Category: Sketchbook

The Barber Shop

I dropped by the barber shop this past weekend with a sketchbook under my arm. Barber shops are always populated with a cross section of ages and personalities that make for an interesting time. The regulars carry on conversations and offer unsolicited opinions on just about any topic. The newer guys sit and listen participating only with facial expressions. You never know how long you will have to wait on a Saturday morning, so why not capture these moments with a pencil?

I go to Arenas’ Barber Shop on Victory Boulevard in good ol’ Burbank, CA. The shop is run by second generation barber siblings Denise and Steve Arenas whose pop got them going down the path of hair manipulation many years before. They used to work in the hair salon on the Disney Studio lot for years until current management starting eliminating some of the family atmosphere of the employment experience there, and forced out the Arenas along with other follicle folks.

Ten years ago Denise took over an old time barber shop run by an old timer named Chuck (I used to go to him, too), fixed up the joint and created a fun atmosphere for parting parts and taming tresses.

 

Barber Shop
Denise will cut any hair no matter how much or how little you have.

 

So, the next time you get your hair cut, look around and take it all in. There are few experiences in life where complete strangers can all be the best of friends for an hour while waiting their turn for a trim before walking out the door into harsh, cold anonymity once again.

Categories
Art: Drawings Caricature Chad About Town Life Drawings Sketchbook

The Force of Comic-Con

Well, this is Comic-Con week. While many of my friends and colleagues will be congregating in San Diego for the grand daddy of all comic conventions, I shall remain in Los Angeles working on the Lalaloopsy TV show.

Comic-Con is a crazy time with 150,000+ swarming the hotels, restaurants, streets and convention center all looking to get their nerd on. I won’t be missing it one bit, but I do share an affection with the crowd for the great geeky experiences to be had there in excess. So, I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring by posting a pretty nerdy sketch today.

If a mouse had Jedi powers, what would he use the Force for? Why, liberating cheese from traps of course. Enjoy!

 

Star Wars Mouse
“This IS the cheese you are looking for.”
Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Photoshop Character Designs Random Doodles Sketchbook

Happy Independence Day!

The following image is a public service announcement for America…


Chuck Norris
You stay classy, America!
Categories
Art: Drawings Art: Photoshop Caricature Character Designs Illustrations Random Doodles Sketchbook

Unforgettable

Perhaps my favorite kind of music next to film scores are the tunes from the Great American Songbook by yesterday’s crooners like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra,  Perry Como, Johnny Mercer, Mel Tormé, and especially Nat King Cole. Cole’s smokey smooth tones infused with a bit of jazz are at once nostalgic, comforting, and yeah, I’ll say it – romantic. His is the voice I imagine would come from my mouth should the opportunity to serenade a young lady comes along.

Lest I actually open my mouth and frighten you all away with the true nature of my voice, perhaps for now just a sketch of the great Nat King Cole is in order…

 

Nat "King" Cole
The man who knew how to straighten up and fly right – Nat King Cole.

 

It is hard to believe that thirteen years ago the great animator and designer Marc Davis (one of Walt Disney’s famed Nine Old Men) passed away. I was part of a group from Disney that went over to his home to help his wife archivally store the art in Marc’s studio. Each flat file unearthed a new treasure trove of drawings that no one but Marc probably had ever seen. One drawer in particular made an impression on me. As each piece of paper was lifted, there was sketch after sketch Marc had drawn in person of jazz musicians during the heyday of the Los Angeles jazz scene. Included were drawings he created of the great Nat King Cole during live performances! Oh to have been a fly on THAT wall!

Speaking of performances, here’s a nifty introduction to that great King Cole voice! Enjoy!

Categories
Art: Drawings Art: Photoshop Caricature Life Drawings Sketchbook Videos

Foosball Panda

I’m not a big app user. There are so many little applications you can have on your portable hand-held computers (I use the iPod Touch variety) that are mostly distractions from living the life that surrounds you. That being said, I was intrigued by a relatively new app and decided to give it a try the other day. The app in question is Character Design Shuffle created by my pal Stephen Silver.

