Ken W. Min ~ Illustrator for Hire

The Getty Villa

a friend put together a field trip down to the getty villa museum in malibu this past week. it was the first time in, i can't remember how many years, since i last visited the getty villa...well, now that i think about it, there was an art history girl i knew back in '94...but i''d rather not dwell on her right now...

in a prior post, i talked about an exhibit i saw at the getty center. the getty villa, on the other hand, is the original museum located along pacific coast highway which housed much of the collection of j. paul getty.  the getty villa was closed for a number of years while undergoing some renovations and remodeling. in that time, the getty center now houses much of the artwork of the collection, while the getty villa contains the antiquity collection.

it was interesting to go back and see the original villa. much of the area surrounding the villa has changed (with some new buildings erected and an outdoor amphitheater installed), while the villa itself has remained relatively the same- which is to say that the villa has a clean and "polished" look to it, with some minor upgrades of technology to enhance a person's visit. the reflecting pool is still the center piece of the compound with some fun statuary poking around the grounds.

if you are a fan of ancient mediterranean cultures, greek, roman, etruscan, etc., the villa is definitely worth a visit. and don't forget, you can pick up your roman action figure, with sword and sandals accessories, at the gift shop on the way out.

what follows are a few picts i took of my visit:

   

(wherever you go, the eyes follow you--j/k)

as always, click on the image for a larger view.

ciao

 

Under the Sea

here's another piece i'm doing for the 'ol portfolio. the scbwi summer conference is coming up so i like to do some new things for it.

i don't know where the idea for the image came from. i think i was staring at a fish in an aquarium and it's little one-sided eye was staring back at me and i wondered what it must have been doing before it was put in this tank and then the fish spoke to me and said, "how is my family?" which really spooked me and then i...

o.k. i actually made that story up. i really don't know where the idea for the picture came from. although, have you ever worn a diving mask while in water and stood in a pose where half the mask was in the water and half above it and it's like you could see clearly into two worlds? i think part of that memory played into this image. i think that's why the ocean floor is shallow and so close to the surface. i also wanted to get a strip of sky across the top. and i personally like the way the little girl's hair came out. weightless, unbridled, free.

anyways.

i've posted the pencil and final image for your perusal.

SCBWI

what is it and does it have a catchy nickname?

for a while now, i have been gearing my artwork towards the children's market. that's why you probably won't see a lot of pictures of superheroes wearing spandex on this site. (not that there is anything wrong with that. i still read the funny books. just check out my bio) but, as was explained in a prior post, i'm about making art (and one day books) for children.

which brings me to SCBWI. SCBWI stands for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (look for a link to the organization- stage right -->) i have been an associate member now for 5 years. it's a great place where people with a love of children's books can gather and share in their joy of the medium. it's also a great place for networking, gathering resources and information, and just to get a general idea and feel for the children's book industry.

i have met some really nice and talented folks through this organization. people who have made me a better illustrator. (of course i wouldn't tell them that, it would just go to their collective heads :)

but it's a good group to be a part of.

plus, this august, their annual summer conference is taking place here in los angeles. if you have any interest in the field, you should definitely look into it. it's 4 days of talks, workshops, good information, a portfolio display of the best up and comers along with some laughs, good stories, parties and my personal favorite- drinks in the hotel bar after it is all over. that's when my friends and i unwind and relax while waiting out rush hour traffic. check out the SCBWI website for more information.

now, if only there was a catchy nickname for 'SCBWI'. i've had friends refer to them as "squibly" or "squeeby". (i don't think the higher ups in the organization would be too keen on those names :)

alas, we'll just have to keep working on it.

Art in Progress: Bear Park ~ Fin

not a heavily inked picture, (unlike the last one) but altogether satisfying. i'm actually happiest when i don't do a lot of ink work. my goal is to use fewer inked lines, cause i'm hoping i can pull off some contrast just from the paint...one hopes :)
i'm probably most pleased with the grass. i was wondering if i could pull it off- the idea of it that was in my head; the contrasting shades. i knew how i wanted it to look and how i wanted to approach it, but there are times when something just goes off the tracks and gets a little messy. but in this case it worked for me.

whew!

(you can view a larger image by clicking on the picture)

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 5

paint job time.

we're rounding the corner and heading into the final stretch. as you will notice, i've only painted in the main figures. this is something i've been doing lately. keeping color on the main characters only while leaving some background characters or other "props" dressed in similar colors. it's just an added way to direct and draw the viewer's eye. (or so i say, maybe i'm just full of myself...or full of something :)
i will go in and add some details to the background characters to separate, and to distinguish them, from the bg.

but that's the next step. the final stage. the ink job.

(you can view a larger version of this stage by clicking on the image above)

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 4

field and background.

i don't really have a set pattern when i paint. i know some people like to render in the backgrounds first in order to incorporate and blend in the main figures to the bg and get that color harmony. some like to do the main focal point then the bg. i started with the background first in this instant because i was worried how the bg would come off. was i going to get what i pictured in my head or was it going to give me problems. in which case, i didn't want to have painted in the main bodies only to, possibly, start over. (sure in this day and age, with photoshop, one could easily take the figure from one image and drop it onto another, but when possible, i like to have everything all in one- call me old fashioned :) thankfully in this case, it came out well. i was worried that i would screw up the blades of grass and mess up the contrast of light colors against the darker grain. especially the way i paint, it's easy to go too dark, too fast. but i'm happy and i'm moving on.

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 3

final sketch ~ before it goes to board.

tightened some things up. settled on a face for my bear. not a whole lot to say so i think i'll go ahead and do another post with the next stage.

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 2

character design stage.

always fun...(he said tongue in cheek-ily) this can sometimes make or break my enjoyment of a piece. if i can find an interesting "take" on the character, then i'm content enough to move on through. but if it feels like pulling teeth, well then, so goes my mood. and if this is the case, then the piece can move along very slowly. (and it's not like i'm trying to re-invent the wheel, character-wise, just want something that compliments the composition in my head)

and this is also a good place to play loose with the action of the piece. like how the kid sits on the bear's shoulder. the way the boy's body flows out from the bear. if i like the sketch well enough, i'll sometimes just trace it out again to preserve the "spontaneity" of the form.

sometimes. :)

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 1

o.k. new piece here!

hope you, my "imaginary readers", aren't too bored with these little exercises of mine...

i've been working on pumping up my portfolio of late. i have a children's book conference coming up in august and it's always nice to have some new work to show. (i should write about scbwi- the children's book organization that i belong to- perhaps in the next post)

this one i call bear park. a boy and his best bear pal. it's odd sometimes where ideas come from- trying to come up with a new stand alone piece. i think this one came to me in the shower. a shower is a good place to just let the mind wander, to ruminate on a germ of an idea and to flesh it out. (yeah, yeah- some bad puns and plays on words in that last line...so sue me :)

another way i like to work up ideas is on a nice drive. just make sure you have a pad of paper and pen handy or a tape recorder. just so there aren't any accidents along the way. you know, safety first.

anyways, back to the picture. here is the "inspirational thumbnail" for your perusal.

i'll post the next stage tomorrow to keep things moving along.

later

(btw- click on the image above for a larger view of this stage)