04/06/06
2.5 MINUTES OF FAME...
The Courier Post of South Jersey ran a really cool piece on me, Biskitart and the Hall of Fame competition, you can read the story by clicking on this link...
I also attended the Hall's Induction ceremony and it was a really awesome event. My piece was used on the cover of all the event programs and was being sold as a of Lithograph at the memoribilia tables - it was so cool. The original was also on display with the other finalists. It was a really great night and I got the opportunity to meet some of the greats in the Philly sports world. Big thanks to my Pop (and jazz musician), Frank Tucci for accompanying me and taking all the great photos - thanks Dad - love ya!
With Eagles Head coach, Andy Reid. With legendary sports journalist, Ray Didinger.
03/27/06
!!!! VICTORY !!!!!
I received the great news from the Hall that my submission was selected as the winner of the first annual art competition! I am pretty much overwhelmed. I really did not even expect to place as I know there are some really talented sports artists in the city of Philadelphia. Needless to say, I am really excited and honored. Once again, thanks to everyone who wished me well. Right now, they are creating a series of lithographs of my piece that the Hall will sell representing the class III inductees. I will be attending the formal ceremony on 4/6 to receive the first place cash award and my piece will be framed and on display for the attendees/inductees to view. Like I said, so much has happened so fast, it is incredible, but I am excited most because it is a real boost for the potential of BiskitArt to gain some credibility and become a serious local Sports Art site.
03/03/06
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Well, I made it! I finished my piece at 1AM, submitted it to the HoF and I am still alive and married!! Now all that is left is the judging. Whatever the outcome, it was great experience. Thanks to everyone for their kind wishes and a special thanks to my awesome wife for her support and all the great puckheads over at FlyerFlies.com for their nice words. I will let you all know the outcome as soon as I hear anything!
Everyone keeps asking me for all the names of the inductees in the piece, so here they are, starting from the lower left hand corner and working clockwise:
Joe Fulks (Warriors, master of the jump shot); Anne Townsend (Penn, field hockey pioneer); Don Bragg (Villanova pole vaulter, set olympic records); Gene Hart (forever THE voice of the Flyers); Jack Ramsay (Basketball coaching great, St. Joes/Sixers); Roy Campanella (Major league catching phenom); Hal Greer (Sixers great); Reggie Jackson (Mr. October, hall of fame major leaguer); Ray Didinger (Sports Writer, THE expert on The Eagles and pro football); Helen Siegel-Wilson (LPGA golfing champ); Willie Mosconi (Billiards champ from South Jersey); Herb Adderly (Pro football great with the Packers); Del Ennis (Phillies great); Al Simmons (Philadelphia Athletics great); Bill Ellerbee (Highschool basketball coaching legend). Center: The Palestra at Penn and a tribute to the 1960 Champion Eagles featuring Chuck Bedanrik, fist raised (after knocking out Frank Gifford), the great American Bald Eagle and Norm Van Brocklin.
02/25/06
A flicker of light?
I have trudged along and got a lot completed since my last post. I am almost complete all of the inductee renderings and hope to use the final week to focus on the center tribute sections for the Palestra and 1960 Eagles. It is going to be tight. I am about 30% complete billiards great, Willie Mosconi and then I just have Helen Wilson and Ray Didinger. If all goes well, I will be done them by tomorrow afternoon. Crunch time!
02/12/06
This is bad, I have actually begun listening to Yanni...
Finished up Anne Townsend, Joe Fulks and Bill Ellerbee. I have started baseball player, Al Simmons. A lot of ball players in this class of inductees. Just about three weeks left. I don't want to be negative, but I am really not sure if I am going to finish this in time. I still have 6 folks left to complete and I still need to do the Palestra and the 1960 Eagles tribute. A lot of work left. I am going to work my hardest, by I still cannot see the light at the end of this tunnel.
02/07/06
The top half is done!
Made some decent progress this past weekend and completed Roy Campenella, Hal Greer and Reggie Jackson, so I no longer have to lean over the top half of the illustration board. I am working my way down the left side now and I am about 70% done Ann Townsend, Penn's field hockey standout. Unfortunately, I am struggling with her and it is due to two main reasons: A) I could not find a reference photo of her to save my life. B) I really stink at drawing women (sorry ladies). But I guess every piece has to have a weak spot and this will be mine, hopefully it is not so weak that it kills the whole thing, but I am disappointed in my rendering of her. But I keep marching on...
02/01/06
It's February already... Gulp!
I am making progress, but it is slow. I actually wish I was an oil painter now. But hey, no pain, no gain or so they say in the sports world. I finished up Jack Ramsay and baseball catching phenom, Roy Campenella and I am about 70% complete basketball great, Hal Greer. Just Mr. October left and I will be completely done the top half of the piece. I actually refilled the ink chamber on my Koh I Noor pen today... amazing, usually a full chamber lasts about 4 or 5 of my normal sized drawings. I will probably fill it twice more before I am done this monster... if I do not use it to stab out my own eyeballs first... heh heh.
