"Billy gets there last, wiggles up a spot..." from the Graham's Up the Tree book. I grew to love these kids after drawing them so much. They sort of became real to me.
PSA to not be a dick to retail workers this holiday season (and all seasons!). Working retail during the holidays was some of my shittiest experiences. People become coupon-waving, red-faced monsters that deserve nothing but a trip into Krampus’ sack.
Here are a few things to remember:
1: They have literally no authority. Honestly, the cashier would love nothing more than to accept a stack of expired coupons to get some cranky-ass customer indignantly insisting that “at this point YOU owe ME money!” through the line. But they can’t. And no amount of screaming will change that. Oh, and the manager is bunkered safely in the back refusing to come out and will only troubleshoot through walkie.
2: If you’re nice (like basic human decency) they are more inclined to help you as much as they are able. Being kind and patient costs nothing and might actually pay off. You might even be able to coax out a skiddish manager that *sometimes* has the magic touch to get things accomplished.
3: Corporate overlords. Managers can do a lot but in the end, the retail world is run from corporate overlords through the machine sentries AKA registers. Welcome to Black Mirror, people. If the machine rejects your request then back to the matrix with you.
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.
Armageddon. After the bombs explode. Chaos ensues. Random energy streams colliding. Beauty from ashes. Capturing one moment in time. Dollar store markers on 9" x 12" dollar store paper.
Sometimes I like to draw things in the reverse (filling in the light areas, leaving the dark areas bare) and then flip them to see how I did. Today's warmups turned out pretty well. My favorite is the kid on the top, whose head & hair echo the strawberry shape. I wish I'd distinguished the girl's legs from the dog's body on the left more, but overall, not bad.
Progression 2 of 6. Spent some time here in the hair, beard, and eye. The transition in the hair from light to dark was done mainly by not adding in graphite in heavy amounts and using the pencil eraser to define the hair.
From the soundtrack of my youth. RIP.
10” x 15” Original ink and watercolor illustration on Strathmore 500 Series 4-ply Bristol illustration paper.
Signed by the artist. Unframed.
