Xmas Sketch-25Dec Parranda Robots

Happy Holidays! Here's the last Daily Xmas Sketch! I give you the "Parranda Robots"! Celebration takes many shapes in different countries, and this type of caroling is still very popular in Puerto Rico. A group of folks, which make up the "parranda", will gather, and visit friend's houses, unannounced at any time during the holidays. They bring typical holiday music, and their appetite for food and drink. When its over, they "visit" another friend's house.  It is also locally known as "Asalto" (a "hold-up"). The victims either decide to join the friend-hopping, or accept that the group continues to party where they are. The Guitar, Guiro, and other percussion instruments are commonly used, adding to that, if you have local clout, a Cuatro, or even some brass or woodwind instruments. It gets pretty involved.
I really hope you like these four guys, and that they never show up unannounced at your place to eat your aluminium foil chips, and drink your kitchen oil. Happy Holidays! And have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-24Dec Mistletoe Robot

I know I'm a few minutes late, but here's the daily Xmas Sketch for yesterday, Christmas Eve, the 24th of December, 2010. Xmas prep activities had priority. In fact, my daughter is already playing with her presents. She went to bed around 9:00pm, Santa got here between that time and 11:00pm (me and my didn't hear a thing!), and my daughter got out of bed around 11:01. So we're already celebrating. Lots of boxes to open, wires and toy harnesses to undo, some batteries that were not included, that kind of thing.
So here's Mistletoe Robot for you. I hope you find him cute enough to kiss. I thought of making him pucker, but it would have looked scary with all those teeth. There's one more daily sketch to go, and it should be done sometime this Christmas morning. Happy Holidays, everyone! Have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-23Dec Snow Angel

Today's daily Xmas Sketch is Snow Angel Robot. I actually drew the rough for this "snow-angeling" robot while waiting an interview with prospective employers. This was a good idea, but drawing too small later affected the inking. Had a hard time positioning, and drawing snow. It's kind of coarse, but still kind of cute.

The rough for this Hipster Santa Robot was a simpler looking guy, before the accident. Since I refilled my pen with calligraphy ink instead of India ink, like I was supposed to do. The pen let loose a big ol' drop of ink on this guys chin and neck area. I improvised with a little pointy beard, which doesn't make sense on a robot, but who cares. I know the face looks weird, but I really like the scarf!

Here's another scale problem. I had penciled this nice scene of the robots slugging it out with snow balls, and it all went wrong when I didn't take into account scale. You can see how rough the robots outlines look. But then I started testing my refilled pens for a bit, and we have some weirdness going on. I like that chap on the lower right corner.
So I have to do something about the ink I'm using. Regardless, I'll keep using it for now. Hope you've liked these. There are 2 more daily Xmas Sketches to go. Thanks for your visit, happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-22Dec Caroling Robot

Getting closer to the 25th. In today's daily Xmas Sketch, the robot is practicing his carols for the season. Good thing he's MP3 compatible.  There are 3 sketches to go. This time I almost postponed it for tonight. I'm glad I didn't. The 23rd is going to be a busy day for me, and I may have to pre-sketch tomorrow's number tonight. As for the rest of the days, there will always be something in the way, but as we get closer to the 25th, anything one does is bound to be related to the holidays, and/or inspiring in some aspect. I hope you're enjoying these, and I wish you a great holiday season. Thanks for visiting, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-21Dec Cookie Robot

Today's Daily Xmas Sketch idea spark came from Kate Sherrod, a good friend from Twitter, who is well known for her beautiful sonnets to be found at the Suppertime Sonnets blog.  She suggested robots making Christmas cookies. Now that I think about it, I haven't drawn kitchen-based robot mayhem just yet. Thank you so much Kate!
And yes, I know robots don't eat cookies, but these robots are trying to do all they can to celebrate the holidays.  I hope you like it.
Update: I fixed the wonky looking eye on the original image, and since then, Kate wrote us a Happy Holiday Sonnet! Check it out!
Watch for four more robots coming up between tomorrow and the 25th. Have a happy holiday, and as always, have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-19Dec Isotope Tagged

