Experimental Fridays first experiment...

Today's post is the product of my first ever Experimental Friday, wherein I eschew my usual mediums and try something completely new.  This was my first attempt to use Derwent "Inktense" ink pencils.

If you're interested in reading more about how that went (and my review of the aforementioned pencils), you can pop over to my "artistic process" blog Robriel's Atelier.

Or you can just go "Awww" and get on with what will hopefully be an epically enjoyable weekend.

Oliver the Magius

I credit my daughter for this one, or rather her rat pets Oliver and Winston who provided the inspiration for today's piece. Rats get a bad rap in the world. They're actually rather intelligent and endearing little creatures who are far braver than their size would suggest. I find that rather heroic, so I have re-cast one of Ree's rats in a more heroic light.

Inspired by Mrs. Auvoirdupois

There is a blog that I recently stumbled upon which has an advice column called "Mrs. Auvoirdupois Explains It All".  The blog is the creation of one Hanne Blank, but the advice column is "authored" by an absolutely divine character named "Mrs. Auvoirdupois."  I love it like cake and for many of the same reasons: impeccable taste, incomparable ingredients, savory, delicious with a balanced richness and flavor that lingers for a good while afterwards provoking fond reminiscences. Oh yes, it is wonderful!

I highly recommend you check it out sometime, and that you return to it often after that.

In the meantime, however, I was inspired by that column to illustrate what I think"Mrs. Auvoirdupois" might look like. I've been sort of obsessed with her and I've been working on this piece for several days now.

Pee Ess - If any of you know Hanne Blank or know how to reach her, I would LOVE to send her a link to this illustraton along with an appropriately gushy fanboy letter. 

Eeesh, in very deed.

You ever have those days when you try half a dozen things and nothing seems inclined to turn out, creatively?
Yes, well...I'm having one of those days today. But that's ok. Apparently even sea lions have days like this. Luckily for me, when I'm having an off day and fall down an entire beach in front of the whole harem of sea lions (and yes, that's what they're called, I looked it up!) my day doesn't run the risk of ending up inside an Orca.

Coinín bán! White rabbit! Rabbit rabbit!

I have a lot of British friends, as it turns out, and one of the things that they've taught me is that it's good luck to say "White rabbit!" on the first day of a new month. Since my family is more on the Irish side of that configuration than the British, I've learned that "coinín bán" is the Irish equivalent. Some folks say that you have to say "rabbit, rabbit" on the first day of the month to get all of the luck directed at you. 


I've also drawn a white rabbit for today's drawing. 

I figure this way I've got all my bases covered. Bring on the lucky!! 

Adventures in Spaaaaace...

And also in speed drawing.
Today, just to change it up a bit, I decided to try out a bit of speed drawing using Corel Painter. I have recently manifested a tendency towards getting Very Serious during art making, and that place is the opposite of the playful learning and experimenting which is kind of vital to the process. It also takes all of the fun out of things, squashes innovation and in short, is the fastest way to dry up creativity that I've ever managed to figure out.
Thus, I am always annoyed to find that I'm back there again. Fortunately, I know how to get out of that mindset pretty quickly.
In order to drop kick the inner perfectionist right in the seat of the pants, I cracked out the Wacom tablet and decided to just play for awhile, just like you do in kindergarden when they pass around the crayon bucket.
This guy was the result of about 3 hours of "don't overthink it, just draw.." speed drawing. I rather like him. Soren says he looks like me.

Me in spaaaaaaaaaace. With blue hair and space pajamas on.

Cafe Triste, Berkeley CA

I took Ree out today to do some drawing en plein air as we artist types call it. Soren had some errands to run so we settled in at the Cafe Triste in Berkeley and did a bit of life drawing. I didn't draw any single person so much as form a kind of aggregate person from bits and pieces. The sweater was from one guy, the hair from another and the attitude towards his sandwich is from still another.

I feel more comfortable drawing this way because if anyone catches me looking at them, they can't come crashing over and yell at me about how I'm drawing them -  because plainly I won't be. And yes, that scenario has actually happened to me. Never underestimate the land speed of crazy in the San Francisco Bay area.

Anyhow, it was nice to get out of the studio for a bit and spend some good artist's date time out with my daughter, a pot of Irish breakfast tea and our sketchbooks.

It's a matter of balance..

