computer aiding in the welding together. So cool. The possibilities of this are incredible.

I'm also putting some pictures up of their 3D digital printing in metal. This is another part of of the company. The skull was created that way. Yes, they say they can print in bronze or gold! I'll be describing this process in an up and coming book.

I have to get through the Mudbox book first. But am chomping at the bit about starting this other book. It will cover all of the new technology of output from the computer, as well as getting items into the computer— Digital scanning. So excited!

Television coverage of the unveling of the Newsboy suclpture.

2009-09-05T08:57:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to the television coverage on the Newsboy sculpture.

Recent media on the Newsboy Sculpture

2009-09-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the recent media on the new newsboy sculpture in kennewick Washington.

'Newsboy' sculpture unveiled

By Dori O'Neal, Herald staff writer September 4, 2009

Tim Dalton, executive director of the Downtown Kennewick Merchants Association, helps reveal the new downtown sculpture Newsboy on Thursday at the corner of Dayton Street and Kennewick Avenue.

When it comes to hawking newspapers, the first thing most people think of is the paperboy from yesteryear.

You know the one. He sported a Gatsby hat and wool knickers and stood on street corners waving the latest edition while hollering, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

The Downtown Kennewick Merchants Association thought the same thing and paid homage to that historic newsboy by adding its latest public sculpture -- aptly titled Newsboy -- to the corner of Dayton Street and Kennewick Avenue.

The unveiling was Thursday and kicked off Kennewick's monthly art walk festivities.

The 4-foot-tall bronze was created by artist Bridgette Mongeon of Texas. She has two other similar newsboy sculptures on display in Austin, Texas, and in North Carolina, said Tim Dalton, executive director of the merchants association.

"We wanted to add a piece of public art like this to our collection because of the historic aspect the newspaper has played here for many, many years," Dalton said.

The statue is a block south of the Tri-City Herald which has been in downtown Kennewick since 1948, when it moved into a former cannery.

The sculpture depicts a young man holding a newspaper high over his head. The newspaper's flag reads "Tri-City Herald" above the top story about a Grapefest celebration.

"Grapefest started in 1910," Dalton said. "It's not the most continuous festival in the Tri-Cities but it is the oldest so it seemed appropriate to have it be the lead story on the newspaper."

Several dozen people gathered Thursday for the unveiling as Mark Blotz, president of the downtown association, touted the volunteerism that went into the planning of the project.

Nicole Stewart, 33, lives across the street from the sculpture's new home and likes the idea of having a piece of art to look at from her kitchen window each day.

"It's truly awesome," she said. "Not many places offer this kind of outdoor art."

Brothers Daxton, 6, and Clayton Doty, 11, thought the sculpture was cool, but didn't find it inspiring enough to sign up for a paper route, they said.

The sculpture cost $22,000. About $10,000 was raised by the merchant association through fundraisers. The Herald donated $3,500 with several businesses and private citizens donating the rest, Dalton said.

Blotz hopes to see every corner in downtown Kennewick with a piece of public art one day. The downtown area now has eight pieces.

"To have one on every corner would be wonderful," he said. "We'll see how it goes."

My Precious Mom and Cohost- Now Resides in Heaven- Press Release for God's Word Collectibles

2009-09-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

We are saddened that Barbara Ingersoll, one of the cohosts of the Inspiration/Generations Podcast that was known as Graham and was mother to cohost Bridgette Mongeon, grandmother to cohost Christina Sizemore, has gone to be with the Lord. Barbara was getting quite a following since the conception of the podcasts in 2008. The podcasts were born out of fervent prayer between the three women.

Barbara reports in one of the first podcasts, “Four years ago I fell and broke both of my hips so that has put an end to physically active ministry for me, but though I am in my 70’s and disabled, it does not put an end to the work of the Holy Spirit through me or through anyone really. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to do this podcast because I can’t do active ministry, but I can do this, talking on the phone and that is easy for me.”

Barbara suffered from osteoarthritis and several other ailments through her life. She lived almost every day of her life in pain, yet God sustained her and strengthened her faith. The three women discussed just before Barbara’s death that the Generational podcast can continue through the many journals that Barbara has written over her lifetime. In one of the last entries Barbara states, “ I proclaim to all the earth and all powers and principalities that these are healing podcasts —no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord… However far you have come in your journey.”

