oppinions wanted

[chalkmaster_dave]

hi there.
im a sidewalk chalk artist in Toronto. On a regular basis i get compliments and the feedback from the public is actually quite good both financially and emotionally.
as much as i respect their oppinions and i appreciate everything the general public has done for me the fact is a lot of them are not artist themselves so if you have any oppinions or critique which could help improve my craft i surely would appreciate it.
heres a sample of one of them, ill ad a few throughout this thread for the sake of variety ....dont be afraid to be harsh, i once had an evil girlfreind so i can take the critique without resorting to tears.

[chalkmaster_dave]

woops....thats not the one i wanted to start with...oh well, heres the one i wanted to originally post...guess it doesnt really matter now.

[Seedling]

They're beautiful!

What source imagery are you working from? If you are working from the photography of others, then my main suggestion is to start taking your own photographs to copy.

I'm curious: who pays you to do such work? Are you taking donations from passers-by, or getting paid by local businesses to draw customers, or something else?

Keep up the good work. The world needs artists like you who make urban spaces beautiful and fun!

[Beershite]

Really awesome chalkpaintings!

It's a bit hard to crit those anatomywise because of the distorted perspective, but i can imagine you don't have to much problems there when working from photographs.

As Seedling said, are you working from you're own photos? I saw quite some streetpaints online, and 90% of the time i've seen someone copying some old masterpiece. Not that it's bad, but i think that it is a shame there are not much 'original' streetpaints. I could be totally wrong here though:) I've seen a dozen of those 3d streetpaints. With angels and demons falling into a pit and what not. Those where some of the best art pieces i've ever seen. I guess the artist that made those is probably one of the better streetpainters in the world. I forgot his name though, but you'll probably know who i'm talking about.

Anyway, i could not find any crits here so post some more!
Cheers.

[magnut]

I have but only one harsh criticism:

"Opinions" is spelled with only one "p"! Also, in part of your sentence you wrote, "ill ad a few"... 2 misspellings: "ill" is really "I'll" (you forgot the apostrophe), and "ad" is really "add".

Sorry, that's the harshest criticism I've got. Hey, you asked for it, but I just couldn't find anything to criticize about your work. Hah!

I also think your work is beautiful. It must be a very difficult discipline, to be so consistent with the chalk. I admire your talent and skills.

Ciao!

[Beershite]

While searching for those '3d' streetpaints I found this picture of you on some photographers site. I recognized that superman and the radio:D
I don't know if you knew this picture was taken of you so i thought i'd post it up!

http://expose.pileofcrap.org/index.php?showimage=24

[The8bither0]

wow those are simply beautiful! Especially the figure and the drapery in the first piece. I'm just lucky I havent come across you on the street I would end up spending my whole day watching you draw.

[Flake]

They look cool, post more please.

Oh, and welcome to the monkeyhouse.

[chalkmaster_dave]

wow,.,,,thanks folks.
i do some of my own original art...the one of the girl with the flower is a photo i took of a girl with a flower.
the other one is a peice by a guy named Pino....hes amazing and when i came across his peice i had to do it on the sidewalk.
i do 3D art as well....all from photos i personally take ...but theyre too big to post here....unless someone can tell me how to change the size....is that possible in compu-land?
and yes...i know my spelling is atrocious and ardous to read sometimes....i keep trying to work on it but my fat fingers and my laptop dont always get along.
ok...heres another pic.

[Flake]

i do 3D art as well....all from photos i personally take ...but theyre too big to post here....unless someone can tell me how to change the size....is that possible in compu-land?


Dead easy, 2 minute job in any photo editing or graphics software.

Let us know what you've got (file format, resolution) and we'll tell you how to shrink them.

[Jason Rainville]

I'm helping him along over msn on how to resize it in paint. Not exact science for sure, but it'll work.

Dave, awesome awesome stuff dude. I missed you at the street painting festival in massey this year, but I'm making a promise to myself to try and get there next year. (and if anyone from conceptart wants to know more about the festival, just pm me ;) )

I already looked at all your stuff, including that great dvd my sis has. I really can't see any fault in what you do, no real suggestions. Maybe some time I'll put on my nit-pick hat and see what I can find, but like it's been said that'd be a bit hard to do :)

Welcome and hope you enjoy your stay here :D

[chalkmaster_dave]

ok...jay tought me...or tried to.,..im not that bright so hopefully this works.
this is a 3D one of my kid....i dont know what it will look like before i post it so im taking a chance here.

