Last winter I had the opportunity to meet and chat with actor Joe Mantegna for a few minutes. I’ve always enjoyed him in various movies such as The Three Amigos , Baby’s Day Out, and one of my all-time favorites – Searching For Bobby Fischer. It was at that moment that I realized I had never seen his current TV show Criminal Minds.
Here in Los Angeles, Criminal Minds seems to run every night on the Ion Television channel, as well as periodically on A&E and CBS – sometimes all three at the same time! It’s ensemble cast works hard to capture the weekly criminal who can’t seem to play normal in society. As I was watching with my sketchbook in my lap, I started to doodle one of the show’s other headline stars, Thomas Gibson, who made himself known a few years back on the sit-com Dharma & Greg. While that was a comedy, somehow on Criminal Minds Thomas is continuously stoic in his demeanor, never cracking a smile. His uber-seriousness was something my pencil had to try to capture. I later finessed the drawing a bit at my desk adding color on the computer with these results….
Thomas Gibson with enough intensity in his gaze to crack open a walnut.
One of these days, perhaps I’ll go back and sketch Joe Mantegna as well since he sort of got this whole ball rolling.
You know what I think is a good time? If you said “going upholstery shopping” you would be wrong, and yet somehow I find myself compelled to write on this topic.
Just a little over a year ago, my folks moved from my childhood home in the suburbs of New Jersey to a home on the range in Delaware which most of my siblings and I descended upon last Christmas. For over thirty years we were used to the holiday sights, smells and activities that could be found in the shadow of New York City, and suddenly found ourselves in a cold, snowy plain with little activity to be viewed from the back porch of the new home. There are only so many games of Farkle, Uno and Skip-Bo to be played before a large family starts developing signs of cabin fever. What to do? What to do?
Well, if you were like us, I grabbed my plaid-lined jacket as everyone piled into the car one frigid white day and traveled an hour north to go UPHOLSTERY SHOPPING!!! Yippee doodle.
Yes, that’s right – thousands of bolts of cloth fabric greeted us at the store, all available for the astute decorator ready to deck their halls with plaids, fleur de lis, stripes and paisleys. My mother was on a mission to find material to recover her old dining room chairs to match the paint of her new dining room. My sister was on a mission to find something delightful to cover her nice old living room chair. I was on a mission to find a chair in the store on which I could retreat out of the way of their missions.
Thankfully, I had the foresight to bring along my sketchbook to draw in. Equally thankfully, the fabric store had the foresight to provide several comfortable chairs for husbands and sons to sit in. As I was making my imprint in a nice leather cushion with one part of me, another part of me was imprinting the blank pages of my sketchbook with doodles.
I soon was lost in the world of my imagination as my hand wielded the pencil about the pages, and then suddenly, there she was like a mirage calling to the thirsty desert traveller – GLADYS! She was a woman smiling, chatting, and enjoying her time tending to the needs of shoppers buying their last minute bolts of cloth to put under the tree. I’m not even sure that Gladys was her real name for she never revealed her real name to me – a true woman of mystery. But there stood this vixen in her cobalt blue sweatshirt and bobbed blonde hair with dark roots wearing a delightful pair of flower print pants with an elastic waistband. Not only was she beautiful, but she was practical. Oh glorious Gladys – where have you been all my life? It was at that moment that I knew I must draw her…
The coy and demure Gladys offering her siren call to unsuspecting holiday fabric shoppers.
Then, just as unassuming as the day began, our time in the fabric store was at an end. I reluctantly closed my sketchbook and slowly walked to the door with a wistful look in my eye having an unfulfilled profession of love for Gladys. It’s just as well, though, as it never would have worked – she was clearly into flower prints, while I was into plaids.
I’m not the smallest guy around. I enjoy my pizza, burgers and just about anything else on which cheese may be included. It is safe to say that I could use a little direction with my culinary concoctions. One day a friend with her own edible issues called and suggested we go to a one-night class on food choices that our health insurance plan was offering. I thought, “Sure, I could stand to have some guidance.”
Our evening started at an Italian restaurant where we felt we would be having our last meal. Enjoying every cheesy, tomatoey bite, we slowly psyched ourselves up for the night of instruction and scolding we were about to receive. “Psyched” is right – arriving at the “class”, we were annoyed to discover that it was a group therapy situation instead of traditional teacher/class learning.
