Illustration Friday: Puppet

If only our educational system would stop micromanaging our teachers and trying to make them bureaucratic puppets.

Illustration created with watercolor and ink.

From Hunter to Hunted

I was part of a 12 Hour Comic Challenge were artists are challenged to create a 12 page comic story in 12 hours. This is a spin-off from the 24 Hour Comic that is held on the first Saturday of every October.

To prepare for the challenge, I held a summer class that taught basic drawing principles in the context of the challenge, and I also shared tips on how to successfully complete a sequential story in such a limited amount of time.

Though I had a bunch of ideas brewing before the day of the challenge, when it came to actually doing it, I decided to just make it up on the spot. I spent the first hour writing out a simple outline of what I wanted to happen on each page, plus I also thumbnailed each page before drawing it. Unfortunately, I didn't finish all 12 pages in 12 hours, but I proudly completed 10 pages. Though the story is a bit choppy I like how the art came out.

I drew all my pages with India ink and a #03 synthetic sable round brush.

Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler's birthday is August 12. He is better known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the rock group Dire Straits. Even before I knew anything about playing the guitar, I knew Mark had his own thing happening on the instrument. His gnarly right picking hand was always contorted in a way that no other guitarist's was. Back in the '80s when it seemed every rock guitarist was sweep picking and finger tapping, to me Knopfler's style seem really cool.

Illustration created with watercolor and India ink.

Messenger

So some time soon, Facebook is going to make it where mobile users will have to use an app outside of the Facebook mobile platform to create and send messages. Predictably, there are some complaints about this change, and also predictably, it seems that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is going to pretty much do whatever he wants to do. Give it some time, people will soon forget what all the fuss was about once they start using the service.

Illustration created with watercolor and India ink.

Great Value

It seems that Walmart's Great Value brand of ice cream sandwiches don't melt when left in warm temperatures for a long duration of time. It seems there are some who are trying to make a viral scare about eating the sandwiches. However, it was stated (which will probably be overlooked by people who want to be afraid of such things) that three main ingredients, guar gum, carob bean gum and cellulose gum (all natural ingredients), act as stabilizers, and keep the ice cream from rapidly melting. So maybe they really are a "great value." I think I'll get some and eat them outside in the summer heat.

Illustration created with watercolor and India ink.

James Garner

James Garner passed on a few day ago. Though I haven't watched many show with him starring, I have always enjoyed the one in which he did. I mostly remember him from the Rockford Files because my parents watch the show when I was growing up. I later watched the reruns.

I always liked Garner's sense of humor and his honest demeanor on the screen. I can't help to wonder if that was simply his personality coming through to his characters.

This illustration has him as his James Rockford character, with sideburns, and his nifty sports coat - very 1970s!

Art created with watercolor, gouache, and India ink.

Johnny Winter

Bluesman Johnny Winter passed away a couple of days ago at the age of 70. He was truly one of the greats.

Illustration created with watercolor, gouache, and India ink.