http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Elf-Fin&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Elf-Fin en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:18:03 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/26707092/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/26707092/ Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:14:31 PDT
Guest Blog by Barry Lowe.

There’s so much to like ... in Bruno Gmünder’s Stripped Uncensored, a homage to erotic gay art from around the world - Joe Phillips, Patrick Fillion, Wes Hempel, Todd Yeager, fifty-seven artists in all - that it seems churlish to regret the omissions (Josman, for example). But what is a source of pride is ... the work of three Aussie artists: Peter Skirrow (aka Petros), Ross Watson and Jozef Szekeres.

This volume presents ‘The world’s most accomplished and genuinely brilliant talent on the gay erotic art scene today.’ “Nice to know that three such people are Australians,” Jozef says. “It’s recognition given to Australian artists by internationals. Hopefully this will bring local attention to the fact that we have Australian based international players in the erotic arts.”

Jozef has been doing homoerotic artwork since 2006. “Having my artwork as the event party poster for Mardi Gras '07, and creating support artwork for the Villains Lair Sleaze Ball '08 must have lifted my profile internationally, as I was invited to present ten artworks for consideration to Stripped Uncensored. I sent images that varied in style and execution; however, they decided to print the four that looked the most similar in style.”

Inclusion showcases that Aussie artists are equal (if not better) to anything else in the world which Jozef hopes will lead to more opportunities for the artists to make a living from their work. He is particularly critical of the lack of local opportunity provided by some major gay social organisations.

“The last three Sleaze Ball Mardi Gras events, for example, were illustrated by Canadian American artist Glen Hanson. He’s very talented and very successful, and I don't begrudge him the work, but surely an Australian could have done this as successfully. Three Sleaze posters in a row by a non-Australian talent is criminally insulting to the Australian pool of artistic talent.” He also regrets that more local artists weren’t included in the book given the international quality being produced here.

With his experience as an animator, Jozef works from the blank page: “Homoerotic artworks are born from a combination of what's in my head directed by my loins,” he says. “I've noted that both Ross Watson and Peter Skirrow use photo reference from their own personal photo shoots for their artworks. I've started exploring that as well. It allows access to details that my mind on its own cannot remember or even conceive. Even when creating work based on photo referencing, I still work from an original sketch to base the photographic model's pose. The added fun in the photo shoots comes from the extra photos beyond a designed pose. All my models so far have been friends, so there has been no limit
to the intimacies I can capture.”

Peter Skirrow, on the other hand, has drawn and painted family, countryside, animals and farm scenes since he was a young boy growing up on a farm in England and then in West Australia. He refined his skill at life drawing classes before training in Graphic Art at WAIT/Curtin in Perth. He freelanced in Perth and London before settling in Sydney in 1988 and producing a series of gay greeting cards which were “mostly black and white pencil drawings of hirsute guys. I wanted to use images which portrayed affection and emotion between men rather than showing just the body perfect in tasteful or raunchy positions, Not that I object to that at all.”

Although he doesn’t eschew the term homoerotic, Peter prefers homosensual which he defines as work which details “the relation and interaction between two males, emotional and psychological.” He also paints portraits, landscapes and architecture although “it is my passion for the male form that inspires me to concentrate on that subject.”

Peter admires many homoerotic artists such as Tom of Finland, Stephen, Julius and Palanka, for example, but he has developed his own style. “It’s a synthesis of my art experience, life drawing and the best I see in art. I can’t say I’m a disciple of any one particular artist or school.”

His inclusion in Stripped Uncensored came from a fortuitous meeting with Bruno Gmünder himself at the recent Sydney Mardi Gras. A few months later he was contacted to submit to the book.

“When I’m working with models,” he says, “after a brief discussion, I tend to allow them to follow a natural course of events with each other. The simultaneously sexy and aesthetic material I capture on film I turn into a drawing or a watercolour which I hope will inspire, turn-on and hopefully move my audience.”

Peter regularly accepts commissions and renders the client’s requirements realistically in black and white with graphite, painted in wa... ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/24745894/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/24745894/ Wed, 13 May 2009 21:35:57 PDT
Which set of titles do you prefer for the Elf~Fin

Character name-based titles (Hyfus and Tilaweed; Illora)?

