The art and musings of Arizona artist Jeff Curtis otherwise known and loved throughout the world as JEPHYR!
Copyright Notice
All images, photos, and video excluding advertising and google generated content, or unless otherwise labeled, areCopyright Jephyr (Jeff Curtis). All Rights Reserved.
These images are not in the public domain. Contact me for licensing terms and pricing.
Unauthorized or unlicensed use for all commercial and personal applications is prohibited.
The News has been quite unsettling recently and I'm sure no one needs to be reminded that it has been filled with endless Corona Virus reporting.
If you have been personally impacted by it in any way — then I honestly pray for you that you will feel peace, and that you and your loved ones will be healthy and well.
Since there are many other sources of news that you can turn to — unless I feel I can add some important information about it — I'll keep my blog posts here a light and entertaining oasis away from all that.
A Screen Capture From The Animation 'Carpark'
Funny Short Animation: Carpark
With that in mind today you will find a very amusing, well-crafted animation called Carpark from the folks at Birdbox Studio.
Though the entire video is black and white — the characters and background designs are stylized and very appealing — the animation is smooth and well done — and the sound track is perfect.
I won't give anything away about the story-line — but it's very relatable and offers a funny pay-off in the end.
The entire video is less than a minute and a half and offers a small dose of much needed light entertainment.
The beautiful animation/video below, Father and Daughter by M. Dudok de Wit, features his Oscar Winning, Short Film "about love and the passage of time."
The short film won 24 awards, including:
Oscar / Best Short Film, Animated / Academy Awards, USA, 2001
BAFTA Film Award / Best Short Animation / BAFTA Awards, 2001
Jury Award / Best Film / Anima Mundi Animation Festival, 2001
Cartoon d'Or / Cartoon Forum, Europe, 2001
Best Animation / International Competition / Clermont-Ferrand
International Short Film Festival, 2001
Father And Daughter - Screen capture From The Video Below
As an artist and sometimes animator, I feel the animation's accolades are certainly well deserved.
While the animation utilizes simple, stylized characters and backgrounds — it's narrative unfolds in a deeply engaging way — and is very relatable and beautifully moving.
The music adds a lovely nostalgic touch as well — amplifying the film's over-all emotional impact.
Screen Captures From The Video Below - Select Scenes From Father And Daughter
A word of caution, especially if you have lost a loved one and are still having difficulty processing that — though it ends on an uplifting note, Father and Daughter will really pull on your heart-strings — and many comments under the video on YouTube reveal that it left people in tears.
With that disclaimer out of the way — I hope you'll enjoy this one too.
God Bless and Comfort you if you're missing someone today!
I've been cleaning up my trusty old 'puter because I need to transition to a newer OS — and have gone through a decades worth of old files - deleting a ton and backing up MANY others.
It's been a time-consuming pain - made worse by the fact that I still LOVE my current PC and wouldn't even consider a transition if it wasn't going to be supported anymore.
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The upside has been a nostalgic journey through ten years worth of old letters, images, and files, etc.
In that process I came across tons of old artwork — some that were finished and other "works in progress" that I ran out of steam on for one reason or another.
So today I'll share a few of those in no particular order.
"Ganny" - Copyright 2011 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Ages ago I found a photo portrait of an older woman and loved her sweet looking expression and decided to paint this digital portrait of her.
I got this far before moving on — but really enjoyed the process on this one.
"Kiefer" - Copyright 2011 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Was watching the movie Flatliners and captured an image of Kiefer Sutherland during a scene and digitally painted this using it as a reference.
As I recall that original reference was monochromatic — but I was also kinda in that artistic "phase" at that time as well.
"Snail Photo Study" - Copyright 2011 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Found an awesome photo of a snail in a natural environment and really loved the lighting on it and tried my hand at capturing it in this digital painting.
"Jesus" - Copyright 2011 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ A photo study / digital painting of an image of a statue of Christ I found online.
