JW West Pen and Ink

I wish today’s magazines had penwork on the level of this piece by J.Walter West. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3uTfIJcIVO8i1twvsMmrz0ni6WrnNbtz9MKG2RN1pQaMQ7AEERgJ0XOkJXsiUEuQ_Ca5aSyt796UFUmA79TFca-_92xMxjnz6hxbow8PPu5LzNEWMHSQ4PGXXb4f2iMPgX1_Dlt95PU/s1600/West.JW.Mag.Art.1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3uTfIJcIVO8i1twvsMmrz0ni6WrnNbtz9MKG2RN1pQaMQ7AEERgJ0XOkJXsiUEuQ_Ca5aSyt796UFUmA79TFca-_92xMxjnz6hxbow8PPu5LzNEWMHSQ4PGXXb4f2iMPgX1_Dlt95PU/s400/West.JW.Mag.Art.1895.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This was just a bit of decorative art, but it’s a little gem. Part of the appeal is the variety of line: long, sweeping folds versus tight curling wrinkles. The bold areas of black hold all the fine line work together.<br /><br />From the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Fd_lAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=magazine+of+art,+1895&hl=en&ei=flWsTey2Me6O0QGpwqD5CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=j.w.%20west&f=false"><i>Magazine of Art,</i> 1895. page V</a>

JW West Pen and Ink

I wish today’s magazines had penwork on the level of this piece by J.Walter West. This was just a bit of decorative art, but it’s a little g...

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Piggyback Sketching

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjE2e_mhONjdSKvd0Z6oTPhJ2OXW-YqDnob3tSS9-fVa9jF2mALiOYhJSBN6hlwCEtTTj2KDZDYwNJgxiRmQfQ0uRM7_XiajVXSHrLdwKhLvf0spwmzK6KiEkrZNnKvUrkNjnv78iq3Zo/s1600/Furniss_Harry_Magazine_of_art.1888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjE2e_mhONjdSKvd0Z6oTPhJ2OXW-YqDnob3tSS9-fVa9jF2mALiOYhJSBN6hlwCEtTTj2KDZDYwNJgxiRmQfQ0uRM7_XiajVXSHrLdwKhLvf0spwmzK6KiEkrZNnKvUrkNjnv78iq3Zo/s320/Furniss_Harry_Magazine_of_art.1888.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>English illustrator Harry Furniss (1854-1925) related this amusing incident in <i>The Magazine of Art</i> in 1888.<br /><br />Once while covering a political event in Birmingham, his view of the speaker was blocked by a number of very tall gentlemen.<br /><br />“Although close to him on the platform, I could not, being only five feet two, see over the heads of others when all stood to cheer. I mentioned this fact to my neighbor. ‘Oh, you must not miss this scene!’ he said, and quickly, without ceremony, he had me on his back, his bald head serving as an easel.”<br /><br />----<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Furniss">Harry Furniss in Wikipedia</a>

Piggyback Sketching

English illustrator Harry Furniss (1854-1925) related this amusing incident in The Magazine of Art in 1888. Once while covering a political...

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Bull Encounter

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePaaBDjk8bGogF3H3gRRg6qUiat-M6jrFtfjdNt31MEUndQ_Bryv0i2xU12MzJXHhsSXV8NHMx2gPe36p8qk9VY7VNNVMkIXD6dIoHyWqC_kG0Qx2wu7_YHQ5h8Ojpa3saDyB9z_aoFA/s1600/Bull_Encounter.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>I made this drawing on February 14, 1975 when I was sixteen. Back in those days I used to take a bottle of ink and a set of dip pens around with me in a canvas backpack. I didn’t have any art teachers and no one told me that sketching with dip pens was kind of a dumb idea.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePaaBDjk8bGogF3H3gRRg6qUiat-M6jrFtfjdNt31MEUndQ_Bryv0i2xU12MzJXHhsSXV8NHMx2gPe36p8qk9VY7VNNVMkIXD6dIoHyWqC_kG0Qx2wu7_YHQ5h8Ojpa3saDyB9z_aoFA/s1600/Bull_Encounter.sm.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePaaBDjk8bGogF3H3gRRg6qUiat-M6jrFtfjdNt31MEUndQ_Bryv0i2xU12MzJXHhsSXV8NHMx2gPe36p8qk9VY7VNNVMkIXD6dIoHyWqC_kG0Qx2wu7_YHQ5h8Ojpa3saDyB9z_aoFA/s400/Bull_Encounter.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />Also, no one told me it’s a dumb idea to sit in a field and sketch bulls. This bull was OK at first, as long as he was surrounded by his cows. But my scratching pens annoyed his harem. One by one, they got up and headed off, leaving just me and the bull. He sat there, staring over at me and looking more and more irritated.<br /><br />Then he struggled to his feet and started walking toward me. <br /><br />I dropped my pen set and sidestepped slowly over to the middle of the field. I stood in a patch of high grass. For every step I took, the bull followed me. <br /><br />“Nice bull,” I said. I yanked out a big wad of grass to offer him. He stared dully back at me.<br /><br />I waved the grass back and forth a few times. He put his head down and started to trot toward me. I trotted backwards, but it was too far to the fence. I held out the grass so that he could really see it, and I tossed it to the side, figuring he would choose me or the grass. <br /><br />At the very last second, he lurched to the side and bent down to eat the grass. I ran back to where I was sketching and picked all of my pen points out of a wet cow pie.

