Brown-Haired Sword Girl

Leigh Brackett was a female traditional science fiction/fantasy writer in a profession which can still be very unfriendly to women. She wrote a lot of action/adventure stories including the "Ginger Star" series, which is sort of an Edgar Rice Burroughs pastiche, but what otherworld fantasy isn't? (The stuff that is Tolkien or Conan Doyle pastiche, of course.) Brackett's work, as I remember, contains portrayals of effective and not wimpy women warriors. I did this tiny character portrait inspired by the "Ginger Star" stories.

Note that in this character portrait the costume is not skimpy and doesn't have deep-cut cleavage (although the bare arms are not so practical for a sword fighter). She doesn't have high heeled boots. Her sword is wieldable with two hands, like a claymore (but why did I put that crossbar on it? Is it made from a T-square, so she's a graphic design warrior?) And finally, she has BROWN hair. Remember that every female warrior in art or writing has red hair! This character is not a victim...of fantasy stereotypes.

"Princess of the Ginger Star" is acrylic on illustration board, 5" x 9", July 1987.

Pyramids and cat

Here's an Egypto-illogical doodle for us cat lovers. The ancient Egyptians were perfectly right in considering cats sacred animals. Cats can defy gravity and make pyramids float. Under the sign of the Pawprint and the Eye, worshippers serve their household gods with treats and toys. In reality the Cat's Toy is our own Universe, complete with the cat-changeable laws of physics.

Ink on sketchbook page, 3 1/2" x 4", May 2013.

Grotesque armor

The metalsmiths of the Renaissance could create some amazing work, such as armor that mimicked all the details of the clothes the noble knight would wear at court. The finest-wrought armor was for parades and display rather than fighting. The creative armorers added  a wealth of detail to the suits whether they were meant for battle or not. The battle-armor was meant to be scary and grotesque and fierce-looking. This armored figure, who may not be entirely human, was inspired by Renaissance grotesque armor. There are myriad fantasy armies of these figures, fighting out their virtual existence in games all over the world.

Pitt technical pen, brush pen, and grayscale markers on sketchbook page, finished with digital inking. 3 1/2" x 5", June 5, 2013.

Yet another rock vampire

There's no escape.You must be subjected to yet another rendition of "The Vampire Lestat" as a rock performer. This time, the model is Jani Lane, the long-forgotten (and dead by alcohol overdose) lead singer for the long-forgotten hair metal band "Warrant." In this case, the forgetting is a good strategy. I did my best though, giving him goth-y jewelry, a metallic-printed T shirt with the type from the cover of Rice's "The Vampire Lestat," and a puffy leather jacket. There is also the discreet but well-placed blood droplet on his lip. OK, what can I say, it was the '80s, but even that isn't a good excuse. And this picture was not done in the '80s. And our own era isn't devoid of tastelessness. Justin Bieber as a teenage vampire? There are things humankind must not be allowed to conceive of.

Vampire Lestat is watercolor on illustration board, 11" x 14", October 1990. Plenty of restoration in Photoshop.

Julia in Pink

A Brazilian cleaning lady comes in to work on my mother's house every two weeks. She is a lovely person and she recently had a baby girl named Julia. As soon as she was able, the mother took her little girl with her while she cleaned houses. I was able to see Julia while I was at the parental home recently, and I drew this drawing in my Moleskine sketchbook. Julia sits in an elaborate tabletop cradle, with a pacifier in her mouth. She's 5 months old at this point. She's wearing that specific shade of hot pink which seems to be the uniform for little girls all over the USA and even overseas. Everywhere I look, when I see little girls they are dressed in this shade. Does this mean that when Mom goes to a store looking for clothes for her girl, there is only this pink shade available? Is this a way to identify girls as girls and make sure they are "feminine?" As far as I can see, there is no corresponding color (blue or Army green or whatever) for boys. 

Pitt drawing pen on yellow Moleskine page, pink added in with colored pencil, about 4" x 5", May 2013.

Vintage Ridge

"Wine Saturday" brought me and my friends to the "Vintage Ridge" winery in Delaplane, VA. The Vintage Ridge tasting room is multi-leveled and also houses the big stainless steel vats they use to craft their wines. I drew their vats and a barrel row and a few plants. Our server for the premium tasting was a young man who will soon move to New York City to seek his career as a photographer. The wines at Vintage Ridge were excellent and I intend to go back there soon, to do more sipping and drawing.

Pitt technical pen on nasty yellow Moleskine sketchbook page, 5" x 8", color cleared in Photoshop. June 1, 2013.

Baroque Sicilian

Sicily is full of Baroque architecture. You can detail yourself silly doing studies of the multiple columns, many-leveled cornices, sculptures, and windows on these buildings. Much of the Baroque creativity was lavished on churches such as this one in Ragusa, Sicilia, Italia. But theater sets of the era looked just like churches. Religion has always been good theater in Italy. This is only one little section of a church facade covered in dazzling carved details.

Gel pen and grayscale markers on sketchbook page, 4" x 3 1/2", June 1, 2013.