In This Issue:

Introduction

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Announcements & Good News

Website Preview www.DBSullivanStudio.com "The World of David B Sullivan" I've been waiting for this almost as long as I've been putting it off.. my website is finally here. And let me tell you, it's not going to be ordinary! I've researched many artists' sites and found that almost all of them have one thing in common.. they're kinda boring. I don't mean to put down the efforts of others, because I've seen some really good artwork on those sites. But that's all I've seen. There was nothing more than a gallery and maybe a blurb about the artist, and then you're done. ...but not my site! My website is a cumulation of all my efforts from throughout my life. There's more to me than just artwork; that's only one of my many passions. (FYI - I've already been told that my writing is better than my artwork - go figure). Building a website is a lot like building a house. You get it finished to a point that makes it comfortable enough to live in, and although the basement, the garage and the yard are still being completed, you move in and deal with the inconveniences. After you move in, you find that the trim in the dining room is the wrong color and needs to get re-stained, and the carpeting in the boy's bedroom is coming up on the edges and has to be replaced. Eventually, these and other tasks are accomplished.. but, is the house ever done? Will it ever truly finished?.. no, I didn't think so. Although my site is not complete, there's plenty for you to enjoy. Read on to find out what's available and what's to come! The following is a complete overview of my site ( * denotes that the feature is partially completed, with more galleries to come) Artwork - available! There are currently 8 galleries in this section - all are available! Many of you have only ever seen the few Bethlehem Steel drawings featured in this newsletter. Now you have the availability to see all of my work. This includes portraits, architecture, illustrations, murals, digital work, oil paintings, and my art based on the work of MC Escher I refer to as "Escherism". The art galleries are all up and running! Certain galleries only have a few examples, but I will continue to add more images as well as more galleries. I'm currently planning a gallery that features the artwork I did from ages 12 - 18 (some pretty interesting stuff!) Writing - coming soon! I am currently working on 4 categories in this section: Dr Goose's Nursery Rhymes for Grown-ups - This is a sampling of a book I've been working on for a few years, which is being written by Dr Goose (a fictitious character I created). Dr. Goose realizes the importance of nursery rhymes to children, and took on the task of creating the same for people who, unfortunately.. grew older. He does not re-write existing nursery rhymes, but creates his own new ones. This section will give you a preview of the coolest, humorous, easy-to-read rhymes you've ever read, that only Dr Goose could write. I will also be including a preview of the epic poem, "The Story of Dr Goose", written by myself. This poem is where it all began.. how Dr Goose came to be and where he came from. Poetry for people who hate poetry - This was the original title for my "book of poems" (until Dr Goose came along and took control of it). These are humorous, very easy-to-read poems that don't follow the typical, poetic style that's driven so many away from this genre. I believe that most people don't care for the intellectual melodrama that accompanies standard poetry. I simply can't visualize a welder coming home from work and getting a kick out of.. "Her bountiful existence contradicted the nurturing of her soul as the willows effortlessly teased the sweet breath of autumn.. thus slowly the shroud fades away"†. Okay, there are some people who might enjoy the previous prose.. but Paul the plumber just ain't gettin it! † This excerpt is credited to nobody because I made it up. Please don't try to analyze what it means, as it has no meaning.. it was simply some dribble I used as an example. The Maddmann - When I was in my late teens, I went through a phase when I was intrigued by death and insanity. I didn't take my curiosity too far, but I did wind up with a collection of rather unusual poems (and sketches) relating to the subject. Originally titled "The Maddmann's book of Totally Deranged Phenomenon", this collection was hidden in a box in my closet. But now it has a venue on my website. And though it may not be for everyone, it'll definitely be worth a look! Thots - From one-line quotes and stories, to essays about my strange theories and opinions... this is my writng splashpan. If it's not in one of the previous categories, it's in here. Photography - *available I am currently working on 3 galleries in this section: 1 gallery is available Bethlehem Steel - available - This gallery features some of the many photos I've taken of the steel from inside the