Nasrudin sketches

Lately, the sketching has taken a backseat to another project I'm working on. The above drawing is not from observation or photo. It is an image from my mind that I'm trying to realize on paper. Although I am more or less successful at doing this when it comes to architectural design, pulling an image like the one above out of my mind and putting it on paper is new territory for me.

The image in my mind is of Mulla Nasrudin blowing dandelion seeds. Mulla Nasrudin is the archetypal wise fool, who lived in the Middle East over 600 years ago. I wanted him to have an expression of happiness, joy, peace and acceptance. The first thing I did was search for reference photos on the internet. I collected about 15 photos in a folder on my computer. Images of dandelions, seeds, hands, children blowing seeds, old men in turbans, Mulla Nasrudin , etc.

And this is the first sketch. As the drawing proceeds I hope to post my progress and would welcome your comments, ideas, and encouragement.

Houses

Happy New Year

Today I ran in a 5K race. It was cold - real cold - sub-zero cold. The race was put on by some folks who are trying to raise money for an orphanage in Africa. One of my new years resolutions is to help others more so I thought it would be a good start to the new year. I liked the start time too - 11:09AM. I'm not sure how I did but my time was around 22:30 which was ok for this early in the season - if you can even call it the season... Anyway, Happy New Years to all and I hope you stick with your resolutions for 2009!

Tombow Time

This page I was just messing around with my new set of Tombow markers. I "won" them on ebay. I have been wanting to use my regular Prismacolor markers but they bleed through the page so I don't use them. These Tombows don't bleed. It's going to take me awhile to figure out how to work with them. The colors on the caps don't always tell the truth. But once I get it figured out, they just might work for me. Alex likes them a lot.

Boston Brass

Alex and I went to see the Boston Brass play a couple of weeks ago. We took our sketchbooks and tried to draw the musicians. It was hard to see because the auditorium was dark but it was fun. The four guys on the left were all I could do that night. The next morning I googled the band and found a photo that inspired the drawing on the right. You can see Alex's drawings here. (oh, and if you do check out his drawings, he'd love to get a comment) Hey, come to think of it, so would I!

Nativity Scene

"It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on."

Joni

The Bathroom Scale

A few years ago I was skiing out in Colorado and rode up the chairlift with the head of the Center for Obesity Research and Education. I asked him if there was a secret to losing weight or controlling obesity. He said, in general, it can be summed up in five simple words. "Eat less and exercise more." So that's what I'm going to do to drop a few pounds gained in the past few months. 

I'm going to miss the ice cream...

The Majorette

 

This is my mom before I was born. She was a majorette in the Greenville High School Flaming Flashes. The thing next to her is her hat with a feathered plume. I did a little research on the Flaming Flashes (such a great name, isn't it?) and discovered a bit of trivia. The Greenville Flaming Flashes claim to be the oldest drill team in the world, founded in 1929 by Gussie Nell Davis, who would later go on to found the Kilgore College Rangerettes. 

Anyway, I sketched this from a photo my sister had in the room I stayed in when I visited her last week. As I was drawing this I was wondering what my mom was thinking about. I imagined she was thinking about the weekend and going on a date with my Dad. They were dating about this time. I've been thinking about her lately. Today is her birthday. She would have been 70.

Eating Alone

I like eating out alone. Of course I prefer to eat with friends and family but I am really happy eating alone. I take along a magazine or a book and enjoy the luxury of not having to cook or clean up. Lately I've been drawing instead of reading and this has become my favorite thing to do. I have to remind myself to eat - I get so immersed in the drawing. This little sketch didn't take much time. I like the looseness of it.

Brick Buildings

On November 10, 1892, Camden was devastated by an enormous disaster that became known simply as "the Great Fire." It began at 1 a.m. in George Cleveland's building on the east side of Main street and by the time the alarm was given it was raging and growing fast. The fire department responded valiantly but their equipment wasn't up to the task and at some point the water pressure from their hydrants gave out. A stiff wind off the water drove the flames across the street and by the time the fire was knocked down at dawn it had destroyed a great portion of the downtown. If a snow squall hadn't dampened roofs in the west part of the village shortly after the fire began, the catastrophe may have been far worse. The exact cause of the fire was never definitively determined, but it was most likely a heater.

Fortunately most of the property owners downtown were insured, and they set about rebuilding as soon as possible. As a precaution the town prohibited permanent wood structures in the downtown area, which is why so many buildings there today are brick.