Holiday Wrap-up

Well, I like the hips, anyway. Happy New Year everyone!

A New Do

Different hair style, new boots, same gun.

Machine Gun Kelli

Someday I'll start using reference for these drawings. Another gun-girl from earlier this month.

The Son-King

A quick sketch of the heir, earlier this month. A great way to get children to sit for a portrait is to have them suckle at the TV for a while. A child without this kind of distraction will soon want to talk to you, share their thoughts, ask to spend time with you, etc., -no no no- take my advice and avoid this by leaving the TV on most of the day.

Bing Reloaded

This is what happens when you spend a week trying to capture a likeness of Bing Crosby, then take a break and watch the Matrix with your son. There's only one reason why Der Bingle would have Trinity's body, of course .... glitch in the Matrix! Note: Caricature is not the reason I'm on this planet.

Der Bingle

Sorry for the late post, I've been bogged down watching my wife try to keep up with holiday poop- exhausting! We lucked out with a white Christmas this year, where the Missouri and Mississippi rivers meet. Anymore, snow is all I really want for the holidays. Merry Christmas!

Don't Ask, Don't Ask

I know, I know, it's another girl wearing underwear, gloves and boots lugging a vintage machine gun, so what? Look, I have no control over this, certainly no agenda! This stuff just belches out of my little immature brain and onto the page!
Not that I advocate girls clad only in underwear serving in our nation's military, no sir. I'd be happy to think about it when our military leaders say they're ready for it and then only after an exhaustive review by the military itself .... and then, still, probably not. Our lads have enough to deal with in combat without worrying if some scantily clad girl next to him is going to try to some hanky panky!

Rash of Dog Drawings

As you can tell, I haunted the dog for an evening or so, stoking her paranoia. This is a sketch where I tried to regain some aggressive line work and ignored the softer shading capabilities of the #2 pencil. At the back of the dog's head you can make out the ghost of a false start.

The Dog, Ignoring Me

A recent drawing of the Dog, no doubt concentrating on how to shed the maximum amount of hair between my semi-annual vacuuming. Resisted the urge to shade using the edge of the pencil for some reason. I tend to approach pencil rendering as if I'm going to finish a drawing in ink eventually. I'll talk to my therapist about it.

Dog Tones

A few weeks ago, the dog doing what she does best; pouting. Regular #2 pencil, getting a bit bogged down with grey tones, I'm afraid.

Hyborian Age II

In my April 24 post "The Hyborian Age", I told the tale of my Dad making a "barbarian helmet" for me as a surprise when I was 13 or 14. This is pretty close to what a farmer in Mid-Missouri could have seen if they'd spotted me striding through the fields .... "A Thief, a Reaver, a pimply teen with Great Melancholies ...." my apologies to Robert E Howard!

The Cooler King

A week and a half or so ago. Topper and I are currently at war. He has rescheduled his breakfast time for 4:30 a.m., and can't understand why the rest of us aren't on board with it. So any harassment before 6:00, earns him time in the garage. Let's hope he figures this out before we have to change his name to Steve McQueen! (heh-heh-heh that's a "Great Escape" reference for us oldsters out there) It's going to be a long winter.

Invincible IronMan Zombie

From a few weeks ago, my son and I are killing time waiting in the car and we're talking, naturally, about zombie superheroes. At his request, I attempt a zombie IronMan (below) from memory. When I checked my reference at home, I was compelled to draw another.

It's Pneumatic Man!

Yep, it's Pneumatic Man. From a few weeks ago. This is what happens when you start drawing without a plan.

Warm-up

From a few weeks ago and later. This is an example of a warm-up page from my sketchbook. I'll frequently start an image for no reason, lose interest, then return to it from time to time to pick at it while I'm stalling on another project. Notice the varying pencil types I've played with over the course of the image. Kind of reminds you of those crappy comics from the '90s doesn't it? When everything was bad-ass for no reason? It should be named "Death-squat" or "Trauma-bot" or something.

A Softer Pencil in Combat

From 2 days ago, I think, it's all a blur to me. In combat situations, it's important to wear the right gear .... like gloves and boots.

Sour Kraut

A few weeks ago. I try to keep my sketchbook on my lap while I watch TV, you never know when inspiration will rear it's ugly head. While watching a documentary about WWI, I was struck by the appalling cut of these German overcoats.

More Ammo

Same as yesterday, only with more ammo. I'm breaking in a new Hunt 106, it's an awkward stage. The nib doesn't know if you're right or left handed, what kind of paper you prefer.... all the same things that make first dates a pain. Patience!

