'Copter Trouble

Meeting at the bar again, on a Friday night, to collaborate with a friend. Rick Gagnon was still away with family, but Marr was there. As I was writing last week, it's different from working with Rick. Marr suggests a situation or describes a scene, and I start to draw it. Then he adds to that. Sometimes I finish it off.

That's how these crazy helicopter pictures came to be. The one below is my sketch of a helicopter as a guide for the first pic, then Marr and I added figures and background.



The two sketches below are in Marr's sketchbook (hence snapped with my camera). They're drawn by him, and I added some light touches of wash, plus a couple of background figures in one.



Until next week!

All Washed Up

Here are Marr's two drawings from the other day, all washed up. It does help the blood stand out, doesn't it?

I like the pleasant and happy expression on the psycho killer. He's doing what he loves!

Same Place, Different Collaborator

Had my usual Friday night meet at the Cock N' Bull Bar. One difference though: Every other night I've been drawing with my friend Richard Gagnon. Well, this evening, Rick was visiting his family off in Saguenay, Quebec, so I was with his and my friend Marr, who had met with us during the last two Fridays. Marr enjoyed the process of collaboration, and the flexing of drawing muscles, so he and I kept the weekly tradition going.

Where Rick is a finisher, Marr is a storyteller, with an amusingly morbid imagination. He saw the insulin needles of one of our friends at the bar, and came up with the scene of the guy injecting himself, above. I continued it across the centrefold to add a horrified, but fascinated, girlfriend. Also, I got to do a lot of the finishing, this time.

Below, it's Marr doing the inks, also choosing the subject. I had drawn a woman's face on the page (of a brand new sketchbook, by the way!), and Marr put her into this scene. I had the idea of adding the other arm, belonging to Harry, I suppose.



The last drawing is by Marr alone. This character is wearing my sweater and scarf. Not my smile, however. Since these were both done in my book, I've taken them home, and might add some lights and darks later. At the moment, they're as the original artist left them.



I'm looking forward to Rick coming back, of course, but working with another imagination is a fun new experience. In every collaboration, you never know what's going to end up on the page.

Encore

Forgot about this one, but after Rick reminded me in a comment on the last post, found it on the back side of a page. It's Gene Hackman and friend from The Conversation drawn by me, and inked last Friday by Rick Gagnon. What's the point of drawing people while watching movies? Purely for the giggles.

Homework

The guys from yesterday's post, Marr and Rick, gave me a drawing to take home and ink. Marr did the central figure, Rick filled in the rest. I struggled with it, because some of the details were quickly sketched in, and I didn't have the artists around to explain it to me. I thought "that guy" was the person in behind. There was a roughly hemispheric shadow on the front guy's shirt, but that was it.

So I did one version, and after having scanned it, finally got what they were getting at. So I had to strengthen the shadow, darken the arm, and add the ear. I underlined the word "that." Still can't figure out why they're holding hands.

Then There Were Three

More hands to draw at the Cock N' Bull Bar. I'd have to label these "Gagnon and Marr Fridays," but that's too awkward. Still, our third friend's presence was welcome, and gave a new perspective to things. He'd brought his sketchbook, which, if you'll recall from last week's post, his wife gave him, but he hadn't taken out until he was in the presence of Gagnon and I. We've been doing some drawings in that. These weren't scanned, they're snapped with a compact camera.

Marr drew this, and Rick inked it. I added about four lines, at the end: around the arms.



This is a drawing by Marr of Wong, the pub's chef, inked by me.


Here, Rick is autofocussing, as he takes a picture of me taking a picture of him. He and Marr gave me a birthday gift that night, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. I don't really want to draw comics the Marvel Way, but it's a lot of fun, anyways.


Finally, two old guys, drawn by me, gone over slightly by Gagnon. I thought it was dark enough, but there's always room to do something.

More Hands Make the Sketching More Fun.

Getting a little crowded at our table at the Cock N' Bull pub in Montreal. Rick's writer friend Marr was there with his wife Kari. I had brought my super watercolour pencils. Marr added a scary crocodile to my drawing of a couple of regulars, and I enhanced that, while Rick added colour. It has a nice Jack Davis feeling to it.

Marr had a sketchbook, too. A gift from Kari, though he had hardly opened it. He did this guy, inked by Rick, and snapped on his portable camera.



Then Marr got Kari to draw this character. I added a couple of faces in the back, and Rick inked.


Rick was also busy inking these characters drawn by yours truly:



So, the blog looks busier now, at least.

Busy Night

Busy night at the Cock N' Bull, at the usual table, doing drawings with my friend, R. Gagnon. Above is a careful drawing of mine, inked by Gagnon. She resembles the villainess in some pulp story.

Below is Yang (in green), the hero of a Western comic Rick showed me, from the era of the Kung Fu tv series.


A guy that Rick drew, and gave me to ink:


Finally, Rick thought he was done, when I drew a person from a photo from his book about hoboes. He was inked well by Rick, and then the band started setting up. Our friends fled from near the stage to the bar, and it was time to go home.

