2011 Pen and Ink Project: The Class (11-30-11)

I find it easier to listen when my hands are busy drawing.

2011 Pen and Ink Project: Molière (11-30-11)

Brilliant actor Tim Mooney's portrayal of characters from Molière's plays.

2011 Pen and Ink Project: The Congregation (11-30-11)

A drawing that underlines how one can feel alone in a crowd.

2011 Pen and Ink Project: Fashion Statement on Hwy. 99 (11-30-11)

The people who walk along on Hwy. 99/McLoughlin Blvd. in Oak Grove are rarely what one would call sophisticated; it's more like poor and working class who cross the road to take the bus. So, as I made a turn onto McLoughlin with my car, I was a surprised to see a middle-aged woman, dressed in flowing linen New Age style clothes with tribal patterns, a woman like one would see in Southeast Portland, not out in the gritty suburbs.

2011 Pen and Ink Project: Old Witch at New Seasons (11-30-11)

I was sitting in the dining room at New Seasons when my attention was caught by an older woman who was talking to an adolescent girl. The scene was banal: two people sitting at a table, and yet, there was something very unpleasant about this woman, the contrast between her falsely benevolent attitude, the small bear in her pocket, and...

2011 Pen and Ink Project: A Little House in the Forest (11-30-11)

What is the little house hidden in the forest? Who will get to it first, the little girl, or the big bad wolf?

2011 Pen and Ink Project: A Bench for Daydreaming (11-30-11)

When it comes to drawing, there's only one way that comes naturally to me: Pen and Ink. I got to think about what I like to draw freehand from imagination, how I would represent something from memory, and how it would look different from observation...
I wondered if beyond a broad overview drawing, one could get a glimpse at something else, something deeper, more detailed... This was the start of a series of unrelated drawings, all tied by a common approach, a view from afar, then at close proximity.

So, one day in 2011, armed with a few pens, a 2H pencil, and a small Bristol pad, I just started drawing. This scene slowly took shape, first a bench, with a girl sitting, and then trees all around. Who is this girl, and what is she thinking?

Quick Caricatures (10-03-11)

I love doing sketches from television, because of the static nature of the poses. There's plenty of time to focus on facial expressions...

Wedding Dress Fashions (09-11-11)

I have a nice collection of wedding dresses, but the most outrageous one is a 1980s Jessica McClintock dress that fits no definite style category: a close-to-the-body tight-fitting knee-length sheath with a high neck, mixed lavish embroidery, and at the back, a cascade of fabric flares reminiscent of a Belle Époque bustle!

There is in fact no bow at the back...

The other dress in my sketchbook is the one that my daughter Valérie has chosen as her wedding dress: a classy, elegant, 1950s (I think) pleated polyester knit dress with an embroidered lace bust and collar.

A Fine Rat (09-02-11)

This drawing of a rat is from memory... (Thankfully, not from direct observation!)

Caricatures (09-02-11)

Some made-for-TV faces, as seen...on TV.

Favorite TV Show of the Moment (06-29-11)

Thanks to Netflix, I discovered a fun TV show called Pawn Stars. Based on a simple premise, - people sell things to get quick money -, the show give a fascinating insight into the workings of a pawn shop in Las Vegas. Expect the unexpected, and enjoy watching the store employees bicker constantly.

I did these character studies while watching reruns; they look like caricatures because the TV medium is static, allowing me to go over lines and keep the drawing "cleaner" than a sketch.

Well, that fantastical creature just appeared on the page...

The unfinished drawings show how this is done...

The World is a Strange Place (06-20-11)

Call me naïve, but I just found out that "Buffy Malone," the name I came up with years ago, the most outlandish made-up name I could think of as an example of an unlikely mix of Pop Culture and Italian ethnic, - a name I have extensively used in various humorous stories I've written, - is actually the name of a real woman on Facebook (...and she kinda looks the way I'd imagined my own Buffy Malone...)!

Hairstyles (06-17-11)

...Quick sketches to alleviate my haircut anxieties.

Hairstyles (05-03-11)

As much as I like to draw fashion outfits, I also really like to draw hairstyles. The idea is to get a specific look or mood in just a few strokes...

Felix, Caught Unaware (04-29-11)

Felix is my daughter Valérie's hyperactive cat, so here he is...in a rare moment of inactivity.

Static Portraits (04-03-11)

The following sketches, done while watching my church's conference on television, are borderline caricatures. The reason they look like caricatures is that television is a static setting that allows little or no motion on the part of the person filmed; so when people talk, they tend to exaggerate their facial expressions...

I didn't have time to finish this one...

Dance Poses (04-02-11)

 

Here I basically just focused on the motions of people as they were dancing at Rotture, not an easy task when people move pretty fast when they dance to a beat and it's dark all around. 

Felix the Kitten (03-22-11)

Here is a quick sketch of Felix, my daughter's kitten, caught in a very rare calm moment.

Hairstyles (02-27-11)

Again, some quick doodles, this time women and men hairstyles, Hip Portland style.