McGill University Back to School

Did some illustrations for the McGill Reporter, the faculty paper for the University. Actually, I don't know how to classify it. It's not the student paper, but publishes articles about things going on around the university. Anyhow, this map for back to school graced the centre spread, and looked fantastic. Hooray for my old scanner, and CMYK. Maybe a little yellow, but that helped highlight the greens. (artist talk)



It was very pleasing being there today, picking up copies of the papers, and seeing the life and activity happening there on campus. A lot of beer-drinking!

The second one is simpler, for a continuing series something like "Ask a Professor." The question this week was "why do some people like some types of music, and not others?"



You'll have to go to the Reporter website to find out, see what the numbers on the map refer to, and other things. I hope to put up that link soon. Busy boy!

More Pictures of Guys and Things

Various drawings, including the kid from "Thumbsucker."



Simon Atherton was weapons master on Timeline, the movie I played as an extra in the French and English armies (and as a peasant) on, and he showed us how to work our weapons. Some of the same weapons were used on "Gladiator," and it's pleasant to see him on the special features for that movie, and remember that summer of 2002.

The building is from a little project I hope to show you soon.



Drawings of a guy, and a repeated corner design:

More Park

I could call this blog thing drawings in the park, at least for the summer.

Sgt. Schulz

Watching beaucoup World War II movies at the moment. Saw "Where Eagles Dare," and "Kelly's Heroes" is coming up. Here's a fine representative of the German army, but unfortunately, I'm not one of those buffs who collected "Osprey Publications" so the details on the uniform probably aren't all that correct.

Nasssty nasssty Orcses

Crows alighting across the street, and nasty orcses. Mr. B. hates them, he does. Hissss!

Awwright! It's Mr. B.!

He's the feline pal who's fun to be with!

Watercolour Pencils

Bought an expensive set of watercolour pencils today.

And drew this amazing masterpiece:

X-Girl

You gotta ask yourself, why bother doing ugly and difficult representational drawings, when you could be busy drawing pretty squiggly drawings of puppy dogs and stuff that people actually like?

Well, I learn a lot from it. Mainly, what not to do, but I'm getting better. It would also help if I did some preparatory drawings, or at least used a ruler. but I'm too lazy for that right now. (and a very good reason why I'm not so good at this style of drawing. Also, I hate copying things. I know, "get thee to life drawing!")

In the meantime I've done done cute, colourful drawings for money, which you can see in a couple of days, after they come out in the McGill faculty paper. (always important to say "faculty paper," so that people don't think I'm still drawing for the student paper! Not that that wasn't a great time, and perfect experience when I was doing it, for the U of Calgary Gauntlet, but I found that stuff kind of hard to look at, and threw most of it out. Regret that now, but along with doing crummy representational drawings, it's part of my artistic "path.")

This was inspired by something that gave me a chuckle: [link]. (Ooooh, what a stinky phrase, "gave me a chuckle.") I'm actually something of a science fiction and fantasy fan (was once much more so, in my youth, but only read and drew things, never participated in the fandom of conventions and message groups, and stuff (the message groups are fun for me to read, on occasion). And this did get me that "Lord of the Rings" job.

Plus, I tried out for a job as conceptual artist on that deathless Science Fiction classic "Battlefield Earth." Didn't get the job (not enough spaceships in my portfolio), but my friend Geof Isherwood did, and he's made kind of a cool career out of drawing for the silly genre films that sometimes shoot here: other masterpieces such as the "Rollerball" remake, and "Pluto Nash."

In the meantime, I've had giggles being an extra on films shooting in Montreal (you're supposed to say "background performer). But that's something for another post, if I ever want to own up to it.

Wow, what a rambly post!

James O'Barr

Again, not a very finished drawing. Just something I drew while watching an interview with James O'Barr, creator of the "Crow" comic, which was made into a movie. How he retreated to drawing when real life, and the demands people made on him, got too much. That's not exactly it, and the comics, and the movie are a superhero revenge fantasy. But it's one of those nights, really hot and sticky. Watching DVDs, and scratching away with the pencil, and this is the record of that. (after blogging it, turning on the computer, and scanning, and all, which is another step).

It is a steamy night. Expecting Carrol O'Connor from "In the Heat of the Night" to rattle his nightstick on my door, and ask, "everything all right in there, boy?" Surprised by that, for this time in August, and actually the heat today had me flat on my back (or stomach) for most of it, and I've got some work to do with illustrations. Hope it's done on Sunday.

That lighter head has kind of soaked through the typing paper I drew this on. He was on the other side.

Uninfished Playground Drawing

This is unfinished, because I had to stop, to draw pictures of the kids I was visiting. I don't have those pictures, because you have to give them the pictures to keep when you're done, don't you? Unless you're some kind of Picasso-ish ogre.

Still, it was a wonderful, unexpected afternoon. Going out after doing work in the morning, running into this friend of mine I hadn't seen for years, and then her taking me around the neighbourhood she lives in, and in which I used to live. And then going with her, and a friend of hers, and that friend's kids, to the park.

It's a strange park, in the Mile-End district of Montreal. You have to cross ridiculous traffic to get to it, and it's in a little pocket of land just by the railway tracks. But it's an incredible little social gathering of parents and children. The closest thing I could identify with it was the local dog run. Except with kids, rather than dogs.

Anyhow, kids are great to borrow, and entertain for an afternoon along with their parents by being charming and drawing pictures, but I wouldn't want to have to raise them.

Goofy Musical Women

This is just me continuing to paint on a piece of paper containing a picture I've already posted down below. I'm very stingy with paper.

Got a couple of cool commissions from McGill University, for "Back to School." One of them is even a continuing gig for the faculty paper, illustrating oddball questions people will mail in, and have answered in the paper.

No word yet as to whether they've renewed my TV series for another year, but the producer tells me the numbers on Friday night have been very good. So here's hoping ... or at least hoping I find something new at least as fun!

Thanks a million for the Drive

That's what the seagull's saying. It's actually my rendition of the only thing my grandmother taught me to say in Norwegian, after one of our drives in the Alberta countryside. The spelling's completely wrong (I was pretty young then), but I don't have the heart to look it up. Actually, somewhere in my shelf is an English-Norwegian phrasebook (unless it was left behind in a move), but correcting it would force me to revise an old memory into something unfamiliar, so why bother?

Kill Bill Crosshatching

Oh, okay. I kind of filled in this drawing, just now, which I did while watching Kill Bill 2. It's David Carradine boring the snot out of Uma Thurman.

Wall Stencils

Not drawing especially great stuff these past days. So, here are a collection of anti-war stencils I happened on, near a building with a lot of artists' studios.

Translations are at the flickr site. Just click on the pic.

Pocket Brush

Lost my Pentel Brush Pen a while ago. Couldn't find it, so I bought another, today. Of course, the lost one will show up now. But that's okay, because I love these things.

Here's the first picture I drew with the new gadget:



And the terrible warg from Lord of the Rings, but not from the movie:

Singing Couple

They're the worst act ever. They're on ahead of the people you want to see. AND THEY WON'T GET OFF THE STAGE!!! But they love each other very much.

Characters in the Street

The upper girl, while she was a little strange (wearing a long brown sweater in 30+ degree C heat!), had these great soccer socks with logos on them. That's also a version of her below, closer up.