Painting heroes: Using illustration to improve the standing of baseball in the inner city

7/29/2019 Painting heroes: Using illustration to improve the standing of baseball in the inner city

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PAINTING HEROES: USING ILLUSTRATION

TO IMPROVE THE STANDING OF BASEBALL IN THE INNER CITY

A thesis submitted to the College of Communication and Information of

Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Science / Master of Fine Arts

by

Steven E. Hughes

August, 2010


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Thesis written by

Steven E. Hughes

B.S./M.F.A., Kent State University, 2010

Approved by

___________________________, Prof. Jerry Kalback, Advisor

___________________________, Prof. AnnMarie LeBlanc, Director, School of

Visual Communication Design

___________________________, Dr. Stanley T. Wearden, Dean, College of

Communication and Information


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Table of Contents

Page

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. iii

LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... viii

CHAPTERI. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................1

Mythic Heroes and Role Models ................................................................2

II. RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM......................................................................6

A Brief Review of Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities ................................6

Contacting the Organizations ......................................................................7Boys & Girls Club .........................................................................10Communication Breakdown ..........................................................10

Why Illustration? .......................................................................................11

Illustration vs. Photography ..........................................................12Examples of Successful Advertising Illustration...........................13

Illustration or Fine Art...................................................................15

Knowing the Audience .............................................................................16Appeal of Realism for Kids ..........................................................18

Teen Appeal...................................................................................19

III. AN ILLUSTRATORS PROCESS .....................................................................21Inspiration .................................................................................................21

Materials ....................................................................................................23

Drawing Stages..........................................................................................24Thumbnails ....................................................................................24

Roughs ...........................................................................................24

Comprehensives (comps)...............................................................25Collage Application...................................................................................26

Painting Process Described........................................................................27

Reference Material ....................................................................................28Blog (www.primaryhughes.blogspot.com) ...............................................31

IV. RESULTS: FINAL PAINTINGS EXAMINED .................................................32

Carl Crawford ............................................................................................32Design and Composition Examination ..........................................33

Critical Evaluation.........................................................................35

Torii Hunter ...............................................................................................35Concept..........................................................................................36


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Design and Composition Examination ..........................................37The Cubism Solution .....................................................................38

Seeing the Conceptual Layers .......................................................39

Jimmy Rollins............................................................................................40Design and Composition Examination ..........................................41

Critical Evaluation.........................................................................44CC Sabathia ...............................................................................................44

Get to Know the Subject................................................................45Design and Composition Examination ..........................................46

Models and Light...........................................................................47

Russell Martin............................................................................................48Effect of Influence .........................................................................49

Design and Composition Examination ..........................................50

The Significance of Reference Material........................................52Changes in Approach.....................................................................53

Grady Sizemore In Progress Development...........................................54

Poster Treatments ......................................................................................57Meeting the Children .................................................................................59

V. CONCLUSION....................................................................................................61

FIGURES...........................................................................................................................63

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................116


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List of Figures

Figure Page

1. Thumbnail drawings (Carl Crawford) ...................................................................64

2. Linear rough and value comprehensive (Carl Crawford)......................................65

3. Color comprehensive (Carl Crawford)..................................................................66

4. Linear comprehensive (Carl Crawford).................................................................67

5. Final painting (Carl Crawford) ..............................................................................68

6. Thumbnail drawings (Torii Hunter) ......................................................................69

7. Drawing roughs (Torii Hunter)..............................................................................70

8. Linear comprehensive (Torii Hunter)....................................................................71

9. Color comprehensive (Torii Hunter) .....................................................................72

10. Full-size contour drawing (Torii Hunter) ..............................................................73

11. Final painting (Torii Hunter) .................................................................................74

12. Concept icons and thumbnail drawings (Jimmy Rollins)......................................75

13. Thumbnail drawings (Jimmy Rollins)...................................................................76

14. Value comprehensive (Jimmy Rollins) .................................................................77

15. Color comprehensive (Jimmy Rollins)..................................................................78

16. Final comprehensive (Jimmy Rollins)...................................................................79

17. Final painting (Jimmy Rollins)..............................................................................80

18. Thumbnail drawings (CC Sabathia) ......................................................................81

19. Drawing rough (CC Sabathia) ...............................................................................82

20. Refined drawing rough with tracing paper overlay (CC Sabathia) .......................83


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21. Drawing roughs: Continued explorations with tracing paper (CC Sabathia).......84

22. Drawing roughs and compositional explorations (CC Sabathia) ..........................85

23. Linear comprehensive (CC Sabathia) ....................................................................86

24. Process photos of the CC Sabathia painting..........................................................87

25. Close-up view of the collage elements (CC Sabathia) ..........................................88

26. Final painting (CC Sabathia) .................................................................................89

27. Thumbnail drawings (Russell Martin)...................................................................90

28. Drawing roughs on my desk (Russell Martin).......................................................91

29. Final linear drawing of figure (Russell Martin).....................................................92

30. Subway mural drawing development (Russell Martin) .........................................93

31. Subway perspective drawing (Russell Martin)......................................................94

32. Linear comprehensive (Russell Martin) ................................................................95

33. Photoshop assembly of the final line drawing.......................................................96

34. Compositional alignments (Russell Martin)..........................................................97

35. Final painting (Russell Martin)..............................................................................98

36. Thumbnail drawings (Grady Sizemore) ................................................................99

37. Drawing roughs (Grady Sizemore)......................................................................100

38. Linear comprehensive (Grady Sizemore)............................................................101

39. Concept icons and lists ........................................................................................102

40. Photo reference of scale models (CC Sabathia) ..................................................103

41. Photo reference (CC Sabathia and Carl Crawford) .............................................104


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42. Photo reference (Torii Hunter) ............................................................................105

43. Photo reference (Jimmy Rollins).........................................................................106

44. Main photo reference (Russell Martin)................................................................107

45. Secondary photo reference (Russell Martin) .......................................................108

46. Photo reference (Grady Sizemore) ......................................................................109

47. Poster treatment (Carl Crawford) ........................................................................110

48. Poster treatment (Torii Hunter) ...........................................................................111

49. Poster treatment (Jimmy Rollins) ........................................................................112

50. Poster treatment (CC Sabathia) ...........................................................................113

51. Poster treatment (Russell Martin)........................................................................114

52. Thumbnail drawings for future paintings ............................................................115


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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the following people without whose help this thesis would

not have been completed: Thanks to my parents, Sandy and Dale, who have always

believed in me. Thanks to my advisor, Jerry Kalback, who shares my enthusiasm for

baseball, for all the help and encouragement. Thanks to the Visual Communication

Design faculty, Douglas Goldsmith, David Middleton, and Sanda Katila for their

guidance, and especially to AnnMarie LeBlanc for eagerly giving her time and support.

Thanks to David James and Katie Ringel from Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, John

McDermott and Jack Evans from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and R. Gregory

Christie, for taking the time to speak with me about this project. Finally, thanks to Kelly

for the patient love and understanding she provided over this long journey.


