COMMISSIONS!! Your Time is Here!

COMMISSIONS:
So ... the first five people to contact me and send me payment will get a great Christmas present -- and even on time for Christmas if you send the payment fast enough.
I'm taking on FIVE COMMISSSIONS (11" x 14" bristol board - full pencil - single character - simple, but decent background behind - nothing rude, please) for $120.00 each (includes shipping - but not RUSH shipping).
Contact me!

Email me at tlyle49@comcast.net

LACOSTE - Highlights

I'm working backwards from the ending of the trip. This is from week 8 and 9 of the trip with Sue still there. It was great. We had rented a car to get around and that was very handy.

TARASCON, FRANCE - A very cool castle.




Saignon, France -- just outside of Apt. What a cool village with a great chateau/castle at the top. Very neat to be among all that history.


Sue and I in ITALY on the Mediterranean. Pretty cool. Only four hours from Lacoste by car. Not bad. That's like driving to Atlanta from here ... only much cooler.

LAVENDER!!!!
It was just starting to bloom in this one field near Goult in Provence.

Final projects and the critique for TRAVEL PORTFOLIO - a great class to teach because of the results that come from it with the students. They really surprise me with the art they produce.



Sue and I in OPPEDE LE VIEUX which is about 20 minutes away from Lacoste. There's the ruins of a cool chateau/sort of castle at the top of the village on the side of a mountain. Sue's looking good here ... as usual.



Final Critiques for VISUAL STORYTELLING 1 and 2. Don't I look like I know what I'm doing?



Here's the photo we took at the party after Vernissage. This is most of the students (a couple are missing) that were in Lacoste for Spring 2011.

Aren't We Cute?

Here's my girl and me at a cafe in France. She's awesome. But ...

I miss her. She's already back in the USA.
I'll be there in two days.

France is AWESOME!!!

Lacoste - WEEK 4 - 2011

Just a quick play-by-play for you. I can't go into too much detail as I would wax poetic forever.


THE CHATEAU DE SADE!!!

I've now officially been inside of it. With visiting artist James Casebere (picture above or to the left) here in Lacoste, he gave his guest lecture inside the chateau. Something new for me. We didn't get to see all of the interior spaces, but it was an experience being inside there nonetheless.


The pool of water at the top of Fontaine de Vaucluse was so much lower this year (see the first two pictures above) than last year ( I think that this is the same tree in the foreground of the third photo - which is from last year ... and, btw, check out the size of the people down at the water's edge in the second photo) and it was actually somber and creepy instead of awe-inspiring. It was so quiet. You didn't hear the rushing water. It is still feeding the river, but from some underground tunnels that come out further down the hill. Very weird.


The first two photos above are also from last year. The second photo shows the rocks and trees that are in the first photo from this year ... and how high the water was last year. The other one is from this year. As you can see from the attire, it was MUCH warmer this year.

All my witty little charges waiting to leave Fontaine.



For Travel Portfolio on Wednesday, we went sketching around Lacoste. The first photo is from just outside the Portal de Chevre (the Goat Gate) and the flower shot is what they were looking out on to for their sketching. But ... I had them drawing cars. Also, the last photo is of Maison Basse and the students went down there and did some drawing as well.

More to come.

I still have ARLES from Friday and the Abbey de Sananque from Saturday. I got to hear singing Monks. It was awesome.

France is pretty cool, folks.

I'M ALL DIGITAL NOW!!

Never thought I say this, but I'm doing my art completely digitally now.

I'm doing finished pencils, but I'm using a "pencil" brush in photoshop on my cintiq.

It's great for my eyes. I love that I can get such cool detail in there again.

Wow.

Very weird, but interesting.

Here's the latest two pages ... and thanks to fellow sequential Mark Brooks for the link to the brushes. It's a big deal!!

Becoming a 21st Century Creator!

All right -
Those of your who know me well (hello fellow students and faculty) with my current rants and all are aware that I am skeptical and scared of the digital revolution going on. I refuse to even consider giving any of my writing and art away for free.

So far.

I'm so aware of the results of digital piracy. I'm guilty (in the past - not currently) of it.

All of my students have a very cavalier attitude about it.

Why shouldn't I be scared and skeptical? How do you make money when:
a) it's priced cheap as crap (like giving it away anyway, and b) 5,000 people could own it when only one bought it?