I drew this one on the back of some handouts at my Diabetes education class today. It seemed appropriate to the appallingly boring lecture at hand which was all about keeping one's sugars under control to avoid the Abyss of Awful Comorbidities and Complications.
Overall I would give that class a -25 on the cheerful topic scale and I cannot recommend skipping it with enough vehemence unless you absolutely have no choice in the matter.

The worksheets and handouts were particularly dreary.

Really, if they'd just let me make a "So you've got the 'Beetus" comic book, I'd manage to be informative AND entertaining. You'd think you'd kind of want that, but apparently the nursing department hit some kind of "clip art clearance sale" like it was the last crab rangoon at the all you can eat buffet.

But I digress...and also rant. You all know this about me, but it bears repeating.

Anyway, have some art...

Ok, so here I go again...

I have neglected this blog. There, I said it out loud and admitting it to myself and others, I throw myself upon the mercy of the Blogger gods in the hopes that they will understand and give me another chance to redeem myself and reclaim my quest to achieve 365 drawings IN A ROW.

Whassat, Blogger gods?
You say "Go for it?"

That's awesome of you. I do believe I will. Starting now.
Or rather starting with this drawing I did yesterday. It's a good kick start, I think, to a whole new year.

My daughter calls this one "Hobo Hamster or Vagrant Vermin." Consensus has it that he needs a hug and also a peanut butter sandwich.

Numero 6

Guess how I'm feeling today? 

Similarly Sick Squirrel Suffers Snuffly Sneezes. 

 Sinus stuffiness. Sore. Snotty. 

Stupid seasonal sickness. 

Seriously stinky.

So sad 

sigh.

You may have noticed that I have changed the title of this Blog a wee bit. It's no longer "A year" in the Robbiverse, because let's face it - that year has passed. I've decided that feeling as though I absolutely must post something every day is taking quite a bit of the joy out of things, so I have changed the mission of the blog a smidge. It will now be -almost- daily cartoons, illustrations and drawings, but I may miss a day here and there or possibly post two a day, if I'm feeling froggy - which I probably will a time or two. 

My new goal is to continue posting drawings on a semi-daily basis until I have over 300. 

However many days that takes. 

I think it'll be a fun ride, either way, which is why I've re-named this blog

Surfin' the Robbiverse. 

#5

Her Majesty's hobbies were said to include:

backgammon, hair fripperies, croquet, 

and slipping out of the castle

at night 

to solve crimes

under the pseudonym

"Eliza Fitzsimmons Wallingford." 

Pencil and Copic marker

Lucky #4

Sometimes stuff just....happens.

Like this drawing for example, 

which I hadn't expected 

to turn into

quite

such an

almost self-portrait. 

But the magic does what it will,

especially on 

Fridays. 

Pencil and Marker on 

a strange and mysterious pad of paper

which just showed up on my desk. 

3/362

Soren made me post this monkey today.

I wasn't going to, you see.

I thought he was "wonky" and "weird."

But Soren saw it and loved it and

insisted that I post it.

I suspect that it's got less to do with the fact

that he actually loved it, 

and more to do with the fact

that he secretly wishes to share with the world

that these are the sorts of sketches

one will randomly encounter

if one lives with

 someone like myself.

So now you share his pain. 

It's an ugly, bored monkey.

He's picking his nose. 

2 down, 363 to go..

By the time the grown-ups got there, it was too late. "Operation Giggle-fit" was in full swing. 

Copic marker on drawing paper. 

1 down, 364 to go..

"Oh yes.." said Chester "...when my potion is complete, the Goggie will know...oh yes...he'll KNOW better than to eat from anyone else's bowl with his slobbery mouth EVER AGAIN!!" 

"I think Chester has lost it." Albert remarked to Clementine, who nodded wisely from the safety of the rafters. 

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends...

Wow. It's 2011 already. How did that happen? It went by so fast! 

So it seems that I didn't make my goal last year of 365 illustrations in 365 days. It's ok, I'm good with it...really, I am, BUT that doesn't mean that I'm not going to take the sage advice of my elders:

If at first you don't succeed

Hunt down whatever stopped you and spork it in the eye. 

Wait, that's not how it goes...

Ah yes, it's "Try Try again!" 

Right, well...this is me, 

"Try, Trying Again."

 I may not make it this time either, but you know what? The journey I had last year and the ninety-something drawings I did? That was FUN. In fact, it was undoubtedly the most fun I had all year, art-wise. 

So let's do it again, shall we? 

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends, so glad you could attend.

Come inside, come inside...