A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

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Art Who?

By Jimmy Johnson

Artists, good and bad, have one thing going for them: theirs will be one of the last fields taken over by computers. I’m not saying it can’t happen or won’t happen. You can bet your Monet someone is working on it right now. Still, we’re a long way from a digital brain that suddenly is inspired, on its own, to turn out a masterpiece of literature set during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia. At least I hope we are.

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20 responses to “Art Who?”

  1. The Old Kuss Avatar
    The Old Kuss

    I just saw a bit on the TV news about an artist who uses AI to help him complete his paintings. Frankly, it wasn’t a big deal: His paintings weren’t very good. Yet, the report said, he gets around $100,000 for his paintings. I’m the wrong line of work…

  2. HyperTay Avatar
    HyperTay

    I know a lady who does Chicken Art on her tablet, it’s a really nice one just for artists. She has a group on Facebook if anyone wants to see her stuff. She does other stuff too but I found her through her chicken stuff. She is closing her online store in 2 weeks for tin signs, Christmas cards, magnets ornaments all kinds of nice things, and I am so sad that I could never afford anything. Her name is Sarah Hudock if anyone is interested in looking at her artwork.

  3. TruckerRon Avatar

    Jackson Pollock certainly figured out how to be famous without displaying any real talent.

  4. TruckerRon Avatar

    HyperTay, maybe Sarah Hudock will have a close out sale?

  5. Kathleen Bruner Avatar

    I know an artist, Ken Raney, who designed one of my husband’s book covers. He does digital painting and makes beautiful images! Two come to mind, a picture of a bird’s nest that he did for his wife’s birthday some years ago, and a picture of an Easter/Christmas wreath that has a Christmas evergreen wreath on the bottom half, with an Easter Crown of Thorns for the top half of the “wreath”. Beautiful! And all done electronically.

  6. Library Gal Avatar
    Library Gal

    I think Gene is talking about being a graphic artist using computer graphics. The colleges are turning out way too many and promising jobs that aren’t there. I have several friends & a relative who put their kids through college to become graphic artists. All except one now working in other job areas – art teachers, child care, delivering cokes. So far no one has ended up in a job where they had to ask, “Do you want fries with that?” At least that I know of.

  7. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Library Gal, sounds like what happens with every “next big thing”. All the “experts” weigh in on what will be the coming high-paying, highly-employed career and everybody jumps on the bandwagon. The first ones through capitalize on the demand and fill the openings, and everybody else has to scramble for whatever they can get.

  8. emb Avatar
    emb

    Used to be we could advise biology majors who had talent in depicting objects as they actually [or perhaps ideally] appear to consider a career in medical illustration. Will send a URL with examples of Frohse charts. Reminder to the squeamish: it’s close to lunchtime.

    Peace,

  9. HyperTay Avatar
    HyperTay

    TruckerRon, she had the sale of her gorgeous tin signs, and they are all gone and no more will be made. I am out of luck there. I am going to try finding the money for some Christmas cards and a magnet in this month’s budget though. Hate being on fixed income 🙁

  10. emb Avatar
    emb

    Here are many Frohse charts. Don’t know what opportunities exist today, but folks who do this quality work probably get paid well.

    https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=frohse+charts&qpvt=frohse+charts&FORM=IGRE

    Another skill is depicting fossil critters based on reasonable scientific reconstruction of their anatomy. The classic master was Charles R. Knight, though some of his images have turned out to be anatomically unlikely. He also did beautiful work with extant vertebrates, as did Louis Agassiz Fuertes and Francis Lee Jaques [no not, Jacques], and pronounced Jay-kweez. I’ll let you do searches.

    Is it art? I’d rather put up a Jaques than a Mondrian, pleasant as the latter may be.

    Peace,

  11. DJJG7 Avatar
    DJJG7

    “. . . a masterpiece of literature set during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia.” —J. J., above

    “It’s called “Leo’s toy store.’ ” —Peppermint Patty, in Steve Martino’s “The Peanuts Movie” (2015)

  12. TruckerRon Avatar

    One of my former neighbors worked both as a freelance artist doing portraits/caricatures at local fairs and as a scientific illustrator at the local university. She claimed, correctly, that a good artist could render drawings of samples showing more detail than you could get with a camera.

  13. Bonnie from Gloucester MA Avatar
    Bonnie from Gloucester MA

    Nobody’s talking about today’s live strip. I don’t “get” Arlo’s punchline in the last panel. Anybody?

  14. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    The irony, I believe, of one partner liking something but not being able to do it, and the other being good at it but not caring for it. I would give another example, but this is still a family-friendly venue, no?

  15. John II in Gautier Avatar
    John II in Gautier

    Bonnie, I believe think Arlo is admiring that even though Janis does not enjoy runny eggs she cooks them just the way Arlo likes them, for him. Reminds of my vegan daughter who cooks for her family of carnivores. Also, it looks looks like Arlo is using his toast as a squeegee in the last panel.

  16. Craig T Avatar
    Craig T

    Using toast as a squeegee is how one eats over-easy eggs.

  17. DJJG7 Avatar
    DJJG7

    I agree. She can cook eggs; but she don’t like ’em!

    I thought about the toast arm too. But elbow proportions must be a challenge to draw.

  18. DJJG7 Avatar
    DJJG7

    And I have never before seen Arlo with that petulant lower lip and jaw stuck out! Reminds me (lower lip only, so sadder, not madder like Arlo) of one of Harpo Marx’s favorite faces.

    Jimmy, I hope that face comes back some day! Cool! He looks so funny!

  19. emb Avatar
    emb

    First visit to this site, and was surprised to see a pair of Canada geese on the nest, honking lustily. They flew off, leaving those 3 eggs exposed. Have not looked up eggs of the 2 spp.

    https://explore.org/livecams/birds/red-tailed-hawk-nest-camera

    Peace,