The UberLord of Video

Yes, more meeting doodles. This one is based a little more in reality than the last one.


This is a sketch of the guy who does a lot of the video on our site. He's really much nicer than I make him out to be in this sketch. I started thinking about what it would be like to have total control of part of the website, and he was sitting across the table from me, and one thing lead to another, and well, there you go.... UberLord of Video.

Here's a detail. I'm thinking about starting a moleskine for office meetings so I can avoid the annoying blue lines in our standard notepads. It would also allow me to use water color after the fact. The problem is our Executive Editor uses one for taking notes in meetings (no, he doesn't draw in his) and I'm afraid people will think I'm brown-nosing. But what the Hech!

Welcome back to the stage, Bob...

You saw him first in BCF for a couple of days ago. Here he is again in a regular sketch. My Bro-in-law Bob.


I know, the guitar is way off. There is something about string instruments that makes me stop looking and then the body of the instrument gets off... and oh well... there you go.

A little digital diversion

I love Photoshop. I wish oil painting had an undo command.

TGIBCF

I haven't done one of these in a while. It's nice to loosen up. This is my brother-in-law Bob playing guitar. Sorry Bob, you never looked so bad.

Like Mr. Torta, I too have been tagged

I was tagged by Carolyn.

3 JOBS I'VE HELD:
Vacum cleaner salesman
Waiter
Art Director

3 MOVIES I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
Braveheart
Star Wars
Ferris Bueler's Day Off

3 PLACES I'VE LIVED
Staunton, VA.
Sarasota, Fl.
Columbia, Md.


3 FAVORITE TV SHOWS
CSI Miami (because I love to make fun of it)
Lost
Just about anything on HGTV

3 VACATIONS I'VE TAKEN:
Outer Banks, NC (annually)
South Eastern Colorado
Toronto, Canada

3 WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY:
USA TODAY
LaueLines
Wally Torta


3 FAVORITE FOODS:
Steak
Salmon
Crab

3 PLACES YOU'D RATHER BE:
Tuscany
Pretty much any beach
In front of my easle

3 BLOG FRIENDS TO TAG:
Laura @ http://http://laurelines.typepad.com
Terry @ http://www.studionotes.typepad.com/
Big Harry @ http://www.thinkcabinfever.com/

Turn on the Way Back Machine!

Yesterday, after posting for the first time in a while, Wally suggested "posting older stuff more often" when I am having trouble keeping the blog fresh with new artwork.

I asked in a comment if people thought that was OK. I got a posative response.

Well I came home tonight and primed a canvas, but that doesn't leave me with anything to post tonight. So we're turning on the Way-Back machine and traveling to the year 1983. All the way back to my years at Ringling School of Art & Design. The assignment was a classic - pick a master work you like and make a copy. Here's mine, a painting by Rhembrandt. Too bad I can't remember which one I copied it's been so long.



Here's a cool tidbit - I was dating my wife at the time and when I showed this to her she looked at it for about 30 long seconds and turned to me and said, "It's really good, but you cheated on the chain across his chest." That's when I knew I ahd to marry her. She was right. I was running out of time to turn in the assignment and when I started painting that chain I stopped really 'looking' at what I was painting and it showed. Take a second look, it shows. And I thought here was a woman who wasn't a painter but could point that out? Well, I just had to marry her.


But what a hoot, huh? This guy is so plastic he could be a Ken doll! It is amazing to me how much we learn and grow as we get older. Here's the latest oil portrait I have completed (which some of you have already seen):


I'm starting a portrait of my daughter and hope to take you all along for the ride. Check in for more.

For what it's worth....

There is an old Air Force saying called "screw the pouch". This phrase was applied to a pilot who augered their aircraft into the ground or otherwise lost their aircraft. Their survival was not mandatory.

I thought the phrase might be fitting on this occasion since I was painting my dog and I am ,in fact, alive.

The color got away from me completely. I used a Pilot G5 gel pen to do the underdrawing. I LOVE this pen and the way it flows ink onto the paper. What I didn't realize was that it isn't waterproof. So when I started to add the paint I ended up with dark gobs of value instead of the precise area of color that I was hoping for.

I thought that fixative would solve the problem, but I am totally out. Can't believe that either. I'm NEVER short on supplies. Just goes to show you how much corporate life has distracted me lately.

Oh well, lessons learned.

I'm back!

My God an actual drawing.


I know it's been months. But I was determined to do something tonight. If you know me, you know my professional schedule the past few months has kept me from doing what I REALLY love to do. But it's time to get back in the game. But man am I rusty. Art is like athletics. If you work out everyday, you can perform well. If you stop, starting again is hard and feels clumsy. But that's OK. So I'll be sore tomorrow.

Meanwhile, this is one of my favorite subjects and one of my best friends. My ol' hound dog, golden retriever, Dusty. He was laying against my son's thigh. I just love how his face squishes up. He loves to love and be loved.

What is WRONG with me?!

I'm sitting in the Editorial planning meeting today, paying attention as usual. I started doodling this nice, benign Native American. He started out as just a pair of eyes but before I knew it he had a head band and braids.


Now, that was OK. We were talking about information graphics for the Olympics and the planning was going smoothly. Then my hand was gripped by some mysterious force and these big, baggy blank eyeballs appeared below Tonto and took on it's own life. (or death as the case may be)


I mean how bizzare? That this odd couple would end up neighbors on a page from my notepad. Makes me wonder what's wrong with me. What's going on in that head of mine.




Boy, just look at all the notes I took!

Tonight's guest star...

You've seen his work before if you've been here in the past. But this one is special. The drawing is my son's first from a live model. He's great at drawing cartoons, and does a great job drawing from his imagination. But this is his first official portrait drawn from a live model.

Can you see the under drawing? The horizontal lines through the eyes and the vertical in down the center of the face. He approached this with structure and a plan. The way it should be done.

Now if I could only get one of MY drawings posted on this blog we'd be in great shape.

Sometimes it's about why I'm not painting...

You guys know I have been absent for a little while. OK, a long while. I have been very busy at work, but also trying to cross those home improvement projects of my list. Over the holidays one of the goals my wife and I had was to replace the kitchen floor with ceramic tile. I had never done this before so it was a little scary, but fun at the same time. Don't worry Wally, I will spare you all the video this time. :-)