Back To The Sketchbooks: March 4th Edition

It's cold and gray outside, so I've been inside working in my sketchbook and waiting for Spring.

My first sketch comes from a Frute Brute cereal box that I was able to snag this past Fall.  Frute Brute is part of the 'Monster Cereals' - which include Frankenberry, Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute.  If you feel your pop culture knowledge is a bit rusty in regards to these cereals, please go check them out here at this LINK.  If you're a fan of Quentin Tarantino movies, keep your eyes peeled for a box of Frute Brute that shows up from time to time.

I try to combine my own personal doodles/notes along with images redrawn from pop culture because I feel it is too easy to just create copies/reinterpretations of logos/slogans/mascots.  That was done 50 years ago.  It needs to have/be something more.  Now does that 'something more' need to be my notes, sketches, and old D&D dungeons?  That question remains unanswered... 

More sketches forthcoming.

4 Masks: The Maskening...Yes, I know it's not a word...

 A quickie...

Let's take a look at the first two layers of 4 Masks.  First and foremost, I'm hoping to come up with a better title, but for now, it's a working title - that's barely working...

In the bottom right-hand corner are the four 'mask' shapes.

Add a wash of white and with a little bit of tweaking, you end up with a Kool-Aid Man and a Mr. Postal Office Postman Dude.

If I showed you more images, this post would lose its 'quickie' status.  We don't need to earn that kind of reputation around here...

A Weekend Visit to Kansas City Yields a New Sketch Or Two...

 We just did a quick visit down to Kansas City a few weekends ago to go to an art opening and catch a few museums - BBQ and other stops were a total bonus!

So the GOLD STAR for the weekend goes to Heidi Schultz and her new work at Beco Gallery in the Crossroads District in Kansas City.  The show is titled One With Everything.  Check out Beco's Facebook page by clicking HERE.

You can get the scoop on Heidi's artwork and artist's statement by checking out her WEBSITE.

We also stopped and enjoyed a super-duper-ruper breakfast at Town-Topic Hamburgers!

It was so good, in fact, that it ended up being part of a sketch.

After living with the sketch for about 20 minutes, I decided that it was only right and proper to add drawings of my breakfast as well.

This was the view from out hotel room.  We stayed at the very cool Crossroads Hotel.  I highly recommend it.  Check out their website by clicking here: https://crossroadshotelkc.com/.

This is the view of the Western Auto sign from Belger Arts (just a few blocks from our hotel).  They were actually between shows, so we didn't get to see too much.  However, you should still totally check them out: https://belgerarts.org/

It's hard to not want to sketch that sign at least once (I suspect I will be including it in several pieces going forward).  Here is my first sketch that includes the sign.

Until next time...

A Couple Of My Old Toy Pieces Become Decommissioned

 What better way to start a new year than with a callback to the distant past?

There was a 4-year window of time back in the early 2000s, in which I had made a series of 'toy pieces'. From time-to-time, I still reference passages from them in some of my drawings/doodles.  For the most part though, they represent a spur idea from the past that has all but faded from my current oeuvre.

This past Spring might mark the last two pieces slipping into oblivion.  Here are some detail shots from God Still Reigns (Pumpkin Donuts) and Siege Engine.  

Time will tell if these stay buried or if somehow they reemerge in new(er) works...