In the original photo, the statue was either stone or concrete in natural light — but as noted above, I was in a "monochromatic phase" around that time and went with this greenish color scheme.
Photo Study - Copyright 2011 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ This 2011 digital painting, I used as a reference just the "portrait" section of an amazing photo called "Strength."
BTW — I'd love to give credit to whoever took the original photo of the old man.
So if you know the photographer for this one or any of the other references I used (unless otherwise noted), please let me
know who they are and I'd be happy to add a credit for them and link to their web-site(s) or social media etc.
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That'll do it for today — although I may share more older images that I found in the archives down the road.
As mentioned in my last post, I dusted off the pastel pencils and have been working with them in my sketchbook (along with a pencil or two as well of course : ).
One has expanded from a quick pencil drawing into a more involved pastel pencil image—and although it's taken a bit to do—I'm having a blast with it.
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A Screen Grab From The Video Below - EVE
Until I can finish that off and scan and post some of the new schtuff, I have another AWESOME very short animation to share with you from France's Gobelins - "School of the Image."
I love what Gobelins' students are doing for projects—and many of their animations include excellent and creatively designed characters, interesting lighting and color choices, and fluid, dynamic movement.
If I had the time and the bucks, it'd be awesome to go there (if my lack of speaking French wouldn't be a problem : ).
Anywho—the animation below is called Eve and is only about 45 seconds long (if you don't count the credits at then end) but has a story that I found engaging and thought provoking—and is a tribute to animator Evelyn Lambart, who collaborated with Norman McLaren on groundbreaking animations/films for the National Film Board of Canada.
A 2015 student piece, Eve appears to be hand drawn and uses creatively simplified characters and backgrounds—so from an artist/animators standpoint it's very interesting to consider those choices.
When I studied art history and took several drawing/painting courses a few years ago—it was interesting to hear about famous artists traveling from one city to another to study work by other masters.
Because of the great costs involved with travel—I must admit I was a little jealous that I wouldn't be able to follow in their footsteps .
Even though it was only 10 to 15 years ago—the internet was more in its infancy—and it was more difficult to find tutorials, speed-paintings, and large scale master-werks to study back then.
What a difference a few years have made.......
Just today, I watched an amazing time-lapse of Marc Brunet painting his piece, 'The Titan's Tomb."
Marc really has a great understanding of human anatomy, composition, and lighting—and although most of it goes by very quickly—I learned a ton from watching it.
A Screen Grab From The Video Below
It's like being able to stand at a master's elbow—and see them create a painting from early concepts to completion!
So check it out for yourself if you have a sec—and be prepared to be amazed.
☺
Please be advised: This video contains artistic renderings of nude figures.
Today I'll post a couple of new sketches/character designs—and an excellent old song that's related to the second drawing.
Let's get to it!
"The Shepherd" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I went out to draw one afternoon and as I drove I prayed that God would help me come up with something that would serve Him.
While I'm not exactly sure how this sketch fulfills that—I definitely felt inspired as I drew it—and enjoyed the process a
lot.
BTW—I also asked God to open doors with people—and as I finished this up several employees where I went were really engaged by this character (and
were complimentary and encouraging)—and that led led to some enjoyable
conversations about their interests and lives.
"Fat Food" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I prayed before starting this one too—but had a bit more of a struggle to bring it to life.
I started with my world famous, and patented "Scribble Technique" ™ ☺—and after a bit—began to "see" the GIGANTIC...ummm..."well-fed" character emerging from those lines.
As I put more detail into him, however—I was left with a large open area on his shirt that looked far too empty.
Since a lot of people walk around giving free advertising to corporations etc—I mused for a bit about who/what this character would happily advertise for—and then a light-bulb went on.
I've seen first hand the terrible health costs of our processed "convenience" and fast-food diets—such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint issues, edema and skin disorders, sleep apnea, heart-attack, stroke, depression, and social isolation, etc.
In fact—a few years ago, I lost a friend who was just in his early forties—and his death certificate listed his weight as a contributing factor to his early departure.
