tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71376107220374001062024-02-19T11:23:25.974-05:00FULL CIRCLE - Old School to New School Drawing and PaintingA discussion of drawing and painting from old school to new school and how it travels in and out of film, music, architecture and writing. You will find tips, instruction, references and opinionated thoughts on all the above as well as related side bar trips.George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-76047925825670550982023-11-29T13:48:00.001-05:002023-11-29T13:58:22.641-05:00 Happy to announce that my new children's book is now available on Amazon . Nice rhyming read and fun ending.link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKGN6FGQGeorge Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-19855456337923546312023-11-28T13:54:00.000-05:002023-11-29T13:59:53.156-05:00 Paintings 1970 to 2022 George LadasWyoming Landscape - OilPrague Cathedral - Oil 1963Canyon Pools - gouache 5 x 7 inRoping Steers - Oil 11 x 14 inPath to House - gouache 5 x 7 inPath to Landing - gouache 5 x 7 inRock Study - gouache 5x7 inWyoming Landscape - oil 8x10Vermont Hill - oil study Francis Belden - Pitchfork Ranch, Wyoming 1976 Bear Study - oilBig George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-40009155553730398362023-01-14T19:28:00.003-05:002024-02-02T13:41:46.178-05:00 Final rendering for the HSP commission from NASA 1990This project was fraught with difficulties. Not only for the telescope itself but for the completion of the assigned commission of the proposed cutaway rendering as well. George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-21294919184206002452019-06-20T09:20:00.002-04:002023-01-04T15:22:20.498-05:00Chuck Ginnever Sculptor dies at 87
Deeply saddened by the passing of life long friend, college and
studio mate Chuck Ginnever seen here with me on the right. Please view his
outstanding bio at Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ginnever
R.I.P
George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-28492054254094933222014-11-11T17:10:00.000-05:002019-10-27T09:30:03.577-04:00Portrait of Dorian Gray - artwork analyis of the actual painting done by Audubon TylerAudubon Tyler taught at the Art Center School during the early 60's..I was fortunate to have him as an instructor between '60 to '63.
His history included work for the major film studios painting period
portraits of stars and copies of master works that were to be destroyed
in the narrative of film. I have included what I could dig up on the
web re: what he told me to fit the current George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-75328641070686097242013-07-28T20:22:00.000-04:002019-01-11T10:31:58.591-05:00Shelly's Manne-Hole -1960 - 1963 - In the beginning -While I was taking classes in illustration at the Art Center School I got lucky...I found a job working the door at Shelly's... Mutt Cohen who ran the Unicorn Coffee House on Sunset mentioned that Rudy Onderwyser was setting up a new jazz club with Shelly Manne and that I should see him about a gig part time ... It would not interfere with day classes and would be perfect for the weekend George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-5181597729422170372013-06-18T15:34:00.000-04:002013-06-19T15:52:26.569-04:00Improve your drawing part 3 - Drawing Animals From Life Or PhotosMost beginning students find drawing animals difficult as they usually like moving around.
If you find a good photo you can practice analyzing the form unfettered by a restless subject...Sleeping dogs need not apply..
Below are a few quick studies that were used for some gouache paintings done for the original owner of the Provence Restaurant Jean Michel and his lovely wife. They passed them George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-87834899098208979692013-04-10T14:32:00.010-04:002020-09-24T17:35:17.561-04:00The Art Center School circa 1960-1963I recently posted a shout-out to one of my closest friends from the Art Center, Fred Pfeiffer, illustrator,whose career ended much too soon by his own hand. At this age we are starting to loose our pals at an increasingly rapid rate. Nostalgia took over while digging up as much as I could find from that period to provide some back story to a dedicated site of his work George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-84052572355648949262013-04-07T20:03:00.000-04:002013-05-16T13:45:42.523-04:00Thomas P. Quinn - Brushwork, and then some..great example of confident painting styleThis gouache illustration for Field & Stream by Thomas Patrick Quinn Jr. dates from 1964...This is really as good as it can get for confident brushwork - lush and creamy style..Tom was a classmate at the Art Center School and brief roommate when we were all at the old Third Street studios. Regrettably this style of illustration was slipping into oblivion with few exceptions ( John George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-25790056451392805202013-01-09T17:06:00.000-05:002013-11-15T13:55:49.877-05:00Improve Your Painting -The Value of the Small Sketch - part 2Working small ... 3"x5" offers a lot of benefit to your development as an artist and thinker.
First, they get a lot done in a short time..They also usually wind up set aside and eventually rediscovered as nice little paintings - real examples of your true handwriting...
gouache study
gouache study
gouache study - Maryland
gouache study - Inlet Chester River - Maryland
oil study George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-64436271418845829302013-01-08T17:05:00.000-05:002013-11-15T13:54:32.441-05:00Improve your darwing and painting - the value of the small sketchI can't stress enough the value of working up a small sketch (thumbnail size 1.5 inch by 2 inch or more) in order to develop better paintings... even when you are working from life or outdoors Plein Air style.
Working small freely enables you to think about the very basic composition re: lights and darks, shapes and placement of major forms. That is what was taught 'Old School'. Just using George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-75773822137342056282012-12-19T12:27:00.001-05:002022-12-29T18:25:48.915-05:00Improve Your Painting - plotting the lights and darks
One of the early lecture lessons in Lorser Feitelson's painting class at the Art Center School was analysing how the masters plotted out the lights and darks in their paintings.
Who better to look at than Caravaggio. Here is breakdown of 'The Crucifix of St. Peter."
Desaturated to reveal the grey scale
Reduced to three values - light - George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-64509015793520333122012-12-18T15:40:00.000-05:002013-01-10T16:30:32.910-05:00Lorser Feitelson and Harry Carmean at the Art Center 1960-63Two teachers at the Art Center School during the 60's Lorser Feitelson and Harry Carmean not only had a heavy influence on their students but I believe on each other..
