Jack Drawing

Jack came to work this Saturday. We ate in the same Thai restaurant that I took Jane last weekend. In fact we were sitting at the very same table, right next to the salt water fish tank (a popular table with the kids). We talked about futuristic vehicles, so he drew this police anti-gravity motorcycle while I drew him drawing. I filled out the environment a little more than in the Jane sketch, since we were taking a little more time.

Jack was explaining to me how the anti-gravity engine works on this thing. Very cool!

Middle school open house - Joan

Joan was waiting to speak to our son's teacher. I showed her the sketch later and she laughed, it's very "her" the way she stands. I started to draw the background but the teacher became available so I had to stop.

Jane at work during lunch

Since I've been working Saturdays for the last month or so, every weekend it's bring your kid to work day! This time it was Janie's turn. She looks like she was holding perfectly still, but not so: I started drawing her in one position, but she kept moving, eating, talking, so I had to interpolate the motion information to the pose. Kind of hard to do, in a fun way. She drew me too while I drew her.

Jane at the vet's

Workspace

My workspace at the studio. I was waiting for DVD authoring software to finish, so I took the time to sketch what was in front of me. I've been sketching entirely in pencil for five years now as a reaction, I think, to sketching exclusively in ink for the previous 20. I got the strange urge the other day to sketch in ink again. I've always hated technical pens, thinking they were a poor, 20th century excuse for a proper dip pen. That irrational, judgmental, young person's idealistic anger seems to have finally dissipated, so naturally I went on-line and bought a Rapidograph. I really enjoy using it!

Lunch at the deli

I got my daughters lunch at the local deli while I got a haircut across the street. This was my view of them from standing behind the glass door waiting my turn, and later from the barber chair. They were having such a grand time and they never left my sight (Mike the barber turned the chair so I could see them). Yet another sketch done standing up. I'm getting used to it now, I suppose.

Director Lily

Today I got the day off, so I sat at the dining room table and had an uncharacteristically calm breakfast with Lily. Jane was still sleeping and Jack had to go to school. She was telling me about the music video she was "directing" in her imagination with her dolls. A sordid love triangle as far as I can gather. The slow pace of the morning slowed my hand down and it shows (to me at least) in the sketch.

Cluttered drawing table

Today, my day off, blasted by. The kids had lots of fun playing practical jokes on each other for April Fool's Day.

My good friend Dave Lowery just this week got his new blog up and going -- he's already got some beautiful sketches up there. That prompted me to update the links on my site, changing or deleting the dead links, etc., which led to me once again enjoying the great drawing related links on Josh Sheppard's wonderful links page. There I found this blog entry concerning the legendary illustrator Noel Sickles. Scroll down and behold the mind-blowing simplicity and genius of those Civil War sketches of his. Looks like pencil and wash. Just humbling to see that kind of ability, in my opinion. Then, going back to Josh's page, I found this fantastic collection of self-published artist sketchbooks that can be purchased at Stuart Ng's bookstore in Torrance, CA. There you go: inspiration -- at least for me.