Dutton's Drawr-ings - 1.23.06 *blogification update*

[Mike Dutton]

EDIT: Hey gang. thanks for visiting this sketchbook. Just wanted to give you a head's up that for the most part, I'm retiring this sketchbook and updating solely on my blog (http://www.duttonart.blogspot.com). Getting way too busy to juggle these many webpages (apparently, multi-tasking two items is overload for me). I'd love to see a few of you there, even if it's under an unregistered name (just say who you are back at CA.org). I'll continue to post one image here as a way to let people know when my blog's been updated. Thanks!



It's been well over a month since I've posted in my original sketchbook (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=55100). Those of you who have visited often enough know that this was mainly due to my wedding at the beginning of September. Following the wedding there were two huge deadlines, one for a new client (the results can be seen here (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=77841)), and the other was for round two of Last Man Standing. I promised in my last sketchbook that after the madness died down I'd update, but then ConceptArt went down as well (at least it did for me), and when I was finally able to return four days later, my original username completely disappeared. Several unanswered emails to the admin later, I decided to start over, so here I am!
Of course, the madness did not die down for long, as I'm currently in the middle of applying to a few companies: LucasArts, Pixar, and Eidos. So really I shouldn't even be here right now, but a promise is a promise so here is some stuff. Some old, some new, good or bad, you decide. ;)

[Mike Dutton]

The first few are three out of twenty three concept illustrations done for a sculptor group back in April. It was for a monumental installment on the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds commemorating black history in Oklahoma. They're still awaiting word on whether they got the job or not, but it's been narrowed down to them and one other proposal. They wanted this sort of "illustration meets architectural rendering" look. Definitely was a break-through assignment in getting me to work a whole lot faster. The biggest honour during the project was working closely with Master Sculptor Eugene Daub, who has done numerous mounmental work, specializing in bas reliefs. Man, this guy could draw anything that popped into his head too.

Then there's a couple pages from my submission packet that I'm working on. Some of these you guys may have seen already. Most of these are old, but I still like 'em. Also including an old watercolor study.... never finished it, but the overall mood is there. Also a sketch from my Moleskine of Elliott Smith. Haven't quite figured out his face yet, but when I do, I have an editorial style portrait in mind.

Finally, my sketches from the PoxNora assignment and LMS2. In the Haunt, the AD asked to throw in a ghost so I shifted the rider over some to fit in the ghost above her right shoulder. In the Escape Artist, I had to tweak the running artist a bit when I decided to use a different perspective point in the final. Wasn't quite there, but I think he still fit the composition okay. Hope you guys don't mind me throwing in the final here.

That's it for the sketchbook half. I promised some wedding photos. Keep scrolling down to see them in the next post.

Cheers!

[Mike Dutton]

Here are a few pictures from the wedding as promised. Enjoy!

[Matt Smith]

congratulations on the wedding. Also I noticed your spiffy new screen name. sketches are looking good, Keep up the good work.

[Gryphon]

I love that LMS piece... totally made me giggle. The page of costume sketches is awesome, too.

You and your wife look very happy - best wishes for many more years of joy!

[Zord]

Whoa... new sketchbook from Dutton? Very cool man, everything looks great. Your TD especially stands out, great use of stairs/ledges for directing the eyes. Very interesting too that you worked on the bas-relief for the OK capital. Maybe i'll even get to see it sometime when i'm in the neighborhood. And the portrait of Elliot Smith is superb, i'm really digging the use of lines to give it that sketchy/messy feeling; you definitely captured the distant calm personality that he had. Best wishes and congratulations for you and the lady, cheers!

[Ganbat-Bad]

Great begining for volume 2, the escape artist is super.I wanna see more.

[TheDirtSyndicate]

holy bloody hell.... i love your work... i'll have to check out your other sketchbook once this oxycotton wears off....
escape artist: looks like you toned down the "hurt" look on her face in the final piece... she looked more hurt in the sketch, more angry in the final. not sure if i like the more angry version as much.. i like the half angry, half hurt look in the sketch better. but still a great piece.

oh, and congrats!

<edit>
holy shit.... i just glanced over the first page of your other sketchbook....
how long ago was it that you did this sketch?:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/Viticeps/Artwork/Stairway2.jpg

[Helzon]

Re-upping my subscription with pleasure.
Congrats to you both on those nuptuals.
Cheers!

[glikster]

congrats again.... have a long and happy life together....

And kick-ass work, as always....

[Bojee]

Really great work, your really diverse. Congrats on the wedding! Thanks for sharing. :)

[bdfoster]

Mike--

Congrats on all the work you're getting. (Fantasy stuff, OK capital stuff). I love the LMSTD. Great idea, great execution. You killed it.

Congrats on the wedding as well. You and your wife look incredibly happy. It really seems like a warm (not temperature) loving day for the whole group. Should lead to many great years to come.

[bhanu]

Woah the greatness.
Man you have it all dont you?
Kick ass skills,great wedding pictures,beautiful wife.have a great life man.

[madplanet]

great to see you producing again, Mike! I love The Escape Artist. Great perspective, colors, expressions, blah, blah, blah....

Again congratulations on getting married and thanks for sharing the pics, it's nice to see just what you guys look like. Bets of everything to you, my friend.
And keep the great artwork coming!

[character]

man, nice stuff dude. i dig your lines. very angular. congratz on getting married =)

[Erilaz]

Congratulations Mike!

Hope to see you frequenting your sketchbook with gusto! :}

[Alday.J]

So your are MIKE DUTTON, now ? I will have to update my buddy list, then ! ;) And the subscription to your new sketchbook too ! Bravo on your Last Man Standing picture, it's a very good one, refreshing, elegant and funny. I looooove Elliot Smith, and so your drawing of this great american singer [Xo is one of my favorite album, Haaaa Baby Britain, so classy !].

And about the Wedding... Geez, Alex and you are magnificient ! It will be a real pleasure to meet you two in France this spring. ;)

See ya soon, my friend. And "bonne chance avec ton travail" !
Julien.