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Chapter I

Introduction

Imagery has the potential to transcend the ordinary. When an idea is woven into

the fabric of a visual work, it can have a transformative effect on the mind and soul. Icons

and images that have the power to stir emotions fill the pages of history. They separate

themselves from the noise of mediocre images, by making a visual statement with their

subject matter and overall aesthetic appeal. Visuals can be an impetus for change; they

can bring attention to a problem that needs to be solved. Even today, in a world of instant

communication, their power can inspire people to action, affecting wars, influencing

elections, saving the environment and selling products.

Images have long been known as persuasive, even magical creations. They allow

the viewer to see from outside perspectives not otherwise possible. Some cultures believe

a picture can steal the soul of the person being photographed. In theRepublic, Plato (380

BC/2006, p. 339), a firm believer in the edict, art is imitation, worried that imitations of

the real could, corrupt even decent people. True enough, the majority of images seen

today, that portray celebrities and athletes, are snapshots, more voyeuristic than inspiring.

There are photographers still creating quality portraiture, like Annie Leibovitz, Martin

Schoeller, and David LaChapelle, but everything is being drowned in a sea of trashy

celebrity gossip, showing people at moments of weakness or in compromising situations.

Amidst the photographic tidal wave is the lonely illustrator in his studio, struggling to

stay above water, trying to have his voice heard by the masses.


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Illustration has been shouting at the rain for its share of the visual culture for

years. Articles have been written declaring the end of illustration. There are fewer and

fewer jobs available for illustrators, and a smaller number of publications willing to use

their art. Many of the popular magazines today echo the morals of a culture obsessed with

vanity. They depict objects of desire in both the consumer sense, and physical, with

photographs. The heroic is too often traded in for the glamorous ideal.

In an age of instant communication, in which there is little time for reflection,

accuracy, balance or integritythe media creates the impression that sleaze iseverywhere, that nothing is sacred, that no one is noble, and that there are no

heroes. Nothing to admire. (Gibbon, 1999)

Mythic Heroes and Role Models

The sporting world and baseball in particular has been the source of many heroes,

including the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Jackie Robinson. These

larger than life figures are rare today. They are even more unlikely to be found in

baseball. The sport is losing relevance in an African American culture that has proven to

be one of the primary influencers on mainstream culture today (Miller & Kemp, 2006,

p. 4). If songs are to be written about the exploits of an athlete today, it will be to the

rhythms of a hip-hop beat, and the hero will be a basketball player. Children used to grow

up listening to baseball games on the radio as if being told the exploits of great warriors

over a campfire. Today, nearly every game is televised and the imagery now associated

with sports and baseball is journalistic in nature. They mostly seek to document the event

and record the images for the public to consume the next day over breakfast. Susan

Sontag, in her bookOn Photography (1977, p. 24), argues that we are all obsessed with

needing to have reality confirmed and experience enhanced by photographs. Industrial


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societies turn their citizens into image-junkies; it is the most irresistible form of mental

pollution. No longer is hearing the story good enough, we have to see it to believe it.

Charming the new generation with the American as apple pie tradition that

baseball once represented is no longer feasible. The nation is less concerned with making

the people hold the same cultural values as they once were. Theodore Roosevelt writing

in a letter of January 1919, shortly before his death describes the prevailing thought in

America at a time when baseball captured attention:

We intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, and

American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house; and we

have room for but one, soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.(Mikkelson & Mikkelson, 2006)

While Roosevelt was speaking about immigration specifically, the idea of suppressing

ones uniqueness, for America, has been replaced with an emphasis on celebrating the

diversity of every group equally. Nothing is uniquely, unifyingly American.Baseball

cannot be the cultural glue it once wasthe tradition and history, so integral a part of

baseball interest, are in themselves less powerful in society than they once were

(Koppett, 2001, p. 221).

Joseph Campbell (Campbell, Moyers, & Flowers, 1991, p. 183) tells us Myths

inspire the realization of the possibility of your perfection, the fullness of your strength,

and the bringing of solar light into the world. The trouble is that the mythic heroes are

developed through repetition of their exploits. Like Babe Ruth calling his shot in the

1932 World Series, the limited imagery available of the event is inconclusive at best. Yet,

the story has been recounted over and over until we honor it. In an age where we can

replay the historic or merely great moments any time we want on the Internet or


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television, it is difficult to find legends forming. Joshua Meyrowitz (1985) in discussing

the disappearing political heroes says:

Mystification and awe are supported by distance and limited access.Highly

replicative media are demystifying leaders not only for their own time, but forhistory as well. Few leaders are universally revered in their own lifetime. But less

replicative media allowed, at least, for greater idealization of leaders after theydied. (pp. 271275)

With too much knowledge of the subject, the heroic becomes ordinary. In the current

over-saturated marketplace, mystery needs to be reintroduced into the equation in order

for heroes to emerge.

It is not possible to plan on making an iconic image. An alignment of the stars

must play a role in capturing the publics imagination. In fact, baseball portraiture has

been more documenting in nature, capturing the necessary likeness and accompanying

game actions, but little else. Photographs by Charles M. Conlon and George Brace, from

the early days of baseball, have garnered a bit of renown. In many ways it is by default,

there were no other ways to see the great players than through their photos. Through

repeated viewings, the images have attached themselves to the heroic exploits of Ruth,

Robinson, and the like. However, someone viewing them could glean nothing more than,

this is a baseball player. The narrative possibilities of portraiture are often absent. The

photo is king. For baseball paintings, the photo reigns here as well. Little effort is placed

on forming a new interpretation of the subject. They are all style and no substance. These

paintings vary from their source material by what they leave out rather than what they

add to the subject. There is always room for these images to be appreciated and some are

quite aesthetically pleasing. There are exceptions; stories found in childrens books

compel an in-depth study of the subject from different angles. Works by C.F. Payne,


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Kadir Nelson, James Bennett, Mark Ulriksen, and the great Norman Rockwell offer

unique visions of the baseball source material.

This project intends to promote baseball to inner city kids, with illustrated

portraits of current African American players, stimulating interest in an audience that has

abandoned the game for other activities. Used in a series of poster advertisements, the

images strengthen the heroic and iconic qualities of the game, revealing a personal

narrative of the player depicted.


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Chapter II

Researching the Problem

A Brief Review of Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities

Baseball has seen a dramatic decline in the number of African American players

over the past few decades. In 1975, they accounted for 27% of the Major League

Baseball (MLB) population. According to the 2010 Racial and Gender Report Card, put

together by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central

Florida, the number of African Americans on the 2010 opening day rosters was only

9.1% (Lapchick, Kaiser, Caudy, & Wang, 2010). Facing competition from faster-paced

sports like basketball and football, baseball is seen as a slow and boring game by the

majority of inner city kids. Economic factors including the greater cost of equipment and

coaching for baseball development puts unbearable strain on lower income families

compared to the hoop and single ball needed for basketball. The burgeoning market for

foreign players and economic benefits of establishing baseball academies in Latin

American countries has shifted resources outside of the country. With the decline of

Black talent in MLB, fewer role models exist to drive interest and teach kids about

baseball. With a much higher percentage of black athletes and stars, basketball and

football have filled the void and captured the attention of young children. Contract

money, scholarships, and the immediate impact at the next level in the other sports all

look like more realistic opportunities to escape the inner cities (Verducci, 2003).

