Logan

I'd been rereading Grant Morrison's New X-men run for the past few days and I was inspired to start a sketch of Wolverine that I had promised someone ages ago. Gotta get my chops back - can't remember how to render him....

Moo

I had no energy yesterday, so I did a three minute cow. Funny, they used to be my characters of choice, but now I can barely remember how I used to render them in my own cartoon style. I may have to dig up some of my old strips from the magazines I kept from my days in Manila...

2 Minute Bunny, 2008.1

Scott Summers

I've been rereading a lot of old X-men comics since I got sick, and ben observing how Scott Summers is so much cooler now than he used to be. This is a rendition of what he might wear in civvies using the croquis I made a few days ago, which I realized only works well as a naked drawing - if I want to convey an attitude, I really need to draw the whole figure from scratch. Ah well, the croqui wasn't for me anyhow...

Dinner & A Show

We were at my friend Peter's for dinner last night, and we watched DVDs of his latest shows. This was a finale gown from one of them.

Gaining Color

My fever broke and after a harrowing night of headaches, I seem to be on the mend. I even got the energy to feel a bit inspired. Still a tad 'blue' internally, but slowly getting my color back....

Can't Go Home Again

I often have dreams where my family is complete again, at home, back in the Philippines. This was a dark, non-event dream that I awoke from just a few minutes ago (sleeping a lot in my illness), of th family going about our business in our individual rooms. Joey was still alive, and he, Gina and I all still lived at home, whenever that was, except Joey is fully grown in my dream and my drawing. He was taking some unknown houseboy to my parents' room, after said houseboy had been with some other family, apparently learning German. Yes, odd, I know.

But this mental image struck me, of me getting out of my room and passing the dark hallway that led to Gina's and my parents' bedrooms, and the two of them turning to look at me and talk to me, the 'houseboy' spouting various unknown words in German. It's a rough drawing because my headache is really strong, but it kinda captures the mood in my dream. I woke up in pain and rather sad, missing Joey, my mom, and my home. I started crying a few minutes later.

Sick of Being Sick

My head hurts. The sinus pressure is maddening. I can't be sure if it's a sinus headache or if my over the counter medication has dried out my nasal passages too much, because I realized I'm breathing through my nose now, and it's a little too clear. Ugh, this needs to be over.

Sickly

All this changing weather has rendered me rather susceptible this season - I've gotten sick twice in two weeks. Of course, it doesn't help that I got caught in the rain so soon after I was last ill. Anyhow, I tried to work with the croquis I did yesterday, but I really don't think I work well with croquis unless they're female. This one kinda sucks.

Men's Croquis

An online acquaintance asked me if I could provide him with a men's croquis he could use as a basis for his own drawings, since he was having trouble with the male form. The male figure isn't that easy, especially if you have to define all the muscles for super-hero drawings. This is a general model more suited to clothing, I think.

Rogue Wear

An online acquaintance requested I participate in his message board thread imagining what superheroes would wear in civilian guise. This is supposed to be Rogue. I wasn't particularly inspired to do anything fashion forward, but I based it on a really pretty girl I saw last night.

Distruction, Destraction

So pretty boy flaked out on me. I guess I already knew it wasn't going to happen - there were too many warning signs that I merrily ignored. But hope springs eternal when the ego wants something more than the intelligence can prevail against. Which has nothing at all to do with this drawing... but my state of mind is - like this drawing - kind of all over the place.


Big sigh.

Blue Lash

I was drawing this when I got messaged by a mindbogglingly gorgeous guy (at least by his photos) who was rather forward and wanted to chat on the phone. We ended up chatting for several hours, which was interesting and fun. So, I didn't end up finishing the drawing. Of course, we don't know where that will go, but suffice it to say I was distracted, so here's the half-done drawing that happened while all that distraction was going on.

Doodle Soup

Went over to my friend Peter's place for dinner earlier and while waiting for our friend Rima to join us, we got into a game of Continue The Doodle... or whatever this would be called.

