Shout-Out Sunday: Vinh-Luan Luu is trying to tell us something

In addition to creating some really amazing commercial work, Designer Artist Vinh-Luan Luu of Fort Worth, TX definitely has something to say in his personal projects. You can't help but fall in love with the almost comic-book style illustrations and paintings. The linework and color choices are spot-on, bringing me back to my childhood days of reading the latest edition of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. The subject matter, however, is decidedly more grown-up. You'll find a message lurking in nearly ever piece. Whether loud and in-your-face or hiding behind subtlety, his body of work brings many of today's issues to light. Take a look and let me know what they say to you. To commission original art or purchase prints, shoot an e-mail over to vinhluanluu@gmail.com.

Instagram handle vinhluanluu Email vinhluanluu@gmail.com Website www.vinhluanluu.com

Q: Do you support yourself through your art? If not, what else do you do? If so, how long did it take and what were some challenges?

A: I am lucky that I got to live a very art-centric life. From graphic design, photography, illustration, and painting; practically all of my income has come from the broad field of the arts. Art is a weird mix of humbleness and swagger; so putting one's self out in the open can be very scary. Sending out resumes/portfolios and proposals is daunting because of the likelihood of rejection; and there is a lot of rejection. But when the art drive runs deep, we have to push outside of our comfort zone and be prepared for the outcome. Whatever it is.

Q: What's your favorite quote? A: "You cannot achieve success without the risk of failure. And I learned a long time ago, you cannot achieve success if you fear failure. If you're not afraid to fail, man, you have a chance to succeed. But you're never gonna get there unless you risk it, all the way. I'll risk failure. Sometimes, half the fun is failing. Learning from your mistakes, waking up the next morning, and saying 'Okay. Watch out. Here I come again. A little bit smarter, licking my wounds, and really not looking forward to getting my ass kicked the way I just did yesterday.' So now, I'm just a little more dangerous." -Paul Heyman 2005, "The Rise and Fall of ECW [DVD]"

Q: What inspires you? A: I love moments that create an emotional response. It can be a beautiful landscape as we drive across Texas; the tug on the heartstrings as Andy gives away his toys at the end of "Toy Story 3"; a stage tribute to queer burlesque performers who stood tall for the right to exist. I think art should be about these types of moments; it should leave an impression with the audience after they've walked away.

Q: How has your style changed over the years?

A: I use to use a lot of spotted black in my pieces; bold areas of dramatic shadow. Now there's a lot of open lines as I let my coloring carve out the dimensions.

Q: Who are your favorite artists?

A: I grew up with the pinup works of Olivia De Berardinis and Patrick Nagel; for comic book work it was Trent Kaniuga, J. Scott Campbell, and Jim Mahfood.

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Shout-Out Sunday: Madelyn Sneed-Grays makes me want to cheat on my diet

I haven't met Madelyn yet, but I'm hoping to soon. I found her while searching for other local Denton, TX artists to network with. Madelyn refers to herself as a representational painter. If she means that her work represents perfection, then this is completely accurate. When she first sent me her images, I saw the thumbnails and wondered if I had been wrong to reach out to her thinking she was an artist when in fact she is a photographer. The images looked so crisp and vibrant, I thought that they surely could not be paintings. Upon maximizing the images, the brushstrokes became evident and I was even more impressed than the first time I saw her work. It's all beautiful, but her food-themed paintings are especially mouth-watering. The way she captures the richness of the subjects is enough to make me want to make a trip to the closest bakery and stuff my face. Take a look and let me know if you feel the same.

To purchase prints of Madelyn's work, visit www.artbymadelyn.com and click “SHOP” in the upper right corner to get directed to the prints for sale. To purchase a painting or get a commission done, e-mail her at artbymadelyn@yahoo.com.

Instagram: @artworkbymadelyn

Twitter: @artbymadelyn

Facebook: Art By Madelyn

Website: www.artbymadelyn.com

Q: How long does it typically take you to complete a piece of artwork?

