Decluttering art and art supplies

Cannibalized picture file

(very) mixed media

©2009 – 2015 Charlene Brown

Last week, I listed my Plans for 2025.  One was "Decluttering computer and hardcopy files"

I’ve just come across the following in Plans for 2015:

“What to let go of to start the year anew?  

Old projects that never got past the background info-gathering stage, or what’s left of those that have been excerpted for better projects." 

At the time I mentioned that would be a lot of paper to be recycled out of binders and files, and a lot of MBs of computer memory to be cleared.  

In my Review of 2015 a year later, decluttering wasn’t even mentioned. And it’s quite possible I could have a GB of jpegs I can get rid of by now.  Plus dozens more works on paper...  

However, I have now begun the project. The cannibalized picture file above contains some of the remnants (now deleted) of the files I used in my book, The Fine Art of Physics.  And I’ve made a small start on cutting or tearing up watercolour paintings and sketches for cards or collage…

Enhancing Creativity IV

Psychological distancing in Kyrgyzstan

computer collage

©2010 Charlene Brown

Applying psychological distance means thinking of a problem as being far away geographically and/or in the future… Is this why we produce those high-flying, all-powerful ‘To Do Tomorrow’ lists at the end of the day?

This technique makes people approach a problem or project in more abstract terms and has been shown to facilitate a more creative, less inhibited, approach. Seeing a problem from another person’s perspective may achieve psychological distance. Thinking of a problem situation as if it were unreal and unlikely can yield a ‘hypothetical’ answer. Or a graphic novel. 

 

The secret ending

(Click on image to enlarge)

Background illustrations for ‘By-election in Exceptional Pass’
Watercolour and crayon
©2023 Charlene Brown

Two weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about a picture that I’d removed from the graphic novel I’ve written, so I could shorten the book and clear the last page for publishing information.  I mentioned at the time that this would also get the ending in off the outside back cover. 

Just so you’ll know, here’s what the illustrations on the (now) inside back cover look like.  I’ve left out the writing that will go on them, of course, in order not to reveal the surprise ending.

Can anyone identify this? It's as Fatsia japonica or Japanese Aralia

Editing my Graphic Novel – this whole page just got cut

MONDAY 12 AUGUST: By late morning, they have gathered up their remaining lawn signs, and fanned out around town.  Some have departed in cars for other parts of the constituency. Dan has just knocked on a door and been greeted by the resident St. Bernard.

VOTER WHO LIVES IN EXCEPTIONAL PASS:

Down Heidi, down, girl.  She’s just being friendly. Didn’t like the other candidates at all. Of course we’ll take a lawn sign!

This part of 'By-election in Exceptional Pass' was based on a real life experience I had back in the 1970s before fund raisers had the internet with which to bother people.  I had volunteered to go door-to-door asking for donations for Arthritis Research.  As I recall, all but two of the houses in the neighborhood I was assigned had dogs whose job it was to answer the door.  And at least half of these dogs were named Heidi.  My eldest daughter is named Heidi.  The conversations that followed my opening comments about this remarkable coincidence resulted in an amazing amount of money being handed to me for Arthritis Research. 

Because this page didn't really contribute anything to the storyline, when I decided to shorten the book by one page (in order to keep the last page free for publication info, barcode etc.) out it came.  This also eliminated the problem of giving away the ending by having it on the outside back cover!

 

Graphic Novel: completing ‘By-election in Exceptional Pass’

I have occasionally tried to add people to my landscape paintings, solving the problem of not being very good at it by placing them as far away as I decently could.

I had one of my grandsons, an art student at Concordia University at the time, draw the people for my first graphic novel, but he’s a professional artist now and doesn’t have the time (and I can’t afford him). And it’s taken weeks to summon up the nerve to add people to the graphic novel I’m writing now. 

Drawing on a smart phone screen by an engineering student on coop assignment as a cell tower inspector, to illustrate the inaccessible position of a tension meter on an anchor cable.  (The top of the 400’ tower was easier to get to than that meter.)

Finally, inspired by the above spontaneous drawing on my granddaughter’s blog, I decided to go for it.

I can hardly do anything but phone people on my smart phone, so I didn’t go so far as to try it there.  I used a full-size computer, guiding the Photoshop brush tool with a mouse, and have convinced myself that the resulting stick-people-wearing-clothes are appropriate for the stylized background paintings.