Since the last sketch had a snow-ball fight theme, but with "isotopes", this sketch depicts the action. I'm kind of bummed because my trusty ink-pen gave up halfway through it. The small size of the sketch book I'm using for this kind of forces one to use fine point pens, if there is any fine detail to be rendered. So there may not be as much detail on this piece. I'm looking forward to getting more supplies. I was told Santa knew about it, and would help out, but I don't think I can wait.  In any case, I liked the poses, especially the robot that's throwing the "charged" snow ball.

Now there are five Xmas related sketches left to create. These will most likely be of robots in some sort of holiday theme. Five more Xmas concepts to think about. Let's see how much Yuletide Spirit we can muster into these tin cans. Hope you liked this one. Thanks for visiting, happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch-19Dec Isotope Tag

Going through some holiday activity ideas for a piece, I thought an old fashioned snow ball fight theme was in order. I changed the game to "Isotope Tag" (notice the squiggly radiation tell-tale lines) for some more sci-fi flavor. The "snow ball", hovering between the hands, is radioactive. This last fact makes the isotope much it easier to find. Do wear proper protection if you intend to try this sport.
Hope you like it. There are six more to this Daily Xmas Sketch series.
Thanks for dropping by, happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas.Sketch.18Dec Nutcracker Robot

Today's daily Xmas sketch is based on the Nutckracker. When I decided on drawing the robot as the nutcracker soldier, I didn't really think about its nut cracking jaw. Then I realized I wouldn't need any special jaw alterations for this robot to play the part.
I have 7 Xmas sketches left to create until Santa comes to town, on the 25th. And as you may have guessed, I'm continuing the robot theme until the very end. I wonder if anyone else is drawing robots with a holiday twist. I honestly haven't searched. Do you know?
That's it for today's impulse driven sketch. I hope you liked it. Happy holidays, and have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch 17DEC10 - Gift Robot

Here is today's daily Xmas Sketch. A robot, just happy to give you a gift. We need more of these robots around, don't we?  I say that because I intend to keep to the theme until the last Xmas Sketch is done. In fact, this would have been "the 12 Robots of Xmas" except for the fact that I started one day late to do that. I suppose I could do a double sketch on the last day, just to celebrate with 12 robots.
I'm enjoying this "themed" series. It allows me to experiment within boundaries, on specific aspects of a piece. You know all this very dark shading? I working on understanding how to use it, but I'm sure you've noticed its not perfect by any means. The Lighting seems to vary angle, depending on what part of the subject you're looking at. In other words, this practice is really necessary so I can peg down how to use this special shading. There are other things I'm learning here, but we'll wait for a last post, and do a little analysis at the laboratory blog.
At least we're going to have enough robots hanging around when Santa comes to town.  I hope you are all enjoying this Xmas robot parade. I certainly look forward to creating these pieces every day. So stay tuned because tomorrow there will be more!  Have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch - 16DEC10 - E-1

Here's "Xmas Sketch" number 2: The E-1 is a new addition at Santa Claus' North Pole complex. The "Elf One" is a little controversial amongst Santa's helpers. In fact, "elf gossip" says its supposed to be a replacement elf in the workshop. This is far from the truth. The E-1 was built to entertain Santa's helpers during long work shifts. It is programmed to dance and sing, as well as tell jokes, and serve hot cocoa. Here we have it going through one of its basic dance routines. I would include an elf joke example, but we wouldn't get it. Its a regional thing. Even if you tried listening to it at one of its famous stand-up comedy shows, you would go crazy from all the high pitched laughter.
So there you have my second Xmas Sketch of 2010. Looks like most of these will be penciled and inked.  I'll keep making them until the 25th. These may even become family presents this year. I hope you like this one, wish you a happy holiday, and prescribe lots of art in as many ways as you can take it.  In other words, have a great art time!

