Studio update; keeping busy

We’ve had my studio’s carpet removed and the floor and wall cleaned some, and we’ve hired a contractor to jackhammer the floor and install a flood-control system for the future. But that work won’t be done for another month. Plein air isn’t a great option either; I’m not comfortable painting in public with the virus.

So I’ve contented myself with drawing in sketchbooks and painting on my iPad. I’ve also resumed an old hobby — making computer games! I’ve made a clone of Tetris, a chess engine, and now I’m working on a card game. Here are some screenshots from all these endeavors.

First, my Tetris clone. I call it “Falling Logs.” It’s fun, and I suck at it.

Geoff Watson, “Falling Crates,” 2020.

Geoff Watson, “Falling Crates,” 2020.

Here’s a look at my chess engine. It plays as well as me into the endgame, at which point it falls apart, because I haven’t taught it any endgame patterns yet. I could spend years improving this thing; it is an addictive thing. But it’s also a bit depressing to see your own AI start to beat you. I think I might prefer to leave it in its current, beatable state.

Geoff Watson, “Chess,” 2020.

Geoff Watson, “Chess,” 2020.

And finally, two examples of art for a spy-themed card game I’m working on. The game itself isn’t that fun yet, and I may abandon it, but making the art for it has been a hoot. FIrst, an illustration made on the iPad. I might or might not add color and shadow. It’s been great to experiment with line art like this:

Geoff Watson, “Media credentials,” made with Adobe Fresco on the iPad Pro, 2020.

Geoff Watson, “Media credentials,” made with Adobe Fresco on the iPad Pro, 2020.

Finally, I pulled out my oil paints to do a quick sketch for a game card. I did this quickly, on the back of a piece of cardboard!

Geoff Watson, “Small gift,” oil on cardboard, about 11” x 14,” 2020.

Geoff Watson, “Small gift,” oil on cardboard, about 11” x 14,” 2020.

Santa is busy painting

Santa here! I’ve been busy painting several pictures as Christmas presents, and I won’t be able to post them here until the big day arrives. In the meantime, I thought I’d treat you to my portrait by Norman Rockwell, the great (and under-rated) American painter and illustrator. (In a later post, I’ll consider Rockwell in more depth; his work didn’t simply consist of idealized depictions of American life, but also took up themes like civil rights and mistreatment of African-Americans.) For now, enjoy!

Norman Rockwell, “Santa with Elves,” cover of the Saturday Evening Post, Dec. 2, 1922.

Norman Rockwell, “Santa with Elves,” cover of the Saturday Evening Post, Dec. 2, 1922.

Harry Potter, per Jim Kay

Illustrator Jim Kay has been lending his prodigious skills to the Harry Potter series; he's illustrated three so far.  The pictures are wonderful!  I'm glad that Kay doesn't mimic the films. Instead he offers his own unique vision of the magical world. He likes to work from life: he uses real people as models for most of the portraits, and he built maquettes (3D models) for characters like Dobby.  You can learn more at his website here. You can find the books here.

My renewed interest in the Harry Potter series coincides with the departure of my daughter for college -- her own version of Hogwarts.  I like to think that I'm a better dad than Vernon Dursley, though.  :)

Here's an example of the art from volume 1.  Kay's Hermione is modeled after Kay's niece, but she also has bushy hair and other features described by J.K. Rowling.  I love the graffiti on the door, the cool reflected light on Hermione's face, the way she grips her wand in the middle (not at the end), and above all the intelligence in her eyes.  

Jim Kay, "Hermione making one of her blue flames in a jar."

Jim Kay, "Hermione making one of her blue flames in a jar."