Surfs up!

Drew this on the number two train today en route to a great gig at Toys R Us.... feels good to be drawing folks again! Havent done it since.... yesterday.
These are two minute sketches done with a brick colored woodless pencil.

World Outreach Evangelical Ministries Tract Illustrations

I got an opportunity to do a series of tract illustrations for a Dynamic young African pastor in Far Rockaway named James Taiwo of The World Outreach Evangelical Ministries organization.( http://www.woem.org/) Pastor Tiwo has been very receptive to my offbeat style of artwork, feeling that eye catching illustration will help be to be more receptive to the content inside, and I must agree. I did tract illustration years ago for several ministries including the American Tract Society, Focus on The Family, and Apple of His Eye Ministries, and always looked forward to doing other assignments like this. How could I resist drawing cartoons??

The Host of Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art Show

My friend,and fellow NYC Caricature artist, Laurie Edmomds, invited me to an onorthodox live drawing extravaganza called, "Dr. Sketchy's Anit Art Show" Held at "The Slipper Room" at 167 Orchard Street last saturday afternoon.Unlike your "traditional" live drawing class, there were no bright lights, clean marble walls, or mis shaped nude models, instead The models are porvocative , irreverant burlesque performers who wear extravagant costumes and are in excellent condition. In this particular session they paired a tall beautiful dancer dressed in letter with goth makeup on, and a male midget wearing similar garb.
As outlandishly as they were dressed, i found one of the hosts, a lantern jawed youngman with heavy five o clock shadow, a shock of black hair that kept getting into one of his eyes, and a black business suit. Between each break, he would get up on stage and banter about with the other host. I had the most fun drawing him, thinking that he would make a perfect character in my ever growing cast, so I spent the majority of time drawing him. this is one of many pictures i made.

Im becoming a celebrity!

Funny thing happened on the way from the art store...
I just finished shopping at my favorite art store, Utretch Art Supply and was heading into the 14th street station, when I almost collided with a man going in the opposite direction. I stopped, apologized and waved him on to continue walking, and he gave me a quizzled look. As I was beginning to walk down the stairs, he said WAIT! I KNOW YOU!! I turned back around, and he exclaimed, " I saw you drawing on the subway yesterday! You're that guy!" I explained to him that he saw me after returning from a gig at Sardi's Restaurant. I told him that since he took out the time to recognize me that I would give him a beautiful rendered pencil caricature once he sent me his email address and pictures. He was Trilled, and so was i that im actually becoming a sort of Urban Celebrity. The guy's name is Akeelah, I think, and i will be posting his memory sketch picture soon.

Star Wars The Adventures of Jedi Nikk Intergalatic Dog sitter of Bark and Play

JEDI NIKK;".....get in the van.... get in the van..... PLLLLLEASE get in the van!!!..."

JABBA DA MUTT; "BAH!, your Jedi Mind Tricks wont work on ME boy!"



This is an almost completed gift caricature that im doing for Nikk, my favorite dog sitter from Bark and Play> Bark and Play picks my dog up from my house, takes him to the headquarters in brooklyn, where he gets to play with other dogs, and then delivers him back to my door! the service is great, my dog is happy, and i wanted to do something special for Nikk.
I recently found out that he was a BIG star wars fan like me, so I have made up a series of strips, (in the pre production stage) featuring him as the main character, "Jedi NIkk" Intergalatic Dog Sitter At Bark and Play. I am toying with the idea of making this a series so Nikk has actually provided me with inspiration for a webcomic. How cool is that?

My dog, Butchie, loves Nikk and his pals at Bark and Play, but usually gives Nikk trouble with getting into the van. I based this joke on what Butchie does. I guess you can say that my dog, Butchie, is Jabba Da Mutt here.

Abstract subway caricatures.

Playing around with different shapes here. This style works best on those days when i really dont feel like doning time consuming modeled type of pencil sketches, and slso is a great "party style".

Unfinished...but ...Finished.

Ive had this picture lying around for a couple of months, always promising myself that i would complete it, but somehow I never get around to it. I looked at it again today and decided that it looks kinda "finished" in its unfinished state. I dunno what it is exactly, but seeing it like this sort of appeals to me more. It will remain "unfinished".

2 myopic subway riding women

They both couldnt see very well! LOL! I wanted to expereiment with extreme light and dark on this pic.

Gee, Thanks Obama!

Now that Obama is President, Editiorial and Caricature artists the world over are rejoicing. NEVER has such a public elected official been so EASY to draw! Steve Brodner remarked that There must be a god of caricature since Obama is so easy to draw, and i must whole heartedly agree. These are two recent toons that ive submitted to my local paper, The Wave, to launch my career as a editorial cartoonist. The paper has been receptive to recieving these toons and Ive been encouraged to do more.
Submitting editorial work to your local paper is sound advice I always give to cartoonists eager to have their work published, increase their confidence, and build up a body of work. Political cartooning also keeps you informed, as you must keep up with recentDomestic, and world events in order to have a point of view to caricature/comment on.

Making her point...

