everyone's got a story

Years ago, in another life, I was a Graphic Design major. At that time I acquired some graphic design magazines for reference and inspiration. After a couple of years, I changed my major and then dropped out, moved to Portland, etc. I have held onto these magazines for almost ten years, after moving six or seven times, traveling across the country despite their physical weight and increasing demands from the wife that they disappear (apparently, in a 760 sq.ft. house a handful of magazines take up a lot of space ;).

Well, the reason I've held onto them is that I wanted to draw some of the images therein. (admittedly, I did go through a brief collage phase, and I had thought these would be nice for that, too, but no!) I am starting a small series of drawing montages using these ancient images.

Here's the first.

the usual suspects

Two of the biggest trouble makers I know -- happy as clams.

This drawing is mostly about the telephone pole across the street. I stare at it whenever I'm waiting for the bus. Slowly, it's percolating into a painting. I just have to stare at it a little more...

stay the course, making progress, honor and sacrifice...

This is Four Star General So-and-so at a photo-op, speaking to the troops in Afghanistan. I liked this AP photo especially for the body language of the guy in the front row. He's like, "WTF?"

nadir malfunction

Well, I got the extension.
This is what I came up with.
I hope they like it. These last two drawings were pretty complex.

lovejoy looking west

I was commissioned to draw two images over the weekend, but I spent so much time on this one that I haven't started the other, yet. Now it's too late to start. I hope they don't mind if I ask for a day's extension to do the other one. I mean, look! It's gorgeous!
The problem was, I used too small of a pen, so it took too much time to fill in the detail. I had too much room to work with, I guess.

The lure of the open road

Well, the wedding took all my creative energy, but the wedding is over now. It was beautiful and wonderful and perfect and all that, but now my drawing is all rusty.

alia and little turtle

I wish all of our chickens were as personable as Little Turtle is. We just got some more baby chicks -- a buff orpington and a gold laced wyandotte -- and i've been trying to handle them more than i did our first batch of chicks. i've never really been a bird person, and i didn't realize that chickens, especially, were so social.
I really like this analogy:
chickens:us::parrots:pirates

the view *outside*

I did another drawing of my view at work today. This time I sat outside and stared at the REI building. I wish we had more public art and less public advertisements. From what I gather -- and I must gather this information, not only as a public record, but because the building was finished before I moved to Portland -- the REI building sits on the site of the original Dignity Village that the city moved out by the airport so people in their condos wouldn't have to look at a city of tents beneath the overpass.

kansas bride

This was in response to the facebook application that proclaims, "You were sketched by an artist!" I saw that my friend had "just been sketched by an artist!" so I said, "Hey Kris, you should let me sketch you." She said, "That would be cool, OK," and then I was pretty much obligated.

emma 'n el'se

This is from a picture I took at Annelise's second birthday party. We all went down to Mt. Scott park. Emma was there, and she and Annelise moved pine-needles around for a good fifteen minutes. I think it was a feng shui thing.

a mildly surreal crafternoon

I took the source image from either Alice's flickr or facebook page.
I don't remember exactly which.

there and them

This was taken at nw 14th and pettygrove
across from cash 'n carry.
I love drawing the centennial mills water tower.
These people are somehow related to me. I think they are my great-great grandparents on my mom's dad's dad's side. Their faces got a little wonky. His face slid off his head, and she's got the gout -- and a belly-ache, apparently.

thirty-five