BRUSH PEN Breakfast

2012-01-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

David Dazzler, teenage (?) magician. Performing on the streets of Alexandria for children equal parts mesmerized and terrified.

He really did not look well.

2012-01-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

Went to Alexandria on Saturday in a party of seven (three of them minors). Some kind of dog-fest going on downtown. Cool buildings--would like to do more studies, but we had to keep moving!

2012-01-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Discussing the baby (Alexandria, VA, 1/7/12)

2012-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Let's just say Friday night's "Wizards of Waverly Place" finale did not meet expectations.

Just like my Selena Gomez caricature.

2012-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Some other Jackalope studies from "Boundin'." He's a character with potential, I tell ya!

2012-01-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I piced up a way cool (I thought) stuffed animal version of the mythical Jackalope from Pixar's short film "Boundin'." The film (which I liked) was the product almost entirely of old time animator Bud Luckey, an impossibly romantic figure, a native Montanan, and a throw-back to the wide-open days of animation's past.

I always liked the look of the character, so I started noodlin' around with drawing him--first ia the stuffed animal, then found the short on the Bonus Features Disc from the nieces' The Incredibles.

Model sheets and the like are a big weakness in my skill set. But I'm having fun.

2012-01-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

My cousin Steve's birthday was coming up a month or so ago, and I wanted to do something a little special. This usually means either spending too much money, or breaking down and doing a drawing.

I chose the latter.

But to do so, it's always nice to find a good card to start with. Especially if the card's theme/look/punchline spawns an idea for the interior drawing.

So when Dear Wife and I stumbled upon this one, I knew exactly where I'd go from here. We snapped it up.

And I drew a pretty funny interior that cleverly played on the cassette tape theme, but also the idea that Old School both has its good points, and bad.

So, great. I felt like a wonderful human being for conceiving and executing a loving tribute to the anniversary of my dear cousin's birth. A stamp was bought, the letter was mailed, I sat back and awaited the plaudits.

(Yes, plaudits.)

Problem was, no plaudits were forthcoming. Dear Wife and I were distracted, having plunged headlong into a moving all our worldly goods into storage and crossing the country for a few months' sojourn in the wilds of Virginia--but still, I was bugged.

I checked in with my cousin's wife.

"Didja get the card??"

Reply was "Negatory, good buddy."

?!?!?!

I'm bummed. I'm angry. The U.S. Postal Service (howevermuch maligned by others) had never let me down.

Well, dang.

We reached Virginia (drove it, brother--three days). I checked with my cousin again.

Same reply.

I stewed.

That card + drawing was too good to let disappear in some postal vortex.

I started hunting for a replacement card.

Modernity, as we all know, has done much to "flatten" our consumer choices, wherever we are in this great nation of ours. But where greeting cards are concerned, VA. offered significantly fewer options than Californy.

It took a few weeks of dedicated searching, but I found a replacement. The exact same card.

Awesome.

And with a little elbow-grease, I recreated the original drawing (no photo reference for either--and this one was straight ink. I work without a net, often with disastrous consequences--lemme tell you, I've screwed up the first drawing and had to buy the same card again more times than I care to remember!).

And that's what you see here. Because I decided on one last triple-check before mailing the Birthday Redux, ("Oh, the embarrassment," I thought, "Were Dear Cousin to receive TWO near-identical drawings!" As a semi-pro, I know that's a no-no: much too much of a "look-behind-the-curtain" to allow a civilian...they might stop believing in my magical drawing powers).

So, I emailed my cousin Steve one last time.

"Are you really, really, really sure you didn't get that (great) birthday card I sent??"

He replied, "The one where you drew me with super-huge arms? Oh yeah, I got that. Thanks."

!!!!!

Here's the Redux version. (Kinda muffed the brachioradialis/extensor carpi radialis longus....)

2012-01-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last one from the airport series. Intense!

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

My niece drew this portrait of her dog Eddy--"Eddy Boy," as we call him. I find it incredibly soulful.

