Sketches, Art and Thoughts

Batman and Catwoman fan art sketches.

2012-01-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

On a forum of artists and sketchers that I belong to they have been practicing superhero fan art. These are my to sketches. They were done with pencil. The Catwoman was inked. Both were colored with my computer.
They are both just practices and truly fan appreciation coupled with my weird sense of humor.

A comic strip from a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon

2012-01-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

During this last Christmas vacation my youngest son, J.D. came home for a visit. During his brief visit he took me to a couple of the better Portland area coffee shops, where they roast their own beans and make great coffee.

The idea for this cartoon came during that time. I have been watching the TV show Grimm which puts a Portland slant on the Brothers Grimm's fairy tails. I haven't seen any werewolves or the like around here, but I thought it would be fun to make a spooky comic of my own anyway.

It's a retelling of a very old joke.

A pencil caricature of Frida Kahlo.

2011-12-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

Hello to anyone who happens by!
This post is partly to move on from the Holidays to the new year and partly to mention Frida Kahlo. I have been looking online at her work and she is an artist whose work I find most interesting. I recommend taking time to see her work.
Here is a caricature of her that I did after reading about her and perusing her art online.

Christmas sketches,elf girls, and a couple of others. Pencil sketches colored with computer.

2011-12-19T22:08:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been pretty crazy with the coming of the Holidays this year! I did manage to do these little pencil sketches and color them with my computer.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Last, a very quick one from this Christmas eve morning. My wife, Aunt Bee, has everyone hopping around here!

My cat Sylar as the joker card and a pencil cartoon of me and the cats.

2011-12-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

Not too much to say about these. Just a couple of cartoons done recently.

A cartoon about the Twilight movies.

2011-11-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Aunt Bee loves the Twilight movies. Because of this I have seen my share of them. So the other day she was mentioning the new one being out. I was trying to figure out a way not to go.
Not that I don't enjoy my time with Aunt Bee and not that I won't go, but I am hoping she finds a girlfriend to go with.

This was a pencil drawing inked and colored it with Photoshop, trying to give it a retro cartoon feel.
I added the word swoon because I think swoon is a funny word.

Bootsy the cat as the King of Hearts playing card.

2011-11-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

A cartoon of my son's cat as a King of Hearts playing card.
Done with pencil, then inked and colored with the computer.

Pencil Sketches to change the subject.

2011-11-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

OK, so I really didn't know how to title this, but I wanted to leave the Halloween theme from the past couple of posts.
I didn't really have too much I wanted to show, but these quick pencil sketches were fun to do, so I thought lI would share them.

I got the idea for the rosy cheeks on the first one from a cartoon character my kids used to watch, Pickachu. A bit of color seems to make some sketches a bit more interesting.

More ladies.

Another lady.

And last, this is just an idea. Kind of one of my purposes for sketching. I can always come back to this to explore later. Laughing cats.

A Halloween Playlist, a simple pencil sketch colored with my computer.

2011-10-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

This was a simple pencil sketch that I colored the other night while Aunt Bee was helping Blind Ambition with their fund raiser. I thought of some better spooky songs after I was done, oh well.
"I Put a Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, "The Ghost of Stephen Foster" and "Hell" by Squirrel Nut Zippers and the list goes on.

This video of Screamin' Jay Hawkins makes me smile every time I watch it. Screamin' Jay had a fantastic voice and he preformed this number with a great deal of humor.
Watch it if you dare! Bwahahahahahahahaha!

Masks for Halloween made from paper bags.

2011-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for the bag masks from a couple of things I saw on the internet. The designs are mine and they were quite easy to do.
I used regular grocery bags cut off on the bottom so my head would be at the top of the bag. I also cut semi circles on either side to go over my shoulders.
Next I sketched out the faces on the bag with pencil. Then I used whatever I could find for coloring these Magic markers, prismacolor coloring sticks mostly.
They are a bit cumbersome, but we will only be wearing these for a few minutes. There are probably some ways to modify these for more mobility, though.
Aunt Bee took these photos with her new phone.

A pencil sketch about anxiety, colored with computer, and a witch.

2011-10-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone stopping by. It's fall here and I have been thinking of Halloween a bit. I just like the time of year and the festivity of it all!
Also, I am still learning to color my drawings with Photoshop. I am getting better, I think, but still have some learning to do. I guess I should go online and study more. :)

Bella the cat goes Gaga.

2011-10-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

I think it's just a phase she's going through...
Actually this was a card for Chumley's birthday. Bella goes Gaga for your birthday.