Giant Head

And here I was thinking I was the strange one. I'm drawing relatively normal items like those below, and then Rick Gagnon tells me he's drawing the people across from us, and comes up with the above little gem, which I inked. I still don't understand it, and I had to ask "What's this?" and "what's that thing supposed to be?" It's pretty cool, but totally demented. I seem to have signed it with my mother's initials rather than my own, which adds another layer of strangeness for me.

Below, I sketched in a friend for Nick, the old British guy who sits near us. We were selling our "Cock N' Bull Nights" zines ahead of time of Expozine at the bar, and they were going well. People who have been drinking make good customers. Don't think I can go into publishing, though.


This next one is simply a copy of two Love and Rockets characters, which Rick inked. But why is his hair white?


Anyways, I'll be at Expozine all weekend. Gotta go run and get some change for that.

Cats Approve New Zine

The cats check the new zine, Cock N' Bull Nights, arrived fresh from the printer for this weekend's Expozine Zine Fair in Montreal. They gave it their approval, but want the box when I'm done with it.



This is a self-published zine of sketches I've mainly posted on this blog, done in collaboration with Rick Gagnon, who was also instrumental in putting together the publication.



I think I know what to do, now, so if this is popular, maybe I'll put out a "Utopia Moment" zine of just my own drawings. The main trick is to get all the pages in the right order.

Memorial

In lieu of drawings today, here's a photo from a memorial to a friend, Linton, which I attended yesterday, at the Cock N' Bull Pub. He was one of the regulars at the pub, and my friend Rick Gagnon and I were privileged to sit next to his table, and share magazines, and such.

So, instead of a sombre church service, we had an open bar and buffet. Here's to you, Linton!

Many Hands Make the Load Lighter

Wow. Tonight I had the honour of having two cool artists inking my drawings. First, there's Rick Gagnon, who usually meets me at the bar for a Friday unwind. Above, that's a drawing inked by Rick of Vincent Price, being himself.

Then below, a drawing of mine of a guy at the bar, inked by Éric Theriault, who's doing lots of cool things these days:


Another drawing, inked by Rick. We're putting together a book of all of these, for sale at the end of the month. Stay tuned!

Tons of Fun

I think my friend, R. Gagnon, has reached new heights in his interpretations of my pencil drawings during our weekly Friday evening bar meetings. We're actually putting together a little zine of these, which will be on sale at Expozine, Montreal's annual zine and small publication fair, at the end of the month. In the meantime, enjoy.





This last is my brushwork, with Gagnon's embellishment.

Back to the Bull

After a bit of a break, I'm back at the Cock N' Bull for a Friday meet with my friend Richard Gagnon. Back to drawing strange collaborative sketches such as the above. This one began with my (slightly leany) figure in the middle. Gagnon added the crocodile asking for tourist help, and I inked and put them in St. Mark's Place in Greenwich Village, which we both filled in. Haven't been there for a while.

Below, a cool guy with a British accent, whom I think did location scouting for films in Montreal, back in the Day. Done by Your Humble Servant with that sex-toy-looking multicoloured ballpoint pen I've been fooling around with.


More collaboration with Rick, this time with my dinky little black ballpoint pen.

The Devil's Hoard

An ordinary sketch from mid-July of a masculine-looking woman pointing in a Calgary coffee shop outside an art gallery (compare it here) became this wild scene thanks to collaboration with my friend, R. Gagnon. It happened on a Thursday night, rather than the usual Friday. He drew a devil in a cave on the opposite page, then connected the two with the pile of jewels. Also added the kitty-cat (I drew the dog). It was up to me to ink it, and we had fun adding details, making it better and more interesting. It's exhilarating to be able to draw and invent funny things. Doing it with someone else adds an element of surprise, because you never really know what's going to happen next.

New Faces

Gosh, that's twice in one week going to this bar, and drawing with my friend, R. Gagnon. A little tired of drawing the people there, who are the same faces, it seems, just like us. So here are some new faces. Above, a drawing of Ezra Pound I did a while ago, and Rick just inked, of Ezra standing in front of his "gorilla cage," where he was held prisoner by the US army on charges of treason. He had to spend years after that in a mental hospital, but won the top prize in poetry for the poem he wrote in the cage.

And below, a happy couple:

Gagnon Monday

Gosh. R. Gagnon dragged me out of the house, away from my fooling with CSS, and got me out for a meet at the Cock N' Bull bar. It's what we usually do on Fridays, but that night last week was a book launch at Billy Mavreas' gallery, and R. had a comic in the book, so we had to go to that.

But he called me on Monday, and I cycled across downtown to the bar, and here's what took place. He did these wonderful colours with his Caran d'Ache colour pencils on my brush pen sketches. I really think I'm going to take them out of the sketchbook, and frame them.



Here's a collaborative drawing by Gagnon and myself. I don't know if it really looks like her:



Meanwhile, it was Craft Night at the Cock N' Bull, which means that everyone there had paints and drawing boards. Rick drew a few of the people drawing, which is always fun:





Rick also inked an old Alfred Hitchcock drawing of mine, leaving alone the sage story advice which I don't know comes from Mr. Hitchcock, or a book I was reading at the time.