So I put it on t-shirts for the whole family!

2012-01-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

We will all be driving one...and we will all have Spell-Check implanted cerebrally....

2011-12-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

...and you know what? Drawing this really did assuage my fury.
(from the counter of The Counter in the Miami airport--yes, The Counter in an airport. Left drawing as a protest gesture... after miles of ratmaze trudging toward relocated passport control/customs, I now know why their airport code is MIA)

2011-12-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

Spent the last week in "the Islands, mon." I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

2011-12-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

The miracle of beach time....(sun dries my brush pen out something fierce).

2011-12-27T05:35:00.001-08:00

Confused in the airport.

2011-12-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

Travel sketch (Miami Airport clothing clash).

Happy Boxing Day!

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Pageant Director.

2011-12-23T05:47:00.000-08:00

Beatles cut.

2011-12-22T05:45:00.000-08:00

She's a little snowflake....

2011-12-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

Four year old flash mob Xmas program.
The soloist.

2011-12-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Working the split nib. It's heck trying to get these posted without home internets!
(Stay tuned for Holiday kids program assignment....)

2011-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

It's cold around these parts, but that didn't stop this kid from visiting Starbucks after swim practice.

Our trip to Virginia in a nutshell: from Woodbury to Woodberry!

(Should be the -berry spelling on his jacket--he disappeared before I got a full visual.)

2011-12-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

OK, this one's pretty rocky. But I'm putting it up for JOE, who said a nice thing about my drawing for Willow/Bris/Biz (my ol' childhood pal).

Thanks, Joe!

2011-12-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

From the wilds of Virginia, a birthday card interior for Biz. He got to go to the Dallas game last Sunday! Said it was great, even if the Cowboys lost.

(Yeah, guess I missed a few days with the move and all....)

2011-10-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

2011-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Racetracks bring out the flinty types.
(Del Mar)

2011-10-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

The lonely jockey.
(From Del Mar.)

2011-10-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Finishing up our Willamette University symposium, "Lines of Attention":

Attentive.

Day-dreamy.

Conversion experience.

2011-10-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Two of the presenting professors and one of the attendees.

The young lady on the left (an art history prof. @ M.I.T.!) gave a paper about an 18th Century collector and dealer of drawings. His name was Mariette, and he was famous for his blue mats. Also famous for the impressive ability to split a sheet of paper down the gizzard, so that a single sheet with a recto and verso side could be divided into two separate pieces of paper--quite a feat!

Here's a blue mat of his (landscape by Claude Lorrain, 1645)

(Claude's really brushin' that breakfast!)

In addition to all this fun, Mariette would sometimes cut up the old master drawings that he acquired, sometimes he'd "restore" them by darkening their lines, or adding lines and even adding highlights and wash to make them look more "finished."

For this he is known as "Naughty Marriette."

2011-10-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Audio-Visual guy @ Willamette. Every conference needs one, and he was great--a calming presence, never intrusive, always watching from the wings, ready to solve any mic malfunction or projector rejection.

I'm trying to spool-out a "YOU-WERE-THERE" documentary feel with these series of drawings, but this one drawing a day pace is killing the momentum.

I'll have to work out a different approach. We're getting to the point where daily drawing bundles may be necessary (for instance, I still have more than a dozen Del Mar Races drawings from August to share. Sheesh!)

2011-10-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Thunderstruck.
In the best possible way.

2011-10-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Skeptics. (They got into the swing of things eventually.)

2011-10-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

The ubiquitous bearded young.

2011-10-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Wife gave her first conference paper last week @ Willamette University. Wonderful place, wonderful people.

And she was so good, she knocked their sneakers off.

2011-10-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Harley envy. Missed this page in the sketchbook first time around.
(Really should have fixed those legs....)

2011-10-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

I get the feeling a lot of people leave Medford this way...except without the capri pants.