fence. This is a must see! Historic Bethlehem - coming soon! - These are photos I've taken over the years of Bethlehem's featured historical structures. I'm also including some shots I took during the flood that took place in 2004. Random Images - coming soon! - This one is pretty self-explanatory. Computers 101 - coming soon! Most PC users have one thing in common.. they do not fully understand the capabilities their Windows PC has. As an artist working at home, I've had the availability to spend thousands of hours on my pc.. and over the past few years, I've learned a lot! So, I decided to add "Computers 101" to my site in order to share my knowledge with those who need it. I'll be including topics such as: • How to speed up your slow pc. • The quickest and easiest way to learn a new program. • How to find those "lost files" you recently downloaded. • How to quickly re-name multiple files. • How to configure your printer (without the stupid software that came with it) • How to get your pictures off of your camera and into your emails. (again without the stupid bundled software that came with it) • and much, much more! I'll also be including my article, The Kitchen Analogy, a complete explanation of how a computer works presented in the simplest of terms that even Grandma will understand! (This is a fun and interesting read you'll want to come back for!) Free Stuff - coming soon! As the name says, this'll be the place for free stuff. I'll be offering: • contests - I will be hiding an invisible link somewhere within my site that opens a popup window containing a secret password. If you are the first person to find this link and email me the password.. you win! You can win prints, posters, and other items featuring my artwork and photography. When one contest ends, another begins. And as a subscriber to my newsletter, you will recieve hints and clues about the link's hiding spot. And trust me, you'll need a hint.. my site is going to have well over 500 pages! important: contests will not begin until they are announced please do not start looking! I will also be holding occasional "scavenger hunt" contests. These contests will be available only to my newsletter recipients. In the newsletter, I will present a riddle or a clue which will enable you to find a "hidden link" on my site, but this time the link will give you another clue to yet another hidden link, and so on until.. the winner reaches the end of the quest first. • screensavers - I will be offering slideshow screensavers featuring my artwork and photography, including several Bethlehem Steel screensavers. • wallpaper - The best of my artwork & photography offered as downloadable images to decorate your pc's desktop. • games - I've always loved those little mind-boggler games like the ones with the wooden pegs you have to jump over each other, and wind up with only one peg. You know, the kind you find on the tables at Cracker Barrel. I wanted to add some interactivity to my site as well as share another one of my "passions", so I'm including online versions of these games you can play on my site. I'll also have some "mindless" games to play, just in case you don't feel like exerting any brain power. Other online activities will include a coloring book page where you can color my artwork, and a tessellation program to create your own designs. • puzzles - You will be able to try your hand at solving online jigsaw puzzles of my artwork and photography. You will also be able to download jigsaw puzzles to your pc that you can play offline. • software - No, I didn't learn how to write software, but I do know where to find the very best free programs available on the Internet. I am a download junkie armed with a cable modem, and I'm not afraid to use it! I've literally tried out hundreds of programs, and have narrowed down the best ones into a list of links for you on my site. And these aren't programs to sneeze at either. I'll show you the way to graphics & audio programs, web design software, programs to perform neccesary pc maintainance, and much more! Did you know there's a free office suite completely compatible with Microsoft Office? Are you tired of Microsoft Windows? How about a free operating system? Store - coming soon! I will be offering a wide variety of items for sale with images of my artwork and my photography. You will be able to pick the image you want and what item you want it on. You'll be able to choose from: • posters • t-shirts • calendars •mugs • jigsaw puzzles ...and whatever else I can come up with! Newsletter Issues - coming soon! I am going to archive all of the previous issues of my newsletter and make them available for viewing. As I send out new issues, I'll add them to the page. (I will be removing relevent contest clues from newer issues that are posted) And that ends my website overview. As galleries and pages become available, you will be notified through future editions of this newsletter. Please enjoy what I have completed so far. www.DBSullivanStudio.com