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:

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.

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.

Purposes of Collaboration

Did lots of cool drawings last night at the bar with my friend, graphic artist and illustrator R. Gagnon. Wonder where this is going? I think it's mainly relaxation, but I'm learning stuff. Above is my drawing (kind of an older one), and Rick's inks.

Below is Rick's drawing (on the spot, some girls at another table), and my inks. Turnabout is fair play!


This one is just me, by my lonesome, but I feel I've learned a little from Rick's work on my pics:


And finally, Rick, on a drawing of mine, with instructions to work as quickly as possible:


Rick, working away last night:

No Website for Old Men?

Back collaborating with my friend R. Gagnon on drawings, like the smashing one above.

Meet "Chappy." At least that's what Rick says his name is. This time, for a change, Rick drew him, and I inked.


This is me, drawing in my little notebook. It's supposed to be Leo McKern, but it's a Leo McKern of the imagination. However, Rick had a magazine with a picture of the actor, so I was able to improve the picture. I think that's Stephen Fry in the back.


Here's an old guy sitting near us who looked a little like Leo McKern. This is the ultimate collaboration, because I started with the eyes and nose, and Rick drew from there.

Confrontation

I feel bad, because a friend was with Rick Gagnon and I when we had our weekly meet at the Cock N' Bull bar, and I totally bagged on his screenplay excerpt he showed me. It needed work, but all stuff that's in process usually does, and showing something unfinished, or that's an excerpt, is the worst thing you can do. I know my documentary things are pretty dire sometimes without the fine tuning, and the final score added, and all.

Well, even if I was a jerk at least the drawing Rick and I did was cool. Something strange: that should be the left hand that's holding onto the gun, but Rick didn't make it that, while I drew in an extra left hand, over the fold. Well, it's supposed to be horror, or something.

Plus, another watercolour pic:


Bonus pics! Rick looking goofy:


And, new kitten looking cute:

Back to the Cock N' Bull, and New Kitten!

The above drawing is another collaboration between R. Gagnon and myself. I fancy it's a little sombre, because one of our friends at the bar, who brought in New Yorker and Spectator magazines we would steal peeks from, is still in the hospital. Hope he gets well.



On a happier note, the new kitty I picked up after moving day in July is fitting in well, except for occasional bouts of lunacy. I took a picture of her with my new camera. Didn't like having to buy one, but the old one got wrecked, apparently after recording that storm in June. Still, this one has all the latest bells and whistles, though it's still me on the shutter.

She looks very proud here, the forward-looking kitty of the future, with the Old Guard in the background. Click on the pic to see more adorableness.

Collaboration, Characters, Colours and Cars

Another bumper night of collaboration with my friend, R. Gagnon at the Cock N' Bull bar last night. Above, Rick's stellar inks on a drawing of mine, which looks a little like one of the productions of Margaret Keane.

Unfortunately, one of the gentlemen we usually sit with was in the hospital again. Hope he gets better, soon.

Meanwhile, I'm getting worried that R and I look like a special education class at the bar, what with all our sketchbooks, pencils and paints spread on the table. But if we are mocked, we have a fine time mocking others at the bar, in our drawings.


Take this sensitive guy, for instance, with pompadoured mullet. Drawing by me, colours by Gagnon.

And I made the girl below even fatter than she really was, which was fun.


Rick had his car comics, which inspired me to draw a couple of 1970s vintage muscle cars, which he then inked. First is supposed to be a 1968 Pontiac GTO, then a 1972 Plymouth Duster. They're drawn out of my head from memories of model kits I built long ago, so please don't jump down our throats if the details aren't accurate.


Actually, the top one looks more like a Ford Torino, or some Mercury product.

Mixed Up

An amusing and cool collaboration with R. Gagnon from last night. Also, a watercolour girl, more of which will come, tomorrow.

Back to the Bar

Back to a Friday meet at the bar with my friend, Richard Gagnon. He produced the above sketch of one of the inhabitants. Wanted to have me ink it, but I wasn't in the mood, or feeling confident I could do it justice. At least it ended up in the very nice drawing you see here.

I leant him a copy of To Live and Die in L.A., which features a very nattily-dressed and coiffed William Friedkin as director. This is an impression of him, below, by the pair of us. Nice bricks and textures here and above.



Last, my doodle of a little deuce coupe. You know what I mean.

Random Fun, and videos.

Just random fun, as I collaborate with R. Gagnon on a page. That's T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, plus a couple of WWI airy-planes.

Plus, a couple of videos. First, heart-stopping action as Ms. B. eats her cat food, while outside school children happen to be chanting "Go! Go! Go!".


Next, things get even livelier, as I capture the storm that blew up last week, and got so strong it overturned trucks on the highway.

Not so bad from my apartment doorway, but still, I went in when it got even worse. My watercolour stuff, which I had been using on the balcony, and thought I had placed well away from the rain, got soaked.