Bull Encounter

I made this drawing on February 14, 1975 when I was sixteen. Back in those days I used to take a bottle of ink and a set of dip pens around ...

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Fearlessness

Here are some wise words from the landscape painter Birge Harrison, about 100 years ago.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpNh3K4-4qjWEthjIGLJjvoJbe_eYvsjmYVlsDUxKTOPf_WCkkXaWwWVoE0zRHqt1CloGWsgQweqLh_2OFCFcQ4ZOgq6I9eJhEECkGi-nCgLypLwJWYTU001Y7NcxlzDIP4AoqhpMOVco/s1600/Fearlessness.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpNh3K4-4qjWEthjIGLJjvoJbe_eYvsjmYVlsDUxKTOPf_WCkkXaWwWVoE0zRHqt1CloGWsgQweqLh_2OFCFcQ4ZOgq6I9eJhEECkGi-nCgLypLwJWYTU001Y7NcxlzDIP4AoqhpMOVco/s400/Fearlessness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWncbCBFt3duYiy0XQxA3Lhu3zJw_m7IrkJAs4QMmQwitZR5SGFTNqVITh0R8561vVkhIbS8ZZI8QJJaqN9D7YBYyiw3X39PRRXBdrIHOIPyqbx0vzGWlGPELPAiOxRovPqurT-RdDNPV9/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWncbCBFt3duYiy0XQxA3Lhu3zJw_m7IrkJAs4QMmQwitZR5SGFTNqVITh0R8561vVkhIbS8ZZI8QJJaqN9D7YBYyiw3X39PRRXBdrIHOIPyqbx0vzGWlGPELPAiOxRovPqurT-RdDNPV9/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />But what is fearlessness in painting? Is it the same as courage? It is the opposite of timidity? What fears must each of us overcome? The fear of starting, of finishing, of failing, of not selling? <br /><br />One thing I tell myself is that I can’t get hurt if I try something bold or different. So what if it doesn’t work out? I won’t sprain a finger. I might just wreck a piece of paper. <br /><br />Fearlessness comes to mind when I’m working in pen and ink or watercolor. These two media require absolute commitment, or conviction as Harrison might call it. I also think about fearlessness when I’m embarking on a composition, to urge myself to avoid playing it safe--to push things to extremes. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWncbCBFt3duYiy0XQxA3Lhu3zJw_m7IrkJAs4QMmQwitZR5SGFTNqVITh0R8561vVkhIbS8ZZI8QJJaqN9D7YBYyiw3X39PRRXBdrIHOIPyqbx0vzGWlGPELPAiOxRovPqurT-RdDNPV9/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWncbCBFt3duYiy0XQxA3Lhu3zJw_m7IrkJAs4QMmQwitZR5SGFTNqVITh0R8561vVkhIbS8ZZI8QJJaqN9D7YBYyiw3X39PRRXBdrIHOIPyqbx0vzGWlGPELPAiOxRovPqurT-RdDNPV9/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWncbCBFt3duYiy0XQxA3Lhu3zJw_m7IrkJAs4QMmQwitZR5SGFTNqVITh0R8561vVkhIbS8ZZI8QJJaqN9D7YBYyiw3X39PRRXBdrIHOIPyqbx0vzGWlGPELPAiOxRovPqurT-RdDNPV9/s1600/Coll.JC.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Maybe fearlessness is really another word for letting loose that wild impulse, the artistic imp. We all have it, and it has to be let out of the cage more often, especially if the judicious, analytic part of us is the one usually holding the pencil. But fearlessness isn’t the same as recklessness. Both chaos and control must be at work together.<br />-------<br />The excerpt is from <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ySoUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=birge+harrison+landscape+painting&hl=en&ei=weIITY-8Bo-u8AaSncVM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false">Landscape Painting by Birge Harrison, 1910, available as a free PDF on Google Books.</a><br />Drawing by J.C. Coll. <a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/coll.htm">More about Coll at BPIB.</a>

Fearlessness

Here are some wise words from the landscape painter Birge Harrison, about 100 years ago. But what is fearlessness in painting? Is it the sam...

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Mort Drucker Video

Stephen Silver has made a documentary about Mad magazine caricaturist Mort Drucker. The teaser does its job. I want to see more!<br /><br /><object height="285" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VseZYszrtjM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VseZYszrtjM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="285"></embed></object> <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VseZYszrtjM">Teaser on YouTube</a>

Mort Drucker Video

Stephen Silver has made a documentary about Mad magazine caricaturist Mort Drucker. The teaser does its job. I want to see more! Teaser on ...