A Caricature of Lady Gaga

2011-09-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of Lady Gaga, but I do find her costumes, wigs and accessories quite interesting. I thought it would be fun to do a cartoon of her and it was.

I saw this and I thought I would add it as a curiosity. And I thought my cats, Bella and Sylar were different. lol
Years ago I got a siamese kitten from a breeder for free, because she had a white paw and was considered imperfect. She was a great cat and she lived to 17 years.
We named her Lucky, because we always said she was lucky she wasn't disposed of as a kitten. She was part of the family and a good companion.

A Monkey Surfing on a Shark

2011-09-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

This was a pencil sketch colored with my computer.
I had this idea for a while, just got around to doing it.

Two pencil sketches. Text and greyscale added with computer.

2011-08-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

These were pencil sketches, scanned and colored with the computer. I don't have too much to say about them.

This one was an idea I had while looking at some old photographs from a Russian play called "The Bluebird"

This one was just a joke for an online forum that I belong to.

I kinda liked this one. Just thought I would share. Chap Hop.

Cat sketching gone to Devo.

2011-08-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

The other day I finally felt like sketching a bit. The cats were with me and I had the music on. We were all enjoying some great music from Devo and suddenly my sketching went awry. :)
This is the first sketch page.

This is the second sketch which I inked and colored with Photoshop.

Last, I saw this Youtube video after I did these sketches, so I thought I would add it. Apparently I am not the first to link cats with Devo.

Skull and Roses birthday card and a skeleton sketch.

2011-08-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hello to anyone stopping by. My sister in law tells me it's Jerry Garcia's birthday today, August 1st. It will also be my sister in law's husband's birhday on the 3rd of this month also.
I haven't drawn any skulls or roses, so I decided to do both on a birthday card. In keeping with the Grateful Dead theme.
Mostly free hand and Photoshop.

I liked doing the skull and got this image in my head, so I decided to work it out and see what it would look like.

This is a photo of our cat Sylar that I thought I would share. He is quite a character!

Last a video from the Grateful Dead movie.

More pencil sketching Japanese Bon Adori dancer, One from a dream and more.

2011-07-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping in! I am still sketching and drawing as I am able to and thought I would share these.

I had a chance to take some pictures of some Bon Adori dancers recently. This is one of the ladies. One more detailed sketch and one of the same girl from a different angle and I think as a cartoon.

This one is from a dream I had. All the people on the street had huge hands and the bottom half of their bodies were slightly larger than normal. Who knows why you dream what you dream?

The top sketch on this next sketch page is one this one is from a video I saw on YouTube that I thought was pretty funny. I will add the video to this post also. "What American English Sounds Like to Non English Speakers"

This is the same video I mentioned, "What American English Sounds Like to Non English Speakers".

This last one I think is a bit risque, but not over the line, so I thought I would include it. It is from a public domain source I found.

Some more sketches, elf girls

2011-07-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weekends ago I had occasion to see some young ladies dressed as elves. So my sketching turned into a plot of sorts, (as some of them do).
Not great I admit, but I wanted to get my musings down to remember.

Yet another pencil sketch of my male cat, Sylar

2011-06-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

I've just been practicing my drawing lately. Here is a cartoon of one of my two cats.

Two more cat sketches, colored with Photoshop

2011-06-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

A lot has been happening here, so I haven't had much time. But I did these and thought I would show them.

This one is the same line drawing as the previous post. I just scanned the line drawing before I painted it. Then colored the scanned line drawing with Photoshop.

This sketch was originally just going to be a gas mask, I got carried away.
I used the easiest coloring scheme I could think of to color it. All shades of olive green.
It's weird, though, because I am basically a pacifist. Sometimes your mind takes you to strange places!

Bella the cat watercolor pencil and ink sketch on Aquabee paper

2011-05-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

This was done in a 5in x 7in Co-Mo sketch pad. It is ink with watercolor pencil washes.

A Cartoon of Our Cat Sylar

2011-05-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

Here is one of our cats, Sylar. We've never had a male cat before, but I totally get him and he is a great friend.
He is getting along better with our other cat, sweet little Bella. They still have their little spats, though.

A Dog Portrait on Bee's Bogus Rough Recycled Sketch Paper

2011-05-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

This was done on recycled rough paper. I wanted to see what it would look like to add some washes with watercolor pencil. This was drawn with a Sharpie Fine pen. Next I put the watercolor pencil on , then went over it with a damp brush. I used a Sharpie white paint pen for the white part.

I couldn't find a picture of this dog where he wasn't dressed up or someone was laying on him. A very personable dog indeed!