The problem has many causes, 30+ years in the making, and will not find a quick

solution today. One group that is trying to combat the issue is a program called Reviving


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Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), started in 1989 by John Young, a former MLB player and

scout. He witnessed the gradual abandonment of the game by urban youth during his

many scouting trips. RBI, seeking to further interest in the sport, offers disadvantaged

boys and girls of all races, aged 618, opportunities in baseball and softball. In the course

of educating children on baseball skills, the values of teamwork, integrity, self-esteem

and ethics are imparted. The result being, participants have a higher graduation rate and

far likelier chance of earning scholarships to college. Even given the success, more needs

to be done. Since the program has started, African American participation has still

declined nearly 8%. The appeal must be made to this possible next generation of players

and fans to make baseball relevant once again for the African American community

(History of RBI, n.d.).

Contacting the Organizations

During the research portion of this thesis, I made contact with a number of people

directly involved with RBI and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) regarding

the work. The RBI program operates in a fashion similar to a franchise and, as a result, is

often connected to a local chapter of BGCA. The director of RBI, David James, was

generous enough to speak with me for half an hour regarding the decline being witnessed

in baseball. He conveyed a great passion for the program and was very forthcoming with

his opinions on what efforts are working and where more help is needed. During the

conversation, he kept circling back to the main reason that he believes baseball has lost

relevance in the African American community:

Unfortunately, baseball has evolved, that in order to play, its expensive. Its

expensive in some instances for some kids to even sign up to play in a program.


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Its expensive to buy a glove, to buy balls, to buy bats in order to play the game.Its expensive for the owner to take care of the field to upkeep it. So, as a result,

kids dont get the opportunity to play, or even if they do want to play, theyre

playing at a subpar facility and their interest wanes from it. (D. James, personalcommunication, November 16, 2009)

Another issue that he feels needs more attention is the lack of volunteers for the youth

leagues, stating that:

For a variety of reasons, and its more of a social issue than anything else, is that

in suburban affluent communities you will find that they have more volunteers

than they know what to do with. Unfortunately, in some of these under-servedcommunities for these under-served kids, that is not the issue. And in many cases,

especially on the baseball side we run into a lot of instances where these kids are

coming from single mother homes. They need that male interaction to teach themhow to play catch. (D. James, personal communication, November 16, 2009)

While James contends that the pace of the game is not an issue for the kids, it is a factor

mentioned quite frequently by those inside and outside of baseball, including Adam

Jones, outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, and the only African American player on the

team. Jones, while expressing his love for the game, contends that, If you look at it on

TV, it is among the least interesting sports. Its a standstill sport. Its boring, its long

(Ginsburg, 2010). The one fact James and Jones definitely agree on is the skill needed to

play the game. It develops through practice and repetition. Young children get better by

playing the game. Without strong coaches in place, repeated failures on the diamond will

convince a child to abandon the game.

It is not the goal of this project to convince the reader that the decline of African

Americans in baseball is a serious issue. There are certainly arguments to be made that

the percentage of African Americans in baseball is on par with their percentage of the US

population. The fact that athletes in this country have more opportunities to choose other


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sports is a good thing. Frequently, the online reports of the decline of African Americans

in baseball that are featured on sites like ESPN.com and SportsIllustrated.com have

reader comments at the conclusion of an article. In many cases, the users are crying foul

because there is never any media attention on the lack of White and Hispanic players in

the NBA or Hispanics in the NFL. The main reason, as I see it, for so much focus to be

paid to the dwindling number of African Americans is that baseball has played such a

large role in the race relations of this country. Jackie Robinson's breakthrough and

trailblazing path through baseball was incalculably important to the nation as a whole.

More than any other game, baseball is a game obsessed with its past. Players from the

days gone by are compared to current stars, and the achievements of today are weighed

against performances of the past (Kurkjian, 2007). In the history of baseball, African

Americans have played an enormous part. The game relies on these stories being passed

down from fathers and sons. Now that older guy likes basketball, baseball lost those

pied pipers, John Young says (Verducci, 2003). David James also knows the

importance:

I grew up playing baseball because of my father, playing catch with my dad wasmore than playing catch, we talked about the day, we talked about life, while we

were doing the simple act of throwing a ball back and forth. (personal

communication, November 16, 2009)

This underscores the importance of reaching out to the youth with this poster series. If

children do not learn at a young age, about the nuances of the game, they will turn to

something easier to understand and pick up, like basketball.


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Boys & Girls Club.My contact within the Boys & Girls Club of Lorain County,Athletic Director John McDermott, was also eager to discuss the situation with me. For

him, the main reason young African Americans are losing interest in baseball is probably

the number one answer in all my research, basketball. Being located near LeBron James

and the Cleveland Cavaliers aside, everything is basketball (J. McDermott, personal

communication, November 13, 2010). Pointing once again to the affordability of

basketball, he also references the hip-hop attitude and music exhibited on the court and

during games that attracts the youth market, noting that influential hip-hop artist Jay-Z is

wearing LeBrons shoes, not Derek Jeters. McDermott (personal communication,

November 13, 2010) does bring back the point that accessibility is key. If given the

opportunity, the kids in his neighborhood are up at 8:30 in the morning, no arm pulling

necessary, to play the game. Unfortunately, sometimes getting kids to the field presents

problems. Parents are not always around to drop them off, so a van has to pick them up.

This requires more time, money, and volunteers to get games started.

Communication Breakdown. The people I have spoken with for the most part

have been very excited to hear about this project and answer any questions I have.

Communicating over the phone is a significantly better tool than e-mail. Simply emailing

my brief summary of the project was rarely enough to evoke a response. A follow-up call

definitely helps to show a genuine interest in speaking with them and starts the ball

rolling. Unfortunately, my contact at the BGCA left his chapter during the process of

painting the images. He was eager to have me come visit the club and show the work to

the children for my benefit and theirs. For whatever reason, the new athletic director was


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very cold and distant when we spoke. It was only after weeks of leaving messages and e-

mails that I was able to catch him on the phone. I was basically given the runaround

answer, of needing to check with his boss. The whole situation caught me off guard.

After having cultivated a relationship at the club, I was not prepared to go searching for a

new place to get feedback from children. Eventually, I made contact with a club in Akron

that could make some time available for the kids to speak with me.

While searching for biographical information, I also attempted contacting four of

the players and their agents (if I could find them) through their personal websites. The

remaining two do not have websites or contact information publicly available. I can

understand that with the sheer number of fans that these players have it is easy to lose a

more scholarly question amongst all the others. I persisted, and continued submitting

questions and emails to their listed information, but still received no response. This was

not a trait singular to the ballplayers. At various points during the project, I attempted to

contact the beat reporters covering the players and heard nothing back.

Why Illustration?

To put the work here in a historical context, like the chosen subject baseball,

illustration is in a state of flux. The field has been said to be declining for many years. As

a young illustrator, I must believe that it is merely changing with the times, or the outlook

might appear too bleak. Undoubtedly, the poor economy has had an immense impact on

the commissioning of art, and so illustrators must innovate and find new places for their

work to appear. In many ways this was my motivation for the project. Where is there a

need for illustration? Where can it solve a problem more effectively than the current


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solutions? I found my answer in something that had been in front of me all along, my

interest in baseball.