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Offhand Flourishing

Humans are capable of amazing things when a cool mind is connected to nimble fingers. Here are a couple of mind-boggling examples from YouTube:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XvG3IK-hzRs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XvG3IK-hzRs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="440" height="355"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvG3IK-hzRs">World championship yo-yo tricks.</a><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q6F-0rIpLJE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q6F-0rIpLJE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6F-0rIpLJE&feature=player_embedded">Radio control helicopter aerobatics.<br /></a><br />In the art of penmanship, the ultimate showcase of skill is called offhand flourishing. This combination of drawing and calligraphy was a natural outgrowth of decorations in pointed pen lettering. It was created at one shot without much in the way of preliminary drawing, which is where we get the figurative sense of the word “offhand.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlO5a1Dt7LYClz4xxYx7TUML7AFB_0dGjxKK61I9_A4UR9es8Cx5lvEru5Z7oCRoW4wmsw961nNJhpCJ5-sL7v2t5sZRuWebVgsNlz3R2vqOFbGEgfbBif13bo5bc4Cm5V-7n8BjImFk_/s1600/Offhand_Flourishing_Stag_Real_Pen_Work.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlO5a1Dt7LYClz4xxYx7TUML7AFB_0dGjxKK61I9_A4UR9es8Cx5lvEru5Z7oCRoW4wmsw961nNJhpCJ5-sL7v2t5sZRuWebVgsNlz3R2vqOFbGEgfbBif13bo5bc4Cm5V-7n8BjImFk_/s400/Offhand_Flourishing_Stag_Real_Pen_Work.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />(Click to enlarge the picture above, which is from an 1880 penmanship manual called “<a href="http://www.iampeth.com/books/real_pen_work/real_pen_work_1880_index.php">Real Penwork Compendium of Penmanship</a>.”)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdukkowYEqb7q_7VRvMp7oQYqlSzA_chK-fOBHM26YXIdOQProZeysHhijsfu5fd4TPCIyJW3A4a8oIqfj6mXMySh9ZYnX4pAZ3aOpeyexbUVnQswZuSibg162ISgGHxhIOuLVVB1-jHi/s1600/Offhand_Flourishing.p29Dennis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdukkowYEqb7q_7VRvMp7oQYqlSzA_chK-fOBHM26YXIdOQProZeysHhijsfu5fd4TPCIyJW3A4a8oIqfj6mXMySh9ZYnX4pAZ3aOpeyexbUVnQswZuSibg162ISgGHxhIOuLVVB1-jHi/s400/Offhand_Flourishing.p29Dennis.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />It may not look like anything more than squiggly doodles to the uninitiated, but pictures made from flourishes are incredible difficult. It takes deep practice, good breathing, perfect posture, and a clear mind. <br /><br />Here’s how master penman W.E. Dennis, in his 1914 book <i>Studies in Pen Art,</i> describes the challenge:<br /><blockquote>“It is doubtful if anything in penwork requires more real skill, sureness of stroke, delicacy of touch and absolute freedom of arm and hand than Off-hand Flourishing. Certainly none of the other work in this book offers the technical difficulties found in the flourished designs, the most difficult of all being the two swans facing each other. Lettering is more or less mechanical, but flourishing is quite the opposite. In this work the mind must conceive quickly the arrangement of harmonious, well-balanced curves, and the hand must reproduce them without hesitation. In addition to this, the penman should have in mind some harmonious design, pleasing in effect as a whole.”</blockquote>--------<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Studies in Pen Art, by W.E. Dennis,</a> available as a free PDF download.<br /><a href="http://www.iampeth.com/books.php">Collection of free PDFs from IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting) </a>

Offhand Flourishing

Humans are capable of amazing things when a cool mind is connected to nimble fingers. Here are a couple of mind-boggling examples from YouTu...

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Stymied

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABkLnkxmhottnPH8hhByXbyyDl-rwLr4Wfc6oPOLgboFbpMhboK3heHl4yoj58012eRlS4HRxxTW9g3NH1ZBUuQDv39ngiNqT5uKRCEloPA2Os-Lks2dSafhNR3ZFfbubX790fmmZ-kBT/s1600/Stymied.Det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>“Stymied: A Cornish Sketching Tragedy” by Ernest H. Shepard in 1925.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW3dQodBke1Z-0YhvhzsSwPBqFLTw6zctBElISwmCdnSjjHzQF7c7-szjS7Ax6y0sNrde9Adp0yJWgjZdUDOzuIJrC7pTU7YFwFX8yC80wEiNk6r47xk17vGPkWkFMLalQHxEPUzGuv-U/s1600/Sketching_Tragedy.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW3dQodBke1Z-0YhvhzsSwPBqFLTw6zctBElISwmCdnSjjHzQF7c7-szjS7Ax6y0sNrde9Adp0yJWgjZdUDOzuIJrC7pTU7YFwFX8yC80wEiNk6r47xk17vGPkWkFMLalQHxEPUzGuv-U/s400/Sketching_Tragedy.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Shepard, better known for his Winnie the Pooh illustrations, was also a frequent contributor to the British humor magazine Punch. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABkLnkxmhottnPH8hhByXbyyDl-rwLr4Wfc6oPOLgboFbpMhboK3heHl4yoj58012eRlS4HRxxTW9g3NH1ZBUuQDv39ngiNqT5uKRCEloPA2Os-Lks2dSafhNR3ZFfbubX790fmmZ-kBT/s1600/Stymied.Det.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABkLnkxmhottnPH8hhByXbyyDl-rwLr4Wfc6oPOLgboFbpMhboK3heHl4yoj58012eRlS4HRxxTW9g3NH1ZBUuQDv39ngiNqT5uKRCEloPA2Os-Lks2dSafhNR3ZFfbubX790fmmZ-kBT/s320/Stymied.Det.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />There’s a lot of knowledge and experience behind those apparently scribbly lines. <br />-----------<br />Previous GJ Post about <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/07/eh-shepards-academic-studies.html">Shepard’s training in the Royal Academy.</a><br />From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FUN-FANTASY-DRAWINGS-ERNEST-SHEPARD/dp/B00194ES0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290955707&sr=1-1">“Fun and Fantasy,” Drawings from Punch, Methuen & Co. London, 1927.</a><br />For a good illustrated bio, see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Work-H-Shepard-Wisdom-Pooh/dp/0416867707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290955824&sr=1-1">The Work of E H Shepard, by Knox, 1980.</a><br />Thanks, Dave!

