Author: Chad Frye

An Announcement Under the Bed

Hopefully you don’t store your computer under your bed, for if you do, you will find a frightening scourge of MONSTERS under there during the month of October. Yes, that’s right – Chad Frye • Illustration Guy announces that from October 1st through October 31, it will be officially MONSTER MONTH on the ‘ol blog!

Frye_Angry_EyesSo, what does this mean exactly? It means that every day in the month of October a new drawing, sketch, or even painting of a monster will be showcased here on the blog. Some may be frightening, some silly, others just weird. But all will be fun!

Also, at some point during October in conjunction with MONSTER MONTH, a NEW CONTEST will be announced on the Chad Frye • Illustration Guy Fan Page on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user, be sure to join the Fan Page so you can have a crack at the contests held there where signed books and real live drawings have been given away! Click HERE to see the Fan Page.

So, hopefully you have stocked up on night light bulbs, because beginning TOMORROW the blog will be inundated with MONSTERS!

Categories
Art: Inking Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook

Drawn & Quoted: Gravity

“Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly seventy-three percent of all accidents involving falling objects.”

– Dave Barry

gravity1

This past summer I was riding the red trolley in San Diego when this lady struggled onto the train. She had a bit of a sad persona about her – everything about her drooped. That may sound funny, but she really was quite a sympathetic character. She made so much of an impression on me that I did this drawing of her two days later.

Categories
Drawn & Quoted Life Drawings Sketchbook

Giving the Hook

Last year when I was working at Disney Television Animation on My Friends Tigger & Pooh, a colleague of mine on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse asked if I’d be willing to do a drawing of Captain Hook for her. I love the design of the characters from Disney’s Peter Pan, so I thought it might be a fun project. It was. I hope I have the chance to do more with Captain Hook in the future.

Thought it was about time I shared the resulting watercolor sketch with you here. Enjoy!

A watercolor sketch of Disney's Captain Hook. Click on the image to see it larger.
A watercolor sketch of Disney’s Captain Hook. Click on the image to see it larger.
Categories
Art: Colored Pencil Art: Watercolor Disney Random Doodles Sketchbook

Drawn & Quoted: Dancin’ Tony

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

– Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Dancing_Tony1

A few months ago in a mental stupor, I was channel surfing the television. When my remote landed on an episode of America’s Got Talent, this fella happened to be on screen. He was an older gentleman, perhaps in his 70s, that just started wiggin’ out to disco music. He was truly a sight to behold, particularly with an I-can’t-believe-it expression on my face – not because he was the best disco dancer to ever boogie, mind you, but because he was a spectacle. After his segment was over, I instantly grabbed my sketchbook and did this drawing of the fella from memory.

Categories
Character Designs Drawn & Quoted Life Drawings Sketchbook

2009 Beach Sketches IV

Yesterday I promised you the godfather of the beach. I’m a man of my word. Let’s just hope I don’t get whacked for sharing this sketch with you of the patriarch of a family that sat beside me on the beach in Kitty Hawk, NC for a week last month. No, I did not make this up. He was really sitting there like he was large and in charge, glistening in the sun.

The Beach Godfather (click on image to see larger).
The Beach Godfather (click on image to see larger).

Like I said, he sat there presiding over his family. This second sketch is of the “godfather’s” son flying a kite that looked like a Blue Angels’ jet plane.

Click on image to see it larger
Click on image to see it larger

Thanks for coming to the blog this week to see the life drawings of my summer travels. If you are out and about, be careful of your appearance should you encounter me. When I’m out and about, I often have my sketchbook under my arm ready to record interesting people! YOU could be next!

