The Viola

Sometimes big burly rams with awesome horns just need to be sketched.

Yellow Dress new painting

Yesterday I had to wait on some client feedback so I took the time to work on this new little (9 x 12) study. Mixed media, trying to loosen up a little and overall... I like what happened.

CCAD profs revisited

Realizing that I haven't posted anything on here since the late 80's I figured I'd better get back on track.
Last Spring I asked Ben Mahan to pose for me for a kid's vampire piece I was doing and he obliged by setting me up with some great reference shots. Recently after flipping through some older posts on this blog I realized that I never got around to sketching Mahan when I did the other Illustration instructors . So since I had the reference on hand I went to it. Rock on Ben

Sketch Day 110 Another flower child

I like where these flower head poses are going so I think I'll keep going with them until something else inspires me!

Sketch A Day 107- 109

A few new sketches I've done as prelims for new paintings - time to pick up the slack!

Sketch A Day 106 Macaroni and Cheese

So, my nephew is staying with us for a few days. As a result we're eating alot of Mac n' Cheese floods of chocolate milk and Oreos.
Not bad I know... but it has thrown my creative juices into a frenzy ... from which was hatched my little beasty sketch here.
It was either that or all the heroin.

Ushanka Girl painting

Not technically my painting a week piece-(fail for now)
But a new piece none the less.
I encourage everyone in the CBus area to go check out a great new show at Rivet Gallery "We'll be Right Back After These Messages"
Some very fine work in that show!