Princess Captured

I came across a recent piece by the great Socar Myles, called "You Have Been Trolled". It features a handsome troll! Awed by her piece (click on the title), I followed up on what she mentioned as particular influences: John Bauer, and Wangjia.

I liked Bauer's trolls, which seemed peace-loving. A particular illustration from 1915, depicting four trolls that had kidnapped a Princess, made me want to sketch the whole thing . So I sketched the Princess. This is 100% impulsive.

I hope you liked the princess, and the story of the sketch. Thank you kindly for your visit. Have a great art time!

Xmas Sketch - 15DEC10 - R-1

I've temporarily replaced the recently started "Boot-Up Sketch" series a daily "Xmas Sketch". I was talking with a good friend about how I had not drawn a single holiday related thing this year, and decided to do this. This self-imposed "commitment" is a daily exercise in creativity, as well as a warm-up drawing.
I now give you R-1. A prototype robot, based on the legendary "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer". He is seen here in one of its practice runs. R-1 is one of the best pieces of technology that ever came from the North Pole laboratories. Of course, this is second to Santa's time-dimensional-travel magic sleigh. R-1 has a navigation module able to cut through the thickest of winter storms (notice the nose). North Pole authorities have assured us that this is not replacement for the real thing. In fact, most equipment in Santa's North Pole complex is powered by "Holiday Magic", and were it not for Rudolph's presence, this robot would not be able to fly.
There you have the first of my Xmas Sketches for 2010. I intend to draw them on a daily basis until Santa gets here. I hope you like it, and wish you a holiday season full of cheer, happiness, good times, and of course, full of art all around you. Thanks for dropping by!

Boot-Up Sketch Professor Von Splatter

Yep. I'm still having character creation issues. Namely, they just pop up. Here's my boot-up sketch for today, which was interrupted, but continued during lunch, and wrap-up time. It was a weird day, and for some reason, mad scientists were in my mind.
Here's Professor Reginald Von Splatter. He's kind of a steampunk scientist. I didn't come up with a background for him (yet) but you can bet he's a risk taker. Seems like a good chap, or is he? We won't know until he gets a role in some future story. Or should I say, when he gets a role in an alternate history story? Oh well. Mainly, I just wanted to try to draw them steampunk goggles.
That will be all for the boot-up sketch today. I hope you liked it. Have a great art time, wherever, and whenever you are.

Boot-up Sketch - Yoga Robot

Today's boot-up sketch reflects my reaction to this morning. Things had to be dealt with balance and meditation. Just like robot #5.
I think this post belongs at the LAB, but it was an impulsive post! Penciling this was a quick matter that left me wanting to ink. Problem: I didn't bring my PITT pen set (med/fine/pen-brush). I couldn't find a gel pen I had around, so I settled for a "Pilot EasyTouch" medium ball point black ink pen. Thoughts of deep troughs and canals showing through pages haunted me. Once I got going, I discovered that only 3 to 4 pages were affected. A folded piece of paper as backing did the trick! By doing this, and softening the plow-like pressure I was using, I decreased the effect. Handy little discovery! It was simple and effective.

Here's the tortured sketchbook page on the right. I shaded it with pencil, and intensified levels with a computer. Hopefully you can tell the outline of the robot in "white". I was done inking about 2/3s when I inserted the folded paper backing.
I hope you liked this, and that perhaps this little tip will help you save some paper. Thanks for dropping by, and have a great art time!

Impulsive Motorcycle

I visited my sister, and brother-in-law so my daughter could have a bit of cousin play-time. My brother-in-law was washing his motorcycle, and proposed I draw his bike. Sketchpad and a knobby pencil at hand, I was ready. For a good drawing of something I haven't drawn in decades (yes, decades), time was going to be a problem, so I approached it roughly. Please don't mind the offset lines you see. I didn't bother to erase (no eraser). So many machine parts! Proportion was a constant preocupation. A straight-edge would have been nice to have, but without those types of tools, this was going to be a very rough rough. So I sat on a garage step stool in the sun, I tried to capture the essence of the machine. I think I managed this, judging by my brother-in-law's grin when he saw the sketch.