New Sketchbook

Bought a new "edition" of the Italian watercolour sketchbook which I like so much. Started getting filled immediately. Actually, the sketch at the bottom, at Montreal Place des Arts was the first thing in the book. But I wanted to highlight Rick Gagnon's vivid interpretations of my pencil drawings, above, and below.

The guy up top is "Tony," a beloved busboy guy at the Cock N' Bull bar. Below, another player. I dig the blocky brush treatment, and was urging Rick to be more splashy and messy, which he did very well.



Lighting conditions in the bar aren't the best, especially for something like watercolour. So Rick's like "which one's the purple?" and I had to point out the right dark dried mass of paint in the paintbox.

Of course, like me, he's a devotee of the "happy accident" and dirty mixed colour school of watercolours. I'm a little more timid, but am trying for the more saturated colours. Not that I'm unhappy with what I'm doing, by any means. Just enjoy the learning experience, and absorbing of new influence that comes with collaboration.

More Friday Collaborations

These look a little more formal than Richard Gagnon's and my usual collaborations. Of course, that's generally my doing, because I did the pencil sketches he's elaborated on in ink, here.


Bikini Girl! I was going for a "Love and Rockets" or Salma Hayek vibe here.


He's based a little on a 1960s version of actor John Hurt, when he was mod and had lots of floppy auburn hair.

Surrealistic animal scenes, and Hidden Goodness?

Drawing pointed, portentious scenes involving animals. Above, THE CAT ruined this relationship, but maybe it was already over.

While below, she continued reading her tiny book, ignoring THE GORILLA in the room.


Meanwhile, cartoonist friends think that my character in a sketch the other day was channeling Jack Kirby's "Granny Goodness." Coincidence, or what?

By the Red Pool Table

More brilliant bar collaborations between myself and R. Gagnon. Sorry for not blogging more. I've been distracted by working on my web page, and other tasks.

Irony, Man

Gosh, these allergies are congesting my head in a way that even the pills can't seem to have an effect. Still, while I'm not working very efficiently (or at all), I'm in a good mood. Went out to a movie yesterday with my friends. Afterwards, Rick Gagnon added ink and paint to my drawing above, with the usual gorgeous results.

Below is Eric Theriault reacting to a lewd comment of mine about his comics heroine, Veena. We artists can be very catty to each other, and about other artists, but it's still fun.



Here Eric and Rick are having a whistling contest, while Eric mimes riding a polo pony.


That's about as witty as I get. I'm out of here!

Breaking the Frame

Friday night at the bar, my friend Rick Gagnon as showing me some comics, and I had the notion of trying something different. Not the usual full page, or the square panel in a comic, six to a page, in three tiers. Above are my pencil drawings, except for strange things Rick added in the bottom, which are cool.

Also cool are these people Rick drew, solo:


Then, someone else at my right, playing the video lottery terminals. A collaboration between myself and R.:

Another Gagnon Friday, and bike loss

A little late in posting these, the results of another Friday night meeting with my friend, artist Richard Gagnon. Maybe I was depressed over losing my bike that night.

Above is a collaboration between Rick and I. I did the drawing, Rick did the inking. Below is a solo effort of Rick's:



I had (I think!) badly chained up the bike, after leaving the bar, and just hopped into a store Rick wanted to go into. Maybe the pitcher of beer had clouded my judgment, but whoever it was, was darned quick. The bike was gone after a only couple of minutes, disappeared into the crowds of Friday night downtown Montreal.

Anyhow, I have my old bike, which was sitting in pieces in the shed. Though it doesn't have all my lights, and the rack, and stuff, I kind of like it. It feels light, and good to ride.

Slick and Rough

Kind of a fractious night last evening at the Cock N' Bull, even though there weren't as many people as usual. Still, Rick Gagnon and I collaborated on a number of cool drawings. Got him to slickly ink the glamour girl above, and then work as quickly as he could on the gambling girl below.



I like this drag racer, which we collaborated on, all in pencil, with some photoshop tint I threw in today. (Rick had shown me some of the car comics he has been collecting on Ebay:)


And typical bar patrons:

Turtle Man Returns

Old men, cats, and strange characters in bars. What could it mean? Only that Gagnon Friday is back, after a week hiatus (because Gagnon was puttering around buying CDs in Brooklyn, while I stayed here and worried about the future, as usual). These are more collaborations, with my pencil drawings and his inkings over them, which we perform during a more or less regular meet at a bar on Friday afternoon.

More Collaboration, and Types.

This guy with the hair was in a restaurant I was in with Rick the other night. His friend is imaginary, but typical. They're perfect intellectuals. The trouble with this drawing is that Dogville came out in 2003. They'd be watching Fassbinder, or if I was feeling especially nasty, Anthony Minghella.

Now, this picture below is a collaboration, and pure imagination, except for the "pineapple head" dreadlock guy, who was drawing that strange symbol in his book as I walked by. I started the picture with him, Rick carried on, and I added in after that.

Still haven't totally figured out his take on the female face, but try to make it look as good as he makes my stuff. In this case, I was inking over his drawings, except when he said "here, let me do it," and took over. I've always liked the idea of ancient Egyptians blundering into downtown Montreal.