Stymied

“Stymied: A Cornish Sketching Tragedy” by Ernest H. Shepard in 1925. Shepard, better known for his Winnie the Pooh illustrations, was also a...

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Wootton's Lost WW1 Journal

A sketchbook and journal from World War 1, forgotten for 90 years, has surfaced in an attic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MNpbZHck_jQuHqbOarebXVQ6rP2GuPenuNAAVxhVJrreT_lJcFP9R96N9THyGkPsja5CilqUPiq8giuPCsTQw5YM9s_k2ixefBV4xJEBnmXFcJkAIrnsFzCmkQEoZTd3V3kB6x-WNqjQ/s1600/Wootton_WW1_Journal.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517958184253966050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MNpbZHck_jQuHqbOarebXVQ6rP2GuPenuNAAVxhVJrreT_lJcFP9R96N9THyGkPsja5CilqUPiq8giuPCsTQw5YM9s_k2ixefBV4xJEBnmXFcJkAIrnsFzCmkQEoZTd3V3kB6x-WNqjQ/s400/Wootton_WW1_Journal.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" /></a>It records the wonders and horrors of battle experienced by Lieutenant Kenneth Wootton.<br /><br />Full article on the<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311867/Hero-soldier-Kenneth-Woottons-amazing-diary-drawings-WWI-horrors.html"> Daily Mail.</a> Thanks, K-tron!

Wootton's Lost WW1 Journal

A sketchbook and journal from World War 1, forgotten for 90 years, has surfaced in an attic. It records the wonders and horrors of battle ex...

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Al Williamson Archives

Flesk Publishing has just brought out a new book on the rough drawings and unfinished works of comic artist Al Williamson (1931-2010). The 64-page softcover volume gives a look at the development process of a recent master of adventure comics.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb-fpfJ4TE3IPqXseMlayv3CzqxXrcovbLAadpfatB-haH8zsCbc7KXzVvfM6urwUrm3-5w-O7lGUcqnCOIfdyk_3O1HNbt6jOK7setgoU7ZXIUo9pkNvJ8M8V-f5IfCIyahtUGNHNb6y/s1600/al-williamson-archives.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511591277373686210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb-fpfJ4TE3IPqXseMlayv3CzqxXrcovbLAadpfatB-haH8zsCbc7KXzVvfM6urwUrm3-5w-O7lGUcqnCOIfdyk_3O1HNbt6jOK7setgoU7ZXIUo9pkNvJ8M8V-f5IfCIyahtUGNHNb6y/s320/al-williamson-archives.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 256px;" /></a><br />The sketchbook pages and tissue paper overlays are reproduced in color, bringing out every nuance of texture and tone. Subjects in this first volume of a series shows science fiction themes: dinosaurs, warriors, maidens, spacemen, monsters, and ornate cities and jungles. <br /><br />Many of the samples are rough explorations an pose or an idea. Others are comic pages that are penciled and partially inked, which gives a good sense of the process Williamson used.<br />----------<br /><a href="http://www.fleskpublications.com/publications/al-williamson/">Al Williamson book at Flesk Publishing</a><br /><a href="http://budsartbooks.com/prod.cfm/pc/AWA01/cid/43">Bud's Art Books</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Williamson">Al Williamson on Wikipedia</a>

Al Williamson Archives

Flesk Publishing has just brought out a new book on the rough drawings and unfinished works of comic artist Al Williamson (1931-2010). The 6...

