The Chad Frye - Illustration GuyHow about a little warmth during this season of cold weather? I’d like to think that real snow people might steal a kiss or two when humans aren’t looking.
A little ink and gouache creation on brown paper…
As we head into Christmas this weekend, I think back to when I was a child and was so excited to see what would be under the tree for me on Christmas morning. However, I was also excited to see how my parents would react to the gifts that I was giving them, whether it was something I had taken great pains to create for them, or if it was the 30th tie I had given my father.
I am so thankful to have parents who taught me and my siblings the joy of giving to others. While yes, it was exciting to receive presents (unless it was underwear), we loved seeing what each other had received. While some of my friends would just rip into their gifts and have it be over in five minutes, it was our tradition to take turns opening gifts so that all could watch and appreciate each other and appreciate what others did for us. We got to see their reactions, laugh together over a funny gift, ooooh and aaaah over a special present that took time and effort, remember something Aunt Edith once made for us, or something Grandma once said. We just enjoyed each other, and reminisced about family far and wide.
Of course, the whole reason the day exists is to celebrate the birth of Christ, which led to His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Together my family reflects on His goodness to us as well. Ultimately the gifts are all from Him. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
So, as you gather with your own family this Christmas, make it a time of selflessness. Spend time reflecting on the fact that Jesus gave of Himself to us, and in turn, give generously to those around you.
(Just don’t give underwear.)
The Los Angeles Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society is having its annual holiday shindig tomorrow night. This year they are doing it at a restaurant that serves British cuisine. It was my duty to make the invitations once again, so with the venue for the party being what it is, it seemed natural to base the art on the most British Christmas tale that comes to mind, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Playing the role of Bob Cratchit is NCS LA’s own mascot, Cornelius the Bear with Tiny Tim being played by Krazy Kat cartoonist George Herriman. In the NCS LA theme song, we herald the bravery and generosity of Cornelius who, back in the day, saved LA based Herriman from a runaway toboggan while up in the mountains. Since Corny is no longer with us, and since he is from Los Angeles after all, we depict him as an angel bear.
Just in case you are curious, I inked this traditionally using a brush and a watered down sepia ink to give the ink line an uneven quality, and it allows for the brown color to show better. Then I scanned it into Photoshop where the colors and plaid fabric were applied. I tried to give it a bit of a nostalgic look in the method of drawing, but also in the color choices. For color inspiration, I looked to the work of my pal and fellow NCS LA member Dan Piraro who has such a great old timey look to his color choices in his comic strip Bizarro, yet at the same time his work looks edgy and modern.
And there you have it. God bless us, EVERY ONE!
Honestly, I don’t think the bird gets it AT ALL.
If you have ever watched a movie or television show of the western genre, you likely have heard someone say, “Well, I’ve got to mosey along now,” or something similar. Mosey. What kind of word is THAT?!
Well, I looked it up. No one knows for sure where the word came from, but all agree it means moving in a laid back manner. You know, a walk without a care in the world. There’s no rush – take your time. Guess in the old days rushing around was limited to running, or by actual horse power. Either way was likely to be uncomfortable. (Have you tried running in cowboy boots? No thanks!)
So, I moseyed on over to my drawing desk and did a little ol’ sketch of a moseying cowboy in my sketchbook. I even took my time to post this. I wrote this a couple of months ago and scheduled it to post today.
As I have said here before, I love drawing Frankenstein’s monster a LOT. When trying to figure out why, it most likely stems from how much I loved the drawings the recently departed great Jack Davis used to do. His had such an ease about them, and a quiet grace amid his flurry of cross-hatching. So maybe each time I draw good ol’ Frankie, it’s a way for me to personally remember Jack.
This year’s Monster Month opened with a loose ink drawing of a more traditional view of the original zombie, so for our grand finale, we are ending with a modern version of him. With the hipster movement going on these days, I started wondering what ol’ Frankie might look like had he been put together with parts from this era. Perhaps he’d look a little something like this…
In case you are curious, this is a completely traditional drawing. Inked with a sepia colored ink, and some white & blue gouache paint in my new Strathmore Toned Tan Paper sketchbook! Thought he’d be a good one to start the book.
Well, thanks for following along with my Monster Month posts again this year. I always enjoy drawing them, and hope you enjoy this October tradition of mine. Feel free to check out all my previous monster drawings from years past by CLICKING HERE!
Ah, young hipsters in love. However, it looks like they picked the wrong tree under which to plan for the future. Talk about your short-term commitments!
This drawing started out being that I just wanted to draw a tree in my sketchbook. Kinda got carried away…
