HOW TO DRAW A CARTOON DOG

CARICATURE QUICK TIP SERIES INKING A PENCIL SKETCH

HOW TO MAKE A COMIC STORY THAT IS GUARANTEED TO SELL!

http://cinch.fm/subwaysurfer/293405

HOW TO DRAW A BOY WITH DREADLOCKS

I was having some fun drawing one night and decided to make a video on how to do a boy with dreadlocks! Sorry it's upside down I'm a better artist than ohotograper!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Qu-K4T4bA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE AN ARTIST?

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE AN ARTIST?
What drives you? I keep coming back to this question because it's an important one. I've found that depending on what my answer is, it will sustain and encourage me through times of discouragement, doubt and disappointment.

BEING AN ARTIST CAN BE LONELY

no matter how gregarious some of our personalities are, art making is a solitary activity. We are confronted with blank paper, computer screens or canvas and forced to bring something into being that has never been seen by the world, or us before. No one can tell us how to do this, we alone must bring it into being, and that requires intense introspection, experimentation and isolation. During these times of loneliness the question of why I'm doing this keeps haunting me...here are a few of my answers and perhaps some of yours

FINANCE
I've grown accustomed to having food in my refrigerator, clothes on my back,and a roof over my head. On a very basic level, I make art to survive, literally. I continue to work because there is that fear that concern that if I stop I will cold,hungry and naked. Fear becomes my companion, motivator that I cannot stop doing what I am doing to maintain my lifestyle. And yet Finance and Fear can't drive me alone, because then I will come to resent my work.

EGO

I absolutely LOVE to be recognized for what I've done. It's a tremendous ego boost. I recall going to a NCN Caricature convention, and overhearing people I didn't know whisper, "that's HIM, that's SUBWAYSURFER!" I was flattered. It was an indication that my peers respected me, recognized me. Just this week I received a phone call from a FACEBOOK fan who thanked me for influencing him! He went on to tell me how he had been following me and read everything I'd written, viewed all my videos and downloaded my printed materials. I'm overjoyed by this. I work hard in not letting ego rule me, that would be arrogant, but I do admit that since I know people are viewing my work, I am motivated to always do my best.

As a professional caricature entertainer my work, by it's very nature is under immediate scrutiny since it's created right there in front of a crowd. Drawing live and being congratulated and applauded publicly has built up my ego and self esteem substantially.

LOVE

I decided to save the best for last.
LOVE. Before there was money coming in for doing my art, before there was anyone to congratulate me, or hang it kn their refrigerator door, there was the pure love of just doing it. There is an indescribable pleasure in drawing a line, creating composition, bringing to life something that I see in my head, being able to personify feelings. Like most artists, I started in childhood, and was a"good kid" mostly because I would entertain and quiet myself for hours on end just by doing art.
I would do it even if I wasn't paid a single dollar on recording a single handclap. It's who I am, my own personal pleasure. To steal a line from the character in the movie Chariots Of Fire, "God made me an ARTIST! And when I draw, I can feel his pleasure!"

For me, art is a form of worship, a form of appreciation to the God who made me.

These are the things that keep me going. How about you?

911 memorial poem September Memories by Elgin Subwaysurfer bolling

SEPTEMBER MEMORIES By Elgin Bolling

On a clear day, they say
You can see forever!
But we never thought
That our Friendly Skies
Would ever witness

THOUSANDS DIE.
Or hear Billions CRY..
White Hot Tears
Falling from sorrowful eyes
Of Burning Towers Like
Post Summer Rain

A testimony that Our Great City
Would Be Forever Changed…
Insane Day!
Inane Day!
The Day I hated Planes…

Who’s to Blame?
What’s His Name?
What Foul Victory Did He Claim?
By having people Slain…

If you went to work, THAT Day,
You were sorry that you came.
That is, if you SURVIVED
Some didn’t come home…
Alive.

In September…
I Still Remember…

People Broken and Dismembered!

Towers Falling!
People Crawling
Men, Women, and Children
Bawling.

Running blindly down the Halls
Fire Burning on the Walls
Somewhere …in the desert air…. Osama…Laughing…
Struggling for breath… Gasping …
Getting help from strangers
Without Asking.

Firefighters bravely answering the Call
Hundreds of people starting to Fall…

Flying Briefly in Empty Space…
Savoring the last sweet breath of freedom
Before landing on their face.

