This is the blog of Thomas Schmall. All archived paintings are in the picture gallery. If you want to buy originals or prints check out the info page. You can commission me to paint portraits. And I like to paint people on events - if you're interested, or have other ideas, you can contact me.
A new portrait of a friend. And just delivered to the gallery for the Portrait Month exhibition, that will start tomorrow.
It’s done in what is now my new studio – I love the diffuse light, even if it makes it all a bit tougher. So there is more to come from that place. And thanks a million to Elise for offering to sit for this portrait. I know it takes a lot of patience.
A pastel drawing from a recent sketch-session in Berlin:
Kneel down before Octo-Hero!
May it please our new eight-legged overlord! To whom this was a homage to.
I’m all serious! If the octopus from this clip is not the most heroic creature that ever walketh the earth…
Thanks to Heiko, Nadia and David for the fun drawing session, the idea aaaand the tip with the Puppet Warp tool in Photoshop. I didn’t even know it existed. If you ever have to animate an octopi, then try it – the tool was made for this job.
Just last year the Dutch government raised the consumption tax on visual art from 6 to 19 percent. I really don’t demand a special status, but raising it just this year again to 21 is gonna be tough. Clients barely had the time to get used to the higher prices… apparently galleries had a drop of sales by 25 percent. One can only guess what the aggregate of 15 percent higher prices will do. Never mind that they hack at all other pillars of support at the same time.
The extra funny part: Any art that is on a stage (called “podiums art”, so theater and singing) will go back to 6 percent. Now should give the lawmakers credit for following a divide and conquer strategy … or do they simply don’t spend any time thinking laws through? Hmmmm.
Coming May I will take part in the portrait month again. This time with much more days. Anyone is welcome to join as painter, model – or just drop by and watch the artsy action and exiting exhibition.
We will be painting from May 18 until June 3 (2012) in the windows of Gallery De Stoker in Amsterdam. Since there are sessions every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there is lots of opportunity to join. We also need lots of voluntaries for models – so please drop the organizers a mail (also if you want to paint). All details and the agenda can be found on the website of Maroesja Lacunes. It will be quite relaxed sessions of four hours, with lots of breaks.
Personally I will have some of my portraits there, and will try to portraitize at least every Sunday, and lead the first Saturday and Sunday. I’m kinda secretly pondering to make some “Portraits of Amsterdam” exposition with my works in the future. So it’s a good chance to produce!
Below is the Dutch flyer for the Portrait Month (whoo, I’m even on it…. twice!), and for the model sessions every Sunday in the studio downstairs.
Flyer Portrait Month in Gallery De Stoker.
Sundays there are model sessions each week. Artists are welcome to join.
Long time, no Sketchbook. Some more pages from the end of 2009. Amsterdammers might even recognize one or the other place. I’ll leave it to you to guess.
Also, since we’re at the topic of Amsterdam: I’m desperately in need of a studio. It’s tough to find an affordable cozy place, with nice light. If anyone knows anything in or around West, please let me know.
On another note: I also added new conceptart to the website indie-game I’m working on.
This and the next 2 are musicians playing at the … oops, didn’t wanna tell. The Woodwards is really nice country … kinda from Amsterdam. He’s playing again tomorrow in the Jet-Lounge btw. – I can really recommend it.
The following band actually noticed me sketching and played a song about artists for me, thanks… and sorry for forgetting the name
…how to get in, and would you actually want that?
So below are the slides and links to a three-part lecture I gave today about the Games Industry. It was strangely fun to write all this down. And I surprised myself how much I know about the industry workings, considering that I didn’t come up with half as much when talking about “How to grow as an artist”. Hm, you learn what you live…. or so.
Here is one slide I think might be interesting (and self explaining enough to show): These are the questions you’ll get in interviews. Surprisingly consistent across companies. And then I write what they actually really want to know…
The interview - What they ask, and what they really want to know
Most of the characters in this play are from the higher class (of about 1860-80). I found it surprising how little their attire changes over the centuries and regions – the nobility of Russia differs little to that of England or the United States.
On the other hand, the lower or middle classes have so many interesting styles in comparison. When looking at German outfits of these times, you can find distinctive traditional dresses pretty much for each village. Much of which has disappeared until today – while the upper class nowadays still wears similar suits and coats as even in the middle of the 19th century.
Lets start then with some of the rich guys in the play:
Boris Grigorjevic - Katia's secret lover. In a Norfolk Jacket (very popular high class dress until 1900)
Tichon, the boring husband of Katia
Tichon, with a coat (upper class dress, ca. 1880)
Dikoj - Boris' Uncle
Costume for the choir - a thick coat, and typical russian hat.
Varvara - the foster daughter in the family
Again Varvara, this time in a coat for the curch visit
Yesterday I gave the keynote for the Global Game Jam 2012 in Leeuwarden. Below are the slides that I promised to upload. Here is one slide about the emotional roller coaster that I always went through when I took part:
The emotional roller coaster that is the 48 hours of a Global Game Jam.
The rest of the slides is a bit more practical about how game jams and big game development is similar -and what to keep in mind: Zip of the complete Keynote
A little experiment with red pencils – thanks to David and Nadia for the tip. I think I overdid it a bit though … as usual. The paper got wavy from all the shading and going with white pencil over the red (even if erased) is impossible. Could be interesting to adjust my style to the material.
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