NEW YEARS EVE POEM by subwaysurfer

My cartoon Family Portrait by Subwaysurfer

From left to right, Wife Charlena, Me, Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling, Son, Gerard, daughter Janine, and oh yeah, my doggie,, Butchie!

Gift caricature for Tim

My sons college friend Tim, is visiting for New Years... I saw that chin...you know what happens next....

Business cartoon: HOW TO MAKE A GREAT IMPRESSION by subway surfer

They always say that to make a great first impression on a potential employer, always greet them with a warm smile, and a firm handshake!

ANOTHER great Ipad Caricature from the VA Hospital by subwaysurfer

ANOTHER great face caricatured at the VA Hospital GIG! One Nurse remarked out loud, "HE LOOKS JUST LIKE A CUTE KOWALLAH BEAR!!!" I had to hold back laughter as I imagined him hanging on with four limps to a tree saying, "GOOD DAY MATE!"

Digital gift caricature sale an insane $ 15.00!!!

FROM NOW UNTIL JANUARY 1' 2011 YOU CAN GET YOUR VERY OWN IPAD DRAWN DIGITAL CARICATURE FOR THE RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICE OF $15.00

HANG THEM ON YOUR WALL, USE THEM AS YOUR AVATAR FOR YOUR FACEBOOK PAGES, AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS!

ALL I NEED IS FOR YOU TO GIVE ME A JPEG PHOTO,AND THATS IT!
EMAIL ME FOR MORE DETAILS!

GET YOURS TODAY, THIS SALE WONT LAST LONG!

Caricature of two men at the VA Hospital

Drew these two men earlier this year at an event for the VA HHospital. Copied the pics colored them in art studio, and love the results.

Remember, you can have me draw your gift caricature, or at your party or special events!

Subway caricature BIG WIFE LITTLE HUSBAND by subwaysurfer

Hilarious pic I drew of a couple on a manhattan bound R train. The wife was an Amazon. Tall blond, and very top heavy. By contrast, the nubby was short, slight, and thin. I imagined him literally getting lost under neath her top shelf,playing hide and seek. Incredibly the husband alerted to what I drew, and wanted the pic. The wife.... Was not as....happy. This is my color rendition of the pic.

IF YOU LIKE THIS PICTURE WHY NOT GET YOUR OWN?
Yes, folks, this is a shameless call to action, but if you enjoy this kind of fun stuff then why NOT get in on the fun yourself? caricatures like this one make for great gifts if the couple has a sense of humour and you want to get something that is unique and personalized. I can tailor this to any situation. All you need to do is contact with with the details at

cartoons4u2@aol.com

Make sure to send me good jpeg photos of each of you, a list of your hobbies , jobs, favorite sayings, etc. Dont worry, I can come up with something funny and personalized.
And oh yeah, the price will be affordable, I promise!

Gift Caricature of Raul Curbelo by subwaysurfer

As soon as I saw that overbite of Raul, I knew EXACTLY what flavor THIScaricature was gonna be! Drawn/ painted in art studio app, on the iPad, using the, you guessed it, the ifaraday stylus, and a lotta patience.



IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature THE DOORBUSTER JEANS COVER GIRL by Subwaysurfer

Seems I cant get away from the Door-buster Babe with the bodacious backside. I decided to color her in Art studio, and liked the results over the blk and wht. One of my favorite all time caricatures and based on a woman I saw walk by me while I was having a business meeting with a client earlier this year. I literally stopped my meeing, took out a pad and starting drawing her, much to my clients delight.

ipad caricature A Soldier by Subwaysurfer

this pic was drawn by hand and uploaded into the ipad Artstudio app where it was colored. Its a pic of a soldier that I drew for a party earlier this year for an event I drew at the VA Hospital this Summer, and its one of my faves. PRICELESS expression he had on his face. I could almost picture him doing endless marching drills, eating lousy chow in the mess hall and scratching sand fleas out in the field.

ipad caricature a genuine SUPERMAN Lookalike By Subwaysurfer

I drew caricatures at a gig recently in Far Rockaway at the Knights Of Columbus. This particular guy sat down , whose face was so compelling, that I requested he pose longer so that I could have a picture for myself. I thought his loooooong chin was the most interesting part of him, but found out that as I was doing the caricature, he was actually a Superman
lookalike... wonder if he flew..

I drew this digital caricature in the iPad using the Art Studio app and using my trusty iFaraday Stylus.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A DIGITAL CARICATURE LIKE THIS, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME FOR DETAILS

EVER NOTICE HOW SOME PEOPLE "SING" THE WORD, "SORRY" TO YOU?

Elgin Bolling EVER NOTICE HOW SOME PEOPLE"SING" THE WORD, "SORRY" TO YOU? IT SOUNDS SOMETHING LIKE THIS, "SORREEEEEEEEEE!" ( really stretching out the ". E" vowel...

Elgin Bolling I recall one time in Barnes and Noble book store, I was literally blindsided by this petite little blond who literally plowed right into me knocked my books on the floor, head butted me in the nose, causing my glasses to go into my eye, scratching my cornea! As I held my eye in pain and shock, there she was, singing..."SORREEEEEEEEEEEE!!"
30 minutes ago · 


Elgin Bolling I had to go to the hospital the next day and was bandaged up for a week


Elgin Bolling ‎"sorry" is one of the first words we learn as children...er..maybe not , it's probably the SECOND word, "NO!" is actually the first word we learn..but I digress...

Our parents teach us to say this " magic " word, " sorry", as the proper thing to say( because you must say SOMETHING) when we've done something wrong, especially in relation to someone else.

