Monday, January 31, 2011

subwaysurfers purple reign







A couple of caricatures studies in purple, including Canadian Rapper, DRAKE! I was gonna draw PRINCE but that would have been too obvious....

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Nikki Minaj video and Caricature Project by Subwaysurfer

I can FINALLY talk about it! my "mystery client" I eluded to the other day is none other than Vocal teacher/entertainer . Erik Dillard of the hit youtube show, THE ERIK DILLARD VOCAL CLINIC. For those of you unfamiliar wth the show, Erik gives fantastic, insightful, idiot proof methods to improve your singing technique, AND whatis UNIQUE about his show is that he breaks down the vocal techniques of your favorite artists. In this segment , via a viewers request, he broke down Nikki Minaj, and having worked with him on previous projects, commissioned me to draw the caricature of her. I was not given a clue how he would incorporate it into the show , but I knew it would be great and he didnt disapoint. Just ANOTHER example of being able to "take caricature out of the theme park" and use it for other creative ventures.



These Pictures were created with a combination of tools including the Double sided Utretcht Design Markers, amd colored in the Art Studio App on the IPAD. I swear by ALL of these tools now for giving me the color quality and line effects I need to make my illustrations come to life!

Monday, January 24, 2011

ipad caricature of JACK LA LANNE by Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

Jack La Lanne,boasted that he'd live to be one hundred and was only four years short of making that goal! Hows THAT for setting a goal and coming close to reaching it. As I stated in a previous post, Jack was the Godfather of sooooo many things that we look at as just "normal" today. It goes without saying that he is the Godfather of Fitness in America. Whats inspiring is that he wanted this not just for athletes but for the common man. Jack devised imagainative fitness programs and exercises that were within ANYONES fitness level and budget.We hear a lot in the finess industry today about modification, and tailoring a program to fit your individual needs, goals and lifestyles.... YOU DONT KNOW JACK! He was the FIRST to do that! Jacks core audience was women, as his show aired during a period when traditionally in America, women would be home, and their husbands at work. Now we have an entire finess industry tailored sspecifically to women....YOU DONT KNOW JACK! He was the FIRST to do that! Branding is a word that is usd a lot today in marketing, especially online. In order to stand out from the crowd, you must be able to maket , or brand yourself in such a decisive way as become memorable....YOU DONT KNOW JACK! He was the FIRST to do that! Jack had this jumpsuit that he always wore that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, but made him instantly identifiable. That jumpsuit was like a uniform, a type of "superhero" outfit, which was what he was, in a sense. The man held numberous fitness records that established him as an authority. Unless you have been living in a cave somewhere, you know that America is nutrition crazy now. It seems on every corner is a juice bar, a fruit market,a vitamin store,or organic food store. YOU DONT KNOW JACK! He was the FIRST to do that! Jack was a big advocate of juicing right from the start , at a time when most of us thought it was strange and disgusting to liquify and drink celery, carrots and apples, and he always advocated the importance of eating food in its rawest forms, and ghetting away from refined foods and especially sugar.
I feel bad for a lot of people in this generation because , YOU DONT KNOW JACK! at least not the way I "knew" him, and like som many others my age knew him. At the risk of sounding corny, he was a perfect role model. I never heard one word of scandal associated with his name/ This is something unheard of for a celebrity with less than half of his star power. I think what Jack had was that thing called, integrity.

JACK LA LANNE RIP by subwaysurfer

Elgin Bolling I'm telling my age, now.. But as a kid I remember the first time I say anybody doing jumping jacks, it was when Jack did it. He did the exercise at the beginning and ending of his show, and I remember doing it with him! Jack was, for many of us old timers, our initial introduction into fitness
11 minutes ago · Like
Elgin Bolling Jack was unique in that he gave practical inexpensive fitness exercises using your own bodyweight, and simple household items, like chairs, books, and water bottles to create resistance. Not only that, but he gave nutritional advice, as well as strategies to enhance mental fitness. The guy had this holistic approach to wellness, and was able to consistently communicate it in 30 minute segments.
7 minutes ago · Like
Elgin Bolling The fact that he was able to articulate and demonstrate simultaneously, and naturally, made him a media darling. In today's technological, YouTube,era, we take for granted, when Jack did this, back in the day, the medium of television was still relatively new. Jack wrote the script, in my Opinion, of how to effectively do an infomercial.
4 minutes ago · Like
Elgin Bolling Due to his own personal branding strategy, by the time he introduced his fitness studios, he already had a core group of potential customers. What a marketing genius he was, and just for staying consistent with a simple idea.

YOU CAN IMPROVE...
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a few seconds ago · Like

Rockaway Artists Alliance Writers Group President, Dan Guarino


I know I should have been paying attention at the voters meeting, but couldnt resist doing this caricature of Dan Guarino while sitting there!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Rockaway Artists Alliance President Geoff Rawling Caricature


Mixed Media Artist, and President of The Rockaway Artists Alliance, Geoff Rawling has an irresistable face for caricature. I drew this picture of him while waiting my turn to come at a poetry reading at Ft Tilden in Breezy Point , Queens..


