bes

In response to this week's drawing prompt: Instead of drawing my house, I drew the house from the movie Knives Out. The house acts almost as a character in the movie, setting the stage for one of the best murder/mystery films I've ever seen.

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!!!

Crosshatching was used to build up the shadows. It's probably my favourite drawing technique. Works best with pen and ink. This is the cover image for one of my children's picture books.

I had the best time drawing these and actually made them into stickers. I should draw birds more.

Man, I’ve been random lately. I think my mind’s eye sees stuff that normal people don’t. That might make me abnormal. I’m kinda comfortable with that. Guess who’s going to be watching some Clint Eastwood tonight?

Watercolor of my older brother and his best friend. Time has separated them, but this is how I remember them. From a reference photo.

A bunny besides her friends the deer while she takes a nap

Autumn is a peculiar time, I suppose. It's one of the prettiest times of the year (in my opinion) and one of the most mysterious. I'm not sure what it is that leads to it, but my mental state always shifts dramatically during this time, not always in the best way. I don't know. The transition is darker and murkier.

Playing around with digital stained-glass effects, and thought it would be fun to portray tropical summer vibes in a medium where you don't usually find them. Shout out to Lisa Bardot at bardotbrush.com for the basic digital technique.

You know where to fine me...

Times goes by so fast when you're too invested of your phone...but I got my dogs (or cats), napping beside me. It's comfy.

Have you ever woken up from begging "I wanna pee-pee" whimpering closely to your ear? Or from a barking alarm because the birds are singing loudly outside? Yea-ah, dogs are the best alarm clocks... We're sure you'll have a woof-derful week, guys!⁠

People have thrown terrible words at me, but since then I’ve grown. They don’t affect me anymore but they did. I want everyone else out there, who suffers from bullies or hate in anyway to know; you are good enough, and you are beautiful. There are people who do love you, even if you’re not sure.

Everyone thinks they have the best frenchie and none of them are wrong :D

Patron personas from the doodle dojo bestiary!

A watercolor portrait of my best friends dog

I've been inspired by my mother's smoking, one of my best friends' obsession over the rose ash color and the magic spirit of October.

lighten

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?"

The image is of an evening scene after a sweet rain. After the sun sets, the Sunset vibes pop up. Pink skies are much more beautiful when roads are wet.

It’s been raining all day so I felt like taking a party wagon to the beach and catching some good vibes! This is based on a 1960 Volkswagen Transporter.

Where do I begin with this one? This is a drawing of my dad and I; the picture was taken back in 2006, a happier time, I suppose. I don't commonly think about my dad, I don't necessarily think about how much I miss him or how I wish I could see him again, so it was odd for me to sit and look through old photos. I don't really know my dad; I do, but I don't. My dad was physically part of my life for 10 years, the second half of those were not the best. Mental illness, self medicating for years, debt, heroin, arguments, threats, uncertainty. I feel like I remember the negative more because I was older, my parents couldn't hide it from me like they used to. At the same time, when he was sober and stable, life was good. Life was great, things felt complete. So here I am, 6 years since he died. I don't want to say his image is fading, but I know less of who he was than I did before. I see the good from some (the ones who praise him, who act like he was a saint), and I see the bad from others (the one who felt the pain). I suppose I no longer see my view, my memories aren't there anymore. I don't necessarily feel sad, the anger has faded, and I can't say I'm happy. Maybe I'll figure it out one day, but, for now, it is what it is.

An older one from 3 years ago. Still one of my favorites and my best work despite the obvious flaws.

I’m often asked about my Bic pen drawings and how I do them. It starts with a good foundational drawing, the ballpoint pen part is just trying to colour within the lines. I try to do my best to explain the process, but the best way to show my progress is by posting my efforts to master pen drawings over the span of 3 or so years. I have been doodling/drawing with ballpoint pens as far back as I can remember - they were cheap, readily available and always lying around the house. It wasn’t until I was bored during a particularly long team meeting-conference call (around 2016-17) that I started to think about the possibilities of ballpoint pens as serious portrait illustration tools. My first experiments with full colour ink portrait drawings were rather crude, but that’s the point of learning new techniques—as long as the curiosity and the love of drawing is there, you can transfer that skill and passion into any medium. Remember, the most exquisite drawings and paintings you see didn’t materialise fully formed, they started out as failed experiments. Failure after failure after failure. It’s important to remember this when you get discouraged (I've failed spectacularly over the years). The only difference between the accomplished artist and the beginner is hundreds of hours of practice. Talent can only get you so far. It’s the hard work that you do behind the scenes that makes your work look effortless. Keep doodling. Keep learning. Stay curious.

It's been an interesting week, one of which had events I didn't expect to affect me as much as they did. I'd like to say something that occurred was surprising, but quite frankly, it wasn't. It's concerning how far things have gone and how some seem to feel indifferent to or even support them. We'll see what will happen, 11 days can't pass soon enough... besides that, time ticks on. A bit too fast in my opinion, but it is what it is. I know this drawing isn't my usual style, but something about drawing like this feels mindless for me, it lets me zone out and disconnect.

Pastels...I've never been a huge fan of working with them, mainly because I can never seem to get them to blend or move the way I want. I think this turned out okay; it's not the worst it could've been...not the best. It was fun to try, considering the fact that I rarely try new mediums, and it got my mind off everything I've been worrying about. Anyway, enjoy.

Quick cube pattern sketch study.

It's National Toasted Marshmallow Day so this painting seems fitting. What do you think will happen to this guy? About 14 x 14 inches, acrylic on wood board. Sorry not the best photograph.