timfishworks

France en Allemande

2009-07-14T12:37:00.005-04:00

France Gall's career was waning ahome when she signed with Decca and scored some hits abroad in Germany. Some of the songs are laughably stereotypical you can imagine people bobbing along in lederhosen. But then other tracks are among my most favorite of all her work. In particular I LOVE the pretty and peppy "So Einen Jungen Mann" which is a cover of one of my favorite Jobim songs, "Summer Samba"/"So Nice". But lucky France got to record lots of original music, unlike many of her Euro-contemporaries, and I like most of those too.

The hair and dress in the drawing here is inspired by her German career. Also, she's singing "Haifischbaby" ("Baby Shark"). This panel appeared in my OGN "Love is the Reason" despite the fact that France circa 1968 appears in a modern-day story. Sure, doesn't make sense, but it's the only time I've ever featured an actual person in any of my comics.

France Gall week

2009-07-13T22:46:00.005-04:00

In conjunction to my submission to the "Draw Serge!" blog, I am posting entries of his frequent song doll, France Gall. In the early '60s, France Gall was considered something like the Leslie Gore of France. Though her repertoire ranged from jazz to pop to children's songs. Here are a few pencil sketches I did a few years back, with her various hairdo's. Her later recordings with husband Michael Berger are considered better, but I confess I like a lot of the early work, particularly the jazz-y/lounge-y stuff.

Il ragazzo della via Gluck

2009-07-11T09:12:00.005-04:00

I grew up in a small town, maybe 5,000 people, and in a small neighborhood, maybe 10 houses. Across the street from our house was a huge field; buried within the field were maybe 3 apple trees and a huge rock with raspberry bushes around it. In summertime, we'd sleep in the field overnight and watch the shoting stars. Beyond the field was a small pond which I learned to skate on in the winter.

A few weeks ago, I visited the neighborhood where I lived as a little boy. I was in the mood to see the field and surrounds which I hadn't seen in maybe 20 years or more. I was really shocked when I went there. Of course, the scale of the houses and yards felt very different, since my memories are from me as a very small child. But the trees, which were only less than 10 years old when I left that neighborhood were now immense and overshadowed the tiny houses as the encroached from the edges of the woods.

There were only a few additional houses, and the road work had not been extended much. However, someone apparently stopped haying the field many years ago, because the field was completely gone...completely overtaken by the forest. I doubt I could have found the pond, and certainly the rock would no longer be sourrounded by raspberries. Immediately jumping to mind was the song "Tar and Cement." Even though it wasn't construction taking over my childhood memories, the excursion was a sharp notification that nothing is as it was.

Back to the song, digging around a bit, I learned it was a folk-y pop hit in Italian first "Il ragazzo della via Gluck" before Françoise Hardy made a hit of it in French "La Maison Ou J'ai Grandi" and then Verdelle Smith in English. All versions hit on the same thing... where did it all go?

Anyway, this sketch is 5 year old me with present day me in the field circa 1975.

Chocolate and peanut butter

2009-07-09T13:08:00.004-04:00

I've been playing around with Painter! Since using my Wacom tablet, brush strokes, and coloring in general are not my strong suits, I figure better to start practicing on bold, simple drawings. Here, I've used the "chalk" tool for a very grainy effect, and layering colors from the bottom up. Definitely getting easier the more I use it, and looking a bit better too (see entry "Gym class fairy").

I drew this after Adam and I got together for one of our Sunday evening "cartoon night" events. I had a little leftover frosting from making cupcakes, so we were adding it to our animal crackers with peanut butter treat. It was REALLY yummy, but also felt really trashy. I couldn't stop laughing sheepishly.

I don't laugh extendedly often, but whenever I am stuck on something like this, or the clown tatoo comic from the Sunday paper, Adam will also laugh extendedly, more at me than what I am laughing at.