The Twins begin to crumble…
People Stumble…
I mumble…
“Our City…..Humbled”.

Who Fumbled?
Who Dropped the Ball?
My mind begins to Stall..
Is this All?
Or is there more to come?
Do we evacuate?
Or Get a Gun?
No Where To Hide
No Place to Run…

The Mayor’s Finest Hour
He spoke with resolve and did not cower.
Regardless of your Political Affiliation
On THAT DAY we were ALL ONE NATION

And even though it was Hard
On that day even Atheists Prayed To God

The pain never ceases
We continue to this day
To pick up the broken pieces
But as Americans we stand strong.
In the aftermath of this terrible wrong

From the EBOOK, "Annointed Verse, Unrehearsed"
available for purchase, here:
http://elprophetthescribe.blogspot.com/p/annoited-verse-unrehearsed-poetry-ebook.html

Caricature quick tip How to draw braided hair part two

The first post was so popular, I decided to include this second one in the series. Sorry about the view. I got disorinted on this camera. Hope its  not too much of a distraction.

Live Caricature Drawing on NYC Subway By Subwaysurfer

I absolutely LOVE it when passengers are bold enough to ASK for their picture, like this gentlemen did  here. I was sitting across from him and noticed he had an interesting look for a character design I was developing of a scientist, or something like that. I did a quick sketch and turned the page when he inquired about thedrawing. we went on to have a great discussion about social media, character design, and entrepreneurship. He even gave me some social media tips! what did he tell me? HEY! that's MY secret!   Sorry for the shaky picture I was on a moving train and took this with my camera phone. The guy in the picture  name is WES. I told Wes I would be doing some character studies on his face, much to his delight,.... 

Caricature Quick Tip How to Draw Braided hair

Have you ever found yourself horrified frustrated and frozen with fear someone with braids approached you to be drawn at a life event? I sure did! I hated drawing braids so much that I carried scissors in my bag with intentions on cutting them off the persons head! since being a barber is not in my skill set, I had to devise a method for drawing them quickly and easily. Nothing can ruin a caricature more than drawing braids sloppy, especially if its a major part of the persons, visual persona... er... is that even a word? This video goes into one of my methods that not only make drawing braids easy, but also a lot of fun! forgive the quality of the video, I filmed it on my smartphone while waiting for my wife while she shopped at Trader Joes....

William Shakesphere iPad caricature

Talk about a different and unexpected assignment.... I'm currently working with a client who commissioned me to draw some character designs for a board game he is currently developing, and one of the characters is William Shakesphere. I must admit, I've never had a request to draw that before, and was very excited on how I would interpret the character.

The client wanted the illustration to be a full body shot, no gross exaggeration, and recognizable. I immediately thought of the style and approach that Alex Toth used when he was commissioned to draw characters for Saturday morning toons back in the day. The design had to be elegant and simple. As has become my habit, these days, I drew the character in such a way that if it were being animated, it could be easily copied, and quickly reproduced. I looked at pictures online to see how Shaesphere had been depicted by other artists, and then gave it my own particular flair, as I did with the period clothing, after researching that. Google and YouTube make research like this a snap.

I couldn't resist adding the skull as a accessory, and within a few hours, I had a character design but artist, and client could be proud of.

What I love about assignments like these, is the opportunity to draw people and things I wouldn't ordinarily draw myself. Another great benefit if drawing William Shakesphere, is the potential of bring new viewers to my blog who come, not necessarily because they like art, per se, but because they like William Shakesphere. Hopefully in the process of viewing this illustration, they will be encouraged to check out the rest of the blog.

I'm giving a subtle hint here, fellow artists, so listen up.

If you want to increase traffic to your blogs start including pop culture pieces, as well as "traditional" drawings like Will, here. The goal is to get new people looking at your work, and if you're selling something, hopefully, they will be impressed and encouraged to buy something.

Speaking of buying... It's time for another...

UNAPOLOGHETIC SUBWAYSURFER CALL TO ACTION!

If you are impressed with this character design and have a project that you feel my talents are suited for, don't estate to let me know! Prices are not "cheap" but they're negotiable, and more affordable than you think!

Newsletter illustration of couple on Jetski

Just completed this assignment of a couple on a Jetski for their company Newsletter. The hardest part was drawing the Jetski jussst right! they loved it.

