Saltire Super Hero WIP

A cropped WIP of something I'm working on....

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10 Great Art Documentaries

My blog post last week on My Top 5 Art Podcasts seemed to be quite popular so I thought I'd continue with another post on 10 great documentaries for artists.

If you are anything like me, you love to watch/listen to documentaries while you work. If these documentaries are art-related, all the better.  I have compiled a list here of 10 documentaries that I think all artists would find informative and enjoyable, no matter what medium you work in.

If you have any more to add, please do so in the comments below. I should say, these are only documentaries that are freely available on the internet. There are many more available to purchase. Also, there are some top pieces of 80's intro music in here! So, not in any particular order....

10. What Do Artists Do All Day - Frank Quitely

This BBC series follows a selection of artists through their daily routine. Frank Quitely is a renowned comic book artist know for working on titles such as Superman, ...... This documentary shows his process of creating a comic book cage from start to finish from his studio in Glasgow.

9. The Making of The Last Of Us

This documentary goes behind the scened to learn about te development and unique philosophy at work in the making of the universally acclaimed, smash hit video game, The Last of Us.

8. The Masters of Comic Book Art

A little dated now, but this documentary shows the work, processes and interviews with some of the all-time greats of comic book art including Will Eisener, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Berni Wrightson, Moebius, Frank Miller, Dave Sim and Art Spiegelman.

7. John Lasseter - A Day in a Life

I have always been a Disney/Pixar nut. This documentary follows the founder of Pixar, John Lasseter through a typical day. Great insight into one of the great minds and great companies in entertainment today.

6.  The Making of Disney's The Lion King

Disney is probably the single biggest reason I am an artist today. A visit to Disneyland in Florida when I was a teenager was the first time I realised that is what I want to do. This documentary shows the full process behind making a classic Disney animation feature.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

5. What Do Artists Do All Day? - Jack Vettriano

The second from this BBC series, this documentary follows Scottish Artist Jack Vettriano through his process of finding a subject to paint, shooting reference photography, and his actual painting process. Vettriano sells more prints in the UK than any other artist.

4. Iain McCaig Lecture - Storytelling

Not so much a documentary but i couldn't leave it out this list. McCaig’s exceptional command of human anatomy, character, emotional expression and visual narrative make him one of the most sought after artists working in the entertainment industry today. He has worked on a series of Hollywood blockbusters, including Star Wars episodes one to three, Steven Spielberg’s Hook and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Here he talks about the art of storytelling.

http://vimeo.com/channels/369008/51232131

3. How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way

Somewhere in between a tutorial and a documentary, this series teaches the tools of the comic book drawing trade with hosts Stan "The Man" Lee and John Buscema. 

2. The Forger's Art

Documentary about real life events of 1997 where John Drewe conspired with artist John Myatt to pull off the biggest art fraud in UK history.

1.  The Pixar Story

As the title says, this documentary shows the story of how one of the biggest companies in entertainment was formed and how they create their feature films.

Part 1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq5vxi_stagehand-tv-the-pixar-story-1_webcam

Part 2
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq63h0_stagehand-tv-the-pixar-story-2_webcam

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Entry for the Art Order Challenge - Ares and Aphrodite

After living in Greece for 8 years, I have always wanted to paint Greek Mythology inspired art. The contest ran by Jon Schindehette at The Art Order was the perfect opportunity. This painting depicts Greek Gods Ares and Aphrodite and their forbidden love.

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NEW PAINTING! - Band of Brothers

A painting inspired by Shakespeare's King Henry V

Available as a print here!!

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Top 5 Art Podcasts..

If you are anything like me, you love listening to podcasts while you work. And if they are art-related, even better! Here is a quick rundown of my personal favourites.

5. Make It Then Tell Everybody

Hosted by Dan Berry (http://www.thingsbydan.co.uk/), a comic artist and Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children’s Books at Glyndwr University. He interviews various comic artists and illustrators on a weekly basis, focusing on their journey into the world of art, work process, and the dreaded question for all interviewees, "Where do your ideas come from?" Although focused mainly of comic art, this podcast is still really interesting to hear from creative people and their processes.
http://makeitthentelleverybody.com/

4. Chris Oatley's Artcast

One of the stalwarts from the early days of art podcasting.....and still going strong! Chris Oatley (http://chrisoatley.com/) was a Visual Development Artist at Disney and now runs his own business, the Oatley Academy, teaching students everything he knows about art. Although not as frequent as it once was, this podcast's back catalogue is a great insight into the world of a professional artist. Includes interviews with industry professionals, and a personal insight into Chris's life and career.
http://chrisoatley.com/

3. One Fantastic Week

Although not technically a "podcast", One Fantastic Week is a weekly episode, aired on every Monday Youtube, by professional artists Peter Mohrbacher (http://www.vandalhigh.com/) and Sam Flegal (http://www.samflegal.com/). They each discuss what they've been up to that week alond with a special guest. The calibre of guests on this show really is top notch with some top tier industry professionals. This again is a wonderful insight into what is needed to make it in the art industry along with the rarely spoken about, business side of art.
http://www.onefantasticweek.com/

2. The Collective 

A fantastic interview-based podcast ran by Ash Thorp (http://ashthorp.com/), a graphic designer, illustrator, artist and creative director working mainly in the film industry. An extensive back catalogue of interviews with artists from various industries, The Collective has recently become more film-based. If you like art, film and art in film, this is for you! Can get quite deep sometimes, but I like that!
https://soundcloud.com/the-collective-podcast

1. Your Dreams My Nightmares

YDMN podcast is an interview-based podcast ran by one of my favourite artists, Sam Weber (http://sampaints.com/). A wonderful insight into the world of illustration with a huge range of leading professionals from all over the illustration industry, from Art Directors to Comic Artists to Editorial Illustrators. Sam is a great interviewer, always seeming to ask the questions you are thinking of.
http://yourdreamsmynightmares.com/

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Painting Hands....

Painting hands.... (cropped WIP)

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