Doodling on 3 inch post it notes.

2011-05-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here I was doodling on three inch by three inch post it notes with different pens. I finally settled on a Sharpie fine pen.
This are practice. Some are fan art, some pets, and some from Facebook.

Fashion sense. I don't have any. Pen sketch colored with Photoshop and a playlist..

2011-04-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is one I did for two reasons. First, I'm on an art forum and someone there was doing some nice fashion model pieces. So, this one was meant as a sort of a humorous addition to that forum thread. The joke being the fox skin hat.
Second, I have been seeing some other folk's play lists and I thought they were pretty cool, so I tried it also. I could have spent more time on the play list, but this is ok I think.

A doodle of our cats done with a Pilot Precise V7 pen, colored with computer.

2011-03-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a couple of posts back that we got a new cat to keep company with our sweet little cat named Bella. In our minds it would be a perfect scenario. The other cat would have been taken to the pound and the thought of that just didn't seem right to us.
My wife, Aunt Bee, calls him Mermo. I call him Sylar.
Anyway, this is a doodle that depicts their uneasy relationship. I used a Pilot Precise V7 pen. colored with Photoshop and Corel Painter.

Drawing with a Uniball Vision Pen

2011-03-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

This drawing was done with a Uniball Vision micro pen. I also used a Tombow black brush pen on the very dark areas.
My photo reference was taken from a photo from a Russian play circa 1908.

Some pencil sketches

2011-02-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pencils sketches. Some practice, some ideas, some just because. :)

Abraham Lincoln, another hero of mine. I added the halo as an after thought.

This was taken from a photo collection from the early 1900"s.

Another one for practice.

This one is pen and pencil on a two and a half by three and a half inch newsprint.

Our cat Bella gets a new playmate.

2011-02-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Our son's cat, Guermo, moved in with us for the time being. He needs a home for now and is a neat looking cat. A bit distrutcive, though. Our cat Bella is not so pleased about this new situation.
I drew a picture of her new attitude and added some stuff with Photoshop.

Here is a pencil sketch of her, with a little text added. From last night when we had some time together alone.

A dog cartoon drawing in pencil colored with Photoshop

2011-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

This was a pencil drawing that was darkened and colored with Photoshop. Here is a link that explains the process fairly well, I think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP4WturEPtU
The dog is similar to the "Hard Times" cat that I drew a few weeks back. I wanted to see how a dog might look. I like the cat better.

Just a couple sketches from last week.....

2011-01-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

Here are just a couple of sketches from as of late. I am still trying to get a handle on Photoshop. I am still not getting the hang of it, but getting better at it I think.......

Frankenstein's Ex

Here's a hasty cartoon.

A quote from Martin Luther King Jr. and a pencil sketch with added effects

2011-01-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing all a good 2011!

I am still learning about Photoshop. This was a pen sketch of my hand, the cirlce and the color added with Photoshop. The back round texture was a free one to use that I found on the internet.

A doodle with a Pilot Hi-TecpointV7 black pen, colored with my computer.

2010-12-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

My wife brought home a Pilot Hi-TecpointV7 fine point black pen the other day and I snagged it. I really like this pen and have just been doodling with it a bit.
This a hastily drawn self portrait of sorts. All of the line work was done with the Hi-TecpointV7 pen.
I was picturing myself as a dinosaur. I just had another birthday yesterday.

I was so surprised there was so much interest in this post that I am adding the original doodle. I would not call it a sketch, just a quick scribble as so much of my stuff is. Just an idea really. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2010-12-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to all. And for me it's Merry Christmas. Good Cheer to all!

A Sketch on Aquabee Bogus Recycled Paper

2010-12-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

The materials used for this sketch were a blue Col-Erase pencil, Pilot Hi-Techpoint pen, a Sharpie white paint pen and a white colored pencil..

I sketched it out with the blue Col-Erase pencil then went over the lines I wanted to keep with the pen. When I was finished I used Gimp to filter out the blue pencil. Most of the blue anyway.

Our cat Bella's second birthday and a new banner in her honor.

2010-12-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

It's our cat Bella's second birthday! So, I made a banner for my blog in her honor.
It's hard to believe she's two already. Her name is Bella because she was found in a box at the Taco Bell on one cold and blustery fall evening here in Oregon.
Bella is just as sweet as can be, but still quite busy at two. She's always interested in what we are doing here, frequently getting involved. She plays with her toys and she rules over our three dogs with her sharp claws and teeth. We have to tell her to stop picking on them sometimes! Even the German Shepard is respectful of her. They've all found their order of things and get along fabulously, though.
So, happy birthday kitty. I didn't want another cat after our last one died, but I am glad Aunt Bee and Chumley talked me into it!