Oh, Jürgen

2009-07-06T10:14:00.004-04:00

My latest "thing" is men in their mid-30s circa 1977. Think Gary Sandy on WKRP in Cincinnati with tight jeans, and tight western shirt open nearly halfway down to his navel and nice hair. Or, if you prefer your Euro-men, Jürgen Drews from the horrific German pop group the Les Humphries Singers. Jürgen botched his solo during the 1976 Eurovison Song Contest during the silly song "Sing Sang Song" but nails it time and again for "Ein Bett im Kornfeld," his big solo hit. For a brief moment, I was involved in a drawing collective; there would be a new assignment every 2 weeks. For the assignment "something about music" I started this illustration of the Les Humphries Singers from their Eurosvision appearance. Love Jürgen in his tight bells, jacket, vest-with-no-shirt underneath, medallion, and silk scarf. If I had been a young man in the 70s, this is definitely how I'd dress.

R.I.P. Majel Barrett

2009-06-29T14:03:00.003-04:00

Ok, I know I am 6 months late to post this, but here is my tribute to Majel Barrett. Barrett passed away late December and was the widow of Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek. Barrett herself appeared in each of the series and the movies in some form or another. I think it's most interesting that in the pilot of the original series, Roddenberry had intended for Barrett to play the first officer, known as "Number One," though her character was scrapped for the actual series. Fairly progressive for the mid-60s to have a female second in command. So, here's my take on "Number One" complete in velour t-neck and pants.

In other Trek news, I have been watching Voyager episodes posted to the Web, while I am drawing up a storm. That's the only series that I really liked. It's nice to have on as background noise and then I can look up at the best parts.

Girls of spring

2009-06-22T11:59:00.005-04:00

Better post this before we get too far from "spring" (though it feels like October at the moment). A few weeks back, on a sunny, warm Sunday, I saw a shapely gal walking (left) with her rough-looking BF. I liked her look: pretty but not gorgeous; clothing that showed off her form but odd enough to not be slutty. Daisy Dukes and cowgirl boots, very nice. A few days later, on a drizzly morning, saw a girl stopped at a light with her bike (right). Very pretty with pretty blonde hair, Cookie Monster blue top, frilly skirt, black leggings, tall high-heeled boots. Very odd attire for biking, even as a commuter cyclist.

Au revoir

2009-06-18T08:12:00.003-04:00

See what a difference inking everything makes? My time in Paris was tourism-packed, and I made a point to see things I had not seen before: Latin Quarter, Palais and Jardin du Luxembourg, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, the Victor Hugo square place. So many cute guys walking about, sunning themselves. Of course, I don't fare so well in the sun. Mid-night, I awoke and my arm (which falls asleep often during the nights) had fallen asleep worse than ever before. I couldn't feel it all the way up to my shoulder. I was freaking out a little, and it took a long while for any sensation to return. My flight home was uneventful.

A less pretentious Euro-trip

2009-06-17T15:07:00.003-04:00

The next spread in my pretentious Moleskine. Friday we wander more of Lyon, enjoying the sounds of the electronic music festival going on all weekend, as well as its revelers. Saw lots of odd looking long-haired men. That evening, Xavier had to work and I made my way to a very nice jazz bar. Climbing up the hills of Lyon using passages and alleyway staircases, I arrived in a sketchy run-down square full of thugs, a comedy club, and the jazz bar. Saturday, Xavier and I snake our way around the city, enjoying time with his cats, coffee, dessert, and the beautiful city. Sadly, the blue line drawing I did of the owner of the Vietnemese restuarant didn't scan well. I think if I ever compile a book of my travel sketches, I'll need to ink them. Or at least use black pencil.

A Memorial Day in France

2009-06-16T17:56:00.003-04:00

Fish-philes may recall how my January travels were a bit screwed up. Boring story short, I ended up with another trip. So I packed up my bags and took a long weekend back France; mostly Lyon and some in Paris. My sketch journal begins at Boston's Logan International Airport. As typical, I have depressing life thoughts before a trip. Changing planes in Dublin, I am greeted by a men's room cruiser. I end up feeling better about myself. I catch up with Xavier in Lyon and we enjoy drink at his favorite bear-bar. Thursday we foot-it around Lyon, which was a national holiday. We saw so many wheelchairs! Also spent some quality time transcribing our interview recorded in January. PREF magazine picked it up!—but Xavier had a tough time deciphering our drunken speech. Ended up editing a lot out ("I'm rambling here, it'd be better if I said this:...)

