hen and chicks

airport sketch/ plane ride sketch... keeps me from getting too fidgitty. I don't do well when I can't move around. Never could sit still. Still can't.

The Borg

Drawergeeks: Topic, Star Trek. In honor of the new movie release this topic for Drawergeeks is to honor Star Trek and all it's branches. I have submitted a Borg. It will be interesting to see who submits and from which era they choose their inspiration. The title above is a hot link to the drawergeeks site itself... check it out this friday.

Space Girl -final

Space Girl: the final as it was supposed to be, I just ran out of time. I couldn't sleep so I have been poking at it and finished it up this morning.

Space Girl

Space Girl for Drawergeeks. just in time for the cut off submission. Whew!

Drawergeeks: Trolls

Finally a chance to do an illustration, and the time to do one. The Fates have smiled upon me.

Steampunk: Woodcut Cigar

Steampunk 6: Woodcut Cigar
For some reason, perhaps just out of nervousness, this one dove back to my rendering days. An all out, go for broke wood cut simulation. Very soothing for the nerves. Very peaceful to work on. Thought out, but still some wiggle room to have experimentation time. Much smaller piece too. I was able to get this out quickly as the time permitted. Sometimes I just need to get out my security blanket. I think I need a triple decker these days.

Hobbs Building Open Studios April 10th 2009

I am participating in the Hobbs Building Open Studio Artists showing on April 10th and 11th 2009. Click on the link above to take you to the Hobbs building link itself. I will be part of a large group of artisans of a wide scope of mediums and expressions. It should be a very fun evening. I participated 2 years ago and had a blast. So come one come all. Hope to see you there if you are in town.

Steampunk 5

Steampunk 5. The 5th in the series and the smallest, 5x7". Just a small study that I couldn't get out of my head. So, add it to the gang. I may be able to pinch one more out before the Hobbs Building Show on April 10th. If you want, come on out and see us. There are a bunch.

Sanabel Gull

playing around with loosening up. Seeing if I can incorporate the line from the scribbles into other applications and mediums. This is a first attempt.

Derby

Part Four in the series of the Steampunks series. I am working on getting things completed for an open studio night at the Hobbs building in Kansas City. I will be showing there Friday Night April 10th 6pm to10pm. If you can and would like to, please come out and say hi. I will post a map and the other artists. I think close to 30 artists will be showing.

Thank goodness it's called Gatorade

Um, well yes it is toilet humor. The cartoon started out nice and boring. The Virginia Tech Hokies. Stokey was the original manufacturer of Gatorade. So I thought... Stokey Hokieade. Yeah, it's kinda cute. But it doesn't really have that punch. Well......

Winged lion: Protector of Misfit Toys

Winged Lion: The Protector of Misfit Toys. It is done. Whew! And only 2 months after her Birthday. Well, I need to get some prints of it made and framed and it will be off to the recipient. Barbara... the writer that creates all on Barb's talkin' Now. I have it flagged so you can go see it. She is pretty cool. For her 39th... yes really her REAL 39th Birthday, everybody and their mother snuck into 'Jersey for a surprise party. I couldn't make it... and I still feel empty about missing that weekend. But she is quite the protector, not only for her own herd, but for the kids in the neighborhood. She is the Mom with Rules. I am proud of her, always have been. Kudos Barb... The Protector. (for your information and trivia satisfaction: the misfit toys are things I came up with that I thought would make good misfit toys. An aviator pig (when pigs fly); a reverse colored Panda Bear; a Three-Eyed Teddy Bear; and Rubik's Chattering Teeth (my tip of the hat to two amazing gentlemen who race solving those blasted puzzles.)

Just playing with some different paper. Quick study. But it was fun.

Steampunk Glasses

reposting of the Second piece, Glasses.

Steampunk Hat

Steampunk Hat:
Third of the Steampunk series

tiki girl colorized

Tiki: Drawergeeks. I have at least attempted a drawergeeks for Tiki. We shall see how the submissions go. Hopefully a grand turn out will take place.

Tiki Girl

Tiki drawing for Drawergeeks. Drawing on Craft Paper, Thanks again Patty. I have scanned it in and am thinking some color overlay would give it the Hawaiian punch that would just send it to happy land.