2011-10-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Why does this couple look so happy?
Maybe they went to San Luis Obispo and checked into a hotel called The Madonna Inn. They probably spent the night in a room like this:

We were assigned this room Wednesday night--room 139, "JUNGLE ROCK." My worry was that the place would be run down, and seedy. Not the case at all. Those are real rocks--giant boulders, really.

The entire hotel has been expertly assembled back in the 40's-50's, and it still looks...rock solid.
Lots of great details everywhere--the shower was an all-rock waterfall! Even if you don't stay, pull off the 101 and check out the cafe/restaurant and the bathrooms downstairs. All I can say is...whoa.

2011-10-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

It was the combination of insensate fury in her face and coursing muscle in her arms that made her such a funny sight--that, and her driving the "healingmassage.com" company car. If she got you on the massage table, there might not be anything left of you after 45 minutes.

(Formica tabletop courtesy of a great fast food chain in the Portland area called Burgerville. Dear Wife claimed their veggie burger excellent, and I thought their breakfasts and beef burgers top-drawer, too. All done with local food, prepped fresh, etc. Give 'em a try if you're cruising the PacNorWest.)

2011-09-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

A tea towel of mid-forties (or earlier??) vintage which has accompanied my grandmother from Oklahoma to California in '48, and from California to Oregon in '88...and still looks new!

But what horrible impulse could have begotten such imagery?

Gran told me that back home in OK. they used to buy a particular brand of boxed oatmeal, and in the box there would be, in addition to sensible oatmeal, a bonus goodie; the sensible oatmeal makers shunned frivolities like action figures, or decoder rings or marbles: they gave you a towel (big business still groping to find that sure-fire route to the kinderhart).

The towel came striped but naked, bereft of animal ornament except for a sort of connect-the-dots stencil that, once properly stitched with color-coded yarn, yielded the satanic character you see here. The idea was to so flummox some desperate country child with the dot-to-dot mystery that they would be forced to create something of household benefit.

That and prime them to worship the bone-wielding arch-demon you see here.

They were sick in those days!

2011-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

We're traveling, so posts have been sparse. Been to an Art History Conference where Dear Wife presented a paper--great stuff! I made lots of drawings, too, so expect a survey of Salem, Oregon faces and fashion....

2011-09-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

9 year anniversary today. Love you, baby!

2011-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Girls.

2011-09-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did some pencils from photos of fun-faced folk.

2011-09-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Invented skulls for warm-ups. A little wonky on the top-down.

2011-09-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

2011-09-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to post these drawings from my day at the Del Mar Races last month.
Where the turf meets the surf!

2011-09-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Targe-geddon.

Dear Wife had it in mind to be at the local Target Tuesday morning 8:00 a.m. Why? The launch of their new Missoni line. She wanted to get a vase, and look at a cardigan. She'd heard there would be a lot of demand for this stuff, so she figured we'd stop by first thing, see what we thought, then hit the road.

As if.

The crowd wasn't huge--maybe 40 or so woment--hardly what you'd call a flash mob. The doors opened at 8:00, and by 8:02 (the time it took us to walk to the Missoni area) there was literally nothing left on the racks.

Now, I'm not against a good old-fashioned, fashion feeding frenzy, but there was something supremely cynical at work here: women were just grabbing as much as they could, stuffing it into their cart, and rushing to the next thing. There was no, "I need a 6 in that dress." Indiscriminate fistfuls were yanked from the racks; once stripped, the looters absconded. Everyone's cart looked like the above. All of it to be resold on Ebay?

Worse than this was the joylessness. These were hollow husks of humans, retail zombies with a naked "me-first" attitude that really jarred. Nothing hip and beautiful about it. I used to like Missoni, but the whole scene left me with an ugly association.

That word was the take-away: U-G-L-Y. Ugly people, ugly manners, ugly impulse.

A sight to behold....

2011-09-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Really not doing Lizbeth Scott justice here....

2011-09-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Been sick the last week. Did a few drawings from the TV. Kirk in his first role--"The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers."