So, as a protest of sorts—it felt "right" that this...ummmm....large character would be wearing his corporate "master's" advertising on his shirt—while simultaneously advertising the effects of their poisons (oops...I mean products) on his body.
☺
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Even though it's about another vice—smoking cigarettes—Randy Stonehill's 1976 tongue-in-cheek, Lung Cancer, seems appropriate to include with this post.
It's fun and light-heart but has a pointed message too.
BTW—while smoking cigarettes has decreased—the use of vaping and e-cigs has now surged—and there are over 400 illnesses and and as many as FIVE recent deaths being attributed to them.
In this first link, it reports the US Center For Disease Control (CDC) "said 450 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses in 33 states and one territory are now under investigation by state and federal health officials."
Today—another article on a serious vaping related illness and hospitalization. A twenty-one year old man is "fighting for his life on a ventilator after developing a lung-related disease" after vaping for six years.
You'll also find a very inspiring video from Greg 'Craola' Simkins below—which is a time-lapse of him painting his AWESOME piece, "Let The Outside In."
'Momento Murray' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ If you've visited other recent posts here—you'll know that I had begun doing more cartoony, light-hearted images.
While today's sketches both still have a bit of a cartoonish feel—they are also a bit "darker" as well.
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Scribble Technique: I started both of today's drawings—by just doing some light scribbles on the page—and then began looking for ideas to spring from those lines.
I love utilizing this method and have been very pleased with the unusual character concepts that emerge when I use it.
It's a bit like looking at clouds and seeing shapes and animals and so-on.
If you haven't tried it yet—I highly recommend it.
'Siege' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
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Video
A time-lapse of Greg 'Craola' Simkins painting his master-work, "Let The Outside In."
It's about 50 minutes long, but well worth a look—especially if you are interested in seeing another artist's technique and approach to a piece.
If you just want an over-view I'd suggest increasing the playback speed—or just click through and watch segments that catch your eye.
Mine was pretty good. I went to a Good Friday service at a church I'm checking out—and managed to get some sketching in each day.
Today, I considered going to an Easter service—but they're always so crowded I opted for some extra sleep instead—and that felt good.
: )
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Let's get to the sketches:
'Captain Piglet' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Started with another light scribble—Captain Piglet was a lot of fun to create.
I looked at several reference photos of pigs to help me finish this up—and that paid dividends with this next one
'Jenny's New Ribbons' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I obviously still had images of pigs floating around my cranium—and sat in a nearby coffee house stifling my laughter as I drew this one.
: )
I started this sketch with a few sweeping scribbles on the page (of course) and quickly "saw" Jenny's head in them—and added an appropriate body and background as I went along..
Recently—a lot of the characters I've created like Jenny and Captain Piglet have happened very quickly—and then most of the time spent after that is simply refining the sketch. That's been really enjoyable—because as I've written in other posts—sometimes ideas don't come along so easily.
Last Sunday I went to a church near me for the second time and really like it a LOT. The music is pretty decent, and the pastor's sermons have been good so far—but the best part is that the people there are very friendly.
Also—I'm finishing off the last page in a sketchbook I started not long ago and worked on the first page in a new one today—and out hopped < wabbit humor) the bunny you'll find below.
I wasn't really thinking about about it when I began this drawing—but when I was putting the last touches on it this afternoon, I thought it would be a perfect sketch to post during this Easter week.
As I often do—I started this one by lightly scribbling some lines on the page and instantly "saw" the bunny's head in those and expanded the rest of this drawing out from there.
This sketch happened FAST as well. Sometimes coming up with something I'm satisfied with is a long drawn out < art humor) effort—but this draw'ring happened quick like a bunny. < yup...a'nudder wabbit joke)
As I've said before—wish they were all this easy.
: )
Anywho—enough of my hare-brained talk < umm...yeah...that was wabbit humor too : )—let's get to da derned bunny!
'Momma Says I'll Grow Into Them' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
Yesterday, I went out to a coffeehouse to sketch for a few hours and on the way there asked God to open the door to some good interactions with folks there.
