SKETCH TRAIN

NEW POST GOING BI WEEKLY IN 2008

2007-12-10T09:51:00.001-05:00

New Post For The Year

2007-02-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

Well I'm back posting again. It's been a while and I apologize for the
long delay. I was resolving some technical issues so I can post regularly now.
I plan to post twice a month maybe more. I have half a sketch book full of new stuff
to put up. The first sketch is part of an earlier post called Some History.
It's part of my ongoing educational project. This one is of Garrett Morgan.
The next couple of sketches are my subway observations.
ALWAYS CONTINUE TO STUDY.....STUDY,STUDY,STUDY

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2006-12-20T00:19:00.000-05:00

I want to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and
A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I wanted to go a little retro with the post,
so I tried a classic Santa Coke ad.

BOOO!!

2006-10-31T01:17:00.000-05:00

Some History

2006-10-22T17:45:00.000-04:00

I'm in the beginning stages of a project
that's been on my mind for some time now.
It's an educational project for young kids.
African American Heroes. I plan to do Latin American
Heroes as well. The first sketches are of Fredrick Douglass
I've been doing research and preliminary sketches.
I'll do the finish in Painter.

PULP FICTION

2006-09-28T01:18:00.000-04:00

These four pieces where done for an upcoming
book on the old pulps of the 40s, 50s and 60s.
I had a lot of fun doing them. The classic woman
in distress with hero coming to save her from
the clutches of the evil alien. Well the space girl with
the gun seems that she's not gonna give up without a fight.

Sorry for the long absence!

2006-08-16T01:14:00.000-04:00

Sorry to be gone for so long.
I've had some techincal issues that had to be resolved.
But I'm back on track so to speak. I've been doing some caricatures of people
on the train. Having some fun with facial features of different shapes and sizes.
I got inspiration from looking at Jack Davis and Mort Drucker.
Two of Mad Magazines best caricature artist.

Faces

2006-05-05T14:53:00.000-04:00

Just an observation of peoples faces.

Union Man

2006-05-04T18:15:00.000-04:00

While on my way to work one morning, this man was on his cell phone
talking to a friend. He was not happy, it seems that he went to his union to look for work.Well, there wasn't any jobs available to him.
He told his friend he'd meet him at Grand Central and that they were going to the main office to and I quote, "we're gonna find out what the hells going on!" The look on his face said it all.

Ladies & Gentleman..... THE BUGGS!!

2006-04-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not updating for so long. I've been pretty busy but I'm back.
This piece was done while listening to the Sixties British Invasion.
I've collected quite a bit of music from the sixties. And of course The Beatles stand out the most, the group above, THE BUGGS, a fictional group that I created, represents all the groups that produced such great music in that era.

CREATURE FEATURE

2006-03-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

Medal Of Honor

2006-02-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

In 1999 I bought Medal Of Honor for the Playstation console.
From that point on I've been a WWII buff ever since.
I've played MOH Underground,
MOH Allied Assualt, Spearhead and MOH Frontline.
I've done alot of reseach the subject and been wanting to
illustrate some stories about the war.
There's a lot that still hasn't been told especially
the role african americans played in this conflict.
It's a project that going to take time, I just have to push myself.

More Bernie Fuches

2006-02-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

Some more sketches under the influence of Bernie Fuches.
He's one of the masters, no question!! I'm trying to reach
his level..... some day.

Bernie Fuchs

2006-02-08T18:02:00.000-05:00

I recently picked up the lastest issue of Illustration Magazine. It's a special issue devoted to the career of Bernie Fuchs. Full of fantastic reproductions of his work. I highly recommend it.I didn't realize how much he influenced a whole generation of
artist.

I found these Fuchs type drawings in an old sketch book(above) and didn't realized that I was subconsciously trying to draw like him as well.

CREEPY, EERIE

2006-02-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

I found this on the back of a sketchbook I forgot all about it.
This was done during my search of back issues of Creepy & Eerie.
A little Richard Corben feel I guess.

More sketchin

2006-02-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm letting my imagination run with whatever.
If I see somebody on the train one way,
I'll stretch the image into something different.
Just to experiment.

Basil Poledouris

2006-02-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile but I'm back. I switched up on the
music on my Ipod from Bowie to Sci Fi themes.
Listening to the Poledouris theme from Conan.
This is what come to mind. My homage to the late John Buscema.

Ink drawing

2006-01-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I'm doing more pen drawings to force myself
to get it right the first time. Still on the Moebius trip.
This time I'm listening to Pink Floyd on the Ipod, real spacey stuff.

David Bowie and Moebius???

2005-12-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

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.

2005-12-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

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.

2005-12-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

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".

2005-12-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

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!

2005-12-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

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!!

2005-12-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

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.