An illustration near the beginning of the graphic novel I’m writing 

Picking up where I left off...

 

Cover illustration for a Graphic Novel

Watercolour, Word™ Photoshop™ InDesign™

©2022 Charlene Brown

Since a horrible afternoon four days after my last blog post, on August 21 of last year, I have been overwhelmed by the sudden collapse, rapid decline and death of my elderly cousin who lived here in Victoria.  She was not my closest relative but I was hers, as she had no brothers, sisters or children.  Although she had several cousins, I was the only one living in Victoria.  Plus we were dear friends.

At first I was unable to write or paint anything I was so distracted by my ever-evolving responsibilities as her next-of-kin.  I did resume painting after a few months, but without much direction, and I have not written anything until now.

At this point I’m going to pick up where I left off on the unfinished projects in my 'Plan for 1150 Words in 2022' as if it had been written in January 2023.

Graphic Novel:  I have stylized some of my representational landscapes to use as backgrounds for the book’s illustrations.  People and conversation ‘balloons’ will be added to these stylized backgrounds.

Creative Archaeology:  I plan to re-interpret some of the photos and sketches I accumulated in past archaeology-related travel with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the University of Victoria travel study program, to continue the series ‘Time Travel with a Bag of Crayons’ working with what I have found to be the only truly portable plein air ‘painting’ kit.

Paint Every Mountain: I will begin compiling a small book about hiking and painting in mountains all over the world, equipped with the same plein air bag of crayons painting kit.

Predictive Analytics: I plan to continue a series which had 14 entries when I stopped writing a year ago.  I will emphasize extrapolating and visualizing (and painting) unanticipated outcomes.

Visualization of the incomprehensible

Smutwood Peak
Watercolour and crayon
©2021 Charlene Brown

Einstein was asked to create a metaphor to explain his integrated energy-mass and warped space-time equations, and he said there simply was none. “The words or the language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem to play any role in my mechanisms of thought.”

In the hundred years since Einstein and Minkowski revealed the interrelationships among space/time and light, and proof of the space/time continuum, there has been little speculation as to what could exist on this new plane, apart from Einstein’s discovery that gravity is due to the curvature of space-time in the fourth dimension.  

Artistic visualization of the incomprehensible may produce the beginning of a solution. 

Smutwood Peak is not a visualization of Einstein’s relativity theory.  It just happens to be the only thing I’ve painted this week.  I may use it in the graphic novel I’m working on.

And here’s another graphic novel format

Map of one of the scenes in my new graphic novel

Watercolour and crayon

©2021 Charlene Brown

One of my personal favourite formats is the plan view, used for maps or floor plans.

Not everyone is as enthusiastic about plan views as I am. And they’re not always a logical addition to a story – for example, except for a small map of the world, there was no reason to include any plan view diagrams in my previous graphic novel.  But I’ve decided the map shown above – the (fictional) location of the Exceptional Ice Field Snowboarding Championship, showing the race course and some of the crowd – would be an interesting way to define the scene.  Not particularly helpful, but interesting. 

Are you following my book promotion on Instagram? Hope so.

If you don’t have Instagram you can find my Instagram posts by clicking    

 

You can format a graphic novel any way you want

 

Chapter 6 of Counter-Espionage Disinformation Graphic Novel

InDesign document

©2010 Charlene Brown

In addition to the usual comic panels, you can format a graphic novel in the allegorical illustration style I described last week, or you can use full page illustrations, mixtures of text narrative and comic panels with speech balloons (which can include ‘Characters Without Borders’ loose on the page outside the panels), like these two spreads from Chapter 6 of  the first graphic novel I wrote

I've been posting on Instagram to promote my book, The 'Starting Out' Years, all through March.  

Even if you're not on Instagram you can find my Instagram posts by clicking

Newton’s first law of graphic novel production

Chapter 3 of my first graphic novel
InDesign document
©2010 Charlene Brown

Newton’s first law of motion states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.  This is why it’s easier to keep going than to get going, and it applies to almost every complex project.

So, the short form of Newton’s First Law of Graphic Novel Production is:  Start!

