I was flipping through a recent issue of Sports Illustrated while I was at the barber shop today. It had an excerpt from Joe Torre’s new book in which he gives his side of the story about how the negotiations for the 2008 season fell apart – an interesting story, even if it was a little one-sided. Anyway, there was a nice full-page pic of Joe. The guy in the chair looked like he was about halfway through the haircut, so I knew if I wanted to draw this image, I’d have to hurry.

Laughter is one of those things that everyone understands, no matter the language. Even the deaf laugh the same as the hearing. No particular point here. Just sayin’… This was inspired by a photo posted on thing-a-day. It also fits nicely with Everyday Matters challenge #53 (Draw a mouth). The drawing was done entirely with a mechanical pencil (along with a blending stump) in my sketchbook. I can’t seem to get those deep, deep darks with some of my softer drawing pencils (baffling); so even though it takes a little longer, the mechanical is quickly growing on me.

Despite the cold, today was sunny. The dentist on the corner has a nice green awning that catches the shadow of the traffic light when the sun hits it just right. There are parts of this that I am really happy with, and parts that I’d rather forget. All part of the learning experience, I suppose. In particular, I wish I’d left the building (brick, awning, etc.) a whole lot more pale to give some additional contrast to the light pole and shadow.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers! What a great game. I thought the Steelers were going to run away with it, but nice job by the Cardinals to make it close. Like most Americans on Superbowl Sunday, I celebrated by eating and drinking too much. This sketch was done with a Pilot G2 mechanical pencil (.05 lead; ‘B’ softness I think); mainly because I’m too fattened-up and lazy after all the food and drink today to get out my good pencils.

Here is my palette — an entry for Everyday Matters Challenge #190. It is a Winsor & Newton Cotman travel set that I picked up at Dick Blick a couple months ago. It hasn’t seen much use yet, but I think that will change. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Arches watercolor paper, so today I bought a watercolor block of cold-pressed 140 pound paper (7 x10 inches). That’s what I used for this painting.

Here’s that candy dish from yesterday, this time in color. I don’t have much experience with watercolors, so this was a bit of an experiment. I’m a little disappointed in the scan… in real life, the interior of the bowl is a little easier to distinguish. This was painted with a simple two-color pallet — Alizarin Crimson and Viridian. Yes, I know, red and green is soooo cliche for a Christmas theme; that’s why I tried to keep the green really toned down to almost a gray.

This is a candy dish I received from an old boss as a Christmas gift. We leave it out all winter long, because snowmen aren’t just for Christmas, right? Unfortunately, he has no candy. So what’s he smiling about, then!? Can I count this as EDM #204 (Draw Something Frosty)? Another giant ellipse problem here, I know. But this was just a real quick one before I head off to bed.

This is my favorite messenger bag (yes, I have more than one, shameful as that is). It is the perfect size for carrying my sketchbook and pencil bag around town. I can get a book, my iPod, phone, and a bottle of water in there too. I know I’ve already posted an entry for Everyday Matters Challenge #3 (Purses, Wallets, or Bags), but I’m doing this one for extra credit, OK?

We keep a nice little jar of shells on the counter in our guest bathroom. I probably should have left well enough alone on this one. Where do I begin? Well, let’s start with the perspective. Or lack thereof. I clearly was not standing still, or I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. Or both. There is very little definition within the jar between the shells. My wife looked at this and said, “looks like there’s a dead perch in there.

I belong to an online group called ‘Everyday Matters‘. It’s a group of artists dedicated to drawing/painting/sketching everyday items: shoes, wallets, food, etc. If you are an artist who struggles with picking a subject, or if you just want to hang out online with a great bunch of people, check them out. Each week there is a different challenge. This is my entry for challenge #205 — Draw a Soda Can.