[Mike Dutton]

Hey Guys, thanks for the warm reception on the new book. :)

Alday J. - Hey Julien! Man, it's like talking to a long lost friend, it's been too long. Yeah, it's Mike Dutton now since I lost my old username due to some glitch. I think I could have recreated just Dutton, but I didn't quite think of it at the time. In any case, I've been called a lot worse before, so either name is hopefully okay. I really can't wait until the honeymoon trip to Europe. I'm glad you're looking forward to meeting us, I already know we're gonna get along just fine.... you're an Elliott Smith fan! XO was the first album I bought, but From A Basement on a Hill kills me everytime I listen to it.... okay, 'kill' is probably a sensitive word to use.... but yeah,"King's Crossing" is apparently my most played track on iTunes.

Erilaz - Thanks, I'll try my best. ;

character - Thanks!

madplanet - Bruce! Another old friend I feel like I haven't talked to in ages. Hope you're doing well man. I need to swing by your sketchbook now that the dust is somewhat settling from the past two months. Thanks for the congrats and I'm glad you can put a face to the name now.... which is nothing like the Howard Roark drawing you did with me in mind a few months back. haha.

bhanu - haha, it's all a facade man. I can still be a moody bastard like any other artist. Ask my wife. ;)

bdfoster - Heeey Ben. It really was a fantastic wedding. I got the better end of the deal in that Alex wasn't some Bridezilla, and both our families were down to earth people that didn't insist on taking out a second mortgage or releasing doves to turn the wedding into a spectacle. It was low key and festive at the same time. It's my happy place when stuff pisses me off (and I visit often). Good to hear from you bro.

Bojee - Thanks for stopping by. :)

glikster - Hey Glik, glad you found the new book and that you still like my stuff. Cheers man.

Helzon - Hey Helz, thanks for resubscribing. hehe. Good to see you here. Enjoyed your LMS piece by the way. It had some great energy to it.

Complete2 - Hey man. Thanks for all the feedback. She actually looked half hurt in the final initially, but as I got further along, I realized I didn't want people to feel overly sympathetic for her. My message was more along the lines of 'get over yourselves' rather than 'poor girl, those artists are @$$holes!' .... which can be true, but I try not to encourage the idea. So the angry look won out. The stairway was drawn roughly six years ago for another idea that never panned out (it was a musketeer running from an entire army). By the way, I think it was you who provided that awesome awesome link on urban exploration in the reference section. I must've spent a good hour there. My kind of stuff. Thanks!

Ganbat-bad - I'll try to dish out as much as I can, though most frequent visitors know I'm kinda slow on the updates. heh.

Zord - Hey Zord, good to see you here man. Good eye on the composition for the Escape Artist! The OK Capitol project actually hasn't started yet. I think they're still figuring out the budget and if they can even afford these sculptors. If they say yes, then I'll definitely have something to brag about. ;) Glad you liked the Elliott Smith drawing, and it's always good to connect with another Smith fan.

Gryphon - Glad I made you laugh. :) And thanks for the congrats.

Matt Smith - hehe, yeah, new name. I'm still pissed that I lost my post count though. I was almost at half a grand! Good to see you made it to the new book.


Finally, one sketch. I finished my "Public Places" page for my portfolio. Some of these are in SB: Volume I, but there's a couple new ones and the images are larger overall so you can see some linework. I promise I'll be updating with new stuff once portfolio prep is all over and I can actually draw again.

Cheers!

[TheDirtSyndicate]

haha, yeah, urban exploration is my thing
i cant get enough. i used to have tons of links, but then i got flashgot for my firefox... now i have all the jpgs on my hd instead.
:|
i'll see if i can find more links for ya.
i used to have a cool link to some photos of chernobyl, now after all this time.
crazy shit

[edit]
a few random people in this one.... but still good stuff
http://www.janikarvonen.com/digicam/10-12.6.2005_Ukraine/

[Mike Dutton]

Hey C2, thanks for putting that link on my page. Right on!

So I'm almost done with the portfolio I'm putting together for applications. Altogether I think I'm sending off a $140 package that I doubt I'll ever see again, but if it lands me the job it'll pay for itself right away! Also been busy in other areas. There's a gallery in San Francisco that is interested in my "Vintage Nostalgia" (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/Viticeps/Artwork/vintage_nostalgia.jpg) pieces (from back in the old SB) for an upcoming show called "Tiny" (pieces under 7" x 7"). This could hopefully open the door for me into the gallery scene. Also busy gathering reference and research for Round 3 of LMS2. The idea is so exciting I wish I could show you guys the thumbnails!! And finally, I'm submitting five pieces to the Society of Illustrators annual competition in hopes of gaining some exposure for my freelance work. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

I've had just enough free time to rework an old monotone illustration I did years ago. Definitely a fixer-upper piece but I thought you guys may enjoy the WIP where it is so far (alongside the original). Also dug up an old sketch I did roughly based on Diablo II.... the sketch was much more successful than the finished oil painting (which was roughly 2.5 ft by 5 ft).... though I'm considering repainting it digitally. If I had known about the Blizzard contest early enough, who knows?

Talk to you guys later!

[Alday.J]

I already know we're gonna get along just fine.... you're an Elliott Smith fan!

Mike, I have to be honest, I can hear death metal too ! :^^;: lol ! Ok, back to art. There's a question for you: how did you build your digital palettes, some of your tones are du "jamais-vu" for me. Is that made from your traditional paintings ? Just wondering.

À bientôt Mike !
Julien.

[bdfoster]

Mike--

Have I told you lately that I love you? (Have I told you, there's no one else.. above you.. you fill MY HEART WITH GLADNESS...) Oh, sorry...

I was actually going to ask you the same question Julien did. My digital pallette just never works for me, and I simply love your color selections. Educate the masses!!!

[vigostar]

dutton- Fab work amigo... Really great stuff.. You have to bring back or post some new ballpoint drawings... Cuz we all know how much of a sucker i am for those!! Thanks for sharing..