I have had this post up for a few days, but thought I would add how this piece was done. (I just learned.)
It started out as a blue col-erase pencil sketch. Next I went back over the lines I wanted with a soft pencil. Then I scanned, filtered out the blue lines and darkened with Photoshop. Finally colored with Photoshop. Actually an easy process and there are a lot of tutorials and links on the "net" as to how to do this.
I have been teaching myself how to draw, paint and illustrate, so I thought I would share my processes with anyone wanting to know.
Peace

A Pen and Wash Dog Portrait

2010-11-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hello. I just thought I would post this to see how it looks on the computer. It is a pen and wash portrait of a dog. That is to say a watercolor and ink portrait.
The dog's owner told me it is a Catahoula Leopard Dog.
I did this for a fund raiser for Blind Ambition, a Dragon Boat paddling club here in Portland. There name is Blind Ambition because they are principally a group that are visually impaired and blind. They have been doing this for a few years and have actually been competitive.

Friday, November 19th More pencil sketches.

2010-11-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of sketches from this week. Not so good, but I thought I would share anyway. I am one of those who like doodle even if I haven't been doing as well.

This is a pencil sketch colorized with Gimp, a free program that is similar too Photoshop. I added some text, also.
I added the patches on the cheeks, thinking of an old Japanese cartoon my kids used to watch on TV.

This was a pencil sketch enhanced with Photoshop. I'm not sure where I got the reference, but to be sure it is just a sketch for practice only.

Last here is a video of The Decemberists as they appeared on the Conan Show last night. I can't wait to hear the album!

November the first.

2010-11-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I would start the new month with a new cartoon. I'm actually doing a portrait of this dog, but I thought it would be fun to do a caricature of him first.
BTW, I am guessing they call it caricatures when you draw animals this way. Dunno.

A Self Portrait for Halloween

2010-10-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is more of a sketch than a serious self portrait. I didn't have a mask, so I had to make one up.

Happy Halloween, Y'all!

Frankenstein's Monkey

2010-10-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

This was just a quick sketch with a Uniball gel pen. I colored it with my computer. Hopefully you get the idea of it, anyway.
I really like Corel Painter Essentials 3's Creepy Font. I also like the digital watercolor feature.

This is a pencil sketch of my son, Chumley. Just for Halloween.

From the sketchbook I had Last October around Halloween

2010-10-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of sketches from one of my sketchbooks from this time last year. It's funny, I don't write much in my sketchbooks, but the stuff I draw jogs my memory enough that I can remember what was going on then. In a way, this blog is a bit like a journal, too.
Last year around Halloween we were just getting over the worst flu I ever. I say "we" because My wife Aunt Bee, my son Chumley and I all had it together. I remember how awful I felt. How cranky Aunt Bee and Chumley were.
I also remember this obsession I had with masks. I had to go to the doctors office and asked if they could provide a mask so I would not get anyone else sick. Surprisingly they told me there were none available.

Another cat cartoon done in pencil with some computer additions.

2010-10-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

My drawing has been uninspired as of late. But our little cat is always interesting. Lately she's been staying up all night looking for bugs.
She really is a sweet cat, but she does get a little obsessed when it comes to catching bugs. :)

A portrait on Utrecht's Oatmeal paper and a caricature.

2010-09-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, not too much has been going on here. I did find a very nice sketchbook by Utrecht. It is a hardcover book with 80 pages of recycled oatmeal paper. Link, here.

I tried my new sketchbook out with a portrait sketch. I used a couple of different graphite pencils and a white charcoal pencil for highlights.
Also, I did a caricature of the same person, a friend of my wife's daughter on white paper, scanned and colored with my computer. Both drawings are posted below. :)
That's it for now. To quote Arnold, "I'll be back!"

A cartoon from a dream.

2010-09-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I know a few posts ago I wrote about dreaming, but really I don't make too much of my dreams.I did have this dream, though. It was the other night and I was able to remember and get it down. This dream only lasted a few seconds.

Pencil sketches, added effects with the computer.

2010-09-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted here, so I thought I would share some sketches from this week. These are all pencil sketches that I tied together using my computer. Just to see what they would look like. The print sizes are different because the picture sizes are different.
I guess I was just thinking about the new babies in Aunt Bee and my families. :)

Another caricature birthday card.

2010-08-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

This was for another of my wife's co workers. It is from a photo of his daughter. Penciled, then inked and colored with the computer.
I was given a small photo and told she likes bicycles, hot air balloons and the color violet.