Drew this picture of my wife while she was talking animatedly making one of her many points..... hey, just because she's my spouse dont me she gets any mercy on the caricature!

Loved the Hat...

This guy got on at the Howard Beach Station, and i couldnt put my reading material down fast enough to draw him, his Uni Brow and that ridiculous blue hat with the doggie ears. I gave him the predraw I did of him in full color before I did THIS one. I remember him scratching his head not quite knowing whether he should be excited, insulted, pay me, or punch me. I just smiled and drew my SECOND drawing which was more exaggerated. I recall him asking the lady next to him "does THIS look like ME?"

The Black Elton John

he had this really small baseball cap with the bill of the hat facing the sky, a massive concrete smashing forehead... make that a FIVE head it was so big, and HUGE white Elton John like glasses, and he was actually staring and me, staring at him with this look on his face that said, "WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME???" Some peoples faces and attitudes beg to be drawn and he was definitely one of em. I didnt even CARE that he was watching. I originally wanted to erase the pink pencil lines and do it up all nice and professional in photoshop, but thought it looked good enough on its own unfinished. Here are both versions.

MORE Andy Urzua inspired caricatures!

my partner in crime, Alison Gelbman(see her link on the right side of my blog) came by the studio the other day all excited about Andy Urzua. Unlike me, Alison had the opportunity to see Andy and pick his artistic brain at the recent NCN Convention held in Raleigh, NC this year. As is our habit when we get together, we tried to crack the code of our favorite artist, (this week its Andy) and drew a ton of pictures trying to imitate his style. I came up with my version of an Andy-esque caricature of me and Alison that I really love.

One of the greatest things about the NCN is coming in contact with a diverse group of artists from around the world whose approaches to caricature are totally unlike your own. It's fun to experiment with different styles and add them to your own as well. Andy won an award for best party style and i can see why because drawing like this is just plain FUN to do!

Aussie was glad to be in New Yawk!

He got on with his wife and kid at Howard Beach Station on November 21st. the day that I wuz subwaysurfing with my pals from the NCN. We had just said goodbye to Paul Moyse as we dropped him off at The JFK Airtrain at Howard Beach, when I saw this guy get on. At first i wanted to draw his wife, but she immediately diverted my attention to him, and I was glad she did because he was sooooo interesting to draw! He was an Aussie who by his own admition was glad to be in New Yawk. I gave him the first two caricatures I did of him and kept the best one for myself. You can see the pre draw of this in a previous post on the 21 of November.

He had a reaaaaaallly rough face with a LOTTTTAAAA Razor stubble! his face was so rough you could easily strike a match on it!

Gym teacher needs a whistle

He looked like a Junior High School gym teacher without a whistle. Any minute I was expecting him to yell out, "DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY!!" He was ticked off about sumthin. maybe someone put ben gay in his jockstrap...

ANDY URZUA

Andy is a dynamite San Diego caricature abstract expressionist, who recently won best party style and cartoon caricature style at the recent NCN convention. This is my take on him.
Besides I OWED him for jacking MY Face up!!

Wimmin and they hair.....

It's amazin the way women fix their hair sometimes....

Dont 4 get 2 Duck

This Dude looked like he was going to "quack" and fly south for the winter any minute. Is it Duck Seasnon, or Wabbit Season? I say, Duck Season.

Illustration Friday.com Sketch SUBJECT: OPINION

I recently discovered a great site called, "illustration Friday" that posts a weekly topic, like the site, "Art Jumble" does, and you are free to illustrate it. I love participating in these things as it keeps your illustration skills sharp, helps create a body of work, and for me, as a caricature artist, gives context to some of the faces that Ive drawn randomly on the train. The most recent topic is OPINION so here's my take on it.

When you have TWO opinionated people talking to each other, it's no longer a conversation, it's a war of words emotion and sound! better duck and cover! I drew these two fellas on the subway a few months back, and it seemed to fit the topic of OPINIONS for this week.

Some people are SO opinionated that they have to stretch their mouths open to make sure they get ALL their opinions out!...Do YOU know someone like that??

Spot light on Sean Gardner

Just GO to the website..... this is one of the guys who makes ME feel like I have no idea what Im doing......

Ladies and gents THIS is CARICATURE!!!!




http://sgcaricatures.blogspot.com/

He was feeling blue about sumthin...

This guy was sitting next to his gurl and judging by his expression he didnt like what was being said. The picture would have been perfect if not for these stupid pencil lines I got all over it.

marriage proposal caricature

Saturday was bitterly cold, my fingers were freezing, my knees knocking together, and I had to go to the bathroom reaaaaal bad!!! so what was I doing at Central park??? Helping a guy propose to his bride, what else??? I love doing these type of caricatures the best since the reactions of the would be bride are always heartwarming. A woman who doesnt love caricature doesnt have a sense of humour, period in my opinion, and judging how his bride to be laughed, it's going to be a happy marriage. I threw in a more exaggerated freebie for the happy couple as well.


I took these pics with my trusty digital camera and got made the prints lickidy split at my neighborhood Walmart, as is my habit. When I went to pay for them, the cashier behind the counter, looked at my pics, looked at my face, and exclaimed, : Hey , I know you! You're the dude who draws on the train all the time! I've seen you!" It made my day.

