Friday, March 30, 2012

Drawing The boy with the stinky drawers....


One of the great things about keeping a sketchbook is occasionally finding artistic ges that you totally missed. Since I'm constantly drawing from life on the streets and trains of NYC, a lot of my stuff gets literally buried between the pages of my sketchbooks. For me, it's like Christmas to find a really great caricature/cartoon like this one, which causes e to literally laugh out loud and say to myself,"did I do that?". I drew this last summer on the train. I'm sitting there in my seat, and along comes this hip hopper in "full swagger" wearing his summer braids, wife beater tee shirt to show off is scrawny yet muscular physique, smoking an illegal cigarette in defiance of the no smoking subway ban, and sporting a youthful urban fashion that I will never understand....the swung low pants. Usually these pants are purchased a size or two, bigger, held loosely with a belt so that the underwear is exposed. Not only is this unsightly looking, not only is it a prison style that indicates you're "one for business" but it's...kinda unsanitary. I decided to draw him in a more urban setting, hence the sidewalk, and also to create more visual balance, have him "smoking"from both ends. The final picture was done in the Art Studio app on the iPad.




3 comments:

Unknown said...

You nailed it! Maybe that's not the right term to use in this context. I really admire your style SubwaySurfer. I did a toon on this subject recently. Maybe the swaggers can see themselves as faddishly humorous as others see 'em and hitch them drawers up.

Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling said...
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Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling said...

Glad you see as much humor in this as I did! I'd love to see what you've done by the way, these characters who walk around like this, I wonder if they seriously think of the logistics of this...er..."fashion statement". Whenever my pants are too loose it limits my mobility to a point, where knave to tighten up my belt a bit just to have that much needed range of motion in my stride. These guys at any moment can have their pants fall down below their ankles, talking their drawers with it, and treating onlookers to an impromptu peep show, starring their private parts! Every time I see these jokers I get this urge to pull down their pants and push em over!  

There was a case in New York where this criminal was apprehended by pursuing police because he tripped over his feet when his pants fell down below his ankles!  There's even a law, I believe, in NYC where the police can fine people for wearing their pants like this. It's part of some obscenity law.