I DREW A BIKER TO WARM UP MY FINGERS:
Why? Read the amazing post below and find out. Or don’t.
BIG READ:
This week I travelled to Independence Missouri for a Big Read event. I’ve done many of these over the years since adapting Fahrenheit 451 into a graphic novel. The Big Read creates events around well known books for schools and libraries, thus if they choose to do events around Fahrenheit, I am often invited to be a part of it. I had a great time talking to students at the Kansas City Art Institute, and the local libraries. If you live in Independence, check out my original art work on display at several library locations. Yes, I forget which ones. Check local listings.
BIKERS:
These events are mostly uneventful, and this trip was no different other than my hotel being right next to a restaurant called Twin Peaks. The first day there I wandered over to this “Twin Peaks” to grab lunch as something in my head told me there was something in my head about Twin Peaks I should remember. Not something to remember about David Lynch or Log ladies, but something else. As I got closer, I did notice that the windows were tinted and I could not see who or what was inside. Also the front door was plastered with pictures of women in bikinis or wet t-shirts. Then I heard the roar of a motorcycle and saw that the parking lot on the other side of the building was occupied by a biker gang. As in Harley’s and guys dressed in leather jackets with patches. Then I remembered why I knew the name Twin Peaks. Last year at a Texas Twin Peaks location, there was a motorcycle gang shoot out of some sort. Twin Peaks is basically a Hooters for bikers. Thus, I pretended not to like what was on the menu in the window (there was no menu in the window) and continued walking to the Mexican restaurant conveniently located 5 miles away.
Challenged to show three bits of scribbling I did at some point in my life everyday for five days, I came across something I forgot. Way back when the 2008 election (seems like yesterday, eh?) was lurching slowly to it’s feet, First Second was thinking of doing something political. They wanted Tom Purcell to write a sort of humorous weekly web comic about the campaign which I would draw. So I would have to draw it FAST. Needless to say, this project never happened. But I have various preliminary drawings I did of Hillary Clinton, Obama and McCain. On the color page you can see Joe Lieberman (remember him?). I seem to remember the joke being that he wanted to be Obama’s Vise President and followed him around like a puppy. Obama was drawn with an ever present cigarette as he hadn’t “kicked” the habit yet. I was searching for the fastest way to draw this proposed strip as I think it was to be weekly. If it happened, I can only assume this comic would have been out of date five minutes after it was published even back in that pre-Twitter era.
I was challenged by George O’Connor to post some art everyday for 5 days. I can do that with my eyes closed. In fact, the way I draw, people often ask me if I had my eyes closed! (Insert rim shot sound) Today’s art: Something I’m working on. Some tired scary people home after a long night’s work:
I’ll give into the TBT craze for one week so I can show off my failed Halloween (safety tip) Children’s book pitch from Last week. Remember way back last week? It was Halloween! As you can see below, my book was going to be called:
Hilarious, right?! I was either going to call it that or “Look Witch way?” or “Being safe is all about the my ‘NEWT’ details” or “Always Ask Mummy For Help” or “Simply place the Furniture Over the Blood Stains On the Rug.” Oh well. back to the cutting board.
Usually I post something here on Thursday. ANYTHING as long as people look at it and drive up traffic on my web site so that I can get high paying advertisements and pay myself to constantly post notices about how I don’t play Candy Crush. Being that it’s summer and my heat rash is slowing down my work, I’ll just say that I’ll be taking the next month off as far as posting art goes. This frees up a lot of time for scratching and picking at my heat rash. So much time… Before I take a break though, here is proof that I’m almost done with my next book, as we are now doing the ever important CMYK tests! These test are delicate and hard to explain to you non-artist types. So just focus on the cute little elf. Yes, what would a children’s book be without an elf! Again, I’ve said too much!
Worked with visiting artist Nathan Schreiber while we enjoyed pie and coffee at Four &Twenty Blackbirds yesterday. He worked on a book involving science, as he’s smart that way, and I worked on doodles involving monsters for what could be my next project because I’m silly that way. Then we ended up talked about how time didn’t exist before gravity existed and blew each others minds. I wish I’d taken a picture of that moment with my phone as people seem to do in this amazing future we live in, but we were caught up in the moment. Rather than a photo of that though, here’s a small bit of what I was working on.
CARTOONS, CHILDREN'S BOOKS, GRAPHIC NOVELS, HUMOR AND MY BLOG LIKE THING.