Truck Guy Dog

Missed my Friday meet with Gagnon, because both of us were sick. But tonight we had tasty noodle soups across the street, and made up for it. This was "arts and crafts" night at the Cock N' Bull, so everyone was painting on little hobby canvases with toy paint sets. Not drawing like this (hrummph! hrummph!). It's my pencil drawing with finishes in ink by Rick, or "tracing," as a girl pointed out who had seen the movie Chasing Amy. Ha ha ha! Seriously, Rick does a great job, and makes my pics look nice.

Oh yeah: According to Rick, this is what Meat Loaf looks like these days.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs ... Something Witchy This Way Comes

This is Gagnon's version of Winnie the Witch, inked from his pencil version. It's big! Fills the whole 9" by 12" page in my Canson sketch book. That looks like an entire cartridge of Pentel Brushpen ink he's used.

He was impatient with me, because I hadn't gotten around to inking the picture. I've been working on my own stuff.

The Cock N' Bull was jumping this last Friday, because of all the Saint Paddy's day nonsense. Luckily, I had my smaller sketchbook on me (both of these were $3.95 at the local chain art store, so I stocked up).

I drew this fortune teller. Also witchy, but older.

Ugly Guys and Beautiful Girls

Went out to FIFA last night, which is the Montreal Festival of Art Films. When I was writing art criticism for Espace Magazine, I got a journalist's pass to see this, and spent a happy week in the dark watching film after film. Unfortunately, films about art tend to look alike. It's a challenge to come up with something new and compelling, especially as most visual art tends not to move.

I'm sure there's lots on the web to find later about these films, such as the titles. Feeling pretty lazy this morning. Oh, well, maybe I can drag out a program and check them out in a later post. That's what this couple are doing. Checking out the films, I mean.

This time, for a switch, they're drawn by my friend Richard Gagnon, and then inked by me. He's supposed to be this very ugly guy G. referred to as "goat boy," but he turned out rather dashing.

I supplied some ugly later on.


This, like the above, was done over a pitcher at our not-usual bar, down the street from the Art Museum, where the films were showing. There was a gang of kids there bopping to some very pre-processed beats. Apparently Americans here over spring break, marooned by the latest snow dump we've just had in Montreal. Maybe this angry old man didn't like the music. I asked G. to add a female character in the back. Rather than someone else screaming, which I would have done, he drew the server. Again, it's me adding the inks over Rick's drawing in the corner, in a reversal of our usual roles. The scratchy, cross-hatched stuff is all mine.

I've done more drawings from this night, but maybe will hold them back for another post. Also the movie reviews, if there will be such things. I feel fairly geeky, sketching like mad with my friend at whatever bar, but it's fun, and works the creative muscles. Sort of a mini, two-handed comic jam.

Finally, here's a drawing I made all myself of Winnie The Witch, who while sexy and all (I hope I didn't make her head too mannish) doesn't seem to rate her own fan web page. This is a shame. If my friend Rick, who collects comics and original art, set up a web site showing off his collection (hint, hint), you could have the benefit of his taste in comics history. Even I haven't seen all that he's got squirreled away!

TV and Comics Heroines

Couple of pics today, after meeting with my friend R. Gagnon at the Cock N' Bull bar. Above, he's inked my drawing of a couple of the heroines of the Firefly TV series, which became the movie, Serenity. I like River, the crazy girl (L) because when she shows up in the show, stuff happens. That's supposed to be Kaylee, in her party frock, in front. I added colours, later, with my Prismacolour pencils. (I'm a bit of a Luddite, but that just means I'm bad at computer colouring)

Below is Gagnon's drawing of Winnie the Witch, from the old Charlton Horror Comics.

Friday Collaboration and Fun, and My Latest TV Episode is Airing Tonight!

Another meet with my friend, R. Gagnon, produced this sketch of our favourite other-dimensional gal, Clea, from the Doctor Strange comics.

Wish I had a picture of Gagnon playing this crazy unrollable flexible keyboard, which is like the paper piano keyboard you had to practice on if you were a poor kid, but this one makes sounds and can accompany you like a Hammond Organ.

I'll settle for this nifty portrait by Gagnon of a Video Lottery Terminal gamer:



Meanwhile, I was drawing bar characters, and the Saint Paddy's Day decorations, which were up. I added the grey in photoshop with a lot of effort. Don't know if it was worth it. Would have rather done it in wash, but that cockles the thin paper in this book:


A programming note, please tune in tonight at 7 pm. to watch the latest of the episodes of What's That About? I wrote, on Discovery Canada. Tonight, it's "Power Quest." Zap, zap!

By the Light of the All-Seeing Eye of Agamotto!

Rover, by myself, and R. Gagnon.

It was fun and games as usual at the Cock N' Bull bar last night. Though we showed up an hour earlier than our usual time. I'm a little leery of being thought of as a 'regular' in a place where the regulars are mainly very grotesque and broken down (the clientele is a combination of these, and a variety of students from nearby Concordia University). Plus, I'm a freelancer, and weekends don't have the same meaning to me that they used to. But Rick gets me out, and I'm usually happy that he does.