Lorser Feitelson giving a crit
Harry Carmean teaching a drawing class
This is a video of Harry demonstrating figure drawing from a master painting
George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-60712216750393776632012-12-18T15:07:00.000-05:002013-01-30T09:43:23.306-05:00Old school painting practice..copying the masters
Feitelson also advocated copying old masters after studying the composition and brushwork of old masters such as Frans Hals.
Frans Hals. Gypsy Girl. 1628-30. Oil on wood, 58 x 52 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Malle Babbe, c.1630. Oil on canvas, 75cm by 64cm. Staatliche Museen, Berlin
Below are the studies done in his class at the Art Center School.
(Close but no cigar)
George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-5358408211109235072012-12-11T17:35:00.000-05:002013-01-30T16:10:14.207-05:00DIY Adjustable Drawing Table, quick and cheap!Here is a simple and inexpensive way to get up and running in your studio space with a few simple tools and cheap parts...3/4" PVC pipe, 2 hinges, a few feet of thin chain and some scrap lumber.
The pics are self explanatory. I'm sure you can do work-a-rounds for the hardware and use what ever works for you..
This drawing table can accommodate larger drawing pads, canvases, your picture George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-63259317672857782662012-12-07T14:16:00.001-05:002021-06-24T13:19:16.067-04:00The 8 best ways to improve your drawing
There must be a gazillion books and blogs
regarding drawing but this series of posts is going to try to pull
together and boil down the key approaches towards improving your
drawing.
Surround yourself with really good examples of great drawing.
When you look at your subject ask yourself "what is it the most?"
Establish a vertical line (plumb line) mentally or George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-7676213896938713212012-10-22T19:20:00.000-04:002012-10-23T10:35:50.711-04:00War Draw - Ivor Hele - Aussie Artist 1912 - 1993
self portraits
Ivor Hele is one of those great draftsman that you probably never heard of...An Aussie that served in the war and chronicled daily drudge.. He was also enormously prolific and completed more commissioned works than any other artist in the history of Australian art. His front-line responses to war, sketched and painted for the Australian War Memorial, the George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-40415145167871955972012-10-21T20:24:00.003-04:002020-09-17T15:45:57.788-04:00Fred Pfeiffer - Illustrator - 1940 -1995 Fred was a close friend
all through our training at The Art Center School now known as the Art Center College of Design. We remained close until his untimely
passing in 1996. We shared a studio in NYC for several years
where he executed beautiful covers for a number of top publishers
notably Bantam and Dell. He took over the Doc Savage covers from George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-20916248685611512162012-09-14T11:06:00.000-04:002012-09-14T11:07:52.871-04:00The Death Of Drawing? This recent article in the New York Times by Michael Graves
Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing - parallels a theory that drawing of any sort can enhance one's thinking process when searching for solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. Making a plan... in graphic terms... block diagrams... flow charts... ie: a graphic list ... showing what fits and what doesn't... George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-81656792315169591572012-07-28T12:00:00.000-04:002012-07-28T12:00:31.962-04:00End of Part OneI want to thank everyone who I have worked with successfully and also those who gave me a hard time... without which I never would have learned to cope with the ins and outs of the commercial art world.
I am closing off all of the outside work and just deal with a few new inside projects. Looking forward to new posts that focus on specific tools and advice that I hope will advance your George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-29527227555894283112012-02-14T14:14:00.000-05:002012-02-16T14:22:48.269-05:00Whitney Houston PortraitOffering for the untimely death of Whitney Houston... This small portrait sketch was created for a promotional several years ago that never reached the light of day...
George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-55424751099255765512011-05-13T13:12:00.001-04:002013-01-14T17:19:33.572-05:00DIY lighting stage for photo and painting setups
Here is a simple way to put up a very flexible portable stage you can use with inexpensive clamp lights.
Ordinary PVC plumbing pipe, shower rings, clothes pins, rubber crutch tips, clamp lights and white Foam Core are the basic components of this setup. The only tools needed are a hacksaw and a miter box (optional).
I have opted out of using PVC cement as I can easily George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-69667229733921270282011-05-09T22:03:00.000-04:002013-02-07T12:34:23.745-05:00Drawing makes you smart? If you can do this you can draw!There has been a lot of buzz regarding the evaporating ability to write longhand (cursive)...big mistake!
The eye-hand coordination that it develops is the entryway to many many skill sets. Its practice focuses the mind - no distractions - your brain will form new connections that will be permanent. All of the movements within the execution of longhand are the same as you need George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-91128910500793130012011-04-12T13:14:00.001-04:002011-05-13T20:29:55.700-04:00Inexpensive DIY light box - Laptop style for storyboards and animationHere is a simple homemade light box made form a 11 x 14 clear plastic picture frame.
Cut a pair of sides to fit from 3/4 plywood and paint them white. You will need a bottom cut to fit from hardboard also painted white. A small lamp available in home stores is useful to move around under your drawing or expanded to two lamps fixed to the sides for a more permanent job.
George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137610722037400106.post-72961211164587410882010-12-22T17:50:00.003-05:002010-12-22T17:59:48.955-05:00Sundblom and Santa - Haddon Sundblom's great Christmas gifts.
Nothing pulls at nostalgia during the Christmas holiday more than Haddon Sundblom's incredible Santa renderings for the Coca Cola Co. For those painters and illustrators out there please really take a slow and careful look at the economy of style and brush-work that he employs on an iconic subject... This guy loved paint... lush and creamy with sure color..warm and cool... fire and ice.
George Ladashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233970217467601619noreply@blogger.com0