Illustration vs. Photography. DJ Stout (2008), partner at Pentagram, describes

the purveying attitude in the marketplace today, Editors and publishers prefer

photography over illustration because they see it as somehow being more realistic or

more honest, even though photography has become increasingly more unreal.

The majority of sports images presented to the public are photographic in nature, straight

photojournalism, or televised video of the sporting events. There is an opportunity to

introduce a contrasting viewpoint, drawing attention for both the sport and the field of

illustration.

Many paintings have managed to illustrate or even tell stories. Photographs are

more likely to subvert stories. The odd moments they representso oftenawkward, even goofyseem to insist that our narratives and explanations have

stopped. It is possible to look stylish or sexy in a photograph, easy to look silly. It

is more difficult to show integrity. (Stephens, 1998, p. 81)

Since I am endeavoring to build mythic figures from athletes, potentially overexposed

with photography and the accessibility of instant knowledge, I need to convey more than

a glimpse of time. Intangible qualities like dignity and self-confidence not often found in

the action shots of sports figures are possible in a piece of art. Really, how noble can

someone look with a face warped by physical exertion?

The marketing, or lack of marketing of its players, as Jimmy Rollins suggests

(Costas, 2010), has not worked over the long haul. Images of players are everywhere, on

TV, the Internet, magazines, newspapers; and it has done little to change baseballs

position in the inner city. It is time to try something different. Charles Hively, former art


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director and current publisher of3x3 magazine asks:

What gives this idea the most impact? Who can we get to make our product more

noticeable? It all comes down to branding. Thats why, to me, the most importantmovement will come in advertising. This is where we can see illustration in a

different context with measurable results, proving that illustration can work in themass market. Illustration is relegated to editorial now, moving it back into the

advertising world will make it more accessible for everyone. (Heller, 2006)

Accordingly, using illustration on posters offers an opportunity to present a new vision of

the subjects that cannot be reproduced by every photographer credentialed to cover the

game, or every fan in the stands with a decent telephoto lens. It makes the posters unique

and transcends the ordinary sports photograph that only captures a fleeting moment of the

action. A quick trip to a few websites that offer sports posters, like Amazon.com and

Allposters.com, shows the need for creating a poster that stands out from the crowd. The

vast majority of existing wall posters are single action photos or the odd collage of player

images. An artistic rendering of a player may be available occasionally, but it is

completely dependent on the photo source to do all the heavy lifting. There is an

opportunity to create a unique interpretation of the players and surprise the audience with

something new and interesting.

Examples of Successful Advertising Illustration. Baseball is a perfect fit for

illustration to shine. The poster series herein, showcases paintings that have an aura of

tradition or even folklore, something very important to baseball. At times, this has been a

criticism levied at baseball by those seeking to understand the reasons for declining

African American interest (Boyd, 2003, p. 9). The paintings seek to bridge the divide and

build new mythic figures that will inspire movement in a disinterested generation.


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Recently, there have been notable ad campaigns that were successful, partially

due to their use of illustration. The marketing strategy put together by Fallon Worldwide

for United Airlines, following the events of September 11, launched, Its Time to Fly.

Animations and illustrations that are, High-end, whimsical fantasy, friendly and

accessible, were used to calm passengers nerves and separate themselves from the

typical airline ads (Shapiro, 2009, p. 58). The draw was more an emotional one for an

audience familiar with the common airline industry ads touting similar features and

services with images that over time blend into a blur of photographs of planes on

tarmacs or flying over the clouds (p. 56).

In the design field, it is a shared joke how bad the majority of movie posters are.

All across the Internet, posters are frequently dissected on websites like

photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com. Issues with anatomy and the group shots assembled

from many individual photos are traits of the poor Photoshop construction in many

posters. With so much money at stake on a given film, the studios are hesitant to risk a

movies success with advertisements that are not proven. Charles Hively recounts, No

client wants his company to have a bad image or a misunderstood image, so clients

naturally gravitate to what they know, what they can see and understandphotography.

Clients own cameras, clients rarely own an easel (Heller, 2006). That makes the success

of Robert Neubeckers illustration, in the Christian Struzen designed poster, for the

movie Sideways, all the more impressive. It was eventually named as the 2004 Key Art

Award winner for best comedy poster (Neubecker, 2010). The energetic black line

drawing perfectly captured the spirit of the movie. Not speaking for anyone involved, but

the smaller independent studio, director, and lack of big movie stars in the production


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may have allowed this unique approach to make it to the theaters. If Brad Pitt and George

Clooney were in the movie, is there any doubt what would be featured on the poster?

Finally, during the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obamas campaign received

a great deal of praise for the branding associated with the candidate. Wrapped up in the

grassroots movement that captured the youth market, was Shepard FaireysHope poster.

The street artists influential image drew inspiration from Soviet Constructivists, pop art,

and the underground graffiti culture to which he is most often connected. Obama

recognized the impact Faireys work, in a note to the artist he writes, The political

messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe that they can

help change the status-quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen

in a gallery or on a stop sign (McCormick, 2009, p. 51). That message of hopefulness

spread all over the world through the viral dissemination of the iconic image, true

evidence of the impact a visual can have when paired with the right idea for the times.

Illustration or Fine Art. Serving as posters, the paintings created for this project

have potential staying power. Kids could hang them on their walls, thus keeping the

messages conveyed in front of their audience for extended time. In a certain respect, these

posters should convey a fine art aspect to them. Traditional fine art cultivates an ongoing

relationship with the viewer, while at the same time the posters must satisfy the role of

illustration. In most instances, illustration has a finite impact. The viewer sees it,

comprehends it, and moves on, or turns the page. Communication must be quick, because

there is not much time to reach the viewer before interest wanes, or they conclude their

time in front of the image. The best posters display a simplicity that conveys their


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meaning and purpose from a greater distance than a printed magazine or book. The

opposite is generally true for fine art. An ongoing relationship with the viewer is a factor

in creating lasting art. To produce work that can straddle the divide between fine art and

illustration, I have incorporated multiple layers of information in the imagery. There are

many interpretations working together to tell a larger narrative and concept. In addition,

the style of realism does not fall out of fashion like other trendy illustration techniques. In

order to accomplish the illustrative purposes, a clear formation of value contrast, and

focus on shape making is essential. Thankfully, this approach does not hinder a fine art

reading of the paintings.

Knowing the Audience

Simply put, illustration should capture the attention of a desired audience and help

communicate the clients message. Knowing the intended audience helps the illustrator

determine the appropriate, style, concept, subject matter, and a host of other creative

decisions that would connect with them. Usually, the client will have a particular

demographic in mind that they want to reach. RBI is no different in this respect, reaching

out to children and young adults, of any race and gender, participating in youth baseball

and ranging from ages 618. Considering the problem at hand, I have chosen to

specifically target young African Americans. Furthermore, John Young has identified the

13-to-16-year range as an area of concern. It is the most frequent age for a child to quit

playing ball (History of RBI, n.d.). David James, Director of RBI, offers a strong reason

for the drop off at this point. The 12-year-olds play on 60-foot diamonds. When you

get to 13, youre playing on a 90-foot diamond, the same thing that the pros do (David


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James, personal communication, November 16, 2009). With a very specific audience in

mind, I have tried to account for this during the planning stages.