"say you're sorry, dear," mom instructs, to which the child drones, " soreeeeeee"

The child soon learns the power of the word, " sorry" , with repeated use. "sorry" means, DO OVER,DELETE,RESET,THIS NEVER HAPPENED!

I understand why we teach kids to say this, having raised two children. We don't want them to become more of the self serving, selfish, cold hearted brats that their base nature drives them to. The problem though is that they say it so much it becomes a social reflex, almost like a hiccup, that carries over into adulthood.

You just crashed my car!
Sorreeee

You drained all the money out of our account!
Sorreee

I'm fired??? You're firing me?

Sorreee

And when they're really sorry they add another verse to the song

I'm SOOOOOOOOOO. Sorrreeee!

ipad caricature Business man on the train by subwaysurfer

whoever he was he sure was happy.......

GET YOUR OWN DIGITAL IPAD CARICATURE DRAWN BY EMAILING ME AT cartoons4u2@aol.com

ipad caricature of scary Black Man on subway with a mohawk

He was big, very dark, Black to almost the color of blue... REALLY. He wore a large Mohawk, and had this look on his face like he hadnt gone to the bathroom in a month and really needed some release. It was downright dangerous drawing him! LOL!!! I kept repeating to my self, DONT MAKE EYE CONTACT< DONT MAKE EYE CONTACT.... Theres some people who you just should NOT look at on the subway... this guy was one of em.... but... I looked anyways....heh.


GET YOUR OWN DIGITAL IPAD CARICATURE BY EMAILING ME AT cartoons4u2@aol.com

MORE SUBWAY CARICATURES COMING I PROMISE

In my humble attempt to put up diverse and interesting content, I have admittedly been neglecting what has kept you loyal viewers captivated for years on this site, namely, the way I hilariously depict people on the train. Sorry about that! Rest assured that I AM still drawing, just slow about sharing and uploading! Pics are definitely on their way! Listen to this podcast as I explain

ROCKAWAY ARTISTS ALLIANCE VP,DAN GUARINO interview withSUBWAYSURFER

ROCKAWAY ARTISTS ALLIANCE PRESIDENT GEOFF RAWLING INTERVIEW with SUBWAYSURFER

PRETTY GIRL ON THE C TRAIN LOCAL by Subwaysurfer

Saw this reallllly pretty girl on the C local train, and couldn't help making her look more interesting! LOL! It's always a challenge to do extreme caricature on the so called pretty face, because there is sometimes not a lot to grab onto , since the features are so pleasingly balanced. After a few minutes of looking, I did notice how ridiculously curly and long the hair was, how her lips jutted out ever so slightly, and how she had that "dull" expression. I really should have shown it o her just to get her reaction but might have risked her tearing it up!

THIS IS ACTUALLY AN OLD POST, BUT REALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE CARICATURES. IT MARKS THE FIRST TIME I REALLY STARTED TAKING CHANCES WITH EXTREME EXAGGERATION AFTER A LOT OF STUDYING. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS, ENJOY.


IF YOU ARE INTO EXTREME CARICATURE PORTRAITS LIKE THIS ONE, FEEL FREE TO COMMISSION ME TO GET ONE OF YOUR OWN! Prices are very affordable.

HOW TO GET EYEBALLS TO YOUR FACEBOOK PAGES

Here ia a great technique that can get people to instantly look at your posts on facebook, but be careful, you can also tick people off if you are not careful

HOW TO DRAW CARICATURES ON THE SUBWAY PODCAST Part five

HOW TO DRAW CARICATURES ON THE SUBWAY PODCAST Part four

HOW TO DRAW CARICATURES ON THE SUBWAY PODCAST Part three

HOW TO DRAW CARICATURES ON THE SUBWAY PODCAST Part two

HOW TO DRAW CARICATURES ON THE SUBWAY PODCAST Part One

INTERVIEW with Creator of iFaraday Capacitive Stylus .Rustle Laidman

BECAUSE WE ARE DEDICATED TO NOT JUST BLOWING OUR OWN HORN AND SHOWING OFF OUR OWN CARICATURE WORK, WE ARE PRESENTING AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD FAMOUS I FARADAY STYLUS, RUSTLE LAIDMAN.

INTERVIEW : Elgin 'Subwaysurfer' Bolling interviews Rustle Laidman, inventor of the iFaraday Capacitive Stylus.

Oh. Hello, Elgin. First let me say what a handsome and charming fellow you are. Well, enough about you, let's get right to my interview. Shall we?

HOW LONG HAS THE IFARADAY BEEN AROUND?

The iFaraday website was started Aug 2, 2010, which is 4 months ago

THE NAME IFARADAY IS KIND OF UNUSUAL. HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING IT?

Well, like all my ideas, they come to me like a flash from above. But if I were to break it down, I would do so thusly...

The 'Farad', unit of 'capacitance' is named in honor of Michael Faraday, a preeminent scientist in the field of electricity. These new multi-touch devices -  iPhone, iPads, etc use capacitance as the basis for their touch screens. Naturally I had to have an "i" as the first letter, et voilà!

For many digital artists, myself included, the iFaraday is the stylus of choice. What is the reason for its phenomenal success?

I will tell you the very auspicious beginning of the iFaraday. I sent a stylus to my wife's knitting friend and blogger, Anne Hansen. Within a few days I had several dozen orders. Next I randomly chose to contact two iPhone artists - David Hockney, and Angie Jordan. Needless to say Hockney never wrote back (I don't blame him in the slightest) Angie Jordan was incredibly receptive. It was disarming really, because here is this talented artist corresponding with me and the next thing I know she includes my product in one of her videos. Now the orders, really started coming in. Recently, I'm searching the internet for words about myself (as I am wont to do) when I find a  glowing review by Elgin the Subway Surfer. But you knew that already didn't you Elgin? I am definitely off to a good start. I've had to shut down the website several times to catch up on orders.