A large table that I like to work at was open but two women took it right as I entered—and there was only one unoccupied table right at an entrance—so I grabbed it, got settled in, and began sketching.
The coffeehouse is near a large hospital complex and is usually pretty busy, so there were a lot of people there and most of them seemed to be in good spirits, and I nodded "hellos" and exchanged smiles with several people.
After a bit, a woman stopped on her way out the door and we visited about her grandson who is also an artist. Later an older gent stopped by and we talked a bit about my drawing process and his background as an author.
"Enrique 'Hammertoes' Johnson" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I had a lot of fun drawing this po' creature who dropped his treat—began as a scribble (of course : ).
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Bonus Video
Kim Jung Gi, is a South Korean artist who has an amazing ability to sketch his ideas directly from his mind, using his amazing memory and recall, and is able to literally fill a large complex drawing with characters, backgrounds and props, etc—without any preliminary sketching.
The video below a live drawing demonstration Gi gave in 2013—and shows his incredible abilities.
Please be advised, however, that his drawings are not always so tame and often contain nudity and sexuality—so if you do further research about his work you will likely encounter those kinds of images.
Recently, I've stopped going out to eat at restaurants, and am limiting my coffee in-take—simply because both are too expensive and WAY too fattening (at least way I like my coffee anyway).
So I've found some coffee houses that I can hang out in without feeling like a free-loader and have been frequenting them just to sketch.
As I've written here numerous times—going out to sketch allows me to get out of the man-cave and opens the door to some very interesting and engaging interactions with peeps who venture over to see what I'm up to.
I've also felt very Blessed lately—and have been enjoying my work and creative efforts more than ever.
Anywho—let's get to some new draw'rings an' a few woids about creatin' them.
: )
'Yee-HAH! ' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ 'Yee-Hah' practically drew itself.
As I OFTEN do—I started by scribbling some light lines on the page and immediately "saw" the cow-poke doing some rope tricks "in" them.
The hardest part about completing this was just refining everything.
Wish all my creative efforts happened this easily!
'Wayfarers' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ This one happened fairly quickly/easily as well.
I'd just watched Disney's 1940 tour de force animation Pinocchio—and still had the image of Jiminey Cricket dancing around in my noodle—and that no doubt influenced the wardrobe for this guy.
Somewhere along the way it seemed appropriate (and funny) to me to add the bunny being towed on the skateboard.
BTW—I'm not sure why the dood is wearing a skull-cap—but it was an early idea—and when I tried to turn it into a hat of some other kind it wasn't working at all. So it remains without any significance or meaning intended by it for me. Although perhaps like me—he's on a sojourn for truth and still has vestiges from the old days and ways.
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Bonus: As I was putting the final touches on this sketch—a VERY attractive, smiling young lady stopped as she passed where I was sitting and said she really liked this sketch—and she asked if I was an illustrator and how long I'd been at it, etc.
Did I mention going out to sketch beats sitting at home in the man-cave?
; )
'The One Who Rides The White Horse' - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ The quote in this image is from an excellent and moving documentary called "Furious Love." (see a short video trailer below)
In it, film-maker Darren Wilson captures Christian missionaries going all around the world to preach the good news to various people—from LARGE out-door gatherings—to one-on-one encounters.
Many were affected and changed by the Gospel message they heard—including a young girl in Africa who was set free from demonic possession.
I was struck by some of the comments otherwise ordinary folks gave in the video about the transformation God had made or was making in their lives.
In one case—a Christian team went to a New Age Festival and set up a booth to simply offer prayer to anyone who was interested.
Some attendees were unhappy about seeing Christians there—but a number of others did stop and ask for prayer.
One young man approached them and asked who their "medium" was—and they said that they followed Jesus and that's who they were praying to.
He agreed to have them pray and as they did he clearly began having an experience with God—and he said the words quoted in the image above.