2011-09-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

2011-09-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Another gouache from the balcony, this time in the pre-dawn light. If I hadn't left so much white around, that street lamp in the palms would have really worked to set the hour. (I was experimenting at "vignettes", something I still have no talent for....)

2011-09-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Sculpture with a view.

2011-09-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

Felt-tip Portofino. Sketched dockside--not from the deck of some ugly yacht.

2011-09-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Does the internets give you an acute sense of the present-tense? Like, does a drawing from 2004 seem not only dated... but dumb?

2011-09-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Night gouache. I was so excited to be in Italy with my paints. Our first night there I woke up around three and just had to paint this view from our balcony. I think the town was called La Grazie.

2011-09-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

2011-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

More travel album, more color. We are in...Italia!

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

More gouache Rodin studies from the Norton Simon (crazy blur courtesy of over-sized paper and under-sized scanner--but I like how it makes the image look like a print by Steichen...sorta).

I gotta find those old gouache paints--they were fun.

2011-08-31T06:08:00.000-07:00

Not anything like finished, but I really like this one. Thin gouache from the olden days. I took my paints to the Norton Simon and tried to see what I could do in the great out-of-doors. This was done in preparation for a monumental "Painting Tour" of Italy we'd signed up for.
(Re: Italy: WHAT A DISASTER.)

2011-08-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm looking at my (pathetic) posting over the last few months, and feel I should point out that I was working hard at helping restore the car above. A 1957 Chrysler 300C with original convertible top.

Just sayin'....

2011-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

I really like the little brass corner-protectors on the faux luggage in the foreground--felt-tip really worked for those.
Same trip as yesterday's.
Yes--2005!

2011-08-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Felt-tip of same kid. From the way-back machine.
(You can see where I cut him in Pho-Sho and nudged him over...all for fit, dear viewer)

2011-08-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Took these photos before I was done, but it gives you an idea of where it ended up. Whole project of resuscitating a 6 year old piece was interesting because I was putting new oil paint on top of old, completely dry paint.

[Fer instance, I repainted all of the boy's face except his nose (and after this photo, all of the hair), and on the man, the hair plus all the features--a very extensive repainting.]

This is an issue because normally when you paint over "dry" paint, you have to worry about the new paint drying flat; why this is, I'm not sure. On other pieces, I would counter this by covering the old paint with this obscure medium called copal--it's like super-thick linseed oil. Copal worked well, but it's icky and dries really slowly. This time the paint was so dry, I figured I'd risk it and just prep the old paint with a little spray varnish. on't know if it worked for a month or so....

But it's kind of a moot point--I gave the painting as a gift, and the recipient (and family) just looked on in confusion and not a little discomfort and said, "Uh, thanks." And with that, they deposited it in a corner.

You never know how people will react....

2011-08-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Been painting the last three days. Found this unfinished portrait in storage last week and decided to finish it. The kid depicted is practically a teenager now!

Fun to lift a brush again. And boy, oils are a forgiving medium--you can just rub it right out and get going again.

2011-08-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

For 15 miles of the drive home yesterday, I was followed by a hearse....

Curious, I slowed to let it pass and saw it was a Lincoln Town Car, stretched and reconfigured for coffin transportation. They'd done a good job modifying the body--the rear fenderline was particularly graceful when enlongated.

But all I could see of the driver was an enigmatic outline--and a very casual, confident hand resting atop the wheel.

Who could be piloting this thing? In late afternoon traffic, the question seemed significant, so I maneuvered for a closer look....

He had a great Magnum P.I., devil-may-care vibe, (cigar, baseball cap, mustache, Ray-Bans).

And this made him seem all the more believable as Death on a Mission.

2011-08-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Ship mates.

Dear Wife broke down and clicked "follow" on this blog. YEAH!!

2011-08-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

2011-08-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

Spotted while crossing the channel to Catalina...on our 10,000 hp hydroplane ferry: an oil pump station masquerading as an atoll, and a sailboat about to do some serious wake-bobbing.

2011-07-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

A Conifer of Catalina, submitted as a tribute to the work of Dr. Mike DeWeese, artist of "Brush Pine Breakfast."