Some texture and depth

2009-05-03T08:54:00.003-04:00

I pencilled this in February, I think. I used blue line pencil and really liked the look of it. But my pencils were incredibly light, and I could not scan it to show off my fine, fine work. So I inked it, recanned, and posted. The post title comes from the various patterns I used to create texture (crosshatching, stipling, lines, herringbone) and the depth created by the positioning of the subjects.

I was also playing around with a new brush pen I had... the original really shows some nice brush work on the foreground subject's eyebrows and lashes.

Otherwise, there isn't much of a story here. The two men are in suits, but the woman is dressed in a t-shirt. Is she a hooker? Probably not with that headband and '60s bob. The men are sad or barely happy; whereas the woman exudes joy.

Gym class fairy

2009-04-26T18:41:00.007-04:00

I drew this at one of the 3 conferences I've attended this spring for my day job at MIT. It's your classic gym class fairy, except he's owning it a bit more than I did in junior high and high school. I just tried to melt into the background so I wouldn't actually have to throw anything. I love drawing gay teens in Archie style (see the entry "No. 12" of the Tomboy, likely lesbian). I installed Painter today and was playing around with it. Horrible first venture here, using the pastels tool.

Reading

2009-04-21T07:31:00.003-04:00

My bike accident has allowed for some nice quiet time at home. Among the nice quiet activity, I revisited some Krigstein and Toth. I also was able to finally read a bit of Pratt (I had bought a beautiful hardcover printed at actual size Corto Maltese stuff when I was @ Angouleme Festival; my French is bad so it seems to get to the bottom of my reading list quickly). I'm now re-inspired by their ability to craft such dynamic drawings even from the simplest of moments. Here, I attempt to make "reading" engaging for the viewer. I wasn't teribbly selective about the title, it just happened to be on my mind. If I had an actual backstory here, I would have chosen a novel most appropriate to the moment.

ANOTHER DOODLE: on the same page as the first drawing in my sketchbook. Here, the Emo boy is pining for the reading boy. I've tried to make the subject more fully engaged in the pining. The dialogue is deliberately no help; without the body language and facial expression, "—He reads!" has almost no meaning at all. Let's ignore the fact that it looks like he's leaning on a toaster oven. ON READING: I am determined to finish reading Vanity Fair. I started reading it November 2007 on the recommendation of a friend. It is an easy read, and a good read, but a long read; and I am a slow reader. But, I am determined to finish it before November 2009. Wish me luck—!

Bike boy

2009-04-13T07:58:00.002-04:00

So much to say about biking! PART ONE: Regarding this particular drawing, about a month back, we enjoyed a day or two of warm weather. For Boston in March, that means a light jacket, and perhaps shorts if you are of sturdy stock. As Fish-philes know, I took in my dog from an abusive home 8 years ago, and she's a shy girl in public settings. Over the years I've tried to acclimate her to new people and places as I can. This day, we stopped in Davis Square to sit and people-watch. As I sat there, a cute fellow biked up and sat across from me, and I sketched him. PART TWO: 2 weeks ago, I was knocked off my bike in traffic! I was very lucky to not be run over. My assailant gave me and my wrecked bike a ride home. I later went to the hospital—nothing broken or concussed. But, I was really bruised up and in a lot of pain. UPDATE: I now have normal walking mobility back, though running and biking are still out. Thank you all for the many well-wishes! Sadly, I haven't had the wherewithal to write and draw much.

Psylocke part 1

2009-04-06T19:41:00.002-04:00

I am way overdue to make a Psylocke commission. I was however, inspired to make this postcard as an apology for how horribly long I am taking (the commission was paid for in January!). I don't know if I will make the butterfly thing in the actual drawing... we'll see. For a B&W drawing, I am more apt to make it out of a zip-a-tone pattern of something. Anyway, I did this postcard with prismacolor markers (which I am very bad at using) and a brush pen.

