Tycho Brahe

Drew this picture after being reminded of Tycho Brahe and his famous metal nose. Should have looked him up before drawing it, because he was much more interesting-looking, and in a different time period than I thought. Still remember him from school because he has the prettiest, or at least the brightest, crater on the moon named after him.

Dr. Girlfriend

Watching The Venture Bros. cartoons on DVD.

Doctor Shock

"Ready to receive docking procedure!"

Blonde

Smoking

The lighter drawings are nice.

Jack London

A very popular writer with very bad judgment. Died at age 40 in 1916, probably from self-medicating, though some suspect suicide. He’s not often read these days, except a short story or two in introductory English texts. He was an adventure writer, a manly-man, who liked to let on that his stories were really about things he had lived. Not always the truth; but that was storytelling.

All I do now is Dick Around

This has been my theme song for a while. How very nice to find a video of it on Youtube complete with animated tabby cat heads. (Lyrics here)

This spring, Sparks are doing a 21-night stand in London, on each successive night performing one of their 20 albums. On the 21st night, they're premiering their 21st. Amazing! (I mean, how are his vocal cords going to hold out?)

Programming note: What's That About? - The Brewery

Meet Marek the brewmaster, and lots of other fascinating real-life characters as What's That About? visits the Brewery. Tonight at 7pm on Discovery Canada.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any beers for writing this episode (or this post!).

Big Head

Self-portrait in the style of caricature that the French call Grande Gueule, or "big face." (I think that's the expression. Maybe my Franco friends can fill me in.) With that nasty look, I was thinking of the personality behind the writers of some on-line comments I was reading. Of course, I'm never like that for real.

Groovy, Baby

Tonight at the bar, for our Friday meet, R. Gagnon graciously inked and then watercoloured (I had brought my paints) this portrait of a groovy bookstore owner from my imagination.

That line is the middle fold of the book. I tried to let it dry before closing it, but there was a small puddle of paint still wet, causing that yellow spot on the far left. I love watercolour accidents.

A little colour for a change

What's That About? on Discovery Canada

The show I've been working on is coming out. Its third season on Discovery Canada. Below are dates and times. The shows I wrote are in red. Mark your calendars!


WHAT'S THAT ABOUT? 3
BROADCAST DATES
DISCOVERY CANADA
SATURDAY, 7:00 pm

# The Brewery January 26, 2008
# The Crash Test Site February 2, 2008
# Spy & Security Operations February 9, 2008
# The Vancouver Waterfront February 16, 2008
# Hook, Line & Sinker February 23, 2008
# Power Quest March 1, 2008
# Under The Sea March 8, 2008
# Loggers and Choppers May 3, 2008
# The Mortuary TBC
# The Forensic Lab TBC

Repeats of Season 2 on March 15, 22 and 29
Repeats of Season 3 on April 5, 12, 19 and 26
Repeat times : following Friday, 7am + Saturday, 9am
Starting on January 26th, 2008

Ink Drawings

I'm trying different styles. I think the spindly pen and ink works better than the bold brush lines and blacks.

Pencil Drawings

Not too thrilled with these, but they're what I've been doing. I'm breaking the rule of not criticizing one's own work, because God knows, there are people waiting to do that. But the blog is about process, and that's not always pretty. If I wanted to be pretty all the time, I would just do drawings to please others, and post a lot less. These are more in the line of therapy, which in my case is to help me relax and do good work. Putting them out here, because I'm hoping that seeing what I go through in my daily routine might resonate with others looking to find their voices. Get them drawing, or maybe give them a giggle. Any reaction is fine.



Kind of sketched my own hand here, which doesn't really belong with a foxy chick. Interestingly enough, I had been engaged to pose for a comic artist who was drawing the superhero character Wolverine. I think I'd be a little too pencil-necked for that (my body type is more like The Flash, or Sandman), but he assured me he could bulk me up all right. All he needed was the pose, and the lighting. So, I've got to try to taper the fingers better if I'm going use my hands in these exercises, or hire models, which seems a little extravagant at the moment.

Oh yeah, the Wolverine gig fell through, because that artist got a much better contract. Still, despite my past work history of occasionally running around in medieval armour in the backgrounds of movies when my schedule allowed, I'm happier drawing and writing things myself.

Eyes

The little highlights make the boggedy cats' eyes come alive. I thought we hadn't had enough cats here in a while.

Outside of that, it's just a drawing of a woman with strange eyes of her own, leaning over a table. And an old lady with Maria Sharapova growing out of her head.

Vote Whoring

Er, oh yeah ... Vote for my blog in the Canadian Blog Awards, Category Art/Photo Blogs. Voting closes tomorrow (Jan 21), so you don't have much time. Thanks, Neath for the nomination! If I'd been swifter, I would have returned the honour.

Update (01/22/08) \: I read that Montreal blogs got shut out on the first ballot. But thanks anyone who bothered voting!

More collaboration and beer

Was late with my posts for "Gagnon Friday," which are sketches Rick Gagnon and I draw while having a Friday evening beer at the Cock N' Bull pub in Montreal. These first two portraits are all Gagnon's work, done almost as we were leaving the place.