OR

Story/plot point-based titles (The Shuddering, The Wells of Shekimminon)?

Make comment here, but if you want to vote please do so at:

[link]

Show results

Votes so far: 36
Days left to vote: 4

ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT.

The BlackMermaid Blog:

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/23995565/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/23995565/ Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:45:19 PDT
Almost once every week I get a request via Deviantart from another Deviantart member that seeks to ask permission to use my artwork for signature tags, tubes, stationary, slight animation, frames, backgrounds, etc.

In each case I reply thanking them for their interest, but at this time, I'm not releasing permissions to use my art in this way. I thank them for their respect and understanding of me and my work.

I put my artwork on display to showcase them, to present my ever growing body of (art) work, and my declaration of copyright ownership to that work. I do not put them on display for them to be subsequently used by other parties with little or no policing as to how they are to be used. Or more alarmingly... used without my permission.

Recently there was a deviantart artist that decided to use my artwork as a signature tag for herself. this was used without my permission, or knowledge. It was through the vigilance of another Deviant-artist that alerted me of this usage and posting.

In response, I wrote this to the offending Deviant-artist, asking that they remove it immediately from their Deviantart gallery and the Gaia Online RP usage.

The artists response was:

"Um..Ok. I will remove it. Someone told me it was yours and I was going to tell and ask you but didn't get the chance because your dA page wouldn't load of my computer. But to tell you the true I don't see why I have to remove it from the rp (that isn't even mine) when I join your pic on PHOTOBUCKET therefore it is open for the public to use and it's not like I'm passing it for my own, please understand that."

Well there are many things wrong with this response. Firstly, you do to contact me after the fact to get permissions to use my artwork. If you do not have my permissions before usage, assume you DO NOT HAVE IT. Contact me before you use it... and in what context, I can then make a decision as to wether I give permissions or not. It is MY artwork, so I get to decide.

Secondly, there is more then one way to find me on the internet, if you need to contact me, saying a page won't load is not an excuse.

Thirdly, the pic placement on Photobucket is not approved, nor linked to it's original owner, and therefore also a copyright infringement. It looks like there must be a whole lot of stolen or misappropriated artwork on photobucket. I don't see how one can assume that artwork collected in Photobucket is therefore copyright free for usage in any way. I'd advise against using artwork wherein you don't know it's origin.

Fourthly, by posting on an original art gallery site like Deviantart, you are presenting that the work is yours in copyright, or you have purchased copyright ownership of the image. And by putting your name (and only your name) to the image within the image, you are publicly claiming copyright to the work.

I apologies for a somewhat aggressive tone and stance on this, but really... I've had enough of the excuses. Don't use what is not yours to use.

Jozef Szekeres

The BlackMermaid Blog:

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/22660675/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/22660675/ Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:38:57 PST
Last year, out of the blue, I was asked by Heavy Metal to supply artwork for a gallery feature on my work. I've been a fan of Heavy Metal since I was a child, and consider it the preeminent arts/comics magazine. So to be featured like this is certainly a wish fulfillment. Please do pick up the March 2009 copy and check it out.

Heavy Metal magazine is a USA publication. It's owned by the co-creator of "The Teenage Mutant Nignja Turtles" Kevin Eastman. The magazine dates back to April 1977, so it has the proven staying power and is a significant Fantasy/Sci-fi/Comics/Art magazine.

You can purchase copies in Sydney Australia from Kings Comics, and Comic Kingdom. It should also be available in comics shops Australia wide. I have also seen Heavy Metal magazine distributed by Gordon and Gotch in newsagencies.

I hope you can get a copy of the magazine. The gallery is four pages long, so there is more of my art on show then what is previewed on the one page shown on the [link]

The BlackMermaid Blog:

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/21825305/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/21825305/ Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:00:43 PST
A request for testimonials.

Exciting news... We have a publisher interested in looking into the publishing possibilities of Elf-fin as a comic book and/or Graphic Novel, which will Star previous (ElfQuest) WaveDancer characters Hyfus and Tilaweed. The publishers are interested to hear from the possible readership that would like to see this book see publication.