ANOTHER ipad Caricature of Canadian Rapper, DRAKE by Subwaysurfer

Those Heavey  Lidded Eyes, That Sad Mouth, The Large Box Head... Drake Is an Irresistable Character to Draw Alright! LOL So Glad that I was commissioned to draw this! LOL Heres another shot at him. Drake If you see this, I aint hatin' buddy, but since you are a celebrity, you should expect things like this.

This caricature recently caught the attention of the folks at lulu online look here

http://iluluonline.com/photos-hilarious-caricature-art-starring-drakes-face-nicki-minaj/

Friday, January 21, 2011

ipad caricature of DRAKE By Subwaysurfer


Drake has a face that was made for caricature. Dont know if anyone else has ever drawn him. This too is part of a freelance assignment for the same client who wanted one of Nikki Minaj. Whatever he's cookin up, its gonna be GOOD! Really enjoyed drawing this!! I think I'll do another just for fun! LOL!
The initial line work for this was drawn with the Utretcht Design Markers, uploaded, and then colored in the Art Studio App on the IPAD. I swear by ALL of these tools now for giving me the color quality and line effects I need to make my illustrations come to life!

ipad caricature of Female Rapper Nikki Minaj

Im currently working on a project with a client who requested a caricature of Female Rapper Nikki Minaj. I normally dont listen to this genre of music too much so I didnt know who she was. When i got some  reference photos, I couldnt wait to draw the caricature. I dont know what the client has in store... actually I do, since weve worked before,LOL! it ought to be good. It was a challenge caricaturing Nikki, because like most attractive women theres its hard to eaggerate  facial features. However, Nikki has these superhuman, ah.. attributes that make her instantly recognizable.


These Pictures were created with a combination of tools including the Double sided Utretcht Design Markers, amd colored in the Art Studio App on the IPAD. I swear by ALL of these tools now for giving me the color quality and line effects I need to make my illustrations come to life!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

GENDER BENDER NEEDS TO RETURN TO SENDER! caricature of man/woman on the Subway




Okay, Im not making a value judgement here, just callin em as I see em, and then, of course draw them. In a city as diverse as New York, when ever I ride the Subway trains I have come to expect the unconventional, the out of the ordinary, the outlandish, and the just plain strange. Yet with all my experience as a "visual caricature antropologist", the subway being my laboratory where I study and record human behavior, sometimes even I get shocked by the thing I see.
Folks, there are a lot of cross dressing , gender benders in NYC. They add color and life to the mosaic that IS New York City, but even among alternative lifestyles there certainly MUST be "rules of conduct, and presentation" and THIS had to be a definite NO NO!

HE/SHE entered the car carrying a large brown handbag, wearing a Hoodie, Oversized pants, Bown Brogan Shoes, a Baseball cap a bad Wig AND Noticable Razor stubble.

Did I comment on the stooped over posture and the fact that they were close to three hundred pounds?

At least the handbag matched the shoes.

But for all intensive purposes, this person looked like, to use a popular village expression, "A HOT MESS!"
If you're going to go out gender bending, I say, make sure you go ALL the way in the direction that you are shooting for, and be careful to cover up any NOTICABLE flaws as to your true identiy.

Razor Stubble is a dead giveaway, as is hair on your knuckles.

Who NEEDS cable? All I gotta do is ride the Subway! LOL!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

ipad caricature of a pretty girl by Elgin subwaysurfer Bolling

There are those times when I draw a face and i see an undefnable "star quality" to the face that im drawn to pun intended. This young lady was pretty, not glamrous in the fashion model sense, but what I call urban pretty for lack of a better word. there was that feminine quality combined with that no nonsense edge that only enhanced her overall appeal. I drew this in a smipler cartoonery style that worked perfectly.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Drawing lesson if you practice you WILL GET BETTER by subwaysurfer



Like all artists, I sometimes get in "one of those moods" where "nothing" is going right and i feel as if Im just standing sitll, not progressing, not getting any better. It's easy to feel that way if you DONT keep a visual record to chart your progress, lucky for me, I do.
I ran across a 2005 sketchbook the other day and turned the page to a drawing I had done of Gary, a very talented Painter/caricature artist from Puerto Rico that I drew at a past NCN COnvention. My First one, to be exact. I was actually amazing and a little horrified to re-discover that I actually drew ...er... that BAD and go paid for it!! LOL! I redrew the picture over again , just to see if I could do it better. The results were startling to say in the least. I was able to actually SEE how much I'd learned in just a few years. You truely CAN change if you're motivated enough, and work hard enough on your weaknesses. Maybe two years from now I'll pick up this recent drawing and say to myself, "THAT'S HORRIBLE!! HOW IN THE WORLD DID I HAVE THE NERVE TO POST THAT!!!???"

