Toon Club: Tiger

Since it's Sunday I was feeling sentimental... so here you go.


Sorry for the Copyright stuff on my image. With the new Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act and The Orphan Works Act of 2008 Bill #H.R.5889 being considered for law, I figured I'd better protect myself.
Enjoy.

The Slug vs. Frankenpillow

Can our hero survive the pummeling power of the maniacal menace, Frankenpillow?



Back in April 2006, the topic over at Toon Club topic was "Unnecessary Super Heroes". I came up with The Slug. This time around, the topic is "Unnecessary Super Villains". Frankenpillow is my answer to this topic. Sure he looks scary... if the very pillow you sleep on gives you nightmares.

Intergalactic Jug Band

Here we have Shug on the jug, Kazoo on percussions, and Moober on woodwinds. Truly great musicians. Too bad they don't play locally.

Doodlin'

A preview of things (in an ideal world) to come.
Did a bit of sketching before getting down to the serious business of sawing logs.

Just goofin' around...

Happy Daylight Savings!

Platypus: Natures masters of disguise

Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)

The Internet Archive has a copy of Winsor McCay's "Gertie the Dinosaur". It's a free download of the original animation (and its accompanying live action). This short video is a treasure! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys art or animation.

Here are some stills from the movie and the link:
http://www.archive.org/details/Gertie

The video is a 39 MB file quicktime formated video.

Look Here... VIRUS WARNING!

If a guy named Jon (he may also write under a different name) leaves a comment in your blog comment box that says "Look here" or something like it, don't click on it, but erase it immediately. It is a virus. Luckily I have a Mac, and it didn't have any effect. I hate to think of what it might have done if I had a PC.

Robots and Mazes

I drew this robot for Toon Club.




















For those of you who have visited before, you know that I draw mazes in Church-- my kids like the distraction and it helps me to focus my somewhat unfocused mind.

These are free, but are still Copyrighted. So here's the deal: Print as many copies for family and friends as you can afford. Just please don't sell the copies.

You can click on the image to enlarge it, and click and drag the image to your desktop (if your using a Macintosh), or right click and make a copy to your desktop.
Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by.
Ken

Elves Impersonator

Don't step on my Blue Suade Shoes.
Thank you. Thank you very much.

Maze Madness

For those who enjoy maze's here's a little something to occupy a few minutes of your time. This came about while trying to entertain my kids in church. It became a very popular time killer and my mazes got more involved (partly to keep myself entertained).

This second one (titled: Madness) had my 10 year old stumped, so if you take the challenge let me know how long it takes you to complete it.

Feel free to copy and print as many as you want, just don't sell them please. Thanks guys, have fun!

When printed these should fit on a 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. Let me know if you have any technical difficulties. The "Madness" maze is 7" x 7" and spaced 1/4 inches between lines. If you guys create mazes that you think are a challenge. Please post them and let me know. I love a challenge.

Introducing the 2007 T-1 Widower-maker!

Supermodel Hagilda displays the must-have witches broom of the year. Introducing the T1 Widower-maker. When getting there NOW isn't fast enough.

(Scroll down for more sketches...)

Toon Monster

Witty as a boulder, and twice as smart too!

Toon Club: Criminal Mastermind-Mister Meanie

Watch it, he's got a timer! Or is that a detonator? Either way it scares the carbs out of me.

I've put some more time in on this-- it was looking kind've flat and lifeless so I added some shadows and highlights, etc. He makes me think of a Hockey Player gone rogue, or are they all that way?



This next guy came from just sitting around doodling. That's often how most of my creatures of this type come about. Just doodling. Sometimes the outcome is strange and wonderful, this time I think it leans more toward the strange. Ah well, can't win them all.

Killer Agent

Here lies my post for Toon Club. Last week's topic was Killer Whales, and this weeks was Secret Agents, and since I missed last weeks topic because I was finishing my BFA Project (Bachelor of Fine Arts) and couldn't make time to work something up. This is my answer to killing two posts with one illustration.



I still can't figure out how he got the cigar lit.
Thanks for stopping by!

Illustration Friday: Missing

Don't blink, you'll miss it.


I confess I got the idea from one of my favorite movies of all time; Monster's Inc. Booya! The idea is borrowed but the creature is my own. (Confession over.)

(Update:) I've sketched a few more things while warming up for some more 'serious' work I'm doing.

Enjoy












(Update again:)
I did some sketching in church...

We were discussing Acts 10-14, (Peter & Cornelius the Centurian), and this sketch of a Roman soldier mysteriously appeared on my sketch paper. The alien, I have no explanation for his appearance other than, that's what I do. His pet was inspired by my daughters sketches (who also love to draw in church).






















The first is Jessica's, the second is Abbey's.

Deathly Hallows: SPOILERS!

Throughout the entire series of books Snape, more than Dumbledore, or Voldemort has been the biggest mystery to me. The one thing I was certain of was that Snape disliked Harry and never had his best interests at heart. J. K. Rowling in a recent interview on NBC's Today Show Meridith Vieira both reflected my thoughts about Snape and simultaneously shot down my theory about him.

Since I've already written my bit about Snape prior to reading the book, I was curious to see that my thoughts about Snape were justified. This is an exerpt from the interview:

Meridith: Was Snape always intended to be a hero?
J. K. Rowling: Is he a hero? You see, I don't see him as a hero. Really, he's spiteful, he's a bully, all these things are true of Snape, even at the end of this book. Um, but was he brave, yes, immensely.

Greta, Age 8: If Snape didn't love Lily, would he still have protected Harry?
J. K. Rowling: No he definately wouldn't have done. He wouldn't have been remotely interested in what happened to that boy.