A few ACTION Shots

A couple of shots of me from two weeks ago when a bunch of international NCN members from Japan and Europe along with Alison and Andy from San Diego, went nuts on the A train going to the JFK Howard Beach Station. Great time! I was so into drawing that I didnt know the pics were being taken, now that's focusing! I wanted to draw the lady on my left, who is holding the baby,(She had a MASSIVE forehead) But she quickly diverted my attention to her husband, who I drew three times and gave two of the pictures. I will post the one I did of him in another post.

Andy and I drew the man with the glasses who Paul Moyse found out was traveling to England like he was. The man thought we were Paul's entourage and found it amazing that Paul actually did caricature for a LIVING and kept asking him about it. will post this guy's picture later also.

Im using my portable "caricature case" that was a gift from Adam Pate. It's great for subwaysurfing and a lot less cumbersome than a giant 11x14 pad that I used to use.

a depressed self portrait

I was feeling really depressed when I did this sketch. i did a freelance gig, was promised fame and fortune, and it didnt quite work out. I felt bummed out that I was trying so hard to advance my career and things were not seeming to work fast enough. Oh well, art heals right.

chris chua/Adam Pate inspired sketch

I had a gig where I tried to channel chris chua's drawing style. It was great! the pics flew outta my hands I did them entirely in pencil and everyone loved em.


Actually now that I look at this more, i would say that Ive been influenced also by my bud, Cleveland caricature artist, Adam Pate, who had a great minimilist style and is truely one of the fastest caricature artists Ive ever seen.

KuniKazu

Japanese caricature artist, Kuni, reminds me of Astro boy. Gotta love his "Doo"

Finished subway presketch

Here's the final version of yesterday's pre sketch. looking at it all inked and colored in, he reminds me of a pissed off picture of Clark Kent just before he gets ready to take off those specs and turn into the big blue boy scout, Superman.

he looked pissed...

He got on and looked pissed for no particular reason... i guess you dont need one in this city....

Two pre sketches on the train

Sometimes you just dont have time to do a full blown sketch and you have to do quick gester drawings to capture your prey. I plan on coming back to these two in a later post, but for now, here they are.

Subway sketch... she tried to hide

I was happily drawing when suddenly she spotted me and literally tried to HIDE! Too late! She begain to frantically turn her head, put her hands over her face and even put her head down into her arms. The passenger next to me enjoyed the entire thing and highfived me on the way out of the train.

ANOTHER self Portrait

Just thought of a NEW way to insult myself...

Spot light on Chris Chua

http://chrischuaartturtle.blogspot.com/

See that website link? go to it immediately and you'll be blown away by a brilliant caricature artist, named Chris Chua.
Chris is a member of The NCN, The National Caricaturists Network, which recently has expanded and is NOW known as the ISCA, The International Society of Caricatue Artists.

But that's another story. More about Chris....
Chris is a true visionary, and draws caricatures literally like no one else Ive ever seen. While most caricatures artists see faces through the lens of a "funhouse mirror", Chris sees them through a CRACKED Funhouse mirror put bnack together with crazy glue and scotch tape.

He is a sort of "caricature Expressionist" who drawins are geometric sometimes, liquified othertimes Its really hard to describe, but always a pleasure to watch. Which is what i encourage you to do a lot of!

I often tell people that there are as many styles of caricature as there are personalities on planet earth. The beauty of this artform lies in the fact that it gets filtered through the personality of each individual artist and comes out in surprising ways. It is for this reason that you should never focus SO MUCH on another artist's work that you throw up your hands and say, " I could never do that!" the truth is you CANT, and most of all SHOULDNT. I recall Chris getting some criticism for drawing in his style by some members but he stuck to his creative vision, and is now doing stuff that no one can imitate. It's one of the reasons I admire him as an artist in an industry where there are so many imitators.

Feelin blue...

Got some really bad news today and feeling literally kinda blue so this pic fits my mood. The MTA has a program that they've had for years where they commission city artists to have their work immortalized in the subway. They literally use a process where it's tiled into the wall. It so happens that Three stations in the rockaways where I live needed art and i figured being a residnt and having my ongoing subwaysurfer project going that i would be a shoe in for the commission. Naturally I submitted my best work taken form what ive been doing here for the past few years, consisting of caricature montages color sketches as well as black and white. When the smoke cleared, I received a nice little letter thanking me for my participation but informing me that over 60 people submitted work and mine was not going to be chosen. Ints very hard being a professional artist at times. You want money sure, but you also want recognition. im no different, and sometimes get very sad about how some of my artistic efforts dont seem to pan out and yet people tell me Im "good",,,,,, It;s like the ugly girl who can always be the "best friend" but doesnt get invited to the prom....

At Sardis....again

For the 2nd time this month,Um here entertaining the theatre crowd at the NYC "caricature artists mecca," Sardis Restaurant. I had some pretty aweful lighting conditions this time out so I was able to snap few pictures but did manage to get off a few.