Blues

Continuing my catch up.  Here's is a waaaay overdue drawings for "Blues" since it was my theme.  Big fan of "Bitches Brew" (what a title)

Happy 4th! 

-NB

Some Catch up

Since it is Father's Day, I thought it was best that I address that topic.  

Next up is Saturday morning.  I miss seeing kids outside playing (there was always something magical about that time of the week for me).  This little girl brought me back to that memory and made me smile.

Finally, a bonus medley of the two.  Saturday mornings at the barber shop are customary for me.  I always enjoy seeing little kids getting their first haircuts while they are sitting in the dad's lap. 

-NB

Four O'Clock Saturday Morning

Is Morning to My Cat

Fatherhood

This one's late. Fatherhood'll do that to you.

Kelly Tindall, 2011
9"x12" on cardstock

For more work by me, check out my sketchbook blog, my deviantArt page, my Twitter, or my weekly webcomic That's So Kraven!.

Saturday Morning

What "Saturday Morning" meant to me (and pretty much every other kid ever)......cartoons!!


(Wish I had time to think this one through a bit more, or at least produce a decent drawing.....but only had time for a super quickie this week.......)


Rich Hennemann, 2011
Ink & Watercolor, about 10 minutes start to finish

Where the Wild Hobbes Are

Since this is a "catch-up" week, I figured I'd go back and work on an idea I had from our first 2 themes, Calvin & Hobbes and Where the Wild Things Are. I'm happy with it, though a friend just said "Hobbes creeps me the fcuk out." Meh, can't please everybody.

Marker on bristol.

Magua

"Why do you hate the Gray Hair, Magua?"

"When the Gray Hair is dead, Magua will eat his heart. Before he dies, Magua will put his children under the knife, so the Gray Hair will know his seed is wiped out forever."

Can you be more villainous than that?! Magua from The Last of the Mohicans is my favorite villain because of his ruthless conviction, and Wes Studi nailed it. Like all good villains, he gets it in the end, but not before he's had his revenge.

I rushed through this one unfortunately. French Open among other things sapped most of my time.

Marker and pencil on bristol.

The Evil Queen

How about a magic trick?

I took Gotham's white knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!


It's Favorite Movie Villain week......and while I only have one, I actually have two.

The Joker has long been a favorite character of mine, in any medium....and while I agree with the idea that no one has ever really figured out how to do Batman on the big screen, The Joker has been done brilliantly.....twice.

Two of my absolute favorite performances ever.  Very, very different takes on the character.....both fantastic.


The other, of course, is.......... 

Do I look like I'm joking?

And now, folks, it's time for "Who do you trust!"  Hubba, hubba, hubba! Money, money, money! 

Who do you trust? 

Me? I'm giving away free money. 

And where is the Batman? HE'S AT HOME WASHING HIS TIGHTS! 


Rich Hennemann, 2011
Copic Markers and Watercolor

It Burned Off... From Friction

I picked the favorite sitcom character theme because Rich and I share a love for the show Parks and Recreation, and the character of Ron Swanson in particular. And since Rich already drew Ron for his entry, I decided to change it up a little and draw Ron from the truly hysterical season 3 episode "Ron and Tammy, Part II".  Not so great on the likeness, but I had fun reliving one of the best episodes of this spectacular comedy.

I can't wait to find out who they got to play Ron's first ex-Tammy. Will be hard to top Megan Mullaly, but it will be fun to see them try.

Words of Wisdom

Running behind on my sitcom character piece, but in the interim a friend sent me this quote and I thought I'd share with everyone. - - J

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners.  I wish someone had told me.  All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.  But there is this gap.  For the first couple of years you make stuff, it’s just not that good.  It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.  But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer.  And your taste is why your work disappoints you.  A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit.  Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this.  We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have.  We all go through this.  And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know that it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.  Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece.  It’s only by going through a volume of work that you close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.  And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met.  It’s gonna take a while.  It’s normal to take a while.  You just gotta fight your way through.  – Ira Glass

That's right, I'm a Witch!

And I'm the one who withered your livestock,

soured your sheep's milk and made your shirts itchy

The Best At What They Do

I'm so far behind, but I'll try to catch up eventually. Here's something for the Princess Bride. I referenced my favorite promotional photo from the film. I love these guys.

"Inconceivable!"

Senor Chang

Been too busy to do much of anything these days, but I managed to get the baby down for an hour or two and whip up a drawing for the Sitcom Challenge. I was going to draw Ron Swanson, but since he was poached early I decided to draw a bit from my favorite scene of last year; the John Woo homage in the amazing Community paintball episode "Modern Warfare".

Here is Senor Chang! "Beunos dias, children!"