We have a table we usually get, next two a couple of groovy, smart old men, who do crosswords and read the "New Yorker," (passing these and other magazines along to their friends in an informal but complicated system). They're kind of bemused by our geek movie and comic talk, enthusiastic drawing, and sharing tunes on our iPod (again, the comics and the iPod were things Gagnon introduced to me. I'm not nearly as passionate a collector as he, and he loves to share). But, I suppose we're entertaining, and fill up the chairs, keeping away worse company.

Anyhow, Richard gave my sketch of Clea, Dr. Strange's squeeze, a fun Ditko-inspired "Dark Dimension" to get lost in. Note the Mindless One (reading Reader's Digest, which is pretty mindless), and the Demon's collection of masks from the Other Side of Nowhere.


Meanwhile on planet Earth, I contented myself with sketching a few of the folk at other tables:

Dr. Strange Days

Dr. Strange's girlfriend.

Reading Volume One (the only volume the Central Library had) of "Marvel Masterworks" Dr. Strange. Amazing the weirdness Steve Ditko was able to pack into very simple drawings in a very tight space.

What now seems a long time ago, R. Gagnon and I collaborated on an homage to the Ditko-inspired Dr. Strange stories, which you can read here. Rick is the big comics fan and collector, who turned me on to this. He also did the delicious colours in the strip. I added my own strangeness (doing the pencilling, layout, and most of the writing).

Colour and Loose

Doing some watercolours here, with ink outlines, trying to absorb some of ideas from the other artists who have had their work posted here.



Below, I completely forgot about this, but here is a fantastically loose interpretation made last Friday by R. Gagnon over my pencil drawing of the "real" Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. It's about as scratchy as Gagnon gets.

Gagnon Sunday

--drawing by Richard Gagnon and Jack Ruttan

Big change in routine this time: Gagnon Friday, my meeting, chatting and sketching time with a friend, fell on a Sunday night. And I'm only getting to it Tuesday.

Rick G. had called as I was riding on the metro (lucky he got through: I was stopped at a station with cell reception), said he'd be late. When I arrived, the Bar des Pins was full of balloons. I thought it was a birthday party, but it turned out to be a reception, or launching-off, for a hockey game at the University. The old bald server guy told me the place would be buzzing tonight.

He was wrong. Some aspect of the bar fell short for the head organiser, a tall guy with a loud, reedy voice ("People! People! (clapping hands) Now let's get read-ay!"), and he had 'his bitches,' which is what he called the girls who had done the decorating, take everything down, and move it out the door to a more stylish place. Maybe the surfer-themed bar in the shopping centre across the way.

So no big crowds, which was fine by me, though Rick thought the server would be disappointed. I'm not sure. No rushing around to do, no noise, no big clean-up. And this place had been around for over 50 years, I imagine. That's a lot of slow Sunday nights. Gagnon and I drew the usual pictures, and finished a large crossword.

Instead of college kids, there was a man with a very pretty black cocker spaniel that liked to fetch pool balls:

Looks a bit like one of those sheared sheep coats that cost a lot of money in antique clothing stores.

Here's another collaborative sketch. That's not Gagnon, only someone like him, doing what he does. And the place always smells of cigarettes:

A Pile of Drawings

Work isn't going so well, so here are a pile of drawings. Some of these sit around in pencil for a long while, and I finish them, and post them here.

Concerning the above, years back in Calgary, I had a chance to design space ships for someone's short film I don't think was ever made (that was around the time when "Star Wars" first came out). But the guy did have a volkswagen-size fibreglas egg in his father's garage for a long while.

I was reading a lot of science fiction at the time, and so I imagine my space ship designs were better back then. Here, it's mostly putting together vaguely streamlined shapes, and other items while watching Star Wars Part II. Not a brilliant movie (but not much worse than 1950s costume spectacles) and I've always loved models and special effects.

Beware the dreaded Giant Astro Cat!

Below, a sketch made while watching the bad hit-person film Domino.



Next, something I drew in bed before turning out the lights. Lucky it held together, because no pencil drawing underneath!



Finally, I added ink to a sketch R. Gagnon made, doing a riff on a curious menu item he was describing to me. M. Gagnon's a confirmed vegan, but he's good enough to keep it out of the conversation most of the time. Though I wonder what goes on in his head, and whether he will snap some day.

Another Day, Another Bar

Somewhat late here. After going to a bar last Thursday, and drawing comics, the next night I met with my friend R. Gagnon at another bar - and drew comics. I was feeling slightly under the weather and sorry for myself, but Richard carried the ball. Above he's painting away with my paint box at one of his drawings I've posted before (and flipped), and here's the result:



There was some sort of altercation next to us, which I resolutely refused to pay attention to (maybe not wise: what if a missile or body came our way?). It was over some guy wanting to pick up a cute dog people had brought in.

