Batman

Just messin' around last night. Been a while since I've drawn any super heroes...just fast and rough.

Illustration Friday: Tail

I like drawing mermaids, so when I saw this week's topic, the first thing that came to mind was a mermaid.
I was just going to post a sketch, but I got locked on and couldn't stop.  I added some color, but left all the outline sketch on top.  I did a mermaid several weeks ago (you can see that one several posts back) and I wasn't to happy with all of it...I liked this one better....enjoy.

Pirate sketch

Here is a little pirate sketch from last night.  I know I got a little carried away with the cliche...beard, parrot, hook,  eye patch, peg leg...but hey, it was fun.

pilgrim portrait

I've been painting a little bit in Photoshop lately.  I haven't found a real comfort zone yet, but I've been trying to change things up and not just do what I know.  Don't totally love this, but I did enjoy some happy moments in the process. 

French Girl

My daughter was a mime for Halloween this year. This little doodle started out to be a mime...but I ended up just leaving it as a cute french girl.
  

Halloween doodles

I thought I'd post a couple halloween themed doodles from this week.  Just quickies to get it out before October is gone for another year.  Happy Halloween everyone, be safe out there tonight!

Crow

Some Crows.

Illustration Friday: Creature

This little creature would be much more scary if he weren't so small.  This is a discarded piece of halloween candy.  Who knew a little piece of grape taffy could look so nasty.  He'll probably attack someone's shoe, and return to his former self once he finds some nice warm carpet.  Anyway, when I saw this weeks topic, this is where my mind went.  I almost never get to paint with purple...it was fun.

little piggy longboards? and a surfing banjo pig too.

Don't ask why...because I really don't know.  Just sketching for fun and this is what came out.

Illustration Friday: Entangled

My first thought I had when I saw this weeks  "entangled" topic was kite string in tree branches.  I know my kids always fly their kite into the trees...then it's my job to get it down.  I drew this up tonight and got a little carried away with the tree (all that bark texture doesn't really add anything to the story), but I had a lot of fun drawing on a Friday night.  Have a great weekend everyone.  I hope ya like my little doodle.

 

Friday Birds

Here are some bird sketches. Hey it's Friday!

Older Disney Sketches.

I've been trying to clean up my studio for a few weeks now.  I've got a few piles of sketches that I've been going through...trying to figure out which ones to toss.  I came across some fun stuff I did while still at Disney.  These were done for a little shooting gallery mini game within the Toy Story 3 game.  It was fun drawing in this style and it was some of  my favorite work I did in my brief time there.

I have a lot more that I still need to scan and save.  Maybe I'll post more of this kind of stuff. Happy Wednesday everyone.  

Illustration Friday; Moustache

I guess I do like to draw mustaches...I looked through a pile of sketches on my light table and found these.
Hope you like 'em.  Well, so much for my lunch break, back to work!

250 post!?

I noticed when I posted the sketch of the skull, that I was at 249 posts.  I know that compared to some blogs that have been around as long as mine, this is really no big deal.  But, since I'm in a painting mood, I thought I'd celebrate the occasion with a colored post that helped celebrate it.  So, here's to 250...enjoy.

Happy Skeletons?

I've been enjoying putting a little color on some drawings lately.  Been a while since I've done much color work and it's hard shaking off the rust.  Here is a quick little sketch of a skeleton that should paint up pretty soon.  I'm not sure if anyone still stops by my blog, so if you have anything to say...please leave a comment so I'll know you were here.  I'm going to start doing this blog thing again...but if no one even looks at any of this, hard to stay motivated. ya know?

Let there be COLOR...

Most of my sketches I can envision in color when I draw them.  This one was like that.  I colored it up quick and never really varied from what was in my head from the beginning.  It's fun when it goes like that...
Sometimes it's a struggle for me to make a picture look as good as I see in my mind.  I'm not sure if my skill level is quite up to it yet.  This one was again done totally in Photoshop.  I don't yet have the speed or control I had in Painter, but I'm working on it and that's the important thing.  Happy Thursday everyone.

In an effort to improve, and experiment... and find a way to paint a little better in Photoshop, I sketched out another witch this morning and the plan is to add some color soon.  For now, here is the sketch.

Pumpkin

another little doodle from this morning.  It is a pumpkin.  I'm just messin around trying to do things out of my norm.  I've been seeing all this ink stuff for #inktober...so I thought I'd try a little something.

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halloween witch

I sketched this up yesterday morning...then I thought, why not add some color?  Not anything too special, but it was fun to paint up.  It's been a while since I've done much color work, and I'm trying to find a comfort zone in Photoshop.  Baby steps.  I'll get there.  This was done totally in Photoshop...it's a start.

Mermaid

Here is a quick one from this morning, I brought the pencil sketch into Photoshop and added some very simple color/value.  This pose is quite stiff...a constant battle for me, but for the minimal time spent I'm still fairly happy with it.