DID YOU ENVISION THE PRODUCT WOULD BECOME AS IN DEMAND AS IT IS, TODAY?

Well yes and no. I made it for my wife with no intention of selling it. But I found that there was more than meets the eye to such a deceptively simple product. It took me several iterations before before my wife would even use it. By watching her I learned where improvements were needed. I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say that by the time I was finished I knew this stylus was superior to anything I had seen.

I READ THAT YOUR WIFE WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE CREATION OF THE IFARADAY STYLUS. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?

First, I must explain that my wife has a knack for technology. Here are a few examples, going way back...

Wife: Let's get a Macintosh.  Me: What's wrong with the Amiga?

Wife: Let's sell on eBay         Me: What's wrong with the pawn shop?

Wife: I'm getting an iPhone   Me: What's wrong with the Palm Pilot?

So you see Elgin, my wife is the forward thinker in the family. (If only I had listened when she told me to buy stock.)

She bought that iPhone, despite my protests and she spends countless hours playing 'Bejewelled'. So, I set about to make a stylus for her. I didn't own an iPhone; I had to borrow hers in the beginning for testing, but she stopped letting me use it.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOU. DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET?

When you say 'ENTREPRENEURIAL' the first thing that comes to mind is one of those 'As Seen On TV' gadgets. No, I don't think like that. I make things for for myself, as the need arises, and by the time I'm finished, I've usually learned something valuable that I can pass along. (I'm a slow learner but a good teacher.) During the process, I invariably hit some obstacle that makes my original idea extremely difficult, and I want to give up, but that's exactly what keeps me going. And that's what separates me from the pack. I have several products, and they all have this commonality - they took a lot of painstaking effort. I'm good at that.

WERE YOU ALWAYS ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO TINKERED WITH THINGS, TRYING TO BUILD A BETTER MOUSETRAP, TO USE AN OLD CLICHE?

Yes. I'm a tinkerer. Starting with my dad's Twistoflex(TM) watch. The commercial on TV showed somebody twisting this amazing watchband, exactly how I did, before it broke. I left it in his shoe, so he would step on it and think he broke it.  How's that for creativity?!

Tinkering on the iFaraday stylus involved experimenting with materials. You probably would not believe the number of materials I tested. Did you know that some of the most exotic materials can be found in a toy store? Exotic materials tend to show up first as playtoys.

ARE YOU PLANNING ON EXPANDING/ DIVERSIFYING YOUR PRODUCT LINE? I THINK ITS FINE AS IS, BUT WHATS IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE IFARADAY?

Yes, in fact. By the time you read this, there should be some new developments on the iFaraday.com website.

HOW HAS THE INTERNET IMPACTED YOUR BUSINESS? COULD YOU HAVE ACHIEVED YOUR CURRENT LEVEL OF SUCCESS WITHOUT IT?

Once upon a time I was a computer programmer, and one of my first offerings  pre-dates the internet. In those days, one would distribute 'Shareware' on diskettes, which would circulate, somehow, and if you were lucky people sent you money in the mail, as a thank you. I still have the check I received from Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple)  A check for $5 for my program, 'Rosarium', which you've never heard of.

I've always had an abundance of ideas. The only problem was marketing them. But with the advent of the internet, this problem has been solved. It's really so easy if you have something decent to offer. I don't know what I would do without the internet. Work a regular job, I guess. Maybe I would invent the internet!!

WHAT WORDS OF WISDOM FOR SELF-ERS?

Be yourself.

What More NEEDS to be said?? Make sure you BUY this great product folks. It's affordable priced, and will MORE than pay for itself, I guarantee it! 


The Subwaysurfer uses the IFaraday exclusively  to create his digital gift caricature work. if you would like a digital caricature of yourself,or your love ones,etc. drop me a line, and lets talk ! prices are reasonable, and you wont regret it!

cartoons4u2@aol.com

CARICATURES BY ELGIN!: ONE OF NEW YORK CITY'S BEST CARICATURE ENTERTAINERS Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

CARICATURES BY ELGIN!: ONE OF NEW YORK CITY'S BEST CARICATURE ENTERTAINERS Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

Im the ORIGINAL SUBWAYSURFER Accept No Imitations

There are a few folk out there who are trying to reinvent themselves and feel that they're going to try their hand at SUBWAYSURFING or doing live drawing on the train and acting like THEY "came up with this" Im not saying that artists have not always drawn on the train and in public places, but among my circle of influence as a caricature artist, I was the first . Some people are trying to use a back door approach to make a name for themselves realizing now that on the net you need to do SOMETHING to make yourself stand out. Subway drawing and sketching has ALWAYS been my thing, by niche, Go find your own niche, or at least ACKNOWLEDGE that you are following MY LEAD. Thats what this podcast is about .

Animated Short Chipmunk vs Warrior based on Pencil Tests In Monkey Jam

This is the end result of the film I worked on based entirely on pencil tests I put together in this great free program called, MONKEY JAM. The program is simple to use, downloads easily, and as far as the learning curb is concerned, if you can operated an ATM machine, you can use this program. With indy animation being so popular today, this is a must have tool for beginning animators, especially. I highly recommend it.


Ive personally had the program for YEARS and up until now to be honest was just too darn selfish to tell anyone about it. But this is, after all, SOCIAL MEDIA, and as such, it's not about ME as much as it is about YOU! ... having said that, let me tell you about the NEW features the software has. This list comes from their site

Audio support for WAV and MP3 files.

