Skulls

Stephanie bought this dog skull at a yard sale over the summer and now it sits in our living room. Bones are always great still life subjects. They have so many drops and shadows.

Happy 4th night of Hanukkah tonight!

Scuffz reads

On Memorial Day it was hot, we went to the river, and we had a BBQ with friends. I also drew this picture!



Well summer is over, but here's to apple cider, fireplaces, scrabble, winter squash, and all things autumn.

Ned Kelly : One Sketchy Fellow

The original sketch I did of Australia's premier outlaw with a dull pencil before moving on to pen. It wasn't quite what I wanted it to be.

IT'S A TRAP!

While waiting in line for the new and "improved" Star Tours ride at Disneyland I did my best to sketch out Admiral Ackbar working in his little booth.

If you're going on this ride I recommend getting a fast pass. The wait is simply not worth it.

Whatever.

The overseer of the Wednesday night figure drawing sessions at PNCA on top of a tree.

Old Blue Eyes

Oh, you know. Just sketchin' around.

Birds in a Nest

This is a drawing of my brothers and I hanging out when we were younger. I'm the one in the middle. It's funny how alike we all looked at that age.

Destroy All Humans!

I kind of feel like this guy is shaking his "fist" and yelling at some young whipper-snappers for messing up his lawn. This is yet another concept sketch I did for the window installation at Tender Loving Empire.

I'm on vacation so I still haven't had a chance to upload photographs from the finished piece, but I will soon. I promise.

Breaking news: Blowfish Blows

Well the installation is finally finished, but I don't have the photos of it ready to post at the moment. In the meantime, here's a source sketch for one of the elements! The whole installation is based off the crosshatched style of old nautical maps and displayed diorama style in the window.

You can see the complete installation in downtown Portland in the window of Tender Loving Empire, located at 412 Southwest 10th Avenue. (Just south of Burnside between Powell's and the foodcarts).

Leaf Dragon

The leaves on the tree branch outside of my house look like a dragon sometimes, so I drew it.

Tender Loving Window Installation

Sorry about the long blogging hiatus folks, but with the opening of my last show, out of town guests, summer fun, bbq's, bike rides, day jobs, my birthday, vacation planning, and an upcoming window installation at Tender Loving Empire I've been pretty busy!

I don't want to divulge the whole thing just yet, but here's a concept sketch I did a while ago for some elements of the window installation. I'm installing this Saturday and then two days later it's vacation time. Awwwwwww Yeaaaaaaaah.

Hipster Cowboy: Part 1

I'm working on a show flier for James Dean Kindle and the Eastern Oregon Playboys and before I settled on a final concept I drew up a few different ones to have the band pick from. Here's the first one I did, using a portrait of Wyatt Earp as inspiration. This is what he would have looked like in 1986 if he was a Daytona Beach police officer on a sitcom. Can't you just picture him in a jet-ski chase wearing blindingly white short shorts?

Plant

Here's a quick sketch that I did last week of a potted plant. Green things are going to be popping up more and more as the garden season gets on its way. I can't wait.

Yesterday (chops chops)

So, this is kinda what I looked like yesterday. I always like to shave my beard off in stages before taking the whole thing off and starting from scratch. I'm growing tired of this though and will probably be entering mustache town soon. I forgot how much I like working just in pen.

I've also been feeling a little negligent with the blog. Only 38 posts this year and it's already April? Pretty pathetic for something called "Sketch a Day." I'll try harder folks. Bear with me. Until I have a bare face that is. Then do whatever you want.

Portland Mercury in Retrograde

If you live in Portland, make sure to pick up a copy of The Portland Mercury tomorrow, where you'll see an illustration by your truly. It's my first printed illustration by them and I'm hoping the first of many.



This is a concept sketch that I did for the piece right after I got the assignment, so the art director, Scrappers, could see what I had in mind. Stay tuned for the finished version.

Eddie

I always try to rifle through old family photos whenever I visit San Diego, because you never know what forgotten memory you're going to dig up. I brought back a handful of pictures from my visit last week to use for some new sketches, including some good ones of my Grandparents on my Mom's side. Here's a quick sketch that I did of my grandfather Eddie, an iraqi immigrant born in Burma, and the son of a famed Kabbalistic Rabbi.

That's just a teaser. I'll post a more thorough bio of him with a more thorough portrait.

Profile

Just a quickie. I've had a great weekend in San Diego, but I also can't wait to go to Diorama night tonight sponsored by SCRAP at Beaulahland, back in Portland. Will I see you there?

Cafe Dog

No doubt about it, the best place for a dog is outside of a coffee shop in the morning. This guy was getting pets by everyone who walked by.

Apples and Nuts

I had to take my computer into the Apple store last week for some minor repairs and was completely overcome by how bustling it was in there. Have you experienced this before? It's wild. Anyways, I managed to find time to sketch this customer as he was being enlightened by a Mac "Genius."

This is what a typical Portland man looks like, age 60.

Secret Agent Bear

A few months ago I was hired to illustrate a children's book for a local publishing company, but for a variety of reasons the project fell through. The book would have featured 20 brand new animal portraits, and in the course of development only one was worked on which I've been sitting on, UNTIL NOW!

Here's a sketch I did for the Grizzly Bear. Don't be fooled by his cuddly exterior. He has honey tipped poison darts, and god help you if you ever find yourself in one of his dreaded Bear Hugs. The air in your lungs gets pushed out so quickly it feels like your soul is escaping your body . . . or so they say.