A: It depends on the pieces sizes and complexity, but to give you an idea it can take me as little as 1 week to complete a 12” x 16” and about 3 to 4 weeks to complete a 36” x 48.”

Q: What's your preferred medium and why? What are the best and worst things about working with this medium?

A: I enjoy working with mediums like graphite, watercolor, and color pencil, but my preference would have to be oil paint. Ever since I learned how to use oil paint in 2007 during a summer program at the Kansas City Art Institute, I fell in love with the medium. I love the smell, consistency and vibrancy from the colors.

The best thing about this medium for me is definitely how slow oil can dry, allowing me more time to move the paint when need be. The worst thing about oil paint would have to be how toxic it is. I regularly use cadmium paints, so I make sure to protect myself with gloves.

Q: What's your process for creating a new piece of art?

A: The very first thing I do before touching a paintbrush is examining the reference photo used for the painting. I literally stare at it for 5 minutes, figuring out the color palette and what parts of the painting I would start with first. I then lightly wash the image onto the canvas, mix several colors for 15-20 minutes and begin painting.

Q: What's your favorite art-related book, blog, magazine or other resource?

A: ART/WORK by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber is a book that EVERY artist pursuing an art career should have. This booked helped me become more organized by creating income, expense and inventory spreadsheets, and gave me valuable information about consignments, loans, commissions, gallery representation and a plethora of other valuable information. My mother actually gifted me this book so, thanks mom!

Q: What's your favorite subject to draw or paint?

A: I LOVE painting food! I didn’t realize how abstract food could be until I painted my first food painting Vert Goodness. I think what intrigues me the most is that making food is an art form that isn’t only admired by how well the dish is plated, as if it were a painting itself, but how wonderful the smell is and how good the taste is.

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Shout-Out Sunday: Don't try to operate heavy machinery while viewing Matthew Warlick's art

I met Dallas illustrator and designer Matthew Warlick through a Facebook post by a friend of mine. She was asking if she should have separate Instagram accounts for her art and her personal life. I put my two cents in and told her she should be one of my Shout-Out Sunday artists (still waiting, Kat...) Anyway, as I perused the other feedback, I thought I'd check out some of her other artist friends. The standout of that endeavor was this gentleman, by far. As a newbie to digital art, his designs impress and inspire me. The creativity seems effortless and the execution flawless. His trippy images are practically dripping with imagination. I don't know what they all mean, but looking at them makes me feel like I'm on drugs...or should be. Don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself!

Instagram handle @warlick

Email matthew.warlick@gmail.com

Website www.artofwarlick.com

Facebook Page www.facebook.com/matthewwarlick

What's your preferred method for potential clients to contact you or purchase your work? Email or through my Etsy shop at artofwarlick.etsy.com

Q: Who are your favorite artists?

A: Right now I'm really into Moebius, aka Jean Giraud. His work in the original Heavy Metal magazine, and specifically his more surrealist work are big inspirations right now. Other current influences include painter Steven Russel Black, illustrator Jen Bartel and Chiara Bautista.

Q: What advice would you give a budding artist?

A: Make as much art as you can, knowing that you won't be happy with most of it. For every great piece you complete you may have dozens or hundreds of others that didn't quite hit the mark.

Q: How does art influence your life?

A: Art influences almost every aspect of my life. As well as being an illustrator I also run my own design studio, Studio Warlick, where I provide graphic, visual and web design services to clients both big and small. Most of my friends are artists of some sort, be they musicians, performers or other types of visual artists.

Q: What has been your greatest art-related challenge?

A: By far the hardest part is establishing a unique style. It can often feel like you're style is constantly changing or you're chasing the newest trend, so finding a style you're comfortable with can be a challenge. I can't remember who said it but the following quote is something I firmly believe: "Style is what happens when you stop trying to make a style happen".

Q: What's the most important trait a person needs to have in order to make it as a successful artist?

A: Persistence, hands down. Our society undervalues art and design and you'll often hear things like "when are you going to get a real job?" or "How do you pay your bills" and the only way to make it is to not give up. Successful artists are often just too stubborn to quit.

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