Fishing Report

Well, it's time again to post a drawing of our yearly "brothers and friends" backpacking trip to the Uintah mounntians.  We hiked in to Crater Lake and it was way too far this year and it about killed me.  It was only a 3 day trip and we probably covered 30+ miles.  Last year I did a sloppy lame sketch of my little brother Duane catching a bigger fish (for once) and posted it here.  He grabbed it off my blog and used it as his phone screen saver all year long.

So, this time I told the truth...the fishing was kind of bad...no one caught a huge fish...but I remember mine was a little bigger.  So here ya go Duane, you get to look at this for the next year.  I even cropped you your own version!

There ya go.  until next year.

Happpiness

I've been thinking a lot about happiness lately.  This could become quite a long post, because I have a tendency to go on too long about things...just ask my wife.  But, I've been wondering why so many of us waste time being unhappy.  When I think of myself as a teenager, I was always happy.  There wasn't much that came my way that would change that for long...it's just who I was.  What happened?  Now, for those of you that don't know me...I'm not grumpy all the time now, but I've decided I have been spending far too much time under my own little black cloud.  Why?  I'm not sure.  Life is too short to waste time being unhappy.  For me it takes more effort to be unhappy.  It's not my natural self.  So I've decided to smile a little more.  I'm going to make a conscious effort to be happy.  How?  I'm going to "count my blessings".  My life is good.  There will always be things that try and trip me up...and I'm sure I'll fall every once in while, but why stay down...it's just not worth it.  There, I'm done.  I like my little illustration on the subject...no that's not me.  Way too much hair.

glasses

my eyes are all I got left...my hair is gone, one ear is going...but I've never had to wear glasses.
I went to the eye doctor a couple of years ago, and he was impressed with my vision.  That was then.
He told me it was just a matter of time, and looks like he was right.  I'm starting to move things farther away to read...I've notice I tip thing toward the light...it's official.  I'm starting to get old.

sketches for the forth of July

these sketches don't really have anything to do with the 4th of July...just thought I'd put something new up if anyone out there still comes by my blog.  I haven't got any comments in what seems like years...so, just to prove you stopped by, please leave a comment...or not...that's ok too.  hope ya like looking at these few doodles, just a bunch of random sketches just for fun. Happy forth of July everyone...be safe out there.

weekend cowboy

here is a cowboy sketch for your weekend.  hope ya like it.

feels good to do something

I've been wanting to do some more conceptual stuff for a while now.  I have a pretty large stack of this type of illustration in my studio at home.  I started thinking about taking pieces of things I've already painted and putting them together to make new concepts.  It was kind of fun to create this way.  Paint something out of one painting, then photoshop some new element or object in, and wow, a new piece.

Nothing too special here, but these are a few "new ones" from this weekend.

where did Feb. go?

I was sick for more than a week this month.  I usually don't get sick...but maybe I needed to this year, so I could realize how lucky I am that I don't usually have to deal with that.  Yuck!  I honestly don't know where the month went, but here are a couple doodles from my desk just so Feb. won't get the best of me.

rollerblader

Just a silly little doodle today.  I was trying to get the real awkward pose of a beginning skater, but didn't really achieve what I was after...oh well. 

Obamacare...

New year...and new health care costs.  At my workplace, they told us that their agent warned them of health care cost increases as much as 40%.  Thankfully it wasn't quite that bad, but our policy got worse and the costs still went up, and I did notice today that my take home total was less.  Tax increases combined with increased cost of health insurance.  I guess this is the "changes" that the majority wanted.

Here is my take on the new world of Obama Care.  "Good luck," the doctor says as he shows you to the entrance of the maze that has become our health care.

Where has Lael been lately?...and why no posts?

I have mentioned before on my blog some of my projects at my little rental house.  I have a basement apt that I've had rented for 8 years straight (same tenants).  Well, when the renters moved, I found out that they stopped caring about or cleaning my place years ago.  It was awful.  It required a lot of work to get it back to a presentable state.  I wish I had taken some before pictures so everyone could appreciate the transformation...but I forgot.  Maybe that's a good thing, because they surely would have grossed some of you out quite a bit.  Anyway, I know it's not art, but I'm quite proud of my efforts just the same, and I thought I'd share.

 this is the new look kitchen...simple but clean again.  I cleaned A LOT, and added a tile floor, new counter top and used range/stove and of course a fresh coat of paint.

 Here is the other side of the kitchen...I still have to put the new counter top on the sink side...but I ran out of time.  The new renters are in.

 Here is a picture looking past the pantry into the kitchen...I like how the tile edge looks with the new carpet.

 This is the stairs coming down into the apt from the side of the house. Clean, clean, clean.

 This is the new look bathroom. Here I had to fix some really bad drywall (that the previous renter installed...yikes) and then I put in a tile floor and new vanity and marble counter top...and of course paint.

 Here is a shot of one of the bedrooms...not too special, but they sure look better cleaned up.

 I added some tile in the back entry area...that'll help the carpet stay a little cleaner here.

Here is the only picture I have of the main family room...I wasn't smart enough to take it before the new renters started moving all their "stuff" in...

So there ya go...my budget remodel.  I say budget because I did it all myself...I know it's not too fancy, but it's clean, smells good and it is a "rental" so I didn't want to go too overboard.