In the book of Revelation 19
it describes Jesus returning to the earth seated on a while horse with a sword coming out of his mouth—and
the Word of God is called the "sword" in many scriptures—so I believe
he was indeed experiencing the power of our risen Lord and soon returning Savior.
What he said made a deep impression on me and I incorporated it into this drawing that I drew right after watching the documentary.
Here's the trailer for it.
It's a very good documentary and I highly recommend it!
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BTW—A friend gave me three instructional books authored by Will Eisner—the creator and illustrator of "The Shadow" and other very popular graphic novels and comics from the late 1930's through the 1970's—although he continued publishing his illustrative novels and speaking until his death in 2005.
Those books succinctly encapsulate techniques, tools, and tricks of the trade involving illustration and storytelling and I thought about Eisner's advice and style while creating the last image as well.
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Well—that'll do it for today—but I'm already working on a lot of new art I plan to post soon. Thanks for stoppin' by. See you again soon..........
In my last post I shared about getting a nasty infection to a wound and seeing the Doctor about it.
I'm happy to report that after taking nearly all the antibiotic I was given—it looks like the infection is GONE—thank you Jesus!!
: )
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I still managed to get a couple of drawings done while I was recovering and will share two with ya today.
'The Claim '- Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I had so much fun creating this one. I'd said another quick prayer before starting it but REALLY struggled to get going.
I'd drawn something (can't remember now what it was) and added a couple of mushrooms as part of a background for it.
I worked and worked in that direction and finally gave up and erased EVERYTHING < fortunately the sketchbook paper I use is VERY forgiving and takes a lot of abuse : )
After a break and with a clear head I set out again to sketch something I'd be more satisfied with.
The idea for the mushrooms was still percolatin' in my noggin'—so I quickly redrew the two larger ones—and then on a whim—drew the little prospector guy peeking around the one to the left.
I had some sweeping lines left over from experimenting with some other ideas—and at first tried drawing a big ol' monster type character—creeping up on the little dood—making it fill up most of the page to the left.
Nope! That wasn't working at all for me.
Then—as I scribbled other ideas—it occurred to me to add a mine entrance (and one off in the distance) and some wee pals for our little friend—and finally everything started to feel right.
The last step was adding the focus of their attention—two claim-jumping varmints on either side of the page.
: )
'TWEET' 2 - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr! - All Rights Reserved
It was originally scanned and shared to this blog straight out of my sketchbook—and although I liked some aspects of it—there were some things about it that bothered me.
Here's a look at that original sketch. See the larger version in my March 2 Post.
'TWEET' - Original Sketch (Small)
Copyright-2019 - Jephyr - All-Rights-Reserved
Anywho—while I was recuperatin'—I took the scan into computer drawing software—rolled up my sleeves—and started sketching away at it (aided by my trusty Wacom Tablet Interface!).
As you might note—I altered the background the most (and added a couple of feathered friends)—and also sketched darker values into the entire image.
Over-all, I ended up being happy with the changes and feel it improved on the original idea.
Hope you'll agree.
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BTW—I prayed before starting 'TWEET' as well—and highly recommend the practice!
As I wrote in my recent posts, I've been doing more "full" characters—rather than just the wacky "portraits" I've been concentrating on for ages—and have been allowing myself to create more "cartoonish" images as well.
It's really been an awesome change of pace—and I feel it's helping take my original work to a new and more enjoyable level.
Today, I'll post five recent pencil drawings/character designs from my sketchbook.
"Careful Little Fishy" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ It's really awesome when a sketch practically draws itself in a very short time.
Sometimes though—it's a struggle to bring a drawing to life—and it can be a more frustrating and tedious prospect.
With the sketch above—both were true.
I began this one—as I often do—with some lightly scribbled, unconscious lines and shading—and almost immediately "saw" the little fish-face at the top in them—and began trying to expand the drawing out from that.
I tried adding a body to that face—a kind of Madonna figure with a miter hat of some kind—kneeling in a long flowing robe—with wings for arms that were holding an infant.