The Lion Protector of Toys: Step 4

did major surgery on the hip 3 times. Took out the nutcracker, it just didn't fit technique wise. I replaced it with an aviator pig. (when pigs fly) So we are down to working up the rocky terrain and background. Pshhh. Should be done in a couple of minutes, right?

jack and the beanstalk

self portrait 5

I have been having massive troubles with portraits lately. maybe too much stress, maybe too much pressure put upon the drawing? Anyway, I decided to put a little practice in before Wednesday Noon Sketch group and did a self portrait last night for warm ups. Hopefully it will help remind me to take things for what they are worth and stay in the present time. My better work is completed when I start off with an honest belief that this piece is just something to pass the time with. It could go in the trash, in the closet, who cares... it is play time for me. For each of us. Remember that. This is supposed to be fun. iF it isn't fun, you are doing it wrong.

The Lion Protector of Toys: Step 3

OK, finally got back to working on fun stuff. Got the wing started this morning. Went pretty easily, (past employment benefit, drawing eagles. It IS like riding a bike.) So Hopefully I will do more in the next week and maybe come to completion. - Sunday night... updated the image to reflect the finished wing and start of the rocks.

Wizards of the Coast AD recognizes Drawergeeks

Jon Schindehette, Senior Art Director Dungeons & Dragons® Wizards of the Coast has a great blog titled ArtOrder (link is in the title of this post.) He has very graciously given a write up on Drawergeeks. Whoo Hoo!!! With visuals and everything. Very very cool indeed. Thanks so much Jon. We all really appreciate it. And as always, keep stopping by every two weeks, with the huge cast of talented folks involved, you never know who will post. It is a great outlet and an honor to be among these gifted people.

The Lion Protector of Toys: Step 2

I have started to flesh out the wings. The one farthest away needs some length on it. I have also introduced a couple of misfit toys to the group. A reverse colored panda bear, a three eyed Teddy bear, a Girl Nut Cracker, and Chattering Teeth Cube. The Cube needs some work perspective wise. I just had to get it down before I forgot what the toy was supposed to be.

I was away for a while. Way too busy with work and allowing worry to take over too many times. While I was out, I did some drawings, sketches. I found the craft paper bundle... yeah.

Goth Teddy Bear drawing

Drawergeeks: Topic Goth, Mine is late. I was away and did not get this finished in time to send in early. So I got home last night and completed it today. The topic was "Goth" oooooh. So of course I went with a Teddy Bear.

I don't what's wrong with me either.

the Lion Protector of Toys: step 1

The Lion Protector from the Island of Misfit Toys: Progress report 1. This is a piece that I am doing as a (late) Birthday present for my Dear Sister. I could not make it out for her surprise birthday party this weekend and I feel just awful about that. But with her being the keeper of the children, the believer in story, I am doing this piece for her. It is on 18 X 24" masonite that is coated with a white smooth clay so that I can draw ink on it or scratch the black off delicately to reviel the white again. My hopes are to have it done by the End of January. Hopes. I love you Barb, I hope your party was as fun and full of love and friends as I see it in my head.

Engineering Grad

Having grown up in a town that survives on the American Automotive Industry, the state of things right now is unsettling to say the least. I feel like we are all playing checkers on a board balanced on a hat pin... any move is unbalanced right now, but the clock is ticking.

Black Peter or Krampus

Black Peter:
one of the really creepy European stories around the Holiday Season. Also known as Krampus. This is the giver of coal, the punisher of bad little children. You can click on the title of this post and read up on the history.

The Beard Voice

The Beard Voice: I wonder if sales pitch folks bring their work home with them? What if the oxy-whatsits spokesman gets wrapped up in a debate with his wife and slips into his sales pitch voice? I bet she puts him right back into reality real quick. Everybody leads a real life sometimes.

Lee Ann's fabric makes the newstands

Lee Ann got an email from TOMBOY that they saw what had to be her fabric in KC Magazine. (pg 90). So we ran over and got a couple of copies. I am proud of her.

Drawergeeks: Seasons Greetings

Drawergeeks: Seasons Greetings. And sometimes the time leading up to the holidays can feel like a barrel full of monkeys... especially if you have kids. So, I have tried twice to make a monkey wreath but have failed. So I cheated and made it digitally.


The second submission was the first to be generated. The Snow Angel.

I really do hope that each of you try to find a small bit of goodness in this time at the end of the year. Friends and loved ones do mean so much to me. I care about you all deeply and wish you each a season of uplifting peace.

Guppy Reaper Shirt

Guppy Reaper For the Men's sizes. You can click on the title of this post and it will take you to my page if you are interested. I have had several requests for this design on a shirt, I have finally stepped out and tried it this way. We shall see.
There is also a Girl's cut. Slightly different gray color. Again, if you are interested, click on the title of this post and it will take you to the MySoti site. Thanks.