The idea behind the app is to give you the inspiration to create a random character design. The app has several parameters to suggest what type of physical character it is, gender, outfit, action, age, body type, height, etc. Each category rolls by and stops on some crazy combination that you can then go draw. Some of the suggestions are waaaay out there, so it can be a challenge AND be a lot of fun. Mostly it helps get your brain to think in a way that is different from what it is used to.

So, I gave the parameters a spin and it spit out panda, male, athlete, playing foosball, muscular, and intimidating. This is the result…

 

Athletic Panda Bear
I might consider subscribing to ESPN if they had interspecies competitive foosball.

 

Another fun aspect of Silver’s app is that they have a Facebook group (CLICK HERE to see it) where no matter what your skill level, you are encouraged to share your efforts with other users. Pros and amateurs alike have been displaying their inspired creations. Some designs that have been posted will knock your socks off! It is fun to see how this little tool is inspiring some fun drawings.

So, no matter who you are, if you need a little inspiration, check it out and give it a try. Always keep drawing to improve or even develop your skills!

Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Photoshop Character Designs Random Doodles Sketchbook

Old Maroon Hot Air Balloon

Last year I gave my father a birthday gift of a hot air balloon ride since it was something he had been wanting to try for awhile. He’s flown in fighter jets, a glider, and sailed the seven seas, but has never sailed through the skies with hot air. Well, not in a balloon at least.

I, however, am not quite the daredevil Dad can be. The notion of a ride in a hot air balloon has a primal romanticism to it, so on that level it has a certain appeal, but bouncing along with the whim of the wind gives me the willies. You never know if you’ll wind up unexpectedly in Oz where you’ll live half your life. I’d rather sprawl out in the shade with a cold lemonade.

That being said, I felt inspired last night to do this sketch. When seated safely at my desk, I don’t mind reaching down to touch the treetops.

 

hot air balloon
You can almost hear the 5th Dimension as this goes up, up and away. Almost.

 

Dad is supposed to take his balloon trip soon. He did try it once, but due to winds it was cancelled. I think his is supposed to go a little higher than mine purely for safety reasons. We shall see…

Categories
Art: Drawings Illustrations Random Doodles Sketchbook

The Ugly Cowboy

It seems like many western movies, whether from their heyday up until now, the hero cowboys are always chiseled sculptures of men. You know, like Michelangelo’s “David” with a wide brimmed hat and facial stubble. However, all the cowboys in the background and the side players are the ones that were probably most like real cowboys. Yes, folks, we are talking about the ugly ones.

Real cowboys could not possibly have taken care of their teeth very well, or shaved at all out on the trail, taken a bath in weeks, or had proper protection from the sun while out on a cattle drive. They would have been wrinkled, brow beaten, hairy, and very very dirty. Why do you think they kissed their horses? It’s because they were so ugly, the horses were the only ones who didn’t mind the attention.

So, in the spirit of true cowboys, I present to you this mighty ugly hero of the western stage…

 

Cowboy on the range
I know what you are thinking after what was said above. “How come he doesn’t have a full beard?” It is because this cowboy is only 9 years old. Life on the trail is cruel.
Categories
Art: Drawings Character Designs Random Doodles Sketchbook

Tow Truck Sketches

Yesterday started out like any other: wake up, get lunch put together, shower, get dressed, and take off for work. The trouble was in the “take off” part. There was no “up, up and away” to be had.

You see, I drive an old car. It has served me well as it served my grandmother well before me, and some dude before her. However, yesterday my ’95 Mercury Sable decided to require service of its own. The power would not work at all. So, a tow was required.

While waiting in my car for a tow truck to arrive, I pulled out a trusty thin blue Sharpie marker, and found an old piece of paper in my trunk and began to doodle randomly. There was no rhyme nor reason to the sketching – no frustrated mechanics or dilapidated vehicles. Just some good ol’ fashion creatures. Although if I were to analyze these drawings, I was probably experiencing the disposition of the giant turtle creature while the happy-go-lucky guy inside the jaws was the mechanic about to make some coin.

 

Big Giant Turtle
Waiting for a tow truck can bring out some weirdness – in a good way.

 

So, no matter what curve ball life throws at you, with a pen and paper, you can get through it okay. I can’t wait to see what my next jury duty will inspire!

Categories
Animals Monsters Random Doodles Sketchbook