I just wrapped another studio job. The client wanted his boss drawn as a cowboy but he wanted the horse to be wearing a tank top particular to the boss so I had to design it so the horse’s chest was also visible. The full art will be printed on playing cards.
The head art on poker chips.
Sunday afternoon the Pacers Organization held a dinner to honor the staff of the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Here are the caricatures I drew there.
These drawings are the illustrations for a “children’s book” marriage proposal. The client wrote the story of his meeting and subsequent relationship with his intended bride in a children’s book format and had me do the art. Really rather charming and I hope she says “yes” because there will be no refund!
Last night I drew for a NYE house party.
This one was a Christmas gift for the fellow on the left.
Realize, Inc. contacted me to caricature 8 new hires since last I drew their staff for the Realize web site.
Last night I drew at the holiday party for Pepper Construction of Indiana. Navigating downtown traffic and parking just before the Big Ten Game was an adventure!
Night 2 of the 2 year anniversary celebration at Stuart’s Steakhouse in Sheridan, IN.
Last night was the first of two nights at Stuart’s Steakhouse in Sheridan, IN.
Companies and corporations often book me to come in and caricature all of their employees (or all members of a particular team or department) but then months or years later new people will be added to that group and they will want them included. To that end I offer a service, when it’s not as feasible for them or me to go in to their location to draw two or three folks, they can email me photos of the new hires and I’ll draw them in my live style using the same materials. These two are from that category done for the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice to be included on their wall.
Friday I was in Kokomo drawing for Black Friday.
Here are a few of the drawings at Comics Cubed;
And at the next stop on the tour;
I’m so pleased and flattered when a client comes back to me for another job. The initial brief just listed her wearing a Brett Favre jersey. I had to ask for clarification as to which team!
The dimensions display the finished print size which fits in a standard, off-the-rack 12″ x 18″ frame.
Yesterday I spent a great day at the Kokomo Comic Convention.
The Kokomo folks provide great space for the artist alley, lots of room behind the tables for banners and other displays. They also treat us very well during the course of the day with volunteers coming by regularly asking if we need anything.
This is Shawn D. Hilton, front man for the Kokomo Con. I got some photos of him off his Facebook page and used them to do this, my first zombie con sketch (actually my first zombie drawing anywhere!). (I don’t “get” zombies and their huge fan base, but other artists at cons have told me I’m missing out not drawing them.) Shawn wasn’t aware I was doing this piece but I asked him before I started how he felt about zombies. His reply was something like, “I’m fine with zombies, I love zombies.” I put the sketch into the charity auction benefiting the Kokomo Humane Society where I heard that Shawn bought it to keep it from other hands.
The guest of honor was “World Famous Cartoonist Art Baltazar.” Artie is an exclusive DC Comics artist responsible, along with Franco, “The Tiny Titans” which is a kid’s comic and wonderfully serves a market section of the comic world that I think is grossly ignored. The comics profession is jumping through all sorts of hoops with events and relaunches trying to get new readers into comics. You get new readers by starting them in comics as soon as they can ask for things! They need comics that parents can read to them. Comics that have entertaining, fun, clear drawings that the kids can enjoy even without a grownup to read to them.
This is a drawing I did as a gift to Artie in appreciation for his highly entertaining AW YEAH podcast he does with Franco and John Siuntres. Within that podcast Artie expounds on his obsession with TV talk show hostess Wendy Williams.
It took awhile for the attendees to decide they wanted my caricatures so I only had time to do these, but that allowed me time to do the drawings shown above so that’s okay.
This young man wanted to be an original X-Man with water powers.
This young lady initially wanted to be drawn as Amy Pond from Dr. Who but I told her to convey that I’d have to straighten her lovely curly hair and put her in a mini-skirt. She liked the mini-skirt idea but not the hair change so she opted for River Song, in a mini-skirt. Which I was happy to do.
This was another first, doing zombie drawings of another artist’s characters. I was positioned across the side aisle from Rodney Fyke, who has a comic book he writes and draws, “Peanut, Puddin’ n’ Jelly” which are the name of these three characters. For reasons that escape me (see zombie comment above) he wanted to see his guys as zombies and after seeing my Shawn drawing he asked me to do it. It was fun! Thanks Rodney!
The last subject was a young girl who wanted to be drawn as a cheerleader in her school colors.
Also at the convention was the Batmobile! Not the sad old actual one from the Adam West show that used to tour car shows, but the newly constructed one that can actually be ordered and custom made for anyone with that much money and that much love of the TV Batmobile!
Also in the Bat-area was Jenn, my favorite Batgirl fan from last year. This year she has a new Batgirl costume, fulfilling some of the desires she told me about last year. On the left is last year’s costume, the right was this year’s.
Great convention Shawn & Co. I look forward to next year!
Last Saturday I set up at the Nashville Comic and Horror Convention at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. While it was a great show overall the emphasis was more on horror films, TV and comics than the comics and sketches I draw. I was able to draw a few people, a couple of which are below. I did get to see David Hedison, from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Jackson Bostwick from the live action Saturday morning SHAZAM show (he played Captain Marvel).
Here in Indianapolis there’s a great place to get you car serviced, D&A Automotive. These guys have been servicing “the Caricature Van” for years and doing a great job. Thanks guys!
A few weeks ago I delivered another corporate retirement caricature. SHe plans on learning golf and her job was to develop insecticides.
Yesterday, September 17, I spent the day at the Cincinnati Comics Expo and a good time it was for me.
After about an hour while, I assume, the attendees were getting settled as to what they wanted to see and do, I was drawing constantly, mostly caricatures of people as their favorite comic characters.
This gentleman asked to be Superman then was so pleased with his drawing he came back later and asked to be drawn as Nick Fury!
I also was asked to do a couple of character sketches, this one in someone’s “James Dean Sketchbook.” She was carrying a black hardbound sketchbook and asking various artists to draw, from the provided reference photos, James Dean. It was my first time to encounter a movie star themed sketchbook. Usually it’s comic characters, Muppets, mash-ups of the two or other similarly bizarre combinations. At an earlier convention this year I was asked to contribute to an Alfred E. Neuman sketchbook.
This time I chose a photo and caricatured Dean.
There is also a gentleman who always asks for sketches of Medusa, not the mythological character but the MARVEL character, she of the flame-tinted living tresses. He looks for drawings that highlight the strength he sees in the character (where most artists go for the sex appeal), luckily I got that bit of information out of him before I started and decided to show her hoisting up several other more notable MARVEL strong-man types. Or bits of them!
He liked that enough that he also bought a previous Medusa drawing I had done for my letter-size sketch folio that was more pin-up than this one.
I also sold my 11th Doctor marker caricature out of my sketch folio.
Which I may make prints of for future conventions. (Without the annoying © symbol.)
Last night I drew for two hours at a beautiful wedding reception. Here are a few photos of the subjects and their drawings starting with the Bride and Groom.
The Bride’s parents
The Bride’s Grandfather (I think)
And everyone else
I designed and executed this logo for a seller of hay.