ManMouse, BoyMouse, and Derwend

What did I want to be when I grew  up? A comics artist, of course, duh! As soon as I could manage a pencil and colored pencils, I drew pictures of costumes and characters like this set. Of the many that I did, this one and its partner survive in the Archive. They are super-heroes along the lines of DC Comics, and you can see where I've borrowed costume elements. The tunic panels and belt at the waist is very characteristic of late '50s - early '60s comics costuming, as are the pointed headgear and knee-length boots. The yellow helmet on the right is borrowed from the venerable "Doctor Fate." And they have capes, because it's traditional, despite being impractical. The green and yellow character is "Derwend," and I have no memory of him. Note his split-toe hoof-like feet though. He is obviously not human, with bright green skin. "ManMouse" and his son "BoyMouse" have some sort of ultrasonic power ("Iki" and "Squiki"). Maybe they can shrink to mouse size or even smaller. This set dates from the early 1960s.

Pencil and colored pencils on sketchbook paper, about 7" x 6", early 1960s.

642: a constellation

Did  you know that there are universes made up of only fruits and vegetables? The "many-worlds" physics theory predicts this, and when you bring them into your kitchen, you see that it is true. You see planets of grapefruit and lime, asteroids of potato, stars of carrots, and orbiting garlic. A bunch of celery may show evidence of life. And the appearance of bananoids prove the existence of  "branes" that peel back to reveal the slippery meeting point of different realities.

Prompted from the "642 things to draw" book, "a constellation." Black tech pen ink on sketchbook page, 7" x 4 1/2", December 29, 2017.

Smithsonian Commons Neo-Medieval

And here we haveth the neo-medieval interior court of the Smithsonian Institution's Castle, which is on the Mall in Washington, DC. It seems as if I found myself there, for reasons I have no remembrance. This space is hired out for events and also used as a restaurant. It would make a good location for a Society for Creative Anachronism event, and maybe they've already used it. I haven't been to the Smithsonian in years, and getting there is more difficult than it used to be now that the Washington Metro is under repairs. If I had heaps of dough I'd just take a taxi there, but if you saw how much it costs to get from the urbsubs to center DC city, you'd faint.

Sepia brown ink on sketchbook page, 4 1/2" x 5", January 1, 2001 (01/01/01).

Winter Sunset, 2017

I do at least one of these mini scenes every year, so here's the "Goodbye 2017" version of the Winter Sunset. It's done from memory and no actual observation was done. The medium is colored pencil with inking. The colored pencil technique I am using here is almost like oil painting, where I can blend colors on the paper. But better than oil, because I can ink over it and not have to wait till it dries. There's a bit of Photoshop in there too but not a lot. I am not going to think too much about 2017 now.

Colored pencil with ink drawing over it, 5 1/2: x 4", December 28, 2017.

"Texchanchan," about the Order of St. Michael: The actual practice of the Order is much less rigorous. They don't keep a monastic-style schedule. The most important thing for OSM is the ongoing conversation and reflections on the e-mail list. Being present on the List is the standard for OSM, that's how we maintain fellowship. There is a yearly retreat but it's in Pennsylvania so it's difficult for non east coast folk to attend. Please e-mail me so we don't have to use my Blog to converse. There is a contact address for me on the Blog front page.

"Traveling Players" game art

Here's another pointy-eared character from far in Jeremy Wolf's future.(or wait, if Jeremy's space fighting pack were in a spacefaring world, and the Haven game in a Renaissance era, how do we measure the time?). An Elven Thief turns our way briefly, but is watching a wagon pass by with a troupe of traveling entertainers on it. They have acrobats, jugglers, and a strongman in the center, modeled on the famous "Mister T." I guess I can draw better than I could in 1966, before the invention of role-playing games.

Original is ink on illustration board, 8 1/2" x 6", spring 1984.

Comics Panels 1966

I am finding a lot of my old art in the archive. This runs from my childhood, through my teen years, to more recent pieces where I sent copies to my parents. The one you see above comes from about 1966. I can't make a more accurate date for it. There are elements from "Star Trek" (the pointed ears) which place it at least after the first Treks had aired (hence, 1966). Design elements also suggest a mid-century '60s look, with the geometric patterned garb and the spherical lights hanging from the ceiling, things you can also find in the DC Comics of that time, which I was well familiar with. The hairstyles of the characters are "British Invasion," again placing the art in the early to middle '60s.

This 4-panel set comes from a storyline I barely remember. In this set, the uniformed men (or Vulcans with their pointy ears) are waiting for one of their number named "Jeremy" but when he arrives, he turns on them violently with either superpowers or a weapon, which burns everyone up but Jeremy, who is glowing but otherwise unharmed.

This is where I have no memory. What I do remember is that these men are part of an elite space fighting force modeled after wolves, and "Jeremy Wolf" is their leader. Their pointy ears are not Vulcan, but lupine, and they wear a characteristic uniform with two diamonds on the chest. They also wear a wolf tooth as a pendant. Why Jeremy turned on his brothers so violently will always remain a mystery.

Ink on art paper, 7 1/2" x 7", 1966.

Christmas Rose Remix

I struggled with this re-mix and did not succeed in my estimation. I wanted rose petals but I got something that looks like an underwater monster instead. Yes, monsters are coming to steal your gifts and eat your cat. It wouldn't be Christmas without an ongoing state of existential dread. "Shepherds quake at the sight!" Lovely music, though, as long as you don't stop to see what we are morphing into. I could be turning into someone who doesn't use words like "existential" and "morph." Do you like the color pink? I hate that color and have for most of my life but the little 6-year-old girl downstairs from me drenches herself in it. I regret pinking out here. At least there's one arc of blue.

So I wish you a NON-PINK Merry Sweet Christmas and Fragrant Piney Yule for the Solstice, and watch out for the rose monsters.

Ink and colored pencil, digitally re-worked, 4" x 6", December 2017.