Park Party and Subway Sketches

As the Summer comes to a close, Im spending as much time as I can at the park trying to coax tourists into my chair, before the autumn chill and subsequent winds set in making it impossible to draw. I've missed the majority of Summer drawing in the park due to my back injury, but thank God Ive gotten a LOT better and no longer require the use of the cain, or even the chair that I habitually carried. These are a series of sketches done at the park(which customers rejected!!) on the subway, and at a party. Can you guess which is which? Enjoy.

My New Promo Flyer

Needed to make a new black and white one. Decided to do something simple and to the point. This flyer contains a new comical cartoonicature of me at the top, plus my daughter on the right with the pony tail, and my son with the extra wide grin on the left side. The girl with the BBBBBIIIIIIGGGGGG smile is my "bugs bunny girl" one of my favorite all time caricatures. The other caricatures are taken from live subjects that ive drawn on the train years ago. All the major info of who I am what i do. ,my level of expeience are all there at a glance.

Big lady, big hair big everything!!

My latest memorable party sketch of a young woman who had big "everything" the most memorable was her blond hair that stood up in that odd way like a blond version of mount everest. I drew this sketch from memory in Dunkin Donuts following the party.

Mother Daughter on the A train

After a day of retail in the park I caught a mother daughter on the Queens Bound A train. They both had nice hairdoos

Smoking, giraffe , gun plus Kenly Dillard Produces this

If you've ever been to a "Dr. Sketchy's " Live art model drawing event, theres a point where they have a challenge and throw out a couple of unrelated words, give you five minutes to come up with a picture involving the models and the words... In this session the words, Smoking, Giraffe, and Gun were called out and this is what Kenly came up with. I was laughing so hard that I couldnt even draw my picture. He won of course.

oh yeah, I can "do cute"

As much as i LOVE LOVE LOVE to exaggerate and jack up people's faces, if I wanna pay the bills, I better KEEP doing caricatures like THESE. At parties expecially kids events parents dont take kindly to you jackin up their kids.... they WILL Jack up your wallet, and who wants THAT?

These two were part of a class of kids I did for a private school in Queens. I lectured at the school initially on career day for FREE and the response was so favorable they HIRED me to do a job two weeks later.

Take notes newbies, THIS is how you get clients. Be WILLING to do some freebies every now and then.

Latest Wave Editorial... sweeping out the dustmites

This time The Wave Newspaper Editorial is going after Queens legislators like Shirley Huntley, Malcolm Smith, who've served waaaaay too long and need to be swept out

HERE'S THE TEXT
A Zero Sum Reform For Our State Legislature

In the wake of the recent debacle on the part of the State Senate, there should be little doubt on the part of any of our readers that the New York State Legislature needs reform, and we believe that the reform should be zero-sum – that there is nothing about the legislature that should not be on the table for that reform. We believe that a number of things must be done before the legislature can be truly little-d democratic. First of all, to stop the empire-building and power-grabbing that now occurs every day, and to stop the three-men in the closed room mentality that now drives both the Senate and Assembly, we must have term limits. Those limits should mandate a set term of eight years and then out. Let the fresh air in and the new broom sweep clean. Secondly, the state must be redistricted honestly. Senate and Assembly district must be drawn along community lines, not to insure the election of an incumbent or to insure that a minority candidate wins. To this end, we need a non-partisan redistricting committee made up not of politicians, but of political scientists and community activists with no political agenda. Then, reform the campaign finance rules which now allow almost anybody to fund a political campaign with an excess zeal and without sanction. Disclosure is poor and enforcement is non-existence, allowing lobbyists and special interests to call the tune in Albany. Lastly, open the ballot so that candidates who want to run have a chance to do so. The rules for getting on the ballot in New York State are draconian and ridiculous. The state’s Board of Elections is made up of political hacks whose only job is to insure that incumbents and other party favorites get on the ballot and insurgents do not. That has to change. We need a clean sweep. Only by making all of the necessary changes will we really have a democratic process in Albany.

subway bum, or standup comic?