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Parrish and Pyle

Maxfield Parrish is sometimes said to have been a student of Howard Pyle, but recollections by Frank Schoonover, in a 1966 interview, seem to indicate otherwise. Below: Parrish's Knave of Hearts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7WeOvIgFtUracK9IA_cMkEiYGOtTwJWuoT3nVVYj-0dQmmuj1Dn6qiPVvyvgx-KelcXHoCuRigBjONr1P2apCiZIHWtGu35UU4Y8FlMat5Rc80h3CY3hlUHOKBEJC4vrSuBQbRkF6p4Z/s1600/knave.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509357735613131570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7WeOvIgFtUracK9IA_cMkEiYGOtTwJWuoT3nVVYj-0dQmmuj1Dn6qiPVvyvgx-KelcXHoCuRigBjONr1P2apCiZIHWtGu35UU4Y8FlMat5Rc80h3CY3hlUHOKBEJC4vrSuBQbRkF6p4Z/s400/knave.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 400px;" /></a>The association between the two artists wasn’t exactly master and pupil. The two masters met briefly at the Drexel Institute, where Pyle was teaching an illustration course.<br /><br />One afternoon, said Schoonover, “Maxfield Parrish was in the class, and I thought Mr. Pyle was so generous. He looked down and he said speaking to us young neophytes on the high stools in the back row, he said, ‘We have a new member of this group or I might say a visitor to the class, Maxfield Parrish, the painter. You’re all acquainted with this work, especially with his achievement of color.’ His Parrish blue, you know, it was known as ‘Maxfield Parrish Blue.’ So he said ‘Mr. Parrish, I’m deeply honored by your being here but I want to say this to you and to the others. In some ways I think our positions should be reversed. You should be here talking and I should be there listening to you.’”<br /><br />Parrish didn’t stay in the class. According to Schoonover, he only appeared once.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGNWGfXwmuoa-FvJWbA_eIPavyPKCTEymxwjXEHvUj-Luu4QnblMO_eqxvzrFnqg81Wrtjt8sN119co26_vR58ejZWIhk1ND-zVLSfSsWBnGC1oDOgGzQDbO9C2_qXmqYptAfTnvZbt14/s1600/MasterJacob300web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509357740818354674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGNWGfXwmuoa-FvJWbA_eIPavyPKCTEymxwjXEHvUj-Luu4QnblMO_eqxvzrFnqg81Wrtjt8sN119co26_vR58ejZWIhk1ND-zVLSfSsWBnGC1oDOgGzQDbO9C2_qXmqYptAfTnvZbt14/s400/MasterJacob300web.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 171px;" /></a><br />Pyle image above and further discussion at the Howard Pyle blog:<br /><a href="http://howardpyle.blogspot.com/2010/06/june-29-1886-master-jacob-proto-parrish.html">“Master Jacob Proto Parrish”</a>, where Ian Schoenherr explores the question of how Pyle influenced Parrish.

Parrish and Pyle

Maxfield Parrish is sometimes said to have been a student of Howard Pyle, but recollections by Frank Schoonover, in a 1966 interview, seem t...

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Cell Tower

Most people regard cell towers as a blight on the landscape, but I’m weirdly attracted to them. They’re beautiful in their own strange way, delicate and mysterious. I don’t understand how they work. I can’t tell whether they’re listening or speaking.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yktknxIIUZPWc8xh6xYNIsuQbYre6zmmNEjRakG5lBXDJXZNc8e4np68oVi3xBG8uTVh1SIwbuZ1daY5YwbFs29O0tXNt3a3-Q2hqu_AkJqFkwUN00xyEJf5K_OC2xMZwooxUupe7NmA/s1600/Cell_tower.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465925110417121986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yktknxIIUZPWc8xh6xYNIsuQbYre6zmmNEjRakG5lBXDJXZNc8e4np68oVi3xBG8uTVh1SIwbuZ1daY5YwbFs29O0tXNt3a3-Q2hqu_AkJqFkwUN00xyEJf5K_OC2xMZwooxUupe7NmA/s400/Cell_tower.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" /></a>Fifty years from now, cell towers will no longer be in use. Most of them will be torn down or converted to other uses. They’ll be a rare sight. Only older people will use cell phones or iPads. <br /><br />The kids with their "implantcoms" will laugh at the old-timers who still use handhelds. Cell towers will be like sailing ships or neon signs. Artists will paint them in their nostalgic landscapes, and they’ll talk about how beautiful they are.

Cell Tower

Most people regard cell towers as a blight on the landscape, but I’m weirdly attracted to them. They’re beautiful in their own strange way, ...

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Pen and Ink at the Brandywine

Thomas Nast, Charles Addams, Charles Schulz, and Rube Goldberg are among the artists featured in <a href="http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/calendar_events.html">Laugh Lines: Cartoons and Caricatures from the Collection</a>, on view at the Brandywine River Museum through March 14.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblHVgGO8xi3BjHt4KSEkSSBUJR3iaCAovm7mI_NOJkoSJKuCEZkf1T7AvxBc1M51nz1ix0qiHdPanNttpfUKE0sLX1PaLuHVp3SU9Nhy7F-rrx2X_GiAKd09JFFFwd5Tnf7Yqr6Lpdog5/s1600-h/Laughing+Lion.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437698068626486050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblHVgGO8xi3BjHt4KSEkSSBUJR3iaCAovm7mI_NOJkoSJKuCEZkf1T7AvxBc1M51nz1ix0qiHdPanNttpfUKE0sLX1PaLuHVp3SU9Nhy7F-rrx2X_GiAKd09JFFFwd5Tnf7Yqr6Lpdog5/s400/Laughing+Lion.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" /></a>Above: Tony Sarg, Laughing Lion, 1930.<br /><br />The exhibition includes over 50 humorous works by some of the most important illustrators from the 19th and 20th centuries, whose works comment on politics, society and ordinary life. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/mapdir.html">Visitor's information: Entrance fees, directions, hours, etc.</a>

Pen and Ink at the Brandywine

Thomas Nast, Charles Addams, Charles Schulz, and Rube Goldberg are among the artists featured in Laugh Lines: Cartoons and Caricatures from ...

