Drawn in Black » feminine

Matt Cassan: Charcoal Art and Interview

Lee — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:00:01 +0000

"Renee" by Matt Cassan

Matt Cassan sits down for a brief interview with Drawn in Black. His charcoal art is splendid and I especially like his women on bed. Thanks to Matt for participating.

What’s your name?

Matt Cassan

Where did you grow up?

Port Colborne, Ontario

Where do you live now?

Toronto

How old are you?

What is your educational background? What, if anything, did you study?

I started off at Niagara College, in Welland taking Visual Creative Arts and Design. Then I kind of did a year of Fine arts at Brock University (the program wasn’t for me). Then I went to Sheridan College for Classical Animation.

How do you make a living?

I work in animation as a character designer/production artist. I also teach Life Drawing at Seneca College.

"Rival" by Matt Cassan

How long have you been making art, and what role does that play in your life?

My parents tell me that I’ve been drawing since I was 2-3 (mostly garbage trucks and street cleaners then). Now art is my career and my hobby. I draw in my free time, paint digitally, and dabble in photography.

What does “art” mean to you?

I think something is ‘art’ the moment it is labeled ‘art’ by someone, however I don’t think that necessarily makes it good or appealing. I’m attracted to art that required skill and talent to create it. I like art that changes my view of its subject… art that shows me something in a way I’d never considered looking at it before. I like Art that’s challenges me.

What role does drawing play in your work? Is it a means to an end, or an end in and of itself?

It’s both. For some work I’ll draw first and paint over top…other times I’ll just draw.

What would you consider your “style” of art to be, if you have one?

I’m not really sure … I guess it’s realism, although I try to be expressive with a lot of the figure drawing I do.

"Amanda" by Matt Cassan

What’s your weapon of choice? What medium and drawing tool do you prefer to use?

I change it up all the time. My standard for Life Drawing is conte or NuPastel and newsprint. But I often use craft paper too. For longer drawings I like to use charcoal and handmade paper, with big chunks of grit embedded in it. I’m also a big fan of drawing digitally, so Flash for work, and Photoshop and Artrage for fun.

What approach do you take for your work? Do you plan it out or does it emerge spontaneously? How long do you usually work on a piece?

My figure drawings are from 30 seconds to 3 hours. I enjoy the 5 to 30 minute drawings the best I think. The longer drawings that I use photo reference for take 5 to 20 hours-ish so they’re planned. I print out several copies of the same photo in different tonal ranges so I can see all of the value and form. Often the photos are of figure drawing models, or people I know or have drawn before, so that makes it easier. It’s hard to keep track of how long each one takes because I’ll just keep it on an easel and work on it in passing. Sometimes for hours, sometimes for 10 – 20 minutes at time.

Untitled (Woman on Bed) by Matt Cassan

Are there any people that influenced you that stand out? What current artists do you follow?

I admire and am inspired by a ton of artists … too many to list… off the top of my head … Henry Yan, James Jean, Craig Mullins …

I really like the art of the old illustrators, Albert Dorne, Bob Peak … My mom had Norman Rockwell collectors plates around the dining room and I used to draw those as well.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve almost always got a drawing on the go, and I’m practicing my painting in Photoshop. Plus I’m really enjoying my SLR, so I’ve been playing with that as well,

What would you tell aspiring artists?

Listen to everything you’ve heard about drawing through the form, and learning how to see. Use online resources to get feedback on your work from other artists.

Untitled (Charcoal Torso Drawing) by Matt Cassan

Untitled (Sitting Woman) by Matt Cassan

"Nani" by Yury Kushevsky

Lee — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:00:07 +0000

Nani by Yury Kushevsky

Yesterday my girlfriend asked me what “Stradivarius” means; although I’d heard the word, I really didn’t know. In two clicks of a Google search later, I found the following definition on Wikipedia:

A Stradivarius is a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial. The name “Stradivarius” has also become a superlative applied to designate excellence. To be called “the Stradivari” of any field is to be deemed the finest there is.

What does this have to do with Yury Kushevsky? Well, I would venture to say that his work will be “the Stradivari” of drawings, if it isn’t already. Yury is currently a student at the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in the Mytischi district of Moscow, and apparently they’re feeding their students the right food.

Nani is a superb example of Yury’s skill. Although just a “simple” portrait, it somehow speaks volumes to me. Is that a tear running down her cheek? Nani looks like a woman who’s had her share of burden in life.

Although Yury unfortunately doesn’t have his own portfolio, you can find quite a bit of his work at ArtNow, a Russian art gallery site, as well as over on NoBullArt. I for one am interested to see what this great Russian artist produces in the future.

"Punks" by Mike Giant

Lee — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:01:30 +0000

Few artists are as appealing to me as Mike Giant. His clear, crips black and white drawings and illustrations coupled with his unmistakable tattoo-art influenced visual vocabulary make him one of my all-time favorite artists. As a matter of fact, one of his Rebel 8 T-Shirts is in the mail now for me.

How many people do you know that have a sharpie named after them?

"Love Sketch" by Matthew Woodson

Lee — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:24:28 +0000

Finding illustrations like those of Matthew Woodson is why I (admittedly intermittenly) do this website. His work seems fresh and relevant – small moments of beauty in a dreary world. Definitely bookmark this one, and check out his blog if you get a chance.

"And She Turned" by Justin Cherry

Lee — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:41:11 +0000

The world of Justin Cherry is alien, vivid, and wonderful to inhabit. Especially if you’re into character design, check this guy out or read his blog. Related posts:“Mom” by Jason Chan "Love Sketch" by Matthew Woodson Untitled (Nazi Daemon) by Hethe Srodawa Related posts:

Otis Sketch and Others from Chris Legaspi

Lee — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:37:36 +0000

Although his site seems to not have been updated recently (I could be wrong), you definitely need to check out the work of Chris Legaspi. Rarely do you find someone so diverse in talents: from fine art to cartoon, this guy has all styles on the lockdown. Definitely sick.

More below the fold.

Himba Tribeswoman

Spidergrunt

Workshop Drawing