01/25/06
Race against the clock...
I am beginning to feel the heat. The HoF sent me their formal entry packet today - their waiver and electronic images of the submission must be submitted by 3/3/06. Seems like a while, but with my pen and ink style it will be tough. I have only managed to get through inking 2 figures in full... Don Bragg and Gene Hart and I am 90% finished Basketball coaching legend, Jack Ramsay. Help I am in ink dot hell!!!
01/15/06
Thank God for the iPod and The Cure...
I am about 90% done the rough sketches, so I decided change up and start inking today. I am about 80% complete inking Villanova pole vaulter, Don Bragg. What a stud, man - 6 time AAU champ and set a record at the Olympic trials in 1960. I hope to start inking Gene Hart tomorrow - the voice of many of my childhood hockey memories. I figure I will work my way across the top first, as they will be the hardest to ink (I have to lean all the way over the illustration board for long periods of time). I feel good about my piece so far and inking really puts me back in my comfort zone, whereas pencil sketching had me a bit uneasy. It is just a race against the clock from here on out - 6 weeks seems like a long time, but not for my style. If I worked at my normal, relaxed pace, this piece would take me about 3 months to finish, easily.
01/12/06
Painfully slow..
I have gotten almost halfway through the rough sketches. They are turning out decent, but I am feeling rushed as I need to have the pencil sketching complete by 1/16 at the latest. The process is slow as the sheet is so huge compared to what I am used to (8" x 10"). I figure I will need at least the remaining time to ink this monster, that is going to take a ton of time. A 30" x 40" sheet hand stippled by pen in 6 weeks... what have I gotten myself into???
01/08/06
Let the pain begin..
Not the best of starts, but hopefully it will get better. I finished the revised scale layout in Photoshop, but I cannot find a reference action photo of the 1960 Eagles to save my life. Only photos of Bedanarik laying out Gifford. Guess that one will need to be improvised. Also, my illustration board was shipped with a couple of nice dings along the one edge, so I need to trim it down by about 1/4 of an inch to clean it up. Not major, but still pretty annoying. Here is where I will be living for the next 2 months:
01/07/06
Well, the Hall announced the official inductee list this week, and so I have the green light to come up with something worthwhile. I was able to guess at 7 of the inductees, so I have to revise my scale layout in Photoshop before I can start actually drawing on the large board.
The inductee class is very diverse and interesting and includes: Roy Campenella, Willie Mosconi Gene Hart, Herb Adderly, the great Ray Didinger and Reggie Jackson among the group. Not much in the way of hockey, but it will be a great challenge for me to try drawing some other sports. The piece must also feature Penn's Palestra and the 1960 Eagles championship team in some way. With my style, this is going to be a huge undertaking, but I am really excited to attempt it.
Stay tuned...
01/01/06
Happy New Year! Got my initial layout done in Adobe Photoshop with some photos of the nominees that I feel will be inducted. The layout turned out pretty nice. There are a few interesting nominees this year such as a fighter named Tommy Loughran and baseball great, Reggie Jackson (whom I did not know was from Philly). I was also very happy to see Flyers greats, Bill Barber and Fred Shero nominated.
All I need now is the official list of inductees and I can tweak my layout for any changes and start sketching on the 30"x40" illustration board.
Finished up the Gretzky and Broad Street Warrior prints (see below thumbs and the Galleries). These will be the last two hockey prints I will draw until I finish my entry for the competition. I noticed that the HoF took down the list of nominees for the third class. I suspect this is because they will be chosing the 15 inductees soon. With the help of my friend, Brian Startare, I have made my best guess at who I think will be inducted and I have begun organizing my scale layout in Adobe Photoshop. This will be critical as the design must be pleasing to the eye and it will serve as a road map once I start the large print. Once the announcement is made, I will finalize the layout with the actual inductees.
12/23/05
Day before Christmas Eve. Here is some background on the competition. The Sports Hall of Fame has decided to hold a competition this year for a a piece of artwork portraying its third annual class of inductees. The work can be in any media and must measure 30" x 40". The 15 inductees will be announced early in January '06.
I have decided that I am going to enter the competition, and use the same pen and ink technique that I use for my sketches on BiskitArt. It is going to be really challenging making a 30" x 40" drawing of 15 seperate sports figures in pen and ink, but I am up for the challenge. I have begun researching the nominees and today I received my 30" x 40" archival illustration boards. Hopefully while I have a day or two off from work, I will start laying out the sketch grid on the illustration board.
Needless to say, after I finish the Broad Street Warriors print, I won't have much time for any new hockey prints.
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