It takes a Village

This is the kind of thing I draw when I'm bored and can't think what I want to draw or am failing at what I want to draw, kind of clears the mechanism or something. Just start with a structure or bit of landscape and keep going. Usually ends up in the wastebasket and maybe this one should have but it didn't. Usually I like to do a birds eye view. This one is fantasy based but sometimes something more real.

Grandpa by the shed

This is a picture I have done a number of times. I think I posted a different version of it way back when I started the blog. It's inspired by a photo I have of my grandfather stiing near the shed on the farm he lived on the last years of his life. ( He and grandma weren't farmers but always lived on farms, this one belonging to her family who were farmers)

I don't know that there will be more posted but this isn't the last I will do of it, keep at it until I get it right. Like a lot of things I see in my head, I know there is a great picture there but getting it on paper or canvas falls short.

Vintage Gas

This pretty much out of my head of course influenced by my collection of old photos etc.

As usual mostly pen and ink and Neocolor II, my favorite stuff to try and make pictures with.

Nice quiet day here today, a break from Dave and Kathy's taxi and babysitting service. The wife nagged me into mowing the front yard ( it did need mowing) but it's pretty much all I had to do today. The Bears even won alhtough it wasn't looking pretty at the start so mark this day up as a good one.

Another Girl

Another kind of pin up girl picture, pen and ink and Neocolor II. When I was younger I would draw girls like this more often but for some reason my wife didn't like it. I would tell her it was just artistic expression but she would say I could express myself by drawing a nice bowl of fruit.

Of course that was back when I would let her see my drawings to get her judgement on how I was doing. I don't do that anymore, pretty much knowing what she thinks and unable to take criticism that well.

I don't think it matters to her much now what I draw, she doesn't pay any attention except for the rare time I might ask for an opinion on something and besides we both know I'm pretty much harmless as far as women go by now. I like the picture, not going to ask her what she thinks.

Weather around here is good but late September always sucks to me. Getting dark earlier, getting cooler at night ( wife just went around closing the windows in fact.) Halloween stores already popping up. All of it reminding me that another winter is closing in on us.

Dangerous Babe

Change in subject matter a bit and style a bit. I've been having trouble finishing anything and more being happy with what I finish and thought maybe it's from drawing the same old same old day after day so playing came up with this. I always liked comics and still do for that matter. Most of my drawing is "cartoony" although I admit its just how it comes out, not really on purpose but this at least is intentional. Anyway, I had fun with it so if your looking here your likely to see more like it. I thought of putting more color in the background but stopped on purpose. I can't afford the fancy art programs but have a free one called the "gimp" I downloaded some time ago but haven't put much effort into learning it yet. Maybe I'll use this to play with it and see if I can figure it out.

Street

I finished this cartoon a couple of days ago and wasn't going to post it but haven't put anything up lately so might as well. Not that I was that unhappy with it even though I kind of lost the whole perspective thing at one point. The drawing below I started as a wip didn't end well. I wont do that again unless I have already finished the whole thing first.

Another WIP

Another work in progress series, this one inspired by a television show I was watching today.

So far this is all one pen, a faber-castell Sepia. I hop around in the drawing, working on one area until it was done would make me loopy ( loopier maybe). I also work on several drawings on one time for the same reason, to ward off boredom. On the drawing board now are some sunflowers and a scantily dressed girl. Maybe I'll post those also. Could I have a hand vote for which? The sunflowers? Well OK, I'm surprised but always in favor of what the majority wants.

There was a time I thought I was pretty smart about technology but I have to admit it seems to have passed me by. I did get the internet activated at the house and now have one notebook computer that I can access it from but trying to set up my "home network" is not going anywhere quick. Mostly I use a PC, that hooked up to my scanner/printer and still operating off dial up ( not going to disconnect that until I'm certain I know what I'm doing.) I've been reading a bunch of stuff about how to and etc and it seems to make sense while I'm looing at it but after I realize that most of it I have no idea what they are talking about. Anyone know the brain cell die off rate after age 59 or so?

WIP 2

Same picture as yesterday a little further along. I am not thrilled with the picture but I like doing this, might become a regular feature here. Thing about what I am going to write that I did actually helps me think more about what it is I'm going to do as I work.

Today I wanted to increase the contrast between the background and the hair so I darkened the background and added opposite crosshatching to the blouse again to create texture, give it the appearance of cloth weave. I also added some stippling to the face etc.

My advice to any artist is never point out your mistakes, people find them on thier own and if they don't all the better but as this is an exercise it seems proper. Theres probably plenty wrong with it but the necklace leaps out at me, no reason for it to lay that way and doesn't add the lack of 3d which I'm not happy with to start with. Sure there is more but that just off the top of my head. Anyone reading that has something to add feel free, go ahead, rip it apart.

I'll probably finish it up, see what I can do but wouldn't if it wasn't for starting this thing here.

Maybe documenting it all will help me improve, add to that thinking process I talked about.

Oh yeah, the light, someone with a good eye and pickly will no doubt say my lighting is uncertain. I had that thought but at the moment more concerned with the contrast then where the light is coming from but that does need change as well.

WIP, pen and ink

Still don't have anything really to post so thought I would show what I am doing right now and update as I finish it unless of course it hits the round file. This is all pen and ink with a lot of stippling, kind of an experiment to do the shading etc in stippling. I like the effect some get using stippling, of course the bad part the time consuming part of it. I use the stippling also in the background with gray over it to give some texture. I suppose right now a couple hours worth to answer the oft asked question.

C**mcast was here today, put two more tvs up at least and installed internet although I can't use it yet. I was afraid of that, because of where they installed it he couldn't or wouldn't run the wire to where my computer is two rooms away. They chose the location for the modem when they installed the phone and I should have objected then but it wasn't on my mind then. I ordered an ethernet cable and a router so by next week I should be able to do the hook up myself. I still end up paying the same outragous amount which was one of my complaints and even a few bucks more although I supposedly got the internet for freee but worth it not to go through the hassle of switching everything. I'm not thrilled with the company but I should say every technician they have ever sent out has been really nice and willing to take the time to make sure its all done right ( except for installing the wire today which I suppose he couldn't do)

Pen and Ink

Just a pen and ink that originally I wasn't going to post but for lack of anything better up it goes.
We had the grandsons birthday party here on Sunday. My daughter lives in an apartment and of course not enough room there. I still remember having like one birthday party when I was a kid and it was a cake and ice cream thing with some hats. My wife didn't want to cook so she had it catered from a local pizza etc restaurant, not pizza but beef and chicken and some italian noodle thing I forget. Two cakes, ( not sure why two) and of course the ice cream. Mostly adults at it, a few kids but more family and my daughters friends kid. I guess the grandson enjoyed it but things sure change.

FInished dealing with Com**ast ( don't want to use the name because it will end up alerting them like its a new beef) I ended up staying with them, not sure why as we were looking to save money and that didn't happen but they did add the internet for "free". Almost free anyway, they sure don't like to give up any of those bucks they have been getting out of you. Probably should have switched to another outfit but it seems like a hassle to do that and probably a new provider would be no less greedy then these guys. Anyway they are supposed to be here to set it up this afternoon so hopefully my next post will be faster upload which means I will ramble on like this less while I'm waiting for it.