As an artist, I have been fortunate to have rubbed shoulders with, taught by, influenced by, and even "stolen from" some of the best caricature artists in the world, all of whom have contributed to, influenced, and enhanced by approach to caricature.
One of my favorite character artists, is Terry Dunnett, affectionately known as TEL from Australia. (http://www.terrydunnett.com.au/Tels_Caricatures/Home.html)
In addition to being an excellent draftsman, Tel is a master of drawing accessories. By "accessories" I mean supporting items in a picture that the main characters interact with. Examples of accessory items, are cars, planes, snowmobiles, and jet skies. Prior to being exposed to Tel's work, I focused pretty much on the individual figures, and pretty much "winged" everything else. Even though my clients did not complain, I knew deep down, I had compromised, and given into lazy drawing. In comparison to Tel, whose accessory items were just as meticulously detailed as his caricatured. Visually, this added to the overall unity to his pieces as well.

That's when I started really concentrating on getting the accessories correct.
If a client takes time to mention they want a particular car or golf clubs in a picture, then obviously the item is an extension of them. This is the Bain reason why they should be given as much attention that you give to your favorite part of the drawing.

This particular jetski took me days to get to my satisfaction. It's not perfect, but definitely better than I might have done, years ago.

HOW TO DRAW KIDS by Subwaysurfer

If you've been a professional artist for more than five minutes, I bet you've been asked to draw a couple of kids. For a caricature artist  it's inevitable. You are either going to draw a child at a first communion, birthday party, wedding, anniversary , or Bar-Bat Mitzvahs. Dont even let me get started on gift caricature.  Drawing children can be quite lucrative, as everyone loves to have their kids immortalized in pictures.

I used to HATE drawing kids, at one time. They were unpredictable, moved around a lot, and for some reason I kept making them look to old in a picture. I really needed help, and kept my ears and eyes opens until I learned how. 

Of course now I'm sharing that method with you, so listen up.

I was at an art convention a couple of years back, and master caricature artist, Joe Bulum  was lecturing on how to caricature the face. His subject wasn't on kids, per se, but he said one line, in passing, that made a light  bulb go on in my head. To paraphrase, Joe, he said that drawing kids was easy. He pictured them as being akin to "little aliens" in appearance, and structure. Joe was being tongue in cheek with his comment, obviously, but I immediately latched on to that visual of a stereotypical "Roswell Alien" with the Giant Forehead area, large lumonious eyes, and small mouth nose and particularly the CHIN. with this image in mind, I never had another problem drawing kids. Of course this doesn't mean that you ignore basic features of each individual child's face. Some kids have fuller lips than others, some  have smaller eyes or wider noses, of course, but that basic head-slash- alien structure is crucial.  

WATCH THAT CHIN!

Getting back to the chin. NEVER NEVER NEVER add a LOT of space between the buttom lip and the chin. even if the kid has a long face, comparatively speaking, put all the visual weight in the upper head area. If you fail to do this, you WILL age the child considerable.

DRAWING A MOVING KID

The secret to drawing a figity kid is not to panic. Resolve in your mind that this kids will NOT be sitting still. Once you've acknowledged that, start by drawing that Alien head container lightly in pencil. As I said earlier, you KNOW that the head is going to conform to that shape. Most babies also, have those hamster/balloon cheeks so include that too. Next you want to pick your target. Say the nose, you wait until the child is looking in your direction. he WILL eventually, and as soon as he does, BOOM !  you nail that body part, and keep repeating for each facial feature. I mentioned drawing in pencil also because the "sketchy" line quality will add to the overall life of the drawing, at a live event. If you are doing a gift caricature, like the ones on this page, you can sketch even more loosely knowing that you will ink it in later.

 THE SUBWAY SURFER

 SHAMELESS UNAPOLOGETIC CALL TO ACTION

Hey moms and dads, aunts and uncles, God mothers, and God Fathers! If you loved the way I drew these kids, just think of how gorgeous I can make the little alien inhabiting your planet?  digital portraits are affordable, and start as low as 40.00 (yes, we are committed in helping you buy art in these trying economic times.) if you are interested email me at cartoons4u2@aol.com  a good JPEG of your kids 

 and we can get started! Paypal makes the whole process painless! 