Be sure to tell Maxe hi!

`````Painting a week 1 complete

Made some time this afternoon to finish this little piece up. The final is 8x 10 in acrylic , oil and some PS to tweek it. All in all this went pretty smooth and I'm already planning the next experiment!

Sketch Day 105 Lioness

pretty much straight up sketch of a lioness. Started out as a phone doodle and decided to tighten it up. I think I have a thing for big cats facing right!

Painting a week progress.....

I'm lovin' the switch to oils for this . But wow they are just taking forever to dry.....Never the less, I'll have it finished this week!

Sketch Day 105 painting a week 1

Along with some of the sketches I've decided to try some small paintings, making myself do one a week- This is the first. Underpaint and drawing of a total random image not laboring over technique and trying to experiment with design, media, you name it . we'll see how this goes.
Oh, I haven't forgotten Ghidorah- he'll be the next and the last of the kaiju sketch series.

Sketch Day 104 Sadora

This is one of Ultraman's boys Sadora. And as per usual with most of these kaiju beasts he weighs 24 tons and the only real superpower I found was that he emits a deadly fog wherever he goes.
Sounds more like Mcinturff to me.

Sketch day 103 Miss Fried Chicken

Aunt Bea.
France Bavier the actress who played Aunt Bea on the Andy Griffith show thought it was morally indecent that a classically trained actress such as herself would be asked to say the word "underwear" on national TV.
Alas she relented, but was known to be quite the diva while the show ran for nearly 10 years.

Sketch Day 102 Jet Jaguar

Besides being able to alter his size and shoot lasers from his eyes JJ has some pretty sweet karate moves. However for me, it's purely the name: "Jet Jaguar".
So from now on when I go into some bigshot restaurant where they ask your name for a table, I'm using "Jet Jaguar". Sounds impressive and a little cooler than Flinstone.

sketch Day 101 Hedorah

Hedorah aka "The Smog Monster" is not a very imposing looking character at first glance but, if you are tippin' the scales at 52 tons and can shoot energy beams out of your eyes and can spew out sulfuric smog and acidic mud then you my friend get respect..much respect.

Sketch Day 100 Mechagodzilla

Ok, I figured for Sketch a Day 100 I needed something with a little more umph to it. So we've got a Mechagodzilla, Forbidden Planet, 50ft Woman smash up here. A fun one!

Sketch Day 99 Baragon

At 25 tons and 82 feet tall Baragon walks the walk and talks the talk. Oh yeah he shoots flames out of his mouth, can tunnel underground, has a glowing nasal horn and devours people and livestock. There goes the neighborhood.

Sketch Day 98 Rodan!

"Knock knock"

Who's there?

"Rodan"

Rodan who?

"Rodan the window I think I hear huge flapping wings."

Sketch Day 97 Gigan 2

Last night I felt inspired to do another quick Gigan sketch - little more animated version this time. So here's Gigan 2, with a little more emotion.

Sketch Day 96 GIGAN!

I dig Gigan .
Buzzsaw blades in the abdomen, hammer claw feet and arms, able to fly at mach 3 speed, what's not to like about this cyborg freak?
I know there's several different versions of this fella, but I stuck with the old school look.
Such cool looking monsters are making re-think how I want to portray them so, I think I'm going to really try to push the drawing on these next few kaiju posts.

Sketch Day 95 Back on the Saddle

Well after 3 weeks of solid "work" work I can finally breathe a little easier and get back to my blog.Some monster action for today's sketch. I need to begin thinking about a new series....I've got a few ideas so we'll see.
The painting of Russian hat girl is finished and I'll scan it soon and put up some pics-

Sketch Day 94 The Hare

Been awhile. I only have myself to blame too. You'd think that having freelanced as long as I have that I'd know when to say "no" to projects; especially ones that control your life for weeks at a time. Oh the lessons we learn...I hope to post more sketches soon because I sure need to feel creative again!

Sketch Day 93 Fresh Meat

Flipped on the TV today and happen to catch a few minutes of Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern. The man will eat A N Y T H I N G. Today, Mr. Zimmern was in Africa feeding wild hyenas meat he held between his teeth. These devil dogs are nasty, ravenous, eating machines and didn't hesitate for a minute to snatch whatever pulp he was offering. I think Andrew felt he was among friends.It's a great episode if you haven't seen it.

Sketch Day 92 Wrong Number

Coleman "Wrong Number" Jones has been a mainstay on the Southern Blues Club circuit for nearly 50 years. His distinctive "let your little finger fly free" guitar style and hoarse in the throat singing has been sampled by everyone from Kool Moe Dee to Weezer. When asked about his nickname, Coleman remarked that "over the years of playin lotsa late night clubs you're bound to meet plenty of sweet, sweet special ladies.Only trouble was everytime I was ready to leave town one of them would always call and ask "are we gonna see each other again?" It was at this point I'd just say," Baby, you got the wrong number".

S Day 91 No Common Sense

Basil was dog tired. He knew getting up for work in the morning would be hell.But when the call goes out for an all-night Twister party he answers the bell everytime.

Sketch Day 90 The Prom

Gayle tried everything he could possibly think to do. Walked her cat, took her to Denny's ,bought her a Hall & Oats cassette...nothing worked. She still said "no" to the Prom.

Sketch Day 89 A few Heads

a couple of quick head studies before dinner tonight.Trying to play with proportions, light, all that artsy stuff...

Sketch Day 88 The Meditate

I picked up my sketchbook tonight and it said "do I know you?"
This is an idea I thumbed out awhile ago...I like the whole meditation/serenity theme and plan on developing this further.

Sketch Day 87 Spring Flowers

About this time of year people can often be heard remarking
'April showers bring May flowers'
However, not the good people of Pleasant Hill, Ohio. They realize this is only a
child's rhyme and nothing more.
The only flowers in the yards and parks of their quaint little
village have been carefully planted by Flowers by Chaz.
Been that way since 1952.

Sketch Day 86 The Boxer

Recently I went to an estate sale and came away with some pretty awesome stuff. Some of which were art supplies! I bought an awesome travel easel, brushes, heavy duty aluminum paint box and a great 12 x 18 old sketchbook filled with 50 unused, slightly ochre patina colored pages . Can't wait to fill it!! What's also cool is that it's stamped "Ken McCallister, Dayton Ohio" which is where I bought all my art supplies when I first became a freelancer. Pretty nostalgic!
The boxer is a little different sketch for me . I tried to use more of a tone against tone approach in the drawing as opposed to a heavy line emphasis . I also held my pencil the "Drummond" way and sketched with it using a sideways motion in the drawing. Quite a challenge and a good way to break in a new "old" sketchbook.

Sketch day 84,85 Float Girl & Friend

a little Avedon inspiration tonight and a singing guitar and ....bed!

Sketch day 83 Time to Refuel!

wow not much left in the creative tank tonight. So I just drew some folks from a magazine and experimented with some different media. It happens.

Sketch Day 82 The Mantis

Only suckers rode Sandy.

Sketch Day 81 Play Ball!

Monday is opening day for the Reds. This means it's time to turn on the radio and listen to Marty and the Cowboy call the games on those hot summer nights!

The paintings slowly coming...

well I've been working on several new pieces for myself and to help my rep freshen up my images on her site. I'll post more as I make progress . Each of these has probably an hour and a half in them so far.All are in acrylics.

Sketch Day 80 Go Deco

yeah, felt a little deco-ish for this evening ...

Sketch Day 79 Cocoon

Most days I will write down interesting words I read or just hear on the radio and save them for inspiration. Today, the word cocoon was on top of my list, and though I wasn't real sure what I wanted to do with it I thought this felt pretty cocoony.

Sketch Day 78 SkyDiver

I saw one of these rides at an auction recently and I really wanted to bid on it- like bad,bad. But alas, after 'reasoning' things through I decided to let it go. Damn you reason!

Sketch Day 76, 77 ...... Apple+Hokey Pokey

"an apple a day keeps the doctor away
apple in the morning, doctor's warning.
Roast apple at night
Starves the doctor outright.
Eat an apple before bed
knock a doctor on the head.
Three each day seven days a week,
Ruddy apple ruddy cheek."



I'll spare you all the lyrics to it, but
this image is my take on the rhyme
the Hokey Pokey.

Sketch Day 75 Acorn redux

This is one of the pieces I did for a group show at Varnish a few years ago. I sold the original and thought I must have accidently pitched the files of any record of the art -until I found it today! So, just sharing the original inspiration for A is for Acorn from one of my early posts.

Sketch Day 74 Black Sheep

Baa,baa black sheep
have you any wool?
yes sir, yes sir,
three bags full.
One for the master
and one for the dame,
And one for the little
boy who lives down
the lane.

Sketch Day 73 Bat,Bat!

Here's a rather odd children's rhyme I discovered...

Bat,bat come under my hat,
and I'll give you a slice of bacon;
And when I bake,
I'll give you a cake,
If I am not mistaken.

Bacon AND cake not a bad deal.