[rmore]

very nice SB keep the good work up!

[unknown_epiphany]

I love the way you do your pencil sketches. I wish I could comment on your digital work but I myself do not do digital so it seems silly to comment. I wish in that last sketch you didnt choose to crop his wings. It wouldve added immensely to the piece.

[P E N Ricklund]

Hi there Mike. Happy to see your new sb, subscribtion is a must.

The sketches are really nice, maybe what I love must here. And the LMS2 was great, one of my favorites, maybe it's something most of us artist can relate to. The pressure of doing portraits and making them perfect look a likes.

Congrats to the wedding :D Hope everything is fine.

Take care. Hugs!

[Art_Addict]

superb stuff !


congrats on the wedding!

[fedezz]

Killer stuff you've got here. I love your td entries. This (http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=32412&stc=1&d=1160128229) and this (http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=32410&stc=1&d=1160128178) rock my world. A total inspiration.
Keep it up!

[demented]

Hey man - congrats! The wedding looked great, and your wife is beautiful! grats, grats!

Awesome pictures you've been posting too man, really wow. All of these are very strong, really like the "haunting" one - fantastically communicated. td entries rock the world man, really awesome. 5 stars dude, 6 if i could.

Take care man, and grats again!
ciao!

- d.

[Ryan DeMita]

very big congrats on the wedding bro! im glad you started posting again! you're work is fantastic and i love seeing it. also, good luck with the job search, someone's definately going to snag you up. im glad you're looking at concept/illustration jobs. best of luck with all of those. your work is very very inspirational

take care
ryan

[EKU_11]

Great work, Nuff said.

[Listing]

Great work generally. I especially like the people-watch sketches. Keep going.

[blanquish]

I fell in love with this piece
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=29375&stc=1&d=1159496823

Very interesting way of using pencils
never seen so much character in a face!
Oh, btw, great job with the lms piece, great humour and one of my favourites!

[Bradart]

i dig theses a lot

[JERI]

There's simply nothing I can crit :). Rated!

[Gryphon]

I really like the horseman/necromancer piece up there - the values are beautiful, and I really like the blocky rendering style. I think the horse's nose might be off a little, but that's a nitpick.

Keep on rocking!

[pradip ingale]

u r rocking here keep posting

[madplanet]

first of all Mike, good luck on sending your portfolio out (they's be crazy to overlook you) and on the gallery stuff. You'll have to give me some pointers if you ever get a free moment.

One of the things that I like about your thread here is that you show us everything from the initial pencil sketches right on through to the finished piece. I love to see the process, so thanks for sharing bud.

When I first looked at the winged dude with the war hammer, I thought that it looked cool, and it does stand on its own, but when I saw the colors added it really brought it out. Nice touch with the mouth glowing.

[Niva.]

Sir Dutton!

On the last one your WIP is very interesting. Can you give some extra info on what type of technique you're using to color? Are you using just blending modes like hard/soft light and etc or are you doing something else?

You're a very good artist. Glad I stopped to see.

[Mike Dutton]

Hey Gang,

I promise I'll answer the digital palette question (and respond in general) as best as I can in a future update. I'd like to put up a mini-tutorial but it's going to take a little time to slap together. I'm flattered that you guys are asking me for pointers in the first place... so I don't wanna let you down with something lame like "Just use the eyedropper tool." haha. In the meantime, today is resume/cover letter day so I gotta focus on that.... and I mean really focus, because I hate writing that stuff.

For now, I wanted to share a quick beach scene watercolor sketch from yesterday to tide you over.... no pun intended. I'm beginning to relate to artists like Hopper and Monet who had their personal getaway location to paint. I've been looking for a place like this for a long time, and though I'm no Hopper or Monet, it's nice to have finally found a place like Dillon Beach. I got to paint this while Alex was testing out her new manual camera. Both of our families were around, either wandering the beach with their own cameras, or relaxing at the house on the hills above the beach.

Enjoy!

[Helzon]

Mike...good god man!
You've got me scratching the calendar days off till you upload that tut.
This watercolor here has got me reaching for the Aleve bottle. Holy shit stairs! Great balance of warm against cool.

Best of luck on the job hunt. I have a feeling that it's going to be very quick.
Cheers!

[Justin.]

I love you Mike, your wife is beautiful!

Detecting some Frazetta in there, (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=32410&stc=1&d=1160128178) amirite?

[Tigermilk]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=29375&stc=1&d=1159496823

is that elliott smith?
crazy good pencil portrait, I really miss elliott.

tiger

[cotron]

great shapes and color in the plein air one... congrats on tying the knot as well :)

[Bojee]

I like what's happening with the houses towards the back. :)

[bdfoster]

Mike--

You kill me, bro. There's not a medium that you pick up that you don't hand me my ass with. I love the watercolor, the way that you sold those stairs without ever painting an actual step. It's one of the things I love about your work, the way you imply detail rather than painting it.

I can't wait for the tut.

BTW-- you going for a staff position somewhere? I figured you were shooting for the freelance market, but the resume would indicate otherwise.

[Thaelys]

I love your B/W figure sketches, they have a great deal of character. That's what I'm shooting for in my work. Me <- Jealous.

[lefran]

hey , some really awesome sketches- i love your LMS entry, it stood out for me as i was looking through them, one of my favourites

[salaryman]

It's all good!

Great to see all this stuff Mr Dutton, and congrats on your big day!

Looking forward to seeing more.

C.

[j a k e]

Lovely watercolour sketch Mike. Pencil work is great, and the LMS2 piece was wonderful.Sorry but I've only got asspats for you.

[Danomight]

Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow!!! Your drawings always leave me breathless :) Thanks for the inspiration

[Alday.J]

Please, Mike ! Don't hide yourself behind wonderful watercolors... We want awnsers ! ;) Hahaha. Constant inspiration here, bravo.

Mes meilleurs vœux à toi et Alex !
À bientôt.
J.

