Nantucket Speed Sketches etc.

This summer I was fortunate to live on Nantucket, a picturesque island off the coast Massachusetts. The history of this tiny island is facinating, and one of the most unique places I've ever been to. I highly encourage at least googling it. After the island's whaling industry collapsed the island became a haven for artists, and it's easy to see why with amazing views, literally,everywhere. In the spirit of those early artist I kept a sketchpad handy most of the summer and tried to work on quickly capturing images as I saw them. It was the first time I have really sketched in real time, but it definitely won't be the last!
Most places I could only sketch for 2 to 3 minutes before the subject moved. It really forces you to quickly capture the most important things first and then work on the details later. (yet another example of life lessons in art).
I was pleasantly surprised how well these quick sketches came out and I now I have some cool souvenirs to remind me of this amazing island.

The Brand Point Lighthouse

Super quick sketches while waiting in the Newark Airport. (thats not creepy, right?)

I think I filled this whole page in 4 minutes 

The Pacific Club building  on Main St.

Monument in the center of Main Street. (until a car blocked my view)

Scene while sitting on Straight Warf. 

Sailing yacht with Brant Point Coast Guard station in the background 

To stave off the Texan Homesick Blues I sketched out the cover of my Texas Monthly Magazine 

Fishermen at "The Creeks"

(fishermen tend to sit still a little longer)

Fun with Bright Colors

Sheer Volume Continued...

Keeping with the Think Less, Paint More theme I've been trying to stick with, I decided to get back to my roots. I have always been a compulsive doodler, never really thinking about the finished product, I would just keep working on my drawing until church ended/ the bell rang / the plane landed/ the professor saw me. In school I didn't so much take notes as I illustrated the lecture. I have missed doodling since I finished school, and recently when I got a song stuck in my head it gave me an idea.  I decided to take this stream of  consciousness  drawing style to the canvas to see how it would look when it wasn't crammed in the margins of notebook paper.

 Lyrics from Paint the Town Beige by Robert Earl Keen

 1st experiment with "Stream of Conscious" painting for Veterans Day

Quote by John F. Kennedy 

Latest Work

"Art is never finished, only abandoned" - Ron Burgundy (maybe Da Vinci?)

Yes I realize I could've cropped this picture but I needed some scale

A few months ago I wanted to try painting a mural. I was inspired by some graffiti murals that I had seen while in downtown San Antonio, and just decided to go for it. I wanted to incorporate aspects used in those graffiti murals, vivid colors and bold lines, into a traditional landscape scene. I found out that painting on a large scale is very different from the smaller canvases I'm used to. Mostly in the sheer amount of materials used, but also in perspective. You have to step back much farther to take in the "whole picture"....and now I have a huge canvas I dont know what to do with

After a month of intermittently fussing with the details I decided to call it done. 

Note to self: Before experimenting with a new concept, start on a smaller scale! 

Speaking of Large Canvases:

I was finally able to see the food truck wrap I designed for Randy Rogers and Les Lawless last Spring. I never thought I would see my work that big but I have to admit it makes you feel pretty good to point it out driving down the highway. 

Stop by the Outlaw Food Truck on Highway 281 near Spring Branch!

"Best food you'll ever eat out of a Winnebago!"

(not an approved slogan)

Sheer volume

Matt Diffee, acclaimed cartoonist for the New Yorker, and a Texan expat, once summed up one of the  biggest problems I have with my "creative" work: "You can't make a great idea happen by working harder". He goes on, "but the good news is... You can't make a great idea happen by working harder. You have to put in your time and go for quantity over quality."

I'm not a perfectionist. I'm far from it. However, I've found that with artwork and being creative in general, I want to "swing for the fences". I'm not a great artist, but I feel that I am capable of great work, and thus I set the bar very high for myself.
Now, everyone wants to hit home runs and no one wants to strikeout, but I found that the fear of  not hitting a home run every time I step up to the plate is paralyzing. Rather than attempt  a challenge and come up short, I balk, and remain only as good as my last good piece of artwork. What Mr. Diffee said resonated with me. I was so focused on creating something great that I was missing  out on creating something at least good...and good is a good place to start to become great. Or as Diffee clarified, "Going for great ideas is not a great idea"

So here is my first step towards fighting that Greatness Paralysis that has kept me from building a portfolio. Behold! From here on out: The Great,  Bad, and the mediocre of Matt Tumlinson.

The painting above is not something that I am proud of but, after a few months of the idea for it bouncing around my head I finally put the damn thing on actual canvas. Now that I have a tangible image to work off of I can see aspects that I want to work on to fit that vision I had in mind. Its not great, I'm not sure its good, but it might lead to something better. Cheers to quantity over quality!

Dove Hunting Cartoons

Back around January I was approached by the awesome folks at Texas Dove Hunters Association to see if I wouldnt mind contributing Dove Hunting themed comics to their monthly publication.
The process has been fun and challenging. Even in a year I have been able to see progress in my writting, drawing, composition,... and use of technology. Its been a great exercise in forcing myself to come up with new ideas for a fairly small audience.

A few samples:

Dragging Myself Kicking & Screaming Into the 21st century

Im fairly certain the most terrifying thing in the world is a blank piece of paper... (I use terrifying  rather lightly. Ive taught high school kids, but Ive never fought in a war so you can judge for yourself how "terrifying" it really is)
(deep breath)
So it begins!:...

I decided to force myself to expand my portfolio and start writing things down. I hope this blog will add a little accountability to keep myself focused on creating.

Beginnings of a Texas Hill Country Mural?

I started with a blank canvas, and "just went for it". We'll see how it turns out. 

The enemy of progress is the fear of failure. Ive found that Ive learned a lot from my mistakes and failures, but being too afraid of the possibility of failure is paralyzing, unproductive, and can drive you crazy. 

Dont over think. Just do! 

I started this mural to test out that motto. I guess if you start out with no expectations you can always be surprised by how it turns. Its already better than the blank canvas I started with anyways.

Update: 10/24

Whew! maybe I should have started smaller!

Work continues to move along. By far the biggest canvas I've tackled so far. I like the idea of a nature scene with sharp lines and minimal blending, and this painting is giving me plenty of area to experiment   on.