November Dragon

I just finished inking this dragon drawing. I used a combination of brown ink, black ink, and pigmented brown ink markers. The dragon "species" is a traditional quadruped with wings and limbs high off the ground in a stance much more mammalian than reptilian. I present it here only in ink but I will be coloring it in and hopefully showing it at Darkovercon. I admit I've never been to Dragoncon, the huge media/everything SF and fantasy convention in Atlanta. At this moment I do not have enough suitable pieces to show at a big convention. 

"November Dragon" is ink on Fabriano illustration board, about 10" x 7", Novembeer 2012.

Watery Dragon

I tried a different approach to dragon drawing. This drawing is done with markers. I started with a few curved spiky shapes which would be the spiny fins of the dragon, and improvised from  there. You can't see the back end of the dragon but it's there, hidden behind the green fins and spines which camouflage the creature against a background of seaweed. The sea dragon shares elements from both reptiles and crustaceans. Its head and neck are reptilian but its front legs, with grabbing claws, are more like lobster or shrimp limbs. This dragon does not fly, but swims. It climbs out of the water occasionally to hunt for prey or to find a mate and reproduce.

Markers on sketchbook page, about 7 1/2" x 11", November 13, 2012.

Mug 'n' Muffin 3

Mr. Mugg and Ms. Muffin look out at the city at sunrise from a rooftop. This is the last of the three breakfast menu signs that I did for the "Mug 'n' Muffin" cafe in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The city in the  picture is not specifically Boston or any other city, it is just a generic view. 

As with all the other menu and restaurant signs I did in those days, the original work was "used up" in the messy environment.  None of the originals have survived except the three Paco's Tacos signs that I saved and stashed in my archives. As a commercial artist, I have had to get used to the fact that none of my original work, whether for a restaurant or Trader Joe's, will last a long time. Even my best work for these places has to be thrown out to make room for more marketing and menu changes. But thanks to Photoshop I have been able to save my images from oblivion. Now we will see whether digital images last any longer than markers and paper.

"Mug 'n' Muffin" Sunrise Special is (was) markers on posterboard, 21" x 13", winter 1980.

Cranky Dragon

Dragons have moods, just like people. This one is in a cranky mood. Maybe he's hungry. Maybe he's upset. Maybe he's fed up with politics. Don't get in the way of those slashing claws. He is an in-your-face dragon and he won't hesitate to attack if you bother him. 

"Cranky" is drawn in brown ink and some marker on Fabriano illustration board, 10" x 7", November 2012. I will be adding color soon.

Mug 'n' Muffin 2

Mr. Mugg and Ms. Muffin go on a winter vacation in this menu board. They're nicely bundled up as they take in the snowy sunrise. Lovely place to be, but not in Harvard Square. When it snowed in Harvard Square, the snow was quickly turned to grey slush by the many passing vehicles, and you would have to step through icy puddles to get where you were going. One time while trying to get through a puddle my boot cracked at the ankle and let in icy water. That may have been when I decided to move away from this cold urban wasteland, notwithstanding the muffins and tacos.

Markers on posterboard, 21" x 13", winter 1980.

Ink Dragon

I drew a dragon in ink. This is part of a series of dragon pictures that I will be doing for my upcoming show at DarkoverCon. I may do some warriors as well. I am using a style which I haven't done for many years. I call it my "storybook style" because it has often been used by other artists for children's books and mythic fantasy. It is basically an ink drawing colored in watercolor with little or no opaque paint. I like to use brown ink as I've done here. I will color this dragon and its environment in watercolor but first I scanned it in, so I can also experiment on coloring it in Photoshop. Things have changed quite a bit since I last used this style. 

Ink on Fabriano illustration board, 6" x 9", November 2012.

Mug 'n' Muffin 1

Paco's Tacos was not the only place I did menu boards for. The owners of a Harvard Square cafe called "Mug 'n' Muffin" hired me to do three menu boards for their own "Sunrise Special" breakfast. They asked that I create cartoon characters for their specialties, "Mr. Mugg" and "Ms. Muffin." "Mr. Mugg and Ms. Muffin" would be featured in different situations. This is the first of the series I did for the cafe. It features the character couple in a summer, outdoorsy environment. Note the Harvard crimson "H" shirt on Ms. Muffin. 32 years later, I am still doing cartoon characters marketing food and drink.

Interestingly, though the Harvard Square cafe is long gone, there is another "Mug and Muffin" near me near Reston, Virginia. I really should visit there. 

Markers on posterboard, 21" x 13", winter 1980.