Cat Person Cartoon

2010-08-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

This was a pencil sketch at the end of my last sketchbook. I inked it and colored it with my computer.
I was not thinking of posting this, but I had some interesting comments on it.

Cat Dreams, Human Dreams, Dreams of Flying

2010-07-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Aunt Bee and I were talking about dreams. Her favorite dreams are about flying. She has them from time to time and when she does, every time, she wakes up in a good mood. I have only had two dreams about flying myself.

In the first of the two dreams I had I flew pretty much where I wanted to go. Like Superman. The ease and power were the things that impressed me the most about that dream.
In the second dream I taught myself to fly. I just flew by hunching my shoulders and thinking a certain way.

By the end of the dream I was teaching a group of people how to fly, too. We were flying through downtown Salem for some inexplicaple reason.

The thing that I dream about the most is fishing. I dream this a lot. It's always a different trip, sometimes in the same place. Mostly in different places, though. And for different species, too. I don't know why this is, but I find these dreams most pleasant. Like Aunt Bee and her flying dreams.

A caricature card for a baby shower and a decal.

2010-07-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

One of my nieces is expecting.... soon! Saturday was her baby shower so Aunt Bee told me to make a personal card for them. Aunt Bee said her niece was pleased with it.

This is a decal I made for a paddle that belongs to a friend. She is in a dragon boat paddling team. I am not sure how well it will last, but it looks pretty good. I printed out the decal on vinyl sign sticker paper and laminated it.

A portait in pencil and a cartoon about coffee and a shark

2010-07-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

First up, portait in pencil from an old photo. Not too much to say about this one.
Second, a cartoon about a hangover I got. I am obviously not much of a drinker. My wife, Aunt Bee, went on a retreat for the weekend with the Guidedog Users group and I had (only) two drinks.

A Caricature of Smokey Robinson: Fan Art

2010-07-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

So, I have been in a drawing slump lately. I haven't had any clear visions of what I should draw. And then the other day I was listening to music. I heard "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. How inspirational. The words and music are so cleaver.
I remember listening to this song when it came out, I was I think 16 or so. I was thinking who is this Pagliacci???

Not for Sale

A couple of caricatures

2010-06-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my wife Aunt Bee. It's funny, because I see her as a princess. :)

The second one is a caricature of one of my wife's co workers. She called from work and asked if I could do one of him driving a Mercedes convertible. I said ok, when do you want it done. She said tomorrow. Then she sent a picture from her phone. So it's a little rough, but they liked it where she works.

A goofy cartoon.

2010-06-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Just a stupid cartoon from the last week. Aunt Bee, my wife, wanted me to make a card for my son Joe's birthday.

My German Shepard, Forte. A sketch.

2010-06-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Done on Bogus Recycled Paper with a Uniball gel pen, Tombow brush pen and Witeout.

Garage Sale Sketches

2010-05-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend we had a garage sale. My wife did the lions share of the work, being the lioness she is. I did what I could, but wound up setting and taking the money and doodling some.
People, toys, and such...... I colorized these a bit, because the scanner washer pencil out so badly.

Quick Golden Retriever Sketch

2010-05-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

My golden retriever Blancett. Done on a paper bag with the Uniball gel pen and some Witeout for highlights. I just posted it to see how it looks on the computer.

A couple of new sketches: Self Portrait and Cutthroat Trout

2010-04-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

The first one is a cartoon of myself. It was done with a Uniball gel pen. I love the way the ink flows onto the paper with these pens.
The second one, the Cutthroat Trout cartoon, was done with the gel pen also. Then it was colored with the computer using my Bamboo pad.

A self Portrait

An ink cartoon colored digitally

Cartoon: The She Creature of the Darkest Lagoon, How I did this.

2010-04-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

I thought for this cartoon I would show and tell how the finished version was made. Maybe this would be of some interest. I just figure out a little bit at a time, but I am glad to share what I know with anyone that is interested.

First there was the sketch which was inked and cleaned up. Next I scanned it and worked on it with my digital pad. I don't have a fancy pad, but the one I have is pretty good. It is a 6"x9" Wacom Bamboo Pad. I am very happy with it.

With the digital pad, first I cleaned up the drawing some more using Gimp, which is a free program. Then I simply colored the drawing using Corel Painter Essentials 3 which came with my Bamboo pad.

That simple.

Just another word about Gimp. It is a great program that does a lot. For a long time this was the only image manipulation program I had. I used it mostly for resizing, rotating, cropping, colorizing and cleaning up my drawings. Oh, yeah and did I mention that it is free?

