Autumn Day

It's a fine autumn day. I took some pictures I'm trying to upload. In the meantime, here are some paintings I did, actually, mostly this morning.

Another Woman

Nothing too exciting. But it is big: 10" x 9". So there.

Watercolour and Pen & Ink

Fridays

Friday, I was pretty tired, having used an electric grinder on some rust on a railing for most of the morning, and my hands were tingling. However, my compatriot R. Gagnon, whom I met at the bar later that afternoon, was on fire when it came to making pics.

Felt sort of geeky with the bar table filled with art materials: construction paper, pastels, coloured pencils, and my own watercolours. But Rick painted and drew up a storm. That's his pastel work above.

Next, his take on one of the people sitting at the table beside us.



Below, I did some watercolours on Rick's pencil drawing, somewhere under the pastel and the ink lines:



The people at the next table were nice. One of them, Dennis, is a graphic artist, and graced my sketchbook with a couple of doodles. Again, not safe for work, but it seems so innocent, I have a hard time imagining people being offended.



For his real art, which he is showing at a gallery this weekend (I hope his website tells the location -- actually it's The Emporium, 3035 Saint Antoine West, Suite #75)) go to www.glamnation.ca .

Finally, for my lone contribution to this post, this is my quick sketch of Dennis and his group (he's actually at far left), which I've enhanced with a few pen lines:

Culture, Jamming and More Cats

Pictures in this post doesn't really reflect what I was doing yesterday. Went out to a Writer's Guild of Canada get-together, where I drank 'free' beer (paid in part by my dues, I suppose) and met and complained along with a lot of other writers. Took a blurry picture, mainly of people's backs and butts, which I'm not posting here.

One subject was politics, and of course we writers won't be able to meet or make any movies or TV if the Conservatives have their way trying to muzzle and put all the artists out of work. Read Margaret Atwood's enlightened essay in the Globe and Mail about the issue, if you want to learn more.

Anyhow, after that, I went to the Monthly Montreal Comic Jam, took more blurry, lousy pictures, and worked on silly comic pages like the one below. (I apologize for the Not Safe For Work-ness. Other people will probably be more upset about it than we get.)


Aside from that, I was trying to take pictures of cats, but they always move. At least this one was interesting, though I tried to enhance foreground cat's eyes, making her look a trifle more demonic than usual:


I love Mr. B. and his tiger yawn:

Little Lines

The trouble with drawing a lot of little lines is that you're never sure when to stop. And there always can be more details and subtleties.

Essential Painting Equipment

Oh, all right. One more. This is my basic painting kit.

Still Busy

Busy today! No time for drawing!

Oh, okay, here's John Cazale:


Now, go away! I'm busy!

Working Hard

I am working hard, but in the meantime, I'm relaxing by taking time out and painting these pictures.

Another Beery, Inky Friday Afternoon

It's a pleasure meeting my friend R. Gagnon for our weekly confab and collaboration at the bar. He shares his knowledge and seemingly endless collection of movies, comics and pop music, while his technique helps me improve my style. Meanwhile, I think I inspire him, give him someone to bounce off of, and let him loosen up a bit, drawing-wise. It's a nice break, especially since I'm not that social a person.

Anyhow, here's last evening crop of collaborative and other types of drawings. Above is a drawing by Gagnon, inked by me. Looks like a member of Devo talking to the cableknit guy.


Below is a kindly old man, first treated by Rick, who had a better view of him, and then made creepy and cadaverous by me, who had to steal glances from behind my back.




For this husky guy I pushed Rick to make a bit less well-manicured in the inking, while he lamented that I missed the opportunity to portray a truly heroic gut in my pencil drawing.


Simple and fast. My sketch, Rick's ink:


Rick signs off by mocking a birthday celebrant at another table.

Unwinding

I'm going out later for my weekly meet with a friend at the bar, and there are usually pictures to post after that, so I'm posting these in the meanwhile. They're of people I was noticing while drawing and unwinding today in the park.

No, he wasn't really being stalked by a giant cat:

Movie Faces, Cheesy and Otherwise

I'm happy, because I think I've cracked something that's been eluding me for some time: drawing recognisable faces of real people, rather than "types." And actually figuring it out on my own, rather than copying someone else's caricature.