If baseball is to become relevant once again in the Black community, it will have to

give them more reason to care. The young generation of African Americans is not

celebrating past Black achievements. Using Negro League Players and baseball old

timers to appeal to them is not going to have the same effect that young, successful,

savvy Black achievers who are making it on their own terms will (Miller & Kemp,

2006, p. 34). Today they are finding those role models in hip-hop and basketball. The

number of viable choices for the youth in this country has increased significantly. They

see basketball, football, and video games as more fun. These activities can be played

alone or with minimal participants. While tossing a football around with a friend and

playing catch with a baseball appear similar, football does not require both parties to own

a glove. Finding 18 kids to play a game of baseball becomes increasingly difficult in this

age. Some have cited the popularity of baseball in Latin American countries and how

kids will play with homemade cardboard gloves if they have to. The difference is a

cultural one. Having the real gear, the cool clothes, the new, and the hot item is important

to young African Americans. According to someone studying youth and African

American style, Holly Alford, fashion design professor at Virginia Commonwealth

University, They feel like their society looks down on them. Sometimes some of these

status symbols are just a way of saying, Hey, look! Here I am. See who I am (Gross,

2009)? With this knowledge, it is easy to understand why a cardboard glove would be

unacceptable. The other side is that if baseball can regain popularity, these same kids

could make having a nice glove a priority.


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Appeal of Realism for Kids. I consider my work realistic with surrealist

overtones. This style will inevitably evolve over time, and perhaps with the subject

matter that confronts me. Guided by the knowledge that art directors seek out the

appropriate illustrator for the job at hand, it was important that the style, or personal

viewpoint of my work, would complement the concept. For that reason, my audience

needed to appreciate realistic art. I found that children, in general, are able to comprehend

and see the value in realism with greater ease, than the challenges presented by an

abstracted representation. According to R. Gregory Christie, a successful childrens book

illustrator:

When I showed students my current work, elongated necks and small hands, they

tended to laugh, say ewwww or gasp in adulation or repulsion. I realized that

they needed the crash course in art history and to acquire an appreciation for apainter that paints what he feels over what he sees, in order to have the strongest

understanding of my artwork. Most of these children, with an affinity for realism

grow into adults with the same attitude. Unconventional proportions and colorsbecome wrong over refreshing, twisted compositions, and reconstructed picture

planes become damaged rather than interesting....Whats interesting to me is that

Ive never heard a child say they dont like abstract art because its ugly while

on the other hand nice or pretty is commonplace. This makes me think thatpeople just dont understand abstraction or are simply afraid to deviate from the

group because they might be considered as strange as the object they are

viewing....I have seen that with a room full of young people learning ourtraditions in order to prepare for adulthood, they were naturally inclined to respect

realism. (personal communication, June 18, 2010)

Some of Christies points involve educating children and adults on the merits of

abstraction, and cannot be feasibly addressed through these posters. Within the limited

timeframe a poster is viewed, it is more important that the overall message is understood

first. The work needs to be seen, accepted, and not dismissed as too strange. Confusing

the audience with work that is nontraditional runs the risk of alienating them even more.

With these images, I am seeking to include people in the game of baseball. That is not to


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say that abstraction is a divisive force, just that realism offers a better likelihood of

connecting with the children in my audience.

This appreciation for art that looks real correlates to a childs desire to draw

realistically. Viktor Lowenfeld and W. Lambert Brittain, who studied the drawing

developmental stages of children, establish the 1214-year-old age range as a Pseudo-

Naturalistic Stage (1982, p. 353387). During this period children concern themselves

with more observational study of their subjects and exhibit a, great urge to draw or paint

realistically (Lowenfeld, 1967, p. 152). Likewise, Betty Edwards (1989, p. 72) states

that, By around age ten or eleven, childrens passion for realism is in full bloom. She

goes on to describe, that when a child is unable to draw a standard cube shape, and is

commended for the drawings apparent abstraction, the child becomes confused, knowing

that it truly does not look real (Edwards, pp. 7275). In addition to a childs realistic

tendencies at this time, they also showcase an increasing ability to think about artwork

and can work out, symbolism, deeper meanings, and double meanings (Wachowiak &

Clements, 2001, p.117). Therefore, conceptual levels and multiple readings that are

visible in my final paintings are not beyond the grasp of the intended audience, and the

use of realism is very fitting.

Teen Appeal. Humor in advertising is a powerful way to connect with kids in

adolescence. Since, my work does not lean to the humorous side of illustration, the

posters play to other strengths. Peter Zollo (2004, p 401) contends that, If youre not

going to leave them [teens] laughing, leave them thinking or feeling. To this end, I have

constructed layers of information for the audience to peel away, and hopefully establish a


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connection with the figure that will resonate beyond a single viewing of the poster. Zollo

(p. 408) also says that the importance of celebrity in advertising is worth noting, Fewer

black than white teens say they want to see regular people, while more [black teens]

want to see athletes. This bodes well for the posters in some respects, but the declining

interest in baseball among the African American community says something entirely

different. Still, the depiction of baseball players will have potential impact on the

audience because it is a sport. Additionally, Roy L. Brannon, an advertising executive

familiar with techniques used to reach inner city markets, says:

Weve found that these kids are very individualistic, and they dont respond toanything outside of their reality. They dont care about the status quo. They cansniff out fakeness and insincerity, so your creative efforts have to be real.

(Newsome & Gallop-Goodman, 1999, p. 160)

The paintings, as will be detailed later on, reference the urban reality in one form or

another, and have at all costs avoided the clich hip-hop bling and jewelry that could be

considered pandering to the audience.


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Chapter III

An Illustrators Process

In the following pages, I will lay out my creative process, describing the various

stages that go into developing an illustration. The steps that I describe are common to

illustration and design, and reflect my education in the field of visual communication

design. This chapter serves as a detailed account of the materials and concerns that shape

the final product, and should be used as a point of reference when viewing the

progression of each illustrated portrait: Carl Crawford (figures 15), Torii Hunter (figures

611), Jimmy Rollins (figures 1217), CC Sabathia (figures 1826), Russell Martin

(figures 2735), and Grady Sizemore (figures 3638).

Inspiration

Where does my inspiration come from? Two very influential artists sent me down

the path toward this thesis. The first is Kehinde Wiley. His immense paintings show

contemporary African American men striking poses from Renaissance paintings and

European portraiture. Besides referencing his painting of flesh, I appreciate the

symbolism behind a young black man cast in a role typically inhabited by a white man or

woman. The gestures of some saints and icons compare quite well to the moves and signs

of hip-hop, rap, and dance. His work has been a valuable source of what a heroic image

could look like for this project. His success, as quoted in Keeps (2009), reminds me of

how I would like to have my work perceived by my intended audience, I have had a lot

of young black kids come up to me and say they are grateful to look at this monumental


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mega-painting with someone who they can relate to. A key role of my work is to show

inner city kids that there are people like them in baseball, that this sport is still relevant.

