Keith Haring Subwaysurfer Caricature Connection

I began thinking today about my artistic influences today and came up with some surprises. While it's true that I owe my development as a caricature artist to many of the artist I've spoken about in the caricature community listed on this blog, I thought back further and came up with a name I hadn't thought about in a loooong time.

Keith haring.

In the 1980's Haring was tagging like MAD in the subway system in a very unique way. Instead of using markers spray paint and using the metal trains for a canvas, Keith used simple chalk and the vacant black advertisement space reserved normally for corporate advertisements.

I used to see Haring's stuff occasionally while a student at Hunter College, and was inspired by his iconic drawings. In my search for my own artistic identity, I began to copy his work to the point of obsession.
Harings work had a simple Primal-esque quality to it that was immediately accessible. whether you were a seasoned or just a casual observer, you left one of his drawings with the feeling that you could reproduce it. You didn't get that feeling when looking at the awesome graffiti lettering and characters drawn on the trains. Haring's art seemed to be "in reach" of your ability. When You tried to do similar work however, it was THEN when you saw how complex it was. Well before he was "discovered" by the art world, haring already had a legion of fans, and I was particularly impressed when he said that most "big " people in the art worked didn't like him because he didn't "need" them to "make him a success"

Here's a quote from Harings website:

"...I think that in a way some [critics] are insulted because I didn't need them. Even [with] the subway drawings I didn't go through any of the 'proper channels' and succeeded in going directly to the public and finding my own audience...I bypassed them and found my public without them. They didn't have the chance to take credit for what I did. They think that they have the role of finding the artist...and then teaching the public....I sort of stepped on some toes..."16



I wanted my work to have that same power. At the time caricature drawing was not even a blip on my artistic radar screen, but now that I'm doing it, I feel like I am in some small way embodying the "spirit" of Harings work. Following my own vision, using the subway as a vehicle for personal artistic growth and expression. Perhaps one day I will get "discovered" like Haring. I certainly am counting on it.
I often wondered how would Haring have drawn me? He undoubtedly would've used a chalk line on a black background.
This is my fantasy " Haring chalk Drawing "
Check out More of his work by going to his Link on the right side of the page.

three views of my self...

These drawings are part of a series I did last year entitled 30 days... In it I drew myself for 20 days to see what would come out and also in an effort to help myself break through the exaggeration barrier. In this project I drew myself while in different moods. Here I caught myself in a very depressed mood, an extremely angry mood, and a happy/zany mood

A little color for now....

I found this slightly colored caricature among some old sketchbooks and loved the exaggeration so much I thought I'd pause for a color commercial break.

Here I go again....

Staten Island Ferry Caricatures

Had a job interview for an artist -in-residence position in Staten Island this afternoon, and had an opportunity to do one of my favorite things,that is, riding the Staten Island Ferry.
What's not to love? its a big giant "subway car" on water! jam packed with people and faces, I could hardly contain myself.
As we were boarding, I looked to my left and saw the outstanding profile of this East Indian gentlemen. He had such great angles, and I didn't have a pencil or paper! I quickly "air sketched" his profile with my finger just to solidify it in my mind before I boarded, then got on the train and immediately put my impressions on paper. This is a memory sketch but I'm sure its spot on.

The woman, on the other hand ,sat directly across from me and she was realllly hard to get because she kept looking up noticing me studying her. I threw her off by 'showing her" the sketch of the Indian man, and pretending that I was really working on that. At one point she looked straight at me and gave me this look that said: " Believe it or not I USED to be Pretty...." Looks can be fleeting.... I felt for her.... but STILL CLOWNED HER!!!!

grotesque caricature

My son says it looks grotesque.... which means its just right.....
Master Caricature Exaggerator, Jan Op De Beeck http://www.opdebeeck.com/ once said in an NCN seminar that one of his secrets to Exaggeration was in "drawing a funny head." The head should be able to form an interesting silhouette. I've been trying for ages to do that and am now beginning to understand a little bit with satisfying results. This is one of my most interesting pictures yet. I particularly love the negative space Ive created between the nose and the hair chin.... OWWW!!! I just broke my arm patting myself on the back!!! MEDIC!!!

Subway Sleepers.....keep snorin...

Its amazin how many people veg out on a moving train surrounded by complete strangers, lower their defenses and snooze.... better for me so I can catch em!
I actually wanted to give the Asian man with the pointed head this caricature for some reason, but he got off real fast at the Howard Beach Train station.

fergot this one..

Da pencil kid is at it again!!!

Booyah!!!!!!

Noze Job

Found an old couples sketch in my drawing pad. Apparently I thought the wife had a huge nose, and was a little domineering compared to her husband. I decided to really work on it and this was the result. This is one of those caricatures that REALLY piss people off at a gig!

Pencil caricatures series by Elgin subwaysurfer bolling

Basketball nose

ya know some black folk just have bigggggg noses! dont be afraid to draw em!

Bens party caricature

Here's the last caricature of the day I did recently at a party at Pangea Restaurant in The East Village. Lotsa fun. Wish I had more time to add details.... hmmmm, maybe I will!