Shirt Designs

This is what the shirt looks like at MySoti.com for the Drawn.ca article.  I had a ball doing this. Even if nothing comes of it, I have finally put it out there for sale. 

Mysoti: drawnblog

Winter is here. It is cold as all get out. The end of the year, the first snows, the holidays, all good ideas for a cartoon. First out of the gate is the attempt above.

I also entered a T-shirt contest. No not a wet T-Shirt contest, that would be silly. I have entered a Winter T-shirt design contest at MySoti.com search drawnblog, so if you think about it, go check out the link and see what is out there.

Drawergeeks: Image Comics- Detective Twitch. I decided to submit the earlier sketch and then did this sketch last night. Big 12 Basketball had me all wound up and I just had to finish it.

POST 200!!!!
Sketch of Image comics character Detective Twitch. playing around on gray paper again then adjusting hues ever so slightly with a simple mask or two. Just playing around. Trying to generate a visual thought.

Drawergeeks: topic... The Witch. So I have created my first illustration entirely out of Adobe Illustrator. Needed a file to do some testing with, so might as well be my own guinea pig.

Drawergeeks: Topic James Bond... I went back and applied some color to the original drawing for this one. No other changes. Just added a little flavoring.

Wednesday sketch group.

Salem's Lot:
So it looks nothing like the sketch that I produced a couple of days before... I found my old copy of Salem's Lot, the first novel I read on my own. I hated to read as a kid. I loved to draw. Reading was a leeching of time from my drawing in my youth mind. When a friend invited me to a Stephen King lecture Back when Firestarter just came out... We were the youngest in the room. It changed me. I started Salem's Lot and it had a mood, it produced a magnetism that had me. I was 14 or 15 years old. It scared me so bad but was so hooked on the visuals that were being painted in my head. To this day, I don't think I have read anything that has scared me that bad... probably because I had no idea what I was in for. What a fool.

one last Halloween sketch before the day passes us all by. A preliminary drawing for "almost loose". I envisioned some scarecrow-ish ghoul come to life out in a field just patiently working at his task, knowing that it has time on it's side. It has been forgotten, presumed dispatched. It feeds on that vision in it's head. One more arm to go...

Island of Misfit Bond Villains: Would there be a minor league for S.P.E.C.T.R.E. assassins, henchmen, villains like there is in baseball? Like the Legion of Super-Heroes younger sibling the Legion of Substitute Heroes, where are the those that didn't get the entire super power gift basket? Or is there a training/secret lab for Evil just like for "Q" where they things may not go as planned?

one last drawergeeks. couldn't sleep again.

Dana point sitting 4 finally back to it... this shot is pieces of scans frankensteined together. Hey, I have a small scanner, and I am sensitive about it, ok? Ok. I think the groundsquirrel may end up on the eraser shreds pile before this is all overwith. It may end up there before the night is over.

Wednesday Sketch Group: 102108- showed up late this week. not much in the way of supplies either. So I just used kraft paper or what we all know as Grocery sack paper. Yup, I was brown baggin' it. That is why the fingerprints, and folds are still there. helps hide the poor drawing this week. Hey, everybody has an off day, or week.

Drawergeeks sketch... we had an extra week... so I grabbed a piece of old black mat board and tried my hand at my version of black velvet. Colored Pencil on black board. I just couldn't find where to fit in a crying bullfighting Elvis. I may try a final like this but scratchy if I have time.

please, PLEASE, will somebody actually come up to the plate and write an original story and make it into a movie? I don't want to see the latest pretty boy vomited into a comic book. No more shakey handed attempts at tracing over AND OVER ideas that have been marched before us as if something new has been added. Is it because the Studios are so fearful of another actor's or writer's strike? It is easier to do a tombstone rubbing of whatever sold last year and beef up the special effects. Those are non union ... so far.

Drawergeeks: Giant Monsters. I took a break from the editorial cartoony stuff. I originally was going to do a giant spider, then one of the Godzilla clan, maybe Gigan or Anzilla... then Kong just seemed to speak to me. Maybe it is the Beauty and the Beast story that hooked me? I don't know. It is either lacking due to no background, but having put in several that may not be it. It may be lack of dynamic point of view. In which this piece would be scrapped and an entirely new angle and point of view would need to be thought out. But it has been fun to see where this goes.

Drawergeeks: Nursery Rhymes -Mother goose: I chose The House that Jack Built. But after reading it, I kept seeing it as almost an hearing in court. An Attorney introducing a witness list... or exhibits.