A lot of these bums that ride the rails must moonlight as standup comics. It's not so much what they say that makes you laugh, it's the way that they say it. This particular guy was sporting a mullet which I thought was very funny by itself. He kept harassing this lady who was desperately trying to ignore him, and had a comment for everyone who boarded the train.

Great hair day.... lip day... eyebrow day....

This guy has such outstanding EVERYTHING it was hard to focus!!! Great hair, THICK eyebrows, large lips, a very full meaty face,and a massive build, but not fat, just... huge like a Samoan, only he was Puerto Rican. He had the skinniest girlfriend though and the contrast was so interesting that I had to literally have them stand apart so not to get distracted. Wish I could have had enough time to do the bodies, but these two are definitely going to make an appearance one day in a cartoon or character design of mine!!

Just too good to draw once

Often when Im drawing couples, one of the pair is just sooooo visually stunning, that I request they pose by themselves just so i can capture them again. Such was the case of this magilla gorilla lookin dude here. He didnt REALLY look like my favorite primate, but there was SOMETHING about his face that made me wanna ask Mr Peebles how much wuz that gorilla in the window. I made a reference to that, and he didnt seem toooo happy about it... I kept drawing....all the while thinking about the Magilla Gorilla theme song.....



We've got a gorilla for sale...a yellow gorilla for sale.
Won't you buy him...take him home and try him...gorilla for sale.
See in the window, Magilla Gorilla...full of charm and appeal.
Handsome, elegant, intelligent, sweet...He's really ideal.
So if you want a yellow gorilla you can call your own...
a gorilla who'll be with ya when you're all alone.

(Magilla speaking): "Its the MAGILLA GORILLA SHOW.
Starring me and Mr. Peebles...
with Mush-Mouse and Pumpkin-Puss and Rickochet Rabbit and Droop-Along"

(Little girl speaking): "How much is that Gorilla in the window?"

Take our advice...
at any price...
a gorilla like Magilla is mighty nice.
Gorilla...
Magilla Gorilla for sale......

Roman From Utretch Art Supply Store

Last week I participated in a promo event infront of Utretch Art Supply Store on 4th ave in NYC where Roman, Kenly Dillard and I happily drew customers and onlookers infront of the store as they were having a monster sale inside and outside the store with a lot of free giveaways. Roman had such a great face I couldnt resist slamming him. When you see him at Utretch, tell him I said Hi. Utretch, by the way, is my number one art store in the city. they ALWAYS have what I need.

Random sketches from train enjoy

Beware Of Dishonest Debt Col-lectors My Latest Editorial Cartoon for The Wave Newspaper

In this Editorial segment, the writer of The Wave put the much needed, long overdue spotlight on dishonest dirty rat debt collectors who scam millions of New Yorkers out of their hard earned cash. Maybe YOU'VE even gotten a call from these con artists wanting to play "lets make a deal" over the phone, having you pay money of debts that ARENT YOURS.

Beware Of Dishonest Debt Col-lectors
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is on a mission. Just two weeks ago, he sued 35 law firms and two debt collecting firms that operate in the state in order to throw out more than 100,000 default judgments improp-erly obtained against state citizens. Here’s the way the scam works. One day you open your mail, and you get a debt collection letter from a firm you have never heard of about a debt that you never incurred. One recent letter that has hit Rockaway homes purports to come from a company collecting for Veri-zon that seeks to collect a few hundred dollars that you owe on a phone num-ber you never had. Two or three weeks later, the telephone calls begin. When you explain that you don’t owe the debt, the person on the other end of the phone says that you do, and offers you a “deal” to pay off for half the amount owed. The letters and calls continue, and eventually the person on the other end of the phone says that the agency is going to court against you, and it does. The problem is, agents of the company certify to the court that you have been served with a subpoena to appear in court on a certain day, when in fact you have not. When you do not show up on the appointed day, the agency gets a judgment against you. That judgment is then sent to your bank, and your account is seized, even if it contains monies from social security and pensions, something that is not allowed under the law. The banks find it easer to simply obey the court order than to check where the money in the account comes from. Now, however, Cuomo wants all of those default judgments overturned, something for which we should all applaud him. As a consumer, you have cer-tain rights. You have the right to ask the caller proof that you owe the debt, but it must be done in writing. You have the right to see credit card receipts and other documentary proof that you owe the debt. And, should your bank account be seized, you have the right to appeal that with the clerk of the court, arguing that you were never served with the subpoena. Don’t take the debt collectors lightly. Many of them are crooks, out to take away your hard-earned money.

live drawing 4 today

Junk in da Trunk! Junk in Da Front! Da gurl cant help it....