[Andy P]

Woot, beautiful water color. Some Homer in there too, Hot! Congrats on the wedding, and your LTS was swiggity sweet. Busy guy indeed!

[Mr Man]

Aww dude I love your expressive faces. You make it look easy :P

[Ian Mack]

I saw your image in the last man standing thread and had to search out other artwork on CA. Love your work..something about the colour and the feel of it that I can relate too.

[madplanet]

I agree with Bojee about the house in the back. It's so subtle, yet my eye was immediately drawn to it. Nice piece, but such a tease, Mike! Where's the other goodies from your special painting "other" place?

[Mag-Neo]

-Holly..... :O There is one of your wonderful volume is started here..... I like all of those, especially running artist is QUITE EFFECTIVE & composition is VERY VERY AWESOME..... :spam: Keep em up & STAY COOOL!..... :yayca:

[-ThePenciler-]

wow such cool stuff and with so many different mediums

[Mike Dutton]

Hello Everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't been able to update as often as I'd like. I'd love to respond to each and every one of your comments, as they always mean so much to me, but I hope you guys will accept a long rambling newsletter type deal to generally answer questions that have been brought up.

So an update on the going ons here: Alex and I are in the middle of purchasing a house. It's been a relatively long and frustrating process, but I think we're finally going to see our reward for all the struggling.... even so, I'm trying not to celebrate until I have the keys in my hand. Still, in my excitement, I've already got my studio space picked out, and I can't wait to spend countless hours staring off into blank canvases. Hopefully, owning a house won't prevent us from traveling as long as we'd like to, and we're still aiming for at least a month. Don't worry, Julien, we're coming!

Jobwise, I'm still searching, and trying to remain optimistic at the same time. I may even try out for an internship just for starters. To answer Ben's question (BDFoster), I'd prefer to remain freelance and it'll eventually become a full-time thing, but this whole house owning business kinda calls for some stability.

I do have some good news though. The Studio Gallery in San Francisco (http://studiogallerysf.com/wst_page12.html) accepted my submissions for their upcoming "Tiny" show. I have two watercolour sketches in the show. I'll go ahead and attach them in this update. The theme is meant to keep works of art under 7" x 7", including the frame size, but I thought it was also kind of interesting how my pieces involve children; tiny people. I don't stand to make much at all if they sell.... indeed, I'd make a tiny amount, but at least I've got my foot in the gallery door.

With the upcoming move, job hunting, and one week of the flu, I haven't been able to produce much to show you guys, including the digital color palette I've promised. Unfortunately Bruce, I was only able to get that one watercolour in at Dillon Beach. I do have some old sketches from that beach in my last sketchbook though.

So yeah, art production has been slow but it was nice to just say screw it, and paint a self portrait for the CA.org event. I was really moved by all the different ways we interpret ourselves. My own goal in this portrait was to let go of my perfectionism a bit and try to be more spontaneous, using techniques I'm usually afraid of. This demanded that I stay away from the merciful digital medium. I also wanted to stay away from my approach in illustration; painting over a carefully drawn map where most of the problems are already solved. In the end, I was happy with the technical approach of the painting, but there was definitely a lack of accuracy in my likeness, nor was it really a truthful insight of my character. Alex felt the usual 'warmth' in my eyes wasn't there. If anything, I think I look a little scared or uncertain.... that might be an accurate representation of all the things going on around me. I have to admit I had Elliott Smith in heavy rotation for added effect. I did go back and touch up a little after I posted it yesterday, for better or worse. Anyway, I hope the WIPs on my SP will tide you guys over until I put up the digital color palette tutorial based on my Round Three entry for LMS2.

Thank again for taking a look guys!

[hurricane]

soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good !
i creamed my pants x2

love it all and congrats on the wedding !!

cheers!

[Beelow]

Nice SP and congrats on the wedding dude. I will be dropping by more often! XD

[Helzon]

Oh bloody hell that's just a magnificent post!
Great watercolor and process shots mike.
Can't wait for the next update.
Best to ya.

[Alday.J]

Bonjour, Mike.
I just noticed your new update and it leave me speechless ! The step by step of your SP, the fact you put yourself "in danger" by leaving all kind of techniques you feel comfortable with... And the result ! Man, the energy ! Sure Elliot Smith can not help for bring warm feeling, but fragile and delicate ones, in my opinion. I like it even more. Don't ask me why. I just love it.

On a more personal side: Argl ! You [I]absolutly need to tell me where in France Alex and you will be. If by any chance I can host you, be sure it will be a pleasure ! If you plane to go elsewhere than in Paris, tell me ! I will do anything I can for have the chance to meet you two.

Your art is truly one of the most refreshing and exciting I have saw here on CA, I wish you the best in the future, you deserve it.

Amitiés,
Julien.

[Mr. Visions]

Awwww, man, greaqt SB man and congrads on being a newly wed'. Those pictures are adorable. Best of wishes!

- Chris

[arttorney]

Congrats on both marriage and gallery. Excellent. Keep fighting for that art getaway time. I found a way to telecommute and live at my getaway place. It can be done, but the danger is that you can be loving it so much that you get snappish with the clients when they intrude on your solitude with their darned grubby fistfulls of money. I hope you can find a perfect balance because with enough good years of work ahead of you I can see there aren't that many limits you won't exceed.

[Dizon]

congrats on the wedding! Is she Filipino?

[sve]

Hello, Mike. I didn't write for so long and now I feel a bit not confident how it will go with your answer. Impersonal answer will make me a bit sad, although of course, it would be fair. I should not leave my friends live their life alone. should be aware of all major things. And actually I'm aware. Hope you agree, we are friends.
I read your answer in SP thread and it made me feel good. So unpretentious and human it was. Of course I agree, it is useless to criticize SP from emotional point of view, if the portrait was sincere, and it supposed to be the most sincere portrait of an artist. and vulnerable and egocentric by the name. And I too was enjoying and feeling emotional agitation looking at so many sincere faces, it was really surreal feeling for me. Agree, CA had some history of making unusual things happened. extreme and honest.

