Boardwalk Arcade part 26

Back in the Studio this afternoon for a while to finish out this first draft color proof. Today's work involved filling in the last few pieces of the figures, coloring more of the prizes, pieces of pinball machines and other details. Then I spent a while looking at the results, after which I made a few minor changes. I brought it home with me to spend more time with it. Most of what I did here will stay more or less the same in the next copy, just maybe slightly muted as has happened with painting on the okawara. I see a few things that I definitely plan to change, and there are a few other things I am considering. I'll work it out as I go.

Boardwalk Arcade part 25

Most of today's coloring was devoted to the figures. All got some basic skin tones and most got their clothing colored in. Also added more details to some of the machines. I decided to try changing the color of the back wall in the right panel, adding a light wash of green. I liked it and did it on the other side as well. It sits back just as well as the blue wash did, but I think it works better in the overall color palette. The more color is filled in, the better I like it. Some of the key colors are more balanced now, even as the distribution of color feels more and more chaotic. I think this will contribute to the arcade feel. When I showed the very early progress at the Thursday critique group, one of the artists recalled Belmar Playland as a noisy place, between the kids and all the machines, and felt some of that in the print. Color is one way to create noise on the paper.

Boardwalk Arcade part 24

Got in a few more hours of coloring today. Even though I had said I was going to leave the green on the skeeball lanes alone for a while, I was using a dark green on a shirt and decided to try it out on the lanes. Don't know if this is the exact shade, but it's better. I'm thinking maybe a green tinged back wall might work better than the light blue wash there right now. I put in a few other isolated pieces of colored clothing, but the most noticeable changes were in the area of the pinball machines. Did a little more work on the machines in the background on the right. Next time I need to finish a lot of the people, see where that takes the image.

Boardwalk Arcade part 23

Spent a short session in the Studio this afternoon, starting the coloring of the arcade print. I considered a few options before going with the red/orange pattern for the carpet. The red is also found on the shelves behind the counter. The turquoise color went on the attendant's shirt, just as I used it for the worker in the wheel game print. Put the same color in two other big pieces for now. For the skeeball lanes I went with colors based on my research. Not crazy about the green there (too light/bright I think) but I'll leave it for now and see how things develop around it. Another thing I'm not satisfied with right now is the light blue wash I put on the back walls- sort of a cool off white. Might need to make that color a little deeper eventually. I'll continue with the stuff I know, then fill in the undetermined stuff (figures mostly) after I see how things have worked out.

I brought the print home with me, then back out that night to the Boatworks for the BAC critique night. It's also the night for the monthly coordinator meeting, which I sat in on first. As a result, someone familiar with the print and the series explained most of the basics to a new participant before I was able to join them. They liked what they saw so far and look forward to seeing the finished piece in next month's show, if I get it done in time.

Summer Drawing Nights

While my recent print continues to dry I have been spending time on other art related stuff. The past few days especially I was working on my application for the latest round of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation grants. Never had any luck with this in the past, but hey, someone has to get the money, and the work I submitted this time around is as strong as any I've done. Got the online application finished yesterday, and the mail in portion went out this afternoon. I'll post the results here in about 6 months.

With all that settled, I could enjoy an evening of figure drawing in Belmar. It was a pretty good session, a couple of decent drawings, the best of which is above. Nights like this take me back to the summer after I graduated college the first time, when I ended up taking a summer life drawing class at Montclair State. Three nights a week, four hours per night, for eight weeks for six credits. Helped me get to the next level with my charcoal drawing. One of my classmates from that course (and a few others that I'd later take at Montclair) would sometimes look back on the experience as "drawing on those sultry summer nights." The weather this summer has been relatively mild so far, but at the end of the night when I leave the air conditioned building and walk into the still warm July air, there's a little of that feeling.

Boardwalk Arcade part 22

Finally it's time to print the arcade block. I got some paper ready, then began inking the block. Pulled the first proof on a heavy printmaking/watercolor paper, since I need something that can stand up to multiple washes as I work out the colors. I made a few very minor adjustments to the block after looking over the first proof. The second proof was on Okawara, like the editioned prints of the first two boardwalk prints. The above image is the 2nd proof. I think it turned out all right. I'll let it dry for a few days, and start the coloring process later in the week.