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Bookplate Art

Bookplates are becoming an old-fashioned art form, I suppose, but I love them as much as I love books. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9GofWZ8o56pB5vIeSjlq6q_41OXwmsBXyxl9_58LmrL-y2wAE191m9ay4q_Xu2_gROkYH1kbTQJBtYiixPMvcxtWO7YrRZq8Gm6oskjScidxj2OJi3QkqJwLSTwJugOwoQAcB2TVpbHY/s1600-h/Bookplates.lg.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435459521637307234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9GofWZ8o56pB5vIeSjlq6q_41OXwmsBXyxl9_58LmrL-y2wAE191m9ay4q_Xu2_gROkYH1kbTQJBtYiixPMvcxtWO7YrRZq8Gm6oskjScidxj2OJi3QkqJwLSTwJugOwoQAcB2TVpbHY/s400/Bookplates.lg.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 319px;" /></a>I have made two different bookplates for my own collection. The one on the right is the first one, made during high school. It’s the coat of arms of my ancestral Scottish clan, the Mackays. They were both drawn in scratchboard, my favorite medium in high school and college. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1Xe4ZvXihURnGs-CqyAz3B-0b1OXWhKloLRhBKNG4mMGk-J9uvVGM2fLFzH76XHVs-XUZ0Bg2rsxJtaGTas5NP078MPjGHHirZAhPMPAXJKIC7spIBQ4cNtmueIPyDp031cAUog7TUyh/s1600-h/Bookplate.Art.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435459509652939682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1Xe4ZvXihURnGs-CqyAz3B-0b1OXWhKloLRhBKNG4mMGk-J9uvVGM2fLFzH76XHVs-XUZ0Bg2rsxJtaGTas5NP078MPjGHHirZAhPMPAXJKIC7spIBQ4cNtmueIPyDp031cAUog7TUyh/s400/Bookplate.Art.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" /></a><br />The cornucopia for image connoisseurs, called “Dark Roasted Blend,” has an <a href="http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/11/extraordinary-world-of-ex-libris-art.html">inspiring collection of bookplate or “ex libris” art</a>, some funny, some macabre, some poetic, some extravagant.

Bookplate Art

Bookplates are becoming an old-fashioned art form, I suppose, but I love them as much as I love books. I have made two different bookplates ...

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Phone Doodles

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApPIgvbfCrDfWAX47RopNjqt20oXGNS3x0B5rF_-k6LOw04_oBlnj2QFuxtn4xwqPoWf-Z-laci7v69Pw0F8Dh7KCWQl3TVAm_SAs2a92_arJmMzmPiFdYj8f-syblnmrKBGwb3BVZCM3/s1600-h/Phone_Doodle.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431893938030020034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApPIgvbfCrDfWAX47RopNjqt20oXGNS3x0B5rF_-k6LOw04_oBlnj2QFuxtn4xwqPoWf-Z-laci7v69Pw0F8Dh7KCWQl3TVAm_SAs2a92_arJmMzmPiFdYj8f-syblnmrKBGwb3BVZCM3/s400/Phone_Doodle.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 385px;" /></a><br /><br />My wife Jeanette doodled this face with a ballpoint pen while she was on the phone yesterday. She was talking the whole time and she said she wasn’t thinking about the doodle. “I don’t know where he came from. I have no idea.”<br /><br />Just curious: What sort of doodles do you do? Vote at left.<br />-----<br />Addendum: In the poll, faces were the big winner, with 89 votes. Creatures/Aliens, Boxes and loops got between 30 and 40 votes each. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Phone Doodles

My wife Jeanette doodled this face with a ballpoint pen while she was on the phone yesterday. She was talking the whole time and she said sh...

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Golden-Age of Pen and Ink

Jim Vadeboncoeur is a publisher and collector of classic pen and ink artwork. He has published several editions of of the pen-and-ink collection called <a href="http://www.bpib.com/imagesmagfolder/imagesmag/index.html">ImageS,</a> which brings together some of the finest black and white artwork from Golden Age of illustration.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLuQLjUQvNKOz2NTYeMxCi8_Kp3iQb8huoDEWxVQwURXEfI6hQHs4ewP_uXBQfY2v5orrDnVWvP-L6eQ4VMU5Eq-bx33PBwbdoChGffHp90pMzHJpsl5m6ZALY7l3M0cTbBkGa_OSNkLT/s1600-h/Frank-Pape.vsm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428513966975730770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLuQLjUQvNKOz2NTYeMxCi8_Kp3iQb8huoDEWxVQwURXEfI6hQHs4ewP_uXBQfY2v5orrDnVWvP-L6eQ4VMU5Eq-bx33PBwbdoChGffHp90pMzHJpsl5m6ZALY7l3M0cTbBkGa_OSNkLT/s400/Frank-Pape.vsm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 400px;" /></a>The fifth edition of “ImageS” has just been released. It includes work by Frank Pape (above), Daniel Vierge, Elizabeth Shippen Green and many others.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlQpw4CN6ERqc9TbKjNwdtH7yW0PsSzZxncp5VSxIShX98gOOaItLe395IJ6Ff5BFrNdjPQWZcjNQPioabUN27KrsPaEqoBeiD6L6yTmGQeYHYAmWGCHy3pdpPrUiWEzZV8WQJVVON_c2/s1600-h/IMAGES.bw5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428513975184975202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlQpw4CN6ERqc9TbKjNwdtH7yW0PsSzZxncp5VSxIShX98gOOaItLe395IJ6Ff5BFrNdjPQWZcjNQPioabUN27KrsPaEqoBeiD6L6yTmGQeYHYAmWGCHy3pdpPrUiWEzZV8WQJVVON_c2/s400/IMAGES.bw5.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 360px;" /></a>Producing these collections requires a lot of careful restoration work. Mr. Vadeboncoeur often begins with faded, yellowed, and foxed reproductions. He digitally strengthens faded lines, erases brown spots, fixes rips and tears, and otherwise brings the artwork back to the way it looked when it rolled off the pen.<br /><br />It’s becoming a rather rare delight these days to see good pen-and-ink illustration.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bpib.com/imagesmagfolder/imagesmag/newfiles/annual5.html">Slide show</a><br />Home page of <a href="http://www.bpib.com/imagesmagfolder/imagesmag/index.html">ImageS</a>