Saw this gurl in my travels today...

Those Eyes! THOSE LIPS!!!

I bet if she batted her eyelashes really fast, she could take flight!!!

Thank God For The MTA

Been in a non drawing mood lately...these faces got me all excited again! Thank God For the MTA!

Diversity

These series of caricatures juxtaposed together was originally for another illustration project. As i began tweaking them in Photoshop, this whold diversity theme kept resonating within me and became an unexpected inspiration for this piece. I Guess like everyone else, as corny as it sounds, I really do want world peace....

My Favorite Michael Jackson Memory

When I had you
I treated you bad I’m wrong my dear
And ’cause it says you been away

(chorus)
Don’t you know I sit around
With my head hanging down
And I wonder who’s lovin’ you
I should have never, ever
Ever made you cry
And cause it says you been gone
(chorus)
(bridge)

Life with out love, huh...
It’s oh so lonely
I don’t think I’m gonna make it

All my life, I’ve been lost to you only
Come on & take it girl
Come on & take it, because....
All, all I can do since you’ve been gone is cry
And do you ever wonder or worry
Your feeling hurt like I do
(chorus)



This is my old time favorite Michael Jackson song. What I love about it was that I heard it when I was about nine years old. I could NOT believe that a child close to my own age could sing a song with such raw emotion and pathos that I felt like a much older man was singing it. Mike was able to get soooooo much INSIDE that song that he didnt just SING it, he made you FEEL it, expecially the last note when he goes up in the stratasphere with that incredibly beautiful falsetto. I knew, like so many others in my generation, that good things, better things were going to follow, and in the decades that did, he never disappointed. I'm proud to say that ive ALWAYS been his fan even with all the years of self destructive wierd behavior. His music served as a backdrop to a lot of the way I was feeling. I'll alwasys remember him for that.

The King of Pop

Like many of his fans worldwide, I was stunned by the death of Michael Jackson he died so young, and even though he was right in front of us for so many years, we never really knew him.

Since his sudden death last week, not a day has gone by where you dont hear his name spoken in casual conversation by a stranger, hear one of his recordings on the radio, or see his image on television. People all over the world have nothing but words of praise and adoration for the late, great, King of Pop.

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.


People are full of such hypocrisy.


a month ago, a year ago, and even further back still, whenever the name of Michael Jackson was spoken, you could be sure that it was a result of a joke. People loved to caricature the way he danced, his preoccupation with Chimps, Lamas, and little boys. People teased the many faces of Jackson, whom The New York Post gleefully referred to as "WACKO JACKO" People ridiculed him for being a grown up Peter Pan who created his own world, "NEVERLAND" and refused adults access into it.

Unless you happened to be a Hollywood Icon like Liz Taylor, or Marlon Brando.

Up until recently, Many African Americans called him a "sellout" an Imitation Black Man, who hated his own race so much that he used his great wealth to physically change himself into the object of his adoration.

A Caucasian Male.

Complete with a dimple in his chin.


If this wasnt bad enough, he even managed to buy himself some White Children, just to complete his fantasy.


Yep, a month ago, Michael Jackson was a wacked out, crouch grabbing, child molesting, Peter Pan wannabe whose time had passed.

Now, "Everybody Loves him" "Everybody was influenced by him" "Everybody will miss him".

I hate how hypocritical the world is...

It would have been NICE to know before Mike died that he was such a humanitarian that he gave MILLIONS, more than any other celeb to various charities around the world.

