Happy St. Valentine's Day!

I'm back now.

Chagrined Lion

Half-Freckled Cyclops

I think this fellows unusual markings may be attributed to laziness rather than intent, but who knows? Kids are nutty. I've always suffered from poor follow-through, though.

"OPO"

Okay, so it's an octopus, obviously. but its bifurcated cranium seems to suggest that it's intended as a monster of some sort, and I believe that the squiggly lines in the middle are evidence that it's intended to be transparent, with the tangle of lines representing its internal organs. And, apparently, its name is "Opo" (possibly inspired by "Ocho", the pet octopus from the Hanna-Barbera Addams Family cartoon), unless those are supposed to be lumps or spots on its skin that were too sloppily drawn. I'm pretty sure that's his name, though.

10 Homonyms

Regrettably, this was just a drawing and a hastily-scrawled homework assignment sharing a page, rather than an illustration of a fanged gentleman shouting his love for homonymy. Incidentally, spellcheck thinks that "homonymy" is not a real word, but it's a big stupid idiot in that regard.

With luck, my recent computer difficulties are behind me (though I'm still using a scanner bearing a sticker exhorting me to "Get Ready for Win98", so there are still opportunities aplenty for disaster), and, barring further mischance, (week)daily postings should now resume. Did you miss me?

Stylized Toddler

I believe this is my attempt at doing Munro Leaf.

Frankenstein is a monster with Green skin,

There is really nothing more that needs to be said about this; it speaks for itself quite eloquently.

Violent Napkin with Sharks

Here we see me taking the theme of "guy being punched in the jaw" and exploring all the ways I'd ever seen it portrayed in cartoons. Then, as a palate cleanser, I throw in a turkey with the head of a man, cat's eyes, and the massive protruding fangs of a saber-toothed tiger. My father drew the shark and shrimp boat and it's possible that the mermaid/manatee thing is a collaboration. The shrimp boat is the Osibisa, a leaky old hulk that my father worked on through most of 1975 (it sank within a year or so after his departure). It sailed out of Bowen's Island, SC, where my mother and I joined him through the summer months. I went out with them several times and had exciting maritime adventures, one of which will be recounted in this spot at a later date.
The flip side is all my father's work, continuing the shark theme, plus a bonus werewolf for good measure.

Splnt! Clang!

Alright, so it actually was intended to say "splat", but I think that I like "splnt" better, anyway. I have no idea what's happening here.

Men in Profile (Some Fanged)

It's the old "let's draw random shapes and try to turn them into stuff" bit! Always a winner.

Snoopy, Baby Linus, and Not-Baby Linus

The early, more dog-like Snoopy stars here, both solo and with baby Linus in a drawing referenced from the Jan.10, 1954 Peanuts, that I first read in Good Grief, Charlie Brown, and which may be more readily seen these days in The Complete Peanuts 1953-54. The other baby kinda looks like Swee'pea, but I think I was just trying to extrapolate my own character from Linus' wardrobe. A side note: it was a late-in-the-game decision to try to figure which book the strip appeared in, but upon making a long-shot attempt to see if it was in one of the small number of Peanuts paperbacks we have in stock at work, I found it in the first one I opened! It's kismet, I tell you!

Portrait of an Oaf

Possibly Bert, but more likely just an oaf.

"G"

"G"....that really says it all, doesn't it? It had better, because that's all I'm going to say.

"Robbyesque"

As much as I admired (and still admire) Robby the Robot, I don't think I ever attempted to actually draw him as a child, seeing that as too daunting of a task. I was right--it is. I attempted to draw Robby without accurate reference last week for a young friend of mine, and...well...let's just say that it's a good thing that preschoolers aren't the most discerning audience. Still, I would frequently adapt aspects of Robby's design to my own ends, and this is clearly an example of that practice

Happy Tick

Okay, so it's got twelve legs...I still think it looks more like a tick than anything else. Living in the woods next to the lake, I had a good many ticks in my youth. Having dogs, I still see more of them than I'd prefer (this season's household total: 5). In 5th grade, I made it a point of finding ticks that needed a trip to the school nurse only during science class (saving them through the day until that point, if necessary). It was obnoxious and without provocation. If you're still out there somewhere, Mrs. Funchess, I apologize.

Hoist High the Jolly Roger!

I believe that the "j R" on the stern stands for "Jolly Roger". Not the most impressive pirate ship you'll ever see...it's actually more like a pirate barge. I guess this is as good a ship as a pirate with no arms can get his (lack of) hands on. It almost looks like I was attempting to render the flag in perspective, but I assume that it's just an accident.

The Liberty Bell

...and the flag, too!

Beware of the Black Hand!

Everyone likes receiving greeting cards...unless they're from ... The Black Hand!

The jail-cell bars on the inside of the card are made of some sort of thick cardboard packing form, affixed with cloth first aid tape. I believe this was all inspired by some kid's book I read, and isn't actually Mafia-inspired (La Cosa Nostra generally don't use prison time as part of their arsenal of threats). Also, I think that the "Alex" referred to may be a character in said book, as I don't recall having a friend by that name at that point.

USS Enterprise NCC-1701

I might have done better if I'd rotated the paper 90º before I started drawing. If only I'd thought of that 31 years sooner!

In an Old Western Saloon

Yes, they're whooping it up in the old tavern tonight! Zeke and Clem are playing a friendly game of pinochle, a rowdy is throwing a bottle at nothing particular, and the piano player picks out a melody to accompany the lovely girl singer. Suddenly, into this lively scene, a stranger bursts through the swinging doors! Will those guns (slung backwards in their holsters, for some reason) soon be spitting hot lead at someone?