Analogies January 21, 2009
Posted by leskanturek in Analogy, Class Topics, Handout Sheets.Tags: Analogies, Concept Trigger
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An analogy is a comparison between different items usually with the idea of explaining something unknown by something known. Analogies provide insight. They can suggest that some how similarities exist between things that might seem to have nothing in common.
Analogies are every where, In literature; “U-boats prowled the coast of the island like hungry sharks…”, or ”He 
was a tall as a mountain and as strong as an ox”. In music, for example Prokofiev’s musical symphony for children- Peter and the wolf (Peter youtube link) . In PATW a range of Instruments represent different characters in the story; The Duck is an oboe, Grandfather is a bassoon, the bird is a flute. Philosophy is frequently conveyed in analogies; “be like the sapling in the wind, bending but not breaking…”. For Many years people in business studied “the Art of War” by Sun Tzu and the book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Both books, detailing strategies for making war on your enemies were seen as analogies for business tactics (think hostile corporate take over’s and getting ahead of the competition).
(Above) The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) By Miyamoto Musashi 1645
Below are three types of Analogies:
- Logical analogies; Seek similarities between things that are different but have some trait in common. i.e.: a duck to an amphibious boat, or the branch system of a tree to the vascular system of the human body.
- Affective Analogies: Are emotional similarities, ie: a pretty girl is like a flower or someone evil is a snake or a skunk. A timid person is a mouse.
- Paradoxical Analogies: Illogical combinations of images that evoke powerful emotional responses; our minds tell us no logical reason exists for these images to be together, yet since they are together we‘re forced to reconcile them. (also see class exercises).
Analogies not only are a way of explaining a complicated phenomenon or situation in terms we are already familiar with, they also excite our creative spirit. Here is a link to Pete Seeger’s 1967 song Waist Deep in the Big Muddy. This song was recognized as a metaphor for the increasingly escalated war in Vietnam, so much so that CBS censored the song prior to it’s broadcast on the Smothers Brothers show.
My Favorite Analogy
Okay this might be a little self indulgent but this is a blog after all. My favorite analogy (paradoxical if I’m being precise) is the “This is your Brain on Drugs ” PSA first aired in 1987. It was used as part of an anti-drug campaign by the Partnership for a drug Free America ( a non-profit initiated by the American Association of Advertising Agencies) . The spot invited a number of spoofs and there actually is a Fried Egg Message website.
Here is the original spot as aired. In 1997 Rachel Leigh Cook performed in an updated version.
Picture Files and Reference July 3, 2008
Posted by leskanturek in Handout Sheets, Picture files and Reference.add a comment
Norman Rockwell\
Always start an illustration with as much information as you can possibly get. Notice I’m saying information and not simply reference material. It’s your job….it’s what makes an art director choose you over another illustrator/artist, your expertise. Information is what allows you to collaborate with an author and art director and not simply act as a pair of hands. Have integrity in your work, go the extra mile. Research your subject.
• Viewers out there know when something doesn’t look right, be it anatomy or something technical.
• Looking up scrap helps you generate ideas/concepts.
• Serendipity: you never know what you might find by accident. Sometimes under the same letter heading in a picture file (like “T”) you find your concept. While looking for photos of tanks I passed toys. That gave me an idea for an image. The same thing occurs when you surf the web, some odd things come up that you might never have occurred to you
Here are some resources:
Library Picture Files
PSD /Gimbel Library (Of course)
The Mid-Manhattan (NY Public) Library Picture Collection
Many local libraries have good picture collections(when artists die , many leave their collections to local libraries)
The Queens Borough Public Library in Jamaica Queens has an excellent picture collection
Children’s books
This is a fantastic resource for reference! 
t’s of photos and illustrations. Grouped by subject. Ie: What 
a fireman does, how cars are made etc.
Catalogs
Sears / JC Penny, IKEA, pottery barn Etc. All catalogs that have general household items in them. And already grouped too. Specialty catalogs: Science equipment, fishing, police uniforms
Stock photos
Photo houses are also a source for royalty free photos for use and reference. Be careful!,there is a very real copyright attached to the images.
Your Client
Ask your client for the reference you need for the job. (They will not do your work for you . Research is your department). Ask particularly if the subject is obscure or technical and your client is a repository of photos and images. Newspapers traditionally have their own Morgue that you might be able to use.
Reference books
Like the illustrators Reference manual of Hands and Faces, or the visual dictionary.
How Too Books
Time life etc. fixing your home , etc.
Keep your Own Picture files
• Spend less time running around town, when you should be drawing.
• Convenient even at 1:00 AM
• You know what you like to draw or have trouble drawing.
• Shoot your own photos, get friends to pose, you should know how to handle a camera anyway to shoot your own artwork and scrap) .
• Suggestions about groupings, follow the model of the Public Library, Occupations: Fireman, nurse etc., Men: Standing, sitting, young old etc.
What does Iron Man and this toaster have in common?
When you use reference use it creatively. Can studying an old car’s chrome bumper help you draw Iron Man? Would looking at the segmented armor of a pangolin (look it up) help?
The Internet
As you all should know, an amazing source of imagery
• Use a general search, Google, Yahoo. Click on images as a view option.
• There are a lot of Stock photo sites you can browse for free. again There is a very real copyright attached to the images. That’s how these agencies make their income. This is for reference only!
• Government sites have in many cases copyright free images and Hi-res that you can use. The Library of Congress, NASA to name a few.
Beware copyright infringement, just because it’s on the web does not make it free, or mean it can be used without permission. .
Free (or Low Cost) Image Resources
NASA Image Exchange
http://nix.nasa.gov/
Typically, NASA information is considered public domain, however for a full understanding of NASA guidelines for use of images, see:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html
NOAA Photo Library
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/search.html
U.S. Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/
U.S. Navy
http://www.news.navy.mil/view_featured.asp
National Library of Medicine
http://wwwihm.nlm.nih.gov/
The Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/