Before her passing Barbara participated in over 38 podcasts. Her last interview was with Ruth Graham, together they talked about healing hurting women. That was a yearning for Barbara throughout her entire life. In her younger days she developed support groups for hurting women and then trained leaders for support groups. She did this throughout western New York and Canada. The transition from life to life everlasting held its own blessings and are recorded in a podcast titled “What happens at Death.” Where the two cohosts report on the conversations and visitations that their mom and grandmother had from those who went before her. This part of death was a touching and healing process for all. On Thursday Augusts 20, 2009 a memorial service was held for Barbara. This too has also been added to this list of podcasts as her life and ministry were celebrated by many.

There is nothing more honoring for Barbara’s life to have her ministry continue to help women. To have her past, her fortitude and struggles make a difference in someone else’s life. We ask that you continue to pray for the Inspiration/Generations podcast, become a regular listener and share the links with others.

You can find the podcast at http://www.godsword.net and read the bios of the hosts. The site tells you how to subscribe in Itunes. You can also find the podcasts on the Gods’ Word Facebook Fans page.

If you would like to make a donation to the Inspiration/Generations podcast ministry you can do so through the secure servers at Pay Pal or by sending a check to God's Word Collectible Sculptures Inspirations/Generations Podcast PO Box, 10562, Houston, Texas 77206. We would also like to encourage you to support our sponsor. God's Word Collectibles.

The newsboy will ship in the morning!

2009-07-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today was the day that we put color on the life-size newsboy sculpture that is headed to Kennewick ,Washington. As I mentioned craters and freighters, the shipping company is picking it up in the morning.

The color on a bronze is referred to as the Patina. This sculpture has a traditional patina.

The client asked to see all of the papers that we created representing the Tri City Herald. There are some under the newsboys arm, one in his right hand and a stack at his feet. All have the headline and masthead of the client's newspaper.

Upon arriving the sculpture has been sand blasted. It looks less shiny than it did when we were here just last week. The sculpture, once sand blasted is ready to receive the patina.

To create the patina the foundry man first heats up the sculpture and then sprays and brushed on different chemicals. He will rub back areas that are supposed to be lighter. I like to alternate color, shoes dark, socks light, pants dark, shirt light etc. Though once placed outdoors the traditional patina will continue to darken. The foundry puts a protective coat of lacquer on the sculpture one the entire patina is complete.

I'm including some close ups of the detail in the shoe. Yes, it is a sculpted shoe. And my signature and copyright on the piece is in the inside of the newspaper that the young man is holding under his arm. Of course there are other things in the newspapers that carry a story, but that is for another post.

Tomorrow the sculpture is crated and shipped. I can't wait to see the newsboy placed.

What is a metal check?

2009-07-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

In the very last stage of the foundry process the foundry will call me in for a metal check. I go over the sculpture looking for any imperfections in the metal and marking them with a marker. Of course the Fine Arts Foundry of Texas does a wonderful job. Miguel is a great worker and I trust him with my work implicitly. But I still give a once over. The next step is to patina or color the metal. That is scheduled for Tuesday and then the sculpture is off to Kennewick Washington through my shipping company Craters and Freighters. In 6-8 working days it will be there. Here are some photographs from today's visit. One of the best workers in the foundry industry Miguel and his boss and owner of Fine Arts Foundry of Texas, Scott Yoast.

Newsboy commemorates journalism...again!

2009-07-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Another life-size newsboy bronze has been sold! You may remember it started with "Dusty" in Austin, Texas, and Then "Billy" in Tabor City, North Carolina.Now another young boy will be hawking papers in the North West. The third in the edition of 10 has been sold to the historical town of Kennewick, Washington Delivery of this third newsboy is expected in August. We have been working on him diligently and thought I would show the progress.

The Foundry is working diligently to get this young man together for shipping to Washington. Legs have been chased and put together, as well as upper torso. A few more pieces to weld together then it is off to Patina. Looks like we are inline with our delivery date. So exciting. I can't wait to see him installed.

mud.. what????

2009-07-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

What is mudbox? It is a digital sculpting tool. Just in case you have not deducted that from my previous posts. Yes it is like sculpting in real physical form, but... it is in my computer.

here is a photograph of what the program looks like. You can see the sculpting tools on the bottom and you can work in layers as well. There are also textures that can be used. I wish I could write more, but for now I hope this suffices. I'm on a deadline for writing this Mudbox book and need to get back to my chapters.

Check out the gallery on the Mudbox forum to see some spectacular work created in Mudbox.

