Wonder Woman!!!!

I found this great site called the BBWW:The Big Beautiful Wonder Woman Blog,where guest artists are encouraged to draw their REALLY Amazonian renditions of everyone's favorite female comic heroine.
My sketch isnt officially on the blog yet, but I couldnt help showin it to ya. It was great fun to do!
At first glance the site seems to be nothing more than a "spoof site" to draw an overweight picture of Wonder Woman. But then I got to thinking about the whole "fat phobia" issue we have here in this country. Can a person be considered "heroic" if they dont fit into the norm of what coventional beauty is? How often do we associate so called "fat" people with being dumb, having low self esteem , and being lazy? by the same token, how often do we attribute positive attributes to people who are in so called "shape?" It's interesting. Can a large woman be considered attractive, heroic, even sexy?Just something to think about.
Nevertheless, I AM a CARICATURE Artist, and I cant help making a joke about my picture, but it AINT a "Fat Joke".
In this pic Wonder Woman is pissed because She forgot where she parked her invisible plane, and is now late for her lunch date.(even big girls gotta eat, right?) If he doesnt find her ride soon, SOMEBODY is gonna get whupped with dat yellow lasso!

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!