The second artist/illustrator that needs mentioning is Kadir Nelson. His book, We

are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball(2008), was a valuable point of

reference for my project. I feel we have a similar way of seeing color and light in our

paintings, so his importance to me is not just the comparable baseball subject matter. It is

quite possible that my work can be viewed as affected by his. I believe that it is only a

resemblance, and from that point, I have taken it in a different direction. His work is

more journalistic and documentary in nature; my paintings are concerned with symbolic

narratives and exhibit a touch of surrealism.

Finally, while working, I have sought other inspiration for various issues

regarding each in-progress painting. For example, the work of illustrators creating sports

imagery such as CF Payne, Mark Ulriksen, Bart Forbes, and Loren Long was

investigated. At times, I compared how motion could be handled in a painting. Detailing

the rest of my influences would be tedious at best. A few more are detailed in the

explanations of the following chapter. An artist is a product of the world in which he

lives, and everything he has experienced plays a role in some way. The great artists that I

have been exposed to during my education are all factors to a certain degree. Since my

training is based in design and illustration, decisions I have made and documented, reflect

those values as well.


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Materials

The materials used in creating the paintings are standard fare, especially for a

student. The media is primarily Liquitex acrylic with elements of collage attached to the

board. I work with very thin applications of paint, so the viscosity of the paint is not as

important as its color or lightfastness. The brushes used ranged from sable and synthetic

to bristle. My palette is a pane of glass with foam core backing. The surface I painted on

is acid-free Gessobord made by Ampersand. I have come to like the smooth surface, and

the ability to start working on it immediately, with no prep work needed to make the

surface ready. Furthermore, it provides a rigid support capable of being pushed on

without fear of buckling too much. My small studio space will not accommodate a

standing easel, so I have adjusted to painting seated, with the painting in my lap and

leaning against the desk. It is comparable to working on an art horse, as one might in

standard drawing classes. I use a combination lamp with an incandescent bulb and

fluorescent bulb both turned on creating a mixture of the lights. There is a small window

next to the desk, but that was not a large factor in my lighting choices for this project.

Due to the potential for fewer distractions, I worked mostly during nights. The last

essential tools in my studio are computer related. My Apple MacBook Pro was used to

display the photo reference for each painting and to utilize Photoshop. External hard

drives for data back up and an Epson scanner were also essential to the overall success.


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Drawing Stages

The preliminary work for a finished painting follows a traditional path. During

this process, the client has the opportunity to approve sketches and choose the direction

of the final art.

Thumbnails. These are small drawings, about 2 inches tall that capture an idea or

layout for the illustration in a short amount of time. It is common for an artist to create

pages of these drawings for a single illustration. Subtle value may be added to explore

contrast relationships and focus attention on the collection of shapes used in the drawing.

Figures 1, 6, 13, 18, 27, and 36 detail the various concept thumbnails created for this

series. At nearly 4 x 5 inches each, they are larger than normal. The increased size

allowed a more developed value range in some drawings. It is quite possible that other

artists would not consider these thumbnails. However, the complexity of some scenes

required a greater size to fully depict the concept. Additionally, I begin the concept

development by creating lists of descriptive words that apply to the subject (figure 39).

Beside these words, I will draw small visual icons that symbolically represent them. By

comparing two lists of words and icons, I look for relationships to develop between them.

Sometimes, this leads to an unexpected combination of ideas being discovered. From

these early drawings and thumbnails, a direction or concept for the illustration is chosen

and enlarged for the next step.

Roughs. Enlarged drawings, used to refine the composition and design of the

image are referred to as roughs. There are usually several drawings completed at this

stage before moving to a final comp. Figures 2, 7, 1922, 28, and 37 show the various

rough drawings that I have created for each final painting. Many revisions are necessary


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to resolve the overall design. Each illustration will present its own challenges. Sometimes

the path is quick; other times it is full of exploration and many bad drawings before a

satisfying resolution. I frequently use tracing paper in this stage to make adjustments in

the drawing, building a full composition from many layers of refinements.

Comprehensives (comps). All the elements of the final are present in these

comprehensive drawings. Linear comps (figures 4, 8, 10, 23, 2932, and 38), full value

comps (figures 2 and 14), and color comps (figures 3, 9, and 15) are variations possible at

this stage. It is not always necessary to complete each comprehensive for every

illustration. Client expectations and the problem challenges will dictate what the

illustrator produces. During the development of more complex paintings, drawings may

be done as separate elements and combined into a final piece using Photoshop (figures

2934). The first few players of this series I developed with a strict adherence to the

stages described here. As my confidence increased, I skipped the value and color comps

for the last couple of paintings. It was not an issue of laziness, but rather time

management. I did not feel like those comps had helped me significantly on the earlier

images, and decided to spend my time on the final painting instead. However, a tight final

line drawing is essential. As the project advanced, my attention to a strong linear

resolution improved. With a final line drawing of my illustration ready to go, I utilized

my universitys opaque projector to enlarge the image, and trace it onto the final board.

Errors in the drawing, due to either poor tracing or distortion, were corrected, and the

drawing was sealed with clear matte medium. This prevents the graphite from mixing

with the paint and reducing vibrancy.


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Collage Application

Elements of paper collaged onto the board are a recurring stylistic technique that I

have grown to enjoy. The viewer could overlook these elements, especially in the printed

posters. Admittedly, it is hard to see the subtle layers of collage, even if face-to-face with

the original paintings. Viewing the work from an oblique angle (figure 25) reveals the

extra thickness added to the board more effectively than a straight on scan does. The

collage was almost entirely plain white paper of varying thickness. It was affixed to the

board with either matte medium or a thicker gel medium. After the collage is resolved, I

wash over the board and drawing with burnt umber acrylic paint and a little matte

medium. Using a spray bottle with water, I will add moisture as the mixture of paint and

medium is applied with a house painting brush. The water helps the brush strokes

disappear, and lets me even out the tone before it dries. This underpainting serves to

knock back the white of the gesso primer. The often-discussed intimidation caused by a

white page is clich for a reason. It really can be hard to get past how much needs to be

done before the painting reaches a satisfying resolution. Besides that, by having a middle

value underpainting established, it allows for better decision-making regarding how light

or dark the next brushstrokes are. Simultaneous contrast tells us that the appearance of

colors or values is influenced by the colors or values adjacent. Therefore, a mark I make

on a completely white board will appear different, when the areas around that mark are

added. The likelihood that the original mark would remain exactly what I intended, is not

very good.


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Painting Process Described

On my blog, I posted an animation of the process photos (figure 24) that depict

the CC Sabathia painting in development. The viewers can see the painting come together

before their eyes. Beginning the work can be difficult, I tend to start with a feature of the

painting that once it is completed will set the tone for the rest of the painting. In none of

these did I start with the portrait. While the likeness is essential to the result, it was often

times the portion that I felt the most comfortable completing. Frequently the work offered

a chance to paint something I had never attempted before. Therefore, rather than go

straight for the face, I usually held back until near completion to tackle it. The one time I

did establish the head before 50% done, my momentum seemed to subside. It was as if

the soul or spirit of the painting was done, the rest was busy work to finalize the piece.