A few questions answered

2009-07-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

Someone who was reading my posts and may be interested in Mudbox had a few questions. I thought I should probably answer them publicly. If he had a question than others may as well. The questions are as follows.

"You mentioned having problems with Mudbox and your Mac. You added RAM, changed the graphic board, and then said something about the problem was the OS version 10.5.7. Were all these necessary to have the program run correctly or was it just the OS? If so, were you able to go back to 10.5.6?"

I suppose I should mention some of the history of Mudbox. We should go back to late 2007 when Autodesk, one of the leaders in 2D and 3D design and engineering software purchased Mudbox from the New Zealand company Skymatter.

The biggest competition for Mudbox is Pixologic's Zbrush.Z brush Demo came out in December 2002. It is a good program but in my opinion, not as intuitive or easy to learn as Mudbox. Even so, once I have tackled this book project I do intend to devour Z Brush as well.

Autodesk is a big company and having Autodesk behind a program is a huge thing. Both my co-author and myself feel that Mudbox is something to watch. I'm thrilled to be in on the ground floor with our book. Digital Sculpting with Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques For Artists Publisher Focal Press.

I have to give Mudbox commendations for quickly making a Mac version. It took Z brush a long time to come out with a Mac version. It was released in June of this year. Mudbox mac verions came out in May.

Needless to say there will probably be some bugs in a new version, but really there has been very little. My biggest difficulty was a graphics card. There seemed to be little suggestions offered on the Mudbox site concerning a desktop computer running mudbox. But finally, I changed my card and feel confident.

Unfortantely the biggest problem with my card seemed to have nothing to do with Mudbox. But may instead be something with the operating system, as another person reported that the same thing happens with him using different software. The problem when using another program, say photoshop or and clicking on that with my mouse, and then going back to Mudbox and turning my model which is a option>left mouse key, the model would flip upside down and my other program would hide. It was infuriating at first and when I got my new graphics card and it sill happened I was so mad. But the work around is simple. I just need to remember to tap on the Cintq tablet anywhere before pressing down the option key and turning my image. Once I do that, No problem!

Much has transpired in the last few months concerning this project and working in Mudbox. We have a deadline with the publisher and no software. That was frustrating. How do you write a book without software for the Mac? For a while I was able to run Mudbox on the PC side of a Mac using bootcamp, but it was a little frustrating for me. Different keys etc. So, yes Mudbox is running fine on my Mac with 10.5.7

When mudbox for the Mac began to ship in May, I was elated. I'm not sure how many Mac users there are but there are definitely some at Autodesk as I have been speaking to them.

RAM
I didn't really need the extra ram that I bought to use Mudbox. The specs say that Mudbox can run on 1 gig but 2 is recommended. It is very important for both my co author and I to be able to write a book with instructions on a program that any one can use. Sure everyone would like to ramp up their computers and push the program to the limits. But we are keeping the average user in mind. Not the studio designer.
My basic reason for getting more ram is that I am also doing audio and video, and really wanted to begin to do video tutorials using such programs as Mudbox or zbrush. with that... well I needed a little more.

Graphics card
Here is a stickler and there does seem to be more cards for PC's than Mac's. But this new card was not terribly expensive, and I am glad I got it.

I do hope that has answered some of the questions. Be watching for what happens with Mudbox. Thanks for the questions, and keep them coming.

For those interested my present configurations are.

Mac Pro Mac OS X 10.5.7
2 x3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
12 GB 667 MH DDR2 FB-DIMM
Was using ATI Radeon X1900 XT- it was buggy
NOW WITH NEW CARD ATI radeon 4870

Dual displays
20 " display
20" Cintiq tablet

A sneak peak to what is in our new book!

2009-07-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

Most of you know that I am writing a book with Miguel de la Flor called Digital Sculpting with Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques For Artists.

We hope to make it a bit different than most digital sculpting books. I am so tired of seeing monsters and aliens in all of theses books and as one person recently wrote to me and said, "I am very excited to hear about your book and I definitely fills a gap. Most of the digital books I have found are for gamers creating characters." That is so great to hear. I am thrilled about bridging this gap between digital and traditional and the new technology that is coming out is incredible.

So I thought I would share with you a little sneak peek of what is in the book. This is Amy. In the book I will be sculpting her both traditionally and digitally and giving the instructions on how to do this. Though she is not quite complete here she is.

Oh yes, and with this process you will be able to take any loved one and do the same thing. this is after all- portrait sculpting digitally!

Watch out digital gamers- the traditional sculptors have arrived!