[magnut]

chalkmaster_dave,

I hope you've sent pictures of your comics chalkings to Alex Ross, the originator of the images you're reproducing. I think he'd be honored that you're doing that, and that the quality is so excellent!

[chalkmaster_dave]

id love to send some to alex ross....that guy is amazing....im in total awe of his skills. thats why anytime i do super hero art on the sidewalk i usually do his stuff, ....i wonder what his email is.

[Jove]

Woah, how come I never see this kind of work in real life? Anyhow, some really nice stuff here!

Some crits:

The first piece: Looks real nice, it’s a little hard to make out the face due to the angle its shot at but the only thing that bothers me is the feet, or rather lack of feet, it almost looks like the legs just go on and suddenly end, like a long cylinder.

The second piece: Nice! Reminds me of Alanis Morissette. Both the hand and the face looks slightly skewed, I think the forehead needs to be pushed back slightly, the lips looks like a straight line more or less and the highlights also makes the upper lip look a little flat.

Spiderman: When you compare the shoulders and the hips the width difference is just massive, he has the proportions of an extremely buff bodybuilder while the arms almost looks skinny, there seems to be some problems where the arms connects to the shoulders as well.

Overall: They look great but somewhat plastic and a little to “clean” if you get what I mean, the lips don’t seem to have much colour, especially on the batman piece, it almost looks like a rubber mask. Most of them look like they just took a shower and put on some newly washed clothes.

Keep posting your art, and I’d love to hear some inside stories and facts about the possibilities and limitations of this cool medium :)

[chalkmaster_dave]

thats about the only problem i have with the sidewalk art medium. i have a limited amount of space to work most times and due to the concrete being so rough and pitted its hard to get those fine little details sometimes.
thanks for the critique....( the legs in the first one, i didnt have the pic done and it was about to rain so i grabbed a quick pic before it poured down )...looking at them now i'll have to pay a little more attention to details.
im doing a new one or two this week...ill post them when im done, ill try to focus a bit more on the little details. sometimes its a little frustrating as i try to get an 8'x10' peice done within the span of 8 hours all while 10,000 people are staring and talking to me...makes me cut corners sometimes which is not the way for me to improve.

are there any other sidewalk artists out here?
maybe even a hot single female one?...just kidding..........maybe.

[JL.Alfaro]

Its so hard to crit stuff like this, you have an amazing talent Dave, have you tried saving some on canvas?

[chalkmaster_dave]

i do a lot of canvas...mostly in the winter.
i have some orignal stuff ive done and it always sells way too fast...which is good i guess.
i know i cant do the sidewalk art forever but it has afforded me some things in my short life that few will be able to do in many lifetimes..for this i am grateful and find it hard to leave.
also, theres something very zen about doing it this way., especially when im circled by hundreds of people....where myself and the people viewing it watch "the moment" and creation at work....most people can only see art as a product or object to be owned or manipulated, this way it is simply what it is, a moment captured in time where complete strangers converge and share a lack of differences if even only for a brief moment.
damn, i made another run on sentence....be patient my fellow humans, ill try to improve on that.

[White Rose]

wow... your art is so "painfully" beautiful...

reason why i say painfully..cause...its the art peices are all temporary )eventually it fades off into nothingness.. Makes me wish your paintings were etched on to paper.. to last longer.. :3 (I dont know how to describe it)

how long to the chalk paintings stay on the ground...

[kingshaj]

very amazing! in an impossible medium
but in an attempt to give you what you are here for.

my only crit is that there are some inherent anatomy issues rising form the exclusive use of photos.. photos as we know leave out alot of crucial info and flaten space artificially
as a sole reference they can leave you out in the cold when it comes to subtle anatomical details that are crucial to placing the image in space
just remember photos are always always?...yes always wrong,

[SirGreenSock]

Beautiful work man, Im pretty sure Ive seen some of your superhero works around Toronto (Queen and Spadina area?), I think I recognize the style and the handwriting.
What kind of chalk do you use? Ive always wondered because the pieces seem to stay on the sidewalk for quite some time.

[chalkmaster_dave]

i use nu-pastel..red yellow and blue, and i use crayola for the white and mungyo for the black because its cheap.
i used to do spadina and queen a lot....now im up at yonge and dundas.
and that info about the photographs being artificially flat.....i never really thought about that.
this week im doing a ballerina ..,,,never done that there before....ill see if i can apply some of these tips to it.

