Morgan Weistling is one of my absolute favorite artists of all time.
I've spent hundreds of hours studying his paintings and technique and I was thrilled
when he invited me up to his studio.
Unfortunately, these two Joe Schmoes decided to tag along.
We drove for three and a half [Beep] hours but let's be real, I'd give up my non-dominant
hand to clash swords with my art daddy.
-There he is.
Are they sword fighting?
-Of course.
-Are we starting a sword fight?
[Chuckles] -The first thing - -Is that what we were going to do?
-How's it going, Stan?
-You really want to preserve yourself.
-I'm going to run.
-You're going to come for it.
-Ohhhh.
-Okay?
-Just preserve yourself - -Squeal like a girl.
-Preserve yourself.
-So anyways, go back to San Diego.
We're done.
It's all - [Laughter] -Come on in.
Well, I'm going to be so distracted if he's got to keep those two bananas in his pocket
the whole time.
[Laughter] -I was going to say something too.
Is that a banana in your pocket?
You just have to -[Crosstalk] Two bananas.
Look at this creepy baby.
-I thought that was a real baby.
-Well, I'm going to spend like an hour just looking.
-There is nothing to look at.
-What if you walked into like Fechin studio?
You would probably just stop doing everything and just like start looking, right?
-That's 40 minutes there.
-That's 40 minutes?
-We got a full hour.
I got contacted by sheriff's office and then they said, "Can we make you an honorary deputy
sheriff of our station?"
They sent me a box full of stuff including my official ID and a real badge like it's
a real badge.
I've been able to clear Costco's whenever I want to.
-This is as master study of one of your paintings.
-That's awesome [Laughter].
-Can I get a critique?
-A critique?
-Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, you did a good job of - I know what you were trying to do.
You wanted to learn how to paint cooler skin tones and the light.
Yeah, you did a good job of of capturing.
I remember the color of this piece.
The drawing is just a little off here and there.
You know, like this size too low.
You did a quicker version of it.
-Right.
-I spent more time on mine.
You know, in that particular, the technique was a little different probably than what
you used but I had decided I was only going to start off from the very beginning without
a wash of any kind and just put little tiles for the very beginning.
So the painting actually looks a little bit on the choppy side than my original painting.
You probably did it the right way and I probably broke it up too much.
-Right?
-You know, so I think you know, I think you did a good job.
-And then these, I wanted - I just wanted to give you one of these.
These are just [Crosstalk] -What!
Yeah.
Wow.
Cool.
-Yeah.
-I'll take them all.
-Right now I'm giggling like a little girl inside cuz Morgan is going to paint me.
Wow!
What is this?
-This is my prop room and my little mini studio for ideas.
I can make this into like a pioneer kitchen.
It's what it used to be for a long time.
Anyways, we're about to put him in his dress.
I mean, his outfit, he's up for it.
He's willing to wear the bonnet.
-I'm willing to wear the bonnet.
-We could get kind of a preview right now so - -Alright.
-There he goes.
-Do I look pretty?
-Yeah.
So, this is my little wardrobe for all my costumes.
You're way too cooperative.
You just like the process.
[Laughter] -No, I'm not thinking about the product too, I'm thinking about the video.
[Laughter] -You're thinking about the painting.
-I'm going to turn you into a rough ombre.
We don't have to worry about the pants.
Those work fine.
-I can take them off.
-No.
No.
-No?
-Let's use that because it's got a bib on the front which is - -A Bib?
What am I?
A baby?
-That's what they used to call it, you know?
-It's funny how it's actually called a bib.
I thought bibs were just for babies.
Probably going to learn.
No, it's like we're probably learning a significant amount.
Do I look good?
-You do.
-Yeah!
-Feels like Morgan Weistling is my dad.
-Yes.
-I'm really proud of you, son.
-Thanks, man.
Thanks dad.
-I know you're going to make a great husband.
-Alright.
-Totally safe.
-Is this the front?
-Yeah.
[Laughter] This is the front.
Just hold on to the reins, will you?
You know, just have it like that.
There you go.
Yeah.
Now, I put you on the horse.
-Yeah.
-Just because it looks funny.
I'm still just doing a portrait.
-Yeah, I figure.
It's just for me to get in the mood?