The story of 'Stemena'

2009-03-16T11:01:00.005-04:00

Some weeks ago, I drew a new character in Adam's sketchbook. S/he has the head of an old lady, a buff man's body, giant butterfly wings, and a rose for a penis. Adam named this creation "Stemena" as he added a cinder block for one hand, a toaster for another, and broken eggshells for feet (thus Stamena must always be in flight or crush its feet further). Adam drew Stamena in my sketchbook (figure 3, though I inked the boy being pelted by the toast), and then I began adding to her back story (figures 1 and 2). Wealthy socialite finally acquires the musch sought-after mystical "diamond rose" and is unwittingly transformed into the mighty Stamena. Figure 4 shows us despite the horrific curse that the rose brings upon her (at an unknown interval), she refuses to part with it. The bold woman in the foreground is, I believe, some sort of rival for the rose. Here she has a look on her face suggesting "not if I can help it."

Annotated living room

2009-03-08T12:06:00.003-04:00

I am part of "A Drawing Collective" that exists on Facebook. The latest assignment is to draw a room in our home. Thought it would be fun to annotate my drawing here. (1) my apartment is in fact this orderly... or at least my living room is... the kitchen is a mess. From upper left: (2) vintage mid-50s black-ocean globe, (3) Chynna Clugston page from Scooter Girl, (4) Peanuts books, (5) Bose iPod dock, (6) lava lamp, (7) another Scooter Girl page, (8) little TV and DVD player, (9) Corto Maltese book atop the trunk I bought to go away to college, (10) Bryan Lee O'Malley Scott Pilgrim page, (11) housewarming plant that Andy gave me 18 months ago—a miracle as I usually kill them within 3 months, (12) antique library card catalog drawers holding DVDs that my great-aunt found in the dump, (13) '30s Morris chair from my parents house, (14) barometer and hygrometer—gift from Rich since I always want to guage humidity, (15) large mirror covering large holes in the wall, (16) key rack with almost no keys on it, (17) '30s book case I had as a boy, (18) disposable rug available every fall at the grocery store for students moving in, (19) Aggie.

Northstar vs. Sentinel

2009-03-06T09:19:00.003-05:00

Once, I was asked by Marvel to do a Northstar story. These are some of the sketches practicing Northstar. I've not been asked to complete any story, especially not a vs. Sentinel story. I'm sorry, it's not much of a story... certainly not worth all the anticipation built by my lack of notes.

Burrito boy

2009-03-04T19:28:00.004-05:00

I noticed a cute fellow waiting for the subway this morning, and he was eagerly eating a burrito. We ended up sitting across from one another, so I started to sketch first how he was holding the burrito, then the folds of cloth in his jacket and jeans. I was trying to note shadows, the shine of light on his shoes, and the salt stains on one of his pant legs. Then I very quickly drew his face as I neared my stop. He asked if he could see the sketch; I showed him and thanked him for being a willing subject. We'll leave it at that.

Classic Teen Titans

2009-02-28T07:33:00.008-05:00

No shocker to any sketchblog regular, I like the Teen Titans circa 1973. As I mentioned earlier, I sold out of books early during Angoulême Festival. I began drawing to amuse myself and others, and ended up selling a few: one rough looking hot guy, a Yvonne Craig style Batgirl (from the '60s Batman TV show), and a '70s style Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah. The last one I drew was this classic Teen Titans. It didn't sell due to the late finish and higher price. It's a nice piece though! I am half glad it didn't sell, so I could make a nice scan of it, color it, and post here! Maybe I will sell it as a print as cons. A number of people pointed out all kinds of artists do that at cons.

Blurry

2009-02-27T08:02:00.004-05:00

Though I was tired and eager to be home, I was also happy to be in NYC, and was able to see many of my pals there during NY Comic Con and throughout the week. I asked Goo-Goo to be my personal shopper, which he was very excited about. But generally, his ambition runs low, and when it comes to shopping, my ambition always runs low. We made it to one store, didn't try anything on, and didn't buy anything. We then went to dinner with wine, and then drinks. Since I am not a big drinker, it wasn't long before I was fairly tipsy. Add to that my big brother little brother relationship I have with Goo-Goo, I caught myself giving all kinds of unsolicited advice! Ultimately, I had a little out-of-body experience: I could hear myself droning on, but really had no idea what I was saying, and was definitely seeing double. And poor Goo-Goo was clearly a bit bored or beaten down from my time on the soapbox. Time to leave the bar, eh?