(these children were digitally painted on the Apple Ipad using the Art Studio App)

IPAD COMPATIBLE CLOTHING SCOTTEVEST GEAR ROCKS!

http://www.scottevest.com/

Folks, I haven't even fully written a post for this, but when I found this gem, my eyes popped! Once I picked them back up off the floor, I realized that this was the line of clothing I've been searching for. As a Creative Caricature Marketing Consultant, one of the services I offer clients is that of a live caricature entertainer for corporate events. Oftentimes, I am required to be mobile, especially for events that require me to interact with the crowd,(like the job I did with absolute Vodka) and it is impossible to lug my gear around from one location to the other. With the Scottevest, there are numerous pockets to put pens, books, paper, and the aforementioned iPad for digital drawing. The company also makes pants will multiple pockets. As awesome as Scottevest gear is, from a purely functional standpoint, Scottevest gear also look cool. So you no longer stand out like a sore thumb with your pockets buldging. I almost wanted to keep this news to myself, but hey, this is social media after all, so I'm sharing!

CREATIVE CARICATURE QR CODE MARKETING

Audio Link
http://cdn.cinchcentral.com/rec/Recording_255325.mp3

Audio Podcast

Can QR Codes be used Creatively with caricature? You bet they can. I am already helping many of my clients maximize their marketing efforts with this exciting piece of interactive technology. And while it's true that anyone can use and have access to making QR codes, a compelling visual to lead your customers in the desired direction will always be a plus. Listen to the audio podcast to find out more how you can benefit from my services to enable you to come up with a unique strategy in using QR Code technology .

AFFORDABLE AVATAR DESIGNS FOR THE ARTISTICALLY CHALLENGED

As a Creative Caricature Marketing Consultant, I created Affordable avatar designs like these for the artistically challenged. I realize that you want to stay competitive,AND remain budget conscious/ Let me help you do both, as I have done for my clients here. 

Email me at 

cartoons4u2@aol.com  

Include a quality Jpeg of your picture and a description of what you need done. Single Characters are as low as 40.00  get YOUR Avatar Today.

GREATEST TESTIMONIAL SUBWAYSURFER HAS EVER GOTTEN

I've gotten a lot of testimonials over the years from satisfied customers, but this one from author Dan Guarino, of The Rockaway Artists Alliance, literally brought tears to my eyes..Dan wrote this testimonial following a performance The ROckaway Artists Alliance Writers Group
gave at Peninsula Hospital.

"There aren't enough words to describe the multi-talented Elgin Bolling. Just when you think you've got him defined, he pops up with a new talent.
 
          Artist, author, caricaturist, cartoonist, journalist, commentator, cyber-reporter,  poet, performer, speaker, teacher, actor, entertainer...
 
         The list goes on.
 
         I can say, though, I have never seen anybody draw people in like Elgin nor lift an audience out of their seats.
 
          In short, I have never seen anyone bring their art to life like Elgin Bolling."

Why I Love drawing people on the NYC Subway Trains By Subwaysurfer

"The Subway is a microcosm of the world. It is the one place where for a brief moment in time, comparatively speaking, we are all equal. People all over the city of every gender, race, social economic status, religious , political , social sexual orientation, come here to share space. Its a forced kind of intimacy, almost. I am more than an artist drawing funny pictures but a visual anthropologist, studying and recording human behavior. My visual data can be found throughout this blog, especially in the earlier posts, and also through my subsequent Ebooks, two of them are right below you.



I LOVE TO DRAW A GOOFY LOOKING GURL
Written and Illustrated by Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

Is Beauty really in the Eye of the Beholder? Subwaysurfer says, it depends on who is looking at you! Find out what New York City's wackiest subway sketcher sees!






SUBWAYSURFER EXTREME LIFE DRAWING ON DA TRAIN
Written and Illustrated by Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

Caricature Quick Tip Series How To Draw The Human Figure

July 4th poetry

Miss Liberty’s Got a Lot to Say Today
July 4th Poetry


By Elgin Bolling.

Welcome, Welcome! One and all , to Me!
That’s right, I’m You’re good “Old Friend”
The Statue of Liberty!

Give me your tired and your poor..
But don’t come HERE NO MORE!!
You’re being stopped at the door..

The statue of Liberty! That's me!
BOY! my feet are KILLIN' ME!!
I haven’t sat down in YEARS
And I’ve shed many tears, my dears,
But don’t YOU fear! As you can see,
I’m STILL standing here
Right where I’m supposed to be!