[Laughter] -You want to hold the gun too?
-Is this for like a pistol or something?
-It's empty.
-Okay.
-Is that a real gun?
-No.
[L] It's empty.
-Yeah, there - there we go.
-Ooh, ooh, okay, okay.
-All right.
-You know what?
I call it quits.
There's a playhouse I built many years ago that I turned into my frame shop.
So I actually build my frames.
-Really?
-In that tiny little - -Oh, you're going to be working - -No, no, no, it's fine - -You
gonna be doing your photo - -I'm going to do my photos - Wow!
[L] -Is that inspiration or is this -Have you've been doing master studies?
-Well, you know what?
It's inspiring because I don't paint from imagination like that, so it's just inspiring.
That's all.
That stuff just boggles my mind.
-It boggles my mind too when I'm doing it.
That's the problem.
I don't really like that.
You like the ones where you look a little constipated there that - That's actually the
look I'm used to seeing on your face right there of it.
Do you see your ear?
Look at that ear.
Wow!
Yeah.
-Wow.
-Angles man.
Wow!
I just get my ruler out when I draw this.
Okay.
Oh I guess when you - when you zoom out, I look way meaner.
When I - when you zoom in, I can see a slight smirk.
You can see that the light I was using.
Um, I said it was a beauty dish and you can see even though you had this light real close
to your face, look at that beautiful nice softness - you don't get the super harsh you
know, kind of shadows that I can't play with.
After 17 hours of prep, he told us some stories of his time studying with Fred Fixler.
-He was an illustrator that did movie posters from the 50s and he also did like cheap dime
novel paperback kind of things, he got those Loomis dummies you know...
-Loomis dummies?
-This is unbelievable.
You don't know this story.
Well, we were still with Fred in the school.
One of the greatest things one could find is a Loomis book because they were all out
of print.
-He went into an old bookstore in LA one day and he goes, "You got any Loomis books" and
he goes, "Well, we don't have any of the printed books but we do have the dummies.
We just got them from UCLA.
They dropped them off because they did -" they were donated to them but they don't know what
to do with them and he goes, "What are you talking about?"
And he shows 'em and it's a stacks of all the original drawings.
His handwritten all the books including like three books never were printed.
There's information that only Fred got.
He could have printed those books if he maybe gotten permission or something.
You know, I don't know but Fred had them and he wouldn't let us, of course, borrow them.
He had to go over to Fred's apartment and only look at them there and you know, he returns
- Greg and I would be like reading them and absorbing them and like the holy grail that
he managed to get.
Every drawing you ever saw in any of the Loomis books, all the originals.
Have you ever heard my stories about when I was going there about - I was the janitor?
I was trying to pay my way through the school.
So, I at one point was the janitor at the school and I'd come in in the mornings before
anything would start and clean the toilets and you know, whatever they wanted me to do
and sometimes Fred would be there early to set up and one day, I come in and he talk
like this...
"Morgan, that bulb is out" and he's pointing to, it's like one of these really long bulbs.
So, I have to go get the - I had to replace it, right?
I got up on the ladder and he's standing there, you know, telling me what to do and I undid
it and he's said "Now, be careful.
Stop it.
Now, don't fall" and so when you tell me that, I will pretend.
So I'm at the top of the ladder, right?
And I've got the eight footer and I'm pretending I'm a - I'm pretending I'm a tight rope walker
with it, right?
I'm using it like a bounce - "Morgan stop pulling around!
What are you doing?" and he's getting angry and then I'm just like thinking "Oh, I'm being
so funny" and I kind of lose my balance and I go like that and I crack it right over his
head - [Laughter].
-What!
-And white powder, just a plume of white powder and he's literally like in a TV show.
Got white powder and little bits of glass all over and he's like, and he just blew up.
Blew up at me.
I was so scared.
It was - it was horrible.
I learned not to fool around when I was around him.
Stop it!
And that was my day with Morgan Weistling, getting non-stop wisdom bombs mixed with pranks
and fun.
And lucky for you, we got a part two coming soon of his painting.
He's going to teach you guys how to paint like you draw and draw like you paint.
It's going to have theory.
It's going to have rockets, explosions, it's going to have a petting zoo.
It's going to - -Stop fooling around.
What are you doing?