I'd figured that he didn't like Harry (genuinely), and the only reason he saved Harry was to repay his debt to James Potter (who saved his life when they were teenagers). What I didn't see was the dynamic between Lily and Severus-- that he felt something akin to love for her. I also didn't see the promise made between Severus and Dumbledore, to kill Dumbledore in the 6th book. While reading Half-Blood Prince, I rationalized Snape killing Dumbledore somehow (I'm still not clear what I was thinking but was sure that it was all legit). After all, Dumbledore trusted Snape.

Later when I had a chance to listen to the book on tape (CD actually) I was more sure than ever that Dumbledore trusted Snape right up until the moment before his death. In that scene, when Harry is immobilized under the invisibility cloak and Snape approaches him, Harry says that he'd never heard fear in Dumbledore's voice before. Having read the 7th book, I now understand that he was pleading with Snape to do the job he'd promised to do, rather than allowing him to die a victim of Fenrir the Werewolf, or Belatrix, or Voldemort himself.

I admit I'm still not okay with asking a friend to kill you. Especially when you know ahead of time that you're going to die whether it be from a curse or some other way. Dumbledore had several options available to him, including going to St. Mungos, or retiring to place where Voldemort would never find him, and dying in peace away from the action. In either of these instances he wouldn't have put Snape in a compromising position.

In any case, it's been a wild ride. Trying to figure Snape out was a challenge, and I guessed wrong, but I at least figured out that Snape probably would have continued to be a Death Eater if Lily hadn't died.

Snape is a Death Eater

On the eve of the release of 7th and final Harry Potter book I wanted to go on record stating with some certainty that Snape is a Death Eater.

My theory is based on the way he treats everyone around him-- with loathing. Snape loves the Dark Arts, and talks about Voldemort with something near reverence. When Harry calls him by his name, Snape tells him to shut up. Snape himself refers to him as "The Dark Lord".

As further proof of Snapes allegiance being with Voldemort, I cite the following:

During his meetings with Harry in which he attempts to teach Harry Legilimancy. Harry asks if Voldemort can read their minds at that moment. Snape tells Harry that he cannot because... "The Dark Lord is at a considerable distance..."

How did Snape know this? Unless he knew Voldemort’s location?

Later, he comments, "You seem to have visited the snakes mind because that is where the Dark Lord was at that particular moment. He was possessing the snake at the time, and so you dreamed you were inside it too."
"How do you know?" said Harry urgently. "Is this just Professor Dumbledore guessing, or...?"
Snape responds, "It is enough that we know."

How did Snape know that the Voldemort was possessing the snakes mind at that moment unless he got this information first hand from Voldemort himself?

Later, Harry, reflecting on his dream about the snake attacking Mr. Weasley, asks what’s in the department of Mysteries?
“What did you say?” Snape asked quietly, and Harry saw with deep satisfaction that Snape was unnerved. “And why would you ask such a thing?”

Why would Snape be ‘unnerved’ that Harry would ask about the Dept. of Mysteries, and dodge the question unless he knew that Voldemort was searching for something in it? And didn’t want Harry to stumble upon the truth?

I believe that this conversation between Harry and Snape is very revealing about Snape's true character, and where his allegiance lay.

In roughly 24 hours we'll know the true story of the fictional character. It should be interesting.

You Have To Exhale Sometime, Kid!

Now for someone really Harry... er... hairy!

Anyone who know's Harry Potter knows hairy Hagrid, the Hogwart's Game Keeper. I've been listening to the books on tape in preparation for the last book in the series... "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and personally, I think the Prophecy that predicts that Harry is going to kill Voldemort is wrong.

My prediction is that Hagrid is going to pop Lord Voldemort like a zit. Hagrid's awesome!

Toon Club: Dr. Seuss

Over at Toon Club, the topic is Dr. Seuss. I wanted to experiment and see what I could come up with. Drawing inspiration from Seuss' own creative genius, this is it. I want to call it a "Seussian Dog", but it could be a number of things. The imagination truly has no limits.

Smurf-Thing!

Over at Toon Club, the topic is Smurf. Not my choice of topic, so I made it more fun for me and mixed it up a bit with more of what is fun.

Apologies for not posting in a very l0ng time. I'll try not to be such a slacker in the future.

Tagged! I'm it! (Sketch Dump!)

Mel Milton, fantastic artist and all around good guy, 'Tagged' me. So I guess that means I'm it. As it, I am morally constrained to create 7 sketches (any topic of my choosing) and post them on my blog.

I'm not sure if posting an old sketch is cheating or not, but here are 6 original (drawn last night), and one from my sketchbook of yesteryear.

Thanks for stopping by.
Comments are always welcome.

700 Hoboes: Pickled Noggin Nettles

This is my submission for The 700 Hoboes Project . I've known about the project for a while now, but suddenly got an itch and had to scratch it.

This is "Pickled Noggin Nettles" (#469). He gets nervous as Midnight approaches and the other hoboes get 'snacky'.

Spider-Man Guy™

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a bug! Yes folks, Spidey's gone stick man.

Walter Matthau

Here's a little something I did for my portfolio while trying to get into the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio. I don't generally do portrait work, but this worked out okay.

Toon Club: Super Grover to the Rescue!

You can imagine Bert's dismay when he can't find his bottle cap collection and Super Grover comes to his aid. Bert will recover-- he always does.

Mr. Peabody and his boy, Sherman

As a kid, Mr. Peabody and his boy, Sherman, always cracked me up. Their adventures going through time in the WABAC machine were both amusing and educational. I think. Actually, I don't remember learning anything pertinent, just laughing my head off.
Who says learning can't be fun?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

The Chandler Family

Sketch Dump

Toon Club 3000 A.D.

In the year 3000 we'll be invaded by aliens-- but nobody will be aware of it because of the ingenious disquises they use to hide their true identity.

This man will run for, and get, the U. S. Presidency.