00Grizzly

You may remember this little gem that I posted in December. I guess I got so swept up in 2011 fever that I forgot to post the finished version. I'm sure glad I didn't cross paths with this guy while camping in the redwoods last week. I would have felt so under-dressed.

Visiting Artist

Back in February I got to be the visiting artist at the Campfire USA after school program for Kindergardeners and 1st graders. You may have seen the awesome art installation they did for the Emerson Space Case earlier this year. Of course all of this was coordinated by their lovely teacher, Stephanie.

We began the presentation by showing them examples of my art and talking about my process. We then had a quick Q and A session (very funny with 5 year olds) and moved on to the best part. An activity that Stephanie and I prepared for them.





As you can see we each drew a framed headless torso and made tons of copies of them, leaving it to the kids to fill in the head of their favorite animal. I was really excited to see what they would come up with, and the kids did not disappoint. Here are some examples.




















































And of course Stephanie and I wanted to get in on the fun too. If you want to make your own just open up the headless templates in a new window and print or save to your computer. I'll post up any that get sent to me on the blog.

Chrissie the Guinea Pig

Here's one that I started a while ago and never got around to finishing. Well I finally dusted off the old gal and polished her up a bit. Will there be a story for her?? Only time will tell.

Etsy: The Return

Remember these lovable guys?







Well I've finally gotten it together and have prints for sale of all three of them, available now on my Etsy page! Frames and mattes not included, but I can give you the measurements of the best way to matte all three of them. The prints are $20 a piece but if you buy all three you can get $10 off. This option isn't posted on the etsy page, but if you send me an email at dailysketch17@gmail.com we can work the whole thing out. Tell your friends!

"I'm too old to be chasing mice"

We recently watched "The Rescuers" which I can safely say I haven't seen since I was a kid. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor were great as Bernard and Ms. Bianca, but another stand out character was Rufus, the old orphanage cat. I decided I'd like to see what he might look like if he was a real cat, and this drawing is what I came up with.



And here's a look at what he looked like in the movie alongside the missing little girl, Penny.



Hope everyone had a good new years eve! Here's hoping the new year is filled with even more sketching than the last. What cartoon animal character would YOU like to see realistified?


"Two little mice? What- what can YOU do?

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.

In progress

I don't usually like posting these until they're finished, but I'm running low on material so here's a look at a new animal portrait in progress. It's a Rocky Mountain Sheep and it needs some work.

The Many Sordid Affairs of Rabbi Herschel Rabbitovski

Hershel Rabbitovski - the name alone conjures images of loose women, fast cars, and cheap moonshine. Not much is known about the infamous bootlegger's early years, other than that he was born in a small village outside of Odessa to Esther and Dimitri Rabbitovski, poor carrot farmers, in the closing years of the nineteenth century. Young Hershel, it seems, always had a cute, whiskered nose for trouble and was quickly spirited away to Kiev where his parents enrolled him in a rabbinical seminary.

He was ordained as a rabbi in 1914 but, after persistent allegations of money laundering, Rabbitovski fled to America where, through his cousin Harvey Harewood, he quickly found work in a poor Brooklyn synagogue. With the advent of Prohibition, Rabbitovski turned the congregation into a front for a bootlegging operation extending as far west as Missouri and as far south as the Carolinas. Taking a leaf from his upbringing, Rabbitovski's outfit specialized in a unique brand of single malt carrot whiskey colloquially known as "Warren-Tooth Rotgut." At first, life was good and money was easy but, during the later half of the 1920s, Rabbitovski was constantly on the run from Feds and hired guns alike, culminating in a deadly subway shootout in 1933. His funeral was held at B'nai Abraham Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey, though persistent sightings of his distinctive beard and floppy ears have led conspiracy theorists to believe he survived the hit to live out his days somewhere along the Brazilian coast.

Drawing by Ilan Schraer
Story by Aaron Greyson and Ilan Schraer
Written by Aaron Greyson

It's called a Viperfish

This portrait of a Viperfish wearing a bowtie can be seen adorning the sea cave that is my new installation at the Emerson Space Case (corner of NE 30th and NE Emerson, Portland, OR). Opening reception is tomorrow evening starting at 8pm and going till we feel like leaving. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

I've been working on this pretty much non-stop for the last two weeks and am really pleased with the way it turned out. I'll have pictures up as soon as I can, but it's best to see it in person. It'll be up for the month of May, possibly longer.

Mountain Goat Scribble Shade

This one came out a little sloppier than the other two. I'm really enjoying working on this old faded scrapbook paper. It's less intimidating than plain artist paper.

Old Man Giraffe

Despite what you might think, this guy wouldn't stick his neck out for anyone.




I felt a little ripped off by my previous Giraffe sketch because I didn't get to draw it's head so I'm making up for it in this one. The shape of the head has so many different rises and shadows that make it a pleasure to draw. Not to mention trying to capture the texture of it's skin. Here are some fun facts about Giraffes that I learned from my Flickr group. (thanks Kaitlin)

1. Giraffes have no voice box. How do they recite poetry to one another and complain about the temperature of their soup in restaurants? This is one of life's ongoing mysteries.

2. Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans, only theirs are just way bigger. We're talking huge.

UPDATE: Now for sale at my Etsy store!

What the eye misunderstands the mind reinterprets: harnessing accidental art.

You know when you see something out of the corner of your eye, but when you take a closer look it doesn't look nearly as interesting as what you thought you saw? This came out of one of those moments. Sometimes the best ideas come to you by complete accidental inspiration.

Ba-dah-ba-dah-ba-dah.

Here's a thank you card/present I made for a friend of mine who has a fondness for owls and Mario Bros. While drawing this I realized that the reality of a flying goombah is absolutely terrifying. Let's have a silent prayer of thanks to Mario and Luigi for their tireless effort to rid the Mushroom Kingdom of this threat.









Amen.

"Today is the greatest day i've ever known"

Was he talking about Christmas?





Probably not.

Friday

It's a moose. With a face in its antler.

I don't know.

It's a Panther birthday