The weekend of May 1, 2010 was Chalk the Walk in Mount Vernon, Iowa.  I participated by chalking one of the 8×10 ft squares with a little Parraffino scene.  I think there were over 40 boxes colored this year.  It was my first year, a new experience.  I’ve never had to sit on my drawing while working on it before…It’s an interesting perspective.  Chalk is also a new medium for me…very messy.  The whole process took from 8:30-4 on Saturday and from 9:30-3 on Sunday.   (Also, I drew at a Post-Prom party at a high school from 12:00-2:30 AM Sunday morning.)

This is what you get when you combine a parrot, giraffe, and rhino into a powerful, dangerous and colorful animal without wings…otherwise known as the Parraffino.

This was created by playing a fun artist game.  In down time at the park we entertain each other by writing a list of key words and then handing it off to another artist to illustrate.  As listed above, the key words for this were: parrot, giraffe, rhino, must look powerful, dangerous and colorful, no wings.  Then we hand the finished drawing to the writer of the words for a grade.  I got an A+ on this one.  The only problem with this game is those pesky costumers keep coming up to the stand and wanting to get drawn…

Last week I was in Sandusky, Ohio at the International Society of Caricature Artists (ISCA) convention 2009.  I received an injection of inspiration which will keep me going through next year.  I met some great new friends as well as reconnecting with old ones.  The talent people have is breath-taking!  I created this image at the convention using the pen tool in illustrator.  Angie does live digital caricatures on her large screen cintique tablet.  Her husband, Scott, does magic (yes, the REAL kind) as well as digital video effects and editing.

In the aftermath of the convention my resolution is to update my blog at least once a week, so stay tooned! 

Did you know librarians do a lot more than shush the patrons?  This one does!  Amy writes plays, knits and populates the perimeter with puppets (was that a bit of a stretch??).  I had a wonderful time illustrating this commissioned work for her.  It is 11 x 14 in, done in ink, watercolor and colored pencil.  The original piece can be view at the Lisbon Public Library, located in Lisbon, Iowa.

We are entering my favorite time of year.  SUMMER!!  Congrats to all the graduates this spring.  Specifically to my roommate Shantha, who recieved her PhD in Industrial Engineering.  And also to my brother Logan, who will be graduating from high school at the end of the month.  And while we’re at it:  Good Luck to my sister Hannah, who is leaving for China for an indefinite period of time.  I love you all!

Back to summer,  ah….yes.  Lazing around drinking lemonade…afternoon naps…swimming.  Running around barefoot…  That’s the way I remember it anyway.  More recently, as an artist and more specifically as a caricature artist, my summers are filled with lots of drawings.  Theme parks, county fairs and parties.  I’ll be there.

This particualar piece, which I call Hello Squirrel, was made as an example for a coloring book page.  Of course, once it was finished, I couldn’t resist coloring it myself.

Even if you haven’t read the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, you’ve probably heard of it.  I read it recently, (I refused to see the movie until I read at least the first book).

First, let me apologize if you were intending to read the books and I have given something away to you by posting this image.  If I did that to myself I would kill me.  Someone ruined the 4th Harry Potter book for me, and although I was able (with some professional help) to forgive him, it stands as a warning to anyone, myself included, who might give away the ending of a story.

Ok, I’ll keep my narration to a minimum for the above reason.  I will say that as I read the books I got more and more sucked into the story.  I decided to use them as an excuse to do a little character design.  Anyone who has read the books (and probably everyone else, too) will understand this:  Edward Cullen or Jacob Black?  Vampire or werewolf?  Cold or hot?

This is a great opportunity to give a shout-out to Iowa, my own home state.  Besides the movie Field of Dreams, we also get the character Radar O’Reilly from Ottumwa, Iowa.

I don’t have cable, and I don’t have a digital converter box.  I also don’t have antennae for my television so I haven’t been able to watch TV for several years.  I have something better.  I check out TV series from the library, which is free.  I will also rent, but will pay no more than a dollar per disk.

Obviously, I’ve been watching M*A*S*H.  It used to be the show that was on after weekday cartoons.  Thus, it was a show of great annoyance to me.  If it weren’t for the fact that my roommate suggested it, I never would have checked it out.  After all, I thought, it ran for eleven seasons, is considered by many to be one of the greatest TV shows, and won several emmys…there must be something good about it.

Obviously…again…I ended up liking it or I wouldn’t have drawn the cheeky doctor Captain Hawkeye Pierce from MASH unit 4077.

Every good caricaturist must have a drawing of the president.  Thus, I have produced the image you see here.  I give you Barack Obama.