Essays on Perception

"Ganesha" Part 1

"Ganesha" Part 1

"I was to Nature what Ganesha was to the lotus blossom, and in turn, all three carry the same message and symbolic value. Thus, we can understand the meaning of this piece of Art through the symbol of the lotus... Who sits on top of the water and blossoms, experiencing the world in all its beauty, but needing nothing more than the mud from the bottom of the pond to survive."
December 01, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe
“Ganesha” Part 2

“Ganesha” Part 2

How is it that people see, and describe with conviction, that this drawing is of a bee sleeping, a heart on an antique bench, a cuddle fish with a hand puppet, a deflated circus tent, a leather bladder resting on a sunflower seed tin, a Viking helmet, an octopus, a uterus on a pedestal, fiddleheads, an Asian pear, a Greek altar with a sacrificial offering, bagpipes, the top of an elaborately decorated cupcake, childbirth, Mother Nature, a saint who spends their life on a column, a homunculus, a turkey fu**ing an umbrella, and a hippopotamus?  Does that strike you as odd?

December 01, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe
“Ganesha” Part 3

“Ganesha” Part 3

Honorable mentions:

@erendwolfe was the first person to throw down a guess.  “Fiddleheads and an Asian pear on a bed of sunflowers.”

@leximartinrealator was the first person to suggest an octopus which is not a bad guess.  When I met her, I was painting a giant octopus and it makes sense that she would see that.  She is also highly intelligent like an octopus.

@andybswift threw down two of the best guesses I’ve ever heard - “Very FULL bagpipes! Was my initial guess however on closer inspection it’s the top of cupcake or muffin decorated elaborately.”

December 01, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe

Oracles of The Manor

Essays on Art

Beyond Basics: Advanced Drawing with Blackwing

Beyond Basics: Advanced Drawing with Blackwing

Learning to draw like everyone else is not a very complex matter. You can use any pencil you want. If you want to learn my technique, you need to use Blackwing pencils. They are higher quality than other brands and they have properties which make them more suitable for shading with a sharp point.

December 03, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe
The XII Laws of Pencil

The XII Laws of Pencil

I. Never shade in your own cast shadow.

II. Protect your paper from any damage.

III. Keep your pencil sharp at all times.

IV. Always shade in a forward moving direction.

V. Graze the paper with a delicate touch...

December 01, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe
Symphonic Cubism

Symphonic Cubism

"Want to try analytical cubism? It’s super fun. Pick an interesting object to draw, place it on the table, and start drawing it. Then after a period of time, keep your eye locked in place on the doll, pivot / turn the doll in some interesting way and keep drawing. Pivot again as you please. There are no rules. My advice is to remain acutely aware of how the whole thing is going to balance as a composition in the end.
Your finished design is rightfully considered to be art that plays in the 4th dimension… aka Time."
November 30, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe

Essays on Composition

Egyptian Masters - Part 1

Egyptian Masters - Part 1

"Early in life I focused on the studying the “mystery schools” of Ancient Egypt, and learned how the Egyptian masters constructed their designs. It didn’t take long to realize that they were attempting to communicate something beyond the obvious. A deeper structure started to emerge. I can only show you some of the tricks they commonly used to lure people in, not what I learned along the way."

November 30, 2023 — Thomas Hoppe
“NEFERTITI” - Finding the Trigger

“NEFERTITI” - Finding the Trigger

"What should you expect to find?  You will find what the master intended people to find. All kinds of brilliant structures, puzzles, and mysteries. A masterpiece, like life itself, is full of beautiful mysteries. With a little knowledge and willingness you can begin to unlock these secrets with a great deal of satisfaction. I encourage you to try it - Not only in Art and artifacts, but in Nature itself."
August 18, 2022 — Thomas Hoppe