So first of all I'm happy for you and Alex and wish you long happy life together and understanding and support and wish your life be as easy going as possible.

You both are great looking people and you sure look happy. that's very pleasant to see. Hope your house will be happy, warm, dear one for you both and you will have a great time creating your art there.

OK, back to art, and it is to you self portrait. and here I have to talk about strange impression from it. The person on the portrait made almost sick impression on me. I feel nervous and weak together with him. so much fear in his face, to the degree when people are afraid to go outside and lay down on their bed with thoughts rolling in the same circles over and over again in their head.
When I looked at this person, I feel like he is so sick and uncomfortable being in the light and in the center of attention. I would say it is face of paranoia in its beginning.
Now I hope you are smiling a bit at my words.

Remember Seinfeld show? when portrait of Kramer went for sale . hehe. Two important clients observed it and decided it is a face of sociopath. hehe. Bought it btw. :). Sounds close to my comment, doesn't it? ;).. But really, your art is very often an escape for you, for your fears and worries, that's my impression, And that's good. I noticed it is the best art or literature, when author, creator talks about things he knows well, to the tiniest details. That's why your "Escape artist" was a success and "Corporate ladder. You showed things and situation you thought about a lot and knew too well, sadly too well, funny to well. They are all very personal, and that's is very vivid in your art work like this, the same in your landscapes.
And in my opinion it is lacking in the paintings of the group statures and fantasy artwork.

For me, only for me, it feels like you are on your own in unknown field. and this is why i don't feel your personal attitude in those, but mostly thorough following of technical accuracy. I might be wrong.
In your SP my favorite place and actually only thing I can look without a compassion and discomfort is the stripy shirt collar and the homey sweater. it is like something at least solid and recognisable as a home in this neurotic portrait of yours.
Well, that's all, I think you agree i need to get out from your thread, I'm terrible. Your nostalgia watercolor make the same impression on me as half an year ago. painful.

I want to end on a high note though. Alex is very beautiful. and she has a huge positive energy coming from her, very bright one. Your personality is softer in my opinion, you are an introvert, she is more like extrovert. exciting combination of personalities. You both look complex, despite happy minute. You both look like very sweet people.
Her dress and make up remind me 60th. your art reminds me those years too.

[bdfoster]

Love the SP, Mikey... Just... Yeah. WOW. I love it. I know it's not a perfect likeness, and I think the fact that you're using a mirror, but doing a 3/4 view forces your eyes into this side-looking, shifty eyed look that may explain the lack of warmth in the look that Alex identified. Still, the fact that you stepped out of your comfort zones, and really took some risks with this is admirable, and speaks volumes about you as an artist.

Congrats on the house purchase to come (crossing my fingers). It's incredibly exciting and a little bit scary owning your own place, but so worth it in the end. I demand the house has a guest room for my dream trip out to Cali. HAHA! Seriously, it's great that you'll have your space to work.

Thanks too for the answers. I understand completely the concern about stability. Since Carrie couldn't work anymore, it became a huge concern in our lives, which is why the freelancing took a back seat to the corporate sell out job. It's a fantastic job, as far as 8-5 type stuff goes, but it's not making art for a living. I'm wishing you all the luck in the world finding something that suits you and your incredible skills (talents is such a misnomer. I can tell you work your ass off to get where you are.)

Talk to you soon.
-B

[Ryan DeMita]

wow mike that portrait is great! im glad you showed your process, very cool. the paint has a pleasing thickness and intensity to it. the colors, as always are really great. i might have missed it in the description but how long did that take you? really wonderful.

take care
-ryan

[madplanet]

I do so enjoy coming in here and reading all the good news that you have been posting lately, Mike. It's uplifting in some odd vicarious way. So, congrats on the house (yes, you will get it!) and the gallery show, oh, and the self-portrait. You said that Alex had said that the eyes lacked warmth and although I didn't see them in that way I'll have to take her word for it. But, they are searching eyes and I saw that right away and it may have something to do with what Sve had stated in her reply. I wouldn't go so far as to say that there was fear there, because I don't see you in that way, but something intense, nonetheless.
bdfoster comments on doing a 3/4 profile made me think that's where I went wrong in my sp. I had a weird look no my face as I was looking out of the side of my eye. that probably explains why i looked so mean, ha, ha. Yours was much more successful, though. Duh. For some reason, I liked the angular forms that the ear takes and the hair takes on something out of the twenties. It's a refreshing portrait. good job.

[flaptraps]

badass man! sooooooo motivating! thanks for showing.

[BRAT_777]

I just have to say...Your artwork is really beautiful. Everytime I see it somewhere on these boards...they stand apart from the rest. You have quite a skill, and I thank you for sharing. You are an inspiration, truley.

Btw...your SP was definatley one of my favorites. Its really kewl to see your process.;)

[Mike Dutton]

Thank you all for your comments!

Responses:

Brat_777 - I really enjoyed looking through your website. The palette, mood, and design really fits your chosen genre well.... and it happens to be one of my favorites. The web design really ties it together. I'm guessing by your figure work that you went to the Academy of Art (and that you had James Wu for Heads and Hands, with the "Crazy Expression" portrait). Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm glad I can be an inspiration. You've definitely inspired me in return.

flaptraps - Thanks for looking. :)

madplanet - Thanks for your insight, Bruce. :) I especially like the "intense rather than fearful" part regarding my SP. hehe. Thanks for the encouragement by the way. It looks like we're getting the house. We're signing papers on Wednesday! And the show is this Saturday.... during moving weekend. Ack!

Ryan DeMita - Hey Ryan, it took roughly four hours, I think. It was a five hour span, but I took an hour break after the third hour was up. The lighting was a little dark (single light source facing me rather than the easel) so it was a bit straining on the eyes. Glad the results got a nice reaction though. Thanks!