Audio scrubbing in Xsheet and Preview.

Export AVI with audio.

Dialog markup.

Keyboard shortcuts (+/-,1-9) for changing image duration.

Improved Scanner interface.

Better support for PAL resolutions.

Import images to new layer option.

Drawing duration change shortcuts.

New Windows installer.

Option to re-name drawing in Xsheet and file on harddrive at same time.

Option in Xsheet to edit image in program of choice.

Full second preview in StopMotion capture mode.

Full size image viewer in Xsheet.

Support for non-English translations (Latin-1 characterset only).

Find out more about MONKEY JAM by going to their website at

http://www.giantscreamingrobotmonkeys.com/monkeyjam/

Animated short Pencil test created with MONKEY JAM for Wiremonkey films by Subwaysurfer

This is a sequence I created initially on tracing paper, scanned into my computer, then through into the FREE Monkey jam pencil test program. The results were magical. This is a great program for beginning animators to use. I highly recommend it.
Find out more about MONKEY JAM by going to their website at

http://www.giantscreamingrobotmonkeys.com/monkeyjam/

Animated pencil tests by subwaysufer for Wiremonkey Films

Star Trek's Mr.Spock caricature by subwaysurfer

I got all jealous and nostalgic after seeing Steve's version of Mr. Spock, so I searched my subwaysurfer archives and found this version. Live long, and caricature!

MR. SPOCK CARICATURED by STEVE DORRIS

My former NCN Roomate, caricature artist, Steve Dorris, just made me throw up in my mouth a little bit, followed by me turning green with envy when I saw THIS pic hidden away on his Face book site. Theres Steve with MR SPOCK himself, actor Leonard Nimoy. Getting the pic WITH Nimoy woud have been awesome enough. Getting the pic with Nimoy holding your cariature of him? Priceless!
Steve did an excellent caricature of me some years back as the cartoon character , THE TICK, and also as DOG the Bounty Hunter.

See MORE of Steves great work at
http://www.gatorgrafx.com/

Elgin's video testimonial - How to draw caricatures

I was approached to make this commercial for fellow caricature artist/animator Jim van der Keyl Years ago at an NCN Caricature Artist Convention, and was more than happy to do so. In my caricature drawing infancy, when I had zero knowledge, and do connections, Jim's series,which were VHS at the time, and I still HAVE, provided me with structure, useful information, and a point of departure. As a testimony to what I had learned, when I met him years later at The caricature Convention, he asked me, over dinner, to explain my particular approach to drawing caricature TO HIM!! what a compliment and a mind blower to find that I had come full circle. When the teacher asks the student a question, you know that you've learned your lessons well!


Jim has a brand new book out as well that should be part of every serious caricature artists library, I suggest you get it! From what I've seen, it's-an updated version of his teaching series, but on steroids!!!



While we are on the subject of inspirational caricature books,remember that my book,SUBWAY SURFER EXTREME LIFE DRAWING ON DA TRAIN is still available by clicking the link to your right directly above the "FOLLOW"  tag

BEWARE OF "ART TEACHERS" by Subway surfer

Following is my response to a young artist who almost had his dream of becoming a professional artist due to the insults of his art teachers that he couldn't do it because of his inclination and earlier artistic influence in anime, particularly the series Sailor Moon. Not ALL art teachers are bad, but so many of them start fires that burn down the house of other peoples dreams just because THEY are burnt out.




Let me tell you that I was So angry that first off how angry I was when I read your letter. I was SO angry that I felt compelled to answer you immediately, and have literally put my breakfast aside to do just that.
First off, your teachers are FOOLS. I am appalled how people who are PAID to be EDUCATORS can so easily, and coldly "write off" someone's ability to draw based on viewing ONE genre that person is currently working in.  What's equally infuriating is how arrogantly, and contemptuously they can spit on your dreams!!  Finally, for them to conclude in their "wisdom", that you will   NEVER make a career as an artist overflows with imbecility!!
Treat those haters like dandruff on your shoulder,
Brush 'em off.
Develop a thicker skin to critics, trust me, you'll run into a LOT of them.
Having said that, let me take a bite of my eggs and bacon as I continue.
First off, the majority of professional artists get into the profession as a result of an initial introduction by way of a Saturday morning or weekday cartoon.  Even though all children watch and enjoy cartoons, there is always that one kid, like you, like me, and countless others, who take our fascination a step further and want to MAKE what we are seeing and drawing. For you, it was anime, and Sailor Moon. For me, it was Underdog, and the Flintstones.  
Imitation is how we develop hand eye coordination, and confidence as artists.  When your picture comes close to what you are  admiring, you know you're making progress.
Apparently your..." teachers" don't understand how vast and complex the world of anime actually is, and in order to draw it correctly you MUST be a master draftsman .

Think of anime as your entry point into the art world and just another tool in your toolbox.  Photo realism will just be another you will add.  YES it is difficult! Having said that, SO WHAT! Every new skill you have ever acquired in life, involved practice, struggle, and persistence to get it right.  Drawing anime probably didn't SEEM like a struggle to you at first, because you embraced it,and wanted to do it, so you were willing to sacrifice time, energy, sometimes even sleep itself in order to get a drawing just right. The result is that now it 's in " your blood" it is a part of you, and you will never get rid of it, and that is not a bad thing. It's just an artistic influence.

I myself, although I draw caricatures that come close to photo realism, especially when I draw in pencil, nevertheless, my artistic influences come shining through.

