I’ve been meaning to post a lot more about ARTS. It’s been almost two years now since I started working there as a volunteer art teacher, and it’s absolutely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’ve been working with some great teens for a while now from a youth center in San Diego. I found out recently that they’ve unfortunately lost their funding, so we won’t see them at ARTS anymore. Another fall-out of the tough economy.

I haven’t settled on a new class yet, but I look forward to remaining a part of the ARTS family as long as I can. The people who run the place are awesome, and the few hours a week I spend with them always make me happy. This particular event was dedicated to visiting military families. We had a fun day, with kids of all ages. My specialty that day was teaching kids how to draw with simple shapes. Hence the Napoleon Dynamite Liger on the board there.

When you teach a 5-year-old kid a few simple tricks they can use to draw anything they want, it’s like you dropped down their chimney on Christmas. I had a couple who even got angry at their parents for dragging them away from my drawing tables, to get them to participate in the other activities. I call that a satisfied customer, haha!

Photo credit: Rob Tobin

Customized Modicus Theme Files

I’ve gotten a few inquiries about my customized theme (Built on the Modicus theme by Upstart Blogger), so I’ve decided to offer my theme files for download, for anyone who’d like to scan through them and see the changes I made.

Download my custom theme files here.

I suggest you download the original Modicus theme, and then compare the two groups of files. In many cases, I’ve simply commented out original code (keeping it in place for reference) and added new code. Lately, when customizing WP themes, I’m in the habit of saving the original file with a new name (index-SAVE.php, for instance) and then uploading my custom version of that file. This is a better practice, I think, than just editing core theme files themselves. That way you always have the original to refer back to (or start over with) when things go haywire. And, when you’re teaching yourself to do this, they will.

Newer themes offer much more robust customization options right in the WP admin area. But if you’re an interface designer / front-end developer, I think it’s important to always work “under the hood,” to exercise your coding skills.

You don’t need to be a PHP expert. You just need to understand what each chunk of code is doing, and how to shuffle those modules around on the page without breaking them. Then you’ll probably get a sense, very quickly, how basic WP functions are organized throughout the structure of the theme.

As always, the theme itself is open source, but my specific customization is a creative expression, so please respect that, and don’t use a carbon-copy on your own site. Being a true geek, you’ll have more fun (and learn more) tweaking things to create a custom version of your own anyway ;)

New York, March 2010

Took a little trip to New York last week, as I do every spring, to visit friends and get some good creative energy from the city.

Here’s a short photo diary from my visit.

Process Recess Volume 3

Just got my copy of this amazing collection of sketches by James Jean. If you’re an artist, or if you just like looking at great art, check it out. So much good stuff.

processrecess.com

Hilda
36″ x 48″
Oil on Canvas

This painting was based on a photo taken by my friend Jessica Hemerly while she was traveling through South Africa. I immediately loved the photo, and thought it would make a great subject for a painting, and Jess was kind enough to let me use it. Thanks Jess!

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I documented this project with a few photos and descriptions. View the process from start to finish.

The Violinist
18″ x 24″
Oil on Illustration Board, Mounted on Wood Panel

The reference for this one was a photo I took quite a few years ago of a man playing violin on a street corner in Tijuana. I’d always wanted to paint it, so I’m happy to have finally gotten around to it.

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Costa Rica Palms
18″ x 24″
Oil on Canvas

I’m working on a new series of paintings, and this is one of the first ones completed. The reference was a photo my good friend Elisabet took in Costa Rica. Here’s the photo.

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