I guess the first lesson in food choices was whether or not I wanted a Milky Way, Butterfinger, or Twix when the “teacher”/therapist offered us a bowl of candy without a hint of irony behind his offer. He genuinely wanted us to enjoy ourselves. I refused any of his maniacal sweets thinking it was all a trick. One look around the room revealed that not a soul trusted that man’s candy.
That same look around the room revealed that my friend and I were two of the three youngest participants in the room. Large senior citizens occupied the majority of the chairs that had been circled together like a nocturnal wagon train protecting the central occupants from an attack of savage high fat foods. The other young participant was a skinny young woman who thought she was fat. She bolted at the first sign of a questionnaire, possibly running off to join a bulimia class down the hall. We weren’t exactly sure.
The “preacher” extolling the virtues of healthy eating that he clearly had been practicing in his own life.
Since it was a group situation, we were all encouraged to express our feelings to the whole group about food. While everyone was able to get a few words in, one gentleman across from me (possibly in his 80’s) began a food monolog not entirely unlike a sermon. He preached all about the heavenly things we should be eating, and condemned the food that brings us down. He knew it all – probably because he had been through this class several times before as we later discovered.
I was so glad that I had the foresight to take my sketchbook along with me. I had anticipated sitting at a desk facing a boring teacher at night and needed something to keep me awake. The circular seating arrangements made for a much more interesting life drawing session by far. While everyone else was taking notes about how self-esteem will make you thinner (please see my last blog post for thoughts on THAT subject), I was busy wielding my pen around creating these ink sketches of the “preacher” and his lovely wife.
The “preacher’s” wife, not to be confused with a Whitney/Denzel movie of the same name.
So, that night I learned that (alleged) bulimia is bad, vegetables are good, self-esteem classes don’t help repeat attendees, eat a good solid meal before going to a health clinic, and never EVER forget to take your sketchbook to night school.
” Though beauty gives you a weird sense of entitlement, it’s rather frightening and threatening to have others ascribe such importance to something you know you’re just renting for awhile.”
– Candice Bergen (1946 – )
The Airport Diva getting her texting done out of the way so she won’t crash an airplane by doing it in flight.
I was recently in an airport and noticed this girl sitting across from me. She was dressed to the nines in designer clothing, an expensive handbag, and pricey purchases she was going to carry on to the plane. She was quite young, probably in her early 20’s, and had an air of snootiness about her. I know it’s not really fair to ascribe to her a haughty personality without having met her, but it did get me thinking about other people I have actually known in recent years that looked like her.
I’ve noticed a certain sense of entitlement amongst people in America. They have to be first. They have to have the best. They have to have the latest in technology. They have to dress only in name brands. They have to drive expensive cars. They roll their eyes at people they feel are beneath them. The list can go on.
I have a theory….We are bombarded by media messages that “you are beautiful the way you are”, “you deserve the best”, “you can have it now and probably pay for it much later”, “self-esteem, self-esteem, self-esteem!” Parents buy into these philosophies, and teach their kids that not only can they have it all, but they absolutely will. They buy them the latest toys, video games, and movies the second they come out. The material cravings are met right away without having to either wait for it or work for it. The kids grow up into adults expecting everything to just come their way, and often don’t care who they push aside on their quest to get what they want. I wonder if the current crisis of housing foreclosures aren’t, in part, a result of these “must have it now” ideals ignoring the inevitable consequences of such arrogant thinking.
Quite frankly, self-esteem flies in the face of care for our fellow man. Even in a passage of the Bible written roughly 2000 years ago, Philippians 2:3 says “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” And what is commonly known as “The Golden Rule” flies in the face of self-esteem teaching. It often is quoted as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This “others first” philosophy has roots in the Bible as well. Amongst several passages that relay it, Luke 6:31 says, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” The opposite of self-esteem is humility.
I don’t typically get so heady in my blog posts, but this is something that bothers me quite often. Interesting that a random airport sketch could serve as a reminder to “think of your fellow man, lend them a helping hand…”
I had a unique opportunity today to do some life drawings in an unusual setting – a recording studio! Perhaps I should explain.
Over the past few months, I have been working on a charity auction with my friends and fellow animation colleagues Tony Bancroft and Tom Bancroft. We’ve been acquiring donations of original art and other cartoon related items to sell on eBay to help the family of Tim Hodge, an animation artist whose teenage son has been in a state of a coma since August 2009 due to an accident involving a train. Several directors from Pixar, Brad Bird and Pete Docter, sent down some DVDs and a poster of their films that they signed, films that composer Michael Giacchino wrote the music for.