Sick of Drugs

I had a bad reaction to a prescription last night, and I was really afraid I was going to die. When you're nauseous and vomit for nearly 10 hours, it can't be good. Its harder now that I'm an adult and living alone. When I was younger, I always knew there would be people in the house who would come home and be there should anything happen. I was afraid I'd die in my sleep, except I could barely sleep.

HEadcAse

At a few events last night, I had a couple of drinks and then got home with a few friends and had a full meal at home while watching Project Runway. I was perfectly fine, but I decided to draw this since I was tired and couldn't imagine doing anything worth doing later. I stayed up until past 2:30 because I had to gauge how I felt. I had drunk a lot of water and felt much better, so I decided that I would take a prescription that I was told to take on a full stomach, but I wanted to make sure I felt up to it. I certainly felt fine, and it was hours after I had been to the party, so I took it. I didn't know I would have such a bad reaction.

Winter Garb

Having been in the fashion industry all my life (since birth, actually), I think my frustrations about not designing clothing anymore come out in my wearing them, as I tend to seek out the more interesting pieces. I'm glad I'm in NYC, where one can wear some of the more adventurous items, especially in Layer-Happy Winter. This is a new coat I got from one of current fave designers, Rick Owens. Kinda super-villainy with it's high, high double collar.

Laura Bennett

Friends of mine mentioned that they thought of me when the idea of Project Runway alum Laura Bennet doing an online comic strip was gelling, and I immediately had an idea how to do a caricature of her. The strip that eventually saw print was more fashion illustration than anything else (and nicely done, by another PR alum), but I would have tried to get Laura to...well, look like herself. She's got such strong features, I'm certain that if I drew her over time it would become easier and more spot-on. Here's an initial stab at her, possibly in a color she would never wear. Maybe I should have her and Christian Siriano do some sort of cross-season Battle of the Network Stars kinda thing....

ChuckeED

I was trying to draw someone whose face was really popular back in my early New York heyday, but do it based on photos that weren't in the pose I wanted to do - basically I had to draw him without a clear reference for the pose. Doesn't look like him, but the features are there...

Again...

Couldn't stand looking at that jawline and her fishmouth, so I fixed it, and I'm much happier with it. Her lips are still enormous but it's better. I'm quite surprised with this face - it looks more like I want it to without as much effort as I thought it would take me. Guess I'm just getting more practice. The original jaw-heavy version is below.

Jeebus, I just realized this looks like an Olivia drawing. That's not a good reference for me....

Having A Blass

Kinda had to revamp (pun intended) the makeup drawing from yesterday after show images online showed I got the makeup a bit wrong. It reminded me of when I used to design mannequins for a living, and we'd get a huge order of 'girls' all with the same makeup style, and the makeup would look so different from face to face. I found my version yesterday looked like the rendition on one of the Asian girls (go figure) so I adjusted it and added a bit more detail today... I made this face so heavy around the jaw that her facial structure reminds me a bit of Catherine McNeil.... or, uhm... Monica Schnarre...!

What A Blass

I sat front row at the Bill Blass show this Fashion Week, and the show was amazing. The amount of detail in all the clothing, the way all the elements blended together evoking both a vintage style in a completely modern way, just blew me away. Even the casting was all about high end glam, and the models were totally giving off old school runway. I was so close I could see the nuances of their makeup. Here's my impression. It's a totally 70s/80s makeup illustration, but I loved it so much I don't care.

Sweeping Generalities

Some things are just beyond your control. Doesn't make it any easier.

Printy

This Photoshop brush reminded me of my old monoprint and serigraph work in college. I even used the same colors!

Washed

Thought I'd do a watercolor effect on yesterday's drawing. 'Sokay.

Back Line

I've learned to like my linework. It reminds me of Antonio Lopez's lines when he'd do quick sketches. I loved and aped Antonio for years when I was younger, and while I haven't made any conscious effort to do that here, it just reminds me of him. Certainly not as good as Antonio, but hey, I'm at least happy with it. This was a idea I had at the gym, not a fully rendered piece. Very super-hero fashion.

2 Minute Duck

Because I'm distracted tonight.

Small Horrors, Part 3

Bad Bird

My Small Horrors series gets a hiccup with a bird I have deemed too unoriginal, so I'm scrapping it.