Cubist Comix

The Quiet Industry Of The Cafe

This is my first post since our recent move. I've actually got five other pages that I'm working on but haven't finished because of said  move. I will be posting those pages in the days to come. The people on this page are: two girls that I saw one day at the cafe and my friend, Monsieur Jean Claude Crhi. The girl at the far left was sitting and chatting with a young man that I often see at the cafe. She was beautiful and had delicate features. However, as I was drawing her I could not help but notice that she seemed to be a very demanding and fussy woman; "High Maintenance" was the term that kept coming to mind. She was attractive and she knew it. I see lots of women like this at the cafe and, quite honestly, I am considering doing a sketchbook focusing on these "Coffeehouse Hotties." Believe me, I would have no trouble filling the pages! The girl at the far right was sitting on one of the couches and typing on her laptop while chatting with a friend about selling on eBay. She was young, 21 or 23 at the most, and she had striking cat eyes that drew my attention and made me want to draw her. She might have noticed me drawing her because after a while she moved over to the bigger couch that was farther from me to lounge and continue chatting. I was really hoping to do another drawing of her but she left before I could. This happens to artists way too often! The gentleman at the bottom of the page is my friend Jean Claude Crhi from Cameroon. Jean Claude is a writer and musician who is part of the local cafe scene. He has recently written a book of folk-like tales entitled "Cry: The Lost Book Of Seven Chapters." Click on the bold type to check it out and order a copy. The cafe is a place where individuals formulate and hatch ideas and plans. It's a place where there is quiet industry going on beneath all the chit chat and coffee drinking. Did you know that?

Has Anyone Seen Chuck Barris Lately?

This series of sketches was done about a week ago at our local Open Mic Night. I actually wanted to draw more people but I was coming down with a cold and wasn't feeling a hundred percent. My wife and I have been attending Open Mic Night on a regular basis for a month or so now; we both agree that it's better to get out and see something live than sitting around the house watching TV. Open Mic Night is an interesting amalgamation of people and talent; you run the gamut from first timers to seasoned pros to everything in between.  Some of the performers can be pretty impressive and really get the audience going. On the other hand, others can be pretty awful and provide the audience with a lesson in patience... and I'm talking SERIOUS patience. This will not be my last attempt at drawing during Open Mic Night - I shall return!. In fact, I wanted to go out tonight and do some drawing but we are in the middle packing and getting ready to move so, unfortunately, there will be no Open Mic Night tonight. Oh, by the way, the Chuck Barris mentioned in my post's title was the host of the Gong Show from the Late 70s; I've thought of him from time to time as I sit there at Open Mic Night and wonder what sort of comments he would make or how many of the performers would have been gonged if he were present. Talent is talent. You cannot force it and you cannot fake or God forbid buy it. You either have it or you don't. 

New Faces, New Café... More Coffee

Here we have a new batch of drawings that I did recently at a new/ old favorite cafe of mine. Since starting this blog last year, I have spent countless hours drawing unsuspecting victims that come in to do homework, chitchat, strike business deals, sleep, etc at various cafes, both locally and out of town. The particular cafe where I did this batch of drawings is one that Ive frequented off and on for the last 5 years or so and one that I had stopped coming to (sort of). I think that atmosphere has a lot to do with the drawings I do at any given cafe; the more comfortable I am, the more I'm going to draw.  This cafe, Empresso Coffeehouse, is comfortable, has a good vibe and is always filled with unsuspecting victims for my pen so it's easy to see why I like going there.

    

Freedom Through Dreaming

This idea began one day as I sat at the cafe. As always, I was looking for an unsuspecting victim to draw when I spotted the lovely young lady pictured here. I originally did this in pencil with the idea of finishing it up later or on a return trip to the cafe but that all changed when I got home; the cool, overcast weather combined with the luxury of a day off spurned me into action. I became excited with the possibilities that opened up to me in that moment and I decided to just let myself go with what I was feeling. The first thing I thought of doing was experimenting with my pen and ink technique; having mastered cross hatching I, now, would like to add and expand that into something new. The second thing that came to mind was turning a basic cafe drawing into something strange and new. I didn't know what I would end up with but I can certainly say that I love what happened with this. This is just a preliminary drawing for a finished illustration that I intend to do within the next two weeks; I can't wait to do it as I've had even more ideas come to mind since I began this.

This Is How You Escape

I always carry my sketchbook and Rapidograph wherever I go; it's something that I've been doing for twenty-five years and it becomes more ingrained as time goes on. Most of the drawing that I do is done at local cafes and other assorted places: doctor's offices, parked car, etc. Why do I feel so compelled to do this? Aside from the fact that its a deeply ingrained habit, I feel that I do this in order to build momentum and thrust myself forward to where I want to be in the future. There's a terribly long and complicated story behind my reasoning that would take up more space than I have here so I'll spare you the details. Drawing, every single line, is going forward and not giving in; it's my inner voice telling me, "This is how you escape." Through my drawing I will attain my freedom and ultimate recreation.

