Monster Eating a Sandwich

Drawing I did today of a monster eating a sandwich. No good reason for it. Just wanted o draw a monster...eating a sandwich...with cans tied to his tail.

 Happy New Year!

Drawing Soundtrack - Boddie Recording Company

According to their website, Numero is a “multi-format media company, devoted to dragging brilliant recordings, films, and photography out of unwarranted obscurity”. I am a huge fan of their “Eccentric Soul” series of albums. They find work released from these amazing record labels that didn’t see wide distribution and they repackage and re-release them to a larger audience. A lot of these labels were run out of dance halls and neighborhood joints. The reason I like it so much is because I’ve heard all the work of Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Four Tops, etc. all my life. I love that music, but it’s great to hear these small-time groups who were taking their shot. It’s inspirational to me - mostly because I am a still small-timer myself, still trying every day to take a shot at my own dream.

I also like these CDs and albums because great care is taken in the design and production of the packaging. With the economy hurting and MP3 downloads and sales being an easier option on music consumers, it’s nice to see people earning the edge, giving you something extra to make you want to take something home from the store and put it on your shelf. You get something to read, something study and give you a feel for the music. To me, it’s comparable to the days when an album cover was worth studying, when it was a piece of art that would entice you to buy the album.

I treated myself recently to this 3-CD set from Numero: Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio. Aside from the CDs, the set comes with booklets of information about the label, songs, and artists. It also has reproductions of show fliers and really cool photos. Music like this makes me eager to sit down at my desk and draw. It’s my drawing soundtrack for the new year.

"Autumn Leaves" - music for drawing

Been in an Autumn mood today. One great thing about living on the east coast is the changing of seasons. It's good to move forward and have reminders all around you that things are changing. Autumn is also a good time for looking back over the year.

Even though the lyrics of Autumn Leaves make it a sad song, I really like it. I have a bunch of different versions of it and like them all equally. I listen to this tune a lot while drawing this time of year.

This one by Mickey Baker is kind of upbeat and surfy. Still has a sound that's holding onto Summer:

CLICK HERE to get the song on Amazon.

This one by Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt is also very upbeat. Gene Ammons' playing reminds me a great deal of my old friend, Nate Wiley. Nate often spoke of Gene Ammons as being a great "melody man" and a profound influence:

CLICK HERE to get the song on Amazon.

And this one is very sad, but also sweet. It's on Duke Ellington's "Indigos" album. You can CLICK HERE to get the track. I inherited this on vinyl from my Grandpop, but the vinyl has a shorter version. It only has Ozzie Bailey singing in English. The CD I have has him singing in English and French. But in my opinion, the thing that makes this cut so sweet is Ray Nance's violin solo:

Fishtown Drawing from 2007

Rummaging through my files on the computer, I came across this image. Back when I used to bartend at Moe's Tavern on Wednesday nights, I would sometimes raffle off original drawings. My buddy Mike McCafferty won this one. It's just a noodly line Fishtown-themed drawing.I have fun drawing these organic types of buildings.

Jabba's Palace Fan Art Drawing

Think I've finally got Star Wars out of my system for a while. While finishing this drawing last week, I had Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi playing on my computer. It was neat visiting those movies, like seeing an old friend. It's been a really long time since I've watched any Star Wars movies. I forgot what a big part of my childhood it was, how huge those movies were.

This cartoon has all my favorite action figures from this movie from when I was a kid - except for the slave girl (I don't think they made a toy for her back then). I don't know if I will be able to use this drawing for anything. I just really wanted to finish it, since I also did one of the Mos Eisley Cantina creatures from the first Star Wars movie.

Two Books That Inspire Me To Keep Drawing...

"Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking" by David Bayles & Ted Orland is a book that was recommended to me by Christian Patchell. It's an easy read, and I find it very inspirational. I often rebuy it, but never have a copy (because I always pass it on to someone else). There is a great quote in the book: "Vision is always ahead of execution...and it should be." The idea that the vision in my head is always perfect and never matched by the output on the paper - that may sound discouraging at first. But it's always true. The work you make can never live up to the work you dream up. If you did, why continue to draw? This book is a great pep talk about making art, and it gives an artist a sigh of relief, telling you that there is something to be learned from everything you make, even the mistakes. It also says that every piece of art is just a springboard in some way to the art you will make next. I love this book.

"Everyday Matters" by Danny Gregory is another book I really love. The author never started drawing until his wife had a crippling accident. So art was his form of coping and keeping his sanity. His drawings are wiggly and crooked, but very personal and beautiful in their own way. He talks a lot about how the art he makes is his own, even if it is not perfect. He uses art as a way to look at the world differently, a way to appreciate things in everyday life that might usually be overlooked. This is also a very touching and inspirational book that often motivates me to draw.