Though in reality, I still had a lot to resolve. I believe that saving the main focal point

until later, gives me either something to work towards, or saves the energy of establishing

that likeness until it is nearly complete. This allows the finish to feel more satisfying. Of

course, if this were a freelance job, just the adrenaline of a tight deadline would help this

matter, and I would be forced to tackle the main subject sooner rather than later, in order

to avoid missing the deadline due to poor time management. However, these are not

freelance jobs, and because many parts of the images hold special meaning, or tell part of

the overall story, everything needed to be handled with the same level of craftsmanship.

Otherwise, the viewer might disregard something that I meant to communicate. Now, this

does not mean that everything should be painted with the same brush strokes and clearly

delineated edges. The variations and contrasts of little elements make a big impact, and in

my realist style, provide believability. I want to create a world that the figures can


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occupy, not simply feel pasted into them. The more visual truth I can bring to each scene,

then the more real these figures become.

Often the background needs to be started and nearly finished before I begin the

foreground elements, usually the figures. If I do not, then more careful and time-

consuming brush strokes have to be made to avoid overlapping part of the foreground.

Once an overlap happens, the fix can be easy or difficult depending on the subject, but in

every case, it requires me to repaint something that may have been finished. I can also

control the depth of an edge more knowledgeably if I am painting into the background

rather than vice versa. The collage elements, in a way, are an effort to make this even

easier. I can paint over the collaged cap of a player and not have to redraw or retransfer

the hat to the board. At any time I can find the boundaries of the hat, and recreate the

shape quickly with a layer of paint. I mention the baseball cap as an example because I

found it one of the most challenging forms to draw accurately. There is a quixotic bend

and curve to the brim, and the collage helps me avoid losing the perspective that I worked

hard to create in the drawing. The reason to collage the other elements was usually with

this in mind. Although, sometimes it was to balance other collage pieces or produce more

tangible depth, best seen in the Sabathia painting (see figure 25).

Reference Material

The truth about painting in a realistic vein is that strong reference, whether it is

access to the subject itself or a photograph, is essential to success. At times, finding the

proper image can be challenging. There was something specific to each player that

caused me difficulty. No matter what angle or viewpoint, I was unable to find reliable


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reference for Carl Crawfords shoes. Meanwhile, locating reference for Grady Sizemores

shoes was not the problem, but his glove was another story. Even the stores selling gloves

were no help, offering models without the right type of webbing. Finally, I was forced to

adapt the length of a shortstop glove when completing the drawing.

The truism, necessity is the mother of invention, is quite relevant when creating

an illustration. An illustrator cannot wait for the right photo to fall into his lap.

Sometimes, there is a need to go out and make it. I can spend hours sifting through sand,

by looking for the perfect view of an arm or hat, or, instead, the necessary reference can

be created, with the lighting and viewpoint envisioned. A few examples of the reference

models that I have created for some of the paintings will be shown. Besides providing the

benefit of greater control over the final product, using my own photographs to replace, or

help alter found imagery, significantly reduces any copyright infringement liability. Even

the hint of copying someone elses work has become easier to identify in our digital

world. The Internet makes it easy for accusations of plagiarism to gather momentum and

damage reputations. Shepard Fairey, creator of the ObamaHope poster, has become the

poster child for plagiarism vs. fair use. Fairey has now admitted to using an Associated

Press photo, in its entirety, to create the iconic image without obtaining prior consent. His

argument hinges on a fair use defense, contending that the work was transformative

rather than derivative. As of writing this thesis, the case is still pending (Copyright

battle, 2010). Though the judge for the case has suggested, that whether its sooner or

later, The Associated Press is going to win, and advised Fairey to settle (Neumeister,

2010).

The more that reference material can be altered, or the features of multiple photos


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combined, the stronger the case can be made for fair use under copyright law. I do not

proclaim to be an expert, but want to extol caution when using someone elses work in

the development of the readers own. The safe play is to obtain permission from the

original author before using something in an illustration. As these paintings are part of an

educational venture, the use of copyrighted materials is generally accepted to fall under

the fair use of copyright law. However, whenever possible I have combined reference

photos to achieve the necessary likenesses. I have also changed the way that the light and

shadow falls on each players face to suit my compositions. This allows me to take more

ownership of the reference. The design of the final paintings is not reliant on the

photograph for inspiration; rather my drawing dictated the use of a particular photo.

Letting the reference control fundamental design decisions would be an ethically

questionable area. Whenever it was possible, I created my own reference photos. There

are countless embarrassing or goofy pictures that I have taken of myself to study how the

light falls across the player in my paintings. Figures 4046 show a sampling of these

photos.

Each illustration project requires something new. For instance, there are certain

requirements that need to be accounted for when producing imagery of sports figures.

The first and foremost is the need for accuracy in representing the clothing and

equipment used by a player and his team. It not only lends authenticity to the work, but

also helps establish a sense of time and place. Teams frequently alter their uniforms, thus

creating era specific looks that are strongly connected to the way certain players exist in

the mind of each fan. Any change can create disconnect, or even an emotionally negative

reaction. I was able to purchase a modestly priced uniform that would allow me to see


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how the folds would wrap around the body (see figures 4143). This made possible

significant changes to the outside photo references that were still necessary to capture the

likeness and personal characteristics of each player.

Blog (www.primaryhughes.blogspot.com)

As a way of collecting the work together and creating a semblance of order for

myself, I decided to document the creative process. To this end, I started a weblog,

otherwise known as a blog. Each post to the online blog shows a step or steps in the

creation of a painting. The images posted create a timeline in the life of the painting

allowing the visitor to follow each from idea to final image. While it is impossible to

show every mark that was made on paper or paint, I tried to hit the high points and not

hold back anything important from the process. In communicating with the RBI

organization and Boys & Girls Clubs, the thesis blog was a valuable tool to show the

work and my seriousness. Without having a place to see the work, I would have needed

to send the people I was contacting jpeg images of my work. The Internet being what it is

today, I imagine many people would be hesitant to open these email attachments. Quite a

few individuals expressed their appreciation for seeing the progression from sketch to

painting. Coming from people who do not ordinarily commission artwork, it was clear to

me that I had made an impression.


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Chapter IV

Results: Final Paintings Examined

Carl Crawford (figure 5)

Carl Crawford is the all-star left fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Growing up in

the impoverished Fifth Ward of Houston, Crawford was a standout in football, basketball

and baseball. It was the signing of another local football player to a large baseball

contract that made him realize the potential success he could have in baseball. Playing

football and baseball at the only college that would let him continue both, it was not long

before his play on the diamond culminated in a second round pick by Tampa Bay

(Keown, 2006). A member of the RBI program as a youth, he credits it with giving him,

the exposure I needed to find the right people (Ghiroli, 2008). Like so many of the

other African American baseball players, Crawford is outspoken about the number of

Blacks in the game today, and he tells Tim Keown that,

Most black kids dont play baseball when they get to high school. A lot of black

kids see baseball as boring. The game and the players arent flashy. You see NBA

players and NFL players with the nice cars and the diamonds. Baseball players aremore casual, more conservative in how we do things. (2006)

This view is widely held in both baseball and the African American community. The

game does not share the same cultural connection that other sports have with African

Americans. The conservative tendencies of baseball do not mix well with the hip-hop

culture. (Boyd, 2003 p. 9) Baseball is a team game, more so than basketball. So many

coordinated moving parts have to mesh in order for a team to win. Basketball players can

take over a game and score 40 points individually. This can be done night after night on


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the basketball court. The result being that one person becomes elevated in stature. That is

not the case in baseball, where there is a new nearly hero every game. Dominant starting

pitchers only affect every fifth game, and the best hitters only have a few at bats every

nine innings.