What's new technology-wise that should convince me to change my mind? Why should I (with bills and a mortgage to pay) give ANY of my work away when I'm a known commodity, not a start-up business like my students would be?

So, talk to me.

Convince me to change my attitude. Agree with me. Talk to me. I want to know.

The publishing world is going to change more and I don't want to be left in the dust.

Help make me a 21st Century Creator!!

School's in Session!

Hi all -
Before everyone got here, I did some prep work for the students and (with the aid of Bryan - I don't want him to go uncredited) sanded and varnished some lapboards for the SEQA students. I did 12 boards total, but this is only three of them. The view out beyond them is pretty nice. This is on the patio outside of Studio Two.

That was on the day, the little darlings were to arrive, so I had to clean up and get ready for them so they didn't think I was a bum.


I can't believe how smoothly it all went with the weather being so nice compared to last winter. In 2010, I was slogging up and down the hill for 6 hours and this year it was all over in less than 45 minutes. Everyone found their room and starting getting that "wow. I'm in France!" look.

The next day, after their trip to the APT Marketplace, I got to experience something new that they started after I was here -- a picnic lunch at Pont Julien - the old Roman bridge. As you can see, the weather was pretty ideal and everyone had a nice time.


Monday brought the first day of classes. At 9:00 a.m. my Advanced Drawing class (first photo) brought their eager faces in to Studio 2 (seemed like home) and had a great class. We did so well and were having such a good class that we forgot to take a break -- and it's a three hour class.

The next class was Travel Portfolio. It's a great class. I have 16 students for that one. It's my biggest class here. We went to the quarry to draw after my introductory lecture and had about an hour (or a tiny more) to be able to draw on site for the first time in France. Unlike last year's class where it was too cold to sit and draw most of the time, this was perfect weather for it. As you can see, there's always one "climber" and Daniel is my man for this class (as is, Matt, Sarah S, etc.)


Finally, on the second class day (Wednesday - yesterday), things really got rolling.

My hardest class so far is the crosslisted Vis 1 and Vis 2 class. But everyone is working to make it as smooth as possible and Wednesday's class went pretty well. In the photo, we're near the end of class and the Vis 1 students and discussing their Chickasaw layouts (yeah, I bring that assignment here, too) and the Vis 2 students are finishing up their 'arriving at studio 2' in-class storytelling assignment.

The next two photos are the students from my Travel Portfolio class. We took a trip to the nearby village of Menerbes and they did some great drawings. It 's been great seeing their enthusiasm and how dedicated they are to trying new things and pushing their artistic skill set to a new level.

The last two photos are of my Advanced Drawing class. We had a lecture and then used the interior of the library to do some quick panel set ups with storytelling of a guy asking a girl on a first date. On site drawing can speed up the backgrounds that you draw and they did very well.

That's been it for the first week of classes. I am drawing my tushy off on the BLACK BOX (more later on it) and I'm catching up. It's so much warmer here than last year it's amazing. The sun is always bright when it's out.

I still miss Sue, though. She'll be here in a few weeks.

LACOSTE - Part Two

Hi-
It seems so different to be here this time. I'm in short sleeves today.

The students get here in a few hours. I've been here since Monday and it's Friday now. Classes start on Monday.

Here's a few pictures to show how different the campus looks without snow and freezing cold.

And Bonnieux couldn't look better.

So ... the students should have a great time. They say that this is the best arrival weather that we've ever had. It's a far cry from the freezing cold and snow from last year.

Classes soon.

Later-
Tom

Lots of BLOGGING soon - from FRANCE!

Yep.
I'm getting to go back and the blog will be blazing with posts while I'm there.
So ... get ready and check in often.

Hope everyone is well.

More soon.


Tom

TRUE GRIT (2010) - See it!!

First off:
I want Josh Brolin's agent to work for me. His part is so small, but he gets third billing. Wow!!

Now:
Go see this movie. Not only is it good, but there are great shots to see for influence in sequential work. In addition, despite the sometimes breaking of the 180 degree rule, the storytelling in this movie is impeccable. The Coen brothers know storytelling, that's for sure.

Good acting. Hailee Steinfeld is awesome. She has just the right blend of toughness and vulnerability to pull this part off.

Can't recommend this movie enough.