Lincoln and the Joker

After reading a book about the Civil War to my children, I felt compelled to draw a picture of Abraham Lincoln. I wanted to practice some contour and shading lines, so in the beginning, it became the main focus of the piece. I usually begin by drawing some main lines in pencil. Then, I use Micron ink pens to go over the pencil lines and, in this case, I also used the ink to do all of the contour/shading lines.

I wondered how I might spice it up a bit and make it original and interesting. As I drew his old school crazy hair, I kept seeing the Joker's hair. A light bulb went off. A dull portrait would become a mash-up piece of fan art. The only thing I changed about the reference picture of Lincoln acting as my guide was to add a flower onto his lapel.  The Joker, of course, uses the flower to squirt his victims and enemies with venom, acid, or plain water... just to screw with 'em. The picture below is the final piece void of color to emphasize what little was contextually changed regarding Lincoln himself. 

Below is the finished picture with color. The colors were essential in making this bizarre mash-up work. All coloring was done with colored pencils, save the red "HA"s, which were done in Micron ink. As for his face, it was the lack of color that really brought out the Joker. To the left of Lincoln, is the Gettysburg address. For this, I printed off an enlarged copy of his actual handwritten speech, and forged (very carefully) each and every line until running out of room at the bottom. Then, I tried to give it an old parchment look. To his right, is the well known maniacal Joker laugh. 

Let it be known that I have the utmost respect for Abraham Lincoln, and I am not insinuating a resemblance between the two figures. On the contrary, they are contrasts of each other. One was a very calculating caring man, the other a crazed lunatic with no regard for human life. However, I think it would have been "altogether fitting" for Lincoln to call out on the battlefield with the line made famous by Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker:

"This [nation] needs an enema!"

ENJOY!

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Pen and Ink, completed Jan 2010

Pen and Pencil, or Graphite and Ink if you like fancier things. I have, within the last two or three years, gained an interest in drawing anatomy. I start with a technical focus and then decorate it with my own flair.

Carry Out a Plan (or Plan Out a Carry)

I am submitting this piece to the online artistic challenge, called Illustration Friday.  The word of the week is "CARRY".  I used colored pencils, oil pencils, and some ink.  I am really diggin' (no pun intended...ahh, who the hell am I kidding?  Of course there was a pun intended.) switching up styles, because I felt like my other style of work was overstaying its welcome.  

Get Your Bearings

The last several pieces I have done have been pen and ink, so I decided I would step away from ink and back to pencil drawing. Initially, it was going to be just a sketch, but sometimes beautiful things happen and lead me to carry on with a piece even though I started it on a low grade piece of computer paper.

Now, isn't he beautiful?... I said, isn't he beautiful!?

I completed this piece with the intention of submitting it to a website called Illustration Friday. The artistic challenge of the week was to complete a piece using Lost as the subject matter. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it in time. Dammit. Why couldn't it be Illustration Sunday?



I used pencil for the creature. I used oil color pencils for the background archway and collar. They are fun to use and they make smooth colors with deep saturation. I also buckled and used blue ink on the border of the green archway.



If you enjoyed looking at this half as much as I enjoyed drawing it, then it was twice the enjoyment that any one person needs at any given time.

Poetry for the Not-Quite-Right

Sunday Into Monday

Another weekend's come and gone
a hint of sadness, moving on
The cyclic nature of passing weeks
with chipmunks filling stretchy cheeks

Makes Winter feel as though it goes
on and on, but I suppose
Spring will offer warm embrace
Then poke your eye and slap your face

Laying down, your breathing slows
CO2 shoots out your nose
Soon a brand new day will dawn
A hint of joy, the sadness gone

Waking in a world of dreams
Something's not quite as it seems
Children eating uncooked meat
A gander down, I'm missing feet

Being chased on cobblestone
that turns into a waffle cone
Wake up fast and look around
Everyone is safe and sound

Back to sleep, just one more hour
Maybe more if I skip my shower
Alarm goes off with digital chimes
Hitting snooze a million times

I slither towards the foot of the bed
And step down on the kitty's head
He claws my leg and bites my toe
Must be Monday, here I go

The Calm Before the Storm

To truly take notice of the calm before the storm while it is occurring, one would have to possess the knowledge of the upcoming storm prior to the storm's onset. Otherwise, it might not seem out of the ordinary, or extraordinary.



This particular storm, the Surreal Brainstorm, has been brewing for more than three decades and I have, at very sporadic times, felt the calmness. I have felt it around me, sometimes even swallowing me. But I have yet to feel the calmness wash through me. Perhaps this is because the storm itself resides within me, or at the very least, manifests itself from within me.



Therefore, with each blog entry, I hope to create a channel within myself whereby the calmness may enter and exit freely. So get out your ponchos and buckle up, people. You're about to become a stormchaser. Of course, you are free to seek shelter from the storm by remaining inside the safety of your own head. If you choose the latter, all you must do is simply close this "window".