[Flake]

most people can only see art as a product or object to be owned or manipulated, this way it is simply what it is, a moment captured in time where complete strangers converge and share a lack of differences if even only for a brief moment.


There is something gloriously mad about spending hours doing these things, knowing that they'll be gone the next time it rains.

It definitely appeals to my inner loon. :)

[Mad Giraffe]

Wow amazing, makes me wanna try too. If I figure out what those chalk names you mentioned mean and if they're easy to get at my place.

Ehh, crits...phew. Hrm well maybe, I don't know, but atleast you could try, try to make them less, sharp.
Loosen up a little, focus more on parts that are more important, instead of making that gradient flow perfect, and those edges clear. Because in reality we don't really have that (nudge to the superrealism movement).
That way you can spend more time on detailing important parts then on the whole piece. Makes it more loose, alive and flowing. This way it is even more captured as a 'moment' instead of a very well rendered sharp full picture.
Like how some artist's suggest movement(don't know specific examples but I bet some guys here do), you could try that in the ballerina for example.

Keep it up! And kudos for being unspoiled by the technological dependancies of modern mankind!(as I am one of them...woe)

[Professor Az]

are there any other sidewalk artists out here?

I'm probably sure that hopscotch squares do not count.

Honestly, I can't think of anything to crit on these pieces, they are so darn photorealistic. I suppose if I had to be very nit-picky, the one problem I do see is that the ones done from photo reference look like copied photographs. Not really a bad thing, but it's almost as though they have no vibrance or life to them. Maybe it's the medium, or the way they are photographed?

At any rate, this stuff simply blows me away. Simply outstanding. :confident

[chalkmaster_dave]

just to so you all know....all these compliments and constructive criticism coming from fellow artists is quite flattering.
i was working on the ballerina yesterday and the rain came about 3 hours into it so i barley got the picture half done.
oh well....im gonna go draw a warrior woman today....one who looks like she carries the burden of battle not as something to celebrate as glory but rather a weight of the senseless realities humankind makes for itself. hope it doesnt rain today.
in the meantime this is a dragon lady woman one i did one day while being a little more cartoony...wanted to see the publics reaction to a naked bum on concrete...which,..they seemed to like...lol.

[Rafal Dorsz]

huh, the last one looks to me like Henning Ludvigsen's "Dragon Caller" :) He probably would like that :)
Nice job on all the drawings, You do them better on concrete than I in Photoshop, lol :P
Keep posting:)

[Kreed]

Your stuff looks great! and a fascinating medium. I can't even imagine what it would be like to work on something like that knowing it would last only hours.

[chalkmaster_dave]

ok...heres one of the 3D wishing well i did.
these ones are kinda boring to actually execute but the finished product is fun. people usually throw money in...or rather on...it. kinda funny really.
by the way.,,,,does anyone around here know of a good program i can edit my pics in...one thats easy...im not to bright with a computer so something user freindly would be great.
thanks a bunch.

[twoheaded]

Dope stuff, you got good eye for value, the sidewalk is a perfect canvas because of its texture and its already toned to a perfect gray.

[gmags]

These are really sweet Dave!!! I would love to see you work on any of these. Perhaps one of your buddies can tape you working and post it on YOUTUBE. Please keep postin more eyecandy!! :)

[Moai]

Awesome work, chalkmaster! I love 3D sidewalk art.
As for a program for editing your photos, I'd suggest plain ol' photoshop. That's what it was made for, after all. It's fairly complicated, but there's a huge internet community to help you out with it. Plus, you could always have your computer whiz nephew or someone come over and help you out.
Cool stuff!

[Rabid]

I have but only one harsh criticism:

"Opinions" is spelled with only one "p"! Also, in part of your sentence you wrote, "ill ad a few"... 2 misspellings: "ill" is really "I'll" (you forgot the apostrophe), and "ad" is really "add".

Sorry, that's the harshest criticism I've got. Hey, you asked for it, but I just couldn't find anything to criticize about your work. Hah!

I also think your work is beautiful. It must be a very difficult discipline, to be so consistent with the chalk. I admire your talent and skills.

Ciao!

.............................:er: Apparently this forum has turned into high literature discussion.....


