Merry Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas to one and all!

As you enjoy time with friends and family today, remember that in the spirit of giving, it isn’t always the gift that matters, but the thought behind it. So even if you are a snowman who is given a pair of swim trunks, remember the wisdom of I Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

After all, today is the day we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world whose gift to us was His own self-sacrifice in dying for the sins of those who are willing to accept his gift (John 3:16).

 

Despite the musical enthusiasm of Olaf, not every snowman dreams of summer.

O Come All Ye Faithful

Here we are a week away from Christmas. I usually make my own Christmas card every year, but the past three months have had my head spinning, which resulted in a lack of a new card for this year. If you saw my last post, you know what has been occupying my drawing time. So, I thought I’d reach into the ol’ archives to share with you one that I like that was created for 2010.

This is a special one. It’s not often that I illustrate tons of people into a piece, but I was able to include a special couple that mean a lot to me. Kind of in the middle top area, you’ll see a portrayal of Evelyn and Carl Boone. They are not related to me by blood, but have been surrogate grandparents to me since I was born. They are Grandma & Grandpa Boone to me. Grandma passed away a few years ago now, and Grandpa is still a blessing to those who know him at the age of 92. He has always been a wonderful purveyor of biblical advice when one needs it most – a man who has put Christ first through many days both joyful and difficult. While I’m sure he had his days, I never once heard him complain over many years of looking after Grandma. He is the very definition of one who has been faithful both to his Lord, and to his wife and family. There are many generations of Boones and Fryes who love and appreciate him.

So, this piece of art has a bit of a personal story to it. Oh, and yes, that’s a self-portrait in the upper right side, too. 🙂

May you and yours have a blessed Christmas, and I pray that if you have not made Christ the focus of your life (John 3:16), that you will do so and join those who can be truly counted as the faithful.

 

O Come All Ye FaithfulO Come All Ye Faithful lyrics

 

And just in case you were wondering, it is drawn with colored pencil, watercolored with a non-permanent ink, and color tinted in Photoshop.

New & Improved!

Lately the bulk of my time has been spent at The Third Floor company where I have been working as a storyboard artist on a film. It has been tough to set some time aside for other projects between the day gig and preparations for Christmas. However, I have been helping out an old friend from my Disney days in redesigning a character I first came up with for his online traffic school, ComedyTrafficSchool.com.

Yes folks, Captain Traffic is back, and better than before! My pal Brett Drogmund first asked me to develop this character as a mascot for his then brand new company at least 15 years ago. My drawings have graced his website (and the side of a car) ever since then. (You can read about it HERE!) But it was time to update this road warrior with a more contemporary look.

While staying true to the cheesy essence of the good captain, I made him more sleek and sophisticated in his coloring style. This is the first drawing in a series of them I am working on, and it just so happens to currently be on ComedyTrafficSchool.com’s homepage right this very moment!

 

Captain Traffic – the hero of every traffic violator’s sentencing.

40 Years

I came across this piece in my digital files this past weekend and thought I’d share it with you. It has a little bit of sweetness to it, and a lot of sentiment, because I created it for my parents nine years ago for their 40th wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that next July will be their 50th, should God allow them to make it to that milestone. Time and health are not always kind to those we love.

I admire my folks for the love and faithfulness they’ve shown each other over the years, and only hope that one day I could be so blessed to have such a relationship.

 

 

 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  – I Corinthians 13:4-7

2017 Monster Month: Day 22 – Coming & Going

Beware the fire “breathing” dragon that is dangerous both as he comes and as he goes, so to speak.

 

If that was the bluebird of happiness, we’re in trouble.

 

And thus concludes Monster Month for 2017. Twenty-two beasties from my drafting table to your eyes. I hope you enjoyed them once again. These are always fun for me to draw, and almost all were drawn just for fun.

As always, I am available to be hired should you have a project requiring my abilities, whether it is a monster or something else. There is plenty of variety of subject matter on my blog, and also over on Instagram where I post regularly, too! I’m chadfrye_illustrationguy over there.

I can be reached at chad@chadfrye.com with serious inquiries. I have illustrated children’s books, magazine articles, and regularly work in animation as a character designer and storyboard artist.

2017 Monster Month: Day 21 – Russian Rascal

You’ve seen several Monster Month posts this year of sketches and drawings I did while nestled in the cold cockles of the heart of a Russian winter last January. I got to thinking that none of those monsters seemed particularly Russian in their design. So, I grabbed my trusty brush pen and white paint (with some red accents), and created this Russian Rascal on some Canson paper for the eve of Halloween!

 

Truly, the only real monster here is the cruelty of a Russian winter.

 

Come back tomorrow to see the grand conclusion of this year’s MONSTER MONTH!!

2017 Monster Month: Day 20 – The Job Interview

You know those job interviews where the interviewer can just tell by looking at the applicant that they wouldn’t be a good fit in their office environment? Yeah, this is THAT guy.

It just seemed funny to me that this monster thinks he is being turned down for his tattoo, when really it is likely due to the fact that he won’t be able to fit into a cubical, or control his oral excretions.

There’s also probably several folks whose dander allergies would be set off working side-by-side with Norman. (He just looks like a Norman, doesn’t he?) Anyway, he was accomplished traditionally in ink, watercolor, and gouache paint.

 

Human Resources – HUMAN. Not Monster Resources.

2017 Monster Month: Day 16 – Doilies and Dragons

Dragons are often misunderstood. They rant and roar, and breathe fire all over the place, but this is really because they are lonely. If only more people like Adelade here would take them in and give them some love, the world would truly be a safer place.

 

The tricky part is finding enough villagers to feed the dragon.