I contacted Michael to see if he would also like to sign these items since he worked on the projects, which he was happy to do. So, today I was able to go see Michael at work at the world famous Capitol Records building in Hollywood where he happily signed the goods. Since I love film music, and I love to draw, my sketchbook managed to pop out of my bag and into my hand for a few quick doodles capturing the action in Studio A, the room where Frank Sinatra recorded many of his hits, and was recently used by Michael Bublè.
Michael Giacchino in a rare moment of conducting his orchestra at a January recording session for LOST.
I have seen Michael at work before (you can see other drawings by clicking on the Film Music category), and do not usually see him conducting the orchestra. Usually he leaves that work to Tim Simonec while Michael remains in the booth making sure the music sounds correctly through the speakers. But today, we had the treat of seeing him at work at the podium for few cues.
The recording booth is a magical place of concentration and activity. The composer usually has his team of orchestrators, arrangers, and other technicians making sure everything is being done the way it should. The orchestra contractor is there, the music preparation people, and the union representative. It’s a flurry of activity.
One of the key guys in the booth today was recording engineer Dan Wallin. Dan has recorded over 600 scores over the years, having worked with the likes of Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Alex North and many more. Dan records all of Michael’s work, and does a beautiful job of it. He also has such an interesting visual presence that I always like to get in a sketch of him when I see him, too.
A sketch of legendary recording engineer Dan Wallin.
Well there you have it. A few new random drawings from the sketchbook of Chad Frye • Illustration Guy. And what did Michael sign for the auction you say? Glad you asked, he autographed a copy of the Up movie poster that was signed by actor Ed Asner and included a drawing by director Pete Docter, he signed a DVD of The Incredibles that Brad Bird had also signed, and he signed a copy of Ratatouille on DVD signed by Brad Bird, and actors Patton Oswalt and Lou Romano (Remy & Linguini)! To see approximately all 150 of the items that will be sold on eBay beginning JANUARY 21, please visit www.HelpTheHodges.com!
This DVD signed by Brad Bird, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt and Michael Giacchino will be listed on eBay on January 21, 2010, as a part of the NCSF charity auction.
Well, the holidays are over, which means most everyone’s traveling is done, too. The holidays wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t have to board a plane every time you wanted to gather around the ol’ yule log with your family. Over the river and through the woods is an enviable journey compared to dealing with weather-related flight cancellations and missed connections.
Well, this year Christmas was in a new place for the Fryes. Mom and Dad sold the family home of thirty-five years, and moved to a brand new house built on farmland in Delaware. And I chose to fly the weekend of the worst storm they’ve had there in decades. So, three days later I landed in Philadelphia to two feet of snow on the ground. Some storm.
Of course, to kill time in the various airports, I enjoy taking along my sketchbook. Thought I’d share with you just a few of the creatures one encounters in airports these days. Winter passengers are so much more fun to draw with being all bundled up carrying their burdensome Christmas bundles. See for yourself:
Beware the neck creature of Philadelphia!
When I fly, I love flying out of the Burbank, CA Bob Hope Airport. Bob didn’t build it, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he had originally owned the land on which it was built – you know, after CA was taken away from Mexico I mean. I like this airport because of its convenient three-mile distance from my home. Plus, you never know who you’ll see there. This is Hollywood after all. Good ol’ Bob did not disappoint.
Traveling on my first flight from Burbank to Salt Lake City was actress Nancy Travis who has been in lots of movies like 3 Men and a Baby, Ted Danson’s show Becker, and most recently The Bill Engvall Show. Also on the plane was actress Ellen Crawford who played Nurse Lydia Wright on ER for its entire run. She had such an interesting face, that I tried to draw my version of her in the waiting area. The trick in this is to not get caught doing it. Success!
At the top is a quick caricature of actress Ellen Crawford, and at the bottom is a lady who offered to leave the plane when they told us we were overweight. No joke.
Now, you would think that after the outbound trip having a three-day delay would insure that my return voyage would be uninterrupted. You would be wrong. Never book a connection through Salt Lake City in the wintertime or you may spend the night there. You can’t blame me, really. My only other option was Denver. At least the people are interesting, and the fresh snow on the Salt Lake mountains is beautiful. Here’s one last traveler that could not evade my pencil.
Just imagine this traveler speaking only German and it’s as if you saw him, too!
“Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly seventy-three percent of all accidents involving falling objects.”
– Dave Barry
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.
“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)
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.