BDFoster - Hey Ben, thanks! And don't worry, we'll have plenty of space for guests if you ever make it out here. :) Thanks for the encouragement as well. I'm still trying to make it in freelance as well as other ideas, like prints, and trying to get more stuff into galleries. I think I'm postponing the inevitable sometimes, because I know the benefits of a comfy salary job, and it really scares me when I have dreams that I'm still working at one! I'm glad it's worked out for you though, and really, it's awesome that you still find the time to make art.

sve - Sveta, I've missed you! But there's no reason you should apologize or feel worried about my response. You know though, I have to take your analysis with a grain of salt, since after all, you jokingly implied I might be a sociopath! haha. But really, I like that you had a variety of reactions to my painting. I really can't say what I do or don't agree with. This was my interpretation of my self, the same as how we make up ourselves in real life by choosing what we wear and whether we wish to smile or frown as we walk around. When we pass or meet someone along the way, that person has the right to form their own impression of our character, and it isn't our choice to reshape their impression. So it is in this self portrait. The bottom line is that I'm glad there was at least communication between my portrait and you, and that's what makes me smile. :)

And speaking of impressions, I like yours of Alex, and I think it was very accurate. Regarding her look and the 60's, her favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn, so you may be right about her dress as well. As for me, I do have my extroverted moments though, but only within the right crowds. ;) My best to you and your family.

patdzon - Thanks. She is, though born and raised in the Bay Area. She's more white than me sometimes.

arttorney - I'm looking forward to at least being in a position where I could choose to be snappish as they shove fistfuls of money my way. I'm sure I'll be a perfect gentleman though. Thanks for your positive prediction in the end.

Mr. Visions - Thanks Chris. :) Good to see you stopping by.

Alday.J - Bonjour Julien. For you, we'll venture outside of Paris. hehe. Actually, Alex read your PM and I believe we'll be heading to your part of the country regardless. So don't worry, you won't have to endure Paris.

Helzon - Thanks Helzon. Always good to see you post here.

Beelow - Thanks. :)

Hurricane - *hands bjorn a couple paper towels.* Haha, thanks dude.

Update:

This will probably be my last installment for a short while since we're moving by the end of the week. I finished my LMS2 piece last night. I saved it in roughly 14 stages, though I'm not sure I spread them out enough to see noticeable progressions. I'll try to prepare those for my little tutorial during the downtime once we're all moved in to the new house.

A week ago, Alex and I took a small drive down the coast just past San Francisco to a town called Montara. There is a little lighthouse there that has a hostel on the same grounds. Alex stayed there with her girlfriends a couple nights before we got married. Very quaint, New England kind of place. I picked her up the morning after, and we made it a point to return one day to paint and photograph the place. So that's what we did a week ago. I painted for a couple hours, while Alex walked around with her newly acquired manual camera, snapping shots. I'll ask her if I can post a couple of her pictures. My sketch is below. The angle is a little off in places, but I still like it.

Thanks again everyone. Talk to you all, hopefully soon.

[hp]

omfg. that is just beautiful. any tips on how you did this?

[sve]

Hello, Mike. I'm so glad you missed me :teeth: and you continue to be very warm and open. That's the only way for me to talk about art. :), or about life, which for me is the same thing. I missed our conversations too very much, and I realised that I don't want to lose these heart warming chats. I want you to know I learn from you so much, in many ways...For one I learn your way to look at people and events around you. It is probably very good manners in the base of your way to deal with things. Or maybe you learnt that not much we can control or we can't control it by force. The more sophisticated methods are more efficient too, probably. But I'm trying to imply that patience and tolerance I feel in every encounter with you to my life... The second thing is your patience and careful observation I see in most of your artwork and perfectionism, very strict approach to final vision you allow us to see.

You know, you are one of not many people here in which thread I feel relaxed and calm to talk about anything I want. You have this friendly attentive manner to talk. and again patience. Because of this together with your skills and openness in art I'm sure you will be successful. Winning qualities all around.


Hahaha. My dear, I didn't call you sociopath... I couldn't have possible done that. If five the most famous 400$/hr psycho pathologists tell me with an aplomb: 'Mike Dutton is a sociopath!' , I'm still not gonna believe them. It just doesn't add up with everything :). The most possible pathology for you, in my opinion, :) is an obsession with details, perfectionism and probably higher than normal sensitivity of nerves ( which might make you feel miserable sometimes). So paranoia... maybe.... :). Which is norm in our generation.

Sociopath as you of course know shows opposite to your qualities: lack of quilt, self-centeredness, inability to control impulses, immaturity... That's an opposite of you, as I see you.

Alex loves Audrey Hepburn... Striking! That's an actress who had an independent spirit, will, brains and style. Quite simple and strict in the same time. Very good taste. And personality. And soul. Wonderful choice of course. She was an opposite to vulgar. "My fair lady" is one of the first movie I saw when Soviet Union stopped being a closed box and foreign movies were allowed in video saloons. It was in same company with some other peculiar movies though, mind shaking combination, like Police Academy or Nightmare on the Elm street. The gates were suddenly opened and an information was pulled in. Funny to remember.

Wonderful watercolor you posted. The gentle transition of colors is lovely and delicate. Very nice for me to to see especially after looking at screaming advertising way to talk in other threads. That calms my nerves and comforts them. As you know the nature has these qualities, to make us peaceful and agreeable. Well, I think you caught this effect in your painting, when everything works on soothing and smoothing sharp edges and straight lines. Mantra, sort of, sleep inducing spell in the air and water and horizon. Sky, ocean, foreground are all wonderful and in a harmony with each other, very truthful combination of shades. The painting is breathing.

And even more sadder for me that perspective of the lighthouse is wrong, in my opinion, and it distracts and works in opposite from the general charm direction. And the sharp outlines of the lower part of the lighthouse too.
I wish you straighten up the two lower cylinders more and dissolved those walls more in the creamy, soft, sound killing air. It is the only thing that doesn't let me fully enjoy comfort in this image. And maybe to make the indefinite outline more curved out than in as it is now. Not sure if all these corrections can be done with this medium, if you decide to do something about it. I wish you did though.