That would have been nice to hear.
But you only find out about the good stuff about someone when they die.

It would be nice, for once, to celebrate people while they LIVE.

Sneak peek at new comic

The Legend continues.... I had so much fun doing the Father's day comic that I decided to do a followup or two when I was in Junior High School. The names have been changed of course but the events are factual...

From now on, Ive decided to dump all my COMIC RELATED DRAWINGS into a NEW BLOG entitled SUBWAY SURFERS SEQUENTIAL ART BLOG. CHECK OUT THE LINK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS BLOG.

H

Studies in Blk and Wht

Sometimes the tools that I draw with bring out certain qualities in my caricatures that I otherwise wouldnt discover if i always used my "favorite tools" Lately I've been experimenting with an "Old Standard" the old reliable, always available SHARPIE marker. This time, I observed people on the train and Took my time. I like the constrasting results.

Father's Day Story Introduciton

It's Finally HERE!! The one day where Dad get's credit for being ... DAD!!! FATHER"S DAY!!!
It's the day where millions of Dads around the world will try to act surprised as they recieve yet ANOTHER bottle of Old Spice Aftershave (that they'll never be caught dead wearing) a brand new necktie,(that if they ever wore it to the office they would be laughed at and then immediately fired for breaking the dress code) and maybe a ceramic mug from art class that leaks. Some of the more artistic kids will give Dad a great drawing scribbled on notebook paper that Dad will proudly hang on the refrigerator door art gallery.

Im one of the artistic kids, so I wanted to give my Dad a refrigerator drawing, that he'd want to hang there for more than a day. Sometimes Fathers do something unexpected and may seem insignificant at the time for their kids that help to change to course of their child's life. My Dad certainly did this for me, and up until now, i dont think he really knew this. I set out this week to let him know in this cartoon what he did and how it affected my life, and in the process , bring back some warm and painful memories... at least for me...
so let's get on with the story....





The year was 1971
A lot was happening that year….

Walt Disney World opened…
The Pittsburgh Pirates won the World SeriesIntel released the world’s first microprocessor, the 4004… America was being introduced to a new TV family called “The Bunkers”, and a bigot named “Archie”, was soon to become a household name. All in the Family premieres

None of that mattered to me though, I was too busy “experiencing life” and at 11 years old, life wasn’t all that good Little did I know, that something was about to happen, something my Father did, without him realizing it that would change my life forever….

Every kid is born with an innate sense of confidence and self esteem… then he goes to school and quickly learns about “differences" and is quickly put into a category.

That category is your “brand” your “mark.”

The kids took one look at me, took out a rubber stamp, and put “geek” on my forehead. Once you’ve got a mark like that put on you, it’s pretty hard to wash it off.

Fathers Day Story Comic

Once again, just like many times before, I had gotten beat up, but THIS time it was different. This Time I took my beating like a man, standing up for myself, instead of cowering in fear. Dad showed me that although someone ELSE “put a mark on you” it didn’t have to STAY on you. You had the choice whether to keep it on or fight to pull it off. It felt much more satisfying to pull it off.




I went on from that day forward to seriously study the martial arts. That same year I started studying Hung Gar Gung Fu, that eventually led to Goju Karate, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Filipino stick/knife fighting, and even Bruce Lee’s JKD system. For the next 20 years I used the martial arts as a vehicle to help me grow as a person. Through my practice, I met great people, gained self confidence, and especially learned how to fight WITHOUT getting my glasses broken. All of that started from one simple book that a Father shared with his son. My Dad taught me that I didn’t HAVE to be a victim. For that I would be eternally grateful.

Minister Mike Pilivachi of Souled Out by subwaysurfer

I was channel surfing this afternoon and got stuck on the GOD TV Channel. I was intrigued by the appearance of this particular speaker, minister Mike Pilivachi ,who was South African I think. He was a white minister who wore a very colorful electric blue and brown African dashiki, had pale skin and a thick curly mane of black hair that framed his face. He was speaking to a group of young people about doing random acts of kindness, and i enjoyed his sermon as much as drawing his great face.