I've begun to rely on a "feeling" I get as I work on a piece—but after the initial surge of energy and excitement after I "saw" the face—that just wasn't happening—and the more effort I put in that direction—the less I was enjoying it.
I worked that way for too long—and finally decided to call it a loss, erase the whole thing, and start a new direction.
As I began erasing everything—I hesitated around the face—and ended up leaving it (along with a few left-over lines).
Then on a whim still not sure where I'd take it—I mirrored the first fish face I'd drawn just below it—and using some of those left-over lines sketched in the LONG body and then added a fish body to the first head—and WHAM—the feeling was back—and I was able to finish this pretty quickly afterwards.
: )
"Monkey Bid'ness" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Just a silly character sketch that—unlike the one above—happened fairly quickly from beginning to end .
Though meant to be light-hearted and very cartoonish—I experimented with perspective and a tree background—and it ended up being enjoyable to create from the first lines to the last.
"Father II" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Obviously this one isn't as cartoonish—but I decided to work on some human and "creature" anatomy in it (and used some reference images to get things looking kinda right).
A few years ago, I took a number of anatomy and life drawing classes—but for some reason have really let that kind of work slide—and even though I'm now VERY rusty at it—I plan to do more and try to get back into the swing of it.
"Deep Swamp Boogie" - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights reserved
^ ^ ^ While admittedly pretty cartoonish and silly—this sketch practically EXPLODED out of my pencils and onto the page.
Before I started it, I said a quick prayer to God—just asking that He help me create a light, fun image.
I used to do this more often—but haven't done as much of it lately.
After my prayer—I made a FEW rapid, soft, sweeping lines that I could "see" as a cartoonish body and legs with HUGE feet—and then experimented with some ideas.
I took a break and as I thought about how to finish this—it popped in my head to make it into a "croc" or alligator dood with a big ol' tail and appropriate head.
When I set about to do just that—in very short order the complete image/character had taken shape.
You may scoff at the idea of praying about a drawing—but it worked for me!
: )
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BTW—these type of drawings help me strengthen my creative muscle—and work at becoming stronger at creating original characters, designs, and backgrounds from my imagination—but I hope to be able to post a new, color digital painting soon as well.
Today I'll share more of my wacky characters and portraits.
Hare Brained - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ As noted in my last post I've been creating more complete characters recently.
One afternoon I went out to a coffee house to sketch.
I honestly hadn't planned to make any kind of social commentary with this drawing—but as I was putting the final touches on this smart-phone mesmerized rabbit I looked around me.
Almost EVERYONE was looking at their phones. There were only two exceptions—but otherwise at least eight other people all were bent over and engrossed with their phones.
Just a few tables away from me sat an older couple—both silently staring at their screens. I watched them for several minutes—and neither said one word to the other.
I'm not anti-technology and spend a LOT of time on my computer every day—but think we have lost a lot due to our fascination with cell phones and devices—and wonder sometimes if a plane could literally go down and wouldn't be noticed.
Off To Market - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I had a blast drawing this character one afternoon in a coffee house.
I had printed out a few photos of wart-hogs I used as references—but obviously went in a more cartoonish route.
I picture this sad, little tough-guy waving goodbye to a barnyard friend who is being taken off to market.
The Chicken King's New Clothes - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ A while ago I heard an interview with a woman was a secretary for a famous and well regarded cartoonist/animator.
She said that she would hear him laughing out loud at his own work as she worked in an adjacent room.
I mention that—not to put myself in the same category with him—but because I sat stifling my own laughter at this character while I worked on it one day in a local coffee house.
I wish I always had this much fun when drawing!
Update:I was out sketching yesterday and one of the young men who worked at the joint I was in came over and wanted to see what I was up to. I showed him what I was working on and he seemed very interested so I showed him several other sketches including the one above.
I thought everyone would know the Hans Christian Anderson's "The Emperor's New Clothes" so when I showed him this drawing I mentioned the story and was surprised to hear he'd never hear of it.