Nice pieces man! Sad that they dont stick around too long, Have you thought of possibly finding a surface like concrete and getting apermanent rendition? Good sense of lighting too, the first one has an odd perspective and looks very flat but it mgiht just be the angle.....:confident

[Heat]

keep pushing the content behind the art. maybe draw on fractured or fragmented surface even.
im sure everyone appreciates your voice but what about your mind. by voice i mean the technique you have learned so far.

post some of your personnel work vs the stuff from reference. i see a phew pics there next to the work

and buy a ladder! to take pics with!

[chalkmaster]

hi there. been awhile since i posted. but someone mentioned a video. so i made a vdeo of some of my pictures set to one of my favourite songe and the second half of the video is me doing a piece timelapsed.
if youd like to see it go to Youtube, type in "chalk this way" in the search bar and you can see it.
take care all. and thanks again for all the advice and compliments.

[Jason Rainville]

Hey Dave, I'm gonna link to that video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=kNBwZEQQEzI)because people are lazy. Great stuff in there as always :)

EDIT: that time laspe stuff at the end is WILD!

[chalkmaster]

thanks rhineville....im not that bright with computers so links are scary for me. i appreciate the help brutha.
peace out.

[information_high]

This is a little nit-picky... but I think your hands and feet need work, although I see them rendered decently in a couple pieces. I say this because in the first one, your figure has no hands + feet. Most non-artists don't notice this though, so maybe it's no-biggie?

[Crendle]

Very impressive stuff. I find it lovely how using the street as your medium must allow so many people to get a glimpse of something beautiful in their everyday lives. Awesome! :)

[chalkmaster]

one of the most fascinating things i find about doing sidewalk art is the way people gather around. i work a lot at yonge and dundas, right in the heart of downtown toronto...and people from all walks of life gather to watch and share a moment together. the ironic part is the powers that be put so little value on art,..yet everyday i do my thing i see this kalaidescope of culture stop what theyre doing and all the differences and social barriers are erased...even if just for a moment or two. ARE YOU LOOKING AT THIS GOVERNMENT? PAY ATTENTION AND START RESPECTING ARTISTS FOR THIER CONTRIBUTIONS...IT AINT ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!

anyways, now that that rant is done...im gonna start working on some original paintings soon and new oppinions will be more than welcome.
hmmmm...i wonder if i spelled kalaidescope right?

this pic here is a portrait i did of my daughter when she was 6 months old....used acrylic on canvas...approximately 2'x3'. acrylic is such a pain sometimes...now i like guache. i seem to be rambling here but thats just cause ive had 4 hours sleep and no coffee yet.

[RaistlinTheDark]

holy shit! dude..is that chalk? shit, i got no bad critiques exept ur really good!

cheers!
and good job!

[Gunther409]

Absolutely astounding... things like this are what drive me to practice drawing. I'm curious if you have a website, also I don't know why but I so desperately want to know what those captions say next to the drawings! Fantastic stuff man, I hope you keep doing what you're doing it's really quite incredible.

[masque]

man, i used to squawk about "smoothy, smudgy" pastel portraits. currently breakfasting on those words--these are outrageous! nice vid, too, my daughter's gonna flip, being both a fledgling artist and huge Evanescence fan.

keep on truckin'!

[Mr-Joe]

Wow!! this is amazing work, I wish I could see some of this on the street.
I have some questions for you Dave,

Do you just do this work on any part of any sidewalk, or do you have to get some type of permission? Have you ever gotten kicked off the sidewalk that your working on by some company or some owner of a building that your in front of?

Do you leave room for people walking by to still walk by?

Do you start from one side, like top or bottom, or one corner, and then work to the opposite side? or can you actually step/kneel on the chalk without smudging it all over the place?

And I was going to ask you what type of chalk you use, but someone already answered that,.. so I'll ask you, you only use 5 colors? Oh yeah,, are these them? http://www.dickblick.com/zz200/34/ and which Red, yellow, blue? they all have complex names!

Very very very very awesome work, And your thoughts about how people stop and watch the art being created , really makes me want to go out and do some chalk on the sidewalk.

And I think someone already asked, but I don't think I saw you answer, does anybody pay you to do this, I saw some little parts of writing on the sides about donations, and something that said something like Reasons you should contribute, or something like that but the picture cut it off. Or do you just get lots of donations?

Such a great bunch of work, I hope you post more!

Take care,

Joe.