Categories
Life Drawings Sketchbook

2009 Beach Sketches III

Here is the third installment of my beach sketches drawn on the sand in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina this past August. Today’s sketches are just of some of the various people that would come down to the Outer Banks for a week and play in the sand and surf. Thankfully, as they were creating sand castles and running out of the water from jellyfish, they never noticed what I was up to over in my little beach chair sheltered from the sun beneath a baseball cap and an umbrella. Enjoy.

large_lady

This man intrigued me. He was a grandpa who just stood there barely moving with a slight grin on his face watching his grandkids. With that interesting physique, I wished he was a little more active so I could see him in motion doing something, but the best I could hope for was for him to slightly turn...
This man intrigued me. He was a grandpa who just stood there barely moving with a slight grin on his face watching his grandkids. With that interesting physique, I wished he was a little more active so I could see him in motion doing something, but the best I could hope for was for him to slightly turn…
...which he did do for me to capture this slightly different angle. Once he sat down, he was out of my line of sight.
…which he did do for me to capture this slightly different angle. Once he sat down, he was out of my line of sight.
I really liked how this lady had her legs kind of twisted as she just stood there with her camera waiting to get a shot of her kids.
I really liked how this lady had her legs kind of twisted as she just stood there with her camera waiting to get a shot of her kids.
Speaking of kids, there were a few of them at the beach, but mostly pre-school aged kids since in the South, school starts by mid-August. It was tough to draw them as they never held still long enough for me to see a strong pose. This girl's attention was held slightly longer than most by playing in the sand.
Speaking of kids, there were a few of them at the beach, but mostly pre-school aged kids since in the South, school starts by mid-August. It was tough to draw them as they never held still long enough for me to see a strong pose. This girl’s attention was held slightly longer than most when she played in the sand.
And this might be my favorite sketch of my time at the beach. This little girl was maybe 6 years old, and had that delightful awkward gangly thing going for her. She reminded me of children's book character Eloise.
And this might be my favorite sketch of my time at the beach. This little girl was maybe 6 years old, and had that delightful awkward gangly thing going for her. She reminded me of children’s book character Eloise.

Tomorrow, meet the godfather of the beach!

Categories
Life Drawings Sketchbook

“Terrible Yellow Eyes” Art Show

For those of you who will be in the LA area this weekend, I wanted to let you know about an art show that opens on Saturday, September 19.

A few months back, I shared with you here on the blog my step-by-step process in the creation of a Where the Wild Things Are (the children’s book by Maurice Sendak) tribute illustration. I created that painting for TerribleYellowEyes.com, a website put together by illustrator Cory Godbey to celebrate Mr. Sendak’s brilliant book. Cory has continued to compile a wonderful selection of art for his website by artists from all over the world.

Chad Frye's "Where the Wild Things Are" tribute painting created for TerribleYellowEyes.com. Click on image to see it larger.
Chad Frye’s “Where the Wild Things Are” tribute painting created for TerribleYellowEyes.com. Click on image to see it larger.
Chad Frye with Cory Godbey taken at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con at Cory's Portland Studios booth.
Chad Frye with Cory Godbey taken at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con at Cory’s Portland Studios booth.

Cory’s website caught the attention of the folks at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California. They selected a nice array of art and will be opening a show and sale of the art this weekend which will run through October 6. Cory (whose work you can see in the latest Flight 6 graphic novel anthology) will be flying out from his home in South Carolina for the show. Some of the other participating artists will also be in attendance.

While my piece was not among those selected for the show, I’ll be there Saturday night as well to take in some great art! Come get swept away by your childhood imagination!

Click on image to see it larger.
Click on image to see it larger.
Click on image to see it larger.
Click on image to see it larger.
Categories
Art: Colored Pencil Art: Watercolor Chad About Town Illustrations Monsters

2009 Beach Sketches II

Most people often primp and prime to tuck, disguise and at times, enhance aspects of their physique to look a certain way before leaving their homes to go out. They go out of their way to acquire certain undergarment devices that lift, squish, and support the structure as if their bodies were to be seen as elegant Roman sculptures. Those same people will, for some reason, put on figure hugging or figure revealing lycra and gladly let it all hang out when going to the beach. To me that is one of life’s great head-scratchers. It also provides me with great material for sketching.

So, here is part two of my 2009 Beach Sketches. Today’s post is concentrating on the beach walkers. You’ve seen them. These are the people who walk up and down the beach in a constant unorganized parade of exhibitionism. It is usually quite a sight to behold. Here are a few of the more interesting characters that crossed my line of sight:

Beach_Walker06Beach_Walker05Beach_Walker03Beach_Walker02Beach_Walker01Beach_Walker04

More beach sketches to come tomorrow! Come back again!

Categories
Life Drawings Sketchbook