Palm Springs

My Mom needed a much deserved vacation and I got to tag along. 

I don't know what these are but they were beautiful....and yet I'm still too lazy to look them up.

Great view

Turns out we have cicada's in California.  Turns out everyone knew this except me.  I had a great time, needless to say, but I felt more appreciative on this vacation.  It dawned on me just how blessed I was to have a job that gave me so much vacation time.

Gimme a hand

Hands have been known to give me problems so I did a little study session.  I did it ink because I wanted to think about my lines and really have purpose when I make a line.  With pencil I find myself making many unnecessary lines and that just muddies up the whole image. Oh yeah, I was studying Bridgman's method on drawing the hand using 6 construction lines.

7-11 Throwback Thursday I Want to Change

Today for Throwback Thursday we have one of the greatest voices in Christian music.  Russ Taff.....wow!   This is vintage people, don't sleep!  This song is my anthem and so powerful it still brings tears to my eyes.

7-4 Throwback Thursday~ Straighten My Life Out

Yes, coming fresh out the gate with The Winans!  Growing up I used to skip over this song because it wasn't fast enough to dance to, but now I totally understand it and appreciate it.  Talk about a testimony.  Nobody, no one and nothing could have straightened my life out the way Jesus Christ did.  I have a joy and peace that's indescribable, and it shows.  Instead of trying to keep a list of rules and struggling to be a "good enough Christian", I just LIVE for Him.  Instead of just showing an outward behavior modification, I've had a heart transformation.  The lil introduction to the song hits the nail on the head.

What happened?!

What happened?!  Well I'll tell ya what happened!  Life happened, that's what!  I swear I come back once a year to this thing, and you know what the saddest part is?  I troll so much on the darn internet, I've more than enough content to share.  It's ridiculous!  Let alone the fact that I stopped drawing...... GASP!!

That's right, I'm a bad person.  I know its a tad late to start up with a New Year's resolution, so I won't.  I'll just say that I'm going to do better (note that i didn't say promise) .  So here's what I have coming down the pipeline:

Thursdays will be " Gospel throwback Thursday".  I'll be paying homage to some Gospel classics and inspirational music that is nostalgic, powerful and I still rock in my car to this day!  Yes I do!

And Fridays will be "Face Friday".  Basically I draw a face.  Simple, right?  Keeps me sharp and practice makes perfect.  Plus it gives you something to laugh at......LOL!

That's the gist of it.  Of course along the way I'll be sure to sprinkle in my other endeavors and adventures in art and blah blah.  So ta-ta for now!

Artist Day

If you ask yourself why ARTISTS (tattooists, painters,singers,dancers,musicians or anyone who falls under the artist category) charge "so much" for performances... We don't get paid vacation, we don't get paid sick days, we don't get bonuses for outstanding performances nor for Christmas. We don't have insurance plans. We sacrifice our family on special days so that we can bring happiness to others. Illness or personal affairs are not excuses for a bad performance. Next time you ask, remember that ARTISTS are ARTISTS because of the love of music & art but that love doesn't pay debts. Happy Artists Day!! 

Re-post if you're an ARTIST

Possums, hoops and science, OH MY!

Know how you can tell when its Fall?  ....I update!  Yay!  Really, I apologize for the lack of posts around here.  I don't have any excuse except for life, things happen.  But something is better than nothing, right?

Here's a sneak peek of a comic strip I'm working on about those great scientists who help shape the world we live in and tell us what to think.

Another scientist

Busted out the Wacom for these and had such a blast.  For me, sometimes paper is just too blah!  Not to sound overly dramatic, but sometimes its like I'm drawing on sand and have to fight til things look the way I feel they should.  You need a smoother surface so you feel as though your ideas just glide out.

Last week I met this guy.  I'm peckin away at the computer when I hear some noise outside my window.  I turn the back porch light on and resting on the air conditioner unit is a possum.  He's scavenging for the cheese in the pizza boxes because your girl was too lazy to walk the 5 extra steps to the recycling bin.  I geek out at my limited interaction with nature so much that I attempt to rally the sleeping troops (my family) for an expedition.  ...so all I could get was Mom, but we still took some pictures.  This guy was gnarly!  Next morning I sit at the drawing table and here you go!  I got bored and decided to call it quits with the tail.

Oh yeah!  I also designed a website as well as a corporate identity for a dear friend of mine.  Check her site out, and if you're in the I.E. sign up for some lessons.

On Ice

Went with the family to see Disney on Ice tonight and I must say that I had a good time.  It was the first time for my niece and she had a blast as well, so it was all good.  The last I went was when I was a kid, so seeing the excitement and wonderment in her eyes was awesome.  The skaters were good.......but there were quite a bit of spills.  No joke!  There were mermaids, starfish and pirates hittin the deck......and not in good ways.  I gotta hand it to them though, they got up so quick if were looking the other way you would have missed it.  Unfortunately I didn't pack my good camera and had to rely on my trusty cellphone......hence the blah blah pictures.

 "Unda da sea!"  With Sebastian

 Very cool when giant Ursula came out.....until they killed her...

..... Intermission .....

Giant tick tock crock was awesome.....until they killed him too.  Just kidding!

GRAND FINALE WITH PETER PAN!  GOOFY,........TAKE US OUT!

Look into the eyeball

I hate it when I don't draw for long periods of time, because I almost have to relearn some things.  Not good.  In order to begin the warm up process I do some loose gesture sketching and stuff on that order.  Pose Maniacs is an awesome site I came across that gives you random images of models to draw.  They also provide a timer for you to improve yourslef, from 10 to 90 seconds.  Here is the result of my 45 sec session....

I know I should have gotten further along in 45 sec, but I'm working on it.


About that eyeball talk in the title....  For a while I was considering going back to school to get into Optical Dispencing....you know, as a backup plan to the art thang.  As a result I was drawing eyeballs until my heart was content.  .....sounds morbid, huh?  Eventually I narrowed all my sketches down to one and recreated it on canvas.  IT WAS A BLAST!  Check out the process....

 

Hot time in the old town tonight

It's officially fall now and eveyone thought that this crazy heat would start to die down.......well it hasn't!  I don't appreciate that, 113 degree heat is not fun.  Besides that it never fails that when the heat kicks up the fire bugs come out.  Fire bugs being arsonists.  I've stated in a previous post that I choose to take advantage of my time in traffic by doing some constructive thinking and whatnot.  ....just because I do that doesn't mean I want to make a habit out of it.  So imagine my frustration yesterday when for no apparent reason the cars around me suddenly sloooooooow down.  Then in the distance I see smoke.......and where there is smoke there is fire.  But get this!

    ........IT'S A MILE AWAY!  Here we are a frikkin mile away on a bridge, staring at a fire that has nothing to do with us!  Yet we're watching it.......yup we're watchin it.