Smack dab in the middle of this here, MESS!
Trying REAL hard not to stress..
Hard to hold it together with So many people
Walking up and down up under my dress!
Putting me to the test

I guess I’ll grin and
Do my best to hold high the torch
Lookin toward Manhattan Island
Sometimes I just wanna drop this torch in the water
And start to crying/
Too many folks fightin’ screamin’ and dyin’
I AINT LYING!

Gimmie ONE plane ticket and
I’ll be a FLYIN!
What I need is a vacation
From being a symbol for the nation

So TIRED of riding this “freedom train”
When do we arrive at the station?
The location where we’re FINALLY All ONE NATION under GOD?
In a world full of atheists,
THAT’S gonna be kinda…hard.

Belief in GOD should be a PLUS
Aint it written on your money somewhere
IN GOD WE TRUST????!!!
LOOK! IT”S WRITTEN ON YOUR MONEY!
LOOK! IT”S WRITTEN ON YOUR MONEY!!!!

Ya know… this aint even funny.

One more thing,
Let me tell you, honey..
Instead of just snapping pictures of ME
From the Deck of the Staten Island Ferry
Why don’t you do me a favor?
Turn to your neighbor
And treat HIM Merry?!

I KNOW it’s not
Christmas day, or any other Holiday,
But loving one another
Is still OK!!
Don’t you forget to PRAY!

On your knees is where you should stay
Then you’ll never stray.

And HEY!...
I aint going NOWHERE.
I’ll be right here on ELLIS.
That is….
If the Mayor
Doesn’t sell us.
Copyright 2010 Elgin Bolling all rights reserved.

SEE AND HEAR IT PERFORMED LIVE WITH TWO OTHER ORIGINAL POEMS
http://youtu.be/ndjH1XbphlI




In Addition to being a visual artist, I am also a prolific poet. And as you can read,see, and hear, my spoken word, and written word is as "visual" as my artwork. Ive spoken to capacity crowds for many years now, and even combine my visual art with my thought provoking, humorous poetry. (gee, I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back like that!)Feel free to hire me for speaking engagements as well. I also create original prose and poems to go with your pictures. Now how many artists can do THAT??!

This Poem and many others are all in an Ebook entitled, "Anointed Verse Unrehearsed" which can ve purchased for 5.00 directly thorough me by ordering here

Sprint store salesman Daniel Jacobs Sheepshead bay

LISTEN TO THIS AUDIO PODCAST

http://cinch.fm/subwaysurfer/252735

This is a special shout out to DANIEL  The Sprint representative at On Top Communications. The store is located at 1743 Sheephead Bay Rd Bklyn, NY. The dynamic, Daniel Jacobs,sold me my NEW Optimus LG Phone. When it comes to phones, I pretty much always felt that I never needed all the bells and whistles, currently being advertised by Sprint and other dealers. Daniel was so persuasive and patient in answering my questions, that when he finally brought me my phone I literally did the snoopy happy dance of joy. My new Optimus LG is fantastic! Its got some many toys on it I almost ditched my ipad! The reception is clear, I can go online virtually anywhere, it's got a great camcorder than enables the Subwaysurfer to do even more videos on location, and a camera that takes crystal clear shots. The speaker is more like a mini megaphone! Dan is a dynamite salesman, very knowledgeable and has this cool toothpickk that never seems to fall outta his mouth when he talks. Check out his store in Sheep head bay you wont be disappointed.

As is my habit, when I get great customer service, I usually do a caricature of the person. I found out that Daniel is also a graffiti art enthusiast, so he went nuts over the idea of me caricaturing him.

This picture has him SPRINTING to give you fabulous service, which he definitely will. Make sure you Sprint down to his store to get the best deal today.

Oh, one mre thing... Dans store is a literal stones throw from some of the best restaurants in Brooklyn, that overlook the bay. After you buy your phone, celebrate with a delicious meal, and treat yourself to a boat ride! What could better?

ATTENTION ALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS WHO LOVE THIS PICTURE

If you're thinking to yourself, "boy, I bet that Daniel Jacobs guy is getting some new business every time some one checks out his picture on this blog!" You're absolutely right! DANIEL knows how to think outside the box, how about YOU?

Let me create a cool caricature advertisement for YOUR business, to put in all your social media outlets including my popular blog here. The cost is more affordable than you think, and as a Creative Caricature Marketing Consultant, I don't "just draw you a picture" but help you formulate a strategy for online visibility and success. Just like Daniel Jacobs here.

Drop me a line at cartoons4u2@aol.com for details