But overall it has a wonderful gentile charm. I love it. You know, to sing quietly is much harder than loud. So congratulations, your painting talks in sweet delicate manner.

Hope your own house will be your and Alex's favorite place on Earth. Hope your watercolors will get well deserved recognition and bring you interesting work.

[DeathChalupa]

Really impressive watercolor. My eye seems to keep dodging back and forth between the tower and the trail in the foreground for some reason.

I think it'd be a more pleasing image if you cropped it about halfway down the fence furthest in the foreground.

Astounding work. I demand MOAR.

[Mike Dutton]

Thanks for the feedback you three. My plein air process is usually to just go right at it with a paintbrush, drawing a couple guidelines with the brush, sometimes a pencil, then I build up light washes and gradually shapes. Then I tighten up and everything goes to hell. :P Sveta, thanks for your thoughtful insights. I feel like I'm doing an injustice to you by not responding in further detail, but I'm in the middle of packing up and am probably not going to have a chance to update in a while. My deepest apologies.

So we signed papers for the house this morning, and we get the keys on Friday. I'm finally allowed to be excited. :) I just wanted to share my LMS piece with some initial concepts, the finished drawing, and some details before I go.

Enjoy, and see you guys hopefully soon.

[Ryan DeMita]

hey mike
your LMS entry is great!! i love the forced perspective and the smoke puffing out the bottom. the graphic quality of the clouds is a wonderful touch. overall excellent. the process drawings are great too! everything good here.

take care
-ryan

edit: i saw that you're going to be at the workshop in december!! im pumped. cant wait to see some of this stuff in real life. cya then!

[bdfoster]

so good it hurts

[j a k e]

Lovely work the the lms piece Mike.

[motives]

I got to say that I love your last work. Such a great feeling in it! good luck with the entery!

[Kliment]

wow, great works!!!
very inspiring!
sheers

[vigostar]

Love it Mike...

[madplanet]

Mike, are trying to kill me? That LMS piece is incredible. How could anyone crit such a thing? Ok, I'll try. The mountain range below looks a bit vague, in which it should be being that it is far away, but maybe a little more definition would enhance it a bit? Oh crap, that was weak, don't listen to me, that was just my feeble attempt to help out, ha, ha.

I noticed in your notes to look up Howl's moving castle; was this a part of the theme? I haven't been over to the LMS area lately, so I guess I should, eh? I just finished reading The Art Of Howl's Moving Castle and I'm sure that you've probably seen it and been inspired by the looks of the finished product.

I'd like to see how you would handle The Nautilus. Nemo might not, though.

Hope you had "fun" moving this weekend...:)

[fooxoo]

Your LMS entry is a fantastic illustration. Great imaginative piece, and I love the colours. I dont think I can crit it much, so I ll just be a regular ass kisser I guess hehe :teeth:

Also, great to see the sketches of it, always interesting to see.

Cheers and more :D

[strych9ine]

Gorgeous entry, great to see the thought process behind it and some of those juicy details. Glad to hear everything is going peachy in Duttontown, congrats on the house man!

[sve]

Hi, Mike. Come to look and prolong my pleasure looking at your wonderful entry. Thank you for creating this beauty. Wonderful idea to catch this glorious day in painting, flying toward ultimate happiness.

As I wrote to you, going from one image to another when the TD thread appeared the first time, it was a sweet impression to see the gentle colors and light and smile from your picture after looking at dark tragic gruesome themes in other people images. It was the same effect my friends and I had when we were walking the whole day in museum looking at old oils of the 18th, 19th centuries and sudden we entered the room with French impressionists, and it was like rays of light and energy shoved toward us. Delightful. So exactly the same reaction.

I can't criticize this image, I don't see anything wrong in it, on the contrary I see many new for me objects and details, words of art language...
I love every corner and every spot on the image :).

I like the very realistic effect of moving clouds and vapours above mountains and these colors, gently glowing like it is a beginning of the day.
I like a face of the girl, I like that she is not pretty, but sure in the moment of extreme agitation, her eyes are crazy from sudden picture in front of her. I like her little feet in white stocking, hint on the 1860th years, probably (the same with round eyeglasses of the old guy). I like that her body is much smaller comparing to her head than perspective requires (I have many associations, with caricatures drawn in this period of time, or illustration to Alice in Wonderland of the artist of the last centuries, a bit grotesque), it makes the whole picture look a bit like distorted by time memory, when some things are clearer, other faded...

I like some little hints on motion in the image, the huge, heavy, a bit intimidating air balloon moving toward the viewer. It adds to exciting and dangerous feeling of journey.

Wind tearing banners, bright tasty green on the basket/ship, elegant dragons, the old man, half scientist/ half sailor, everything is delightful, so many great things and they work together in harmony....

Whenever this painting will be printed and I hope it will happen on luxurious, the best in quality, brilliantly white paper, please let me know, I will buy this image to cheer me up when I need it.

Was interesting to finally see your initial sketches, they are so different, from thick with lines and many trial and errors attempts to light and fast. Very interesting. Even more, your handwriting, it is so careless, not accurate, functional, but not refined at all. Letter are not symmetric, just serving purpose, not wanting to be pretty. Interesting.
I like the ropes net on the blue sky, always loved this effect, in real life it was trees twigs creating a lacy net on the light sky.
So, congratulations, for me it is your best painting. :)

[Jason Snair]

wow.

just love looking at the progression of that last painting. I saw the final the other day, but seeing how it came about is a treat. Love the clouds, the characters and the perspective. Very imaginative piece.

j.

[Helzon]

Hey Mike,
As always man just putting that quality stuff right out there. Just fantastic...sort of reminds me of a Howl's Moving Castle and FF getting mashed together in a really fun and interesting way. Bravo to you.