So if you were a fan of the Original Wavedancers, or a new fan of my (and Julie's) work since that time, and are interested to see new work with these characters (Hyfus and Tilaweed) outside of the ElfQuest universe and in a new universe and story we've created for them, please make your voice be heard in your testimonials to this journal entry. All these Julie and I will be forwarding to our possible future publisher.

With excitement

Jozef Szekeres

The BlackMermaid Blog:

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/21527630/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/21527630/ Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:51:11 PST
Finally broadcast and now open to be share with you online is my first TV interview about my artwork.

The Interviewer/host is Yianni Zinonos of Yianni's City Life, and the program was aired on the community TV station CTV1 in early 2008.

The interview covers my commercial artwork and paintings, my comics with co-creator and business partner Julie Ditrich, and the dolls I have created. Interspersed is animated footage of the commercials that I've animated and/or directed.

Only in hindsight have I seen that I really should have had my red t-shirt untucked... but it was my first interview, I will know better for the next one.

The interview on YouTube:
[link]

The BlackMermaid Blog:

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/20851282/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/20851282/ Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:34:53 PDT
Julie Ditrich and I have been following the issue of the proposed US Orphan Works Bill through a number of topical websites and trying to understand how it will affect visual artists including comics artists working both digitally and in print. Neither of us are lawyers and neither of us are political animals and we have a difficult time wrapping our minds around some of these policies, but here is a summary of what we have gleaned from our readings:

1. What are orphan works? Orphan works are defined on Wikipedia as a copyrighted work where it is difficult or impossible to contact the copyright holder.
2. What is the Orphan Works Bill? This is proposed US legislation that will essentially allow individuals or organisations to arbitrarily use a work deemed to be an orphan work. The so-called copyright infringer will need to demonstrate that they have undertaken the minimum requirements for tracing the copyright holder and, if unsuccessful, will still be able to utilise the work without restriction. In turn they will supposedly pay 'reasonable compensation' commensurate with the use of the work somewhere down the track if and when the copyright holder discovers the breach. (We are unsure of whether that compensation is lodged with an agency that 'holds' it on behalf of the copyright holder, or indeed the compensation is only paid when the copyright holder challenges the infringer.)
3. What are the implications for artists? The legislation recommends that a Database of Pictorial, Graphic and Sculptural Works be set up (these registries will need to follow guidelines set up by the government but may in fact be private commercial ventures.) The original creator of these visual works will need to register the copyright of all their art pieces in these databases. The copyright owners will thus need to pay a fee for the privilege of protecting their own work, which may end up being an expensive proposition. Those creators whose works have been used without permission can sue the infringer but, as mentioned above, may not receive substantive compensation.

Furthermore, the "Orphan Works: Legislation by Misdirection" article tells us that:

The key to the Congressional magic act has been to hide an anti-copyright rabbit in an Orphan Works hat while misdirecting attention to a tedious debate about "reasonably diligent searches," injunctive relief and statutory damages.

Meanwhile the secret of the trick has been simple: redefine an orphaned work as "a work by an unlocatable author."

The new definition would permit any person to infringe any work by any artist at any time for any reason – no matter how commercial – so long as the infringer found the author sufficiently hard to find.

Since everybody can be hard for somebody to find, this voids a rights holder's exclusive right to his own property. It defines the public's right to use private property as a default position, available to anyone whenever the property owner fails to make himself sufficiently available.

This is a new definition of copyright law.


Although the OWB is a US based initiative, many other countries including Australia will feel the impact of the legislation if it is passed through Senate. Colleen Doran talks about it on her blog:

And what are foreign creators supposed to do about all this? How do they handle this law which does not square with the copyright law in their own countries? Will they be forced to use our online registries to protect their works since whatever they do can be posted on the internet in minutes and, potentially, orphaned? Well, yeah. How's that fair to an artist in Sri Lanka? Or South Africa? How's that fair to older and indigent artists who have no computer access or simply can't afford to enter these databases?

