Conversation Biscuit #3

[Kieran McConville]

(You can choke or spit on it)

Could it be that things made up in the heat of the moment are often the best? Sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention.

Example - I draw and paint, a bit. Anything I've ever done that's any good (which ain't much) was done with a lot of hard work and desperation, but not too much conscious thought, or trying to second-guess what might go wrong.

But that doesn't explain why so many famous cartoonists CAN'T DRAW to save their lives...

(Exception - whoever writes Calvin & Hobbes. He certainly can draw).

My God, Travis are awful (sorry, watching ABC Rage right now).

 

[Lilly]

It depends on your art. I like to write. In order to write something that doesn't absolutely suck, there needs to be some element of consciousness to it. So my equation for you is this:
consciousness + desperation + craziness/depression = good art.

------------------
Taste is the enemy of art.

 

[hermes]

I'd have to agree with Lilly in general. But really, different situations require different modes of attack. Sometimes when I write, there is something in the unconscious act of it that those flow forth, but when that happens I have to use my conscience to change it into soemthing readable.

------------------
Steve
SAME OLD STORY- Hardcore American Comedy

 

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by hermes:
I'd have to agree with Lilly in general. But really, different situations require different modes of attack. Sometimes when I write, there is something in the unconscious act of it that those flow forth, but when that happens I have to use my conscience to change it into soemthing readable.

The hard graft is unavoidable, of course. But sometimes the best ideas come just after you've thrown the previous hour's/day's/week's work down the drain in frustration.

I fucking hate writing (doing it, not reading it). Guess that's what comes of writing press releases and advertising copy for a living.

 

[pub crawler]

Originally posted by Kieran McConville:
Could it be that things made up in the heat of the moment are often the best? Sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention.

[b/]

I think a lot of my best writing is stream of consciousness stuff. So, yes, I'd agree, except that there is no necessity involved in my creative writing. On the other hand, I've started to write an article that I'm going to submit to a major magazine, and I'm putting a lot of thought into this article. Perhaps it will suck. Perhaps not.

But that doesn't explain why so many famous cartoonists CAN'T DRAW to save their lives...

What's the difference between cartooning and drawing? I'd be curious to know.


Edit: Hmmm, I tried to fix the quotes, but to no avail.

[This message has been edited by pub crawler (edited 12-29-2001).]

 

[Kieran McConville]

Originally posted by pub crawler:

What's the difference between cartooning and drawing? I'd be curious to know.

[This message has been edited by pub crawler (edited 12-29-2001).][/B]

Well, in the case of some artists, probably there is no difference. I just mean 'drawing' in the sense of 'life' or realistic drawing, or a sketch one might make in preparation for a painting.

I mean 'cartooning' as just that - someone who writes a comic strip of some kind (humourous more so than your traditional super-hero comics). In some cases, the standard of work is really high, in others the cartoonist might be good at writing jokes and all, but the drawing is incredibly crude. Think Hagar the Horrible, or that one about the pineapple-headed guy in an office.

On a personal level, I loathe this latter sort of work, where the drawing is utterly expressionless and wooden. That's all.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Hotdamn it's a beautiful day! Feel the joy! Eat those conversation biscuits, kiddies! Eat them till you choke!

 

[cujo]

Well, in the case of some artists, probably there is no difference. I just mean 'drawing' in the sense of 'life' or realistic drawing, or a sketch one might make in preparation for a painting.

I mean 'cartooning' as just that - someone who writes a comic strip of some kind (humourous more so than your traditional super-hero comics). In some cases, the standard of work is really high, in others the cartoonist might be good at writing jokes and all, but the drawing is incredibly crude. Think Hagar the Horrible, or that one about the pineapple-headed guy in an office.

On a personal level, I loathe this latter sort of work, where the drawing is utterly expressionless and wooden. That's all.

Well there's a lot to analyze...

Context is the most important thing. A sterile, or expressionless as you say, style may be trying to evoke the ridiculousness of office politic, instead of reflecting the shortcomings of the artist. I myself find emotion to be the hardest quality to achieve in art... any visual artist worth his salt can duplicate what they see, but creating a truly original concept through perspective commentary is the true measure.

Good work is subjective for both the artist and the audience. The reaction you derive from a piece of work may be the only goal of the artist themselves. Whether it be a spontaneous creation, or a preconceived longwinded masterpiece.

So it's more a question of which do you prefer, verbose or brief?

 

[ABEL]

(You can choke or spit on it)

Could it be that things made up in the heat of the moment are often the best? Sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention.

I agree...I'm an artist myself, and I find that my best work occurs sometimes when I'm not even really thinking about it. Like when I created my website, I hadn't drawn anything in quite a while, and was actually going thru a lull (I guess what would be considered writer's block to a writer) One night we were all doodling in MS Paint in IO. Non-sense stuff mostly. But I actually ended up coming up with a bunch of good stuff in MS Paint and from that ended up creating my own website.

At other times I may have an idea of something I want to paint or draw but can't motivate myself to do it when I think about it too much.



As far as the difference between cartooning and drawing...I'd say cartooning is more of a caricature...exagerated features, etc....I can draw and paint, but I'm not very good at doing cartoons.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Yes.