Perhaps you know already, it's a morality tale about a king being convinced by swindlers that they had made an elegant outfit for him that was invisible to fools—and no one wanted to admit they were a fool—INCLUDING the emperor—so everyone agreed it was an amazing outfit.
Later the king took off his clothes and put on the new outfit and then paraded around in front of his people "wearing it"—and of course no one wanted to admit they couldn't see his new clothes for fear of being considered a fool.
Then at last a small boy stated the obvious—THE KING WASN'T WEARING ANYTHING AT ALL.
With that—everyone suddenly agreed—the Emperor wasn't wearing ANYTHING—and even though the emperor suspected they were right—he continued parading around in front of them with his noblemen holding his imaginary train high.
Glub-Glub - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ Just a silly sketch that started out as a scribble.
I'd done some large looping lines on the page that led me to "see" the large diving helmet and filled in the rest as I went along.
Colonel Almere - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ This is another example of the kind of wacky portraits created from my imagination I've been doing for ages—and was drawn before I started creating more complete characters recently.
Master Tiggs - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I'll close things out with this forlorn-looking "beastie" character—which goes back the furthest because it was the first drawing completed out of all the recent work I've posted in Part One and Two.
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Well—that'll do it for my most recent sketchbook efforts of 2019—so far.....
Thanks as always for looking in on my corner of the world.
I'm happy to be able to post my first sketchbook drawings of the new year.
There are eleven in all so I'll break this up into two posts.
In no particular order—and without further ado.....
That's What I Thought - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ More frequent visitors to this blog will know that I love creating wacky portraits—and have been focusing on those for quite awhile.
You'll find recent examples of them in Part One and Two—but you'll also see that I've been feeling like drawing more complete characters lately as well.
Although I've done a lot of them over the years—this was one of the first of several recent drawings that opened up that door again.
I've also allowed myself to embrace more of a straight cartooning approach over the last month or so—and have enjoyed that a lot too.
It's been a very refreshing change of pace.
Rikkie Raatt - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ This was the drawing I created right after the one above—again going with more complete character design and a cartooning approach.
Haywire High-Wire - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ I still begin a LOT of my sketches by lighting scribbling on the page and looking for ideas to spring from those unconscious lines.
After beginning this sketch using that method—I saw the face on this guy jump out on me from those scribbles—and thought it looked like a whale.
After that—the rest of this po' character in a precarious position began to take shape.
John Willy Bob - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ John Willy Bob is the kind of "portrait" I've been enjoying creating for ages—and is one of the older drawings in this group—before the more complete characters of late.
Although it wasn't intentional on my part—this character reminds me of older rockers like Neil Young or David Lindley.
Do You Feel Lucky, Punk? - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
^ ^ ^ In Part Two I'll post several more complete characters—but I'll close out today's update with another screwy "portrait."
Begun as a scribble sketch—I initially saw the lines that led me to creating this character's head.
Later I used an art anatomy book as a reference to add the cartoonish neck and shoulder bones.
The title, "Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?" came from thinking his expression resembled the face Clint Eastwood made while saying (nearly) the same line in a Dirty Harry movie:
"I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?"
: )
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Thanks for stopping by.
This handy link will take you to First Sketches 2019 - Part Two:
Some long time visitors to this blog may remember that WAY back in 2013, I posted a digital painting that I'd done using a photo reference of a young woman I had found on-line.
When I did that original version I stayed fairly close the pose she was in in that pic—but created my own background, changed her clothing and hair, and added a head-piece.
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Recently, I decided to revisit that image—and reworked the figure—making her appear thinner and changing the position of her arms—and also making some other adjustments to the background elements, color, and so on.
Just today, I put the final touches on this updated painting—and wanted to share the updated version with you here.
I call this one, "Almost Home"—and I'm more than willing to admit the influence of the late painter Frank Frazetta on it.
Almost Home - Copyright 2019 - Jephyr - All Rights Reserved
See more of my digital paintings and artwork at Jephyr.com