This is the sketch that was inked scanned and then cleaned up with the computer

This is the final product, but I could change something about it if I wanted to.

A doodle colored with my Wacom Bamboo Pad

2010-03-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

I doodled this drawing with a gel pen and decided I liked it. So I scanned it and colored it with my Wacom Bamboo digital pad.
It must have got in my head because Easter is approaching.

Also, I am listening to Laura Veirs, who it turns out lives here in Portland now.

Here is a little political cartoon. I was thinking if I made a cartoon world what kind of animals would be politicians. :)

A cartoon about snails

2010-02-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Last summer I went to visit my brother in California. While I was there I noticed the snails. I had completely forgotten about the snails.

Sketching with a School G pen by Tachikawa

2010-01-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

I got this pen for Christmas and it is a great one. At least for me it is. It's a School G pen by Tachikawa.
What fun! It is a fountain pen, it uses cartridges and has a flexible nib.
Here is a sketch I did the other day, just for the sake of drawing.

Christmas Again?

2009-12-16T13:22:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it is Christmas again. It seems like only just a few weeks since the last one.
Anyway, here are a couple of Christmas rough ones. Maybe ideas for something in the future.

Found Picture at a Portland Thrift Store

2009-11-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, when I could get around a little better, I used to volunteer at the William Temple House Thrift Store as a volunteer. It is a very worthy cause and while working there I talked to several people who were helped by the organization.

One day while folding clothes I found this picture. It is an old wallet size picture like from a photo booth. They said they couldn't sell it and that I could have it. I brought it home and hung it on the refrigerator along with some of our family photos. When someone asks, according to my mood I'll tell them it's my wife's sisters. Or maybe my sisters.

I don't know why I like this photo so much. Maybe because of the oddity or maybe because I was having a good time when I found it. Mostly I just wonder about the people in the photo.

Another pencil sketch

2009-11-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

This one was done with a harder lead. I am putting it in a letter and I hope it won't smear so much...

Raccooon and Frog

2009-11-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Just a sketch from the other day. Plus this song that I was thinking of earlier. It takes a few seconds before you can hear it.
The name of this band is Mr. Loco. I am linking to Mr. Loco's MySpace page here.

Another pirate cartoon

2009-11-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here is one I did for my own pleasure, as most of the ones I do lately are. It is just pencil on paper. I added the text with the free open source program Gimp.
AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Also, I found this version of "Turkish Song of the Damned" by The Pogues on Grooveshark. I love this song and I can picture this being sung in a darkend pub somewhere in pirate land. I know, I have linked to other streaming versiions of this song on this blog before.....

White Winter Hymnal

2009-10-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for this sketch when I was listening to the song "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes. So, I guess this is a fan art sketch.

Here is the song. I am trying Grooveshark this time.

Shankill Kitties

2009-06-24T21:05:00.001-07:00

Our little 9 month old cat, Bella, wants to get out. The wife and kids want the cat to be an "indoor kitty".
So I try to warn her of the dangers of the world, to no avail.
I also sing a modified version of Shankill Butchers to her.
It's a song by the The Decemberists, but I like this cover by Sarah Jarosz. The song is worth a listen!

Today's sketch

2009-06-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

This is the only way I could figure out how to get this song on this post. This sketch is at least partly inspired be this song. Gee, I miss Seeqpod.

BTW, I can't say enough about The Decemberists. I am a real fan of this group. :)

Just some sketches and a song

2009-05-08T09:12:00.001-07:00

A caricature, (I think I spelled that right), of my brother and his son, my nephew.

This was a pencil sketch colored with the computer.

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Here is a song I kind of like. The video is cleaver, also. The name of the group is Fleet Foxes.
Fleet Foxes Myspace page.

Gandhi on a skateboard, Dire Wolf and The Pogues

2009-05-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hello to all. Here are a few things I have been into lately.

Gandhi on a skateboard. Another in my historical musings.

A continuation of an idea.

Last, I saw this video and thought I would link to it. Probably my favorite song by The Pogues

De Gaulle on a Segway

2009-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

I did this one earlier this week. It is just a continuation of the cartoons I posted on February 23.

And here is a very loose doodle I did after hearing this song. It had been a while since I heard it. More an idea, really.

The Tripplets of Belleville

2009-04-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hi, I just saw a great French cartoon, "The Tripplets of Belleville". Great Style, interesting and all of that, but the thing I appreciated most was their portrayal of the dog. Very funny.
Here is the Trailer.
Jake

My dog again

2009-03-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

A pen and wash of my dog Forte. I used 80 pound paper, so I had to go light on the washes.