I could have called Saturday "Gagnon and Thériault Saturday," because I met again with Rick G. and comic artist Éric Thériault at another dive, called the Bar des Pins.

Here's a character by Éric and a background by Rick:



Below, something I drew all by my lonesome, the view out the bar window on that pleasant, snowy Saturday evening (and at the side, the deflated pumpkin in the shop window I posted about a while back). Éric kind of took apart some of my other drawings, but I was asking him to, and learned from it. Only later did I get in a bad mood, and get the feeling I could never draw anything again.

That feeling passed, at least. It's always been tough for me to accept and use criticism, but one of the things I'm working on, on my path to become a better artist.

Car In Street

Not my usual car in a street, which is drawn from life as I spend the afternoon on my front balcony here in Montreal. Just a car out of my head. Tried to colour it as quickly as possible to see if that led to a more spontaneous effect. Sometimes the simple drawings are better than complex ones I labour on for hours.

Anyhow, had an idea today for a new blog that might be fun. I'm going to launch it, and see if I can pull it off.

Grumpy Old Man

No, that's not me. My writing was spontaneously turning into Hindi when I was typing the title. Strange, because I don't know how to write in Hindi. Obviously, I've turned on the wrong switch in Blogger, and had better investigate.

In the meantime, here's something I found accurate, but depressing. A TV/movie writer's clip art comic, featured in the Boingboing blog. I could do the same thing, but would have to use elaborate, sometimes squishy drawings.

Police Gazette

Here we go. A little out of period, if you read the date, but gives the idea.

Evening Standard

Complicated pictures like the one above need research, are incredibly labour-intensive, and easy to screw up. Still, it's not too bad. It needs to go into the mockup of the front page of an old-time newspaper. "'Orrible murders in Whitechapel," and all that. Inspired by the creepy period movie Perfume.

Below, a simpler, and more easy to get right, little drawing of a blue woman.

Crime Faces

Well, everyone except the cat, from this crime show I've been watching. Here the black lines, though I've been brought up not to use them (my Mom was a watercolourist who favoured the "wet" style), seem to help a lot.

File Guys

What are these characters doing in front of my filing cabinet?

Prismacolor Women

More coloured pencils today. This time for two spooky women. I think 'funny' is a better vibe than 'creepy,' but you can't always tell how things will come out.

Colour Pencils

Bought a DVD of the movie French Connection. Yay!

Other new coloured pencil drawings. The cheetah is from a photograph, and still looks weird:

Gagnon Fridays, 2008 Edition

More serious beering. Sitting next to a table of oldsters and regulars, swapping New Yorker magazines, of all things. Above is a collaboration, Rick Gagnon's inks over my pencils of a small time pimp in the projects, and his Mom.

What fabulous lines, and just the right weight, and darks.

Below, a single perfect tear from a big-eyed guy who was playing the Lotto machines at my left.



And another couple, by yours truly again. Reaction of one of the oldsters to this one: "Er, whatever floats your boat."

Gaia

Sketches

Not a lot of explanation needed here. I have this black watercolour pencil I like, which is being worn down to a stub, and I'm not sure if I can find another one of the same brand. Bought a set of watercolour pencils, because I liked that one, but went for a different brand, and they're waxy and lumpier, whereas this one was more charcoaly, but didn't smudge the way charcoal did.

Below is slightly crisper, because it's the black ball-point pen. Don't laugh: it's one of Jimmy Beaulieu's favourite tools. But he doesn't do the shading thing I try.

Pretty Fog Pictures

The winter fog we've had this morning and last night makes for pretty pictures. Please click on one to see the whole set.

Bar Girl

Large pen & ink drawing. Well, 9" x 12" -- that's a lot of little scratchy lines, and dips of the pen. (Hunt Hawk's-quill #102 with Koh-I-Noor black drawing ink, if anyone cares.)

Cop Show Faces

Watching The Wire on DVD.

From the depths of the Files

Did a lot of work today going through and sorting files, and found three pages of a comic I did when I had a roommate (and a black cat), and the roommate had an evil vegetarian British friend. It was therapy then, now it's pretty funny at this distance of ten years or more, even if parts are badly drawn (it was done all at once, without pencil lines. But I've redrawn two panels). Kind of an Ivan Brunetti vibe to it, at least in subject matter. I hope nobody's upset reading it. I'm in a much better mood these days.



I know at least one more page is kicking around somewhere. If I find it, I'll post it, and at least continue (if never conclude) the story. I never finished it.

(No, I didn't have a girlfriend who was leaving me at that time. That was just a device to jack up the drama. Like the thermo-nuclear warhead.)

Peasant Guy

And his proudest possession.

Googly Eyes

More Pen and Ink. (it's a major and honourable medium, so I'm capitalising it). Trying to draw real people. This is Jeff Goldblum and a Russian chick from the movie Fay Grim. His eyes don't really go like that, but I think it's funny and am calling it my "style."

Pen & Ink

Just a few drawings today.