Discussing a potential hole in the scouting system, that other players like Gary

Sheffield (Powell, 2008, p. 123) also contend, Crawford says,

Theres a lot of inner-city kids who arent getting scouted. I dont know if theyre

[scouts] intimidated. I cant really put my finger on what the problem is. Theyrejust not there. I think its just a variety of things, maybe. I just dont know how

the process works. I would like to know. Theres a bunch of talent in the inner

city, Im telling you. (Chastain, 2005)

Shaun Powell (p. 124) argues that scouts do go where the talent is and today it is not in

the inner cities. It is far more abundant in Asian and Latin American countries. African

Americans, in general, simply are not playing the game. That brings us back to the

purpose of this project, which is a need for engaging the children early in life, with an

interest in baseball.

Design and Composition Examination. For the image of Crawford, I wanted to

show a confident trip around the bases. Simultaneously, Crawford is seen running

through the streets of his youth. Pairing these two views together, the image conveys that

by rounding third, he is ostensibly headed for home. The background scene is a

combination of elements from Tropicana Field, the domed stadium where the Rays play,

and the Houston area where Crawford grew up. The telephone wires begin this blending

of locations. Those familiar with the stadium know that there are a series of catwalks high

above the playing field. I have aligned the wires to match up with two rings of the


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catwalks and disappear into the sky as the space recedes. From there, the radiating rays

seen in the sky represent the dome itself. The roof has a subtle accordion appearance that

is enhanced in some lighting conditions.

By lowering the lights and creating a night game in the dome, I imagined a more

pronounced roof pattern that would provoke multiple interpretations. The viewer could

choose to see the design as a graphic fireworks explosion and infer that Crawford has just

hit a homerun. The design could be rays of moonlight, or perhaps my favorite, a

parachute to slow the speedy Crawford down, like one used during space shuttle landings

or a drag race car slowdown. The skyline of Houston is seen from a view very similar to

what someone from Crawfords neighborhood would see. In this matter, Google maps

street view was an essential part of the research process. This feature allowed me to find

more accurate details for the bridge, building, sidewalks, streetlights and the

aforementioned skyline. Continuing the account of my design, the line created by the

bridge forms the lowest catwalk that holds the stadium lights. The vertical bridge

supports serve to delineate further stadium details. The dirt colored street becomes the

infield and warning track of the baseball field.

Additionally, there are a couple more storytelling moments included for the

viewer to investigate. At the end of the side street is a small baseball idiom. A third base

coach can either give a runner approaching third base the stop sign or wave him home.

I placed a stop sign there for those baseball fans that are paying close attention. Crawford

is also shown stepping in a puddle on his way home. This is included to bring a little

childlike enthusiasm to the image. Furthermore, water helps make the streets dirtier and

appear more downtrodden.


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Critical Evaluation. Evaluating the success of this image is difficult, because it

was the first of the series; some growth was to be expected as the paintings developed.

The elements I am critical of certainly stem from improvement and later successes in the

series. An original goal of the posters was to bring attention to where the player was

from. The posters would present an example of someone who has made it out of his early

environment. I hope that kids dealing with a similar situation could take something

positive from the knowledge that he was there, too.

In developing the rest of the series, this objective was minimized to lessen the

somber mood that resulted in the Crawford final piece. Brighter colors were injected into

the next four images to provide a more positive mood. The resolution of the crowd is an

aspect that shows great improvement over the entirety of the project. Having developed

the series of images together at a preliminary drawing stage, it was clear that crowds of

people would play a key role in the future paintings. Since they would become a

recurring feature in the series, it was important to treat them as more than mere blobs of

color. Furthermore, my familiarity with how collage combines with my application of

paint is increased. Should I use collage for grass in the future, I will be trying a different

approach. Again, with this being the first painting, I would be naive to assume the

technique and approach would not evolve with each.

Torii Hunter (figure 11)

Torii Hunter is the all-star center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Of the players that I have chosen for this project, Torii Hunters life hardships make his

success all the more remarkable. With a father suffering from drug addiction and the


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gang presence in his Pine Bluff, Arkansas neighborhood, Hunter was forced to grow up

faster than most children do. It was not uncommon for the household income to be spent

on drugs rather than on providing food or electricity for the family. His father often

disappeared without warning and would be found by Hunter or his brothers in a local

crack house or come home days later and pass out (Berney, 2008). Hunter has opened up

about his troubled childhood and is working hard to reach out to disadvantaged children

and show them a positive example. No matter what youre going through, whether your

parents are on drugs or even drinking, just dont use that as an excuse, Hunter said. I

grew up around gangs, I grew up around dope, and my father wasnt there for us. But I

actually got a positive out of it. I told myself I was never going to be like that.

(Christensen, 2007)

Concept. In Christian religions, the candle represents goodness, spirituality, and

specifically Christ, as the light of the world (John 8:1232). Hunter has referenced his

faith as an important part of his ability to stay grounded and on the right track in life.

Louis Berney (2008) quotes Hunter, My mom raised us in the church. So whenever I got

down, whether it was off the field or on the field, I always went to my bible. It kept me

strong. Thats what kept me on the right path, just reading my bible and staying with the

Lord. Continuing the religious viewing of the image, The human spirit is the lamp of

the LORD, searching every innermost part (Proverbs 20:27, New Revised Standard

Version). Hunters soul, represented by the baseball lamp, helped direct him out of the

dark. He is seen revering it, or raising it up and taking control of where his spirit came to

play. This lamp/candlelight metaphor also references an anecdotal moment from his


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childhood. When the household power had been shut off, he and his brothers played cards

by candlelight to pass the time (Hawkins, 2009). As with each painting, I am not looking

for a universal reading of the image. I hope that the viewer will draw his/her own

conclusions based on their own beliefs or experiences when viewing the poster.

Design and Composition Examination. Hunters stark verticality and central

location in the composition lend strength and dignity to the players pose. Paul Messaris

(1997, p. 4) reminds us that looking back at someone who is staring at us is a natural

reaction; therefore, I have positioned the head so that his gaze will engage the viewer

directly and grab their attention. The figure confronts anyone who comes along in a

straightforward manner. There is no looking away, fidgeting or wavering by the player. If

hung up in a childs room, Hunter will act like a guardian figure, continually watching

over the child.

The darkness of the lower portion of the Hunter painting lends stability to the

overall design. This extra weight at the bottom keeps the central figure grounded and

allows the stadium wings to flank up the side and top without causing the image to

become top heavy. I have minimized the value and color contrast within this

representation of his hometown in order to unify it. The color seems to grow or spring out

of the dreary world below.

The Pine Bluff representation required some research into the architecture that

may be seen in the area. The house from which Torii Hunter emerges is based on a

combination of features that I found in photographs of area houses. I searched long and

hard for any descriptions of Hunters boyhood home, but found only indications that it


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was made of brick. The rest of the section is designed with an emphasis on shapes,

textu

Painting heroes: Using illustration to improve the standing of baseball in the inner city

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