One Simple Two Panel Cartoon

2009-03-03T16:58:00.001-08:00

Just a simple cartoon about our new kitten, Bella.
The good news for her is I don't lift my feet up high enough to step on her. The bad news for her is she has to wear a bell on her neck so I know where she is at. That way I won't trip on her. :)
It's just mechanical pencil on notebook paper.

Three simple cartoons

2009-02-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

Just having some fun here with three real simple cartoons. I think they are all self explanatory. :)

Merry Chrismas and.....

2008-12-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

The barn's on fire!

This is a marker cartoon that I drew for my friend Dave for a Christmas card. It's based on a running joke about us old guys.

I guess you would have had to have been there.........

Another christmas post

2008-12-21T22:42:00.000-08:00

This was actually a birthday card I gave to my brother in law, but it ties in with the Christmas theme. Done with cheap magic markers.
Also, here is my favorite Christmas hymn. I liked this version.

Christmas for the Independent

2008-12-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

This is a sketch I did today at Independent Living Resources here in Portland. An organization dedicated to help disabled folks.

These guys. (as well as the lady in the last post), are visually impaired. The man on top mostly just stood and listened to everyone talking, occasionally smiling and joining in. The man in the middle was very talkative, speaking about his experiences in Alaska. While the man on the bottom waited patiently on his ride.

It was ILR's anual Christmas party. I was there with my wife who came to pass out the Christmas boxes at the party.

She has been gathering these boxes for weeks from friends and strangers who wanted to help to make Christmas a little better for these people. In retrospect it was pretty amazing how it all went together.

Sketch of the day

2008-12-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

I loaded my camera into my computer today. There were still pictures on there from Halloween. I am not really into Halloween that much, but costumes are so interesting.

This is a sketch of one of the pictures I liked. I just used cheap markers on Strathmore #400-3 paper. The scanner washed out the colors a bit though. I added the wall coloring with Gimp, a free program that is like photoshop.

Pastel Cat Portrait

2008-12-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is a portrait that was done from four photos. So, I do not have a picture to show for comparison, but I am pretty happy with the way it turned out.
I really wanted to try to get this cats characture.

A Couple of Sketches

2008-11-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

So here are a couple of panels I did a while back. I could not decide on the captions. Originally they were going to be political, but lately I am thinking about the holidays and the temptations of all the socializing.
The first panel would be like have another beer? Or piece of cake? The second panel would be a polite refusal, but firm. Like no thanks, I am driving or something like that.........

Maybe I should call this doodle blog!

2008-11-15T09:44:00.001-08:00

I saw a picture of this dog and decided it would be a funnier cartoon than a picture.
Anyway, I am still hanging around.

Here are a couple more. I am changing sketchbooks, so here are a few stupid ideas that I had.

A watercolor sketch of a dog

2008-11-04T12:20:00.001-08:00

Just practicing here. I might be doing a commission of a boxer, so I thought I would get ahead of the game by doing this sketch. The photo is a bit fuzzy and shiny, but everyone should be able to get the idea.

A Halloween Cartoon

2008-10-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my son, Chumley.
He was just talking the other day about Rob Zombie, so I linked to the song. It really does seem like a good Halloween song.

Today is Halloween, Friday the 31st. I thought I would add this cartoon to this post. It is one of my favorites. And the music is by one my favorite bands. Squirrel Nut Zippers. Enjoy.

Lon Chaney

2008-10-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at Tod Brownings work as a movie director of the 1920's and 1930's and ran across this video of Lon Chaney on You Tube. It is fascinating.
I remember Lon Chaney Jr as a kid, but Lon Chaney was before my time I guess. From what I see he was a true artist in every sense of the word.

Here is a quick sketch I did of him. I accidently stuck a black marker up his nose, but how interesting to draw. I colored it with Gimp, a free program that is like Photoshop.

Practice Sketch for Today

2008-10-07T14:51:00.001-07:00

Here is quick sketch I did today. I really like the way her hair looked and the texture of it. I was listening to music while sketching, so that was extra fun for me.

I was using a Pentel gel pen.
Jake

A Cartoon About us

2008-10-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Thirty fours years and I still get a thrill from my wifey.

Disabilities and Attitudes

2008-09-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

I saw this girl yesterday in Portland. On the back of her motorized chair there was a sticker that said "It's All Good".

A poslitive statement from her and an uplifting message for everyone else.

Happy Birthday, Tamera. From Sketch Island!

