This is Not a Church

OK, I know it looks like a church. At some point it was probably even used for church-like things, but now it is occupied by a marketing company called Catalysis. I didn't realize this until after I finished the drawing and went over to look up the name, assuming it would be Saint-something-or-other (patron saint of pens running low on ink). I actually think it's very cool that a private company bought this building and seems to be making an effort to keep it looking nice. Plus I live about two blocks away, so it gives me something interesting to draw just around the corner from my apartment.

Flowers in Ink

This is a still life of an iris and some other sort of flower whose name escapes me sitting on my friend's dining room table. I might have been better able to remember the name of the other flower if there had not also been a bottle of wine sitting on this same table. I did put in some highlights with a little white conte, but it doesn't seem to have come through in the photo. Yet another case of the internet being a poor substitute for real life.

Ink Still Life

Some good friends had me over for dinner and drawing last night and, having enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine, I was disinclined to get up from the table in search of a subject to draw. Lucky for me, there was a shelf right there in the room with all sorts of cool bottles and jars.

Cryolophosaurus

Nope, I had never heard of a Cryolophosaurus either until I found a picture of one in a dinosaur book. Note the bony ridge on top of the head that looks a little bit like a mohawk, resulting in a mind-bending confluence of two of the major influences of my youth - dinosaurs and punk rock. How could I not draw this?

I should note that, with a little encouragement from my wife, this was drawn in ink without an initial pencil sketch. This is kind of a terrifying way to work and it does tend to result in slightly less accurate drawings, but I think it also forces me to concentrate in different ways. It also makes things go faster, which means I can actually get to a finished piece in one sitting rather than adding to my ever-expanding pile of drawings that are 75% done but that I just don't feel like going back to.

Me vs. Gabriel von Max

This was drawn from a painting by Gabriel von Max called "Renunciation." I actually drew this from a flyer for a show of his work at the Fry museum a couple of months ago, which I really enjoyed. The monkey paintings were definitely the best part, but then who doesn't love a monkey painting.

Ink Portraits

In the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel: "There is none more black."

I've been doing a lot of portraits lately and I've been slowly gravitating away from pencil and towards ink. Ink tends to go faster and it's a lot less forgiving, but I think it helps do away with my tendency to get overly fussy with pencil. The one on top is another entry from the Flickr Portrait Party and the one on the bottom is a self portrait done with pen and ink wash. As a side note, I hope to someday do self portrait where the expression on my face doesn't make me look like I'm about to punch someone. I seem to have trouble drawing and smiling at the same time.

Galapagos Tortoise, Tennessee Grass

Here's another drawing inspired by an entry in the amazing Flickr set run by the herpetologist from the Tennessee Aquarium. This is a Galapagos tortoise chowing down on some grass, presumably Tennessee grass. I wonder if Tennessee grass tastes different from grass in other states. I'll bet it does. I mean, Elvis is buried there for crying out loud, surely that must do something to the flavor of the grass in the good old Volunteer State. Me, I wouldn't know. When I went to Tennessee I subsisted almost entirely on dry-rub barbecue, like all sensible people do when they're in Tennessee.

Darth Vader Attacks Whiteboard

The three recent Star Wars movies were horrendous, but there will always be a place in my heart for the classics. I saw "Empire Strikes Back" seven times in the theater during its initial run.

Yeah, It's That Same Truck Lot Again

Some of you may be thinking "Come on, you're not really going to do another drawing of that same truck lot, are you?" I'm afraid so. Trust me, this really is the most interesting thing to draw that I can get to easily on my lunch break. Harahan, Louisiana has plenty of strip malls and fried chicken restaurants, but they're a little short on architectural or natural beauty. This is one of the many reasons why I'm always happy to come back to New Orleans after a day at the office.

Dauphine Street, New Orleans

I headed down to French Quarter on a chilly Sunday morning to do a little ink drawing. I did this one from across the street while lots of tourists in Middle Tennessee football gear walked by and tried to pretend they weren't watching me draw. I think I might have to make myself a T shirt that says "It's OK to talk to me, I am not a famous artists producing an immortal masterpiece. Also, I can hear you whispering to your friend while you watch me draw and it's actually making me more uncomfortable than if you just walked up and said hello." The T-shirt is still kind of a work in progress, as I may have a bit more text than I can fit in a legible font size.

Frankenstein Attacks Whiteboard

With Halloween fast approaching, I decided it was time to take a few minutes out of my workday and dive into another session of whiteboard art. A surprising number of my co-workers were unable to identify this as Frankenstein, which may say as much about my co-workers as it does about my drawing.

Dinosaur Attacks Whiteboard

My new cubicle came with a whiteboard and some dry-erase markers. I managed to hold out for about a week before I started using it for extracurricular drawing.