Monday, January 10, 2011

ipad gift caricature for client by subwaysurfer

this lucky fan took advantage of my year end digital ipad caricature sale and got his version by a subwaysurfer original.

 I have decided to extend the sale for a limited time. get YOUR digital caricatue at the insane discounted price! email me at cartoons4u2@aol.com for details!

Sunday, January 09, 2011

ipad caricature of a scared indian woman on subway


I swear she was clutching her bag SO TIGHT and staring straight ahead with the most intense expression I'd ever seen on anyone I was trying to draw. Then it occured to me all at once that she MUST have thought I was a mugger getting ready to snatch her bag, rather than an artist who was snatching her likeness! LOL!
Picture colored in Artstudio app using the Ifaraday stylus pen on the ipad

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

Friday, January 07, 2011

Editorial Cartoon for The Wave Newspaper..... SNOW.....again..


this editorial assignment was given to me last week in response to Mayor Bloombergs disasterous handling of the NYC Winter snow storm that crippled the city last week. The paper came out today... just in time for the NEXT round of snowfall... we'll see what happens next... hope Lady Liberty likes Vanilla Ice Cream... she's about to get another snow cone....

So how are you handling the snow? Is it a winter wonderland, or a frosty nightmare! I'd love to hear your stories, and may even illustrate the best one! Please comment!

If you download this toon, please link my URL to the site where it's being used. Keep in mind I also can make affordable customized toons for your blogs, articles and websites,.

ipad caricature of a woman who looks like a toad by subwaysurfer


There are some women who even MAKEUP can NOT HELP!... I bet when she walks into Mc Donalds the counterperson asks her, "Do you want FLIES with that?"

Yeah... I know.... I gotta work on my standup routine......


IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature of a big blond bodacious amazon by subwaysurfer

this is the colored version of one of the most popular pics on my site here. vieweres cant seem to get enough of viewing this Amazon I drew at a party in black and white , so I decided to finaly color her in. I recalled doing a tamer version of this at the original party, and as soon as she left my seat I IMMEDIATELY drew THIS one for myself ,and of course, you viewers here! Heh, Heh.... This gurls pop would have snapped his cap if he saw his "little girl" depicted like this... but being a dad myself, I know that sometimes fathers have blinders on and just cant see their baby gurls the way the REST of the world sees them.....

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature of man with big head and mustache

When a guy has a mustache THIS bushy I always wonder if stuff is growing in it... Ive noticed with some men that as they stop growing hair in one place, like the top of the head, other places start to sprout excessive hair  like weeds. this guy had a killer mustache and the eyebrow thing going...

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature of man with big nose and big hair


Once again, I am singing the praises of being able to do live drawing on the train of unwary passengers. This particular man actually CAUGHT me drawing him, and shot me the most contemptuous slightly annoyed expression that I NEVER would have gotten from a boring naked model who was paid to be drawn. Drawing on the train and in public places is the REAL life drawing because you really get a chance to SEE people with all their quirks. On the train folks try to intimidate me into NOT drawing them by shooting me expressions like this, not realizing it makes them an even MORE perfect target! LOL!! Aside from having such a great look, he also had a lot to make fun of! Long Nose, LOOOOONG neck, Crazy long hair in the front expecially... he was pure joy to exaggerate.  I used the ifraday stylus to color and go over the lines and also the Artstudio app for the ipad. Im loving the vivid colors that I can get with this ipad and its making it reeeeallly hard to go back to using conventional methods like paper, markers and art stixx.....

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

Thursday, January 06, 2011

ipad caricature of woman with a BIG MOUTH by Subwaysurfer

This is a mouth that only a Dentist could love because everytime he sees her, he knows his mortgage is going to be paid..... I saw this woman riding the trai and from the side she was awesome enough... then she smiled and I started to applaud on the inside... if you ever think for a moment that GOD doesnt have a sense of humour.... please think about this picture..... Did this sketch originally in pencil and painted it in the Art Studio app using the ifaraday stylus.

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

iPad caricature Of man with big forehead

This man resembled a human hammerhead shark.There was something in his face that said "athlete". Easily one of the strongest faces I've ever drawn. Originally a pencil sketch, I decided to paint it in the iPad ArtStudio app, and the results are outstanding! He looks even MORE ferocious in living color.
If I recall when I drew this originally, it was on a Queens bus. I must've caught him in mid sentence. It's one of the things I love about live drawing. You just DON'T get an expression like this from a model who is paid to sit naked, and pose.

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

ipad cartoon of Black Man with BIG Nose and big fuzzy Hat

Looks like this guy has had too much New Years Celebration.... he had the Fuzzy Hat with the flaps raised way up, and this bleary eyed thousand mile stare... what stood out though was the enormous brown nose. I resisted the urge to reach over and honk it...

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!