I'm teaching a class in a week!

I want to try digging deeper into one part of my painting process, this time it's thumbnails.

A thumbnail is a small preparatory sketch used to explore composition and value before starting a painting or artwork. By using thumbnails to explore multiple options, the artist can dig deeper than their first idea and land on new and exciting compositions. We will use value and shape in thumbnails to create a strong base from which to begin an artwork. Students will work both with a still life and with exterior cityscape photo references in order to practice with varied subject matter.

The class ticket comes with all materials needed, including a gray tone sketchbook, watercolor markers, chalk pencil, and micron pen. Rather than study rules and principles of composition, this class will guide students through experimenting with thumbnails for inventive compositions and to build skills and instincts for composition.

If you are in the Bay Area, I hope you can join me for this class! You can sign up here!

I recently helped organize an Ides of March figure drawing event! The theme was my idea and of course it was all for the memes. Posting now but also scheduling for next year, of course.

Oh hey! I love it here, my whole art practice is basically about writing love letters to San Francisco and the Bay Area. The weather is pretty indistinct, we have nice days at all times of year. Somewhat more wet and cold in the winter and some very hot days in late summer, but also cold days in the summer and warm days in the winter. It means I can paint outside all year.

There is all the usual stuff about how difficult it is to make a living as an artist in one of the most expensive cities in the US (in the world?) but I've fortunately been finding my way. It always feels precarious, though.

Thanks for the ask!

I think I have a couple of people who do consistently follow me here and not anywhere else so I just want to say that if this AI deal thing happens and if there isn't a way to opt out I will be taking my art down from Tumblr and probably leaving, which is kind of unthinkable because I've been here since like 2012 but I just can't be okay with that.

So anyways in case that happens if you'd like to keep seeing my art please sign up for my newsletter: https://njbice.substack.com/

You can also follow me on Instagram but fuck those guys too (it's also @ njbice).

I made a Victorian puzzle purse Valentine in preparation for this sunday's show! The text inside reads "Reminding you, my Valentine, you have two jobs: Be Gay, Do Crimes."

I will be making Valentines (not puzzle purses) during the show!

Get your tickets now!

FANCYPANTS: V is for Valentine

Join Fancypants as we dissect the fantasies and fallacies of this cardio-centric holiday! Doors at 6pm. Shows at 7pm, 8pm, & 9pm.

Let's reeducate ourselves as we explore the Mythology of Romance, explode the Chemistry of Attraction, and recalculate the Geometry of the Love Triangle. Each performance is a master class in Advanced Anatomy! Get your exercise by falling in and out of love with Fancypants, over and over!

Get your tickets here!

Finally went up to Twin Peaks for the first time and it's really fabulous.

I'm finally going to try making a few full color prints of my paintings, but I need help deciding which ones to use. Please vote on the poll and if you reblog with additional votes in the tags I will take those into account as well!

I fixed my newsletter! I had some trouble this month, so I switched to Substack which actually seems pretty cool.

I am back at it with figure drawing! If you are in the Bay area join us at Sketchboard for community and thoughtful figure drawing events almost every day of the week at this point. This year I'm stepping up as an organizer which is super exciting. Tumblr doesn't like links but just look up Sketchboard figure drawing SF (though we have east bay events on Thursdays now!) Or ask me.

The model is the fabulous Allen, who can be found by the handle @agplooks!

Paintings of the second half of 2023