Ruined it with quickie attempt at background, which I duly knocked back in PhoSho. The handling of needles are practically textbook "over-sensitive."

2011-07-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

If you see the Tar Pits you might as well stop at LACMA. . . or not. (Possible descendant of Em's drawing.)(See. I can draw like Picasso, too. . . or not.)

2011-07-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Getty had a cool exhibit of Cambodian bronzes up. Niece's drawing (in brushpen!) on left, mine (on iPhone) on right.

Her's looked something like a middle-period Picasso....

Long necks and a brutally placid expression.

Kids!!

2011-07-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

More L.A. tourism. Who doesn't love the Tar Pits? My brother-in-law wanted to see 'em. Glad to see the mastadons continuing their struggle....

2011-07-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Brush pen vista sketched at the Getty.

Jimmy did pass along his link. For all sorts of Gorham goodness, CLICK HERE.

I don't know if Jimmy's ever been to the Getty, but if he has, I'm sure he liked their poetic recreation of a miner's flue.

And hey, Rick Schmitz was at the TAG Dinner, too! He's got a very nice personal site...and everyday he posts a cartoon on Nearsighted Comics. Chez it out!

2011-07-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

This year's Annual T.A.G. San Diego ComicCon Dinner took place at City Deli. Lots of laughs and good eats (all flavored vodkas were $5--flustered bartender when I asked for the Nutella Absolut).

You can see our Captain America reax at the World Famous T.A.G. Blog.

Spotted dining (with attendant links):
Scott Benefield (of CORK and Ghost Provokers fame)....
Tom Carrol showed up accompanied by Johnny B. Gerardy and his femme Emily....
Jimmy Gorham is a force of nature... but he's cagey about links. I'm working on him....
Jeff Ranjo was there, but posts exclusively to Facebook now... friend him and feel the fresh air of his great wit and great drawing.

And hey--kick in some coin for Scott's Ghost Provokers project!

This was a chef at Disneyland.

2011-07-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

2011-07-19T10:17:00.001-07:00

I used to have one of those.

(If you click on pic and check it in close-up, you'll get vertigo from my split-nib brush. Like looking at a 3D pick without the glasses.)

2011-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Straight from the clamshell.

2011-07-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Two lowly trashcans who fell in love....

While waiting to ride the Little Mermaid. Expected a 2 hour wait, but we shuffled on in less than seven minutes. Downside was I had to get hasty with this drawing or miss my clamshell.

2011-07-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Peet's unhappy that I'm drawing him "older." I told him the problem is he's being drawn by an older artist.

He's flying the Bastille Day Special (and he plays a "Ferder" bass--who knew??).

2011-07-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

My 70's sportscaster team. I came up with them a few years ago as a "thank you" card motif, but love to re-purpose them. Here they are toasting my cousin Barb and her husband Steve's anniversary.

It's a fold-out on glitter-dust paper!

I'm getting back to work here...been on the road almost all of the last month. Got lots o' drawings to share.

2011-07-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

So remember that iPad painting I did of the mist-enshrouded mountain? I had it printed to canvas by the people at Cafe Press in the hopes of gifting it last Xmas...but the printing didn't look so hot. All the darks in the foreground printed nearly black, and there was very little color/value differentiation in the piece--like they crushed it into a very contrast-y, very muddy painting.

So I asked them to reprint it. Which they did gratis (thank you, Cafe Press).

But it still looked blown-out and muddy.

So I did the only thing a respectable artist could do in such circumstances: I pulled out my brushes. Had to go buy some Turpenoid, and found my palette lacking any yellow except Naples (which, c'mon, is really more like beige), but spent an enjoyable morning on each one and I must say that, however rangy the results, there is satisfaction in the pine trees. Here's the first effort:

These photos exaggerate the palette difference, but it is true I seriously cooled the grassy ski-run on the top (second) effort.