I'm not much of an aficionado, I just use transportation from point A to point B, but I can recall a time when this was very different. Funny cars, racing cars, and motorcycles featured prominently in my elementary school notebooks, alongside spaceships, and flying saucers.

This weekend was not as art-filled as I would have liked, but I did get my kicks. I hope you like this sketch. Who knows? I may use it for family holiday purposes this year.

Thanks for dropping by, and as always, have a great art time.

Webcomic Jam Fan Art

I inked my "morning sketch" this time. Looks like I've taken to doing this. I love the way ink looks, and there's plenty to master, so the more practice, the better.
This is "Block", part of the cast from the first story running in our Webcomic Jam. This is a collaborative strip based webcomic which is about to hit its last two strips. I thought I'd do some fan art, and maybe start some other folks going on it. Block is Ted Seko's creation, and its character has been crucial to just about every strip so far.  This, of course, is my current interpretation of "Block". Go take a look at the story so far.
As for the impulsive part of this post, I'm impulsive about inking. Hope you liked it, and that you visit the Jam. Leave a comment here or there. Thanks for visiting, and have a great art time.

One More Step (BU-Sketch-10Dec10)

This morning, during my office workstation boot-up, I sketched a little dinosaur scene. Since this is during boot-up, getting online reference is not an option, so I eased the difficulty curve by making the robots. Drawing robots is handy when you're not sure of the anatomy of what you want to draw. For example, dragons! Who can tell you, with authority, what the anatomy of a dragon looks like? So this mythical robo dinosaur is from "memory". That poor robot guy had to climb up that vine. The dino itself doesn't seem like its hungry, maybe just curious. But this robot person will be spared any incident, since the dinosaur is about to fall into the stream. Robot guys acting like monkeys?
Dinosaurs being curious, maybe even playful? Sure, why not! I "robotized" in this piece for two reasons: 1) I'm practicing/exploring robot characters for another piece, and 2) given the time I had this morning, I had to draw something quick and dirty, and robots are easy to draw. It was mainly a time saver.
Well, that should do it for now. We have a weekend ahead, and hopefully, I'll be able to break out some paints, and catch up on some over-due "work" of mine. I owe some friends some art.  Hope you enjoyed this. If you have a comment, or a question, please do not hesitate. Let me know. I love discussing these things, and learning from them. Thanks for dropping by, and have a great art time!

Boot-up Sketch 9-Dec-10 - Alien and Bot

Drew boot-up sketch this morning. The first thing in my head were aliens. So we have an alien, apparently about to have a serious talk with someone (maybe that little robot?) I like the robot best. It could be a relative of "Gypsy" from Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000 (MST3K).

I really believe that the secret to getting good practice drawing, inking, and painting has to do a lot with "exercise" time. Last month, when I was drawing almost daily, figures, and ideas seemed to flow a lot more easier from my mind to the paper. The rapid pace of creation kind of "oiled" up the "machinery". I still have some roughs I haven't touched from that time. So a great thing to do: art exercise. No matter what you have in mind, just draw. You may think you're wasting paper and supplies, if its just a "junk" thing you are doing, but you are not! Every little stroke of the pencil, stylus, whatever, counts! It is exercise, and your muscles and your mind learn to dance together better, every time you do it. So do it!!!!!!

That's my little art sermon of the day. Thanks for dropping by. Have a great art time!!!

Boot-up Sketch & Tiny Figures

I started a boot-up sketch this morning, but it was interrupted. So I continued doodling between and during tasks, including during the big end-of-the-year office-wide meeting this morning. You know, awards, good-byes, propaganda, that sort of thing. I thought I would be able to sketch some of my fellow co-workers, but the environment didn't look "artist-friendly". With all the gossipy, and watch-each-other attitude in this place, I couldn't draw faces without the faces watching me. You see that guy on his side? He's my original sketch. The rest was fun experimenting. Check out that "bus scene", or the "hanging scaffold sitting scene" on the first page.

