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.

Me vs. Massimiliano Soldani

This is a drawing of a small part of a 16th century sculpture by Massimiliano Soldani called "Lamentations Over the Dead Christ." I did this in a couple of sessions, the last two of which were several months apart. The act of digging this one out and taking it back down to SAM is part of my ongoing effort to actually finish my drawings as opposed to starting in on an ambitious subject, getting a off to a decent start, and then leaving the thing 75% finished and languishing in a drawer or on a forgotten page of my sketchbook. I make no promises as to how long this effort may last.

At the Seattle Public Library with the Urban Sketchers

The Seattle Urban Sketchers group - led by the amazing Gabi Campanario - got together for a Sketch Crawl at the library this morning followed by a really inspiring talk from Gabi about his book, "The Art of Urban Sketching," which everyone should buy immediately. It was all kinds of fun and I'm looking forward to going to many more sketch crawls with this fine group of local artists.

Note: for those who can't make heads or tails of these images (which probably includes everyone on Earth who didn't happen to be at the library this morning), the one on top is the fourth floor elevator and the one on the bottom is the little scanner thingy that they use to check out your books.

Bauhuas Coffee: Breaking The Animal Drawing Streak

Those looking at my recent posts on this blog might think I draw nothing but animals, be they extinct or living in all their glory within the pages of my friend's calendar. Allow me to put an end to all of this wild speculation by posting a quick drawing I did from the balcony at Bauhaus Coffee last weekend. I think this drawing may have gone faster than usual because it was accompanied by a cup of incredibly strong coffee and a house-made Ding Dong.

Rhino vs Brush Pen

Here's another one drawn from the same calendar the produced the Infamous Blue Footed Booby Drawing. Have I mentioned how much I love my brush pen? I'm currently in the process of composing an epic poem about it, although I need to learn Greek first. I'll post that up here as soon as it's finished.

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.

Li Chen Sculpture

I drew this from a sculpture by Li Chen called "Earth Piercing Fire" that I saw at the Fry Museum in Seattle. The whole show was really wonderful and it will be up for about another month, so anyone reading this who happens to be within a hundred miles of Seattle should step away from their computer right now and head down to the Fry to see some fantastic sculpture.

Blue Footed Booby

This is a Blue Footed Booby, drawn from a photo in my friend's National Geographic Calendar. Wait, maybe it was the World Wildlife Federation (which still makes me think of Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Savage, and the other WWF superstars of my youth). Well, let's say that the calendar in question was put out by an organization-to-be-named-later that really likes birds and whales and whatnot and that also happens to take some very fine photographs. Also, anyone who is snickering at the word "booby" should hang their head in shame for being almost as immature as I am.

Kitchen Still Life

I am once again back from the grave. Well, not really. I've just been too lazy to update my blog. I'd love to say that this will never happen again, but the truth is that it probably will.

This is a still life drawn in my kitchen with our Cuisinart and an apple. I should note that the shadows were done with a Pentel brush pen that my aunt gave me for Christmas two years ago and that I've been using a lot lately. I really love the feel of it and the way the ink flows in deep, smooth lines.

A Bad Day For Polar Exploration

This is an ink drawing done from a photo in the New York Times of a ship running into a few problems as it navigates an ice field. I'll concede that the ship in my drawing appears to be making its way through either a body of water or a giant pile of lumpy mashed potatoes, but trust me, it's ice.

Figure Drawing at Gage Academy

I recently took a weekend figure drawing workshop at the Gage Academy with Juliette Aristides. She subscribes to a very rigorous, classical approach in her workshops, which made for a really intense weekend and a kind of art instruction I'm not accustomed to (she was not afraid to stop me and say "no, you're doing it wrong.") Although we did one longer drawing over the course of the two days, I'm actually happiest with these two 20-minute value studies. I would highly recommend her courses for anyone who wants to really push themselves in their drawing.

My Triumphant Return

After several months of inactivity - during which time I'm sure all my fans have been crying themselves to sleep every night - I have finally found time to resurrect this blog. All of us here at Revenge of the Pencil, Inc. apologize for the lengthy absence. I moved from New Orleans to Seattle in March and, while I have continued to draw, there have been numerous demands on my time (primarily the really excellent beer they serve here in the Pacific Northwest) that have kept me away from this blog.

And what better way to come back than with Vorosh the Hunter? This was drawn from a Magic Card on loan from my friend's 10 year old son, who pronounced this drawing "pretty good." Astute viewers will notice that I initially spelled Vorosh's name wrong and had to make a correction. It may be a bit unsightly, but what choice did I have? Vorosh the Hunter does not cotton to spelling errors.

Last One From New Orleans - The Pirate's Alley Cafe

This will be my last post from New Orleans. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be moving to Seattle and leaving behind my home in the swamp. I've had some amazing times here and I hope I've managed to capture at least a little of the city's crumbling grandeur in my drawings. It will probably be a month or so until I can post again since I won't initially have access to a scanner in my new home, but I do plan to keep drawing and posting from Seattle.

This pencil sketch was done in the courtyard of the Pirate's Alley Cafe, one of my favorite bars in the French Quarter. I've stopped in there on Mardi Gras day a few times and it's always a great scene. This is one of the many places I'll miss when I leave town tomorrow.

Me Vs. Van Dyck, Round 2

This is a charcoal pencil drawing based on a painting by Anthony van Dyck called "Study of a Man's Head." This is the second drawing I've done from a van Dyck piece - the other one is here - and I am forever amazed by the depth of his skill.