I like this idea of serio-printing images on canvas, then giving them a good "impasto" pass. Might be able to sell them in an Aaron Bros. for a few bucks....

p.s. The iPad original still looks best in digital format.

2011-06-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Summer road trip.

Them caribou don't stand a chance! (True story!)

2011-06-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

This post never got posted. Oops.

The final version. Should have left Scott's shirt rubine....(and honest, I'm not quite THAT ugly in real life).

And hey! CHECK OUT SCOTT'S AWESOME NEW BLOG!! PacNorWest podcast stylings!!

2011-06-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

The comp. Note pumpkin-themed candle...(I look better in this one with my energetic, chunky outline).

2011-06-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

It was for a friend's birthday. A big one.

I tend to draw myself as if I were a character from Alice in Wonderland....the Disney version was a big influence on me as a teen.

2011-05-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

To make up for the lack of posts, I give you...color!

2011-05-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Lefty.

2011-05-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Insane cowboy.

Speaking of insane, I haven't been able to log into Blogger for the past few days--what gives??

My shame at failing to get onto my sister-in-law's wi-fi while vacationing shall go unmentioned--but I hope my lack of posts didn't create any unmentionable holes in your life, fellow art lover.

p.s. OK, I Pho-Sho'ed his eyes a bit--still doesn't capture effect I was going for...The Rifleman is proving difficult.

2011-05-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

More from The Rifleman. As a kid, the relationship between the sloe-eyed son and his just-but-violent father fascinated me.

The kid almost seemed developmentally disabled...as well as emotionally vulnerable.

(p.s. it's the Sheriff and the son I've drawn above...son thinks his dad is dead--terrible job on the son, BTW, but I taped the episode and I'm going to get him right!)

2011-05-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Spotted on an episode of The Rifleman.

Buddy Hackett!! And he was MEAN!
_____________________________
UPDATE: @ John Wayne Airport and just got my best-ever Starbuck's name-warp on my cup:
BERMIE

2011-05-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

When you know people a little bit, it can be hard to get a good drawing.

It is in that spirit of humility that I offer this.

2011-05-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

I thought this drawing would have been perfect for the right side/left side layout.

But to make it really work, I'd have to write something worthwhile to fill this side column...

...and I got nothing.

Sorry.

p.s. her arms are all messed up.

p.p.s. I never did do that thing I promised, did I? I got thumbnails and everything, too....

p.p.p.s. We're going on a trip day after tomorrow. Don't know how the posting will go.

2011-05-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

You're right: I default to a 3/4 view too easily. I'll work on that....

2011-05-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Kids.

That balcony is emerging as a clear danger zone. Yesterday I found a child's sun hat that had been tossed over the railing--that and a half-eaten Fig Newton.

Danger.

2011-05-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

Wimins.

We were walking under a neighbor's balcony when a sippy cup came flying at us.

Blair was nearly brained.

2011-05-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

When you click on him,
you see him twice
his original size: cool!

You've got to guard against repeating yourself. Especially with life drawing--the kind of life drawing done in public. If you only get a minute (or less) to look at your subject (and you can't stare!), you are working as much from previously knowledge as what you are seeing. Like this guy. I saw his whole head and thought, oooh, that's a good head!

But then his lunch partner sat down and blocked the lower half of his face--and to cap it off, he put on sunglasses. So I had maybe a 10 - 20 second look at him before "losing access".

The result isn't bad, but from the bridge of the nose down it wants for specificity.

And a sideburn.

2011-05-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Went out and had an old-fashioned, man-to-man sketch party with my ol' bro Joe today. It was fun!

2011-05-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

These were all Zen Brush on the iPad. They've added new cheater functionality with a tonal slider and an eraser. I tried to rein in the urge to fudge.

That thing that I promised? I'm still totally gonna do it.

2011-05-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

The old college sweatshirt trick.

2011-05-07T15:52:00.001-07:00

OK, I haven't gotten that other thing I promised done.

Sorry.

2011-05-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Teaser.

(Hey, I can't spoil you with a new drawing every day--that would cheapen the experience.)