Jim Bradshaw's Uploads

Day 5 of #inktober2017 - Long. I didn't think I had the time to do this but can't seem to stop any way. Who needs sleep.

I'm going to try to remember Throw Back Thursday. It's fun for me to go back and try to remember what was going on in my mind that made me doodle what I doodled on that day.

My 9 year old Boston Terrier, Annabelle is a bright light in my life and she shows up in my work often. Best Christmas gift EVER!!!

Just some random doodling in my Moleskine. It never gets old.

I intended to do quick little spot illustrations for Inktober this year, but nooooooo! Now Jimmy is drowning in digital ink and lots of doodle details. This was way too much fun to go simple. I also included the original sketch this time.

Did you ever have a page in your sketchbook that was so bad and so embarrassing that you tore it out and chucked it? This was one of those pages that made me cringed every time I came to it. So today I said to myself, "ENOUGH!" and ripped it out of my moleskine. But something wouldn't let me throw it in the can. Now, I'm not one of those artists that can't bring himself to throw away any of his stuff because each and every piece, good or bad holds some kind of sentimentality or sense of importance. This particular page was a result of a crappy angst filled day and stuff poured out of me. For some reason, it felt like I was throwing away some piece of my soul. There were parts that were overworked and others that were painfully too personal. So I decided to cut it up and put it back together in no particular order, however it seemed best. As I was pasting the pieces down it occurred to me that this had a comic book feel so I scanned the final and added the black borders in photoshop which I really dug. I like that it is cryptic and jumbled up like my brain can so often be. This reminded me of the awesome @johnhendrix who said something in his book, Drawing Is Magic that stuck with me. He said, "Don't worry about doing anything wrong. If you're hoping your sketchbook turns into a glossy display of only your best drawings, you are not carrying a sketchbook, you are carrying a portfolio." In other words, explore, take chances, loosen up and have fun. Try your best to go at it like an uninhibited child. In so doing, you will stretch as an artist by avoiding repetition and predictability. We all know how to do what we already know. To sum up, I created a bad page, and whether or not I was able to fix it, it expanded me. So, follow your pencil, pen, or whatever and let them take you to places you never imagined when you started. Then, maybe you will end up staring happily at the final and with childlike wonder, say, "man, where did that come from?"

A lot of times my pens take over, spilling out the inside of my brain onto the paper. Thankfully, it's not as gross as it sounds.

Don’t cry over spilled milk unless you are Mr. Milk of course.

Day 2 of #inktober2017 - Divided. My lemon guy tentatively volunteered for this word. Way to represent little feller. ;)

Ahoy, me mateys! Jimmy had a fun day on the high seas.

Some crazy Moleskine doodles for the day. I haven’t been doing enough of these and really need to kick my butt harder. Not sure why because it’s so dang enjoyable.

To do list. I usually hate them but this one was kind of fun.

Morning doodle. It's hard to get anything else when doodling is near the top of the list. Not that I'm complaining. ;)

True Like. Because everything on the internet is true, right?

Ok maybe a couple of mornings.

Many times the craziness of my life makes it into my art.

Went to see Billy Strings Band live in Philly. Music inspires me so much. Although you might not like bluegrass, it's worth checking these guys out. Great jamming, musicians and show. Anyway even if you hate bluegrass, I hope you like the art that came out of it. I also included the original sketch/doodle. Enjoy. BTW: the song is "While I'm Waiting Here".

Skip James is the man. I’ve been wanting to do something music related. I sketched this a year or two ago. It was fun to bring it into Procreate and add doodles, lettering, color and more elements like the guitar neck. I’m always looking for a way to combine my pencil with color and have it look like it really goes together. This one felt right.

This was done on a heavy day. On days like this, I like to doodle whatever is inside my head to lighten things up. My therapy. Almost everything in here means something.

I miss grapefruit. Doesn't it just figure? The only medicine I take and it has to have that limitation. It could be worse. Stop whining Jim. At least you made it to the World Series of doodling. Well...in my mind anyway.

TBT. Yes, time totally rots. And posting a throw back Thursday on a Wednesday evening is my meager attempt to mess with it.