Kelly Tindall, 2011
8.5"x11", bond paper

I'll try to get caught up on the others (the Father Challenge especially) as soon as I can.

As always, you can find me elsewhere on the net at my sketchbook blog, my Twitter feed, deviantArt, Tumblr, or my weekly webcomic That's So Kraven!.

Playing a little catch up......

Timmy checks in, catching up with our last three themes.....Blacksad, Fathers & TV Sitcom characters

.

Tim Sale, 2011

Woman of the Year

"I got my first job when I was 9.  Worked at a sheet metal factory.  In two weeks, I was running the floor.  Child labor laws are ruining this country."


Easy choice for me this week.  Ron Swanson.  My absolute favorite character currently on TV....and easily Top 3 all time.


Rich Hennemann, 2011
Ink and Watercolor

Otis

"Otis, I don't reckon if you noticed, but you got a horse that gives milk."

"I have? I knew she was a good find!"

First to post for a change! This week's theme is 'favorite sitcom characters'. Figured since I was already in an Andy Griffith Show frame of mind I'd kick things off with Otis, the town drunk. I loves me some situational comedy, so with luck I should get few more in this week.

Marker and pencil on a 9x12 bristol.

Andy Taylor

"Cage sure looks awful empty, don't it pa?"

"Yes, son, it sure does. But don't the trees seem nice and full."

The episode of The Andy Griffith Show that epitomized what it means to be a father.

Charcoal, pencil & marker on a 9x12 bristol.

Dad to the Rescue

They may not wear capes, but fathers can be pretty heroic. I hope I will be when the time comes.

Still struggling with my drawings. Would help if I practiced instead of just sitting down at a few hours to midnight every Sunday.   ;o) 

Still struggling with ink too. It's soooo much fun to slap down on the page, but until we started this little blog I'd always drawn tonally. Tones can be used to hide my inabilities in certain respects, but ink doesn't allow you to hide sloppy technique. Of course, practice would help with my technique too.  ;o)

9x12 - Ink on Bristol

Happiness is

A Warm Dad

Playing in the Rain......

Look, Dad!  Puddles!!!

Rich Hennemann, 2011
Ink and Watercolor

Blacksad/Archie Snow

A Blacksad/Archie Snow commission I just finished. Lucky this fits this (last?) week's theme. No time to color, just fed a baby!

 

 Kelly Tindall, 2011
10"x15" on vellum Bristol

Fathers

This week's theme is "Fathers".....a subject that means something very different to me than it used to, now that I am one.

Things are starting to pile up, and I don't know if I'll get time to do a new piece this week (I'm going to try though)......so, I have to cheat a little here.  The above is the very first drawing I ever did of my first son, Luke.  It was done while in the hospital, the day after he was born, in a sketchbook my wife gave me to draw in....to someday give to him.

Rich Hennemann, 2008
Ink and Watercolor



PS - CONGRATS to our own Kelly Tindall (and the lovely Dr. T) on their new baby girl, Tilly.  Your world has now changed forever, bud........but very much for the better.

Blacksad

Ink, charcoal, graphite, marker on a 9x12 bristol.

Sleep well my friend, and dream of large women

Yes, I know this week's assignment was Blacksad. But I needed to get last week's Princess Bride piece done first.

I'll get to Blacksad as soon as I can.

9x12 - Ink on Bristol

"Go ahead."

"Hit me again."

"It's what you're good at."

Blacksad

The task was to do the job in a discreet and efficient way.
And when I put my mind to it, I can be very discreet, and indeed--

--efficient.

She was impressed with the results.
So much so that she decided to retain my services.


Rich Hennemann, 2011
Ink & Watercolor

The Dread Pirate Roberts

Do you always begin conversations this way?

"I brought you a special present."

"This is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today... I'm going to read it to you."

Pencil on a 9x12 bristol.

This is true love - you think this happens every day?

- We'll never survive.
- Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has. 


This week we have perhaps the greatest sketch theme ever......The Princess Bride.  I just wish I had time to do a sketch for this every day.....


Rich Hennemann, 2011
Warm and Cool Gray Copics, Watercolor, Colored Pencils

The Frog Prince

I've been reading Bill Willingham's Fables comic monthly since issue 6, and one of my favorite characters from the book is Flycatcher.  Willingham told a heartbreaking tale of the Frog Prince with James Jean in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, and he took center stage for The Good Prince story arc that brought his nobility to the fore.

I was going to design this as a playing card, based on the design of a King, with a broom in place of a sword.  That's why the F is in the corner.  But I couldn't make it work, so I just cut it in half and went with a portrait.

Somebody's been sleeping in my bed...

Pencil & marker on a 9x12 bristol.

The Genie from Aladdin

Hey There, Little Red Riding Hood.....