Golden-Age of Pen and Ink

Jim Vadeboncoeur is a publisher and collector of classic pen and ink artwork. He has published several editions of of the pen-and-ink collec...

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Crossing the Atlantic

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ03PfTWhIlmjzXh3kA8e8P46b_wQ-ag_uiYInmKmihbyE4tx0wDQ1zXN0nUPRkA8vtSXADR_-5z7umnJulcrooVkqrW5Nh9fNgHIh0yEq6qmBKOF5FVSm0dRct_9wwIz520CLRow-OmI/s1600-h/Lepidopter-JFK.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397373285842092130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ03PfTWhIlmjzXh3kA8e8P46b_wQ-ag_uiYInmKmihbyE4tx0wDQ1zXN0nUPRkA8vtSXADR_-5z7umnJulcrooVkqrW5Nh9fNgHIh0yEq6qmBKOF5FVSm0dRct_9wwIz520CLRow-OmI/s400/Lepidopter-JFK.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 276px; height: 400px;" /></a>A ladybug shuttle took us to Terminal Z at JFK, where the Lepidopter was wreathed in steam and slowly test-flapping its golden wings.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JpJbYS3pPDODUyWr0F5HjsDsroAF95xr1vsyPQRxr4H6z-IBGrLBoV6A4I0mXU8iWtySCIfeXS7sUuK8zC7s0YDpHVN6_Oqt3I4O-EFPpYnWmav9eORkWO8WcdeMn3zpbBuxA6zUNp8/s1600-h/TerminalZ.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397373292710264946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JpJbYS3pPDODUyWr0F5HjsDsroAF95xr1vsyPQRxr4H6z-IBGrLBoV6A4I0mXU8iWtySCIfeXS7sUuK8zC7s0YDpHVN6_Oqt3I4O-EFPpYnWmav9eORkWO8WcdeMn3zpbBuxA6zUNp8/s400/TerminalZ.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 400px;" /></a>But at the last minute Delta’s service rep barked out the announcement that there would be a service change. They switched to a Mayfly 4000. That meant an hour more standing around and sipping coffee, and it was a much more primitive ornithopter.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwthQzBb7zIu9uyBmP8rtUzYuUtDgQb9sFp1s_0y9BTiGkwPsFdDR0WQnjkm1VOwVBaiZr8mvCfXcYHxPt7M_rNI7g1krg8DIpspcsyqm2lxRjdFzNekp63dbUkeY1IAUDCDf0Fg5XmM/s1600-h/Guppy-Girl.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397373284362042466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwthQzBb7zIu9uyBmP8rtUzYuUtDgQb9sFp1s_0y9BTiGkwPsFdDR0WQnjkm1VOwVBaiZr8mvCfXcYHxPt7M_rNI7g1krg8DIpspcsyqm2lxRjdFzNekp63dbUkeY1IAUDCDf0Fg5XmM/s400/Guppy-Girl.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" /></a>Liftoff was after sunset. We hit heavy turbulence, much to the displeasure of a school of guppy girls, who insisted on being dropped out the back so they could swim the rest of the way. The service carts kept banging my knees as I tried to sleep.

Crossing the Atlantic

A ladybug shuttle took us to Terminal Z at JFK, where the Lepidopter was wreathed in steam and slowly test-flapping its golden wings. But at...