2009-07-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

It is my personal quest to bridge the gap between digital and traditional sculpting. Technology is changing and new tools are available! Remember how photography used to be done? OK it is still done with film, but we all see the advantages to going digital. So it is with sculpting. That is why I am so excited about the book that we are writing. Digital Sculpting with Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques For Artists. Digital Sculpting with Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques For Artists. We hope it is not just another digital book showing a software, but that it is an art book as well. That people will buy it not just because of Mudbox, but because they want to have the resources that are in the book to learn from and refer back to no matter what program they are working in.

It is grueling work, and the publisher is breathing down our necks to get more in quicker, but there have been so many setbacks, as you may know by my previous posts. For example Mudbox was not available for the Mac until just a few months ago, and for me that was a huge setback. Then my graphics card did not work with Mudbox once I got it.

I can't wait until it is complete but for now— back to writing.

I know it looks like I fell off the face of the earth

2009-06-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, the posts in my blog have been scarce. I am still here, and have not fallen off the face of the earth. I'm just focusing on getting my chapters into the publisher. That is taking all of my focus and concentration.

Of course I have had other distractions as well.

* Bidding on new sculpting jobs in the studio
* Taking care of jobs in house, or at the foundry
* Visiting with my daughter and new son-in- law, when they came into town
* Taking care of elderly relatives- it seems like that is my other job. Yes, I am at that stage in my life.
* Working on my house, or portions of it that seem to be crying for my attention, and just won't wait anymore.

But mostly it has been the book. Hopefully this chapter will be out this next week and I'll be able to see straight. Of course it will be on to the next chapter.

It is strange but true- My interview

2009-06-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

It is strange but true. I thought I would share this podcast with you. I was interviewed by Strange But True Podcast out of UK. Please note:I ask my Christian friends please don't freak out over my interview. I have prayed over this, and been prayed over. My minister knows and I do consider it a gift. Please be assured, I'm not possessed.

Besides creating fine artwork, most of my blog readers know that I sculpt deceased loved ones. I have written a book titled "Bringing to Life the Spirit of the Deceased- A Sculptor's Journey." Still looking for a publisher. It is about the science behind some of the "strange" things that happen during sculpting the deceased as well as my own experiences. I'm still searching for a publisher for the book. I an also writing another book titled "Kisses from Heaven" based on what others have said about their experiences. Now I am searching for more stories about others having different experiences when someone dies. You can find more information here.

Anyway. It was a fun podcast. If for any other reason it is good to hear that UK accent from my interviewers. You will have to wade through some of the "strange" items before hand. Unless you forward to 1/2 past the hour or move your player curser to 38.40 to hear my interview.

Twitter answers?

2009-06-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

I have been twittering, which is a very short comments on different things that I post through the day. Most people twitter from their phones, I twitter on my computer. People can subscribe to your twitters. I have no idea exactly who subscribes to my twitters, but right now I assume they are anyone that is interested in sculpting, digital sculpting, art, marketing, and the like. My twitter name is sculptorwriter for my fine art and creategodsword for my gift line. Just incase anyone wants to subscribe.
My twitters appear on my facebook home page as well as on my blogs. Some people actually answer me through my twitter posts, giving me resources or answers to questions. This is really cool, but warning, I have no idea how to answer someone when they respond to my twitter post. But I'm not sure if that is really necessary.

When tweeting about my frustration with accounting and Quick Books I tweeted about wishing my accountant offered help with my Quick Books. there are just some things I don't know how to figure out. So instead of trying to pose a twitter question on quick books in only 140 characters,( the max when tweeting) I'll post it here.

QUICK BOOKS QUESTION NUMBER ONE

If I have a vendor- foundry that gives me an estimate on the project. It is awarded to them when I get the job and then I pay them in two installments, but I'm not sure how to set it up. You see right now I have to receive the item in QB before making a payment. That means I have to say " received bronze newsboy cast" even though it may take up to two months and will have a couple of payments. So what is the best way to set up this vendor and the payments in Quick books?

There you have it. I'll let you know what others say.

Wax newspapers!

2009-06-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

One of the things that needs to be prepared for the life size newsboy to go into bronze is his newspapers. I offer, for an additional cost, a change of the masthead and above the fold headline. That means my client can recreate any headline in history. That is really cool when you think about it. What it entails for me is to carve all of these papers. Now it is try I could carve one and make a mold, but frankly that is almost as much trouble as carving the entire paper. Here is the old Texas Press Messenger paper. It will be covered in wax and then the new headline will be hand carved. Now all of this would be o.k. if it were just one paper. But the newsboy holds one in his right hand, a bunch were tucked under his left hand, and there are a pile by his feet. So basically I have to recreate at least three papers.

