Sources of learning (online & print)

During Christmas break, I've had some time to catch up with the looong list of blogs I am subscribed to.  Most of the blogs relate to illustration (art) or photography.

Here are some of my favorite blogs that have been most useful to me in the work.

Art/illustration related:

Gurney Journey – James Gurney is a well-known illustrator whose blog is rich in fundamental (time-tested) techniques illustrators should be aware of – colour theory, composition, story-telling through illustration, etc..  Even though my workflow has shifted over the years to being entirely digital, it still needs to first be grounded on these foundational skills.  There are no computer shortcuts, quick fixes, or instant "art filter plugins" to get around it!  The computer is just another tool for the artist (like a brush).  Unfortunately many young artists today allow their computer and the software developers to control them and their creative decision making process.

There is so much info here that the blog's content has been conveniently edited into a book, "Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist".  For my work, "what doesn't exist" can also refer to recreating through illustrations past historical (Bible) events.

Bible Illustration Blog – Excellent resource for accurately illustrating historical Biblical events and communicating the truths of God's Word visually. Graham Kennedy is one of the few Bible illustrators who invests many hours of detailed research to make sure every part of his illustrations are historically accurate to the Biblical accounts and clearly communicate the Truths of Scriptures.  I highly recommend this blog to anyone involved in creating or even just using Bible illustrations in their ministry.

One nice surprise I discovered on an art blog last week was the complete "Famous Artist Course" 24 part series (1960 edition) available for free download online [update: download link has been removed from website].  This course was created around 50 years ago by a group of top illustrators from America's Golden Age of illustration (Norman Rockwell, etc.) and is considered a classic by artists today.  It's been out of print for many years but you can find old copies on eBay for around $250, so you can imagine the joy of seeing it available for free online.


Photography plays a role in ministry and is a vital part of my illustration workflow.  Here are several Photography blogs that I follow.

Strobist – One of the most popular photography blogs on the Internet, focusing on off-camera flash (strobe) photography.  Photography is more about the use of "light" than the type of camera you use.  For first time visitors I recommend beginning with the Lighting 101 section of the blog.

Pixelated Image – David duChemin is a humanitarian photographer and a best selling-author.  His blog can be summed up in the phrase, "Gear is good, Vision is better".
He has several eBooks I can recommend and has written several excellent print books.
The book, Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision is the best photography book I've ever read.  I didn't need to bookmark my pages – I just picked up reading where the highlighter marks and underlining stopped!  This is a must-read for anyone interacting photographically with other cultures or using photography in your ministry.  Doesn't matter if you are using a point-n-shoot or cell-phone camera.  This is practical "how-to" and touches on the real issues that make a powerful photograph and communicates your initial vision – one of the few things that todays high tech cameras can't do for you. ;-)

There are many other blogs such as smashingmagazine.com (graphic & web design), Scott Kelby (the Photoshop guy), etc.  These are just a sampling of the 50+ blogs from my list.