Relaxation

            Silence is never silence. To stop and listen is to realize this. Even with the absence of all other sound, silence has a song of its own. A song so beautiful and melodic, that it disarms the most wound-up of tin soldiers.

The song lifts you and holds you in its arms. It cradles you and keeps you warm. The song whispers in your ear…

 

Hear it? The song sings its harmony at all times. But it is silence. And silence is to be overwhelmed.

            To embrace the song is to know a waking sleep. The tingle in your body lets you know that it is there. Hairs stand to attention as the song trumpets its quiet call. Let yourself ascend as the silence empowers you with sound. You have the loudest roar. You are the maestro. It is your orchestra, so conduct it how you must.

Still, the silence is nice. It is there. The quiet, peaceful, relaxing murmur of nothing is always playing in the background. Silence is the serenade, the mellow mood music to existence. Let the static refrain of tranquility embrace you, for it is invigorating. Sit and let the quiet din of silence gently rock you in its arms, and listen to the hum of its breast.

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Relaxation 08

 

Blood

The theme for today is blood.

Blood is not about violence and gore. Blood is about life. The only purpose it has in the depiction of pain and suffering is the loss of life. Vampires aren’t scary because they are monstrous. On the contrary, most vampires are depicted as quite seductive. The fear that vampires induce is that of giving up ones life to another involuntarily. To have one take your life without permission is true horror.

However, the theme isn’t horror. The theme is blood. As mentioned before, blood is life. So what is life? Life is passion and excitement and adventure. Life is love, and for me, love is family.

Some say you can’t choose family. I beg to differ. Family is those who help and watch you grow, whom you trust and trust you. Family can be a parent or a sibling, but just as often, family is the people around you. Family is friends, and friends are family, for family are the ones you love, and if you love those around you, how can they be any less than a brother or sister, mother or father. Family is love, family is life, hence family is blood and blood is family.

Blood, life, family, love, all similar, all different. Have comfort knowing blood flows through your veins. Give comfort to those who need it. Share your family with those who need it. Live life, love life, and love each other. We all share the same blood, even though it may be different.

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Blood 04 WIDESCREEN

Fo Sho...

For starters, here is the link for a one step tutorial that can help you draw anything. ANYTHING. And it works too! So if’n you are an illustrator, or possibly just an art appreciator, you must take a look at this.

 

Now that I’ve done my part to help the artistic community, we shall continue to new.

 

            NEWS NEWS NEWS!!!

 

            On October 3^rd, my work is going to be shown in a show out in Portland, Maine. That’s right; watch Mark pwn the east coast. The show will be called Photo-Impressionism and features a number of my works. The selection has yet to be finalized; though it will definitely contain “Girls Like Girls 03,” one of my favorite images as of late.

 

            The opportunity came about as part of the deal made regarding the logo that was displayed in the last post. After the job was completed, the logo was shown around, which sparked interest in the logo’s art brethren. When the art was viewed, it was loved. Soon, I was asked whether it would be okay to show the art out there.

           

            “Sure”

 

            About a week later, word was sent that everything was set up and that the work could be shown. So now, it is my task to decide on the images that will be shown, have them printed, and send them out to Portland along with a variety of freebies to help promote my various works.

 

            And that, my friends, is that. Come back later and I’ll show you how to train a dozen elephants to provide you with all the peanut-butter sandwiches you can eat.

 

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Girls Like Girls 03

Adventures With Deadlines

So, guess what? The commission based business of my freelance illustration and design is actually going pretty well. Incredibly well. STUPENDOUSLY WELL.

 

Too well?

 

Maybe. Fact of the matter is, my feet are in so many graves right now, Death may as well be my moniker.

 

But I love it. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it.

 

Not too long ago, I finished a logo design. Specifically, the one featured in today’s post. It is for a friend who is starting a business as a yoga/Nia instructor. She wanted the logo to convey the movement of dance as well as the beauty of an amaryllis. In her opinion, the logo captures that perfectly.

 

            In other news, another friend has decided to start the process of scripting a webcomic. He is so awesome that he even lets me help some. Rock on, Jon! Rock rock on!

            Anyways, I have been doing some pro bono illustration for him. It is 100% fun and helpful for both of us.

 

            Today is beautiful outside, so instead of writing more here, it is my duty to experience this bewitching autumn afternoon.

 

            TTYL

 

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Joy Bliss Wellness Logo

Laborious Labor Day

Sorry for the tardiness in this most recent of posts. The Labor Day weekend walloped me many times over. As well as the week leading up to it. Nevertheless, at the very least I can provide you with some visual goodness. 

Stay well, be good, and do something nice!

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"The Fools 02"

1000+

    Well…after 2 years, my deviantart site has finally reached over 1000 page views. The morning of the 19^th started off around 980, and by noon it hit over 1000.  I know I’m excited, how about you? Regardless, you should check it out.

            In other news, I have now reached act 3 of my script project. Good news, I really enjoy how act 3 is turning out. Bad news, acts 1 & 2 will require major rewrites for act 3 to make any sense. Grmbl.

            Now, it is time to divulge future plans. Someone asked me the other night “What do you want to do in 10 years?” The only answer I had would be to continue what I am already doing, only bigger and better. Which means, hey, a lot of fun is yet to come. So, prepare…things will be getting real good real fast. Tell your friends, tell your family, and tell your coworkers, because once the hammer falls, everyone will want to be on the ground floor. Don’t leave anyone behind. Become that cool friend/sibling/child/employee that introduces people to the hot new trends in media. Be the person they remember when asked “Where were you when you discovered Mark?” Step up soldier! It’s time to change the world.

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Today’s illustration is in commemoration of 1000 page views.  I’m still excited about that massive leap.

100 Years and Going Strong

            For any artist or storyteller, today is a holiday that trumps every holiday, whether national or religious, for it is the 100^th anniversary of the first animated cartoon being released to the public.

            Emile Cohl, the father and creator of the first animated cartoon, was born in France while it was under the rule of Napoleon III and was a member of the long forgotten Incoherent Movement in art.

            Fantasmagorie, the title given to Cohl’s creation, is named after a mid-19^th century magic lantern, the fantasmograph. The cartoon is comprised of 700 double exposed images, and totals about two minutes in length. It follows a stream of consciousness narrative that followed in the main tenants of the Incoherent Movement. The individual cells were drawn on white paper with black lines, however Cohn reversed the negative, so the entire animated sequence looked like it was done on a chalkboard. Further, the cartoon combines animation with live action.

            Today, animation is far more sophisticated with the replacement of computers over the traditional cell-based animation. However, knowing the process that went into creating Fantasmagorie makes it even more revolutionary for its time by utilizing techniques that are both common and uncommon in film today.

 

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The illustration for today is a bit of “fan-art” commemorating Emile Cohl’s achievement.