1.04.2008

Big Plans and Little Doodles

Unlike most people, I never attached much significance to the start of a New Year. To me it was always just another page on the calendar. This year, however, I have decided to imbue the start of 2008 with great and historical significance. Historical to me, at least. I'm sure the rest of the world won't give a shit.

I have big plans for the new year, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I think the only people in recent memory that have had bigger plans for the future than me were Walt Disney and Hitler. Fortunately for you, dear reader, my plans don't include treacly family entertainment or genocide. However they are going to require a lot of planning, hard work, and discipline. Three things I've never been terribly good at. In the landfill where big plans and dreams go to die I have my own mountain.

Which is why I decided to join the masses and come up with some New Year's resolutions, mainly, ways for me to finally become a fiscally solvent artist/singer and avoid having to do another stint slinging suds behind a bar somewhere. From wanting to get more into cartooning and illustrating, trying different artistic mediums and styles, and becoming a known sports artist to recording, booking, and promoting myself as a singer, I have a lot I'd like to get done. That's not even mentioning the other resolutions I've made which have nothing to do with my career.

So, I've spent much of the last few days planning out the next 4 or 5 months and setting some goals for myself to see that I get as much done as possible without losing my way (by losing my way, I mean doing way too much drinking, recovering from drinking, and settling in for too many marathon Star Wars, James Bond, and Lord of the Rings viewings. Hey, I have a 61 inch HD TV in my living room. Do you know what it's like working from home with one of those things in the very next room? It's like being a recovering drug addict and rooming with both Lindsey Lohan and Amy Winehouse while having Keith Richards play Mr. Roper).

One of these goals is to do at least a little bit of painting and/or drawing - and update this blog -every single day. My goal is to not just use this blog as a way to showcase and promote my art and music (although, make no mistake, it will certainly be that), but to also throw up some links to the more interesting detritus floating around the web and to provide what I hope will be some witty and insightful commentary on things that interest me. I'll be letting you know about movies I've seen, music I've heard, books I'm reading, beers/wines/cocktails/cigars I've tried, and my completely biased and irrational views on the sports world.

I hope that those of you who visit this space will make it a regular stop and tell all your internet friends about it. In fact, tell your real friends, as well. Of course, I make no guarantees that this whole thing won't end up being a big bowl of suck that's basically a longwinded tribute to my own outsized ego. A very real possibility.

Anyway... for your Friday viewing pleasure. Here's a collection of doodles from the last few days.


A quick Bugs Bunny done while taking a break from painting, I was going more for the squat, "early Bugs" look of the 40's. His head's a bit too small, though, and his face is entirely unappealing.

A quick cartoony sketch of myself singing as I try to work out some ideas for marketing and promoting the music gig.

I got a good piece of advice awhile back from cartoonist Pete Emslie (check out his great blog here). He recommended trying to do caricatures from a video source, seeing the person act and move can give you a better sense of their character and improve your drawing. Last night while watching "The Professional" I was writing out song lists when I decided to flip the page and do a little doodling. I never got a good bead on Gary Oldman's character (although I love the Chuck Jones mouth his cigarette dangles from), but overall it's a great exercise and I'll be sure to have my sketch pad on my lap whenever I'm watching TV from now on.

Which, when you think about it, is a great excuse to have marathon viewing sessions in front of my big, goddamn obnoxious HDTV. "I'm not being lazy, honey, I'm working! Look! See!?!"

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