Art Wortd Coop

A cool header for a hot month. Sparth is most def one of the best sci-fi artists out there. Looks like he's working for Microsoft's 343 industries.

































Keywords: digital tablet concept spaceship art by nicolas bouvier sparth working in seattle washington 343 industries microsoft game studios

The Light Armored Assault Transport (LAAT), also known as a "Republic Gunship", first appeared in Star Wars Episode 1. StarWars.com describes these gunships as "rugged, combat-equipped repulsorcraft... covered in weapons, offering air-to-ground and air-to-air support as well as serving as an infantry transport." This papercraft LAAT was created by "Starfreak" and at 1:430 scale, is only 4 cm (1.5") long. This model is only for those who own a pair of tweezers and a load of patience. ;) The PDF template may be downloaded here.

Going to try very hard to get back to posting artist tips, links and resources on the weekends. I was in the habit of doing that a year or so back and I want to try to return to it.


This article is for other artists that may be new to sourcing. What is "sourcing" and who is good at it? Sourcing is that unique ability that some artists have to find new materials to paint on or with, new service providers and new partners that will create unique products with their artwork on it.  Wikipedia states that: "In business, the term sourcing refers to a number of procurement practices, aimed at finding, evaluating and engaging suppliers of goods and services."

Maybe you are an Etsy seller and you have noticed that some people package their handmade jewelry in pretty silver metal tins, you think "wow what a great idea".  You could message one of these sellers and ask them, "hey where do you get your tins, I want to package my work that competes with yours in the exact same packaging you are using, but hey don't worry, my label will be green and look totally different".  Or you could do what that seller did and spend an hour or more looking on-line for "metal tins", "commercial packaging", "gift boxes" and who knows you may even find a cooler tin than they are using or even better pricing. Sourcing takes a lot of time and it takes patience, and in my opinion it is a much better route to take than sending random e-mails to other artists that have never even met you.  The people that are good at sourcing are those folks that are always coming up with new products to add to their gift lines, new packaging ideas and new ways to do things.  I feel like I am pretty good at finding what I need at good prices and I very rarely ask other artists for help in this area.   When I do hit a brick wall in my search efforts I know I just need to try and think in a new way.

Here is my list of tips for sourcing:
#1 Try a wide variety of search terms for the product or service you are looking for. Then try an even wider variety of search terms.
#2 Be specific about materials and sizes. In the example above in searching for "metal tins", try using the deminsions that you know these tins to be available at.
#3 Use the word "wholesale".
#4 Think about what other type of industries may use the item you need. If you are searching for metal tins, you might try food service, food storage, candy packaging, candle companies and so on.
#5 Spend time on google, but don't forget about the other search engines, and don't forget about offline resources. Offline resources include trade publications and trade shows, and the yellow pages if you can find one.
#6 If you use Twitter you can always send a random shout out to the people that you are connected to and ask if anyone has any good ideas about where you can find what you are looking for ...  this is far better than putting one individual on the spot that may not be comfortable sharing their vendor list.  Some people are very protective of their sources and rightfully so, still others are more than eager to share. Twitter is a great place to ask for help without stepping on toes.

The Follow Through:
Ok so let's say you have bookmarked half a dozen places that all have pretty similar pricing on metal tins. Now what? Well look for a 1-800 number and see which of these companies offers phone support.   I will spend a few cents more on an item if the website is well designed or if it offers me a toll-free number where I can connect with a real human. When placing your first order for a new supply with a new company be sure and order at the minimum or even ask if you can purchase a sample, many wholesale resources will sell samples.

Ok so those are my tips for finding what you need. I would love to hear from other artists on any sourcing research tips they may have to share so please feel free to leave a comment.

I bought the smallest tablet because I like having it take up less desk space. I saved $70 by ordering on-line at Macmall. 
Have you been thinking about ordering a tablet or upgrading an existing tablet? Well at $157 there has never been a better time to buy. The changes on this new tablet are great. The round button to the left is a zoom control and it is great. My old tablet still works pretty good although the cord that is attached to the tablet is starting to become a bit thread bare at the corner where it is attached. They have solved that design flaw by making the new cord a removable usb cable.  The new tablet is thinner and lighter making it a great travel companion. The case that holds extra pen nibs doubles as a pen holder. I had no trouble getting the feel for this new tablet, it is a tad smaller than my last tablet and I like that.

Extremely lush architectural renders by Stefan Morrell. Let's help him break a million views.











Keywords: concept spaceship environments architecture modeling 3ds max vray by stefan morrell residing in lyttelton new zealand cg portfolio cgsociety.org

Check this quality short on youtube... Watch in 720p if possible. From this CGSociety thread.








Keywords: spaceship scene from short animated concept film movie cinematic trailer from azureus rising 3d three dimensional concept animatic independent film from David Weinstein

Our theme for team up Thursday is "Out Of Focus". My image is above, Kris Hundt's shot is below. Above is my husband standing in front of large wing sculpture at the Modern in Ft. worth.

Cool ship and future concept cars posts by Edmund Keefe.









Keywords: 3d three dimensional concept spaceship and future vehicle cars transportation renders drafting by edmund keefe uk united kingdom artist

Maybe art, maybe some art, maybe this art, maybe some of this art, serves turning the absence opaque, that is, making it at once palpable and impenetrable, so we cannot go back, so we are stuck in the appreciation of this strange, utopic now, and any attempt to overcome it, to look for the actual empty space, meets the opacity of an object, an image, a substitute, substitute not of a reality, but of what ceased to be, of the void that hence remains beyond us, happily or unhappily, hard to say, replaced by the fundamentally meager and helplessly sublime moment of a hesitant, aesthetic, experience, too private to be credible, too credible to be intimate, and yet ours, because we want it to be, because we claim it as such, because we know we inherited it from the silence that came before.

The picture - entitled (...) - is by Marek Wykowski. (Found by Gocha)

Robert's concept design blog.








Keywords: 3d three dimensional helicopter design mixed media automotive car design blog by robert engelmann cologne germany technical illustration design software rendering

I am 48 today! Wow, the years are going by so darn fast. Taking the afternoon off to visit the Kimbell Art Museum. Lola and I will be pushing hard tomorrow to stay ahead on the portrait commissions. I'll post some new art later this week.

I was naughty today, well actually I just took a much needed long lunch break with a girlfriend.  Last week one of my mosaic classmates, (patron and friend) noticed on Facebook that my Birthday was tomorrow so she asked me out to lunch. She took me to a fab Mediterranean restaurant that is in the same shopping area as Kittrell Riffkin where I like to shop for glass so we made a nice long lunch of it. My girlfriend is from India and she gifted me with the most stunning blue ceramic tray from India. It is called Jaipur Blue Pottery.  The name comes from the eye-catching Persian blue dye used to color the clay. The Jaipur blue pottery, made out of Egyptian paste, is glazed and low-fired. At first I thought I might use it as an earring catch-all on my dresser, but the more I look at it the more I think I need to find a way to hang it right on the wall, the blue glaze is so amazing and rich and yummy.

After lunch we went into the glass shop and fawned over sheets of glass the way most woman drool over shoes.

I treated myself to $45 worth of glass, came home and unwrapped my stash to discover I only bought 2 sheets of color .... lol, how the heck did that happen? The good news is I got lots of patterned clear glass that is going to work on my current mosaic project and some future projects. 


Anyway ... that was my Mosaic Monday!  I got out of the studio, met with an off-line mosaic pal and had a very lovely afternoon. I am sipping on an iced coffee right now and feeling very spoiled.