We've (I've) Moved!

Well, while this may disappoint both of my loyal fans, I will no longer be maintaining this particular blog. I will soon be launching my new site (Studio Tom), and will hopefully be doing a much better job of maintaining the blog on that site. Not that that would be saying much. You can see it HERE.

I'll leave this blog up until everything is up and running. See you at the new location!

~Tom

Mount Olympus Drawing Complete!

Finally a look at the long-awaited, much anticipated, and amazing [not to mention exhausting, mind-numbing, what-was-I-thinking, pain-in-the-neck] new piece of art! Turned out pretty good for a first landscape, and even better than I had hoped. All-in-all it might just be my favorite drawing yet.

Prints to come, pending sufficient interest, the right buyer, and a capable printer. Probably autographed, limited-edition, full-size prints only.

~Tom

Holiday Photo Restoration Special

For the month of December get a free 8x10 with any photo restoration order! That's a $20 value, so now is the time to dig out those old family photos and give your family the perfect holiday gift! And don't wait till the last minute—editing, printing, and shipping can take up to two weeks. Happy gift-giving!

~Tom

Upcoming drawing...

Well, I finally did it. I have successfully begun another drawing! I've been occupied with graphic design, web developing, and photo restoration for ages, but thanks to a special commission I will now be doing what is probably my most ambitious fine art project so far. It is a 20'' x 40'' panorama of Mt. Olympus (SLC, UT) in graphite pencil. 

I'm somewhere between excitement and pants-wetting. It's more than twice the size of, is more detailed than, and contains larger smooth shades (the hardest thing to do with pencil) than any piece I've ever done. On the other hand, it could very possibly be my favorite drawing yet. I spent several hours standing in the snow, freezing cold and ready to die from the flu, shooting reference photos last winter. So it had better come out well.

The only problem is that there are only two surfaces large enough for this drawing in our apartment: the floor, and the table. And the floor is out. Which means we'll be eating dinner on the couch/floor for the next few weeks...

I'll post progress photos as soon as I can get them up.

~Tom

A question about our priorities.

I couldn't be happier with the decision to give the Nobel Prize in Physics to three incredibly talented men. But I'm confused. These men gave us fiber optics and digital imaging, which are, for me and millions of people, inventions of daily use that hugely improve the quality of life (and upon which my livelihood depends). And the best we can do is make them share $1.4 million.

The CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac managed to ruin two companies with a combined value of 10 trillion dollars, sent the world economy spiraling downwards, and contributed to the worst financial catastrophe and unemployment rate in decades. And we, the people, gave them severance packages of $9 and $14 million, respectively.

I think it's time to think about the signal we are sending our kids, and to do more for the people who actually make our lives better.

Tom

CSS Columns

Despite the fact that CSS3 is going to solve this problem, I decided to post my method for creating purely HTML and CSS columns.

Basics of CSS columns (in plain English):

1. Create a sufficient number of columns.
2. Make each column a set height and width.
3. Put ALL the text in each column.
4. Move the text of each column upward to hide what was shown in the last column.

Technical Explanation:

1. Create a div tag for each column, all with the same style class.
2. Nest a p tag with the full text inside, each with a unique style class.
3. Set the div height and width in the stylesheet.
4. Set the div overflow to hidden.
5. Set each subsequent p margin-top to the cumulative height of all previous columns, but negative.

This effectively hides the previous columns' text in a hidden negative top-margin. The advantage of this approach is that if default font sizes on different browsers change the intended size of your text, it will still show/hide the appropriate amount of text in each column.

This can be accomplished more elegantly by using PHP or JavaScript, and referencing your body text with a variable placed inside each p tag.

To see a demo, go to www.thomasvirginart.com/columns.html. (special thanks to lipsum.com for the text!)

Enjoy!

~Tom

Prints for whatever you want to pay.

For those who were around a long, long time ago, you may remember that I once gave my Pres. Hinckley prints away, and gladly accepted any contributions or donations toward future printings. I have now officially reinstated this deal for both the Pres. Hinckley and Pres. Monson prints. The more you donate, the longer it might last.

~Tom