Rich Hennemann, 2011
9 x 12, Copic Markers and Watercolor

Once Upon A Time

A fun experiment. How many stories can you spot in this drawing? I'll try to get a better photo up soon, as it's too big for me to scan.

© 2011 J C Drainville
11 x 14 Bristol Board
Copic Markers
Pen and Ink

The Splendid Splinter

Had to do another quick portrait......show my Sox some love.  Teddy Ballgame.....

Williams' Career Stats:

Batting average: .344
Home runs: 521
Hits: 2,654
RBI: 1,839
OPS: 1.116
BB: 2,021
AB:  7,706


Rich Hennemann, 2011
Watercolor on cold press block

What Would Sparky Think?

Whenever I think baseball I can't help but think about Peanuts.

Warren Spahn

Here's my take on a great photo of Braves legend Warren Spahn.  I have been recently reacquainted with my old baseball card collection, and Spahn is one of my favorite players of his era.  When I saw the theme for the week, it made me think of this photo.  It's all in the eyes.  I used charcoal and pencil on sketchbook paper.

Guest Post from Mark Ramsey

I'M BATMAN

The Gotham Slugger

SODO MOJO - HIT IT HERE JUNIOR!

7" x 11" inch Pencils on Bristol Board - 25 min. sketch.

7" x 11" inch Inked on Bristol Board

Mariners are having a rough start right now with their 6-13 W-L average so far. They had lost 7 games straight in the Texas Rangers and Indians series, and then another 4 straight last week.

Nothing like some Young Healthy Griffey to heat up the roster and get the game going at fullswing. If only some sort of miracle could take place and we turn those L into consecutive W's. I can't help it but it but just wonder if that will ever happen.

Oh and also, I was at the Seattle Mariners Store in Bellevue Square on Monday, and they said you can get Centerfield bleacher seats for only $7 now. So cheap, but it just means you would be going to the game in disappointment. Either way, win-loss, no matter, I will always enjoy watching them regardless. After all, it's my hometown team.

The Babe

"I have just one superstition. Whenever I hit a home run, I make certain I touch all four bases." - Babe Ruth


I am not a Yankees fan.....about as far from it as can be, actually.  But I bleed baseball, and I've been enamored with Babe Ruth since I was a kid.  An American icon.  The single most dominant player in the history of team sports.  More feared, revered and loved in his time than any other athlete ever.  He's been my answer to the "If you could meet any one person, from any point in history, who would it be?" question since I was 7....and if I ever do get that time machine, I know exactly where I'm pointing it.

Here come the stats! (Look away, Timmy.....)

Ruth's Career Stats:

Batting average: .342
Home runs: 714
Hits: 2,873
RBI: 2,213
OPS: 1.164
BB: 2,062
AB:  8,399

Pitching W/L record: 94-46
ERA: 2.28
CG:  107


Ruth led the AL in Home Runs 12 times.  But what always astounded me is how he did it, and the time in which it was done.  In 1919, Ruth led the league with 29 HR.....the next closest to him hit 10.  In 1920, Ruth's first season with the Yankees, George Sisler was second in the league with 19 HR....... Ruth hit 54!

Hank Aaron, easily one of the greatest players ever, and the All-Time Home Run King (until modern medicine took over), hit 755 HR in his career, 41 more than the Babe.  Aaron did that in 12,364 at bats........3,965 more than Ruth.  Project Ruth's totals over the same number of at bats (which is silly, I know)....you get 1,051 HR (not to mention, 3,258 RBI).

And as sick to my stomach as he makes me, I'll even do the same with Barry Bonds.  Bonds hit 762 career HR (roughly 317 of which were, um, juicy....that we know of).  That was over 9,847 career at bats.  Give Ruth that many ABs......you get 837 HR.


And here, have a look at the greatest (statistical) season ever, Ruth's 1921 campaign:

.378 AVG, 59 HR, 171 RBI, 177 R, 457 TB, .512 OB, .846 SLG, 145 BB


I could go on forever.....so I'll stop. 


Rich Hennemann, 2011
11 x 15, Watercolor on cold press block

Healthy Food

Inspired by a t-shirt given to me recently and one of my favorite Sesame Street segments called Healthy Food (Cookie Monster is paying homage to Run DMC in the segment....changed my childhood).  Visiting the set is on my bucket list.

Nick Bedford, 2011

"The ancient treasure of the Fraggles... is a song."

From my favorite episode of Fraggle Rock. I really want to make a music box just like this.

Pencil on 9x12 bristol.

Wembley & the Doozers

I love the Muppets, and my favorite of Henson's creations has always been Fraggle Rock.

Marker and Prismacolor on a 9x12 bristol.