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The Answer

This is a feature where I answer one of the many questions people often ask me about my artwork or my ability to create it. If you have a question you would like answered, click here. (This is not really a question, but a comment that I get from a lot of people) The Comment: "I can't even draw a stick figure!" My Answer: I've heard this comment from hundreds of people throughout my life, and it truly saddens me because these people are missing out on a very enjoyable part of life; the immeasurable joy and satisfaction that stick figure drawing brings should be experienced by everyone! In response, I've decided to present as a public service, the following tutorial... How to Draw a Stick Figure materials needed • a piece of paper or a blank spot on the wall • a dark-colored crayon or a black permanent marker. Step 1 - The Head - When drawing a stick figure, you must begin with the head. The head is the most important feature, because the entire figure is based upon the size set forth by the head. In other words.. "screw up the head, and you screw up the whole figure!   Begin by drawing a round thing Carefully place your crayon on a spot on your paper and slowly move your hand clockwise or counter-clockwise. In the illustration on the left, I went counter-clockwise. If you would like to go in the other direction, print out the image and view it in a mirror as a guide.                   Coninue moving around and keep going until you finish where you started   important: do not draw an oval or a perfect circle! In "Stickland", an oval head is considered to be an abnormality and would cause your figure quite a bit of torment and teasing. And a perfect circle head would make him snobbish and egotistical, and therefore no fun at all!         Step 2 - The Body - The body is the second-most important feature of our stick figure. Without the body.. the head, arms and legs would all fall to the ground.     Draw a long line - Place your crayon on a spot at the bottom of the round thing you just drew. Now move the crayon down towards the bottom of your paper. It's important to make the body properly proportioned to the head, so don't go down too far. Feel free to use the illustration to the right as a guide. Step 3 - The Legs -   A Begin at the bottom of the long line you just drew, and draw a short thing. This time make your crayon go to the left a bit as you move down the paper. B Go to where you began the first leg. Repeat the previous step, but this time make your crayon go to the right as you move down the paper.           It's important to begin the legs at the very bottom of the body. Do not allow any part of the body to extend below the legs. Doing so would give the appearance of a tail, making your stick figure a mutant. Or worse, he'll look like he couldn't make it to the bathroom.           Step 4 - The Arms   A You're going to repeat what you did when you drew the legs. Begin just below the head. The size of the neck is not important. A short neck or a long neck simply adds character to your stick figure   B Continue down the page moving to the left until the line is about the same size as the leg below it. Repeat this step again for the other arm. remember to go to the right this time, not the left.     Step 5 - The Feet A Place your crayon at the bottom of the right leg and go to the right, but just a little bit. This will be a very short line. B Repeat what you did in A, starting at the bottom of the left leg this time. note: when drawing the left foot, you can experiment by going to the right, making it look like he's facing the right.       Make sure your feet are drawn flat, and not raised up. Doing otherwise, would make your stick figure look really weird.     Step 6 - The Face A To make eyes, place 2 large dots in the upper portion of the head B To make the mouth, draw a line in the bottom part of the head, below the 2 dots.   This would be a good time to let your hair down and get creative. Try variations of different eyes and mouths to see what different effects you can get. The Final Result And here is my result. I call him "Saul" If you're wondering why there were no instruction on drawing hands, it's because I don't want to put too much pressure on you. I will cover stick figure hands in my follow-up tutorial: "How to Draw a Stick Figure: part 2" I will show you how to add details to your stick figure such as eyelashes, noses, glasses, hair, and much more! And just when you think it's safe to open your email again.. you'll be faced with, yet another tutorial, "Creating Stick Surroundings for your Stick Figure" I will show you how to create stick chairs, stick beds, stick stoves & washers, even a stick house. (as a pre-requisite, you must complete the first 2 lessons before attempting the "surroundings" lesson)

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Acknowledgements

This is a regular feature in this newsletter where I acknowledge and thank those who've helped me in some way with my pursuit of artistic success. Andrew Crompton Some of my artwork is done with tessellations, in the style of MC Escher. Andrew Crompton maintains a website of his own tessellations, as well as "all the other people in the world" who do tessellations. Andrew recently posted my tessellations on his site with a link back to my site. Since being posted on www.Cromp.com, I am the second listing in Google when you search "David B Sullivan". Thank you Andrew! You can find his site here:

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You are receiving this newsletter because: you subscribed, you're a friend of mine, or someone thought you'd enjoy it. If you would like to contact me personally, click here: Contact Dave If you found this newsletter on the windshield of your car when you came out of the grocery store, and you would like to get on the list, click here: Subscribe If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, first, take a moment to reconsider what you're about to do. And then, if you must... click here: Unsubscribe

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copyright © 2006 David B Sullivan.  Please read my copyright notice.