You can view my work at

Www.subwaysurfer.blogspot.com

Apply that same energy to realistic drawing. Take a life drawing class. Draw still life pieces,sketch the nude model, go to museums and sketch the statues. You must go at this aggressively. Remember, you don't draw with your hands your draw with your MIND and it's your mind that controls your body.
As for school, no need to quit LEARNING Just quit THOSE TEACHERS.  Go to another school. Become pro active about your own education.  There are now courses you can take online, YouTube tutorials,and of course continuing Ed college courses, art groups etc.  If I could give you any advice at all it would be to forget about the goal and focus on the journey, the present moment. One sketch, one line, another sketch, another line until the picture is done. You Will get better. Winners always do, and you will never be the loser your shortsighted teachers implied

Another useful book is DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
Which has some excellent info.

For additional inspiration you can also purchase my book, SUBWAY SURFER extreme life drawing on da train, that you can find a link to on my site at

www.subwaysurfer.blogspot.com

Good luck to you.
Happy drawing!

Elgin SUBWAYSURFER Bolling

EARTH, WIND & FIRE REASONS Singing Techniques by Erik Dillard reported by subwaysurfer

There are a lot of non singing people online these days claiming to be "vocal coaches"... Ladies and Gentlemen, ERIK DILLARD is NOT one of them.
If you follow this blog of mine, you know that one of the subwaysurfer's many talents in addition to cartooning and caricature are spoken word and vocal singing. Erik Dillard is a coach I discovered online a couple of months back, I used many his exercises contained on his Erik Dillard Vocal Clinic youtube channel to supplement my live, offline vocal training, and have been more than pleased with the results, as my coach would agree!

I did a series of cartoons and caricatures for Erik as well that you can check out online, but let me tell you more about this amazing guy. First and foremost, he is one of those rare teachers who is genuinely concerned with YOUR development as a vocalist, and is willing to work with you to achieve your goals whatever they are. Erik has an engaging, gregarious personality that isn't so strong that it overwhelms you, but puts you at ease immediately. As I mentioned also, Erik Can REALLY sing. I know this shouldn't even be a point that should be made, but there are a couple of other vocal coaches online, who, although fine teachers, leave you feeling cold when they open their mouths to demonstrate. It's like me, the subwaysurfer, trying to tell you, the viewer, how to draw caricatures, when I am unable to draw a straight line....

On his Erik Dillard Vocal Clinic channel, he breaks down in detail many of the most popular songs, and a few from the past, and gives concrete advice on how YOU can attack the song vocally. and what you need to focus on. I personally love the way Erik takes the "mystery" out of singing, and demonstrates WHAT a singer is doing to achieve certain effects, and shows you HOW. The site is jammed packed with vocal drills exercises, and motivational advice that will enable you to follow your dream of being a singer, whether in front of an audience, or your shower head!

I've been at Erik for months, begging him to break down Phillip Bailey's Soaring falsetto vocal style, and it was worth the wait!

Check out Erik at

http://www.youtube.com/user/lloyd614

Baby Boy with crazy hair doo drawn on ipad by subwaysurfer

At a recent party, there was this cute little baby girl, or so I thought by the hair doo, only to find out it was a cute baby BOY who the mom loved to style his hair like a baby girl! i can only imagine what the poor kid would say to his mom if he could speak!  I drew a nice one for mom and immediately did THIS one in the ole ipad when the party ended!

Subwaysurfer looks at animator BILL PLIMPTON

Bill Plimtpon, one of my animation heores recently was a guest speaker at the ISCA convention in Las Vegas that I unfortunatley could not attend this year... again... sigh.... After checking his website I was horrified to diecover that I COULD HAVE SEEN HIM IN BRONX VILLE NY!!!! just yesterday on NOV 15. This interview is a sad replacement for seeing him live, but I still wanted to air it for your viewing pleasure and mine.

BIll is a true master of the craft who does his stuff painstakingly by hand, in a sketchy style that is uniquely his. I admire the man's vision and his work ethic. He is a true inspiration to all those who have a dream and are willing to put in the WORK to follow it. A wise man was quoted to have said, DREAMS COME TRUE WHEN THE DREAMING Part Stops!! Plimpton epitomizes that though.

Martin K - Animation Blog: Be Thankful for Your Uniqueness

Martin K - Animation Blog: Be Thankful for Your Uniqueness: "Great article from Pamela Kleibrink Thompson at Animation World Network. From the article: During the filming of Some Like it Hot, Tony Cur..."

ipad subway commuter... reminds me of Humphrey Bogart by subwaysurfer

He aint the spitting image of Bogie, but this particular commuter had an eerie "bogart" vibe about him...."Here's lookin at you , kid.."

Art Jumble Blog: MONKEYS from the NYC COMIC CON 2008 by subwaysufer...

Art Jumble Blog: MONKEYS from the NYC COMIC CON 2008 by subwaysufer...: "At this Comic Con I was helping to promote the movie, SPACE CHIMPS and was drawing people who came to the booth as caricatured monkeys. What..."

IPAD RIVERDALE HIGH YEARBOOK by Subwaysurfer

 

ipad cartoon of MISTER WEATHERBEE from The Riverdale project

All good things must come to an end, including this Riverdale High series that

has been so much fun and has taught me so much about digital painting and

drawing on the iPad.

What better way to end it than with Riverdalems "eternal School Principal,

"Mister Weatherbee.

Like the character, Mister, in The film, The Color Purple, "Mister" is the man's

first name... After all, his momma wanted people to show her boy respect... But

that's another backstory...

Mister Weatherbee, like Miss Grundy, has held the same position in Archie and

the gang's elementary school as High School. Since virtually nothing is known

about this character, here's my back story on the illustration.

