I Can Still Draw, Sorta!

It’s been a many few couple of years or more since I picked up the ol’ graphite HB, 2B, 2H, 6B, etc, etc, charcoal, ebony, anything pencil to sit down and draw. Call it lack of time, call it inability to sit still (with age and the increase passing of time, also comes a case of ADD, in my opinion, for myself that is. I can’t diagnose anyone else).

Back in my day (insert face smack emoji here) I used to use a Wacom clumsy can’t see what you’re doing Tablet. It was a side tablet with an electronic pen that would connect to the computer and through programs like Photoshop, Painter, etc, a person could sort of draw and/or make art that would appear on the computer screen. Shit, I illustrated a whole children’s book this way. Took over 2 years and hundreds of undocumented hours I’ll never get back. That was early 2000’s technology. Recently, things have improved a bit.

Over the last couple of years I’ve met with a good friend @kommienezuspadt at @caffetto and watched him pump out some amazing drawings on his iPad Pro. I can’t deny how flawless and vastly superior this technology was over the bundle of graphite pencils and sketchpad I use to carry around with me, back in my day.

Well, here’s where I tell ya I’ve converted. For having good school grades the lady-friend, @velveteendream and I bought our daughter an iPad Pro cause she was doing some kick ass art using the free apps on her little ass phone. -Upgrade- Now she spends all her time into the wee hours of night illustrating. Dang 15yr old is better drawer than me.

Then I sold a painting and bought an iPad 6 for myself. I figured I wasn’t pro, and just messing around. Maybe do another children’s book down the road. (Yeah right, like I have time for that). The beautiful thing about the iPad 6 is the apple pen works flawlessly directly on the screen like any iPad Pro (Kiss my ass Wacom-goodbye).

Here's a little doodle or two messing around.

In the last week I was asked to illustrate a mascot for a fire department near Milwaukee, WI. They needed an image to go on the buckets of their entire fleet. Couple criteria the Chief requested was using a mariner as inspiration wearing fire pants and boots with a roof hook in his hands instead of an anchor. Also include a tattoo of their department number. Here’s the 7 hr and 45 min time lapse illustration in 3 ½ minutes.

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Music by Butthole Surfers, "Whatever"

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