The girl in the upper left hand corner was drawn a couple of weeks ago at a Starbucks in Davis, California. It was hard not to look at her; she was gorgeous. Her features seem to be something of an ideal to me: black hair, fair skin, full lips, etc. She reminded me of Jane Morris, the iconic artist's model of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Believe me, this drawing doesn't do her justice but at least something remains and she's not totally forgotten. Rapidograph in Aquabee.

Please check out the great new site, Beerpump, that el señor R has begun for drawings of beer taps/ pumps from all over the world. Sooner or later you'll see something of mine there (Se lo prometo señor R!).

Refinement, Fine Cuisine and Fine Art

Refinement, fine cuisine and fine art all in the same place? Not exactly. Unfortunately, this would be wishful thinking at best. After years of living in a cultural wasteland, I've started asking myself if maybe I'm asking too much or if I am really living in Purgatory. Time and time again I've tried to embrace the local art scene, but up until now I've come up empty handed. What is happening here seems to be happening in a lot of places here in the United States; cuts to school arts programs are rampant and this has led to a degradation of our culture. It's like Danny Gregory says in his book, Everyday Matters, kids are rewarded for wanting to pursue sports but God forbid that they want to grow up to become an artist. After all, let's not forget the starving artist and the famous dead artist myths that we constantly perpetuate; it's so stupid that you just have to laugh about it. What ever happen to being well rounded? Have we forgotten about that? That seems to be the case here in the US. Perhaps you see some of the this where you live or maybe you're lucky and you live where this doesn't exist. This page is what I see where I live; maybe it's a bit harsh but, hey, sometimes the truth hurts. Shame on us for being so closed-minded and for not having more intellectual curiosity about the world around us. Rapidograph in Aquebee.

Another Day At The Cafe

 One of the most frustrating things about drawing people at a cafe is the fact that some of them cannot sit still for one second. The young lady whose torso I've drawn here is the perfect example of that; I saw her come in and sit down with some people that were already there. As soon as I saw her I knew that I wanted to draw her; she was very pretty; she was Asian, fair skinned and had long, jet-black hair.  She would sit, then she would stand, then she would sit again! At one point she was leaning over the table with her nice derriere in the air but as soon as I started drawing her she sat back down. Talk about frustrating! I eventually gave up and settled for drawing her torso, not that I'm complaining or anything but I really wanted to draw her face. Oh well, I'm sure that there will be a next time. At the cafe there is always a next time. The girl with the designer glasses was studying with a guy and, obviously, didn't move quite as much as the other girl therefore making it supremely easy to draw her. For some reason the thing that I remember most about her was her hearty laugh. Rapidograph in Aquabee.

I originaly posted this yesterday but wasn't too happy with it, it needed some touch ups. I redid the lettering using a thicker pen point and added some shadow to the seated girl's blouse, etc. Ah, much better. What can I say, I'm as anal as they come.

Girls and Caffeine

Drawing in cafes is something that I've been doing for years and to this I day I still find it to be an enjoyable and productive experience. When you frequent certain cafes you're bound to see the same faces; even if you don't know them personally you still know them in a way. Take for instance the young lady in the shorts and boots, I see her almost every time that I go to this certain cafe. She's always there studying with a friend. I'm sure it won't be the last time that she appears in my sketchbook. Hopefully the next time that I draw her I can get her face into the picture. The tricky part about drawing people in a cafe is that you have to do it in a way that doesn't look obvious or lecherous (not easy). Like anything else, it takes practice. As I was drawing this girl the gentleman in the bottom illustration sat at the table next to us; I had drawn him way back in November and here he was again. See what I mean? I do all the drawing in my sketchbook with a Rapidograph pen; I've tried other pens, the Micron for example, but they just don't feel the same to me. I guess it's probably because I've been drawing with a Rapidograph for 25 years and have gotten used to the feel of real ink on paper. Rapidograph in Aquabee.

Weekend Road Trip

 

Here you have the results of a weekend road trip that I made to Davis, a city that is an hour away from where I'm located, along with my wife and our dear friend, Jenny, this past Saturday. The first drawing that you see was done in the car; quite a challenge I must say! Have you ever tried this? I must admit, this came out better than I thought; the shaky line quality actually adds some character to the drawing. Go figure! The second image was done at the Local Borders Books after we had finished having dinner. We were unaware that they would be having music that night so without even trying I found my next unsuspecting victim. The girl that I drew was thin, fair skinned, and had wonderful curly red hair. She sang for about 45 minutes so I had plenty of time to draw her. Her voice reminded me a bit of Tori Amos. Borders was very busy that night and we were sort of cramped in, but my trusty Micron pen prevailed anyway. Both drawings were done in my small Moleskine Cahier notebook. I have resolved to draw anything and everything that comes into sight this year. Micron in Moleskine.

Traces of Lead

Pen and ink is by far my favorite drawing medium but drawing in pencil is something that I am very fond of doing  as well. I found this portrait of Virginia Woolf (?) in a set of author cards that I own and really liked the portrait of her that was included. Pencil drawings have a special magic to them, they possess subtleties that are difficult to achieve  in other mediums. The best thing about drawing in pencil is, of course, that you can change your mind at any time and make changes. Despite this luxury, drawing in pencil is still a demanding practice. Pencil in Aquabee.