Weatherbee doesn't LIKE kids...at least not as much as he used to when he first

became a new educator. After years of being an Marine Sargent and survivor of a

few wars, Mister decided that he wanted to suture minds and inspire a

generation, only to find himself disillusioned, disrespected,and disgusted with

the state of youth culture. An authoritarian by nature, Weatherbee finds

himself in a constant battle to maintain order and control which frequently

slips away from him much to his dismay. After several years on the academic

battlefield, Mister has developed a contempt for kids in general, especially a

certain bumbling redhead who he would like to horsewhip but cannot for legal

reasons. Weatherbee is an angry confused depressed man, who drowns his sorrows

in food.

ipad cartoon of MR, LODGE from The Riverdale project

It seems that just about every lame cartoon comic series has to have a "spoiled rich family" who "lords " it over all of the other poorer families in whatever fictional town the story takes place in. The LODGES' consisting of Veronica and Mr. Lodge, ... Does he even HAVE a FIRST Name???? .. are Riverdale's resident rich folk.
As I've been doing this whole series, I've added my own psychological background twist to the character of the Mysterious "Mr. Lodge" and have come up with a few theories and of course, questions.
First question:
WHERE'S MRS. LODGE????
Was she accidentally shot in a bizarre hunting accident when the couple went tiger hunting in India? Was she a mistress who quietly got paid off as soon as Veronica was born? Or did she just flat out LEAVE because Mr. Lodge is a unbearable, power mad, money hungry jerk that she could no longer STAND to share the same mansion with? I kinda LIKE the Last assumption, so lets go with THAT one. Given how angry Lodge can get, and how spoiled Veronica is, that sounds more like the truth. Now if we're going to GO with THIS theory, we have to assume that the mysterious "MRS. LODGE " was equally self centered and selfish. After all, she saddled HIM with the KID to raise. The fact that Lodge is raising a girl alone is somewhat commendable.
Question two...
WHAT, EXACTLY, DOES MR. LODGE DO????
Where does his money come from??? I think Lodge made his money the old fashioned way.
HE EMBEZZLED IT.
Theres one more dirty secret about Mr. Lodge that seems glaringly obvious to me.
He doesn't REALLY have a LOT of Money... Not like he wants people to think.
Oh yeah, he has more mondy that your average working stiff who lives in Riverdale, but among his peers, "other rich folk" , I mean, He doesn't have a LOT of dough.

I mean, if he DID, then WHY IS VERONICA, HIS RICH DAUGHTER, ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOL??? I dont buy the fact that maybe Riverdale is "just a good school" Surely a man of Lodge's stature and wealth, would WANT his daughter, his ONLY CHILD, to have the BEST of EVERYTHING. School, would NOT just be a place to get an education and good grades, but to make connections that benefit one later on in life. In the world of the rich and famous, connections are EVERYTHING. Veronica is not likely to improve her lot in life by rubbing shoulders in the hallways of Riverdale High with the likes of Archie Andrews, and Jughead Jones.
Maybe Lodge just cant afford the big expensive prep school... maybe he's too busy giving out "hush money" to former mistresses, or paying alimony to former wives, or maybe, he's just TOO CHEAP to PAY for a great school for his only child.
Which ever way you slice it, he's one rotten guy.

PRAISE FOR THE iFaraday Stylus for Ipad users By Subwaysurfer

let me just come right out and say it, folks. The ifaraday stylus pen for Ipad is a digital artists dream come true. I'd been using the infamous POGO STYLUS, that's sold in the Apple store, and realized within a couple of hours that THIS was NOT the best tool for anyone who is trying to draw seriously on the ipad. I consulted Angie Jordan, and Scott Sullivan of the Digital Blacksmiths for their advice, and was told about the magical mystical ifaraday stylus which is noted for it's responsiveness, and "pen like" feel. It took some weeks to receive my ifaraday, due to tis immense popularity, it was on back order, but it finally arrived, last week. Within MINUTES I knew that I would be spending a small fortune, keeping myself well stocked with this pen! It's thicker than the POGO , the drawing tip doesnt jut out like a giant Q Tip, and it's responsiveness is "like butter" on warm bread. I was sketching so easily with it that at times I forgot I was using a stylus. I have these "big sausage like" fingers anyway, so the thickness of the pen felt good in my hands also. I would recommend this pen to any artist SERIOUS about doing digital drawing or painting... which... is kinda bad... now that I think about it... you all will be ordering these pens and causing MORE of them to be on back order~~ I'd better put in my order today, before the Christmas rush!

Dont take MY word for it, though, read a short excerpt from their website at

http://ifaraday.com/

What makes the iFaraday stylus different?

The iFaraday tip is made of soft cloth which glides smoothly across the screen. It won't scratch or leave a mess on your screen. The iFaraday stylus requires the lightest touch, just enough to provide tactile feedback.

The iFarady has a pliable, symmetrical tip which functions at any angle. The tip conforms to the screen such that a planar sphere is reflected on the screen surface, like a human finger. (Touchscreens are optimized to look for the shape of a human finger.)

On another note, what's so cool about the iFaraday, is that it's creator, made it originally NOT  to make a "buck"  but purely for LOVE!  read THIS excerpt from the page:

Rustle Laidman developed the iFaraday stylus for his wife, who likes to play 'Bejeweled' on her iPhone.   