The Future

One from week before last, I think. I'm once again pushing my movie idea involving females in their underwear, packing big guns, fighting what ever in some kind of environment (does it really matter?), oh- and wearing gloves. Box office gold. I'm using a softer #2 pencil and it's causing me to be a little conservative in my approach. Your patience is appreciated!

The Sum of All Fears

From May of '03, apparently. My wife is appalled at the self-portraits I make, she sees them as a form of self-flagellation, or some such piffle. I don't see them as self portraits .... I'm just exploring familiar landmarks without running the risk of offending someone. An old friend of mine once drew my portrait while I was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and eating out of a bag of popcorn. He made me look like Jackie Gleason, for God's sake! But I realized he wasn't trying to make a likeness, just taking pleasure in drawing textures, shapes, toe hair, etc. Then again, maybe he was just trying to piss me off.

On Second Thought ...

I got off of work early today, so I penned this especially for you and yours on this holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! P.S. I broke my favorite pen nib as I was rounding the "Q" on my initials, so thanks alot everybody! How I've suffered for the sin of pride!

Hand Study

Another study from '03. I was doing some large paintings and drawings of hands and this is one of the sketches I'd done for one of them. I think this is where I started using black prismacolor as a substitute for a pencil. Astounding but true!

Robut Trouble

An oldie from an '03 sketchbook. Speaking of sketchy, sorry about the hap-hazard schedule of late. I'm having to scan new material in as needed and it's testing my resolve! Onward!

Posture Counts

I'm planning on collecting these sketches of violin students and giving them to my son's violin teacher as a gift. I'm thoughtful that way. I'll admit I'm a little resentful of the pressure of having to do a good job when I'm sketching these, knowing they'll belong to someone else! Ironically, our teacher spends most of her time correcting bad posture, and I find the most interesting poses to draw, (naturally) demonstrate atrocious posture. I was quite pleased with the wrinkles in the clothing on the figure on the right .... how do I do it?!

Rubber-Devil Lives!

Around 03 or 04, my old Kubert School buddy, John Patterson wanted me to contribute a back-up story to a comic he was self publishing. He wanted a character named Rubber-Devil with the abilities of a Stretch Armstrong doll. A character who couldn't necessarily stretch like Plastic Man, but could be stretched by just about anything. These were his only guidelines, the rest was up to me. I had fun.
I was able to finish one story completely, another was finished to tight pencils and the last never got past lay-outs before the publisher fell through. Above is an example of a wide panel I was trying to figure out.

If This Be My Destiny

Drawn while imagining the occasion of my 35th anniversary with the company. HB pencil and a smidgen of pessimism.

Another Midori

Another violin-playin' rascal .... this one happens to be related to me. I've really got to shift my position at these group classes and draw these kids at different angles!

Suzuki Wunderkind

Another pen sketch on toned paper, snatched at an open violin class for youngsters. Lots of baggy t-shirts with little legs .... y'know, like the rest of the country!

Last of the "Fun" Wars

Another sketch that started with nothing but the urge to draw. I started with the helmet and developed from there. Can anyone guess where it ended?

Well, I never!

Result of an urge to draw with no particular place to go.

Glenn, patron saint of hangovers

In the early 90's, when we lived in Chicago, a friend of ours bar tended at a Scottish pub on Clark street close to Diversey. It became like a second home. I developed a deep love of bitters and stouts, and a fearful respect of single malt scotch. My wife would call the pub first if she didn't know where I was.
Eventually our bartender friend decided to move back to Missouri, so our small group of friends had a final hurrah at the pub on his last night on duty. It was a blur of excessive drinking. I drank way past the point where I was mindful of the consequences.
Then a miracle happened- I awoke the next morning fine! In fact, I helped our friend load up his truck and I was in a pretty good mood! How could this be? I should've been hospitalized! The only reasonable explanation, of course, is that some supernatural force intervened.
I wish I knew what prompts his appearance, as I've been saved precious few times since!

Queazy Piano

From the last Suzuki violin class. Our girl with the skirt and boots is now levitating and a grand piano appears to suffer water damage.

Pumpkin Head Blues

I was s'posed to ink this before Halloween, but Halloween came up too fast this year, or I was inking too slow, I don't know which. Sorry 'bout the light pencils. Happy Halloween!