@Sve: Im not trying to be a snarky bastard here...just genuinely curious...have you ever thought of collecting all of the many pages of your critiques into one vast tome? Layout would look something like an image or progression of images on one side crit on the other.

Anyway, sorry to hijack your thread again mike.
Best to you on all fronts, domestic and professional.
Cheers!

EDIT: @sve...as a response to your reply below...Heard and understood...healthy attitude to keep moving forward.
As to the snarky bastard thing...it's been my experience that the internet and especially the written word can sometimes have an unintended
tone that one can misinterpret...so that's why there's that disclaimer. Just wanted to make sure that wires weren't crossed.
Cheers!

[sve]

Helzon, did you try to collect last year snow or fallen leaves? I'm moving forward, dear. Those are just current moment impressions, I hope I will be better and smarter and on new level in future...
Wonder why you were fast to assure you are not a snarky bastard? in your mind it looks like you could be? ;)

[poise]

I got to say Mike, your TD pics is SOOO awesome!!! I am inlove with the whimsical look. All those colors so beautiful. the Dragons, and the cloud are lovely. Really great work :) 2 thumbs up! ;)

[maknien]

The last post is mind tickling! :) So cool to think that illustration as a frame from a full lenght animation film. It winds up my imagination really.

You really handle the oils as well. The selfportrait looks good.

Keep the thread active! Peace.

[BludHund]

Heya Mike, saw you at InSoMania.

Congrats on the marriage. And the house :D.

Keep kicking the proverbial ass man.

[Darktwin]

Hey Mike it was awesome meeting you at Insomnia, freaking great times bro, amazing sb also. I have those cd's copied for you man, I'll pm you my phone number so you can call me. Just think of these as a Christmas present. :) A heads up I'll be leaving Sunday early morning, so if your in or around SF let me know I'll be happy to meet up to give you your present. Again is was awesome hanging out with you and Jason Chan and talking about the horrors of MMO games, Will definitely staying away from those life drainers. Good times bro, Good times.

Ditto what BludHund said, congrats on the wedding and the house bro, would like to check it out sometime,

stay in touch, Darktwin out :D

[Infinit]

WOW what a pleasure to see your new SB
that atep by step of your SP is super! thx a lot

sweet wedding photos too
enjoy your honeymoon in "good ol' europe" ^^

[Ivo]

Superb portait,i love the way you started,cool technique!

[K4SP3R]

we wee! i love it all! keep em coming

[Alex Alexandrov]

Wow Mike i love this SB this is awsome

http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=32410&stc=1&d=1160128178

lets make that 5 stars

[Mike Dutton]

Hey gang. thanks for all the comments. Just wanted to give you a head's up that for the most part, I'm retiring this sketchbook and updating solely on my blog (http://www.duttonart.blogspot.com). Getting way too busy to juggle this many webpages (apparently, I'm incapable of multi-tasking two things!) I'd love to see a few of you there, even if it's under an unregistered name (just say who you are back at CA.org).

I've attached a few images from the blog to lull you into compliance. :P

Happy New Year!

[marco nelor]

dear mister dutton.........cheers! i enjoy the energy of these pieces...even the serious ones!

[sve]

Will you still be a judge in the TD selfies against schoolies? I'll buy the Great Discovery after holidays.

[Mike Dutton]

Of course, Sveta! I'm not leaving this website. I'm just posting my sketches elsewhere. :)

[h2rra]

Amazing work, sad to see you dumping this sketchbook ;(

[Idiot Apathy]

Ah man, I just barely found this and you're retiring? :\ O well, not like you're quitting art to become a chef or anything, I'll add you to my ever increasing list of art blogs :)

[mentler]

Best with your house and for next year <> bunch o talent

[BludHund]

Nooo! Nooo! You can't un-assimilate from the collective! Centralization is the only way of life...

[Mike Dutton]

Hi everyone. Thanks for continuing to comment here. I suppose it'd be foolish to stop this book entirely, since a lot of you may prefer to look through sketchbooks here rather than elsewhere. I haven't quite figured out how to use RSS Feeds, so I realize there may be others who have a hard time keeping up with subscriptions outside of CA.org. I'll try to post one image from each update here as a way to let you know there's new work to look at on my blog (http://www.duttonart.blogspot.com).

As always, thanks for taking a look at my stuff.

[Justin.]

That's neat, though maybe more red/saturation on the nose? Love your stuff Mike.

[blacky]

just so much fun to see your works
adorable

happy new year

[poise]

Great new update Mike. On that last page the only thing I could understand is the last sentence, haha! Yeah I was thinking the same think, " what the hell he wrote the whole thing in this text he must have got tired of it pretty quick" haha. Inspiring work Mike. :)

[Mike Dutton]

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. :)
Got some new stuff up over at the blog. Hope a few of you check it out!

Here's a page of doo for all to enjoy.

[lennon]

Hey pretty cool! your art is awsome, and thanks for the tutorial.
If it's possible, would you mind visiting my thread to leavme some clues?

[Alday.J]

<3 <3 <3 Mike, I hate you !!! <3 <3 <3
Julien.

[themissinglink]

wow, really amazing stuff

[Idiot Apathy]

<3 <3 <3 Mike, I hate you !!! <3 <3 <3
-Tom.

Julien and I made a pact to do this.

[Darktwin]

Whats going on Mike, just checked out your blog, good stuff sir, keep up the great work. Talk to you later.

Darron

[Maestro Andres]

Really cool stuff man. You have a nice style, especially with the airship piece in post #77. That's my favorite so far.

[Kian]

Mike! These are brilliant mate. Nice one :D

[BludHund]

I also hate you, Mike. But I'll get over it. Heh heh Doo = Doo-dle...love it.

[Beelow]

Dutton, every time I see that LMS2 piece, I cry. I so love your pastel color pallete which I think is pretty damn sexy. Those stylized clouds and dragons really adds to the playfulness of this whole piece. Soem tips from you would be nice, pretty please? XD

[Arne S.]

too cool to comment. sorry, fan-post.