An interview with one of my idols, Mad Magazine's Mort Drucker (I don't think I can find it) gave me a clue, because he says the most important thing to do is to find the shape of your subject's head. I tried this, and it seems to work. I don't think I'll ever be Mort Drucker, but it's something I feel I can do if I have to.

I'll try to have fun with it. I'm putting the names of the people in the comments section.

"Do Not Go Gentle..."

Going a little snakey today, because I've been waiting on someone to respond to a lot of work I've handed in. So, I've been reading Dylan Thomas, Adventures in the Skin Trade. Very hallucinogenic. I'm picturing it being composed in room someplace, as his mind rages through imaginary bars, and green hilly landscapes. When I'm in the middle of a story, I'm kind of lost. But when I finish it, it seems to make sense. Here's a sketch of Dylan chasing the Beer Wagon.

Little @#$! Bear

Worked hard today, now I'm unaccountably depressed. Well, I did have a depressing meeting with an animation exec the other week. Below is a picture that might make a nice painting.

Piling up the Posts

School bus to Hell. Plus, the fat guy below is former co-owner of my new cat.

Even More People

More People

No meet at the bar this week, sorry. Just some faces and things.

Various Animals, and cluttered workspaces

Above is a horse head. Go, Equus! Below, a politician. At bottom, a video of the cats in action.

I'd apologize for the cluttered workspace, but saw a nice documentary by Josh Freed saying that people with clutter are actually creative, and not necessarily mentally ill. I still like to pick up once in a while, after a long bout of work.

The same night, I had shot a much longer camera video of the cats fooling around (more of the same), but this has resisted uploading. Still, you get the idea.

Yellows and Blots

A relatively big (10"x13") pic, and some little ones.

Actually, I'm working for an even wash (need bigger pots of paint, and a bit more care and practice), but I like the imperfections.

Almost Ian

This is almost a picture of Ian McKellan. I'll work harder at getting likenesses, but that's not second nature for me, and I'd have to do a lot of preparation and fiddling, which I don't like. More fun to work on the cool inking with lots of little lines, however.

Tough Guys

I kind of let another piece of paper cut off the corner in the scanner. Oh well.

Jones

Kind of a Cathy Jones type. She scares me.

Jukebox

Billy heard from behind the rapidly approaching sound of kitschy-retro hits, but by then the machine was already upon him.

I Did Draw Something, After All...

Drew an entire comics story based on one of the faces from yesterday's sketching. I'd post the whole story here, but think I first want to put it in my friend's fanzine, Mensuhell.

I'd like you people who don't have access to the fanzine to be able to see it, and my other stories. They're a lot of work, but make more sense for me to be doing, rather than a bunch of disconnected sketches. I kind of hate drawing the same thing more than once.

Meanwhile, Nora the kitten is being cute. Big surprise:

Friday Give and Take

Above is another drawing of mine, Gagnoned for your pleasure. Actually, my second friend, who shows up sometimes at the bar to take editing and screenwriting advice from Gagnon, (but not from me, because he's stubborn and we don't see eye-to-eye) thinks this guy should have a gun at his temple. He does look surprised enough. Nice shirt he's wearing!

Below is a video lottery player, drawn by Gagnon, and inked by Yours Truly. While inking this, I was getting advice from two quarters at the other side of the table, which was making me even more self-conscious than usual. Interesting anatomy. At a couple of key times I didn't know where G. was going with something (that semi-circle that became a hollow on the shoulder), so he took it back and did something that kind of works. He also added the thick strokes under the two chins.

Altogether a fine drawing, in the end.


Now some street faces of mine, again hastily inked by Gagnon. Sketchy (I'm sure I drew a strap on the bike helmet, or at least intended to), but fun. As is all this stuff.

Spanish Lady

True story, apparently: As a gesture of friendship, a European king sent a portrait artist to the Emperor of China to paint portraits of the Chinese court, and its horses. Looking through his sample paintings, the Emperor said, "These are very nice, but why do they all have mud smeared on one side of their faces?"

Colour Faces

Some more gestural than others. I want to draw correctly, but it's also fun to go nuts, and see where the accidents take you.

Missed a Day

To make up, here are a couple of paintings from the balcony, and an evil manga character, below.

End of August

Another impro-type watercolour (I start them without any idea of what I'll be doing) and a guy copied from a panel in a Roberta Gregory comic.