The Host

A parent, waiting for her kids at Kumon Math Center, engaging in the national pastime. By the way, at a very young age, I thought "Smart-alec" was my middle name. Unsharpened black Crayola Pencil.

At the Bread Company

While in Jefferson City, the capitol of Missouri, during the last week of July, my son and I duck into a Panera Bread joint to cool off with a slushee. The gentlemen above caught my eye. The elderly Bolshevik on the right wearing dark socks with sandals was an obvious choice. The other gentleman was so important that he needed to be in constant contact with the outside world at all times! "It's 3:00 pm in Jeff City, MO, better not risk even having the phone at arms length". Oy. Note: I forgot to bring my glasses with me so all of this was a big blur while I drew it.

Playing the Pokemon

One of the local libraries held a Pokemon tournament one Saturday in early July or so and I played the dutiful father and sketched while my son played on. The child-star-handsome young man in the upper left is my son.
My parents were lucky since I suffered from so many phobias that I could barely leave the house when I was young.

The Mall-Walker, the Pokemon Player and Security

Ahh life- she is beautiful! Random mall sketches waiting on Pokemon players around late June, early July maybe? You'll be happy to know that I've since switched back to black Prismacolor which means my sketches will be a lot richer. Unfortunately, there's a month's backlog of sketches until then .... please bear with me.

Sketching in Public

Sketching the Pokemon Parents who wander an abandoned mall while their kids battle each other with Pokemon cards. Some parents practice the primitive art of conversation, most are absorbed by laptops, i-phones, i-pads, and i-dunno-whats. I of course, lurk in the shadows, smirking and sketching ..... and smirking.

2 Languid Lifeguards

Available models at my son's swimming lesson, earlier in June. I feel pretty smug about the suggested flip-flops on the figure to the left.

Local girl, aged 7, plays Pokemon to beat the heat

Another sketch from a Monday night Pokemon tournament weeks ago.

Another evening of sketching while my son plays Pokemon.

Bathing Beauties

A few weeks ago at my son's swimming lesson, I tried not to sweat on the page. The pool is usually filled with various noodle-bobbing fitness classes that are too slow moving to do much about the sour old man drawing them from the bank. Times have certainly changed, my son has to dodge water aerobics classes while learning to swim in a pool. I learned in a lake, fending off swimmer's ear, bluegills, hepatitis, snapping towels and "buddy checks" (shudder).

Thanks to my good friend Dave for the hot Photoshop tip on darkening timid drawings.

Blower

The world's most dedicated lot cleaner from my "Brazil" post earlier this Spring, as he appears now. As you can see from my many preliminary outlines, I had trouble capturing his impressive girth. Which begs the question: how many calories do you have to consume to maintain that fighting weight? I mean, this guy doesn't dally. He blows through these lots like he's got 30 to do before noon!
I'm secretly jealous of his job.

Pokemon Pre-Release

I took my son to a Pokemon Pre-Release a few weeks ago, introducing the new line of "Black & White" cards. The kids are always excited because they get 6 or 8 packs of the new cards, from which they construct the strongest decks they can, then "battle" each other in a mini-tournament. I took the opportunity to sketch.

Upper image; multiple views of the guy who runs these things locally. Has a good rapport with the kids. I've never seen him when he's not eating the worst form of cheese-laden fast food.

Same page; Girl in the lower left corner, if I were to accurately capture her color, I'd just apply black to her t-shirt and orange to her hair, everything else would match. I'd go do that now if it didn't involve having to find my colored pencils, then I'd probably have to sharpen them and stuff- forget it.

Ragamuffins

2 kids, well, my impression of them anyway, playing in a parking lot on one of the first warm weekends of the year. The week before brought 6 inches of snow. I'm trying to place more dark areas in these blue pencil drawings. Hmmm, maybe I should switch back to black Prismacolor for a while.

The Last Time I Saw Brazil

The same morning as below, waiting for my son to come out of Kumon. I noticed a squat street-cleaner snap into the parking lot, looking like it was designed by Terry Gilliam. Out jumps a guy in a jump suit who begins to scuttle about the lot picking up small branches with an extendo-grabber-thingy, like his life depended on it. If I ever needed an open space cleaned, this is the man to get it done. It snowed about 6 inches later that day.

Purgatory

About 2 weekends ago, watching my son and others suffer through a Saturday Kumon session. I was trying to channel Topolski in a half-hearted way.

Mistah Kurtz, he dead.

A recent gorgeous Saturday spent inside a strip mall store at a Pokemon Tournement. Depicted is a Totodile hat, I have on good authority. The key is making a friend of horror .....

Bend Sinister

Sketching opportunities abound when I accompany my wife as she volunteers at a local mental hospital. By accident, a reasonably tight rendering with a regular 2B pencil.

Moms

Various moms caught before a recital earlier in January.

2nd Set, Violin Class

More micron sketches from earlier in January.

Micron Sketches

Still delighted by the variety of clothing styles at these weekend group violin classes. A clean bunch of marker sketches if I do say so.

The Doomed

From a December 10th recital, a young man waiting to get his violin tuned.