AH... the things that love for a woman will drive you to... cue the song, when a man loves a woman.....

sales@iFaraday.com

The Subwaysurfer is using the IFaraday for ALL his Digital Caricatures. If You would like a custom made gift caricature using this fantastic product, please contact me for rates! They are more affordable than you think, and can be delivered straight from my ipad to your email box!

cartoons4u2@aol.com

MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION IN BUSINESS

Nothing impresses a prospective employer more than a confident, firm handshake!

ipad caricature The Riverdale Series VERONICA LODGE by Subwaysurfer

Almost forget that I had left out a MAJOR character from my Riverdale series and that was VERONICA LODGE. What's different about this particular cartoon rendition, is that it is taken from real life, of a New York City Subway commuter I drew last week. There she was, looking cold , aloof rich... My version of Veronica Lodge, Riverdales Rich girl. Veronica is Riverdales "BAD GIRL" or at least she WOULD be if the creators took her as far as her personality profile REALLY goes. VERONICA, as stated earlier, is REGGIE MANTLE'S soulmate. His evil twin, his true match. The comic tries real hard to make her endearing, but with just a casual reading she's like any other rich female brat that has populated the soap operas for years Rich, self centered, greedy and spoiled. Veronica is Veronica's number one fan with two loves, herself and high fashion, not to mention money... okay, that's THREE loves.

A lasting gift from Uncle John by Elgin Bolling

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

ipad Editorial Cartoon for THE WAVE NEWSPAPER

Yep folks, this is my FIRST EVER all digital Editorial cartoon Drawn for THE WAVE NEWSPAPER in Far Rockaway, New York. This illo enhances the editorial copy featuring NYC School Chancellor, Joel Klien, who is getting a less than positive reaction from the UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS UNION in response to Klien wanting to submit a "teachers report card" based on information that is "less than accurate" to put it mildly. I had some computer issues that prevented me from drawing it and hooking it up to the scanner, so I was FORCED to draw everything from start to finish with the ipad. Its wonderful what can happen when you're put under pressure.

I found the illustration easy to put together. Chancellor Klien has a hilarious face to begin with, and having drawn him previously, I was able to draw him again with no difficulty at all. Being a fan of Tex Avery, The old "kick in the pants" gag is a standard device that came to mind immediately when I read the editorial copy that came from my editor. The Art Studio app for ipad is very user friendly and since it works with layers, I was able to do the initial sketch  in the same way I would with tracing paper,and use subsequent layers for the line and for shading. Ive grown accustomed to using the Pogo Stylus, even though it's not the best tool, and now that I have the ifaraday stylus, http://ifaraday.com/  which is much more responsive, my drawing will look even MORE powerful. I was able to create this in about one hour, which is good considering that it was my first time doing it from start to finish.  I KNOW in the future I will be submitting all of my editorial illustrations, using the device, and will save lots of money on paper as well!

ipad subway caricature: SENORITA BIG EYES by Subwaysurfer

After completing this digital caricature on the ipad I couldnt but help say to myself, "why in the world did I fight against digital painting?" you can paint with such incredible ease, it's added dven MORE fun to my drawing! This particular senorita was enjoying the last precious days of unseasonably warm weather before being assaulted by one of NEW YOUR CITY's legendary winters. I was attrcted to her animated expression, vivacious personality, and very BIG eyes. These things were like saucers! LOL I toned it down a little, wanting to not make them the total focus, because she really did have a lovely face and wanted to capture that as much. Im getting SOOOOO relaxed on the ipad that Its now competing with my traditional drawing style with pen and paper...

Subwaysurfer ODD CAST PODCAST WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE NCN NOW KNOWN AS THE ISCA

In this podcast segment I explain the things that I learned as being part of the NATIONAL CARICATURISTS NETWORK formally known as the NCN now known as the ISCA

My First Ipad caricature commission BY SUBWAYSURFER

Paster James Taiwo Of World Outreach Evangelical Ministeries commissioned me to do my first exclusive IPAD Caricature . Pastor Taiwo needed an illustration for his Holloween Online Newsletter as well as his Printed Tract Materials, and I created this exclusively with the IPAD. Since I've been suing the device dillgently for the last few weeks, if felt very natural drawing and painting this with the device and the apple software, and the job was completed in record time, comparitively speaking using my old methods. Being the caricature artist I am i couldnt help having that aspect creep into the work. Like most things Im not TOTALLY satisfied, but Its a good start.

IPAD SUBWAY CARICATURE by Subwaysurfer

Well it finally happened, folks. I did my first satisfying Subway Caricature today. The train was jammed MORE than usual with a variety of faces and I filled my sketchbook with lots of drawings that I will upload later. THIS particular guy here, reminded me of one of those rockers from the eighties. I sketched him origially in my notebook, later transfering him over to my ipad where I quickly made this masterpiece. The only drawback with the ipad is the amount of attention it gets! It was hard enough hiding my drawing while in a drawing pad! My work had gotten easier and harder at the same time now.... sigh....

SUBWAYSURFER ODD CAST PODCAST :My Subwaysurfer Persona

In this Podcast feature, I explain why I created the SUBWAYSURFER Persona, and How It enables me to do Life drawing without fear in public places, like a New York City Subway train. Enjoy.

SUBWAYSURFER ODD CAST PODCAST humourous poem DO YOU WANT A CARICATURE?

SUBWAY SURFER'S CARICATURE RAP

Im a master of observation
A facial news caster who draws even faster than
Eyewitness News
Zero time to snooze
Before they report what's happened,
I've already started to move
Right onto the next face in line
I'm finished in 60 seconds
I do it all the time.

I'm a facial assassinator
Never a procrastinator
When it comes to drawing party favors,
I'm one of New York City's BEST!
I drew at Bloomberg's party,and satisfied his guests.