This isn't the dog, or the person who was doing the shouting, but the incident inspired Rick and I:



We must have been feeling a little cynical (or reacting to the dismemberment idea), because soon we were drawing pictures with our wrong hands. Here's a Charles Bronson Character Rick drew on the back of his veggie burger placemat:



While Richard's good inking hand (he's a leftie) makes my left-handed drawing of this Simon Lebon-like character look good:



Finally, Gagnon was doing quick sketches of Video Lottery players to impress a pair of giggling girls:



But for me, the scene seemed more like this:


Well, not really. Getting out generally cheers me up. This evening, I'm going to post the rest of last week's comic jam drawings. Then, it's back to whatever I can come up with on my own.

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.

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.

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."

3-Pitcher Friday

A little bit too much beer on the Friday evening that R. Gagnon and I share most weeks. Above is a scribble I made listening to some of his music on the iPod (set list to come). Beautifully inked by Mr. Gagnon, especially the hand. That's Shaun Cassidy, and Paddington Bear looking on.

And here's that set list:
- Cool Fire 4:18 Shaun Cassidy Wasp
- Kicker of Elves 1:04 Guided by Voices Bee Thousand
- Hot Freaks 1:43 Guided by Voices Bee Thousand
- Tractor Rape Chain 3:05 Guided by Voices Bee Thousand
- You're not an Airplane 0:33 Guided by Voices Bee Thousand
- Time and Love 4:26 Laura Nyro New York Tendaberry
- Last Train to Clarksville 2:47 Monkees Single A-side
- Now That I Own the BBC 4:58 Sparks Single A-side
- Buddha Buddha 3:10 Parthenon Huxley Single A-side
- No, Surrender 7:40 Justin Currie What Is Love For




This is an evil conflation of Rick Mercer and Tony Curtis.



This is all my own work -- the two old guys who are regulars at the bar ('reserved' table and all).

I have to make prints of this to give them next week. It was they who gave us their extra pitcher of beer when they left.

So, if freelancing doesn't work out, I can always have a career of hanging around in bars drawing people for beers.

But Rick decided he'd had enough and went to play a game of pool. I was the first sucker he wiped the floor with, so I sat down with my pint and drew the below while he demolished all other challengers.



Here's J.D., another of Gagnon's patsies:

Collaboration Saturday

Gagnon Friday got moved to Saturday (yesterday), and there is a bumper crop of drawings. As usual, my drawing, and Richard Gagnon's inking. Above is a space girl which is pretty much a copy of a drawing by Robert Ullman, who's better at this sort of thing than I.

Assorted reptiles and the hilarious "unbeatable(?) pterodactyl" in the background are all Rick's.

Below, it's Charles Bronson throwing walnuts. His foreign films sound much more interesting than the ones I know.




Complaining cats. With the cold, and the heater often turned up so they can't sleep on it they're getting restless. This is the view I get when I'm on the phone.



I love the lines here. So working on my own inking.

Lots of stuff Friday

I've got strange friends.



Menu drawing by R. Gagnon and myself. I added the hippie, which he filled in.

Meet James Ensor, Belgium's famous painter:



What's going on with his hand?

Below, sketch by Eric Theriault, of the happy-go-lucky Leader of the Solar Temple:



That evening, we went to a launch of some books at Paragraphe Books, which I am sad to see is no longer an independent bookstore, but bought up by a chain. Still, it's a cool store.

Arrived a little late, which was all right for me. I'm not a fan of readings at book launchings. (But sadly, my friend Rick didn't get to hear his friend Claude Lalumiere, read from his story published in the Canadian SF anthology Tesseracts 11.) I did catch one reading, which was more like a story recalled, by Brett Savory, whom I drew, below.

Brett was promoting his book In and Down.



Also met Nairne Holtz, whose name I bobbled. Hope that linking to one of her books she showed me at the store, The Skin Beneath, helps make up for that.

Photo Gagnon

Just this drawing for this week's Gagnon Friday. Of course, if I continue letting him go over my pencil drawings, I'll never learn to ink on my own. Aww, what the heck, it's fun to watch, and opens me up to another style.

Gag-"non" Cartoons

I'm writing wordy comments on other people's blogs. Should rather save the eloquence for my own blog.

Anyhow, was commenting on an interesting post in Mike Lynch's Gag Cartoon blog, which has kind of inspired me to do a bunch of single panel cartoons and send them out to magazines. Been quiet as far as work this past month or two, but looking over old things gets me back into the game.

These are five-year old panel cartoons which I wrote and then were inked by Rick Gagnon, my usual collaborator. Copyright Rick and I. The artwork in the logo is by cartoonist Jeff Leblanc.




But I want to do all my own work on the new ones, because I can have more control of where they go. These, we only sent to Reader's Digest, got rejected, and then they ended up in Rick's zine, from which I took these scans. I would have rather sent to more places first, but if I create the whole thing, I can send out and get rejected as much as I want.

R. Gagnon's Hallowe'en Hi-jinks

Hold onto your seats -- you're about to be terrified.

Rather than the usual sketching jag, which happens many Fridays when artist/translator Richard Gagnon and I get together for a pitcher of beer, yesterday we were caught up in the unexpected.