Moreover, the MisDirection article cited above also tells us that:

On March 13, the Register of Copyrights testified before the House IP Subcommitte. On page 1 of her testimony she said:

"Every country has orphan works and I believe that, sooner or later, every country will be motivated to consider a solution. The solution proposed by the Copyright Office is a workable one and will be of interest to other countries."

You can be it will be of interest to other countries, because the copyrights of other countries can now be orphans in the U.S. too. The Copyright Office and the Senate have thrown down a gauntlet to the world.


Australia has a number of licensing agencies including Public Lending Right (PLR), Educational Lending Right (ELR), Copyright Agency Limited (CAL), as well as Visual Arts Copyright Collecting Agency (VISCOPY) – the latter of which deals with artisti... ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/18758255/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/18758255/ Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:30:37 PDT Elf~Fin Leaks & Peeks 2

From the:

Black Mermaid Productions™ Blog

Been holding off blogging for the last week because of dreadful deadlines, and because we wanted the next post to be the latest Elf~Fin installment. So here are the girls as we like to call them (from left to right) – Tatsi, Sisatii and Lemoray – who just make us smile. In the meantime, if you want to see more of Hyfus, go to the Black Mermaid Productions website.

[link]

and

[link]

Please leave comments on our Black Mermaid Productions™ Blog

]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/18452888/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/18452888/ Thu, 22 May 2008 18:46:19 PDT
BMP (Black Mermaid Productions) has had lots of queries lately about where we are with the Elf~Fin project from people wanting to see Hyfus and Tilaweed again in all their glory. Well ... Julie and I (Jozef) can confidently tell you that the proposal is finished and we've made significant progress with the story (88 pages of script completed) and the artwork (44 pages of pencilled art completed and five painted pages). The proposal will be going out into the world in June (hopefully on angel's wings). In the meantime, for sneak peeks and character leaks go to the Eternal Spheres: Elf~Fin section [link] on the Creative Properties page of our website and to our Blog [link]

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/18223528/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/18223528/ Thu, 08 May 2008 08:14:16 PDT
Black Mermaid Productions (BMP) has begun a new Blog page at:
[link]

"The blog for Black Mermaid Productions enthusiasts, comics creators, fantasy readers and mermaid lovers around the world!"

BMP creators Julie Ditrich and Jozef Szekeres invite you all to visit and make comment/s to our blog postings.

The BMP Blog will be the more regular haunt for Julie and Jozef as they progress through their production of their new comic series Elf-fin. Expect to see postings with hints and snippets from the 1st issue as they're working on it. Plus a smattering of some relevant and irrelevant postings.

Get subMERsive, get Black Mermaid Blog-active.

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/17212671/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/17212671/ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:16:36 PST
29th Sydney Mardi Gras poster artist Jozef Szekeres has been keeping art collectors happy with his first ever collection of his artwork in print. The Art of Jozef Szekeres: Mermaids & Other Mermers is a 100-piece card set of his artwork ranging from unpublished pieces early in Jozef's career to his most recent published work. The cards are double-sided and in full colour—each piece of art is coupled with explanatory text/information. Many of your favourite characters illustrated by Jozef are featured including Tilaweed, Hyfus and Tentus. Most are family friendly; the last few are risqué. Many of the pieces have never been seen before by fans and collectors.

The card set is available online at [link] for US$30.00/set, plus US$10.00/set postage and handling.

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/17097278/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/17097278/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:39:30 PST
It’s not often that a gay artist is as hot as the erotic drawings he creates. But Aussie artist Jozef Szekeres fits the bill. He’s the man who created the poster for last year’s Mardi Gras, a giant career leap for someone who has only been doing homoerotic art since September 2006, when he was fired from his job with a leading gaming company for being gay.

“I had four great years with the company but in my fifth year a new supervisor harassed me. Although our art reference library contained The Photographic Art of Playboy Magazine and other books focused on female nudity, and an instructor who ran the Nude Life Drawing classes featured both male and female models, I was in trouble for downloading lingerie-dressed, female pin-up painted artwork. It was considered sexual.

Further, I was in trouble for referencing a topless male (wearing jeans) photo, as the supervisor was adamant it was gay (as he said, he knew what gay was). I took the company to court for unfair dismissal on the grounds of homosexual vilification.