Dont let me get started on the rest
Corporate parties are " The Bomb!"

So are those
Bat Mitzvahs where I draw your baby sisters,
And your soccer cheering mom!

When I step into a room
Lesser caricature artists
Hearts fill with gloom
Because they're lines start getting shorter...
Now that SUBWAYSURFER'S drawing, they know that they're goners

I can literally sketch all night
No need for a break, I guess some artists NEED IT
After a few lousy sketches,
Their energy's depleted!
No wonder they're defeated by the " energizer bunny!"
I think it's madd funny
How I take all their money!

I leave 'em all gagging
I cant help it if their skills are lagging behind mine!
I've paid my dues in the caricature skool
Always paid attention,never acted a fool.
Learned from the best,never failed to ace my drawing tests
This skill dont come easy,
Many nights I was queasy
Drawing my fingers to the bone
Now thanks to work and persistance, my unique style, i OWN

So let the haters moan, and groan
They need to complain
In a caricature drawing contest
Im a Jumbo Jet
They're paper airplanes
Trying to fly high in my sky
Which is totally insane
What's that on the ground?
Look!
I think it's their brain!

GUESS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? by Subwaysurfer

This is an old illustration I rediscovered on my sequential drawing site that i drew a couple of years back for a great client called ROCKETSHARK RINGTONES. I drew close to one hundred character designs for the company before the decided, unfortunately to go in another direction. This particular toon was part of a series they were developing called, "WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?" and  their setups were pretty hilarious/ They were one of the few companies I worked with who actually "got it" as far as zany sense of humour was concerned, and we had the wildest brainstorming sessions. I originallky did this in Black and White and recolored it in ART STUDIO in   You guessed it, The IPAD. LOVE the way those colored POP which makes, the toon even more hilarious.Of course you KNOW what happens next, dont you??

subwaysurfer podcast The Starbucks Phenomenon

HOW TO BE A GREAT PARTY ARTIST by subwaysurfer

These wordless single panel comics were drawn to enhance an article I'd written for Exaggerated Features magazine, entitled, Gig Do's and Dont's. These were my set of rules for party caricature success and were geared towards beginning artists entering the live party drawing field.

Rule One DONT BE LATE It Looks bad embarasses your host/hostess and guarantees you will not get a referral, a tip, and even a cut in pay. Nothing spells unprofessional more than lateness. It shows that you are a rookie, and people dont hire rookies, they hire professionals.

Rule Two Seperate Couples: I seperate couples because they have a tendency to "love all over each other" too much and spoil the drawing angle. While I am still able to get a decent likeness if a couple moves, for a beginning caricature artist, it's best if the subject remains relatively still until he/she gains experience and confidence.


Rule Three Show the Paper whose Boss , In other words dont be afraid or hesitant about putting your mark on paper. It cuts down on speed, and causes you to second guess yourself too much.

Rule Four: Have FUN! you're a party artist! you CAN enjoy yourself! If you think of it too much as "a job" that stiffness will show up in your work.

CBC News - Books - Archie comic to introduce gay character

CBC News - Books - Archie comic to introduce gay characterI guess Riverdale's getting more interesting. It will be interesting to see who else in Riverdale comes out of the closet...Jughead perhaps?

ipad caricature of MISS GRUNDY from the RIVERDALE project

I remember reading the comic,"little Archie" as a kid, and remember that all the gang were taught, as younger, by Miss Grundy. She was OLD THEN...
Fast forward to the teenage years at Riverdale, and the gang is STILL being taught by Old Miss Grundy.
How IS That?.
Maybe a better name for her should be Miss Gang green. We know NOTHING about this character other tha her designation is "teacher" and it's all she gets to be.
I remember when I was a kid in elementary school how I thought on some level, that teachers weren't "really real." They were that special class of Beings who remained frozen in their designated area until the next day when you would see them again, trying to teach the same thing. It's funny how we assign categories to people forgetting that there's a real man behind that police badge, or girl behind that cash register, or woman who holds chalk in front of a blackboard.
Grundy is a mystery. Who is her family? Where does she live? What does she do on the weekend? What is up with that polka dot dress she is always in?
I see Grundy as a sad character locked into a profession she's poured her life into...unappreciated, un noticed, and now too old to do anything else but wait for death...that doesn't seem to come

ipad cartoon of BIG ETHEL from The Riverdale project

Big Ethel is yet another one of the disposable characters that populate the Archie comics Universe.She exists, simply as "comedy relief", the "tall, doody girl with the buck teeth, and bad hair who chases after Jughead Jones.
Like all the other disposable characters, there is no backstory on her to make her an interesting character, so for the purpose of creating this illustration, I decided to create one.
Just like "Big Moose" knows that he's a big lummox, Big Ethel knows she's a big tall doofus. Like Moose,she uses her physical attributes to her advantage. Ethel, in MY Archie Universe excels in womens sports,particularly basketball where she is captain and center of the Riverdale team.
I've always been struck how in the comics she was so determined to get Jughead, never getting discouraged. I attribute that attitude to her warrior spirit as an athlete.
Athletes, on and off the field, are competitors possessing an indomitable spirit to win and excel, Ethel is no different, and carries that same attitude into the greatest game of all, the game of love. Jughead being the prize.
I feel Ethel, in spite of her lack of physical beauty, would ultimately win her man.
As a competitor accustomed to analyzing an opponents strengths and weaknesses,
It's relatively easy to know what Jughead's is.

FOOD.

In order to win the heart of the man she loves Ethel would simply become Riverdales premiere chef par excellence, cooking up cuisines that would keep the love of her life forever eating at her table.
Like I said, athletes like to win.