Bottle Opener of the Day

There are so many different types of bottle openers, but then so many different types of bottles. I guess that's some kind of divine symmetry.

Sleeper

I've lost count of these subway encounters, I find there is something reassuring about them. It's time to kick it up a notch, although I've no idea what that means.

hue

here is an illustration I did for "hue" magazine which is the alumni magazine for FIT.

Back In The City

Got back today and took the subway for the first time in about a month.
Nothing changes.

Object

Just getting in under the wire with this one for a Sunday posting. I don't know exactly what this is but the woman who sold it to me said it was good for cleaning your nose with. I brought it anyway and it's sketch of the day whatever it does.

Commision

Even on a vacation there is still time to do the odd job.

Toy Bus

another porch drawing, this toy was in the house for some reason so it became an easy target.

Camping Equipment

I'm not much of a camper but I do know the essentials. This is actually the second in a series, the first one can be seen here. Over to you Hans

Dude with Hat

My dad sat for this drawing but I don't think it's my dad I drew, maybe someone else's dad. that's the thing about drawing with the ruling pen, sometimes you just get what you get and have to make do. All good practice in any case.

Western Hotel

This is in Callicoon, a place that looks like an old western town as this hotel might suggest. I got really bogged down with all the detail in this one and had to have a lunch break in order to get through it. I like it now though.

book Jacket Roughs

Back to reality a little with these sketches. Whilst on vacation I've been given a book jacket to do, I love this kind of work and this job is the 3rd in a series I've been doing. I wasn't blogging when I did the 1st cover but the finished painting for the 2nd can be seen Here so now I'll wait to hear from the art director which could mean a simple choice of "A" or "B" or back to the drawing board.

Lawn

We went to see Tony Bennett at Bethel Woods last night, sat on the lawn, that guy can still belt out a tune, both sets of parents loved it. The guy in the sketch is not sleeping he's just blown away.

Live Music

Hey they got a band. I've tried this one from time to time, drawing a live band with a ruling pen, it's a fun thing to do but with so much movement you can never be sure of any kind of result.

Self Portrait

On Han's suggestion, this is me. My mum didn't like the fact that I'm scowling but I guess this is what I must look like to the people I'm drawing. The one thing I would mention is that I usually shave everyday but on this vacation the line for the bathroom can be a bit long.

Portrait of a Lady

I was having a beer whilst thinking what to draw next. I've been inspired by France Belleville's blog Wagonized for some time now, today is her 2nd anniversary of blogging (congrats). France, this beer's for you.

Old Ford Tractor

This is not the drawing I intended but it just took shape without my consent under the beating sun and the constant bites. I'd been staring at this old tractor all morning and eventually had to have a go. I'm going to wait for some cloud coverage before making another attempt.

Another Mother

my mum didn't like the first drawing I posted of her so I had another go and this one has her complete backing.

Steely Dan

We went to Bethel Woods on Thursday night to see Steely Dan in concert. we sat on the lawn ($29) and had a great night, as did the people in the sketch.

Peg

Our friends Peg and Steve came up for the weekend, they brought their guitars with them and we had a fantastic singing session on Susie and Ed's deck till the wee hours.
Thanks for the memories guys.

Annie

Annie is my mum-in-law, my no2 mum. Ive got to do a drawing on Angie next to complete the cast of characters on this vacation extravaganza. I won't be drawing myself of course because I can't sit still for that nonsense.

Johnny

Johnny is my father in law. I'm really happy with this simple line drawing, got to get back to basics.

Local

Everywhere has a local bar and the story is never much different from this. This could be a scene from just about anywhere in America.

The House

This was a real struggle, I was sat under a tree and getting bitten by who knows what and rushed to get it finished. I couldn't decide if it was going to be pencil, ink of watercolor and in an effort to finish it became all three. Anyway, it's the house we are staying in and I'll be doing other better drawings of it. Here is a past drawing of the same house

My Dad

I had to follow one with the other, had a slightly easier time with this one but will certainly be trying to do better with both. we are having a great time at the house which I will try to draw today.

My Mum

Very hard to draw ones mother when surrounded by critics (Karen, what do you think?) Mum eventually decided she was happy to let it go at that and I've got a headache for my troubles. There will be other mother drawings to come.

Beer Can Chicken

I've been waiting a long time to try this recipe, so yesterday I gave it a go and it was fantastic if I say so myself. Hard to convey this in a drawing, I tried at least to make it look fun and frivolous. Today I made beans on toast which wasn't worthy of a drawing.

Party Time

It's a long holiday weekend so what better time to knock back a couple with your mates.

4th of July

This guy just, can't contain his enthusiasm. Being British we tend to stay a little low key on the 4th of July although I'm applying for citizenship so hopefully next year I'll be celebrating my own independence from those nasty British types.

Bristens Revisited

So here we are a week later and I've updated the Bristens drawing and added in all of the suggestions. To see the first version click Here Nobody spotted the thing that bothered me so much but the things that were spotted were just as bad. My problem was that the Fire escape ladder from the 2nd floor to the 3rd had no hand rails and also the 2nd floor had no railings at all. Brad,Eccch and Jane(who contacted me via E-mail) noticed the missing ladder to the roof which I hadn't, Ira spotted the missing lantern and lights, Styria thought you should be able to see the side of the ventilation shaft but this was not the case because I was seeing it straight on.
Anyway I went back and took the sketch from one extream to the other and included all your suggestions along with whatever else I could see, so calling the Revisited sketch "A" and the original sketch "B" which do you prefer?

Also, My friend Chad (who suggested the bar was missing) just got the Stevan Dohanos Award at the Society of Illustrators. Nice one Chad

Dude

He was either texting or playing one of those hand held games things, these kids today with their games and their hair (sounds like my dad).

Old Town Till

I have simply lost count of the times I've drawn this till, regular visitors to this site might be rolling there eyes right now, but it is a compelling piece of still life and I'm not done with it yet. This version is loose and free and I like it. Click Here to see some previous drawings