Cubist Comix

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.

I'm Baaaaaack!!!

 Gee, has it really been a month since my last post? He he, I guess it has. What in the world have I been doing that's kept me from making new posts and keeping in touch with my dear readers? DRAWING, lots of drawing is what I've been up to. I was actually finishing up a long standing commission for a good friend of mine and starting work on some comics stories that I've been wanting to get out of my system. I will post examples of my work as it progresses; I plan to have all the material done by October of this year in time for the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco. Amazingly, I've actually found time to work in my sketchbook over the last month and I have various pages in progress and should have them up within the next few weeks.

So, what's going on with this page? Well, I guess it's my reaction to all the layoffs that are becoming oh so prevalent these days. I thought to myself, "Before you know it even the cartoon characters will be getting laid off." Yes, we are living in tough times, no doubt about that. But this is nothing new, it's just part of life; things get hard then they get better. So, chill out folks, the best is yet to come! You know, sometimes you just have to laugh it off; it's all too silly to take so seriously. Have a good time all of the time!

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.

Expression Through Brush Strokes

Sometimes a photo can be so simple and yet so expressive. This photo by German photographer Uwe Ommer is from a book that collects his striking portraits of African women and it's exactly what I'm talking about and it's why I chose to draw it. Portraits in brush and ink are something that I love doing because there's an expressiveness that can be achieved that you can't get with a pen. Quality of line and light and shadow are a strong combination that adds up to very powerful work. Brush and ink in Aquabee