Of course the rest of the waxes also need to be cleaned. This is usually done by the foundry, but I like working my waxes and adding detail. The waxes are made from molds and where the molds come together there is often a seam of wax. Of course you also need to be sure that all of the pieces go together. It is much easier to put together waxes than it is metal.

Studio is a buzz!

2009-06-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

The contract came in for the new newsboy. I'm not sure I can divulge where it is going. Something to look forward to.

Meanwhile I'm reviewing and learning to use the Next Engine Scanner. Be prepared to see some video coming up on this process in the near future. Yes, the price tag looks hefty, however you must remember that sending one sculpture out for scanning can cost about $1,000.

This tool has so many applications for the studio. I just can't wait to share it with everyone. I'm working on an article for my column at Best of Artists and Artisans website. I'll let you know when it is up.

fooling around- in mudbox

2009-05-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

A very good exercise in traditional sculpture is to set a timer and sculpt something as quickly as possible. It keeps you form getting bogged down in the details. As I begin to work in mudbox I gave myself that same exercise. Of course I always like working from funny photographs and I love people, so here is one I found to work from. It felt good to put "gram" aside and work on something fast. I may do a couple more of this one and then it is on to a little child or baby funny face. the first one was done in 28 minutes( I had to go to church) the others 30 minutes.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

2009-05-30T16:00:00.001-07:00

I thought I would share this with you. As usual maybe you can follow along. This is mudbox. I am working on my first portrait. Here is mom. Yes, the wonderful woman that is found on our podcast, and is known as "gram". Anyway, it is a long drawn out process of sculpting in Mudbox but she is coming along.

This is what all my fuss has been about in the last few weeks, needing more RAM, new graphics card. And now to find the one thing that was bugging me may actually be a bug in OS 10.5.7. But, today I can use mudbox again, and I am thrilled to be able to do so.

Writing a book is more than just writing....

2009-05-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

I"m so glad that things are being solved. My graphics card should come fed ex today. I waited most of the day and missed it at 9:05 p.m. yesterday. How that happen when we work and live in the same place? What up with that fed ex? For those who don't know. I'm trying to write a book about Mudbox. However my graphics card does not work with the new version of Mudbox for the mac. Making it extremely difficult to make my deadlines with the publisher.

I think I am resolving my retopologizing problems. For those of you who don't know what that means it simply is this. When working in mudbox there is a mesh, that is under the clay that you see when you are sculpting. The mesh has to have an appropriate form. If you think of a window screen the mesh that underlies your piece should have quads and not triangles and be all of similar size. So in other words. If I want to scan a mock up lose clay piece. I will Use the Next Engine Scanner, which I am also reviewing and hope to show how to use in a variety of ways. This is a 3d scanner that can scan my artwork and make it into a digital image that I can then either send for output as shown in the latter part of this you tube video that I created or bring into mudbox. However. The mesh that will come out of this is too tight and may have triangles. I will need to change that mesh so that it can be sculpted upon. This is called retopologizing. My problem is that I have not been able to find a retopologizing tool that is a stand alone tool. I hate for artists to have to go and buy and learn an entire 3d program just to be able to retopologize. So I think I have this finally figured out. I'll let you know. So I have graphics card, and retopologizing tool, more RAM and I'll soon be ready to go. It is a good thing because many chapters are due to the publisher at the end of June, and until this point I have not been able to work on the program. Oh sure, I can open it and play around, but then it might flip upside down or backwards, when I am turning the sculpture and studying it, or worse yet. It disappears. All results of a graphics card problem. Never have I sculpted in the traditional studio when a sculpture has disappeared. It feels good to get things together to proceed.

body parts about the studio

2009-05-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is once again time to have body parts about the studio. What you are looking at are the newsboy waxes. It is hard to believe that in just a few weeks these will be put together to look like the bronze below. The next newsboy sculpture in the edition number 3 is being purchased. More details on that later. meanwhile- pass the word more are available and we can personalize the newspaper to represent a newspaper in history. Maybe your newspaper?

For those of you who wnat to see how the newspaper is changed check out this link showing how we did this for the Tabor City Tribune and the interesting story behind the Ku Klux Klan