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Seeing What's Not There

A couple more images from Baby Tattooville last weekend:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGdZbJ4aGWu0kBs2z9DrBbZ_mexq9PMzkCD6kdxibwPqUjOzQTaGEpCmyqBDdc7VpsuW8FgIVOlD_8bjZ9zyQm1U9ciqvMC8-DIbQhwjAZ9_WsUng5wMzbH8584oj_aIXfTpxEM3dhwo/s1600-h/jimMissionInn.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389420313850195810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGdZbJ4aGWu0kBs2z9DrBbZ_mexq9PMzkCD6kdxibwPqUjOzQTaGEpCmyqBDdc7VpsuW8FgIVOlD_8bjZ9zyQm1U9ciqvMC8-DIbQhwjAZ9_WsUng5wMzbH8584oj_aIXfTpxEM3dhwo/s400/jimMissionInn.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>In an atrium of the Mission Inn, there's a fountain.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLfg8NuKeCL-b-xFIjHuQE_VvcKPPfocBS1FYGMYAbkaThmwbPFBJvTRPZKJnsMbFjJhL_wPDC09WtZEY8BFE4JwAIMrQwMwNNi_M-VYHevU7EC_nVktyN2sb-PUYzHj7K8ph9FRJEUE/s1600-h/Welsh-Lapper.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389420327966482674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLfg8NuKeCL-b-xFIjHuQE_VvcKPPfocBS1FYGMYAbkaThmwbPFBJvTRPZKJnsMbFjJhL_wPDC09WtZEY8BFE4JwAIMrQwMwNNi_M-VYHevU7EC_nVktyN2sb-PUYzHj7K8ph9FRJEUE/s400/Welsh-Lapper.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" /></a>I sat there and sketched it, and here's one of the creatures that waddled up for a sip early one morning when no one was looking.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW4BQ5ievniHuKphPfghYgK8xp-aj_xXy9rBg3mEAIdeyiBjwT9Q1_yqn7soQv7RUkWCArOGXp94N2Ek2zI0vhDzia6I2KEU3Tkl9rfpAoM7gb8AsTCoo4IsarfiurPj-y92abrxkAEE/s1600-h/AgentX52.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389420321593378194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW4BQ5ievniHuKphPfghYgK8xp-aj_xXy9rBg3mEAIdeyiBjwT9Q1_yqn7soQv7RUkWCArOGXp94N2Ek2zI0vhDzia6I2KEU3Tkl9rfpAoM7gb8AsTCoo4IsarfiurPj-y92abrxkAEE/s400/AgentX52.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" /></a> Then a saucer descended and dropped off this guy, who was old and twice as huge before he took a sip. <br /><br />By the way, the BT event was covered by the TV show Nightline, so keep an eye out on that program in the next couple of weeks.

Seeing What's Not There

A couple more images from Baby Tattooville last weekend: In an atrium of the Mission Inn, there's a fountain. I sat there and sketched i...

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Wireless Era?

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vld38ZZkBUht1aY39MTcGPPMFbiaM9erK19EjcN8RzH6j628GEnED-RZSKxO91QJIjm38JkWDVLkdHhsYnGV3qza-8oZy4WmNplA-MD5K2mD-5dfaV_bL2oGe4lJrS9rtOi8ecfHQQE/s1600-h/Wireless_Era.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377901652147602146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vld38ZZkBUht1aY39MTcGPPMFbiaM9erK19EjcN8RzH6j628GEnED-RZSKxO91QJIjm38JkWDVLkdHhsYnGV3qza-8oZy4WmNplA-MD5K2mD-5dfaV_bL2oGe4lJrS9rtOi8ecfHQQE/s400/Wireless_Era.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 366px;" /></a>

Wireless Era?

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Abe in Two

<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bCvWW4m8eQU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bCvWW4m8eQU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Abe in Two

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Spiderwick Meets Dinotopia

<a href="http://diterlizzi.com/blog/2009/05/08/friday-fan-art-iou-1/#comments">Tony Diterlizzi</a> asked a bunch of his art friends to do drawings set in the Spiderwick cosmos. The drawings will appear in the back of an upcoming omnibus edition of Spiderwick stories.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h9Y0_g64LyHxspgSO-aFEaM3hCnK9Zx3oZLnAY9Za3IEr3FwIm2SkuxUIAww9v0JdLNKgRcHd2DcBKfiTWIXjfSGtVK5nN6lvcuhLiiES8fR-PKP2Kw8AxMIy6t-7DdUKmhZqconrxc/s1600-h/Hogsqueal.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341572931715090370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h9Y0_g64LyHxspgSO-aFEaM3hCnK9Zx3oZLnAY9Za3IEr3FwIm2SkuxUIAww9v0JdLNKgRcHd2DcBKfiTWIXjfSGtVK5nN6lvcuhLiiES8fR-PKP2Kw8AxMIy6t-7DdUKmhZqconrxc/s400/Hogsqueal.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 400px;" /></a>I drew Hogsqueal riding Bix. <br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_hza9JVbeGw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_hza9JVbeGw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Here’s a movie of the work in progress, drawn with a Niji water brush filled with Higgins Eternal ink.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIQ4QsJhpoc7X0oicHDKX0s-SnH7NlQsOgh2DiQ9RRxnL7NR9NZtdL4FDB5KzWxGTEjfzbzUUx6Y0kZwHa2o41IfsdIoQz_SiyBDUDNf6fpnWb7oB8ETBQ8LxZLG22IqeKOPez8SU830/s1600-h/TonyD.Bix.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341572929613093410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIQ4QsJhpoc7X0oicHDKX0s-SnH7NlQsOgh2DiQ9RRxnL7NR9NZtdL4FDB5KzWxGTEjfzbzUUx6Y0kZwHa2o41IfsdIoQz_SiyBDUDNf6fpnWb7oB8ETBQ8LxZLG22IqeKOPez8SU830/s400/TonyD.Bix.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 324px;" /></a><br />I gave the original to Tony and he reciprocated with this nifty drawing of Will Denison meeting a befeathered Bix. I love it!<br /><br />Read how he developed his drawing on his blog, <a href="http://diterlizzi.com/blog/2009/05/08/friday-fan-art-iou-1/#comments">link.</a>

Spiderwick Meets Dinotopia

Tony Diterlizzi asked a bunch of his art friends to do drawings set in the Spiderwick cosmos. The drawings will appear in the back of an up...

Read more »