2008-09-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

AAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday, to my sister.
Me and the other pirates here are hoping you have a fine birthday.
Here's us and here is a Pirate's song or two to bring you up.

Or if you prefer:

Just adding some sketches and ideas.

2008-09-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that I haven't posted anything for a while. So, here are a few ideas I had. My cat who died. My sister in law, Judi, on a post it done with a red Bic ball point pen. And, of course a funny dragon.

Maybe you could tell that I am just a bit down today, but should improve as I go through the day.

And of course the most famous Woody Guthrie song. We used to sing this in school.

Freaks

2008-06-05T09:14:00.001-07:00

The other day I was talking with a friend about movies and the movie "Freaks" came up. I haven't thought about this movie for years. It's a good movie from 1932.

Written by Todd Robbins, produced and directed by Tod Browning, this is a movie that lovingly portrays circus freaks. It shows them as decent, kind, and accepting people. It also portrays two of the so called normal people to be the truly ugly ones.

Anyway, I sketched these two sketches from a YouTube clip I found of the movie. They are just pretty quick sketches on cheap paper with mechanical pencil, but fun to do never the less. I am also adding the clip from YouTube. Not just for comparison, but to give an idea of the movie. Included in the clip is the famous chant.

"Gooble gobble, gooble gobble,
we accept her, we accept her,
one of us, one of us,
you are now one of us."

Happy Birthday, Sis!

2008-04-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sister! Thirty nine again........
I thought I would draw a picture for you and what better than a monkey? Anyway happy birthday from all of us out here on the left coast!

I tried to find the best birthday song I could, I must have listened to one hundred of them, but this is the only one I liked, (except for The Beatles "Birthday" of course).

Just substitute your name, and no I don't expect you to listen to the whole thing.

Just thinking out loud.

2008-04-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have not been watching American Idol this year, so I don't have a clue what is going on there. But it's always fun to think about what would have happened if some truly great artists, who did not fit the American Idol mold, would have tried out.

Pete Seger, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and a whole host of great others.
The guy on the top is the great Woody Guthrie and the guy on the bottom is supposed to be Frankenstein Simon Cowell.

Woody!

Frankenstein Simon Cowell

Here's a couple of songs from Woody. Lessons learned and I think, at least partly forgotten.

And of course "This Land is Your Land". We used to sing this one in school.

About journaling and other thoughts.

2008-03-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

Now that I am getting older and my mobility is limited I find myself sketching when I go out. I have been looking a lot at peoples sketches on the net and I am finding the most attractive ones have some order to them. Like panels and personal notes. Below is one I did from Saturdays fly fishing expo in Albany, Oregon. I think it looks better this way and certainly better for others to look at. I added a bit of ink when I got home. I still have some things to learn, but this is, I think heading in the right direction.

I also adding a warm up doodle that I did on Saturday. I wish I would have put it in my sketchbook and not on the program. And another doodle that was an idea that I had. I was thinking of a bunch of chimps hanging out around a fly tyer and smoking drinking coffee and telling stories. I don't know if I will work on this or not it is just an idea at this point, but everyone who has seen this has had something to say about it. I think everyone must like monkeys!

The last item I wanted to share today is a song from The Dave Clark Five. I heard yesterday their lead singer died. They were a great group from the "English invasion", a musical movement that was in the early 1960's.

A Card

2008-02-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

It's my broter in law's retirement party tonight, so I made him this card. I drew it on a cheap notepad with felt tip pens and then had to try to fix it with photoshop. The paper wrinkled from the felt pens and then there were all these lines from the paper.

I think it looks all right. By the way, that is not my sister-in-law that he has his arm around in the photo!

A few sketches and a movie recommendation

2008-02-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

A sketch of a picture I saw.

My youngest son. He was trying on hats.

Playing with markers, (brush pens). I am just starting to do this.

Here are a few of my sketches this week. I have been able to move around this week and actually get a few things done. I don't have too much to say about these sketches.

The next thing I want to do is a movie review. It's funny I would do this, but I liked this movie and because the critics panned it, I thought I would bring it up.

This movie is "The Martian Child". The critics said it was too sentimental and too predictable.
I rented it anyway because I like John Cusak. In fact I like the whole cast.

I was not disapointed and found the story very touching. It was was well paced and interesting. And I though the boy, Bobby Coleman was great. He gave a very strong preformance. Cusak was cool as usual and Amanda Peet was beautiful.

If I were going to grade this, I would probably give it a solid B, but that is just my opinion and you are welcome to it.

Here is a link to a song from the movie, which a heard and looked up. I have been listening to it for a few days. It's from a band named Guster.