We settled out of court with my acceptance of reproduction rights to the artwork I created for the company.

“Up until then I’d been frightened to express myself through my art, thinking that it would impact my career. So after being sacked, I figured, what the hell, and started doing homoerotic artwork. The first published work was for the MEN Sleaze Recovery Party invite in ’06. That plus seven artworks for (not only) blue magazine (the last issue that went to print) brought me to the attention of Mardi Gras.”

Jozef remembers his first exposure to homoerotic artwork as a young teenager was the Cowboy Parthenon series of paintings by Delmas Howe. He found postage-stamp size reproductions in the first gay magazine he bought. He got to meet his artistic hero in New York last year at his exhibition, Stations : A Gay Passion.

He and Howe were both houseguests of the curator of the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation.

Before the swing to the gay side in his art, Jozef’s painted works were ‘romantic and sexy’, often of beautiful women. “I worked on many of the Disney princesses; I was known for making them beautiful and feminine ... with thought behind their eyes, so that was a huge compliment.”

For his painted works he is inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, while his homoerotic idols are Howe, Tom of Finland and Joe Phillips.

If you want to see what all the artistic buzz is about then head to the TAP Gallery, 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst (just off Oxford Street) from February 12 to March 1 (Mon-Sat: Noon-6pm, Sun: Noon-4pm, Wed night: 6pm-8pm), gold coin admission, or the Bent magazine stand at Fair Day. There you’ll be able to purchase a card set of Jozef’s works in print.

“ Pretty much all my new homoerotic artwork has been hand drawn, but rendered digitally, so there are no actual finished original artworks. I’ll be releasing artist prints of several of my new homoerotic artworks, including an art print of my Mardi Gras ’07 poster. The card collection of one hundred of my artworks was born out of legal hardship. I needed to know why I chose my art over money in the settlement. Collecting my artwork in this card set helped me understand it.”

Also included will be female fashion dolls produced from Jozef’s original sculptures.

Currently he is creating 12 new acrylic painted homoerotic, thematically linked artworks for the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation in New York for his first solo exhibition, as well as co-creating a new Graphic Novel with writer Julie Ditrich.

Article published in SX Wednesday, 06 February 2008

by Barry Lowe

[link]

[link] ]]> *Elf-Fin http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/17097225/ http://Elf-Fin.deviantart.com/journal/17097225/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:32:54 PST
Who is this year’s Mardi Gras poster artist? Do we know? Do we care?

Why is it we only seem to care when it is some overseas talent like Pierre et Gilles for Mardi Gras or Glen Hanson for Sleaze Ball? Is it that we only care when we are told by Mardi Gras who they are by their press releases?

Why does Mardi Gras only report excitedly about the artists when they are not Australian? Only one magazine last year was interested in writing an article about the 29th poster artist – all our other gay papers had no interest. There’s the same lack of interest again it seems for the 30th poster artist who has had such a heavy artistic responsibility for a very special year.

Please, no more with the overseas talent such as Canadian/American artist Glen Hanson. He’s very talented and very successful but, like a Pierre et Gilles poster, once was fine, but two Sleaze posters in a row by Glen Hanson is really insulting to the Australian pool of artistic talent.

You could ask the likes of Idis Art, or Peter Skirrow (at least two Australian artists I know) or any number of established or emerging Australian gay artists who would be thrilled to take part in an official poster. But even more than that, they have shown their artwork to be of international appeal and success, yet intrinsically Australian.

Personally, I loved doing the 29th year poster and now I can look back and know that my artwork has a significant historic moment in our Mardi Gras history.

Mardi Gras is our event, an Australian event, and this 30th poster very clearly and visually shows that we as a gay community remember our history through the images of these posters.

They are literally the poster children for each year.

Let’s never forget their individual significance that helped shape our memory for each year and the hopefully Australian artists behind them, and therefore the picture they make as a whole body of work for our Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

by Jozef from Sydney | 20/02/2008 12:58:30 PM printed in the letters to the editor, Sydney Star Observer. ]]> *Elf-Fin