More specifically — Start by getting something down on paper.  Arrange the components of the first scene: story text and dialogue, background picture, figures, maybe a little collage.  My plan was to write and draw the graphic novel I’ve just started one scene at a time, with conversation balloons on segments of the background illustration interspersed with text, as I did for spreads such as the one shown above from the first graphic novel I wrote.

I soon discovered that technique isn't going to work this time, at least not for the first scene.  There’s far too much dialogue, and most of the action takes place in the same two small segments of the background picture I'm using for the first scene.

I solved the problem by adopting the style of an allegory and putting all the action in one picture. I also dispensed with the conversation balloons, leaving all of the dialogue in its original screenplay formatting — for now anyway.  Some dialogue may find its way back into the frame if I include it in the collage layering. 

Scene 1, Take 2 - The Allegory, is a work in progress.

Are you following my book promotion on Instagram? Hope so.

Background for one of the scenes in plot point 2 of my graphic novel

Secret Location
Computer-altered watercolour and crayon
©2020 Charlene Brown

According to Nicholas Wilton The three best things about the artist’s journey are: 

1.      It is available to anyone.
2.      You get to make absolutely anything you want.  A graphic novel, for example.
3.      Sharing the process of figuring it out, grows you.

Speaking of figuring things out, it’s occurred to me that I should spend some time figuring this graphic novel out (and making sure it will in fact come together), before I share any more of the process. 

So I’m going to write about one of my other 2021 projects—Instagram pictures—for the next few blog posts.

Possible place for a pinch point?

Canmore Collegiate High School
Computer-altered watercolour and crayon
©2020 Charlene Brown

This building actually exists, unlike the high school I painted a couple of weeks ago.  And it too might make an appearance as a background in a fictional mountain town (apparently big enough to have two high schools) in my new graphic novel.

Pinch points are small complications or twists in the plot that serve to remind the protagonist of just what she’s up against.

I've made this sound more complicated than it really is, so here's a list of the ‘points’ that occur in a screenplay (or graphic novel derived from a screenplay).               

• Inciting incident:         setting the scene    
• Plot point 1:                 everything changes
• Pinch point 1:              reminder, complications                   
• Midpoint:                    moment of truth, reveals true nature of the conflict
• Pinch point 2               reminder, or even a twist in the plot
• Plot point 2:                 everything comes together
• Climax:                        problem solved

BTW, this is my 800th blog post.  But who's counting...

 

 

A time-altered memory

Banff High School
Computer-altered watercolour and crayon
©2020 Charlene Brown

The internet must contain two or three photos of every important building (and several unimportant ones) ever built in Banff. All of them except the original Banff High School, it turns out. 

This painting had to be done from memory and is as accurate as I could make it. I should probably mention that one part of the painting where I wasn’t even trying to be accurate is the flag—as you may know, the red maple leaf flag became our official flag in 1965, five years after that high school was torn down.

And if you think that’s a stretch… I only remember one occasion in all the years I was growing up in Banff that there was a flag of any sort on that pole — in February 1952 the Union Jack was flown at half-staff when the King died.

I may use a version of this painting as a background for one of the (fictional) scenes in the graphic novel I’ve started adapting from a screenplay I wrote several years ago. It may be the location of the first pinch point—more about the various ‘points’ in a screenplay (or graphic novel) in a couple of weeks.

 

The Plan for 2021

The Inciting Incident
Computer-altered watercolour, oil pastel and crayon
©2020 Charlene Brown

 My plans for this blog in 2021:

• Travel painting: We’ll see how that works out – bound to be better than 2020.
• Graphic novel: Today’s painting is for this project.  I plan to base this on a screenplay I have written, with graphics corresponding to scenes for each plot point in the play.  The novel will begin with this ‘inciting incident’ a body floating on a lake (actually a repurposed beaver pond). 
• Creative archaeology: In case my travel plans don’t work out, I may re-interpret some of the photos and sketches I accumulated in past archaeology-related travel with the University of Victoria travel study program and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria international art tours.

Or, I could summarize my plans for 2021 with something artist Robert Genn used to say, “There’s always something to get on with, actually one damn thing after another.”

 

 

Synchronicity between our art and our lives

‘Urban’ background for a page in a graphic novel
Computer-altered watercolour and crayon
©2020 Charlene Brown

In the podcast I mentioned last week ‘Why trying to be good is killing your art,’ Nicholas Wilton suggests you list great painting experiences and techniques you have really enjoyed learning. 