The management plunked down a pumpkin on our table, and asked us, since we were artist-types, to design and carve a jack-o-lantern for the bar.

So Rick got to work, and designed the following blood-curdling image:



Of course, having let him have the honour of designing the pumpkin, I let Rick do the cutting and cleaning. I went off and played pool. So, this is all Rick's work.

Brace yourself for a nightmare of terror:



Pretty spooky, huh?

Of course, it's even more sanity-threatening when lit up, as follows:



Hallowe'en's not 'til next week, but people are going out to parties and all this evening, even though it's raining in Montreal. Spook responsibly!

Collaboration all over the place, again.

There're so many Rick Gagnon-inked drawings here, I'm going to have to rename the blog. Or make a separate blog that contains only these collaborations, and the comic strips we've done in the past.

But, it's all more material to post, and if it's fun, no harm in that.

Below, everyone gets dark, in the style of one of these '50s comic artists Rick admires. The guy below is saying "Once, I could have left with Jeanne Moreau." (we were talking about French films).

Also darkened is my poor cat, and his newly-cloven ear.



As a bonus, here's another drawing from another day, based on sketches I was making while watching Fargo:



And finally, what I was drawing while he was inking all of those things. This is a woman at another, very yackky table near us at the bar. She's holding a spider because I wanted her to be doing something with her hands.

Gagnon to the Rescue

This week, my collaborator R. Gagnon went to town on a bunch of my drawings, new and old.

Above, was a very quick scribble of an old man. Hope R. doesn't mind the grey tone I added to the dog.

Middle, two guys in a bar, in colour this time. Skeletal flying fish up above has nothing to do with the scene.



And below, an older picture of mine he had started on, of Bono and Leonard Cohen. They have a very scary look in the eyes, like they're about to do violence. I love Lenny's checked jacket!

Gagnon Fridays Return

Again. R. Gagnon and I meet at a bar for an end-of-week beer. We're both freelancers, so the week doesn't have the usual kind of structure. Indeed, late Fridays is when I often have to take calls, etc. But here we go. I like the finish he gives to some of my pencil scribbles.

I know, this is a Saturday, but the drawings are done on Friday!

Below, an interior of the Cock and Bull Pub, with contributions from both of us.

Today is Caturday, and Yesterday was Gagnon Friday

So in honour, I've got scribbles of cats executed at the Cock and Bull Pub (the drawing, not the cats), and below, a mellow work entitled "The Butcher," embellished by Mr. Gagnon.

Collaboration Fridays

Could call Friday afternoons "Collaboration Fridays," or worse, "Gagnon Fridays," because I often have a beer with illustrator/translator Rick Gagnon, and he likes to embellish my sketches.It's a pleasure working with him, but I'm also trying to expand my own work, and get more comfortable with it. Above is sort of a scene from the Montreal International Film Festival, where filmmakers get together, and make fun of each other's work.

The drawings below are mine, from Saturday. More airplanes, faces, and people in the street, from my balcony.





From the picture, you can tell it's always endless excitement on my street (and I like it that way! Want more people to walk by, however, when I'm drawing.)

More Collaboration

This is a painting Richard Gagnon did over my drawing, with my watercolours, when we met for a drink yesterday afternoon. Below, is a photo of him accomplishing the deed. I'm jealous of his colour sense. At bottom, another collaboration. We're working on a strip, which I have to get done.

More Collaboration

More drawing with Richard Gagnon, letting him ink over my pencil drawings.

More Collaborations

Drawing at a bar can be fun. Here Rick Gagnon has finished some of my drawings. Above, it's a satanic-looking Orson Welles with Divine at the Cock and Bull Pub in Montreal!

Boggedy cat entering a room:



Rick drawing. Despite his looking a little stern in the shot, it's good times. We were playing our I-Pod tunes for each other.

Collaboration

Collaboration, when it goes well, is really fun. My friend R. Gagnon and I collaborated on a comic strip, and other projects. It's been too long since the last time, but we'd also sit in bars with a pint, as with last night, and he'd draw inks over some of my pencil sketches. The results as above. I also enjoyed inking some of his drawings, but he's not such a sketchbook fiend as I am.

It's thrilling seeing one of your drawings acquiring a new life, as you look over someone's shoulder, or watch it upside down on the other side of the table. Later, there are little nitpicks (I wish I'd aligned things better, but the leaning girl works, at least for me). There are also difficulties in motivating a two-headed beast, or agreeing on how to proceed.

More Scary Stuff

On the right is a sketch of a friend's girlfriend by me. Left is Rick Gagnon's illumination of my other drawing of a much different woman, riffing on someone who was walking by while Rick and I were sitting last Tuesday at an outdoor cafe, near the Maisonneuve Market.

More truckers, looking right

I don't know why I find it easier to draw people looking to the right. I think it's something to do with handedness. Anyhow, I should try drawing more people looking the other way, but I don't remember to, unless it's a couple.

The trucker below was inked by the estimable Richard Gagnon. We used to collaborate. I hope we do again, sometime.