Suzuki violin

It's a vacation for me to sketch with a pen. I have to remind myself every once in a while to pay attention to negative space. Note the little girl wearing the skirt and boots. I've found in almost every violin group class, about one in every twelve girls has a creative fashion sense.

More Suzuki Students

More micron sketches swiped from a Suzuki Violin group class about a month or so ago. I fell deeply in love with the sandals at the bottom of the page. These pen drawings remind me of the type of line art that was everywhere in the late '60's and '70's. Check out a Boy Scout manual (paper-back edition) from this period or any textbook for that matter.

The Great Shark Hunt

Drawn from a photo published by the New Jersey Star-Ledger, 2001. It was the anniversary of a strange incident in which a large shark had made it's way via high tide, streams, etc., inland to local swimming holes, causing all sorts of trouble. Above is from a photo taken in the '20's of a group of local gals waiting to take a pot shot at the shark from the bank of a river. Pen n' ink, prismacolor on toned paper.

Ancient Technology

Our niece surfing the "inter-web" in a tiny apartment in New Jersey, 2001. Back then, phones were hard wired into peoples homes and this is also how people received the Internet. A computer system typically consisted of several components: the hard drive, the keyboard, speakers, and a "mon-i-tor" ( not the creature from mythology!)- can you imagine?! Why I'll bet she's waiting seconds for her "X-Files" related searches to yield results! Seriously, it's prismacolor on toned paper.

The Best Buy at Best Buy

Dude, blocking the entrance to the Best Buy in the suburban shop-plex that took over the flood plains of Chesterfield, Mo. I don't know why this guy tweaked me so badly. It wasn't just the offensive use of "dude" in a public setting, or his location in the entrance designed to maximize the amount of people who would notice a dominant phone display. Is it possible that I was jealous of his Ralph Lauren style, his designer hair or the fact that he had numbers to crunch? Yeah, probably.

Boardwalk Empire

What happens when you watch TV and sketch at the same time. My old friend, black Prismacolor.

First Communion

My Mother-in-law, circa 1940's Bolivia. Pen and Ink with white prismacolor.

Visigoth Batman

I took a vacation day recently to catch up on housework .... I spent most of that day inking this. Par for course as far as I'm concerned. Batman re-imagined as a really butch northern European.

How to Draw the Joker in Cape and Cowl

I've been noodling around with digital painting lately. This is something I'd started sometime in the Spring and only returned to it in the last week or so. I saw a piece by my hero Barry Windsor-Smith in which the Joker is wearing Batman's ill-fitting cape and cowl, while joker playing cards rain down on him. For the life of me, I can't remember where I saw it- online somewhere. I laid everything out quickly, then hit a few snags so I abandoned it for a while. Coming back after a hiatus I think I worked through some of my problems.

A Season in Hell

Yep, it's the only known pen n ink sketch of the only known photograph of Arthur Rimbaud .... one of my short-term personal saviors (sorry Bruce!). I recently resurrected this old sketchbook from around 2001. I was a new father and playing Mr. Mom, so I had plenty of time drinking exotic teas, fantasizing about running guns to Africa, and breaking the ancient taboo of using colored papers.

Suzuki Class Sketches

The last page from the sketches gathered at Suzuki Group Violin class of the 9/25.

2 Attempts at the Same Pose

Same child from the previous post. I can't recall what made me start over the pose above and finish the pose below. The Faber-Castell pens I bought a while ago did not work out for lettering and such, but I now carry them in my man-purse and they seem to work well for sketching.

Micron Valley

Every other Saturday, my son has violin group lessons .... an excellent sketching opportunity. I'll admit to a small amount of smug superiority of being the only only parent not farting around with their phones, droids, blackberrys, laptops, i-pads, whiz-bangs, dingle-whatsits, etc. When did I become such a dinosaur?

Happy Anniversary!

The worlds seems to have gone crazy these last 2 decades .... terrorism, economic upheaval, Glenn Beck, etc. The gods are truly punishing us. It's my fault, I'm afraid! 18 years ago today, through guile, trickery and deceit, I snatched one of their own. What hubris! By marrying someone way out of my league, I've caused decades of suffering for my fellow mortals. It was worth it. Thanks, Carol and sorry everyone else!

How to Draw Your Co-Workers

Leftover goof-off drawings from my time at an East-Coast Animation Abattoir. It's fun to work with cartoonists and animators. Do or say something stupid, and it's bound to be immortalized in pencil or ink. The top drawing is dripping with irony, by the way!