Cute French Librarian

2009-02-26T08:09:00.003-05:00

While I had work to do for my day job while I was in NYC (after NY Comic Con) I also had some free time on my hands. I tried to go to the Whitney, but instead ended up at the Frick. I hung out with friends, and a got some drawing in. In France, I met a very sweet Librarian, and we pal'd around together a bit (I'll leave it at that!). But, I never did get a photo of us together. We ended up connected on Facebook, and I was able to see a few pics and then drew this. I am not very good at drawing actual people, but he liked it anyway. I've also had to draw some real people as assignments from the drawing collective I am in (we post our assignments to Facebook).

Whose baby are you?

2009-02-25T07:40:00.005-05:00

The lyrics from the Batgirl theme song, as I recall them:

Batgirrrrrl, Batgirl! / Yeaaaaah, Batgirl! / Are you a chick who fell in from outerspace? / Or are you real with a tender warm embrace? / Yeaaaaah, Batgirl! / Whose baby are you?—Batgirl!

As I mentioned, one of the originals I drew at the fesitival in France was a Yvonne Craig/Batman TV show style Batgirl. I couldn't scan it (sold the original), but I was able to take a photo. Image on the left (while a bit dark) shows a bit of the blue line pencil. Image on the left is imperfectly cleaned up and colored. I'm not the best colorist, and didn't feel like investing too much time on this since it was from a photo. So you don't get a sense of how satin-y her cape it. But, I did apply the "noise" filter to her body suit... as the one Yvonne wore on the show was kind of sparkly.

I was referencing to Xavier and Jeff what the costume was like, they were disturbed that it was purple and gold. I was shocked they'd neither seen it nor the TV show! I insisted Jeff to use his phone to find internet pics of Yvonne in costume. He did, and immediately he and Xavier were wild about the costume. It does look pretty cool in pictures...

Then @ NY Comic Con, this woman (with a decent build) was wearing an AMAZINGLY professional-looking TV style Batgirl costume. I mean, every detail. I can't remember if Tall Tim was able to get a photo or not.

Pleasure bent again

2009-02-24T07:31:00.004-05:00

I managed to get in lots of sketching while stuck in Paris, Dublin, and Shannon airports. On the left is a tree of knowledge, with the thoughts of a cute French librarian reading beneath a tree. Funny how when you have literally hours to kill in an uncomfortable chair, how many leaves you don't mind drawing. Almost immediately on arriving home, I turned around to get to NYC for the NY Comic Con and a week of MIT business, pleasure bent again. Here, poor Ags greets me after my alarm goes off at 4:30 AM in order for me to catch my train. I was intrigued by a week in NYC (while I've been many many times, I don't think for a whole week before!), but also completely not in the mood to be leaving home so soon. And ol' Ags was REALLY mad when I left! She's generally not a barker, but she was barking up a storm as I snuck out at 5:15 while she was eating her breakfast.

Homeward bound

2009-02-23T07:15:00.004-05:00

Did I mention I sold out of all the books I brought to the festival?—it's true! I didn't have much left on Sunday, but it was all gone by 2 or so. The day had a weird vibe to it. Very slow-paced, then suddenly, half the vendors started to pack up between 1-3. Then, festival-goers started swarming in a purchasing frenzy from 2-4. Xavier wanted to stay until 5, so we waited until things died down and then left. Lovely evening and train ride back to Paris, and the next morning, I awoke to a very pretty snowfall that brought CDG to 10% of operating capacity. I arrived in Dublin 4+ hours late, and missed my connection. Despite being checked through Passport Control by a DEVASTATINGLY GORGEOUS dark-haired, blue-eyed, very friendly Irish guy, I was disappointed to be delayed... as it seemed I'd be adding on a spontaneous stay in Ireland to my trip.