Here is my short list:

1.      Helipainting in the Bugaboos with Canadian artists Robert Genn and LizWiltzen,  beginning a painting by placing ten basic shapes, which summarize the whole thing, leading to an abstract but recognizable landscape, possibly with telescoped perspective and rearranged components

2.      Abstract collage workshop with American artist Louise Cadillac  in the Greek Islands

And he says you should also think about the painting projects you are now working on about which you are most enthusiastic.

3.      writing and illustrating books

Because of what Nicholas Wilton calls the synchronicity between your art and your life, keeping these factors in mind will energize your work in the direction of whatever you truly want. It certainly works for him. So I'll give it a try - with an abstract graphic novel.

Enhancing Creativity IV

Psychological distancing in Kyrgyzstan

Computer montage

©2010 Charlene Brown, characters by Philip Hogg 

Applying psychological distance means thinking of a problem as being far away geographically and/or in the future… Is this why we produce those high-flying, all-powerful ‘To Do Tomorrow’ lists at the end of the day?  

This technique makes people approach a problem or project in more abstract terms and has been shown to facilitate a more creative, less inhibited, approach. Seeing a problem from another person’s perspective may achieve psychological distance. Thinking of a problem situation as if it were unreal and unlikely can yield a ‘hypothetical’ answer. Or a graphic novel. 

Graphic novel now in print!

Epilogue of graphic novel

InDesign document, watercolour painting

©2010 Charlene Brown, characters by Philip Hogg  

The Epilogue, in which I promised everything would fall into place back in Ottawa – Gatineau, actually, with a view across the river to Ottawa – is now finished and my graphic novel has been printed!

And BTW, you can check out Philip Hogg’s blog by clicking on his name, above, or in any of my blog posts that include his artwork.

Graphic Novel Artwork

Ottawa, seen from Gatineau

Watercolour, ink and fluorescent marker

©2010 Charlene Brown

I haven’t finalized the layout for the two-page Epilogue spread in my graphic novel, Counter-espionage Disinformation for Beginners because I’ve added this illustration – the view out the window of the CSIS office to it. The office has moved across the Ottawa River (only in my imagination) because this is my comic book and I like the view from Gatineau. Included in this view is the National Gallery of Canada, the Chateau Laurier, the steep set of locks at the north end of the Rideau Canal, and the Parliament buildings. It was developed from the Google Streetview taken from the Quebec approach to the Interprovincial Bridge – a route I traveled many times back in the day.

Philip has sent me the figure drawings for the Epilogue, keeping the layers separate fortunately, as they're having to be moved around to accomodate this window and the view across the river. So we're still on schedule for finalization in time for printing in October! Please keep the 'edit' suggestions coming...

Graphic Novel Artwork

Chapter 5

InDesign document, watercolour painting, characters by Philip Hogg

©2010 Charlene Brown

Except for the Epilogue – wherein everything falls into place back in Ottawa about a month after the action in Chapters 4, 5 and 6 – my graphic novel is now complete! It’s a little rough around the edges in places, but I’m hoping to have it ready to go to press in October. Meanwhile, I’ve put the 18 completed pages up on my website. You can find it by clicking on Counter-Espionage Disinformation for Beginners:…the graphic novel

If you want to have a look at it in this more readable format, please be sure to have your pdf reader set to display two pages at a time. And please feel free to advise me of all the typos, inconsistent spellings or other peculiarities you come across!

Graphic Novel Artwork

Chapter 6

InDesign document, computer montage, characters by Philip Hogg

©2010 Charlene Brown

The background of this two-page spread from my graphic novel started out as a pretty complex Photoshop montage of Kyrgyz patterns and images of artefacts looted from the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. But, after shifting about 20 layers of loot, people, rugs, jewellery and dialogue around many times, I remembered that, as usual, less is more. This minimalist montage is the result.

I wish the extraneous bits I usually put in my watercolours could be taken out so easily.

Anyway, I’m happy to say this comic book is almost finished, and it now has a title! Counter-Espionage Disinformation for Beginners: the graphic novel. As soon as I’ve got a couple more pages at least in readable draft form, I’ll put it up on my website.