Boardwalk Arcade part 21

I started today by finishing the last few figures on the left panel. After that I cut the various objects on the shelves behind the counter. At that point I took a pencil rubbing on newsprint of the whole diptych to get a sense of the value balance- in each panel and across the whole composition. In general I liked it, but as I expected, some of it was a little heavy. For those shelves I decided to leave the front vertical and horizontal edges solid black (should set up a nice rhythm with similar black lines throughout the print) and cut stripes in the shelf backs (like I did with the wheel game shelves) to lighten them up. One piece that I hadn't quite decided on yet was the Asteroids game in the back. That primitive video game had a black screen with the space ship and asteroids made of thin white lines. Easy enough to carve, but with the mostly black cabinet around it, that would be a big hunk of black in the composition- too much. So I cut it out completely, and I'll figure the color later. In addition, doing the rubbing has the effect of revealing various spots that had been missed- a little piece of shoe, a small strip of skee ball machine, etc. Took care of those. I'll give it one more look over tomorrow, but at this point I think the cutting is done. Next time I print.

Boardwalk Arcade part 20

Back to the Studio again today for a little while. My goal was to finish cutting out all the figures on the left side and maybe get to some of the prizes on the shelves, but I had to cut short the session to get down to Belmar in time to check out the latest art reception at the Boatworks. Even so, I finished most of the figures. I should get it all done tomorrow, and maybe make a decision regarding the shelves.

Boardwalk Arcade part 19

I still haven't resolved the dispute between my digital camera and my computer, but with a grant application deadline looming, I decided to go around it. My brother has a camera of the same make, thus the same downloading/editing software, so I drove up to his house in the early afternoon to get a month's worth of photos out of my camera. This includes images of the current block in progress, which I have gone back and posted on the appropriate days (if you want to see them, look at postings from June 12th to June 25th). A borrowed camera has gotten me through everything since then.

Friday afternoon southbound mid July traffic on the Parkway being what it is, I took a more roundabout route back to my Studio. A shorter session than the last few, but enough to cut the other 6 figures in the right side panel. That should finish all the cutting on that side. Over the weekend I'll give it the once over (or maybe the once over twice, to borrow a line from Exene) to make sure I didn't miss anything, and confirm it with a rubbing that I'll do after I finish cutting all the figures in the other panel.

Boardwalk Arcade part 18

Cutting of the arcade block continued today. I cut a couple of signs in the background, and (after I drew in the cabinet graphics) the shooting gallery game. Today was also the day I started cutting out the figures. I finished 6 of the 18 in the image- 5 on the right side, and 1 on the left. At the current rate I should be done cutting the whole block over the weekend, and be ready to print early next week.

Boardwalk Arcade part 17

Another big chunk of this block was completed today when I finished the whole skeeball section (as seen in top photo). Also completed today were the claw machine, the air hockey table, and the prizes in the display cases (under the counter and on the wall). In fact, the whole right panel is now cut, except for the eleven figures- including the large teddy bear as one of the figures. Still have to make some big decisions on the left side- the shooting game and the prize shelves. The former just needs a little more research, but the latter may wait until after I cut all the figures (both panels) and look at the value balance after all that.

Boardwalk Arcade part 16

Put in a few more hours cutting. The biggest single thing done was the top of the air hockey table (see top photo), but I was working all around the block. Did some cutting of the video game and shooting gallery game in the back, some of the prize windows in the back walls (guitar and fan), and more on the claw machine and prize counter. Still have a few decisions to make, but it's starting to come together.

Poolside Critique

First Monday of the month means another critique night. However, rather than having it in the Studio, this time it was hosted by one of the regulars at her home, on the patio by her pool. We had 7 of our regulars in attendance tonight, all with art. I brought the current boardwalk block. It got a good response from the crowd. People liked the level of detail, citing such things as the pattern on the floor, the rifles on the shooting gallery machine, the truck design on someone's t-shirt, the appliances on display as prizes, and the giant stuffed anchovy (borrowed from the wheel game print) carried by one of the kids. A few figures were viewed as slightly problematic, such as a question of whether the man behind the prize counter was too dominant (and noticeably not having fun), and some minor anatomical suggestions. The idea of having fun was discussed a bit- I had brought up my experiences in contemporary arcades, and found I was not the only one who has had that reaction. We went over our 10 minute limit on everyone's art, but we had started a little earlier than usual, and the discussions were good, so no one minded.

Boardwalk Arcade part 15

In the afternoon I went up to the West Long Branch Public Library to attend the opening reception of an art show by BAC and discussion group member Guido Guazzoni. Then down Monmouth Avenue toward Asbury, and on to the Studio. Today's mission was to finish cutting out all the pinball machines. Top photo shows the results. Glad to have all this detailed cutting completed. Bottom photo shows the progress of the whole block.