You may notice lots of little figures on both pages I used from my new small sketchbook. There are also some little ladies in recognizable poses. The second page has a Spanish dancer, a few astronauts, some mad scientist, a superhero of sorts, a bug-guy, etc. I went about with little figures following one goal: to draw simple/tiny figures showing emotion, intention, or a situation. In other words, their silhouettes should tell you a story or who they are. This was kind of difficult, but not impossible. Most of them look like those little people they use in architecture models, but I've tried to give them some variety. Most wee folks are found on the first page. I made them a bit bigger with more detail on the second page.

I hope you like these. (I may use these tiny figures for story boards some day soon). In the meantime, thanks for dropping by, and have yourself a great art time!

Pen Brush Work-Out

The latest rush of drawing and inking left me with art momentum. I had some pencil roughs to play, but my preferred medium point ink pen gave out. Thinking this would be momentous in artist's life, I asked my friends, but now I owe them a round of drinks.

I took the seldom used darkest gray pen brush, and I inked over the roughs, erasing later in the process. This person with the ape face background was an unfinished character. Now it represents something that the person doesn't care much about, but that makes the ape sad. That aside, I had some exercise making all these streaky lines. Trying to get the feel of the pen brush.

Here I had started roughs for a couple of girls, and robots. As I inked, and managed their positions with each other, I added a couple more robots, and a boy. Funny that I didn't notice that longish neck on the girl on the left side. I think she would be toppling all over the place.  This time, with the pen brush, I tried some hashing, and shading. Its a little bit tricky, but possible to master. Practice!

This is more of a doodle page, than anything else. Reminded me of some school notebooks I've had. Originally, there was the floating hair guy, the stone looking face, and that duck bird animal in front of a fan. The rest occurred as I tried too get used to the pen brush thin to thick action, and what little flourishes, and twists can do. Jury is still out on that one. But I got re-acquainted with pen brushes.


I'll have quite a few more of these pen-brush practice sketches. Its a good exercise routine. So that's all for today, hope some of these lines please you, and I wish you the best art time!

30Char - 2010 Character Parade!

As promised, here's a slideshow of the 30 Characters I created for the 30 Character Challenge, underground edition. I embedded a Picasa slideshow from a web albums. Hope you enjoy.

If you have any questions, suggestions, requests, songs you'd like to sing, or drawing to show, let me know. Have a great art time!

IS-02DEC10 Waiting by the Metro

I drew this impulsive sketch today, while waiting for a car inspection, at a local gas station lot. It close to the metro railway station, which railway's support system you see here. I really wanted to draw that railway structure.
I started drawing the left side to anchor things, then threw some perspective out the window when I started drawing the railway structure. The impulse to draw this sketch was obviously to capture the railway structure, the rest be damn. So there you have it. Actual Escher-like dimensionality by pure mistake. Genius! Thank you! Sure.
Obligatory Explanation:
Impulsive Sketches, by its nature and origins is prone to, and will sometimes contain errors, scratches, smudges, happy/un-happy mistakes, possible stains, etc. You have been warned.
This same sketch will be posted on dA's group for Impulsive Sketches. Look it up next time you visit DeviantArt. Thanks for dropping by, and have a great art time

30Char Fallout 1

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I still don't have a slideshow of my 30 characters, but I continued inking remnant characters.

Here's my vampire pig. His title, Count Bacon. A vampire bites a pig, which bites a human in turn. The Count is currently living in Argentina, and fancies himself a worldly sort.

I had to post this one just because of the pig's faces. The slight disregard for anatomy makes it endearing, don't you think? There are a couple more fallout characters that may deserve attention. This last month of more intensive drawing built a good momentum. Maybe I should keep the rhythm going.

Hope you like it. Comments and ideas welcome. Have a great art time!