David Bowie and Moebius???

I was on the Seven train last night sketching and listening to
David Bowie Live from the BBC on my Ipod. Ashes to Ashes was the
song, what came to mind was Jean Giraud aka Moebius. One of comics greatest artist.
The live version of this song to me is amazing. I listened to it about seven times in a row.
It just sounds like Moebius, like something you would hear in his art. (If that makes any sense)
The first sketch is two men having a conversion, they soon fell asleep.
Then while listening to Bowie I drew a sketch inspired my Moebius.

Back to drawing.

I wish all those who read this blog a belated MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Well the strike is over and everybody's back to the old grind.
I was able to get a sketch in on the LIRR.(top sketch)
Other then that, I really couldn't draw with all the confusion.
These sketches are from this morning. 7 train 10 am. I try to update the
blog every day with a new sketch.

Last sketches before the strike.

I was able to sketch a little before the strike took place.
These are some of them. The TWU went on strike on Tuesday the 20th
and it's been a tough ride getting to work. The Long Island Railroad which
a commuter line is taking up the slack for the MTA. Everybody and grandmother is on it.
It feels like a billion people are riding all at once. And the cold doesn't help either when you're standing
on line to get the train. But hey!! Its New York we tough it out.

"I'll ride the train with you, but I'm not going all the way home with you".

This is one of the last sketches I did before the strike.
It was on an E train at about 8:45 p.m. The two girls are in a conversation, now it was noisy inside the train but from what I could hear the girl on right wanted her friend to ride home with her. Maybe she didn't know how to get home from the end of the line, I don't know. But I did hear the girl on the right say to her, ""I'll ride the train with you, but I'm not going all the way home with you". The girl on the right tried to convince her friend to go with her but from the look she had on her face I doubt she did.

My moving studio may strike!

For those of you who don't know the transit workers here in N.Y.C.
are planning a strike. It was to go down 12:01 this morning. It seems the M.T.A. and the Transit Union are trying to work things out. The trains are still running so let's hope they can come to a reasonable agreement. I would hate to lose my valuable drawing time but the transit workers gotta do what they gotta do. The sketch above is the train I ride everyday to work.

My First Blog!!

I'm starting this blog to post my journey as an artist. That never ending quest for perfection. Here's a brief history.
I've been drawing since the age of 4. Went to the High School of Art & Design from 1980 to 1984. There I took cartooning and illustration. Got a Associate Degree in Art and advertising from New York City technical College (84 to 90 I'll get to the gap in years at a later post). Attended numerous life drawing class at the Society of Illustrators from 94 to 2002. Now even though I when to school, I learned more about life drawing from the Society classes and sketching on the train then in class.
I had looked over my art one day and realized that I hadn't made much of a progression. I thought that it should be better.
Now the reason why it wasn't is that I slacked off for about three years. From late 90 to 93. Didn't touch a pencil, drawing desk and art supplies collecting dust. Just wasn't in to it, of course your gonna suck!! So got my Bridgman books open again and went to work. Now the Bridgman books are fantastic and you learn a lot from them but you need more. I had worked at a hospital near 63th street in Manhattan on the east side and I remembered the Society of Illustrators was on that street. So after work I walked over. I can't remember what the gallery was showing but when I saw a flier pinned up at the reception area for life drawing class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I was hooked. I'm taking these classes. So begins the quest for perfection.