Think of em like animals...

When ever Im stuck on how to exaggerate a subject I assign them an anmial. Which animal do they look closest to, and then visualize that. The first guy reminded me of an italian parrot smoking a cig, and the other a cuban chiwahwah doggie with big marble eyes Whether they actually end up looking exactly like that animal is not the poiint. This is one method I use to rev upmy funny bone.

My ugly mug ... AGAIN

For all you gunslingers out there who need a CURRENT picture of me to do , HERE it is... again. I posted this originally on this blog in 2006. Here it is again.
Post it on your blog and tell me so I can come lookin for ya!

Alberto Gonzalez(bert5693) Caricature

After calling my style "Badass" Fellow Caricature artist, Alberto Gonzalez(check his blog out HERE http://bert5693.blogspot.com/) asked-slashe-challenged, me to do his caricature. After going to his site, I found a face that was hard to resist!It wasnt as easy as I thought it would be though and took a couple of drawings to get it just right. Hope ya like it Al!
I drew this with a 6b woodless graphite pencil, a number 2,and a q tip!

Good hunting today

Man I was reallllllly in the caricature subway drawing zone today! I took me minutes to knock out these caricatures complete with shading once I had the predraws done. After pencil drawing for so long, I finally got a workable method down I think.... now I can start REALLY drawing!

those ears

Almost didnt capture this guy. He kept catching me drawing him and I literally had to do a quick gesture and then move away to another seat.

How could I resist those ears they stuck out like car doors.

Pencil caricature series Todays catch by subwaysurfer

fergot this one.....

I was riding the "L" train at 3pm. it was loaded with loud obnoxious teenagers and this guy was looking around suspiciously at them every now and then. He seemed really uncomfortable.

Feb 6 Do OVER!

I looked at two sketches from a previous post from Feb 6, and decided I could do it a little better by taking time on the shading and modeling. I really like the results.

Rush hour AM Rush hour PM

Im Red hot... the original

This is a picture I did of RED, the dude with the shades and all that hair pictured in the previous "Im Red Hot,"Post. I did this orignial post in the summer of him while he was waiting for the SAME bus that we both boarded just days ago. If he's checking this out, here's lookin at YOU red! I TOLD ya that you wuz a "character!"

Gerard Issac Bolling

Ive been LITERALLY drawing my son , Gerard before he was born. (as wierd as it sounds I actually drew a picture of EXACTLY what he looked like as a little kid while my wife was pregnant!) Gerard has one of those faces that artists love to draw full of expression and power. He's tall dark and handsome, everything Im not! (which is why its such a joy to mess up his face!!! heh, heh!)He left today to go on a college visit and I was missing him and decided to try my hand at a memory sketch. Roddie personally hates how I depict him in caricature, but hey! Im STILL his father , even though he towers over me....

Im red hot!!!

The dude with the glasses is a local neighborhood residnt, named Ray who looked over my shoulder while I was at the bus stop today drawing my picture of my son, Gerard, feature above. I recognized Ray's face from 3 years before when I drew him one summer and commented on what a character he was! He laughed, and talked for the next half hour about cartooning and animation, two interests he had. I promised ray that I would draw another picture of him, featured here, of course, and that I would track down the original one and give it to him.

While trading in my cell phone at the Sprint store, one of the workers walked in from his break and had the most interesting expression, I captured hi immediately and worked on it on my train ride into the city.
Im starting to use a blending stomp with my pencil work now and liking the nice "airbrushy" effect it has. What a satisfying tool, pencil is!

bakk to the pencil

Did these TWO GREAT sketches today and was so excited i could hardly wait to get home and scan them. The first one caught my eye immediately. SHe had this MASS of hair that literally hid her face from the side view. Evey now and then you could see her profile "peek out" from the mound of hair as the train moved. Her whole look had a geometric feel about it and I spent about 20 minutes drawing her from start to finish.
On the return commute home i noticed this yound man had a bulbous nose alost like one of the muppets, and very very tiny eyes. He was trying to look "tough" giving me the "stare" but ended up looking more and more hilarious. It didnt help matters that he had the WILDEST most untamed goatee I'd ever seen on a person his age.

BAKK TO THE PEN!!

I've been lovin the pencil, but I just CANT let my penmanship skills slide! I worked TOO hard at getting the perfect line quality. These were done with my fave pen, the PITT artists brush pen! I LOVE the lines it makes and this particular one was nice and sharp! I see also that being away from the pen a while actually HELPED my line quality a little more.

Mark Z Man

I went to Fellow NYC Caricature artist/cartoonist, Mark Zman to get some much needed Flash lessons, and snuck this sketch of him while he was busy looking at the monitor. Mark and I have worked together a lot at SARDIS Restaurant, the New York "Mecca" for caricature artists.

numba too pencil sketches

I couldnt find my usual 6b pencil, so I had to rely on the ole number two pencil to do thiese. you really goatta press hard on em just to make an impression.